JP2003305827A - Recording medium treatment apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a recording medium treatment apparatus constituted so as to heat a sheetlike recording medium wherein an ink receiving layer is bonded to a base material to sublime the sublimable dye in the ink receiving layer to fix the same on the surface of the base material and to continuously subject the printed recording medium to fixing treatment while adjusting the consumption of heating energy corresponding to the width of the printed recording medium. <P>SOLUTION: A heating region for heating the recording medium in a mechanical non-contact state with a heat source and a feed means for passing the recording medium through the heating region Q at a predetermined speed are provided. Heating region regulation mechanisms 16, V, 18, 19 and E2 for regulating the width dimension of the heating region Q corresponding to that of the recording medium are provided. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a sublimation dye supported on an ink receiving layer by heating a sheet-shaped recording medium having a substrate and an ink receiving layer attached to the surface of the substrate. The present invention relates to a recording medium processing device for sublimating and fixing the toner on the substrate surface side.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As an example of such a recording medium processing apparatus, a method for manufacturing a metal ornament is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-297.
Japanese Patent Publication No. 197 is known. In the method described here, on the inkjet receiving layer of the recording medium consisting of a flat metal substrate, a transparent resin layer, and an inkjet receiving layer, a colored pattern made of a sublimation type coloring material is jet-formed by an inkjet printer, and then, Then, by heating in a heating furnace or a hot press, at least a part of this sublimation type coloring material is made to enter the inside of the transparent resin layer. Further, after the inkjet receiving layer is softened with warm water and then wiped off with a cloth or the like, the metal decorative body having a colored pattern is completed.

However, in this known recording medium processing technique, it is necessary to perform a heat treatment in a batch process through the handling that an operator newly sets a heating furnace or a hot press each time a colored pattern is formed on the recording medium. there were. In addition, since the dimensions in the heating furnace and hot press and the heat generation area of the heat source are constant regardless of the widthwise dimension of the recording medium, heat treatment is applied to a recording medium that is smaller than the heating furnace or hot press. Even when attempting to do so, there was a problem in that heating energy equivalent to the heating energy required for a recording medium having a large width was consumed.

[0004]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore, an object of the present invention is to more continuously fix a printed recording medium in view of the above-mentioned drawbacks of the above-described conventional recording medium processing technique. At the same time, it is an object of the present invention to provide a recording medium processing device in which the amount of heating energy consumed can be adjusted according to the width of a printed recording medium.

[0005]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, a recording medium processing apparatus according to the present invention comprises the characteristic constitution described in any one of claims 1 to 6 in the scope of claims. ing. That is, the recording medium processing apparatus according to claim 1 of the present invention is carried on the ink receiving layer by heating a sheet-shaped recording medium having a base material and an ink receiving layer attached to the surface of the base material. A recording medium processing device for sublimating and fixing a sublimable dye to the substrate surface side, wherein a heating region for heating the recording medium in a mechanically non-contact state with a heat source, A heating area adjusting mechanism is provided, which is provided with a conveying unit that passes through the heating area at a predetermined speed, and adjusts the widthwise dimension of the heating area according to the widthwise dimension of the recording medium.

Due to the above-mentioned characteristic structure,
In the recording medium processing apparatus according to claim 1 of the present invention, the recording medium is heated in the heating region in a mechanically non-contact state with the heat source (in other words, by radiant heat or atmospheric heating). Compared with the structure in which the heat source is mechanically contacted with the heat source for heating, the heating is carried out less rapidly and more uniformly. As a result, the recording medium is less likely to be distorted by heat, and an image having uniform density and resolution is formed. further,
In the recording medium processing apparatus according to claim 1 of the present invention, since the recording medium is passed through the heating area at a predetermined speed by the conveying means, the printed recording medium can be more continuously fixed. You can At the same time, in the recording medium processing apparatus according to claim 1 of the present invention, since the heating area adjusting mechanism for adjusting the widthwise dimension of the heating area according to the widthwise dimension of the recording medium is provided,
When processing a recording medium with a width sufficiently smaller than the maximum width that can be processed by the device, a method of reducing the widthwise dimension of the heating area can be adopted, and as a result, the consumption of heating energy is almost unnecessary. It is possible to suppress it to a sufficient value.

More specifically, the heat source is divided into a plurality of heating sections arranged along the width direction of the recording medium, and a part of the plurality of heating sections is turned ON / O.
It may be configured such that a control device for FF control is provided. With such a structure, particularly in the case of a dye capable of performing heat fixing mainly by radiant heat from a heat source, a recording medium having a width sufficiently smaller than the maximum width that can be processed by the apparatus is used. During the processing, the central heating section in the width direction remains in the ON state (without necessarily reducing the space itself surrounding the heat source and the recording medium), and the heating sections on both sides in the width direction are switched to the OFF state. Even
The necessary and sufficient heating conditions can be applied to the entire surface of the recording medium, and the consumption of heating energy can be suppressed.

Alternatively, more specifically, the heating region is formed inside a heating housing into which a recording medium can be loaded, and the heat source is the recording medium via the air in the heating housing. The heating area adjusting mechanism may include a shutter member for adjusting the width of the inside of the heating housing. According to this structure, since the width of the space itself surrounding the heat source and the recording medium can be reduced by the shutter member, the heat fixing is performed by relying on the heating by the air heated by the heat source (that is, the atmospheric heating). It is also possible to treat a dye that needs to be applied (for example, a dye having a characteristic that the color development balance of the inks of each color of CMY is destroyed by heating mainly by radiant heat).

More specifically, the heating area adjusting mechanism may be composed of a moving mechanism for adjusting the position of the shutter member along the width direction of the recording medium. According to this structure, since the shutter member may be slid along the width direction of the recording medium, the width of the space surrounding the heat source and the recording medium can be continuously varied (in a plurality of predetermined stages). You can adjust to any value, rather than step-wise adjustments that select from values.

