JPH048551A - Thermal recording device and opaque device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enable a contact position to be set to the same point and data to be printed as a sharp image, if the thickness of an object varies by allowing a reference position for a platen roller to be displaced in relation to a reference position for a thermal head. CONSTITUTION:A reference position for a thermal head 32 can be displaced in relation to the position of a platen roller, while the platen roller 36 is set to a fixed position. The position of a screw 52 becomes a reference position for the attachment of a thermal head mounting frame, that is, a reference position for the mounting of the thermal head 32. Therefore, the reference position can be moved in the longitudinal direction of a slit 51 by loosening the screw 52 and also the thermal head 32 can be rotated centered around the screw 52. An object 11 and a thermal transfer medium 33 are supplied to the inlet side of the platen roller 36 and stacked together there. Then the thermal head 32 is heated in accordance with positional information and a thermal transfer material becomes molten due to heat. Subsequently, the thermal transfer material is transferred to the object 11 from the thermal transfer medium 33 to form a light shielding later 47. The thermal head 32 is maintained at an optimal position on the platen roller 36 in accordance with the thickness of the object 11 and a satisfactory print image is obtained.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial Field of Application 1] The present invention is directed to a thermal recording device, a plate-making film, etc., in which a necessary light transmitting portion or a reflective portion which is an image portion, or a portion unnecessary for image formation is removed. The present invention relates to an opaque device that detects an image (image area) and instructs a light shielding means to cover all or part of the image area, or an unnecessary part, to form a light shielding layer.

[Prior Art] A thermal recording device is a type of printing device that prints characters or images on an object such as paper or film. This thermal recording device melts a thermal transfer material using a thermal head and transfers it onto an object by thermal transfer, thereby expressing characters or images using a thermal transfer layer. Such a printing device is used not only for creating hard copies of characters and images, but also for shielding objects with light shielding devices.

In other words, in conventional plate-making work, there is work to block unnecessary light transmission or reflection parts (defective parts) caused by the glue being used, dirt on the plate mount, dirt on the exposure device, etc.; As a light shielding method (opaque) for plate-making film, etc., which is the process of dividing drawing lines by color,
Methods of using mask sheets and methods of applying correction fluid are known. In the method of using a mask sheet, a releasable red layer or the like is formed on a polyethylene terephthalate film, cut out, and pasted on a plate-making film to block light.

The correction liquid coating method uses a light-shielding liquid (correction liquid) in which a vehicle contains a light-shielding agent such as carbon black.

Light-shielding methods other than using a mask sheet or applying correction fluid include attaching pre-colored adhesive tape to the light-shielding area (masking tape), or making plates of light-shielding materials such as paper that do not transmit or reflect light. There is a method of pasting it on film or photographic paper.

In order to automate these opaque operations, the present inventor has previously developed and proposed a shading device for plate-making operations that blocks unnecessary light-transmitting or reflective portions of plate-making films (for example, the 1988 patent Application No. 99559
(see issue). This newly proposed light-shielding device is a device that blocks light from areas other than the necessary light-transmitting or reflective portions, which are the image portions of objects such as plate-making film or photographic paper on which images have been formed. A means for detecting, a means for transporting the object, a means for exposing the object being transported, a means for receiving transmitted light or reflected light from the exposed object, and a means for detecting information from the light receiving means. means for storing a desired area of an object; means for detecting an image portion or an unnecessary portion based on information stored in the storage means; means for detecting an object being conveyed passing through the detection means; The automatic opaque device has a means for shielding light from parts other than the detected image part or unnecessary parts.

This device automated the opaque work, making it possible to save labor and stabilize quality. A thermal printing device d is used as a means for blocking light.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, in a printing device, the object passing through the conveyance path and the thermal transfer body are overlapped and sandwiched between a platen roller and a thermal head, and when the thermal head selectively generates heat, the The thermal transfer material on the thermal transfer body is melted and transferred onto the object. Therefore, in order to perform good printing, it is necessary for the thermal head and platen roller to accurately approach and face each other to pinch the object and the thermal transfer material, so that the heat from the thermal head is efficiently transferred to the thermal transfer material. be. However, with conventional printing devices, when printing on different types of objects with different thicknesses, for example, as shown in Figure 5, the contact position between the platen roller and the thermal head differs depending on the thickness of the object. Masu.

