JP2693491B2 - Web screen number counting method - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial applications]

The present invention relates to an improvement in a method for counting the number of screens of a web, such as a color film which is a sublimation type recording material of a thermal transfer printer, in which screens of a fixed length are sequentially printed in the longitudinal direction.

[Prior art]

The color film, which is a sublimation type recording material as described above,
Three colors of blue-based colors, red-based colors and yellow-based colors, or four colors obtained by adding black to these colors are sequentially dye-printed on a polyethylene film having a thickness of several μm in a fixed length for each color. Here, in some color films as described above, a pigment mark of one color is printed as a positioning mark when used in a thermal transfer printer. Further, the color film as described above is generally used for a printer by winding a small roll from a printed original roll on a small winding bobbin. In this small winding process as well, the color film on which the pigment mark is printed detects the pigment mark printing portion, and thereby the predetermined number of screens is wound on the small winding bobbin. On the other hand, there is also a color film on which the above-mentioned pigment mark printing is not performed. In the case of such a color film, it is necessary to count the number of screens in the dye-printed portion of the above three colors or four colors. As the screen number counting means, conventionally, a photoelectric sensor has been used, and a counter is counted up by detecting a dark color portion including the above-mentioned black and blue system colors to count the number of screens. The reason why both the black and blue system colors are read by the photoelectric sensor as described above is that the difference in the densities of the black and blue system colors is small, and the photoelectric sensor as described above cannot distinguish them.

[Problems to be solved by the invention]

By the way, as described above, in the color film on which the pigment mark is not printed, for example, due to misregistration of printing, originally, the colors should be continuous without a gap or overlap, but a gap may occur between adjacent colors. Also, there is something that causes overlap. For example, if there is a gap between black and blue colors, the photoelectric sensor counts one screen as two screens. Further, when the red-based color and the yellow-based color overlap with each other, they become a subtractive color mixture, so that there is a problem that the photoelectric sensor detects this as a dark color portion and the counter is counted up.

[Object of the invention]

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned conventional problems, and the number of screens of the web is such that the number of screens is not miscounted even when a gap or an overlap occurs between adjacent colors due to misregistration of printing. The purpose is to provide a counting method.

[Means for Solving the Problems]

When the photoelectric sensor detects the dark color portion of the web sequentially printed in the longitudinal direction in the dark color including at least the latter of the black color and the blue color, the red color and the yellow color, the counter is counted up by "1". In the method of counting the number of screens of the web, detecting the feed amount of the web, ignoring the photoelectric sensor output between the dark color part to the middle of the yellowish color part, to the middle of the yellowish color part The counter is counted up by "1" by the first detection of the dark color area after the completion of the length measurement.

[Action]

In the present invention, the output signal of the photoelectric sensor is ignored up to the middle of the yellowish color portion, and the counter is counted up at the first dark color portion after the yellowish color portion, so that it is between the black and blue system colors. No miscount occurs even if there is a gap or if there is a color overlap between red and yellow colors.

