JP2010023313A - Printer and cleaning method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a printer and a cleaning method of the printer which enable a dust adhered onto the printing surface of a handling sheet to be effectively eliminated without the possibility of re-adhering. <P>SOLUTION: The printer 1 includes a paper feed means 3 for conveying the handling sheet P, a ribbon delivery means 4 for feeding an ink ribbon R from a feed part 40 and conveying it in a part of a paper feed path X against the printing surface P1 and collecting it into a collection part 41, a printing means 5 for performing the heat transferring of the ink of the ink ribbon R onto the printing surface P1 by putting the ink ribbon R and the handling sheet P and heating them, a dust collection part 6 which can accumulate the dust by contacting the printing surface P1 of the handling sheet P conveyed by the paper feed means 3, a dust accumulation means 7a for making the dust accumulate in the dust accumulation range on the printing surface P1 by conveying the handling sheet P under the state of having made the dust collection part 6 contact the printing surface P1, and a dust collection means 7b for making the dust which has been collected by heating the ink ribbon R in the dust accumulation range adhere to the ink ribbon and for collecting the dust. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a printer that performs printing on printing paper by thermally transferring an ink ribbon, and a cleaning method for the printer.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, thermal transfer type printers that perform printing on printing paper by thermally transferring an ink ribbon have been used. Specifically, such a thermal transfer type printer includes a feed roller that conveys printing paper from a paper feed unit, and an ink ribbon that overlaps with the printing paper that is conveyed by rotation of the feed roller along the paper conveyance path. And a thermal head that sandwiches and heats the overlapping ink ribbon and printing paper. In the thermal head, a portion that contacts the ink ribbon is provided with a plurality of thermal resistors arranged in units of printing dots, and by selectively heating the thermal resistor while conveying the printing paper, It is possible to transfer the ink on the ink ribbon and print a desired image on the printing paper.

Here, various dusts such as paper dust generated from the printing paper itself at the time of manufacture and dust entering the inside of the printer from the outside adhere to the printing paper. In the printing paper, dust adhering to the printing surface causes a transfer failure when the ink on the ink ribbon is thermally transferred by the thermal head. In particular, while printing is repeated by the printer, the dust adhering to the printing paper may temporarily adhere to the feed roller and collect, and the collected dust reattaches to the printing surface at once. In this case, the ink on the ink ribbon is not transferred to the part where the dust adheres, and printing defects such as blurring occur. For this reason, a printer including a cleaning roller for removing dust on a printing surface before performing thermal transfer with a thermal head has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
JP 2007-119186 A

  However, in the printer of Patent Document 1, although dust can be removed by the cleaning roller, when a large amount of dust adheres to the cleaning roller, the dust cannot be effectively removed. In addition, if it is continuously used in such a state, the dust adhering to the cleaning roller reattaches from the cleaning roller onto the printing surface, and as a result, the cleaning roller itself has a printing defect rather than removing the dust on the printing surface. There was a problem that caused it.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and is capable of effectively removing dust adhering to the printing surface of printing paper without the risk of re-adhering, and printer cleaning. A method is provided.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention proposes the following means.
The printer according to the present invention includes a sheet conveying unit capable of conveying a printing sheet along a predetermined sheet conveying path, an ink ribbon supplied from a supply unit, and the sheet conveying unit in at least a part of the sheet conveying path. Ribbon feeding / discharging means that conveys the printing sheet conveyed by the sheet, and collects it in a collection unit, and the ink ribbon and the printing sheet that are opposed to each other are sandwiched and heated, thereby the ink ribbon A printing unit that thermally transfers the ink on the printing surface; and a dust collection unit that can contact the printing surface of the printing paper conveyed by the paper conveyance unit and accumulate dust on the printing surface; Dust collecting means for conveying the printing paper by the paper conveying means in a state where the dust collecting portion is in contact with the printing surface, and collecting dust in a predetermined dust accumulation range on the printing surface; Is characterized by comprising a dust collector for collecting by attaching the dust accumulation by causing heating the ink ribbon in the ink ribbon by the printing means in the dust accumulation range.

