JP2510144Y2 - Thermal recording device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial field of application] The present invention relates to a thermal recording device, and more particularly to a thermal recording device having a switch for distinguishing whether or not designated thermal paper. Is.

[Prior Art] Conventionally, in a thermal recording device such as a facsimile, a designated thermal paper to be used in the device is determined, and electricity is supplied to the designated thermal paper so that recording can be performed at a predetermined reference density. The time etc. were set. Therefore, for specified thermal paper, recording is guaranteed because the color changes more than the standard density, but for other thermal paper, recording may not be guaranteed because the density may be reduced. It was

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, the designated thermal paper may be expensive and difficult to obtain. Therefore, the user does not always use the designated thermal paper but may use the commercially available inexpensive thermal paper. Some of these commercially available thermal papers have low sensitivity, and there is a problem that they cannot be used as recording papers because of lack of density due to lack of energization time.

In addition, various thermal recording devices are often used in offices and the like, and it is complicated to prepare designated thermal paper for each of these devices, which causes various problems in terms of work efficiency and procurement of materials. .

On the other hand, for example, the structure described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 63-165150 (a thermal printer using an ink ribbon) is directly applied to an apparatus using thermal paper, and individual energization times corresponding to all commercial thermal papers are available. A configuration is conceivable in which is set and selected and controlled. However, this complicates the configuration of the apparatus and, for example, if the operator manually changes the setting switch, a new problem of erroneous operation occurs. Therefore, in the apparatus described in this publication, the paper-side cassette is provided with a switch, and in the end, there are only a plurality of designated sheets.

As described above, conventionally, the configuration other than the designated one can be used without any problem.

The present invention focuses on the characteristics peculiar to thermal paper, solves the problem with a simple structure rather than a complicated structure that determines the type of thermal paper one by one, and a commercially available thermal paper that is inexpensive and easy to obtain. It is an object of the present invention to provide a structure of a thermal recording device that can be used and does not cause new problems such as erroneous operation.

Configuration of the Invention [Means for Solving the Problems] In order to achieve the above object, the thermal recording apparatus of the present invention controls the heating element of the thermal head by energization to change the color of the thermal paper adhered to the thermal head. In a thermal recording device for recording, a setting switch for setting whether the thermal paper is a designated one or a non-designated one and energizing the designated paper when the designated thermal paper is attached based on the setting state of the setting switch. Energization control to the heating element is executed based on time, and when a thermal paper other than the designated one is mounted, energization control to the heating element is performed for a second energization time longer than the designated paper energization time. And a two-stage switching energization control means for executing.

[Operation] According to the thermosensitive recording apparatus of the present invention, the operation of the setting switch and the two-step switching energization control means causes the energization according to the second energization time when the thermal paper other than the designated thermal paper is mounted. As a result of the control, the heating element generates heat at a temperature higher than that corresponding to the designated paper energization time. Therefore, the thermal paper other than the designated one is printed darker than the designated paper energization time. As a result, it is possible to record dark eyes even with a thermal paper having low sensitivity. It should be noted that in the case of thermal paper, it is not necessary to consider crushing of characters and the like, unlike a material to which ink is melted by heat and attached. Therefore, a thermal paper having a high sensitivity will record a fairly dark image, but there is no problem in the value of the recording even if it is too dark.

[Embodiment] Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

 First, the thermal recording apparatus will be described with reference to FIG.

The thermal recording apparatus comprises a platen 2 and a line thermal head 3 which are disposed so as to face each other between a pair of opposing frames 1, 1 '. The platen 2 is fixed to a platen shaft 4 which is rotatably installed on the frames 1 and 1 ′, and a platen drive wheel 5 attached to one end of the platen shaft 4 and a platen drive wheel 5 are stretched. A step motor 7 fixed to the frame 1 via a belt 6 provided.
Driven by

In use, platen 2 and line thermal head 3
The heat-sensitive paper 8 is arranged between and. In the thermal recording apparatus, the thermal paper 8 is conveyed in the direction perpendicular to the platen shaft 4 by the rotation of the platen 2 and the energization control is executed to the line thermal head 3 to record information.

Next, the electrical configuration of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3.

As shown in FIG. 2, the line thermal head 3 has a plurality of heating elements Ha to Hz. These are the 1st-4th
The energization blocks STR1 to STR4 are grouped into four groups, and energization is controlled by the control system.

The thermal recording device has a control system that performs this energization control.
As shown in FIG. 3, a CPU 41 that is the center of control, a ROM 42 that stores a program for controlling this device, a RAM 43 that functions as a work memory when operating this device and that stores image information. Is provided with a logical operation circuit.

The CPU 41 has a pulse generation circuit 4 for generating a predetermined pulse.
5, four pulse blocks STR1 to STR1 of the line thermal head 3 in response to signals from the pulse generation circuit 45 and the CPU 41
A block selection circuit 46 that selectively sends the above-mentioned pulse to STR4 and a data latch circuit 47 that latches the image information data sent from the CPU and sends it to each heating element Ha to Hz of the line thermal head 3. It is connected. Under the control of the CPU 41, the heating elements Ha to Hz generate heat only during the period when the data latch circuit 47 and the block selection circuit 46 are instructed to turn on the power at the same time.

Further, the pulse generation circuit 45 includes an A circuit and a B circuit which are selected alternatively. The circuit A is for performing energization control corresponding to normal energy sufficient to cause the specified thermal paper to develop a color at a reference density or higher. The B circuit is for performing energization control corresponding to the maximum energy of this device.

Further, the CPU 41 is connected with a binary setting switch 48 for instructing whether the mounted thermal paper 8 is a designated one or a designated one. In the present embodiment, the setting switch 48 is of a slide type and is of a type that an operator directly sets / changes manually.

