JP2009119753A - Plate-making device and stencil printer - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a plate-making device and a stencil printer which deal with secular change of a master particularly caused by deterioration of antistatic performance incidental to the lapse of time, which enable all users to constantly set trouble-free driving conditions of the plate-making device, and which are fully adaptable to diversification from the viewpoint of the users more than before. <P>SOLUTION: A conveyance discriminating means 4 comprising a CPU of a micro computer 3 discriminates stability in conveying a master 12, by retrieving preset master information from a storage means 6 and preset data (information) concerning assessment on master conveying stability in accordance with driving conditions of a plate-making device 1, and by collating these data (information) with master information identified by a master identifying means 29 and with currently set driving conditions of the plate-making device 1. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a plate making apparatus and a stencil printing apparatus provided with the same.

  As a simple printing method, a digital thermal plate making apparatus (hereinafter referred to as “plate making apparatus”) mounted in a digital thermal stencil printing apparatus (hereinafter referred to as “stencil printing apparatus”) is known. In the plate making apparatus, a thermoplastic head (hereinafter simply referred to as “film”) is composed of a thermal head and a platen roller each having a large number of heat generating elements, heat generating resistors or heat generating portions arranged in the main scanning direction. The image is obtained by relatively moving the master through rotation of the platen roller in the sub-scanning direction orthogonal to the main scanning direction while pressing a heat-sensitive stencil master (hereinafter also referred to simply as “master”) having Depending on the signal, arbitrarily adjustable applied energy is supplied to the thermal head, and the heating energy is generated by the applied energy to selectively melt and perforate the thermoplastic resin film to create dots corresponding to the image signal. A perforated / plate-making image (perforated pattern) is formed on the master (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 to 6).

  In a general stencil printing apparatus, a plate-making master having a perforation pattern formed thereon as described above is wound around the outer periphery of the printing drum, that is, the outer periphery of the plate cylinder, and then the plate cylinder is rotated. The printing paper (hereinafter simply referred to as “paper”) as a printing medium is placed between the printing cylinder and a pressing member made up of a press roller, an impression cylinder, etc. at a predetermined timing in synchronization with the rotational movement of the printing cylinder. The paper is transported, pressed against the master on the plate cylinder by the pressing member, and the ink supplied into the plate cylinder oozes out from the opening portion of the plate cylinder, the mesh screen (not shown) and the punched portion of the master. The printed matter is obtained by transferring and transferring to the sheet.

  Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-144688 (Patent Document 1) describes a transfer speed of a heat-sensitive stencil master, a rotation speed of a platen roller, plate making according to identification information of a master recognition manual for identifying the type of the heat-sensitive stencil master. It is disclosed that any one of speed, front tension, and back tension is adjusted and the energy applied to the thermal head is adjusted based on the identification information.

  Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-14489 (Patent Document 2) discloses a transfer speed of a heat-sensitive stencil master, a rotation speed of a platen roller, and a plate-making speed in accordance with setting information of a master setting means for setting the type of the heat-sensitive stencil master. It is disclosed that either the front tension or the back tension is adjusted, and the energy applied to the thermal head is adjusted based on the setting information.

  In JP-A-2005-280364 (Patent Document 3), a mark representing the plate-making characteristic of a heat-sensitive base paper for plate-making is provided on a base paper roll, and a microcomputer performs thermal printing with a microcomputer according to the plate-making characteristic read from this mark. It is disclosed that plate making is performed after setting one or both of the magnitude of the voltage applied to the head and the application time to an appropriate value.

  Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-79646 (Patent Document 4) optically automatically detects the surface state of a stencil sheet, and when the stencil sheet is of high quality, automatically makes a speed priority mode and makes high-voltage short-time punching. Maintain quality above a certain level. When the stencil paper is of low quality, the image quality priority mode is automatically set to slow down the plate making speed and low voltage long time perforation to keep the perforation diameter substantially constant, thereby suppressing the occurrence of perforation defects and the surface of the stencil paper. It is disclosed that the perforation quality is almost the same as that in the case where the quality is high.

  Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-48297 (Patent Document 5) describes thermal head energy by adjusting a power application time corresponding to a predetermined power based on the glossiness of a stencil sheet measured by a glossmeter. Is disclosed.

  Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-216624 (Patent Document 6) obtains heat generation energy based on the remaining amount of the master and the elapsed time because the surface smoothness of the film surface of the master decreases as the elapsed time becomes longer. It is disclosed that this is controlled.

  In Patent Documents 1 to 5 described above, a suitable thermal head plate-making condition is set in accordance with master information, which is also called stencil paper, which is detected or set. The reason for this configuration is that the settings and settings of the plate making apparatus and stencil printing apparatus must be well understood and not specialized, so the user cannot set the original, the ink color used, the printing This is because it is generally difficult to change the driving conditions of the thermal head according to the paper and the application.

On the other hand, Patent Document 6 describes that since the surface smoothness of the film surface of the master decreases with time, the heat generation energy is controlled based on the remaining amount of the master and the elapsed time.
Usually, as the master, including those described in Patent Documents 1 to 6 described above, those in which an antistatic agent is applied to the film surface to prevent electrification or those impregnated with the antistatic agent are used. .

JP 2002-144688 A Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-144689 JP-A-2005-280364 JP 2002-79646 A JP 2003-48297 A JP 2004-216624 A

However, in the above prior art, there has been no knowledge that the antistatic performance of the master itself deteriorates with time. In addition, since there was no means to cope with the deterioration of the antistatic agent, although the driving conditions of the plate making apparatus were suitable at the beginning of setting, the antistatic performance deteriorated as time passed since the master was manufactured, Depending on the set driving conditions, charging of the master itself and members around the master transport path during the master transport may cause sticking problems in the master plate making apparatus, which may cause transport failures.
For this reason, there is a problem in that the user is forced to bear a burden in terms of the time spent on the jam processing and the cost for re-making due to the conveyance failure caused by the combination of the master to be used and the driving conditions. As a countermeasure to this problem, it is better to know the nature of the master used by the user himself and set it from the characteristics including the environment, but it is generally difficult to ask the user for it. Is reasonable. The driving conditions of the plate-making apparatus include the conveyance speed of the master, the pressing force of the thermal head against the platen roller (hereinafter also referred to as “platen pressure”), the applied energy supplied to the individual heating elements of the thermal head, and the like.

  Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems and circumstances, and is particularly suitable for a master making process that changes with time due to deterioration of antistatic performance with time, and is always free of problems for all users. The main object is to provide a plate-making apparatus and a stencil printing apparatus that can set the drive conditions of the printer and can sufficiently respond to diversification from the viewpoint of user use.

In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the above-described object, the invention according to each claim employs the following characteristic means and configuration.
According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a thermal head comprising a plurality of heating elements arranged in the main scanning direction on the thermoplastic resin film side of a master having a thermoplastic resin film and coated or impregnated with an antistatic agent. Is directly contacted, and the master head is moved in the sub-scanning direction orthogonal to the main scanning direction, and the application energy that can be arbitrarily adjusted is supplied to the thermal head according to the image signal. In the plate making apparatus for generating a perforation pattern according to the image signal by position-selectively melting and perforating the thermoplastic resin film with the applied energy to generate heat, and at least the master production date and Master recognition means for recognizing master information relating to the information on the antistatic agent, the master information set in advance and the plate making apparatus Storage means for storing information regarding the conveyance stability evaluation of the master set in advance according to the driving conditions, and the master information preset from the storage means and the driving conditions of the plate-making apparatus. In addition, by calling up the information related to the transport stability evaluation of the master and collating the information with the master information recognized by the master recognition means and the set drive conditions, the transport stability of the master is checked. And a transportability determining means for determining the performance.

