JP3373736B2 - Thermal transfer printer - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a thermal transfer printer, and more particularly to a thermal transfer printer, in which the ink of an ink ribbon is melted by a thermal head and once transferred to an intermediate transfer member, and the ink is retransferred to a predetermined recording paper. The present invention relates to an intermediate transfer type thermal transfer printer for printing.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a heating element of a thermal head is selectively caused to generate heat based on a predetermined print signal, the ink of an ink ribbon is melted by this heat and is once transferred to an intermediate transfer member, and this ink is predetermined. There is known an intermediate transfer type thermal transfer printer which performs desired printing by re-transferring onto the recording paper.

FIG. 12 shows such a conventional intermediate transfer type thermal transfer printer. In this thermal transfer printer 1, the surface of a cylindrical metal member is coated with a rubber material as a transfer body. The intermediate transfer roller 2 is rotatably disposed, and a roller heater 3 for heating the intermediate transfer roller 2 is disposed inside the intermediate transfer roller 2. In the vicinity of the intermediate transfer roller 2, a thermal head 4 as a line head driven based on predetermined print data is arranged.
Has a plurality of heating elements 5 linearly arranged so as to face the center of the intermediate transfer roller 2. On both sides of the thermal head 4, a pair of ribbon rolls 7 for guiding the ink ribbon 6 between the intermediate transfer roller 2 and the thermal head 4 are arranged. Is, for example, a color ink ribbon 6 in which ink ribbons 6 of four color inks 6a of yellow, magenta, cyan, and black are sequentially and repeatedly formed in the longitudinal direction.

A drum 8 which is pressed against the intermediate transfer roller 2 by a strong pressing force is rotatably driven by a stepping motor (not shown) at a position diametrically opposite to the thermal head 4 of the intermediate transfer roller 2. The drum heater 9 for heating the drum 8 is disposed inside the drum 8, and the surface of the drum 8 has a predetermined size such as plain paper or OHP film. 1 for holding one end of the recording sheet 10
1 is provided.

In the thermal transfer printer 1 configured as described above, assuming that the recording order is yellow, magenta, cyan, and black in order, first, the ink ribbon 6 is wound to form a yellow ink ribbon. Cueing is performed so that the head position of 6 is the position facing the thermal head 4. In this case, the color of the ink ribbon 6 is determined while recognizing the markers formed between the ink ribbons 6 of the respective colors of the ink ribbon 6 by a photo sensor or the like (not shown).

Next, the clamper 11 arranged on the drum 8
While holding one end of the recording paper 10 between the drum 8 and the drum 8, the recording paper 10 is wound around the drum 8 and the recording start position is specified by a sensor (not shown) to temporarily rotate the drum 8. Stop.

In this state, the drum 8 is pressed against the intermediate transfer roller 2 with a strong pressing force, the thermal head 4 is pressed against the intermediate transfer roller 2, the ink ribbon 6 is wound at a constant speed, and the intermediate transfer roller is pressed. While heating the drum 2 and the drum 8, each heating element 5 of the thermal head 4 is selectively heated based on a predetermined print signal. Then, the yellow ink 6 of the ink ribbon 6 is generated by the selective heat generation of each heating element 5 of the thermal head 4.
a is partially melted and transferred to the surface of the intermediate transfer roller 2. The ink 6a thus transferred to the surface of the intermediate transfer roller 2 is retransferred to the recording paper 10 conveyed by the rotation operation of the drum 8 by the pressure contact force of the drum 8.

After the yellow ink 6a of the ink ribbon 6 has been retransferred onto the recording paper 10, the clamper 11 of the drum 8 faces the intermediate transfer roller 2, so that the intermediate transfer of the drum 8 is performed. The pressure contact with the roller 2 is released to avoid contact between the intermediate transfer roller 2 and the clamper 11 of the drum 8, and the thermal head 4 is released from the pressure contact with the intermediate transfer roller 2 so that the ink ribbon 6 is conveyed in an idle state. Next magenta ink ribbon 6
Cue the beginning position of.

When the heading of the magenta ink ribbon 6 is completed, the intermediate transfer roller 2 and the thermal head 4 are brought into pressure contact with each other and the intermediate transfer roller 2 and the drum are pressed in the same manner as the transfer and retransfer operations by the yellow ink 6a. After press contacting with 8, the thermal head 4 is operated to transfer the magenta ink 6a to the intermediate transfer roller 2 and retransfer the drum 8 to the recording paper 10. Then, by performing the above-mentioned operations for the ink ribbons 6 of the respective colors, desired color recording can be obtained.

In this way, in the thermal transfer printer, normally, the thermal effect of the energizing energy applied to the thermal head 4 due to the energizing energy applied in the preceding stage is considered,
When the energizing energy applied in the previous stage is large and the thermal effect is large, the thermal history correction is performed to reduce the energizing energy applied to the thermal head 4. Generally, the head energizing pulse is reduced to perform the thermal history correction. I am trying.

[0011]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional thermal transfer printer, when the ink 6a is transferred to the intermediate transfer roller 2 by energizing the thermal head 4,
Since the energizing energy required for transfer differs depending on the type of the ink ribbon 6, when using various ink ribbons 6 having different energizing energy for transfer, the energizing energy to the thermal head 4 is controlled by thermal history correction as in the conventional case. However, there is a problem in that proper transfer control cannot be performed according to the type of the ink ribbon 6.

