JP2766773B2 - Recording apparatus and recording method using the same - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a recording apparatus (printer) for recording (printing and printing) on a recording medium using a transfer medium such as a multi-pass thermal transfer ribbon capable of repeatedly performing pass printing several times, and a recording apparatus for the recording apparatus The present invention relates to a recording method by an apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, as a thermal transfer type ink ribbon (hereinafter, simply referred to as a ribbon) as a transfer medium, a multi-pass thermal transfer that can repeatedly perform pass printing by using a portion used once for printing again. Ribbons are being developed.

[0003] Such a multi-pass thermal transfer ribbon enables a pass printing to be repeated several times on the same ribbon by performing a special treatment on the ribbon. Compared to the usual single-pass thermal transfer ribbon that had to be performed, it is economical as much as possible and can be ecologically preferable.

In order to perform printing using a thermal printer, which is a conventional recording apparatus, using such a multi-pass thermal transfer ribbon, the following is required. First, the multi-pass thermal transfer ribbon wound in a single turn is set on the ribbon supply shaft side, one end of which is pulled out and passed between the thermal head and the platen to be fixed to the ribbon take-up shaft.

Then, the multi-pass thermal transfer ribbon is
Conveyed in one direction in synchronization with the printing operation and gradually wound up with the ribbon take-up shaft, and when all the ribbons have been taken up, remove the taken-up ribbon from the ribbon take-up shaft and again It is set on the ribbon supply shaft side again, and the same printing operation is repeated.

[0006]

However, the multi-pass thermal transfer ribbon once used for printing is removed from the ribbon take-up shaft side and set again on the ribbon supply shaft side, and the printing operation is performed again with the same ribbon. When performed, it is economical because the ribbon is not wasted, but depending on the winding state, there is a problem that the ribbon itself may not be usable even though its life is sufficient. .

For example, it is good when the ribbon which has completely moved to the ribbon winding shaft side is wound finely as shown in FIG. 11a, but the winding state of the ribbon 27 is changed in the axial direction as shown in FIG. 11b. The conical portion 27 gradually shifts to one side.
When a is formed, if the ribbon is used again, the ribbon will meander, causing ribbon wrinkles, and the winding state will become more conical and loose (buzzy), and it will be rolled up again. It can no longer be used.

[0008] Further, there is a risk that the winding state may become loose, or in some cases, the film may be wound in a wrinkled state. Furthermore, even with such a multi-pass thermal transfer ribbon, the print density gradually decreases each time it is used. It is sometimes difficult to determine when to replace the ribbon with a new one because it is necessary to actually use and print before printing.

Therefore, in order to always maintain the print quality at a certain level or higher, it is necessary to record the number of uses each time the ribbon is set on the supply side and reused. Therefore, it is troublesome to use a multi-pass thermal transfer ribbon in such a conventional printing apparatus.

If the ribbon breaks at the stage when the ribbon has been wound up to some extent, the ribbon is separated into two at that time while both are still usable.

In such a case, usually either one of them is continuously used, but in this case, since the total length of the ribbon is short, the ribbon set on the supply side can be used at a relatively early stage. When all of them are lost, the ribbon must be re-set frequently and handling becomes troublesome. In addition, the other, which has been separated, is kept during that time, and if it is not always used, it will be wasted.

Even if the ribbon does not break, the capacity of the ribbon to be set on the supply shaft side is determined in advance by the mounting space and the like. In the middle of the process, the ribbon on the supply side runs out.

In such a case, it is necessary to move the wound ribbon again to the supply side and set it again in the middle of printing. There was a problem that it became worse.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and enables a transfer medium, such as a ribbon, which can be printed (recorded) to be used for its entire life without being discarded. The purpose is to.

Then, once the transfer medium is set, there is no need to repeatedly set the transfer medium or record the number of times the transfer medium has been repeatedly used, so that it is not necessary to worry about the exchange time of the transfer medium. The purpose is to.

It is another object of the present invention to prevent the transfer medium on the wound side from being wasted when the transfer medium is cut off to a certain extent after being wound up. Still another object of the present invention is to make it possible to perform all printing on a once set transfer medium without changing the transfer medium even when a large amount of printing is performed continuously.

Further, at the stage before the start of formal printing, allowable limits of printing quality such as print density and blur are set. It is another object of the present invention to always maintain print quality above a set level.

[0018]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a recording apparatus as described above, wherein recording means for applying energy to a transfer medium to perform recording on the recording medium; A transfer medium reverse transport amount information managing means for managing reverse transport amount information in a reverse direction opposite to the forward direction toward the recording means; and a transfer medium capable of transporting the transfer medium in the forward direction and the reverse direction. when conveying direction is provided with a transfer medium conveying means for conveying according to the reverse conveyance amount information managed on the transfer medium opposite conveying amount information management unit.