The heating area adjusting mechanism positions the shutter member between a first position that enters the inside of the heating housing to narrow the heating area and a second position that exits from the inside. It can be configured by a switching mechanism for switching by. With this configuration, for example,
Since the internal width of the heating housing can be switched by simply inserting and removing the shutter member via the slit formed in the heating housing, a heating area adjusting mechanism having a simple and inexpensive structure can be realized.

The recording medium has a printing section for printing with the ink containing the sublimable dye, and the conveying means receives the printed recording medium discharged from the printing section and supplies it to the heating area. be able to.
According to this structure, it is possible to obtain the recording medium processing device in which the printing unit for printing and the heating and fixing unit for heating and fixing the printed recording medium are integrated. According to this structure, the recording medium ejecting mechanism provided in the printing unit can be used as it is as a conveying unit that allows the recording medium to pass through the heating area at a predetermined speed, or the recording medium provided in the printing unit. The power of the ejection mechanism can be transmitted to the conveying means that allows the recording medium to pass through the heating area at a predetermined speed.

Other features and advantages of the present invention include:
It will be apparent from the following description of the embodiments with reference to the drawings.

[0013]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION An embodiment of a recording medium processing apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Figure 1
The recording medium processing apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 6 mainly heats the print unit P that forms an image on the sheet-shaped recording medium M with ink containing a sublimable dye, and the recording medium M discharged from the print unit P. It has a heat fixing unit F1 for fixing the dye by doing so. As shown in FIG.
A control unit C1 for controlling the operations of the printing unit P and the heat fixing unit F1 is provided inside the printer. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the heat fixing unit F1 is designed to be attachable to and detachable from the print section P.

(Structure of Ink) The ink mainly used here is, for example, “black”, “cyan”, “magenta”,
"Yellow", "Light cyan", "Light magenta"
Each of the six inks is basically an aqueous ink containing a sublimable dye. However, the print section P
Then, it is also possible to print with a normal ink containing no sublimable dye.

(Structure of Recording Medium) As shown in FIG. 3, the recording medium M mainly used here is a sheet-shaped base material B.
And an ink receiving layer R that is adhered to the upper surface of the base material B via an adhesive layer (not shown) or the like. The base material B is PE
A base sheet S formed of a synthetic resin material such as T (polyethylene terephthalate) and the like, and a protective layer T having a high weather resistance of about 5 to 10 μm integrally provided on the upper surface of the base sheet S. The protective layer T is made of, for example, a fluororesin. The thickness of the ink receiving layer R is about several tens of μm. The protective layer T has a low affinity with the water-based ink used for image formation in the print portion P, but the ink receiving layer R has a sufficiently high affinity with the water-based ink. As will be described later, the recording medium M is printed on the ink receiving layer R with an aqueous ink containing a sublimable dye, and is subjected to heat treatment after printing to sublimate the sublimable dye into the inside of the recording medium M. Designed on the assumption that it will become established,
Here, it is called a sublimation type medium. However, it is also possible to print on a recording medium, which is a general paper non-sublimation type medium, with a normal ink containing no sublimable dye.

(Regarding Fixation of Sublimable Dye) In the print section P, an aqueous ink mainly containing a sublimable dye is
The recording medium M is placed near the surface of the ink receiving layer R at room temperature. When the recording medium M discharged from the printing unit P is heated by the heating and fixing unit F1 under appropriate heating conditions, the sublimable dye sublimes (vaporizes) from the ink located near the surface of the receiving layer R, Move to the inside of the receiving layer R, and
Passing through the protective layer T, the interface between the base sheet S and the protective layer T,
Or the inside of the base sheet S near the surface (see, for example, FIG.
To the place marked with x) and it is fixed here. When the fixing process is completed in this way, the ink receiving layer R can be easily peeled from the base material B in a sheet form at an arbitrary time after the fixing is completed. Ink receiving layer R
In the state of peeling off, the dye fixed in the base material B of the recording medium M has a weather resistant protective layer T from the surface,
It is protected by the base sheet S from the back side, and at the same time,
A protective layer T having high transparency at least from the upper surface side of the base material B
It becomes a shape that can be easily seen through.

In practice, the heating conditions to be applied to the recording medium M in order to provide the recording medium M with the optimum image density and resolution with the ink receiving layer R peeled off after the heat fixing is completed are as follows. It may be different depending on the detailed material type, thickness, type of ink used, density of the image formed at the printing unit, weather conditions, etc. of each layer of the recording medium M. Then, in order to easily understand the essence of the present invention, the heat fixing unit F of the recording medium M is simply used.
The appropriate heating condition in 1 is set to “180 ° C. × 2 min”.

(Structure of Printing Section) As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, the printing section P has a case-shaped main body 2a whose upper side is open, and the upper side of the main body 2a swings around a hinge 2c. It is covered by an openable / closable cover 2b. A base frame 2d provided on the bottom of the main body 2a is provided with a grounding leg 2e, which supports the main body 2a at a relatively high position. In addition, as shown in FIG. 2 and FIG.
At the end of the main body 2a on the side where the printed recording medium M is sent out, a connecting portion 2f (or a discharging portion 2) having an annular cross section is formed.
f) is provided. As shown in FIG.
In the main body 2a, a storage unit 3 that can rotatably support a continuous recording medium M in a roll shape, a transport mechanism 4 that pulls out the recording medium M from the storage unit 3 and transports the recording medium M in the sub-scanning direction.
Recording medium M transported in the sub-scanning direction by the transport mechanism 4
On the other hand, there is provided an ink jet type print head 5 which forms an image with ink while reciprocating in a main scanning direction orthogonal to the sub-scanning direction. The storage unit 3 is
It has a support rod 3a that rotatably supports the recording medium M wound in a roll through its cylindrical core.