That is, when the ink ribbon 6 composed of ink having a low energization energy required for transfer is used under normal temperature conditions, the energization energy applied to the thermal head 4 must be reduced. The ink having a low energizing energy required for this transfer includes, for example, WAX ink having a lower melting viscosity and a lower melting temperature than those of the inks that are normally used. This ink is used when you want to obtain a perfect image.

However, in such a case, if the energizing energy applied to the thermal head 4 is set small from the beginning, it is not possible to secure sufficient energizing pulses for the subsequent thermal history correction, and the thermal history correction control is performed. It has the problem that it cannot be done.

On the contrary, when the ink ribbon 6 made of ink having a high energizing energy required for transfer is used under normal temperature conditions, the energizing energy applied to the thermal head 4 must be increased. I won't. Inks with high energization energy required for this transfer include inks that have a resin layer that is used to reduce ink drop even when the ink is rubbed or pressed, or metallic ink that is used when you want to obtain a unique metallic luster. Etc.

However, in such a case, even if the energy applied to the thermal head 4 is set high, the energizing energy applied to the heating element 5 is limited, and the energizing energy required for transfer is higher than that of the ink normally used. The high ink has a problem that the ink cannot be transferred unless an energizing energy higher than the limit is applied, and proper transfer cannot be performed. Further, when the energization energy higher than the limit is applied, the heating element 5 is destroyed and it becomes impossible to transfer the ink in the heating element 5 portion, or the excessive energization energy is applied, There is also a problem in that the original resistance value of the heating element 5 changes and it becomes impossible to properly transfer the ink, resulting in a shortened life.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and the thermal head can be operated properly according to the type of the ink ribbon, and the ink is properly transferred to the intermediate transfer member to perform good recording. It is an object of the present invention to provide a thermal transfer printer capable of performing the above.

[0017]

In order to achieve the above object, a thermal transfer printer according to a first aspect of the present invention selectively selects a plurality of heating elements arranged in a thermal head based on a desired print signal. A thermal transfer printer for performing recording by causing the ink of the ink ribbon to be primarily transferred to an intermediate transfer body by causing heat to be generated in a is an ink type detection means for detecting the type of ink in the ink ribbon, a temperature detecting means for detecting a temperature of said thermal head, said intermediate transfer member to a predetermined temperature
Heating means for heating and heating the drum to a predetermined temperature
Add the drum heater for heating and the thermal head.
Heat, cool, and a temperature control means for thermal insulation provided by setting the holding temperature of the thermal head based on the type of ink detected by said ink type detecting means, the Samaruhe
The temperature control is performed so that the head reaches the set holding temperature.
The heating means to control the inside
The inter-transfer body is heated to a specified temperature, and the drum heater
The drum is characterized in that the drum is heated to a predetermined temperature .

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the head temperature control means sets the optimum holding temperature of the thermal head for the ink based on the ink type of the ink ribbon detected by the ribbon type detection means. While the temperature of the thermal head is detected by the temperature detecting means, by heating, cooling and keeping the thermal head,
Since the temperature of the thermal head is maintained at the set temperature, the thermal head can be operated properly according to the type of ink on the ink ribbon, and as a result, the ink is properly transferred to the intermediate transfer body. Therefore, good recording can be performed.

The invention described in claim 2 is the same as claim 1.
In the above, the temperature control means of the thermal head is constituted by providing at least one of a heating means and a cooling means alone or in plural.

According to the invention of claim 2, the temperature control means of the thermal head is constituted by providing at least one of the heating means and the cooling means, singly or in a plurality thereof. The temperature of the thermal head can be maintained at the set temperature by heating or cooling the thermal head by the cooling means.

The invention described in claim 3 is the same as that of claim 2
In, by the temperature control means of the thermal head,
The heating means or the cooling means is used alone or a plurality of them are used at the same time to control the temperature.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the temperature control means of the thermal head controls the temperature either by using the heating means or the cooling means alone or by using a plurality of them simultaneously. The temperature of the thermal head can be efficiently maintained at the set temperature by heating or cooling the thermal head.

[0023]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG.
It will be described with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of a thermal transfer printer according to the present invention. The thermal transfer printer 1 includes:
An intermediate transfer roller 2 is disposed as an intermediate transfer member that is driven to rotate by a motor (not shown). The intermediate transfer roller 2 covers a surface of a cylindrical cored bar with a rubber material such as silicone rubber. To form a rubber portion, and the surface of the rubber portion is coated with a transfer material having adhesion such as a silicone rubber made of a material different from the silicone rubber of the rubber portion, and also functions as a platen roller. Is made to have. The intermediate transfer roller 2 has a diameter of 20 m from the viewpoint of ensuring its rigidity.
It is preferable that the thickness is m or more, but it can be further reduced if the rigidity can be secured by the material of the cored bar. In the present embodiment, the core metal has an outer diameter of 31 mm and an inner diameter of 28 m.
m, and carbon steel Ni plating material is used as the core metal. Further, in this embodiment, the thickness of the rubber portion of the intermediate transfer roller 2 is 0.5 mm, and the thickness of the transfer member coated on the surface of the rubber portion is 150 μm.

