JP2006224330A - Printer - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a printer which can dramatically enhance print processing capacity in the case of handling of pieces of recording paper, different in size. <P>SOLUTION: This color thermal printer 2 is equipped with first and second printing mechanisms 20 and 21 which comprises: platens 30 and 50 with a peripheral length almost equal to the length of the recording paper 10, where the recording paper 10 is held on outer peripheral surfaces 30a and 50a in the state of close contact with them; thermal heads 31 and 51 which are arranged in the state of facing the outer peripheral surfaces 30a and 50a, and which record an image on the recording paper 10 moved according to the rotation of the platens 30 and 50; paper feed parts 33 and 53 for guiding the recording paper 10 to the platens 30 and 50; and paper output parts 34 and 54 for ejecting the recording paper 10 on which the image has already been recorded. The diameter of the platen 30 of the first printing mechanism 20 is made larger than that of the platen 50 of the second printing mechanism 21 so that printing can be done on the recording paper 10 of a 2K size. The printing can be continuously done on the recording paper 10 of a 2K or K size. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a printer that records an image with a recording head on a recording sheet that is closely held on an outer peripheral surface of a platen.

As a printer for recording an image with a recording head, a color thermal transfer printer has been proposed in which a recording sheet is closely held on the outer peripheral surface of a platen and an image is recorded with a thermal head on a recording sheet that is moved according to the rotation of the platen ( Patent Document 1).
Japanese Patent No. 3404699

  In the color thermal transfer printer described in Patent Document 1, cut sheet-like recording paper accommodated in a paper hopper is sequentially sent to a platen to print an image. For this reason, when printing on recording paper of different sizes such as 2K size and K size, it is necessary to replace the paper hopper each time. In particular, when such a printer is used for business use, depending on the customer's order, recording papers of different sizes may be mixed and handled, so if it takes time to replace the paper hopper, the print processing capacity will be reduced. There was a risk of significant reduction.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a printer capable of dramatically improving print processing capability when handling recording paper of different sizes.

  In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention provides a platen in which a recording paper is closely held on an outer peripheral surface, has a peripheral length substantially the same as the length of the recording paper, and is disposed to face the outer peripheral surface. A printing mechanism comprising at least a recording head for recording an image on a recording sheet moved according to the rotation of the recording paper, a paper feeding unit for guiding the recording sheet to the platen, and a paper discharging unit for discharging the recording sheet on which the image has been recorded. Two units are mounted, and at least one of the printing mechanisms includes a platen having a larger diameter than the platen provided in the other printing mechanism so that a recording paper having a size larger than that of the other printing mechanism can be handled. It is characterized by that.

  As the recording paper, a recording paper roll wound in a roll shape is used, and a cutter that cuts the recording paper fed from the recording paper roll into a desired size to form a cut sheet recording paper, and a cut According to the size, it is preferable to include a conveying unit that distributes and conveys the recording paper to the paper feeding unit of each printing mechanism, and a conveyance control unit that controls the driving of the conveying unit.

  In addition, a recording paper detection sensor for detecting the passage of the recording paper is provided in the paper feeding unit, and the conveyance control unit is configured to detect the recording paper when the recording paper is discharged from the paper discharge unit to the outside. It is preferable to perform the control so that when it is detected that the trailing edge of the recording paper has passed through the paper feeding unit, the recording paper to be printed next is conveyed to the paper feeding unit.

  Further, it is preferable that the conveyance control unit performs the control so that the recording paper discharge timing by the paper discharge unit does not overlap in each print mechanism.

  Further, a color thermal recording paper is used as the recording paper, a thermal head is used as the recording head, and the printing mechanism fixes the thermal coloring layer of the color thermal recording paper thermally recorded by the thermal head. It is preferable to further comprise a vessel.

  According to the printer of the present invention, the recording paper is closely held on the outer peripheral surface, the platen having the substantially same peripheral length as the length of the recording paper, the recording plate that is disposed to face the outer peripheral surface, and is moved according to the rotation of the platen. At least two printing mechanisms including a recording head for recording an image on paper, a paper feeding unit for guiding the recording paper to the platen, and a paper discharging unit for discharging the recording paper on which the image has been recorded are mounted. At least one of them has a platen with a diameter larger than that of the other printing mechanism so that it can handle recording paper of a size larger than that of the other printing mechanism. This saves time and enables continuous printing on recording paper of different sizes. Therefore, when handling recording papers of different sizes, it is possible to dramatically improve the print processing capability.

