JP2003266834A - Imaging apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To constitute an imaging apparatus in which the printing of image information onto a recording medium and the transfer of that image information are carried out smoothly while eliminating useless carriage. <P>SOLUTION: The imaging apparatus comprises a print mechanism B for printing image information on the permeation layer of a recording medium M using sublimation ink, and a heating mechanism E for heating the printed recording medium M. A front part cutting mechanism C is disposed at the part of the print mechanism B and a rear part cutting mechanism G is disposed at a position on the downstream side of the heating mechanism E. A control mode is set such that when the image information is printed continuously by the print mechanism B, the rear part cutting mechanism G cuts off the recording medium M printed with the image information individually, and when final image information is printed, the front part cutting mechanism C cuts off the recording medium M printed with that image information. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, and more specifically, it uses a long recording medium having a permeation layer on the upper surface of a fixing layer on the surface of a substrate. The present invention relates to a technique in which after printing image information, heating is performed to transfer the recorded information to a fixing layer on the surface of a base material, and the recording medium is cut after the transfer.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a technique similar to the image forming apparatus configured as described above, there is one disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-297197.

In this conventional technique, a colored base layer (fixing layer of the present invention) which also functions as a rust preventive layer is formed on a metal base material (base material of the present invention), and an acrylic resin as a light transmitting resin layer is formed thereon. A transparent resin layer made of a system resin, a polyester resin, or a urethane resin is formed, and an inkjet receiving layer (permeation layer of the present invention) using porous alumina or the like is formed on the transparent resin layer to form a metal decorative body. And a colored pattern is formed on the inkjet receiving layer of the metal decorative body by inkjet printing using a sublimation type coloring material. After that, by heating this metal decorative body in a heating furnace or a hot press, the sublimation type coloring material of the inkjet receiving layer sublimes into the transparent resin layer, and the colored pattern formed on the inkjet receiving layer is transparent. Is formed. Next, the ink jet receiving layer is softened with warm water and then wiped off with a cloth or the like to remove the entire ink jet receiving layer, whereby a metal decorative body having a colored pattern is completed. Further, this conventional technique does not show a technique for cutting a metal decorative body (recording medium).

[0004]

Considering the use of a long recording medium in the image forming apparatus constructed as described above, in this type of image forming apparatus, the recording medium is sublimated. Since it is necessary to perform heating after forming an image with the volatile ink, it is not possible to cut the recording medium before heating from the viewpoints of continuously and smoothly conveying and eliminating waste of the recording medium. Not desirable. That is, 1
When printing continuous image information such as image information generated by scanning multiple frame images on a photographic film of a book or image information for one order taken by a digital camera on a long recording medium. Is to reduce the waste of the recording medium by printing the image information in a state where they are adjacent to each other in the transport direction, and performing a process of separating the respective image information after heating. As a result, it is possible to smoothly convey the sheet, as compared with the case where the sheet is cut and conveyed.

Therefore, assuming an image forming apparatus shown in FIG. 10 as a comparative example as an example of cutting and sending the printed image information, the recording medium M is conveyed as in the image forming apparatus shown in FIG. Multiple pressure rollers R
The print head PH, the cutter CT, and the heating mechanism HE are arranged in this order in the transport path in which O is arranged. For example, each time the print head PH prints one image, the print head PH cuts the image. The recording medium M on which the information is printed is separated and sent out. After the image information is printed, the recording medium M is conveyed and the cutter is moved to a position (SR) slightly beyond the rear end position of the print area K. It is also possible to set the cutting position by CT. If you print in this way,
An SR width margin is formed on the upstream side of the print area K, and an SF width margin is formed on the downstream side of the print area K. Of these margins, the margin on the transport side (SR margin) can be reduced by setting the transport amount of the recording medium M, but the margin on the transport side (SF width margin) is It is difficult to remove.