Further, a roller heater 3 for heating the intermediate transfer roller 2 is disposed inside the intermediate transfer roller 2. In the present embodiment, a 500 W halogen lamp is used as the roller heater 3. ing. The roller heater 3 is not limited to the halogen lamp, but generates heat for maintaining the melting and softening states of the ink 6a of the ink ribbon 6 transferred to the surface of the intermediate transfer roller 2. Any one can be used as long as it can
For example, a 200 W cartridge heater or the like may be used.

In the vicinity of the intermediate transfer roller 2,
A thermal head 4 driven based on predetermined print data is provided, and the thermal head 4 has a plurality of heating elements 5 arranged linearly so as to face the center of the intermediate transfer roller 2. Having 00dpi to 600d
It is a pi line head, and its width dimension is from 75 mm
It is set to 300 mm. In this embodiment, the size is 300 dpi, the width is 220 mm, and the number of dots is 256.
It is set to 0 dots.

Further, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, on the back side of the thermal head 4, a planar shape as a heating means is formed by using silicone rubber, ceramic or polyimide film as a base. The heating element 12 is fixed by a double-sided tape or an adhesive having excellent conductivity, and further, on the back surface of the thermal head 4, a plurality of Peltier elements 13 as cooling means for cooling the element by energization and by energization are provided. A plurality of fans 14 for blowing air and cooling are provided.
The heating of the thermal head 4 is performed by energizing the planar heating element 12 and energizing each heating element 5 with a predetermined pulse, and energizing the planar heating element 12 of the thermal head 4. It is suitable for the case where rapid heating is required, and the predetermined pulse energization to each heating element 5 is suitable for the case where gentle heating of the thermal head 4 is required, especially for minute heating during heat retention. The thermal head 4 is cooled by energizing the Peltier element 13 and the fan 14, and energizing the Peltier element 13 requires rapid cooling of the thermal head 4. This is suitable for the case, and the energization of the fan 14 is suitable for the case of requiring a gradual cooling of the thermal head 4, especially for the minute cooling during the heat retention.

Further, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the thermal head 4 is provided with a thermistor 15 as a temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature of the thermal head 4, and The thermal head 4
Each heating element 5, sheet heating element 12, Peltier element 13,
The fan 14 and the thermistor 15 are each connected to a head temperature control circuit 16 as a temperature control means. The head temperature control circuit 16 includes an ink ribbon 6
The ink type detection circuit 17 as an ink type detection means for detecting the type of the ink 6a is connected to the ink type detection circuit 17. The ink type detection circuit 17 is provided with a marker (not shown) which is different for each type of the ink 6a. Is read by a photo sensor to detect the type of ink 6a.

The head temperature control circuit 16 uses a preset data table based on the type of the ink 6a of the ink ribbon 6 output from the ink type detection circuit 17, and detects the optimum thermal for the detected ink 6a. The temperature of the head 4 is set. The set temperature of the ink 6a of the ink ribbon 6 is, for example, about 55 to 58 ° C. for WAX ink and about 65 to 70 for metallic ink.
The temperature of the ink containing the resin layer is 60 to 65 ° C. Then, an operation of changing the temperature of the thermal head 4 to a set temperature is performed, and the operation of changing the set temperature to the set temperature is performed while the temperature of the thermal head 4 is detected by the thermistor 15. According to the above, the sheet heating element 12, each heating element 5 of the thermal head 4, the Peltier element 13, and the fan 14 are operated individually or in a plurality to heat, cool, and heat the thermal head 4. ing.

Further, on both sides of the thermal head 4, a pair of ribbon rolls 7, 7 for guiding the ink ribbon 6 between the intermediate transfer roller 2 and the thermal head 4 in a substantially straight line are provided. , This ink ribbon 6
A thermal transfer ink ribbon 6 having the same structure as the commonly used thermal transfer ink ribbon 6 is used. In the present embodiment, the ink ribbon 6 has a base film in which PET is formed in a thickness dimension of 3.5 μm, and an ink layer including a WAX layer having a thickness dimension of 3 μm is formed on the base film. Formed and configured. Furthermore, this ink ribbon 6
Is, for example, a color ink ribbon 6 in which four color ink ribbons 6 of yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (Bk) are sequentially and repeatedly formed in the longitudinal direction.

A cylindrical drum 8 which is pressed against the intermediate transfer roller 2 by a strong pressing force is provided at a position diametrically opposite to the thermal head 4 of the intermediate transfer roller 2 by a stepping motor (not shown). The drum 8 is rotatably arranged by driving, and a flat flat surface 18 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the drum 8 by cutting out the outer peripheral surface in the chord direction.
Are formed. On this flat surface 18, a pair of flat plate-like clampers for moving in the radial direction of the drum 8 by a mechanism (not shown) to hold one end of the recording paper 10 such as plain paper or OHP film and mount it on the drum 8. 11,
11 is arranged along the axial direction of the drum 8, and the upper end surface of the clamper 11 is located inside the outer peripheral surface of the drum 8.

Further, the drum 8 has a sufficient outer peripheral length for winding the recording paper 10, and for example,
When the size of the recording paper 10 is A4 or letter size, the recording paper length of about 300 mm is required as the outer peripheral length of the drum 8, and moreover, it is necessary to secure about 14 mm as the installation space of the clamper 11. Therefore, the diameter of the drum 8 is set to 100 mm.

