JP3008327B2 - Thermal transfer printer and recording method thereof - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a paper, a sheet, a card and the like (hereinafter simply referred to as a "sheet") using a transfer film having a heat sublimable or heat-meltable ink.
More particularly, the present invention relates to a thermal transfer printer for recording image information such as a photograph of a person's face and characters, and a recording method therefor.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In general, thermal transfer printers include a sublimation type using a heat-sublimable dye as a coloring material and a fusion type using a heat-meltable binder and a pigment as a coloring material.

In a recording system using a sublimation type ink, an ink ribbon is formed by providing a sublimable ink layer on the surface of a base film having a heat-resistant lubricating layer on the back surface, and the image receiving layer is formed on the upper surface of the image receiving paper base. This is a system in which the sublimable dye in the sublimable ink layer is thermally diffused to the image receiving layer by the heat of the thermal head with respect to the provided image receiving paper.
In the recording method using this sublimation type ink, the amount of the dye transferred to the image receiving layer changes by adjusting the heat applied by the thermal head, so that the density gradation of the created image can be expressed. By performing multiplex recording with various kinds of inks (yellow, magenta, and cyan), a high-quality full-color image close to a silver halide photograph can be formed.

On the other hand, a recording method using a fusion type ink is as follows.
In this method, the ink ribbon is composed of a base film and a fusible ink layer, and the ink of the fusible ink layer is transferred to the image receiving paper by the heat of a thermal head. In the recording method using the fusion type ink, since the ink is almost completely transferred to the image receiving paper, extremely high sharpness can be exhibited for forming a character.

[0005] In comparison between the sublimation type and the fusion type, the sublimable dye generally has a vapor pressure even at normal temperature and normal pressure, and gradually sublimates to cause fading, resulting in a decrease in concentration. Further, there is a disadvantage that the density of a recorded image is reduced by exposure to ultraviolet rays or the like.

Therefore, conventionally, in an apparatus for manufacturing a credit card, an ID card, or the like, after image information or character information such as a photograph of a person's face is printed on the card by a thermal sublimation transfer method, the printing surface is protected. There is a recording apparatus (JP-A-3-275362) in which an overcoat is applied.

Similarly, there is known an image forming apparatus in which an image is formed on a business card sheet, a card, a postcard or the like with a first thermal head, and then a protective layer is formed with another second thermal head. (JP-A-4-299153 and JP-A-4-299166).

As shown in FIG. 31, as a first printing means, a pre-processing material such as a binder material is used as a pre-processing by heat transfer to a business card sheet supplied from a paper feeding mechanism 502 via a path 505. After the receiving layer has been formed, the receiving layer is provided with a receiving layer / image forming mechanism 503 for printing characters, figures, etc. by thermal transfer. The second printing means includes a receiving layer / image forming mechanism 503. A protective layer forming mechanism 504 for covering the protective layer with a transparent material or the like by thermal transfer on the image-formed sheet conveyed through the paper discharge path 506 is provided. A pair of a grid roller 518 and a pinch roller 519 having a large number of irregularities on the peripheral surface is disposed in a merging path portion of the paths 505 and 506, and a sheet is fed from a sheet feeding path 505 to a sheet discharging path 506 by a switching gate 515. It is configured to switch back to and send.

The receiving layer / image forming mechanism 503 transfers the sheet and the thermal transfer ribbon 521 to the head 520 and the platen 52.
9 and heat transfer with a suitable pressure. Here, the thermal transfer ribbon 521 was coated along the transport direction with one frame of the receiving material coated with the pretreatment material alone for improving the adhesion of the dye, and then with the dye in the order of yellow, magenta and cyan. A total of four frames of three frames constitute one set, and a large number of sets are continuously provided.

The protection layer forming mechanism 504 includes a head 5
35, a platen 536, and a thermal transfer ribbon 543. The thermal transfer ribbon 543 used is coated with a transparent material (post-processing material) that covers the surface of the sheet image.

On the other hand, from the viewpoint that it is uneconomical to use another head for transferring the protective layer, the heat-sensitive ink layer obtained by adding one of the three colors of yellow, magenta, and cyan, or one of black to this is used. A protective layer is formed on the same surface as these ink layers on a transfer sheet substrate that is sequentially applied, and as a result, a three-color or four-color ink layer and the protective layer are arranged face-sequentially to form a thermal transfer sheet. It has been known that the protective layer is peeled and transferred in the same manner as the thermal ink layer after the thermal ink layers of the respective colors are transferred using the thermal transfer sheet (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 1-127379). The protective layer is made of a resin and an additive which prevent re-sublimation of the sublimable dye from an image recorded on the transfer-receiving sheet and have an effect on light resistance. Examples of the resin include a polyester resin, an epoxy resin, a polyvinyl butyral resin, a sterene resin, and the like.A glass transition point or a softening point is selected from these in consideration of the degree of polymerization and the like from the viewpoint of thermal characteristics such as a softening point. It is. As an additive, a known ultraviolet absorber or the like is added for the purpose of improving light resistance.

