JP2652849B2 - How to correct incorrect records - Google Patents

Description

Description: TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to an erroneous recording correction method for correcting an erroneous recording by heating a correction medium with a thermal head.

<Related Art> In recent years, with the rapid development of the information industry, various information processing systems have been developed, and recording methods suitable for the respective information processing systems have been developed. One of such recording methods is a thermal recording method in which a thermal head generates heat in accordance with an image signal, and is widely used in small-sized recording apparatuses such as facsimile machines and printers.

When correcting erroneous recording in the recording apparatus, it is preferable to remove the erroneous recorded image from the recording paper. For example, in the case of a daisy-wheel type typewriter, a pressure-sensitive adhesive tape is used, and the erroneously recorded image is adhered to the adhesive tape by driving the tape into the erroneously recorded image, and the tape is peeled off from the recording paper, thereby causing an erroneous recording. The recorded image is peeled off from the recording paper and corrected.

<Problems to be Solved by the Invention> However, in a recording apparatus using a thermal head, the pressure contact force between the head and the recording paper is weak, so that an erroneous recorded image may be adhered to the pressure-sensitive adhesive tape. Have difficulty. Therefore, the correction method of peeling off the erroneous recorded image from the recording paper uses the pressure-sensitive adhesive tape in the daisy-wheel type recording device, whereas the recording device using the thermal head reduces the adhesiveness by heating. It is known to correct an erroneously recorded image using a developing correction medium.

In the method of correcting an erroneously recorded image in which correction is performed using such a correction medium, various problems have occurred due to heat storage of the thermal head.

As a method of applying heat when correcting an erroneously recorded image using the correction medium, a method of selecting and driving all heating elements on a thermal head, a method of performing correction such as so-called solid recording,
There is a method in which erasing is performed by selecting and driving only a recording element corresponding to a dot on which a recording image exists, among all the heating elements of the thermal head.

In the former method, as the scanning of the thermal head progresses, the heat storage in the thermal head also progresses,
As a result, the amount of heat applied to the correction medium is relatively increased, and the adhesive strength is increased, so that not only the recorded image on the recording medium but also the surface of the recording medium, that is, the fibers on the recording paper surface may be peeled off. Was.

Further, in the latter method, the heat storage state differs for each recording element on the thermal head, which causes variations in the adhesiveness of the correction medium, and may cause correction unevenness of the recorded image. . That is, due to the variation in the magnitude of the heat accumulated due to the energizing energy, the recorded image partially remains or the fibers on the recording paper surface are partially peeled off.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems, and in a recording apparatus using a thermal head, use a correction medium that develops adhesiveness by heating the thermal head, thereby enabling an erroneous recording image to be properly corrected. It is to provide a record correction method.

<Means for Solving the Problems> Means of the present invention for solving the above problems include a thermal head that generates heat by applying energizing energy, and a correction medium that has a component that generates an adhesive force due to the heat generated by the thermal head. Using a method of correcting a recording image obtained by transferring a recording material to a recording medium by the heat generated by the thermal head, a method of correcting an erroneous recording, superimposing a correction medium on the recording image,
By applying energizing energy to the thermal head while relatively moving the thermal head and the correction medium, the correction portion of the recorded image is adhered to the correction medium to be corrected, and the energizing energy is continuously applied. Is applied during the start period when the power is applied while the power is sequentially reduced from the power applied at the start of the power supply.

<Operation> In the above-described means, since the energizing energy at the start of the correction is relatively high, even if the temperature of the thermal head is lowered due to heat radiation, the adhesive force of the correction medium can be expressed, and the continuous operation after the start of the correction. Since the correction is performed while sequentially reducing the energizing energy during the start period when the correction is performed, heat storage which causes a problem in the thermal head does not occur.

<Example> Hereinafter, the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIGS. 1A and 1B show an example in which the erroneous recording correction method comprising the above means is applied to a thermal transfer recording apparatus.