  According to this configuration, as the dust collecting means, as a cleaning operation, first, the dust collecting unit is brought into contact with the printing surface of the printing paper, and the printing paper is conveyed by the paper conveying means in this state, whereby the dust on the printing surface is obtained. Is accumulated at the position where the dust collecting portion is in contact. Next, the dust collecting means heats the ink ribbon by the printing means in the dust accumulation range where dust is accumulated on the printing surface. As a result, the ink of the ink ribbon is normally thermally transferred to the printing surface of the printing paper to which the ink ribbon is attached. On the other hand, when dust is present between the ink ribbon and the printing surface, the dust and the ink tend to adhere, and the adhesion between the printing paper and the dust, the dust and the ink ribbon Due to the relationship with the adhesion force with the ink, dust on the printing surface adheres to the ink ribbon side. As described above, the cleaning operation is performed by the dust collecting unit and the dust collecting unit, whereby the dust on the printing surface can be collected and effectively removed by the ink ribbon. And since the range once heated by the printing means in the ink ribbon is not reused and is collected by the collecting part of the ribbon supply / discharge means, there is no possibility that dust will reattach to the printing surface.

  More preferably, the dust collecting portion is the ink ribbon that is disposed by the ribbon supply / discharge means and contacts the printing surface of the printing paper at least at a part along the paper conveyance path.

  According to this configuration, since the ink ribbon is in contact with the printing surface as the dust collecting unit, when the dust collecting unit conveys the printing paper by the paper conveying unit, the dust on the printing surface is separated from the printing surface of the ink ribbon. As a result, the dust is adhered to the ink ribbon as described above. Here, the ink ribbon is used as the dust collecting unit, so that no other member for collecting dust on the printing surface is required, and the minimum necessary for printing by thermally transferring the ink ribbon to the printing paper. It is possible to reduce the cost of parts and save space.

  The dust collecting means is transported by the ribbon supply / discharge means within a use range of the ink ribbon used for one printing on the printing paper, and the ink ribbon is heated by the printing means. More preferably, the cleaning operation is continuously performed a plurality of times while shifting.

  According to this configuration, the dust collecting means performs the cleaning operation a plurality of times while shifting the heating range within the use range per printing of the ink ribbon, so that dust adheres as an ink ribbon and is printed. Therefore, it is possible to more effectively remove dust on the printing surface without substantially increasing the range that cannot be used.

  The present invention also relates to a cleaning method for a printer that performs printing by thermally transferring an ink ribbon onto a printing surface of a printing sheet conveyed to a predetermined sheet conveyance path, for collecting dust on the printing surface. A dust accumulating step for conveying the printing paper along the paper conveying path while bringing the dust collecting portion into contact therewith, and accumulating dust in a predetermined dust accumulating area on the printing surface; and the dust on the printing surface And a dust collecting step of collecting and collecting the dust accumulated by heating the ink ribbon in the accumulation range.

  In the dust collecting step, it is more preferable to collect dust by bringing at least a part of the ink ribbon along the paper transport path as the dust collecting portion into contact with the printing surface.

  Further, the dust collecting step and the dust collecting step are continuously performed a plurality of times while shifting the heating range of the ink ribbon within a use range of the ink ribbon used for one printing on the printing paper. More preferably.

According to the printer of the present invention, the dust collecting unit, the dust collecting unit, and the dust collecting unit are provided so that the dust attached on the printing surface of the printing paper can be collected and attached to the ink ribbon and collected. It can be effectively removed without fear of reattaching to the printing surface.
In addition, according to the printer cleaning method of the present invention, the dust collecting step and the dust collecting step are provided, so that the dust attached on the printing surface of the printing paper can be collected and attached to the ink ribbon for recovery. Therefore, it can be effectively removed without fear of reattaching to the printing surface.

  1 and 2 show an embodiment according to the present invention. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the printer 1 of this embodiment is a thermal transfer printer, and includes a paper feeding unit 2 that supplies the printing paper P, a paper transporting means 3 that transports the printing paper P, Ribbon supply / discharge means 4 for supplying and collecting the ink ribbon R, printing means 5 for thermally transferring the ink ribbon R supplied by the ribbon supply / discharge means 4 to the printing paper P, and dust on the printing surface P1 of the printing paper P. A dust collection unit 6 for stacking, a control unit 7 for controlling each component, and an operation unit 8 for giving various commands to the control unit 7 are provided. Details of each component will be described below.

