JP2004351698A - Photograph printing equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a technology to appropriately correct a print density even in a photograph printing device in which the reciprocation period of dot pins of a dot impact printing unit synchronizes with the transfer speed of a recording medium by a recording medium transfer mechanism and the transfer speed is diversely changed. <P>SOLUTION: Photograph printing equipment comprises a photographed image printing section printing a photographed image on the surface of a photographic paper brought into and a dot impact printing unit having dot pins printing printed information on the reverse of the photographic paper brought into in the sub scanning direction by the recording medium transfer mechanism and arranged in the main scanning direction and an ink ribbon moving in front of the dot pins during printing. The reciprocation period of the dot pins synchronizes with the transfer speed of a recording medium by the recording medium transfer mechanism and the movement speed of the ink ribbon is changed in accordance with the transfer speed. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is a recording medium transport mechanism that transports a recording medium drawn from a recording medium magazine, a captured image printing unit that prints a captured image on the surface of the recording medium that has been loaded by the recording medium transport mechanism, A dot impact print unit having dot pins arranged in the main scanning direction for printing print processing information on the back surface of the recording medium being conveyed in the sub-scanning direction by a recording medium conveying mechanism, and an ink ribbon moving in front of the dot pins during printing And a photographic printing apparatus comprising:
[0002]
[Prior art]
The dot impact print unit is provided on the back side (non-emulsion side) of a recording medium, which is generally photographic paper in a transport state, in a main scanning direction (a direction perpendicular to the recording medium transport direction, which can be called a sub-scanning direction). The print processing information such as the order number, the frame number to be printed, the image correction information, and the like is printed by hitting the dot pins lined up with the ink ribbon through the ink ribbon.
[0003]
In such a dot impact print unit, it is necessary to move the ink ribbon in front of the dot pins at an appropriate speed during printing in order to avoid the print density being reduced by the dot pins hitting the same portion of the ink ribbon. The ink ribbon is formed in an endless belt shape, and the portion touching the dot pin is configured to circulate so as to pass through the front of the dot pin again after being filled with ink in the ink filling section.
[0004]
In other words, the change in the moving speed of the ink ribbon changes the density of the print formed on the back surface of the photographic paper, so that by adjusting the rotational speed of the motor of the driving roller that moves the ink ribbon, A dot impact print unit configured to be able to adjust to an optimum print density is known (for example, see Patent Document 1).
[0005]
[Patent Document 1]
JP-A-2002-002074 (paragraph number 0022-0024, FIG. 2)
[0006]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
By employing the technology described in Patent Document 1 described above, it is possible to optimize the print density on the back surface of the recording medium by the dot impact print unit. For this reason, the transport speed of the recording medium is changing according to the printing conditions such as the print size, and the reciprocating operation cycle of the dot pins is synchronized with the transport speed of the recording medium by the recording medium transport mechanism. However, when the transport speed is increased, the reciprocating operation cycle of the dot pins is shortened, and as a result, a part of the ink ribbon that has been hit by the dot pins is again hit, and the print density is reduced. .
[0007]
In view of the above situation, an object of the present invention is to provide a photograph in which the reciprocating operation cycle of the dot pins of the dot impact print unit is synchronized with the transport speed of the recording medium by the recording medium transport mechanism, and the transport speed is variously changed. It is an object of the present invention to provide a technique in which an appropriate print density is compensated for in a printing apparatus.
[0008]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a recording medium transport mechanism that transports a recording medium drawn from a recording medium magazine, and a photographed image printing unit that prints a photographed image on a surface of the recording medium that is carried in by the recording medium transport mechanism Having dot pins arranged in the main scanning direction for printing print processing information on the back surface of the recording medium being conveyed in the sub-scanning direction by the recording medium conveying mechanism, and an ink ribbon moving in front of the dot pins during printing. In the photographic printing apparatus according to the present invention, which includes a dot impact print unit, a reciprocating operation cycle of the dot pins is synchronized with a transport speed of a recording medium by the recording medium transport mechanism, and the moving speed of the ink ribbon is It is changed according to the transport speed.
[0009]
According to this configuration, when the transport speed of the recording medium by the recording medium transport mechanism is changed depending on printing conditions and the like, and as a result, the reciprocating operation cycle of the dot pins is changed, the ink ribbon is moved accordingly. Since the moving speed is also set to a value at which a satisfactory print density can be obtained, the problem that the print density varies depending on the photographic print, and in extreme cases, the characters on the back side print become difficult to see is solved.
