JP2010240949A - Printer - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a printer capable of preventing the occurrence of jamming in printing by controlling thermal transfer energy in mat-printing. <P>SOLUTION: This printer includes a thermal head 8 for transferring a colorant layer and an overcoat layer of an ink sheet to paper, the ink sheet having the colorant layer and the overcoat layer, and a mat-print correction circuit 9 for performing correction when a mat-pattern is formed by transferring the overcoat layer to the paper. The mat-print correction circuit 9 controls the area rate of the mat-pattern with respect to the printing face of the paper and the thermal transfer energy of the thermal head 8. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a printer device, and more particularly to a sublimation type printer device that performs correction when forming a mat pattern.

  In a general sublimation printer, an ink sheet having Y (yellow), M (magenta), and C (cyan) color material layers and an overcoat layer is press-contacted with a paper having a receiving layer, thereby a thermal head. And the color material layer of the ink sheet are transferred to the receiving layer of the paper for each line while controlling the heat generation of the thermal head. After the transfer of each color material, the light resistance and fingerprint resistance are improved by transferring the overcoat layer to the paper with a uniform film thickness.

  The overcoat layer protects the printing surface, and serves to increase the smoothness of the paper surface by transferring it to the paper with a uniform film thickness (smooth coating). (Print) is expected to be finished.

  In recent years, the overcoat layer has not been smooth coated on the paper, and the transfer energy is changed in intensity. Sublimation type printers having a print function (matte print) have been commercialized.

  In general, a method for controlling the thermal transfer energy of the overcoat layer according to an arbitrary mat print pattern (mat pattern) is known. For example, a memory storing a part of the uneven pattern is provided, and the entire surface is uneven by calculation. There is a printer device that forms a pattern (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent No. 3618293

  The mat print by the above-mentioned sublimation type printer device forms a convex part (mat) by the overcoat layer of the ink sheet in the mat pattern part, so the thermal transfer is much higher than the smooth coating of the overcoat layer on the paper Requires energy. For example, there is actual measurement data that it is necessary to apply thermal energy twice or more for the formation of the convex portion of the mat pattern compared to the formation of the smooth coating.

  Further, in the above-described sublimation type printer device, if the thermal transfer energy is increased and the predetermined energy threshold is exceeded, the paper receiving layer and the ink sheet are likely to be fused, and printing jam (conveyance failure) occurs. Or the ink sheet itself is broken by heat. The threshold of energy at which such print jams occur is not always a stable value in practice, and the ambient temperature and humidity during printing, the position and pressing force of the thermal head relative to the platen roller, the winding of the ink sheet Torque, ink sheet and paper composition are variables that are complicatedly related. Therefore, it is not always necessary to simply adjust the amount of offset of energy.

  The occurrence of printing jams may seriously impair the reliability of the sublimation type printer apparatus, and therefore, it is necessary to sufficiently manage the above various variation factors. By providing the sublimation printer device with a correction function that widely compensates for such variations in mat printing, the reliability can be improved and the cost can be reduced.

  The mat print forming method according to Patent Document 1 is characterized in that a concavo-convex pattern on the entire surface is formed from a part of the concavo-convex pattern data provided in the printing apparatus using a predetermined algorithm. However, the predetermined algorithm described in Patent Document 1 only refers to forming a mat print pattern such as a silk pattern, and thermal transfer during mat printing in the above-described sublimation type printer apparatus. No specific countermeasure has been taken for the problem of printing jam caused by the fusion of ink sheets caused by the increase in energy and the fluctuation of the printing environment.

  The present invention has been made to solve these problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a printer apparatus that prevents the occurrence of print jams by controlling the thermal transfer energy during mat printing.

  In order to solve the above problems, a printer device according to the present invention includes a thermal head that transfers a color material layer and an overcoat layer of a recording medium having a color material layer and an overcoat layer to a recording medium, and an overcoat layer. A correction circuit that performs correction when the mat pattern is formed by transferring to the recording medium. The correction circuit controls the area ratio of the mat pattern on the printing surface of the recording medium and the thermal transfer energy of the thermal head. It is characterized by doing.

  According to the present invention, the correction circuit includes a correction circuit that performs correction when the overcoat layer is transferred to the recording medium to form the mat pattern, and the correction circuit includes an area ratio of the mat pattern in the printing surface of the recording medium; Since the thermal transfer energy of the thermal head is controlled, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of print jams by controlling the thermal transfer energy during mat printing.

