JP2023003449A - Layer transfer apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a layer transfer apparatus capable of cooling a heating member quickly even if the temperature of the heating material is higher than a predetermined temperature after completing the layer transfer.SOLUTION: A layer transfer apparatus includes a heating member, a pressure application member, a temperature sensor, a movement member, and a control unit. The movement member moves one of the heating member and the pressure application member to a contact position and a separation position. When the control unit receives a layer transfer execution instruction (S5, Yes), a detected temperature of the temperature sensor is higher than a target temperature of the heating member when executing the layer transfer (S13, Yes), and the detected temperature is equal to or less than a first threshold value higher than the target temperature by a predetermined temperature (S8, No), the control unit transfer a sheet to the heating member (s14). When the control unit receives the layer transfer execution instruction (S5, Yes), if the detected temperature of the temperature sensor is higher than the first threshold value (S8, Yes), the control unit does not transfer the sheet to the heating member, and executes cooling processing to control the movement member and moves the heating member and the pressure application member from the separation position to the contact position (S9).SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

The present invention relates to a layer transfer device for transferring a multilayer film onto a sheet.

Conventionally, as a layer transfer device, between a supply reel around which a multilayer film including a transfer layer is wound, a take-up reel for winding the multilayer film, a heating roller for heating the multilayer film and the sheet, and a heating roller. and pressure rollers for sandwiching the multilayer film and the sheet (see Patent Document 1). In this technology, it is possible to transfer a transfer layer to a toner image on a sheet (hereinafter also referred to as "layer transfer") by conveying a multi-layer film and a sheet using rotating heating rollers and pressure rollers. It's becoming

The layer transfer device of Patent Document 1 has a switching mechanism that moves the heating roller between a contact position where it contacts the pressure roller and a separation position where it separates from the pressure roller. By this switching mechanism, when the layer transfer is not executed, the heating roller is separated from the multilayer film so as not to waste the multilayer film.

JP 2020-014419 A

By the way, the temperature of the heating member may become higher than the predetermined temperature due to the accumulation of heat in the heater after the layer transfer is completed. If the temperature of the heating member becomes higher than the predetermined temperature after the layer transfer is completed, it takes time to cool down. Therefore, there is a problem that it takes a long time to start the next layer transfer.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a layer transfer apparatus capable of quickly cooling the heating member even if the temperature of the heating member becomes higher than a predetermined temperature after completion of layer transfer.

A layer transfer device for solving the above problems includes a multi-layer film consisting of a plurality of layers on a sheet, transfers at least one layer of the multi-layer film, a heating member, a pressure member, a temperature sensor, a moving member, and a control unit. The heating member has a heater and heats the multilayer film and the sheet. The pressure member sandwiches the multilayer film and sheet with the heating member. A temperature sensor senses the temperature of the heating member. The moving member moves at least one of the heating member and the pressing member between a contact position in contact with the other member and a spaced position away from the other member.
When receiving a command to perform layer transfer, the control unit detects a temperature detected by the temperature sensor that is higher than the target temperature of the heating member when performing layer transfer and is equal to or lower than a first threshold value higher than the target temperature by a predetermined temperature. , the sheet is conveyed to the heating member.
When a command to execute layer transfer is received, the control unit does not convey the sheet to the heating member and controls the moving member to transfer the sheet to the heating member when the detected temperature detected by the temperature sensor is higher than the first threshold value. and a cooling process for moving the pressurizing member from the separated position to the contact position.

According to this configuration, when a command to perform layer transfer is received, the controller does not cause the sheet to be conveyed to the heating member and the moving member does not convey the sheet when the detected temperature detected by the temperature sensor is higher than the first threshold value. is controlled to position the heating member and the pressure member at the contact position, the heat of the heating member can be transferred to the pressure member and the heating member can be quickly cooled.

Further, in the above configuration, the control unit may rotate the pressure member while being in contact with the heating member in the cooling process.

According to this configuration, the heat of the heating member can be quickly transferred to the pressing member in the cooling process.

In the above configuration, the control unit rotates the pressure member at a first speed when performing layer transfer, and rotates the pressure member at a second speed slower than the first speed when performing cooling processing. It is good also as a structure made to rotate.

