JP2021100797A - Image forming device and control method of image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

To enable a quality of a formed image to be maintained, even when states of extensions caused by heating caused in a medium in forming an image with ink are different in one page.SOLUTION: An image forming device comprises: carrying means that carries a medium; image forming means that forms with an ink ribbon an image on the medium carried by the carrying means by heating a thermal head; determining means that determines states of extensions of the medium in a page of the image formed on the medium, at a plurality of regions in a carrying direction of the carrying means in the page; and setting means that sets an image formation cycle in the carrying direction at the time when the image forming means forms an image on the medium, for each of the plurality of regions, in accordance with a determined result by the determining means.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 14

Description

The present invention relates to an image device for forming an image containing characters on a medium using ink and a control method for the image device.

Conventionally, an image forming apparatus for forming an image on a transfer medium such as a transfer film or an image carrier or a printing medium such as a card, a sheet or a tube is widely known. In this type of image forming apparatus, for example, an indirect printing method in which an image (mirror image) is formed on a transfer medium using an ink ribbon and then the image formed on the transfer medium is transferred to a print medium, or an ink ribbon is used. A direct printing method is used in which an image is directly formed on a printing medium.

In such an image forming apparatus, color printing is generally performed to generate a color image by superimposing each image with inks of a plurality of colors. That is, according to the input print data or the converted print data (for example, print data for each of Y (yellow), M (magenta), and C (cyan)), the medium (in the case of the indirect printing method). Color printing is performed by superimposing an image of inks of a plurality of colors (for example, inks of Y, M, and C) on a transfer medium, or a print medium in the case of a direct printing method).

However, by heating the heating element to the transfer medium via the ink ribbon, for example, when a wide-range and high-density image is formed in the main scanning direction, the transfer medium is physically stretched by heating the heating element. If an image is formed on the transfer medium with the next ink without considering this elongation, color shift occurs. In the case of the indirect printing method, if the transfer medium in which the color shift occurs is transferred to the print medium, the print quality of the image transferred to the transfer medium is deteriorated.

On the other hand, Patent Document 1 has proposed a technique of detecting the elongation of a medium generated by forming an image on a print medium and correcting the length of the image in the sub-scanning direction of the thermal head according to the elongation. There is. In Patent Document 1, the length of an image is corrected by changing the print image length, the line period of the recording head, and the transport speed of the medium.

JP-A-2017-132148

However, in the case proposed in Patent Document 1, since the image for one page is stretch-corrected at a uniform magnification, the distribution state of heating energy differs for each color in the printing of one page. In addition, the distribution state of the elongation in one page also differs for each color, and there is a problem that the color shift cannot be completely corrected when the images having different distribution states of the elongation in one page are superimposed for each color.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and is an image forming apparatus capable of maintaining the quality of an image to be formed even if the elongation state due to heating generated in the medium when forming an image with ink is different within one page. And a method of controlling an image forming apparatus.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention comprises a conveying means for conveying a medium, an image forming means for heating a thermal head to form an image on the medium conveyed by the conveying means with an ink ribbon, and the medium. A determination means for determining the elongation state of the medium in a page of an image formed on the medium when forming an image in a plurality of regions in the transport direction of the transport means in the page, and the image forming means. Is an image forming apparatus having a setting means for setting an image forming cycle in the conveying direction when forming an image on the medium for each of the plurality of regions according to a determination result of the determination means.

Further, the present invention describes the stretched state of the medium in the page of the image formed on the medium when the thermal head is heated with respect to the conveyed medium to form an image with the ink ribbon. A control method of an image forming apparatus that determines in a plurality of regions in a transport direction of the medium and sets an image formation cycle in the transport direction for each of the plurality of regions according to the result of the determination when forming an image on the medium. Is to be.

According to the present invention, an image forming apparatus and a control method of an image forming apparatus capable of maintaining the quality of an image to be formed even when the stretched state due to heating generated in the medium when forming an image with ink is different within one page. It can be provided.

It is external drawing of the printing system which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic front sectional view of the printing apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram of the image formation standby state of the printing part which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram of the image formation state of the printing part which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram of the transfer film transport state of the printing part which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. A perspective view showing the configuration of a pinch roller and a peripheral portion thereof according to the first embodiment of the present invention. A perspective view showing the configuration of a film transport roller, a platen roller, and a peripheral portion thereof according to the first embodiment of the present invention. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the thermal head and its peripheral part which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is operation explanatory drawing explaining the image formation waiting state of the printing part which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is operation explanatory drawing explaining the image formation state of the printing part which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is operation explanatory drawing explaining the transfer film transport state of the printing part which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram of the control system of the printing apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart of MCU 102 shown in FIG. 12 which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart of MCU 102 shown in FIG. 12 which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is operation explanatory drawing for the elongation detection of the transfer film of the printing part which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the area division of the image which was instructed to print which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing of the image formed for the elongation detection of the transfer film which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing of area mark detection which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing of the line period change which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing of the image formation dot by changing the line period which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing of the color shift by the line cycle change which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the area division of the image which was instructed to print which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the area division of the image which was instructed to print which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing of the line period change which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The components described in the following embodiments are merely examples, and the present invention according to the claims is not limited to these components.

In the following embodiments, an example in which the present invention is applied to a printing device that prints characters and images on a card (printing medium) and records magnetic or electrical information will be described.

FIG. 1 is an external view of a printing system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[First Embodiment]
In FIG. 1, the printing system 200 is roughly classified into a higher-level device (host computer such as a personal computer) 201 and a printing device 1. The printing device 1 is connected to the host device 201 by a cable 202 via an interface (not shown), and print data, magnetic or electrical recording data, etc. from the host device 201 to the printing device 1 via the cable 202. Can be sent to instruct the recording operation and the like. The printing device 1 has an operation panel unit (operation display unit) 5 shown in FIG. 12, which will be described later, and in addition to a recording operation instruction from the host device 201, a recording operation instruction from the operation panel unit 5 is also given. It is possible.

FIG. 2 is a schematic front sectional view of the printing apparatus 1 shown in FIG.

In FIG. 2, the printing apparatus 1 has a housing 2, and the housing 2 includes an information recording unit A, a printing unit B, a printing medium supply unit D, a printing medium discharging unit E, and a rotating unit F. Has been printed.

The information recording unit A includes a magnetic recording unit 23, a contact type IC recording unit 24, and a non-contact type IC recording unit 25.

The print medium supply unit D arranges and stores a plurality of cards Da in a standing position, and a separation opening 7 is provided at the tip thereof, and the pickup roller 19 feeds the cards from the front row card Da. It is supposed to be done. In the present embodiment, a standard size card having a width of 85.6 mm and a length of 53.9 mm is used for the card Da.

First, the drawn card Da is sent to the rotating unit F by the carry-in roller pair 17. The rotating unit F is composed of a rotating frame 80 that is bearing-supported by the housing 2 so as to be swivelable, and two roller pairs 20 and 21 supported by the rotating frame 80. The roller pairs 20 and 21 are rotatably supported by the rotating frame 80.

A magnetic recording unit 23, a contact type IC recording unit 24, and a non-contact type IC recording unit 25 are arranged on the outer periphery where the rotating unit F rotates. Then, the roller pairs 20 and 21 form a print medium carry-in route 65 for carrying the card Da toward any of the magnetic recording unit 23, the contact type IC recording unit 24, and the non-contact type IC recording unit 25, and magnetically. Data is magnetically or electrically written to the card Da by the recording unit 23, the contact type IC recording unit 24, or the non-contact type IC recording unit 25. A temperature sensor Th such as a thermistor for detecting the environmental temperature (outside air temperature) is arranged in the vicinity of the rotating unit F, and is provided in the printing unit B based on the environmental temperature detected by the temperature sensor Th. The temperature of the heating elements such as the thermal head and heat roller (described later) is corrected.

The printing unit B forms an image such as a face photograph and character data on the front and back surfaces of the card Da, and is provided with a printing medium transport path P1 for transporting the card Da on an extension of the print medium carry-in path 65. Further, print medium transport rollers 29, 30 for transporting the card Da are arranged in the print medium transport path P1 and are connected to a print medium transport motor (not shown). Se4 is a transmissive sensor for detecting the tip of the conveyed card Da.