  The invention according to claim 2 is the plate making apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information on the antistatic agent is at least one of a type of the antistatic agent and a coating amount of the antistatic agent. And

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the plate making apparatus according to the first or second aspect, the master recognizing means relates to the rigidity of the master (so-called the strength of the waist of the master, also referred to as stiffness) as the master information. It is characterized by recognizing information.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the plate making apparatus according to any one of the first to third aspects, it is determined that stable conveyance of the master is difficult by a warning notification unit that performs warning notification and the transportability determination unit. In this case, the apparatus has a first control means for notifying the warning that the stable conveyance of the master is difficult by using the warning notification means.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the plate making apparatus according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, it is determined that stable conveyance of the master is difficult by warning notification means for performing warning notification and the transportability determination means. And a second control means for notifying the warning so as to prompt the replacement of the master used as the warning notification means.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the plate making apparatus according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, it is determined that it is difficult to stably transport the master by a warning notification unit that performs a warning notification and the transportability determination unit. And a third control means for notifying the warning so as to prompt the change of the drive condition by the warning notification means.

  According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the plate making apparatus according to any one of the first to third aspects, when the transportability determining means determines that stable transport of the master is difficult, the master information corresponds to the master information. And a fourth control means for automatically changing to the above driving conditions.

  The invention according to claim 8 is the plate making apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the fourth control means is changed to a transport speed slower than the transport speed by the master transport means currently set as the drive condition, The driving condition is changed to an energy larger than the applied energy currently set.

  A ninth aspect of the present invention is the plate making apparatus according to the eighth aspect, wherein the applied energy is changed by changing the applied voltage.

  According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the plate making apparatus according to the eighth aspect, the applied energy is changed by changing the energization time.

  An eleventh aspect of the present invention is the plate making apparatus according to any one of the first to tenth aspects, further comprising humidity detecting means for detecting environmental humidity information, wherein the transportability determining means is the humidity detecting means. The conveyance stability of the master is determined in consideration of the humidity information detected by the above.

  A twelfth aspect of the present invention includes the plate making apparatus according to any one of the first to eleventh aspects, wherein the plate making master on which the perforation pattern is formed by the plate making apparatus is wound around the outer peripheral surface of the printing drum. A stencil printing apparatus, wherein ink is supplied from an inner peripheral side of the printing drum, and an ink image corresponding to the image signal is formed on the printing medium by the ink oozed through the perforation pattern It is.

According to the present invention, it is possible to realize and provide a novel plate making apparatus and stencil printing apparatus by solving the above-mentioned conventional problems. The effects for each claim are as follows.
According to the first aspect of the present invention, according to the above configuration, the transportability judging means is information relating to the master transport stability evaluation preset according to the master information preset from the storage means and the driving conditions of the plate making apparatus. The master transport stability is determined by comparing these information with the master information recognized by the master recognizing means and the set driving conditions of the plate-making apparatus. Can be prevented in advance.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, with the above configuration, the antistatic agent information related to the master information is at least one of the type of the antistatic agent and the coating amount of the antistatic agent. It becomes possible to prevent the master conveyance failure due to charging based on the information on the inhibitor in advance.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, by the above configuration, by recognizing information on the rigidity of the master as the master information, in addition to the information on the antistatic agent, the information on the rigidity of the master is added, and the master transport by charging is performed. It becomes possible to prevent defects more reliably.

  According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, with the above configuration, the first control means performs the warning notification means when the transportability determining means determines that the stable transport of the master is difficult, and the stable transport of the master. Therefore, the user can determine whether or not to continue the plate making operation / work.

  According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, with the above configuration, when the second control means determines that it is difficult to stably transport the master by the transportability determining means, the master that is used as a warning notification means As a warning notification is made so as to prompt replacement, it is possible to prevent a master conveyance failure.

  According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, with the above configuration, the third control unit performs a warning notification unit to change the driving condition when the transportability determination unit determines that stable transport of the master is difficult. Since the warning is notified so as to prompt the user, it is possible to prevent the master conveyance failure.

  According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, according to the above configuration, the fourth control unit automatically sets the driving condition according to the master information when the transportability determining unit determines that stable transport of the master is difficult. By changing to, the user is not required to perform operations such as master replacement and drive condition setting, so that even a user unfamiliar with the operation of the apparatus can use the apparatus. In addition, it is possible to cope with the case where the apparatus is operated at a remote place and the master cannot be exchanged.

  According to the invention described in claim 8, with the above configuration, the fourth control unit changes the conveyance speed to be slower than the conveyance speed by the master conveyance unit currently set as the drive condition, and sets the drive condition at present. By changing to an energy larger than the applied energy, the master conveyance failure can be prevented in advance.

  According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, by setting the applied voltage higher than the standard time when changing the applied energy, the above-described configuration can obtain a perforated state equivalent to the standard time, and thus obtain a stable image quality. It becomes possible.

  According to the tenth aspect of the present invention, by setting the energization time longer than the standard time when the applied energy is changed, the above-described configuration can obtain a perforated state equivalent to the standard time, thereby obtaining a stable image quality. It becomes possible.

  According to the eleventh aspect of the invention, with the above configuration, the transportability determination unit determines the transport stability of the master in consideration of the humidity information detected by the humidity detection unit, so that a more stable master transport state is achieved. Can be realized and provided.

  According to the twelfth aspect of the invention, a stencil printing apparatus provided with the stencil making apparatus according to any one of the first to eleventh aspects realizes and provides a stencil printing apparatus that exhibits the effects of the above inventions. It becomes possible to do.

  DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an embodiment of the invention including the best mode and examples for carrying out the invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Constituent elements such as members and components having the same function and shape throughout the embodiment and the modified examples are given the same reference numerals and will not be described after being described once. In order to simplify the drawings and the description, even components that are to be represented in the drawings may be omitted as appropriate without being specifically described in the drawings. When a constituent element such as a published patent publication is cited and explained as it is, the reference numeral is attached with parentheses to distinguish it from that of the embodiment.

FIG. 1 shows the overall configuration of a digital thermosensitive stencil printing apparatus 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention. First, the overall configuration of the stencil printing apparatus 200 will be described with reference to FIG.
In FIG. 1, reference numeral 50 denotes an apparatus main body that forms the framework of the stencil printing apparatus 200. As shown in the figure, an upper portion of the apparatus main body 50, indicated by 80, is an original reading portion as an original reading device, and a lower portion, 1 is a digital thermal stencil type plate making apparatus (plate making portion). The part indicated by 20 on the left side of the plate making apparatus 1 is a printing drum unit as a printing drum apparatus in which a printing drum 21 having a porous cylindrical plate cylinder on the outer peripheral part is disposed, and 120 below the printing drum 21. A portion shown is a printing pressure unit as a printing pressure device, a portion indicated by 70 on the left side of the printing drum 21 is a plate discharging portion as a plate discharging device, and a portion indicated by 110 below the plate making apparatus 1 is a paper feeding device as a paper feeding device. The part indicated by the reference numeral 130 on the left side of the printing pressure device 120 and below the plate discharging device 70 indicates a paper discharge unit as a paper discharge device. As described above, the stencil printing apparatus shown in FIG. 1 is equipped with the plate making apparatus 1 integrally in the apparatus main body 50.

  The document reading unit 80 has a function of reading an image of the surface of the document 60 transferred from a document placing table (not shown), and the plate making apparatus 1 has a function of making a master 12 wound in a roll shape and feeding and feeding it. The printing drum unit 20 has a function of winding the master-made master 12 around its outer peripheral surface and supplying ink to the master-made master 12 on the printing drum 21. The plate discharging unit 70 peels off the used master 12 from the outer peripheral surface of the printing drum 21 and presses a sheet 62 as a printing medium against the sheet 21 to form a print image on the sheet 62. The paper feeding unit 110 has a function of discharging and discharging the plate into the paper 74, and the paper feeding unit 110 has a function of feeding the paper 62 stacked on the paper feeding table 51 between the printing drum unit 20 and the printing pressure unit 120. 130 is a printed document. The function of discharging the paper 62 which has been printed by the arm portion 20 and indicia pressure part 120 to the discharge tray 52, each having.