In the example shown in FIG. 5, in the case of a thick object A, the contact position is a, but in the case of a small thickness object B, the contact position is b. And the lengths are different between OA and Oa. Since the state of heat transfer is thus inconsistent, good printing is impossible.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and is a thermal recording transfer device having a printing device that can maintain the same contact position even if the thickness of the object changes and enables good printing. The purpose is to provide a device.

[Means for Solving the Problem] Corresponding to this object, the thermal recording device of the present invention is a thermal recording device having a printing device in which a platen roller and a thermal head are located across a conveyance path of a printing object. The apparatus is characterized in that a reference position of the platen roller and a reference position of the thermal head are relatively movable.

Further, the opaque device of the present invention detects an image portion or an unnecessary portion such as a pinhole of an object such as a plate-making film or photographic paper on which an image has been formed, and detects a portion other than the image portion of the object or an unnecessary portion. This is an opaque device that uses a printing device to thermally transfer a thermal transfer material to a portion of the object to shield it from light. It is characterized in that the reference position and the reference position of the thermal head can be relatively displaced.

[Action 1] In the printing device, the object and the thermal transfer material are sandwiched at the contact position between the platen roller and the thermal head. When the object changes,
Since the relative position of the thermal head and the platen roller closest to each other also changes, the reference positions of the thermal head and the platen roller are relatively displaced to adjust the contact position of the two to be the closest.

[Embodiment] Hereinafter, a drawing showing an embodiment in which the details of the present invention are applied to an opaque device will be described.

In FIG. 1, 1 is an opaque device.

The opaque device 1 includes a transport device @2, a detection device 3, and a printing device M4.
, a peeling device 5 is provided.

The transport device 2 has three roller pairs 12, 13, 14 arranged along the path 17 of the object 11.

The roller pairs 12, 13, and 14 include an 0-roller 15 driven by a driving means such as a pulse motor, and the roller 1.
5 and an opposing roller 16 that forms a nip and conveys the object.
It consists of However, the drive source for the roller pairs 12, 13, and 14 in the conveying device 2 is not limited to a pulse motor.
It may also be driven by a motor using a rotary encoder.

The detection device 3 has an exposure device 18 . The exposure device 18 is located on one side of the path 17 of the object 11, and the light receiving device 22 is located on the opposite side of the path 17 of the object 11.
After the light emitted from the light source 8 passes through the object 11, it passes through the light receiving device 2.
It is arranged so that it is incident on 2.

Examples of the object 11 such as a plate-making film according to the present invention include, in addition to the plate-making film, a negative or positive monochrome or color film, photographic paper, and a printing mount.

The exposure device 18 may be any means that can perform exposure with desired accuracy and obtain information through the exposure. For example, it may be possible to expose with a slit between the light source and the object, or to expose the object with sharp light from the light source. This is carried out by, for example, exposing to light having a desired width.

As the light receiving device 22, a commonly used light receiving element can be used.

The operation of the light receiving device 22 is controlled by a detection controller 23. Light receiving bag! The output of 22 is input to a processing device 24. The processing unit 24 is an arithmetic unit @25
(CPU), a storage device 26, an auxiliary storage device 27, and an input device 28.

The light receiving device 22 serves as the storage device 26 and the auxiliary storage device 27.
Any memory may be used as long as it stores the information obtained in the desired area of the object and can be written to and read from.

As the computing device (CPLJ) 25, a computer can be used.

Further, the storage device 26 stores data at the timing of an image scanner or the like, and reads it at the timing of a light shielding device. Furthermore, the temperature of the thermal head can be controlled by converting the data read from the storage device 26 at the timing of the light shielding device into a control signal for the head of a thermal printer, which is an example of the light shielding device, and controlling the pulse width. good.

The input device u28 is not particularly limited as long as it can input the pixel size, but a keyboard or the like can be used.

The detailed structure and operation of the detection device 3 described above are shown in the specification and drawings of Japanese Patent Application No. 63-238.567.

