JP2018065676A - Medium conveyance device and image formation apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a medium conveyance device which can correctly detect the conveyance length of a medium.SOLUTION: A printer includes: rollers 20-22 which convey a card Ca; a rotation unit F which is provided on an inclined medium conveyance path P0 and sandwiches the card Ca to rotate it; a sensor SN3 which is arranged on a horizontal medium conveyance path P1 for conveying the card Ca in the conveyance direction different from the inclined medium conveyance path P0; and a control unit. The control unit, after controlling the rollers 20-22 and the rotation unit F so as to carry the card Ca into the rotation unit F and change the conveyance direction toward the horizontal medium conveyance path P1, controls a first card conveyance motor which drives the rollers 20-21 so as to convey the card Ca toward the sensor SN3 to detect the card conveyance length from the conveyance start to the tip detection of the card Ca by the sensor SN3.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

  The present invention relates to a medium conveying apparatus and an image forming apparatus, and more particularly, to a medium conveying apparatus including a direction changing unit that changes a medium conveying direction and an image forming apparatus including the medium conveying apparatus.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an image forming apparatus that forms an image on a hard medium such as a card or a disk or a semi-hard medium is widely known. In this type of image forming apparatus, for example, an ink ribbon is used to form an image (mirror image) on a transfer film, and then the image formed on the transfer film is transferred to the surface of the medium. A direct printing method is used in which an image is directly formed on a medium.

  In such an image forming apparatus, in the image forming unit, for example, an image is formed on the medium by heating the thermal head via the ink ribbon according to the print data with respect to the medium sandwiched between the platen roller and the thermal head. It is formed. Today, color printing in which images of a plurality of colors are superimposed is widely performed.

  Some of these apparatuses are provided with a direction changing means for changing the conveyance direction of the medium in order to achieve a compact apparatus configuration. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technology of a rotating body (reversing unit F) that rotates a card and a medium transport device in which a sensor is arranged around the rotating body.

  In this technique, when the length of the card to be conveyed is larger than the length of one card, the card protruding from the reversing unit F is changed to the reversing unit F when the reversing unit F changes the card conveying direction. Since there is a possibility of interfering with sensors arranged in the surroundings, it is possible to detect whether double feeding (multiple media should be transported where one medium should be transported) by detecting the card transport length. I know. At that time, the card conveyance length is detected from the driving amount of the roller 14 while the sensor Se1 arranged on the upstream side in the card conveyance direction of the reversing unit F detects the leading edge and the trailing edge of the card.

  In Patent Document 2, it is not possible to reverse (turn 180 °) the front and back surfaces of the card as in Patent Document 1, but the direction in which the conveyance direction can be changed while the card is sandwiched (nip). A changing means is disclosed. Patent Document 3 discloses a general technique for measuring the medium length (sheet length).

Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2011-209909 (see FIG. 3, reference F) JP 2008-162113 A (see FIG. 10, reference numeral 60) JP 2013-40039 (see FIGS. 2 and 8)

  By the way, in the technique of Patent Document 1, since the card transport length is detected by using the roller 14 and the sensor Se1 disposed on the upstream side of the reversing unit F, the roller 14 causes the card to be nipped when the card tip reaches the sensor Se1. After that, the card is delivered from the roller 14 to the roller 20 in the reversing unit F, and when the rear end of the card reaches the sensor Se1, the card is nipped by the roller 20 after the nip of the roller 14 is removed. . Unlike the single linear transport path, the reversing unit F is rotated and the transport path is switched, so that a transport error may occur during card delivery. Therefore, the technique of Patent Document 1 has room for improvement in increasing the card conveyance length detection accuracy.

  SUMMARY An advantage of some aspects of the invention is that it provides a medium conveyance device capable of accurately detecting the conveyance length of a medium and an image forming apparatus including the medium conveyance device.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, a first aspect of the present invention is a medium transport apparatus, which is provided on a medium transport path for transporting a medium, and on a medium transport path of the transport means, and configured to change the transport direction of the medium. Direction changing means for changing, and a first sensor disposed on another medium transport path for transporting the medium in a transport direction different from the medium transport path, around the direction change means; Control means for controlling the transport means and the direction changing means, and the control means carries the medium into the direction change means so that the transport direction is changed toward the another medium transport path. After controlling the transport unit and the direction changing unit, the transport unit is controlled so as to transport the medium toward the first sensor on the separate medium transport path, and the first from the transport start time point. The medium by the sensor of And detecting the conveyance length of the medium to the detection time of the.

  1st aspect WHEREIN: The 2nd sensor distribute | arranged to the downstream of the direction change means on the medium conveyance path | route is further provided, and the 2nd sensor is a position where the distance from a direction change means is equidistance with a 1st sensor. Alternatively, it may be arranged at a position shorter than one sensor. Further, a third sensor arranged on the upstream side of the direction changing unit on the medium conveyance path is further provided, and the control unit directs the medium toward the direction changing unit from the time when the rear end of the medium is detected by the third sensor. Then, the medium may be carried into the direction changing means by controlling the conveying means so as to convey the predetermined distance.

  In addition, when the second sensor has not detected the leading edge of the medium when the medium is conveyed toward the direction changing means by a predetermined distance, the control direction of the medium is changed toward the other medium conveyance path. The direction changing means may be controlled as described above. Moreover, the direction changing means is a rotating body that holds and rotates the medium, and may include a pair of rollers that constitute part of the conveying means.

  Further, the control means may determine whether or not the medium is double fed according to the conveyance length of the medium. At this time, the transport means has a pulse motor as a drive source for transporting the medium, and the control means responds to the number of drive pulses of the pulse motor from the transport start time to the time when the leading edge of the medium is detected by the first sensor. Thus, it may be determined whether or not the medium is double fed. Further, the control means may control the transport means so as to send the medium back to the direction changing means when it is determined that the medium has been double fed.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, a second aspect of the present invention is an image forming apparatus, comprising: an image forming unit that forms an image on the medium; and the medium conveying apparatus according to the first aspect. .

  According to the present invention, after the control unit carries the medium into the direction changing unit and controls the conveying unit and the direction changing unit so that the conveying direction is changed toward another medium conveying path, the medium is conveyed to another medium. Since the conveyance means is controlled to convey toward the first sensor on the path and the conveyance length of the medium from the conveyance start time point to the medium detection time point by the first sensor is detected, Even if a transport error occurs during card delivery, the effect that the transport length of the medium can be accurately detected can be obtained.

1 is an external view schematically showing a printing system including a printing apparatus according to an embodiment to which the present invention is applicable. 1 is a front view illustrating a schematic configuration of a printing apparatus. FIG. 3 is a top external perspective view of the printing apparatus showing a state where a medium supply unit is removed. FIG. 6 is a layout view of sensors disposed around a medium supply unit and a rotation unit. It is explanatory drawing which shows typically the distance from the rotation center of a rotation unit to a sensor. It is a block diagram which shows schematic structure of the control part of a printing apparatus. It is a flowchart of the card | curd issuing routine which CPU of the microcomputer unit of the control part of a printing apparatus performs. It is a flowchart of the supply process subroutine which shows a part of card supply process of a card issue routine. It is explanatory drawing which shows the state by which the multifeed card was conveyed by the rotation unit, (A) is the state in which the multifeed card was carried in to the rotation unit, (B) is the state which clamped the multifeed card (C) shows a state in which the leading edge of the multi-feed card has reached a sensor for detecting the leading edge of the card on the horizontal medium transport path. It is explanatory drawing which shows typically the state which discharges a multifeed card from a rotation unit, (A) is the state which located the center of a multifeed card in the rotation center of a rotation unit, (B) is a rotation unit. Is a state where the multi-feed card is positioned in the error discharge direction, and (C) shows a state where the multi-feed card is discharged toward the reject stacker. It is explanatory drawing which shows typically whether a rotation unit can be rotated with respect to a multi-feed card, (A) shows the state which can rotate, (B) shows the state which cannot rotate. It is explanatory drawing which shows typically the state which is sending back the double feed card to the medium supply part side. It is a timing chart which shows the relationship between the output of the sensor which detects the card | curd front-end | tip on a horizontal medium conveyance path | route, and the drive pulse of a 1st card conveyance motor. FIG. 10 is an explanatory view schematically showing an example of another embodiment in which a multifeed card is positioned at a take-out position, and (A) is a state in which a multifeed card is rotated in an error discharge direction and held in a cantilever manner by a roller pair; B) shows a state where the multi-feed card is rotated in the direction of the non-contact IC recording section and is cantilevered by a pair of rollers, and (C) shows a state where the multi-feed card is nipped by a pair of transport rollers on a horizontal medium transport path. .

  Hereinafter, an embodiment will be described in which the present invention is applied to a printing apparatus that prints and records characters and images on a card and records magnetic or electrical information on the card.

1. Configuration 1-1. System Configuration As shown in FIGS. 1 and 6, the printing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment constitutes a part of a printing system 100. That is, the printing system 100 is roughly configured by a host device 101 (for example, a host computer such as a personal computer) and the printing device 1.

  The printing apparatus 1 is connected to the host apparatus 101 via an interface (not shown), and print data, magnetic or electrical recording data, etc. are transmitted from the host apparatus 101 to the printing apparatus 1 to perform a recording operation or the like. Can be instructed. The printing apparatus 1 includes an operation panel unit (operation display unit) 5 (see FIGS. 3 and 6). In addition to a recording operation instruction from the host apparatus 101, a recording operation instruction from the operation panel unit 5 is also possible. It is.

