JP2000289238A - Thermal printer and recording roll sheet - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce the size of a thermal printer by keeping the pressing force between a thermal head and a thermal recording sheet within a correct range even if the diameter of a recording roll sheet is decreased. SOLUTION: The thermal printer 21 is set with a recording roll sheet 22 obtained by winding a long color thermal recording sheet 10 into roll. A drive roller 43 for turning the recording roll sheet 22, a thermal head 38 being pressed against the recording roll 22 to perform thermal recording on the color thermal recording sheet 10, and a unit 39 performing photofixing following to thermal recording are arranged on the periphery of the recording roll sheet 22. When the color thermal recording sheet 10 is being fed out, an yellow image is thermally recorded and fixed onto the recording sheet 10 under roll state. Upon finishing thermal recording, the color thermal recording sheet 10 is rewound. During second time feeding of the recording sheet 10, a magenta image is recorded and fixed. During final feeding of the recording sheet 10, a cyan image is recorded and the recording sheet 10 is cut and discharged.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a thermal printer for thermally recording a color image using a recording paper roll and a recording paper roll used in the thermal printer.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A thermosensitive thermal printer uses a thermosensitive recording paper having a thermosensitive coloring layer formed on a support. By heating this thermosensitive recording paper with a thermal head, an image is color-recorded.

[0003] As this type of thermal printer, there is known a thermal printer which presses a thermal head against a thermosensitive recording paper in a roll form and color-records an image in the roll form (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. Hei 6-171122). In this thermal printer, the recording paper roll is used as a platen roller, so that the platen roller is omitted and the thermal printer is reduced in size and weight.

[0004] The thermal printer is provided with a movable holder urged upward by a spring, and a recording paper roll is set on the holder. Two guide rollers are arranged above the holder, and the recording paper roll is received by these guide rollers. A pair of conveying rollers is arranged beside the holder, and the thermosensitive recording paper is pulled out from the recording paper roll so as to be separated from one of the guide rollers. While the thermosensitive recording paper is being pulled out, an image is recorded by a thermal head disposed between two guide rollers.

There are two types of thermosensitive recording paper: a monochrome thermosensitive recording paper having one thermosensitive coloring layer formed thereon, and a color thermosensitive recording paper having three thermosensitive coloring layers of yellow, magenta and cyan laminated thereon. In the color heat-sensitive recording paper, the heat sensitivity of each heat-sensitive coloring layer is higher toward the surface side, and heat recording is performed in order from the heat-sensitive coloring layer having the highest heat sensitivity. When selectively recording each thermosensitive coloring layer, in order to prevent the recorded thermosensitive coloring layer from coloring, a unique wavelength range is applied to each thermosensitive coloring layer, except for the last recording thermosensitive coloring layer. Has a fixing property by ultraviolet rays. Therefore, in a thermal printer that records color images sequentially in three color planes, it is necessary to reciprocate the color thermosensitive recording paper when only one thermal head is used, and a fixing device that irradiates ultraviolet rays is required. .

[0006]

In the above-described thermal printer, since the thermosensitive recording paper is pulled out of the recording paper roll by the pair of transport rollers, the thermal printer cannot reciprocate, so that it is impossible to record a color image. . In addition, the fixing device is disposed in a linear path between the guide roller and the pair of conveying rollers while securing a desired space, so that there is a problem that the size of the thermal printer increases.

When recording is performed by pressing the thermal head against the recording paper roll, if the recording paper roll has a large diameter, the recording paper roll itself functions as a platen roller. Is maintained in an appropriate range. However, when the diameter of the recording paper roll is reduced and becomes several turns from the core, the hard core made of plastic functions as a platen roller.
The pressing force between the thermal head and the color thermosensitive recording paper cannot be kept within an appropriate range. This problem also occurs with monochrome thermal recording paper.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a thermal printer capable of recording a color image without increasing the size.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a recording paper roll in which the pressing force between the thermal head and the thermal recording paper can be kept within an appropriate range even if the diameter of the recording paper roll becomes small. Is what you do.