  The paper feed unit 2 accommodates a roll body P2 on which the printing paper P is formed in a roll shape so as to be rotatable about the rotation shaft 21. In addition, the paper transport unit 3 sandwiches the printing paper P and pulls out the printing paper P from the roll body P2 of the paper feeding unit 2 and the printing paper P drawn by the paper feeding rollers 31 and 32. The feed roller 33 and the pinch roller 34 capable of moving forward and backward in the paper transport path X, and the paper discharge path X1 of the paper transport path X from the feed roller 33 and the pinch roller 34 to guide the print paper P. A plurality of paper guide rollers 35 and 36 are provided.

  In addition, the paper transport unit 3 includes a paper feed roller drive unit 37 that rotates one paper feed roller 31 and a feed roller drive unit 38 that rotates the feed roller 33. The paper feed roller drive unit 37 and the feed roller drive Each unit 38 is connected to the control unit 7. Therefore, under the control of the control unit 7, the paper feed roller driving unit 37 is driven, and the pair of paper feed rollers 31, 32 pulls out the printing paper P from the paper feed unit 2 so that the paper transport path X the paper discharge side X1. It is possible to feed out between the feed roller 33 and the pinch roller 34 located at the position. Further, by driving the feed roller driving unit 38 under the control of the control unit 7, the printing paper P delivered between the feed roller 33 and the pinch roller 34 is positioned on the paper transport path X on the paper discharge side X1. It is possible to make the printing means 5 to advance and retreat in the paper conveyance path X. In addition, the paper transport unit 3 is a cleaning roller that is in contact with the printing surface P1 of the transported printing paper P between the paper feeding unit 2 and the printing unit 5 and on the paper discharge side X1 from the printing unit 5. 39 is provided. The cleaning roller 39 is for rotating and guiding the printing paper P as the printing paper P is conveyed, and for removing dust at a portion in contact with the printing surface P1.

  Further, the printing unit 5 is opposite to the thermal head 50 disposed opposite to the printing surface P1 side of the printing paper P on the paper conveyance path X of the paper feed path 33 of the feed roller 33, and the thermal head 50 and the printing paper P sandwiched therebetween. And a platen roller 51 provided on the side. The platen roller 51 abuts on the side opposite to the printing surface P1 of the printing paper P, and guides the printing paper P that moves forward and backward by the feed roller 33. Further, the thermal head 50 is provided with a heating resistor 501 so as to face the printing surface P1 with a gap. The heating head 501 advances and retreats toward the printing paper P under the control of the control unit 7 to supply the ribbon. It is possible to sandwich the ink ribbon R and the printing paper P disposed by the discharging means 4 between the heating resistor 501 and the platen roller 51. A plurality of heating resistors 501 are provided in units of printing dots in the width direction of the printing paper P orthogonal to the paper conveyance path X, and can selectively generate heat under the control of the control unit 7. In the thermal head 50, a separation plate 52 is provided on the paper transport path X on the paper supply side X2. The peeling plate 52 forms a curved contact end 52a by curving a thin stainless steel plate or the like. The contact end 52a comes into contact with the ink ribbon R, so that the ink ribbon R is applied to the printing paper P. It is made to peel.

