JP2000025314A - Thermal transfer recorder - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a thermal transfer recorder in which ink is cut off well at the end of a printed image. SOLUTION: When print operation ends at time T1, driving of heating elements 36 in a print head 26 is stopped and an ink ribbon 37 is carried by turning a ribbon motor 41 on continuously up to time T2. A recording sheet 38 is then carried in the printing direction by rotating forward a stepping motor continuously thus carrying the recording sheet and the ink ribbon by the distance M (the distance L between the forward end 26-1 of the print head 26 and the heating element 36 plus a specified distance α). Consequently, the ink transferred to the end of a printed image is cooled sufficiently and a clear boundary phase is formed between the transferred ink part on the recording sheet and the unused ink part on the ink ribbon. The print head 26 is moved to a unprinted position at time T2 and then the ink ribbon 37 and the recording sheet 38 are carried in the print carrying direction thus separating them from each other under a state where ink is cut off well until time T3.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to a thermal transfer recording apparatus in which ink at the end of image printing has a good drainage.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is a thermal transfer recording apparatus as schematically shown in FIG. The thermal transfer recording apparatus 1 shown in FIG.
The ink ribbon 5 and the recording paper 6 are conveyed as indicated by arrows A and B in the drawing to the printing unit 4 where the thermal head 2 and the platen 3 are pressed against each other, and are superimposed on each other. Are driven to generate heat based on the print data, whereby the ink provided on the ink ribbon 5 is transferred to the recording paper 6. When the ink is not a thermal transfer type ink but a thermal sublimation type ink, a solid printing of an ink reactant (color forming agent) is performed as a pre-process on the entire surface of the recording paper prior to performing printing with the thermal sublimation type ink ribbon. Pre-printing is performed.

After the transfer of the ink (or the ink reactant), the recording paper 6 is conveyed to the downstream side as shown by an arrow B 'in FIG. As shown by the arrow A 'in the figure, the recording paper 6 is released from being overlapped with the recording paper 6 and is conveyed obliquely upward.

[0004]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional thermal transfer recording apparatus, problems often occur in printing results. For example, there are irregularities in color reproducibility at the end of a printed image in full-color printing with thermal transfer ink, and irregular disturbance at the end of a printed image with thermal sublimation ink.

FIGS. 10 (a) and 10 (b) are diagrams schematically showing the cause of the occurrence of such a problem. FIG. 1A shows an ink ribbon or an ink reactant ribbon for pre-printing (hereinafter, referred to as an ink ribbon).
An ink or ink reactant (hereinafter, both inks) 8 applied to a ribbon base material 7 of a ribbon base material 5 is melted by the thermal head 2 shown in FIG. 2 shows a solid print image 11 of the ink 8 transferred onto the paper 6.

FIG. 2B shows that the printing is completed and the heat generation of the thermal head 2 is stopped.
Moves to the non-printing position (above the position shown in FIG. 9), and the recording paper 6 and the used ribbon 5 (that is, the ribbon base material 7) are kept as shown by arrows C and D in FIG. The conveyance is continued in the conveyance direction at the time of printing so that the recording paper 6 and the ribbon 5
Shows a state where is peeled off.

As described above, the recording paper 6 and the ribbon 5 are peeled off immediately after the thermal head 2 stops generating heat, and the recording paper 6 is not completely cooled and fixed on the recording paper 6 as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 3B, the molten state portion 9 is in a half-finished state in which a certain portion is transferred onto the recording paper 6 and the remaining portion remains on the ribbon 5. 6
A state 12 in which the transfer ink at the end end of the upper solid print image 11 is rolled up, that is, a state 12 in which the ink runs out poorly occurs.

[0008] As described above, if the ink runs out poorly and the ink riding is uneven and unstable, then in the case of a thermal transfer type ink, even if an attempt is made to reproduce a color image by superimposing four color inks. At the end where the ink runs out poorly, the colors are not correctly superimposed, so that a streak-like defective image remains at the end, the appearance is extremely poor, and the image quality is significantly reduced.