Next, the actual operation will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

First, it is determined by the setting switch 48 whether the designated thermal paper or the other thermal paper is mounted (step 1; hereinafter, steps are omitted and simply referred to as S1 and the like). When it is determined that the designated thermal paper is attached, the circuit A of the pulse generation circuit 45 is selected and the energization control is executed (S2). This control is continued as it is until the recording for one page is completed (S3), and when the recording for one page is completed, the process returns to the process for confirming the setting switch 48 again.

On the other hand, when it is determined in S1 that the setting switch 48 is other than the designated thermal paper, the B circuit of the pulse generating circuit 45 is selected and the energization control is executed (S4). . Also in this case, the energization control by the circuit B is continued for one page as it is (S5).

The state of this energization control is shown in the timing charts of FIGS. 5 (A) and 5 (B).

That is, when the A circuit is selected because the designated thermal paper is mounted, the first energization group STR1, the second energization group STR2, the third energization group STR3, the fourth energization group ST
An ON signal is sequentially sent to R4 in accordance with a relatively short first energization time Δt1 corresponding to energization energy (FIG. 5 (A)). On the other hand, when the B circuit is selected because the thermal paper other than the designated one is mounted, the first energization group STR1, ..., And the fourth energization group STR4 are sequentially compared to each other in correspondence with the maximum energy. The ON signal is transmitted according to the second conduction time Δt2 which is extremely long (FIG. 5 (A)).

As a result, the designated thermal paper was recorded with normal energy as indicated by a white circle (◯) in FIG. 6, and the state was clear at a density higher than the reference density. In addition, for non-designated thermal papers and low-sensitivity thermal papers having a lower sensitivity than the designated thermal papers, as shown by a black circle (●) in FIG. Recording was performed in a clear state above the standard density. Furthermore, even in high-sensitivity thermal paper, which has a higher sensitivity than specified thermal paper, energization control corresponding to the maximum energy is performed, and as shown by the double circle (◎) in Fig. 6, recording in a considerably dark and clear state Was done. Note that FIG. 6 also shows, for reference, a case where a sheet other than the designated thermal paper is recorded with normal energy.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, dark and clear recording can be performed even on ordinary commercial thermal papers other than those specified. Moreover, the sensitivity of the commercially available thermal paper may be lower or higher than that of the designated one. As a result, in the apparatus of this embodiment, there is no problem even if a commercially available thermal paper is used as the thermal paper, and the thermal paper used for other thermal recording devices in the office can be shared. Therefore, a common thermal paper can be used at a low cost, there is no need to manage the paper for each device, and it is extremely convenient in the procurement of materials.

Moreover, it is only necessary to make a very simple judgment as to whether or not the thermal paper is as specified, and the work does not make a mistake in setting. At the same time, since there is a choice between normal energy and maximum energy, there is an excellent effect that information on the circuit configuration and the energization time in the ROM 44 can be simplified.

Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to this, and various modes can be adopted without departing from the scope of the invention.

For example, in thermal paper other than the designated one, the energy corresponding to the maximum energy may be adopted as the second energization time even if it is not the maximum energy. Also, the second energization time may be longer than that for normal energy, and
Of the commercially available thermal papers, the lower limit of the sensitivity of the thermal paper that can be used in the apparatus may be set. In other words, if it is possible to switch to the second energization time corresponding to energy higher than normal energy for other than the designated thermal paper, the condition of usable thermal paper is widened and the sharing of the paper with other devices is possible. And so on. From the viewpoint of maximizing the performance of the device, it is desirable to set the maximum energy or an energy corresponding to it.

Further, the setting switch 48 is not limited to a manual slide switch, and for example, some mark such as a bar code is attached to the edge portion of the designated thermal paper, and when this mark is detected by the sensor, normal energy is used. The energization control may be performed, and when the mark is not detected, the energization control may be performed with the maximum energy.

Further, as the setting switch 48, a soft switch using an EEPROM as a readable / writable storage element can be used.

Effect of the Invention As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to perform dark recording on a thermal paper other than the designated one, and as a result, the range of usable thermal papers is widened. Moreover, since the configuration is such that the control of the thermal paper is a designated one or the other one, it is possible to simplify the apparatus itself and prevent the control by mistake.

As described above, according to the present invention, by adopting a novel configuration that has never existed by properly grasping the properties of low-sensitivity and high-sensitivity devices using thermal paper, material procurement is convenient and workability is improved. It is excellent in that it can prevent erroneous judgments and does not complicate the apparatus.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the platen portion of the thermal recording apparatus of the embodiment, FIG. 2 is a circuit configuration diagram showing the circuit configuration of the thermal head, and FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the same control system.
FIG. 4 is a flow chart of control processing executed by the control system, FIG. 5 (A) is a timing chart showing the control state for specified thermal paper, and FIG. 5 (B) is the same for control of thermal paper other than specified. FIG. 6 is a timing chart showing the state, and FIG. 6 is a graph showing the color development state of thermal paper having different sensitivities. 2 …… Platen 3 …… Line thermal head 8 …… Thermal paper 41 …… CPU 45 …… Pulse generation circuit 46 …… Block selection circuit 47 …… Data latch circuit 48 …… Selection switch

Claims (1)

(57) [Scope of utility model registration request] 1. A heating element of a thermal head is energized and controlled,
In a thermal recording apparatus that changes the color of a thermal paper that is in close contact with the thermal head for recording, a setting switch for setting whether the thermal paper is designated or not designated, and based on the setting state of the setting switch, When the specified thermal paper is attached, the energization control to the heating element is executed based on the specified paper energization time. A two-stage switching energization control means for executing energization control to the heat generating element in the energization time of 2.