The transfer medium reverse conveyance amount information management
The step is transported in the forward direction when the recording step is performed by the recording means.
Transfer medium that measures the transport amount of the transfer medium that is sent and used
Body-direction transport amount measuring means and used length of transfer medium
Set the transfer ratio of the transfer medium in the reverse direction with respect to
Transfer medium reverse transport rate setting means and transfer medium reverse transport rate setting means
Set value of the setting means and measurement of the transfer medium forward conveyance amount measuring means
The transfer amount of the transfer medium in the reverse direction is controlled based on the
And a transfer medium reverse conveyance amount control means.

Further, the recording apparatus is provided with the above-described transfer medium reversely.
In order to determine the set value by the conveyance rate setting means,
A means to operate before starting the recording operation.
Means that the transfer medium is printed every time a predetermined length of data is recorded on the recording medium.
It is transported in the reverse direction by a fixed ratio to the predetermined length,
Reverse transfer of the transfer medium that repeats the printing of the specified length
A test print means for rate setting is provided .

Further, the transfer medium forward conveyance amount measuring means may be constituted by a transfer medium supply shaft rotation amount measuring means for measuring a rotation amount of a transfer shaft of the transfer medium or a member interlocked with the supply shaft.

Further , regular recording is performed by the recording device.
Before starting the operation, the test media
Perform several test prints by lint
It can use up to those recorded on transfer media that has been reused several times
Determine in advance whether it is the limit and based on the result of the determination
The transfer medium is returned in the reverse direction by the transfer medium reverse conveyance rate setting means.
Transfer rate, and transfer medium transfer means
The body is transported in the same direction while
A predetermined length of data is recorded on the recording medium by the recording means.
After that, the transfer rate set by the transfer medium reverse transfer rate setting means
If necessary, transport the transfer medium in the opposite direction, and then
While transferring the transfer medium in the forward direction, the transfer medium is placed on the recording medium.
Also provides a recording method that repeats recording at a fixed length.
You.

[0023]

According to such a recording apparatus and its recording method, the reverse transport amount information in the reverse direction opposite to the forward direction toward the recording means is managed by the transfer medium reverse transport amount information managing means, and the predetermined amount is determined. Every time the recording of the length is completed, a percentage of the length used for the recording (printing) of the predetermined length on the transfer medium is returned in the reverse direction based on the management information, and then returned in the forward direction again. Since the sheet is conveyed and the next printing is repeatedly performed, the transfer medium can be repeatedly used up to the usage limit in one set.

Therefore, it is not necessary to set the transfer medium only once, and it is not necessary to set the transfer medium on the supply side again after use and reuse the transfer medium. In addition, the number of times of use is recorded each time, and it is convenient to avoid having to worry about the timing of replacing the transfer medium with a new one.

Further, when the transfer medium is cut off in the middle, the side of the cut transfer medium which has passed the recording means has already reached the use limit and need not be stored. It is only necessary to dispose of, so that the trouble of management can be saved.

Further, the transfer medium reverse transport amount information managing means is constituted by transfer medium forward transport amount measuring means, transfer medium reverse transport rate setting means, and transfer medium reverse transport amount control means.
When the recording step is performed by the recording unit, the transfer amount of the transfer medium conveyed and used in the forward direction is measured by the transfer medium forward direction conveyance amount measurement unit, and the measurement result and the transfer medium reverse conveyance rate setting are performed. The transfer medium reverse transport amount control means controls the transport amount of the transfer medium in the reverse direction according to the transfer ratio of the transfer medium in the reverse direction to the used length of the transfer medium arbitrarily set by the means .

Therefore, regardless of the amount of transfer medium used,
Each time the printing of a predetermined length is completed, the transfer medium can be transported in the reverse direction at a fixed rate arbitrarily set by the user, and the transfer medium can be used again for printing.

Further, the transfer medium forward-direction transport amount measuring means includes:
If constituted by a transfer medium supply shaft rotation amount measuring means for measuring the rotation amount of the transfer medium supply shaft or a member interlocked with the supply shaft, those rotation amounts are measured only during recording of a predetermined length, and the measurement is performed. The transfer amount of the transfer medium in the reverse direction can be controlled by the transfer ratio in the reverse direction arbitrarily set by the transfer medium reverse transfer rate setting means with respect to the result. Therefore, every time the recording of one unit (predetermined length) is completed regardless of the remaining amount of the transfer medium on the supply side, the transfer medium can always be accurately returned to the supply shaft by a fixed amount.