Further, in order to take advantage of the feature of the recording method using the melt-type ink, that is, the advantage that extremely high clarity can be exhibited in forming a character or the like, the portion where the sublimation-type ink is applied to the same base and the melt-type ink are used. It is also known to form a thermal transfer ink ribbon provided with an applied portion, to thermally transfer and record an image portion with sublimation ink using this, and to thermally transfer and record a character or symbol portion with a molten ink. 2-
No. 4565).

[0013]

However, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. Hei 3-2
No. 75362, JP-A-4-299153 and JP-A-4
In the case where the protection layer is simply transferred by another thermal head as in -299166, the transfer ribbon used in the second printing means is a transfer ribbon in which a transparent material or the like is continuously provided on a base film. Become. Then, in this protective layer, at least one area equivalent to or more than the effective print area is consumed at one time for one transfer. Therefore, as shown in the figure, the transfer ribbon has a form in which the protective layer is continuously punched out from most of the area, and only the base film remains. As a result, the used ribbon is very continuous in which only the base film is connected. It will be weak. Therefore, although the thermal sensitivity is generally better as the thickness of the base film is smaller, the thickness of the base film must be made larger in order to ensure a certain degree of ease of handling after transfer of the protective layer transfer ribbon.

Further, as disclosed in JP-A-1-127379, a thermal transfer sheet in which a protective layer is arranged in a three- or four-color sublimation type ink layer in a plane-sequential manner, or as described in JP-A-2-4565, a molten-type ink is used. In the case of handling a thermal transfer sheet in which color or four-color sublimation type ink layers are arranged in a face-sequential manner, sublimation inks such as yellow, magenta and cyan, and fusion type inks such as a protective layer and black are treated with the same thermal head. Will be transcribed. However, the transfer conditions and the film peeling mechanism differ between the sublimable ink and the meltable ink. For this reason, in order to print with the same thermal head, it is necessary to set conditions for each color and each protective layer, which makes the apparatus and control complicated, and reduces the reliability in maintaining high-quality image printing.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and has a sublimation ink such as yellow, magenta, and cyan.
Separating the protective layer and the molten ink such as black as separate transfer films makes it easy to set the transfer conditions for both, and also allows the images and characters recorded on the sheet to spread.
An object of the present invention is to provide a thermal transfer printer capable of maintaining high-quality image printing without rubbing or rubbing, while reducing the thickness of a base film of a protective layer transfer ribbon.

[0016]

In order to achieve the above object, a thermal transfer printer of the present invention comprises a transfer film in which three or more monochromatic ink layers having sublimability by heating are repeatedly provided on a base film in a sequential manner. A first printing section for printing an image by thermal transfer under a thermal head on a sheet supplied from a sheet feeding section;
Using a transfer film in which a single-color ink layer and a protective layer, which are meltable by heating, are repeatedly provided face-to-face on a base film on a sheet on which an image has been formed in the printing section of And a second print section for overcoating the protective layer after printing the binary information. Further, according to the present invention,
The recording method of a thermal transfer printer uses sublimation by heating.
Ink layer on the base film
Thermal transfer to the sheet supplied using the
A first step of recording an image with the head, and the first step
The sheet on which the image is recorded
The color ink layer and the protective layer are
Using a transfer head,
After printing binary information such as characters by thermal transfer, open the protective layer.
And a second step of bar coating.

[0017]

The first printing section handles a transfer film in which three or more colors of a single-color ink layer having sublimability by heating are repeatedly provided on a base film in a sequential manner, and a single-color ink layer and a protective layer having fusibility by heating. And a second printing section that handles a transfer film that is provided on a base film in a plane-sequential manner.

Therefore, it is possible to easily set conditions for the sublimable ink layer and conditions for the fusible ink layer and the protective layer.

The thinner the base film, the better the thermal sensitivity and the better the reproducibility of the resolution of the thermal head.
m, preferably 3 to 20 μm. In the case of a transfer film having no heat-fusible ink layer and only a protective layer provided on a base film, the protective layer is consumed in a considerably large area in one frame. The strength will be very weak. Therefore, there is a limit to reducing the thickness of the base film to compensate for this. However, in the case of the present invention, what is dealt with in the second printing section is a transfer film in which a heat-fusible ink layer and a protective layer are repeatedly provided on a base film in a sequential manner. Since it is normal that only a part of the area of the fusible ink layer of one frame is consumed, the hot fusible ink layer is interposed between the consumed empty protective layers, and The deterioration of the physical strength of the material is avoided.

[0020]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Printer unit 1 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2
Constitutes a part of a card manufacturing device such as a credit card or an ID card.
As shown in FIG. 4, a magnetic encoding recording unit 2 and a stocker unit 3 are connected in cascade to the printer unit 1.

As shown in FIG. 3, the printer unit 1
A card supply section 10 for sending out a flat plastic card C before a printing process, and a card C sent out by the card supply section 10 heats a color image with an intermediate gradation such as a photograph of a person's face. A first printing section 20 for printing by a sublimation transfer method, and a second printing for further printing a black and white binary image such as characters on the card by a hot-melt transfer method and also overcoating a protective surface on a printing surface. And a section 30. In addition,
The flat card has a stiffness enough to be cantilevered.