According to this configuration, in the cooling process, by rotating the pressure member slowly, the heat of the heating member can be easily transferred to the pressure member while suppressing waste of the multilayer film.

In the above-described configuration, the control section may control the moving member to separate the heating member and the pressing member after the layer transfer is completed.

According to this configuration, it is possible to prevent the multi-layer film from being wasted.

Further, in the above configuration, the layer transfer device further includes a fan for cooling the heating member, the controller stops the heater after the layer transfer processing is completed, and the detected temperature detected by the temperature sensor is lower than the first threshold value. The configuration may be such that the fan is driven when the air pressure is high.

According to this configuration, since the fan is driven in addition to the cooling process, the heating member can be cooled in a short time.

Further, in the configuration described above, the control unit may be configured to selectively execute a first mode in which the cooling process is executed and a second mode in which the cooling process is not executed.

According to this configuration, it is possible to select the first mode in which the waiting time is short and the second mode in which the waiting time is not shortened but the multilayer film is prevented from being wasted, according to the user's preference.

Further, in the above-described configuration, the control section may set a plurality of types of target temperatures, and the layer transfer may be performed at a target temperature selected from among a plurality of types of target temperatures.

In the above-described configuration, the control unit rotates the pressure member in the first rotation direction when performing layer transfer, and rotates the pressure member in the second rotation direction opposite to the first rotation direction when performing cooling processing. It is good also as a structure rotated in a rotation direction.

According to this configuration, by rotating in the second rotation direction, the cooling process can be performed without wasting the multilayer film.

Further, in the above configuration, the heating member is a heating roller, the pressure member is a pressure roller, and the pressure roller rotates with the heating roller while holding the multilayer film therebetween. A film may be transported.

According to the present invention, even if the temperature of the heating member becomes higher than the predetermined temperature after completion of layer transfer, it can be cooled quickly.

1 illustrates a layer transfer device according to an embodiment of the invention; FIG. It is a figure which shows the state which opened the cover of the layer transfer apparatus. 5 is a time chart for explaining the difference in waiting time between when cooling processing is performed after layer transfer and when cooling processing is not performed; 6 is a flow chart showing an example of a process of executing a cooling process after executing layer transfer;

An embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings.
An embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings as appropriate.
In the following description, the direction shown in FIG. 1 will be used. 1 is defined as "front", the left side of FIG. 1 is defined as "rear", the front side of FIG. 1 is defined as "left", and the back side of FIG. 1 is defined as "right". Moreover, the upper and lower sides of FIG. 1 are referred to as "up and down".

As shown in FIG. 1, the layer transfer device 1 is a device for stacking a multilayer film F composed of a plurality of layers on a sheet S and transferring at least one layer of the multilayer film F. As shown in FIG. The layer transfer device 1 includes a housing 2, a sheet tray 3, a sheet transport section 10, a film supply section 30, a transfer section 50, a control section 100, an operation panel PA, and a fan FA. there is

The housing 2 is made of resin or the like, and 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 cartridge FC, which will be described later, to the housing body 21. As shown in FIG. The cover 22 is a member for opening and closing the opening 21A. A rear end portion of the cover 22 is rotatably supported by the housing body 21 . The cover 22 is movable between a closed position (position shown in FIG. 1) that closes the opening 21A and an open position (position shown in FIG. 2) that opens the opening 21A.

The sheet tray 3 is a tray on which sheets S such as paper and OHP films are placed. A sheet tray 3 is provided at the rear 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 tray 3 is provided with a sheet tray sensor SS<b>0 that detects the sheet S placed on the sheet tray 3 . The sheet tray sensor SS0 is turned ON when the sheet S is placed on the sheet tray 3, and turned OFF when the sheet S is not placed.

The sheet conveying section 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 section 50 . The sheet supply mechanism 11 has a pickup roller 11A and a conveying roller.

The sheet ejection mechanism 12 is a mechanism that ejects the sheet S that has passed through the transfer section 50 to the outside of the housing 2 . The sheet discharge mechanism 12 has a plurality of conveying rollers.