  In FIG. 1, a color thermal printer 2 to which the present invention is applied uses a color thermal recording paper (hereinafter simply referred to as recording paper) 10 as a recording paper. The recording paper 10 is set in the color thermal printer 2 in the form of a recording paper roll 11 wound in a roll shape.

  As is well known, the recording paper 10 has a structure in which a cyan thermosensitive coloring layer, a magenta thermosensitive coloring layer, a yellow thermosensitive coloring layer, and a protective layer are sequentially formed on a support. The yellow thermosensitive coloring layer, which is the uppermost layer, has the highest thermal sensitivity and develops yellow with a small amount of heat energy. The cyan thermosensitive coloring layer, which is the lowermost layer, has the lowest thermal sensitivity and develops cyan with large heat energy.

  The yellow thermosensitive coloring layer loses its coloring ability when irradiated with near ultraviolet rays of 420 to 450 nm. The magenta thermosensitive coloring layer develops magenta with intermediate heat energy between the yellow thermosensitive coloring layer and the cyan thermosensitive coloring layer, and loses the coloring ability when irradiated with ultraviolet rays of 365 to 390 nm. For example, a recording paper having a four-layer structure provided with a black thermosensitive coloring layer may be used.

  A paper feed roller 12 rotated by a first transport motor 79 (see FIG. 5) is in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the recording paper roll 11. When the paper supply roller 12 rotates in the clockwise direction in the figure, the recording paper roll 11 rotates in the counterclockwise direction in the figure, and the recording paper 10 is sent out from the recording paper roll 11. When the paper feed roller 12 rotates counterclockwise in the figure, the recording paper roll 11 rotates clockwise in the figure, and the recording paper 10 is rewound onto the recording paper roll 11.

  The recording paper 10 sent out from the recording paper roll 11 is sent into a first transport path 13 (indicated by a one-dot chain line in the figure) arranged in the horizontal direction. In the first conveyance path 13, a plurality of conveyance roller pairs 14 that sandwich and convey the recording paper 10 are arranged. The conveyance roller pair 14 includes a capstan roller 14a rotated by a first conveyance motor 79, and a pinch roller 14b pressed against the capstan roller 14a, and the recording paper 10 is wound in a feeding direction A indicated by an arrow in the drawing. Reciprocating transport is performed in the return direction B (both in the sub-scanning direction S, see FIG. 3).

  A cutter 15 is disposed on the downstream side in the feed direction A of the paper feed roller 12. The cutter 15 cuts the recording paper 10 sent out from the recording paper roll 11 by the paper supply roller 12 into 2K size or K size according to a print instruction to obtain a cut sheet-like recording paper 10.

  A guide roller 16 and a guide plate 17 are disposed on the downstream side in the feed direction A of the cutter 15. The guide roller 16 and the guide plate 17 are connected to a first position (indicated by a solid line in the figure) for guiding the recording paper 10 to a first print mechanism 20 (to be described later) via the first transport path 13 and the first transport. A second position (indicated by a dotted line in the figure) for guiding the recording paper 10 to a second print mechanism 21 described later via a second transport path 18 (indicated by a two-dot chain line in the figure) branched from the path 13. It can be moved between.

  In the second transport path 18, similarly to the first transport path 13, a plurality of transport roller pairs 19 that sandwich and transport the recording paper 10 are disposed. The conveyance roller pair 19 includes a capstan roller 19a rotated by a second conveyance motor 80 (see FIG. 5), and a pinch roller 19b in pressure contact with the capstan roller 19a.

  The recording sheet 10 cut into a cut sheet shape by the cutter 15 passes through the first transport path 13, and the first printing mechanism 20 capable of printing the recording sheet 10 of 2K size and K size, or the first The paper is transported from the transport path 13 via the second transport path 18 to the second print mechanism 21 that can print only the K-size recording paper 10.