The printing unit B includes a transfer film transfer mechanism 10, and first, with respect to an image forming region to be described later of the transfer film 46 transferred by the transfer film transfer mechanism 10, each color image of the ink ribbon 41 is generated by the thermal head 40. The image formed on the transfer film 46 is thermally transferred (secondary) to the surface of the card Da in the print medium transport path P1 by the heat roller 33 and the image forming unit B1 which is formed by superimposing (primary transfer processing). A transfer unit B2 for performing transfer processing) is provided, and an image is printed on the card Da by these.

A print medium transport path P2 for transporting the printed card Da to the accommodating stacker 60 is provided on the downstream side of the transfer unit B2 in the transport direction of the card Da. The print medium transfer rollers 37 and 38 that transfer the card Da are arranged in the print medium transfer path P2 and are connected to a print medium transfer motor (not shown).

A decal mechanism 12 is arranged between the print medium transfer roller 37 and the print medium transfer roller 38, and the central portion of the card Da whose both ends are sandwiched (nip) by the print medium transfer rollers 37 and 38 is convex downward. By pressing with the decal unit 35 of the above and sandwiching the card Da with the concave decal unit 34 whose position is fixed, the warp generated in the card Da by the thermal transfer by the heat roller 33 is corrected. In order to correct this warp, the decal mechanism 12 is configured to include the eccentric cam 36 so that the decal unit 35 can be moved in the vertical direction of FIG.

The print medium ejection unit E is configured to accommodate the card Da sent from the printing unit B in the accommodating stacker 60. The accommodating stacker 60 is configured to move downward in FIG. 2 by an elevating mechanism 61.

Next, the above-mentioned printing unit B will be described in more detail.

The transfer film 46 has a strip shape having a width slightly larger than the width direction of the card Da, and in this order from the top, an ink receiving layer that receives the ink of the ink ribbon 41 and a transparent protective layer that protects the surface of the ink receiving layer. , The ink receiving layer and the protective layer are integrally laminated by heating, and the peeling layer and the base film (base film) are laminated in this order.

As shown in FIG. 16A, the transfer film 46 used in the present embodiment has a width direction (thermal head 40) intersecting with the printing direction (sub-scanning direction of the thermal head 40) indicated by an arrow. Marks V for setting the image formation start position so as to cross the main scanning direction of the above are formed at regular intervals, and the space between these marks V is defined as the image formation region R. That is, the image forming region R is defined by the mark V on the upstream side and the V on the downstream side in the printing direction. The size of the image forming region R in the printing direction (horizontal direction of (A) in FIG. 16) is 94 mm, the dimension in the width direction (vertical direction of (A) of FIG. 16) is 60 mm, and the thickness (width) of the mark V. ) Are set to 4 mm respectively.

The image data received from the host device 201 or generated inside the printing device 1 is the size of the print area Q shown by the solid line in FIG. 16 (A). The image data includes information on whether or not each heat generating element formed in the main scanning direction of the thermal head 40 generates heat, and information on the thermal energy applied to each element. The thermal energy applied to each element is gradual and is specified by a value between 0 and 255. The printable length of the thermal head 40 in the main scanning direction is wider than the vertical direction of the print area Q shown by the solid line in FIG. 16A, and is set to be longer than the vertical length of the image forming area R. ..

As shown in FIG. 2, the transfer film 46 is wound or unwound on a supply roll 47 and a take-up roll 48 in a transfer film cassette that is rotated by driving a motor Mr2 and a motor Mr4, respectively.

In the transfer film cassette, a supply spool 47a is arranged at the center of the supply roll 47, and a take-up spool 48a is arranged at the center of the take-up roll 48. The force is transmitted, and the rotational driving force of the motor Mr4 is transmitted to the take-up spool 48a via a gear (not shown). A DC motor capable of forward and reverse rotation is used for the motor Mr2 and the motor Mr4, and the motor shafts of the motor Mr2 and the motor Mr4 do not detect the rotation speeds of these motors at positions opposite to the output shaft side. The illustrated encoder (hereinafter, referred to as an encoder of the motor Mr2 and an encoder of the motor Mr4) is provided.

In the present embodiment, the transfer film 46 before processing is wound around the supply spool 47a, and the used transfer film 46 (the portion subjected to the secondary transfer processing by the transfer unit B2) is wound around the take-up spool 48a. There is. Therefore, when performing the primary transfer process and the secondary transfer process on the transfer film 46, the transfer film 46 is once fed from the supply spool 47a to the take-up spool 48a side, and the transfer film 46 is wound up by the supply spool 47a to be primary. Perform transfer processing and secondary transfer processing.

The film transfer roller 49 is a drive roller that is a main body for transferring the transfer film 46, and the transfer amount and the transfer stop position of the transfer film 46 are determined by controlling the drive of the film transfer roller 49. The film transfer roller 49 is connected to a film transfer motor (stepping motor) Mr5 capable of forward and reverse rotation. When the film transfer roller 49 is driven, the motor Mr2 and the motor Mr4 are also driven, but the transfer film 46 unwound from either the supply roll 47 or the take-up roll 48 is wound up by the other and conveyed. It is intended to apply tension to the film, serves as an auxiliary function of film transport, and is not driven to control the transport amount and transport stop position of the transfer film 46.

A pinch roller 32a and a pinch roller 32b are arranged on the peripheral surface of the film transport roller 49. The pinch rollers 32a and 32b are configured to be movable so as to advance and retract with respect to the film transfer roller 49, and in the state of FIG. 2, the transfer film 46 is pressed by advancing to the film transfer roller 49 side. It is wound around a film transport roller 49. As a result, the transfer film 46 is accurately transported according to the distance corresponding to the rotation amount of the film transport roller 49.

Therefore, the transfer film transport mechanism 10 supplies the transfer film 46 by driving the film transport roller 49, which is the main drive roller arranged between the image forming section B1 and the transfer section B2, to supply the transfer film 46 to the image forming section and the image forming section. In addition to transporting forward and reverse between B1, the transfer unit B2 and the take-up roll 48, the images formed in the image formation region R and the image formation region R of the transfer film 46 in the image formation unit B1 and the transfer unit B2 are positioned at appropriate positions. It has a (cue) function. Further, light is emitted between the take-up roll 48 and the image forming portion B1 (thermal head 40, platen roller 45) and between the film transport roller 49 and the transfer portion B2 (heat roller 33, platen roller 31), respectively. Transmission type sensors Se1 and Se3, which have an element and a light receiving element and detect the mark V formed on the transfer film 46 described above, are arranged. The transmissive sensors Se1 and Se3 are AD sensors, and can detect the mark V formed on the transfer film 46.

On the other hand, the ink ribbon 41 is housed in the ink ribbon cassette 42, and is housed in a stretched state between the supply roll 43 for supplying the ink ribbon 41 to the cassette 42 and the winding roll 44 for winding the ink ribbon 41. Has been done. A take-up spool 44a is arranged at the center of the take-up roll 44, a supply spool 43a is arranged at the center of the supply roll 43, the take-up spool 44a is rotated by the driving force of the motor Mr1, and the supply spool 43a is the motor Mr3. It rotates with the driving force. A DC motor capable of forward and reverse rotation is used for the motor Mr1 and the motor Mr3.

The ink ribbon 41 is formed by repeating a Y (yellow), M (magenta), and C (cyan) color ribbon panel and a Bk (black) ribbon panel in a surface-sequential manner in the longitudinal direction. Further, between the supply roll 43 and the image forming unit B1 (thermal head 40, platen roller 45), the light from the light emitting element side is blocked by the Bk ribbon panel on the light receiving element side, so that the position of the ink ribbon 41 is located. A transmissive sensor Se2 is provided for detecting and cueing the ink ribbon 41 to the image forming unit B1.