Further, in the case of printing with a thermal sublimation type ink, the thickness of the ink (ink reactant) to be preprinted is 5 to 6 times as thick as that of a normal ink, and inevitably results in solid printing. Therefore, the cooling rate is low, and the poor cutting phenomenon is more remarkably exhibited. For this reason, there has been a problem that the thermal sublimation ink does not sufficiently react in the poorly cut portion of the ink (ink reactant) at the end of the image, and a normal color cannot be reproduced.

FIG. 10C shows the ink 11 at the image end 13.
(Or 8) is a diagram showing an ideal state with good sharpness,
As described above, in order to improve the running of the ink, it has been proposed to temporarily stop the transport operation or reduce the transport speed in order to sufficiently cool the molten state 9 shown in FIG.
However, if the transport speed is reduced, the function as a printer is reduced. Further, once the transport operation is stopped, the overall printing speed decreases. In any case, it is not possible to cope with the demand for higher printing speed, which has recently become stronger.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-described conventional circumstances,
An object of the present invention is to provide a thermal transfer type recording apparatus which does not cause a poor cutting phenomenon in a thermal transfer type ink or a preprint ink reactant at the end of a printed image.

[0012]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A thermal transfer type recording apparatus according to the present invention comprises a ribbon transporting means for transporting an ink ribbon, a recording paper transporting means for transporting recording paper, a platen, and a platen opposed to the platen. A thermal head, a heating element provided on the thermal head, a heating driving unit for driving the heating element to generate heat, a head moving unit for moving the thermal head to press or separate from the platen, Controlling each of these components to convey the ink ribbon and the recording paper in a superimposed manner between the thermal head and the platen, and to transfer the thermal head through the ink ribbon and the recording paper. The transfer element provided on the ink ribbon is transferred to the recording paper based on print data by driving the heating element to generate heat by being pressed against the platen. Wherein the heating element is located upstream of the thermal head at a predetermined distance L from a downstream end of the thermal head at the time of printing in the recording paper transport direction. When the printing is completed, the control unit stops the heat generation drive of the heating element, and conveys the recording paper and the ink ribbon by at least a distance longer than the distance L during printing. The thermal head is separated from the platen, the recording paper is continuously transported in the same direction as the printing direction, and the ink ribbon is transported in the same direction as the printing direction. The heating drive unit, the recording paper transporting means, the ribbon transporting means, and the head moving means are controlled so as to successively perform the transporting. Configured to discharge the recording sheet outside the apparatus.

When the printing is completed, the control section stops the heat generation drive of the heating element, stops the transport of the ink ribbon, and moves the thermal head from the platen. The recording paper is transported in the same direction as the transport direction during printing at least by a distance longer than the distance L, and the transport in the same direction as the transport direction during printing of the ink ribbon is resumed. The heating drive section, the ribbon transport means, the head moving means, and the recording paper transport means are controlled so as to sequentially transport the paper in the same direction as the transport direction during printing. Further, as described in claim 3, when the printing is completed, the heating drive of the heating element is stopped, the conveyance of the ink ribbon is stopped, and The Maruheddo is spaced from said platen, is conveyed in the same direction as the transporting direction of the time by printing a distance longer than at least the distance L of the recording sheet,
The recording paper is conveyed by a predetermined distance in a direction opposite to the conveyance direction at the time of printing, the conveyance of the ink ribbon in the same direction as the conveyance direction at the time of printing is restarted, and the recording paper is conveyed in the same direction as the conveyance direction at the time of printing. The heating drive unit, the ribbon transport unit, the head moving unit, and the recording paper transport unit are configured to sequentially perform the transport in the direction again.

[0014]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the thermal transfer recording apparatus according to the first embodiment.
The thermal transfer recording apparatus 20 shown in FIG. 1 includes a control unit 21 including a CPU (Central Processing Unit). Control unit 21
ROM (read only memory) 22, RAM (readable and writable memory) 23, I / O
An F (interface) 24 and a key input device 25 are connected. The RAM 23 is provided with an image data area 23a, a print data area 23b, a work area 23c, and the like.