Reference numeral 1 denotes a recording paper serving as a recording medium. A recording image 2 is recorded on a front surface, and a back surface is supported by a back platen 3. Reference numeral 4 denotes a correction medium which corrects the recording image 2 when it is an erroneous recording, and a heat-sensitive adhesive layer 4b which expresses adhesiveness by heating is laminated on a support 4a.
It is wound around the winding roller 5a and the winding roller 5b, and is sequentially fed out in the direction of arrow A with the correcting operation. Next, reference numeral 6 denotes a serial type thermal head for heating the correction medium 4. As shown in FIG. 2, a plurality of heating elements 6b, each of which generates heat by energization, are arranged in a line near one side of a head substrate 6a. It is provided in. The thermal head 6 is mounted on a carriage 7 and presses the back platen 3 with a predetermined pressure across the recording paper 1 and the correction medium 4 and generates the heat as the carriage 7 travels in the direction of arrow B along the rail 7a. The element 6b generates heat and heats the adhesive layer 4b superimposed on the recording image 2.

The heat generation of the thermal head 6 is performed by energizing the heating element 6b in the same pattern as the recording image 2 to be corrected. At this time, the energizing energy is reduced while energizing the heating element 6b by a predetermined amount. That is, when energizing the heating element 6b continuously, energization in a predetermined start period from the start of energization is performed while sequentially decreasing the energizing energy from the reference value based on the energizing energy at the start. In a printing apparatus which scans a thermal head as shown in FIG. 2 and performs recording for each line, the start period is a predetermined number of lines from the line at which power is supplied to the point at which the heat storage of the thermal head is saturated. Means the period. For example, the third
A description will be given of a case in which a solid black recording image 2 composed of 24 × 24 dots as shown in the figure is corrected by a serial type thermal head (assuming 24 heating elements 6b) 6 shown in FIG. then, with respect to the power supply amount for the first line l ₁ as shown in the graph of FIG. 4, it will by sequentially decreased from the reference value the power supply energy to the heating element 6b to the line l ₂ to l _24. In the Figure 4 are indicated by percentages based on the current energy content for the first line l _1.

As described above, the correction is reliably performed by sequentially decreasing the energizing energy. That is, when the same energizing energy is applied during the correcting operation to the heating element 6b when heating the adhesive layer 4b, heat is generated in the head substrate 6a and the glaze layer of the thermal head 6, and the heat is stored.
Uniform heat application is not performed to the entire heating portion of 4b, and the adhesive ability of the heated adhesive layer 4b varies, and correction unevenness is likely to occur. On the other hand, when the energizing energy applied to the heating element 6b is reduced as described above, the heat storage in the head substrate 6a and the glaze layer is corrected, and the adhesive layer 4b is heated uniformly, and the adhesive property is uniformly increased by the heating. Is adhered to the recording image 2.

The recording image 2 adhered to the adhesive layer 4b as described above is peeled off from the recording paper 1 when the correction medium 4 is separated from the recording paper 1 as the carriage 7 travels, whereby the correction by lift-off is surely performed. Done in

In the above process, the heating element 6b is energized to some extent,
When the heat storage amount of the head substrate 6a and the like reaches saturation, there is no need to further reduce the energizing energy, and after that, a constant energizing energy may be applied.

Here, a method of reducing the energization energy will be described. Thermal energy E when power is supplied to the heating element 6b
Is represented by the following equation from the definition of Joule.

However, V: voltage value applied to the heating element R: resistance value per heating element t: applied pulse width Since the applied pulse width t is proportional to the heat energy according to the above equation, the pulse width t is reduced. If this is done, the energization energy will decrease. The same is true even when the applied voltage V is reduced. Therefore, the applied pulse width t or the applied voltage value V may be reduced.

Incidentally, as the heat storage in the head substrate 6a such ratio from energization start line of the energization energy applied in reducing the energization energy is corrected, the magnitude of the initial energization energy (in energizing energy to the line l ₁₎ The temperature may be appropriately set according to conditions such as the configuration of the dot matrix, the heating pattern of the correction operation, the number of dots, and the material of the head substrate 6a. Therefore, the attenuation curve of the energization energy may be a curve that can take various ratios depending on the above conditions, and it is natural that the attenuation curve is not limited to the curve shown in FIG.

Further, the driving method of the thermal head 6 described above is based on the erroneous recording image 2
Is not limited to peeling off from the recording paper 1,
The present invention can be similarly applied to a case where an erroneously recorded image is covered using a thermal transfer material having a thermal transferable ink layer containing a concealing colorant of the same color as the recording paper 1.

Next, the modified medium 4 suitably used in the recording method of the present invention.
Will be described.

