JP2001205835A - Image recorder - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image recorder in which rewrite recording can be performed while holding the image erasing performance and saving power. SOLUTION: The image recorder comprising a roller 14 for erasing an existing image by heating a recording medium 1 which can record and erase an image repeatedly by varying thermal energy being applied, and a thermal head 15 for erasing an existing image or recording a new image through selective heating of pixel units is provided with a sensor 20 for detecting the environmental temperature. When the environmental temperature sensor 20 detects a temperature lower than a specified level, operation is controlled such that the erase roller 14 performs erasing operation of an existing image and the thermal head 15 performs recording operation of a new image. When the environmental temperature sensor 20 detects a temperature higher than the specified level, operation is controlled such that the thermal head 15 performs erasing operation of an existing image and recording operation of a new image, respectively.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a card-shaped recording medium capable of recording and erasing an image by reversibly showing two states of coloring and erasing by a difference in applied heat energy. The present invention relates to an image recording apparatus that repeatedly rewrites and records images such as characters and symbols using a thermal head.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Hitherto, for example, as a thermosensitive recording medium capable of rewriting recording of a visible image, a recording material capable of reversibly changing between a transparent state and a cloudy state by a difference in heating temperature has been proposed (for example, And JP-A-55-15498). Further, a recording material using a leuco dye, which exhibits two states of color development and decolorization, depending on the difference in applied heat energy, has been disclosed (for example, JP-A-63-173).
684).

Further, as a rewriting device for rewriting an image on such a thermosensitive recording medium, an erasing means such as a heat roller for erasing a visible image by heating, and a visible image by selectively heating a surface element unit. A rewriting device having a thermal head for recording has been proposed (for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-773).
No. 08).

Further, there has been proposed a rewriting device of a rewriting system (overwriting system) for simultaneously erasing and recording an image by selectively heating a thermal head in pixel units (for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. Hei 5-96767). Gazette).

However, in the overwrite method, in which the heating time for erasing the image is limited, it is difficult to completely erase the image to the initial density as the environmental temperature becomes lower. There was a problem that unremoved data was generated.

Further, when a heat roller or the like is used as the erasing means, it takes time from when the power is turned on until the erasable state is reached, and the heat roller must be always energized so that the image can be erased at any time. There was a problem that unnecessary power was required because of the necessity.

Furthermore, in particular, for example, a so-called wireless card or the like having a built-in IC chip or a communication antenna formed of an electronic memory or the like has a thickness of 0.
There are many 76mm ones, the rigidity of the card itself is high, and there are irregularities on the surface due to the influence of the embedded IC chip, so it is difficult to press the thermal head evenly on the surface, and image writing failure There was a problem that it was easy to get up.

[0008]

As described above, the conventional overwrite type image recording apparatus has a problem that an image cannot be completely erased when the environmental temperature is low, and the image remains unerased.

Further, an image recording apparatus provided with an erasing means such as a heat roller has a problem that it takes time from when the power is turned on to reach an erasable state, and wasteful power because the heat roller is always energized. There was a problem that needed.

In particular, a card-shaped recording medium having high rigidity and having irregularities on the surface due to the influence of an embedded IC chip has a problem that defects such as image writing failure and unevenness are likely to occur. .

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide an image recording apparatus capable of rewriting and recording with low power consumption while maintaining the erasing performance of a surface image.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an image recording apparatus which is capable of rewriting and recording without leaving or erasing an image even on a card-shaped recording medium incorporating at least an IC chip including an electronic memory. Aim.

[0013]

An image recording apparatus according to the present invention conveys a card-shaped recording medium capable of repeatedly recording and erasing an image by a difference in applied heat energy, and conveyed by the conveying means. An erasing unit for erasing an image recorded on the recording medium by heating the recording medium, and selectively driving a plurality of heating elements in pixel units with respect to the recording medium conveyed by the conveying unit. Heating means for erasing an existing image and / or recording a new image by heating in pixel units, temperature detecting means for detecting an environmental temperature, and erasing when the temperature detecting means detects a temperature lower than a predetermined temperature. A first means for controlling the erasing means and the heating means so as to perform an erasing operation of an existing image by means and a recording operation of a new image by the heating means, respectively. Control means, and second control means for controlling the heating means such that when the temperature detection means detects a predetermined temperature or higher, the heating means performs an erasing operation of an existing image and a recording operation of a new image, respectively. I have it.