  As shown in an enlarged view in FIG. 2, the first print mechanism 20 is disposed on the outer peripheral surface 30 a so that the recording paper 10 is held in close contact with the outer peripheral surface 30 a and follows the rotation of the platen 30. A thermal head 31 for recording an image on the recording paper 10 to be moved; a fixing device 32 for fixing the yellow and magenta thermosensitive coloring layers of the recording paper 10; and a paper feeding section 33 for guiding the recording paper 10 to the platen 30; The paper discharge port 22 shown in FIG. 1 includes a paper discharge unit 34 for discharging the recording paper 10 on which an image has been recorded.

  The platen 30 is formed of a hard rubber having a diameter of 80 mm so that the circumference thereof is substantially the same as that of the 2K-size recording paper 10, and is rotated by a third transport motor 81 (see FIG. 5).

  First to fourth nip rollers 35 to 38 are arranged on the four sides of the platen 30. The first to fourth nip rollers 35 to 38 are movable between a nip position for sandwiching the recording paper 10 with the outer peripheral surface 30a of the platen 30 and a retracted position separated from the outer peripheral surface 30a. The first to fourth nip rollers 35 to 38 are in the retracted position when the recording paper 10 is fed, and move to the nip position when the leading edge of the recording paper 10 passes. When the recording paper 10 is in the nip position, the platen The recording paper 10 is rotated in accordance with the conveyance of the recording paper 10 accompanying the rotation of 30.

  On the surface of the thermal head 31 facing the recording paper 10, a plurality of heating elements are arranged in a line in a direction (main scanning direction M, see FIG. 3) perpendicular to the conveyance direction of the recording paper 10 by the rotation of the platen 30. An exothermic element array 31a is provided. The heating element array 31a generates heat based on the drive data input from the system controller 70 to the head driver 75 (both see FIG. 5), and colors each thermosensitive coloring layer of the recording paper 10.

  The thermal head 31 is movable in the direction of the arrow in the figure, and is biased in a direction in which it is pressed against the platen 30 by a spring (not shown). When the recording paper 10 is fed and discharged, a thermal mechanism 31 is separated from the platen 30 by a shift mechanism (not shown) including a cam, a solenoid, and the like, and the holding of the recording paper 10 with the platen 30 is released. Is done.

  The fixing unit 32 includes a yellow fixing light source 32a that fixes near-yellow ultraviolet light having an emission peak wavelength of 420 to 450 nm to fix the yellow thermosensitive coloring layer, and an magenta thermosensitive coloring layer that emits ultraviolet light having an emission peak wavelength of 365 to 390 nm. And a magenta fixing light source 32b. Each light source 32a, 32b is driven by a lamp driver 77 (see FIG. 5).

  As shown in FIG. 3, each of the fixing light sources 32a and 32b is composed of a two-row and three-row light-emitting element array in which a plurality of yellow and magenta light-emitting elements 39a and 39b are arranged in a line in the main scanning direction M. Is done. The yellow light emitting element 39a is an LED that emits near-ultraviolet light having an emission peak wavelength of 420 to 450 nm. The magenta light emitting element 39b is composed of an LED that emits ultraviolet rays having an emission peak wavelength of 365 to 390 nm.

  Returning to FIG. 2, the paper feed unit 33 includes a wedge-shaped guide 40 that guides the recording paper 10 in the first transport path 13 toward the first nip roller 35, and a first recording paper that detects the passage of the recording paper 10. A detection sensor 41 is provided. Further, in the vicinity of the second nip roller 36, a second recording paper detection sensor 42 for determining the timing at which the thermal head 31 is separated from the platen 30 is provided. The first and second recording paper detection sensors 41 and 42 are composed of, for example, a CCD or a photo sensor, and transmit detection signals to the system controller 70.

  The paper discharge unit 34 is provided with a paper discharge roller pair 43 and a wedge-shaped guide 44 that guides the recording paper 10 of the platen 30 toward the paper discharge roller pair 43. The pair of paper discharge rollers 43 has the same configuration as the pair of transport rollers 14 and 19, and includes a capstan roller 43a rotated by a third transport motor 81 and a pinch roller 43b pressed against the capstan roller 43a. .