As suggested in FIG. 3, the card supply section 10 feeds an unprocessed card stocker 11 for storing cards before printing in the form of a laminate C1, and one card at a time from the bottom of the stocker 11. Means 12.

In the first printing section 20, as elements constituting the card transport path F, an entrance transport roller 21, a guide plate 22 (FIG. 6), a cap stun roller 23, a platen roller 24 are sequentially arranged in the card transport direction. , A cap stun roller 25 and a relay conveyance roller 29 are arranged. Of these, the cap stun roller 23, the platen roller 24 and the cap stun roller 25 are rotatable about a shaft 26 of the cap stun roller 25. The plate unit 24 is attached to the character-shaped support plate 27 and is integrated as a path unit U1 that allows the platen roller 24 located at the center of the plate to approach a first thermal head 52 whose position is fixed, which will be described later.

The second printing section 30 has the same configuration as the first printing section 20. As elements constituting the card conveyance path F, an entrance conveyance roller 31 and a guide plate 32 are sequentially arranged in the card conveyance direction (FIG. 7). , Capstan roller 33, platen roller 34, capstan roller 35
And a relay conveying roller 39, of which a cap stun roller 33, a platen roller 34, and a cap stun roller 35 are mounted on an inverted L-shaped support plate 37 that can swing about a shaft 36, and a platen roller. The rollers 34 are grouped as a pass unit U2 that can approach the second thermal head 62. Reverse L
Since the letter-shaped plates 27, 27, 37, and 37 are configured to swing left and right independently, there is no need to adjust the left and right positions in the pressing direction of the platen roller 24 with respect to the thermal head 52.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 4 denotes an opening / closing cover of the card supply section 10, 5 denotes an opening / closing cover of the first printing section 20, 6 denotes an opening / closing cover of the second printing section 30, 7
Is a front cover having an operation panel 8, and 9 is a card outlet. FIG. 2 shows a state in which these open / close covers 4, 5, 6, 7 are opened.

2 and 3, on the back of the opening / closing cover 5 of the first printing section 20, side walls 51, 51 are erected along the card traveling direction, and a first thermal head is provided between the side walls 51, 51. 52 is attached in a direction to stand upright with respect to the back surface of the cover. Also, both side walls 51, 51
Is located between the device frames 101 and 102 provided along the card traveling direction and is rotatably attached to the device frames 101 and 102 by the opening / closing shaft 53, thereby enabling the opening and closing. . Further, in order to hold the openable cover 5 in an upright state, one end of a support lever 54 is attached to one of the side walls 51, 51 by a shaft 55.
, The tip of which can be hooked on the pin 56.

The back surface of the opening / closing cover 6 of the second printing section 30 has the same structure as that of the opening / closing cover 5, and side walls 61, 61 are erected along the card traveling direction.
A second thermal head 62 is attached between the first and second thermal heads 61 so as to be upright with respect to the back surface of the cover. Reference numeral 63 denotes an opening / closing axis of the opening / closing cover 6.

Reference numeral 57 denotes a cocoon-shaped YMC film cassette, in which a YMC film 58 in which yellow (Y), magenta (M), and cyan (C) sublimable ink layers are formed at predetermined pitches in a plane sequence. Are wound in the form of a supply roll 58a and a take-up roll 58b from both ends. Reference numeral 67 denotes a wax black protective layer film cassette, in which a wax black (WBk) protective layer film 68 in which a heat-meltable wax black layer and a transparent overcoat layer are formed at predetermined pitches in a plane sequence are provided. A roll wound in the form of a supply roll 68a and a take-up roll 68b from the side is stored.

As already mentioned, the first print section 2
The thermal head 52 of No. 0 and the thermal head 62 of the second printing section 30 are respectively fixed to the back surfaces of the open / close covers 5 and 6 so that the positions do not change during use. Therefore, when the open / close covers 5 and 6 are closed, FIG.
YMC film 58 and WBk protective layer film 6
8 is constant, and the pressing force is based on the force from the platen rollers 24 and 34.

(1) Card Supply Section FIGS. 6, 9, 11 and 12 show details of the card supply section 10. FIG.

The stocker 11 has a card mounting table 11a serving as a bottom plate of the stocker and a card which is placed on a card guide table and accommodates a large number of the rectangular cards in a stacked state with the longitudinal direction thereof coincident with the feeding direction. And a storage frame 11b. The card storage frame 11b opened upward is
In order to make the card bundle easy to put in and take out, the rear part in the card feeding direction is cut out in an L-shape, thereby forming a low card surrounding frame 11c. In addition, in order to facilitate insertion and removal of the card from the card surrounding frame 11c, the card surrounding frame 11c is also notched at the center of the rear guide edge to the card mounting table 11a by a cutout 11d.

Card loading table (bottom plate of stocker) 11a
An opening 111 for installing a card feeding means 12 to be described later and an opening 112 for installing a lever-type card empty sensor S0 are formed.

