JP6499895B2 - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, and more particularly to an image forming apparatus that forms an image on a medium using an ink ribbon.

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

  Such an image forming apparatus generally includes an image forming unit having a thermal head in which a plurality of heating elements are arranged and a platen (for example, a platen roller) arranged to face the thermal head, and a medium ( The ink ribbon and the medium are transported at the same speed while supporting the back side (the opposite side of the image forming surface) of the transfer medium in the indirect printing method and the recording medium in the direct printing method with the platen. An image is formed on the medium by selectively operating (heating control) the heating element of the thermal head that is in pressure contact.

  Also, in such an image forming apparatus, there is a case where printing with a single color ink (for example, Bk (black) ink) is performed, but color printing that generates a color image by superimposing images with a plurality of colors of ink is performed. Often done. In the case of color printing, according to the input print data or the print data obtained by converting the input image data (for example, print data for each of Y (yellow), M (magenta), and C (cyan)) An image for each color ink (for example, YMC ink) is overlaid and printed. For this reason, in color printing, an ink ribbon is used in which a plurality of color ink panels and, if necessary, a Bk (black) ink panel are repeated in the surface order. The Bk ink is used, for example, when the outline is clarified or when an image such as a logo / character is formed.

  By the way, in an image forming apparatus using an ink ribbon, a phenomenon occurs in which the print quality on the medium is deteriorated due to the influence of wrinkles generated on the ink ribbon. This wrinkle occurs due to a step at the rear end corner of the ink ribbon printing area in the ink ribbon transport direction. Normally, if tension is uniformly applied to the ink ribbon, wrinkles will not occur even if such a step occurs, but if the tension balance is lost for some reason, wrinkles due to the step will easily occur.

  More specifically, as shown in FIGS. 17A and 17B, the wrinkle Wr of the ink ribbon 41 is the rear end corner in the transport direction of the print region Rt of the Y ink panel, for example, of the ink ribbon 41 during image formation. This occurs due to a step due to missing ink and extends to the printing area Rt of the next M ink panel. For this reason, when an M ink image is formed on the medium using the print region Rt of the M ink panel in which the wrinkles Wr are formed, pixel omission (part of the pixels) is caused on the medium due to the influence of the wrinkles Wr spread from the Y ink panel. Are not printed) and pixel skipping occurs (a part of the pixel is printed at a position different from the position indicated by the print data). In color printing, an image for each of a plurality of colors of ink is printed in an overlapping manner. Therefore, when pixel omission or pixel jumping occurs, print quality is degraded.

  On the other hand, conventionally, a technique for arranging a dummy image so as to surround a print image on a transfer medium (see, for example, Patent Document 1), and a technique for arranging a dummy image on both outer sides of a print image (for example, Patent Document). 2) is known.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-361917 (see FIG. 4) Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2004-050775 (see FIG. 9)

  However, in the technique of Patent Document 1, when the object to be printed is replaced with a card and attention is paid to the ink ribbon, the upstream side of the print region (the region of the ink ribbon 41 corresponding to the print image of the medium, see the reference symbol Rt in FIG. 18A). Since there is also a dummy print area (the area of the ink ribbon 41 corresponding to the dummy image of the medium, see the reference symbol Rd in FIG. 18A), wrinkles due to the steps (see the reference symbol Wr in FIG. 18A). The generated wrinkles extend to the print area, resulting in a decrease in print quality. In the technique of Patent Document 2, when attention is paid to the ink ribbon, the dummy print area (see the reference Rd in FIG. 18B) is arranged only on both outer sides of the print area (see the reference Rt in FIG. 18B). Therefore, there is no effect of suppressing wrinkles generated in the preceding panel in the transport direction (Y ink panel in FIG. 18B), and wrinkles due to steps (see reference symbol Wr in FIG. 18B) are the next panel ( In FIG. 18 (B), it reaches the print area of the M ink panel), and the print quality is lowered as in the case shown in FIG.

  An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus capable of preventing deterioration in print quality due to wrinkles of an ink ribbon.

In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention provides an image forming apparatus that forms an image on a medium using an ink ribbon, and includes a thermal head in which a plurality of heating elements are arranged, and the ink ribbon, the medium, An image forming unit that forms an image on the medium by conveying the image at the same speed, and a control unit that controls the image forming unit, and the control unit applies the print image to the medium according to the input print information. And a dummy that is wider than the print image on both sides in the width direction of the medium intersecting the medium transport direction only behind the print medium in the medium transport direction by operating the heating element with respect to the ink ribbon. The image forming unit is controlled to continuously form images in the width direction of the medium that intersects the conveyance direction of the medium .

  In the present invention, the control unit preferably controls the image forming unit so as to form a print image and a dummy image by a series of operations. Further, the control unit may control the image forming unit so that the gradation values of the pixels in the dummy image region are the same. The ink ribbon has a multi-color panel of a dye ink panel and a pigment ink panel, and the control unit forms a dummy image by operating a heating element on at least the pigment ink panel of the ink panels. The image forming unit may be controlled, or the ink ribbon is formed by repeating a plurality of color ink panels and, if necessary, a Bk (black) ink panel in a surface sequence, and the control unit prints a printed image. Alternatively, the image forming unit may be controlled so that a dummy image is formed by operating a heating element for each of the ink panels. Furthermore, the present invention can be applied to both indirect and direct printing image forming apparatuses, the medium is a film-like intermediate transfer medium, and a transfer unit that transfers a print image formed on the intermediate transfer medium to the print medium is provided. Alternatively, the medium may be a card-shaped recording medium, and the image forming unit further includes a platen roller disposed to face the thermal head, and the circumference of the platen roller is larger than the length of the recording medium, The platen roller may have a region for receiving ink of the ink ribbon when forming a dummy image on a part of its peripheral surface.

According to the present invention, the image forming unit is controlled so that the ink ribbon and the medium are conveyed at the same speed and the dummy image wider than the printed image is formed only on the rear side in the medium conveying direction of the printed image on both sides in the width direction. On the ink ribbon, the wrinkles that occur at the rear end corner in the transport direction of the print area corresponding to the print image of the medium are less affected than the looseness of the ink in the dummy print area of the ink ribbon corresponding to the dummy image. Since the dummy print area is wider than the print area on both sides in the width direction, wrinkles generated at the rear end corner in the conveyance direction of the dummy print area do not affect the next print area. It is possible to obtain an effect that it is possible to prevent deterioration in print quality due to wrinkles.

