JP2557524B2 - Next-color cueing device for ink sheet - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a next color cueing device for a heat-meltable or heat-sublimable ink sheet wound around a bobbin, which is used in a thermal transfer memory type color printer or the like. It is a thing.

[Conventional technology]

A conventional next-color ink cueing device for this type of ink sheet will be described below by taking a thermal transfer recording type color printer using a thermally sublimable ink sheet as an example.

FIG. 2 is a side view of a thermal transfer recording type color printer. In the figure, 1 is a thermally sublimable ink sheet, 2 is a winding bobbin of the ink sheet 1, 3 is a supply bobbin of the ink sheet 1, and 4 is A thermal head, 5 is a platen roller, 6 is a recording paper, and 7 is a holding device for the recording paper 6. A plan view of the ink sheet 1 is shown in FIG.

A conventional next-color cueing device of the thermal transfer recording type color printer configured as described above will be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIG. 2, the principle of the thermal transfer recording type color printer is that the ink sheet 1 and the recording paper 6 are pressed by the thermal head 4 and the platen roller 5, the ink sheet 1 is heated by the thermal head 4, and the yellow Y, magenta M Then, the ink is transferred onto the recording paper 6 by sequentially superimposing them in the order of cyan C. In order to transfer the three colors in an overlapping manner, the ink sheet 1 needs to be at the beginning of the next color when the recording paper 6 makes one rotation and returns to the original position. Therefore, conventionally, after printing, the thermal head 4 and the platen roller 5 press the
The next color was cued by idly feeding the ink sheet 1 by the next color cuing length 1B.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention]

As described above, in the conventional apparatus, the conveyance force of the platen roller is used for the next color cue of the ink sheet, and therefore, in addition to the actual print length 1A, the next color cue length 1B of the ink sheet is used. However, there is a problem that the diameter of the platen roller becomes large because it is necessary as a conveying distance of the platen roller.

The present invention has been made in order to solve the problems of the conventional ones described above, and the next color development of the ink sheet can be independently detected only by the ink sheet system. An object of the present invention is to obtain a next-color cueing device for an ink sheet that can reduce the transport distance of the platen roller corresponding to the cueing length.

[Means for solving the problem]

The next-color cueing device for an ink sheet according to the present invention is configured such that a plurality of coloring agents, which are wound around a bobbin, are repeatedly applied in a predetermined order in a predetermined order, at a predetermined coating length, at a predetermined interval, and repeatedly. A length equal to the paper feed amount of the recording paper in the printing operation of the color immediately before the next color of the ink sheet provided with the mark indicating the position of the head of the first color of the above-mentioned plurality of color materials The rotation angle sensor for detecting the rotation angle of the supply side or the winding side bobbin with respect to the constant feed amount, and the rotation angle of the bobbin necessary for finding the next color from the rotation angle detected by the rotation angle sensor with respect to the constant feed amount. And a means for driving the ink sheet motor until the rotation angle stored in the calculation and storage means is reached when the next color is cued.

[Action]

In the present invention, a plurality of coloring agents wound around the bobbin are repeatedly applied in the moving direction in a predetermined order with a predetermined coating length and a predetermined interval, and each of the plurality of coloring agents is repeatedly coated. Of the ink sheet provided with the mark indicating the position of the head of the first color, the supply side or A rotation angle sensor for detecting the rotation angle of the winding side bobbin, and means for calculating and storing the rotation angle of the bobbin necessary for finding the next color from the detected rotation angle of the rotation angle sensor with respect to the constant feed amount.
When the next color is cued, the ink sheet motor is driven until the rotation angle stored in the calculation and storage means is reached. Can be detected. Here, since the paper feed amount of the recording paper in the printing operation and the length from the position where the printing operation of the previous color of the next color is completed to the head of the next color are both known values, Based on the ratio of two known values and the rotation angle of the bobbin with respect to the constant feed amount of the printing paper, the rotation angle of the bobbin necessary for the next color cue can be accurately obtained, and the cue of the next color can be accurately obtained. It is possible to find the next color from the rotation angle of the bobbin with respect to the constant feed amount of the ink sheet having the length equal to the paper feed amount of the recording paper in the printing operation of the color immediately before the next color. Since the rotation angle of the bobbin required for is calculated to find the next color,
If there is a detection mark that indicates the position of the first color, the detection mark is not required for the subsequent cueing of the colors, so there is no need to provide a detection mark for each color. Since the feed amount of the ink sheet is controlled by the
DC motors can be used.

〔Example〕

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. First
FIG. 1 is a block diagram for explaining the basic configuration of an ink sheet next-color producing device according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, 8 is an encoder (rotation angle sensor) that converts the rotation angle of the bobbin of the ink sheet into a pulse and outputs the pulse.
When the CPU (arithmetic means, motor driving means) 9 winds the ink sheet by the motor 11, the pulse output from the encoder 8 is stored in the storage element (storage means) 10.