Further, since the transfer medium reverse conveyance rate setting test print means is provided , before the normal recording operation is started, first, the transfer medium reverse conveyance rate setting test print means uses the recording medium by the recording means. Each time a predetermined length of recording is performed, the transfer medium is transported in the reverse direction by a fixed ratio to the predetermined length, and a test print in which printing of the predetermined length is repeated can be performed.

[0030] Therefore, the serial the test print of the regular
If several units are performed before the recording operation is started , the first unit is all recorded on an unused transfer medium, and the first unit is recorded with an increased number of transfer media repeatedly used in the recording order. It will be. Therefore, it is possible to determine beforehand how many times the recording medium that has been reused can be used, while observing it,
Based on the determination result, the transfer rate for returning the transfer medium in the reverse direction can be set by the transfer medium reverse transfer rate setting means,
High printing quality can be obtained.

[0031]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of a recording apparatus showing one embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a left side view of the recording apparatus, and FIG. 3 is a plan view thereof.

In this recording apparatus, a thermal head 2 shown in FIG. 1 as recording means is swingably held on a main frame 1 via a head holding member (not shown). Then, the head holding plate 3 integrated with the thermal head 2 is pressed and urged toward the platen 5 by the leaf spring 4 to press the thermal head 2 against the platen 5 with a predetermined pressing force.

The platen 5 is rotatably supported by a main frame 1 at one end of a shaft portion 5a and a platen sub-frame 6 shown in FIG. On both sides of the shaft portion 5a, head positioning collars 7, 7 are respectively rotatably mounted.

A platen gear 8 is fixed to one end (left side in FIG. 2) of the shaft portion 5a, and the platen gear 8 is engaged with a motor gear 11 fixed to a rotating shaft 10a of the motor 10. . The motor 10 is fixed to the motor sub-frame 9.

Further, the motor gear 11 is meshed with a gear 12 fixed integrally with the sleeve 13, and the sleeve 13 is rotatably fitted to a shaft 39 fixed to the motor sub-frame 9.

A gear 15 into which a one-way clutch 14 is press-fitted is mounted on the outer periphery of a portion of the sleeve 13 projecting from the gear 12. The gear 15 meshes with a gear 17, and the gear 17 is rotatably mounted on a ribbon winding shaft 16 rotatably supported on the main frame 1 and the motor sub-frame 9 via bearings. Have been.

On the right side surface of the gear 17 in FIG.
The friction member 18 is fixed. On its right side, a disk 19 having a step is not rotatable relative to the ribbon take-up shaft 16 and is movable only in the axial direction of the ribbon take-up shaft 16 (in the horizontal direction in FIG. 2). It is installed in a state where it is combined. These three members are pressed against each other by the urging force of the compression coil spring 20.

Therefore, the rotational force of the gear 17 is transmitted to the disk 19 via the friction member 18, and the ribbon winding shaft 16 rotates to form a multi-pass thermal transfer ribbon (hereinafter simply abbreviated as a ribbon) as shown in FIG. 27) is wound up.

The multi-pass thermal transfer ribbon 27 is such that a pass used once for printing (recording) can be repeatedly printed by using a portion used for printing again. Making it possible is possible.

The arrows attached to the respective gear systems in FIG. 1 indicate the rotation direction when the label Ra as the recording medium is discharged and when the ribbon 27 is wound. In the case of this rotation direction, the sleeve 13 and the one-way clutch 14 are in a locked state in which the motor gear 11 and the gears 12, 1
The gear system and the disk 19 relating to all the ribbon winding operations up to 5 and 17 rotate, and the ribbon winding shaft 16 rotates in the direction indicated by the arrow.

When the ribbon take-up shaft 16 for returning the wound ribbon 27 is rotated in the direction opposite to the arrow in FIG. 1, the motor 10 is held so as not to rotate with a very small current. However, the ribbon winding shaft 16,
The disk 19 rotates against the friction of the gear 17 and the friction member 18. Therefore, the ribbon 27 rewinds toward the ribbon supply shaft 21 by the rotational force of the ribbon rewinding motor 23.

The one-way clutch 14 separates the thermal head 2 from the platen 5 and reversely conveys only the label in a recording apparatus in which the platen drive and the ribbon take-up drive are performed by the motor 10 shown in this embodiment. When the thermal head 2 and the platen 5 hold the label and the ribbon in the reverse direction while holding the label and the ribbon together, the function is to interrupt the rotation transmission of the motor 10. It is unnecessary when control is not required.