1 is an external view of a printing system including a printer according to an embodiment to which the present invention is applicable. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a printer according to an embodiment. It is explanatory drawing of the control state by the cam in the stand-by position where the pinch roller and the film transport roller are separated and the platen roller and the thermal head are separated. It is explanatory drawing of the control state by the cam in the printing position which the pinch roller and the film conveyance roller contact | abut, and the platen roller and the thermal head are contact | abutting. It is explanatory drawing of the control state by the cam in the conveyance position which the pinch roller and the film conveyance roller contact | abut, and the platen roller and the thermal head are contact | abutting. It is operation | movement explanatory drawing explaining the state of the stand-by position of a printer. FIG. 6 is an operation explanatory diagram illustrating a state of a printer conveyance position. FIG. 6 is an operation explanatory diagram illustrating a state of a printing position of a printer. It is an external view which shows the structure of the 1st unit integrated so that a film conveyance roller, a platen roller, and its peripheral part may be integrated in a printer. It is an external view which shows the structure of the 2nd unit integrated so that a pinch roller and its peripheral part may be integrated in a printer. It is an external view of the 3rd unit integrated to incorporate a thermal head in a printer. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a control unit of the printer according to the embodiment. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram schematically showing wrinkles generated on an ink ribbon immediately after an image is formed on a transfer film using a first Y ink panel of the ink ribbon in the printer of the embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows the dimension of the ink ribbon used for the printer of embodiment, a printing area | region, and a dummy printing area | region. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of an image forming unit of a printer according to another embodiment to which the present invention can be applied. FIG. 7A illustrates a card on the image forming surface side while the back side of the card is supported by the first peripheral region of the platen roller. A state in which an image is formed, (B) shows a state in which ink on the ink ribbon is received when a dummy image is formed in the second peripheral area of the platen roller. It is explanatory drawing which illustrates typically the modification of a printing area | region and a dummy printing area | region, (A) is the example shown by embodiment, (B) is the modification example 1, (C) is the modification example 2, D) shows a third modification example, (E) shows a fourth modification example, and (F) shows a fifth modification example. It is explanatory drawing which illustrates typically the wrinkles which generate | occur | produce in the ink ribbon of the conventional printer, (A) is an ink ribbon just after forming an image on a transfer film using the Y ink panel of the 1st panel of an ink ribbon. The generated wrinkles are shown, and (B) shows a cross section taken along line (B)-(B) of (A). It is explanatory drawing which shows typically the wrinkle which arises in the ink ribbon at the time of applying a prior art, (A) is a case where the technique of patent document 1 is applied, (B) is a case where the technique of patent document 2 is applied. Show.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment will be described in which the present invention is applied to a printer that prints and records characters and images on a card and magnetically or electrically records information on the card.

<System configuration>
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 12, the printer 1 of the present embodiment constitutes a part of a printing system 200. In other words, the printing system 200 is roughly composed of a host device 201 (for example, a host computer such as a personal computer) and the printer 1.

  The printer 1 is connected to the host device 201 via an interface (not shown), and sends print data (or image data), magnetic or electrical recording data, etc. from the host device 201 to the printer 1. It is possible to instruct a recording operation or the like. Note that the printer 1 includes an operation panel unit (operation display unit) 5 (see FIG. 12), and in addition to a recording operation instruction from the host apparatus 201, a recording operation instruction from the operation panel unit 5 is also possible.

  The host device 201 displays an image input device 204 such as a digital camera or a scanner, an input device 203 such as a keyboard or mouse for inputting commands and data to the host device 201, and data generated by the host device 201. A monitor 202 such as a liquid crystal display to be performed is connected.

<Printer>
As shown in FIG. 2, the printer 1 includes a housing 2, and an information recording unit A, a printing unit B, a medium storage unit C, a storage unit D, and a rotation unit F are included in the housing 2. I have.

(Information recording part)
The information recording unit A includes a magnetic recording unit 24, a non-contact type IC recording unit 23, and a contact type IC recording unit 27.

(Medium container)
The medium accommodating portion C accommodates a plurality of cards arranged in a standing posture, and a separation opening 7 is provided at the front end thereof. The pickup roller 19 sequentially feeds and supplies the cards from the front row. .

(Rotating unit)
The fed-out blank card Ca is sent to the reversing unit F by the carry-in roller 22. The reversing unit F includes a rotating frame 80 pivotally supported on the housing 2 and two roller pairs 20 and 21 supported by the frame. The roller pairs 20 and 21 are axially supported by the rotating frame 80 so as to be rotatable.

  The magnetic recording unit 24, the non-contact type IC recording unit 23, and the contact type IC recording unit 27 described above are arranged on the outer periphery around which the reversing unit F rotates. The roller pair 20, 21 forms a medium transport path 65 for transporting the card Ca toward any one of the information recording units 23, 24, 27. In these recording units, the card Ca is magnetized. Data is written manually or electrically.

(Printing department)
The printing unit B forms images such as face photographs and character data on the front and back surfaces of the card Ca, and a medium transport path P1 for transporting the card Ca is provided on the extension of the medium transport path 65. In addition, transport rollers 29 and 30 for transporting the card Ca are disposed in the medium transport path P1, and are connected to a transport motor (not shown).

  The printing unit B has a film-like medium conveyance mechanism. An image forming unit B1 that forms an image with the thermal head 40 on the transfer film 46 conveyed by the conveyance mechanism, and then the medium by the heat roller 33. A transfer portion B2 for transferring an image formed on the transfer film 46 is provided on the surface of the card Ca on the transport path P1.

  On the downstream side of the printing unit B, a medium conveyance path P <b> 2 for transferring the printed card Ca to the storage stacker 60 is provided. In the medium transport path P2, transport rollers 37 and 38 for transporting the card Ca are arranged and connected to a transport motor (not shown).

  A decurling mechanism 36 is disposed between the conveying roller 37 and the conveying roller 38, and the curl generated by the thermal transfer by the heat roller 33 is corrected by pressing the central portion of the card held between the conveying rollers 37 and 38. To do. For this reason, the decurling mechanism 36 is configured to be movable in the vertical direction shown in FIG. 2 by an elevating mechanism including a cam (not shown).

(Container)
The accommodation unit D is configured to accommodate the card Ca sent from the printing unit B in the accommodation stacker 60. The storage stacker 60 is configured to move downward in FIG.

(Print section details)
Next, the printing unit B of the printer 1 described above will be described in more detail.

  The transfer film 46 has a band shape having a width slightly larger than the width direction of the card Ca, and in 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 in the order of a peeling layer for promoting peeling and a base material (base film).

  The transfer film 46 is wound or unwound by a winding roll and a driving roll rotating in the transfer film cassette by driving of the motors Mr2 and Mr4, respectively. That is, in the transfer film cassette, a take-up spool 47 is arranged at the center of the take-up roll, and a supply spool 48 is arranged at the center of the take-out roll. The take-up spool 47 has a motor Mr2 via a gear (not shown). The rotational driving force is transmitted, and the rotational driving force of the motor Mr4 is transmitted to the supply spool 48 via a gear (not shown).

  The film transport roller 49 is a main driving roller that transports the transfer film 46, and the transport amount and transport stop position of the transfer film 46 are determined by controlling the driving of the roller 49. The film transport roller 49 is connected to a stepping motor (not shown). Therefore, by managing the number of pulses output to a stepping motor (not shown), the printing start position on the transfer film 46 by the thermal head 40 in the image forming portion B1 and the transfer position of the transfer film 46 with respect to the card Ca in the transfer portion B2. Is controlled. The motors Mr2 and Mr4 are driven when the film transport roller 49 is driven, and the transfer film 46 fed out from either the take-up spool 47 or the supply spool 48 is taken up by either of the other. The transfer film 46 is not driven as a main conveyance. Note that DC motors capable of forward and reverse rotation are used for the motor Mr2 and the motor Mr4.