More specifically, when the cutting position by the cutter CT is set as described above, a margin of width SF is formed on the lower conveyance side of the print area K as shown in FIG. A margin having a width SR is formed on the side of good conveyance. Out of these margins, the margin on the good side of conveyance (SR
The margin of the width can be set to a small value by reducing the carry amount, while the margin on the lower side of the convey (SF
In order to reduce the width of the recording medium M after the cutting with the cutter CT, the recording medium M is moved in the reverse direction by the distance (SF) corresponding to the margin, and then the next image information is printed. The need arises. However, in the control mode in which the recording medium M is conveyed in the reverse direction as described above, it is necessary to alternately perform the processing of sequentially feeding the recording medium M and the processing of feeding the recording medium M every time one image information is printed. Therefore, it is not effective in that it wastes time and prolongs the processing time.

In view of this, it is rational to dispose the cutting mechanism on the lower side in the transport direction with respect to the heating portion (heating mechanism). However, if the cutting mechanism is arranged at a lower position in the transport direction than the heating mechanism in this way,
Even after the printing of the last image information of the continuous image information is finished, not only the processing mode in which the last image information is heated by the heating mechanism and sent out and then cut by the cutting mechanism is required. After cutting, it is necessary to convey the recording medium in the reverse direction so that the portion where the image information is not printed is returned to the portion where printing is performed, and there is room for improvement in terms of conveyance.

An object of the present invention is to rationally configure an image forming apparatus that prints image information on a recording medium and transfers the image information smoothly, and that enables transport without waste. is there.

[0009]

The features, actions and effects of the image forming apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention are as follows. [Characteristics] A transport mechanism for feeding a recording medium in which a film-like permeation layer is superposed on a fixing layer on the surface of a substrate, and a sublimation ink is applied to the permeation layer of the recording medium fed by this transport mechanism The recording medium is provided with a printing mechanism for printing image information and a heating mechanism for transferring the image information printed on the permeation layer to the fixing layer by heating the recording medium, and a long medium is used as the recording medium. A cutting mechanism for cutting and cutting off the recording medium is provided at a position above and below the heating mechanism in the transport direction of the recording medium,
The point is that a control means for switching and operating each cutting mechanism is provided.

[Operation / Effect] According to the above feature, since the two cutting mechanisms are provided and the control means for switching and operating them is provided, the long recording medium is continuously provided to the printing mechanism and the heating mechanism. The image information can be sent and printed, and the image information can be transferred. After this transfer, the cutting mechanism located lower than the heating mechanism cuts at the required position, and the cutting mechanism located higher than the heating mechanism cuts the recording medium at the required position. Can also be done. That is, after the image information is continuously formed and transferred to a long recording medium, each image information is separated, or the last image of the continuously formed images is recorded as a succeeding recording target. It realizes a process of separating from the medium and, if necessary, a process of printing and transferring image information on one independent recording medium for performing test printing, for example. As a result, not only printing and heating can be performed while the recording medium is smoothly conveyed, but also the recording medium before heating can be cut and conveyed when necessary.

The features, actions and effects of the image forming apparatus according to the second aspect of the present invention are as follows. [Features] In the image forming apparatus according to claim 1, when a process of continuously printing a plurality of image information on the recording medium is performed by the printing mechanism, the image forming apparatus is disposed at a position lower than a heating mechanism. The cutting mechanism performs a process of separating the printed areas from each other, and the cutting mechanism disposed at a position superior to the heating mechanism performs a process of separating the printed area of the last image information at a position superior to the conveyance. As described above, the control mode of the control means is set.

[Operation / Effect] According to the above characteristics, when a plurality of image information is printed on the recording medium by the printing mechanism, the cutting mechanism on the lower side of the heating mechanism performs the cutting operation. When the image information is continuously printed on the recording medium, the image information is transferred by heating, and then a cutting process in which each image information is separated can be realized, and when the last image information is printed. In this case, by cutting the image information printed area at a position convenient for conveyance, it is possible to realize a process of sending out the recording medium on which the image information is printed in a state of being separated from the subsequent recording medium. As a result, when image information is continuously printed, the recording medium can be smoothly conveyed and printed and transferred without waste of the recording medium, and the last image information is heated. After that, cutting is performed, and thereafter, wasteful processing such as conveying the recording medium in the reverse direction is not required.