  The host device 101 displays an image input device 104 such as a digital camera or a scanner, a keyboard or mouse input device 103 for inputting commands and data to the host device 101, and data generated by the host device 101. A monitor 102 such as a liquid crystal display to be performed is connected.

1-2. Printing device 1-2-1. As shown in FIG. 2, the printing apparatus 1 includes a housing 2, and the housing 2 includes an information recording unit A, a printing unit B, a rotation unit F, and a decurling mechanism G. . The printing apparatus 1 further includes a medium supply unit C that can be mounted on the housing 2, a medium storage unit D, and a reject stacker 54 that is mounted on the side surface of the housing 2 opposite to the medium storage unit D. .

(1) Information recording part A
The information recording unit A includes a magnetic recording unit 24, a non-contact type IC recording unit 23, and a contact type IC recording unit 27. These three recording units have optional configurations, and one or more recording units are attached according to the user's wishes.

(2) Medium supply unit C
The medium supply unit C is composed of a card cassette that accommodates and accommodates a plurality of cards Ca in a standing posture (in this example, a posture inclined by 10 °). In this embodiment, a standard (standard) size card having a width of 85.6 mm and a length of 53.9 mm is used as the card Ca. As shown in FIG. 4, an idle roller 16 is disposed at the upper position on the card supply leading end (frontmost row) side of the card cassette, and a separation pad 17 is disposed at the bottom position. The separation pad 17 is made of a plate-like elastic member such as rubber having a high friction coefficient.

  On the other hand, on the main body side of the printing apparatus 1, a pickup roller 19 (see also FIG. 3) for feeding out the frontmost card Ca accommodated in the card cassette, and a position below the pickup roller 19 and facing the separation pad 17. An idle roller 18 is arranged. For this reason, a separation opening 7 for separating the cards Ca one by one is formed between the idle roller 18 and the separation pad 17. The pickup roller 19 is rotated by a driving force of a pickup motor (stepping motor) (not shown). In this embodiment, the opening width of the separation opening 7 can be adjusted according to the thickness of the card, and the separation pad 17 can be moved to the idle roller 18 side by rotating the rotating member arranged on the bottom of the card cassette. It is configured to move forward and backward.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the medium supply unit C is configured to be detachable from the cassette mounting area 68 of the housing 2. A rectangular opening (not shown) is formed on the front row side of the card cassette constituting the medium supply unit C. Through this opening, the sensor lever 69 on the main body side of the printing apparatus 1 is inserted, abuts against the card Ca, and the sensor lever 69 is pushed in so that the presence or absence of the card Ca (whether or not the medium supply unit C is installed) can be grasped. it can.

  When the medium supply unit C (card cassette) is removed from the cassette mounting area 68, an opening / closing member 66 located below the medium supply unit C appears. An upper surface cover 67 of the opening / closing member 66 is a lid and constitutes a partition wall (bottom wall) of the cassette mounting area 68. The opening / closing member 66 is attached to the housing 2 so as to be openable and closable, and an end portion in the longitudinal direction is rotatably supported by the housing 2. A front door 12 that can be opened and closed is provided on the front side of the printing apparatus 1.

  The detailed configuration of the medium supply unit C is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2012-25511, and the detailed configuration of the opening / closing member 66 and the like on the printing apparatus 1 side is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2012-123074. .

  As shown in FIG. 4, a transmission-integrated sensor SN24 having a light emitting element and a light receiving element is disposed downstream of the separation opening 7 in the card conveying direction, and a medium supply is provided downstream of the sensor SN24 in the card conveying direction. A cleaning roller 22 is disposed that cleans the card Ca fed from the part C and conveys the card Ca further downstream. The cleaning roller 22 has an adhesive property to remove dust, dust and the like adhering to the card Ca, and the cleaning roller 22 has an even stronger adhesive property to remove dust, dust and the like adhering to the cleaning roller 22. The adhesive roller 26 to be removed is in pressure contact.

(3) Rotating unit F
In other words, the rotation unit F has a function of changing the conveyance direction of the medium (in this embodiment, a function of conveying the card Ca and rotating the card Ca while holding the end portion of the card Ca). However, it is configured as follows. That is, the rotation unit F has a pair of disk-shaped rotation frames 50 (in FIG. 2, only the rotation frame 50 on the front side is shown. Hereinafter, it is shown in FIG. 2 as necessary. A distinction is made between the front side turning frame 50 and the back side turning frame 50 not shown in FIG. The pair of rotating frames 50 are integrated by being fixed to a demarcating member (not shown) that demarcates an interval between them.

(3-1) Card Conveyance As shown in FIG. 4, the rotation unit F has roller pairs 20 and 21 configured with a drive roller and a driven roller. The demarcation member described above also functions as a guide member that guides both sides (front and back sides) of the card Ca being conveyed between the roller pair 20 and 21. The roller shafts (four in total) of the driving and driven rollers constituting the roller pair 20 and 21 are rotatably supported by the pair of rotating frames 50. A first gear (not shown) is fitted to each end of the back side rotation frame 50 on the roller shafts of the driving rollers of the roller pairs 20 and 21. A second gear (not shown) having a larger diameter than the first gear meshes with each of the first gears. The gear shaft of the second gear is rotatably supported on the back side rotation frame 50.

  Each second gear meshes with a single third gear (not shown) having a smaller diameter than the second gear. The first to third gears are disposed on the inner side (front side) of the rear side rotation frame 50 substantially parallel to the rear side rotation frame 50. The axis of the gear shaft of the third gear is positioned at the rotation center O (see FIG. 4) of the rotation unit F. The gear shaft of the third gear is pivotally supported by the rear-side rotation frame 50 by passing through the rear-side rotation frame 50, and the front end portion thereof is fixed to the housing 2 in a substantially vertical direction and is back It is rotatably supported by a plate-like back frame member (not shown) positioned on the outer side (back side) of the back side rotation frame 50 in parallel with the side rotation frame 50.

  A fourth gear (not shown) having a larger diameter than the third gear is fitted on the gear shaft of the third gear. The fourth gear is positioned on the back frame member side between the back frame 50 and the back frame member. A fifth gear (not shown) having a diameter smaller than that of the fourth gear is engaged with the fourth gear and is fitted on a motor shaft of a first card transport motor (stepping motor capable of forward and reverse rotation, not shown). The fifth gear is also positioned on the back frame member side between the back rotating frame 50 and the back frame member. That is, the first card transport motor is attached to the back side of the back frame member, and the motor shaft of the first card transport motor passes through the back frame member and the fifth gear is fitted to the tip thereof. Yes.

  The card Ca sandwiched between the roller pairs 20 and 21 is jammed in the rotation unit F (the rotation unit F cannot rotate) on the front side (rear side rotation frame 50 side) upper part of the rear frame member. A jam release dial (not shown) for the operator to manually rotate the roller pair 20 and 21 to eject the card Ca (to release the jam) rotates to the rear frame member. It is pivotally supported. A gear is fitted on the shaft of the jam release dial. When the operator manually turns the jam release dial, the above-described first gear is engaged via the plurality of gears meshed with the gear and pivotally supported by the rear frame member. The card Ca can be discharged out of the rotation unit F by rotating the gear 4 and rotating the roller pair 20, 21.

  The first card transport motor also functions as a drive source for the cleaning roller 22. In other words, the fourth gear described above supplies the rotational driving force of the first card transport motor to the gear fitted to the roller shaft of the cleaning roller 22 via the plurality of gears. Accordingly, the first card transport motor drives the cleaning roller 22 and the roller pairs 20 and 21 to transport the card Ca fed from the medium supply unit C to the rotation unit F (accepted by the rotation unit F) (see FIG. 4), and serves as a drive source for sending the card Ca from the rotation unit F toward one of the information recording unit A, the horizontal medium conveyance path P1, and the reject stacker 54.

(3-2) Rotation The front-side rotation frame 50 is fixed to the housing 2 in a substantially vertical direction, and is in front of the front-side rotation frame 50 in parallel with the front-side rotation frame 50 (the front side in FIG. 2). ) Positioned in a plate-like front side frame member (not shown in FIG. 2, since the front side rotation frame 50 is hidden, the front side frame member is discarded). Has been. That is, a support shaft projects from the back side of the front side frame member toward the front side rotation frame 50, and a support protruding from the front side frame member is provided at the front side center of the front side rotation frame 50. A cylindrical bearing for receiving the shaft is formed.

  The axis of the support shaft is positioned at the rotation center O (see FIG. 4) of the rotation unit F, and is arranged so as to be coaxial with the axis of the gear shaft of the third gear described above. . For this reason, in the rotation unit F, a pair of integrated rotation frames 50 are pivotally supported on the front frame member by the support shaft, and on the back side, the gear shaft of the third gear is used as the back frame member. It is configured to be rotatable by being pivotally supported.

  Gears are respectively formed at the outer peripheral central portions of the front side rotation frame 50 and the back side rotation frame 50. These gears mesh with respective sixth gears having a smaller diameter than these gears. These sixth gears are fitted to a single gear shaft disposed below the front side rotation frame 50 and the rear side rotation frame 50, and the gear shaft of the sixth gear is a front side frame member and The rear side frame member is rotatably supported by the shaft.