  A pinch roller 32 a and a pinch roller 32 b are disposed on the peripheral surface of the film transport roller 49. Although not shown in FIG. 2, the pinch rollers 32 a and 32 b are configured to be movable so as to advance and retreat with respect to the film conveyance roller 49, and the state shown in the drawing advances to the film conveyance roller 49 and comes into pressure contact therewith. Thus, the transfer film 46 is wound around the film transport roller 49. As a result, the transfer film 46 is accurately transported at a distance corresponding to the number of rotations of the film transport roller 49.

  The ink ribbon 41 is housed in an ink ribbon cassette 42 and is housed in a stretched state between a supply spool 43 that supplies the ink ribbon 41 to the cassette 42 and a take-up spool 44 that winds up the ink ribbon 41. The take-up spool 44 rotates with the driving force of the motor Mr1, and the supply spool 43 rotates with the driving force of the motor Mr3. As the motor Mr1 and the motor Mr3, DC motors capable of forward and reverse rotation are used.

  The ink ribbon 41 is configured by repeating a Y (yellow), M (magenta), and C (cyan) ink panel and a Bk (black) ink panel in the surface direction in the longitudinal direction. In this embodiment, dye ink is used for the YMC ink panel, and pigment ink is used for the Bk ink panel. In addition, an empty mark indicating the use limit of the ink ribbon 41 is attached to the terminal portion of the ink ribbon 41. Se2 shown in FIG. 2 is a transmission type sensor for detecting the empty mark.

  The platen roller 45 and the thermal head 40 constitute an image forming unit B1, and the thermal head 40 is disposed at a position facing the platen roller 45. The thermal head 40 has a plurality of heating elements arranged in the main scanning direction. These heating elements are selectively heated and controlled according to print data by a head control IC (not shown). Then, an image is formed on the transfer film 46. At this time, the ink ribbon 41 and the transfer film 46 are conveyed at the same speed. The cooling fan 39 is for cooling the thermal head 40.

  The ink ribbon 41 that has finished printing on the transfer film 46 is peeled off from the transfer film 46 by the peeling roller 25 and the peeling member 28. The peeling member 28 is fixed to the ink ribbon cassette 42, and the peeling roller 25 abuts against the peeling member 28 at the time of printing, and the transfer film 46 and the ink ribbon 41 are sandwiched between them to perform peeling. Then, the peeled ink ribbon 41 is wound around the winding spool 44 by the driving force of the motor Mr1, and the transfer film 46 is transported by the film transport roller 49 to the transfer portion B2 having the platen roller 31 and the heat roller 33. The

  In the transfer part B2, the transfer film 46 is sandwiched between the heat roller 33 and the platen roller 31 together with the card Ca, and the image on the transfer film 46 is transferred to the card surface. At this time, the transfer film 46 and the card Ca are conveyed at the same speed. The heat roller 33 is attached to an elevating mechanism (not shown) so as to be pressed against and separated from the platen roller 31 via the transfer film 46.

  The configuration of the image forming unit B1 will be described in more detail along with its operation. As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the pinch rollers 32 a and 32 b are respectively supported by the upper end portion and the lower end portion of the pinch roller support member 57, and the pinch roller support member 57 is attached to a support shaft 58 inserted through the center portion thereof. It is supported rotatably. As shown in FIG. 10, both ends of the support shaft 58 are bridged by elongated holes 76 and 77 formed in the pinch roller support member 57, and the support shaft 58 is fixed by a fixing portion 78 of the bracket 50 at an intermediate portion. ing. Further, the long holes 76 and 77 have a space in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction with respect to the support shaft 58. As a result, the pinch rollers 32a and 32b can be adjusted with respect to a film transport roller 49 described later.

  Spring members 51 (51a, 51b) are mounted on the support shaft 58, and the end portions of the pinch roller support member 57 on the side where the pinch rollers 32a, 32b are mounted are in contact with the spring member 51 and the spring force thereof. Is biased in the direction of the film transport roller 49.

  The bracket 50 is in contact with the cam operating surface of the cam 53 at the cam receiver 81, and rotates in the direction of the arrow of the cam 53 with the cam shaft 82 rotating by the driving force of the drive motor 54 (see FIG. 10). It is configured to move in the horizontal direction in the figure with respect to the film transport roller 49 in accordance with the movement. Therefore, when the bracket 50 advances toward the film transport roller 49 (FIGS. 4 and 5), the pinch rollers 32a and 32b press against the film transport roller 49 with the transfer film 46 sandwiched against the spring member 51, The transfer film 46 is wound around the film transport roller 49.

  At this time, the pinch roller 32b located far from the shaft 95, which is the pivot point of the bracket 50, first presses the film transport roller 49, and then the pinch roller 32a presses. As described above, by arranging the shaft 95 that is the rotation fulcrum above the film transport roller 49, the pinch roller support member 57 contacts the film transport roller 49 while rotating, not in parallel. There is an advantage that the space in the width direction is less than that of the movement.

  Further, the pressure contact force when the pinch rollers 32 a and 32 b are in pressure contact with 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, since the long 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, the pinch roller support member 57 can be adjusted in three directions. The transfer film 46 is conveyed in a correct posture without causing skew by the rotation of the conveying roller 49. The adjustment in the three directions here means (i) the pinch roller 32a with respect to the axis of the film conveying roller 49 in order to make the axial contact force of the pinch rollers 32a, 32b uniform with respect to the film conveying roller 49. In order to adjust the parallelism of the horizontal axis of the shaft 32b, and (ii) the pressure contact force of the pinch roller 32a to the film transport roller 49 and the pressure contact force of the pinch roller 32b to the film transport roller 49 Adjusting the moving distance between the pinch roller 32a and the pinch roller 32b with respect to the transport roller 49, and (iii) the axis of the film transport roller 49 so that the axes of the pinch rollers 32a and 32b are perpendicular to the film traveling direction. The parallelism in the vertical direction of the axes of the pinch rollers 32a and 32b is adjusted.

  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.

  The tension receiving member 52 is configured so that the pinch rollers 32 a and 32 b resist the biasing force of the spring member 51 by the tension of the transfer film 46 generated when the pinch rollers 32 a and 32 b press the transfer film 46 against the film transport roller 49. It is provided in order to prevent it from retracting from the film transport roller 49. For this reason, the tension receiving member 52 is attached to the tip of the end portion on the rotating side of the bracket 50 so as to come into contact with the transfer film 46 at a position left of the pinch rollers 32a and 32b in the drawing. FIG. 2 shows a state in which the tension receiving member 52 is in contact with the transfer film 46.

  Thereby, 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 rollers 32a and 23b, so that the transfer film 46 is tightly wound around the film transport roller 49. Is maintained and accurate conveyance can be performed.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the platen roller 45 disposed along the horizontal width direction of the transfer film 46 is supported by a pair of platen support members 72 that are rotatable about a shaft 71. 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 an end portion of a bracket 50 </ b> A having the shaft 71 as a common rotation shaft via a spring member 99.