  Returning to FIG. 1, the paper discharge port 22 is shared by the first and second print mechanisms 20 and 21. In the paper discharge port 22, third and fourth recording paper detection sensors 23 and 24 for detecting the passage of the recording paper 10 discharged from the print mechanisms 20 and 21 are provided. Each of the recording paper detection sensors 23 and 24 transmits the detection signal to the system controller 70.

  Here, the second print mechanism 21 has the same configuration as that of the first print mechanism 20 except that the platen has a diameter of 40 mm which is ½ of the diameter of the platen 30 of the first print mechanism 20. 4 is shown in an enlarged view similar to FIG. 2, and the description thereof is omitted.

  In FIG. 5, the color thermal printer 2 is totally controlled by a system controller 70. The system controller 70 includes the cutter 15, the guide roller 16, the guide plate 17, the first and second recording paper detection sensors 41, 42, 61, 62 of the first and second printing mechanisms 20, 21, and paper discharge. In addition to the third and fourth recording paper detection sensors 23 and 24 of the port 22, the first to fourth motor drivers 71 to 74, the first and second head drivers 75 and 76, and the first and second lamp drivers 77. , 78 are connected.

  The first to fourth motor drivers 71 to 74 are first to fourth transport motors (second print mechanisms) disposed in the first and second transport paths 13 and 18 and the first and second print mechanisms 20 and 21. The driving motors 79 to 82 are controlled. Each of the conveyance motors 79 to 82 is a stepping motor and is driven by a driving pulse input from each of the motor drivers 71 to 74.

  The first and second motor drivers 71 and 72 are controlled by the system controller 70 when the recording paper 10 is discharged from the paper discharge sections 34 and 54 to the outside (during cyan image recording). As shown in (A), when the first recording paper detection sensors 41 and 61 detect that the trailing edge of the recording paper 10 has passed through the paper feeding sections 33 and 53, as shown in (B), The first and second transport motors 79 are configured to transport the recording paper 10 (indicated by N in the figure) that is waiting in the second transport paths 13 and 18 to be printed next to the paper feed units 33 and 53. , 80 is controlled.

  Further, the third and fourth motor drivers 73 and 74 are controlled by the system controller 70 so that the discharge timings of the recording paper 10 by the paper discharge units 34 and 54 do not overlap in the print mechanisms 20 and 21. The driving of the third and fourth transport motors 81 and 82 is controlled.

  Specifically, when detection signals from the third and fourth recording paper detection sensors 23 and 24 are input to the system controller 70 within a predetermined time interval, that is, the first and second print mechanisms 20 and When the recording paper 10 is about to be discharged from the recording medium 21 at the same time, one of the third and fourth transport motors 81 and 82 is stopped, and the other is driven to discharge the recording paper 10 first, and then stop. The transporting motor that has been operated is driven to discharge the recording paper 10 later, and the paper discharge timing is shifted. Whether or not a cyan image is recorded is determined by the system controller 70, and when other operation sequences are being executed, the detection signals of the first recording paper detection sensors 41 and 61 are invalid.

  The first and second head drivers 75 and 76 input drive data corresponding to the image data to be printed to the heating element arrays 31a and 51a of the thermal heads 31 and 51 of the first and second print mechanisms 20 and 21, respectively. . The first and second lamp drivers 77 and 78 control driving of the fixing light sources 32a, 32b, 52a and 52b of the first and second print mechanisms 20 and 21, respectively.

  When the feed amount of the recording paper 10 according to the number of drive pulses given from the first motor driver 71 to the first transport motor 79 becomes a preset amount according to a desired size, the system controller 70 15 is driven. Thereby, the recording paper 10 sent out from the recording paper roll 11 becomes a cut sheet-like recording paper 10 having a desired size.

  The system controller 70 controls the driving of the guide roller 16 and the guide plate 17 according to the size of the recording paper 10 to be printed. That is, when the recording paper 10 to be printed is only K size, the guide roller 16 and the guide plate 17 are moved to the first position so that the recording paper 10 is alternately distributed to the first and second printing mechanisms 20 and 21. And the second position.

  When the recording paper 10 to be printed is only 2K size, the guide roller 16 and the guide plate 17 are held at the first position so that the recording paper 10 is supplied only to the first printing mechanism 20.

