JP2021154584A - Printing device and control method - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a printing device that properly executes an initialization operation if an initialization operation for a film-like medium, such as inspection, is not necessary when a front cover is opened and closed for ink ribbon replacement and inspection at the time of power-on.SOLUTION: A printing device for performing recording on a film-like recording medium controls execution of an initialization operation for matching a position on a recording medium transportation direction to a recording position on the basis of a detection result of a mark that is formed on a recording medium while a cover of the printing device is open.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

The present invention relates to a printing apparatus and a control method for recording on a film-like recording medium.

Printing devices that form images such as facial photographs and text information on recording media such as cardboard and plastic cards are known. In such a printing apparatus, an image is thermally transferred onto a roll-shaped transfer film by an ink ribbon in which ink of one or more colors is applied at regular intervals corresponding to the card width of the recording medium (primary transfer). ). Then, the image of the transfer film is thermally transferred to the recording medium (secondary transfer).

The roll-shaped ink ribbon and transfer film (hereinafter collectively referred to as film-like medium) are wound around the supply spool and the take-up spool and housed in the cassette case in a state of being bridged between the two spools. There is. If the film-like medium does not move in the same direction as the feeding spool without causing an error, the image cannot be formed facing the recording area and the print quality deteriorates. ..

On the other hand, in the printing apparatus, the type of the film-like medium is detected and the ink unused area is set to the recording position by rewinding and winding the film-like medium. Such an operation is called an initialization operation (initialization) such as cueing.

When the film-like medium is moved by winding the take-up spool, the tension applied to the upper side and the lower side in the longitudinal direction of the film during movement is not constant due to the structure of the transport mechanism and the variation of individual films. Therefore, the part that continues with respect to the part that was previously circulated is not circulated in a state that is arranged so that it overlaps accurately. If the film-like medium is wound around the take-up spool in a non-uniform state, the film-like medium is unwound from the take-up spool when the film-like medium is rewound. As a result, the posture deviates from the traveling direction during the transport movement, that is, a so-called skewed state, which greatly deteriorates the print quality.

In Patent Document 1, when the initialization operation reaches a predetermined number of times, the recorded area is moved from the printing position in the winding direction, and reciprocating movement by winding and rewinding the film-like medium is repeated to cause skew. It is described that printing is not performed using the part.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2015-221524

The initialization operation is always executed when the power is turned on, when the ink ribbon is replaced, or when the front cover is opened or closed during inspection. Therefore, according to Patent Document 1, the initialization operation is executed even when the initialization operation of the film-like medium such as inspection is unnecessary, and as a result, the number of initialization operations reaches a predetermined number at an early stage. , The take-up operation is executed even though there is an area where ink is not used.

An object of the present invention is to solve such a conventional problem. In view of the above points, it is an object of the present invention to provide a printing apparatus and a control method for appropriately executing an initialization operation.

In order to solve the above problems, the printing apparatus according to the present invention is a printing apparatus that records on a film-shaped recording medium, and is an initialization operation for aligning the position of the recording medium in the transport direction with the recording position. Based on the initialization means for executing the above, the detection means for detecting the mark formed on the recording medium, and the detection result by the detection means while the cover of the printing apparatus is in the open state, the initialization means. It is characterized by including a control means for controlling the execution of the initialization operation according to the above.

According to the present invention, the initialization operation can be appropriately executed.

It is a figure which shows the whole structure of a printing apparatus. It is a figure which shows the structure of the cassette which loads the transfer film. It is a figure which shows the structure of the cassette which loads the ink ribbon. It is a figure for demonstrating the frame of an ink ribbon. It is a figure for demonstrating the frame mark of a transfer film. It is a flowchart which shows the process of execution control of an initialization operation. It is a figure which shows the structure of the control system of a printing apparatus.

Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims, and not all combinations of features described in the embodiments are essential to the invention. Two or more of the plurality of features described in the embodiments may be arbitrarily combined. In addition, the same or similar configuration will be given the same reference number, and duplicated explanations will be omitted.