  The bracket 50 </ b> A includes a substrate 87 and a cam receiving support portion 85 formed by bending the substrate 87 in the direction of the platen support member 72. The cam receiving support portion 85 holds the cam receiver 84. Yes. A cam 53 </ b> A that rotates about a cam shaft 83 driven by the drive motor 54 is disposed between the substrate 87 and the cam receiving support portion 85, and the cam operating surface and the cam receiver 84 come into contact with each other. It is configured as follows. Accordingly, when the bracket 50 </ b> A advances toward the thermal head 40 by the rotation of the cam 53 </ b> A, the platen support member 72 also moves and the platen roller 45 comes into pressure contact with the thermal head 40.

  Thus, by arranging the spring member 99 and the cam 53A vertically between the bracket 50A and the platen support member 72, the platen moving unit can be accommodated within the interval 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 saving can be achieved.

  Further, since the cam receiving and supporting portion 85 is fitted in the perforated portions 72a and 72b (see FIG. 9) formed in the platen supporting member 72, the cam receiving and supporting portion 85 is provided so as to project in the direction of the platen supporting member 72. However, the space between the bracket 50 </ b> A and the platen support member 72 does not increase, and space can be saved on that surface as well.

  When the platen roller 45 is in pressure contact with 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. For this reason, skew (skew) is prevented when the transfer film 46 is transported by the film transport roller 49, and the print area of the transfer film 46 is not shifted in the width direction, and the thermal head 40 forms an image on the transfer film 46. Can be done accurately.

  The substrate 87 of the bracket 50A is provided with a pair of peeling roller support members 88 that support both ends of the peeling roller 25 via spring members 97. The peeling roller 25 is thermally activated by the rotation of the cam 53A. When the head 40 moves forward, the transfer film 46 and the ink ribbon 41 that are sandwiched between the two come into contact with the peeling member 28 and are peeled off. Similarly to the platen support member 72, the peeling roller support members 88 are also provided at both ends of the peeling roller 25, respectively, so that the pressure contact force in the width direction with respect to the peeling member 28 is uniform.

  A tension receiving member 52A is provided at the end of the bracket 50A opposite to the end on the shaft support 59 side. The tension receiving member 52A is provided so as to absorb the tension of the transfer film 46 that is generated when the platen roller 45 and the peeling roller 25 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 in the width direction of the transfer film 46 uniform, but conversely, the spring members 99 and 97 lose the tension of the transfer film 46 and apply 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 similarly to the tension receiving member 52 described above, the tension of the transfer film 46 is received by the cam 53A via the bracket 50A. You wo n’t lose. 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 25 are maintained, so that favorable printing and peeling can be performed. Further, no error occurs in the transport amount of the transfer film 46 when the film transport roller 49 is driven, and the length of the print area is transported to the thermal head 40 and printing can be performed accurately.

  The cam 53 and the cam 53 </ b> A are stretched by a belt 98 (see FIG. 3) and are driven by the same drive motor 54.

  When the printing unit B is at the standby position shown in FIG. 6, the cam 53 and the cam 53A are in the state shown in FIG. 3, the pinch rollers 32a and 32b are not in pressure contact with the film transport roller 49, and the platen roller 45 is thermal. It is not pressed against the head 40. In other words, when in the standby position, the platen roller 45 and the thermal head 40 are located at a separated position where they are separated from each other.

  Then, when the cam 53 and the cam 53A rotate in conjunction with each other and the state shown in FIG. 4 is reached, the printing unit B shifts to the printing position shown in FIG. At that time, first, the pinch rollers 32 a and 32 b wind the transfer film 46 around the film transport roller 49, and the tension receiving member 52 contacts the transfer film 46. Thereafter, the platen roller 45 comes into pressure contact with the thermal head 40. In this printing position, the platen roller 45 moves toward the thermal head 40 to sandwich and press the transfer film 46 and the ink ribbon 41, and the peeling roller 25 is in contact with the peeling member 28.

  In this state, when the transfer of the transfer film 46 is started by the rotation of the film transport roller 49, the ink ribbon 41 is simultaneously wound by the winding spool 44 by the operation of the motor Mr1 and transported in the same direction. During this conveyance, the positioning mark provided on the transfer film 46 passes through the sensor Se1 and moves by a predetermined amount. When the transfer film 46 reaches the printing start position, the thermal head 40 is moved to a predetermined area of the transfer film 46. Is printed. In particular, since the tension of the transfer film 46 is increased during printing, the tension of the transfer film 46 is the direction in which the pinch rollers 32a and 32b are separated from the film transport roller 46, and the peeling roller 25 and the platen roller from the peeling member 28 and the thermal head 40. 45 in the direction of separating them. 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 conveyance 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 25 are not weakened, accurate printing and peeling can be performed. The ink ribbon 41 after printing is peeled off from the transfer film 46 and taken up on the take-up spool 44.

  The amount of movement of the transfer film 46 that is conveyed, that is, the length in the conveyance direction of the printing area where printing is performed, is detected by an encoder (not shown) provided on the film conveyance roller 49, and accordingly the film conveyance roller 49 The rotation stops, and at the same time, the winding by the winding spool 44 due to the operation of the motor Mr1 is also stopped. Thereby, printing with the ink of the first ink panel on the printing area of the transfer film 46 is completed.

  Next, when the cam 53 and the cam 53A further rotate in conjunction with each other to reach the state shown in FIG. 5, the printing section B moves to the transport position shown in FIG. 8, and the platen roller 45 is retracted from the thermal head 40. Return. In this state, the pinch rollers 32a and 32b still wind the transfer film 46 around the film transport roller 49, the tension receiving member 52 is in contact with the transfer film 46, and the transfer film 46 is rotated by the reverse rotation of the film transport roller 49. The paper is reversely conveyed to a predetermined print preparation position. At this time as well, the amount of movement of the transfer film 46 is grasped by the amount of rotation of the film transport roller 49, but a portion slightly longer than the length in the transport direction of the predetermined area where printing has been performed is reverse transported. The ink ribbon 41 is also rewound by a predetermined amount by the motor Mr3, and the ink panel of the ink to be printed next is put on standby at the initial position (cueing position).

  Then, the control state by the cams 53 and 53A becomes the state shown in FIG. 4 again and becomes the printing position shown in FIG. 7, the platen roller 45 is brought into pressure contact with the thermal head 40, and the film transport roller 49 again rotates in the forward direction. Then, the transfer film 46 is moved from the print preparation position to the print start position to perform alignment (cueing) with respect to the thermal head 40, and printing with the ink of the next ink panel is performed by the thermal head 40.

  In this manner, the operations at the printing position and the transport position are repeated until printing with all or a predetermined ink panel ink is completed. When the printing by the thermal head 40 is completed, the image formed area on 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. Release the pressure contact. Thereafter, transfer to the card Ca is performed while the transfer film 46 is conveyed by driving the take-up spool 47.

  Such a printing unit B is divided into three units 90, 91 and 92.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the first unit 90 has a drive shaft 70 that is rotated by driving a motor 54 (see FIG. 10) mounted on a unit frame 75, and a film transport roller 49 is mounted on the drive shaft 70. Wearing. Below the film transport roller 49, a bracket 50A and a pair of platen support members 72 are disposed, and these members are rotatably supported by shafts 71 mounted on both side plates of the unit frame 75. Yes.