  On the other hand, when the recording paper 10 to be printed is mixed in 2K size and K size, the guide roller 16 and the 2K size are assigned to the first print mechanism 20 and the K size is assigned to the second print mechanism 21, respectively. The guide plate 17 is moved between the first position and the second position.

  Next, the operation of the color thermal printer 2 having the above configuration will be described. When the print start operation is executed, the first transport motor 79 is driven to rotate the paper feed roller 12 in the clockwise direction, and the recording paper 10 is sent out from the recording paper roll 11 in the A direction.

  When the recording paper 10 delivered from the recording paper roll 11 is nipped by the first conveying roller pair 14 and moves in the first conveying path 13, the amount of feeding is set in advance according to the desired size. Once stopped.

  Once the recording paper 10 reaches a predetermined feed amount and conveyance is stopped, the cutter 15 is driven by the system controller 70, and the recording paper 10 is cut to a size according to the print instruction.

  The recording paper 10 cut into a desired size and cut into a sheet is again conveyed in the A direction in the first conveying path 13 by the first conveying roller pair 14 and reaches the front of the guide roller 16 and the guide plate 17. To do.

  At this time, if the recording paper 10 to be printed is only K size, the system controller 70 causes the guide roller 16 and the recording roller 10 to be alternately distributed to the first and second printing mechanisms 20 and 21. The guide plate 17 is moved between the first position and the second position.

  When the recording paper 10 to be printed is only 2K size, the guide roller 16 and the guide plate 17 are kept at the first position so that the recording paper 10 is supplied only to the first printing mechanism 20. .

  On the other hand, when the recording paper 10 to be printed is mixed in the 2K size and the K size, the guide roller 16 so that the 2K size is distributed to the first print mechanism 20 and the K size is distributed to the second print mechanism 21. The guide plate 17 is moved between the first position and the second position.

  The recording paper 10 distributed to the first and second transport paths 13 and 18 by the guide roller 16 and the guide plate 17 is first and second transport paths 13 and 18 by the first and second transport roller pairs 14 and 19, respectively. Is moved to reach before the first and second printing mechanisms 20 and 21.

  When the recording paper 10 is transported to the front of the first and second printing mechanisms 20 and 21, the third and fourth transport motors 81 and 82 are driven to rotate the platens 30 and 50 counterclockwise. At this time, the first to fourth nip rollers 35 to 38 and 55 to 58 are in the retracted positions, and the recording paper 10 is guided to the paper feeding units 31 and 51 of the printing mechanisms 20 and 21 by the conveying roller pairs 14 and 19. When the leading edge of the recording paper 10 is conveyed to the positions of the first to fourth nip rollers 35 to 38 and 55 to 58, the recording paper 10 is moved to the nip position, and the recording paper 10 is sandwiched between the platens 30 and 50. In this way, the recording paper 10 is wound around the outer peripheral surfaces 30a and 50a of the platens 30 and 50, respectively.

  The recording paper 10 is wound around the outer peripheral surfaces 30 a and 50 a of the platens 30 and 50, and the leading ends of the image recording areas of the recording paper 10 are positioned at the positions of the thermal heads 31 and 51 by the second recording paper detection sensors 42 and 62. When it is detected that the third transport motor 81 has been transported, the drive of the third transport motor 81 is temporarily stopped. Next, the thermal heads 31 and 51 are moved to the holding position by the shift mechanism, and the recording paper 10 is held between the platens 30 and 50. In this state, the third transport motor 81 is driven again, and the heating element arrays 31a and 51a that generate heat based on the drive data input to the head drivers 75 and 76 while the platens 30 and 50 are rotated counterclockwise, A yellow image is recorded on the yellow thermosensitive coloring layer of the recording paper 10. Along with the recording of the yellow image, the light emitting elements of the yellow fixing light sources 32a and 52a are turned on by the lamp drivers 77 and 78, and the yellow thermosensitive coloring layer on which the image has been recorded is fixed.