The platen roller 45 and the thermal head 40 form an image forming portion B1, and the thermal head 40 is arranged at a position facing the platen roller 45. At the time of image formation, the platen roller 45 is pressed against the thermal head 40 via the transfer film 46 and the ink ribbon 41. The platen roller 45 includes a film encoder (not shown) that detects its rotation. At the time of image formation, the transfer film 46 is determined by the film encoder after the mark formed on the transfer film 46 is detected by the transmissive sensor Se1. After detecting that the distance has been transported, image formation by the thermal head 40 is started. The heating control by the thermal head 40 is performed in synchronization with the driving distance of the film detected based on the rotation amount of the film encoder.

The thermal head 40 has a plurality of heating elements arranged in a row in the main scanning direction, and these heating elements are selectively heated and controlled based on print data by a head control IC (not shown), and the ink ribbon 41 An image is formed on the transfer film 46 via. At that time, the transfer film 46 and the ink ribbon 41 are conveyed at the same speed in the same direction (the direction from the lower side to the upper side in FIG. 2, the printing direction indicated by the arrow (A) in FIG. 16). The cooling fan 39 is for cooling the thermal head 40.

The ink ribbon 41 for which the image formation on the transfer film 46 has been completed is peeled off from the transfer film 46 by the peeling roller 27 and the peeling member 28. The peeling member 28 is fixed to the ink ribbon cassette 42, and the peeling roller 27 abuts on the peeling member 28 at the time of image formation and sandwiches the transfer film 46 and the ink ribbon 41 between them to perform peeling. Then, the peeled ink ribbon 41 is wound on the take-up roll 44 by the driving force of the motor Mr1, and the transfer film 46 is conveyed by the film transfer roller 49 to the transfer portion B2 having the platen roller 31 and the heat roller 33. To.

In the transfer unit B2, the transfer film 46 is sandwiched by the heat roller 33 and the platen roller 31 together with the card Da, and the image formed in the image forming region R of the transfer film 46 is transferred to the surface of the card Da. That is, at the time of transfer, the heat roller 33 is pressed against the platen roller 31 via the card Da and the transfer film 46 (image forming region R), and the card Da and the transfer film 46 are conveyed in the same direction at the same speed. The heat roller 33 is attached to an elevating mechanism (not shown) so as to press contact with and separate from the platen roller 31 via a transfer film 46.

The transfer film 46 after image transfer is separated (peeled) from the card Da by a release pin 79 arranged between the heat roller 33 and the print medium transfer roller 37, and is conveyed to the supply roll 47 side.

On the other hand, the card Da on which the image is transferred is conveyed on the print transfer path P2 toward the decal mechanism 12 on the downstream side.

The configuration of the image forming unit B1 will be described in more detail together with its action.

FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of an image formation standby state in which the pinch rollers 32a and 32b are separated from the film transfer roller and 49, and the platen roller 45 and the thermal head 40 are separated from each other. FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram of the pinch rollers 32a and 32b and the film transfer roller. The block diagram of the image formation state in which the platen roller 45 and the thermal head 40 are in contact with each other, FIG. 5 shows the pinch rollers 32a and 32b and the film transfer roller 49 in contact with each other, and the platen roller 45 and the thermal head. It is explanatory drawing of the transfer film transport state which is separated from 40.

6 is a perspective view showing the configurations of the pinch rollers 32a and 32b and their peripheral portions, FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the configurations of the film transport roller 49, the platen roller 45 and their peripheral portions, and FIG. 8 is the thermal head 40 and its peripheral portions. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the peripheral part. The image forming unit B1 is divided into three units: a first unit 91 shown in FIG. 6, a second unit 92 shown in FIG. 7, and a third unit 93 shown in FIG.

In FIG. 3, the pinch rollers 32a and 32b are supported by the upper end and the lower end of the pinch roller support member 57, respectively, and the pinch roller support member 57 is rotatably supported by a support shaft 58 that inserts the central portion thereof. ing. As shown in FIG. 6, the support shaft 58 is bridged to the elongated holes 76 and 77 formed in the pinch roller support member 57 at both ends, and is fixed by the fixing portion 78 of the bracket 50 at the intermediate portion. Has been done. Further, the elongated holes 76 and 77 have spaces in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction with respect to the support shaft 58. This makes it possible to adjust the pinch rollers 32a and 32b with respect to the film transport roller 49 described later.

A spring member 51 (51a, 51b in FIG. 6) is mounted on the support shaft 58, and the ends of the pinch roller support member 57 on the side to which the pinch rollers 32a, 32b are mounted are spring members 51 (FIG. 6). In contact with 51a and 51b), the film is urged in the direction of the film transport roller 49 by its spring force.

The bracket 50 is in contact with the cam operating surface of the cam 53 at the cam receiver 81, and the direction of the arrow in FIG. 3 of the cam 53 with the cam shaft 82 rotating by the driving force of the drive motor 54 shown in FIG. 6 as a fulcrum. It is configured to move in the left-right direction in the figure with respect to the film transport roller 49 in response to the rotation to. Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, when the bracket 50 advances toward the film transfer roller 49, the pinch rollers 32a and 32b press against the film transfer roller 49 with the transfer film 46 sandwiched against the spring member 51. Then, the transfer film 46 is wound around the film transport roller 49.

At this time, the pinch roller 32b located at a position far from the shaft 95, which is the rotation fulcrum of the bracket 50, first press-contacts the film transport roller 49, and then the pinch roller 32a press-contacts. By arranging the shaft 95, which is the rotation fulcrum, above the film transfer roller 49 in this way, the pinch roller support member 57 comes into contact with the film transfer roller 49 while rotating instead of moving in parallel. It has the advantage of requiring less space in the width direction than moving it.

Further, the pressure contact force when the pinch rollers 32a and 32b are pressed against the film transport roller 49 is made uniform with respect to the width direction of the transfer film 46 by the spring member 51. At that time, as shown in FIG. 6, elongated holes 76 and 77 are formed on both sides of the pinch roller support member 57, and the support shaft 58 is fixed by the fixing portion 78, so that the pinch roller support member 57 Can be adjusted in three directions, and the rotation of the film transfer roller 49 causes the transfer film 46 to be conveyed in the correct posture without causing skew (skew). The three-way adjustments referred to here are as follows: (1) In order to make the axial pressure contact force of the pinch rollers 32a and 32b with respect to the film transfer roller 49 uniform, the pinch roller 32a with respect to the axis of the film transfer roller 49. , Adjusting the horizontal parallelism of the axis of 32b, (2) In order to make the pressure contact force of the pinch roller 32a with respect to the film transfer roller 49 and the pressure contact force of the pinch roller 32b with respect to the film transfer roller 49 uniform. Adjusting the moving distance between the pinch roller 32a and the pinch roller 32b with respect to the transfer roller 49, and (3) the axis of the film transfer roller 49 so that the axes of the pinch rollers 32a and 32b are parallel to the film traveling direction. It is to adjust the parallelism in the vertical direction of the axes of the pinch rollers 32a and 32b with respect to the pinch rollers 32a and 32b.

Further, the bracket 50 is provided with a tension receiving member 52 that comes into contact with a portion of the transfer film 46 that is not wound around the film transport roller 49 when the bracket 50 advances toward the film transport roller 49.

In the tension receiving member 52, the pinch rollers 32a and 32b resist the urging force of the spring member 51 due to the tension of the transfer film 46 generated when the pinch rollers 32a and 32b press the transfer film 46 against the film transport roller 49. It is provided to prevent the film transfer roller 49 from retracting. Therefore, the tension receiving member 52 is attached to the tip of the rotating side end of the bracket 50 so as to come into contact with the transfer film 46 at the left position in FIG. 4 from the pinch rollers 32a and 32b. Note that FIG. 2 also shows a state in which the tension receiving member 52 is in contact with the transfer film 46.

As a result, the tension generated from the elasticity of the transfer film 46 can be directly received by the cam 53 through the tension receiving member 52. Therefore, this tension prevents the pinch rollers 32a and 32b from retracting from the film transport roller 49 and weakening the pressure contact force of the pinch roller 32G23b, so that the transfer film 46 is kept in close contact with the film transport roller 49. It is possible to carry out accurate transportation.