[Printing device]
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an overall configuration of the printing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment. The printing device 1 is a printing device that records information on a recording medium (hereinafter, referred to as a “card”) such as an ID card for various certifications and a credit card for commercial transactions. The housing 2 is provided with an information recording unit A, an image forming unit B, a medium accommodating unit C, and an accommodating unit D.

<Information recording unit A>
The information recording unit A includes a non-contact IC recording unit 23, a magnetic recording unit 24, and a contact IC recording unit 27.

<Media storage unit C>
The medium accommodating portion C accommodates a plurality of cards arranged in an upright position, has a separation opening 7 at the tip thereof, and is fed by a pickup roller 19 from the cards in the front row. NS. First, the drawn card is sent to the reversing unit F by the rotation of the carry-in roller 22. The reversing unit F includes a rotating frame 80 rotatably supported by the apparatus frame 2 and two roller pairs 20 and 21 rotatably supported by the rotating frame 80. The non-contact type IC recording unit 23, the magnetic recording unit 24, and the contact type IC recording unit 27 are arranged on the outer periphery where the reversing unit F swivels. Then, the medium carry-in path 65 formed by the rollers 20 and 21 can be connected to any of the information recording units by the rotation of the reversing unit F, and is predetermined to the card in those information recording units. Data is written magnetically or electrically.

<Image forming part B>
The image forming unit B forms an image such as a face photograph and character data on the front and back surfaces of the card. The image forming portion B is provided with a transfer platen 31, and an image is formed on the card surface on the transfer platen 31. An image is formed on the transfer film 46 (intermediate transfer film), and the image on the transfer film 46 is transferred to the card surface on the transfer platen 31. The apparatus housing 2 is equipped with an ink ribbon cassette 42 and a transfer film cassette 50.

The ink ribbon cassette 42 winds a sublimation type ink ribbon or other heat transfer ink ribbon 41 between a feeding roll 43 and a winding roll 44, and is detachably attached to the apparatus housing 2. A wind motor (DC motor) Mr1 is connected to the take-up roll 44, and a DC motor Mr3 is connected to the take-out roll 43. Further, on the device side, the thermal head 40 and the image forming platen 45 are arranged so as to face each other with the ink ribbon 41 interposed therebetween.

A head control IC (not shown) is connected to the thermal head 40, and the head control IC thermally controls the thermal head 40. The head control IC forms an image of the ink ribbon 41 on the transfer film 46 by heating and controlling the thermal head 40 according to the image data. Therefore, the take-up roll 44 rotates in synchronization with the thermal control of the thermal head 40, and the ink ribbon 41 is taken up at a predetermined speed. The cooling fan 39 is configured to cool the thermal head 40.

The transfer film cassette 50 is detachably attached to the device housing 2 in the same manner as the ink ribbon cassette 42. An image is formed on the transfer film by the transfer film 46 loaded in the transfer film cassette 50 running between the platen roller (image forming platen) 45 and the ink ribbon 41. Therefore, the transfer film 46 is wound around the supply spool 47 and the take-up spool 48, and the image formed on the image forming platen 45 is transferred between the transfer platen 31 and the transfer roller 33. The transfer roller 49 is a roller that transfers the transfer film 46, and pinch rollers 32a and 32b are arranged on the peripheral surface of the transfer roller 49 and are connected to a drive motor (stepping motor) (not shown). Further, the supply spool 47 is connected to the DC motor Mr2, and the take-up spool 48 is connected to the DC motor Mr4.

The guide roller 34a shown in FIG. 2 is a guide roller for guiding the transfer film 46 to the transfer platen 31, and the release roller 34b is a release roller (release member) for peeling the transfer platen 31 from the recording medium. .. The guide roller 34a and the release roller 34b are attached to the film cassette 50 with the guide roller 34a on the upstream side and the release roller 34b on the downstream side with the transfer platen 31 interposed therebetween. A support pin 51 (support member) for supporting the transfer surface side of the card is provided immediately after the downstream side of the peeling roller 34b with respect to the card transfer direction during the transfer process. The support pin 51 is provided on the bracket 69 that supports the release pin 34b, and the release pin 34b and the support pin 51 maintain a certain positional relationship.