The print head 5 is supported by guide rods 6 and 6 extending linearly in the width direction of the recording medium M so as to be capable of reciprocating, and a stepping motor type scanning motor (not shown) allows a timing belt or a timing belt. It is reciprocally driven along the guide rod 6 via an operating system (not shown) such as a screw shaft. The print head 5 is provided with an ejection nozzle 5a composed of a piezo element or the like, and at the same time, an ink cartridge 5b of ink containing a sublimable dye is attached. It should be noted that the print head 5 is provided with a cutter N1 that descends based on a signal issued via the control unit C1 as necessary and cuts the recording medium M based on the movement of the print head 5 in the main scanning direction. ing.

The transport mechanism 4 includes a pair of pull-out rollers 4a for pulling out the recording medium M from the storage section 3, a print roller 4b for holding the recording medium M at a constant distance from the discharge nozzle 5a of the print head 5, and an image formation. A discharge roller pair 4c for discharging the recorded recording medium M from the printing section P and a stepping motor E1 for driving these roller pairs 4a, 4b, 4c via a timing belt or the like are provided.
The control unit C1 of the print unit P has a microprocessor (not shown) built therein and forms a data input system for inputting print data transferred from the computer 36 of the image processing system G described later. Further, the control unit C1
Is provided with a signal system that outputs control signals to the transport mechanism 4 of the printing unit P, the ink ejection mechanism of the print head 5, a scanning motor, the stepping motor E1 of the transport mechanism 4, and the like.

The transport mechanism 4 always transports the recording medium in the sub-scanning direction in synchronization with the scan operation of the print head 5. Specifically, it has the following configuration. That is, the home position HP (see FIG. 5) for the print head 5 is set at one end of the print stroke in which the print head 5 reciprocates based on sliding on the guide rod 6. The print head 5 is configured to reciprocate in the main scanning direction between the home position HP and the other end or intermediate point while the transport mechanism 4 is stopped to control printing. On the other hand, in the transport mechanism 4, the print head 5 has the home position HP.
Then, the recording medium is fed by one pitch in a short period of time when the recording medium is stationary. This one pitch is a distance corresponding to the interval between pixels in the sub-scanning direction at the maximum resolution that can be processed by the recording medium processing device 1. By the control of the print head 5 and the transport mechanism 4 described above by the control unit C1,
A recording medium M having a width of at least about 300 mm (for example, A
An arbitrary image can be printed on the recording medium M) in which the third plate is fed in the vertical direction. Incidentally, the cutting operation of the recording medium M by the cutter N1 provided in the print head 5 also causes the home position H while the transport mechanism 4 is stopped.
It is carried out while moving from P to the other end or waypoint.

(Structure of Heating Unit) As shown in FIG.
The heat fixing unit F1 is an external housing H1 made of metal or the like.
And a heating housing H2 arranged inside the external housing H1. The heating housing H2 is a housing composed of a wall member made of a metal plate having a double structure with an air insulating layer (not shown) sandwiched in the middle, and the inside of the housing heats the recording medium M. Is the heating area Q. The wall member that constitutes the heating housing H2 is a horizontal bottom wall member W that forms the bottom of the heating housing H2.
b, a horizontal ceiling member W that forms the ceiling of the heating housing H2
t, vertical side wall members Ws1 and Ws2 forming the left and right side wall portions of the heating housing H2, a side wall member Wf forming an upstream vertical wall of the heating housing H2, and a vertical side surface of the heating housing H2. It is composed of a side wall member Wr forming a wall.

In the heating area Q, the recording medium M is transported in the horizontal direction, and the upstream side wall member Wf and the downstream side wall member W are provided.
In r, horizontal slits Yf and Y that allow the recording medium M to pass therethrough are provided.
r is formed. Further, a cutter N2 (see FIG. 4) capable of cutting the recording medium M at a boundary between images is disposed near the downstream end of the heat fixing unit F1. An auxiliary transport mechanism 14 driven by the power received from the transport mechanism 4 of the printing unit P is provided inside the external housing H1. The auxiliary transport mechanism 14 includes a first auxiliary roller pair 14a that is arranged adjacent to the upstream side of the heating housing H2.
And a second auxiliary roller pair 14b adjacently arranged on the downstream side of the heating housing H2. On the side surface of the external housing H1, a printing section P of the heat fixing unit F1 by an operator or the like is provided.
A transmission mechanism (not shown) mainly composed of a plurality of gears is provided for automatically and interlockingly connecting the auxiliary transport mechanism 14 to the transport mechanism 4 of the printing section P in accordance with the connection operation to the. .

The heating area Q in the heating housing H2 is about 300
It has a width direction dimension of a little over mm, and is divided into heating spaces Q1 and Q2 below and above the conveyance surface of the recording medium M. In the lower heating space Q1, a planar heater 7 made of ceramic or the like having a nichrome wire embedded therein is arranged so as to be spread over the bottom surface of the heating housing H2. The planar heater 7 is
It has a function of heating the recording medium M on which an image is formed in the print section P mainly by contact with high temperature air to fix the sublimable dye contained in the ink. As shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, the planar heater 7 is divided into a first heating section 7a, a second heating section 7b, and a third heating section 7c in order from the side closest to the home position HP. In each heating section, the heating area Q is divided into three substantially evenly in the width direction of the recording medium M without any interruption, and the temperature control and the ON / OFF control can be performed individually. From the inner surface of the left side wall member Ws1 of the heating housing H2, a temperature sensor 8 for measuring the ambient temperature in the heating region Q is provided.
Is erected horizontally. The auxiliary control unit C2, which will be described later,
Based on the detection result of the temperature of the recording medium M by the temperature sensor 8, a predetermined heating history (here, “180 ° C. ×
The temperature of the heater 7 is controlled so as to receive "2 min").