  One sixth gear that meshes with a gear formed on the outer periphery of the rear-side rotation frame 50 is fitted to the motor shaft of a rotation motor (a stepping motor that can be rotated in the forward and reverse directions, not shown), and the sixth gear. A seventh gear (not shown) having a smaller diameter is engaged. The rotation motor is mounted on the back side of the back frame member, below the mounting position of the first card transport motor described above, and the motor shaft of the rotation motor passes through the back frame member and extends to the tip thereof. A seventh gear is fitted. For this reason, by driving the rotation motor, the card Ca sandwiched between both ends of the roller pairs 20 and 21 in the rotation unit F rotates about the rotation center O (see also FIG. 5).

  When the rotation unit F is rotated by the driving force of the rotation motor, the roller shafts of the drive and driven rollers constituting the roller pairs 20 and 21 are rotatably supported by the pair of rotation frames 50. Therefore, a phenomenon occurs in which these roller shafts are also rotated (also referred to as co-rotation) according to the rotation of the pair of rotation frames 50. For this reason, in this embodiment, when rotating the card Ca sandwiched between both ends of the roller pairs 20 and 21 in the rotation unit F, the rotation unit F is rotated (angle), By simultaneously driving the first card transport motor so that the roller shaft of the drive roller rotates in the direction opposite to the rotation direction of the rotation unit F, accompanying rotation is prevented.

  The front rotating frame 50 is formed with first and second cylindrical members so as to protrude to the front side. The first cylindrical member protrudes from the outer peripheral position of the front-side rotation frame 50 to the front side, and the second cylindrical member is concentric with the first cylindrical member (with respect to the rotation center O). It protrudes to the front side from a position having a smaller diameter than the first cylindrical member. The first and second cylindrical members are each formed with a notch, and the first and second phase detectors detect the phase of the rotation unit F (the rotation frame 50) by detecting these notches. Phase sensors (not shown) are respectively provided.

  The cutout of the first cylindrical member is formed corresponding to the position (direction) of the cutout of the second cylindrical member and the direction of each sensor arranged around the rotation unit F. The notch of the cylindrical member is formed corresponding to the position of the roller pair 20, 21 (roller shaft). The first phase sensor functions as an encoder when the rotation unit F is rotated by a rotation motor, and the second phase sensor is used when the rotation unit F (roller pair 20, 21) is positioned in the initial position direction. Functions as an encoder.

(3-3) Relationship with Sensors A plurality of sensors are arranged around the rotation unit F. As shown in FIG. 4, a sensor SN <b> 2 that detects the rear end of the card Ca that is fed from the medium supply unit C and being conveyed is disposed between the cleaning roller 22 and the roller pair 20. On the downstream side in the card transport direction, a sensor SN26 that detects the tip of the card Ca being transported is arranged.

  Further, as described above, the magnetic recording unit 24, the non-contact type IC recording unit 23, and the contact type IC recording unit 27 constituting the information recording unit A are arranged on the outer periphery of the rotating unit F (FIG. 2). reference). As shown in FIG. 4, the sensor SN4, the sensor SN5, and the sensor SN26 described above are arranged in these directions to detect the end of the card Ca. Further, a sensor SN23 is arranged in the direction of the reject stacker 54 (error discharge direction), and a sensor SN3 is arranged in the direction of the printing unit B (transfer unit B2) (on the horizontal medium conveyance path P1). As the sensor SN, a transmission-integrated sensor having a light emitting element and a light receiving element is used as in the case of the sensor SN24.

  In the present embodiment, the rotation center O and the sensing positions of the sensor SN2 and the sensor SN24 (indicated by small circles in FIG. 4) when the vertical line indicated by a solid line in FIG. 4 is a reference (0 °). The angle of the connecting line is 10 °, the angle of the line connecting the rotation center O and the sensing position of the sensor SN23 is 125 °, the angle of the line connecting the rotation center O and the sensing position of the sensor SN4 is 173 °, the rotation The angle of the line connecting the center O and the sensing position of the sensor SN26 is 190 °, the angle of the line connecting the rotation center O and the sensing position of the sensor SN3 is 270 °, and the rotation center O and the sensing position of the sensor SN5. The angle of the connecting line is set to 305 °.

  Therefore, the rotation unit F (roller pair 20, 21) has a function of forming a medium transport path 65 (see FIG. 2) for transporting the card Ca in any one of these directions, that is, a direction changing function. have. FIG. 4 shows a state in which the rotation unit F is positioned in the card receiving position direction, and the roller pair 20, 21 is in this state with the sensor SN 24, the cleaning roller 22, the sensor SN 2, SN 26 (sensing position). ) And a substantially linear inclined medium conveyance path P0 (inclined by 10 ° with respect to the vertical line shown by the solid line in FIG. 4), and the medium conveyance path 65 constitutes a part of the inclined medium conveyance path P0. A temperature sensor Th such as a thermistor for detecting the environmental temperature (outside air temperature) is disposed on the outer periphery of the rotating unit F (see FIG. 2). Based on the environmental temperature detected by the temperature sensor Th. Temperature correction of heating elements such as a thermal head and a heat roller (described later) provided in the printing unit B is performed.

(3-4) Distance between Rotation Center and Each Sensor FIG. 5 schematically shows the distance from the rotation center O of the rotation unit F to each sensor in the present embodiment. In FIG. 5, in order to facilitate grasping, one standard-size card Ca is normally conveyed to the rotation unit F, the center of the card Ca is positioned at the rotation center O, and its end is A state of being sandwiched between the roller pairs 20 and 21 is shown.

  As described above, since the standard length of the card Ca is 85.6 mm, the distance from the rotation center O to the first locus Lc1 (the rotation locus at the end of the card) is 42.8 mm, which is half of the first locus Lc1. The distance Da between the second locus Lc2 and the second locus Lc2 (a circle in contact with the sensor frame of the sensor SN26 with the rotation center O as the center) is 7.0 mm, and the first locus Lc1 and the third locus Lc3 (the rotation center O The distance Db to the center of the sensors SN2, SN3, and SN23) is 8.0 mm, and the distance between the first locus Lc1 and the sensor SN4 is 20.0 mm. When viewed from the rotation center O, the sensing positions of the sensors SN2, SN3, and SN26 are further 0.7 mm outside.

  Accordingly, the sensing position of the sensor SN2 that detects the trailing edge of the card Ca and the sensing position of the sensor SN26 that detects the leading edge of the card Ca are linear distances on the inclined medium transport path P0, and the length of the card Ca (85. 6 mm) + {Distance Db (8 mm) + Distance from sensor frame of sensor SN2 to sensing position (0.7 mm)} + {Distance Da (7.0 mm) + Distance from sensor frame of sensor SN26 to sensing position (0 .7 mm)} = 102 mm apart.

  The sensing position of the sensor SN23 is at a position 9.7 mm from the first locus Lc1, and the sensing position of the sensor SN4 is a position 20.7 mm from the first locus Lc1 (12.7 mm from the third locus Lc3). It is in. Although the sensor SN5 is omitted in FIG. 5 (see also FIG. 4), the sensor frame of the sensor SN5 is in contact with the third locus Lc3 similarly to the sensor frame of the sensor SN3.

(4) Printing part B
The printing unit B forms images such as a face photograph and character data on the front and back surfaces of the card Ca. As shown in FIG. 2, the horizontal medium transport path for transporting the card Ca on the extension of the medium transport path 65. P1 is provided. In addition, a pair of transport rollers 29 and 30 for transporting the card Ca are disposed in the horizontal medium transport path P1, and the pair of transport rollers 29 and 30 are not shown through a second card transport motor (normal) (not shown). Stepping motor capable of reversing).

  The printing unit B has a film transport mechanism 10, and an image formed by overlapping each color image of the ink ribbon 41 with the thermal head 40 on the image forming area of the transfer film 46 transported by the film transport mechanism 10. A forming unit B1 and a transfer unit B2 for transferring the image formed on the transfer film 46 onto the surface of the card Ca on the horizontal medium transport path P1 by the heat roller 33 are provided.

  Next, the details of the printing unit B will be described with reference to FIG. The transfer film 46 has a belt-like shape having a slightly larger width than the width direction of the card Ca, an ink receiving layer for receiving the ink of the ink ribbon 41, a transparent protective layer for protecting the surface of the ink receiving layer, and an ink by heating. The receiving layer and the protective layer are integrally laminated in the order of a peeling layer for promoting peeling and a base material (base film).

  The transfer film 46 used in this embodiment is formed so as to cross the width direction (main scanning direction of the thermal head 40) intersecting the printing direction (sub-scanning direction of the thermal head 40), and the image formation start position is set. Marks for setting are formed at regular intervals, and the space between these marks is an image forming area.

  The transfer film 46 is wound or unwound on the supply roll 47 and the take-up roll 48 in the transfer film cassette, respectively, by driving the motors Mr2 and Mr4. That is, in the transfer film cassette, a supply spool 47A is arranged at the center of the supply roll 47, and a take-up spool 48A is arranged at the center of the take-up roll 48. The supply spool 47A has a motor Mr2 via a gear (not shown). The rotational driving force is transmitted, and the rotational driving force of the motor Mr4 is transmitted to the take-up spool 48A through a gear (not shown). As the motor Mr2 and the motor Mr4, DC motors capable of forward and reverse rotation are used.