The ribbon supply shaft 21 is rotated by the main frame 1 and the motor sub-frame 9 via bearings, respectively, as shown in FIG. 3 (illustration of a connecting portion from the motor gear 11 to the gear 17 is omitted). A gear 22 is provided at a portion of the ribbon supply shaft 21 located between the main frame 1 and the motor sub-frame 9.
Has been fixed.

The gear 22 is engaged with a gear 24 fixed to one of the lower sides in FIG. 3 of a rotating shaft 23a extending on both sides of a ribbon rewinding motor 23 fixed to the motor sub-frame 9. .

A slit disk 25a of the encoder 25 is fixed to the other side of the rotating shaft 23a, and a sensor of the encoder 25, which is a photo sensor, is provided at a position where a slit formed on the outer peripheral side of the slit disk 25a passes. Part 2
5b is provided so that encoder pulses can be measured.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG.
The head holding plate 3 for fixing and holding the head has leg portions 3a, 3a formed by bending both sides downward at right angles. Then, the left edge of each leg 3a, 3a in FIG.
The right and left positions of the thermal head 2 with respect to the platen 5 in FIG.

A mechanism is provided below the leg 3a of the head holding plate 3 to lift the thermal head 2 upward and separate it from the platen 5.

As shown in FIG. 2, an arm 33 is fixed to a substantially intermediate portion of a plate-like arm 32,
3 extends to the position of the leg 3a of the head holding plate 3 on the main frame 1 side. And on the tip side,
A columnar boss 35 is attached, and a columnar boss 35 is similarly attached to the upper end side of the arm 32 so as to correspond to the right leg 3a in FIG.

The arms 32 and 33 are fixed to a shaft 34 mounted between the main frame 1 and the platen sub-frame 6, and are pivoted about the shaft 34 in the direction of arrow A in FIG. It is possible.

On the other hand, a coil spring 36 is attached to the lower end side of the arm 32, and the urging force causes the arm 32 to be rotated and urged together with the arm 33 in the direction opposite to the direction indicated by the arrow A in FIG. The position is regulated at a position shown in FIG.

The coil spring 36 of the arm 32
The thermal head 2 is located above the position where the
The plunger 31 of the DC solenoid 30 is mounted to move the plunger up and away from the platen 5. When the DC solenoid 30 is excited, the plunger 31 is attracted, and the arm 32 rotates together with the arm 33 in the direction of arrow A in FIG. 1 against the biasing force of the coil spring 36. .

When the DC solenoid 30 is not operated, the bosses 35, 35 on the distal ends of the arms 32, 33 are slightly spaced from the legs 3a, 3a on both sides of the head holding plate 3. (See also FIG. 2).

In this recording apparatus, when used, as shown in FIG. 1, a ribbon 27 wound around a supply core is set on a supply shaft 21, and one end on the pull-out side thereof is connected to the thermal head 2 and the platen 5. Ribbon winding shaft 1
6. Wrap around the take-up core set in 6.

Similarly, the label Ra, which is a recording medium wound in a wound state, is set on the label supply shaft 28, and one end on the pull-out side is pulled out between the thermal head 2 and the platen 5 and held there. However, the recording medium may be paper such as a ticket or a price tag in addition to the label Ra.

In this state, the first label Ra1 is printed.
When (recording) is started, measurement of the pulse number of the encoder 25 is started at the same time. Then, as shown in FIG. 4, when the printing of the first label Ra1 is completed, the measurement of the pulse number is completed.

The number of pulses n1 obtained during this time is the amount of the ribbon 27 used for printing the first sheet, that is, the rotation angle θ1 of the ribbon supply shaft 21 rotated during this printing.
Is a substitute value for.

Next, as shown in FIG. 5, when the DC solenoid 30 is excited, the plunger 31 is attracted to the left in FIG. Thereby, the arm 32 rotatably connected to the plunger 31 via the pin,
An arm 33 integral with the arm 32 rotates in the direction of arrow A about the shaft 34 as a fulcrum.

Therefore, the bosses 35, 35 fixed to the upper ends of the arms 32, 33 respectively move, and they contact the lower edges of the legs 3a, 3a of the head holding plate 3 to lift it upward. Therefore, the thermal head 2 is separated from the platen 5.

When the motor 23 for rewinding the ribbon is rotated in the direction indicated by the arrow in FIG. 5 while maintaining this state, the ribbon 27 is rewound as indicated by the arrow in the figure. At this time, the gear 22 that rotates the supply shaft 21, the gear 24 that meshes with the gear 22, and the ribbon winding shaft 16 and the disk 19 on the ribbon winding shaft 16 side rotate in the winding direction. At this time, the motor 10 may be held in a hold state.