(Heating Area Adjustment Mechanism) Heat Fixing Unit F
1 is provided with a heating region adjusting mechanism for adjusting the widthwise dimension of the heating region Q. The heating area adjusting mechanism maintains the vertical posture of the shutter member 16 in the shape of a vertical partition plate arranged inside the side wall member Ws2 on the right side when viewed from the downstream side of the heating housing H2, and the position of the shutter member 16. The drive mechanism V for adjusting the width of the recording medium M as it is,
And the second and third heating sections 7 of the planar heater 7.
It is composed of an auxiliary control unit C2 for appropriately switching the b and 7c to the OFF state in conjunction with the drive mechanism V (the auxiliary control unit C2 will be described later). The drive mechanism V is mainly
2 extending horizontally between the opposing side wall members Ws1 and Ws2
The book screw shafts 18a and 18b, female screw portions 16a and 16b formed at two positions of the shutter member 16 so as to be screwed with the screw shafts 18a and 18b, and fixed to the outside of the right side wall member Ws2. A pair of bevel gear mechanisms 19a, 19b for transmitting the rotational driving force of the drive motor E2 and the drive shaft extending from the drive motor E2 to one end of each screw shaft 18a, 18b.
Consists of.

When the drive motor E2 is driven in the forward rotation direction or the reverse rotation direction, the two screw shafts 18a and 18b are simultaneously driven to rotate, whereby the shutter member 16 assumes a posture parallel to the side wall member Ws2. While keeping the position, the position of the recording medium M along the width direction is at least the first position (the longest position shown in FIG. 6A) about 300 mm from the home position HP (here, the shutter member 16 is a side wall). Adjacent to the inner surface of the member Ws2 with almost no gap), a second position (intermediate position, about 200 mm from the home position HP,
Here, the shutter member 16 is located near the boundary between the second heating section 7b and the third heating section 7c of the planar heater 7), and about 100 from the home position HP.
mm 3rd position (shortest position shown in FIG. 6B, here, the shutter member 16 is located near the boundary between the first heating section 7a and the second heating section 7b of the planar heater 7). You can adjust the movement. However, the shutter member 16 may be configured so that it can be moved and adjusted steplessly to any place between these positions. Between the shutter member 16 and the ceiling member Wt, and the shutter member 16
A gap of about 1 to 2 mm may be formed between the sheet heater 7 and the sheet heater 7 to facilitate movement of the shutter member 16. Further, the side wall member Ws on the left side of the heating housing H2
A fan 9 for forming a temperature distribution as uniform as possible in the heating space Q by mixing the air in the heating space Q1 is arranged on each inner wall surface of the shutter member 16 and the shutter member 16.

In the heating area Q, the recording medium M transported by the transport mechanism 4 of the printing section P and the auxiliary transport mechanism 14 of the heat fixing unit F1 is supported in a horizontal state and is held at a constant distance from the heater 7. A support guide member 10 for performing the operation is provided. As shown in FIG. 5, the support guide member 10
Consists of a large number of support rods 11 extending from the upstream end to the downstream end of the heating region Q. Each support rod 11 is
A horizontal leg 11a supported in the horizontal grooves 12, 12 below the slits Yf, Yr of the upstream side wall member Wf and the downstream side wall member Wr, and a vertical leg extending upward from the horizontal leg 11a. 11b and vertical legs 1 on both the upstream and downstream sides
1b and a supporting guide portion 11c extending horizontally.
The horizontal leg portions 11a of the supporting rods 11 that are adjacent to each other in the width direction of the recording medium M are all supported rods 1.
1 is connected to either the upstream side or the downstream side so as to be connected in a zigzag shape in plan view as a whole.
The connection may be achieved by bonding or screwing, but all the supporting rods 11 may be integrally formed in a state of being connected to each other.

The support rod 11 is formed by injection molding of heat-resistant engineering plastic such as polyether nitrile resin (PEN) or polyphenylene sulfide resin (PPS). By the way, the heat distortion temperature of polyether nitrile resin is 330
C., and long-term heat resistant temperature is 230.degree. Further, the heat distortion temperature of polyphenylene sulfide resin is 260
C., and the long-term heat resistant temperature is 170 to 200.degree.
These engineering plastics have sufficient heat resistance. At the same time, it is a high specific heat material having a larger specific heat than steel as the most general structural material. In this way, if engineering plastic having a relatively high specific heat is used as the material of the support rod 11, the support rod 11 is overheated by the high temperature atmosphere in the heating region Q, which exceeds the sublimation suitability temperature of 180 ° C. Hard to become. Therefore, the sublimation of the portion of the recording medium M which comes into contact with the support rod 11 is prevented from proceeding excessively.

As described above, the support guide portions 11c of the plurality of support rods 11 connected in a zigzag shape form a single flat guide surface by gathering in a grill shape. Further, each support rod 11 is elastically deformable at a part of the horizontal leg 11a and the vertical leg 11b, or the support guide portion 11c, and a set of a large number of support rods 11 connected in a zigzag shape is formed. The side wall member Ws1 on the left side of the heating housing H2 and the shutter member 16 are urged in such a direction as to widen them in the width direction of the recording medium M. Therefore, FIG.
As can be understood by comparing (a) and FIG. 6 (b), the grill-shaped guide surface formed by the support guide portions 11c of the plurality of support rods 11 has a movement of the shutter member 16 by the heating area adjusting mechanism. The extension range is changed according to.
As a result, the support guide portion 11c of the support rod 11 is spread over substantially the entire heating region Q regardless of the change in the position of the shutter member 16 by the heating region adjusting mechanism.