  The ribbon supply / discharge means 4 supplies the ink ribbon R so as to face the printing surface P1 of the transported printing paper P, transports it along the paper transporting path X, and collects it. The ribbon supply / discharge means 4 is provided on the paper transport path X, the paper discharge side X1, and is supplied from the ribbon supply section 40, which is provided on the paper transport path X, the paper supply side X2, and the ribbon supply section 40. A ribbon collection unit 41 that collects the ribbon R, and a plurality of ribbon guide rollers 42 that guide the ink ribbon R between the ribbon supply unit 40 and the ribbon collection unit 41 are provided. The ribbon supply unit 40 is provided with a rotating shaft 401, and a roll body R1 of an unused ink ribbon R is rotatably accommodated therein. The ink ribbon R drawn from the roll body R1 accommodated in the ribbon supply unit 40 to the paper conveyance path X and the paper supply side X2 is conveyed more than the thermal head 50 by the ribbon guide rollers 42 provided on both sides of the thermal head 50. After contacting the printing surface P1 as the contact portion R2 on the path X paper discharge side X1, it passes between the thermal head 50 and the platen roller 51 and is disposed up to the ribbon recovery portion 41. As will be described later, a contact part R2 of the ink ribbon R constitutes a dust collecting part 6 for collecting dust on the printing surface P1 of the printing paper P. The ribbon collection unit 41 includes a rotation shaft 411 that winds the collected ink ribbon R in a roll shape, and a ribbon winding drive unit 412 that rotates the rotation shaft 411. The ribbon take-up drive unit 412 is connected to the control unit 7. Therefore, under the control of the control unit 7, the ribbon take-up drive unit 412 is driven to rotate the rotating shaft 411, thereby pulling out the unused ink ribbon R from the ribbon supply unit 40, and the thermal head 50. It is possible to collect the used ink ribbon R in the ribbon collection unit 41 from a position immediately below the ribbon.

  Here, in the printer 1 according to the present embodiment, it is possible to output with a full color and an overcoat layer provided by the ink ribbon R in a predetermined printing range of the printing surface P1. In order to correspond to this, as shown in FIG. 3, the ink ribbon R has a first region Y applied with yellow ink and a second region applied with magenta ink to express full color. M and the third region C to which the cyan ink is applied, and the fourth region OP in which the laminate material for forming the overcoat layer is arranged in order, and a set of first regions The area Y, the second area M, the third area C, and the fourth area OP constitute a single use range Q that is used for one printing on the printing paper P. More specifically, the width Br of the ink ribbon R corresponds to the width of the printing paper P output continuously from the roll body P2. Further, in the use range Q per printing of the ink ribbon R, the lengths Lr of the first region Y, the second region M, the third region C, and the fourth region OP are printed once. This corresponds to the length of the printing range of the printing paper P output in the above, and when outputting in various lengths, it is set to correspond to the maximum length.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a paper detection sensor 11 for detecting an end portion P3 of the print paper P is provided on the paper transport path X paper discharge side X1 from the thermal head 50, and printing is performed. Paper cutting means 12 for cutting the subsequent printing paper P is provided. More specifically, the paper detection sensor 11 is, for example, an optical sensor that detects the presence or absence of reflection or transmission of detection light, and the length of the print paper P that is output by one printing from the position of the thermal head 50. Is detected by detecting whether or not the end portion P3 of the printing paper P has passed the position corresponding to the paper detection sensor 11 depending on the presence or absence of detection light. Is output to the control unit 7. The paper cutting means 12 is a pair of cutters 121 and 122 provided on both sides of the printing paper P, and the other cutter 121 is advanced and retracted by the cutter driving unit 123 under the control of the control unit 7. It is possible to cut the printing paper P between the cutters 121 and 122.

  Here, the control unit 7 includes a dust accumulating unit 7a for causing each component to perform an operation for accumulating dust on the printing surface P1 in a predetermined dust accumulating range on the printing surface P1, and a dust accumulating unit 7a. And a dust collecting means 7b for causing each component to perform an operation of collecting the dust collected in the dust collecting range. Although not shown, the operation unit 8 is provided with an input unit for manually discharging and printing and a cleaning button 81. In the state where the input by the cleaning button 81 is not performed, the control unit 7 performs the printing on the printing paper P according to the input print data as the print mode, while the print mode is performed when the input of the cleaning button 81 is performed. Is switched to the cleaning mode, and the dust on the printing paper P is removed by the dust collecting means 7a and the dust collecting means 7b. Details of each control of the print mode and the cleaning mode by the control unit 7 will be described below.

  First, the print mode will be described. When print data is input to the control unit 7 by an external input or the like, the print paper P is pulled out from the paper supply unit 2 by the pair of paper supply rollers 31 and 32 under the control of the control unit 7, and the feed roller 33 and the pinch. The roller 34 conveys to the paper discharge side X1 until the end portion P3 is detected by the paper detection sensor 11. At this time, the thermal head 50 is kept away from the ink ribbon R. Next, the control unit 7 cooperates with the paper transport unit 3, the ribbon supply / discharge unit 4, and the printing unit 5 to print an image corresponding to the print data on a predetermined printing range on the printing surface P 1 of the printing paper P. .