Transfer rollers 33 are arranged on the transfer platen 31 so as to face each other with the transfer film 46 interposed therebetween. The transfer roller 33 heat-presses the image formed on the transfer film 46 onto the card to transfer the image. The transfer roller 33 is composed of, for example, a heat roller, and is provided with a transfer member and an elevating member so as to press-contact and separate from the transfer platen 31 from the inside of the film cassette 50. The transfer platen 31 is driven by the same stepping motors as the transport rollers 29, 30, 37 and 38. The transfer platen 31 performs a transfer process while transporting the card and the intermediate transfer film 46 while sandwiching the transfer roller 33 and the card and the intermediate transfer film 46.

The sensor Se2 is a sensor that detects the position of the ink ribbon 41 in the transfer direction (on the transfer direction), and the sensor Se1 is a sensor that detects the position of the transfer film 46 in the transfer direction (on the transfer direction). The sensor Se2 and the sensor Se1 detect the position in the transfer direction by detecting the mark on the ink ribbon 41 or the transfer film 46. The mark will be described later. A unit that forms an image on the intermediate transfer film 46 using the thermal head 40 is a primary transfer unit, and a unit that transfers an image formed on the intermediate transfer film 46 in the primary transfer unit to a card using a transfer roller 33. It is called the secondary transfer section.

<Accommodation section D>
On the downstream side of the image forming portion B, a medium transport path P2 transported by a set of transport rollers 37 and 38 is provided. The printed card is introduced into the accommodating portion D through the medium transport path P2 while the curl generated by the thermal transfer is corrected by the decal mechanism 36. The stacker 60 for accommodating the card of the accommodating portion D is configured to move in the vertical direction by the elevating mechanism 61.

[Structure of film cassette]
The film cassette 50 loaded with the transfer film 46 described above will be described. As shown in FIG. 2, the film cassette 50 is configured as a unit separated from the device housing 2, and is detachably attached to the device housing 2. A front cover (not shown) is provided on the front side of the printing device 1 so as to be openable and closable, and the user can attach the film cassette 50 to the device frame in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 2 with the front cover open. .. A supply spool 47 and a take-up spool 48 are detachably attached to the film cassette 50.

The bearing portion 52 is a bearing portion that supports one end of the spool, and the coupling member 56 is a coupling member that supports the other end side of the spool. The spool end is supported by the bearing portion 52 and the coupling member 56 arranged on the cassette side. The transfer film 46 is bridged from the supply spool 47 to the guide rollers 34a, 35b, 35a and the take-up spool 48 via the peeling roller 34b.

Further, the film cassette 50 is provided with a knob member (not shown) that is interlocked with the coupling member 56, and the supply spool 47 and the take-up spool 48 have front covers while the film cassette 50 is attached to the device frame. It can be wound in the open state.

[Ink ribbon cassette configuration]
Like the film cassette 50, the ink ribbon cassette 42 for loading the ink ribbon 41 is configured as a unit separated from the device housing 2, and is detachably attached to the device housing 2. Further, the user can attach the ink ribbon cassette 42 to the apparatus frame in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 3 with the front cover open. A supply spool 43 and a take-up spool 44 are detachably attached to the ink ribbon cassette 42.

The bearing portion 115 is a bearing portion that supports one end of the spool, and the coupling member 112 is a coupling member that supports the other end side of the spool. The spool end is supported by the bearing portion 115 and the coupling member 112 arranged on the cassette side. The ink ribbon 41 is bridged from the supply spool 43 to the guide rollers 13, 28, 12 and the take-up spool 44 via the rollers 14.

Further, the ink ribbon cassette 42 is provided with a knob member (not shown) that is interlocked with the coupling member 112, and the supply spool 43 and the take-up spool 44 have a front cover with the ink ribbon cassette 50 attached to the device frame. It can be wound in the open state.

[Ink ribbon configuration]
As shown in FIG. 4, for example, the ink ribbon 41 used in the present embodiment has cyan (C), magenta (M), yellow (Y), and black (K) sublimation properties along the moving direction indicated by the arrow. It has four types of panels to which ink is applied.