According to the image recording apparatus of the present invention, there is provided a conveying means for conveying a card-shaped recording medium capable of repeatedly recording and erasing an image according to a difference in applied heat energy, and a recording medium conveyed by the conveying means. By heating
Erasing means for erasing an already recorded image recorded on the recording medium, and a recording medium conveyed by the conveying means,
A heating unit for selectively erasing a plurality of heating elements in pixel units to erase an existing image and / or record a new image by heating in pixel units; and a recording medium conveyed by the conveyance unit includes at least an electronic memory. IC consisting of
A medium type detecting means for detecting whether or not the recording medium has a built-in chip; and, when the medium type detecting means detects a recording medium having a built-in IC chip, the erasing means performs an erasing operation of an already-existing image. First control means for controlling the erasing means and the heating means, respectively, so as to perform a recording operation of a new image by the heating means, and when the detecting means detects a recording medium which does not incorporate an IC chip, the heating means A second control unit for controlling the heating unit so as to perform an erasing operation of an existing image and a recording operation of a new image, respectively.

Further, the image recording apparatus of the present invention comprises a conveying means for conveying a card-shaped recording medium capable of repeatedly recording and erasing an image by a difference in applied heat energy, and a recording medium conveyed by the conveying means. By heating, an erasing unit for erasing an already recorded image recorded on the recording medium, and a plurality of heating elements selectively driven on a pixel-by-pixel basis with respect to the recording medium conveyed by the conveying unit. A heating unit for erasing an existing image and / or recording a new image by heating in units, a temperature detecting unit for detecting an environmental temperature, and an IC chip in which a recording medium conveyed by the conveying unit includes at least an electronic memory. Medium type detecting means for detecting whether or not the recording medium is a recording medium, and the medium type detecting means detects a recording medium having no built-in IC chip, and When the temperature detecting means detects a temperature lower than a predetermined temperature, the erasing means controls the erasing means and the heating means so as to perform the erasing operation of the existing image by the erasing means and perform the recording operation of the new image by the heating means. (1) when the medium type detecting means detects a recording medium having no built-in IC chip, and when the temperature detecting means detects a predetermined temperature or higher, an operation of erasing an already-imaged image by the heating means; And second control means for controlling the heating means so as to perform a recording operation of a new image, respectively, and when the medium type detection means detects a recording medium having an IC chip therein, The erasing means and the erasing means perform an erasing operation of the already-formed image by the erasing means and perform a recording operation of a new image by the heating means. It has and a third control means for controlling said heating means, respectively.

According to the present invention, when the environmental temperature is equal to or higher than the predetermined temperature, an image erasing operation and a recording operation are performed by selectively driving a plurality of heating elements of the heating means in accordance with an image to be recorded. , The power-saving rewrite recording becomes possible.

If the environmental temperature is lower than the predetermined temperature, the erasing operation of the image by the erasing means and the recording operation by the heating means according to the surface image to be recorded are performed. It can be erased.

Further, for example, for a card-shaped recording medium such as a wireless card which contains an IC chip or an antenna composed of an electronic memory or the like, an erasing operation of the image by the erasing means and an Since the recording operation by the corresponding heating means is performed, there is no limitation on the heating time of the image erasing, and the heated image is erased and the new image is recorded by the heating means immediately after the erasing heating.
The heating means contacts in a state where the recording medium is softened by erasing heating, and comes into uniform contact as compared with a case where erasing heating is not applied, even for a card-shaped recording medium having high rigidity and uneven surface, Good image recording can be performed without limiting the area.

Further, for example, for a card-shaped recording medium without a built-in IC chip or antenna, a plurality of heating elements of the heating means are selectively driven in accordance with an image to be recorded. Erasing and recording operations of
Since the energization of the erasing means is cut off, rewrite recording with power saving becomes possible.

[0020]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

First, a first embodiment will be described.

FIG. 1 schematically shows the configuration of the image recording apparatus according to the first embodiment. The card-shaped recording medium used in the present embodiment uses, for example, a recording material that uses a leuco dye as a coloring source that shows two states of coloring and decoloring depending on the difference in applied heat energy.

In FIG. 1, an image recording apparatus according to a first embodiment includes an insertion sensor 13 for optically detecting that the recording medium 1 has been inserted into the apparatus, and an image already recorded on the recording medium 1. Erasing roller 14 as erasing means for erasing, thermal head 15, erasing roller 14 and thermal head 1 as heating means for erasing an existing image and recording a new image by selectively heating the recording medium 1 in units of pixels.
5, the rewriting back roller 16 for moving the recording medium 1 while pressing it from the back side when performing rewriting recording of the image, and the timing of erasing and recording the image on the recording medium 1 is determined from the position of the recording medium 1 optically. Image rewriting timing sensor 17 and a plurality of conveying roller pairs 1 as conveying means for conveying the recording medium 1 over the entire area of the apparatus.
8 and an end detection sensor 19 for optically detecting that the wireless card 1 has reached the end in the apparatus after all processing for the recording medium 1 is completed, and for detecting an environmental temperature (ambient temperature). And an environmental temperature sensor 20 or the like as a temperature detecting means.