Further, as illustrated in FIG. 5, all the support guide portions 11c are always viewed in plan with respect to the transport direction of the recording medium M regardless of the change in the position of the shutter member 16 by the heating area adjusting mechanism. At a constant angle (eg about 5 °
Since each of the portions of the recording medium that moves through these support guide portions 11c is inclined,
The heat history received by the heater 7 due to the contact with the support guide portion 11c having a high temperature becomes uniform in the width direction of the recording medium M.

A heater 7, a fan 9, a drive motor E2 for a heating area adjusting mechanism, and a cutter N are provided below the outer casing H1.
An auxiliary control unit C2 forming an output system for each of the two and an input system for inputting a signal from the temperature sensor 8 is arranged. The auxiliary control section C2 is connected to the control section C1 of the print section P via the control cable 30 and the separable connector 31, thereby forming a signal access system.

When printing on the print section P with the A3 size recording medium set, the auxiliary control section C2 drives the drive motor E2 of the heating area adjusting mechanism to move the shutter member 16 to the width of the heating area Q. The longest position (Fig. 6)
Then, the first to third sections 7a, 7b, 7c of the planar heater 7 are switched to the ON state, and the temperature sensor 8 controls the temperature so as to detect 180 ° C. On the other hand, when printing is performed by the print unit P with the B5 plate recording medium set, the auxiliary control unit C2
The drive motor E2 of the heating area adjusting mechanism is driven to switch the shutter member 16 to the second position where the width of the heating area Q is in the middle, and the first and second sections 7a, 7a,
Only 7b is switched to the ON state, and the temperature sensor 8
The temperature is controlled to detect ° C. When printing on the print section P with the postcard printing medium set, the auxiliary control section C2 drives the drive motor E2 of the heating area adjusting mechanism to move the shutter member 16 to the width of the heating area Q. Is switched to the third position (the state of FIG. 6B) where the distance becomes the shortest, and only the first section 7a of the planar heater 7 is turned on.
The temperature is switched to the N state, and the temperature is controlled so that the temperature sensor 8 detects 180 ° C.

As shown in FIG. 2, an annular connected portion Hc which can be externally fitted to the connecting portion 2f of the print portion P is provided at the upstream end of the outer casing H1. The heat fixing unit F1 is configured to be switchable between a state connected to the print section P and a state released from the connection via the connected portion Hc. In the connected state of the print unit P and the heat fixing unit F1, the clamp screw 15a is inserted into the hole portion of the bracket 15 fixed to the side surface of the external housing H1 of the heat fixing unit F1, and the main body of the print unit P is inserted. By being screwed into a screw hole formed on the side surface of 2a, it can be securely fixed. When the connection is released, the screw 15a may be removed and the heat fixing unit F1 may be pulled out.

(Structure of Image Processing System) As shown in FIG. 1, a general-purpose computer 36, a monitor 37, a keyboard 38, a mouse 3 are provided near the recording medium processing device 1.
9 and an image processing system G including a film scanner 40 for photoelectrically converting image information of the developed photographic film Pf. The image processing system G is used by being connected to the control unit C1 of the recording medium processing device 1. The computer 36 has a CD (CD-R),
MO, Compact Flash (registered trademark) card, etc.
A media drive 36a for taking out a file of image data (referred to as initial image data here) from various electronic data recording media is additionally provided. Therefore, the original image data stored in the electronic data recording medium is
By processing the image processing system G to create necessary print data and transferring it to the control unit C1 of the recording medium processing device 1, an image based on the initial image data included in the transferred print data is recorded. It can be formed on the medium M.

(Flow of recording medium processing) In the recording medium processing apparatus 1 described above, the recording medium M is formed by the ink containing the sublimable dye.
An example of a schematic process executed when an image is formed on the image and the fixing process is performed will be described below in chronological order. First, the print data created by the image processing system G is transferred to the control unit C1 of the printing unit P. The controller C1 controls the transport mechanism 4 to transport the recording medium M, and controls the print head 5 to control the ink cartridge 5.
An image obtained by spraying the ink in b onto the ink receiving layer R of the recording medium M (here, a text document is also considered as a kind of image)
Printed on (photo images are also considered as a type of printing target here)
Execute the print process. As the printing process progresses, the recording medium M discharged from the printing unit P is
It is sent to the heating and fixing unit F1 by the carrying force of the carrying mechanism 4 and the auxiliary carrying mechanism 14.

In the heating and fixing unit F1, as described above, the auxiliary controller C2 allows the recording medium M to enter the heating area Q and exit from the heating area Q at 180 ° C. × 2 min.
The temperature of the heater 7 is controlled so as to receive the heating history of, and the recording medium M on which the sublimation fixing of the sublimable dye is performed under this condition is discharged to the outside of the recording medium processing apparatus 1. The recording medium M ejected to the outside of the recording medium processing apparatus 1 may be any one including immediately after being ejected, immediately before being shipped to an agency or a customer, or when being used by the final consumer, depending on the usage pattern of the recording medium M. At the stage of, the ink receiving layer R is peeled off. Ink receiving layer R
Is peeled off, the final recording medium M is completed.

The printing speed in the printing section P, which is generally an ink jet printer, and the discharging speed of the recording medium differ depending on factors such as the width dimension of the recording medium, the image resolution, and the image form. On the other hand, in order to finish a recording medium printed with an ink containing a sublimable dye with a predetermined image density and resolution, it is basically necessary to carry out a constant heat fixing of 180 ° C. × 2 min. However, the heat fixing unit F1 of the recording medium processing apparatus 1 is not provided with a second transport mechanism for transporting the recording medium M at a speed independent of the discharging speed from the print section P, and further, the heat fixing is performed. The length of the unit F1 is basically constant, and
The sublimation fixing condition is also fixed here to 180 ° C. × 2 min in principle. Therefore, the recording medium processing apparatus 1 of the present invention
Then, in order to perform constant heating and fixing on the recording medium M irrespective of fluctuations in factors such as the width dimension of the recording medium, the resolution of the image, and the form of the image, the control unit C1 (print control unit) of the printing unit P is Initially, regardless of the form and content of the image data, the recording medium M is designed to perform print conveyance control at a predetermined speed at which a predetermined heat history (180 ° C. × 2 min) is received in the heating area of the heat fixing unit F1. ing.