The film supply unit 30 is a part that supplies the multilayer film F so as to overlap the sheet S conveyed from the sheet supply mechanism 11 . The film supply section 30 includes a film cartridge FC and a driving source such as a motor (not shown).

As shown in FIG. 2, the film cartridge FC is attachable to and detachable from the housing body 21 through an opening 21A in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of a supply reel 31, which will be described later. The film cartridge FC has a supply reel 31 and a take-up reel 35 . A multilayer film F is wound around the supply reel 31 .

Multilayer film F is a film consisting of a plurality of layers. Specifically, the multilayer film F has a supporting layer and a supported layer. The support layer is a tape-shaped transparent substrate made of a polymeric material, and supports the layer to be supported. The layer to be supported has, for example, a release layer, a transfer layer, and an adhesive layer. The peeling layer is a layer for facilitating peeling of the transfer layer from the support layer, and is arranged between the support layer and the transfer layer. The release layer contains a transparent material such as a wax-based resin that can be easily released from the support layer.

In this embodiment, the transfer layer is the layer that is transferred to the toner image and includes foil. Foils are thin metals such as gold, silver, copper, and aluminum. Also, the transfer layer contains a coloring material such as gold, silver, or red, and a thermoplastic resin. The transfer layer is arranged between the release layer and the adhesive layer. The adhesive layer is a layer for facilitating adhesion of the transfer layer to the toner image. The adhesive layer contains a material that easily adheres to the toner image heated by the transfer unit 50, which will be described later, such as vinyl chloride resin or 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 supporting layer on the outside and the supported layer on the inside.

The take-up reel 35 is made of resin or the like, and has a take-up shaft portion 35A for winding the multilayer film F thereon. The other end of the multilayer film F is fixed to the take-up shaft portion 35A. The multilayer film F is wound around the take-up reel 35 with the supporting layer on the outside and the layer to be supported on the inside.

With the film cartridge FC attached to the layer transfer device 1, the take-up reel 35 is driven to rotate counterclockwise in the figure by a drive source (not shown). When the take-up reel 35 rotates, the multilayer film F wound around the supply reel 31 is pulled out, and the taken-out multilayer film F is taken up by the take-up reel 35 . More specifically, during the foil transfer, the multilayer film F is pulled out from the supply reel 31 by being sent out by a pressure roller 51 and a heating roller 61 which will be described later. Then, the multilayer film F sent out from the pressure roller 51 and the heating roller 61 is taken up by the take-up reel 35 .

The transfer portion 50 is a portion for transferring a transfer layer onto the toner image formed on the sheet S by applying heat and pressure while the sheet S and the multilayer film F are stacked. The transfer section 50 includes a pressure roller 51 as an example of a pressure member and a heating roller 61 as an example of a pressure member. The transfer unit 50 heats and presses the sheet S and the multilayer film F in a nip portion between the pressure roller 51 and the heating roller 61 .

The pressure roller 51 is a roller in which a cylindrical cored bar is covered with a rubber layer made of silicon rubber. The pressure roller 51 is arranged above the multilayer film F 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).

The pressure roller 51 is arranged on the cover 22 . 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 between itself and the heating roller 61, and is rotationally driven by a drive source (not shown), thereby causing the heating roller 61 to rotate. The pressure roller 51 conveys the multilayer film F by rotating while holding the multilayer film F between itself and the heating roller 61 .

The heating roller 61 is arranged in the housing body 21 . The heating roller 61 is a rotatable roller in which a heater H is arranged inside a metal tube formed in a cylindrical shape, and heats the multilayer film F and the sheet S. As shown in FIG. The heating roller 61 is arranged below the multilayer film F and is in contact with the multilayer film F. As shown in FIG.

The layer transfer device 1 further includes a contact/separation mechanism 7 . The contact/separation mechanism 7 is a mechanism that moves at least one of the heating roller 61 and the pressure roller 51 between a contact position in contact with the other roller and a separation position in which it is separated from the other roller. In this embodiment, the heating roller 61 moves between a contact position where the heating roller 61 is in contact with the pressure roller 51 and a separation position where the heating roller 61 is separated from the pressure roller 51 .

Specifically, the heating roller 61 is supported by the heating unit 6 so as to be rotatable and vertically movable. The heating unit 6 has a fixed frame 60 forming an outer frame, a shutter 62 , a moving member 66 and a temperature sensor 68 in addition to the heating roller 61 .