For example, the erasing roller 14 is provided with a heating resistor film having a thickness of about 20 μm uniformly on the outer periphery of a cylindrical ceramic which generates heat by energization, and has a rubber hardness of 30 ° (JIS-JIS) mainly composed of silicon on the outer periphery. It is constituted by coating the heat-resistant rubber of A). The erasing roller 14 is normally separated from the recording medium 1 by a pressing mechanism (not shown), and moves during the erasing operation to come into contact with the recording medium 1.

In such a configuration, when the recording medium 1 is taken into the apparatus, it is detected by the insertion detecting sensor 13 and is conveyed by the conveying roller pair 18, and is detected by the image rewriting timing sensor 17. Erasing roller 1
An existing image is erased by heating at 4, or an existing image is erased by the thermal head 15 and a new image is recorded. Here, when the rewriting recording of the image is completed and the recording medium 1 is detected by the end detection sensor 19, the conveying roller pair 18
Is reversed, and the recording medium 1 is conveyed and discharged in the reverse direction, as indicated by the dashed arrow a in the figure, and all the processing ends.

Although the description is omitted because it does not relate to the present invention, for example, it is not a problem to check whether or not the processing performed in the apparatus is normally performed in the discharging process. Absent.

Next, the control section of the image recording apparatus described with reference to FIG. 1 will be described with reference to FIG. The transport motor 21
The transport roller pair 18 and the rewrite back roller 16 are driven via a gear (not shown) or the like, and are driven by a transport motor drive circuit 22. Erasing roller solenoid 23
Is driven by a solenoid drive circuit 24. When turned on, the erasing roller 14 moves and comes into contact with the recording medium 1, and when turned off, the erasing roller 14 moves away from the recording medium 1.

The thermal head 15 is driven by a thermal head drive circuit 25 and simultaneously erases an existing image and records a new image by selective heating in pixel units, which will be described in detail later.

The erasing heater 26 is provided in the erasing roller 14 and heats the erasing roller 14.
The thermistor 27 contacts the erasing roller 14 and detects the temperature of the erasing roller 14. The erasing heater driving circuit 28 inputs the detection signal of the thermistor 27,
The temperature of the erasing roller 14 is controlled to a constant value by driving the erasing heater 26. In the present embodiment, the temperature is controlled to 185 ° C., for example.

The environmental temperature sensor 20 detects the environmental temperature as described above, and is composed of, for example, a thermistor. As described above, the sensors 13, 17, and 19 detect the timing of transport and image rewriting, and are constituted by, for example, an optical detector.

The CPU (central processing unit) 29 includes an input / output interface (I / O) 30
Is to centrally manage the entire operation. That is, the above-mentioned name operation is managed by the CPU 29, and the setting data such as the conveying speed for conveying the recording medium 1 and the image data for recording the visible image are stored in the ROM (read only memory) 31 in advance. , If necessary R
A call is made to an AM (random access memory) 32 to set each operation. The details of the control of the image rewriting operation will be described later.

Next, the thermal head drive circuit 25 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 shows a configuration of the thermal head drive circuit 25 in FIG. 2 and its peripheral portion. In the case of the overwriting method of this example, in order to change the heating energy of each heating element (heating element) of the heating resistor array of the thermal head 15 between coloring and decoloring, a plurality of energizing pulses are applied to one pixel. The energization pulse to be provided for color development and decoloration is selected (details will be described later).

As shown in FIG. 3, in order to realize this embodiment, rewriting including image data 51 indicating a visible image portion (recording portion) and both a visible image portion and an invisible image portion is performed. Two data, ie, mask data 52 indicating the entire area to be performed, exist. The two data 51 and 52 are first sent to a rewriting data creating unit 53 in the thermal head driving circuit 25, and are processed into rewriting data in which both a recording unit and an erasing unit are mixed. That is, the image data 51 and the mask data 5
2 does not overlap with the erased data. With such a configuration, when the visible image to be recorded is changed, only the image data 51 needs to be changed.

Next, the created rewrite data is sent to the recording / erasing pulse data calculation section 54, where it is converted into the above-described recording pulse and erasing pulse data. The data converted into the recording pulse and the erasing pulse by the recording / erasing pulse data calculation unit 54 is sent to the driver 55 of the thermal head 15 and each heating element of the heating resistor array 56 is driven to generate heat under the above-described conditions. It has become so.