One panel has the same length as the length of one card in the longitudinal direction, and when transferring an image to be printed on one card to the transfer film 46, the above four types of panels are used. Is sequentially thermocompression-bonded to the transfer film 46. Therefore, the four panels C, M, Y, and K constitute one area used for printing one card, and the areas are sequentially and repeatedly arranged along the longitudinal direction on the ink ribbon 41. Has been done. In the present embodiment, each of the above areas is referred to as a frame.

A frame mark 70 detected by the sensor Se2 is provided at the head of each of the C, M, Y, and K panels of the ink ribbon 41 in order to identify the head of each panel. The sensor Se2 is configured at a position separated by a predetermined distance from the printing position by the thermal head 40 and the platen roller 45. Further, the frame mark 70 is provided so as to be finely divided in a slit shape in the cassette mounting direction (direction perpendicular to the transport direction of the ink ribbon 41).

[Composition of transfer film]
As shown in FIG. 5, the transfer film 46 used in the present embodiment has a plurality of the above frames, and a frame mark 71 that can be detected by the sensor Se1 is provided at the boundary portion of each frame. Like the frame mark 70, the frame mark 71 is provided so as to be finely divided in a slit shape in the cassette mounting direction. Further, as the transfer film 46, for example, a hologram film in which a hologram pattern is formed like a film, a see-through film in which no pattern is formed, or the like is used. The type of such a transfer film 46 is determined from the transfer speed of the transfer film 46 and the detection signal of the sensor Se1.

In the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the frame marks 70 and 71 are provided by being finely divided into slits in the cassette mounting direction. With such a configuration, the sensor Se1 moves from the state of detecting the frame mark 71 (on-edge) to a direction different from the transport direction, for example, the mounting direction of the film cassette 50, even when the transfer film 46 moves in the transport direction. Even when it moves, it is possible to detect a change in the detection result (change to the off-edge). Further, the sensor Se2 may move from the state of detecting the frame mark 70 (on-edge) in the transport direction or in a direction different from the transport direction, for example, in the mounting direction of the ink ribbon cassette 42. , The change in the detection result (change to off-edge) can be detected. As described above, the shapes of the frame marks 70 and 71 do not have to be slit shapes as long as changes in detection changes in a plurality of directions can be detected.

[Control configuration]
Next, the configuration of the control system of the printing apparatus 1 will be described. As shown in FIG. 7, the printing device 1 includes a control unit 100 that comprehensively controls the operation of the entire printing device 1 and a power supply unit 120. The power supply unit 120 converts a commercial AC power supply into a DC power supply that can drive / operate each mechanism unit, control unit, and the like.

<Control unit>
The control unit 100 includes a microcomputer 102 that performs overall control processing of the printing device 1. The microcomputer 102 connects a CPU that operates at a high-speed clock as a central processing unit, a ROM that stores basic control operations (programs and program data) of the printing device 1, a RAM that functions as a work area of the CPU, and these. It is a computer system that includes an internal bus.

An external bus is connected to the microcomputer 102. The external bus has an interface (not shown) for communicating with the host computer 201, which is a host device, print data to be printed on the card, the magnetic stripe of the card, and magnetically or electrically recorded on the built-in IC. A buffer memory 101 for temporarily storing power recording data and the like is connected.

Further, a sensor control unit 103, an actuator control unit 104, a thermal head control unit 105, an operation control unit 106, and an information recording unit A are connected to the external bus. The sensor control unit 103 controls detection signals from various sensors. The actuator control unit 104 controls a motor driver or the like that sends a drive pulse or drive power to each motor. The thermal head control unit 105 controls the thermal energy to the heat generating elements constituting the thermal head 40. The operation control unit 106 controls the operation unit 5. The operation unit 5 includes a display unit capable of displaying various screens to the user and a reception unit capable of accepting setting operations from the user. The power supply unit 120 supplies electric power to the control unit 100, the thermal head 40, the operation unit 5, and the information recording unit A.

[Condition monitoring of film-like medium]
Hereinafter, the process of controlling the execution of the initialization operation will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. 6A, using the transfer film 46 as an example. The process of FIG. 6A is realized, for example, by the CPU of the microcomputer 102 reading and executing the program stored in the ROM. Further, the process of FIG. 6A starts, for example, when the power is turned on to the printing apparatus 1.