The correction medium 4 is provided on the support 4a with the heat-sensitive adhesive layer as described above.
4b.

As the support 4a, a conventionally known film or paper can be used as it is, for example, a film of relatively heat-resistant plastic such as polyester, polycarbonate, triacetyl cellulose, nylon, or polyimide, cellophane, or sulfuric acid paper. Etc. are preferably used. The thickness of the support 4a is preferably about 2 to 15 μm. Further, by providing a heat-resistant protective layer made of a silicone resin, a fluorine resin, a polyimide resin, an epoxy resin, a phenol resin, a melanin resin, nitrocellulose, or the like on the surface of the support 4a in contact with the thermal head 6, the heat resistance of the support 4a can be improved. The supportability can be improved, or a support material which could not be used conventionally can be used.

As the heat-sensitive adhesive layer 4b, polyethylene, polypropylene, polyisobutylene, ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer, ethylene acrylic acid copolymer, homo- or copolymer of olefins such as ethylene-ethyl acrylate copolymer,
Or derivatives thereof, polyamide, polyester,
Polyurethane or acrylic heat-sensitive adhesives, styrene-isobutylene, styrene-butadiene, styrene-based block copolymers such as styrene-ethylene-butylene, and the like, or a mixture of two or more substances may be appropriately used.
Also, tackifiers such as alicyclic hydrocarbons, terpenes and rosins, fillers such as talc and calcium carbonate, and stabilizers such as antioxidants may be blended.

It is desirable that the thickness of the heat-sensitive adhesive layer 4b be 1 to 20 μm. If it is less than 1 μm, it does not adhere uniformly to the recorded image 2 to be corrected, and if it exceeds 20 μm, heat conduction from a heat source is disadvantageous, which is not preferable. Further, it is desirable that the heat-sensitive adhesive layer 4b has no adhesive force at room temperature, and has an adhesive force only when heated. In particular, it is preferable to prepare the above material so as to have an adhesive force only when heated to 60 ° C. or more. Adhesive strength at room temperature is not preferred because the cohesive strength of the adhesive decreases due to the installation environment of the recording apparatus.

Next, the recording image 2 to be corrected is not limited to the one using a special ink, and may be the one formed with a conventional ink. However, the recording image 2 does not penetrate into the recording paper 1 and the film-like It is desirable to form an image. For example, when recording is performed by thermal transfer, the ink to be transferred is melted by heating with a thermal head and the viscosity of the ink is rapidly reduced. When the ink penetrates the recording paper 1 to form an image, only the recorded image is peeled off. It will be difficult to take.

The main components of the ink suitable for forming the recording image 2 in the form of a film include ethylene / acrylic acid copolymers, ethylene / vinyl acetate copolymers, vinyl acetate / ethylene copolymers, and acrylic resins. , Urethane resins, polyamide resins and the like. Especially the softening temperature of the ink is 50 ~ 160
° C, and the melt viscosity is, for example, 2 to 20 at 150 ° C.
A material as high as about 10,000 cP is preferable. Here, the "softening temperature" was calculated using a Shimadzu flow tester CFT500 type with a load of 10 kg.
This refers to the temperature at which the sample starts flowing at a rate of temperature rise of 2 ° C./min, and “melt viscosity” is defined by a value measured with an E-type rotational viscometer.

Note that the recording medium 1 is not limited to paper, but may be any material such as a plastic sheet that is used in a general recording apparatus.

According to the present invention, the correction medium having the heat-sensitive adhesive property is heated by the thermal head as described above, and is adhered to the erroneously recorded image. I can do it.

Also, by reducing the application of energizing energy to the thermal head during the correction operation, the heat storage in the head is corrected, and the adhesive ability of the correction medium can be uniformly exhibited, so that erroneous recording without correction unevenness can be achieved. Correction is possible.

Next, examples of the present invention will be described, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

Example 1 First, as shown in FIG. 5, a thermal transfer material 8 in which three thermal transfer ink layers 8b, 8c and 8d having the following composition 1 were laminated on a support 8a made of a polyethylene terephthalate film having a thickness of 6 μm. Using a serial type thermal head 6 having 24 heating elements 6b arranged in a vertical line as shown in FIG. 2, a 24 × as shown in FIG. 3 is formed on recording paper under the following recording conditions.
Thermal transfer recording of 24-dot solid black recording was performed.

