JP2020117258A - Layer transfer device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a layer transfer device in which a conveyance member for conveying a sheet to the downstream during transfer hardly becomes an obstacle when attaching/detaching a film cartridge, in the transfer device for transferring a transfer layer on a toner image of a sheet to be conveyed by placing a multilayer film on the sheet.SOLUTION: In a layer transfer device 1, a film cartridge 200 including a supply reel 31 and a take-up reel 35 can be attached/detached in a direction orthogonal to an axis X1 direction of the supply reel 31 with respect to a housing 2. The housing 2 includes: a housing body 21; and a cover 22 rotatable with respect to the housing body 21 around a rotary axis 22X extending along the axis X1 direction. A conveyance member 11C is movable being interlocked with the opening/closing of the cover 22, and in a state where the cover 22 is closed, it is positioned in a first position capable of guiding a sheet S to the downstream in the sheet conveyance direction SD, and in a state where the cover 22 is opened, it is positioned in a second position closer to the rotary shaft 22X of the cover 22 than the first position.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

The present invention relates to a layer transfer device that transfers at least one layer of a multilayer film to a sheet.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a layer transfer device is known in which a multilayer film including a support layer and a transfer layer is placed on the surface of a card material (sheet) and the transfer layer is thermally transferred (Patent Document 1). The multi-layer film is accommodated in a holder as a film cartridge in a state of being wound around a take-up reel and a supply reel, is unitized, and is detachably attached to a layer transfer device.

JP, 07-290685, A

In Patent Document 1, the multi-layer film and each reel are housed in a holder to be unitized in order to streamline the multi-layer film wrapping and re-working work, but no consideration is given to a method of attaching and detaching the film cartridge and convenience. Absent.

By the way, in a layer transfer apparatus, accurate conveyance of a sheet as a transfer target is important in terms of transfer quality. Therefore, a transport member that guides the supplied sheet to the downstream side in the transport direction, for example, a transport guide may be arranged near the film cartridge, for example. In this case, the transport member may be an obstacle when the film cartridge is attached or detached.

It is desired that the transport member can transport the sheet downstream when transferring the transfer layer and the transport member is less likely to get in the way when the film cartridge is attached or detached.

A layer transfer device is proposed in which a sheet is conveyed, a multilayer film including a plurality of layers is superposed on the surface of the sheet on which the toner image is formed, and at least one layer of the multilayer film is transferred onto the toner image. The layer transfer device includes a film cartridge, a housing, and a transport member. The film cartridge includes a supply reel around which the multilayer film is wound and a take-up reel for winding up the multilayer film supplied from the supply reel. One end of the multilayer film is fixed to the supply reel. The other end of the multilayer film is fixed to the take-up reel. The film cartridge can be attached to and detached from the housing in a direction orthogonal to the axial direction of the supply reel. The housing includes a housing body having an opening through which the film cartridge can pass, and a cover that opens and closes the opening. The cover is rotatable with respect to the housing main body about a rotation shaft extending along the axial direction of the supply reel. The transport member is located at the first position where the sheet can be guided downstream in the sheet transport direction in the state where the cover is closed, and is closer to the rotation axis of the cover than in the first position when the cover is opened. The cover is movable in conjunction with opening and closing of the cover so that it is located at the second position.

With this configuration, when the cover is opened, the transport member moves to the second position near the rotation axis of the cover. Therefore, the film cartridge is passed through the opening with respect to the housing body and is orthogonal to the axial direction of the supply reel. The transport member can be retracted so as not to get in the way when it is attached and detached in the direction.

Further, the transport member may be configured to be rotatable with respect to the housing main body around a rotation shaft extending along the axial direction of the supply reel. The rotating shaft of the conveying member may be located upstream of the rotating shaft of the cover in the sheet conveying direction.

According to this, when the cover is opened, the transport member can be brought close to the rotation axis of the cover, so that the transport member can be retracted.

Further, a spring for urging the transport member toward the cover may be provided. According to this, the transport member can be interlocked with the cover with a simple configuration.

In the configuration including the spring, the cover includes a conveyance roller that conveys the sheet, and a cover frame that rotatably supports the roller shaft of the conveyance roller and that rotates together with the cover when the cover is opened and closed. A conveyance guide that guides a sheet to a conveyance roller, the conveyance guide has a protrusion that projects in the axial direction of the supply reel and has a cylindrical surface, and the cover frame has a contact surface that contacts the cylindrical surface of the protrusion. May be

According to this, the roller shaft of the conveying roller is pivotally supported by the cover frame, and the protrusion of the conveying member (conveying guide) biased toward the cover by the spring comes into contact with the contact surface of the cover frame. Therefore, since the carrying roller and the carrying guide are positioned by the same cover frame, the carrying guide can be positioned with respect to the carrying roller with higher accuracy than in the case where another member is interposed. Further, since the cylindrical surface smoothly slides on the contact surface when the cover is opened and closed, the transport guide can be smoothly moved in conjunction with the opening and closing of the cover.

Further, when the cover includes a conveyance roller that conveys the sheet and the conveyance member is a conveyance guide that guides the sheet to the conveyance roller, the conveyance guide has a sheet guide surface that guides the sheet at the first position, and The virtual plane including the guide surface may be configured to intersect with the transport roller when the transport guide is located at the first position and not intersect with the transport roller when the transport guide is located at the second position.