The control unit 21 includes, as an engine unit, a driver 27 for driving a print head (thermal head) 26 to generate heat, a driver for driving various motors 28 such as a paper feed motor, a head moving motor, and a ribbon winding motor. 29, a power control unit 30, for example, a display device 31 such as an LCD, is connected to the output unit, and the input unit is connected to various sensors 33 such as a paper detection sensor and an ink ribbon sensor via a sensor buffer 32. I have.

The controller of the control unit 21 includes an I / F 2
4 is temporarily stored in the image data area 23a of the RAM 23 and analyzed, and print data is created in the print data area 23b by this analysis, and the created print data is The data is transferred to the engine unit by an image data transfer circuit or the like.

FIG. 2A is a diagram schematically showing a configuration of a main mechanism portion controlled by the engine unit, and FIG.
FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the thermal head. FIG.
Under the control of the control unit 21, the power supply control unit 30 turns on / off the power based on print data and a command signal from the controller unit under the control of the control unit 21. Sensors 3 input via
2 (a) and 2 (b) through the drivers 27 and 29 while referring to the information from FIG. 3 to display the input data or the progress of the process being executed on the display device 31. I do.

That is, the engine unit includes various motors 28.
The print position at which the print head 26 is pressed against the platen 35 by rotating the print head drive motor in both the forward and reverse directions to rotate the head support member 34 in the forward and reverse directions (FIG. 2A).
2) and a non-printing position (a position above the position shown in FIG. 2 (a)) separated from the platen 35, and the plurality of heating elements 36 of the print head 26 are selectively operated in accordance with print data. The ink (the thermal transfer type normal ink or the ink reactant or the thermal sublimation type ink) of the ink ribbon 37 is melted and transferred to the paper (recording paper) 38 or the ink is sublimated to form the paper 38 Color, various motors 2
8, the paper feed motor is driven in both forward and reverse directions to move the paper feed roll pair 39 in a printing direction indicated by an arrow E in the drawing and in a direction opposite to the printing direction indicated by an arrow F for loading or full-color printing. The paper 38 is rotated to be conveyed.

Further, the engine unit includes various motors 28.
The ink ribbon take-up motor 41 is driven to rotate the take-up roller 42 in the clockwise direction in the drawing to take up the ink ribbon 37, and the unused portion is pulled out from the supply roller 43, and It is supplied to a portion (printing portion) facing the platen 35.

The above-described paper feed motor includes a paper feed roll pair 3
9 so that the conveyance speed at the time of printing of the recording paper 38 by 2 is 2 mm / sec.
Also rotates so that the transport speed of the ink ribbon 37 by the take-up roller 42 is also 2 mm / sec.

The print head 26 is provided with a ribbon guide member 26-2 at the end (rear end) on the upstream side (left side in the drawing) in the paper transport direction at the time of printing. The ink ribbon 37 is guided so as not to be slid on the lower surface of the print head 26 to be damaged. The plurality of heat generating elements 36 are formed in a line in a direction perpendicular to the sheet conveying direction (a direction perpendicular to the sheet of the drawing). The heating element 36 is arranged and provided at a predetermined distance L upstream of the leading end 26-1 on the downstream side (right side in the drawing) of the print head 26 in the recording paper transport direction during printing. I have.

The thus configured thermal transfer recording apparatus 20
In the above, the operation during printing is not different from the operation of a general printer of this type, but the operation at the end of printing is specially devised. Hereinafter, this will be described.

FIG. 3 is a time chart mainly showing the operation of the thermal transfer recording apparatus 20 at the end of printing in the first embodiment, and shows the on / off of the ribbon motor (ink ribbon take-up motor) 41 from above. The timing of turning off, the timing of switching of the stepping motor (paper feed motor) between forward and reverse (printing direction and the reverse direction), the paper feed position (non-printing position) of the print head by the forward and reverse rotation of the head support member 34, and The timing of switching the printing position (see FIG. 2A) and the print head 2 by the driver 27
6, that is, the timing of the heating drive of the heating element 36.