The rewind amount at this time is determined by a dip switch (hereinafter referred to as a dip switch) or a rotary switch.
(Hereinafter referred to as a rotary SW), or a method of inputting using a key, or the like, and can be determined by various methods according to printing conditions at that time.

In this embodiment, as an example, a case where a rotary SW is used will be described. This recording device is capable of performing a test print for judging in advance how many times a ribbon that has been reused is in a print state that can be used before starting a regular print operation. .

The drive control of each unit for performing the test print is performed by a main control unit 40 which functions as a test print means for setting a transfer medium reverse transport rate, which will be described later with reference to FIG. When performing the test print, the value of the rotary SW is set to 10, and ten test prints are performed.

In this way, printing is performed on the first label Ra1 using the unused ribbon 27. When the printing is completed, the second label Ra2 is subjected to thermal printing as described with reference to FIG. The head 2 is separated from the platen 5, and the ribbon having a length of 90% of the ribbon length used for printing on the first label Ra1 is rewound.

Similarly, for the third and subsequent labels Ra3, every time printing is completed, the thermal head 2 is separated from the platen 5 and the ribbon is rewound by 90% sequentially. FIG. 6 shows the relationship between the ten labels Ra1 to Ra10 printed in this way and the number of times the ribbon used there was used.

The ribbon used for printing the first label Ra1 is a ribbon that has been used for the first time and has not been used, so that the printing state is clear. In the printing of the next label Ra2, the portion of the ribbon used for the printing of the first sheet is used again for 90%, and
% Is the ribbon used for the first time.

Further, printing on the third label Ra3 is as follows.
80% of the 3rd part used for printing the first and second sheets
Second use ribbon, 10% second use, 1 remaining
0% is used for the first time, and printing is sequentially performed in the same manner as described above.

In FIG. 6, for the label Ra3 and thereafter,
"2" is used for the second use, "3" is used for the third use, and only the number indicating the number of uses is similarly simplified for the subsequent use. In the above example, the ratio of rewinding the ribbon was 90% of the ribbon length used for printing.
Other ratios can be set.

When printing is performed in this way, as a matter of course, the print quality, that is, the print density, etc., gradually decreases as the number of prints advances. And that one
After all zero test prints have been completed, the user visually checks the print state of the ten test prints to determine the limit of the number of usable prints. The next formal recording operation is performed according to the scale.

That is, if the user determines that the printing state of the fifth sheet is acceptable, the printing operation is started by adjusting the scale of the rotary SW to 5.

In this case, the number of repetitions of printing in this case is five. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 7, the amount of rewinding of the ribbon to be returned every time printing is completed may be 80%.
After printing the first label Ra1 with an unused ribbon that has been used for the first time, printing of the next second label Ra2 is performed using the first method.
Rewind 80% of the total length of the ribbon used in the printing of the sheet.

Therefore, printing of the second label Ra2 is performed by supplying the first use ribbon which is not used by 20%. Similarly, for the printing of the third and subsequent labels Ra3 and thereafter, a 20% unused ribbon for the first use is always supplied.

In FIG. 7, after the third label Ra3, the number of times the ribbon has been used is indicated only by numerals. As described above, when the printing operation is started by adjusting the scale of the rotary SW to 5, the rate of the ribbon rewinding amount returned every time printing is completed is 80%. The rewind coefficient K obtained is 0.8. K = 1− (1 / number of rotary SW) (1)

Therefore, as described with reference to FIG. 4, the number of pulses obtained as a substitute value of the used amount of the ribbon 27 used when printing the first label Ra1 is n1.
Motor 23 for rewinding by the number of pulses of “n1 × 0.8”
Is rotated in the direction indicated by the arrow in FIG. 5, and the ribbon 27 is rewound.

After rewinding by the predetermined length, D
When the excitation of the C solenoid 30 is stopped (OFF), the arms 32, 33 rotate in the direction opposite to the arrow A by the urging force of the coil spring 36, and the plunger 31 moves rightward in FIG. As a result, the thermal head 2 that has been pushed up by the bosses 35 via the head holding plate 3 descends and comes into pressure contact with the platen 5 again, so that the head-up state is released and the next printing can be performed.

By repeating the above operation, FIG.
When printing of the m-th label Ram is completed as shown in FIG.
As a matter of course, the winding diameter of the ribbon 27 on the supply side wound around the ribbon supply shaft 21 is reduced, and the winding side wound around the winding shaft 16 is increased.

Here, assuming that the length of the label Ra in the transport direction per sheet is L, the length of the ribbon 27 consumed for printing the first sheet is also L, and this L corresponds to FIG. The angle θ1 is replaced by the pulse number n1 as described above.