Therefore, the image processing system G receives a file of initial image data based on an image carried on a recording medium such as a photographic film Pf or a CD via the film scanner 40 or the media drive 36a, and receives the file. When creating print data based on the print data, the print head 5
In all lines in the sub-scanning direction, print data is created with dummy data added to the initial image data for forcibly scanning with the maximum printable length for the maximum size recording medium, This is the print section P
To the control unit C1. As this dummy data,
For example, all lines in the sub-scanning direction can be configured by data that blank-fills the blank space portion of the maximum size recording medium in the width direction.

As a result, for example, A3 is fed vertically.
In the case of the recording medium processing apparatus 1 in which the plate recording medium is set as the maximum size recording medium, when the initial image data including the image data only in the central portion is printed depending on the line in the sub-scanning direction. Printhead 5
Is reciprocally moved on all lines in the sub-scanning direction with a width of 270 mm corresponding to the width of the A3 plate, and dummy data pixels located near both ends of the print roller 4b where the recording medium M does not exist are blanked. The transport mechanism 4 controls the printing of the recording medium M in the sub-scanning direction in synchronization with the reciprocating movement of the print head 5. Also, when printing the initial image data of the postcard plate size, the print head 5
Is a state in which each line repeats reciprocating movement with a width of 270 mm corresponding to the width of the A3 plate, blanks the vicinity of the end of the print roller 4b where the recording medium M does not exist, and is synchronized with the reciprocating movement of the print head 5. Then, the transport mechanism 4 controls the printing of the recording medium M in the sub-scanning direction.

The length of the heating area Q of the heating and fixing unit F1 in the recording medium conveying direction and the capacity of the heater 7 are recorded if the recording medium M is print-controlled based on the print data including such dummy data. It is set so that a predetermined heat history (180 ° C. × 2 min) can be applied to the medium M. When printing based on one image file is completed, the recording medium M is cut by the cutter N1 (or the cutter N2) of the print head 5 along the sub-scanning direction at the margin of the image as necessary. . When the recording medium M is cut by the cutter N1 of the print head 5, the recording medium M is transported in the heating area Q by the auxiliary transport mechanism 14 of the heating and fixing unit F1 and discharged to the outside of the heating and fixing unit F1. Further, after the recording medium M is cut by the cutter N1 of the print head 5, the unprinted blank recording medium M is sent to the heat fixing unit F1 when the succeeding recording medium M is not printed by the print head 5. In order to prevent the above, the pull-out roller pair 4a of the transport mechanism 4 of the print section P is provided so as to be capable of releasing pressure.

[Other Embodiments] <1> In the case where the print unit P is designed to eject the recording medium M having a small width from the vicinity of the center in the width direction of the print unit P, the left side wall member is used as the heating region adjusting mechanism. A shutter member 16 similar to the inside of the right side wall member Ws2 is also provided inside Ws1, and these left and right shutter members 16, 1 are provided.
The position of 6 may be adjusted along the width direction of the recording medium M.

<2> Instead of providing the support guide portion 11c having a grill-shaped guide surface whose area is changed according to the movement of the shutter member 16 by the heating area adjusting mechanism in the heating housing H2, instead, While supporting the recording medium M from above and below, it is also possible to provide several pairs of conveying rollers which convey at a conveying speed synchronized with the auxiliary conveying mechanism 14 along the conveying direction. It is necessary to use a material (for example, silicon rubber) having a heat resistant temperature of 200 ° C. on the peripheral surface of the pair of conveying rollers used in the heating housing H2. In addition, the shutter member 16
It is necessary to form a through hole having a shape surrounding the peripheral surface of the heat-resistant transport roller pair.

<3> The heating area adjusting mechanism includes a first position where the shutter member enters the inside of the heating housing to narrow the heating area and a second position where the shutter member exits from the inside of the heating housing. It may be configured to include a switching mechanism that switches between and. That is, the recording medium processing device 1 shown in FIG.
Reference numeral 01 has a printing section P similar to the above-described recording medium processing apparatus 1, and a heat fixing unit F2 for fixing the dye by heating the recording medium M discharged from the printing section P. An image processing system G similar to the one described above is installed near the recording medium processing apparatus 101, and the type of ink used and the type of recording medium are also the same as those described above. Heat fixing unit F2 of recording medium processing apparatus 101
Has an external housing H3 made of metal or the like, and a heating housing H4 arranged inside the external housing H3. The heating housing H4 is a housing composed of a wall member made of a metal plate having a double structure with an air insulating layer (not shown) sandwiched in the middle, and the inside of the housing heats the recording medium M. Is the heating area Q. The wall members that form the heating housing H4 include horizontal bottom wall members Wb that form the bottom of the heating housing H4, horizontal ceiling members Wt that form the ceiling of the heating housing H4, and left and right of the heating housing H4. Vertical side wall members Ws1 and Ws2 forming side wall portions, a side wall member Wf forming an upstream vertical wall of the heating housing H4, and a side wall member Wr forming a downstream vertical wall of the heating housing H4. .