[0010]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a thermal printer, comprising: a recording paper roll on which a long color thermal recording paper is wound; In a thermal printer that sequentially records color images on a plurality of color planes, a driving unit that rotates the recording paper roll, a thermal head that heats the color thermal recording paper to perform color recording, and irradiates the color thermal recording paper with ultraviolet rays. A fixing device for fixing the recording paper is provided.The thermal head and the fixing device are arranged on the outer periphery of the recording paper roll, and the recording and fixing are performed on the roll-shaped color thermosensitive recording paper while rotating the recording paper roll. It is characterized by having made it.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the recording paper roll is rotated in a rewinding direction and a feeding direction at the time of recording, and recording and fixing are performed at the time of the feeding. is there.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, the recording paper roll is rotated in a rewinding direction and a sending-out direction at the time of recording, recording is performed at the time of feeding, and fixing is performed at the time of rewinding. Things.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, during recording, recording and fixing are performed while rotating the recording paper roll in one direction.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the thermal printer, the fixing device is movable toward the center of the recording paper roll. According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a thermal printer, wherein a driving roller is provided to contact the outer periphery of the recording paper roll and rotate the recording paper roll.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, the recording paper roll is movable toward the driving roller. The thermal printer according to claim 8 is characterized in that the thermal head and the optical fixing device are arranged on both sides of a driving roller.

[0016] The recording paper roll according to the ninth aspect includes a core,
It is characterized by comprising a buffer member coated on the outer periphery of a core and a long thermosensitive recording paper wound on the buffer member. The recording paper roll according to claim 10 is
A flexible sheet is connected to a long thermosensitive recording paper, and the flexible sheet is wound around a core with the flexible sheet inside.

[0017]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS In FIG. 2 showing a layer structure of a color thermosensitive recording paper (hereinafter, referred to as a recording paper), a recording paper 10
On a support 11 such as paper or plastic film, cyan, magenta, and yellow thermosensitive coloring layers 12, 13, 1
4 and a transparent protective layer 15 are sequentially provided. As shown in FIG. 3, the cyan thermosensitive coloring layer 12 has the lowest thermal sensitivity and develops cyan when a relatively large heat energy is applied. The magenta thermosensitive coloring layer 13 has a medium heat sensitivity and develops magenta color by heating. The yellow thermosensitive coloring layer 14 has the highest thermal sensitivity and develops yellow when a relatively small amount of heat energy is applied.

Further, between each of the thermosensitive coloring layers 12 to 14,
Intermediate layers 16 and 17 for adjusting the thermal sensitivity are provided. Further, a back layer 18 is provided on the back surface of the base portion 11. The order of the thermosensitive coloring layers 12 to 14 may be interchanged. The protective layer 15 is a transparent resin layer,
The heat-sensitive coloring layers 12 to 14 are prevented from being damaged.

The yellow thermosensitive coloring layer 14 and the magenta thermosensitive coloring layer 13 have a light fixing property so as to prevent uncolored coloring components from being colored when the thermosensitive coloring layer below the thermosensitive coloring layer is formed. Have been. That is, when the magenta thermosensitive coloring layer 13 is irradiated with ultraviolet rays in a wavelength range around 365 nm, the coloring ability is lost. The yellow thermosensitive coloring layer 14 loses its coloring ability due to ultraviolet rays in a wavelength range around 420 nm.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the thermal printer 21 employs a recording paper roll 22 in which a long recording paper 10 is wound around a core 23 in a roll shape. After printing, the recording paper 10 is cut into a predetermined print size and cut into sheets. The core 23 is formed of paper, plastic, or the like, and the recording paper 10 is wound such that the support 11 is on the inner peripheral side.

When the diameter of the recording paper 10 is large, the recording paper 10 functions as a platen roller, and the contact pressure between the thermal head and the recording paper 10 is maintained in a good range. However, as the winding diameter decreases, the fluctuation of the contact pressure increases.
Therefore, an elastic member such as rubber or urethane or a buffer member 24 made of a foamable resin is provided on the outer periphery of the core 23.
The recording paper 10 is wound around the buffer member 24.

The thermal printer 21 includes a main body 26,
A lid 27 is provided above and openably and closably. The setting of the recording paper roll 22 is performed by opening and closing the lid 27. A packing is fitted into the opening of the lid 27 to keep the inside of the printer 21 light-tight and to prevent moisture and dust from entering. At the front of the main body 23, a printed sheet is
A paper discharge port 28 for discharging paper to the outside is provided. Further, the side operation unit 29 is provided with a print start key, a print number designation switch, a display panel, and the like. A lock member 31 formed by bending a wire is rotatably attached to both side surfaces of the main body 26. The lock member 31 locks the cover 27 so as not to be opened carelessly.