The features, actions and effects of the image forming apparatus according to the third aspect of the present invention are as follows. [Characteristics] In the image forming apparatus according to claim 1 or 2,
At the time of printing the plurality of image information, a cut mark forming means for printing a cut mark indicating a boundary position of each image information on the recording medium by the printing mechanism is provided, and the cut mark is provided on a conveyance path of the recording medium. And a cutting control means for controlling the cutting mechanism arranged at a position lower than the heating mechanism based on the detection result of the mark sensor to separate the respective image information from each other. In point.

[Operation / Effect] According to the above characteristics, since the cut mark forming means prints the cut mark at the time of printing by the print mechanism, the cut mark is formed at a highly accurate position based on the image information printed by the print mechanism. In addition, when the cutting mechanism arranged at a position lower than the heating mechanism cuts, the mark sensor detects the cut mark, and the cutting mechanism can perform the cutting based on the cut mark. . as a result,
It is now possible to accurately cut and separate adjacent image information from each other.

The features, functions and effects of the image forming apparatus according to the fourth aspect of the present invention are as follows. [Features] In the image forming apparatus according to claim 3, the control mode of the cutting control means is set so as to perform cutting at the upper hand position and the lower hand position in the transport direction of the recording medium based on the cut mark. In point.

[Operation / Effect] According to the above feature, even if the interval between the adjacent image information is wide, the wide area is cut by performing the cutting at two points on the conveyance upper side and the lower side based on the cut mark. Can also be removed.
As a result, it is possible to easily form the required borders and easily obtain borderless image information.

The features, functions and effects of the image forming apparatus according to the fifth aspect of the present invention are as follows. [Features] In the image forming apparatus according to claim 4, a control mode is set such that the cutting control means performs the cutting operation in a state where the conveyance of the recording medium is stopped in the cutting mechanism located below the heating mechanism. In addition, a loop forming portion is provided for forming a slack in the recording medium to temporarily prevent the recording medium from being fed into the cutting mechanism at a position better than the cutting mechanism in the transport direction. In point.

[Operation / Effect] According to the above features, when the recording medium is cut by the cutting mechanism, the feeding of the recording medium is stopped to reduce an error and realize reliable cutting, and the heating mechanism is provided. It is not necessary to stop the conveyance of the recording medium existing in the above. For example, even if the cutting mechanism changes the time required for cutting depending on the width of the recording medium, such as a structure in which the blade operates in the width direction of the recording medium, the recording medium is stopped at the time of cutting. The heating mechanism is not affected by the heating time, and uneven heating does not occur. As a result, it is possible to realize a highly accurate cutting process in the cutting mechanism while maintaining high quality transfer in the heating mechanism without hindering the conveyance of the recording medium.

The features, functions and effects of the image forming apparatus according to claim 6 of the present invention are as follows. [Characteristics] In the image forming apparatus according to claim 1 or 2,
A control mode is set such that the control means performs the cutting operation in a state where the conveyance of the recording medium is stopped in the cutting mechanism at a position higher than the heating mechanism, and the cutting mechanism moves at a lower position in the conveyance direction. In addition, with respect to a position better than the heating mechanism, the recording medium is loosened in order to continue feeding the recording medium to the heating mechanism while the feeding of the recording medium from the cutting mechanism is temporarily stopped. Is provided with a loop forming portion for forming

[Operation / Effect] According to the above feature, when the recording medium is cut by the cutting mechanism, the error is reduced by stopping the conveyance of the recording medium to realize reliable cutting. When the cutting mechanism stops the conveyance of the recording medium, the recording medium existing in the loop forming section can be continuously fed to the heating mechanism. There is no need to stop the heating and uneven heating does not occur. As a result, it is possible not only to apply unreasonable tension to the recording medium at the time of cutting, but also to realize high-precision cutting processing in the cutting mechanism while maintaining high quality transfer in the heating mechanism.