  In FIG. 9, a pair of cam receiving support portions 85 that are a part of the bracket 50 </ b> A appear from the perforated portions 72 a and 72 b formed in the platen support member 72. The cam receiver support portion 85 holds a pair of cam receivers 84 disposed on the rear side thereof. Further, a cam 53 </ b> A attached to the cam shaft 83 through which the unit frame 75 is inserted is disposed further rearward of the cam receiver 84. The cam shaft 83 is mounted on both side plates of the unit frame 75.

  The thermal head 40 described above is disposed at a position facing the platen roller 45 with the conveyance path between the transfer film 46 and the ink ribbon 41 interposed therebetween. As shown in FIG. 11, the thermal head 40, the member related to heating, and the cooling fan 39 are integrated with the third unit 92 and are arranged to face the first unit 90.

  The first unit 90 holds the platen roller 45, the peeling roller 25, and the tension receiving member 52 </ b> A whose positions are changed by the printing operation by the movable bracket 50 </ b> A at a time, thereby adjusting the position between these members. It becomes unnecessary. Moreover, by moving the bracket 50 </ b> A by the rotation of the cam 53, these members can be moved to a predetermined position. Further, since the bracket 50A is provided, it can be accommodated in the same unit as the fixed film conveyance roller 49, and a transfer driving portion by the film conveyance roller 49 that must convey the transfer film with high accuracy, and a transfer position by the platen roller 45 are provided. Since the restriction part is included in the same unit, the position adjustment between them is not necessary.

  As shown in FIG. 10, in the second unit 91, the cam shaft 82 on which the cam 53 is mounted is inserted into the unit frame 55, and the cam shaft 82 is connected to the output shaft of the drive motor 54. The second unit 91 supports the bracket 50 movably on the unit frame 55 so as to come into contact with the cam 53, and the pinch roller support member 57 is rotatably supported on the bracket 50. The support shaft 58 and the tension receiving member 52 are fixed.

  Spring members 51a and 51b are attached to the support shaft 58 on the pinch roller support member 57, and the ends thereof are brought into contact with both ends of the pinch roller support member 57 for supporting the pinch rollers 32a and 32b, respectively. It is biased in the direction of the conveyance roller 49. In the pinch roller support member 57, a support shaft 58 is inserted into the long holes 76 and 77, and the support shaft 58 is fixedly supported by the bracket 50 at the center.

  A spring 89 that biases the pinch roller support member 57 toward the bracket 50 is provided between the bracket 50 and the pinch roller support member 57. The pinch roller support member 57 is urged by the spring 89 in a direction in which the pinch roller support member 57 moves backward from the film transport roller 49 of the first unit 90, and therefore when the transfer film cassette is set in the printer 1, The transfer film 46 can be easily passed between the units 91.

  The second unit 91 holds the pinch rollers 32a and 32b whose positions change according to the printing operation and the tension receiving member 52 by the bracket 50A, and moves the bracket 50A by the rotation of the cam 53, thereby moving the pinch roller 32a. 32b and the tension receiving member 52 are moved, so that the position adjustment between them and the position adjustment between the pinch rollers 32a and 32b and the film transport roller 49 are simplified. Such a second unit 91 is arranged to face the first unit 90 with the transfer film 46 interposed therebetween.

  By unitizing in this way, the first unit 90, the second unit 91, and the third unit 92 can be pulled out from the main body of the printer 1 in the same manner as the cassettes of the transfer film 46 and the ink ribbon 41, respectively. It becomes possible. Therefore, if the units 90, 91, and 92 are removed as necessary 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 when the cassette is inserted can be easily installed in the apparatus. It can be mounted on.

  As described above, the first unit 90 in which the platen roller 45, the bracket 50A, the cam 53A, and the platen support member 72 are integrated, the pinch rollers 32a and 32b, the bracket 50, the cam 53, and the spring member 51 are integrated. The second unit 91 is combined with the third unit 92 to which the thermal head 40 is attached so as to be opposed to the platen roller 45, so that adjustment during assembly and maintenance of the printer can be performed. It can be done easily and accurately. In addition, since it is integrated, it can be easily detached from the apparatus, and handling as a printer is improved.

  Next, the control and electrical system of the printer 1 will be described. As shown in FIG. 12, the printer 1 includes a control unit 100 that controls the operation of the entire printer 1, and a power supply unit 120 that converts a commercial AC power source into a DC power source that can drive / operate each mechanism unit, the control unit, and the like. have.

(Control part)
As illustrated in FIG. 12, the control unit 100 includes a microcomputer 102 (hereinafter simply referred to as a microcomputer 102) that performs overall control processing of the printer 1. The microcomputer 102 includes a CPU that operates with a high-speed clock as a central processing unit, a ROM that stores a program of the printer 1 and pattern data that will be described later, a RAM that functions as a work area of the CPU, and an internal bus that connects these. ing.

  An external bus is connected to the microcomputer 102. In the external bus, an interface (not shown) for communication with the host device 201, print data to be printed on the card Ca, magnetic stripe on the card Ca, and record data to be magnetically or electrically recorded on the accommodation IC. Etc. are connected to a buffer memory 101 for temporarily storing them.

  The external bus also includes a sensor control unit 103 that controls signals from various sensors, an actuator control unit 104 that includes a motor driver that supplies drive pulses and drive power to each motor, and a heating element that constitutes the thermal head 40. The thermal head control unit 105 for controlling the thermal energy of the head, the operation display control unit 106 for controlling the operation panel unit 5, and the information recording unit A described above are connected.

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

<Special features of the printer>
Next, the special colors of the printer 1 of this embodiment will be described.

  One feature of the printer 1 of the present embodiment is that the control unit 100 conveys the ink ribbon 41 and the transfer film 46 at the same speed and is wider than the print image on both sides in the width direction intersecting the transfer direction of the transfer film 46. Is to control the image forming unit B1 so that the dummy image is formed behind the print image in the conveyance direction. As a result, as shown in FIG. 13, on the ink ribbon 41, the wrinkle Wr1 generated at the rear end corner in the transport direction of the print region Rt corresponding to the print image on the transfer film 46 is replaced with the ink ribbon 41 corresponding to the dummy image. The dummy printing area Rd is less widened than the looseness of the ink that has been lost and stopped (to prevent transmission to the next M ink panel), and the dummy printing area Rd is wider than the printing area Rt on both sides in the width direction. Since the wrinkle Wr2 itself generated at the rear end corner in the conveyance direction of the dummy print area Rd does not affect the print area of the next M ink panel (area indicated by the broken line in FIG. 13), the printed product resulting from the ink ribbon wrinkle A decrease in position can be prevented. In FIG. 13, the maximum area of the Y ink panel where an image is formed on the transfer film 46 (the Y ink panel is used for printing) is shown as a printing area Rt, and the dummy printing area Rd has a rectangular shape. As shown. Further, although the Y ink panel is illustrated in FIG. 13, the same applies to other M, C, and Bk ink panels.