When the recording paper roll 22 is set in the printer 21, a disc-shaped flange 32
Is attached. A rotary shaft 33 is provided at the center of the flange 32. As shown in FIG. 1, the support plates 36 and 37 are formed with slits 36a and 37a into which the rotation shaft 33 of the flange 32 is inserted. Also,
These support plates 36 and 37 are brought into contact with the rotating shaft 33 by the bias of the spring 40, and the recording paper roll 22 is slit 3
Pushing members 41 and 42 which push the shutters 6a and 37a to push them to predetermined positions, respectively, are rotatably mounted.

In the printer 21, the recording paper roll 22 is brought into contact with the outer periphery of the recording paper
A driving roller 43 that rotates in the feeding direction and the rewinding direction is rotatably incorporated. The drive roller 43 has a steel rod covered with rubber or the like to prevent slipping. The drive roller 43 is provided with a gear at one end, and the motor 4 is driven through the gear.
4 driven. As the motor 44, a pulse motor is used, and the rotation direction (forward / reverse) of the motor 44 is determined by the control unit 46.
It rotates upon receiving the signal and the drive pulse. When the motor 44 rotates forward, the drive roller 43 rotates forward and the recording paper roll 2 is rotated.
2 rotates in the feeding direction and the motor 44 rotates in the reverse direction,
The drive roller 44 rotates in the reverse direction, and the recording paper roll 22 rotates in the rewind direction.

The slits 36a and 37a are
3 are formed. Therefore, when the recording paper 10 is used and the diameter of the recording paper roll 22 is reduced, FIG.
As shown by the two-dot chain line therein, the recording paper roll 22 moves in the slits 36 a and 37 a by being pushed by the offset members 26 and 27, and the outer periphery thereof always contacts the drive roller 29.
Thus, the drive roller 2 can be used from the beginning of use to the end of use.
9 abuts against the outer periphery of the recording paper roll 22, so that the roll 22 can be rotated properly regardless of its diameter change.

A thermal head 38 is attached to the side of the drive roller 43 so as to be rotatable about a shaft 47.
As is well known, the thermal head 38 is provided with a heating element array 38a in which many heating elements are arranged in a line. The heating element array 48 extends along the width direction of the recording paper 10. The thermal head 38 is rotated by a shift mechanism 45, the heating element array 38a is pressed against the outer periphery of the recording paper roll 22, and the recording paper 10 in the roll form is heated. This heating is performed on the heat-sensitive coloring layers 12, 13, and 14 in a plane-sequential manner while rotating the recording paper roll 22. As a result, each of the thermosensitive coloring layers 12, 13, and 14 develops a color, and a full-color image is obtained. The thermal head 38 and the shift mechanism 45 are controlled by the control unit 46.

Further, the thermal head 38
Is arranged near the drive roller 43 so that the contact pressure with respect to the recording paper roll 22 is not affected by the change in the diameter of the recording paper roll 22, and the shaft 47 is heated by the heat generation element and the recording paper roll 22 so as not to change. The interval between the element arrays 38a is made longer. The thermal head 38 is urged by a spring 48 so that the heating element array 38a contacts the recording paper roll 22 with a constant pressure.

It should be noted that the thermal head 38 is
3, the head 38 moves away from the recording paper roll 22 in accordance with a change in the diameter of the recording paper roll 22. In this case, a sensor for monitoring the outer diameter of the recording paper roll 22 is provided, and the position of the thermal head 38 is changed in accordance with a change in the diameter of the recording paper roll 22, so that the heating element array 38a is always recorded at a constant pressure. The sheet is brought into contact with the paper roll 22.

The thermal head 3 with the drive roller 43 interposed
On the opposite side of 8, an optical fixing device 39 is attached.
The optical fixing device 39 includes a yellow light fixing lamp 51 that emits near-ultraviolet light of 420 nm and a magenta light fixing lamp 52 that emits near-ultraviolet light of 365 nm.
Box-shaped reflector 5 for increasing the irradiation efficiency of 1, 52
3 The optical fixing device 39 includes two springs 54a, 5a.
The recording paper 4 is urged toward the recording paper roll 22 by 4b, and moves following the diameter change of the roll 22.