In FIG. 6, in the first unit 91, the cam shaft 82 on which the cam 53 is mounted is inserted through the unit frame 55, and the cam shaft 82 is connected to the output shaft of the drive motor 54. The second unit 91 movably supports the bracket 50 on the unit frame 55 so as to abut the cam 53, and the bracket 50 rotatably supports the pinch roller support member 57. The support shaft 58 and the tension receiving member 52 are fixedly attached.

Spring members 51a and 51b are attached to the support shaft 58 of the pinch roller support member 57, and the ends thereof are brought into contact with both ends of the pinch roller support member 57 that supports the pinch rollers 32a and 32b to form a film. It is urged in the direction of the transport roller 49. In the pinch roller support member 57, the support shaft 58 is inserted into the elongated holes 76 and 77, and the support shaft 58 is fixedly supported by the bracket 50 by the fixing portion 78 at the central portion.

A spring 89 is provided between the bracket 50 and the pinch roller support member 57 to urge the pinch roller support member 57 toward the bracket 50. Since the pinch roller support member 57 is urged by the spring 89 in the direction of retreating from the film transport roller 49 of the second unit 92, when the transfer film cassette is set in the printing apparatus 1, the first unit 91 and the figure are shown. The transfer film 46 can be easily passed between the second units 92 of 7.

The first unit 91 holds the pinch rollers 32a and 32b whose positions change according to the image forming operation and the tension receiving member 52 by the bracket 50, and moves the bracket 500 by rotating the cam 53 to move the pinch rollers. Since the 32a and 32b and the tension receiving member 52 are moved, the position adjustment between the two and the position adjustment between the pinch rollers 32a and 32b and the film transport roller 49 are simplified. Such a first unit 91 is arranged so as to face the second unit 92 with the transfer film 46 interposed therebetween.

In FIG. 3, the platen rollers 45 arranged along the lateral width direction of the transfer film 46 are supported by a pair of platen support members 72 that are rotatable around the shaft 71 as a fulcrum, as shown in FIG. The pair of platen support members 72 support both ends of the platen roller 45. Each of the platen support members 72 is connected to the end of the bracket 50a having the shaft 71 as a common rotation shaft via a spring member 99.

In FIG. 3, the bracket 50a has a substrate 87 and a cam receiving support portion 85 formed by bending in the direction of the platen support member 72 from the substrate 87, and the cam receiving portion 85 is formed by bending the cam receiving portion 84. Holds. Between the substrate 87 and the cam receiving support portion 85, a cam 53a that rotates around the cam shaft 83 driven by the drive motor 54 shown in FIG. 6 is arranged, and the cam operating surface and the cam It is configured to come into contact with the receiver 84. Therefore, when the bracket 50a advances in the direction of the thermal head 40 due to the rotation of the cam 53a, the platen support member 72 also moves and the platen roller 45 presses against the thermal head 40.

By arranging the spring member 99 and the cam 53a vertically between the bracket 50a and the platen support member 72 in this way, the platen moving unit can be accommodated within the distance between the bracket 50a and the platen support member 72. .. Further, the width direction can be accommodated within the width of the platen roller 45, and space can be saved.

Further, since the cam receiving support portion 85 is fitted into the perforated portions 72a and 72b formed in the platen supporting member 72 as shown in FIG. 7, the cam receiving supporting portion 85 protrudes in the direction of the platen supporting member 72. Even if it is installed, the distance between the bracket 50a and the platen support member 72 does not widen, and space can be saved in that respect as well.

In FIG. 3, when the platen roller 45 is pressed against the thermal head 40, the spring members 99 connected to the respective platen support members 72 act so that the pressure contact force in the width direction of the transfer film 46 becomes uniform. .. Therefore, skew is prevented when the transfer film 46 is conveyed by the film transfer roller 49, and the image formation region R of the transfer film 46 does not shift in the width direction, and the thermal head 40 accurately forms an image on the transfer film 46. Can be done.

A pair of release roller support members 88 that support both ends of the release roller 27 are provided on the substrate 87 of the bracket 50a via a spring member 97. When it advances to the head 40, it comes into contact with the peeling member 28 and peels off the transfer film 46 and the ink ribbon 41 sandwiched between them. Like the platen support member 72, the peeling roller support member 88 is also provided at both ends of the peeling roller 27, and is configured so that the pressure contact force in the width direction with respect to the peeling member 28 becomes uniform.

A tension receiving member 52a is provided at an end of the bracket 50a opposite to the end on the shaft 71 side. The tension receiving member 52a is provided so as to absorb the tension of the transfer film 46 generated when the platen roller 45 and the peeling roller 27 are pressed against the thermal head 40 and the peeling member 28, respectively. The spring member 99 and the spring member 97 are provided to make the pressure contact force of the transfer film 46 in the width direction uniform, but conversely, the spring members 99 and 97 lose the tension of the transfer film 46 to the transfer film 46. The tension from the transfer film 46 is received by the tension receiving member 52A so that the pressure contact force is not weakened.

Since the tension receiving member 52a is also fixed to the bracket 50a like the above-mentioned tension receiving member 52, the tension of the transfer film 46 is received by the cam 53a via the bracket 50a, so that the tension of the transfer film 46 is received. I will not lose to. As a result, the pressure contact force between the thermal head 40 and the platen roller 45 and the pressure contact force between the peeling member 28 and the peeling roller 27 are maintained, so that good image formation and peeling can be performed. Further, when the film transport roller 49 is driven, the transfer amount of the transfer film 46 does not cause an error, and the length of the image forming region R is accurately transferred to the thermal head 40 with high accuracy (without causing color shift). ) Images can be formed.

A belt 98 is stretched between the cam 53 and the cam 53a, and the cam 53 and the cam 53a are driven by the same drive motor 54 shown in FIG.

In FIG. 7, in the second unit 92, a drive shaft 70 that is rotated by being driven by the drive motor 54 shown in FIG. 6 is mounted on the unit frame 75, and a film transfer roller 49 is mounted on the drive shaft 70. ing. A bracket 50a and a pair of platen support members 72 are arranged below the film transport roller 49, and these members are rotatably supported by shafts 71 mounted on both side plates of the unit frame 75. There is.

A pair of cam receiving support portions 85, which are a part of the bracket 50a, appear from the perforated portions 72a and 72b formed in the platen support member 72. The cam receiving support portion 85 holds a pair of cam receiving 84 arranged behind the cam receiving support portion 85. Further behind the cam receiver 84, a cam 53A mounted on the cam shaft 83 through which the unit frame body 75 is inserted is arranged. The cam shaft 83 is mounted on both side plates of the unit frame body 75.

The second unit 92 uses a movable bracket 50a to collectively hold the platen roller 45, the peeling roller 27, and the tension receiving member 52a whose positions change during the image forming operation, thereby adjusting the position between these members. Is unnecessary. Moreover, these members can be moved to a predetermined position by moving the bracket 50a by rotating the cam 53. Further, by providing the bracket 50a, the transfer drive portion by the film transfer roller 49, which can be stored in the same unit as the fixed film transfer roller 49 and must transfer the transfer film with high accuracy, and the transfer position by the platen roller 45. Since the regulation part is included in the same unit, there is no need to adjust the position between the two.

In FIG. 3, the thermal head 40 is arranged at a position facing the platen roller 45 with the transfer path of the transfer film 46 and the ink ribbon 41 interposed therebetween.

In FIG. 8, the third unit 93 has a thermal head 40, a member related to heating, and a cooling fan 39 integrated, and is arranged so as to face the second unit 92.

As described above, the first unit 91 in which the pinch rollers 32a and 32b, the bracket 50, the cam 53 and the spring member 51 are integrated, and the platen roller 45, the bracket 50a, the cam 53a and the platen support member 72 are integrated. By combining with the second unit 92 and arranging the third unit 92 to which the thermal head 40 is attached so as to face the platen roller 45, the printing apparatus 1 can be assembled and maintained during manufacturing. The adjustment can be performed easily and accurately. Further, since it is integrated, it can be easily removed from the apparatus, and the handleability of the printing apparatus 1 is improved.