When only recording by the thermal head 15 is performed instead of the overwriting method, the mask data 52 described above is not used, and only the image data 51 is transferred to the recording / erasing pulse data via the rewriting data creating unit 53. The data is sent to the arithmetic unit 54 and converted into recording pulse data. The data converted into a recording pulse by the recording / erasing pulse data calculation unit 54 is sent to the driver 55 of the thermal head 15 so that each heating element of the heating resistor array 56 is driven to generate heat under the aforementioned conditions. I have.

Next, an energizing pulse for driving the thermal head 15 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 shows an energizing pulse (enable signal) for driving the thermal head 15.
(The signal is low active). There are two energizing pulses in one pixel recording cycle in FIG. 4, and these energizing pulses are divided into a coloring pulse and a decoloring pulse. In the case of coloring, the first and second pulses are used, and in the case of decoloring, the first pulse is used.

Next, a control procedure of the image rewriting / recording operation according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to a flowchart shown in FIG.

When the power is turned on, the environmental temperature sensor 20
It is checked whether or not the environmental temperature is, for example, lower than 15 ° C. by the output of (1) (S1). As a result of this check, if the environmental temperature is lower than 15 ° C., the erasing heater 26 of the erasing roller 14 is energized and heated (S2). When the erasing heater 26 is heated and the temperature of the erasing roller 14 reaches, for example, 185 ° C. (S3), the erasing operation of the image becomes possible, and the recording medium 1 is detected by the output of the insertion detecting sensor 13 (S4).

In step S1, the environmental temperature is set to 15 ° C.
In the above case, the power supply to the erasing heater 26 of the erasing roller 14 is cut off, and then the recording medium 1 is detected (S
4).

In step S4, when the recording medium 1 is detected, the conveying motor 21 is turned on (S6), and the conveying roller pair 18 and the rewriting back roller 16 are driven to convey the recording medium 1.

Next, it is checked again whether the environmental temperature is lower than 15 ° C. based on the output of the environmental temperature sensor 20 (S7). As a result of this check, if the environmental temperature is lower than 15 ° C., the erasing roller solenoid 23 is turned on, the erasing roller 14 is lowered onto the recording medium 1 (S8), and the erasing operation by the erasing roller 14 is performed. In this case, the lowering timing of the erasing roller 14 is determined based on the output when the image rewriting timing sensor 17 detects the recording medium 1.

Next, an image is recorded by the thermal head 15 (S9). In step S7, when the environmental temperature is equal to or higher than 15 ° C., the overwriting method is performed by the thermal head 15 without performing the erasing operation by the erasing roller 14 (S10). In this case, the image recording timing of the thermal head 15 is
The determination is made based on the output when the image rewriting timing sensor 17 detects the recording medium 1.

When the recording operation by the thermal head 15 is completed (S11), the erasing roller solenoid 23 is turned off, so that the erasing roller 14 is raised and separated from the recording medium 1, and the transport motor 21 is turned off. The transport operation is stopped (S12).

Next, the effect of controlling the image rewriting and recording operation according to the first embodiment will be described. Here, after using a thermal head having a resolution of 8 lines / mm as the thermal head 15 and fixing the conveyance speed of the recording medium 1 at 40 mm / s, changing the environmental temperature, and performing erasing with the erasing roller 14 A method in which recording is performed by the thermal head 15 and a method in which erasing and recording are simultaneously performed by selectively heating and driving the thermal head 15 (overwriting method).
Table 1 shows the result of examining the presence or absence of an unerased part when the image was rewritten and recorded.

[0045]

[Table 1]

As shown in Table 1 above, in the erasing roller / thermal head recording system, no erasure remains in all environments of -5 ° C. to 25 ° C.
At less than 0 ° C., some residual disappearance occurred, and at 0 ° C. or less, complete disappearance became noticeable. From this result, the rewriting recording is performed by the erasing roller / thermal head recording method in which the environment temperature is lower than 15 ° C. and the remaining recording does not occur, and the rewriting recording is performed by the overwriting method which saves power when the environmental temperature is 15 ° C. or more. is there.

Thus, when the ambient temperature is 15 ° C. or higher,
The power supply to the erasing heater 26 is cut off, and the thermal head 15 is turned off.
Rewritable recording by the overwriting method by the above method, it is possible to perform rewritable recording of the image with low power consumption. When the environmental temperature is lower than 15 ° C., the erasing operation by the erasing roller 14 and the recording operation by the thermal head 15 are performed. Even if the temperature decreases, it is possible to reliably erase the image up to the initial density.

Next, a second embodiment will be described.