The card feeding means 12 of the card supply section 10 is provided with a card feeding slider 14 which is located in the opening 11 of the card mounting table 11a and is provided so as to be able to reciprocate in the card feeding direction, and is fixed to the lower surface of the slider 14. Rack 15, a pinion gear 16 meshing with the rack 15, and a shaft of the pinion gear 16
A card supply motor M1 which is driven through the card feeders 7 and 18 to move the card feeding slider 14 in the card feeding direction;
It is composed of

The lower portion of the card dispensing slider 14 is guided and supported by the guide rod 13 below the card placing table 11a, and the upper surface of the card dispensing slider 14 is located below the card placing table 11a. A kick claw 14a is formed at the rear end of the upper surface of the card feeding slider 14 so as to protrude and extend along the rear edge. The height of the kick claw 14a is slightly higher than the upper surface of the card mounting table 11a. . Specifically, the card thickness is 0.76mm
The height of the kick claw 14a is set to 0.5 mm.

In the above configuration, when the motor M1 rotates, the slider 14 is moved through the gears 18, 17, 16, and 15.
Is driven to the left along the guide rod 13 from the position in FIG. The lowermost card C located on the card mounting table 11a of the stocker 11 is kicked by the kick claw 14a, which is the step of the slider 14, and moves to the left. After passing through the gap 19a, the sheet is sent to the next first printing section 20. The double feed preventing member 19 prevents the double feed of the card C by the gap 19a, and furthermore, makes the both sides of the gap 19a parallel planes, so that the lateral variation when the card C is manipulated. Also regulates.

With respect to the movement of the slider 14, in order to detect the outermost standby position (FIGS. 6 and 12) and the most extended position (operating position), the rear and front of the side wall of the slider 14 are detected. Sensing plate 4
1 and 42, and correspondingly, a slider position detection sensor (photo sensor) S1 for detecting the rear sensing plate 41 at the standby position, and a slider position for detecting the front sensing plate 42 at the operation position. A detection sensor (photo sensor) S2 is provided. In addition, a lever-type card detection sensor S3 is provided near the card outlet (gap 19a) in order to detect that the card has been fed out, including the case of a transparent card. S0 is a lever-type card empty sensor that detects the absence of unprocessed cards in the stocker 11, including the case of a transparent card, and the lever passes through the opening 112 as shown in FIG. And protrudes above the card mounting table 11a.

(2) First Printing Section FIGS. 5 and 6 show the details of the first printing section 20, and FIGS. 8 and 9 show its driving system.

As already mentioned, the first print section 2
0, the entrance transport roller 21 and the guide plate 2 are sequentially arranged in the transport direction of the card as elements constituting the transport path F of the card.
2, capstan roller 23, platen roller 24,
A cap stun roller 25 and a relay conveyance roller 29 are provided. Of these, the cap stun roller 23, the platen roller 24, and the cap stun roller 25 can swing left and right independently about a shaft 26 of the cap stun roller 25. The platen roller 24 is attached to the inverted L-shaped support plate 27 and is brought together as a pass unit U1 for bringing the platen roller 24 located at the center of the plate closer to the first thermal head 52.

In FIG. 6, the entrance conveying roller 21 and the cap stun roller 2 of the first printing section 20 described above are used.
A pinch roller R is disposed on each of the relay rollers 3 and 25 and the relay conveying roller 29 so as to face the roller.

When viewed in the card transport direction, the position immediately after the entrance transport roller 21 and its pinch roller R is
Card detection sensor S including light emitting device 43 and light receiving device 44
4 are provided. Immediately before the cap stun roller 23 and its pinch roller R, a card detection sensor (unit entrance sensor) S5 composed of a photo interrupter is provided.
Immediately after the capstan roller 25 and its pinch roller R, a card cue sensor (unit exit sensor) S6 composed of a photo interrupter is mounted on the inverted L-shaped support plate 37, respectively. I have. As a result, since the plate 37 and the sensors S5 and S6 for detecting the card are integrally displaced, no error occurs in the card detection position. Further, a card detection sensor S7 including a light emitting device 43 and a light receiving device 44 is provided at a position immediately after the relay conveyance roller 29 and the pinch roller R. S10 is a film detection sensor including a light emitting device 43 and a light receiving device 44, and the light emitting device 43 is provided on the opening / closing cover 5 side.

In FIGS. 5, 6 and 8, the support plate 27 of the pass unit U1 has not only the capstan roller 23, platen roller 24 and capstan roller 25 already described, but also the unit entrance of the sensor. A sensor S5 and a unit exit sensor S6 are also attached, and tilt while maintaining the relative positional relationship with respect to the transport path.

Reference numeral 28 denotes a drive mechanism for tilting the path unit U1. The drive mechanism 28 includes a cam 45 fixed to a cam shaft 45a extending in a direction perpendicular to the conveyance path, and a lower end of an inverted L-shaped leg of the support plate 27. A cam follower 46 provided on the cam 45 and operated by the cam 45; a spring 47 for urging the cam follower 46 in a direction of constantly contacting the peripheral surface of the cam 45;
An elevating motor M2 (FIG. 9) for driving the cam shaft 45a via gears 48a and 48b is provided. Further, the drive mechanism 28 enables the current position of the cam 45 to be grasped.
Sensing plate 4 with two notches in the circumferential direction
9 and corresponding cam position detection sensors S8 and S9, whereby the ascending position and the descending position of the pass unit U1 can be detected.