  In the present embodiment, the transfer film 46 before the transfer process is wound around the supply spool 47A, and the used transfer film 46 (the part transferred at the transfer portion B2) is wound around the take-up spool 48A. Has been. For this reason, when the image forming process and the transfer process are performed on the transfer film 46, the transfer film 46 is once fed from the supply spool 47A to the take-up spool 48A, and the image is formed while the transfer film 46 is wound up by the supply spool 47A. Processing and transfer processing are performed.

  The film transport roller 49 is a main driving roller that transports the transfer film 46, and the transport amount and transport stop position of the transfer film 46 are determined by controlling the driving of the film transport roller 49. The film transport roller 49 is connected to a film transport motor Mr5 (stepping motor) that can be rotated forward and backward. When the film transport roller 49 is driven, the motors Mr2 and Mr4 are also driven. However, the transfer film 46 fed out from either the supply roll 47 or the take-up roll 48 is taken up by one of the other, and the transfer film 46 is transported. It is intended to apply tension and fulfills the auxiliary function of film conveyance.

  A pinch roller 32 a and a pinch roller 32 b are disposed on the peripheral surface of the film transport roller 49. The pinch rollers 32 a and 32 b are configured to be able to advance and retract with respect to the film transport roller 49. In FIG. 2, the pinch rollers 32 a and 32 b advance toward the film transport roller 49 and the transfer film 46 is moved to the film transport roller 49. A state of being wound around is shown. As a result, the transfer film 46 is accurately transported at a distance corresponding to the number of rotations of the film transport roller 49.

  Accordingly, the film transport mechanism 10 drives the film transport roller 49 of the main driving roller disposed between the image forming unit B1 and the transfer unit B2, thereby supplying the transfer film 46 to the supply roll 47, the image forming unit B1, While carrying forward / reverse conveyance between the transfer part B2 and the take-up roll 48, the image forming area of the transfer film 46 and the image formed in the image forming area in the image forming part B1 and the transfer part B2 are positioned at appropriate positions (indexing). It has a function. A sensor Se1 has a light emitting element and a light receiving element between the take-up roll 48 and the image forming unit B1 (thermal head 40, platen roller 45), and detects the mark formed on the transfer film 46 described above. Is arranged.

  On the other hand, the ink ribbon 41 is accommodated in an ink ribbon cassette 42 and accommodated in a stretched state between a supply roll 43 that supplies the ink ribbon 41 to the cassette 42 and a take-up roll 44 that winds the ink ribbon 41. Has been. A take-up spool 44A is arranged at the center of the take-up roll 44, and a supply spool 43A is arranged at the center of the supply roll 43. The take-up spool 44A is rotated by the driving force of the motor Mr1, and the supply spool 43A is driven by the motor Mr3. Rotates with driving force. As the motor Mr1 and the motor Mr3, DC motors capable of forward and reverse rotation are used.

  The ink ribbon 41 is configured by repeating a Y (yellow), M (magenta), and C (cyan) color ribbon panel and a Bk (black) ribbon panel in the surface direction in the longitudinal direction. Further, between the supply roll 43 and the image forming unit B1 (thermal head 40, platen roller 45), the light from the light emitting element side is blocked by the Bk ribbon panel on the light receiving element side, so that the position of the ink ribbon 41 is reached. A sensor Se2 for detecting and cueing the ink ribbon 41 to the image forming unit B1 is disposed.

  The platen roller 45 and the thermal head 40 constitute an image forming unit B1, and the thermal head 40 is disposed at a position facing the platen roller 45. During image formation, the platen roller 45 is pressed against the thermal head 40 via the transfer film 46 and the ink ribbon 41. The thermal head 40 has a plurality of heating elements arranged in the main scanning direction. These heating elements are selectively heated and controlled based on print data by a head control IC (not shown), and an ink ribbon. An image is formed on the transfer film 46 via 41. The cooling fan 39 is for cooling the thermal head 40.

  The ink ribbon 41 that has completed image formation on the transfer film 46 is peeled off from the transfer film 46 by the peeling roller 25 and the peeling member 28. The peeling member 28 is fixed to the ink ribbon cassette 42, and the peeling roller 25 is brought into contact with the peeling member 28 at the time of image formation, and the transfer film 46 and the ink ribbon 41 are sandwiched between them to perform peeling. Then, the peeled ink ribbon 41 is wound around the winding roll 44 by the driving force of the motor Mr1, and the transfer film 46 is transported by the film transport mechanism 10 to the transfer portion B2 having the platen roller 31 and the heat roller 33. The

  A sensor Se <b> 3 for detecting a mark formed on the transfer film 46 is disposed on the downstream side of the film transport roller 49. In response to this mark detection, the transfer of the transfer film 46 is started by starting the conveyance of the card Ca held by the conveyance roller pair 29, 30 on the horizontal medium conveyance path P1 and being stopped (standby) toward the transfer unit B2. The image forming area and the card Ca reach the transfer portion B2 at the same time. Note that a transmission-integrated sensor is used as the sensor Se3.

  In the transfer portion B2, the transfer film 46 is sandwiched between the heat roller 33 and the platen roller 31 together with the card Ca, and the image formed in the image forming area of the transfer film 46 is transferred to the surface of the card Ca. That is, at the time of transfer, the heat roller 33 is pressed against the platen roller 31 through the card Ca and the transfer film 46 (image forming area thereof), and the card Ca and the transfer film 46 are conveyed in the same direction at the same speed. The heat roller 33 is attached to an elevating mechanism (not shown) so as to be pressed against and separated from the platen roller 31 via the transfer film 46.

  The transfer film 46 after image transfer is separated (peeled) from the card Ca by a peeling pin 79 disposed between the heat roller 33 and a driven roller (lower roller in FIG. 2) constituting the pair of conveying rollers 37. It is conveyed to the supply roll 47 side. On the other hand, the card Ca onto which the image has been transferred is conveyed toward the decurling mechanism G on the downstream side on the horizontal medium conveyance path P2.

  In the above description, the ink ribbon 41 for color printing in which the Y, M, C, and Bk ribbon panels are repeated in the surface order is illustrated. However, the printing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment also includes a single-color ink ribbon that includes only the Bk ribbon panel. In this case, single-color printing is performed on the card Ca.

(5) Decal mechanism G
As shown in FIG. 2, a horizontal medium transport path P2 for transporting the printed card Ca to the storage stacker 60 is provided on the extended line of the horizontal medium transport path P1 on the downstream side of the transfer unit B2. . A pair of transport rollers 37 and 38 for transporting the card Ca is disposed in the horizontal medium transport path P2, and the pair of transport rollers 37 and 38 are connected to the above-described second card transport motor via gears (not shown). Yes. Each roller pair (including the platen roller 31) from the transport roller pair 29 to the transport roller pair 38 disposed on the horizontal medium transport paths P1 and P2 is rotationally driven by the driving force of the second card transport motor. Is done.

  The conveying roller pairs 37 and 38 constitute a part of the decurling mechanism G. The decurling mechanism G is connected to the concave decal unit 35 which is fixed in position by pressing the central portion of the card Ca sandwiched (niped) between the conveying rollers 37 and 38 by the convex decurling unit 34 downward. By interposing the card Ca between them, the warp generated in the card Ca by heat transfer by the heat roller 33 is corrected. The decurling mechanism G includes an eccentric cam 36 so that the decurling unit 34 can advance and retreat in the vertical direction shown in FIG.

(6) Medium accommodating part D
The medium accommodating portion D is configured to accommodate the card Ca conveyed from the decurling mechanism G side in the accommodating stacker 60. That is, the storage stacker 60 is configured to move downward in FIG.

1-2-2. Control Unit and Power Supply Unit Next, the control unit and the power supply unit of the printing apparatus 1 will be described. As shown in FIG. 6, the printing apparatus 1 includes a control unit 70 that controls the operation of the entire printing apparatus 1, and a power supply unit that converts commercial AC power into DC power that can drive / activate each mechanism unit and control unit. 80.

(1) Control Unit As shown in FIG. 6, the control unit 70 includes a microcomputer unit 72 (hereinafter abbreviated as MCU 72) that performs overall control processing of the printing apparatus 1. The MCU 72 includes a CPU that operates with a high-speed clock as a central processing unit, a ROM that stores programs and program data of the printing apparatus 1, a RAM that functions as a work area of the CPU, and an internal bus that connects these.

  An external bus is connected to the MCU 72. The external bus has a communication unit 71 that has a communication IC and communicates with the host device 101, print data to be formed on the card Ca, magnetic stripes on the card Ca, and magnetically or electrically recording on the accommodation IC. A memory 77 for temporarily storing recording data and the like to be recorded is connected.

  In addition, the external bus includes a signal processing unit 73 that processes signals from the various sensors described above, an actuator control unit 74 that includes a motor driver that supplies driving pulses and driving power to each motor, and heating that constitutes the thermal head 40. A thermal head controller 75 for controlling thermal energy to the element, an operation display controller 76 for controlling the operation panel 5, a buzzer operating circuit 78 for operating the buzzer 5 when the card Ca is double-fed, and the like The information recording unit A described above is connected.