The shutter 62 is guided by the fixed frame 60 and is slidable between the closed position and the open position in conjunction with the contact/separation mechanism 7 . As shown in FIG. 1, the shutter 62 is positioned at the open position, which is different from the position between the heating roller 61 and the pressure roller 51, when the heating roller 61 is positioned at the contact position. As shown in FIG. 2, the shutter 62 is located at the closed position between the pressure roller 51 and the heating roller 61 to cover the heating roller 61 when the heating roller 61 is located at the separated position.

With the film cartridge FC mounted, the heating roller 61 contacts the multilayer film F when the heating roller 61 is positioned at the contact position. When the cover 22 is closed, the contact/separation mechanism 7 moves the heating roller 61 to the contact position where the multilayer film F is brought into contact with the timing when the sheet S is supplied to the transfer section 50 . Further, when the cover 22 is opened or when the transfer unit 50 does not transfer the foil to the sheet S, the contact/separation mechanism 7 positions the heating roller 61 at a separation position away from the multilayer film F. there is

The moving member 66 is a member that moves at least one of the heating roller 61 and the pressure roller 51 between the contact position and the separated position. In this embodiment, the moving member 66 is a cam that can move the heating roller 61 up and down, and moves the heating roller 61 between the contact position (see FIG. 1) and the separated position (see FIG. 2).

The temperature sensor 68 is positioned on the upstream side of the heating roller 61 in the sheet S conveying direction (simply referred to as “conveying direction” in the following description). A temperature sensor 68 detects the temperature of the heating member.

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 facing downward are conveyed one by one toward the transfer section 50 by the sheet supply mechanism 11 . The sheet S is superimposed on the multilayer film F supplied from the supply reel 31 on the upstream side of the transfer unit 50 in the conveying direction, and conveyed to the transfer unit 50 in a state in which the toner image on the sheet S and the multilayer film F are in contact. .

In the transfer section 50, the sheet S and the multilayer film F are heated and pressed by the heating roller 61 and the pressure roller 51 when passing through the nip portion between the pressure roller 51 and the heating roller 61, and the toner image is formed. Foil is transferred on top. The multilayer film F is peeled off from the sheet S on the downstream side of the transfer section 50 .

The multilayer film F separated from the sheet S is taken up by the take-up reel 35 . On the other hand, the sheet S from which the multilayer film F has been peeled is discharged outside the housing 2 by the sheet discharge mechanism 12 with the surface to which the foil has been transferred facing downward.

The control unit 100 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a RAM (Random Access Memory), a ROM (Read only Memory), and an input/output circuit, and performs various arithmetic processes based on programs and data stored in the ROM or the like. By doing so, the control of the layer transfer device 1 is executed.

An operation panel PA is provided on the upper surface of the cover 22 . The operation panel PA can display various messages and input commands from the user.

The fan FA is arranged inside the housing body 21 and serves to cool the heating roller 61 .

Next, control executed by the control unit 100 will be described with reference to FIG.

The control unit 100 receives the detected temperature T detected by the temperature sensor 68 when receiving a command to execute layer transfer from the operation panel PA. In this case, if the temperature T detected by the temperature sensor 68 is lower than the target temperature, the controller 100 turns on the heater H of the heating roller 61 and waits until the target temperature is reached.
For example, as shown in FIG. 3, after receiving the transfer command (time t1), the controller 100 turns on the heater H (time t2) because the detected temperature T is lower than the target temperature. By turning on the heater H, the heating roller 61 is heated, and the detected temperature T reaches the target temperature at time t3.

Note that the control unit 100 can set a plurality of types of target temperatures, and performs layer transfer at a target temperature selected from among a plurality of types of target temperatures. For example, in this embodiment, the target temperature can be set in five stages of 130°C, 140°C, 150°C, 160°C, and 170°C. The user can select one of the five temperature settings based on the result of test transfer of layer transfer, and input it to the operation panel PA.