Further, the layer transfer device may include a film unit including the film cartridge and a holder to which the film cartridge is attachable/detachable, and the film unit may be attachable/detachable to/from the housing main body through the opening. According to this, attachment and detachment of the film cartridge is easy.

Further, in the configuration including the film unit, the housing body has a housing guide groove for guiding the guided portion of the film unit in a predetermined direction when the film unit is attached to or detached from the housing body, and the transport guide is the sheet. When the transport guide is located at the second position, the unit guide surface is provided on the back side of the guide surface and is capable of contacting the contact portion of the film unit when the transport guide is located at the second position. A virtual plane that is parallel to the unit guide surface and that is separated from the unit guide surface by the distance from the contact portion to the guided portion may intersect with the housing guide groove. According to this, when the film unit is attached to the housing body, the guided portion of the film unit can be easily engaged with the housing guide groove by the transport guide.

Further, in the above-described configuration in which the transport guide has a unit guide surface, the transport guide may be arranged such that the unit guide surface is inclined with respect to the predetermined direction when located at the second position. Good. According to this, since the film unit can be smoothly slid on the unit guide surface of the transport guide and can be attached and detached, the attachment and detachment of the film unit is easier.

Further, the rotation shaft of the cover may be located closer to the supply reel than the take-up reel.

In addition, the layer transfer device includes, for example, a first guide shaft that changes a traveling direction of the multilayer film pulled out from the supply reel to a direction along a sheet conveying direction, and the multilayer film guided by the first guide shaft. It may further include a second guide shaft for changing the traveling direction of the direction to the direction toward the winding reel side.

In the configuration including the first guide shaft and the second guide shaft described above, the multilayer film includes a support layer and a transfer layer supported by the support layer and transferred onto the toner image. The guide shaft and the second guide shaft are in contact with the support layer, and the multilayer film is arranged between the first guide shaft and the second guide shaft so that the transfer layer is oriented in the direction of removing the film cartridge. May be.

Further, in the configuration in which the above-mentioned multilayer film includes a support layer and a transfer layer, a sheet tray on which a sheet supplied in the housing is placed is further provided, and the transport member is the sheet tray at the first position. And the first guide shaft, the surface of the supplied sheet on which the toner image is formed is stretched between the first guide shaft and the second guide shaft. It may be conveyed so as to come into contact with the surface on the transfer layer side.

According to the present invention, the transport member is less likely to get in the way when the film cartridge is attached or detached.

It is a figure which shows the layer transfer apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the state which opened the cover of a layer transfer apparatus. It is sectional drawing (a) which shows the relationship with each axis|shaft of a multilayer film, and sectional drawing (b) which shows the layer of a multilayer film in detail. It is a perspective view which decomposes|disassembles and shows a film unit. It is a perspective view showing a conveyance guide attached to a side frame of a case body. It is a figure which shows the torsion spring which biases a conveyance guide. It is a figure which shows the arrangement|positioning of a conveyance guide and a conveyance roller when a cover is in an open position (a) and a closed position (b). It is a figure explaining the mechanism which guides the attachment/detachment route at the time of attaching/detaching the film unit.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings as appropriate. In the following description, first, the overall configuration of the layer transfer device will be briefly described, and then the configuration of the characteristic portion of the present invention will be described.

In the following description, the direction will be described as the direction shown in FIG. That is, the right side of FIG. 1 is “front”, the left side of FIG. 1 is “rear”, the front side of FIG. 1 is “left”, and the back side of FIG. 1 is “right”. Moreover, the upper and lower sides of FIG.

As shown in FIG. 1, the layer transfer apparatus 1 is an apparatus for forming a toner image on a sheet S by an image forming apparatus such as a laser printer and then transferring a layer such as gold foil on the toner image on the sheet S. Is. The layer transfer device 1 includes a housing 2, a sheet tray 3, a sheet conveyance unit 10, a film unit FU, and a transfer unit 50.

The housing 2 includes a housing main body 21 and a cover 22. The housing body 21 has an opening 21A (see FIG. 2) at the top. The opening 21A is an opening for attaching and detaching a film unit FU, which will be described later, to and from the housing body 21, and the film unit FU can pass through. The housing body 21 has housing guide grooves GD1 and GD2 (see FIGS. 2 and 8) that guide attachment and detachment of a film unit FU described later.

The cover 22 is a member for opening and closing the opening 21A. The cover 22 has a cover frame 22F made of sheet metal, and a rear end portion of the cover frame 22F is rotatably supported at a rear upper position of the housing body 21. The cover 22 has a closed position (position in FIG. 1) for closing the opening 21A and an opening 21A with respect to the housing body 21 around a rotation shaft 22X extending along an axis X1 direction of the supply reel 31 described later. It is rotatable with respect to an open position (position in FIG. 2) for opening. The cover frame 22F rotates together with the cover 22 (integrally) as the cover 22 is opened and closed.

The sheet tray 3 is a tray on which sheets S such as paper and OHP film are placed. The sheet tray 3 is provided on the rear portion of the housing 2. The sheet S is placed on the sheet tray 3 with the surface on which the toner image is formed facing downward.