In the heating area Q, the recording medium M is conveyed in the horizontal direction, and the side wall member Wf on the upstream side and the side wall member W on the downstream side.
In r, horizontal slits Yf and Y that allow the recording medium M to pass therethrough are provided.
r is formed. Further, a cutter N3 capable of cutting the recording medium M at a boundary between images is arranged near the downstream end of the heat fixing unit F2. Inside the external housing H3, an auxiliary transport mechanism 14 driven by the power received from the transport mechanism 4 of the printing section P is provided. The auxiliary transport mechanism 14 includes a first auxiliary roller pair 14a disposed adjacent to the upstream side of the heating housing H4 and the heating housing H.
4 and a second auxiliary roller pair 14b adjacently arranged on the downstream side. On the side surface of the external housing H3, the auxiliary transport mechanism 14 is provided on the transport mechanism 4 of the print section P in accordance with the operation of connecting the heat fixing unit F2 to the print section P by an operator or the like.
A transmission mechanism (not shown) mainly composed of a plurality of gears is provided for automatically interlocking with the gear.

The heating area Q in the heating housing H4 is about 300
It has a width direction dimension of a little over mm, and is divided into heating spaces Q1 and Q2 below and above the conveyance surface of the recording medium M. In the lower heating space Q1, a planar heater 7 made of ceramic or the like having a nichrome wire embedded therein is arranged so as to be spread over the bottom surface of the heating housing H4. The planar heater 7 is
It has a function of heating the recording medium M on which an image is formed in the print section P mainly by contact with high temperature air to fix the sublimable dye contained in the ink. The planar heater 7 is divided into a first heating section 7a, a second heating section 7b, and a third heating section 7c in order from the side closest to the home position HP, and each heating section records a heating area Q. 3 in the width direction of the medium M substantially evenly and without interruption
It is possible to divide and individually control temperature and ON / OFF. The left and right side wall members Ws1 and Ws2 of the heating housing H4 are provided with fans 9 for forming a temperature distribution in the heating space Q1 that is as uniform as possible by mixing the air in the heating space Q1. There is. Further, a temperature sensor 8 for measuring the ambient temperature in the heating region Q is horizontally installed from the inner surface of the side wall member Ws1. The auxiliary control unit C3 to be described later, based on the detection result of the temperature of the recording medium M by the temperature sensor 8, a predetermined heating history (here, “180 The temperature of the heater 7 is controlled so that the temperature of the heater 7 is received.

In the heating area Q, the recording medium M transported by the transport mechanism 4 of the printing section P and the auxiliary transport mechanism 14 of the heat fixing unit F2 is supported in a horizontal state and is held at a constant distance from the heater 7. Support guide member 110 for
Is provided. As shown in FIG. 7, the support guide member 1
10 comprises a large number of support rods 111 extending from the upstream end to the downstream end of the heating region Q. Each support rod 1
11 is an upstream side wall member Wf and a downstream side wall member Wr.
Horizontal grooves 112, 112 below the respective slits Yf, Yr of
A horizontal leg portion 111a supported inside, and a horizontal leg portion 111a
A vertical leg portion 111b extending upward from the vertical leg portion 111b and a support guide portion 111c extending horizontally between the vertical leg portions 111b on both sides. The horizontal leg portions 111a of the support rods 111 that are adjacent to each other in the width direction of the recording medium M are arranged upstream or downstream so that all the support rods 111 are connected in a zigzag shape in plan view as a whole. On the other hand, they are connected. The connection may be achieved by adhesion or screwing.

Further, since all the support guide portions 111c are always inclined with respect to the transport direction of the recording medium M at a constant angle (for example, about 5 ° to 15 °) in a plan view, these are arranged. The thermal history of each part of the recording medium that moves through the support guide portion 111c due to the contact with the support guide portion 111c heated by the heater 7 becomes uniform in the width direction of the recording medium M. The support rod 111 of the heat fixing unit F2 is different from the support rod 11 of the heat fixing unit F1 described above in that the grill-shaped guide surface formed by the support guide portions 111c of the plurality of support rods 111 changes its area. No need.

The heating and fixing unit F2 is provided with a heating area adjusting mechanism for adjusting the widthwise dimension of the heating area Q. The heating area adjusting mechanism includes an external housing H3 and a heating housing H.
No. 1 and No. 2 slits formed on the ceiling member Wt of No. 4
Slit Y2, these first and second slits Y1, Y
A plate-shaped first insertable vertically into the heating region Q via
And the second shutter members 116a and 116b, and the second and third heating sections 7 of the planar heater 7 in accordance with the operation of inserting the shutter members 116a and 116b by the operator.
The auxiliary control unit C3 switches the b and 7c to the OFF state (the auxiliary control unit C3 will be described later).

The first slit Y1 is the first slit of the sheet heater 7.
The lower end of the first shutter member 116a, which extends parallel to the boundary line between the heating section 7a and the second heating section 7b and is inserted from the first slit Y1, passes through the gap between the adjacent support rods 111, and By reaching the vicinity of the boundary between the first heating section 7a and the second heating section 7b, the volume of the heating region Q is reduced to about one third of the maximum volume. Similarly, the second slit Y2 is the second slit of the planar heater 7.
The lower end of the second shutter member 116b, which extends parallel to the boundary line between the heating section 7b and the third heating section 7c and is inserted from the second slit Y2, passes through the gap between the adjacent support rods 111, and By reaching the vicinity of the boundary between the second heating section 7b and the third heating section 7c, the volume of the heating region Q is reduced to about two-thirds of the maximum volume. In addition, the external housing H3 or the ceiling member Wt has a first
An optical sensor (not shown) that individually detects a state in which the shutter member 116a and the second shutter member 116b are inserted is provided.