【Example】

Hereinafter, a method for counting the number of screens of a web according to the present invention will be described with reference to an apparatus for carrying out the method. As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the apparatus of this embodiment is provided between the small roll bobbin 14 for winding the color film 12 unwound from the original roll 10 of the color film and the original roll 10. At the position, the black of the color film 12 (below
It is attached to a photoelectric sensor 16 capable of detecting a portion dyed and printed in Bk) and cyan (hereinafter referred to as C) colors, and a touch roller 18 rollingly contacting the outer periphery of the color film 12 wound on the small winding bobbin 14. An encoder 20 for detecting the number of revolutions of the touch roller 18, a signal processing circuit 22 for processing output signals of the photoelectric sensor 16 and the encoder 20, and an output signal from the signal processing circuit 22 for the color film 12 It is composed of a screen counter 24 for counting the number of screens. The color film 12, as shown in FIG.
The Bk portion, the C portion, the M portion, and the Y portion are dyed and printed in the order of the same length in the longitudinal direction of the film. The signal processing circuit 22 counts the output signals from the encoder 20 and outputs a signal when a certain number is reached, a counter 25, and a signal generator that outputs an ON signal for a certain period from the time when the signal from the counter 25 is input. AND the device 26 and the ON signal from the signal generator 26 and the dark part detection signal from the photoelectric sensor 16 are both input, and outputs a trigger signal.
It is composed of a circuit 28 and a pulse generator 30 which outputs a pulse signal of "1" to the screen counter 24 when the trigger signal from the AND circuit 28 is inputted. The photoelectric sensor 16 is Bk in the color film 12.
When a portion and a portion C, that is, a dark portion is detected, a detection signal is output. The encoder 20 detects the feed amount of the color film 12 from the rotation speed of the touch roller 18.
That is, the encoder 20 is, for example, 1 mm of the color film 12.
A signal of 1 pulse per is output to the counter 25. Further, the counter 25 starts counting from the Bk portion of the color film 12, outputs a signal when counting up to the middle of the Y portion, and is reset. That is, when the distance from the starting point of the Bk section of the color film 12 to the starting point of the next Bk section is 310 mm, the counter 25 is reset from 0 to 250 mm, that is, when 250 pulses are counted, and the signal is simultaneously generated. The signal is output to the container 26. The counter 25 is also reset when the pulse signal from the pulse generator 30 is input. Next, the process of counting the number of screens of the color film 12 by the apparatus of the above embodiment will be described. For example, as shown in FIG. 3 (A), a gap 32 exists between the Bk portion and the C portion due to misregistration during printing of the color C portion, and an overlapping portion between the C portion and the M portion. The case of counting the number of screens of the color film 12 having 34 will be described. First, as shown in FIG. 3B, the photoelectric sensor 16 outputs a signal that rises at the Bk portion, falls at the gap 32, rises again at the C portion, and rises at the next Bk portion. On the other hand, a counter 25 that counts the output of the encoder 20
As shown in FIG. 3 (C), after counting 250 pulses set from zero, that is, 250 mm of the color film 12, the signal generator is reset and at the same time reset.
Output signal to 26. The signal generator 26 rises in response to a signal from the counter 25 and outputs an ON signal for a certain period of time, as shown in FIG. This fixed time is about the time for sending the length of one color in the color film 12. At this time, in the color film 12, the middle part of the Y part is
It is in the position of the photoelectric sensor 16. The counter 25 is further 60 mm of the color film 12, namely 60.
When counting the pulses, the photoelectric sensor 16 detects the tip of the Bk portion and the output signal thereof rises. On the other hand, since the ON signal of the signal generator 26 continues, the rise of the sensor output signal of the photoelectric sensor 16 causes
A signal is input to the D circuit 28 from both the signal generator 26 and the photoelectric sensor 16 at the moment when the photoelectric sensor 16 detects the tip of the Bk portion. Therefore, the AND circuit 28 outputs a signal to the pulse generator 30, and the pulse generator 30 outputs a pulse signal to the screen counter 24 as shown in FIG. Therefore, the display of the screen counter 24 is counted up by one by this, and the area from the Bk portion to the next Bk portion of the color film 12 is counted as one screen. The pulse signal from the pulse generator 30 is also input to the counter 25, and the counter 25 is reset. In the above process, since the photoelectric sensor 16 has the gap 32 between the Bk portion and the C portion, the photoelectric sensor 16 falls once and then rises again as shown in FIG. vessel
Since the ON signal is not output from 26, the rising edge of the signal at the position of the gap 32 is ignored. Therefore, the number of screens of the color film 12 can be accurately counted. Further, in the above-described embodiment, for example, the M portion has a gap between the C portion and the Y portion due to misregistration during printing, and an overlap occurs between the Y portion and the photoelectric sensor 16. Similarly, when it becomes a dark area, counter 25
Since the output signal of the photoelectric sensor 16 up to the middle of the Y portion can be canceled, the number of screens of the color film 12 can be accurately counted in this case as well. Although the encoder 20 is attached to the touch roller 18 in the above embodiment, it may be attached to the pinch roller 36 between the small winding bobbin 14 and the original roll 10, for example. Further, in the above embodiment, the color film 12 is B
It is dyed and printed in each color of k, C, M and Y, but the present invention is not limited to this, and is a blue system color including cyan, a red system color including magenta, and a yellow system including yellow. It is generally applied to counting the number of screens of a web printed in three colors or four colors obtained by adding black to these. Further, in the above-described embodiment, the signal processing circuit 22 is replaced by the counter 2
5.It is composed of a signal generator 26, an AND circuit 28, and a pulse generator 30. It is not limited to the configuration of the embodiment as long as the output signals of the photoelectric sensors up to can be ignored.

【The invention's effect】

Since the present invention is configured as described above, the number of screens of a web in which dark colors including blue colors, red colors and yellow colors are sequentially printed is accurately counted even if misregistration occurs during printing. It has an excellent effect of being able to.

[Brief description of the drawings]

1 is a schematic side view showing an apparatus for carrying out the method for counting the number of screens of a web according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an electric circuit in the apparatus, and FIG. 3 is a printing state of a color film. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a process of processing a signal corresponding thereto. 10 …… Fabric roll, 12 …… Color film, 14 …… Small bobbin, 18 …… Tatch roller, 20 …… Encoder, 22 …… Signal processing circuit, 24 …… Screen counter.

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. When a photoelectric sensor detects the dark color portion of a web sequentially printed in the longitudinal direction in a dark color including at least the latter of black and blue colors, a red color and a yellow color, a counter is set to "1". In the method of counting up the number of screens of the web by counting up, the feed amount of the web is detected, the photoelectric sensor output between the dark part and the middle of the yellow part is ignored, and the yellow part is detected. A method for counting the number of screens of a web, wherein the counter is counted up by "1" when the dark portion is first detected after the length measurement up to the middle of the colored portion is completed.