The sheet conveying unit 10 includes a sheet supply mechanism 11 and a sheet discharge mechanism 12. The sheet supply mechanism 11 is a mechanism that conveys the sheets S on the sheet tray 3 one by one toward the transfer unit 50. The sheet supply mechanism 11 includes a pickup roller 11A, a conveyance roller 11B, a conveyance member 11C, and a conveyance roller 11D.

The pickup roller 11A, the transport roller 11B, and the transport member 11C are supported at predetermined positions on the housing body 21. The transport roller 11D is supported at a predetermined position of the cover 22 (cover frame 22F) so as to be rotatable around its roller shaft 11S. In the present embodiment, the transport member 11C is a transport guide 90 that guides the sheet S downstream in the sheet transport direction SD between the transport rollers 11B and 11D. The detailed configuration of the transport guide 90 will be described later.

The sheet discharging mechanism 12 is a mechanism that discharges the sheet S that has passed through the transfer unit 50 to the outside of the housing 2. The sheet discharge mechanism 12 includes a plurality of transport rollers 12A and 12B, and a transport guide that guides the sheet S downstream between the transport rollers 12A and 12B in the sheet transport direction SD. Each element of the sheet ejection mechanism 12 is supported at a predetermined position of the cover 22 along the sheet conveyance path.

The film unit FU is a part that supplies the multilayer film F so as to be superposed on the sheet S conveyed from the sheet supply mechanism 11.

As shown in FIG. 2, the film unit FU is attachable to and detachable from the housing body 21 through the opening 21A in the direction orthogonal to the axis X1 direction of the supply reel 31 described later. The film unit FU mainly includes a supply reel 31 around which the multilayer film F is wound, a take-up reel 35, a first guide shaft 41, a second guide shaft 42, and a third guide shaft 43. ..

In the state where the film unit FU is mounted on the housing body 21, the supply reel 31 is arranged on the upstream side of the take-up reel 35 in the sheet conveying direction SD, that is, at a position closer to the rotating shaft 22X of the cover 22. ..

As shown in FIG. 3A, the multilayer film F is a film composed of a plurality of layers, and has a support layer F1 and a supported layer F2. The support layer F1 is a tape-shaped transparent base material made of a polymer material, and supports the supported layer F2.

As shown in FIG. 3B, the supported layer F2 includes a peeling layer F21, a transfer layer F22, and an adhesive layer F23. The peeling layer F21 is a layer for facilitating the peeling of the transfer layer F22 from the support layer F1 and is arranged between the support layer F1 and the transfer layer F22. The peeling layer F21 contains a transparent material such as a wax-based resin that is easily peeled from the support layer F1.

The transfer layer F22 is a layer that is transferred to the toner image and includes a foil. The foil is a metal such as gold, silver, copper, or aluminum, which is a thin metal. The transfer layer F22 is arranged between the peeling layer F21 and the adhesive layer F23. The adhesive layer F23 is a layer for facilitating adhesion of the transfer layer F22 to the toner image. The adhesive layer F23 contains a material that easily adheres to the toner image heated by the transfer section 50, which will be described later, such as a vinyl chloride resin or an acrylic resin.

The supply reel 31 is made of resin or the like and has a supply shaft portion 31A around which the multilayer film F is wound. One end of the multilayer film F is fixed to the supply shaft portion 31A. The multilayer film F is wound around the supply reel 31 with the support layer F1 outside and the supported layer F2 (transfer layer F22) inside. The supply shaft 31A of the supply reel 31 is rotatably supported by a holder 100 of the film unit FU, which will be described later, so as to be rotatable about the axis X1.

The take-up reel 35 is made of resin or the like and has a take-up shaft portion 35A for taking up the multilayer film F. The other end of the multilayer film F is fixed to the winding shaft portion 35A. The multilayer film F is wound around the take-up reel 35 with the support layer F1 on the outside and the supported layer F2 (transfer layer F22) on the inside. The take-up reel 35 has a take-up shaft portion 35A supported by a holder 100 of the film unit FU, which will be described later, such that the take-up shaft portion 35A is rotatable about an axis X2 parallel to the axis X1.

Note that, in FIG. 1 and the like, for convenience, a state in which the multilayer film F is maximally wound around both the supply reel 31 and the take-up reel 35 will be illustrated. In reality, when the film unit FU is new, the diameter of the roll-shaped multilayer film F wound around the supply reel 31 is maximum, and the multilayer film F is wound around the take-up reel 35. Or the diameter of the roll-shaped multilayer film F wound around the take-up reel 35 is the smallest. Further, when the film unit FU has reached the end of its life (when the multilayer film F has been used up), the diameter of the roll-shaped multilayer film F wound on the take-up reel 35 becomes maximum, and the supply reel 31 receives the multilayer film F. The diameter of the roll-shaped multilayer film F which is not wound or wound around the supply reel 31 is the minimum.

The first guide shaft 41 is a shaft for changing the traveling direction of the multilayer film F drawn from the supply reel 31. The first guide shaft 41 is in contact with the support layer F1 of the multilayer film F. The first guide shaft 41 is made of resin or the like.

The second guide shaft 42 is a shaft for changing the traveling direction of the multilayer film F guided by the first guide shaft 41. The second guide shaft 42 is in contact with the support layer F1 of the multilayer film F. The second guide shaft 42 is made of resin or the like.