  Next, the basic operation of the stencil printing apparatus 200 will be described while supplementing the known or well-known means / configuration as appropriate. First, a user places and sets a document 60 having an image to be printed on a document placing table (not shown) disposed above the document reading unit 80, and makes a plate for the operation panel 90 as an operation unit shown in FIG. Press the start key 91. In response to pressing of the plate making start key 91, a plate making start signal is generated, and this is used as a trigger to first execute the plate discharging process. That is, in this state, the used master 12 used in the previous printing remains attached to the outer peripheral surface of the printing drum 21. The printing drum 21 is connected to printing drum driving means (not shown, for example, a main motor) via a driving mechanism (not shown), and is rotated by the printing drum driving means.

  The printing drum 21 rotates in the direction opposite to the arrow direction A1 in the figure, and the rear end portion of the used master 12 mounted on the outer peripheral surface of the printing drum 21 approaches the plate-removing roller pair 71a, 71b of the plate-discharging portion 70. The roller pair 71a, 71b rotates while scooping up the rear end of the used master 12 with one of the plate release roller 71b, and a plate discharge roller pair 73a disposed to the left of the plate release roller pair 71a, 71b. , 73b and a pair of discharge plate conveying belts 72a and 72b spanned between the pair of discharge plate peeling rollers 71a and 71b, the used master 12 is gradually peeled off from the outer peripheral surface of the printing drum 21 by the discharge plate peeling and conveying device. Then, the sheet is discharged into the discharging box 74 while being conveyed in the arrow direction Y1, and the so-called discharging process is completed. At this time, the printing drum 21 continues to rotate counterclockwise. The discharged used master 12 is then compressed inside the discharge plate box 74 by the compression plate 75.

In parallel with the plate removal process, the document reading unit 80 operates to read the document. That is, the document 60 placed on the document placing table is moved in the directions indicated by the arrows Y2 to Y3 (hereinafter referred to as “below”) by the rotation of the separation roller 81, the pair of front document transport rollers 82a and 82b, and the pair of rear document transport rollers 83a and 83b. Document reading direction Y2 ") and being subjected to exposure reading. At this time, when there are a large number of documents 60, only the lowermost document is conveyed by the action of the separating blade 84.
The upper rear document transport roller 83a is rotationally driven by a document transport motor 83A composed of a stepping motor, for example. The upper front document transport roller 82a is rotationally driven by a document transport motor 83A via a timing belt (not shown) spanned between the upper transport roller 83a and the transport roller 82a, and each roller 82b, 83b. Each follower rotation. At this time, the document transport motor 83A performs sub-scanning of the document 60 in response to a command from the microcomputer 3 to a document transport motor drive circuit (not shown) that drives the document transport motor 83A that is in a transmission / reception relationship with the microcomputer shown in FIG. Control is performed so that the feed pitch is changed to a predetermined sub-scan feed pitch corresponding to the resolution (dot / inch) in the sub-scan direction. The document transport motor drive circuit has the same configuration as a master transport motor drive circuit described later, and supplies the output of the phase excitation circuit to the document transport motor 83A.
The separation roller 81, the front document transport roller pair 82a and 82b, and the rear document transport roller pair 83a and 83b constitute a document transport unit that transports the document 60, and the document transport motor 83A is a document that rotationally drives the document transport unit. It functions as a conveyance driving means.

When reading the image of the original 60, the reflected light from the surface of the original 60 illuminated by the fluorescent lamp 86 while being transported on the contact glass 85 is reflected by the mirror 87 and passes through the lens 88, and then the CCD (photocoupler such as a charge coupled device) This is performed by being incident on an image sensor 89 formed of a conversion element. The document 60 from which the image has been read is discharged onto the document tray 80A.
The document reading unit 80 has a structure having various functions for color separation necessary for multicolor overprint printing, for example, a filter unit capable of switching a plurality of color filters described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 64-18682. Those having a similar function and configuration are disposed on the optical path between the mirror 87 and the lens 88.

The optical information (image data) of the original 60 is photoelectrically converted by the image sensor 89, and the analog electric signal is input to an analog / digital (A / D) converter (not shown) and converted into a digital image signal. The digital image signal is subjected to image processing for stencil printing by an image processing unit (not shown) in the main body control unit 2 shown in FIGS. 1 and 6, and the binary black pixels and white pixels thus subjected to image processing are processed. The digital image signal is input to a thermal head drive control unit (not shown). This thermal head drive control unit controls the individual heating elements 9 of the thermal head 10 shown in FIGS. 1 and 6 mainly through a thermal head drive circuit (not shown). The microcomputer 3 shown in FIG. Control operation is performed in response to a command from.
Since the main body control unit 2 is a stencil printing apparatus 200 in the present embodiment, it is provided on a control board (not shown) in the apparatus main body 50. However, in the plate making apparatus of the present invention, the plate making corresponding thereto is provided. It is noted that the control unit is provided on a control board (not shown) in the plate making apparatus 1.

  The optical information (image data) input to the A / D converter is not limited to the information read by the CCD, and may be information from a contact image sensor (CIS), for example. The digital image data input to the thermal head drive control unit in the main body control unit 2 may be a digital image signal transmitted from a computer such as a personal computer.

  The digital image signal input to the thermal head drive control unit in the main body control unit 2 is a thermal history control by a known thermal history control means shown in FIG. 6, a known environmental temperature correction control, a known thermal head temperature correction control, Other common drop correction control by a well-known common drop correction control means, thermal head energy condition control shown in FIG. 6 by an applied energy adjustment means, control described in detail later, and the like are appropriately performed as signals for driving the thermal head. A digital image data signal, a clock signal, an energization signal, and the like are generated and transmitted to the thermal head 10 via a thermal head drive circuit (not shown).

  The thermal head drive circuit receives a command of a digital image data signal (image data signal) output from the decoding circuit and an energization pulse width (energization time) output from the microcomputer 3 shown in FIG. It is mainly composed of a drive circuit that outputs a drive signal. The thermal head driving circuit includes a shift register that sequentially shifts image data signals, a latch circuit that latches the output of each stage of the shift register, an AND circuit that drives only a heating element corresponding to a black pixel, and heat generation. It has a transistor for driving the body and a diode for preventing backflow.

  As the thermal history control means, for example, the same control configuration as that disclosed in FIG. 8 of Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 8-132584 is used. Further, the heat history control is performed by changing each heat history control value to a predetermined value. As the environmental temperature correction control means, as disclosed in, for example, FIG. 5 of JP-A-11-320807, the environment (atmosphere) detected by environmental temperature detection means (not shown) such as a thermistor (not shown). The ROM has a function of adjusting the applied energy (Es) in accordance with the temperature of the environment, and the ROM has an environment temperature and energization pulse width (tp) as schematically shown in FIG. ) Is stored.

  On the other hand, in parallel with such document scanning and image reading operations, plate making and plate feeding processes are performed based on digital signalized image information (digital image signal). That is, when the master-making motor 11 formed of a stepping motor, for example, is driven to rotate by using the plate-making start signal as a trigger, the master 12 is set so as to be able to be fed out via a master support member (not shown). The master 12 is pulled out from the master roll 12A formed by being wound around the roll. At this time, the master 12 is rotated by a constant speed of the platen roller 14 and the tension roller pairs 15a and 15b as master conveying means pressed against the thermal head 10 via the master 12, and the sub-scan indicated by the arrow Y in the figure. It is transported downstream in the direction Y (hereinafter also referred to as “master transport direction Y”).

At this time, the master transport motor 11 performs the master transport speed control shown in FIG. 6 via a master transport motor drive circuit (not shown), thereby changing the sub-scan feed pitch of the master 12 to the sub-scan direction Y. It is controlled to change to a predetermined sub-scan feed pitch corresponding to the resolution. The master transport motor drive circuit is connected to the master transport motor 11 and drives the master transport motor 11. The master transport speed is detected and recognized by, for example, an encoder (not shown) attached to the output shaft of the master transport motor 11 and an encoder sensor disposed on the apparatus body 50 side with the encoder sandwiched therebetween.
A large number of minute heating elements 9 arranged in a line in the main scanning direction of the thermal head 10 are sent from the thermal head drive control unit in the main body control unit 2 to the conveyed master 12. Each of the film portions of the master 12 in contact with the heat generating element 9 which generates heat selectively in accordance with the digital image data signal coming in contact with the generated heat generating body 9 is heated, melted and perforated. In this way, image information is written in the master 12 as a drilling pattern by position-selective melt drilling of the master 12 according to the image information.