Further, by unitizing in this way, the first unit 91, the second unit 92, and the third unit 93 are respectively from the main body of the printing device 1 like the cassettes of the transfer film 46 and the ink ribbon 41. It is also possible to withdraw. Therefore, if the units 91, 92, and 93 are also taken out as needed when the cassette is replaced due to the consumption of the transfer film 46 and the ink ribbon 41, the transfer film 46 and the ink ribbon 41 at the time of inserting the cassette can be easily installed in the device. Can be mounted on.

9 is an operation explanatory view for explaining the image formation standby state of the printing unit B, FIG. 10 is an operation explanatory diagram for explaining the image forming state of the printing unit B, and FIG. 11 is an operation for explaining the transfer film conveying state of the printing unit B. It is explanatory drawing.

When the printing unit B is in the standby position shown in FIG. 9, the cam 53 and the cam 53a are in the state shown in FIG. 3, the pinch rollers 32a and 32b are not pressed against the film transport roller 49, and the platen roller 45 is the thermal head 40. Not pressed against. In other words, when in the standby position, the platen roller 45 and the thermal head 40 are located at separate positions where they are separated from each other.

Then, when the cam 53 and the cam 53a rotate in conjunction with each other to reach the state shown in FIG. 4, the printing unit B shifts to the image forming position shown in FIG. At that time, first, the pinch rollers 32a and 32b wind the transfer film 46 around the film transport roller 49, and the tension receiving member 52 comes into contact with the transfer film 46. After that, the platen roller 45 is pressed against the thermal head 40. In this printing position, the platen roller 45 moves toward the thermal head 40 to sandwich and press-contact the transfer film 46 and the ink ribbon 41, and the peeling roller 27 is in contact with the peeling member 28.

In this state, when the transfer film 46 is started by the rotation of the film transfer roller 49, the ink ribbon 41 is also wound by the take-up roll 44 by the operation of the motor Mr1 and conveyed in the same direction. During this transfer, the mark V formed on the transfer film 46 passes through the sensor Se1 and moves a predetermined distance, and when the transfer film 46 reaches the image formation start position, the thermal is applied to the image formation region R of the transfer film 46. Image formation is performed by the head 40. In particular, since the tension of the transfer film 46 increases during image formation, the tension of the transfer film 46 increases in the direction of separating the pinch rollers 32a and 32b from the film transport roller 49, and the release roller 27 and the platen from the release member 28 and the thermal head 40. It works in the direction of separating from the roller 45. However, as described above, since the tension of the transfer film 46 is received by the tension receiving members 52 and 52a, the pressure contact force of the pinch rollers 32a and 32b is not weakened, and accurate film transfer can be performed. Since the pressure contact force between the thermal head 40 and the platen roller 45 and the pressure contact force between the peeling member 28 and the peeling roller 27 are not weakened, accurate image formation (printing) and peeling can be performed.

Next, when the cam 53 and the cam 53a are further rotated in conjunction with each other to reach the state shown in FIG. 5, the printing unit B shifts to the transport position shown in FIG. 11, and the platen roller 45 returns to the direction of retracting from the thermal head 40. .. In this state, the pinch rollers 32a and 32b still wind the transfer film 46 around the film transfer roller 49, the tension receiving member 52 is in contact with the transfer film 46, and the transfer film 46 is rotated in the opposite direction of the film transfer roller 49. It is reversely transported to the initial position. At this time as well, the amount of movement of the transfer film 46 is controlled by the rotation of the film transport roller 49, but the length of the image forming region R in which the image is formed by the one-color ink panel (for example, Y) in the transport direction is opposite. Be transported. The ink ribbon 41 is also rewound by a predetermined amount by the motor Mr3, and then the ink panel of the ink for forming an image is made to stand by at the initial position (cueing position).

Then, the cams 53 and 53a are in the state of FIG. 4 again and are in the image forming position of FIG. 10, the platen roller 45 is pressed against the thermal head 40, and the film transport roller 49 rotates in the positive direction again to transfer the film. The image 46 is moved by the length of the image forming region R, and the thermal head 40 forms an image with the ink of the next ink panel.

In this way, the operations at the image forming position and the conveying position are repeated until all or the image formation by the ink of the predetermined ink panel is completed. Then, when the image formation by the thermal head 40 is completed, the image forming region R of the transfer film 46 is conveyed to the heat roller 33. At this time, the cams 53 and 53a move to the state shown in FIG. 3 and move to the transfer film 46. Release the pressure welding. After that, the transfer film 46 is transferred to the card Da while being driven by the film transfer motor Mr5 (and the motor Mr2 and the motor Mr4).

FIG. 12 is a block diagram of the control system of the printing device 1.

In FIG. 12, the printing device 1 includes a control unit 100 that controls the operation of the printing device 1, and a power supply unit 120 that converts a commercial AC power supply into a DC power source that can drive / operate each mechanism unit and the control unit. doing.

The control unit 100 includes a microcomputer 101 (hereinafter, abbreviated as MCU 101) that performs overall control processing of the printing device 1. The MCU 101 is composed of a CPU that operates with a high-speed clock as a central processing unit, a ROM that stores the basic control operation program and program data of the printing device 1, a RAM that works as a work area of the CPU, and an internal bus that connects them. ing.

An external bus is connected to the MCU 101, and the external bus is connected to an interface (not shown) for communicating with the host device 201, print data of an image to be printed on the card Da, a magnetic stripe portion of the card Da, and a built-in IC. A buffer memory 102 for temporarily storing recorded data or the like to be recorded magnetically or electrically is connected to the device.

Further, the external bus connected to the MCU 101 further includes various sensors including sensors Se1 to Se4, a signal processing unit 103 that processes signals from the encoders of the motor Mr2, the motor Mr4, and the motor Mr5, and a drive pulse and drive for each motor. An actuator control unit 104 including a motor driver for supplying electric power, a thermal head control unit 105 for controlling heat energy to a heat generating element constituting the thermal head 40, and a heat roller control unit 106 for heating control of a heat roller 33. , The operation display control unit 107 for controlling the operation panel unit 5 and the information recording unit A shown in FIG. 2 are connected.

The power supply unit 120 supplies drive power to the control unit 100, the thermal head 40, the heat roller 33, the operation panel unit 5, and the information recording unit A.

Next, the printing operation in the above configuration will be described with reference to the flowchart of MCU 101 shown in FIG.

First, when a print instruction is given from the host device 201 in step S01, print data is received from the host device 201 in step S02, and whether or not there is information recording data to be recorded by the information recording unit A in step S03. If there is information recording data to be determined and recorded by the information recording unit A, the information recording data is received in step S04.

Next, in step S05, the print medium supply unit D supplies the cards Da one by one to the rotary unit F.

At the same time, in step S06, the printing unit B starts a primary transfer process (image formation process) in which the transfer film 46 is image-formed by the thermal head 40. That is, by controlling the thermal head 40 of the image forming unit B1 based on the color component print data of Y, M, and C and the print data of Bk stored in the buffer memory 102, the image forming area R of the transfer film 46 can be obtained. Images of Y, M, C and Bk inks of the ink ribbon 41 are superimposed and formed. The CPU outputs print data to the thermal head 40 side for each line via the thermal head control unit 105, thereby selectively heating the heat generating elements arranged in a row in the main scanning direction to drive the thermal head 40. To do. At the time of image formation in the primary transfer process, the heat generating element forms an image according to the drive amount of the transfer film 46 detected by the film encoder that detects the drive of the platen roller 45. Prior to this primary transfer process, the MCP 101 preheats the heating element constituting the thermal head 40 via the thermal head control unit 105 (the ink of the ink ribbon 41 is transferred to the image forming region R of the transfer film 46). The heating element is heated to a predetermined temperature lower than the temperature of the ribbon).

If there is information recording data to be recorded by the information recording unit A, the process proceeds from step 07 to step 08, the card Da is transported from the rotation unit F to the information recording unit A, and the information recording unit A transports the card Da. When the information recording process is performed on the image and it is determined in step S09 that the information recording process is completed, the image formed on the transfer film 46 in the primary transfer process is secondarily transferred to the card Da by the heat roller 33 in step S10. In order to do so, the card Da is conveyed to the secondary transfer start cueing position.