FIG. 6 schematically shows the structure of an image recording apparatus according to the second embodiment. The card-shaped recording medium used in the present embodiment is not limited to the recording medium 1 used in the above-described first embodiment, but is compatible with a wireless card with an image display function in which the wireless card and the recording medium are integrated. I can do it. Further, the image recording apparatus used in the present embodiment is for reading and writing information wirelessly, transmitting power, and rewriting and recording the image display unit on the wireless card 10 with an image display function. Here, as in the first embodiment, a recording material using a leuco dye, which shows two states of coloring and decoloring, depending on the difference in applied heat energy, is used for the image display section of the wireless card 10 as a coloring source. ing.

Referring to FIG. 6, an image recording apparatus according to the second embodiment has an antenna 11 for transmitting / receiving information to / from a wireless card 10 and supplying power to a wireless card 10 in front of an erasing roller 14. Sending and receiving information via
The difference from the first embodiment is that a wireless information drive unit 12 that performs processing such as content determination and update and power supply collectively and that the environmental temperature sensor 20 is deleted are different from the first embodiment. Are the same as in the first embodiment, and a description thereof will be omitted.

In such a configuration, the wireless card 10
Is taken into the apparatus, it is detected by the insertion detection sensor 13, conveyed by the conveying roller pair 18, and transmitted wirelessly to the wireless card 10 via the antenna 11 by the wireless information driving unit 12. It performs information transmission / reception, content determination, updating, etc.
For example, the information stored in the IC chip is updated.

Subsequently, with the detection of the image rewriting timing sensor 17, the existing image is erased by heating the erasing roller 14, or the existing image is erased by the thermal head 15 and a new image is recorded. Here, the image to be rewritten is, for example, an image determined based on the reading and writing of information at the preceding stage wirelessly. When the rewriting recording of the image display unit is completed and the wireless card 10 is detected by the end detection sensor 19, the rotation of the transport roller pair 18 is reversed, and the wireless card 10 is moved in the reverse direction as indicated by the broken arrow a in the figure. , And discharges it, and all the processing ends.

Next, the structure of the wireless card 10 used in the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG.
The wireless card 10 is shown exploded for each component. The wireless card 10 is provided with an image display unit 2 as an image recording unit made of a material capable of rewriting and recording a visible image by heat on the surface thereof, and an arbitrary image display can be performed by heating the thermal head 15 described above. I can do it.

An antenna 3 for wirelessly communicating with at least the outside is provided inside the wireless card 10.
And a semiconductor memory (storage means) for electronically storing data, and a CPU (processing means) for storing and reading data to and from the semiconductor memory by communicating with the outside via the antenna 3. IC chip 4 is enclosed.

The wireless card 10 does not have a power source such as a battery, but is supplied with power by wireless as well as the transmission information, so that the IC chip 4 operates.

Further, as shown in FIG.
0 is roughly divided into a surface layer 5, a base material 6, and a back surface layer 7. The above-described image display unit 2 is formed on a surface layer 5, and the antenna 3 and the IC chip 4 are embedded in a base material 6. The back layer 7 can be pre-printed such as a design or a cautionary statement. here,
The image display unit 2 is provided so as to include the embedded portion of the IC chip 4, and has a wide rewriteable image area so that there is no restriction on the position or the like.

Although not limited to this,
In the second embodiment, the surface layer 5 and the back layer 7
Was made of PET (polyethylene terephthalate) and the thickness was 150 μm. The base material 6 is made of H / M
(Hot melt material) and hot pressing the antenna 3
Then, the IC chip 4 was embedded inside and bonded to the surface layer 5 and the back surface layer 7. Further, by adjusting the conditions of the hot pressing, it was molded so as to have a thickness of 0.76 mm as a whole.

Next, the control section of the image recording apparatus described with reference to FIG. 6 will be described with reference to FIG. The antenna 11 wirelessly transmits and receives information and supplies power to the wireless card 10 as described above.
As described above, processing such as transmission / reception of information, content determination, and updating via the antenna 11 and power supply are collectively performed. The wireless information driver 12 is centrally managed by the CPU 29 via an input / output interface (I / O) 30. Other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment except that the environmental temperature sensor 20 is deleted.
Since the third embodiment is the same as the first embodiment, the description thereof is omitted.

Next, a control procedure of the image rewriting / recording operation according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to a flowchart shown in FIG.

When the power is turned on, first, the inserted card is detected by the output of the insertion detecting sensor 13 (S
21). In step S21, when a card is detected (S22), the card is conveyed by driving the conveying roller pair 18 and the rewriting back roller 16.