The third guide shaft 43 is a shaft that changes the traveling direction of the multilayer film F guided by the second guide shaft 42 and guides it to the take-up reel 35. The third guide shaft 43 is in contact with the supported layer F2 (adhesive layer F23) of the multilayer film F. The third guide shaft 43 is made of resin or the like.

In the state where the film unit FU is mounted on the layer transfer device 1, the take-up reel 35 is rotationally driven counterclockwise in the drawing by a drive source (not shown) provided in the housing 2. Specifically, the take-up gear 35G (see FIG. 4) provided on the shaft 35C of the take-up reel 35 meshes with the drive gear supported by the housing body 21, and the driving force is transmitted to the take-up reel. 35 rotates.

When the take-up reel 35 rotates, the multilayer film F wound on the supply reel 31 is drawn out, and the drawn-out multilayer film F is taken up by the take-up reel 35. Specifically, during the layer transfer, the multilayer film F is drawn out from the supply reel 31 by sending out the multilayer film F by the pressure roller 51 and the heating roller 61 described later. Then, the multilayer film F delivered from the pressure roller 51 and the heating roller 61 is wound on the winding reel 35.

The first guide shaft 41 guides the multilayer film F drawn from the supply reel 31 so as to be overlapped from below with respect to the sheet S conveyed with the toner image facing downward. The first guide shaft 41 changes the traveling direction of the multilayer film F pulled out from the supply reel 31 and guides the multilayer film F in the direction (substantially parallel) along the sheet conveying direction SD.

The second guide shaft 42 contacts the multilayer film F that has passed through the transfer unit 50, and the traveling direction of the multilayer film F that has passed through the transfer unit 50 is different from the sheet conveying direction SD (direction toward the take-up reel 35 side). ) Has been changed to. The multilayer film F that has passed through the transfer unit 50 and is conveyed in a state of overlapping with the sheet S is guided by the second guide shaft 42 and separated from the sheet S.

With the film unit FU shown in FIG. 1 mounted on the layer transfer device 1, the multilayer film F forms the supported layer F2 (that is, the transfer layer F22) between the first guide shaft 41 and the second guide shaft 42. The film unit FU is oriented in the removal direction DD (see FIG. 8).

The transfer portion 50 is a portion for transferring the transfer layer F22 onto the toner image formed on the sheet S by heating and pressing the sheet S and the multilayer film F in a stacked state. The transfer unit 50 includes a pressure roller 51 and a heating roller 61. The transfer section 50 superposes the sheet S and the multilayer film F on each other at the nip portion between the pressure roller 51 and the heating roller 61, and heats and presses them.

The pressure roller 51 is a roller in which the circumference of a cylindrical core metal is covered with a rubber layer made of silicon rubber. The pressure roller 51 is arranged on the upper side of the multilayer film F (the front side on which the transfer layer F22 is located) and is capable of contacting the back surface of the sheet S (the surface opposite to the surface on which the toner image is formed).

Both ends of the pressure roller 51 are rotatably supported by the cover 22. The pressure roller 51 sandwiches the sheet S and the multilayer film F together with the heating roller 61 and is rotationally driven by a drive source (not shown) to rotate the heating roller 61 as a follower.

The heating roller 61 is a roller in which a heater is arranged inside a metal tube formed in a cylindrical shape, and heats the multilayer film F and the sheet S. The heating roller 61 is arranged below the multilayer film F and is in contact with the multilayer film F.

In this embodiment, the heating roller 61 is moved by the contact/separation mechanism 70 for contacting/separating the heating roller 61 with respect to the multilayer film F. When the cover 22 is closed, the contacting/separating mechanism 70 moves the heating roller 61 to a contact position where it contacts the multilayer film F at the timing when the sheet S is supplied to the transfer section 50. In addition, the contacting/separating mechanism 70 positions the heating roller 61 at a separated position where it is separated from the multilayer film F when the cover 22 is opened or when the layer transfer is not performed on the sheet S in the transfer section 50. There is.

In the layer transfer device 1 configured as described above, the sheets S placed on the sheet tray 3 with the surface of the sheets S (the surface on which the toner image is formed) facing downward are transferred one by one by the sheet supply mechanism 11. It is conveyed toward the section 50. Specifically, the sheet S supplied to the inside of the housing 2 by the pickup roller 11A and the transport roller 11B is guided to the downstream side of the sheet transport direction SD by the transport guide 90. Then, the sheet S delivered from the transport guide 90 to the transport roller 11D is further transported by the transport roller 11D, and is provided on the upstream side in the sheet transport direction SD of the transfer unit 50, and the multilayer film F supplied from the supply reel 31. And the toner image on the sheet S and the multilayer film F are in contact with each other and are conveyed to the transfer unit 50.

In the transfer portion 50, when the sheet S and the multilayer film F pass through the nip portion between the pressure roller 51 and the heating roller 61, they are heated and pressed by the heating roller 61 and the pressure roller 51, and a toner image is formed. The transfer layer is transferred onto it.