In this case, in this embodiment, the length of the ink ribbon 6 of each color of the ink ribbon 6 is formed to be equal to the outer peripheral length of the drum 8.

Further, as shown in FIG. 4, support shafts 19, 19 are integrally formed at the centers of both ends of the drum 8 so as to project in the axial direction. Each of the flanges 20 is mounted coaxially with the drum 8. In addition, as shown in FIG. 4 and FIG.
At a position on the outer peripheral surface of the flange 20 corresponding to the flat surface 18 on which the clamper 11 of the drum 8 is arranged,
A cam portion 21 protruding outward in the radial direction is formed,
When the drum 8 is rotationally driven while the drum 8 is in pressure contact with the intermediate transfer roller 2, the cam portion 21 is provided with the clamper 1.
The height dimension is required so that 1 does not contact the intermediate transfer roller 2. The larger the height of the cam portion 21, the more the contact between the intermediate transfer roller 2 and the clamper 11 can be avoided, but the rotational force for rotating the flange 20 having the cam portion 21 is excessive. Since it is necessary, it is desirable to keep it small, for example, 1 mm to
It is formed to have a thickness of about 5 mm. In the present embodiment, the height of the cam portion 21 is 1.5 mm.

Further, in the present embodiment, the length of the base of the cam portion 21 is longer than the length between the both side edges of the flat surface 18 of the drum 8, so that the flange is formed. It is possible to prevent the both edge portions of 20 from coming into contact with the intermediate transfer roller 2, and it is possible to reliably prevent the recording sheet 10 from being scratched such as a fold. Further, the diameter of the flange 20 other than the cam portion 21 is formed slightly smaller than the diameter of the drum 8. This is to prevent the flange 20 from coming into contact with the rubber portion due to elastic deformation of the rubber portion of the intermediate transfer roller 2 when the drum 8 is pressed against the intermediate transfer roller 2. . In addition,
In order to prevent such contact between the rubber portion of the intermediate transfer roller 2 and the flange 20, the flange 20 is disposed near both ends of the intermediate transfer roller 2 where the rubber portion is not formed, that is, the core metal of the intermediate transfer roller 2. You may make it arrange | position in the position corresponding to.

As in the conventional case, the drum 8 has a flat surface 1
The clamper 11 may be disposed on the surface of the drum 8 without forming the camcorder 8. In this case, the height of the cam portion 21 of the flange 20 may be higher than the upper surface of the clamper 11. Good. In this case, the cam portion 2
1 requires a large drive torque to separate the drum 8 from the intermediate transfer roller 2.

Further, a drum heater 9 for heating the drum 8 to a predetermined temperature is built in the inside of the drum 8. In this embodiment, a 1 kw halogen lamp is used as the drum heater 9. I'm using it.
As the drum heater 9, any one can be used as long as it can heat and keep the recording paper 10 wound around the drum 8 and generate heat for improving the retransfer performance of the ink 6a. May be.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described.

In the initial state, the thermal head 4 is
1 is in the direction of arrow A in FIG. 1 and stands by in a state of being separated from the intermediate transfer roller 2 and the ink ribbon 6, and the drum 8 is also in the direction of arrow B in FIG. It is waiting in the state separated from.

When the thermal transfer printer 1 is powered on, the roller heater 3 and the drum heater 9 are energized to start heating the intermediate transfer roller 2 and the drum 8, and a predetermined pulse is also applied to the thermal head 4. Preheating for intermittently increasing the temperature of the thermal head 4 is started.

Further, in this embodiment, the ink type detecting circuit 17 detects the type of the ink 6a of the ink ribbon 6, and the head temperature control circuit 16 outputs the ink ribbon 6 from the ink type detecting circuit 17. The optimum temperature of the thermal head 4 for the detected ink 6a is set by a preset data table based on the type of the ink 6a, and the thermistor 15
While detecting the temperature of the thermal head 4 by means of the
2, each heating element 5 of the thermal head 4, Peltier element 1
3. The fan 14 is operated alone or in plural to heat, cool, and heat the thermal head 4, and change the temperature of the thermal head 4 to the set temperature. For example, when the temperature of the thermal head 4 is lower than the set temperature, the sheet heating element 12 is operated to perform rapid heating, and when the temperature of the thermal head 4 is slightly lower than the set temperature, The heating element 5 is heated by applying a pulse to the heating element 5. In this case, the sheet heating element 12
It is also possible to operate and heat each heating element 5 simultaneously. When the temperature of the thermal head 4 is higher than the set temperature, the Peltier element 13 is operated to perform rapid cooling, and when the temperature of the thermal head 4 is slightly higher than the set temperature, the fan 14 is operated to cool it. In this case, the Peltier device 13 and the fan 14 can be operated at the same time to cool them.
Further, when the temperature of the thermal head 4 is almost the same as the set temperature, the planar heating element 12, each heating element 5, the Peltier element 13, and the fan 14 of the thermal head 4 are operated alone or in plural, It is to keep warm.

In such temperature control, the thermal head 4, the intermediate transfer roller 2 and the drum 8 are kept at 40 ° C. or higher.
They are all controlled to the same temperature in the range of 70 ° C.
More preferably, the temperature is controlled in the range of 50 ° C to 60 ° C.
In the present embodiment, since the WAX ink ribbon is used as the ink ribbon 6, all the temperatures are set to 55.
The temperature is controlled to be ~ 58 ° C.