Referring to FIGS. 8 and 9, the entrance conveying roller 2
1. To drive the cap stun rollers 23, 24, 25 and the relay conveyance roller 29, first, a pulley 73 is provided on the shaft 26 of the cap stun roller 25, that is, the shaft 26 which is the swing center axis of the pass unit U1. Can be Then, a timing belt 72 is wound around the pulley 73 and a pulley 71 provided on the output shaft of the transport drive motor M3. In addition, pulleys 73a, 7
3b and the shaft 2 of the entrance conveyance roller 21 and the relay conveyance roller 29
Timing belts 74 and 76 are wound around pulleys 21b and 29b provided on 1a and 29a, respectively.
Further, another pulleys 26 a and 26 b provided on the shaft 26 and the shafts 23 of the capstan roller 23 and the platen roller 24
The timing belts 75a and 75b are wound around pulleys 23b and 24b provided on the a and 24a, respectively.

The motor M4 (FIG. 9) is a YMC film 5
8 to the pulley 77, the timing belt 78, the pulley 7
9, a film winding motor driven by a gear 80 coaxial with the pulley, a gear 81 provided on the shaft of the winding roll 58b, and a gear 82 provided on the shaft of the film driving roller 84 (FIG. 5). In order to detect the rotation speed of the film winding motor M4, an encoder plate is provided on the motor shaft, and a rotation speed sensor S1 for detecting the encoder plate is provided.
2 are provided.

The motors M1, M2 and M4 are DC motors, but the drive motor (card transport motor) M3 of the card transport system is a pulse motor. This is to enable precise feeding of the card transport system and precise grasp of the feeding amount. The feed amount of the YMC film 58 is grasped by an encoder 83 having an encoding disk 83a and a photo interrupter 83b which rotate in synchronization with the pulley 79, that is, in synchronization with the winding roll 58b.

The shaft of the gear 80 (the winding bobbin shaft) and the gear 82
(The shaft of the film drive roller 84) and the supply roll 5
8a, the torque limiters Ta, Tb,
Tc is arranged. Each magnitude relationship is expressed as Tb> (T
a = Tc), and the change in the winding force due to the film winding amount and remaining amount is minimized. Also,
An encoder is provided on the shaft of the take-up motor M4 to keep the take-up speed constant, thereby eliminating the influence of the take-up speed on film sagging, oversupply of the supply roll, and separation of the film and the card.

(3) Second Printing Section FIG. 7 shows the details of the second printing section 30 and FIG. 10 shows a drive system thereof.

The second printing section 30 has the same configuration as the first printing section 20. As elements constituting the card transport path F, an entrance transport roller 31, a guide plate 32, and a cap stun roller are sequentially arranged in the card transport direction. 33, a platen roller 34, a cap stun roller 35, and a relay conveyance roller 39 are provided. Of these, the cap stun roller 33, the platen roller 34, and the cap stun roller 35 are rotatable around a shaft 36. The platen roller 3 is attached to the
4 as a pass unit U2 that can be approached to the second thermal head 62.

A pinch roller R is disposed opposite to each of the entrance transport roller 31, the cap stun rollers 33 and 35, and the relay transport roller 39.

Reference numeral 38 denotes a drive mechanism for tilting the pass unit U2, which also has exactly the same structure as the drive mechanism 28. The drive mechanism of the card transport system is the same as that of the first printing section 20. Accordingly, components having the same function are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted.

However, a wax black protective layer film 68 is used as the transfer film. Further, a sensor corresponding to the card detection sensor S4 is substituted by the card detection sensor S7 of the first printing section 20, and is omitted here. Other sensors from S5 to S10 are the same as those of the first print section 20.

(4) Controller The controller of the printer unit 1 is shown in FIG. The control device includes a main control unit 85 mainly including a CPU and including an image memory, an image processing unit, and the like. The main control unit 85 includes the magnetic encode recording unit 2 and the like via an interface unit 86. It is connected. In addition, the main control unit 85 receives the above-described various sensors S0 to S12 and the motors M1 to M via an I / O port driver 87.
4 and a liquid crystal display device 88 are connected.
S13 is a film cassette presence / absence detection sensor, SF is a front cover open / close switch, and M is a head cooling fan motor. In order to distinguish the first head side and the second head side, the same reference numerals are given the suffixes “A” and “B”.

(5) Control Next, the control operation will be described with reference to the flow charts of FIGS.

The second printing section 30 is essentially different from the first printing section 20 only in the type of film used and the control method and conditions associated therewith. Therefore, the operation of the first printing section 20 will be replaced with the description of the operation of the second printing section 30 unless otherwise required.

(1) Card Supply Operation In FIG. 19, the program enters a card supply routine through steps (1) and (2) of initialization and command reception (step (3)).

In step (3), the card supply motor M1 and the card transport motor M3 are rotated in the forward direction (card feed direction) to feed the card. That is, the card feeding slider (card supply table) 14 is moved to the position shown in FIG.
Move to the left from the home position of card stocker 1
One card C is sent to the first printing section 20 in the next process by being hooked on the kick nail 14a from the lower end of the card C.