The length of the ribbon 27 used for printing the m-th label Ram in FIG. 8 is also L.
Corresponds to the angle θm in the figure, and the pulse number at this time is substituted by nm. Note that the angle θm is
Since the outer diameter of the ribbon is small, the angle θ1 in FIG.
Be larger.

The number of pulses n 1 and nm corresponding to the used amount of the ribbon 27 are naturally different because the outer diameter wound around the ribbon supply shaft 21, that is, the rotation radius of the ribbon is different. It still shows the substitute value.

Therefore, as in this embodiment, the number of pulses is re-measured for each label (predetermined length), and the pulse number at that time is used as a reference. Irrespective of this, the ribbon 27 having a predetermined length can always be rewound.

When the above-mentioned number of the rotary SW is 1, the rewinding coefficient K = 0 (see equation (1)), and the ribbon 2
Since the series of operations of this embodiment does not make sense because the tape 7 is not rewound, the operation described above is not performed in this case, and the apparatus operates as a normal printing apparatus.

Further, even when the rewind amount of the ribbon 27 can be set in the range of 1% to 100% by a key input other than the rotary SW described above, for example, the unrealistic rewind amount of 1 When a numerical value such as% or 2% is input, a normal printing operation may be performed without performing the above-described rewind operation.

Further, the case where the above-described rewinding operation of the ribbon 27 is performed every time printing of one label is completed has been described. For example, a recording medium such as a label having a short label pitch is used. In this case, it is better to rewind the ribbon every 10 sheets or 20 sheets.
Since it is more efficient to perform the process for each sheet or for a unit of a certain number of units, the recording apparatus can rewind the ribbon even under such conditions.

That is, by measuring the number of pulses corresponding to the feed amount L of the ribbon 27 for each unit of the number of sheets, completely the same control is possible.

As described above, the recording apparatus according to this embodiment is capable of performing a test print before starting a normal printing (recording) operation, and checking the print state of the test print to determine the density and the degree of blurring. The print quality of the ribbon 27 is checked in advance to determine how many times the ribbon 27 can be used according to the purpose of use, and the number of repetitions of the ribbon that can be used (the number of ribbon multi-passes) is set according to the purpose. Since the ribbon 27 is used repeatedly within the set number of times of use, it is possible to always maintain a certain print quality or higher.

Each time printing of one or a unit of a certain number of sheets is completed, printing is continued while rewinding the used ribbon 27 repeatedly by a set predetermined rewind amount. As in the case of a recording device that does not rewind after printing, there is no need to set the ribbon that has been used once for printing and all wound up on the supply side again and use it again. Can be omitted.

In the case of the conventional recording apparatus, when the ribbon once used for printing is set again on the supply side as described above, the number of times the ribbon is used at the time of setting is determined. However, according to this embodiment, the trouble can be saved.

Further, when a ribbon which has been used a relatively small number of times is cut off in the middle, conventionally, both of the cut pieces can still be used, so that it is necessary to keep one of them, so that troublesome management is required. Met. However,
According to this embodiment, the side that has passed through one of the divided thermal heads 2 has already reached the use limit and may be discarded as it is, so that no troublesome management is required at all.

Further, as described with reference to FIG. 7, in the case of printing in which the ribbon is reversed by 80%, if the ribbon 27 having a total length of 400 meters is set on the ribbon supply shaft 21 and printing is performed, for example, Since it is possible to print on a recording medium such as a label equivalent to 2,000 meters, which is five times the total length of the ribbon, with one set, it is possible to print on a large-capacity recording medium, which is suitable for unmanned operation.

Also, even when the ribbon is returned in a reverse return ratio other than the above, the ribbon can be used in the same manner as the ribbon whose length is several times as long. FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing a control system of the printing apparatus, showing only parts related to the present invention.

The main control unit 40 sends and receives signals to and from the recording control unit 41. The recording control unit 41 transmits a signal for printing based on the recording information sent from the main control unit 40. Output to the thermal head driver unit 49 to drive and control the thermal head 2 as a recording unit. Further, it functions as a transfer medium reverse transport amount information managing unit that manages reverse transport amount information in a direction opposite to the forward direction of the ribbon 27 toward the thermal head 2.

The recording control section 41 outputs a signal for driving the DC solenoid 30 for separating the thermal head 2 from the platen 5 to the DC solenoid driver section 44, and controls the driving of the DC solenoid 30.