From left to right, "image printing" from the start of printing to time T1, "conveyance of distance M (L + α)" from time T1 to time T2, and time T2 to time T2.
The timings correspond to the “ribbon peeling operation” up to 3 and the “recording paper discharge” period after time T3.

FIGS. 4 (a), (b), (c) and (d) are operation state diagrams of the main mechanism shown in FIG. 2 (a) corresponding to each period shown in the above time chart. Using the time chart shown in FIG. 3 and FIGS. 4A to 4D, the thermal transfer recording apparatus 2
The operation of 0 will be described. First, an image is printed from the start of printing until time T1. During this time, the ribbon motor 41 is turned on, the take-up roller 42 takes up and conveys the ink ribbon 37, the stepping motor rotates in the forward direction, the paper feed roll pair 39 conveys the recording paper 38 in the printing direction, and the head support The member 34 rotates in the forward direction to position the print head 26 at the print position (presses the platen 35), and the driver 27 selectively turns the plurality of heating elements 36 of the print head 26 according to image data. Drive heat.

When printing (printing) is completed at the time T1, the driving of the heating element 36 by the driver 27 is stopped. FIG. 4A shows the state at this time. A broken line a in FIG. 3A indicates a position where the heating element 36 is arranged.

Subsequently, the rotation of the ribbon motor 41 and the stepping motor is continued while the print head 26 is in the printing position, and the ink ribbon 37 and the recording paper 38 are conveyed in the printing direction until the time T2. (See arrow E in FIG. 2A). FIG. 4B shows this state.

The ink ribbon 37 and the recording paper 38 are transported by a distance M during the transport from time T1 to time T2. This distance M is equal to the distance L between the tip 26-1 of the print head 26 and the heating element 36 shown in FIG.
Is the sum of That is, the distance M is set to be at least longer than the distance L by an amount obtained by adding the distance α to the distance L. 4A, the portion of the ink ribbon 37 and the recording paper 38 located at the position of the heating element 36 shown by the broken line a in FIG. 4A are moved to the position of the broken line b shown in FIG. (The same applies to the position of the broken line b in FIG. 4A).

By being conveyed by this distance M at a printing speed of 2 mm / sec, the transfer ink at the printing end end (the rear end of the printed image) which has reached the position of the broken line b in FIG. The portion transferred to the recording paper 38 (FIG. 10)
The solid print image 11 (see (c)) is firmly fixed on the recording paper 38, whereby the unused portion on the ink ribbon 37 (the ink (ink reactant) on the ribbon base material 7 in FIG. 8)) and a clear boundary phase (image edge 1 in FIG. 10 (c)).
3).

At time T2 when this state is reached, first, the print head drive motor of the various motors 28 is driven in the reverse direction to rotate the head support member 34 in the reverse direction, and separates the print head 26 from the platen 35. To a non-printing position. FIG. 4C shows the state at this time. At the same time, the rotation of the ribbon motor 41 and the stepping motor is continued until time T3, and the ink ribbon 37 and the recording paper 38 are transported in the same direction as the transport direction during printing.
FIG. 4D shows the state at this time.

During the transport from the time T2 to the time T3, as shown in FIG.
8 is peeled off. At this time, as described above, FIG.
Since a clear ink boundary phase is formed between the ink transfer portion (the end of printing of the image) and the unused portion on the ribbon substrate at the time point shown in FIG. That is, the rear end portion of the printed image is correctly separated from the unused ink, that is, the ink ribbon 37 is peeled off from the recording paper 38 in a state where the ink runs out well (FIG. 10C).
Image end 13).

As described above, while the conveyance of the recording paper 38 is continued without any pause, the transfer ink at the end of printing is sufficiently cooled, and the ink ribbon 37 is removed from the recording paper 38 in a state where the ink runs out. It can be peeled off.

FIG. 5 is a time chart mainly showing the operation of the thermal transfer recording apparatus according to the second embodiment at the end of printing. The configuration block diagram of this thermal transfer recording apparatus and the configuration of the main mechanism are the same as those shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 (a) and 2 (b).
Therefore, only the operation of the main mechanism part is slightly different from the case of FIGS.