When the controller 100 receives a command to execute layer transfer, the detected temperature T detected by the temperature sensor 68 is higher than the target temperature of the heating roller 61 when executing the layer transfer, and is higher than the target temperature by a predetermined temperature. If it is equal to or less than the first threshold, the sheet S is conveyed to the heating roller 61 . In this embodiment, the predetermined temperature is 10° C., and the first threshold is set to a temperature 10° C. higher than the target temperature.
For example, after receiving the transfer command, when the detected temperature T becomes higher than the target temperature and equal to or lower than the first threshold value (time t3), the controller 100 moves the heating roller 61 to the contact position, is conveyed to perform layer transfer (time t3 to t4). After the layer transfer is completed (time t4), the controller 100 stops the heater H and controls the moving member 66 to separate the heating roller 61 and the pressure roller 51 from each other.

Here, in the layer transfer apparatus 1, even if the heater H is turned off after the layer transfer is finished (time t4), the temperature of the heating roller 61 becomes higher than the first threshold value (after time t5), that is, the so-called overshoot. state may occur.
After finishing the layer transfer process (time t4), if the detected temperature T detected by the temperature sensor 68 is higher than the first threshold, the controller 100 drives the fan FA (time t5). The control unit 100 stops the fan FA when the detected temperature T becomes equal to or lower than the first threshold (time t9).

The control unit 100 can selectively execute a first mode in which cooling processing is executed to quickly eliminate the overshoot state and a second mode in which cooling processing is not executed. In this embodiment, the selection between the first mode and the second mode is performed by the user's input from the operation panel PA. That is, the user can select whether or not to execute the cooling process. A case in which the user selects and executes the cooling process will be described below.

When the control unit 100 receives a command to perform layer transfer and when the detected temperature T detected by the temperature sensor 68 is higher than the first threshold value, the control unit 100 does not convey the sheet S to the heating roller 61 and cools it. Execute the process. The cooling process is a process of controlling the moving member 66 to move the heating roller 61 and the pressure roller 51 from the separation position to the contact position.

For example, when the detected temperature T is higher than the first threshold (time t5 to t9) and a layer transfer command is received (time t7), the cooling process is executed (time t7 to t8). In the present embodiment, in the cooling process, the control unit 100 rotates the pressure roller 51 by one rotation while being in contact with the heating roller 61 . The control unit 100 rotates the pressure roller 51 at a first speed when performing layer transfer, and rotates the pressure roller 51 at a second speed slower than the first speed when performing the cooling process. . That is, in the cooling process, the pressure roller 51 is rotated more slowly than when layer transfer is performed.

Next, an example of processing executed by the control unit 100 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 4 .

As shown in FIG. 4, when the controller 100 determines that the power of the layer transfer device 1 is turned on, it acquires the detected temperature T detected by the temperature sensor 68 (S1).

After step S1, the control unit 100 determines whether the acquired detection temperature T is greater than the first threshold (S2).

In step S2, if the controller 100 determines that the detected temperature T is higher than the first threshold (S2, Yes), it turns on the fan FA (S3), and does not determine that the detected temperature T is higher than the first threshold. If so (S2, No), the fan FA is turned off (S4), and it is determined whether or not there is a layer transfer command (S5).

If the controller 100 does not determine that there is a layer transfer command in step S5 (S5, No), it returns to step S1, and if it determines that there is a layer transfer command (S5, Yes), it executes the cooling process. It is determined whether the first mode is selected (S6).

In step S6, if the control unit 100 does not determine that the first mode is selected (S6, No), even if the detected temperature T obtained from the temperature sensor 68 is higher than the first threshold value, the cooling process is not performed. Since it is not executed, the process moves to step S13.

In step S6, if the control unit 100 determines that the first mode is selected (S6, Yes), the control unit 100 acquires the detected temperature T detected by the temperature sensor 68 (S7). It is determined whether the temperature T is greater than the first threshold (S8).

In step S8, when the control unit 100 does not determine that the detected temperature T is higher than the first threshold value (S8, No), it is not necessary to perform the cooling process, so the process proceeds to step S13.

In step S8, when the controller 100 determines that the detected temperature T is greater than the first threshold value (Yes in S8), it moves the heating roller 61 to the contact position (cooling process) and rotates the pressure roller 51 once. (S9).