(2) Power Supply Unit The power supply unit 80 supplies operating / driving power to the control unit 70, the thermal head 40, the heat roller 33, the operation panel unit 5, the information recording unit A, and the like.

2. Operation Next, the overall operation of the printing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with a CPU of the MCU 72 (hereinafter simply referred to as a CPU) as a subject.

  When the printing apparatus 1 is turned on, each member constituting the printing apparatus 1 is positioned at the home (initial) position (for example, the state shown in FIG. 2), and the program and program data stored in the ROM are expanded in the RAM. The initial setting process is performed.

  When the CPU receives a print command via the operation panel unit 5 (operation display control unit 76) or the communication unit 71, the CPU executes a card issuing routine shown in FIG. For the sake of simplicity, in the following, it is assumed that the print data or the like has been received from the host apparatus 101, that is, the CPU is one side (in the case of single-sided printing) or one side and the other side from the host apparatus 101. It is assumed that the print data (Bk print data, Y, M, and C color component print data) and magnetic or electrical recording data are received and stored in the memory 77 (in the case of duplex printing). Further, since the operation of the printing unit B (image forming unit B1, transfer unit B2) has already been described, it will be briefly described to avoid duplication.

2-1. Printing Operation on One Side of Card As shown in FIG. 7, in the card issuing routine, in step (hereinafter abbreviated as “S”) 202, one side (for example, the front side) of the transfer film 46 is formed in the image forming unit B1. A primary transfer process (image forming process) for forming a side image (mirror image) is performed. That is, by controlling the thermal head 40 of the image forming unit B1 based on the Y, M, and C color component print data and the Bk print data stored in the memory 77, an ink ribbon is formed in the image forming area of the transfer film 46. Forty-one images of Y, M, C, and Bk inks are formed.

  In parallel with the primary transfer process in S202, in S204, the CPU executes a card supply process. The card supply process includes (1) a supply process for feeding the card Ca from the medium supply unit C and transporting it to the information recording unit A, and (2) a magnetic recording on the card Ca by one or more of the information recording units A. In addition, recording processing for recording electrical recording data, and (3) transport processing for transporting the recorded card Ca toward the horizontal medium transport path P1 (transport roller pairs 29 and 30) are included.

(1) Supply processing (1-1) Rotation toward the card receiving position FIG. 8 is a flowchart of a supply processing subroutine showing details of (1) supply processing. In the supply processing subroutine, first, in S302, it is determined whether or not the sensor SN24 is in an on state (card detection state). As shown in FIG. 4, the cards Ca are aligned and accommodated in the medium supply unit C in a standing posture. For example, an operator unaccustomed to the operation mistakenly prints the card Ca in the front row of the medium supply unit C from above. The device 1 may be pushed into the main body side. Including such a case, when the sensor SN24 is in the ON state, it indicates that some object is present in the sensor SN24.

  If an affirmative determination is made in S302, the process proceeds to S348. If a negative determination is made in S302, the rotation motor is driven via the actuator control unit 74 while referring to the output of the second phase sensor described above in S304. Control is performed so that the roller pairs 20 and 21 constituting the rotation unit F are positioned in the initial position direction. In the present embodiment, the initial position direction is set to a direction (state shown in FIG. 2) in which the roller pair 20, 21 is positioned horizontally.

  Subsequently, in S306, the rotation motor is driven, and control is performed so that the roller pair 20, 21 constituting the rotation unit F is positioned in the card receiving position direction. As shown in FIG. 4, the card receiving position direction is set to a direction rotated by 10 ° from the rotation center O with reference to the vertical line (solid line) in FIG. Accordingly, in S306, the roller pair 20, 21 in the initial position direction of 90 ° is rotated by 80 ° in the counterclockwise direction (CCW) with reference to the vertical line in FIG. 4 in S304.

(1-2) Card Payout In the next S308, the pickup motor and the first card transport motor are driven via the actuator controller 74. As a result, the cards Ca in the forefront row of the medium supply unit C are fed out from the medium supply unit C as the pickup roller 19 rotates, and are conveyed toward the rotating unit F via the cleaning roller 22. The pickup motor stops driving after the sensor SN24 detects the rear end of the card Ca, but the first card transport motor continues to drive after the pickup motor stops to transport the card Ca to the rotation unit F. (The cleaning roller 22 and the roller pair 20 and 21 continue to rotate).

(1-3) Card Edge Detection Next, in S310, it is determined whether or not the sensor SN2 arranged on the inclined medium transport path P0 has detected the rear edge of the card Ca being transported. If the determination is negative, in S312, it is determined whether or not the ON state continues for a predetermined time or longer after the sensor SN2 detects the leading edge of the card Ca (whether or not the card Ca has been conveyed for a predetermined length or more). . Such a determination is made, for example, by counting the number of drive pulses output from the actuator controller 74 to the first card transport motor from the time when the sensor SN2 detects the leading edge of the card Ca, and the counted number of drive pulses is a predetermined pulse. This can be done by determining whether the number has been reached.

  In this embodiment, the CPU conveys {85.6 mm (standard length of the card Ca) +28.0 mm (double feed threshold)} = 113.6 mm from the time when the sensor SN2 detects the leading edge of the card Ca. When the number of drive pulses is counted, it is considered that the card Ca is double-fed, and an affirmative determination is made in S312. In this case, the process proceeds to S348. If a negative determination is made in S312, the process returns to S310 in order to continue transporting the card Ca.

  On the other hand, when the determination in S310 is affirmative, in S314, the card Ca is transported by a predetermined distance Dp1 from the time when the sensor SN2 detects the rear end of the card Ca, and the driving of the first card transport motor is stopped. In the present embodiment, the predetermined distance Dp1 is set to 8.7 mm. Thereby (when the card Ca is normally conveyed), the center of the card Ca is positioned at the rotation center O of the rotation unit F, and both ends are sandwiched between the roller pairs 20 and 21 and stopped. (State shown in FIG. 5). The predetermined distance Dp1 does not necessarily need to be 8.7 mm, and it is sufficient that the distance at which the rear end of the card Ca is removed from the sensor frame of the sensor SN2 is 0.7 mm. The reason why the predetermined distance Dp1 is set to 8.7 mm in this embodiment will be described later (S320).

  Next, in S316, it is determined whether or not the sensor SN26 arranged on the inclined medium transport path P0 has detected the leading edge of the card Ca. As shown in FIG. 11B, when two cards are double-fed, the length between the leading edge and the trailing edge of the double-feeding card is larger than the standard length of one card Ca. Reaches the sensor SN 26 earlier than when the single card Ca is normally conveyed. If the rotation unit F is to be rotated in the state shown in FIG. 11B, the leading edge of the multi-feed card interferes with the sensor frame of the sensor SN26. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 11A, even when the card is double-fed, even if the sensor SN 26 does not detect the leading edge of the card Ca, even if the turning unit F is turned, the double-fed The tip of the card does not interfere with the sensor frame of the sensor SN26. That is, whether or not the leading end of the card interferes with the sensor frame of the sensor SN 26 when rotating the rotation unit F (multiple feeding) based on the determination result of whether or not the sensor SN 26 detects the leading end of the card Ca. Can be judged.

  If an affirmative determination (card leading edge detection) is made in S316, the process proceeds to S348. If a negative determination (card leading edge non-detection) is made, the first card transport motor is driven reversely in the next S318 to move the card Ca to a predetermined distance Dp2 (this example) In this case, the first card transport motor is stopped driving (see FIG. 9A). In the present embodiment, the reason why the card Ca is reversely fed by the predetermined distance Dp2 is that the sensor SN26 uses a transmission-integrated sensor, so that the tip of the card does not reach the sensing position of the sensor SN26, but the sensor frame of the sensor SN26. This is because if the rotation unit F is rotated in a state where the card Ca is sandwiched while reaching the inside, there is a possibility that interference between the card front end and the sensor frame of the sensor SN 26 may occur. Note that, for example, when a reflection-integrated sensor is used as the sensor SN 26, the problem of interference with the sensor frame can be solved, so that the process in S318 is not necessary.

  In the next S320, the card Ca faces the direction of the transfer section B2 while the card Ca is held between the roller pairs 20 and 21 (the card Ca is changed in the transport direction toward the horizontal medium transport path P1). ) The rotation unit F is rotated (80 °) (see FIG. 9B). The reason why the predetermined distance Dp1 is set to 8.7 mm in S314 is that, as described above, when the rotation unit F is rotated while the card Ca is held between the roller pairs 20 and 21, the rotation is prevented. Therefore, it is desirable that both ends of the card Ca are sandwiched between the roller pairs 20 and 21 and that the card Ca is inserted into the respective card ends on the roller pair 20 and 21 side after the rotation unit F is rotated. This is because the processing time required for conveyance when conveying with the tip as the tip is substantially the same.

  In step S322, the first card transport motor is driven to start (restart) transport of the card Ca to the transfer unit B2, and the number of drive pulses output from the actuator control unit 74 to the first card transport motor is counted. To start.

  In the next S324, it is determined whether or not the sensor SN3 arranged on the horizontal medium transport path P1 has detected the leading edge of the card Ca being transported. If a negative determination is made, the number of drive pulses output from the actuator controller 74 to the first card transport motor is continued in S326 and the process returns to S324. If an affirmative determination is made, the first card transport motor is determined in the next S328. Is stopped and the counting of the number of drive pulses is also completed to calculate the card transport length Ld. FIG. 9C shows a state where the sensor SN3 has detected the leading edge of the double feed card.