1 is a block diagram of a printer device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a mat print correction circuit according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. It is a block diagram of the printer apparatus by Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is a block diagram of a mat print correction circuit according to a second embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the mat pattern which changed the area ratio by Embodiment 3 of this invention. It is a figure which shows the relationship between the area ratio of the mat | matte pattern by embodiment of this invention, and the energization time rate with respect to a thermal head.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

<Embodiment 1>
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a printer apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, a print image is transmitted from an externally connected host PC 1 to a printer device (printer device). The received print image is stored in the frame memory 2 as image data for each color of YMC and then output to the image processing circuit 6. The image processing circuit 6 performs various image processing operations such as color conversion, sharpness calculation, and gamma conversion. The calculation result by the image processing circuit 6 is input to the thermal head controller 7, and the energization of each heating element arranged on the thermal head 8 is controlled by the thermal head controller 7. The thermal head 8 transfers the color material layer and the overcoat layer of the ink sheet (recording medium) having the color material layer and the overcoat layer to paper (recording medium). The memory controller 4 controls the frame memories 2 and 3, and the CPU 5 controls each component provided in the printer apparatus.

  On the other hand, mat pattern data for mat printing is transmitted from the host PC 1 to the printer apparatus. The received mat pattern is stored in the frame memory 3 and then output to the mat print correction circuit 9 (correction circuit). The mat print correction circuit 9 performs correction when the mat pattern is formed by transferring the overcoat layer to paper.

  In order to prevent printing jam, the following two functions are considered as the correction functions provided in the mat print correction circuit 9.

  (1) The thermal transfer energy necessary for forming the mat pattern portion is lowered. That is, in order to form the convex portion (mat) of the mat pattern, the energization time rate (thermal transfer energy) to the thermal head 8 is lowered.

  (2) The area of the convex portion of the mat pattern is reduced. That is, the area ratio of the mat pattern occupying the printed surface of the paper is lowered.

  Since both (1) and (2) reduce the overall thermal transfer energy, the effect of preventing the occurrence of print jam due to the fusion of the ink sheet can be obtained. In addition, if the correction amount according to (1) and (2) is too large, there arises a problem that the mat pattern is not recognized after printing. Note that the method (1) for controlling the energization time rate for the thermal head 8 is similarly performed in the conventional glossy print (smooth coating).

  FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the relationship between the area ratio of the mat pattern and the energization time ratio with respect to the thermal head 8 according to the embodiment of the present invention. The relationship between the correction amount, the result of sensory evaluation of the mat, and the occurrence of print jam is shown. This is a schematic representation of the survey results. The horizontal axis represents the mat pattern area ratio s [%], and the vertical axis represents the mat pattern energization time ratio t [%]. As shown in FIG. 6, on the coordinate plane composed of the area ratio of the mat pattern and the energization time ratio (thermal transfer energy) of the thermal head, the allowable minimum value (s1) of the area ratio of the mat pattern and the thermal head 8 Points corresponding to the allowable minimum value (t1) of the energizing time rate, the allowable maximum value (s2) of the mat pattern area rate, and the allowable minimum value (t1) of the energizing time rate of the thermal head 8 v, a triangle having the points u, v, and w, and a point w corresponding to the allowable minimum value (s1) of the area ratio of the mat pattern and the allowable maximum value (t2) of the energization time rate of the thermal head 8 The area surrounded by uvw is an area where normal mat printing is possible.

  Here, the permissible minimum value (s1) of the area ratio of the mat pattern is a value that is not recognized as a mat even if the energization time ratio t is changed when the area ratio is s1 or less. The permissible maximum value (s2) is a value at which a printing jam occurs or is not recognized as a mat even if the energization time rate t is changed when the area ratio is equal to or greater than s2. The allowable minimum value (t1) of the energization time rate of the thermal head 8 is a value that is not recognized as a mat even if the area rate s is changed when the energization time rate is t1 or less. The maximum allowable time rate (t2) is a value that causes a print jam to be recognized as a mat even if the area rate s is changed when the energization time rate is equal to or greater than t2. Thus, when both the energization time rate t and the area rate s are equal to or less than the predetermined threshold values (t1, s1: point u), it becomes a region that is not recognized as a mat in sensory evaluation even if the other parameter is increased. The boundary between the area recognized as a mat (triangle uvw) and the print jam generation area is expressed by a function (straight line vw) of the energization time rate t and the area rate s of the mat pattern. From the result of sensory evaluation, it became clear that it was felt as a mat of substantially the same quality in the triangle uvw.