  Another feature of the printer 1 according to this embodiment is that the control unit 100 controls the image forming unit B1 to form a print image and a dummy image by a series of operations. The thermal head 40 is pressed against the ink ribbon 41 and the heating element is continuously operated with respect to the printing region Rt and the dummy printing region Rd of the ink ribbon 41. A dummy image is formed. Even if a dummy image is formed on the transfer film 46 using the dummy printing region Rd of the Y ink panel immediately before printing on the printing region for the M ink panel, the peeling operation after the Y ink panel printing has already been performed, Since the ink ribbon 41 has been transported for a long distance due to the ejecting operation or the like, wrinkles due to steps are generated, and the above-described wrinkle prevention effect cannot be obtained.

  Furthermore, another special color of the printer 1 of the present embodiment is that the control unit 100 forms an image so that the gradation values of the pixels in the dummy image region are the same (so that the dummy image becomes a so-called solid image). This is to control the part B1. By setting the pixels to the same gradation value, the wrinkle Wr1 shown in FIG. 13 is evenly stopped in the dummy print region Rd from which the ink has been removed, and the wrinkle Wr2 is surely secured at the rear end corner in the conveyance direction of the dummy print region Rd. This is because it is not generated and propagated to the printing area of the M ink panel. There is no particular limitation on such gradation values, but considering the effect of relieving the wrinkle Wr1 from the looseness of ink missing in the dummy print region Rd and stopping the wrinkle, the high gradation value (for example, 256 gradations (0 (Tone value in the range of 127 to 255) is preferable.

<Dimensions of ink ribbon, etc.>
Next, in order to facilitate understanding of the present invention, the dimensions of the ink ribbon 41, the printing region Rt, the dummy printing region Rd, etc. used in the examples according to the printer 1 of the present embodiment will be described for reference.

  As shown in FIG. 14, the dimensions of the ink panels Y, M, C, and Bk of the ink ribbon 41 are horizontal (length in the transport direction) 112 mm, vertical (length in the width direction intersecting the transport direction) 60 mm, The dimensions of the printing area Rt of each ink panel (maximum dimensions used for printing) are 86 mm wide and 55 mm long, and the dummy printing area Rd is 5 mm wide and 58 mm long, from the rear end of the printing area Rt of each ink panel to the panel. The length to the rear end is set to 13 mm, and the length from the front end of each ink panel to the dummy print region Rd is set to 103 mm. The print region Rt is arranged at the center of each ink panel, and there is a gap of 13 mm from the front end of each ink panel to the front end of the print region Rt and from the rear end of the print region Rt to the rear end of the panel. A dummy print region Rd having a width of 5 mm is formed at the center of this interval. Further, since the vertical dimensions of the printing area Rt and the dummy printing area Rd are 55 mm and 58 mm, respectively, the vertical dimension of the dummy printing area Rd is longer than the vertical dimension of the printing area Rt (crosses the transport direction of the link ribbon 41). (Width direction) Each side becomes longer by 1.5 mm (wider). In the examples, the length in the width direction intersecting with the transfer direction of the transfer film 46 is 60 mm, and the card Ca has a width of 85.6 mm and a length of 54 mm.

<Operation>
Next, a printing routine by the printer 1 of the present embodiment will be described with a CPU of the microcomputer 102 (hereinafter simply referred to as “CPU”) as a subject. In order to simplify the explanation, the program stored in the ROM is expanded in the RAM, and the initial setting process for positioning each member constituting the printer 1 at the home (initial) position has been completed. The print data (Y, M, C color component print data and Bk print data), magnetic or electrical recording data, and the like have been received.

(Image formation)
In the printing routine, first, in the image forming unit B1, an image forming process is performed in which a print image (mirror image) is formed in a predetermined area of the transfer film 46 and a dummy image is formed behind the print image.

  That is, according to the input Y, M, and C color component print data (stored in the buffer memory 101) and Bk print data, the transfer film 46 is first positioned at the print start position described above, and the ink ribbon 41 Cue the Y ink panel (convey the “reference” position shown in FIG. 14 to a predetermined position), and support the back side (the opposite side of the image forming surface) of the transfer film 46 with the platen roller 45. While the ink ribbon 41 and the transfer film 46 are transported at the same speed, the heating element of the thermal head 41 pressed against the ink ribbon 41 is selectively operated according to the Y print data, whereby the transfer film 46 is predetermined. A Y ink print image is formed in the area, and then the heating element of the thermal head 41 is operated in the rear of the Y ink print image conveyance direction. Cause (in this example solid image rectangular) wide dummy image from the print image in the width direction of the transfer film 46 by forming a. The CPU controls the heating of the heating elements arranged in the main scanning direction by outputting Y print data to the thermal head 40 line by line via the thermal head control unit 105.

  On the transfer film 46, as shown in FIG. 14, a Y ink print image is formed by the Y ink in the print region Rt of the Y ink panel, and a dummy image is formed by the Y ink in the dummy print region Rd of the Y ink panel. The In this embodiment, default values such as the size, position, and gradation value of the dummy image are stored in the ROM in advance, and the CPU uses the ink on the ink ribbon 41 to place the dummy image on the transfer film 46 in accordance with the default value. Although it is formed, the size, position, gradation value, and the like of the dummy image can be changed by manual input by the operator from the operation panel unit 5 or the host device 201.

  After forming a print image and a dummy image with Y ink on the transfer film 46 and peeling the ink ribbon 41 and the transfer film 46 by the peeling roller 25 and the peeling member 28, the transfer film 46 is reversely conveyed to the above-described print preparation position. . Next, the transfer film 46 is moved from the print preparation position to the print start position, and the M ink panel of the ink ribbon 41 is cued, as in the case of forming a print image and a dummy image with Y print data, A print image of M ink is performed on a predetermined area of the transfer film 46 in accordance with the print data of M, and subsequently, the heating element of the thermal head 41 is operated behind the transfer direction of the print image of M ink to print the print image of M ink. A wider dummy image is formed, and the ink ribbon 41 and the transfer film 46 are peeled off as they are. In the same manner, the formation and separation of the print image and the dummy image by the C print data and the formation and separation of the print image and the dummy image by the Bk print data are performed.

  As a result of this image forming process, print images of Y, M, C, and Bk inks of the ink ribbon 41 are superimposed on a predetermined area of the transfer film 46 to form a color print image (mirror image). The CPU moves the film transport rollers so that the print images of the Y, M, C, and Bk inks overlap a predetermined area of the transfer film 46, that is, the print start positions of the print images are the same. A stepping motor (not shown) that drives 49 is controlled. In the present embodiment, after an image on one side of the card Ca is formed in a predetermined area of the transfer film 46, an image on the other side is formed in the next area of the transfer film 46.

(Card transport)
In parallel with this image forming process, the CPU pays out the card Ca from the medium accommodating unit C, and based on the received magnetic or electrical recording data, the magnetic recording unit 24 that constitutes the information recording unit A, the non-contact IC After the recording process for the card Ca is performed in either the recording unit 23 or the contact IC recording unit 27, the card Ca is conveyed to the transfer unit B2.

(Transcription)
Next, in the transfer part B2, a transfer process for transferring the color print image formed on the transfer film 46 to the card Ca is performed. In this transfer process, the CPU controls the card Ca and the image formed in a predetermined area (or the next area) of the transfer film 46 to arrive at the transfer portion B2 in synchronization. In addition, after transferring an image to one side of the card Ca, the CPU conveys the card Ca to the rotation unit F side, rotates the card Ca by 180 °, and transfers the image for the other side to the other side of the card Ca. To control.