Roller shafts 56a, 56 which come into contact with the outer periphery of the recording paper roll 22 are provided at both lower ends of the reflector 53.
b is provided. The roller shafts 56a and 56b reduce friction between the rotating recording paper roll 22 and the light emitted from each of the light fixing lamps 51 and 52 from leaking out of the reflector 53. If a skirt made of a flexible film is attached to the reflector 53 outside the rollers 56a and 56b, it is possible to reliably prevent ultraviolet rays from leaking from the reflector 53.

The control section 46 comprises a CPU, a memory, a counter, a driver and the like, and controls the motor 44, the thermal head 38, the optical fixing device 39, the shift mechanism 45 and the like. A sensor 57 that detects the leading end 10a of the recording paper 10 and outputs the detection signal to the control unit 46 is provided beside the driving roller 43.
Is provided.

When the control unit 46 detects the tip detection signal from the sensor 57, it activates an up / down counter,
The rotation amount of the recording paper roll 22 is measured. The print size, recording start position, and recording end position of the recording paper 10 are set to predetermined values in advance, and the rotation amount of the recording paper roll 22 is controlled based on the count value of the counter. Also,
The thermal head 38 and the optical fixing device 39 are controlled according to the rotation amount of the recording paper roll 22. Thermal recording and optical fixing are performed while rotating the recording paper roll 22 alternately in the rewinding direction and the feeding direction.

A separation plate 58 is provided beside the sensor 57 to separate the leading end 10a of the recording paper 10 from the recording paper roll 22 and guide the recording paper 10 to the paper discharge port 28 during recording. The separation plate 58 is provided so as to always contact the outer periphery of the recording paper roll 22 due to its own elasticity.

An opening 59 for forming a paper discharge path is provided from the separation plate 58 to the paper discharge port 28 side. The opening 59 is opened and closed by a shutter plate 61. The shutter plate 61 swings between a closed position in which the opening 59 is light-tightly closed and an open position in which the opening 59 is opened as shown by a two-dot chain line in the drawing. The shutter plate 61 is urged toward the closed position by a weak spring (not shown). When the recording paper 10 is sent out, the leading edge 10 of the shutter
a comes into contact, and the shutter plate 61 is pushed open in the opening position direction. A cutter 62 for cutting the recording paper 10 is provided beside the shutter plate 61. This cutter 62
Is controlled by the control unit 46, and the printed recording paper 10
Is cut to a predetermined print size.

The operation of the above configuration will be described below.
When a print instruction is issued from the operation unit 29, the motor 44
Rotates in reverse, and the driving roller 43 also starts to reverse. As a result, when the recording paper roll 22 rotates in the rewinding direction and the leading end 10a of the recording paper 10 is detected by the sensor 57, the reverse rotation of the motor 44 stops, and the up / down counter starts operating.

The thermal head 3 is moved by the shift mechanism 45.
8 swings and the heating element array 38a
2 is pressed against the recording paper 10 above. The motor 44 is switched to the normal rotation, the recording paper roll 22 starts rotating in the feeding direction, and the thermal head 38 starts the thermal recording of the yellow image in the recording area.

During the thermal recording, the recording paper 10 is supported by the recording paper roll 22 behind it, so that the contact pressure of the thermal head 38 is constant. Therefore, there is no occurrence of color unevenness in the image, and the image is recorded with good image quality.

When the leading end of the recording area comes under the optical fixing device 39, the yellow fixing lamp 51 is turned on, and the optical fixing of the yellow thermosensitive coloring layer 14 is started. When the motor 44 further rotates forward, the leading end 10 a comes into contact with the separation plate 58 and is separated from the outer periphery of the recording paper roll 22. This tip 1
Reference numeral 0a faces the opening 59, pushes the shutter plate 61 open, and protrudes from the paper outlet 28. The recording paper 10 is a support 11
It is projected outside the printer 21 with the side facing upward.
For this reason, the ultraviolet light contained in the fluorescent light and the like in the room is
Irradiation at 0 may prevent the magenta thermosensitive coloring layer 13 from deteriorating the coloring performance.