In S101, the control unit 100 waits for the power supply from the power supply unit 120 to the control unit 100. When power is supplied from the power supply unit 120 to the control unit 100, in S102, the control unit 100 determines whether the front cover of the printing device 1 is in the open state or the closed state. The process of S102 is repeated until it is determined that the state is closed. When it is determined that the front cover of the printing device 1 is in the closed state, the control unit 100 executes the initialization operation of the transfer film 46 in S103.

<Initialization operation when the power is turned on>
Immediately after the power of the printing apparatus 1 is turned on, the position and type of the transfer film 46 are indefinite. Therefore, in the present embodiment, in the initialization operation immediately after the power is turned on, the type of the transfer film 46 is determined and the cueing operation is performed. FIG. 6B is a flowchart showing the processing of the initialization operation.

In S201, the control unit 100 determines whether or not the printing device 1 has just been turned on. For example, when S103 is performed after S102, it is determined that the printing device 1 has just been turned on. If it is determined that the power of the printing device 1 has just been turned on, the process proceeds to S204, and if it is determined that the power of the printing device 1 has not been turned on immediately, the process proceeds to S202. The processing after S202 will be described later.

In S204, the control unit 100 determines the type of the transfer film 46 from the detection result of the sensor Se1. Then, in S205, the control unit 100 cue the transfer film 46.

FIG. 6C is a flowchart showing a process of cueing the transfer film 46. In S301, the control unit 100 drives the DC motors Mr2 and Mr4 to transfer the transfer film 46. In S302, the control unit 100 determines whether or not the sensor Se1 has detected the frame mark 71. The process of S302 is repeated until it is determined that the sensor Se1 has detected the frame mark 71.

When it is determined that the sensor Se1 has detected the frame mark 71, in S303, the control unit 100 is in a state where the sensor Se1 has detected the frame mark 71 (the detection result of the sensor Se1 is on), that is, the frame mark 71 is the sensor. The drive of the DC motors Mr2 and Mr4 is stopped so that the transfer film 46 stops at a position that does not pass through Se1. That is, the cueing position of the transfer film is a position where the frame mark 71 is detected by the sensor Se1 and is a position where the frame and the recording position match. After S303, the process of FIG. 6 (c) is finished, and the process of FIG. 6 (b) is finished.

<Condition monitoring>
When the initialization operation immediately after the power is turned on is normally completed, in S104, the control unit 100 determines whether the front cover of the printing device 1 is in the open state or the closed state. The process of S104 is repeated until it is determined that the front cover is in the open state. That is, while the front cover is in the closed state, the state of the sensor Se1 described later is not monitored, and the state of the frame mark 71 is monitored by the sensor Se1 from the time when the front cover is opened.

In S105, the control unit 100 activates a timer for determining the elapse of the predetermined time T. The predetermined time T is a predetermined time, and may be predetermined based on, for example, the average time from the opening of the front cover to the closing by the user. In S106, the control unit 100 determines whether or not the detection result of the sensor Se1 has changed from on to off. Here, when it is determined that the change has changed from on to off, in S107, the control unit 100 stores the number of changes that have changed from on to off in a storage area such as a RAM. Then, the process proceeds to S108. On the other hand, if it is determined in S106 that the change has not changed from on to off, the process proceeds to S108.

In S108, the control unit 100 determines whether or not the predetermined time T has elapsed. If it is determined that the predetermined time T has not elapsed, the process from S106 is repeated. On the other hand, if it is determined that the predetermined time T has elapsed, the process proceeds to S109.

In S109, the control unit 100 determines whether the front cover of the printing device 1 is in the open state or the closed state. The process of S109 is repeated until it is determined that the front cover is in the closed state. If it is determined that the front cover is in the closed state, the process from S103 is repeated.

<Initialization operation>
At a timing other than immediately after the power is turned on, the execution of the initialization operation is controlled according to the number of changes counted in S107.