On the other hand, in addition to the temperature control, the operation of winding the recording paper 10 around the drum 8 is also performed in parallel. The recording papers 10 are conveyed one by one from a paper feed tray (not shown) to the drum 8, and the conveyed recording papers 10 are clamped at one end by a clamper 11 on the drum 8 and then transferred to the drum 8. According to the rotation, the drum 8
It is conveyed to the initial recording position so as to be wound around the outer periphery of the.

When the recording paper 10 is conveyed to the desired recording start position, the rotation of the intermediate transfer roller 2 is stopped to stop the rotation of the drum 8.

Then, the ink ribbon 6 is wound to perform the heading of the ink ribbon 6 of a desired color. In this embodiment, the color ink ribbons 6 of four colors of yellow, magenta, cyan, and black are used, and recording is performed in the order of yellow, magenta, cyan, and black. The ink ribbon 6 is idle-conveyed so that the leading position of the ink ribbon 6 is a position facing the thermal head 4. At this time, the color of the ink ribbon 6 is discriminated by a photo sensor (not shown) or the like recognizing the marker 12 formed on the ink ribbon 6.

When the monochrome ink ribbon 6 is used, it is not necessary to identify the ink 6a. Therefore, the ink ribbon 6 is not fed in the idle state, but the ink ribbon 6 is not fed.
In some cases, empty transportation is performed to eliminate slack.

Next, the thermal head 4 is moved in the direction of arrow C so as to be pressed against the intermediate transfer roller 2 with the ink ribbon 6 interposed therebetween, and the drum 8 is also moved in the direction of arrow D at the same time as the movement of the thermal head 4. And is brought into pressure contact with the intermediate transfer roller 2. In this case, the pressure contact force of the thermal head 4 with respect to the intermediate transfer roller 2 is 10
It is set to 0 to 300 g / cm, and is 20 in this embodiment.
It is set to 0 g / cm. The pressure contact force of the drum 8 with respect to the intermediate transfer roller 2 is 1 to 10 Kg / cm, and is 5 Kg / cm in this embodiment.

From this state, the intermediate transfer roller 2 is driven to rotate, so that the frictional force of the intermediate transfer roller 2 causes the ink ribbon 6 to move.
And the drum 8 is driven to rotate by the frictional force with the intermediate transfer roller 2 via the recording paper 10 and the thermal head 4 is driven based on predetermined print information. Each heating element 5 is heated, and the generated heat causes the yellow ink 6a of the ink ribbon 6 to be melt-transferred onto the intermediate transfer roller 2.

The surface of the intermediate transfer roller 2 is formed of a transfer body as described above, and a material having a good releasability is selected in consideration of the retransfer performance to the recording paper 10.
The ink ribbon 6 is used to write an image on the transfer body.
Is performed by peeling off the ink 6a of
That is, the ink 6a adheres to the transfer body by the adhesive force of the melted ink 6a.

Since the intermediate transfer roller 2 is heated by the roller heater 3, the yellow ink 6a melt-transferred onto the intermediate transfer roller 2 is in a molten state or a half state while the intermediate transfer roller 2 is rotationally driven. It is held in a molten state. After that, this yellow ink 6a
The recording paper 10 wound around the drum 8 by the pressure contact force of the drum 8 against the intermediate transfer roller 2 and the heating of the drum heater 9 arranged in the drum 8.
Re-transferred to.

At this time, in the present embodiment, since the drum 8 is positioned so that the start position of writing on the intermediate transfer roller 2 is at the head of the recording sheet 10 at the time of retransfer, the clamper 11 is After the writing to the intermediate transfer roller 2 is completed, it faces the intermediate transfer roller 2. However, in this embodiment, since the cam portion 21 is formed on the flange 20,
When the cam portion 21 comes into contact with the intermediate transfer roller 2, the drum 8 is pushed down, and the clamper 1
1 can be passed without contacting the transfer body of the intermediate transfer roller 2. Further, since the diameter of the flange 20 other than the cam portion 21 is formed slightly smaller than the diameter of the drum 8, the flange 2 is re-transferred from the intermediate transfer roller 2 to the recording sheet 10 when the transfer is performed.
0 and the intermediate transfer roller 2 do not come into contact with each other,
A proper retransfer pressure can be obtained.

When the recording of the yellow ink 6a on the ink ribbon 6 is completed, the next magenta ink 6
Record at a.

In this case, in this embodiment, since the length of the ink ribbon 6 of each color of the ink ribbon 6 is formed to be equal to the outer peripheral length of the drum 8, recording with the previous color is performed. Ink ribbon 6 of the next color automatically after the end
Will be conveyed to a position facing the thermal head 4, and as a result, the ink ribbon 6 will not be conveyed in an idle state, and the drum 8 will be pressed against the intermediate transfer roller 2, Recording with the magenta ink 6a can be started as it is without releasing the pressure contact state of the thermal head 4 with respect to the intermediate transfer roller 2.