When it is detected from the count value of the counter that the rear end of the recording area has passed the fixing device 39, the yellow fixing lamp 51 is turned off, and the light fixing of the yellow thermosensitive coloring layer 14 is completed. The motor 44 is switched to the reverse rotation, and the recording paper roll 22 rotates in the rewinding direction.
The recording paper 10 projecting from the thermal printer 21 is gradually wound into the printer 21.

When the sensor 57 detects the leading end 10a of the recording paper 10, the motor 44 is switched to the normal rotation as described above, and the thermal recording of the magenta image is started. During the recording of the magenta image, the magenta light fixing lamp 52 is turned on, and the light fixing of the magenta thermosensitive coloring layer 13 is started. When the thermal recording and light fixing of the magenta image are completed, the motor 44 is switched to the reverse rotation, and the recording paper 10 is rewound on the recording paper roll 22.

When the rewinding of the recording paper 10 is completed, the motor 44 is switched to the normal rotation, and the thermal recording of the cyan image is performed. Since the thermal energy for coloring the cyan thermosensitive coloring layer 12 is relatively large, a part of the thermal energy is transmitted to the support 11, but the thermal energy passing through the support 11 is small. The yellow thermosensitive coloring layer is not colored.

When the thermal recording of the cyan image is completed, the motor 44 continues to rotate normally and the printed recording paper 1
0 is gradually discharged. When the cut line comes to the cutter 62, the motor 44 temporarily stops and the cutter 62
Cuts the recording paper 10, cuts it into sheets, and
1 Discharge outside. After cutting the printed recording paper 10,
The motor 44 reverses slightly and pulls the tip 10 a back into the opening 59. The bleaching process may be performed while the cyan image is being recorded by turning on the magenta light fixing lamp 52.

Further, when printing is performed, the diameter of the recording paper roll 22 gradually decreases. Even when the recording paper 10 is running low, the outer periphery of the core 23 is
4, the thermal head 38 keeps a good head touch as in the initial stage of using the recording paper roll 22. Therefore, as the diameter of the recording paper roll 22 decreases, recording unevenness does not occur and the image quality does not deteriorate.

In the above example, the drive roller for rotating the recording paper roll is at the fixed position, and the rotation axis of the recording paper roll moves according to the change in the diameter of the recording paper roll.
9, the recording paper roll may be rotated at a fixed position, and the drive roller may be moved according to a change in the diameter of the roll.

The printer 71 shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 is provided with a paper discharge port 73 on the front surface of a printer case 72, and a bottom cover 75 below it. The bottom cover 75 is attached to a hinge on the rear side of the printer 71 so as to be openable and closable, and the recording paper roll 70 is replaced by opening and closing the hinge. This recording paper roll 70
A flange 74 is attached to both ends of the printer 71.
Is set to

The flange 74 has an opening 74a into which the rotating shaft 76 is inserted. The rotating shaft 76 is rotatably supported on both side surfaces of the printer case 72. When setting the recording paper roll 70, first, the bottom cover 75 is opened, and the roll 70 is stored in the printer case 72.
Next, in this state, the rotating shaft 76 is inserted from one side surface of the printer case 72 and penetrates through the opening 74a to the other side surface of the case 72.

The other side of the printer case 72 is provided with a shaft fixing member 77 so that the inserted rotary shaft 76 does not come off.
Is provided. The shaft fixing member 77 is
The rotary shaft 76 is rotatably mounted between a fixed position in which the rotary shaft 76 is fixed by engaging with the groove 76a provided in the rotary shaft 76 and a release position in which the rotary shaft 76 is released.

Inside the printer 71, there are provided a thermal head 78, an optical fixing device 79, a recording paper guide 81 for guiding the recording paper 10 to a paper discharge port 73, and a driving roller 82. , Around the recording paper roll 70. A cutter 85 is provided inside the recording paper guide 81.
(See FIG. 8). The thermal head 78, the optical fixing device 79, and the cutter 85 are controlled by the control unit 80.

A pair of cam plates 83 are rotatably mounted on both side surfaces in the printer case 72. The thermal head 78, the optical fixing device 79, the recording paper guide 81, and the driving roller 82 are connected to a recording paper roll. It is displaced in accordance with the change in diameter of 70. The rotation amount of the cam plate 83 is determined by the sensor 9.
Monitored by 0. As the sensor 90, for example,
A potentiometer is used, and one end of the movable contact piece is attached to the cam plate 83. When the cam plate 83 rotates, the movable contact piece moves to change the resistance value, and the sensor 9
The output voltage of 0 changes. This output voltage is sent to the control unit 80.