The platen roller 14 is connected to the master transport motor 11 via a rotation transmission member (not shown) such as a timing belt and a gear, and is rotated by the master transport motor 11. The master transport motor 11 is composed of, for example, a stepping motor. The rotational driving force of the master transport motor 11 is a pair of upper and lower reversing rollers 17a, 17b via a tension transmission pair 15a, 15b and an electromagnetic clutch (not shown) via a rotation transmission member (not shown) such as a gear. To be communicated to.
There is also an apparatus in which a stepping motor other than the master transport motor 11 that rotates the driving rollers of the reverse rollers 17a and 17b is provided instead of the electromagnetic clutch.

The front end of the master 12 having image information written therein is sent out toward the outer peripheral side of the printing drum 21 by the pair of reverse rollers 17a and 17b, and the traveling direction is changed downward by the plate feeding guide plate 18, 1 hangs down toward the master clamper 22 in which the printing drum 21 in the plate feeding position state indicated by a two-dot chain line is expanded. At this time, the used master 12 has already been removed from the printing drum 21 by the plate discharging process.
When the leading end of the master 12 that has been subjected to plate making is clamped and held by the master clamper 22 at a fixed timing by the operation of an opening / closing device (not shown) disposed on the apparatus main body 50 side to open and close the master clamper 22, the printing drum 21 Is gradually wound around the outer peripheral surface of the master 12 while rotating in the arrow A1 direction (clockwise direction). After the plate making is completed, the rear end portion of the master 12 that has been made is cut into a certain length by the cutter 13, and the master 12 that has been made one plate is completely wound around the outer peripheral surface of the printing drum 21. The plate making and feeding processes are completed.

  After that, the rotation of the platen roller 14, the tension roller pair 15a, 15b, and the reverse roller pair 17a, 17b causes the upstream end of the cut master 12 to be transported toward the nip portion of the reverse roller pair 17a, 17b. The When the leading edge of the master 12 thus transported is detected by a master leading edge detection sensor (not shown) and it is determined that the leading edge of the master 12 has occupied the initial position, the platen roller 14, the tension roller pairs 15a and 15b, and the reverse roller pair 17a, The rotation of 17b is stopped, and a plate-making standby state is prepared for the next plate-making. The initial position of the master 12 is set in advance, for example, at a position that protrudes slightly forward from the position sandwiched between the nip portions of the pair of reverse rollers 17a and 17b.

  Here, the platen roller 14, the tension roller pairs 15 a and 15 b, the reverse roller pairs 17 a and 17 b, and the master transport motor 11 constitute a master transport unit that transports the master 12. The master transport motor 11 functions as a master transport driving unit that drives the master transport unit.

  Next, the printing process is started. First, the uppermost one of the sheets 62 stacked on the sheet feeding table 51 is pulled out by the sheet feeding roller 111 and further separated into one sheet by the cooperative action of the separation roller pairs 112a and 112b. The printing unit is fed in the direction of the arrow Y4 (hereinafter referred to as “paper transport direction Y4”) toward the roller pair 113a and 113b, and further at a predetermined timing synchronized with the rotation of the printing drum 21 by the registration roller pair 113a and 113b. The sheet is fed between the printing drum 21 and the press roller 23 at 120. The press roller 23 can be brought into contact with and separated from the outer peripheral surface of the printing drum 21 by a known press roller displacing means (not shown). The press roller 23 is supplied to the printing drum 21 on which the master 12 having been made on the outer peripheral surface is wound. It functions as a pressing means / pressing member that presses the fed paper 62 and forms a print image on the paper 62. When the fed paper 62 comes between the printing drum 21 and the press roller 23, the press roller 23 that has been separated below the outer peripheral surface of the printing drum 21 is swung and raised, It is pressed and pressed against the master 12 that has been pre-rolled around the outer peripheral surface of the printing drum 21. In this way, due to the adhesive force due to the viscosity of the ink that has oozed out from the porous portion of the printing drum 21, the master 12 that has been subjected to plate making comes into close contact with the outer peripheral surface of the printing drum 21, and at the same Ooze out and the oozed ink is transferred to the surface of the paper 62 to form a printed image.

At this time, on the inner peripheral side of the printing drum 21, the ink is supplied from the ink supply pipe 24 also serving as the support shaft 24 to the ink reservoir 27 formed between the ink roller 25 and the doctor roller 26, and the printing drum 21 rotates. Ink is supplied to the inner peripheral side of the printing drum 21 by the ink roller 25 that is in rolling contact with the inner peripheral surface while rotating in the same direction as that of the printing drum 21 in synchronization with the rotational speed of the printing drum 21.
The ink supply tube 24, the ink roller 25, and the doctor roller 26 constitute an ink supply unit that supplies ink to the master 12 that has been made on the printing drum 21. For example, W / O type emulsion ink is used as the ink. The pressing means is not limited to the press roller 23, and an impression cylinder having a diameter substantially the same as the diameter of the printing drum (plate cylinder) 21 is also used. Of course, the present invention is applied to such an impression cylinder type stencil printing apparatus. The

The paper 62 on which the print image is formed in the printing pressure unit 120 is peeled off from the print drum 21 by the paper discharge peeling claw 114 in the paper discharge unit 130 and sucked by the suction fan 118 while being sucked by the suction paper discharge inlet roller 115 and the suction. It is attracted to the porous conveyor belt 117 that is stretched around the sheet discharge outlet roller 116, and is conveyed toward the sheet discharge tray 52 as indicated by the arrow Y5 by the rotation of the conveyor belt 117 in the counterclockwise direction. The sheets are sequentially discharged and loaded on the table 52. In this way, so-called plate printing is completed. The printing speed at the time of plate printing is set to a low speed such as 16 to 20 sheets / min (min).
After the plate printing is completed, the press roller 23 is separated from the printing drum 21, and the printing drum 21 returns to the initial position (home position) at which the master clamper 22 is substantially above in FIG.

  Next, a desired print speed value is set by pressing the print speed setting key 100 arranged on the operation panel 90 shown in FIG. 5, and the number of prints is set by the ten key 93 of the operation panel 90 before and after this. When the printing start key 92 is pressed and the printing start key 92 is pressed, the paper feeding, printing, and paper discharging processes are repeated for the set number of prints at the set printing speed in the same process as the above-described plate printing. All steps are completed.

Hereinafter, the details of the main configuration closely related to the present embodiment will be described.
As the master 12 currently used in the stencil printing apparatus 200, for example, a laminate in which a thermoplastic resin film and a porous support made of Japanese paper fiber, synthetic fiber, or a mixture of Japanese paper fiber and synthetic fiber are bonded together. Examples include structures. As the thermoplastic resin film, for example, a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) film is used. As the master 12, all known masters, that is, the thickness of the master 12 generally used in the stencil printing apparatus is in the range of 20 to 60 μm, and the thickness of the thermoplastic resin film among them is in the range of 20 to 60 μm. Is in the range of 1.0 to 2.5 μm.

  A master in which the thickness of the porous support of the master 12 is thin may be used. For example, a synthetic fiber base master (2) as described in JP-A-11-77949 may be used. A master having a thermoplastic resin film, at least one porous resin film, and a porous support as described in Japanese Patent No. 147075, that is, a porous resin made of a resin on one surface of the thermoplastic resin film A master formed by laminating a porous fiber film as a porous support made of a fibrous substance on the surface, or a master made of a thermoplastic resin film and at least one porous resin film, or substantially In particular, a master made only of a thermoplastic resin film can also be used.

  As the master 12, any of the above-described materials may be used in which an antistatic agent for preventing electrification is applied or impregnated on the surface of the thermoplastic resin film or impregnated in a porous support. . Various types of antistatic agents are used so as to exert their functions.