At the lower part of the outer casing H1, an output system for the heater 7, the fan 9 and the cutter N3, the temperature sensor 8 and the first and second shutter members 116a and 116b are provided.
An auxiliary control unit C3 forming an input system for inputting a signal from an optical sensor for detecting the insertion state of the optical sensor is arranged.
The auxiliary control unit C3 is provided with the control unit C1 of the printing unit P via the control cable 30 and the separable connector 31.
An access system for signals is formed by being connected to.

When printing on the print section P with the A3 size recording medium set, the operator confirms that the first and second shutter members 116a and 116b are not inserted. In this case, the auxiliary control unit C3 detects through the sensor that none of the shutter members 116a and 116b is inserted, and the first to third of the planar heater 7 is detected.
All the sections 7a, 7b, 7c are switched to the ON state, and the temperature sensor 8 controls the temperature so as to detect 180 ° C. On the other hand, when printing is to be performed on the printing section P with the B5 size recording medium set, the operator inserts the second shutter member 116b. The auxiliary control unit C2 detects that the second shutter member 116b is inserted through a sensor, and the first and second sections 7 of the planar heater 7 are detected.
Switch only a and 7b to the ON state, and the temperature sensor 8
The temperature is controlled so as to detect 80 ° C.

When printing is to be performed on the printing section P with the postcard printing medium set, the operator inserts the first shutter member 116a as shown in FIG. The auxiliary control unit C2 includes the first shutter member 116a.
Is detected via a sensor, only the first section 7a of the planar heater 7 is switched to the ON state, and the temperature sensor 8 controls the temperature so as to detect 180 ° C. In the case where the print unit P is designed to eject the recording medium M having a small width from the vicinity of the center in the width direction of the print unit P, for example, the first shutter member 116a and the second shutter member 116b are used as the heating area adjusting mechanism. Only the second heating section 7b of the heater 7 may be switched to the ON state when both are inserted.

<4> In the recording medium processing apparatus described in each of the above embodiments, the heater 7 is arranged in the lower part of the heating area Q, but even if the heater as the heat source is in the upper part of the heating area Q. good. Further, heaters may be provided both above and below the heating region Q.

<5> When the recording medium M which allows the heat fixing process by heating mainly radiant heat is used, the heating area adjusting mechanism turns on the heating section of the heater 7 in accordance with the widthwise dimension of the recording medium. It is also possible to adopt an embodiment in which the width direction dimension of the heating region is adjusted only based on the OFF control and the configuration for narrowing the space surrounding the heat source and the recording medium is not included.

<6> The recording medium processing device may not be connectable to the printer unit but may be an independent device. In this case, in the recording medium processing device, a loading port for receiving the recording medium M printed by some printing means by a manual operation of an operator and the received recording medium M are conveyed at a predetermined speed in a heating area and heated. If a transport mechanism for ejecting the recording medium M on which fixing has been completed is provided, it is advantageous in terms of streamlining processing and saving the labor of the operator.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing an appearance of a recording medium processing apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view showing another state of the main part of the recording medium processing device.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing layers constituting a sublimation type recording medium.

4 is a schematic side view showing the internal structure of the recording medium processing apparatus of FIG.

FIG. 5 is a schematic perspective view showing a heating area adjusting mechanism of a heat fixing unit.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the heat fixing unit as seen from the front.

FIG. 7 is a schematic side view showing the internal structure of another embodiment of the recording medium processing device.

8 is a cross-sectional view of the heating and fixing unit of the recording medium processing device of FIG. 7 as seen from the front.

[Explanation of symbols]

M recording medium (sublimation type medium) B base material S Base sheet (base material) T Protective layer (base material) R ink receiving layer P print department F1, F2 heat fixing unit V drive mechanism (heating area adjustment mechanism) 4 Transport mechanism 5 print head 7 heater 14 Auxiliary transport mechanism 16 Shutter member (heating area adjustment mechanism) 18 Spiral shaft (heating area adjustment mechanism) 19 Bevel gear mechanism (heating area adjustment mechanism) 116 shutter member (heating area adjusting mechanism)

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    (72) Inventor Masazumi Ishikawa             No. 1 at 579 Umehara, Wakayama City, Wakayama Prefecture             Ritsu Koki Co., Ltd. F term (reference) 2C056 EB14 EB30 EC14 EC29 FD03                       HA29 HA44

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A sublimation dye supported on the ink receiving layer is heated by heating a sheet-shaped recording medium having a substrate and an ink receiving layer attached to the surface of the substrate. A recording medium processing device that sublimates and fixes the recording medium on a recording medium, the heating region heating the recording medium in a mechanically non-contact state with a heat source, and a conveying unit that allows the recording medium to pass through the heating region at a predetermined speed. A recording medium processing device comprising: a heating region adjusting mechanism for adjusting the widthwise dimension of the heating region according to the widthwise dimension of the recording medium. 2. The heat source is divided into a plurality of heating sections arranged along the width direction of the recording medium, and a control device for controlling ON / OFF of a part of heat generation of the plurality of heating sections is provided. The recording medium processing device according to claim 1. 3. The heating region is formed inside a heating housing in which a recording medium can be loaded, and the heat source heats the recording medium via air in the heating housing. The heating area adjusting mechanism has a shutter member for adjusting the width of the inside of the heating case.
Alternatively, the recording medium processing device according to item 2. 4. The recording medium processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the heating area adjusting mechanism includes a moving mechanism that adjusts the position of the shutter member along the width direction of the recording medium. 5. The heating area adjusting mechanism positions a position of the shutter member into a first position where the shutter member enters the inside of the heating housing to narrow the heating area, and a second position where the shutter member exits from the inside. The recording medium processing apparatus according to claim 3, comprising a switching mechanism for switching between the two. 6. A recording medium has a print section for printing with the ink containing the sublimable dye, and the conveying means receives the printed recording medium discharged from the print section and supplies it to the heating area. Item 6. The recording medium processing device according to any one of items 1 to 5.