[0010]
In order to maintain the optimum print density, the moving speed of the ink ribbon should be set using the dot pin reciprocating operation cycle as a parameter, and the dot pin reciprocating operation cycle should be set using the transport speed of the recording medium transport mechanism as a parameter. However, since the transport of the recording medium functions as the sub-scanning movement of the dot impact print unit, the reciprocating operation cycle of the dot pins has a substantially fixed relationship with the transport speed of the recording medium transport mechanism. . From this, according to the experimental considerations of the inventor of the present application, the moving speed of the ink ribbon for obtaining a satisfactory print density should be set to 1/6 or more of the conveying speed of the recording medium by the recording medium conveying mechanism. It has been derived.
[0011]
In a general photographic printing apparatus, the photographed image printing section forms a photographed image on a recording medium cut to a print size, so that the recording medium pulled out from the recording medium magazine is temporarily stopped to reduce the size to the print size. Although a sheet cutter that cuts together is provided, in order to perform smooth back surface printing even during a period before and after the temporary stop of such a recording medium, in the present invention, printing by the dot impact print unit is continued. In such a case, the printing operation of the dot impact print unit is also temporarily stopped at the timing of temporarily stopping the recording medium following the sheet cut. In other words, with this configuration, it is possible to print the print processing information at an appropriate density on the back surface of the recording medium even when the recording medium is transported with a temporary stop, without the font being deformed. In this case, it is preferable to stop the movement of the ink ribbon. This prevents the unused portion of the ink ribbon from passing through the dot pins while the dot pins are temporarily stopped, and prevents the ink from being excessively filled by ink replenishment.
[0012]
Furthermore, conventionally, the ink ribbon is started to move at the same time as the operation of the dot pins. However, depending on the type of motor or the like used as a drive source for moving the ink ribbon, the operation starts. In some cases, there is a time delay that cannot be ignored when the ink ribbon is actually moved after receiving the signal. In this case, hitting the same portion of the ink ribbon at the initial stage of the dot pin driving causes a problem that the print density is reduced. In order to solve such a problem, a preferred embodiment of the present invention employs a configuration in which the movement of the ink ribbon is started a predetermined time before the operation of the dot pin is started. This makes it possible to always maintain a good print density even when a drive device such as a DC motor that responds relatively slowly to a start command is used to move the ink ribbon.
Other features and advantages according to the present invention will become apparent from the following description of embodiments with reference to the drawings.
[0013]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of a printer processor known as a so-called digital minilab as an example of a photographic printing apparatus according to the present invention. The exposure unit of this digital minilab employs a digital exposure system, and is an example of a recording medium based on print data obtained from a photograph frame image formed or stored on a photograph image medium such as a photographic film 1a or a semiconductor memory 1b. A photographed image printing unit 5 for exposing a photographed frame image to the photographic paper 2 as a photographic paper, a developing processing unit 6 for developing the exposed photographic paper 2, and a drying process after development by the developing processing unit 6 A sorter 7 for sorting the photographic paper 2 as a photographic print discharged as a print by order. The printing paper 2 is first stored in a roll state in a paper magazine 2A as a recording medium magazine, pulled out from the paper magazine 2A as required, and cut by a sheet cutter 11 according to a print size. A recording medium (photographic paper) transport mechanism 3 is provided to draw out the photographic paper 2 from the paper magazine and transport the cut photographic paper 2 to the sorter 7 via the photographed image print unit 5 and the development processing unit 6. Have been.
[0014]
Print processing information such as a film ID and a frame number in a photographic paper transport section between the sheet cutter 11 and the photographed image print unit 5 in the photographic paper transport direction, and correction data indicating the content of image processing performed when print data was created. A dot impact print unit 4 for printing is printed. While the photographed image print unit 5 forms an image on the surface of the photographic paper 2, that is, on the emulsion surface, the dot impact print unit 4 is generally expressed in characters on the back surface of the photographic paper 2, that is, on the non-emulsion surface. Print information of the current print process.
[0015]
A controller 8 is provided for controlling the above-described components of the printer processor shown in FIG. 1. The controller 8 is substantially based on a personal computer, and has a special keyboard as its peripheral device. A console 9 and a monitor 10 comprising a mouse and a mouse are attached.
[0016]
Further, a film scanner 12 for generating digital image data from the photographic film 1a in preparation for a case where the photographic film 1a is presented as a photographed image medium as an input source, and a semiconductor device storing already digitized image data. A media reader 13 for reading digital image data from the semiconductor memory 1b is connected to the controller 8 in case the memory 1b is presented.
[0017]
In this embodiment, the photographed image print unit 5 employs a laser beam method. In other words, for example, the intensity of laser beams such as R (red), G (green), and B (blue) is modulated using print data generated based on captured image data, and is modulated using a polygon mirror, fθ lens, or the like. A photographic image is formed on the printing paper 2 by scanning the emulsion surface of the printing paper 2 with a laser beam in a direction (main scanning direction) perpendicular to the transport direction (sub-scanning direction). As other digital printing methods, besides the laser beam method, a PLZT shutter method, a liquid crystal shutter method, a DMD (digital micromirror device) method, and the like are known, and can be selected according to the exposure specification at the time of design. . Of course, if only the photographic film 1 is considered as the input source, a conventionally known projection exposure method may be adopted instead of the digital print method.