[0021]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIG. 1, after the image information (including character information) transferred from the image processing apparatus P is transferred to the recording medium M, the image forming apparatus Q is provided to cut and send the image into a required size. A transfer system is configured.

The image processing apparatus P has a general-purpose computer 1, a monitor 2, a keyboard 3 and a mouse 4, and a film scanner 6 for photoelectrically converting image information of a developed silver salt type film 5 and a digital medium. The computer is provided with a media drive 7 so as to retrieve the information stored as a signal. By transferring the image information from the image processing system P to the image forming apparatus Q, the transferred image information is transferred to the image forming apparatus. At Q, the recording medium M can be formed by transfer. The media drive 7 is a general term for drives that take out information from not only disc-shaped media such as CDs, CD-Rs, and MOs, but also semiconductor media such as compact flash (registered trademark) and smart media. In the figure, a media drive for reading the information of the CD and the CD-R is shown.

The recording medium M is, as shown in FIG.
The fixing layer 12 is formed on the surface of the film-shaped substrate 11 made of ET (polyethylene terephthalate) by using a polyvinyl alcohol-based resin or a polyvinyl acetal-based resin as a resin having an affinity for the sublimable ink. A thin sheet-like permeation layer 13 made of fluorine resin or silicon resin, which has a non-affinity for the sublimable ink, is releasably overlapped on the surface of the fixing layer 12 to form a flexible sheet as a whole. In the recording medium M, an image is printed on the permeation layer 13 with a sublimable ink, and then heat treatment is performed, so that the ink in the permeation layer 13 is sublimated so that the recording medium M is transferred to the fixing layer 12. It has a function of fixing and forming image information on the surface of the material 11, and after transferring and fixing the image information, the permeation layer 13 is peeled and removed as a film. It has become one to expose the clear image formed in the fixing layer 12 on the surface of more base material 11. Further, in the recording medium M, if the material of the base material 11 has the property of having affinity for the sublimable ink, the surface of the base material 11 can be used as the fixing layer 12 as it is.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the image forming apparatus Q
Is a conveyance mechanism A for feeding the roll-shaped recording medium M, an ink jet type printing mechanism B for printing image information on the recording medium M fed by the conveyance mechanism A, and a unit formed integrally with the printing mechanism B. The section cutting mechanism C (an example of a cutting mechanism) and the control mechanism D are provided inside the main body case 20, and the recording medium M sent from the print mechanism B is placed inside the heating case 21 that is connected to the main body case 20. A heating mechanism E for heating, a front loop forming portion F arranged at a position upstream of the heating mechanism E in the transport direction of the recording medium M, and a rear cutting mechanism G for cutting the recording medium M (an example of a cutting mechanism).
And a rear loop forming portion H formed at a lower position of the heating mechanism E in the conveyance direction of the recording medium M and an upper position of the rear cutting mechanism G. The control mechanism D not only constitutes a control means, but also includes a cutting control means formed of a program and a cut mark forming means as will be described later.

The transport mechanism A includes a first transport section A1 for transporting the recording medium M inside the main body case 20, and a second transport section A2 for transporting the recording medium M in the heating mechanism E.
The second cutting mechanism is configured to include a third transport unit A3 that transports the recording medium M. The first to third transport units A1, A2, and A3 are pressure-bonding rollers 22 that pressure-bond and transport the recording medium M, and first and second timing motors that drive the pressure-bonding rollers 22. , Third transport motors M1, M2, and M3.

The main body case 20 of the image forming apparatus Q is provided with a lid-like material 20A for covering the printing mechanism B from the portion where the roll-shaped recording medium M is accommodated so that the lid-like material 20A can be swingably opened and closed around the swing support shaft 24. The main body case 20 is arranged at a relatively high position by providing the grounding leg 27 via the column 26 with respect to the frame 25 provided at the bottom. The roll-shaped recording medium M is rotatably supported inside the main body case 20 by a support shaft 28.