(Card discharge)
Next, after the curl of the card Ca generated by the thermal transfer by the heat roller 33 is corrected by the decurling mechanism 36, the card Ca is discharged toward the storage stacker 60, and the printing routine is ended.

<Effects>
Next, effects and the like of the printer 1 of this embodiment will be described.

  In the printer 1 according to the present embodiment, the control unit 100 conveys the ink ribbon 41 and the transfer film 46 at the same speed, and outputs a dummy image wider than the print image on both sides in the width direction of the transfer film 46 in the rear direction of the print image. The image forming unit B1 is controlled so as to form the image. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 13, on the ink ribbon 41, the wrinkle Wr1 generated at the rear end corner in the transport direction of the print region Rt corresponding to the print image on the transfer film 46 is replaced with the ink ribbon corresponding to the dummy image. 41. The dummy print region Rd has a rear end corner in the transport direction of the dummy print region Rd because the dummy print region Rd is wider than the print region Rt on both sides in the width direction. Since the wrinkle Wr2 generated in the part does not affect the printing area of the next ink panel, it is possible to prevent the print quality from being deteriorated due to the wrinkle of the ink ribbon.

  Further, in the printer 1 of the present embodiment, the control unit 100 controls the image forming unit B1 so as to form a print image and a dummy image by a series of operations (continuously). For example, when a dummy image is formed on the transfer film 46 using the dummy print region Rd of the Y ink panel immediately before printing on the print region Rt for the M ink panel, the peeling operation after the Y ink panel printing has already been performed, When the ink ribbon 41 is transported for a long distance and the wrinkles due to the steps are generated in the feeding operation or the like, when the print image and the dummy image are formed by a series of operations, the above-described wrinkle prevention effect is achieved. It can be demonstrated reliably.

  Further, in the printer 1 of the present embodiment, the control unit 100 controls the image forming unit B1 so that the gradation values of the pixels in the dummy image region are the same. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 13, the wrinkle Wr1 is stopped in the dummy printing region Rd from which the ink has been evenly removed, and the wrinkle Wr2 is reliably generated at the rear end corner in the conveyance direction of the dummy printing region Rd. It can be prevented from spreading to the printing area of the ink panel.

  In the present embodiment, the indirect printing type printer 1 is illustrated, but the present invention is also applicable to a direct printing type printer. FIG. 15 shows an example of an image forming unit of a printer using such a direct printing method. The image forming section of this printer has a thermal head 40 provided with a plurality of heating elements, and a platen roller 45A disposed opposite to the thermal head 40, and the back side of the card Ca is supported by the platen roller 45A. However, the ink ribbon 41 and the card Ca are conveyed at the same speed, and an image of each ink of the ink ribbon 41 is directly formed on the image forming surface side of the card Ca.

  The point to be noted here is that when the transfer film 46 is used as a medium as in the above-described embodiment, a dummy image can be received by the transfer film 46 (the dummy image is formed on the transfer film 46). In the case of the method, a dummy image (ink in the dummy print area Rd) cannot be received by the card Ca as a medium. For this reason, the circumferential length of the platen roller 45A is set to be larger than the length in the conveyance direction of the card Ca, and the platen roller 45A is a first circumference for supporting the back side of the card Ca conveyed on the circumferential surface. A region 45Aa and a second peripheral region (region) 45Ab for receiving ink in the dummy print region Rd of the ink ribbon 41.

  Furthermore, an encoder (not shown) is fitted on the roller shaft of the platen roller 45A, and the control unit 100 refers to the information output from the encoder so that the tip of the card Ca and the first and second peripheral surfaces Performs alignment control. That is, as shown in FIG. 15A, when forming a print image with ink of each ink panel on the card Ca, the back side of the card Ca is supported by the first peripheral area 45Aa of the platen roller 45A. An image is formed on the Ca image forming surface side, and as shown in FIG. 15B, control is performed so as to receive ink in the dummy print region Rd of each ink panel in the second peripheral region 45Ab of the platen roller 45A. In this case, it further has a clean roller (not shown) for cleaning ink received in the second peripheral area 45Ab of the platen roller 45A, and the control unit 100 refers to information output from an encoder (not shown). Then, the clean roller may be controlled so as to abut on or retract from the second peripheral area 45Ab.

  In the present embodiment, the ink ribbon 41 in which the ink panels of Y, M, C, and Bk are repeated in the surface order is illustrated, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a single color (for example, Bk) ink ribbon may be used for single color printing, or a gold or silver ink panel may be used in addition to Y, M, C, or Bk for color printing. Furthermore, you may have the panel of the protective layer which covers the surface of card | curd Ca. Further, an ink ribbon obtained by repeating two-color ink panels in the surface order may be used.

  Furthermore, in the present embodiment, an example in which a print image and a dummy image are formed on the transfer film 46 using the ink in the print region Rt and the dummy print region Rd of each of the Y, M, C, and Bk ink panels is shown. The invention is not limited to this. For example, wrinkles are not generated in an ink panel in which ink in the printing region Rd is not used among a plurality of color ink panels, so that a dummy image is formed on the transfer film 46 using ink in the dummy printing region Rt for the ink panel. There is no need to form.

  Further, in the dye ink panel and the pigment ink panel, wrinkles due to steps are easily generated in the pigment ink panel due to the particle size of the ink. In this embodiment, as described above, since the pigment ink is used for the Bk ink panel, for example, when a print image is formed on the transfer film 46 using the Bk ink in the print region Rt of the Bk ink panel. In addition, even if the dummy image is formed using the Bk ink in the dummy print region Rd of the Bk ink panel at the rear end in the conveyance direction of the print image, the deterioration of the print quality due to the wrinkles of the ink ribbon is prevented. With a considerable effect. In addition, since the pigment ink may be used for the above-described multi-color ink panel as well, when a print image is formed on the transfer film 46 using the pigment ink ink panel, the pigment ink ink panel is similarly used. A dummy image may be formed using ink in the dummy print region Rd. Therefore, the ink ribbon has a multi-color panel of a dye ink panel and a pigment ink panel, and the control unit 100 forms a dummy image by operating a heating element on at least the pigment ink panel of the ink panels. In this manner, the image forming unit B1 may be controlled.

  Furthermore, in the present embodiment, an example in which the printing area Rt and the dummy printing area Rd are separated from each other on each ink panel of the ink ribbon 41 and the dummy printing area Rd is rectangular (see FIG. 16A) is shown. The present invention is not limited to this, and various modifications are possible. For example, the print region Rt and the dummy print region Rd are made continuous (see FIGS. 16B, 16C, 16E, and 16F), or both end portions in the width direction of the dummy print region Rd are arcuate. You may make it (refer FIG.16 (D)-(F)). When the print area Rt and the dummy print area Rd are made continuous, one print data in which the print image formed on the transfer film 46 and the dummy image are integrated may be newly generated. Such generation of new print data may be performed on the host device 201 side or on the printer 1 (control unit 100) side.