As the printing device 4, a thermal transfer printer 31 can be used to block light based on positional information or processing information. The thermal transfer printer 31 includes a thermal head 32, a platen roller 36, and a thermal transfer body 33, as shown in FIG.
The main configuration is based on the location information,
Instructions are given to the thermal head 32 of the thermal transfer printer 31 to form the light shielding layer 47. In other words, the thermal head 32 uses the positional information to move the thermal transfer body 3 carrying the light-shielding material.
3 to object 1.
Set to 1. Note that 34 is an unwinding roller for supplying the thermal transfer body 33, and 35 is a winding opening roller for winding up the used thermal transfer body 33. Furthermore, the platen roller 36 faces the thermal head 32 across the conveyance path 17 of the object 11 .

The heat-sensitive transfer member 33 is a support provided with a transfer material containing a pigment or dye and a heat-melting film-forming material and capable of being thermally transferred at about 50 to 130°C. The pigment or dye satisfies light shielding conditions in the exposure work, which is a post-process using plate-making film, photographic paper, or the like. Hot melt film-forming materials include wax or other materials.

A path 40 for the thermal transfer body 33 is formed between the unwinding roller 34 and the winding roller 35, and the back tension roller 37 and the thermal transfer printer 31 are moved along the path 40.
, a pair of conveying rollers 38 are provided.

In the thermal transfer printer 31, a platen roller 36 and a thermal head 32 are positioned opposite to each other on both sides of a conveyance path 17 that conveys the object 11 and the thermal transfer body 33 in an overlapping state.

The position of the platen roller 36 is a fixed position, but the reference position of the thermal head 32 is movable with respect to the platen roller 36. That is, the thermal head 32 is attached to a thermal head attachment frame 41. The thermal head mounting frame 41 is attached to a holder 42. The holder 42 has a long hole 51 formed therein, and is attached to the long hole 51 with a screw 52.

The position of this screw 52 becomes a reference position for mounting the thermal head mounting frame, that is, a reference position 53 for mounting the thermal head 32. Therefore, the reference position can be moved in the longitudinal direction of the elongated hole 51 by loosening the screw 52, and the thermal head 32 can be rotated about the screw 52.

When the reference position 53 of the thermal head 32 is moved and the thermal head 32 is rotationally displaced around the screw 52, the object 11 is moved opposite the platen roller 36 of the thermal head 32 and cooperates with the platen roller 36. The position and orientation of the closest portion 53 sandwiching the thermal transfer member 33 change. A cam follower 45 is attached to the holder 42,
This cam follower 45 is in contact with a cam 46. Therefore, the holder 42 is oscillated and moved toward or away from the platen roller 36 according to the rotation angle of the cam 46.

The object 11 and the thermal transfer material 33 are supplied to the inlet side of the platen roller 36 and overlapped, and the thermal head 32 is heated based on the position information, and the thermal head 32 melts the thermal transfer material and transfers the thermal transfer material from the thermal transfer material 33. The light-shielding layer 47 is formed by transferring the thermal transfer material to a portion of the object 11 other than the detected image portion or an unnecessary portion. It is preferable that the light-shielding layer has the necessary resistance in the working environment that the film for plate-making etc. is subjected to after being transferred or applied to unnecessary parts of the film for plate-making etc., and a light-shielding layer suitable for each working environment is selected. be able to.

The object 11 and the used thermal transfer body 33 are separated from each other by the separation device 5 on the exit side of the platen roller 36 .

The operation of the opaque device configured in this way is as follows.

The object 11, which is a plate-making film, is inserted into the entrance 61 of the opaque device 1. When inserted, the object 11 is detected by the detector 62, and transport by the transport device 2 is started. Note that although the drive for conveyance can be operated constantly from the time the power is turned on, conveyance is desirably started from the insertion of the object 11. The transported object 11 is detected by the detector 63 and generates a signal that becomes a reference for determining the position of the object 11 necessary for subsequent operations. Although two detectors 62 and 63 are used here, it is also possible to use a single detector. Detector 6
Detection by No. 3 has a function for positioning. In other words, information on the start of detection can also serve as a reference for position information based on the next exposure, light reception, and detection. Note that a mark indicating the reference position provided on the object in advance may be used.

The exposure device 18 of the detection device 3 exposes the object 11 being transported. The exposure device 18 detects and determines the location to be shielded from light.