  That is, the rotation of the feed roller 33 is reversed to transport the printing paper P to the paper supply side X2, and the ribbon supply / discharge means 4 is driven to transport the ink ribbon R from the ribbon supply unit 40 to the ribbon collection unit 41. . Here, the print start position of the printing paper P and the transfer start position Y1 (see FIG. 3) of the first region Y of the ink ribbon R are synchronized. Then, the heating resistor 501 of the thermal head 50 is brought into contact with the ink ribbon R, and the ink ribbon R and the printing paper P are sandwiched between the platen roller 51 and the printing data is heated in dot units to generate ink. By heating the ribbon R, the yellow ink in the first region Y is thermally transferred to the printing surface P1 of the printing paper P.

  When the end portion P3 of the printing paper P is conveyed to the vicinity of the thermal head 50 and printing of yellow ink is completed over the entire predetermined printing range, the control unit 7 stops the conveyance of the ink ribbon R by the ribbon supply / discharge means 4. After the heating resistor 501 of the thermal head 50 is separated from the ink ribbon R, the printing paper P is conveyed again to the paper discharge side X1 by the paper conveying means 3 until the end P3 is detected by the paper detection sensor 11. Let When the end portion P3 is detected by the paper detection sensor 11, the rotation of the feed roller 33 is reversed again, and the printing paper P is conveyed to the paper supply side X2 and the ribbon supply / discharge means 4 is driven to perform ink. The ribbon R is conveyed from the ribbon supply unit 40 to the ribbon collection unit 41. Then, the thermal head 50 is driven to heat the ink ribbon R again, whereby the magenta ink in the second region M is similarly thermally transferred. By repeating this, yellow ink, magenta ink, and cyan ink are transferred to a predetermined printing range on the printing surface P1 to print a full color image corresponding to the printing data, and an overcoat layer is formed on the printing range. Can be formed. When the formation of the overcoat layer is completed, the control unit 7 drives the feed roller 33 again to convey the printing paper P to the paper discharge side X1. Then, after the end portion P3 of the printing paper P is detected by the paper detection sensor 11, it is further conveyed by a predetermined amount, and the cutter driving unit 123 is driven to cut the printing paper P. Thereby, only the printed range can be cut and discharged on the printing paper P.

  Next, the cleaning mode will be described based on the flowchart of FIG. As shown in FIG. 4, when the cleaning button 81 of the operation unit 8 is input in the print mode (step S1), the control unit 7 switches the print mode and executes the cleaning mode. That is, the dust accumulating means 7a of the control unit 7 first drives the feed roller 33 of the paper conveying means 3 as the dust accumulating step S2, and conveys the printing paper P to the paper discharge side X1 by a preset movement amount. (Step S2a). Here, the ink ribbon R as the dust collecting portion 6 is in contact with the printing surface P1 of the printing paper P at the contact portion R2 on the paper discharge side X1 from the thermal head 50. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 5, the dust D that adheres to the printing surface P1 of the printing paper P and is transported together with the printing paper P to the paper transportation path X paper ejection side X1 is It is collected and collected. When the printing paper P is conveyed by a predetermined movement amount (step S2b), the process proceeds to the dust collection step S3. In this state, the dust D is accumulated on the printing surface P1 of the printing paper P in the range from the contact portion R2 to the paper supply side X2 immediately after step S2b is completed. The range along the accumulated paper conveyance path X varies depending on the amount of accumulated dust D, but in the present embodiment, in order to have a margin for fluctuations of accumulated dust D, the range from the contact portion R2 It is set that the thermal head 50 is accumulated in a range defined by the length LD up to a position facing the heating resistor 501, and this is called a dust accumulation range P <b> 4.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 4, in the dust collecting step S3, the dust collecting means 7b of the control unit 7 next drives the thermal head 50 in the dust accumulation range P4 to heat the ink ribbon R. That is, as shown in FIG. 6, the heating resistor 501 of the thermal head 50 is brought into contact with the transfer start position Y1 of the first region Y to cause the heating resistor 501 to generate heat. Here, the heating resistor 501 generates heat in the width direction. Then, the conveyance of the printing paper P by the paper conveyance unit 3 and the conveyance of the ink ribbon R by the ribbon supply / discharge unit 4 are performed in synchronization, and the ink ribbon R is heated in the entire dust accumulation range P4. As a result, the ink on the ink ribbon R is normally transferred to the printing surface P1, but in the portion where the dust D is actually accumulated on the printing surface P1 in the dust accumulation range P4, the ink ribbon R and the printing surface P1. The dust D and the ink try to adhere due to the dust D intervening therebetween. Then, due to the relationship between the adhesive force between the printing paper P and the dust D and the adhesive force between the dust D and the ink of the ink ribbon R, the dust D adheres to the ink ribbon R, and the printing surface P1. Dust D will be removed from above.