After step S9, the controller 100 acquires the detected temperature T detected by the temperature sensor 68 (10), and determines whether the acquired detected temperature T is greater than the first threshold (S11).

In step S11, when the controller 100 determines that the detected temperature T is higher than the first threshold (S11, Yes), the process returns to step S10.

In step S11, when the controller 100 does not determine that the detected temperature T is higher than the first threshold value (S11, No), it turns off the fan FA (S12), and proceeds to step S13.

In step S13, the control unit 100 determines whether the detected temperature T is higher than the target temperature. If it is determined that the temperature is higher than the temperature (S13, Yes), the sheet S is conveyed and layer transfer is performed (S14), and it is determined whether there is a next sheet S (S15).

If it is determined in step S15 that there is the next sheet S (S15, Yes), the process returns to step S13. ) and return to step S1.

According to the configuration described above, the following effects can be obtained in this embodiment.

Conventionally, as shown in FIG. 3, in a layer transfer apparatus, even if the heater is turned off after the layer transfer is finished (time t4), the temperature of the heating roller 61 becomes higher than a predetermined temperature (for example, a first threshold value). (After time t5), a so-called overshoot state may occur. In such a case, if the layer transfer is performed as it is, there is a possibility that the temperature of the heating roller is too high, causing a problem. Therefore, even if the controller of the layer transfer device receives a command to transfer the next layer, it does not transfer the layer until the temperature of the heating roller drops below a predetermined temperature (for example, the first threshold value). You have to wait until you run the transcription. In FIG. 3, the broken line indicates the temperature of the heating roller in the conventional layer transfer device, and TB indicates the waiting time in this case. As described above, in the conventional layer transfer apparatus, when the overshoot state occurs, even if the fan FA is turned on, the heating roller 61 does not cool down easily, and it takes time to perform the next layer transfer. There was a problem of getting stuck.
However, according to the layer transfer apparatus 1, when the controller 100 receives a command to execute layer transfer, the sheet S is transferred to the heating roller 61 when the detected temperature T detected by the temperature sensor 68 is higher than the first threshold value. A cooling process is performed in which the heating roller 61 and the pressure roller 51 are positioned at the contact position by controlling the moving member 66 without transporting. Therefore, the heat of the heating roller 61 can be transferred to the pressure roller 51 to cool the heating roller 61 quickly. As a result, the waiting time TA from the reception of the command to execute the layer transfer to the execution of the layer transfer can be made shorter than the waiting time TB when the cooling process is not executed.

Further, in the cooling process, the control unit 100 rotates the pressure roller 51 while being in contact with the heat roller 61 . Therefore, the heat of the heating roller 61 can be quickly transferred to the pressure roller 51 .

Further, the control unit 100 rotates the pressure roller 51 at a first speed when performing layer transfer, and rotates the pressure roller 51 at a second speed slower than the first speed when performing the cooling process. there is Therefore, by slowly rotating the pressure roller 51 in the cooling process, the heat of the heating roller 61 can be easily transferred to the pressure roller 51 while suppressing waste of the multilayer film F.

Further, after the layer transfer is completed, the control section 100 controls the moving member 66 to separate the heating roller 61 and the pressure roller 51 from each other. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the multilayer film F from being wasted.

Further, the control unit 100 drives the fan FA when the detected temperature T is higher than the first threshold. That is, since the fan FA is driven in addition to the cooling process, the heating roller 61 can be cooled in a short time.

Also, the control unit 100 can selectively execute a first mode in which the cooling process is executed and a second mode in which the cooling process is not executed. Therefore, the first mode in which the waiting time is short and the second mode in which the waiting time is not shortened but the multilayer film F is prevented from being wasted can be selected according to the user's preference.

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

In the above-described embodiment, the rotation direction of the pressure roller 51 is the same as the rotation direction when the layer transfer is performed when the cooling process is performed. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration.
For example, the control unit 100 rotates the pressure roller 51 in the first rotation direction when performing layer transfer, and rotates the pressure roller 51 in the second rotation direction opposite to the first rotation direction when performing the cooling process. It is good also as a structure made to rotate.
According to this embodiment, the cooling process can be performed without wasting the multilayer film F by rotating the pressure roller 51 in the second rotation direction during the cooling process.