  From the above, it is more efficient for the mat print correction function to simultaneously control the mat pattern area ratio as well as the correction by current control that has been performed in the conventional glossy print (smooth coating). It turned out to be.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the mat print correction circuit 9 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Arrows A and B shown in the figure correspond to arrows A and B shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, the mat pattern data (original mat pattern) of the area ratio s0 input to the mat print correction circuit 9 is changed to a predetermined area ratio s by the mat print correction circuit 9, and the mat with the area ratio s. It is output to the thermal head controller 7 as a pattern (changed mat pattern).

  The change from the area ratio s0 of the mat pattern to the area ratio s may be adjusted by increasing / decreasing dots based on the mat pattern having the area ratio s0, and the condition that the area ratio s is obtained using a random generator. You may recreate the mat | matte pattern which satisfy | fills. In the first embodiment, the mat pattern is generated by the mat print correction circuit 9. However, the information of the changed mat pattern having the area ratio s is transmitted to the host PC 1, and the changed mat pattern created by the host PC 1 is used. May be received again. The area ratio s0 of the original mat pattern is read by the printer device from the mat pattern data transmitted from the host PC1.

  In the mat print correction circuit 9, the area ratio of the mat pattern is changed, and at the same time, the energy of the energization time rate t0 (original mat energy) necessary for forming the original mat pattern is the energy of the predetermined energization time rate t ( Change mat energy) and output to the thermal head controller 7.

  Here, the energization time rate t0 is energy (original mat energy) necessary for forming the original mat pattern having the area ratio s0, and the energization time rate t is necessary for forming the changed mat pattern having the area ratio s. Energy (change mat energy). Further, the area ratio s and the energization time ratio t may be any position within the range of the triangle uvw (in the mat area) shown in FIG. There may be. Accordingly, when the input original mat pattern (area ratio s0, energization time rate t0) is at the position A in FIG. 6, the mat print correction circuit 9 changes the changed mat pattern (area ratio s, energization time ratio t). May be corrected to an arbitrary position within the range of the triangle uvw, and may be preferably corrected to the center of gravity position A ′ of the triangle uvw. Note that the area ratio s and the energization time ratio t at the center of gravity position A ′ are uniquely determined and are set in advance in the printer apparatus.

  From the above, by controlling the mat pattern area ratio and the energization time ratio to the thermal head 8 by the mat print correction circuit 9, it is possible to control the mat print and prevent the occurrence of print jam. In addition, mat printing excellent in mat quality and reliability can be realized.

<Embodiment 2>
FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a printer apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 3, a print image is transmitted from the externally connected host PC 1 to the printer apparatus. The received print image is stored in the frame memory 2 as image data for each color of YMC and then output to the image processing circuit 6. The image processing circuit 6 performs various image processing operations such as color conversion, sharpness calculation, and gamma conversion. The calculation result by the image processing circuit 6 is input to the thermal head controller 7, and the heating elements arranged on the thermal head 8 are energized by the thermal head controller 7. The memory controller 4 controls the frame memories 2 and 3, and the CPU 5 controls each component provided in the printer apparatus.

  On the other hand, mat pattern data for mat printing is transmitted from the host PC 1 to the printer apparatus. The received mat pattern is stored in the frame memory 3 and then output to the mat print correction circuit 9.

  The CPU 5 determines the atmospheric temperature during printing, the atmospheric humidity during printing, the position of the thermal head 8 relative to the platen roller, the pressing force of the thermal head 8 against the platen roller, the winding torque of the ink sheet, the composition of the ink sheet, and the composition of the paper. The sensor 10 capable of acquiring at least one of the seven items is provided. The CPU 5 performs calculation using the information input from the sensor 10 as a parameter, and outputs the optimum mat pattern area ratio s and energization time ratio t obtained as a calculation result to the mat print correction circuit 9.

  FIG. 4 is a block diagram of the mat print correction circuit 9 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. Arrows A and B shown in the figure correspond to arrows A and B shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 4, the area ratio s0 of the mat pattern data (original mat pattern) input to the mat print correction circuit 9 is changed to the area ratio s of the mat pattern input from the CPU 5, and the mat having the area ratio s. It is output to the thermal head controller 7 as a pattern (changed mat pattern).