The transport control unit 43 includes a motor driver 45
Transport motor 1 constituting transfer medium transporting means for
A signal for driving 0 is output at a predetermined timing,
By rotating the motor 10 during printing, the ribbon 2
7 is conveyed in the forward direction toward the thermal head 2.

The ribbon rewind motor control unit 46
The transfer medium functions as a transfer medium reverse conveyance amount control unit, and detects a rotation amount of a rotation shaft 23a (see FIG. 3) of a ribbon rewinding motor 23 constituting the transfer medium conveyance unit. The number of pulses is input from the encoder 25 which is a forward-direction transport amount measuring unit.

Further, in this embodiment, a signal corresponding to the number of times the ribbon is repeatedly used determined by the user is also input from the rotary SW 47 serving as the transfer medium reverse transport rate setting means.
Then, a signal for reversely returning the ribbon is output to the ribbon rewind motor driver section 48, and the motor 23 is driven to return the ribbon 27 by a predetermined amount.

FIG. 10 is a plan view similar to FIG. 3 showing an embodiment of a recording apparatus provided with a transfer medium forward conveyance amount measuring means having a different configuration, and portions corresponding to FIG. 3 are denoted by the same reference numerals. I have.

This recording apparatus is different from the embodiment shown in FIG. 3 in that a rotation axis of a motor 23 which rotates in conjunction with a ribbon supply shaft 21 on which a ribbon 27 as a transfer medium is attached is provided to a transfer medium forward conveyance amount measuring means. Slit disk 2 fixed to 23a
The photo sensor 26 is disposed at a position for detecting the peak of the teeth of the gear 22 fixed to the ribbon supply shaft 21 without using the encoder 25 having the gear 5a. The only difference is that the number of pulses corresponding to the used amount of the ribbon 27 is measured from the number.

In this case, the same effect as in the embodiment shown in FIG. 3 can be obtained. That is, the transfer medium forward conveyance amount measuring means may be constituted by a transfer medium supply shaft rotation amount measuring means for measuring the rotation amount of the ribbon supply shaft 21 or the encoder 25 which is a member interlocked with the ribbon supply shaft 21. In each of the embodiments described above, the transfer medium forward conveyance amount measuring unit is configured to measure the rotation amount on the ribbon supply shaft 21 side to which the ribbon 27 as the transfer medium is attached. The part that measures the amount of rotation is
Instead of the ribbon supply shaft 21 side, the ribbon take-up shaft 16 on the take-up side of the ribbon 27 or a member linked to the shaft may be used.

[0098]

As described above, according to the present invention, every time printing of one or several sheets of printing medium is completed, the transfer medium is moved to a predetermined position based on the reverse conveyance amount information. The recording is rewound in the reverse direction by an amount, and thereafter, recording is performed while transporting it in the forward direction.

Accordingly, if a transfer medium such as a multi-pass thermal transfer ribbon that can be used even if it is repeatedly used at the same place is used, it can be used up to the use limit where print quality can be tolerated. After passing through the means, it is sufficient to dispose of the transfer medium without resetting it on the supply side, so that the handling and workability of the transfer medium are improved.

Further, the transfer medium reverse conveyance amount information managing means is
It is constituted by a transfer medium forward conveyance amount measuring means and the transfer medium opposite the conveying rate setting means and the transfer medium opposite the transport amount control means
Therefore , at the time of performing the recording step by the recording unit, the transport amount of the transfer medium transported and used in the forward direction is measured by the transfer medium forward transport amount measuring unit, and the measurement result is transferred by the transfer medium reverse transport rate setting unit. by the transport rate in the opposite direction of the transfer medium to the length used for the transfer medium to be set arbitrarily, the transfer medium backward transport amount control means controls the conveyance amount of the above reverse transfer medium.

Therefore, regardless of the amount of transfer medium used,
Since the transfer medium can be conveyed in the reverse direction at a fixed rate arbitrarily set by the user by the transfer medium reverse conveyance ratio setting means every time the recording of the predetermined length is completed, and the transfer medium can be used for recording again. , it is possible to ensure the desired etc. All Rino print quality of the user.

Further, the transfer medium forward conveyance amount measuring means is
If constituted by a transfer medium supply shaft rotation amount measuring means for measuring the rotation amount of the transfer medium supply shaft or a member interlocked with the supply shaft, those rotation amounts are measured only during recording of a predetermined length, and the measurement is performed. Since the transfer amount of the transfer medium in the reverse direction can be controlled by the transfer ratio in the reverse direction arbitrarily set by the transfer medium reverse transfer rate setting means for the result,
Regardless of the remaining amount of the transfer medium on the supply side, the transfer medium can be accurately returned by an arbitrarily set constant amount every time recording is completed.