In this way, by repeating the transfer and retransfer of the inks 6a of the ink ribbons 6 of the respective colors, when the recording of all the yellow, magenta, cyan and black inks 6a is completed, the thermal head 4 is Moves in the direction of arrow A and moves to the intermediate transfer roller 2
And the drum 8 moves in the direction of the arrow B to separate from the intermediate transfer roller 2, and the pressure contact with the intermediate transfer roller 2 is released.
Is released from the clamper 11 on the drum 8 and discharged.

Since the present embodiment has been described on the assumption of color recording, the recording paper 10 is held on the drum 8 by the clamper 11. However, when performing monochrome recording of the black ink 6a or the like. Does not necessarily need to hold the recording sheet 10 because the recording sheet 10 may be ejected at the same time as the retransfer.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, the head temperature control circuit 16 causes the ink type detection circuit 1 to operate.
Based on the type of ink 6a of the ink ribbon 6 detected by No. 7, the thermal head 4 that is most suitable for this detected ink 6a is set by a preset data table.
And the temperature of the thermal head 4 is detected by the thermistor 15, and the planar heating element 12, each heating element 5, the Peltier element 13, and the fan 14 of the thermal head 4 are operated independently or in plural. Since the temperature of the thermal head 4 is kept at the set temperature by heating, cooling, and keeping the temperature of the thermal head 4, the thermal head 4 can be properly set according to the type of the ink 6a of the ink ribbon 6. As a result, the ink 6a can be properly transferred to the intermediate transfer roller 2, and good recording can be performed.

FIG. 6 shows another embodiment of the thermal transfer printer according to the present invention. In this embodiment, the intermediate transfer belt 22 is used instead of the intermediate transfer roller 2 as the intermediate transfer member. It was done.

That is, in this embodiment, the platen roller 23 against which the thermal head 4 is pressed and the pressure roller 24 against which the drum 8 is pressed with a constant pressing force.
Are arranged in parallel and rotatably driven, and the intermediate transfer belt 22 is stretched between the platen roller 23 and the pressure roller 24 with a constant tension.

A seamless belt is suitable as the intermediate transfer belt 22, but even a belt having other joints or the like has a problem if it is used while avoiding the transfer and retransfer of the ink 6a at the joint position. There is no. In the present embodiment, as the intermediate transfer belt 22, a seamless belt is used in which a transfer coating rubber layer having a thickness of 150 μm is formed on the surface of polyimide having a thickness of 50 μm.

The platen roller 23 and the pressure roller 24 have independent functions, and the platen roller 23 transfers the ink 6a onto the intermediate transfer belt 22. Is for retransferring the ink 6a to the recording paper 10.

The platen roller 2 in this embodiment
3 is an aluminum alloy with a diameter of 16 mm is used as a core metal, and a film thickness 1 made of silicone rubber is provided on the outer periphery of the core metal.
The rubber portion of mm is formed. further,
Inside the platen roller 23, a first roller heater 3a including, for example, a halogen lamp having a power consumption of 200 W is arranged, and the surface temperature of the intermediate transfer belt 22 is kept at a predetermined temperature by the first roller heater 3a. The temperature is controlled so as to be (40 ° C. in this embodiment).

Further, the pressure roller 24 in this embodiment uses an aluminum alloy having a diameter of 42 mm as a core metal, and a rubber portion made of silicone rubber and having a thickness of 0.5 mm is formed on the outer periphery of the core metal. Has been done. Further, inside the pressure roller 24, a second roller heater 3b composed of, for example, a halogen lamp having a power consumption of 200 W is disposed, and the surface temperature of the intermediate transfer belt 22 is set to a predetermined value by the second roller heater 3b. The temperature is controlled so as to reach the temperature (65 ° C. in this embodiment).

As described above, in this embodiment, the platen roller 23 to which the thermal head 4 is brought into pressure contact and the pressure roller 24 to which the drum 8 is brought into pressure contact are separately provided, so that the thermal head 4 transfers the ink 6a and the drum 6a. When retransferring the ink 6a onto the recording paper 10 of No. 8, conditions such as set temperature can be set so as to suit each function.

The other parts of the configuration are similar to those of the above-described embodiment, and therefore, the same parts are designated by the same reference numerals and the description thereof will be omitted.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described.

First, the thermal head 4 is attached to the ink ribbon 6
And the platen roller 23 via the intermediate transfer belt 22.
The intermediate transfer belt 22 is driven by bringing the platen roller 23 into pressure contact with the intermediate transfer belt 22, and the ink ribbon 6 is also conveyed at a constant speed by the frictional force with the intermediate transfer belt 22.

In this state, the plurality of heating elements 5 of the thermal head 4 are selectively caused to generate heat based on predetermined print information, and the ink 6a of the ink ribbon 6 is primarily transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 22. Let

Ink 6a on the intermediate transfer belt 22
However, when it is conveyed between the drum 8 and the pressure roller 24, the drum 8 is moved in the direction of the arrow D and brought into pressure contact with the pressure roller 24 via the recording paper 10 and the intermediate transfer belt 22. . At this time,
Since the intermediate transfer belt 22 is heated by the second roller heater 3b via the pressure roller 24, and the drum 8 is also heated by the drum heater 9, the ink 6a is surely transferred onto the recording paper 10. Can be retransferred to.