After the transfer layer is transferred, the sheet S and the multilayer film F are conveyed to the second guide shaft 42 while being in close contact with each other. When the sheet S and the multilayer film F pass through the second guide shaft 42, the traveling direction of the multilayer film F changes to a direction different from the sheet conveying direction SD, so that the multilayer film F is peeled from the sheet S.

The multi-layer film F separated from the sheet S is wound on the winding reel 35. On the other hand, the sheet S from which the multilayer film F has been peeled off is conveyed by the sheet discharge mechanism 12 (that is, the conveyance rollers 12A and 12B), and the surface on which the transfer layer has been transferred is faced down to the outside of the housing 2. Is discharged to.

It should be noted that, with regard to the transport rollers 11B, 11D, 12A, 12B and the pressure roller 51 that transport the sheet S in the layer transfer device 1, the distance between the nip portions of the rollers adjacent in the sheet transport direction SD is the layer transfer device. It is arranged so as to be smaller than the minimum dimension of the sheet S (minimum value of the length in the sheet conveying direction SD) which is supposed to transfer the transfer layer by 1.

As shown in FIG. 4, the film unit FU includes a holder 100 made of resin or the like, and a film cartridge 200 detachable from the holder 100. The film cartridge 200 includes a supply reel 31 and a take-up reel 35 around which the above-described multilayer film F is wound, and a supply case 32.

The supply reel 31 (specifically, the supply case 32) and the take-up reel 35 are attachable to and detachable from the holder 100 in a direction orthogonal to the axial direction of the supply reel 31. The film cartridge 200 is attachable to and detachable from the housing body 21 in a state where the film cartridge 200 is attached to the holder 100.

The supply case 32 is a hollow case that houses the supply reel 31. The supply case 32 is made of a resin or the like, and has a substantially cylindrical outer peripheral wall 32A and two substantially disk-shaped side walls 32B provided at both ends of the outer peripheral wall 32A. The supply reel 31 is rotatably supported by each side wall 32B of the supply case 32.

The holder 100 has a base frame 110 and a regulation frame 120 rotatably (movably) supported by the base frame 110. The base frame 110 has a first holding portion 111, a second holding portion 112, two connecting portions 113, and two handles 114.

The first holding portion 111 is a portion that holds the supply case 32. The first holding unit 111 holds the supply reel 31 via the supply case 32.

The second holding portion 112 is a portion that holds the take-up reel 35. Specifically, the second holding unit 112 constitutes a hollow case together with the restriction frame 120, and the take-up reel 35 is housed in the hollow case.

The two connecting portions 113 are portions that connect the first holding portion 111 and the second holding portion 112. Specifically, the connecting portions 113 are arranged at intervals in the axial direction of the supply reel 31. The first guide shaft 41 is arranged at a position above the first holding portion 111 and adjacent to the connecting portion 113. The second guide shaft 42 is arranged at a position adjacent to the connecting portion 113 above the second holding portion 112. The third guide shaft 43 (not shown) is supported inside the regulation frame 120.

By thus forming the connecting portion 113, the holder 100 has a through hole 100A penetrating in the orthogonal direction orthogonal to the axial direction of the supply reel 31. With the film unit FU shown in FIG. 1 mounted in the housing 2, the transfer section 50 is arranged in the through hole 100A.

The first holding portion 111 is provided with a shaft 111C that is arranged coaxially with the axis X1 of the supply reel 31 and projects to the left and right. Reference numeral 35C is the shaft of the take-up reel 35. The shaft 111C serves as a guided portion that engages with the housing guide grooves GD1 and GD2 when the film unit FU is attached and detached together with the shaft 35C in the state where the film cartridge 200 is mounted in the holder 100.

Each handle 114 is arranged on each connecting portion 113. The handles 114 are arranged at both axial ends of the take-up reel 35 of the holder 100.

Next, the configuration of the transport guide 90 as an example of the transport member 11C will be described. The transport guide 90 supports the sheet S supplied from the transport roller 11B on the upstream side in the sheet transport direction SD, which is supported by the housing body 21, into the housing 2, and the downstream side in the sheet transport direction SD, which is supported by the cover 22. It is a guide means for relaying to the side transport roller 11D.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the transport guide 90 includes left and right arms 90A, a plate-shaped upper guide 90B, a plate-shaped lower guide 90C, and left and right protrusions 90P. In the following description, unless otherwise specified, the shape of each element is such that the conveyance guide 90 guides the sheet S downstream in the sheet conveyance direction SD when the cover 22 shown in FIG. 1 is closed. It will be described as being in a possible position.

The upper guide 90B and the lower guide 90C are arranged substantially parallel to each other with a gap that allows the conveyed sheet S to pass therethrough, and the left and right ends thereof are fixed to the tip (free end) sides of the left and right arms 90A, respectively. ing.

The upper guide 90B and the lower guide 90C are provided with a plurality of ribs R projecting from the surfaces facing each other at predetermined intervals in the left-right direction. The ribs R extend continuously from the upstream end to the downstream end of the upper guide 90B and the lower guide 90C in the sheet conveying direction SD, and further extend around the upstream and downstream sides of the upper guide 90B and the lower guide 90C. The upper guide 90B and the lower guide 90C project to the upstream side and the downstream side of the upstream side end and the downstream side end, respectively.