Further, since the transfer medium reverse conveyance rate setting test print means is provided, the transfer medium is fixed to the predetermined length every time a predetermined length of printing is performed on the recording medium before the normal printing operation is started. Transported in the opposite direction by the percentage,
Since the test print in which the printing of the predetermined length is repeatedly performed can be performed, it is possible to determine in advance how many times the reprinted transfer medium can be used while checking the limit, so that it can be determined in advance. Printing quality is obtained.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of a recording apparatus showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a left side view of the recording apparatus.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the same.

FIG. 4 is an overall configuration diagram similar to FIG. 1, showing a state in which printing of a first label Ra1 has been completed in the recording apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which the DC solenoid 30 is operated in the state of FIG. 4 to separate the thermal head 2 from the platen 5.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a relationship between labels Ra1 to Ra10 and the number of times of use of a ribbon used therein when ten test prints are performed by the recording apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the relationship between the number of times of use of the ribbon used for each label when the number of times of repeated use of the ribbon is set to 5;

8 is an overall configuration diagram similar to FIG. 1, showing a state in which printing of the m-th label Ram has been completed in the recording apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing only a part related to the present invention in a control system of the printing apparatus.

10 is a plan view similar to FIG. 3, illustrating an embodiment of a recording apparatus including a transfer medium forward conveyance amount measuring unit having a different configuration.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing a state in which the ribbon is wound neatly, and a state in which the winding state of the ribbon gradually converges toward one side in the axial direction and becomes a conical shape.

[Explanation of symbols]

2 Thermal head 5 Platen 10, 23 Motor 11 Motor gear 12, 17, 22, 24, Gear 16 Ribbon take-up shaft 21 Ribbon supply shaft 25 Encoder 27 Multi-pass thermal transfer ribbon (transfer medium) 40
Main controller 47 Rotary SW (transfer medium reverse conveyance rate setting means) Ra label (recording medium)

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (58) Field surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁶ , DB name) B41J 17/14 B41J 2/325 B41J 17/12 B41J 17/36 B41J 33/54 B41J 29/46

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] 1. A recording apparatus for performing recording on a recording medium using a transfer medium, comprising: recording means for applying energy to the transfer medium to perform recording on the recording medium; A transfer medium reverse transport amount information managing means for managing reverse transport amount information in a reverse direction opposite to the direction, wherein the transfer medium can be transported in the forward and reverse directions, and the transfer medium is transported in a reverse direction. when the example Bei a transfer medium conveying means for conveying according to the reverse conveyance amount information managed in the transfer medium opposite the conveying amount information managing means, said transfer medium backward transport amount information managing means, the recording means To
When the recording process is performed by
Transfer medium forward conveyance for measuring the transfer amount of the transfer medium
An amount measuring means, and a used length of the transfer medium.
Transfer medium for setting a transfer ratio of the transfer medium in the reverse direction
A reverse transport rate setting means and a transfer medium reverse transport rate setting means;
The constant value and the measurement result of the transfer medium forward conveyance amount measuring means,
Controls the transport amount of the transfer medium in the reverse direction based on
And a setting value of the transfer medium reverse conveyance rate setting means.
Before starting the normal recording operation.
A predetermined length of recording on a recording medium by the recording means.
Every time the transfer medium is moved by a certain ratio to the predetermined length.
Conveys in the opposite direction and repeats printing of the predetermined length
Test printing means for setting the transfer media reverse transport rate
Recording apparatus characterized by digit. 2. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein
The transfer medium forward-direction transport amount measuring unit is configured to supply the transfer medium.
A shaft that measures the amount of rotation of a shaft or a member linked to its supply shaft
Characterized in that it is constituted by a recording medium supply shaft rotation amount measuring means.
Recording device. 3. A recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein
A recording method for performing recording on a recording medium, wherein the transfer medium reverse transport ratio is set before starting a regular recording operation.
Test prints can be made simply by the setting test print
To the one recorded on the transfer medium
In advance to determine whether the limit is
Based on the result, the transfer medium reverse conveyance rate setting means
Set the transport ratio for returning the recording medium in the reverse direction, and set the transfer medium
The transfer means does not transport the transfer medium in the forward direction.
Meanwhile, the recording means conveys the recording medium conveyed in the same direction.
Recording of a predetermined length, and then the reverse transfer of the transfer medium.
Transfer medium according to the transport rate set by the transport rate setting means.
The transfer medium in the opposite direction, and then again transfer the transfer medium to the
A predetermined length of recording is performed on the recording medium while being conveyed in the forward direction.
A recording method characterized by repeating the steps.