In FIG. 5 as well, the timing of switching on / off the ribbon motor (ink ribbon take-up motor) 41 and the timing of switching the stepping motor (paper feed motor) between forward and reverse (in the opposite direction to the printing direction) from above. The head position due to the rotation of the head support member 34 in both the forward and reverse directions, that is, the paper feed position (non-print position) and the print position (FIG. 2A)
2), and the timing of the heating drive of the print head 26, that is, the heating element 36 by the driver 27. Then, from left to right, "image printing" from the start of printing to time t1, "conveyance of distance M (L + α)" from time t1 to time t2, and time t2
From the time t3 to the time t3, and the timing corresponding to the period of "recording paper discharge" after the time t3.

FIGS. 6 (a), (b), (c) and (d) are operation state diagrams of the main mechanism corresponding to each period shown in the above time chart. The time chart of FIG. 5 and FIGS.
The operation of the thermal transfer recording apparatus according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to (d).
Print the image up to 1. During this time, the ribbon motor 41 is turned on, the take-up roller 42 takes up and conveys the ink ribbon 37, the stepping motor rotates in the forward direction, the paper feed roll pair 39 conveys the recording paper 38 in the printing direction, and the head support The member 34 rotates in the forward direction to position the print head 26 at the print position (presses the platen 35), and the driver 27 operates the plurality of heating elements 3 of the print head 26.
6 is selectively driven to generate heat according to the image data.

When printing (printing) is completed at the time t1, the driving of the heating element 36 by the driver 27 is stopped. FIG. 6A shows this state. Also in this case, the broken line c in FIG. 3A shows the position where the heating element 36 is arranged. At the same time, the print head drive motor rotates in the reverse direction, rotates the head support member 34 in the reverse direction, moves the print head 26 to a non-printing position separated from the platen 35, and rotates the ribbon motor 41. The operation stops and the winding and transport of the ink ribbon 37 stops. FIG. 6B shows this state. As described above, after the printing is completed, the print head 26 immediately releases the pressure contact with the platen 35, so that the heat storage (remaining heat) of the heating element 36 is not transmitted to the ink ribbon 37, and the state of the ink near the printing end is improved. Will be kept right.

Subsequently, until the time T2, the rotation of the stepping motor is continued, and the recording paper 38 is transported in the same direction as the transport direction during printing. That is, the recording paper 3
The transfer of No. 8 is continued without any pause. FIG. 6C shows the state at this time. Ink ribbon 3
Since the take-up of the recording paper 7 has stopped, the ink ribbon 37 is slackened by the amount that the recording paper 38 has been transported.

That is, even after the leading end 26-1 of the print head 26, which has pressed down the ink ribbon 37 from above so as not to separate from the paper surface of the recording paper 38, moves upward as shown in FIG. 38, the winding of the ink ribbon 37 is stopped, so that the downstream side of the overlapping portion with the recording paper 38 is slackened, and the ink located at the position of the heating element 36 indicated by a broken line c in FIG. The portion of the ribbon 37 is not separated from the recording paper 38 and is transported along with the recording paper 38 as shown in FIG.
Is transported by a distance M from the print end position to the position indicated by the broken line d shown in FIG.

Also in this case, by being conveyed at the printing speed of 2 mm / sec by the above distance M from the end of printing,
The printing end of the image that has reached the position of the broken line d in FIG.
The transfer ink is sufficiently cooled, and the portion transferred to the recording paper 38 is firmly fixed on the recording paper 38, and forms a clear ink boundary phase with the unused portion of the ink that is not transferred.

From the time t2 in this state to the next time t3, the ribbon motor 41 is rotated again to restart the winding of the ink ribbon 37. FIG. 6D shows the state at this time. During the transport from time t2 to time t3, the ink ribbon 37 is peeled off from the recording paper 38 as shown in FIG. At this time, as described above, at the time shown in FIG. 6C, the printing end of the ink is solidified on the recording paper 38, and a clear ink boundary phase is formed with the unused portion on the ribbon base material. Thus, the ink ribbon 37 is peeled off from the recording paper 38 in a state where the ink at the rear end of the print image is well cut.