As shown in FIG. 8, pins 78a and 79a engaging with the printer case 72 and pins 78b and 79b engaging with the cam plate 83 are provided at both ends of the thermal head 78 and the optical fixing device 79, respectively. Is provided. Pin 7
8a and 79a engage with oblong grooves 72a and 72b formed in the printer case 72, respectively. On the other hand, the pins 78b and 79b are
a, 83b, and 83c, respectively. The thermal head 78 and the optical fixing device 79 are provided with springs 78c and 7 respectively.
9c, the recording paper roll 70 is urged toward the rotating shaft 76, and is pressed against the outer periphery of the recording paper roll 70 by this urging.

The recording paper guide 81 guides the printed recording paper 10 to the paper discharge port 73, and is provided with a cutter 85 for separating the recording paper 10 into sheets. Also, at both ends of the recording paper guide 81,
A pin 81a is provided, and is rotatably attached to the printer case 72 by the pin 81a. A long hole 81b is formed at each end of the recording paper guide 81, and a pin 86 that is inserted into and engaged with the long hole 81b from the inside is attached. This pin 86
Protrudes outward from the elongated hole 81b and engages with the elongated hole 83c formed in the cam plate 83.

The driving roller 82 has a pulley 87 at one end thereof.
The rotation from the motor 88 is transmitted to the pulley 87 via a belt. Drive roller 82
Are provided with springs 84 at both ends thereof.
The recording paper roll 70 is urged toward the rotating shaft 76 by the rotation of the recording paper roll 70 at all times. The driving roller 82
Are projecting outward from the cam plate 83 through notches 83d formed in the cam plate 83. Cam plate 8
3 is urged by a spring 89 to rotate counterclockwise. By this bias, the cam plate 83 is pressed against the drive roller 82.

The direction and amount of rotation of the motor 88 are controlled by the control unit 80. As the diameter of the recording paper roll 22 changes, the driving roller 82 and the thermal head 78
And the position of the optical fixing device 79 are changed. Therefore, the control unit 80 controls the operation timing of the thermal head 78 and the optical fixing device 79 according to the change.

Thermal recording and optical fixing are performed while the recording paper roll 70 rotates only in the rewinding direction. That is,
While rotating the motor 88 in the normal direction and continuously rotating the recording paper roll 70 in the rewinding direction, heat recording of the yellow image, light fixing of the yellow thermosensitive coloring layer 14, heat recording of the magenta image, and magenta thermosensitive coloring layer 13 are performed. , And the thermal recording of the cyan image. When printing is completed, the motor 88 is rotated in the reverse direction, and the recording paper 10 is discharged from the paper discharge port 73. For this reason, the recording paper 10 in the middle of printing does not protrude outside the printer 71, so that the coloring characteristics of the recording paper 10 are not degraded by indoor ultraviolet rays.

The circumference of the core of the recording paper roll 70 is
It is formed longer than the length of the specified print size.
Therefore, recording and fixing can be performed by rotating in only one direction, and the recording paper 10 can be completely used up without wasting.

FIG. 9 shows the positional relationship of each device when the winding diameter of the recording paper roll 70 is large (A) and when the winding diameter is small (B). Recording paper roll 70
When the winding diameter of the rotating shaft becomes small, the driving roller 82
Move toward 6. When the driving roller 82 moves,
The cam plate 83 rotates counterclockwise. By this rotation, the thermal head 78 and the optical fixing device 79 which engage with the long holes 83a and 83b respectively also have the grooves 72a and
It moves toward the rotation axis 76 along 72b. Also,
The recording paper guide 81 moves the pin 8 with the displacement of the slot 83c.
6 moves counterclockwise by moving along the elongated hole 81b.

In each of the above examples, the recording paper roll is
Although an example in which the driving roller is brought into contact with the outer periphery and rotated is described, the rotating shaft may be directly rotated and rotated via a belt or a gear train. Furthermore, in the first example, recording and fixing are performed simultaneously, but recording may be performed when the recording paper is sent out, and fixing may be performed when the recording paper is rewound.