When the card reaches the sensor S4, the card supply motor M1 is stopped, and after waiting for an appropriate time, the card supply motor M1 which is a DC motor is rotated in the reverse direction so that the card feeding slider (card supply table) 1
Return 4 to the home position.

On the other hand, the card passes through the sensor S4 after passing between the entrance conveyance roller 21 and the pinch roller R, and is conveyed by a card conveyance motor (pulse motor) M3. At this time,
In order to reduce the transfer time, the transfer motor M3 is rotated at high speed by slow-up control.

That is, the conveyance of the card C driven from the card supply section 10 is controlled by the pulse motor M3. In a normal conveyance, the speed of the card C depends on the conveyance amount of the card C as follows. It is determined.

(A) When the carry amount is less than 17 mm, the pulse motor M3 is driven at about 600 pps by self-starting.

(B) When the transport amount is 17 mm or more, the pulse motor M3 is driven at an average transport speed of about 150 mm / s by through-up and through-down control. In addition,
At the time of printing, all of Y, M, and C perform conveyance corresponding to the resolution of the thermal head. The return of the card at the time of printing is the same as in normal conveyance.

In this card supply operation, the sensor S4
Since the distance from to the exit sensor S6 is 17 mm or more, through-up / through-down control is performed.

The above is the card supply operation.
This is the content of (3).

(2) Card leading-out at card supply After the card supplying operation, the program enters a card leading-out routine.

First, when the card reaches the unit entrance sensor S5 (step (4)), a slowdown timing is set (step (5)). Then, this is monitored, and when the deceleration timing is reached (step (6)),
That is, just before the exit sensor S6, the transport motor M3 is decelerated (step (7)). When deceleration is completed (step
From (8)), the unit exit sensor S6 is checked for each step of the pulse motor M3 (step (9)), and when the card reaches the unit exit sensor S6 (step (10)), the leading end of the card is completed. (Step (1
1)). By the way, as shown in FIG. 13, when the card C is sent and its leading end comes directly below the first thermal head 52, the rear end of the card C is
3 and the pinch roller R. That is, card C
Is the length of L, the distance between the entrance conveyance roller 21 and the cap stun roller 23 is L1, and the distance between the platen roller 24 (thermal head 52) and the cap stun roller 23 is L2, the relationship is L <(L1 + L2). Has become.

This relationship is set to ensure that the rear end of the card does not come into contact with the entrance transport roller 21 again when the card is reciprocated a plurality of times during printing. If the card that returns during printing contacts the rollers 21 and 23, the image will be disturbed by the shock at the time of contact, and this will become more pronounced at higher speeds. Therefore, print images of satisfactory color quality at high speed. Becomes impossible. Incidentally, the nip pressure in this embodiment is the
, 1.2 kg between the cap stun roller 23 and the pinch roller R, 3 kg between the cap stun roller 25 and the pinch roller R, and 0.1 kg between the relay conveying roller 29 and the pinch roller R. 6 kg
The same applies to the second printing section 30 except that the distance between the entrance conveyance roller 31 and the pinch roller R is 0.6 kg.

In the case of the configuration of this embodiment, the length L of a card that can be handled is L1 ≦ L <(L1 + L2), and all cards of such a length can be printed on the entire area of the card.

When the leading edge of the card is detected by the unit exit sensor S6, the card is moved to the head 52.
Is nipped between the cap stun roller before and after (2) and its pinch roller (23, R; 24, R), so that the impact of a shock when the card is inserted into the roller pair does not appear at the time of detecting the leading end.

(3) Printing position determination In the flow shown in FIG. 20, first, in order to determine the printing start position from the position where the leading edge has been positioned, the card is moved in the forward direction.
Judge which direction to convey in the reverse direction (step
(12)).

This determination is based on the distance between the head 52 and the exit sensor S6 (value converted into the number of steps) as shown in FIG.
Is L3, and the distance from the exit sensor S6 to the printing start position (position in the sub-scanning direction) P1 is Ystart. That is, if the distance Ystart to the printing start position P1 is equal to or longer than L3, the printing start end is determined as shown in FIG.
Since the card is located upstream of the head 52 as shown in FIG. 17A, if the card is sent in the forward direction as shown in FIG. 17A, the print start end P1 is brought directly below the head 52. Can be done. Conversely, the printing start position distance Yst
If the art is less than L3, the print start end P1 is as shown in FIG.
Since the card is located downstream of the head 52 as shown in FIG. 17A, if the card is sent in the reverse direction as shown in FIG.
The print start end P1 can be brought directly below the head 52. In short, it can be determined that Ystart-L3 ≧ 0 forward direction Ystart-L3 <0 reverse direction.

(A) In the case of forward direction In the case of forward direction, steps (12) to (13) in FIG.
Then, the number of steps PMset (= Ystart-L3) calculated in advance for positioning is set in the transport pulse motor M3 (step (13)), and the high-speed transport or the low-speed (constant speed) is performed according to the transport distance. ) Is determined (step (14)).

Here, depending on whether the set number of steps PMset for the transport pulse motor is larger or smaller than the number of steps (including margin) PMUD required for slowing up / down of the transport motor, PMset-PMUD ≧ 0 slow-up PMset- Judge that PMUD <0 constant speed.