Here, when the thermal transfer ink layer is transferred to recording paper, the recorded image does not penetrate into the recording paper, and forms a film-like image.

In the following description, "%" and "part" representing the quantitative ratio
Is based on weight unless otherwise specified.

Next, in the structure shown in FIG. 1, a correction medium 4 in which a heat-sensitive adhesive layer 4b having the following composition 2 was coated on a support 4a made of a polyethylene terephthalate film having a thickness of 6 μm, and a thermal recording medium used for the recording The correction operation was performed using the head 6.

In the above correction operation, the energization energy applied to the heating element 4b was modulated as shown in the table of FIG.
That is, for all the heating elements 6b, energization energy of the line l ₁ is set to be a 0.1 mJ / dot, the energization amount to 100%
Will by sequentially reduced from the line l ₂ to l ₁₁ as, the line l ₁₁ after the heat storage amount reaches the saturation of such head substrate 6a is applied the same current amount of energy.

Thus, when the correction portion is continuous, when applying energizing energy continuously, energizing for a predetermined period from the energizing start line is performed, and the energizing energy at the start is set to a reference value, and the energizing energy is set to be smaller than the reference value. By applying the voltage while decreasing it sequentially, it is possible to prevent the thermal storage of the thermal head which causes a problem. Note that a predetermined period from the current supply start line, that is, a start period is a period until the heat storage of the thermal head is saturated.

As shown in FIG. 7, the method of applying the energizing energy is such that the applied pulse width corresponding to the lines l ₁ to l ₂₄ is t ₁ to t _24, and the eighth pulse is applied according to the above-mentioned table based on the initial pulse width t ₁ .
As shown in the flowchart of the figure, the pulse width was sequentially shortened. In FIGS. 6 and 8, l _i
The i-th line, alpha (l _i) is the ratio of the energization start line of the energization energy applied when the l _i, T In FIG. 7 is the pulse period, V is the applied voltage.

Here, the drive configuration of the thermal head 6 that performs the above-described correction operation will be described.

This is because, as shown in FIG. 9, the data to be recorded via the image signal buffer is transferred to the thermal head in synchronization with the clock signal output from the sequence controller, and the data is given by applying a latch signal after the transfer is completed. Set. On the other hand, a strobe signal is supplied to the thermal head in accordance with the drive pulse width calculated by the pulse width calculator while supplying a common current from the drive current controller.
Here, while the strobe signal is being output, the supplied common current flows through the heating element, and the heating element generates heat.
When the recording mode or correction mode designation signal is input to the sequence controller, this mode signal and a line synchronization signal (not shown) are input to the pulse width calculator, and FIG. 6 and FIG.
The pulse width is calculated according to the table and the flowchart in the figure and sent to the thermal head as a strobe signal.
Energize the heating element.

In the above description, the energizing energy is adjusted by modulating the pulse width. As described above, the same effect can be obtained by modulating the applied voltage (or current). In that case, the pulse width in FIG. 9 may be replaced with, for example, a voltage value, and the voltage value may be modulated by sending a voltage control signal to the drive current controller instead of the strobe signal.

As described above, the amount of energizing energy to the heating element 6b is reduced, and the thermal head 6 is moved from the support 4a side of the correction medium 4 to the thermal head 6b.
When the adhesive layer 4b is adhered to the recording image 2 by heating the recording medium 2 and then the correction medium 4 is peeled off from the recording paper 1, the recording image 2 adheres to the adhesive layer 4b and is peeled off from the recording paper 1. , Recording paper 1
The fix was completely done with nothing left above. Further, when recording was performed again on the corrected portion, a good recorded image was obtained.

Comparative Example When recording is performed in the same manner as in the first embodiment and the recorded image is corrected using the same correction medium 4 as in the first embodiment, t ₁ = t ₂ ... = T without attenuating the pulse width. ₂₄ = 1msec in line l ₁ ~l
_When the energizing energy corresponding to 0.1 mJ / dot was applied to the heating element 6b in all ₂₄ cases, only a part of the left side of FIG. 3 was corrected, and the right side was overheated, resulting in paper jam. In addition, when the energizing energy was set to 0.09 mJ / dot, no paper peeling occurred, but correction was made only to the right part of FIG. 3 due to insufficient heat, and the erasability was uneven in other parts, Some parts remain uncorrected.