FIG. 7 is a time chart mainly showing the operation of the thermal transfer recording apparatus according to the third embodiment at the end of printing. The configuration block diagram of this thermal transfer recording apparatus and the configuration of the main mechanism are the same as those shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 (a) and 2 (b).
That is, the operation of the main mechanism is different from the case of FIGS.

FIG. 7 also shows, from the top, the on / off timing of the ribbon motor (ink ribbon take-up motor) 41, the switching timing of the stepping motor (paper feed motor) in the forward / reverse direction (the direction opposite to the printing direction), and the head support. The timing of switching between the head position, that is, the paper feed position (non-print position) and the print position (see FIG. 2A), by the rotation of the member 34 in both the forward and reverse directions, and the print head 2 by the driver 27
6, that is, the timing of the heating drive of the heating element 36. Then, from left to right, "image printing" from the start of printing to time Tt1, "conveyance of distance M (L + α)" from time Tt1 to time Tt2, "ribbon peeling operation" from time Tt2 to time Tt3, And the timing corresponding to the period of “recording paper discharge” after time Tt3 is shown.

FIGS. 8 (a), (b), (c) and (d) are operation state diagrams of the main mechanism corresponding to each period shown in the above time chart. The time chart of FIG. 7 and FIGS.
The operation of the thermal transfer recording apparatus according to the third embodiment will be described with reference to (d).
Print the image until t1. During this time, take-up and conveyance of the ink ribbon 37 by the take-up roller 42, conveyance of the recording paper 38 in the printing direction by the paper feed roll pair 39, and printing position of the print head 26 by the head support member 34 (platen 3
5), and the driver 27 selectively drives the plurality of heating elements 36 of the print head 26 to generate heat in the same manner as in the first and second embodiments.

When printing (printing) is completed at the time Tt1, the driving of the heating element 36 is stopped. FIG. 8A shows this state. Also in this case, the broken line e in FIG. 7A indicates the position where the heating element 36 is arranged. Subsequently, the print head 26 is moved to a non-printing position separated from the platen 35, the winding and transport of the ink ribbon 37 is stopped, and the rotation of the stepping motor is continued until time Tt2 to print the recording paper 38. Is conveyed in the same direction as the conveyance direction. FIG. 8B shows the state at this time. Up to this point, the operation is the same as in the case of FIGS. 6 (a), 6 (b) and 6 (c). That is, FIG.
6 (a) shows the same state as FIG. 6 (a), the same state as FIG. 6 (b) is omitted, and FIG. 8 (b) shows the same state as FIG. 6 (c).

Therefore, at the time Tt2, FIG.
The portion of the ink ribbon 37 located at the position of the heat generating element 36 indicated by the broken line e does not move away from the recording paper 38 until the position of the broken line f shown in FIG. That is, it is transported by a distance M from the printing end position,
Slack occurs on the downstream side where winding is stopped.

Also in this case, by being conveyed at the printing speed of 2 mm / sec by the above distance M from the end of printing,
The printing end of the image that has reached the position of the broken line f in FIG.
The transfer ink is sufficiently cooled, and a clear ink boundary phase is formed between the transfer portion and the unused portion of the ink.

From time Tt2 in this state until a predetermined period, that is, time Tt3, the paper feed motors of the various motors 28 are driven in the reverse direction, and the paper feed roll pair 39 is printed by the arrow G in the figure. The recording paper 38 is rotated so as to return the recording paper 38 by a predetermined distance in a direction opposite to the direction. FIG. 8C shows the state at the time Tt3. As a result of this feeding back, the portion near the printing end end where the ink ribbon 37 and the recording paper 38 have not yet been separated has been moved to the leading end 2 of the print head 26.
From 6-1, the print head squeezes into the upstream side in the transport direction during printing and stops.