  Here, since the transport of the printing paper P and the transport of the ink ribbon R are transported synchronously in the dust collecting step S3, the dust D is the ink used in one printing as shown in FIG. In the use range Q per printing of the ribbon R, the ribbon R is attached only to the range Y2 of the length LD corresponding to the dust accumulation range P4 from the transfer start position Y1 of the first region Y. Here, in the case of the present embodiment, the length LD of the dust accumulation range P4 is 1/5 of the length of the paper transport path X in one printing range, that is, the length Lr of each region of the ink ribbon R. Suppose that In this case, since the ink ribbon R has four types of ink including the overcoat layer in the use range Q per printing of the ink ribbon R, the same process can be repeated 20 times after all. .

  In the control unit 7, the target number of times Nend = 20 (times) is set in advance in the dust collecting means 7b in correspondence with the length LD of the dust accumulation range P4 and the length Lr of the paper conveyance path X of one printing range. Has been. Then, after the dust collection step S3 is completed, the control unit 7 adds <1> to the previous cleaning operation number N (initial value N = 0) (step S4), and the current cleaning operation number N becomes the target number Nend. It is confirmed whether it has reached (step S5). When the current number of cleaning operations N has not reached the target number of times Nend, the dust accumulation step S2 and the dust collection step S3 are repeated continuously. When the current number of cleaning operations N reaches the target number of times Nend, the dust D is collected over the entire use range Q per printing of the ink ribbon R as shown in FIG. 8, and the cleaning mode is completed. To return to the print mode again.

  As described above, in the printer 1 according to the present embodiment, when the cleaning mode is input by the input of the cleaning button 81, the dust on the printing surface P1 of the printing paper P is caused by the contact portion R2 of the ink ribbon R serving as the dust collecting portion 6. By collecting D and heating the ink ribbon R by the thermal head 50 in the dust accumulation range P4, dust can be effectively removed by the ink ribbon R. The range once heated by the thermal head 50 in the ink ribbon R is recovered by the ribbon recovery unit 41 of the ribbon supply / discharge means 4 without being used again, so that the dust D reattaches to the printing surface P1. There is no fear.

  In the present embodiment, since the ink ribbon R is used as the dust collecting unit 6 for collecting the dust D on the printing surface P1 of the printing paper P as described above, the dust D on the printing surface P1 is accumulated. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the cost of parts and save space by using the minimum configuration necessary for printing by thermally transferring the ink ribbon R to the printing paper P without using other members. In addition, providing the other member for accumulating the dust D is not restrict | limited. In the present embodiment, the control unit 7 performs the cleaning operation including the dust collecting step S2 and the dust collecting step S3 a plurality of times while shifting the heating range within the use range Q per printing of the ink ribbon R. Thus, the dust D on the printing surface P1 can be more effectively removed without substantially increasing the range in which the dust D adheres as the ink ribbon R and cannot be used for printing.

  In this embodiment, the printer 1 includes the cleaning button 81, and the control unit 7 shifts to the cleaning mode based on the input of the cleaning button 81 and performs the cleaning operation. However, the present invention is not limited to this. is not. For example, the control unit 7 may include a counter, and after printing a predetermined number of times, the control unit 7 may periodically and automatically shift to the cleaning mode to perform the cleaning operation.