Next, it is detected via the antenna 11 and the wireless information driving unit 12 whether or not the card to be conveyed is the wireless card 10 having a built-in IC chip (S2).
3). The detection of whether or not the wireless card 10 has a built-in IC chip is performed, for example, as follows. That is, information is transmitted wirelessly to the card to be conveyed, and if there is a response thereto, it is determined that the wireless card 10 has a built-in IC chip. It is determined that the card has not been set (for example, the recording medium 1).

As a result, when the wireless card 10 having the built-in IC chip is detected, the transport motor 21 is turned off (S24), the transport of the wireless card 10 is temporarily stopped, and the erase heater 26 of the erase roller 14 is energized. And heat (S
25). When the erasing heater 26 is heated and the temperature of the erasing roller 14 reaches, for example, 185 ° C. (S26), the erasing operation of the image becomes possible, the conveying motor 21 is turned on again to convey the wireless card 10, and the erasing roller solenoid is used. 23 to turn on the erase roller 14 and the wireless card 10
It is lowered upward (S27), and the erasing operation by the erasing roller 14 is performed. In this case, the lowering timing of the erasing roller 14 is determined by the image rewriting timing sensor 17
Is determined based on the output at the time of detection of

Next, an image is recorded by the thermal head 15 (S28). In step S23, when a normal card (for example, the recording medium 1) having no built-in IC chip is detected, the overwriting method of the overwriting method by the thermal head 15 without performing the erasing operation by the erasing roller 14. (S2
9). In this case, the image recording timing of the thermal head 15 is determined based on an output when the image rewriting timing sensor 17 detects a card.

When the recording operation by the thermal head 15 is completed (S30), the erasing roller 14 is turned off by turning off the erasing roller solenoid 23, and the wireless card 1 is turned on.
At the same time, the erase heater 26 and the transport motor 21 are turned off (S31).

Next, the effect of controlling the image rewriting / recording operation according to the second embodiment will be described. Here, the resolution of the thermal head 15 is 8 lines / mm, the transport speed of the wireless card 10 is 40 mm / s, and the wireless card 10 has a surface irregularity of 30 μm corresponding to the IC chip portion.
After erasing by the erasing roller 14, the thermal head 1
The rewriting recording of the character image was performed by a method of performing recording according to No. 5 and a method of simultaneously performing erasing and recording by selectively heating and driving the thermal head 15 (overwriting method).

As a result, in the overwriting method, an old image remains in a portion where the IC chip 4 is embedded,
In contrast to the writing error, the method of erasing by the eraser roller 14 and then recording by the thermal head 15 has no erasure remaining, and the rewritable recording has been performed normally.

As described above, in the case of a card without a built-in IC chip, the energization of the erasing heater 26 is cut off and the recording is performed in the overwriting method by the thermal head 15, so that the rewriting and recording of the image with low power consumption is performed. And the waiting time until the temperature reaches the erasing temperature is eliminated, so that the processing time of the recording operation can be shortened. In the case of the wireless card 10 having a built-in IC chip, an erasing operation by the erasing roller 14 and a recording operation by the thermal head 15 are performed, so that a recording defect in a portion corresponding to the IC chip portion can be prevented.

Next, a third embodiment will be described.

The image recording apparatus according to the third embodiment is
This is a combination of the first embodiment and the second embodiment described above, and the configuration is as shown in FIG. The image recording apparatus according to the third embodiment includes an antenna 11 for wirelessly transmitting and receiving information to and from the wireless card 10, transmitting and receiving information via the antenna 11, in front of the erasing roller 14. Wireless information drive unit 12 that performs processing such as content determination and updating and power supply collectively
Is different from the first embodiment, and the other configuration is the same as that of the first embodiment.

The image rewrite recording operation according to the third embodiment is performed according to the conditions shown in Table 2 below.

[0071]

[Table 2]

That is, first, a non-wireless card (for example, recording medium 1) having no built-in IC chip is detected.
And the environmental temperature detected by the environmental temperature sensor 20 is 15 ° C.
If it is less than the threshold value, the erasing roller 14 is turned on (the erasing heater 26
, The erase roller 14 is lowered, and the erase operation of the existing image is performed, and then the recording operation of the new image is performed by the thermal head 15.

Next, if a non-wireless card (for example, recording medium 1) having no built-in IC chip is detected and the environmental temperature detected by the environmental temperature sensor 20 is 15 ° C. or higher, the erasing roller 14 is turned off. When turned off, the overwriting method of the overwriting method is performed by the thermal head 15 without performing the erasing operation by the erasing roller 14.

Next, the wireless card 1 having a built-in IC chip
When 0 is detected, the erasing roller 14 is turned on to perform the erasing operation of the existing image regardless of the detection result of the environmental temperature sensor 20, and then the recording operation of the new image is performed by the thermal head 15.