  The change from the area ratio s0 of the mat pattern to the area ratio s may be adjusted by increasing / decreasing dots based on the mat pattern having the area ratio s0, and the condition that the area ratio s is obtained using a random generator. You may recreate the mat | matte pattern which satisfy | fills. In the second embodiment, the mat pattern is generated by the mat print correction circuit 9, but information on the changed mat pattern with the area ratio s is transmitted to the host PC 1, and the changed mat pattern created by the host PC 1. May be received again. The area ratio s0 of the original mat pattern is read by the printer device from the mat pattern data transmitted from the host PC1.

  The mat print correction circuit 9 changes the area ratio of the mat pattern and at the same time the energy of the energization time rate t0 (original mat energy) necessary for forming the original mat pattern is the energy of the energization time rate t input from the CPU 5 It is changed to (change mat energy) and output to the thermal head controller 7.

  Here, the energization time rate t0 is energy (original mat energy) necessary for forming the original mat pattern having the area ratio s0, and the energization time rate t is necessary for forming the changed mat pattern having the area ratio s. Energy (change mat energy). Further, the area ratio s and the energization time ratio t input from the CPU 5 are within the range of the triangle uvw shown in FIG. 6 (within the mat area), and are, for example, the barycentric position A ′ of the triangle uvw. Therefore, when the input original mat pattern (area ratio s0, energization time rate t0) is at the position A in FIG. 6, the mat print correction circuit 9 displays the changed mat pattern (area ratio s, energization time t). The center of gravity position A ′ is corrected. Note that the triangle uvw changes according to the information acquired from the sensor 10, and the center of gravity position A 'of the triangle uvw also changes accordingly.

  From the above, based on various data obtained from the sensor 10, the mat print correction circuit 9 changes the mat pattern area ratio and the energization time ratio to the thermal head 8, thereby controlling the mat print and printing. It becomes possible to prevent the occurrence of jam. Further, it is possible to realize a mat print having a mat quality and reliability superior to those of the first embodiment.

<Embodiment 3>
FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a mat pattern in which the area ratio is changed according to the third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5A shows an example of a mat pattern with an area ratio of 25%, and FIG. 5B shows an example of a mat pattern with an area ratio of 40%. As shown in FIG. 5, the mat print correction circuit 9 of the printer device according to the first and second embodiments controls the area ratio of the mat pattern in the printing surface of the paper within a range of 25% to 40%. An optimum mat pattern can be formed.

  From the above, it is possible to form an optimal mat pattern by controlling the area ratio of the mat pattern within a range of 25% to 40%, and to realize a mat print having excellent mat quality and reliability. be able to.

  1 host PC, 2 frame memory, 3 frame memory, 4 memory controller, 5 CPU, 6 image processing circuit, 7 thermal head controller, 8 thermal head, 9 mat print correction circuit, 10 sensor.

Claims (5)

A thermal head for transferring the color material layer and the overcoat layer of a recording medium having a color material layer and an overcoat layer to a recording medium;
A correction circuit for performing correction when the matte pattern is formed by transferring the overcoat layer to the recording medium;
A printer device comprising:
The printer device according to claim 1, wherein the correction circuit controls an area ratio of the mat pattern occupying a printing surface of the recording medium and a thermal transfer energy of the thermal head.   The correction circuit includes an ambient temperature during printing, an atmospheric humidity during printing, a position of the thermal head with respect to a platen roller, a pressing force of the thermal head against the platen roller, a winding torque of the recording medium, The printer apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control is performed using at least one of a composition and a composition of the recording medium. A point u on a coordinate plane composed of the area ratio of the mat pattern and the thermal transfer energy of the thermal head, corresponding to the allowable minimum value of the area ratio of the mat pattern and the allowable minimum value of the thermal transfer energy of the thermal head. The point v corresponding to the maximum allowable area ratio of the mat pattern and the allowable minimum value of thermal transfer energy of the thermal head, the allowable minimum value of the area ratio of the mat pattern and allowable thermal transfer energy of the thermal head. A point w corresponding to the maximum value,
The printer apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the correction circuit performs the control so that the correction circuit falls within a range of a triangle uvw including the points u, v, and w.   The printer apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the correction circuit performs the control so that the center of gravity of the triangle uvw is located.   5. The correction circuit according to claim 1, wherein the correction circuit controls an area ratio of the mat pattern occupying a printing surface of the recording medium within a range of 25% to 40%. 6. Printer device.