[0018]
The recording medium transport mechanism 3 includes a pull-out transport unit that pulls out the photographic paper 2 from the paper magazine 2A, a pre-exposure transport unit that supplies the cut photographic paper 2 to the photographed image print unit 5, and a sub-scanning direction in the photographed image print unit 5. It is divided into an exposure transport section that handles transport, a post-exposure transport section that introduces the exposed photographic paper 2 into the development processing section 6, and a development transport section that passes the photographic paper 2 into each processing tank of the development processing section 6. In addition, each transport unit can transport the photographic paper 2 independently, particularly, at a different transport speed.
[0019]
Next, the schematic structure of the dot impact print unit 4 will be described with reference to the schematic diagram shown in FIG. A print head 40 having a plurality of dot pins 41 arranged in a row in a direction (main scanning direction) orthogonal to photographic paper (sub-scanning direction) is attached so as to cross the photographic paper transport line. An endless annularly connected ink ribbon 43 is movably disposed between the ink ribbon 43 and the roller 42 by a ribbon feed mechanism configured as a pair of nipping rollers 44. The ink ribbon 43 is made of a cloth-like material, and is additionally impregnated with ink by passing through the ink applying member 45.
[0020]
In order to print on the back surface of the photographic paper 2 by the dot impact print unit 4, when the photographic paper 2 is transported between the print head 40 and the platen 42 by the recording medium transport mechanism 3, a specific dot pin 41 is projected from the print head 40 and is driven into the printing paper 6 via the ink ribbon 43. As a result, the ink impregnated in the ink ribbon 43 is transferred from the ink ribbon 43 to the back surface of the printing paper 2 to form transfer dots. By repeating the same operation, predetermined characters are displayed by combining transfer dots formed. During printing, the nipping roller pair 44 of the ink ribbon 43 is rotated by a drive motor 44a constituted by a DC motor, and the ink ribbon 43 nipped by the nipping roller pair 44 moves around in the drawing. Will do. As a result, the ink ribbon 43 continuously moves between the dot pin 41 and the platen 32, and the portion struck by the dot pin 41 of the ink ribbon 43 immediately moves to the next dot pin 41. It is possible to avoid being hit again in the driving operation.
[0021]
In order to properly perform the printing operation by the dot impact print unit 4 described above, the recording medium transport control unit 81 that controls the recording medium transport mechanism 3 that constitutes the photographic paper transport line around the dot impact print unit 4, and the dot pins 41 A dot pin control unit 82 for controlling the operation and an ink ribbon control unit 83 for controlling the movement of the ink ribbon 43 are constructed in the controller 8 by hardware and / or software.
[0022]
Next, the operation of the recording medium transport control unit 81, the dot pin control unit 82, and the ink ribbon control unit 83 during the printing operation (reverse printing) by the dot impact print unit 4 is a schematic time chart shown in FIG. It will be described with reference to FIG. Here, it is assumed that the recording medium transport mechanism 3 transports the photographic paper 2 by a group of nipping rollers driven by a pulse motor. In the time chart of FIG. 3, the top is a reference pulse signal for synchronization, the second is a drive pulse signal for the photographic paper transport pulse motor, the third is an operation trigger signal for the dot pin 41, and the bottom is Indicates a drive signal of the ink ribbon DC motor 44a.
[0023]
First, a low-speed drive pulse signal is sent to a photographic paper transport pulse motor to transport the photographic paper 2 at a predetermined first transport speed (low speed). Here, a dot pin operation trigger signal is generated every two pulses of the drive pulse signal based on a back printing start signal not shown. That is, the dot pins 41 arranged in the main scanning direction are operated only once while the pulse motor sends the printing paper 2 in the sub-scanning direction by the two-pulse drive pulse signal, and the dots for one line are printed on the printing paper 2. Formed on the back. At this time, a drive signal for the ink ribbon DC motor 44a is output based on the back print start signal and before the dot pin operation trigger signal by a pre-operation time. The pre-operation time is set to prevent the dot pins 41 from hitting the same portion of the ink ribbon 43 in the initial stage due to a delay time from receiving the operation start signal in the DC motor 44a to actually moving the ink ribbon. By setting the pre-operation time, the dot pins 41 strike the ink ribbon 43 after the ink ribbon 43 starts to move reliably, and the problem that the print density is reduced at the time of starting back printing is solved. You.