Next, referring to FIG. 2, how the difference in the material of the antistatic agent used in the master 12 and the difference in the coating amount thereof with respect to the charge amount of the master 12 are determined according to the elapsed time from the date of manufacture of the master 12. The results of investigations and tests on whether or not this will affect changes are described.
In FIG. 2, the elapsed time from the date of manufacture of the master 12 is plotted on the horizontal axis, and the master 12 is charged at the exit of the pair of reversing rollers 17a and 17b serving as the discharge ports of the plate making apparatus 1 shown in FIG. Each quantity is taken. The charge amount of the master 12 was measured using a surface potential meter “MODEL344” manufactured by Trek.
The configuration of the master 12 and the driving conditions of the plate making apparatus 1 were the same, and the antistatic agent material as the type of antistatic agent and the coating amount were changed in four stages. That is, in the figure, masters 12-1 and 12-2 have the same antistatic agent material and different coating amounts, and the master 12-1 is less than the master 12-2 in terms of the coating amount. It is. The masters 12-2 to 12-4 have different materials for the antistatic agent.

As shown in FIG. 2, when the above-mentioned plate making operation is performed using the masters 12-1 to 12-4 that are generally used, the antistatic performance of most of the masters 12-1 to 12-4 over time. It has been found that there is a tendency that the charge amount after plate making increases and the amount of charge after plate making increases.
This is because the master 12 including the masters 12-1 to 12-4 is coated or impregnated on the film surface or the porous support side of the master roll 12A wound in a roll shape. The antistatic effect cannot be obtained due to transfer to the conductive support side, etc., or the antistatic agent's binding force weakens due to deterioration over time and the antistatic effect weakens, or the antistatic agent itself deteriorates and becomes antistatic effect. This is thought to be because of the weakening.
Therefore, although the master 12 which has just been manufactured can perform the plate-making operation without any problem, there are cases where the anti-static performance deteriorates and deviates from the stable conveyance region, and the plate making cannot be performed well.

  In addition, the master 12-2 to 12-4 in the same figure, the difference in the amount of charge (the amount of charge on the master surface at the exit of the plate making apparatus 1) varies, antistatic over time depending on the material of the antistatic material The degree of deterioration of performance (the amount of charge is large, that is, the antistatic effect is weak) is different, or even the same material differs in charge amount depending on the amount of antistatic agent applied like Masters 12-1 and 12-2 Occurs.

Furthermore, the ease of charging of the master 12 differs depending on whether the material of the porous support constituting the master 12 is a synthetic fiber or a natural fiber (generally, a porous support made of a synthetic fiber is used. In addition, it is known that the level that affects the transportability varies depending on the rigidity of the master 12 itself even with the same charge amount.
From the above reasons, it can be said that it is difficult for general users to determine which level of antistatic performance is maintained with the current quality of the master 12. Originally, the manufacturer does not produce the above phenomenon because it is commercialized with settings that can cope with changes over time, but some users may use a master whose warranty period has passed.

Next, a specific example of master recognition means for recognizing at least master information relating to the date of manufacture of the master 12 and information (data) of the antistatic agent will be described. Here, the information on the antistatic agent is at least one of the type (material type) of the antistatic agent and the coating amount of the antistatic agent, but in the present embodiment, it means both, and these In addition, it demonstrates as what contains the information regarding the rigidity of the master 12. FIG.
The master recognition means for recognizing the master information from the recording medium on which the master information is recorded or the master identification means recognizes a plurality of types of information / data recorded on the recording medium as the master information as described above. Such a recording medium and master recognition means are desirable. That is, as a recording medium, a plurality of types of information and data can be recorded relatively easily, and a master roll 12A serving as a unit for moving a product can be seen from a portion that is not visible as much as possible so that counterfeits with poor quality can be checked. It is desirable to be able to arrange them, and to include the master recognition means and be non-contact type and can be priced.

  As an example of a master recognition unit that satisfies such a requirement, it is conceivable to use RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) technology that is a non-contact type master information identification / recognition method. The RFID uses an automatic recognition technology that performs non-contact writing and reading using wireless communication. Generally speaking, RFID is basically an IC tag (also referred to as an RF tag or an electronic tag) on which an IC chip having a memory function and an antenna are mounted, and a reader for reading and writing data in the IC tag. / Writer, and a system that manages the information.

  FIG. 4 shows a basic configuration of the master recognition means 29 using RFID. The IC tag 30 includes an IC chip 31 and a coiled antenna 32 connected thereto. The inside of the IC chip 31 is divided into a storage unit, a power supply rectification unit, a transmission unit, and a reception unit, and each performs a function and performs communication. As a communication principle, the antenna 32 of the IC tag 30 and the antenna 37 of the reader / writer 36 communicate with each other by radio waves, and exchange data (information / signal). In the communication procedure, when the antenna 32 in the IC tag 30 receives a radio wave from the reader / writer 36, an electromotive force is generated (electromagnetic induction or the like) by a resonance action. Thereby, the IC chip 31 in the IC tag 30 is activated, and the information in the IC chip 31 is converted into a signal. Next, a signal from the IC chip 31 is transmitted from the antenna 32 on the IC tag 30 side, and a signal transmitted from the antenna 32 is received by the antenna 37 of the reader / writer 36. Thereafter, the data is transferred to the data processing unit 39 via the controller 38 provided in the reader / writer 36, and data processing such as recognition is performed on the software side (master determination means side of the main body control unit 2 shown in FIG. 6). It is a procedure of performing.

  FIG. 3 shows an example of pasting and mounting of the IC tag 30 that constitutes the master recognizing means 29. When the master roll 12A is used to identify the master (type) in order to obtain the above master information, the master roll 12A is provided with an IC tag 30 having an IC chip 31 having a memory function and an antenna 32, and this antenna 32 is provided. There is a method of reading the master information from the IC chip 31 through a non-contact method. In this case, the IC chip 31 is generally provided in a cylindrical core tube 12a (paper tube) around which one end of the master 12 is wound. Specifically, the IC chip 31 can be embedded in the core tube 12a or can be attached to the inside of the core tube 12a.

  The master recognition means 29 is not limited to the one using the RFID, but may be a contact type, and an example thereof will be described below. This uses a non-volatile memory that can store data for a certain period of time without supplying power from the power supply. There is a method in which a contact capable of interfacing is provided, a connector for electrically connecting the main body processing unit is installed, and the electrical signal is recognized. As the non-volatile memory, a ROM called an EEPROM capable of erasing and writing data called an EEPROM can be used. In addition, when writing is performed once and writing is not performed thereafter, a nonvolatile memory such as EPROM may be used.

  With reference to FIG. 5, the configuration of the operation panel 90 as an operation unit of the stencil printing apparatus 200 will be described. The operation panel 90 is disposed on one side of the upper part of the document reading unit 80. As shown in FIG. 5, the operation panel 90 includes a plate making start key 91, a printing start key 92, a ten key 93, a stop key (stop key) 94, an enter key 95, a document type setting key 96, a touch panel 98, a counter 99 and A printing speed setting key 100 and the like are provided. The operation panel 90 is also provided with a function that functions as a warning information unit, a master information setting unit that functions as a master recognition unit, a driving condition switching unit, or a driving condition setting unit. These will be described later.

  The plate making start key 91 functions as an operation starting means for starting a series of steps (operations) from reading of an image of a document to plate discharge, plate making, plate feeding, paper feeding, plate printing, and paper discharge steps. The numeric keypad 93 has a function as a print number setting means for inputting / setting the number of prints and the like for the master of one plate that has been made, and the print start key 92 performs printing for the number of prints input / set by the numeric keypad 93. A stop key (stop key) 94 has a function of stopping the printing operation. The enter key 95 is a document type setting key 96 is a function for setting the type of document, a function for confirming and setting a numerical value at various settings, and the printing speed setting key 100 is a printing speed setting means for setting a printing speed. This function is pressed when it is desired to exhibit these functions. The printing speed setting key 100 includes a speed up key 100a and a speed down key 100b, and a printing speed indicator 100c for displaying the set printing speed is disposed in the vicinity thereof.