The printing mechanism B includes a guide rod 30 arranged in a posture orthogonal to the transport direction of the recording medium M,
The print head 31 supported so as to reciprocate along the guide rod 30 and the print head 30 are
A stepping motor type scanning motor 34 which is reciprocally driven via a timing belt 33 wound around a pulley 32, and a position where printing is performed by the print head 31 is set on the back surface of the recording medium M. The plate 35. Further, the print head 31 is provided with an ejection mechanism (not shown) such as a piezo element for ejecting the ink of the replaceable ink cartridge 36 from the nozzle onto the recording medium M. still,
As the ink of the ink cartridge, at least four colors of ink of cyan (C), magenta (M), yellow (Y), and black (K), and six colors of two colors of intermediate colors are used. The sublimation ink used in this embodiment starts sublimation at about 80 ° C., and in the recording medium M having the film-shaped PET base material 11 as described above, the sublimation ink is heated at 180 ° C. for 2 minutes. Optimal transfer state is achieved by heating to some extent. This sublimable ink has 1
The ink can be sublimated without difficulty at about 70 ° C. to 200 ° C., and the required transfer can be performed at 200 ° C. for about 1 minute and at 170 ° C. for about 5 minutes.

The front cutting mechanism C is, as shown in FIG.
A cutting body 37 is provided so as to be switchable between a cutting position protruding toward the recording medium M side with respect to the print head 31 and a standby position separated from the recording medium, and the blade body 37 is switched between the cutting position and the standby position. In addition, a switching motor 38 for switching between a screw feed type and a cam feed type is provided so that the recording medium M can be cut at this print position.
When the recording medium M is cut, the switching motor 38
The blade body 37 is projected to the cutting position by the driving force of and the print head 31 is operated in the scanning direction, so that the recording medium M can be cut and cut off over the entire width in the width direction. Further, a groove is formed in the plate 35 so as to allow the blade body 37 to move when the blade body 37 is set to the cutting position in this way.

The heating mechanism D has an electric heater 41 for increasing the temperature of the air in the heating space R formed by a wall 40 made of a heat insulating material and a fan 4 for sending heated air.
2, a fan motor 43 that drives the fan 42, a shield plate 44 that prevents the recording medium from being directly irradiated with heat from the electric heater 41, and a temperature sensor S that measures the air temperature. Has been done. By bringing the recording medium M into contact with the air heated to 180 ° C. inside the heating space R, the recording medium M is heated in a state where the heating system member is not in contact with the recording medium M, and the transfer by this heating is performed. Has been realized. Although the heating mechanism E is configured to heat the recording medium M with heated air, in the present invention, an infrared heater (including a far infrared heater) is arranged inside the heating space R to radiate infrared rays. It is also possible to configure the heating mechanism E so as to heat the recording medium M.

The front loop forming section F includes a first transport section A.
From the pressure-bonding roller 22 side at the end position of No. 1 to the second transport unit A
2, the base material 11 of the recording medium M sent out to the pressure-bonding roller 22 at the starting end position is loosened to allow the material 11 to hang down. In the front loop forming unit F, when the front cutting mechanism C stops the conveyance of the recording medium M and performs cutting, the recording medium existing in a loose state in the space of the front loop forming unit F. The recording medium M is continuously fed to the heating mechanism D so that the recording medium M is conveyed at a speed set in the heating mechanism D without applying excessive tension to the recording medium M. Further, the front loop forming portion F is formed with an opening directed upward, and the recording medium M on which the image information is printed in the printing portion B is taken out in front of the heating mechanism E, or printed by a different means. The recording medium M can be fed into the heating mechanism E.