The ribs R of the upper guide 90B and the lower guide 90C that face each other are inclined so that the upstream side in the sheet conveying direction SD becomes wider toward the upstream side. Therefore, the supplied sheet S is smoothly introduced between the upper guide 90B and the lower guide 90C and conveyed to the downstream side. On the other hand, on the downstream side of the sheet conveying direction SD, the opposing ribs R are wide enough to prevent the sheet S from being caught and narrow enough to be accurately fed to the nip position of the conveying roller 11D. Are arranged.

The ends of the plurality of ribs R lined up in the left-right direction on the sheet conveying path side, particularly the ends of the ribs R protruding from the lower guide 90C toward the upper guide 90B, move along the sheet guide surface G (see FIG. 7). Form. The surface of the transport guide 90 on the back side of the sheet guide surface G (the lower surface of the lower guide 90C) has a unit guide surface 90H for guiding the attachment/detachment of the film unit FU (see FIG. 2).

Protrusions 90P protruding outward in the left-right direction are provided at the tips (free ends) of the left and right arms 90A. The protrusion 90P has an outer shape of a right circular cylinder having a circular cross section (see also FIG. 2) perpendicular to the axis X1 direction of the supply reel 31. That is, the protrusion 90P has the cylindrical surface 90F on the outer periphery thereof.

The base ends of the left and right arms 90A extend obliquely upward from the portion where the upper guide 90B and the lower guide 90C are connected, that is, the portion extending along the sheet conveying direction SD, and more specifically, toward the upstream side of the sheet conveying direction SD. A rotation shaft that extends in a direction approaching the rotation shaft 22X of the cover 22 and that extends along the axis X1 (see FIG. 1) direction of the supply reel 31 to the side frames 21F formed of the left and right sheet metals of the housing body 21. It is rotatably supported around 90X. Therefore, the transport guide 90 is rotatably supported with respect to the housing body 21 about the rotation shaft 90X.

The rotating shaft 90X is located closer to the rotating shaft 22X of the cover 22 than the conveying path of the sheet S (that is, the sheet guide surface G) in the state where the cover 22 illustrated in FIG. 7B is closed. The rotation shaft 90X of the conveyance guide 90 is located on the upstream side of the rotation shaft 22X of the cover 22 in the sheet conveyance direction SD.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, a torsion spring SP, which is an example of a spring, is provided around the rotation shaft 90X at the base end of the left and right arms 90A. The torsion spring SP has one end locked to a hook 90E provided on the arm 90A and the other end locked to a hook 21E provided on the side frame 21F.

The transport guide 90 is biased toward the cover 22 by the torsion spring SP. Therefore, regardless of the movement of the cover 22 when the cover 22 is opened or closed, the cylindrical surface 90F of the protrusion 90P of the transport guide 90 is pivotally supported by the side frame 21F of the housing body 21 as shown in FIGS. Also, the cover frame 22F is always in contact with the surface (contact surface 22S) facing the upstream side of the sheet conveying direction SD.

The contact surface 22S of the cover frame 22F is a rearward-facing surface that extends downward from the rotation shaft 22X when the cover 22 shown in FIG. 7B is closed. The contact surface 22S is inclined toward the downstream side of the sheet transport direction SD (direction toward the transport roller 11D) with respect to the direction toward the transport path of the sheet S (that is, the sheet guide surface G).

As shown in FIG. 1, in the state where the film unit FU is mounted and the cover 22 of the housing 2 is closed, the conveyance guide 90 is at a position (first position) where the sheet S can be guided downstream in the sheet conveyance direction SD. ) Located. At this time, the transport guide 90 is located between the sheet tray 3 (specifically, the nip position between the pickup roller 11A and the transport roller 11B) and the first guide shaft 41 of the film unit FU. When the sheet S placed on the sheet tray 3 is supplied into the housing 2 by the pickup roller 11A and the conveyance roller 11B, the conveyance guide 90 guides the sheet S downstream in the sheet conveyance direction SD.

The sheet S guided by the transport guide 90 has a surface on which a toner image is formed, which is stretched between the first guide shaft 41 and the second guide shaft 42 via the transport roller 11D. It is conveyed so as to contact the surface of the transfer layer F22 side. In the transfer section 50, the sheet S having the transfer layer transferred to the toner image is discharged to the outside of the housing 2 by the sheet discharging mechanism 12 (conveying rollers 12A and 12B).

When replacing the film cartridge 200 of the layer transfer apparatus 1, the cover 22 of the housing 2 is opened and the film unit FU is removed. When the cover 22 of the housing 2 is opened, the transport guide 90 is located at the second position shown in FIG. The transport guide 90 (specifically, the sheet guide surface G) is located closer to the rotation shaft 22X of the cover 22 than the first position in the second position.

Specifically, when the cover 22 moves from the closed state to the open state, the protrusion 90P provided at the leading end of the transport guide 90 (downstream free end in the sheet transport direction SD) rotates the cover 22. It moves toward the rotating shaft 22X along the contact surface 22S extending toward the shaft 22X. As a result, when the transport guide 90 is in the second position shown in FIG. 7A, the protrusion 90P (that is, the tip of the transport guide 90 is ) It is in a position close to the rotating shaft 22X.