In the case of high-speed "slow-up" transport, after setting the slow-down timing (step (15)), rotating at high speed in the forward direction (step (16)), monitoring the deceleration timing (step (18)). )). When the deceleration timing is reached, the transport motor M3 is decelerated (step (1)
9)). Thereafter, when the transport pulse motor has rotated a specified number of steps (step (20)), the motor M3 is stopped (step (21)).

If the determination in step (14) is "constant speed" transport, the printer is rotated at a constant speed in the forward direction (step (17)).
Thereafter, it is monitored whether the specified number of steps has been reached (step (20)), and when the specified number of steps has been reached, the pulse motor M3 is stopped (step (21)).

Thus, the printing position setting is completed.

(B) In the case of reverse direction The number of steps PMset calculated in advance for positioning in the conveying pulse motor M3 PMset PMset = L3-Ystart + SBK SBK: The number of overrun steps for eliminating backlash is set ( In step (22), it is determined whether the sheet is transported at high speed or low speed (constant speed) according to the transport distance (step (2)
3)). The number of overrun steps SBK is added to the value calculated in advance here for the purpose of removing backlash.

In the case of high-speed conveyance, after setting the slowdown timing (step (24)), the high-speed rotation is performed in the reverse direction (step (25)), and the deceleration timing is monitored (step (27)). When the deceleration timing is reached, the transport pulse motor M3 is decelerated (step (28)). Thereafter, as shown in (b) of FIG. 17B, when the transport pulse motor M3 rotates by the specified number of steps PMset (step (29)), the motor M3 is stopped (step (29)).
(30)).

In the case of constant-speed conveyance, the sheet is rotated at a constant speed in the reverse direction (step (26)), and thereafter, it is monitored whether or not the specified step number PMset has been reached (step (29)). When the motor M3 arrives, the motor M3 is stopped (step (30)).

For both high speed and constant speed, and thereafter,
Set the number of overrun steps SBK (PMset = SBK) for the purpose of removing backlash (step (31)),
The transport motor M3 is rotated at a constant speed in the forward direction (step (3)
2)), when the specified number of steps have been carried (step
In (33)), the motor M3 is stopped (step (34)).

Thus, the printing position setting is completed.

(4) Yellow (Y) Printing Phase In the first printing section 20, the YMC film 58 has already been applied to the first thermal head 52 with a predetermined tension. Also, during the non-printing phase, as shown in FIG. 13, the cam 45 is stationary at a position (operating position) where the peripheral surface having a large eccentric amount abuts the cam follower 46 of the pass unit U1. . As a result, the path formed by the roller pairs 23, R, 25, R of the path unit U1 is maintained at a position that is linearly coincident with the transport path formed by the other roller pairs 21, R, 29, R, and the like. In this position, the platen roller 24 is located at the first thermal head 5
2 and, to be precise, a lower position separated from the YMC film 58 by a slight gap d.

When the area of the card C to be printed enters below the thermal head 52, the thermal head 52 is energized,
Cueing by film detection sensor S10 (step in FIG. 22)
(35)) The printing phase using the first yellow (Y) ink that has been performed is entered.

That is, as shown in FIG.
Rotate 80 degrees, sensor S8 is ON, sensor S9 is OF
Stop at the point where the state becomes F. This is a rotation position where the amount of eccentricity of the cam 45 is the smallest. In other words, the cam 45 changes from the position with the largest amount of eccentricity to the position with the smallest amount of eccentricity, which is detected by the cam position detection sensors S8 and S9.

In the course of this change, the unit U1 tilts upward as shown in FIG. 14 around the shaft 26 of the cap stun roller 25 (step (37)), so that the platen roller 24 approaches the thermal head 52. Then, the surface of the card C to be printed is Y
Pressed on MC film 58. Thereafter, the cam 45 further rotates, separates from the cam follower 46 as shown in FIG. 14, and further rotates to the standby position shown in FIG. 14 and stops.

During printing, since the cam 45 and the cam follower 46 are not in contact with each other, the tension spring 47 applies pressure between the platen roller 24 and the thermal head 52. Therefore, even if the roller diameter varies, a constant pressure contact is performed.

While a predetermined information signal is supplied to the thermal head 52, the card is fed in synchronism with the feeding of the yellow (Y) ink film, and yellow (Y) printing of a desired face photograph is performed (step ()). 38)).

(5) End of Yellow (Y) Printing When the yellow (Y) printing is completed (step (39)), the cam 45 returns from the standby position to the operating position, and the platen roller 24 is separated from the thermal head 52 ( Step (4
0)). The motor M4 and the encoder 83 provide YMC
The film 58 is fed by a predetermined amount, and cueing of the magenta (M) ink area is performed (step (41)). The cue of the magenta (M) ink area is determined for each color (YM
Since the length of the ink area C) is known in advance, the length of the yellow (Y) ink area (the pulse motor M
Encoder 8 for driving pulse generation 3 and remaining unprinted image
When the number of pulses for the magenta (M) ink region is counted up, the magenta (M) ink area is set as the start position.