On the other hand, in step S11, it is determined whether or not the primary transfer process is completed, and if it is determined that the primary transfer process is completed, the process proceeds to step S13, and the image formed on the transfer film 46 in the primary transfer process is carded. The transfer film 46 and the card Da are started to be sandwiched and conveyed by the heat roller 33 and the platen roller 31 for secondary transfer to Da, and all the images on the transfer film 46 are thermally transferred to the surface of the card Da, and the card Da is transferred in step S14. When it is determined that the secondary transfer end position has been reached, the card Da is ejected to the accommodating stacker 60 in step S21.

Here, the transfer film 46 is heated by the thermal head 40, and tension is applied by the motor Mr2, the motor Mr4, and the like to convey the film, which causes elongation and causes color shift in the superimposed images of each color. The elongation rate varies depending on factors such as the heating temperature, the density and size of the image to be formed, the amount of ink absorbed by the receiving layer of the transfer film 46, the tension applied to the film, and the order of the inks to be layered.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, using the print data instructed by the user, an image for determining color shift is formed in advance before actually printing on the card Da, and each color and each portion of the transfer film 46 are stretched. The rate is measured and processing is performed to prevent color shift. Then, in order to accurately measure the elongation and prevent color shift, the elongation of the film is measured after the film is driven at the same distance with the same tension as the normal printing operation after the image is formed. .. The measured elongation rate is used to correct the line period during the original image formation.

The operation will be described with reference to the flowchart of MCU 101 shown in FIG.

First, in step S101, when there is a print instruction from the host device 201, the process proceeds to the step and it is determined whether or not there is an elongation correction request. This determination is made based on whether or not the correction request has been input from the operation panel unit 5 by the user. The image data instructed to print is analyzed by the host device 201 or the printing device 1, and if the difference from the previous time is not large based on whether or not the difference from the image instructed to be printed last time is large, the same as the previous time. The line cycle may be corrected, and it may be determined that there is a correction request when it is determined that the difference from the previous time is large.

If it is determined in step S102 that there is an elongation correction request, the process proceeds to step S103, and the print-instructed image is divided into area units for detecting and correcting the elongation rate in the page.

This point will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 16 is an explanatory diagram showing the area division of the image instructed to print.

In FIG. 16A, the solid rectangular area Q in the image forming area R is the printing area by the thermal head 40, and the broken line area W is the card Da area. In the present embodiment, the print area Q by the thermal head 40 is set to 86.6 mm in the horizontal direction and 54.9 mm in the vertical direction, and a margin of about 0.5 mm is provided in each of the vertical and horizontal directions with respect to the standard size card Da. Have (larger than card Da). The image data has the same size as the print data.

FIG. 16B shows that the image data Y, M, and C are divided into predetermined equal intervals. Here, an example of 10 divisions is shown, and the lateral direction of each area is 8.56 mm. The number of divisions is an arbitrary number of 2 or more, but the larger the number of divisions, the less likely it is that color shift will occur. Further, the number of divisions is set so that the horizontal size of each divided area is sufficiently larger than the resolution of the film transfer motor Mr5 and the resolution of the film encoder.

Next, the process proceeds to step S104, and the following operations are performed.

FIG. 15 is an operation explanatory view illustrating the operation of the printing unit when there is a stretch correction request.

Before the start of printing, as shown in (A) of FIG. 15, the mark V1 for driving the motor Mr2 and the motor Mr4 to set the image formation start position of the first page shown in FIG. 17 is upstream of the sensor Se1. Position it at the start position on the side. Then, as shown in FIG. 15 (B), the printing apparatus 1 is moved from the state of FIG. 15 (A) to the printing position, and the film transfer motor Mr5 is driven to be shown in FIG. 15 (C). The transfer film 46 is driven in the direction of arrow G1 so as to be driven.

Then, in step S105, after the sensor Se1 detects the mark V1, the film encoder detects a predetermined distance, and when the image forming region of Y reaches the thermal head 40 as shown in FIG. 15 (D), the Y image Begins to form. At this time, the thermal head 40 controls heat generation in synchronization with the film encoder that detects the rotation of the platen roller 45. FIG. 19A shows how the film encoder heats the thermal head every 20 times of counting.

Further, at the same time as the formation of the Y image, as shown in FIG. 16B, an area mark of Y for detecting the elongation of each area is formed at the boundary of each area. The area mark is formed at a position where it can be read by the sensor Se1 when the transfer film 46 is conveyed, and the length in the sub-scanning direction thereof is equal to or larger than the light diameter of the sensor Se1. For example, in the present embodiment, the light diameter of the sensor Se1 is 0.5 mm, so the length is 1.0 mm in the sub-scanning direction of the area mark. The image formed at this time is as shown in FIG. 17 (1).

After the image formation in the image forming region of Y is completed, in step S106, the print position of the printing apparatus 1 is released as shown in FIG. 15 (E), and the mark V1 is moved to the start position on the upstream side of the sensor Se1. The transfer film 46 is driven in the direction of arrow G2 until it is positioned.

Then, in step S107, when the transfer film 46 is driven in the direction of arrow G2 until the mark V1 is located at the start position on the upstream side of the sensor Se1, the process proceeds to step S108, and the printing device 1 is moved to FIG. By shifting to the print position as shown and driving the motor Mr4, the transfer film 46 is driven in the direction of arrow G1 as shown in FIG. 15 (C).

Then, in S109, the area mark formed in S105 is detected. Before detecting the area mark, the sensor Se1 is reset to the optimum threshold value and sensitivity so that the area mark of Y can be detected accurately. The reading result at this time is shown in FIG. 18 (B). During the transfer of the film transfer motor Mr5, the count of the film encoder is monitored, and the distance between the area marks is measured from the count value of the encoder when each area mark is detected. As shown in FIG. 18 (A), rising and falling are detected and the middle is detected. Further, the print position of the area mark may be changed and only the falling edge or the rising edge of the area mark may be detected.

After the measurement of all the area marks is completed in step S109, when the mark V2 on the second page shown in FIG. 17 reaches the printing start position in step S110, the image formation of Y on the second page is started. The Y image formed at this time is the same as the Y image recorded on the first page, but no area mark is formed.

After the image formation of Y is completed, in step S111, the print position is released as shown in FIG. 15 (E), and the transfer film is moved in the G2 direction until the mark V2 is located at the start position on the upstream side of the sensor Se1. Drive.

Then, in step S112, when the transfer film 46 is driven in the direction of arrow G2 until the mark V2 is located at the start position on the upstream side of the sensor Se1, the process proceeds to step S113, and the printing device 1 is moved to FIG. It shifts to the print position as shown and drives the transfer film 46 in the direction of arrow G1 as shown in FIG. 15 (C).

Then, in step S114, the M image and the area mark of M are formed on the Y image formed in step S110. The image formed at this time is as shown in FIG. 17 (2).

After the image formation in the image forming region of M is completed, in step S115, the printing position of the printing apparatus 1 is released as shown in (E) of FIG. 15, and the mark V2 is positioned at the start position on the upstream side of the sensor Se1. The transfer film 46 is driven in the G2 direction until the transfer film 46 is driven.

Then, in step S116, when the transfer film 46 is driven in the direction of arrow G2 until the mark V2 is located at the start position on the upstream side of the sensor Se1, the process proceeds to step S117, and the printing apparatus 1 is moved to FIG. It shifts to the print position as shown and drives the transfer film 46 in the direction of arrow G1 as shown in FIG. 15 (C).

In step S118, the area mark of M formed in step S113 is detected. Before detecting the area mark, the sensor Se1 is reset to the optimum threshold value and sensitivity so that the area mark of M can be detected accurately.

After the measurement of all the area marks is completed in step S118, when the mark V3 on the third page shown in FIG. 17 reaches the printing start position in step S119, the image formation of Y on the third page is started. The Y image formed at this time is the same as the Y image recorded on the first page, but no area mark is formed.