Thereafter, until the time Tt4, the paper feed motor is driven in the forward direction (forward direction) to move the paper feed roll pair 39 to the position shown in FIG.
(d) The recording paper 38 is rotated so as to be conveyed in the same direction as the printing direction indicated by the arrow H, and the ribbon motor 41 is rotated again to restart the winding of the ink ribbon 37, and the recording with the ink ribbon 37 is started. The separation of the portion near the printing end which has not yet been separated from the paper 38 is started. At the time of this peeling, the peeled portion is the leading end 26-1 of the print head 26.
Since the ink ribbon 37 is further sunk into the upstream side in the transport direction at the time of printing, the ink ribbon 37 to be peeled is pressed by the tip 26-1 of the print head 26 at the non-printing position, and is therefore pulled by the ink ribbon 37 to be peeled. Although the recording paper 38 is not greatly lifted up, it is possible to eliminate the generation of an impact sound caused by the meeting between the recording paper 38 and the platen 35, which gives the user discomfort.

In the first, second, and third embodiments, the print head is moved from the printing position to the non-printing position, and then the ink ribbon is transported to separate from the recording. Thus, when the print head is moved to the non-printing position, the torque limiter of the ink ribbon transport mechanism does not work. For this reason, the amount of the ink ribbon wound by the winding roller, the voltage applied to the ink ribbon winding motor, and the like may not be constant.

Therefore, the above-described separation of the ink ribbon and the recording paper tends to cause a positional shift at the next printing start position of the ink ribbon. In particular, it is easy to convey more than the print start position. In this case, in full-color printing, the ink surface next to the ink surface of the color to be transferred is transferred, or the ink ribbon for one image is transported without being transferred. Becomes

Usually, in order to prevent such a problem,
A sensor mark is provided at an appropriate position on the ink ribbon, and the ink ribbon is transported until the sensor mark is recognized, so that the ink can be transferred from a correct printing start position.

Although not particularly shown in the above-described first, second and third embodiments, apart from the above-described sensor mark indicating the print start position, when the ink ribbon is further peeled off the recording paper. The ink ribbon is provided with a sensor mark indicating the ink ribbon conveyance end position.
In this way, the transport amount of the ink ribbon at the time of peeling is controlled to be constant, thereby preventing a problem such as excessive winding and jumping over the ink surface where transfer (printing) is performed next.

[0053]

As described above in detail, according to the present invention, at the end of printing, the ink ribbon is moved in the same direction as the transport direction during printing by a distance slightly longer than the distance from the heating element to the tip of the print head. Since the separation of the ink ribbon and the recording paper starts after the paper and the recording paper are conveyed, the transfer ink (or the ink for pre-printing) at the end of printing the image without stopping the conveyance of the recording paper or changing the conveyance speed. Reactant)
Can be sufficiently cooled before peeling, and therefore, a comfortable printed image with good ink continuity can always be obtained, thereby giving the user a sense of satisfaction.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a thermal transfer recording apparatus according to a first embodiment.

2A is a diagram schematically showing a configuration of a main mechanism portion controlled by an engine unit of a control unit, and FIG. 2B is a diagram showing an enlarged view of the thermal head.

FIG. 3 is a time chart mainly showing the operation of the thermal transfer recording apparatus at the end of printing according to the first embodiment;

FIGS. 4 (a), (b), (c), and (d) are operation state diagrams of the thermal transfer recording apparatus according to the first embodiment at the end of printing.

FIG. 5 is a time chart mainly showing the operation of the thermal transfer recording apparatus according to the second embodiment at the end of printing.

FIGS. 6 (a), (b), (c), and (d) are operational state diagrams of the thermal transfer recording apparatus according to the second embodiment at the end of printing.

FIG. 7 is a time chart mainly showing an operation at the end of printing of the thermal transfer recording apparatus according to the third embodiment.

FIGS. 8 (a), (b), (c), and (d) are operation state diagrams of the thermal transfer recording apparatus according to the third embodiment at the end of printing.

FIG. 9 is a view schematically showing a conventional thermal transfer recording apparatus.