As described above, according to the above embodiment, when the environmental temperature is 15 ° C. or more, the energizing of the erasing heater in the erasing roller is cut off, and the overwriting method is performed by the thermal head. In addition, it is possible to rewrite and record an image with power saving. If the environmental temperature is lower than 15 ° C., the erasing operation by the erasing roller and the recording operation by the thermal head are performed, so that even if the environmental temperature becomes low, erasing can be performed to the initial density without fail.

Further, in the case of a recording medium without a built-in IC chip, the energization of the erasing heater is cut off and recording is performed in an overwrite system by a thermal head, so that rewriting and recording of an image with low power consumption is possible. Become. Further, since there is no waiting time from when the erasing roller is heated to when the erasing temperature is reached, the processing time of the recording operation can be shortened.

In the case of a recording medium such as a wireless card having a built-in IC chip, an erasing operation by an erasing roller and a recording operation by a thermal head are performed.
The erasing roller and thermal head both come into uniform contact with a recording medium such as a wireless card that has irregularities due to the chip, so that the image is uniformly erased. Because a new image is recorded, the thermal head comes into contact with the recording medium softened by erasing heating, and comes into contact more uniformly than when no erasing heating is applied. It is possible to do.

In the above-described embodiment, a case is described in which a rewritable recording material whose color is colored or erased due to a difference in heating energy is used. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the present invention can be similarly applied to a rewritable recording material of a cloudy / transparent change type, and similar effects can be expected.

Further, in the above embodiment, the environmental temperature is set to 1
The rewriting and recording method of the image was switched between less than 5 ° C. and more than 15 ° C., but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, in accordance with the erasing characteristics of the recording material due to the environmental temperature,
A similar effect can be expected even if the temperature at which the image rewrite recording method is switched is changed.

In the above embodiment, the overwriting method has a problem in the erasing performance at a low temperature. Therefore, the rewriting and recording method of an image is switched at a low temperature.
Regardless of this, for example, the erasing / recording method may be switched for a purpose other than improving the erasing performance. For example, in a system in which an erasing operation using an erasing roller and a recording operation using a thermal head are performed using a rewritable recording material that develops or erases color, there is a problem that the higher the ambient temperature, the lower the color density. The reason why the color density is reduced is that rewritable recording materials that develop or erase colors
It develops color by being rapidly cooled after heating,
If the erasing operation by the erasing roller and the recording operation by the thermal head are performed at a high environmental temperature, the recording operation by the thermal head with the recording medium warmed by the erasing roller does not result in a rapid cooling state after heating. In this case, the color density is lowered because the temperature is close to the slow cooling state.
When the ambient temperature is high, the overwriting method is rapidly cooled after heating, so that the decrease in color density is small.
As described above, the image rewriting recording method may be switched for the purpose of improving the color developing performance.

[0081]

As described above in detail, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide an image recording apparatus capable of performing power-saving rewritable recording while maintaining the erasing performance of a plane image.

Further, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide an image recording apparatus capable of performing rewritable recording on a card-shaped recording medium incorporating at least an IC chip such as an electronic memory without remaining unerased images or writing errors. .

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram schematically showing an image recording apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram schematically showing a configuration of a control unit of the image recording apparatus according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a thermal head driving circuit and its peripheral portion in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a waveform diagram showing energizing pulses for driving a thermal head.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a control procedure of an image rewriting recording operation according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a schematic configuration diagram schematically showing an image recording apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is an exemplary view when the wireless card used in the second embodiment is disassembled for each component.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram schematically showing a configuration of a control unit of an image recording apparatus according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a control procedure of an image rewrite recording operation according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a schematic configuration diagram schematically showing an image recording apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Recording medium 2 ... Image display part (image recording part) 3 ... Antenna 4 ... IC chip 5 ... Surface layer 6 ... Base material 7 ... Backside layer 10 ... Wireless card (recording medium) 11 ... Antenna 12 ... Wireless information drive unit 14 ... Erasing roller (erasing means) 15 ... Thermal head (heating means) 18 ... Transport roller pair (transport means) 20 ... Environmental temperature sensor (temperature detecting means) 21 ... Transport motor (transport means) 23 ... Erase roller solenoid 26 ... Erase heater 29 ... CPU (Control means)

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) G06K 17/00 G06K 19/06 19/07 B41J 3/20 109E 19/06 G06K 19/00 H H04N 1 / 04H04N 1/12 ZF term (reference) 2C061 AQ04 AS12 BB27 GG03 GG17 GG22 GG26 5B023 BA01 BA05 CA07 GA02 GA03 GA04 5B035 AA05 BA03 BB04 BB09 CA23 5B058 CA02 CA15 KA05 KA12 KA13 KA17 KA18