As shown in FIG. 5, the rear cutting mechanism G is provided with a pair of pressure bonding rollers 22 of a pressure bonding type which are arranged at positions sandwiching the cutting position in the carrying direction as the third carrying section A3, and at the cutting position. A plate 51 arranged on the side of the base material 11 of the recording medium M and a moving block movably supported by a pair of guide rods 52 along a direction (width direction) orthogonal to the conveying direction of the recording medium M. 53, a blade 54 supported by the moving block 53, a timing belt 56 wound around a pulley 55 to reciprocate the moving block 53, a cutting motor 57 for driving the pulley 55, and a recording medium M. And an optical mark sensor 58 for detecting a cut mark CM (see FIG. 8) printed on the end portion in the width direction of the. In the rear cutting mechanism G, the cutting depth is set so that the recording medium M is moved by moving the moving block 53 while the conveyance of the recording medium M is stopped by the pressure roller 22. A groove is formed in the plate 51 so as to allow the blade body 54 to move. The recording medium M discharged from the heating case 21 is heated by the heating case 21.
It is received by the tray 61 arranged below the outside of the tray.

The rear cutting mechanism G realizes removal of the gap between the printed (transferred) image information by cutting the upper and lower sides of the cut mark CM as described later. Although not shown in the drawing, there is provided a discharge space for sending out the cut pieces of the recording medium thus removed by cutting.

The rear loop forming section H stops the drive of the rear cutting mechanism G pressure roller 22 and when the rear cutting mechanism G cuts the recording medium M, the recording medium M sent from the heating mechanism E side. In order to allow the base material 11 to slacken and allow it to hang down, it is provided with a space opened downward.

As shown in FIG. 7, the control mechanism D forms an input system for inputting image information transferred from the computer 1, and also the first transport motor M1, the scanning motor 34, and the print head 31. And the second transport motor M
2, an electric heater 41, a fan motor 43, a third conveyance motor M3, and a cutting motor 57, and a signal system for outputting a control signal. The temperature information from the temperature sensor S and the mark sensor 58 are provided. It has a signal system for feeding back the detection signal from.

The control mechanism D prints the image information sent from the computer 1 on the long recording medium M by the print mechanism B, and at the same time, forms cut marks CM at the boundary positions of the respective print areas J. The recording medium M having the image information and the cut marks CM thus formed is continuously transferred in the heating mechanism E, and then the recording medium M sent to the rear cutting mechanism G. The basic processing form is set so as to cut based on the cut mark CM. Immediately after the last image information is printed by the printing mechanism B, cutting is performed by the front cutting mechanism C, so that the recording area M of the recording medium M on which the image information is printed is followed by the recording medium M. The processing form is set so as to be separated from.

This processing form can be shown as the following flow chart. The print processing routine of FIG. 8 includes processing for controlling the front cutting mechanism C by the cutting control means (step # 104) and a processing for forming cut marks by the cut mark forming means (step # 103). Contains.

That is, in this print processing routine,
Based on the image information sent from the computer 1, the transport mechanism A (first transport unit A1), the scanning motor 34, and the print head 31 are controlled to set the print area J on the recording medium M and continuously. Printing is performed, and the cut marks CM are formed at the end positions in the width direction of the recording medium M at the boundary positions between the respective print areas J during this printing (steps # 101 to # 103).

Next, after the print head 31 finishes printing the last image information (for example, the last image information of one order), the print area J of the last image information is printed.
By cutting the rear end position by the front cutting mechanism C, the recording medium M on which the image information is printed is separated from the succeeding recording medium M, and is sent to the heating mechanism E so that transfer can be performed (# 104 steps).

In the rear cutting mechanism G, the cutting operation is performed according to the control shown in the cutting processing routine of FIG. In this cutting processing routine, the cutting control means (#
202, step # 203).

That is, in the cutting processing routine, the pressure roller 22 of the third transport section A3 is driven by the driving force from the third transport motor M3 to transport the recording medium M at the set speed and the mark sensor 58. When the cut mark CM is detected by, the recording medium M is conveyed by an amount set in advance based on the detection timing, then the conveyance is stopped, and the conveyance direction in the previous print area J is stopped at the first cutting position CP1. After the recording medium M is conveyed again by the set amount, the conveyance is stopped and the front end in the conveyance direction in the subsequent print area J at the second cutting position CP2. A process for cutting a set is performed (steps # 201 to # 203).