When the process proceeds to S103 following S109, it is determined in S201 of FIG. 6B that it is not immediately after the power of the printing device 1 is turned on, and the process proceeds to S202. In S202, the control unit 100 determines whether or not the number of changes counted in S107 is 0. Alternatively, in S202, it may be determined whether the number of changes is equal to or less than a predetermined value. When it is determined that the number of changes is 0, it means that the transfer film 46 has not moved, so the process of FIG. 6B is terminated and the initialization operation is skipped. On the other hand, if it is determined that the number of changes counted in S107 is not 0, the process proceeds to S203.

In S203, the control unit 100 determines whether or not the number of changes counted in S107 is one. When it is determined that the number of changes is one, for example, when the user opens the front cover, the slack of the transfer film 46 is eliminated by adjusting a knob member (not shown) linked to the coupling member 56. This is the case. In such a case, since the transfer film 46 has only moved and the film cassette 50 has not been extracted, the type of the transfer film 46 in S204 is not determined, and the transfer film 46 is cueed in S205. Will be done. After that, the process of FIG. 6B is completed.

When it is determined in S203 that the number of changes is not one, for example, the film cassette 50 is taken out and the transfer film 46 is replaced. In such a case, it is expected that the number of changes (from on to off) of the detection result of the sensor Se1 will increase due to the position fluctuation of the frame mark 71 of the transfer film 46 during the extraction and replacement work by the user. .. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the frame mark 71 and the detection mark 70 are finely divided into slits in the cassette insertion / removal direction. With such a configuration, it is possible to estimate that the extraction and replacement operations are performed from the detection result of the sensor Se1. If it is determined in S203 that the number of changes is not one, it is assumed that the transfer film 46 has been replaced. Therefore, the type of the transfer film 46 in S204 is determined and the transfer film 46 in S205 is cueed. And then end the process of FIG. 6B.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, when it is not necessary to perform the initialization operation, such as when the transfer film 46 is not moving, it is possible to control so that the initialization operation is not performed. As a result, unnecessary winding and rewinding of the transfer film 46 can be prevented. Further, although the transfer film 46 has been described above, the same applies to the ink ribbon 41. Further, the number of detections that becomes the threshold value in S202 and S203 does not have to be 0 and 1 as long as the number of detections in S202 <the number of detections in S203.

The invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications and changes can be made within the scope of the gist of the invention.

1 Printing device: 41 Ink ribbon: 42 Ink ribbon cassette: 46 Transfer film: 50 Film cassette: 100 Control unit

Claims (11)

A printing device that records on a film-like recording medium.
An initialization means for executing an initialization operation for aligning the position of the recording medium in the transport direction with the recording position,
A detection means for detecting a mark formed on the recording medium, and
A control means for controlling the execution of the initialization operation by the initialization means based on the detection result by the detection means while the cover of the printing device is in the open state.
A printing apparatus comprising. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control means controls execution of the initialization operation by the initialization means based on a change in a detection result by the detection means. The printing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the control means controls execution of the initialization operation by the initialization means based on the number of changes in the detection result by the detection means. The printing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the control means controls the initialization means so that the initialization operation is not executed when the number of times is equal to or less than the first value. The printing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the control means controls the initialization means so as to execute the initialization operation when the number of times is larger than the first value. When the number of times is larger than the first value, the control means makes the initialization operation to be executed different based on whether or not the number of times is larger than the first value and larger than the second value. The printing apparatus according to claim 5. The printing according to claim 6, wherein the control means executes a process of determining the type of the recording medium when the initialization operation is executed when the number of times is larger than the second value. Device. 7. The control means according to claim 7, wherein when the number of times is equal to or less than the second value, the process of determining the type of the recording medium is not executed when the initialization operation is executed. Printing device. The printing apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 8, wherein the change in the detection result by the detection means is a change in the transport direction of the recording medium. The printing apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 9, wherein the change in the detection result by the detection means is a change in a direction different from the transport direction of the recording medium. A control method executed in a printing apparatus that records on a film-like recording medium.
An initialization step of executing an initialization operation for aligning the position of the recording medium in the transport direction with the recording position, and
A detection process for detecting a mark formed on the recording medium, and
A control step that controls execution of the initialization operation in the initialization step based on the detection result in the detection step while the cover of the printing apparatus is in the open state.
A control method characterized by having.

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