The operation of the next color cueing device of the present embodiment as described above will be described with reference to FIG. The ink sheet supplied by the supply side bobbin 3 is repeatedly coated with the coloring material in the order of yellow Y, magenta M, and cyan C, and the head of yellow Y is detected by the position display mark (not shown).
At the time of printing, the head of yellow Y and the head of the recording paper are conveyed in synchronization with each other, and an ink sheet having a predetermined paper feed amount is wound by the bobbin 2. At this time, the coloring material is transferred to the recording paper 6 by the thermal head 4. Since the length of the ink sheet fed at this time is constant, the diameter of the ink sheet on the supply side decreases as the remaining amount of the ink sheet decreases, and the rotation angle of the bobbin on the supply side at that time increases.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, the CPU 9 receives a signal from the paper transport system indicating that the transfer of a predetermined amount of paper has been completed, so that the length required for printing, that is, the length equal to the paper feed amount of recording paper, is set. The rotation angle of the bobbin of the ink sheet at the time of feeding is detected as the number of pulses by the encoder 8, and the printing length, that is, the length 1A equal to the paper feed amount of the recording sheet and the next color cue length 1B of the ink sheet are detected. Utilizing the fact that and are known, the CPU 9 obtains the number of pulses necessary for finding the next color by calculating the number of detections based on the ratio of both lengths 1A and 1B,
This is stored in the storage element 10 and compared with the number of pulses output from the encoder when the ink sheet is wound by the motor 11 after printing is completed, and the motor is driven until the number of stored pulses matches. By doing so, the next color cue of the ink sheet 1 is performed.

As described above, according to this embodiment, the rotation angle of the bobbin with respect to the constant feed amount of the ink sheet is detected during the printing operation,
After printing each color, the next color cue of the ink sheet is detected using the detected rotation angle of the bobbin, so that the next color cue of the ink sheet can be detected independently by the ink sheet system alone. The next color cue length of the ink sheet can be greatly reduced, and the transport distance of the platen roller corresponding to the next color cue length of the ink sheet is reduced.

It should be noted that, in the above-mentioned embodiment, only the structure constituted by the rotary movement type as shown in FIG. 2 has been described.
It is needless to say that this is particularly effective in the case of a reciprocating type in which only the actual print length can be conveyed.

Further, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the installation location of the encoder for detecting the rotation angle of the bobbin is not particularly described, but it goes without saying that it may be provided on either the supply side or the winding side bobbin.

〔The invention's effect〕

As described above, according to the next-color cueing device for an ink sheet according to the present invention, a plurality of coloring agents wound around a bobbin in a moving direction, in a predetermined order, with a predetermined coating length and a predetermined interval. Of the recording sheet in the printing operation of the color immediately before the next color of the ink sheet which is repeatedly applied and is provided with a mark indicating the position of the head of the first color of the plurality of colorants for each of the repetitions. A rotation angle sensor that detects the rotation angle of the supply-side or winding-side bobbin with respect to a constant feed amount that is the same length as the paper feed amount, and the next color equalization based on the rotation angle detected by the rotation angle sensor with respect to the above-mentioned constant feed amount. Is provided with a means for calculating and storing the rotation angle of the bobbin necessary for the above, and a means for driving the ink sheet motor until the rotation angle stored in the above-mentioned calculation and storage means is reached when the next color is cued. Al, there is easily detected effectively the head of the next color independently in only the ink sheet system.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the basic structure of a next color cueing device for an ink sheet according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a principle diagram of a thermal transfer recording type color printer, and FIG. 3 is a plan view of an ink sheet. Is. In the figure, 1 is a thermally sublimable ink sheet, 2 is a winding bobbin for the ink sheet 1, 3 is a supply bobbin for the ink sheet 1, 4 is a thermal head, 5 is a platen roller, 6 is a recording paper, 7 is a holding device, Reference numeral 8 is an encoder, 9 is a CPU, 10 is a storage element, and 11 is an ink sheet winding motor. The same reference numerals in the drawings indicate the same or corresponding parts.

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A plurality of coloring agents are arranged in a predetermined direction in a moving direction.
Repeated application with a predetermined coating length and a predetermined interval,
For each of the repetitions, an ink sheet provided with a mark indicating the position of the head of the first color of the plurality of coloring materials is used, and the ink sheet is fed by an amount equal to the paper feed amount of the recording paper during printing. In an apparatus for printing, it is an apparatus for cueing the next color of an ink sheet, and is a sheet feed amount of the recording sheet in the printing operation of the ink sheet wound around the bobbin in the color immediately before the next color. A rotation angle sensor that detects the rotation angle of the supply-side or winding-side bobbin with respect to a constant feed amount having the same length, and a bobbin necessary for finding the next color from the rotation angle detected by the rotation angle sensor with respect to the constant feed amount. A means for calculating and storing the rotation angle of the ink sheet motor and a means for driving the ink sheet motor until the rotation angle stored in the calculation and storage means is reached for finding the next color. The following color cueing device of the ink sheet, characterized in that.