By performing this cutting, the margin between the image information printed at the adjacent positions can be cut off by a set size.

With this configuration, when image information is transferred to the recording medium M by the image forming apparatus Q, the image information to be printed is sent from the image processing apparatus P to the image forming apparatus Q. By transferring, the control mechanism C
The recording medium M is conveyed by controlling the first conveying section A1.
By controlling the print head 31 of the print mechanism B, the sublimable ink in the ink cartridge 36 is sprayed onto the recording medium M to execute the print process of printing the image information on the permeation layer 13. When this printing process is performed, printing is performed with the print areas J being adjacent to each other in the transport direction, so that the recording medium M is cut every time one image information is printed. The waste of the recording medium M is reduced, and the cut mark CM is formed at an intermediate position between the print areas J during this printing.

By continuing this processing, the recording medium M on which the image information is printed is transferred from the first transport section A1 to the second transport section A2, and the heating mechanism E is driven by the transport force of the second transport section A2. In the heating mechanism E, the recording medium M that has been received is conveyed, and the heating system member does not come into contact with the recording medium M in the heating space R. In this atmosphere, heating is continued for about 2 minutes to transfer the image information printed on the permeation layer 13 to the fixing layer 12. The recording medium M which has been transferred in this way is sent to the cutting mechanism G in a form of passing through the front loop forming portion F and is conveyed by the third conveying portion A3. After the cut mark CM is detected by the mark sensor 58 by this conveyance, the cutting is performed in a mode in which the blank portion formed between the print areas J is removed, thereby making it possible to avoid the subsequent artificial cutting. In addition, since the cutting operation is performed based on the cut mark CM when the cutting is performed, the cutting can be performed with high precision at the preset cutting positions (first and second cutting positions CP1 and CP2). ing.

When the printing mechanism B prints image information on the recording medium M, the print head 3 is used.
When the 0 scans, the conveyance of the recording medium M is stopped, and the recording medium M is conveyed by the set amount immediately after the print head 30 completes the operation in the scanning direction. In this image forming apparatus P, for example, even if the image is not printed by the print head 3 so that a blank space is formed on the recording medium M, the recording medium M is conveyed at a preset speed. The conveyance mode of the recording medium M is set so as not to generate temperature unevenness.

Further, the printing mechanism B for the recording medium M is used.
When image information is continuously transferred from the image processing apparatus G when printing is performed with, the positional relationship adjacent to the recording medium M in the transport direction (the image information is not necessarily in contact, (It may be a positional relationship that forms a gap)
The image information is printed by the print head 33. When the printing of the last image information transmitted in this way is completed, the print head 33 is provided so as to cut off the part printed in this way. By setting the blade 37 at the cutting position and operating the print head 30 in the scanning direction, the printed portion is cut off.

[Other Embodiments] In addition to the above-described embodiments, the present invention may be configured as follows, or a control mode may be set (having the same functions as the above-described embodiments). The same numbers and reference numerals as those in the above embodiment are attached to the items).

(A) When image information is printed on the recording medium M, the form of print control is set so that the preceding print area and the subsequent print area are arranged in a positional relationship such that they are in contact with each other in the transport direction. In this control mode, the waste of the recording medium M is minimized, and when the last image information is cut by the front cutting mechanism C, the rear end portion of the print area J of the last image information is cut. When the rear cutting mechanism G is cut, the relative distance between the two cutting positions CP1 and CP2 can be made extremely small even when the cutting is performed at the two cutting positions CP1 and CP2 as described above. Waste of the recording medium M can be eliminated.

(B) By providing the rear cutting mechanism G with two cutting blades, the recording medium M can be cut at a predetermined distance by a single operation without transporting the recording medium M. According to this configuration, it is not necessary to perform the process of stopping the conveyance twice in order to perform the cutting at two places as described above,
It will increase the processing speed.