In this case, also in this embodiment, since the cam portion 21 is formed on the flange 20 of the drum 8, this drum portion 8 separates the drum 8 from the intermediate transfer belt 22. It is possible to prevent the clamper 11 from contacting the intermediate transfer belt 22. Further, the length of the ink ribbon 6 of each color of the ink ribbon 6 is formed to be equal to the outer peripheral length of the drum 8. Therefore, the head position of the next color ink ribbon 6 can be automatically conveyed to the position opposite to the thermal head 4 after the recording of the previous color is completed, and as a result, the ink ribbon 6 can be conveyed without idling. Moreover, the pressure contact state of the drum 8 with respect to the intermediate transfer belt 22 and the pressure contact state of the thermal head 4 with respect to the intermediate transfer belt 22 are not released. , In which it can be continuously performed as it is recorded by the color inks 6a.

In this way, by successively repeating the transfer and retransfer of the ink 6a of the ink ribbon 6 of each color, recording is performed for each color of the yellow, magenta, cyan, and black inks 6a, and all recording is performed. When completed, the thermal head 4 moves in the direction of arrow A to separate from the intermediate transfer belt 22 and the platen roller 23, and the drum 8 moves in the direction of arrow B to move from the intermediate transfer belt 22 and the pressure roller 24. The recording sheets 10 are separated from each other and the pressure contact is released, and the recording sheet 10 is released from the clamper 11 on the drum 8 and discharged.

Therefore, also in the present embodiment, as in the above-described embodiment, the head temperature control circuit 16 causes the thermistor 15 to perform thermal operation based on the type of the ink 6a of the ink ribbon 6 detected by the ink type detection circuit 17. Since the temperature of the thermal head 4 is maintained at the set temperature by heating, cooling, and keeping the temperature of the thermal head 4 while detecting the temperature of the head 4, the type of the ink 6a of the ink ribbon 6 can be selected. Accordingly, the thermal head 4 can be properly operated, and as a result, the ink 6a can be properly transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 22, and good recording can be performed.

FIG. 7 shows another embodiment of the thermal transfer printer according to the present invention. In this embodiment, the pressure roller 24 is used instead of the drum of the thermal transfer printer shown in FIG. 10 is linearly conveyed between the intermediate transfer roller 2 and the pressure roller 24. Since other configurations are the same as those of the thermal transfer printer, description thereof will be omitted.

Also in this embodiment, the intermediate transfer roller 2 and the pressure roller 2 are the same as those in each of the above embodiments.
4, the thermal head 4 and the pressure roller 24 are brought into pressure contact with the intermediate transfer roller 2, and the thermal head 4 is driven while rotating the intermediate transfer roller 2 and the pressure roller 24. Then, the ink 6a of the ink ribbon 6 is transferred to the surface of the intermediate transfer roller 2, and the ink 6a transferred to the surface of the intermediate transfer roller 2 is retransferred to the recording paper 10. When the printing of one color is completed, the recording paper 1
The desired color is printed by carrying 0 in the reverse direction to the initial position, continuously printing with the ink 6a of another color, and repeating this operation.

Further, FIG. 8 shows still another embodiment of the thermal transfer printer of the present invention. In this embodiment, the intermediate transfer roller 2 of the thermal transfer printer shown in FIG. Thus, the intermediate transfer belt 22 is used.

Since other configurations and operations are the same as those in the above-mentioned respective embodiments, description thereof will be omitted.

In each of the above-described embodiments of the present invention, the case where the recording is performed on only one side of the recording sheet 10 has been described. However, the recording according to the above-described embodiment is performed on the front side and the back side of the recording sheet 10, respectively. It is also possible to perform double-sided recording by repeating it.

Next, an embodiment of the conveying means for the recording paper 10 when recording on both sides of the recording paper 10 will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 to 11.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 9, a paper feed tray 25 is provided on one side of the thermal transfer printer 1 described in the above embodiment.
And a paper discharge tray 26 on the other side.

In this embodiment, the paper feed tray 2 is used.
The predetermined recording papers 10 are stacked on the sheet 5, and the recording papers 10 are taken out one by one from the paper feed tray 25 and conveyed to the thermal transfer printer 1. By the thermal transfer printer 1, a predetermined recording is made on one surface of the recording paper 10. The recording paper 10 after recording is discharged to the paper discharge tray 26.

When performing double-sided recording on the recording paper 10, the recording paper 10 ejected to the paper ejection tray 26 is discharged.
Is taken out by the user, and the recording paper 10 is again placed in the paper feed tray 25 so that the recording paper 10 can be recorded on the other surface, and double-sided recording is performed.

Further, in the embodiment shown in FIG.
On the upper surface of the paper discharge tray 26, a paper discharge stacker 27 that can also be used as a paper feed stacker is installed, and in this state, recording is performed on one surface of the recording paper 10 installed on the paper supply tray 25, and recording is performed. The subsequent recording sheets 10 are stacked and stored on the sheet stacker 27. Next, the paper output stacker 27 is mounted on the upper surface of the paper feed tray 25 upside down to be used as a paper feed stacker. By taking out and recording on the other surface of the recording paper 10, double-sided recording is performed.

Further, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 11, the storage stacker 28 is disposed inside the thermal transfer printer 1 so that the recording paper 10 for double-sided recording is entirely conveyed within the thermal transfer printer 1. It is a thing.