FIGS. 10 (a) and 10 (b) are diagrams schematically showing a cause of the occurrence of a conventional problem, and FIG. 10 (c) is a diagram showing a state of a print end edge that should be correct.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Thermal transfer recording device 2 Thermal head 3 Platen 4 Printing part 5 Ink ribbon 6 Recording paper 7 Ribbon base material 8 Ink (ink reactant) 9 Melted state 11 Solid printed image 12 Insufficient ink cut 13 Image edge (ink boundary) Phase) 20 thermal transfer recording device 21 CPU (central processing unit, control unit) 22 ROM (read only memory) 23 RAM (readable and writable memory) 23a image data area 23b print data area 23c work area 24 I / F (interface) Reference Signs List 25 key input device 26 print head (thermal head) 26-1 leading end 26-2 ribbon guide member 27 driver 28 various motors 29 driver 30 power supply control unit 31 display device 32 sensor buffer 33 various sensors 34 head support member 35 platen 36 heat generation Element 37 Nkuribon 38 Paper (recording paper) 39 paper feed roller pair 41 ink ribbon take-up motor (ribbon motor) 42 take-up roller 43 feed roller

Continued on the front page F-term (reference) 2C064 CC02 CC06 CC11 EE01 EE05 FF03 FF06 FF07 FF09 2C065 AA01 AC01 DA03 DA08 DA12 DA22 2C068 AA02 AA06 AA08 AA15 GG01 GH02 GL01 GM01 GM07 HH01 HH12

Claims (3)

[Claims] A ribbon transporting means for transporting an ink ribbon, a recording paper transporting means for transporting recording paper, a platen,
A thermal head disposed opposite to the platen, a heating element provided on the thermal head, a heating driving unit for driving the heating element to generate heat, and pressing or separating the thermal head from or against the platen. Head moving means for moving the ink ribbon and the recording paper between the thermal head and a platen in a superimposed manner, and moving the thermal head over the ink ribbon. And press-contact the platen via the recording paper, drive the heating element to generate heat, and perform printing by transferring a transfer medium provided on the ink ribbon to the recording paper based on print data. In the thermal transfer recording apparatus provided with a control unit, the heating element is arranged at a predetermined distance from a downstream end of the thermal head in a recording paper conveyance direction during printing. When the printing is completed, the control unit stops heating of the heating element to move the recording paper and the ink ribbon at least by the distance L. The thermal head is separated from the platen by a distance longer than the printing head, the thermal head is separated from the platen, the recording paper is continuously transported in the same direction as the printing transport direction, and the ink ribbon is moved. The heating drive unit, the recording paper transporting means, the ribbon transporting means, and the head moving means are controlled so that they are continuously transported in the same direction as the transporting direction during printing. A thermal transfer recording apparatus, wherein the recording paper is discharged outside the apparatus. 2. The control section, when the printing is completed, stops the heating drive of the heating element, stops the transport of the ink ribbon, separates the thermal head from the platen, and removes the recording paper. At least the distance L
The ink ribbon is transported in the same direction as the transport direction during printing, and the transport of the ink ribbon is resumed in the same direction as the transport direction during printing, and the recording paper is transported in the same direction as the transport direction during printing. 2. The thermal transfer recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the heating drive unit, the ribbon transporting unit, the head moving unit, and the recording paper transporting unit are controlled so as to sequentially transport the recording paper. 3. The control unit, when the printing is completed, stops the heating drive of the heating element, stops the transport of the ink ribbon, separates the thermal head from the platen, and removes the recording paper. At least the distance L
The recording paper is transported by a predetermined distance in a direction opposite to the transport direction during printing by a longer distance than the transport direction during printing, and the recording paper is transported by a predetermined distance in a direction opposite to the transport direction during printing. The heating drive section, the ribbon transport means, and the like, in which the transport to the recording paper is restarted and the recording paper is transported again in the same direction as the transport direction during printing.
2. The thermal transfer recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said head moving means and said recording paper conveying means are controlled.