  In addition, printing on the printing paper P is performed by once transporting the paper transport means 3 to the paper discharge path X1 than the printing means 5 to the paper discharge path X1 and then returning to the paper supply side X2. The position of the contact portion R2 is arranged on the paper discharge side X1 relative to the printing means 5, but is not limited thereto. Printing may be performed by the printing unit 5 while being conveyed toward the sheet discharge path X and the sheet discharge side X1, and the dust collecting unit 6 may be disposed on the sheet supply side X2 rather than the printing unit 5. Alternatively, if the dust collector 6 can be switched between contact and non-contact with the printing paper P, the combination of the printing direction by the printing unit 5 and the position of the dust collector 6 may be different.

  As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was explained in full detail with reference to drawings, the concrete structure is not restricted to this embodiment, The design change etc. of the range which does not deviate from the summary of this invention are included.

1 is an overall view showing an outline of a printer according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an overview of a printer according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is detail drawing which shows an example of the ink ribbon used with the printer of embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart explaining the cleaning procedure of the printer of embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing explaining the dust collection process in the cleaning method of the printer of embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing explaining the dust collection process in the cleaning method of the printer of embodiment of this invention. In the printer cleaning method according to the embodiment of the present invention, the state of the ink ribbon after the cleaning operation is performed once is described. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a state of an ink ribbon after a predetermined number of cleaning operations are performed in the printer cleaning method according to the embodiment of the present invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Printer 3 Paper conveyance means 4 Ribbon supply / discharge means 40 Ribbon supply part 41 Ribbon collection | recovery part 5 Printing means 6 Dust collection part 7a Dust collection means 7b Dust collection means D Dust P Printing paper P1 Printing surface P4 Dust accumulation range R Ink ribbon Q Use range per time X Paper transport path

Claims (6)

Paper transport means capable of transporting printing paper along a predetermined paper transport path;
Ribbon supply / discharge means for supplying an ink ribbon from a supply unit, conveying the ink ribbon opposite to a printing surface of the printing paper conveyed by the paper conveyance unit in at least a part of the paper conveyance path, and collecting the ink ribbon in a collection unit;
Printing means for thermally transferring the ink of the ink ribbon onto the printing surface by sandwiching and heating the ink ribbon and the printing paper facing each other;
A dust collecting portion capable of collecting dust on the printing surface in contact with the printing surface of the printing paper conveyed by the paper conveying means;
Dust collecting means for conveying the printing paper by the paper conveying means in a state in which the dust collecting portion is in contact with the printing surface, and collecting dust in a predetermined dust accumulation range on the printing surface;
A printer comprising: dust collecting means for attaching and collecting the dust accumulated by heating the ink ribbon by the printing means in the dust accumulation range. The printer according to claim 1.
The printer according to claim 1, wherein the dust collecting portion is the ink ribbon that is disposed by the ribbon supply / discharge means and contacts the printing surface of the printing paper at least at a part along the paper conveyance path. The printer according to claim 1 or 2,
The dust collecting means is transported by the ribbon supply / discharge means within a use range of the ink ribbon used for one printing on the printing paper, and the ink ribbon is heated by the printing means. A printer characterized in that the cleaning operation is continuously performed a plurality of times while shifting. A method for cleaning a printer that performs printing by thermally transferring an ink ribbon onto a printing surface of a printing paper conveyed to a predetermined paper conveyance path,
Dust accumulation for conveying the printing paper along the paper conveyance path while bringing a dust collection unit for collecting dust on the printing surface into contact with the printing surface to accumulate dust in a predetermined dust accumulation range on the printing surface. Process,
A cleaning method for a printer, comprising: a dust collecting step of attaching and collecting the dust accumulated by heating the ink ribbon in the dust accumulation range on the printing surface. The method for cleaning a printer according to claim 4.
In the dust collecting step, the dust is collected by bringing at least a part of the ink ribbon along the paper transport path as the dust collecting portion into contact with the printing surface. In the cleaning method of the printer according to claim 4 or 5,
The dust collecting step and the dust collecting step are continuously performed a plurality of times while shifting the heating range of the ink ribbon within the use range of the ink ribbon used for one printing on the printing paper. A method for cleaning a printer, comprising:

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