(1-4) Double Feed Determination FIG. 13 shows the relationship between the output of the sensor SN3 that detects the tip of the card Ca on the horizontal medium transport path P1 and the drive pulse that is output from the actuator controller 74 to the first card transport motor. Is shown. The number of pulses at the time point when the counting of the number of drive pulses is completed in S328 is Np. The first card transport motor is a stepping motor (pulse motor), and the card transport length (transport distance) of the card Ca transported by one pulse is set in advance. Therefore, by grasping the pulse number Np, the card transport length Ld of the card Ca can be grasped.

  Since the card Ca is reversely fed at a predetermined distance Dp2 (0.7 mm) in S318, if one standard-length card Ca is normally conveyed (not double-fed), conveyance of the card Ca is started in S322. The card Ca is {distance Db (8 mm) + predetermined distance Dp2 (0.7 mm) + distance from the sensor frame of the sensor SN3 to the sensing position (S3324) until the sensor SN3 detects the leading edge of the card in S324. 0.7 mm)} = 9.4 mm (see also FIG. 5).

  As shown in FIG. 9C, in the case of two multi-feed cards, the length between the front and rear ends of the multi-feed card is larger than one standard-length card Ca. Accordingly, since the leading edge reaches the sensor SN3 earlier than when one card Ca is normally conveyed, the multi-feed until the leading edge is detected by the sensor SN3 in S324 after the conveyance of the card Ca is started in S322. The card transport length Ld of the card is reduced. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 13, with respect to the pulse number Np, the reference pulse number in the case of one card Ca of the standard length (the drive pulse of the first card transport motor when transporting the card Ca 9.4 mm) If the number) is set in advance, the card transport length Ld of the multi-feed card can be grasped by how many pulses are smaller than the reference pulse number.

  In next step S330, it is determined whether or not the card transport length Ld is smaller than a preset length L1 (9.4 mm in this example). That is, if the card transport length Ld is greater than 9.4 mm, it can be determined that the standard-length card Ca has been transported normally by one sheet without being double-fed. At this time, an error range (allowance) may be provided for the length L1 in consideration of the attachment error of each sensor, expansion / contraction of the card Ca due to the ambient temperature, and the like.

  In S330, the reason for determining only on the lower limit side (9.4 mm) is that the roller pair 20, 21 may slide with respect to the card Ca, but the upper limit side (for example, the length L1) The maximum value within the error range (11.4 mm) may also be determined. At this time, it is not always necessary to end the supply processing subroutine as an error. For example, a display that prompts the operation panel unit 5 to clean the conveyance roller pairs 20 and 21 may be displayed.

  When a negative determination is made in S330, the card Ca is normally transported without being double-fed, so in S332, the center of the card Ca is positioned at the rotation center O according to the card transport length Ld (card Ca After the first card transport motor is driven in reverse, the drive is stopped (so that the distance from the center of the roller to the card clamping position of the roller pair 20, 21 becomes equal).

  In the next step S334, the rotation motor is driven via the actuator control unit 74 in order to convey the card Ca to the desired information recording unit A side. At this time, when the information recording unit A does not matter on the front and back surfaces of the card Ca (for example, the non-contact IC recording unit 23), the information recording unit A is rotated in a direction (for example, counterclockwise direction) in which the time required for rotation is short. . Subsequently, in S336, the first card transport motor is driven forward or backward to transport the card Ca toward the desired information recording unit A, the supply process subroutine is terminated, and a recording process described later is executed.

(1-5) Error discharge during double feeding On the other hand, if the determination in S330 is affirmative, it is considered that the card has been double-fed (or a non-standard card is mixed). A process of reducing the complexity of the release as much as possible (increasing the operability (jam release property) at the time of jam release) is performed (the same applies to the case of an affirmative determination in S302, S312 and S316). In this embodiment, the main error discharge direction of the multi-feed card is set to the direction of the reject stacker 54 (the direction of the line connecting the rotation center O and the sensing position of the sensor SN23).

  Note that the CPU does not necessarily have to calculate the card transport length Ld in S328 (in S328, the concept of the card transport length Ld is introduced to promote understanding. The same applies to the determination in S330). If the ROM has data of the reference pulse number and the transport distance in one pulse, the determination in S330 can be made directly from the pulse number Np shown in FIG.

  If an affirmative determination is made in S330, the center of the multi-feed card is positioned at the rotation center O in S340 (see FIG. 10A), and it is already determined in S316 that the rotation unit F can be rotated in the next S342. Since it is known, the multi-feed card is rotated in the direction of the reject stacker (35 °) (see FIG. 10B) (see FIG. 10B), and the roller pair 20, 21 is rotated in S344 to double-feed to the reject stacker 54. The card is ejected (see FIG. 10C), and the process proceeds to S346. The CPU confirms that the multi-feed card has been discharged to the reject stacker 54 when the sensor SN 23 detects the rear end.

(1-6) Double Feed Card Discharge When Cannot Be Rotated In the printing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, when the rotary unit F is rotated while the double feed card is sandwiched between the roller pairs 20 and 21, it is arranged around the periphery. A mode in which the multi-feed card is sent back to the medium supply unit C side (upstream side) without rotating the rotating frame F in preparation for the case where it cannot be rotated that interferes with the sensor is operated by the operator 5 It can be selected via the device 101). In the following description, it is assumed that the operator has previously selected this mode.

  If an affirmative determination is made in each of S302, S312, and S316, it is determined in S348 whether or not a return mode is selected in which the double feed card is sent back to the medium supply unit C without rotating the rotation frame F. If a negative determination is made, the process proceeds to S358. On the other hand, when an affirmative determination is made in S348, the medium supply unit C (card cassette) is moved from the cassette mounting area 68 by referring to the output of the sensor lever 69 (see FIG. 3) via the signal processing unit 73 in the next S350. It is determined whether the card is removed, that is, whether the card is in a non-detected state.

  When a negative determination is made in S350, a display requesting that the card cassette be removed from the operation panel unit 5 (the monitor 102 connected to the host device 101 via the communication unit 71) via the operation display control unit 76 is displayed in S352. Return to S350 (in the negative determination in S350 and in the loop in S352, the buzzer operation circuit 78 is activated for a predetermined time to alert the operator with a warning sound from the buzzer 6). If the determination in S350 is affirmative, S354 Then, the first card transport motor is driven in reverse to send the double feed card back to the medium supply unit C, and the process proceeds to S356. FIG. 12 shows a state in which the double feed card is sent back to the medium supply unit C in S354.

(1-7) Jam releasability In any of S346, S356, and S358, the CPU displays an error on the operation panel 5 (monitor 102), and the operator tries to respond according to the display. The degree is different as follows.

  (A) In S358, the buzzer 6 is actuated for a predetermined time, and an error display (the occurrence of a double feed error and a request for releasing jam) is displayed on the operation panel 5 to execute a supply processing subroutine (and a card issuance routine) ( Abnormal) Exit.

  The operator removes the medium supply unit C from the cassette mounting area 68, opens the front door 12 and the opening / closing member 66, and then manually turns the jam release dial to release the jam caused by the multifeed card (conventional jam release). Do.) When the front door 12 is opened, in principle, the supply of commercial AC power to the power supply unit 80 is stopped to ensure the safety of the operator. When the jam is released, the operator closes the front door 12, closes the opening / closing member 66, attaches the medium supply unit C again to return the printing apparatus 1 to the original state, and then turns on the power to the printing apparatus 1 again. Then, after the above-described initial setting process, print data and magnetic or electrical recording data are newly transmitted from the host apparatus 101 to the printing apparatus 1 (memory 77). Therefore, after the jam release corresponding to S358, the initial setting process is performed again.

  (B) In S356, the buzzer 6 is operated so that a (guidance) sound different from the warning sound in S352 is generated, the double feed error has occurred in the operation panel 5 (monitor 102), and the double feed card is sent back. Is displayed, and the supply processing subroutine (and card issuing routine) is terminated (abnormally). After removing the medium supply unit C from the cassette mounting area 68, the operator removes the double feed card sent back in S354 from the upper side of the printing apparatus 1 to release the jam, and closes the opening / closing member 66 again to close the medium. A supply unit C is mounted.

  (C) In S346, the operation panel 5 (monitor 102) displays that a double feed error has occurred and that the double feed card has been ejected to the reject stacker 54 (the buzzer 6 is not activated), and a supply processing subroutine. (And card issuance routine) is terminated (abnormally). That is, since the multi-feed card has already been discharged to the reject stacker 54, the operator does not need to release the jam.

  In the card issuing routine, since the card supply process (S204) is executed in parallel with the primary transfer process (S202) (see FIG. 7), the CPU grasps the double feed error during the primary transfer process. Become. When the CPU grasps the double feed error, the CPU immediately stops image formation in the image forming area in the image forming unit B1, and ends the card issuing routine. When the card issuance routine is performed again (from the beginning), the image forming area is handled as being used. Exceptionally, when an affirmative determination is made in S302, it is during the transfer of the transfer film 46 before the platen roller 45 comes into pressure contact with the thermal head 40 (during cueing), that is, before image formation in the image forming area. When the card issuance routine is performed again, the image forming area is handled as unused.