The touch panel 98 is driven by an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) drive circuit including a touch panel drive circuit (not shown), and various modes displayed on the screen by a well-known touch panel method and various selection setting means (master information that also functions as a master recognition means). The setting means, the driving condition switching means or the driving condition setting means) can be selected and set in black and white reversed display.
The warning display means or warning notification means comprising an LCD screen (hereinafter also referred to as “LCD display section”) disposed on the touch panel 98 is determined by the transportability determination means 4 shown in FIG. In such a case, various warning notifications or warnings are displayed in the operation described later. The counter 99 displays the set number of prints and the remaining number of prints as a number.

The warning notification means is not limited to the one displayed on the touch panel 98, for example, a simple LCD display, LED display, voice notification, a sounding warning sound by a buzzer appropriately disposed on the operation panel 90 or the like, or seven segments of LEDs. The code notation used may be used, or a combination thereof may be used as appropriate.
The master information setting unit, the driving condition switching unit, the driving condition setting unit, and the like are not limited to those provided on the touch panel 98. For example, a dedicated key is provided or a combination of one key and a plurality of LEDs is used. A method of setting while sequentially changing the LED display every time one key is pressed, or a method of setting with a plurality of selection setting keys while hierarchically displaying on the LCD may be used.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 6, an environmental temperature sensor 210 as environmental temperature detection means for detecting environmental temperature and environmental humidity detection for detecting environmental humidity are located in the vicinity of the upper portion of the plate removal unit 70 in the apparatus main body 50. An environmental humidity sensor 214 is provided as means. Inside the printing drum 21, an ink temperature sensor 211 is disposed as an ink temperature detecting means that is disposed in the ink reservoir 27 forming portion of the ink supply means and detects the ink temperature. In addition, you may detect each said temperature not only directly but indirectly.

In the plate making apparatus 1, as shown only in FIG. 6, a thermal head temperature sensor 212 as thermal head temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature of the thermal head 10 is disposed. The location of the thermal head temperature sensor 212 is the same as that shown in FIG. 4 of Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2006-82358, that is, the surface portion of the heating element 9, for example, the center of the heating element 9 surrounded by electrodes. Although it is desirable that the portion be close to the surface portion of the thermal head, the detection at that portion is almost impossible with the present technology. Therefore, here, the thermal head is on the thermal head substrate which is the circuit board mounted on the thermal head 10. 10 Main body temperature is detected. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and it may be provided inside an aluminum heat radiating support called aluminum heat radiating plate constituting the thermal head 10.
As the environmental temperature sensor 210, the ink temperature sensor 211, and the thermal head temperature sensor 212, a thermistor having a desired sensitivity and reliability and being relatively small and inexpensive is preferably used. As long as the above advantages are not desired, other temperature detection means may be used.

  As described above, the thermal head 10 receives a digital image signal from the image sensor 89, an A / D converter (not shown), an image processor (not shown), or the like, or from the personal computer 140 or the like shown only in FIG. Digital images that are processed and transmitted by a thermal head drive control unit (not shown) of the main body control unit 2 via an image processing unit via a personal computer / controller, interface device, data development unit, etc. (not shown). Based on a signal for driving a thermal head including a data signal, a number of heating elements 9 are heated in a position-selective manner, thereby functioning as a plate-making means for selectively heating, melting, punching and making a master 12. The thermal head 10 can be brought into and out of contact with the platen roller 14 via a master 12 by a well-known contacting / separating means (not shown). Also, known platen pressure variable means (not shown) for changing the pressing force (platen pressure) when the thermal head 10 is in pressure contact with the platen roller 14 is provided. The platen pressure variable means is configured to include a platen pressure variable motor composed of a stepping motor driven via a platen pressure variable motor drive circuit, a tension spring as an elastic member, and the like. The platen pressure is detected and recognized by, for example, an encoder (not shown) attached to an output shaft of a platen pressure variable motor and an encoder sensor disposed on the apparatus main body 50 side with the encoder sandwiched therebetween. As a specific example of the platen pressure varying means, for example, a thermal head pressing force switching mechanism shown in FIG. 2 of Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-1699 is cited.

In this stencil printing apparatus, as the thermal head 10, a thin-film thermal head that is generally called a planar thermal head is used. However, the thermal head 10 is not limited to this and is arranged in the main scanning direction. As long as it has a plurality of (many) heating elements, all known types and types are included. That is, the thermal head 10 may be a planar thermal head, an end face thermal head, a real edge thermal head, or a corner edge thermal head.
Further, as the heating element 9 of the thermal head 10, a rectangular shape is usually used in a plan view, but a heat concentration type may be used.

As described above, the plate making apparatus 1 brings the portions of the many heating elements 9 arranged in the main scanning direction of the thermal head 10 into contact with the film of the master 12, and sets the master 12 in the sub-scanning direction orthogonal to the main scanning direction. The film of the master 12 is melted and punched by position-selective heating of the individual heating elements 9 according to the image data (image signal), and dot-shaped punching / This is an apparatus for forming a plate-making image (perforation pattern) on the master 12.
The feed operation for transporting the master 12 in the sub-scanning direction Y is not limited to the intermittent movement at a predetermined feed pitch as in the above example, and the master 12 may be sent continuously. Further, not only the document reading unit 80, but also a scanner moving method in which the document 60 is placed and fixed on the contact glass, and the scanning optical system including a fluorescent lamp and a mirror is moved by a driving motor to read the document. It may be adopted. In this case, the drive motor may be controlled so that the moving speed of the scanning optical system is changed to a predetermined feed pitch corresponding to the resolution in the sub-scanning direction Y.

With reference to FIG. 6, the control configuration for controlling mainly the plate making apparatus 1 and the operation panel 90 of the stencil printing apparatus 200 will be described. As shown in the figure, the microcomputer 3 in the main body control unit 2 includes a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, an internal timer, an I / O interface, an A / D converter, various counters, etc., which are connected by a signal bus. It is configured.
On / off signals and data signals from the various keys on the operation panel 90 and various keys from the personal computer (PC) 140, use master recognition information (data signal) recognized by the master recognition means 29, various sensors 210 and 211. , 214 and the thermal head temperature sensor 212 are input to the CPU of the microcomputer 3 through an I interface such as a sensor input circuit (not shown) and an A / D converter. Further, from the CPU of the microcomputer 3, a counter 99 of the operation panel 90, a touch panel drive circuit including an LCD drive circuit of the touch panel 98, the thermal head drive circuit of the plate making apparatus 1, the master transport motor drive circuit of the plate making apparatus 1, A command signal is transmitted to the platen pressure variable motor drive circuit of the plate-making apparatus 1, the document conveying motor drive circuit, the printing pressure variable motor drive circuit, the ROM as the storage means 6, the external storage device (HDD or the like), and the memory, The entire system of the stencil printing apparatus 200 is controlled.

  The ROM of the microcomputer 3 has a function as a storage means 6 for storing a relational data table in which the driving conditions of the plate making apparatus 1 preset in accordance with the master information and the conveyance stability evaluation information of the master 12 are combined. Have.

Here, an example of a relational data table stored in advance in the storage unit 6 will be described with reference to FIG. As described with reference to FIG. 1, the influence of the charging on the master 12 on the transportability is not only the antistatic performance of the master 12 to be used, but also the rigidity of the master itself, the transport speed of the master 12, which is the driving condition, and the thermal It varies depending on the master pressing force (platen pressure) to the head 10, the contact area with the various rollers in the master transport path, the contact force, and the like. The relational data table shown in FIG. 7 uses the master information and the driving conditions of the plate making apparatus 1 (hereinafter, also simply referred to as “driving conditions”) as parameters, and how they affect the conveyance stability of the master. That is, the conveyance stability evaluation result information is actually obtained by experiments using an actual machine equivalent to the plate making apparatus 1. The master information includes the master rigidity, the antistatic agent type (material difference), the antistatic performance and the antistatic agent coating amount, and the driving conditions include the master 12 conveyance speed and the platen pressure. , Both qualitatively show them. Transport stability evaluation: The contents of ◎, ○, Δ, and × are as shown in FIG.
The master used as master information at the time of the above investigation has a structure with excellent surface smoothness, and even when the platen pressure is varied, it can be confirmed that there is no influence on the piercing property. Some configurations and surface smoothness cannot cope with changes in the platen pressure. In addition, as the conveyance speed of the master 12 and the platen pressure recognition method, those set in advance on the touch panel 98 or the like may be used.