Further, when the transport guide 90 is in the first position, the virtual plane P1 including the sheet guide surface G that guides the sheet S intersects with the transport roller 11D (see FIG. 7B). On the other hand, when the transport guide 90 is at the second position, the virtual plane P1 is arranged so as not to intersect the transport roller 11D (see FIG. 7A).

In the state where the cover 22 is closed, the transport guide 90 is accurately positioned by the protrusion 90P (see FIG. 7B) so that the virtual plane P1 faces the transport roller 11D.

With the cover 22 shown in FIGS. 2 and 8 opened, the user can remove the film unit FU by gripping and pulling out the handle 114 of the film unit FU. At this time, the case guide grooves GD1 and GD2 of the case body 21 guide the shafts 111C and 35C of the film unit FU in the predetermined direction DD. Here, the predetermined direction DD is a direction in which the case guide grooves GD1 and GD2 in which the shafts 111C and 35C engage and slide are extended, and the case guide groove GD1 when the film unit FU is detached from the case body 21. , GD2.

When the shafts 111C and 35C of the film unit FU come out of the housing guide grooves GD1 and GD2, the upper portion of the portion (the outer peripheral wall 32A of the supply case 32) disposed behind the housing body 21 of the film unit FU is conveyed. It abuts the unit guide surface 90H of the guide 90. At this time, the transport guide 90 is arranged such that the unit guide surface 90H is inclined with respect to the predetermined direction DD defined by the housing guide grooves GD1 and GD2. Therefore, the film unit FU that has come out of the guides of the housing guide grooves GD1, GD2 can be guided in a direction away from the cover 22.

When mounting the film unit FU, the above process of removing the film unit FU may be performed in reverse. First, as shown in FIG. 2, with the cover 22 open, the grip 114 of the film unit FU is gripped, and the outer peripheral wall 32A of the supply case 32 is slid along the unit guide surface 90H of the transport guide 90. Meanwhile, the shaft 111C is inserted into the housing guide groove GD1 and the shaft 35C is inserted into the housing guide groove GD2 (see FIG. 8; at this time, the film unit FU is moved in the direction opposite to the arrow DD).

Here, as shown in FIG. 8, the unit guide surface 90H of the transport guide 90 contacts the abutting portion 32C of the outer peripheral wall 32A of the film unit FU that is detached when the transport guide 90 is located at the second position. It is arranged to be accessible. Specifically, a virtual plane P2 that is parallel to the unit guide surface 90H and is separated from the unit guide surface 90H by the distance from the contact portion 32C to the shaft 111C that is the guided portion corresponds to the shaft 111C. The unit guide surface 90H is arranged so as to intersect with the guide groove GD1.

Therefore, when the film unit FU is attached to the housing body 21, the transport guide 90 easily engages the shaft 111C of the film unit FU with the housing guide groove GD1. The shaft 111C and the shaft 35C can be smoothly inserted into the housing guide grooves GD1 and GD2.

When the cover 22 is closed after mounting the film unit FU, the transport guide 90 causes the cylindrical surface 90F of the protrusion 90P to move to the contact surface 22S of the cover frame 22F in conjunction with the operation of closing the cover 22 by the action of the torsion spring SP. While sliding, it returns to the first position shown in FIG. The action of the torsion spring SP is retained even in the first position, and the tip (free end) on the downstream side of the transport guide 90 is accurately positioned with the projection 90P of the transport guide 90 being pressed against the contact surface 22S of the cover frame 22F. Positioned.

By such accurate positioning of the transport guide 90, the sheet guide surface G of the transport guide 90 is arranged in an appropriate direction for guiding the sheet S to the nip position of the transport roller 11D (virtual plane P1 in FIG. 7B). reference).

Here, since the downstream end (free end) of the transport guide 90 is positioned on the cover frame 22F on which the transport roller 11D is supported, compared to the case where a member other than the cover frame 22F is interposed, the transport guide 90 is provided. Can be accurately positioned with respect to the transport roller 11D. Therefore, it is possible to accurately convey the sheet S supplied from the housing body 21 side to the conveying roller 11D on the cover 22 side.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the following effects can be obtained in addition to the effects described above.

By setting the film cartridge FU as the film unit FU attached to the holder 100, when the user attaches and detaches the film unit FU to the housing 2 as shown in FIG. 2, the multilayer film F is attached to the first guide shaft 41. The work of hanging on the second guide shaft 42 and the third guide shaft 43 is unnecessary. Further, since the handle 114 can be gripped for the work, the attachment/detachment work can be completed easily and quickly without the transfer layer F22 touching the multilayer film F exposed in the direction DD for removing the film unit FU. ..

In the state where the cover 22 is opened, the transport guide 90 at the second position is arranged such that the virtual plane P1 including the sheet guide surface G does not intersect the transport roller 11D, so that when the film unit FU is attached or detached. Therefore, it is possible to effectively save the space from the space that serves as the attachment/detachment path between the cover 22 and the housing body 21.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, but can be used in various forms as exemplified below.

Although the transfer layer F22 including a foil is exemplified in the above-described embodiment, the present invention is not limited to this, and the transfer layer may include, for example, a varnish that is a paint that forms a transparent film.

Although the multilayer film F is composed of four layers in the above-described embodiment, the present invention is not limited to this, and the multilayer film may have any number of layers as long as it has a transfer layer and a support layer. Good.