After the image formation of Y is completed, in step S120, the print position is released as shown in FIG. 15 (E), and the transfer film is moved in the G2 direction until the mark V3 is located at the start position on the upstream side of the sensor Se1. Drive.

Then, in step S121, when the transfer film 46 is driven in the direction of arrow G2 until the mark V3 is located at the start position on the upstream side of the sensor Se1, the process proceeds to step S122, and the printing device 1 is moved to FIG. It shifts to the print position as shown and drives the transfer film 46 in the direction of arrow G1 as shown in FIG. 15 (C).

Then, in step S123, the image formation of M on the third page is started on the Y image formed in step S119. The M image formed at this time is the same as the M image recorded on the second page, but no area mark is formed.

After the image formation of M is completed, in step S124, the print position is released as shown in FIG. 15 (E), and the transfer film is moved in the G2 direction until the mark V3 is located at the start position on the upstream side of the sensor Se1. Drive.

Then, in step S125, when the transfer film 46 is driven in the direction of arrow G2 until the mark V3 is located at the start position on the upstream side of the sensor Se1, the process proceeds to step S126, and the printing device 1 is moved to FIG. 15 (B). It shifts to the print position as shown and drives the transfer film 46 in the direction of arrow G1 as shown in FIG. 15 (C).

Then, in step S127, the C image and the C area mark are formed on the Y image and the M image formed in step S119 and step 123. The image formed at this time is as shown in FIG. 17 (3).

After the image formation in the image forming region of C is completed, the print position of the printing apparatus 1 is released in step S128 as shown in FIG. 15 (E), and the mark V3 is located at the start position on the upstream side of the sensor Se1. The transfer film 46 is driven in the G2 direction until.

Then, in step S129, when the transfer film 46 is driven in the direction of arrow G2 until the mark V3 is located at the start position on the upstream side of the sensor Se1, the process proceeds to step S130, and the printing apparatus 1 is moved to FIG. 15 (B). It shifts to the print position as shown and drives the transfer film 46 in the direction of arrow G1 as shown in FIG. 15 (C).

In step S131, the area mark of C formed in step S127 is detected. Before detecting the area mark, the sensor Se1 is reset to the optimum threshold value and sensitivity so that the area mark of C can be detected accurately.

After the measurement of all the area marks is completed in S132, the film transfer is stopped, and the line period of each color and each area is calculated.

In this method, the elongation rate of each area is obtained based on the distance between the area marks detected after the image is formed, and the line period is corrected for each area based on the elongation rate. The elongation rate and line period of each area are calculated by the following formulas.

Elongation rate = Measurement count ÷ Reference count Y line cycle = Encoder count per line ÷ (Y elongation rate x M elongation rate x C elongation rate)
M line cycle = Y line cycle × Y elongation rate C line cycle = M line cycle × M elongation rate The distance between the area marks detected in steps S109, S118, and S131 is shown in FIG. 18B. Here, the length of each area is 8.65 mm, and assuming that the resolution in the sub-scanning direction is 300 dpi and the thermal head is heated by one line every 40 times of the film encoder count, the reference count of each area is 8.65. ÷ (25.4 ÷ 300) × 40 = 4086 times.

Taking Area 5 as an example,
Area 5 Y elongation = (2100 ÷ 2043) = 1.028
Area 5 M elongation rate = (2067 ÷ 2043) = 1.012
Area 5 C growth rate = (2053 ÷ 2043) = 1.005
Also, since the encoder count per line is 40, the Y line period of area 5 = 40 ÷ (1.028 x 1.012 x 1.005) = 38.26.
Area 5 M line period = 38.26 x 1.028 = 39.33
Area 5 C line period = 39.33 x 1.012 = 39.80
An example of correction using this value is shown in FIG. 19 (B). Here, the correction is made in units of the encoder resolution / 2, and the thermal head 40 generates heat in a cycle of 38.5 counts, 39.5 counts, and 40 counts.

After the calculation of the line cycle in step S132 is completed, the heat generation cycle of the thermal head 40 performed according to the transfer film drive distance detected by the film encoder at the time of image formation, which is performed in step S06 of FIG. Change based on. That is, the MCU 101 forms an image by changing the heat generation cycle performed every 40 counts to the line cycle of each area calculated in step S132 via the thermal head control unit 105.

FIG. 20 is an explanatory diagram showing a state of print dots due to a line cycle change according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 20A shows an example in which an image is formed without changing the line period according to the present embodiment.

In FIG. 20A, when the target line spacing L = (25.4 ÷ 300) = 84.7 μm, as an example, in the above-mentioned area 5, before the secondary transfer of (6) (on the card Da). At the stage (before transfer), elongation ΔL = (84.7 × 1.028 × 1.012 × 1.005) -84.6 = 3.9 μm is generated. If image formation is continued as it is, color shift occurs when the elongation rate differs for each area depending on the color.

FIG. 20B is an example in which an image is formed by changing the line cycle according to the present embodiment, and will be described with reference to the above-mentioned area 5.

When the target line spacing L = (25.4 ÷ 300) = 84.7 μm, in FIG. 20 (B),
When Y of (1) is printed with a line period of 38.5, an elongation of Ly = 81.5 μm of (2) occurs, and Ly ′ = 81.5 × 1.028 = 83.8 μm.

When the M in (3) is printed with a line period of 39.5, Lm = 83.6 μm, and the M can be superimposed on the substantially center of the Y dot.

The elongation of (4) occurs, and Lm'= 83.8 × 1.012 = 84.8 μm.

When C in (5) is printed with a line period of 40, Ly = 84.7 μm, and C can be overlapped at substantially the center of the M dot.

The elongation of (6) occurs, and Lc'= 84.8 × 1.005 = 85.2 μm.

The final line-to-line distance is 85.2 and the print misalignment is 85.2-84.6 = 0.6 μm.
That is, it can be seen that the elongation of the line interval is improved as compared with ΔL = 3.9 μm when this embodiment is not used. Moreover, since the dot positions of each color are aligned, color shift can be prevented.

FIG. 21 is an explanatory diagram showing a state of area color shift between the case where the line cycle is changed and the case where the line cycle is not changed according to the present embodiment.

First, after printing each area, the area size after elongation occurs can be calculated as follows.

Area size after Y elongation occurs = Area size immediately after Y printing x Y elongation rate x M elongation rate x C elongation rate Area size after M elongation occurs = Area size immediately after M printing x M elongation rate x C elongation rate After C elongation occurs Area size = C Area size immediately after printing x C Elongation rate The print end position of each area is the cumulative value of each area from the print start position because printing is performed from the print start position shown in FIG. 21 (C). It becomes. For example, the distance L2 from the print start position to the print end position of the area 2 is a value obtained by adding the areas 10 to 2.

Based on this, a comparison between the case where the line cycle is not changed according to the present embodiment shown in FIG. 21 (A) and the case where the line cycle is changed according to the present embodiment shown in FIG. 21 (B) is compared. In (A) of (A), L2 = 80.276 mm of Y and L2 = 78.543 mm of C, and the difference is 1.733 mm, which causes a remarkable color shift as shown in (D) of FIG.

On the other hand, in FIG. 21 (B), L2 = 77.931 of Y and L2 = 77.773 of C, the difference being 0.158 mm, and it can be seen that the color shift is significantly improved.

That is, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to prevent color shift by dividing the image into areas, measuring the elongation rate in each area, and setting a correction value according to the elongation rate in the line period. ..

[Second Embodiment]
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. Since the difference between the present embodiment and the first embodiment is the method of dividing the image area and the method of setting the line period in step S103 of FIG. 14, other explanations will be omitted.

In the first embodiment, the image is divided into equal intervals and the elongation in each area is corrected. However, if the elongation rate in the sub-scanning direction in the area is different for each color, color shift occurs in the area. Become.

As an example, in the area 5 of Y, the area 3 of M, and the area 4 of C shown in FIG. 22, the distribution of density and print (dot) density in the area is different. Since the elongation rate changes in the area depending on the density and the print density, the elongation rate in the area is biased, but in the measurement of the elongation rate, the average value in the area is acquired.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, by analyzing the image and dividing each color into areas having the same heating energy, it is possible to more effectively prevent color shift in the area.