  In the storage means 6 (ROM), in addition to the relation data table shown in FIG. 7, a program for performing the control operation shown in FIG. 8 and relation data for setting various conditions corresponding to the set drive conditions Table, energy adjustment program, energization pulse width relation data table corresponding to drilling energy to form drills of optimum size according to various selected conditions, and optimum pressure contact force A relational data table for selection is obtained and stored in advance by experiments or the like.

  The CPU of the microcomputer 3 has calculation and control functions and has the following functions. First, the CPU calls the master information preset from the storage means 6 and data (information) relating to the master conveyance stability evaluation preset according to the driving conditions of the plate-making apparatus 1, and these data (Information) is compared with the master information recognized by the master recognizing means 29 and the currently set driving conditions of the plate-making apparatus 1, thereby determining the conveying stability of the master 12 as the conveying ability determining means 4. It has a function.

Secondly, the CPU has a function as the master determination means 5 for determining the type / type of the master 12 based on master information set by a touch key (to be described later) of the touch panel 98 or set by a dedicated key. Have.
Thirdly, when the CPU 12 determines that it is difficult to stably transport the master 12 by the transportability determining means 4, the CPU displays a warning on the LCD display part of the touch panel that it is difficult to stably transport the master 12. -It has a function as a 1st control means to display.

Fourth, when the CPU 12 determines that it is difficult to stably transport the master 12 by the transportability determination means 4, the CPU notifies the user to replace the master 12 that is used as the LCD display unit of the touch panel. -It has a function as a 2nd control means to display.
Fifth, the CPU notifies the warning to prompt the change of the driving condition of the plate making apparatus 1 by using the LCD display part of the touch panel when the transportability determining means 4 determines that the stable transport of the master 12 is difficult. -It has a function as a 3rd control means to display.

  Sixth, the CPU functions as a fourth control unit that automatically changes the driving condition according to the master information when the transportability determination unit 4 determines that stable transport of the master 12 is difficult. Have. At this time, the CPU changes to a conveyance speed slower than the conveyance speed by the master conveyance means currently set as the drive condition, and also has a function of changing to an energy larger than the applied energy currently set as the drive condition. Have.

  The RAM of the microcomputer 3 has a function of temporarily storing the calculation result of the CPU, a data signal transmitted from various keys on the operation panel 90 and input to the CPU, an on / off signal, and various sensors. It has a function of storing data signals, on / off signals and the like input to the CPU as needed.

Further, the main body control unit 2 includes an environmental temperature detection means 7 capable of detecting the environmental temperature from the detection data signal (environment temperature detection information) related to the environmental temperature output from the environmental temperature sensor 210, and the environmental humidity sensor 214. Environmental humidity detection means 8 capable of detecting environmental humidity from the detection data signal (environmental humidity detection information) related to the output environmental humidity, and detection data signal related to the thermal head temperature output from the thermal head temperature detection sensor 212 Thermal head temperature detection means (not shown) capable of detecting the thermal head temperature from (thermal head temperature detection information), a detection data signal (ink temperature detection information) relating to the ink temperature output from the ink temperature sensor 211 Ink temperature detecting means capable of detecting the ink temperature is provided.
Various detection units of the environmental temperature detection unit 7, the environmental humidity detection unit 8, the thermal head temperature detection unit, and the ink temperature detection unit are configured to detect various temperatures and humidity using an A / D converter or the like. ing.

Next, with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. 7 and 8 and FIGS. 9 to 12, the control operation of the main part of the present embodiment executed under the instruction of the CPU of the microcomputer 3 of the main body control unit 2 will be described. To do. In this operation description, only the part related to the present invention will be described, and the other parts are well known and will be omitted.
First, in step S1 shown in FIG. 8, when the stencil printing apparatus 200 is turned on, a plurality of types of masters 12 can be used in the present embodiment. The master information is identified and recognized as 12 (step S2).

In this case, if a master other than the recommended master or a non-registered master or a master whose warranty period has expired is installed in the main body, a configuration for notifying the user of the master, for example, an LCD display on the touch panel 98 shown in FIG. It may be displayed on the screen, or a warning notification may be given by voice or buzzer.
As master recognition means for identifying and recognizing master information of the master 12 to be used, master recognition means 29 for recognizing master information in the IC tag 30 shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. The following means and methods are not limited to those automatically identified and recognized by the recognition means. That is, as shown in FIG. 9, it may be performed by setting and inputting an identification code by the user on the touch panel 98 on the operation panel 90, or arranged on the operation panel 90 shown in FIG. For example, master type selection keys 101, 102, and 103 as master type selection setting means for selecting and setting three types of masters A, B, and C, and any of these masters are selected and set. It may be composed of display lamps 101a, 102b, and 103a as selection display means composed of LEDs that light up or blink.

After the master information of the master 12 is recognized, the microcomputer 3 turns on any one of the display lamps 101a, 102b, 103a if there is a corresponding master on the operation panel 90 for the identified master, and if there is no master, the operation panel 90 It is desirable to display the content as shown in FIG. As a result, the user can check when the product is manufactured and what master is installed.
In addition, the master information is stored in a non-volatile memory or the like, so that it can be used when charging for each user. The display of the master information may be confirmed on a computer such as a personal computer in a remote place connected by a LAN or the like.

Next, the process proceeds to step S3, and the environmental humidity sensor 214 detects and acquires environmental humidity information that has a large degree of influence on the transportability of the master as an environmental condition.
Next, the process proceeds to step S4, and the transportability of the master is determined. That is, the transportability judging means 4 recognizes the master information at the same time as the master characteristics (total thickness, rigidity / rigidity, master configuration), the material of the antistatic agent applied or impregnated on the master, and the elapsed time from manufacture. Whether or not the plate making under the currently set driving conditions can be performed without any problem is determined and determined based on the relation data table shown in FIG. 7 as the transportability determination information registered in advance. That is, the transportability determination means 4 calls the relation data table shown in FIG. 7 from the storage means 6, the relation data (information) in the relation data table, the master information recognized by the master recognition means 29, and the current setting. The conveyance stability of the master 12 is determined by collating with the driving conditions of the plate making apparatus 1.
At this time, by adding the environmental humidity information obtained by the environmental humidity sensor 214 to the determination / determination information, the transportability determination unit 4 can perform more accurate determination. That is, in general, when the environmental humidity is relatively high, the antistatic agent absorbs moisture, so that the master is difficult to be charged. When the environmental humidity is relatively low, the master is likely to be charged. This is taken into account in the determination.

In FIG. 7, for example, when master type A having high master rigidity, high antistatic performance, and standard antistatic agent coating amount is recognized as master information, and is currently set. When the conveyance speed is low and the platen pressure is low as the driving condition, the conveyance stability evaluation means 4 indicates that the conveyance stability evaluation is “◎: no change in master behavior in the plate making apparatus 1 (good conveyance stability)”. Determined.
Further, in FIG. 7, for example, when master type D having a low master rigidity, high antistatic performance, and a standard antistatic agent coating amount is recognized as master information, When the conveyance speed is high and the platen pressure is high as the drive condition, the conveyance stability evaluation unit 4 determines that the conveyance stability evaluation is “Δ: Infrequent but poor conveyance (conveyance stability defect)”. The

  In step S4, if there is a problem as a result of the determination of the conveyance stability, that is, if it is determined that stable conveyance of the master is difficult, and if it is necessary to manually change the driving conditions, the touch panel notifies the user to that effect. Warning display / display is performed on the LCD display unit 98 (steps S5 and S6).

