JPS6369680A - Transfer sheet and thermal recording apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Abstract] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a thermal recording device that performs recording by applying heat to a transfer sheet.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, heat-sensitive recording devices have been widely used in which a coloring material on a transfer sheet is melted or sublimated by applying heat and transferred onto recording paper. Such a thermal recording apparatus is configured to perform recording by moving a recording head (hereinafter referred to as a thermal head) having a heating element in close contact with a transfer sheet.

Problems to be Solved by the Invention However, in the above-mentioned conventional configuration, the thermal head moves in close contact with the transfer sheet, which causes problems such as severe wear of the thermal head and short lifespan, and problems with color development of the transfer sheet on the thermal head. There is a problem in that there is a risk of a sticking problem in which the material adheres to the recording medium and normal recording cannot be performed.

Further, when performing full-color recording, it is advantageous to use a sublimable dye as a coloring material because color mixing is less likely to occur, and in this case, it is necessary to apply high energy to the transfer sheet. However, generating high energy in the thermal head causes the problem of significantly shortening its lifespan.
Ignoring this, even if high energy is generated, it will take time to cool the thermal head, resulting in a problem that the recording speed will decrease.

Means for Solving the Problems The present invention transfers the coloring material to recording paper by irradiating infrared rays onto a transfer sheet having an ink layer that absorbs infrared rays and generates heat to melt or sublimate the coloring material. .

How it works: Due to the structural acid, the coloring material at the position irradiated with infrared rays is transferred to the recording paper.

EXAMPLE Hereinafter, an example of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a device block diagram of a thermal recording device according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which 1 is a transfer sheet that moves in the direction shown by arrow A, 2 is a semiconductor laser that generates laser light in the infrared region, etc. 3 is an optical system that has a lens (not shown in the figure) and converges the laser light generated by the laser light source 2; 4 is an optical system 3 that converges the laser light; arrow A
A deflection device 5 deflects in a direction perpendicular to the direction indicated by . 5 is a recording paper that moves in the direction indicated by arrow A similarly to the transfer sheet 1 .

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the transfer sheet 1, in which numeral 6 is a base sheet that transmits laser light and is heat resistant; 8 is a heat generating layer that contains infrared absorbing dye 7 and generates heat by absorbing laser light; 10
is a coloring material layer containing a dye 9 that sublimes due to heat.

The operation of the thermal recording apparatus of this embodiment configured as described above will be explained below.

First, a laser beam generated by a laser light source 2 is converged by an optical system 3, deflected in the width direction of the transfer sheet 1 by a deflection device 4 according to a recording signal, and irradiated onto the transfer sheet 1.

The laser beam is absorbed by the infrared absorbing dye 7 of the transfer sheet 1, and the infrared absorbing dye 7 at the position where it is absorbed generates heat.

Due to this heat, the dye 9 at a position close to the infrared absorbing color N7
is sublimated, cooled, solidified and transferred on the recording paper 5, and an image is recorded.

In this embodiment, a dye 9 that sublimates with heat is used, but it is also possible to use a dye that melts with heat. In this case, the transfer sheet 1 must be placed in close contact with the recording paper 5. Must be.

The material for the base sheet 6 is not particularly limited as long as it is a polymer sheet that transmits laser light and has heat resistance, such as ester polymers such as polyethylene terephthalate, polyethylene naphthalate, and polycarbonate, and acetyl cellulose. , cellulose derivatives such as cellophane, fluorine-based polymers such as polyvinylidene fluoride and Teflon, and ether-based polymers such as polyoxymethylene and polyacetal.

The material for the infrared absorbing dye 7 is one that absorbs laser light,
There is no particular limitation as long as it generates heat, such as polymethine dyes, nitro compounds, squarylium dyes, thiol nickel complex salts, benzene thiol nickel, etc., which have an absorption range in the wavelength range of 700 to 900 nm of semiconductor laser light. Materials for the heating layer 8 include polysulfone, polyethersulfone, polycarbonate, polyphenylene oxide, polyacrylate, or acetic acid. There is a polymer such as cellulose, and when the infrared absorbing dye 7 is formed into a film together with this polymer, heat generation @8 is formed.

The color material layer 10 includes a dye 9 made of a sublimable dye such as naphthoquinone, dicyanomethine, or tricyanomethine.
and a binder such as polysulfone, polycarbonate, polyphenylene oxide, or polyarylate.

Note that the coloring material layer 10 may be one using a pigment and a heat-melting wax.

FIG. 3 shows a transfer sheet in another embodiment,
7 is an infrared absorbing dye, 8 is a heat generating layer, 9 is a dye, and 10 is a coloring material layer, which have the same structure as the first embodiment. 12 is a base sheet, which includes a heat generating layer 8 and a color material layer 10.
are provided on each surface of the base sheet 12.

For this reason, the base sheet 12 does not need to be transparent, as long as it can transfer heat from one surface to the other surface.

Effects for light The present invention is a transfer sheet having an ink layer that absorbs infrared rays and generates heat to melt or sublimate the coloring material, and transfers the coloring material to recording paper by irradiating infrared rays. Since the coloring material at the position where Recording becomes possible.

The present invention makes it possible to obtain an excellent thermal recording device that is simpler in structure and cheaper than electrophotographic methods using the Carlson process or the like.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a thermal recording apparatus in one embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the same transfer sheet, and FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the transfer sheet in another embodiment.

Claims (5)

[Claims] (1) A transfer sheet characterized in that a base sheet is provided with an infrared absorbing layer that generates heat by absorbing infrared rays, and a coloring material layer that melts or sublimates a coloring material by the heat generated by the infrared absorbing layer. (2) The transfer sheet according to claim 1, wherein the coloring material layer contains a sublimable dye. (3) The transfer sheet according to claim 1, wherein the coloring material layer contains a heat-melting ink. (4) The transfer sheet according to claim 1, wherein the ink layer is provided on one side of the base sheet, and the infrared absorbing layer is provided on the back side of the base sheet. (5) A thermal recording device characterized in that a transfer sheet having an ink layer that absorbs infrared rays and generates heat to melt or sublimate the coloring material is irradiated with infrared rays to transfer the coloring material to recording paper.