  After recording the yellow image and fixing the yellow thermosensitive coloring layer, the thermal heads 31 and 51 are separated from the platens 30 and 50 by the shift mechanism. Next, the platen 30 is rotated clockwise by the third transport motor 81, and the leading end of the image recording area of the recording paper 10 is transported to a position facing the heating element arrays 31 a and 51 a, and the rotation of the third transport motor 81 is stopped. Is done. As in the yellow image recording, the thermal heads 31 and 51 are moved to the holding position by the shift mechanism, and the recording paper 10 is held between the platens 30 and 50. In this state, the third transport motor 81 is driven again, and the magenta image is recorded on the magenta thermosensitive coloring layer of the recording paper 10 while the platen 30 is rotated counterclockwise. At this time, similarly to the recording of the yellow image, the magenta fixing light sources 32b and 52b are turned on by the lamp drivers 77 and 78 together with the recording of the magenta image, and the magenta thermosensitive coloring layer on which the image has been recorded is fixed. .

  After recording the magenta image and fixing the magenta thermosensitive coloring layer, the thermal heads 31 and 51 are separated from the platens 30 and 50 by the shift mechanism. Next, the platen 30 is rotated in the clockwise direction again by the third transport motor 81, and the leading end of the image recording area of the recording paper 10 is transported to a position facing the heating element arrays 31 a and 51 a, and the third transport motor 81 is rotated. Stopped. A cyan image is recorded on the cyan thermosensitive coloring layer of the recording paper 10 in the same manner as when recording yellow and magenta images.

  When recording the cyan image, when the first recording paper detection sensors 41 and 61 detect that the trailing edge of the recording paper 10 has passed through the paper feeding sections 33 and 53, the first and second transport paths 13 and 18 The first and second motor drivers 71 and 72 cause the first and second transport motors 79 and 80 so that the recording paper 10 to be printed next is transported to the paper feed units 33 and 53. Is controlled.

  The recording paper 10 after image recording is discharged from the paper discharge port 22 to the outside by a pair of paper discharge rollers 43 and 63. At this time, the third and fourth motor drivers 73 and 74 cause the third and fourth transport motors 81 so that the discharge timing of the recording paper 10 by the paper discharge units 34 and 54 does not overlap between the print mechanisms 20 and 21. , 82 are controlled.

  As described in detail above, the recording paper 10 is held in close contact with the outer peripheral surfaces 30a and 50a, and the platens 30 and 50 having substantially the same peripheral length as the recording paper 10 are opposed to the outer peripheral surfaces 30a and 50a. Thermal heads 31 and 51 for recording images on the recording paper 10 that are arranged and moved according to the rotation of the platens 30 and 50, paper feed units 33 and 53 for guiding the recording paper 10 to the platens 30 and 50, and images recorded The first and second print mechanisms 20 and 21 having paper discharge sections 34 and 54 for discharging the recording paper 10 are mounted, and the first print is made so that the 2K-size recording paper 10 can be printed. Since the diameter of the platen 30 of the mechanism 20 is larger than that of the platen 50 of the second print mechanism 21, printing can be continuously performed on the recording paper 10 of 2K size and K size. Therefore, when the 2K size and K size recording paper 10 is handled, it is possible to dramatically improve the print processing capability.

  Further, since the recording paper 10 is cut to a desired size by the cutter 15 before image recording, paper waste after cutting does not occur. Even if one of the printing mechanisms fails, the size of the recording paper 10 to be printed may be limited, but the printing operation can be continued.

  Since each print mechanism 20 and 21 has one thermal head, the apparatus is more suitable than a so-called three-head one-pass color thermal printer that records each color image of yellow, magenta, and cyan with three thermal heads. It is possible to reduce the size, and it is not necessary to correct density unevenness and recording position deviation between the heads.

  When the recording paper 10 is discharged from the paper discharge sections 34 and 54 to the outside, the first recording paper detection sensors 41 and 61 detect that the trailing edge of the recording paper 10 has passed through the paper feeding section. Since the recording paper 10 to be printed is conveyed to the paper feeding units 33 and 53, the time required for image recording can be further reduced. In addition, since the discharge timing of the recording paper 10 by the paper discharge units 34 and 54 is prevented from overlapping between the print mechanisms 20 and 21, the paper discharge port 22 is not clogged and can be discharged in an orderly manner.

  In the above embodiment, the detection signals of the third and fourth recording paper detection sensors 23 and 24 at the paper discharge port 22 are referred to in order to shift the paper discharge timing by the paper discharge units 34 and 54 of the print mechanisms 20 and 21. However, if the print time (time from paper feed to paper discharge) in each of the print mechanisms 20 and 21 is substantially the same, the paper discharge timing is adjusted by adjusting the paper feed timing to each of the print mechanisms 20 and 21. It is also possible to avoid duplication.