That is, the recording papers 10 stacked in the paper feed tray 25 are taken out one by one, and recording is performed on one surface of the recording paper 1 by the thermal transfer printer 1. After the recording, the recording papers 1 are recorded.
0 is temporarily stored in the storage stacker 28 through the transfer path 29a without being discharged to the outside. After that, the recording paper 10 is taken out from the storage stacker 28, and the drum 8 is passed through the conveyance path 29b so that the recording surface is the other surface.
And the intermediate transfer roller 2 to carry out recording on the other surface of the recording paper 10. Then, the recording paper 10 on which recording on both sides is completed is discharged to the paper discharge tray 26 through the transport path 29c.

By using such a conveying means, double-sided recording can be easily performed.

The present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, but various modifications can be made if necessary.

[0086]

As described above, the thermal transfer printer according to the invention of claim 1 is optimal for this ink based on the ink type of the ink ribbon detected by the ribbon type detecting means by the head temperature control means. The temperature of the thermal head is kept at the set temperature by heating, cooling and keeping the temperature of the thermal head while setting the temperature of the thermal head and detecting the temperature of the thermal head by the temperature detecting means. The thermal head can be operated appropriately according to the type of ink of the ink ribbon, and as a result, the ink can be properly transferred to the intermediate transfer member, and good recording can be performed.

Further, according to the invention of claim 2, the temperature control means of the thermal head is constituted by providing at least one of the heating means and the cooling means singly or in a plural number, so that the heating means or the cooling means. Thus, the temperature of the thermal head can be maintained at the set temperature by heating or cooling the thermal head.

Further, according to the invention of claim 3, the temperature control means of the thermal head controls the temperature by using the heating means or the cooling means alone or by using a plurality of them simultaneously. There is an effect that the temperature of the thermal head can be efficiently maintained at the set temperature by heating or cooling the thermal head.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of essential parts showing an embodiment of a thermal transfer printer according to the present invention.

2 is a schematic perspective view showing an embodiment of a thermal head used in the thermal transfer printer of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an embodiment of a thermal head and a control circuit used in the thermal transfer printer of FIG.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a structure of a drum portion of the thermal transfer printer of FIG.

5 is a front view showing the shape of the flange of the drum of FIG.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of essential parts showing another embodiment of the thermal transfer printer according to the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of essential parts showing another embodiment of the thermal transfer printer according to the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of essential parts showing another embodiment of the thermal transfer printer according to the present invention.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing an embodiment of a recording paper conveying unit when performing double-sided recording in each embodiment of the thermal transfer printer according to the present invention.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory view showing another embodiment of a recording paper conveying means when performing double-sided recording in each embodiment of the thermal transfer printer according to the present invention.

FIG. 11 is an explanatory view showing another embodiment of the recording paper conveying means when performing double-sided recording in each embodiment of the thermal transfer printer according to the present invention.

FIG. 12 is an enlarged sectional view of an essential part showing a conventional thermal transfer printer.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Thermal transfer printer 2 Intermediate transfer roller 4 thermal head 5 heating element 6 Ink ribbon 6a ink 8 drums 10 Recording paper 11 clamper 12 Sheet heating element 13 Peltier element 14 fans 15 Thermistor 16 Head temperature control circuit 17 Ink type detection circuit 20 flange 21 Cam part 22 Intermediate transfer belt 23 Platen Roller 24 Pressure roller 25 paper tray 26 Output tray 27 Paper stacker

Front page continuation (72) Inventor Toshihiko Hatakeyama 1-7 Yukiya Otsuka-cho, Ota-ku, Tokyo Alps Electric Co., Ltd. (72) Hiromitsu Takahashi 1-7 Yukiya Otsuka-cho, Ota-ku, Tokyo Alps Electric Co., Ltd. In-house (56) Reference JP-A-4-173254 (JP, A) JP-A-8-25679 (JP, A) JP-A-4-341871 (JP, A) JP-A-7-68824 (JP, A) ) Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-25053 (JP, A) Actual Development No. 5-78550 (JP, U) (58) Fields investigated (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) B41J 2/32-2/325 B41J 2 / 36-2/365

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] 1. Based on a desired print signal, a plurality of heating elements aligned in a thermal head are selectively caused to generate heat to primarily transfer the ink of an ink ribbon to an intermediate transfer member,
A thermal transfer printer for performing recording by re-transferring the ink of the intermediate transfer member onto a recording sheet wound on a drum and pressed against the intermediate transfer member, the ink type detecting device detecting an ink type of the ink ribbon. Means , temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature of the thermal head, and heating means for heating the intermediate transfer member to a predetermined temperature.
And a drum heater for heating the drum to a predetermined temperature
And a temperature control hand that heats, cools, and heats the thermal head.
A stage provided, by setting the holding temperature of the thermal head based on the type of ink detected by said ink type detecting means, wherein
So that the thermal head reaches this set holding temperature
Controls the temperature control unit and heats the intermediate transfer member to a predetermined temperature by the heating unit.
Furthermore, the drum heater is set to a predetermined position by the drum heater.
A thermal transfer printer characterized by being heated to a temperature . 2. The temperature control means of the thermal head comprises:
The thermal transfer printer according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the heating unit and the cooling unit is provided alone or in plural. 3. The temperature control means of the thermal head is used to control the temperature by using the heating means or the cooling means alone or by simultaneously using a plurality of the heating means or the cooling means. Thermal transfer printer.