In the above embodiment, the transfer layer of the multilayer film F contains foil, but the transfer layer may not contain foil. Further, although the transfer layer is transferred onto the toner image formed on the sheet S, the transfer layer may be transferred to ink, adhesive, or the like.

In the above-described embodiment, the heating roller was exemplified as an example of the heating member, but the heating member is not limited to the roller and may be a pad or the like. Similarly, although the pressure roller was exemplified as an example of the pressure member, the pressure member is not limited to the roller and may be a pad or the like.

In the above-described embodiment, the contact/separation mechanism 7 moves the heating roller 61 when the heating roller 61 and the pressure roller 51 are brought into contact with or separated from each other. A configuration in which both the 61 and the pressure roller 51 are moved may be used.

In the above embodiment, the target temperature can be set in five stages of 130° C., 140° C., 150° C., 160° C., and 170° C. However, the settable temperature and the number of settings can be arbitrarily determined.

In the above embodiment, the predetermined temperature is 10°C and the first threshold is a temperature 10°C higher than the target temperature.

In the above embodiment, the control unit 100 rotates the pressure roller 51 by one rotation after bringing the heating roller 61 into contact with the pressure roller 51 in the cooling process. may be rotated less than one rotation, or may be rotated one rotation or more.

In the above embodiment, the user selects the first mode or the second mode by inputting from the operation panel PA, but it may be input by other methods such as inputting via a connected personal computer.

Each element described in the above embodiment and modifications may be implemented in any combination.

1 layer transfer device 2 housing 6 heating unit 7 contact/separation mechanism 50 transfer section 51 pressure roller 61 heating roller 66 moving member 68 temperature sensor 100 control section F multilayer film FA fan H heater PA operation panel S sheet

Claims (9)

A layer transfer device for superimposing a multilayer film composed of a plurality of layers on a sheet and transferring at least one layer of the multilayer film,
a heating member having a heater for heating the multilayer film and the sheet;
a pressing member sandwiching the multilayer film and the sheet between the heating member;
a temperature sensor that detects the temperature of the heating member;
a moving member that moves at least one of the heating member and the pressing member between a contact position in contact with the other member and a spaced position away from the other member;
a control unit;
When the control unit receives a command to perform layer transfer,
When the detected temperature detected by the temperature sensor is higher than the target temperature of the heating member when performing layer transfer and is equal to or lower than a first threshold value higher than the target temperature by a predetermined temperature, the sheet is conveyed to the heating member. ,
When the detected temperature detected by the temperature sensor is higher than the first threshold value, the sheet is not conveyed to the heating member, and the moving member is controlled to move the heating member and the pressure member to the separated position. A layer transfer device, wherein a cooling process is performed to move the layer from the contact position to the contact position. 2. The layer transfer apparatus according to claim 1, wherein in the cooling process, the control unit rotates the pressure member while being in contact with the heating member. The control unit
when performing layer transfer, rotating the pressure member at a first speed;
3. The layer transfer apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when performing the cooling process, the pressure member is rotated at a second speed slower than the first speed. 4. The layer transfer apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the controller controls the moving member to separate the heating member and the pressure member after the layer transfer is completed. The layer transfer device further comprises a fan for cooling the heating member,
The controller stops the heater after finishing the layer transfer process, and drives the fan when the detected temperature detected by the temperature sensor is higher than the first threshold value. 5. The layer transfer device according to any one of 4. 6. The control unit is capable of selectively executing a first mode in which the cooling process is executed and a second mode in which the cooling process is not executed. 2. The layer transfer device according to item 1. The control unit
A plurality of types of target temperatures can be set,
7. The layer transfer apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the layer transfer is performed at the target temperature selected from a plurality of target temperatures. The control unit
When performing layer transfer, rotating the pressure member in a first rotation direction,
8. The layer transfer apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein when the cooling process is performed, the apparatus is rotated in a second rotation direction opposite to the first rotation direction. . the heating member is a heating roller,
The pressure member is a pressure roller,
9. The multi-layer film according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the pressure roller conveys the multi-layer film by rotating while holding the multi-layer film between itself and the heating roller. layer transfer device.

Images