  In the above embodiment, a total of four transport motors 79 to 82 are used. For example, a clutch mechanism is provided, and the transport motors 79 and 80 for the first and second transport paths 13 and 18 are shared by one. May be.

  In the above embodiment, the 2K size and the K size have been described as examples of the size of the recording paper 10 to be handled. However, the 2L size and the L size may be used. Further, although an example in which the 2K size first print mechanism 20 and the K size second print mechanism 21 are mounted has been described, two 2K size print mechanisms may be mounted. Further, the number of print mechanisms is not limited to two in the above embodiment, and may be two or more.

  In the above embodiment, the first transport path 13 and the second transport path 18 are provided and the recording paper 10 is distributed by the guide roller 16 and the guide plate 17, but the present invention is not limited to this. As shown in FIG. 7, a large transport path 90 is provided from the recording paper roll 11 toward the print mechanisms 20 and 21, and the transport path is branched from the transport path 90 to the print mechanisms 20 and 21. Good.

1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of a color thermal printer to which the present invention is applied. FIG. 3 is an enlarged plan view showing a schematic configuration of a first print mechanism. It is a top view which shows the structure of a fixing device. It is an enlarged plan view showing a schematic configuration of a second print mechanism. It is a block diagram which shows the internal structure of a color thermal printer. FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining recording paper feed timing. (A) is the next recording to be performed when the end of the recording paper is detected by the first recording paper detection sensor during cyan image recording. A state in which the recording paper is conveyed to the paper feeding unit is shown. It is a figure which shows another example of arrangement | positioning structure of the printing mechanism of a color thermal printer.

Explanation of symbols

2 Color thermal printer 10 Color thermal recording paper (recording paper)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 Recording paper roll 13, 18 1st, 2nd conveyance path 14, 19 Conveyance roller pair 15 Cutter 16 Guide roller 17 Guide plate 20, 21 1st, 2nd printing mechanism 30, 50 Platen 31, 51 Thermal head 32, 52 Fixing device 33, 53 Paper feed unit 34, 54 Paper discharge unit 41, 61 First recording paper detection sensor 43, 63 Paper discharge roller pair 70 System controller 71-74 First to fourth motor drivers 79-82 First to first 4 conveyor motor

Claims (5)

A platen having a recording sheet closely held on the outer peripheral surface and having a circumferential length substantially the same as the length of the recording paper;
A recording head that is disposed to face the outer peripheral surface and records an image on a recording sheet that is moved according to the rotation of the platen;
A paper feeding unit for guiding recording paper to the platen;
At least two printing mechanisms having a paper discharge unit for discharging recording paper on which an image has been recorded are mounted.
At least one of the printing mechanisms includes a platen having a larger diameter than a platen provided in another printing mechanism so that a recording paper having a size larger than that of the other printing mechanism can be handled. Printer. As the recording paper, a recording paper roll wound in a roll shape is used,
A cutter that cuts the recording paper fed from the recording paper roll into a desired size and forms a cut sheet of recording paper;
According to the cut size, a conveying unit that distributes and conveys the recording paper to the paper feeding unit of each printing mechanism,
The printer according to claim 1, further comprising a conveyance control unit that controls driving of the conveyance unit. A recording paper detection sensor for detecting the passage of the recording paper is provided in the paper feeding unit,
When the recording paper detection sensor detects that the trailing edge of the recording paper has passed through the paper feeding section when the recording paper is discharged from the paper discharge section to the outside, the transport control means prints next. The printer according to claim 2, wherein the control is performed so that the recording paper to be conveyed is conveyed to a paper feeding unit.   4. The printer according to claim 2, wherein the conveyance control unit performs the control so that the discharge timing of the recording sheet by the discharge unit does not overlap in each print mechanism. 5. Color thermal recording paper as the recording paper, thermal head as the recording head,
5. The printer according to claim 1, wherein the printing mechanism further includes a fixing device that fixes the heat-sensitive color developing layer of the color heat-sensitive recording paper that has been heat-recorded by the thermal head.

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