Although the film cartridge 200 is attached to and detached from the housing body 21 together with the holder 100 in the above embodiment, the present invention is not limited to this, and the film cartridge 200 may be directly attached to the housing body with respect to the frame. It may be configured to be attached and detached.

Although the torsion spring SP is exemplified as the spring in the above-described embodiment, the present invention is not limited to this, and the spring may be, for example, a coil spring, a leaf spring, or a wire spring.

In the first embodiment, the transport guide 90 is illustrated as the transport member 11C, but the transport member may be a transport roller.

The respective elements described in the above-described embodiment and modification may be implemented in any combination.

1 Layer Transfer Device 2 Housing 3 Sheet Tray 11C Conveying Member 11D Conveying Roller 21 Housing Main Body 21A Opening 22 Cover 22A Rotating Shaft 31 Supply Reel 35 Winding Reel 90 Conveying Guide 90X Rotating Shaft 200 Film Cartridge FU Film Unit F Multilayer Film S Sheet SD Sheet transport direction X1 axis

Claims (12)

A layer transfer device that conveys a sheet, superimposes a multi-layer film including a plurality of layers on a surface of the sheet on which a toner image is formed, and transfers at least one layer of the multi-layer film onto the toner image,
A supply reel on which one end of the multilayer film is fixed and the multi-layer film is wound, and a winding reel for winding on the multilayer film supplied from the supply reel, the other end of the multi-layer film being fixed. A film cartridge equipped with
A casing in which the film cartridge is detachable in a direction orthogonal to the axial direction of the supply reel;
A transport member,
The housing includes a housing body having an opening through which the film cartridge can pass, and a cover that opens and closes the opening,
The cover is rotatable with respect to the housing body around a rotation shaft extending along the axial direction of the supply reel.
The conveyance member is located at a first position where the sheet can be guided downstream in the sheet conveyance direction when the cover is closed, and the conveyance member is located at a position closer to the first position than the first position when the cover is opened. A layer transfer device, which is movable in conjunction with opening and closing of the cover so as to be located at a second position near the rotation axis. The transport member is rotatable with respect to the housing body about a rotation shaft extending along the axial direction of the supply reel,
The layer transfer device according to claim 1, wherein the rotation shaft of the conveyance member is located upstream of the rotation shaft of the cover in the sheet conveyance direction. The layer transfer apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a spring that biases the transport member toward the cover. The cover includes a transport roller that transports the sheet, and a cover frame that rotatably supports a roller shaft of the transport roller and that rotates with the cover when the cover is opened and closed.
The transport member is a transport guide that guides the sheet to the transport roller,
The transport guide has a protrusion that projects in the axial direction of the supply reel and has a cylindrical surface,
The layer transfer device according to claim 3, wherein the cover frame has a contact surface that comes into contact with the cylindrical surface of the protrusion. The cover includes a conveyance roller that conveys the sheet,
The transport member is a transport guide that guides the sheet to the transport roller,
The transport guide has a sheet guide surface that guides the sheet at the first position,
An imaginary plane including the sheet guide surface intersects with the transport roller when the transport guide is located at the first position, and does not intersect with the transport roller when the transport guide is located at the second position. The layer transfer device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, which is characterized. A film unit including the film cartridge and a holder to which the film cartridge is detachable,
The layer transfer device according to claim 5, wherein the film unit is attachable to and detachable from the housing main body through the opening. The case body has a case guide groove for guiding the guided portion of the film unit in a predetermined direction when the film unit is attached to or detached from the case body,
The transport guide has a unit guide surface on the back side of the sheet guide surface, which is capable of contacting the contact portion of the film unit when the transport guide is located at the second position,
A virtual plane that is parallel to the unit guide surface when the transport guide is located at the second position, and is a virtual plane that is separated from the unit guide surface by the distance from the contact portion to the guided portion, The layer transfer device according to claim 6, wherein the layer transfer device intersects with the housing guide groove. The layer transfer device according to claim 7, wherein the transport guide is arranged such that the unit guide surface is inclined with respect to the predetermined direction when the transport guide is located at the second position. The layer transfer device according to claim 1, wherein a rotation shaft of the cover is located closer to the supply reel than the take-up reel. A first guide shaft for changing a traveling direction of the multilayer film drawn out from the supply reel to a direction along the sheet conveying direction;
The second guide shaft for changing the traveling direction of the multilayer film guided by the first guide shaft to the direction toward the take-up reel side, further comprising: The layer transfer device according to the item. The multilayer film includes a support layer and a transfer layer supported by the support layer and transferred onto the toner image.
The first guide shaft and the second guide shaft are in contact with the support layer, and between the first guide shaft and the second guide shaft, the multilayer film removes the transfer layer in a direction in which the film cartridge is removed. The layer transfer device according to claim 10, wherein the layer transfer device is directed. Further comprising a sheet tray for placing the sheets supplied in the housing,
The conveying member is located between the sheet tray and the first guide shaft at the first position, and a surface of the sheet supplied with the toner image is formed on the first guide shaft and the first guide shaft. The layer transfer device according to claim 11, wherein the multi-layer film is conveyed so as to come into contact with the transfer layer side surface of the multilayer film stretched between the second guide shaft and the second guide shaft.

Images