Next, the object 11 that has reached the light shielding device 4 is placed on the platen roller 3.
6, it is superimposed on the thermal transfer member 33.

At this time, the holder 42 is displaced by the operation of the cam 46 (in the counterclockwise direction in FIG. 2), and the thermal head 32 is displaced.
is pressed against the platen roller 36, sandwiching the stacked thermal transfer body 33 and the object 11. The thermal head 32 is arranged perpendicular to the conveyance direction, and the thermal head 42 is heated by the AND result of the position information of both the auxiliary storage device 27 and the target object 11, and the transfer body is thermally melted, and the target object 11 is heated. A light shielding layer is formed on the detected unnecessary portions.

After the formation of the light-shielding layer is completed, the heat-sensitive transfer body 33 is stacked
and the object 11 are sent out from the light shielding device 4 and peeled off by the peeling device 5.

Next, if you want to opaque an object with a different thickness, loosen the screw 52 and attach it to the thermal head mounting frame 41.
Adjust the position and orientation and fix again. As a result, the position and direction of the closest point 53 of the thermal head 32 to the platen roller 36 are adjusted according to the thickness of the object. Of course, the adjustment of the position and orientation of the thermal head may be automated by electrical control.

[Experimental example] (1) As shown in Fig. 4, in order to transfer a 100μ film as the object 11, when the contact points of the platen roller 36 and the thermal head 32 are aligned exactly at the position a, the 100μ film will be transferred. Transferred well, but then 17
No transfer was made to the 5μ film. At this time, the contact pressure was 300 g/cm.

Next, when the thermal head was moved by 0.6 am to position b, good transfer was performed on a 175μ film.

(2) A of the platen roller 36 and the thermal head 32 in order to transfer the 100 μth film as the target object 11.
When the contact points were aligned exactly at the position of , the transfer was successful with a 100μ film, but poor transfer occurred with a 30μ film. At this time, the contact pressure was 300 g/α.

Next, when the thermal head was moved 0.3 aw in the opposite direction to position C, good transfer was performed on a 30 μm film.

[Effects of the Invention] With this opaque device, the positioning and orientation of the thermal head can be adjusted according to the thickness of the object.
The thermal head can be maintained at the optimal position relative to the platen roller, allowing for good printing.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic side cross-sectional view of an opaque device showing one embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is an enlarged side view of a thermal transfer portion, and FIG. 3 is a thermal head and platen roller field in the printing device of the present invention. 1 and 4 are explanatory diagrams showing the relationship between the platen roller and the thermal head, and FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing the relationship between the platen roller and the thermal head in a conventional printing device. 1... Opaque device, 2... Conveyance device, 3...
Detection device, 4... Printing device, 5... Peeling device,
11...Object, 12.13.14...Roller pair, 15...Roller, 16...Opposed roller, 17...
Path, 18... Exposure device, 22... Light receiving device,
23...Detection controller, 24...Processing VL placement,
25... Arithmetic device, 26... Storage device, 27.
...Auxiliary storage device, 28...Input device, 31...
Thermal transfer printer, 32... Thermal head, 33
... Thermal transfer body, 34 ... Unwinding roller, 35
... Winding roller, 36... Platen roller,
37... Pack tension roller, 38... Conveyance roller pair, 40... Route, 41... Thermal head mounting frame, 42... Holder, 43... Shaft, 45... Cam follower , 46... cam, 47.
...Light shielding layer, 51...Long hole, 52...Screw, 53... Point of closest approach Fig. Fig. Fig. ac Fig.

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) A thermal recording device having a printing device in which a platen roller and a thermal head are located across the conveyance path of the printing object, wherein the reference position of the platen roller and the reference position of the thermal head are relative displacements. A heat-sensitive recording device characterized in that: (2) Detect the image portion or unnecessary portions such as pinholes of an object such as a plate-making film or photographic paper on which an image has been formed, and use a printing device to print on a portion other than the image portion or an unnecessary portion of the object. The printing device is an opaque device that thermally transfers a thermal transfer material and blocks light, and the printing device has a platen roller and a thermal head located across the conveyance path of the object, and the reference position of the platen roller and the thermal head are aligned. An opaque device characterized in that it is movable relative to a reference position.