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A conveying means for conveying a card-shaped recording medium capable of repeatedly recording and erasing an image according to a difference in applied heat energy, and heating the recording medium conveyed by the conveying means, whereby the recording medium is heated. Erasing means for erasing an already recorded image, and erasing the already-formed image by heating the pixel unit by selectively driving a plurality of heating elements on a recording medium conveyed by the conveying unit. And / or a heating means for recording a new image; a temperature detecting means for detecting an environmental temperature; and when the temperature detecting means detects a temperature lower than a predetermined temperature, the erasing means performs an erasing operation of the already-existing image and performs the heating. First control means for controlling the erasing means and the heating means, respectively, so as to perform a recording operation of a new image by means; When it detects more than once, first controlling the heating means so as to perform the recording operation of the erasing operation and the new image of the already image by the heating means, respectively 2
An image recording apparatus, comprising: 2. A conveying means for conveying a card-shaped recording medium capable of repeatedly recording and erasing an image according to a difference in applied heat energy, and heating the recording medium conveyed by the conveying means to thereby produce the recording medium. Erasing means for erasing an already recorded image, and erasing the already-formed image by heating the pixel unit by selectively driving a plurality of heating elements on a recording medium conveyed by the conveying unit. And / or a heating unit for recording a new image; a medium type detecting unit for detecting whether a recording medium conveyed by the conveying unit is a recording medium having at least an IC chip including an electronic memory or the like; When the detecting means detects the recording medium having the built-in IC chip, the erasing means performs an erasing operation of the already-existing image and the heating means First control means for controlling the erasing means and the heating means, respectively, so as to perform a recording operation of a new image, and when the detecting means detects a recording medium having no built-in IC chip, an image already stored by the heating means is detected. And a second control means for controlling the heating means so as to perform the erasing operation and the new image recording operation, respectively. 3. A conveying means for conveying a card-shaped recording medium capable of repeatedly recording and erasing an image according to a difference in applied heat energy, and heating the recording medium conveyed by the conveying means to thereby produce the recording medium. Erasing means for erasing an already recorded image, and erasing the already-formed image by heating the pixel unit by selectively driving a plurality of heating elements on a recording medium conveyed by the conveying unit. And / or a heating unit for recording a new image, a temperature detecting unit for detecting an environmental temperature, and detecting whether or not the recording medium conveyed by the conveying unit is a recording medium incorporating at least an IC chip including an electronic memory or the like. Medium type detecting means for detecting a recording medium which does not incorporate an IC chip, and wherein the temperature detecting means detects a predetermined temperature. When the full state is detected, first control means for controlling the erasing means and the heating means so as to perform an erasing operation of the existing image by the erasing means and perform a recording operation of a new image by the heating means, respectively, When the medium type detecting means detects a recording medium having no built-in IC chip and the temperature detecting means detects a predetermined temperature or higher, the erasing operation of the existing image and the recording operation of the new image by the heating means are performed. Second control means for controlling the heating means to perform the respective operations, and when the medium type detection means detects a recording medium containing an IC chip, regardless of the detection result of the temperature detection means, The erasing unit and the heating unit are respectively controlled so as to perform an image erasing operation and perform a new image recording operation by the heating unit. And a third control unit. 4. The recording medium develops a color by applying a first thermal energy, and a second color that is different from the first thermal energy.
The image recording apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein an image can be recorded and erased by decoloring by applying the heat energy. 5. The erasing means comprises a heating element having at least a surface coated with a heat-resistant elastic body, and heats the recording medium conveyed by the conveying means by contacting the surface of the recording medium via the heat-resistant elastic body. 4. An image according to claim 1, wherein the image is deleted.
An image recording apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims. 6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said heating means is a thermal head.
An image recording apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims. 7. A card-shaped recording medium incorporating the IC chip has an image recording section on its surface capable of repeatedly recording and erasing an image due to a difference in applied heat energy, and
At least an antenna for communicating with the outside, storage means for electronically storing data, and processing means for storing and reading data in and from the storage means by communicating with the outside via the antenna 4. The image recording apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the image recording apparatus is a wireless card including an IC chip including: 8. A card-shaped recording medium incorporating the IC chip has on its surface an image recording portion capable of repeatedly recording and erasing an image due to a difference in applied heat energy.
4. The image recording apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the image recording apparatus is an IC card including an IC chip including at least storage means for electronically storing data.