  Further, in the present embodiment, an example in which the length in the width direction of the dummy print region Rd is fixed to a constant value (58 mm in the embodiment, see FIG. 14) is shown, but the present invention is not limited to this, and print data You may make it fluctuate according to. For example, the width in the width direction of the dummy print region Rd of the Y ink panel is set to the width in which the ink in the print region Rt of the Y ink panel and the M ink panel is used for printing with reference to the Y and M print data. Determine which ink or M ink is longer, and make it longer by a predetermined length (for example, 1.5 mm) on both sides in the width direction than the longer width, or refer to print data of Y, M, C, and Bk Then, the ink in the print region Rt of the Y, M, C, and Bk ink panels may be made larger by a predetermined length on both sides in the width direction than the width of the longest ink that is used for printing.

  In the present embodiment, the image forming unit B1 forms an image on the one surface side of the card Ca in a predetermined region of the transfer film 46, and then forms an image on the other surface side in the next region of the transfer film 46. Example of transferring the image on one side of the card Ca, transferring the card Ca to the rotation unit F side, rotating the card Ca by 180 °, and transferring the image for the other side to the other side of the card Ca in the part B2. The image forming unit B1 forms an image on one side of the card Ca in a predetermined area of the transfer film 46, and the transfer unit B2 transfers the image to one side of the card Ca or during the transfer. In B1, an image on the other side is formed in the next area of the transfer film 46, and after the image is transferred to one side of the card Ca, the card Ca is conveyed to the rotation unit F side to move the card Ca to 180 °. You may make it rotate and transfer the image for other surfaces to the other surface of card | curd Ca in the transfer part B2.

  Furthermore, although an example in which print data is received (input) from the higher-level device 201 has been described in the present embodiment, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, when the printer 1 is configured to be connectable to an external storage device such as a USB or a memory card, the print data may be acquired by reading information stored in the external storage device. Further, when the printer 1 is a member of the local network, it may be input from a personal computer connected to the local network other than the host device. Furthermore, the image data may be received from the host device 201 instead of the print data. In this case, the image data received on the printer 1 side may be converted into print data.

  In the present embodiment, the ink ribbon cassette 42 is exemplified, but the present invention is not limited to this, and it goes without saying that the present invention can be applied to a type of ink ribbon that does not use a cassette.

  In the above description, the description has focused on preventing the deterioration of the print quality due to the wrinkles generated on the ink ribbon 41 in the image forming unit B1, but the ink ribbon 41 and the transfer film 46 are both in the form of a film and ink is missing (ink ribbon). 41) and wrinkles due to steps due to missing images (in the case of the transfer film 46) are common. For this reason, the printer 1 according to the present embodiment causes a wrinkle generated at the rear end corner in the transport direction of the transfer region (region to which the print image is transferred) of the transfer film 46 in the transfer unit B2 to the next region of the transfer film 46. There is also an advantage in not spreading.

  However, the operation and effect are slightly different from those of the ink ribbon 41 described above. As described above, in the image forming unit B1, the wrinkle Wr1 (see FIG. 13) of the ink ribbon 41 generated at the rear end corner in the conveyance direction of the printing region Rt is stopped by the slack of the ink in the dummy printing region Rd. On the other hand, in the transfer portion B2, the transfer area is transferred to the card Ca and is removed from the transfer film 46, whereby wrinkles (of the transfer film 41) generated at the rear end corner in the transport direction of the transfer area are transferred. It is stopped by a dummy image formed so as to be laminated thereon (strictly, ink of a dummy image absorbed and deposited on the receiving layer of the transfer film 46). Further, in the ink ribbon 41, wrinkles Wr2 (see FIG. 13) are generated at the rear end corner in the transport direction of the dummy print region Rd due to the ink in the dummy print region Rd being drained, whereas a dummy image is formed on the transfer film 46. Are formed so as to be laminated (dummy images are not removed from the transfer film 46 at the time of transfer), and wrinkles due to steps are formed at the rear end corner in the transport direction of the transfer film 46 on which the dummy images are formed. Does not occur or is difficult to occur.

  Accordingly, the scope of the claims includes the following: “The printer has a thermal head in which a plurality of heating elements are arranged, and the print image is printed on the transfer medium according to the print information inputted by conveying the ink ribbon and the transfer medium at the same speed. An image forming unit for forming the first rotating body, and a second rotating body disposed opposite to the first rotating body, and transporting the transfer medium and the recording medium at the same speed. A transfer unit that transfers a print image formed on the transfer medium to the recording medium by the image forming unit; and a control unit that controls the image forming unit and the transfer unit. The image forming unit is controlled to form a dummy image behind the transfer medium in the transfer direction of the print image formed on the medium, and only the print image formed on the transfer medium by the image forming unit is recorded. The transfer so that it is transferred to the medium. And the dummy image is wider than the print image on both sides in the width direction of the transfer medium intersecting with the transfer direction of the transfer medium. . The “first rotating body” is exemplified as the heat roller (heat generating rotating body) 33 and the “second rotating body” is exemplified as the platen roller 31 in the above embodiment.

  As described above, the present invention provides an image forming apparatus capable of preventing a decrease in print quality due to wrinkles of an ink ribbon, and thus contributes to the manufacture and sale of the image forming apparatus. Has availability.

1 Printer (image forming device)
40 Thermal Head 41 Ink Ribbon 45, 45A Platen Roller (Platen)
45Aa First peripheral area 45Ab Second peripheral area (area for receiving ink)
46 Transfer film (medium, film-like intermediate transfer medium)
100 control unit B1 image forming unit Ca card (medium, card-shaped recording medium)
Rd Dummy print area Rt Print area Wr, Wr1, Wr2 Wrinkles

Claims (7)

In an image forming apparatus that forms an image on a medium using an ink ribbon,
An image forming unit having a thermal head in which a plurality of heating elements are disposed, and forming the image on the medium by conveying the ink ribbon and the medium at the same speed;
A control unit for controlling the image forming unit;
With
The control unit forms a print image on the medium according to the input print information and operates the heating element with respect to the ink ribbon to transport the medium only in the rear of the medium transport direction. Controlling the image forming unit so as to continuously form a dummy image wider than the print image on both sides in the width direction of the medium intersecting with the medium in the width direction of the medium intersecting with the medium conveyance direction ;
An image forming apparatus.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls the image forming unit to form the print image and the dummy image by a series of operations.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls the image forming unit so that gradation values of pixels in the region of the dummy image are the same.   The ink ribbon includes a plurality of color panels of a dye ink panel and a pigment ink panel, and the control unit operates the heating element with respect to at least the pigment ink panel of the ink image. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming unit is controlled so as to form the image.   The ink ribbon is formed by repeating a plurality of color ink panels and, if necessary, a Bk (black) ink panel in a surface sequence, and the control unit applies the print image and the dummy image to each of the ink panels. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming unit is controlled so as to be formed by operating the heating element.   4. The medium according to claim 1, wherein the medium is a film-shaped intermediate transfer medium, and further includes a transfer unit that transfers the print image formed on the intermediate transfer medium to the print medium. The image forming apparatus described in the item.   The medium is a card-like recording medium, and the image forming unit further includes a platen roller disposed to face the thermal head, the circumference of the platen roller is larger than the length of the recording medium, and the platen roller 4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a region for receiving ink of the ink ribbon when the dummy image is formed on a part of a peripheral surface. 5. .

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