[0024]
The speed of the ink ribbon DC motor 44a is controlled by PWM. When the photographic paper transport speed is low, the pulse signal having a smaller duty ratio is generated by a DC signal when the operation interval of the dot pins 41 is long. It is provided as a motor drive signal. If the photographic paper transport speed is switched to a higher speed, the operation interval of the dot pins 41 is also shortened, so that a pulse signal having a larger duty ratio is given as a DC motor drive signal. . The relationship between the photographic paper transport speed in charge of the sub-scanning and the operation interval of the dot pins 41 is determined within a predetermined range from the viewpoint of easy-to-see dot formation. It has been experimentally confirmed that a satisfactory print density can be maintained by setting the ratio to 1/6 or more.
[0025]
In this printer processor, back printing is started on the photographic paper 2 pulled out from the paper magazine 2A at the first transport speed, and the photographic paper 2 is cut in the middle for cutting the photographic paper 2 according to the print size. There is a case where the printing paper 2 is temporarily stopped, then the cut photographic paper 2 is conveyed at the second conveyance speed, and the back printing is restarted. The second transport speed is faster than the first transport speed. This situation is shown in the latter half of the time axis (horizontal axis) of the time chart in FIG. That is, as long as the photographic paper 2 is stopped, that is, as long as the drive pulse signal of the photographic paper transporting pulse motor is interrupted, the operation trigger signal of the dot pin is not generated. However, when a drive pulse signal for the photographic paper transport pulse motor is generated based on a transport restart signal (not shown) after the photographic paper 2 is cut, an operation trigger signal for the dot pin is also generated, and the reverse printing is restarted. . At this time, a drive signal for the ink ribbon DC motor 44a is output based on the transport restart signal and a pre-operation time earlier than the operation trigger signal for the dot pins 41, and the ink ribbon 43 is already driven before the dot pins 41 are driven. Is moving in front of the dot pin 41.
[0026]
The change in the moving speed of the ink ribbon 43 accompanying the switching of the photographic paper transport speed may be performed by changing the duty ratio of the DC motor drive signal for the ink ribbon in proportion to the photographic paper transport speed. The threshold value of the step may be set, and the duty ratio may be set stepwise differently in accordance with the threshold value, so that the moving speed of the ink ribbon 43 may be changed stepwise. In any case, what is important is that when the printing paper conveyance speed is changed so as to adversely affect the print density, the moving speed of the ink ribbon 43 is also changed accordingly.
[0027]
In the above-described embodiment, photographic paper is exemplified as the recording medium. However, other photosensitive materials or an inkjet printing unit may be used as the photographed image printing unit, and non-photosensitive recording paper may be used as the recording medium. Further, as a drive source for transporting the printing paper 2 or moving the ink ribbon 43, various drive sources other than the above-described pulse motor and DC motor can be employed.
In the above embodiment, the dot impact print unit 4 is disposed in the photographic paper transport section between the sheet cutter 11 and the photographed image print unit 5 in the photographic paper transport direction. The arrangement of the photographic papers 2 is not limited, and may be arranged anywhere as long as the photographic paper 2 is transported.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of a printer processor as an example of a photo printing apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a schematic structure of a dot impact print unit. FIG. 3 is a photographic paper transport, a dot pin operation, and an ink ribbon. Schematic time chart showing linkage of movement [Explanation of reference numerals]
2 photographic paper (recording medium)
3 recording medium transport mechanism 4 dot impact print unit 5 photographed image print unit 40 print head 41 dot pin 43 ink ribbon 44a DC motor 81 recording medium transport control unit 82 dot pin control unit 83 ink ribbon control unit

Claims (4)

A recording medium transport mechanism for transporting a recording medium drawn from a recording medium magazine, a captured image printing unit for printing a captured image on the surface of the recording medium carried in by the recording medium transport mechanism, and the recording medium transport mechanism A dot impact print unit having dot pins arranged in the main scanning direction for printing print processing information on the back surface of the recording medium being conveyed in the sub-scanning direction and an ink ribbon moving in front of the dot pins at the time of printing. Photographic printing equipment,
A reciprocating operation cycle of the dot pins is synchronized with a transport speed of a recording medium by the recording medium transport mechanism, and a moving speed of the ink ribbon is changed according to the transport speed. 2. The photographic printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a moving speed of the ink ribbon is set to be equal to or more than 記録 of a conveying speed of a recording medium by the recording medium conveying mechanism. 3. A sheet cutter for temporarily stopping the recording medium pulled out from the recording medium magazine and cutting it according to the print size is provided, and when the printing by the dot impact print unit is continued, the sheet cut is performed. 3. The photographic printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the printing operation of the dot impact print unit is also temporarily stopped at a timing of temporarily stopping the recording medium. The photographic printing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the movement of the ink ribbon is started a predetermined time before the start of the operation of the dot pin.

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