In the above example, the recording paper roll in which the cushioning member is coated on the core has been described. However, like the recording paper roll 95 shown in FIG. May be connected and wound around the core 96 from the flexible sheet 97 side.

The thermal printer and recording paper roll of the present invention can also be used in a thermal transfer system for transferring ink to recording paper using an ink ribbon. Further, the present invention can also be used for a thermal printer that records a monochrome image. Although the line printer for recording one line at a time has been described, the present invention can be applied to a serial printer in which a thermal head moves in the width direction of recording paper.

[0060]

As described above in detail, the thermal printer of the present invention comprises a driving means for rotating a recording paper roll around which a long color thermal recording paper is wound, and a color development by heating the color thermal recording paper. A thermal head for recording and a fixing unit for irradiating ultraviolet rays to the color thermosensitive recording paper to perform a fixing process are provided.The thermal head and the fixing unit are arranged on the outer periphery of the recording paper roll, and while rotating the recording paper roll, Since recording and fixing are performed on the roll type color thermosensitive recording paper, a color image can be recorded by a small and lightweight thermal printer.

Further, the recording paper roll of the present invention covers the outer periphery of the winding core with a cushioning member, and wraps a long thermosensitive recording paper over the cushioning member. Since the sheets were connected and the flexible sheet was wound around the core with the inside facing inward, the pressing force between the thermal head and the heat-sensitive recording paper could be kept in an appropriate range even if the diameter of the recording paper roll became small. it can. Thus, printing can be performed with good image quality from the beginning of use to the end of use.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a thermal printer of a type in which a driving roller is fixed and a rotation axis of a recording paper roll is moved.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a layer structure of a color thermosensitive recording paper.

FIG. 3 is a graph showing the coloring characteristics of a color thermosensitive recording paper.

FIG. 4 is an external perspective view of the thermal printer shown in FIG.

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the thermal printer of FIG.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a thermal printer of a type in which a rotation shaft of a recording paper roll is fixed and a driving roller is moved.

FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of the thermal printer of FIG.

8 is a sectional view of the thermal printer of FIG.

FIG. 9 is a sectional view showing the operation of each device of the thermal printer of FIG.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a recording paper roll in which a flexible sheet is connected to one end of the recording paper.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 10 Recording paper 21, 71 Thermal printer 22, 95 Recording paper roll 36, 37 Support plate 38, 78 Thermal head 39, 79 Optical fixing device 83 Cam plate 43, 82 Driving roller 44, 88 Motor

Claims (10)

[Claims] 1. A thermal printer for recording a color image on a color thermosensitive recording paper sequentially in a plurality of color planes using a recording paper roll wound with a long color thermosensitive recording paper, wherein the recording paper roll is rotated. A thermal head for heating the color thermosensitive recording paper to perform color recording, and a fixing device for irradiating ultraviolet light to the color thermosensitive recording paper to perform a fixing process. The thermal head and the fixing device are connected to a recording paper roll. Wherein the recording and fixing are performed on a roll-type color thermosensitive recording paper while rotating the recording paper roll. 2. The thermal printer according to claim 1, wherein the recording paper roll is rotated alternately in a rewinding direction and a feeding direction, and recording and fixing are performed at the time of feeding. 3. The thermal printer according to claim 1, wherein the recording paper roll is rotated alternately in a rewinding direction and a feeding direction so that recording is performed at the time of feeding and fixing is performed at the time of rewinding. 4. The thermal printer according to claim 1, wherein recording and fixing are performed while rotating the recording paper roll in one direction. 5. The thermal printer according to claim 1, wherein the fixing device is movable toward a center of the recording paper roll. 6. The thermal printer according to claim 1, further comprising a drive roller that contacts the outer periphery of the recording paper roll and rotates the recording paper roll. 7. The thermal printer according to claim 1, wherein the recording paper roll is movable toward the driving roller. 8. The thermal printer according to claim 1, wherein the thermal head and the optical fixing device are arranged on both sides of a driving roller. 9. A recording paper roll comprising a core, a buffer member coated on the outer periphery of the core, and a long thermosensitive recording paper wound on the buffer member. 10. A recording paper roll wherein a flexible sheet is connected to a long heat-sensitive recording paper, and the flexible sheet is wound around a core with the flexible sheet inside.