Example 2 24 × 24 as shown in FIG. 10 under the same conditions as in Example 1 above.
The dot “M” recording was performed, and the recorded image was corrected using the correction medium 4 described in Example 1. Heating element 6b at this time
The energization pattern for is the same pattern as during recording,
The ratio of the energizing energy from the energizing start line was determined in accordance with the attenuation table shown in FIG. As a result, the recorded image 2 is peeled off by the adhesive layer 4b and completely erased, and further recording is performed on the erased portion.
A good recorded image was obtained.

Example 3 The same “M” recording as in Example 2 was performed, and the recorded image was corrected using the same correction medium 4 as in Example 2. The energization pattern for the heating elements 6b at this time is the same as that at the time of recording, as in the second embodiment, but the ratio of the energization energy from the energization start line attenuates from the reference value each time each heating element 6b starts to generate heat. I did it. For example the heater element 6b for heating the portion of the arrow C in FIG. 10, as shown in the attenuation curve of FIG. 11, line l ₁ and line starts each heating
energization amount of l ₁₇ is set to be 100% of the reference value, the line l ₂
It was applied to sequentially decayed to to l ₇ and line l ₁₈ to l _24.

As a result, the recorded image 2 was completely peeled off by the adhesive layer 4b and completely corrected. When the recording was performed again on the erased portion, a good recorded image was obtained.

Example 4 After printing on the recording paper 1 using a daisy-wheel typewriter, the adhesive layer 4b of the correction medium 4 was superimposed on the recorded image as in the above-described embodiment. When the correction was performed by the correction operation, the recorded image was completely removed from the recording paper. Further, when printing was performed on the portion again using the typewriter, good printing was obtained.

<Effect of the Invention> As described above, by using the correction method of the present invention,
In the recording apparatus using the thermal head, the problem due to the heat storage of the thermal head was solved, and the erroneously recorded image could be completely completely removed from the recording paper.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 (A) is a plan view showing an example of an apparatus for carrying out the method of the present invention, FIG. 1 (B) is an enlarged partial view of the periphery of the thermal head shown in FIG. 1 (A), and FIG. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a solid black recording of 24 × 24 dots, FIG. 4 is an attenuation curve of an energizing energy amount, FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of a thermal transfer material according to an embodiment, FIG. 6 is an attenuation table of energization energy according to the embodiment, and FIG.
FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining the applied pulse width according to the table shown in FIG. 8, FIG. 8 is a flowchart for reducing the energizing energy, FIG. 9 is a block diagram of the driving of the thermal head, and FIG. FIG. 11 is a graph showing another embodiment of the attenuation curve. 1 is a recording paper, 2 is a recording image, 3 is a back platen, 4 is a correction medium, 4a is a support, 4b is an adhesive layer, 5a is a delivery roller, 5b is a take-up roller, 6 is a thermal head, and 6a is a head substrate. , 6b are heating elements, 7 is a carriage, 7a is a rail, 8
Is a thermal transfer material.

Continuation of front page (72) Inventor Haruhiko Moriguchi 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Inside Canon Inc. (56) References JP-A-58-131076 (JP, A) JP-A-60-82370 ( JP, A) JP-A-60-72757 (JP, A)

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. A recording medium is transferred to a recording medium by the heat generated by the thermal head, using a thermal head that generates heat by applying energizing energy and a correction medium having a component that generates an adhesive force by the heat generated by the thermal head. An erroneous recording correction method for correcting a recording image obtained by superposing a correction medium on the recording image, and applying energizing energy to the thermal head while relatively moving the thermal head and the correction medium. By applying, the correction portion of the recorded image is adhered to the correction medium to correct the correction portion, and at the time of continuous application of energizing energy, during a predetermined period from the start of energization until the heat storage of the thermal head is saturated. Applies the energizing energy while sequentially decreasing the energizing energy from the energizing start at the time of the energizing start, and the energizing energy is applied after the predetermined period. Mistaken recording modified method characterized by applying to a constant. 2. The erroneous recording correction method according to claim 1, wherein the correction is performed by peeling off the recording image adhered to the correction medium from the recording medium.