  Next, the process proceeds to step S7, and a warning notification is displayed and displayed on the LCD display unit of the touch panel 98 so as to prompt the user to replace the master. Next, a warning notification is displayed and displayed on the LCD display unit of the touch panel 98 so as to prompt the user to change the driving condition (step S8). At this time, as shown in FIG. 11, a warning message “It is recommended to change the use master or drive conditions in order to obtain stable transportability” is displayed, and “change”, “ “Do not change” and “Auto: Change to appropriate condition” are displayed on the touch keys 105, 106, and 107.

Next, in step S9, it is determined whether the drive conditions can be switched (changed). When the user wants to change the driving conditions, the user touches the touch key 105 of the touch panel 98 shown in FIG. 11 to select and change “change”, and the LCD display screen of the touch panel 98 is displayed as shown in FIG. Since it is possible to switch to a different screen, it is desirable to select on the touch panel 98.
At this time, for example, in FIG. 7, when the master type D is recognized as the master information, and the transport speed is high and the platen pressure is high as the set drive condition, the transportability determination means 4 Since the transfer stability evaluation is “Δ: Frequency is low but it is determined that a transfer failure has occurred (transfer stability failure), the transfer speed of the master is, for example,“ slow 1 ”(touch key 108) on the touch panel 98 shown in FIG. If it is selected and set with the “slow 2” touch key 109, which is slower than the selection setting), the conveyance stability evaluation is “○: rarely disturbed by the behavior of the master 12 in the plate making apparatus 1 even when the platen pressure is high. Can be changed to “no problem in transporting things”.

  In step S9, when it is desired to change the driving condition automatically, the user touches the touch key 107 of the touch panel 98 shown in FIG. 11 and selects and sets "automatic: change to appropriate condition". Automatic is selected in the determination of the condition switching method, and the process proceeds to step S10 to automatically change to the appropriate drive condition.

In the drive condition change in step S10, the conveyance speed is set to be slower than the currently set conveyance speed so that the thermal head energy condition is appropriate according to the condition that is manually selected, set, or automatically determined. At the same time, the energy applied to the thermal head 10 (input energy) is automatically controlled to be changed to a larger energy than the currently set applied energy.
At this time, the applied energy is changed by changing the applied voltage or by changing the energization time (energization pulse width).

On the other hand, when there is no problem in the determination result of the conveyance stability in step S4, the case where the driving condition switching method is automatic in step S5, and the case where the driving condition is not changed in step S9, the user shows in FIG. If the touch key 106 of the touch panel 98 is touched and “do not change” is selected and set, the process proceeds to step S11 and the plate making operation as described above is executed.
The setting after changing the driving condition and the automatic driving condition changing result can also be displayed and notified on the LCD display unit of the touch panel 98.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the effect described in the column of the effect of the invention is achieved.
As described above, the present invention has been described with respect to specific embodiments and the like. However, the technical scope disclosed by the present invention is not limited to those illustrated in the above-described embodiments and the like, and is included in them. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various embodiments, modifications, and examples can be configured within the scope of the present invention in accordance with the necessity and application. It is.

1 is a schematic front view of a stencil printing apparatus showing an embodiment of the present invention. The results of investigation and testing of how the difference in the amount of antistatic agent used in the master and the difference in coating amount affect the charge amount of the master depending on the elapsed time from the date of manufacture of the master are shown. It is a graph. It is a perspective view which shows the example of mounting | wearing with the master identification means (IC tag) to a master roll. It is a schematic diagram which shows the structure of RFID as a master recognition means. It is a top view of the operation panel used for the stencil printing apparatus shown in FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the control structure of the principal part of the stencil printing apparatus shown in FIG. It is a graph which shows an example of the related data table regarding the master information memorize | stored beforehand in a memory | storage means, drive conditions, and conveyance stability evaluation. It is a flowchart showing the control operation | movement of the principal part of this embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows the content displayed on a touchscreen in this embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows the content by which the display different from FIG. 9 is made into a touchscreen. Furthermore, it is explanatory drawing which shows the content by which the display different from FIG. 10 is made into a touchscreen. Furthermore, it is explanatory drawing which shows the content by which the display different from FIG. 11 is made into a touchscreen.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Plate making apparatus 2 Main body control part 3 Microcomputer (it comprises the 1st-4th control means)
4 Transportability determination means 5 Master determination means 6 Storage means 8 Environmental humidity sensor (environmental humidity detection means)
9 Heating element (heating element)
10 Thermal head (plate making means)
11 Master transport motor (master transport drive means)
12 master 12A master roll 14 platen roller (master conveying means)
21 Printing drum 23 Press roller (pressing means)
29 Master recognition means 30 IC tag (master identification means)
62 Paper (Printed media, sheet-like recording media)
90 operation panel 98 touch panel (warning notification means / warning display means)
S Main scanning direction Y Sub-scanning direction / Master transport direction

Claims (12)

A thermal head having a large number of heating elements arranged in the main scanning direction is brought into direct contact with the thermoplastic resin film side of a master having a thermoplastic resin film and coated or impregnated with an antistatic agent, While the master is moved by the master transport unit in the sub-scanning direction orthogonal to the main scanning direction, the application energy that can be arbitrarily adjusted according to the image signal is supplied to the thermal head. In a plate making apparatus for generating a perforation pattern according to the image signal by position-selectively melting and perforating the thermoplastic resin film by causing a heating element to generate heat,
Master recognition means for recognizing at least master information relating to the date of manufacture of the master and information on the antistatic agent;
Storage means for storing the master information set in advance and information related to the conveyance stability evaluation of the master set in advance according to the driving conditions of the plate making apparatus;
The master information set in advance from the storage means and information related to the conveyance stability evaluation of the master set in advance according to the driving conditions of the plate making apparatus are called up, and these information and the master recognition means are recognized. A transportability determination means for determining the transport stability of the master by collating the master information with the set drive conditions;
A plate making apparatus characterized by comprising: The plate making apparatus according to claim 1,
The information about the antistatic agent is at least one of the type of the antistatic agent and the coating amount of the antistatic agent. In the plate making apparatus according to claim 1 or 2,
The master recognizing device recognizes information related to the rigidity of the master as the master information. In the plate making apparatus as described in any one of Claims 1 thru | or 3,
Warning notification means for performing warning notification;
A first control unit that, when the transportability determination unit determines that stable transport of the master is difficult, causes the warning notification unit to warn that stable transport of the master is difficult;
A plate making apparatus characterized by comprising: In the plate making apparatus as described in any one of Claims 1 thru | or 4,
Warning notification means for performing warning notification;
A second control means for notifying the warning so as to prompt the replacement of the master being used as the warning notification means when the transferability determination means determines that stable transfer of the master is difficult;
A plate making apparatus characterized by comprising: In the plate making apparatus as described in any one of Claims 1 thru | or 4,
Warning notification means for performing warning notification;
Third control means for notifying the warning so as to prompt the change of the driving condition by the warning notification means when the transferability determination means determines that stable transfer of the master is difficult;
A plate making apparatus characterized by comprising: In the plate making apparatus as described in any one of Claims 1 thru | or 3,
A plate-making apparatus, comprising: a fourth control unit that automatically changes to the driving condition according to the master information when the transportability determining unit determines that stable transport of the master is difficult. In the plate making apparatus according to claim 7,
The fourth control means changes the conveyance speed to be slower than the conveyance speed by the master conveyance means currently set as the drive condition, and sets the energy larger than the applied energy currently set as the drive condition. A plate making apparatus characterized by changing. The plate making apparatus according to claim 8, wherein
The plate making apparatus characterized in that the applied energy is changed by changing the applied voltage. The plate making apparatus according to claim 8, wherein
The plate making apparatus characterized in that the applied energy is changed by changing the energization time. The plate making apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 10,
Humidity detection means to detect environmental humidity information
The plate making apparatus, wherein the transportability determining means determines the transport stability of the master in consideration of the humidity information detected by the humidity detecting means.   A plate making apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the plate making master on which the perforation pattern is formed is wound around an outer peripheral surface of a printing drum, and the inner periphery of the printing drum is provided. A stencil printing apparatus, wherein ink is supplied from a side, and an ink image corresponding to the image signal is formed on a printing medium by ink oozing through the perforation pattern.

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