(C) The front cutting mechanism C is constructed so as to operate independently of the printing mechanism B. According to this configuration, the cutting mechanism can be arranged at either the upper side or the lower side of the printing position in the printing section B, and the degree of freedom in design increases.

(D) Arbitrary image information to be continuously printed is designated, the image information is printed, and only the part of the print area J of the image information printed in this way is moved back and forth. The control mode (processing mode) is set so that the recording medium M can be separated and processed. By setting such a processing mode, for example, even when performing test printing, quick processing is realized without waste.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an image transfer system.

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional side view of the image forming apparatus.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a structure of a printing mechanism.

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a blade body provided in a print head.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a structure of a rear cutting mechanism.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of a recording medium.

FIG. 7 is a block circuit diagram of a control system.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of a print processing routine.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart of a disconnection processing routine.

FIG. 10 is a comparative example of an image forming apparatus.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a print form according to a comparative example.

[Explanation of symbols]

12 Fixing layer 13 Penetration layer 58 mark sensor A transport mechanism B print mechanism C, G cutting mechanism D control means E heating mechanism H loop forming part M Recording medium CM cut mark

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    (72) Inventor Masazumi Ishikawa             No. 1 at 579 Umehara, Wakayama City, Wakayama Prefecture             Inside Ritsu Koki Co., Ltd. F term (reference) 2C056 EB29 EB30 EC14 EC30 FD03                       FD13 HA29 HA60                 2C058 AC07 AE04 AE07 AE18 AF51                       LA03 LC05 LC26 LC27

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A conveyance mechanism for feeding a recording medium, which comprises a fixing layer on the surface of a substrate and a film-like permeation layer, and a sublimation ink applied to the permeation layer of the recording medium fed by the conveyance mechanism. And a printing mechanism for printing image information, and a heating mechanism for transferring the image information printed on the permeation layer to the fixing layer by heating the recording medium, and a long recording medium is used. A cutting mechanism that is used to cut and separate the recording medium is provided at a position above and below the heating mechanism in the transport direction of the recording medium, and a control means for switching and operating each cutting mechanism is provided. An image forming apparatus provided. 2. When a plurality of pieces of image information are continuously printed on the recording medium by the printing mechanism, the printing is performed by the cutting mechanism located below the heating mechanism. In addition to performing the process of separating the regions from each other, a control mechanism of the control means is configured to perform the process of separating the region in which the last image information is printed at the transfer side of the region in which the last image information is printed by the cutting mechanism disposed at a position higher than the heating mechanism. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, which is set. 3. When a plurality of image information is printed, a cut mark forming means for printing a cut mark indicating a boundary position of each image information on the recording medium by the printing mechanism is provided, and the recording medium is provided. A cutting sensor that detects a cut mark on the conveyance path, and controls the cutting mechanism located below the heating mechanism based on the detection result of this mark sensor to separate the image information from each other. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: 4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the control mode of the cutting control means is set so as to perform cutting at an upper hand position and a lower hand position in the transport direction of the recording medium based on the cut mark. . 5. A control mode is set such that the cutting control means performs the cutting operation in a state where the conveyance of the recording medium is stopped in the cutting mechanism located at a position lower than the heating mechanism, and the cutting mechanism controls the cutting operation. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising a loop forming unit that forms a slack in the recording medium to temporarily prevent the recording medium from being fed into the cutting mechanism with respect to a good position in the transport direction. . 6. A control mode is set such that the control means performs a cutting operation in a state in which the conveyance of the recording medium is stopped in a cutting mechanism located at a position higher than the heating mechanism, and the conveyance mechanism conveys the recording medium. In the lower direction, and
A slack is formed on the recording medium for continuing the feeding of the recording medium to the heating mechanism with the feeding of the recording medium from the cutting mechanism being temporarily stopped with respect to a position better than the heating mechanism. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a loop forming unit.