FIG. 23 shows the method of dividing the area.

In FIG. 23, after receiving the print-instructed image, when there is a stretch correction request, first, the print density is analyzed for each line of the image. For each line, it is calculated from the print density = the number of heat generating elements in one line ÷ 709 heater elements. The calculated print density is compared between the front and back lines, and if the amount of change is larger than a predetermined value, that position is set as the density change point. The calculated print density and the density change point are shown in FIG. 23 (A). The predetermined value is 0.3 here, but may be another value.

Next, the area division in step S1403 of FIG. 13 is performed with the density change point as the area boundary. As a result, in this example, the area is divided into five as shown in FIG. 23 (B).

Using this area, the elongation is measured and corrected in steps S104 to S132 of FIG. As a result, since the change in the elongation rate in the divided area is small, the correction accuracy can be improved and the color shift can be prevented more effectively.

Although an example in which only the print density is considered is shown here, each heating energy (density) may be used as a parameter in addition to the print density or in place of the print density. A method such as print density = number of heat generating elements in one line ÷ number of heater elements constituting one line × (average output density of one line / median density) may be used.

The median concentration does not necessarily have to be 125 to 6, and may be determined in consideration of the heating energy of the thermal head 40 with respect to the specified concentration.

Further, at a position where a plurality of density change points exist at a short distance, either one may be adopted or the area may be divided using the averaged position.

Further, the image analysis and the area division may be performed on the printer driver side, and the result may be received together with the image data.

Next, a method of setting the line period will be described.

In the first embodiment, an example in which a heat pulse is output in synchronization with the film encoder cycle / 2 is shown. In the second embodiment, in order to perform the correction with higher accuracy, an example is shown in which the relationship between the encoder and the clock of the CPU having a higher resolution is taken and the heat pulse is output in accordance with the CPU clock cycle / 2.

First, the edge of the film encoder is detected while the transfer film is at a constant speed during printing, and the CPU clock at that time is detected. Next, the number of CPU clocks required for one cycle of the film encoder clock is calculated from the detected CPU clock values. Further, the CPU clock is divided into arbitrary numbers, and a timer interrupt is inserted at that timing. The timer interrupt is set according to the edge of the film encoder clock. At this time, the encoder clock can be more accurately divided into equal parts by inserting a timer interrupt based on the CPU clock of one cycle obtained by the moving average from the previous time or the previous time to a plurality of times before.

In FIG. 24B, as an example, the film encoder clock of one cycle is divided into 10 and a timer interrupt is inserted at that timing. A heat pulse that reflects the elongation correction value is output at the timing of the timer interrupt cycle / 2. As a result, the elongation can be corrected at a resolution higher than the resolution of the film encoder, so that the color shift can be corrected more accurately.

In each of the above embodiments, the area mark detection calculates the distance between the area marks based on the count value of the encoder, but the timing at which the edge is detected by the encoder is determined in the same manner as in the line cycle setting of the second embodiment. By acquiring the CPU clock at the detection timing of the area mark in association with the number of high-resolution CPU clocks, the detection between the area marks may be performed with higher accuracy than the encoder.

Further, in each of the above embodiments, an example is shown in which an elongation rate is detected after forming an image for three pages on the transfer film 46 and used as a correction value for image formation on the fourth and subsequent sheets of the transfer film 46. In order to save the transfer film 46, for example, when copy printing is performed, after detecting the elongation of Y on the first page, an MC image is formed on the Y on the first page, and the page is secondary. Transfer. Further, on the second page, after detecting the elongation of M, an image of C is formed on the YM on the second page, and the page is secondarily transferred. As a result, the film used for correcting the elongation rate on the first to third pages can be used without waste.

Further, in step S102 of FIG. 14, an example in which the difference between the image and the previous image is used for determining the presence / absence of the elongation correction request is shown. For example, it is determined that there is no elongation correction request during copy printing or overlay printing. You may.

Further, in each of the above embodiments, the moving distance of the transfer film 46 is detected by detecting the drive of the platen roller 45 by the film encoder, but the film encoder drives the film before the image formation by the thermal head is performed. As long as it can be detected, the drive of the film may be detected on the upstream side of the image forming unit.

Further, in each of the above embodiments, color shift due to elongation of the transfer film is prevented by changing the line cycle setting method of the thermal head, which is the image formation cycle of the thermal head. It may be performed by changing the line cycle of the thermal head, or by changing the transfer speed of the transfer film in addition to changing the line cycle of the thermal head.

Further, in each of the above embodiments, the color shift of each color formed by overlapping is corrected, but the present invention can be similarly applied to correct the positional shift even if the color is a single color. ..

1 ... Printing device 2 ... Housing 23 ... Magnetic recording unit 24 ... Contact type IC recording unit 25 ... Non-contact type IC recording unit 27 ... Peeling roller 28 ... Peeling member 31 ... Platen roller 32a, 32b ... Pinch roller 33 ... Heat roller 35 ... Decal unit 40 ... Thermal head 41 ... Ink ribbon 42 ... Ink ribbon cassette 45 ... Platen roller 46 ... Transfer film 49 ... Film transfer roller 52, 52a ... Tension receiving member 60 ... Storage stacker 61 ... Elevating mechanism 71 ... Card Da
80 ... Rotating frame 100 ... Control unit 101 ... Microcomputer 200 ... Printing system 201 ... Higher-level device A ... Information recording unit B ... Printing unit B1 ... Image forming unit B2 ... Transfer unit D ... Printing medium supply unit E ... Printing medium ejection unit F ... Rotating unit Se1, Se2, Se3, Se4 ... Transmissive sensor

Claims (12)

A transport means for transporting the medium and
An image forming means that heats the thermal head and forms an image with an ink ribbon on a medium conveyed by the conveying means.
A determination means for determining the elongation state of the medium in a page of an image formed on the medium when an image is formed on the medium in a plurality of regions in the transport direction of the transport means in the page.
A setting means for setting an image formation cycle in the transport direction when the image forming means forms an image on the medium for each of the plurality of regions according to a determination result of the determination means.
An image forming apparatus characterized by having. The image forming means superimposes images of a plurality of colors to form an image.
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the determination means determines an elongation state of the plurality of regions in the page for each image of the plurality of colors. 2. The setting means is characterized in that the image formation cycle is set so that color shift does not occur in each image of the plurality of colors in the plurality of regions in the page determined by the determination means. The image forming apparatus according to the description. The claim means that the image formed on the medium is divided into areas at predetermined intervals in the page in the transport direction, and the stretched state of the medium is determined for each area at the predetermined intervals. The image forming apparatus according to any one of items 1 to 3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the predetermined intervals are equal intervals. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the predetermined interval is an interval divided according to at least one degree of dot density and density of an image formed on the medium. The determination means includes a first transport amount detecting means and a second transport amount detecting means for detecting the transport amount of the medium upstream and downstream of the image forming means, and while transporting the medium from the transport means. When the image forming means forms an image on the medium, the difference between the conveyed amounts detected by the first conveyed amount detecting means and the second conveyed amount detecting means causes each of the predeterminedly spaced areas. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 4 to 6, wherein the stretched state of the medium is determined. The image forming means according to any one of claims 4 to 7, wherein the determination means forms an area mark indicating the area on the medium in order to measure the elongation amount of the medium. The image forming apparatus described. The image forming apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the determination means determines an elongation state of the plurality of regions based on a transport drive amount of the medium by the transport means with respect to the detection interval of the area mark. The setting means according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the setting means sets a line period in the transport direction by the image forming means according to each of the stretched states of the plurality of regions. Image forming device. The image forming according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the setting means sets the transport speed of the medium by the transport means according to each of the stretched states of the plurality of regions. apparatus. When the thermal head is heated with respect to the conveyed medium to form an image with the ink ribbon, the stretched state of the medium in the page of the image formed on the medium is determined by the conveying direction of the medium in the page. A control method of an image forming apparatus, characterized in that an image forming cycle in the transport direction when an image is formed on the medium is set for each of the plurality of regions according to the result of the determination.

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