  Therefore, when the jam release requested in S346, S356, and S358 is compared, it is reduced in the order of S346, S356, and S358, and the complexity of the jam removal by the operator can be reduced.

(2) Recording process When the (1) supply process ends normally, the CPU executes (2) a recording process. In this recording process, magnetic or electrical recording data to be recorded in the desired information recording section A is output, and the data is recorded on the card Ca. After this recording, the first card transport motor is driven to transport the card Ca so that the center of the card Ca is positioned at the rotation center O, and then it is determined whether or not there is a desired information recording part A. When the determination is affirmative, the rotation unit F is rotated in the direction of the information recording unit, and the same processing as the desired information recording unit A is performed first. When the determination is negative, the recording process is terminated.

  In the information recording unit A, the data recorded on the card Ca is read and compared with the data to be recorded, that is, the verification is performed. Considering that there is a recording obstruction factor, the card is discharged to the reject stacker 54. At that time, since the card supply process (S204) is executed in parallel with the primary transfer process (S202), the CPU forms an image in the image forming area in the image forming unit B1 as in the case of the double feed error. Is immediately stopped and the card issuing routine is terminated. When the card issuance routine is performed again, the image forming area is handled as used.

(3) Conveying process When the (2) recording process is completed, the CPU executes (3) a conveying process. In the transfer process, the card Ca is received from the information recording unit A that has performed the last recording process, and the first card transfer motor is driven to transfer the card Ca so that the center of the card Ca is positioned at the rotation center O. After the motor is driven to rotate the rotation unit F so that the card Ca is positioned in the direction of the horizontal medium conveyance path P1, the first and second card conveyance motors are driven to move the card Ca to the conveyance roller pair 29, Transport toward 30.

  When the sensor SN3 detects the rear end of the card Ca, the CPU stops driving the first card transport motor, and after the sensor SN3 detects the rear end of the card Ca, the second card transport motor is still driven by a predetermined number of pulses. Then, the drive of the second card transport motor is stopped. As a result, both ends of the card Ca are held between the pair of transport rollers 29 and 30. The CPU removes the card Ca until the sensor Se3 detects the mark formed on the transfer film 46 so that the card Ca and the image formed in the image forming area of the transfer film 46 arrive at the transfer portion B2 in synchronization. When the pair of transport rollers 29 and 30 is placed in a standby state and the sensor Se3 detects a mark, the second card transport motor is driven again to transport the card Ca toward the transfer portion B2.

  Returning to FIG. 7, in S206, a secondary transfer process is performed in which the image formed on the transfer surface of the transfer film 46 is transferred to one surface of the card Ca in the transfer portion B2. Prior to the secondary transfer process, the CPU controls so that the temperature of the heater constituting the heat roller 33 reaches a predetermined temperature.

  The transfer film 46 after the secondary transfer process is separated (peeled) from the card Ca by a peeling pin 79 disposed between the heat roller 33 and the conveyance roller pair 37 and conveyed to the supply roll 47 side. On the other hand, the card Ca onto which the image has been transferred is conveyed toward the decurling mechanism G on the downstream side on the horizontal medium conveyance path P2. The CPU still drives the second card transport motor and stops driving the second card transport motor after the rear end of the card Ca passes the peeling pin 79 (see FIG. 2). Thereby, both ends of the card Ca are in a state of being sandwiched between the transport roller pairs 37 and 38.

  In the next step S208, the eccentric cam 36 is rotated, the decal unit 34 is pushed toward the decal unit 35, the card Ca is sandwiched between the decal units 34 and 35, and a decurling process is executed to correct the warp generated on the card Ca. Proceed to S210.

2-2. Next, in S210, it is determined whether or not double-sided printing is performed. If the determination is negative, the process proceeds to S220. If the determination is affirmative, the transfer film 46 is transferred to the transfer film 46 in the image forming unit B1 in S212. Similar to S202, a primary transfer process for forming an image (mirror image) on the other side (for example, the back side) is performed in the next image forming area, and the process proceeds to S216.

  In parallel with the primary transfer process in S212, the CPU rotates the card Ca sandwiched between the transport roller pairs 37 and 38 and positioned in the decurling mechanism G via the horizontal medium transport paths P2 and P1 in S214. After transporting to the unit F, the card Ca sandwiched between the roller pairs 20 and 21 at both ends is rotated 180 ° (the front and back surfaces are reversed) and then transported toward the transport roller pairs 29 and 30. In the next S216, as in S206, a secondary transfer process is performed in the transfer portion B2 to transfer the image formed in the next image forming area of the transfer film 46 to the other surface of the card Ca.

  Next, in S218, as in S208, a decurling process that corrects the warp generated in the card Ca is executed. In the next S220, the card Ca is discharged toward the storage stacker 60, and the card issuing routine is terminated.

3. Effects Next, effects and the like of the printing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment will be described.

3-1. Effect In the printing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, the card Ca is carried into the rotation unit F (S314), and the conveyance direction is changed toward the horizontal medium conveyance path P1 (S320), and then the card Ca is inserted into the horizontal medium conveyance path P1. The card is conveyed toward the upper sensor SN3, and the card conveyance length Ld from the conveyance start time to the detection time of the card Ca by the sensor SN3 is detected (S322 to S328). For this reason, after the card Ca is carried into the rotation unit F and the conveyance direction is changed toward the horizontal medium conveyance path P1, the card conveyance length Ld is detected by the sensor SN3. Even if a transport error occurs when the card Ca is delivered, the detection error of the card transport length Ld can be eliminated. Therefore, according to the printing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, the card transport length Ld can be accurately detected.

  Further, in the printing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, the sensor SN26 is disposed at a position where the distance from the rotation unit F is shorter than the sensor SN3, and therefore, when the card Ca is carried into the rotation unit F, the sensor SN26. Therefore, when the tip is not detected, it is possible to determine that the card Ca held between the roller pairs 20 and 21 of the rotation unit F can be rotated. Therefore, according to the printing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, the sensor SN26 is detected before detecting the card transport length Ld regardless of the transport error when the card Ca is transferred from the cleaning roller 22 to the roller pair 20. Whether or not the rotation unit F can be rotated can be accurately determined only by the detection result.

  Further, in the printing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, since the multifeed does not occur frequently, the card Ca is not transported to the sensing position of the sensor SN26 every time, so that the processing time required for transport can be shortened. it can. In other words, if the rotation unit F holding the card Ca can be rotated according to the detection result of the sensor SN26, it will rotate for the time being, and if double feeding is detected during transport for the next processing. , Processing efficiency can be increased. Even if double feeding is detected at that time, it is already known that the rotation unit F can be rotated, so that the card Ca can be sent back to the rotation unit F side and the error discharged toward the reject stacker 54. it can.

  Further, in the printing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, when the card transport length Ld is smaller than the length L1 (9.4 mm) (affirmative determination in S330), the rotation unit is positioned so that the card Ca can be taken out. Since the roller pair 20 and 21 are driven by rotating F, it is possible to improve the operability (jam release property) when a jam occurs.

  Further, in the printing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, the center of the (multifeed) card sandwiched between the roller pairs 20 and 21 is rotated about the rotation center O of the rotation unit F, so that the rotation range is possible. Can be spread.

  Further, in the printing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, the multi-feed card is conveyed toward the reject stacker 54 when the rotation unit F holding the card is rotatable, and to the medium supply unit C side when the rotation unit F is not rotatable. To do. Therefore, it is possible to improve the operator's jam clearing ability as compared with the conventional jam clearing by the jam clearing dial.

3-2. In the present embodiment, the example in which the position of the sensor SN26 is arranged at a position where the distance from the rotation unit F is shorter than the sensor SN3 is shown, but the present invention is not limited to this, for example, the position of the sensor SN26. May be arranged at a position where the distance from the rotation unit F is equal to the sensor SN3.

  Further, in the present embodiment, after the card Ca is carried into the rotation unit F and the conveyance direction is changed toward the horizontal medium conveyance path P1, the card Ca is conveyed toward the sensor SN3 on the horizontal medium conveyance path P1. In this example, the card conveyance length Ld from the conveyance start point to the detection point of the card Ca by the sensor SN3 is shown. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the card conveyance length may be detected by the sensors SN5 and SN4 arranged between the rotation center O of the rotation unit F and the recording units 23 and 24 constituting the information recording unit A. In such an embodiment, after the card conveyance length Ld is detected, the recording unit can continue recording without rotating the rotation unit F, so that the processing time can be shortened.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the direction of the reject stacker 54 and the direction on the medium supply unit C side are exemplified as directions in which the card Ca can be taken out, but the present invention is not limited to this. In addition, it is not always necessary to discharge to the reject stacker 54 from a position where it can be taken out.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 14 (A), even if the multifeed card is not discharged to the reject stacker 54, the multifeed card is held between the roller pair 20 or 21 positioned near the sensor SN23. May be. If it is stopped in this state, the operator only has to pull out the double feed card from the roller pair 20 or 21, so that the jam release is improved, and an error card (recording obstruction factor in the information recording section A is present in the reject stacker 54). It is possible to prevent a mixture of a (considered card) and a (reusable) multi-feed card.

  Further, from the viewpoint of preventing mixing, another stacker that receives the multifeed card is mounted on the housing 2 above the reject stacker 54, and the multifeed card is inserted in the horizontal direction from the roller pair 20 side shown in FIG. You may make it discharge | emit to. In this case, a sensor for detecting the rear end of the multi-feed card and confirming that it has been discharged to another stacker may be provided. In order to prevent dust or the like from entering the housing 2, the housing 2 The plate-like member that closes the discharge port formed in the above may be configured to be openable and closable by being driven by, for example, an electromagnetic solenoid or a mini motor.

  Further, in the present embodiment, since the three recording units constituting the information recording unit A are optional configurations, when the non-contact type IC recording unit 23 cannot be attached, as shown in FIG. The double-feed card may be sandwiched between the roller pair 20 or 21 in a cantilever state. In this case, the jam can be easily released from above by opening the upper surface cover 67 of the opening / closing member 66. In the configuration in which the non-contact IC recording unit 23 is built in the opening / closing member 66, the jam can be easily released from above by opening the top cover 67 even if the non-contact IC recording unit 23 is attached. it can.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 14C, the operator can easily access the multi-feed card even if the multi-feed card is held between the pair of transport rollers 29 and 30, so that the inside of the rotating unit F Jam-removing properties are improved compared to the above. Further, it may be transported to the medium accommodating portion D.

  Moreover, in this embodiment, although the rotation unit F was illustrated as a direction change means to change the conveyance direction of the card | curd Ca, this invention is a direction change means whose rotation angle is less than 180 degrees like patent document 3. It goes without saying that is also applicable.

  Further, in the present embodiment, an example in which (information) recording processing of magnetic or electrical recording data is performed on the card Ca is shown, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the card Ca is not subjected to recording processing. A transfer process may be performed. In this case, after determining the multi-feed by detecting the card transport length Ld by detecting the leading edge of the card with the sensor SN3, if it is determined that the multi-feed is not performed, the pair of transport rollers 29 on the horizontal medium transport path P1 is used as is. , 30 may be conveyed. Further, in the present embodiment, an example in which the transfer process is performed on the card Ca after performing the recording process of the magnetic or electrical recording data on the card Ca is shown. However, the transfer process is performed on one surface (for example, the surface) or both surfaces of the card Ca. After performing the above, the recording process of magnetic or electrical recording data may be performed on the card Ca.

  In the present embodiment, an example is shown in which the sensor is arranged on another medium conveyance path (a path for conveying the card Ca in a direction different from the inclined medium conveyance path P0) corresponding to each recording unit. (Sensor SN5 corresponding to the non-contact IC recording unit 23, sensor SN4 corresponding to the magnetic recording unit 24), it is not always necessary to adopt such a corresponding configuration. For example, even if the non-contact type IC recording unit 23 is provided, the sensor SN5 may not be arranged. In the case of adopting such a configuration, the non-contact type IC recording unit 23 and the reject stacker 54 arranged at the tip of the sensor SN 23 are arranged on a straight line passing through the rotation center O (see also FIG. 4). The processing by the CPU may be performed as follows. (A) The card Ca is carried into the rotation unit F, and it is determined from the detection result of the sensor SN26 whether or not the rotation unit F can be rotated. When the rotation is possible, (b) the rotation unit F is rotated so that the tip of the card Ca faces the direction of the sensor SN23. (C) The card Ca is conveyed toward the sensor SN23, and the card conveyance length Ld is detected by detecting the card leading edge of the sensor SN23 to determine whether or not the card Ca is double-fed. If the card Ca is not double-fed, (d) the card Ca is conveyed in the reverse direction and carried into the non-contact type IC recording unit 23 (the card Ca is cantilevered by the roller pair 20), and the non-contact type IC recording unit 23 Execute the recording process.

  Furthermore, in the present exemplary embodiment, an indirect printing type printing apparatus (image forming apparatus) has been illustrated, but the present invention is not limited to this, and can also be applied to a direct printing type printing apparatus. In this embodiment, the example in which the platen roller 45 is pressed against the thermal head 40 in the image forming unit B1 has been described. However, the thermal head 40 may be pressed against the platen roller 45. At this time, the platen need not be the exemplified roller, but preferably does not affect the transfer of the transfer film 46 and the ink ribbon 41. Furthermore, in the present embodiment, an example in which the heat roller 33 is pressed against the platen roller 31 in the transfer unit B <b> 2 has been shown, but the platen roller 31 may be pressed against the heat roller 33.

  Further, in this embodiment, an image on one side of the card Ca is formed in the image forming area of the transfer film 46 in the image forming unit B1 (S202), and the image is transferred to one side of the card Ca in the transferring unit B2 (S206). Later, in parallel with the image formation (S212) on the other side of the transfer film 46 in the image forming section B1, the card Ca is conveyed to the rotation unit F side and the card Ca is rotated by 180 °. (S214), the transfer portion B2 transfers the image on the other side to the other side of the card Ca (S216). However, the image forming unit B1 transfers the image on the one side of the card Ca to the image forming area of the transfer film 46. After the image is formed, the image on the other side is formed in the next image forming area of the transfer film 46, and the image is transferred to one surface of the card Ca in the transfer portion B2, Ca is transported to the rotating unit F side is rotated 180 ° cards Ca and may be transferring the image other surface on the other surface of the card Ca.

  In this embodiment, an example in which print data or magnetic or electrical recording data is received from the host device 101 is shown, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, when the printing apparatus 1 constitutes a member of a local network, the input may be performed from a computer connected to a local network other than the host device 101. Further, magnetic or electrical recording data may be input from the operation panel unit 5. Further, when the printing apparatus 1 is configured to be connectable to an external storage device such as a USB or a memory card, print data and magnetic or electrical recording data are acquired by reading information stored in the external storage device. Can do. Also, instead of the print data (Bk print data, Y, M, and C color component print data), image data (Bk image data, R, G, and B color component image data) is received from the host apparatus 101. You may do it. In this case, the image data received on the printing apparatus 1 side may be converted into print data.

  In the present embodiment, the multifeed determination is performed only once. However, the multifeed determination may be performed every time the sensors SN26, SN3, SN4, and SN23 are passed. For example, when the card Ca is double-fed but the ends are exactly overlapped at the same position, the double-feed cannot be determined. However, when the recording process is performed on such a multi-feed card (a card in which the multi-feed is not detected in the first multi-feed judgment), the multi-feed card may be shifted. Therefore, the multi-feed determination may be performed when the card Ca is conveyed for the purpose (for example, in the case of transfer processing, when the card Ca is conveyed toward the sensor SN3).

  As described above, the present invention provides a medium transport apparatus capable of accurately detecting the transport length of a medium and an image forming apparatus including the medium transport apparatus. Since it contributes to sales, it has industrial applicability.

1 Printing device (image forming device)
20, 21 Roller pair (part of conveying means)
22 Cleaning roller (part of transport means)
70 Control unit (control means)
B Printing section (image forming means)
F Rotating unit (direction changing means)
P0 Inclined medium transport path (medium transport path)
P1 Horizontal media transport route (separate media transport route)
SN2 sensor (third sensor)
SN26 sensor (second sensor)
SN3 sensor (first sensor)

Claims (9)

Conveying means for conveying the medium;
Direction changing means provided on a medium conveying path of the conveying means, and changing the conveying direction of the medium;
A first sensor disposed around another direction of the direction changing means and on a different medium conveyance path for conveying the medium in a conveyance direction different from the medium conveyance path;
Control means for controlling the conveying means and the direction changing means;
With
The control unit carries the medium into the direction changing unit and controls the conveying unit and the direction changing unit so that the conveying direction is changed toward the another medium conveying path, and then the medium is separated from the medium. The conveyance means is controlled to convey toward the first sensor on the medium conveyance path, and the conveyance length of the medium from the conveyance start time to the medium detection time by the first sensor is detected. A medium conveying apparatus characterized by the above.   A second sensor arranged on the downstream side of the direction changing means on the medium transport path, wherein the second sensor is located at a position where the distance from the direction changing means is equal to the first sensor; The medium conveying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the medium conveying apparatus is disposed at a position shorter than the one sensor.   A third sensor disposed on an upstream side of the direction changing unit on the medium conveyance path; and the control unit removes the medium from a point in time when the rear end of the medium is detected by the third sensor. 3. The medium conveying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the medium is carried into the direction changing unit by controlling the conveying unit so as to convey the medium toward the direction changing unit by a predetermined distance.   When the second sensor has not detected the leading edge of the medium when the medium is transported toward the direction changing means by a predetermined distance, the control means is directed toward the other medium transport path. The medium conveying apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the direction changing unit is controlled so that a conveying direction is changed.   5. The direction changing means is a rotating body that sandwiches and rotates the medium, and has a pair of rollers that constitute part of the conveying means. The medium carrying device described in 1.   6. The medium transport apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit determines whether the medium is double-fed according to a transport length of the medium. The transport means has a pulse motor as a drive source for transporting the medium,
The control means determines whether or not the medium has been double-fed according to the number of drive pulses of the pulse motor from the conveyance start time to the time when the leading edge of the medium is detected by the first sensor. The medium carrying device according to claim 6.   8. The control unit according to claim 6, wherein the control unit controls the transport unit to send the medium back to the direction changing unit when it is determined that the medium has been double fed. Media transport device. Image forming means for forming an image on the medium;
The medium conveying device according to any one of claims 1 to 8,
An image forming apparatus.

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