(6) Card leading edge printing after one color printing Subsequently, the card leading edge routine shown in FIG. 23 is entered. That is,
When the printing is completed, the position of the leading end of the card with respect to the unit exit sensor S6 is calculated in advance, and it is determined whether the exit sensor S6 has a card (step (42)).

Here, assuming that the length of the image area to be printed in the sub-scanning direction is Ysize, when the leading edge of the card is in front of the exit sensor S6 as shown in FIGS. Distance to the card tip (Ystart + Ysiz
When e) is smaller than L3, the leading edge can be detected by sending the card in the forward direction. FIG. 18B
When the leading edge of the card is downstream of the exit sensor S6 as shown in (a), that is, when (Ystart + Ysize) is larger than L3, the card is sent in the reverse direction to pass through the exit sensor S6, and then sent in the forward direction again to exit the exit sensor S6. The tip can be detected by entering the sensor S6. By doing so, also in the latter case, the tip detection can be performed under the same conditions as the tip detection in the forward direction of the former, so that an offset error of the sensor can be eliminated. In short, it can be determined that L3- (Ystart + Ysize) ≧ 0 forward direction L3- (Ystart + Ysize) <0 reverse direction.

(A) When the card is not in the exit sensor S6 (forward conveyance) As shown in FIG.
If not, move the card forward. That is, the number of steps PMset = L3- (Ystart + Ysize) is set in the transport motor M3 (step (43)), and it is determined whether the transport is high speed or low speed (constant speed) according to the transport distance (step (4)).
Four)).

In the case of high-speed transport, after setting the slowdown timing (step (45)), the high-speed rotation is performed in the forward direction (step (46)), and the deceleration timing is monitored (step (48)). When the deceleration timing is reached, the transport pulse motor M3 is decelerated (step (49)). Thereafter, the unit outlet sensor S6 is checked for each step of the pulse motor M3 from the time when the conveyance pulse motor M3 completes deceleration (step (50)) (step (5)).
1)), when the card reaches the exit sensor S6 (step (52)), the motor M3 is stopped, and the leading end of the card is completed (step (53)).

In the case of the constant speed transport, after the unit is rotated at a constant speed in the forward direction (step (47)), the unit outlet sensor S6 is checked for each step of the pulse motor M3 (step (51)), and the card is transferred. When the motor reaches the exit sensor S6 (step (52)), the motor M3 is stopped, and the leading end of the card is completed (step (53)).

(B) When the card is located at the exit sensor S6 (reverse transport → forward transport) As shown in FIG.
In the case of (1), the sheet is conveyed in the reverse direction as shown in FIG. 2 (b), and then is transported in the forward direction as shown in FIG.

That is, in step (54) of FIG. 24, the number of steps PMset = (Ystart + Ysize) -L3 + offset calculated in advance is set in the transport pulse motor M3 (step (54)), and the high-speed transport is performed according to the transport distance. Or low speed (constant speed) (step (5
Five)). It should be noted that the value calculated in advance here includes a backlash removal amount and an arbitrary offset (offset) as the number of overline steps.

In the case of high-speed conveyance, after setting the slowdown timing (step (56)), the high-speed rotation is performed in the reverse direction (step (57)), and the deceleration timing is monitored (step (59)). When the deceleration timing is reached, the motor M3 is decelerated (step (60)). After that, the card is lost in the unit exit sensor S6 (step
(61)) and when the transport pulse motor M3 has been rotated by the specified number of steps PMset (step (62)), the motor M3 is stopped (step (6)).
3)).

In the case of constant-speed conveyance, the sheet is rotated at a constant speed in the reverse direction (step (58)).
The motor M3 is stopped (step (63)) when both the card is no longer present (step (61)) and the transport pulse motor has been rotated by the specified number of steps PMset (step (62)). )).

After that, in order to detect the leading end while conveying in the same direction, an arbitrary number of steps PMset shown as offset in FIG. 18B is set (step (6)
4)), the transport motor M3 is rotated at a constant speed in the forward direction (step (65)), and the unit exit sensor S6 is checked for each step (step (66)), and the card is detected by the exit sensor S6.
(Step (67)), the motor M3 is stopped, and the leading edge of the card is completed (step (68)).

(7) Magenta (M) printing phase As shown in FIG. 25, after the printing position setting routine (step (69)) again, after setting the printing conditions (step (70)),
The unit U1 is raised (step (71)). That is,
The cam 45 is again rotated by 180 degrees from the operating position to the standby position, and the unit U1 is tilted about the shaft 26. Is pressed.

A predetermined information signal is supplied to the thermal head 52, and at the same time, the card is sent in synchronism with the feeding of the magenta (M) film, and the magenta (M) of the desired face photograph is obtained.
Printing is performed (step (72)).

(8) Cyan (C) Printing Phase When the magenta (M) printing is completed (step (73)), the cam 45 returns from the standby position to the operating position, and the platen roller 24 is separated from the thermal head 52 (step (73)). (7
Four)). The motor M4 and the encoder 83 provide YMC
The film 58 is fed by a predetermined amount, and cueing of the cyan (C) ink area is performed (step (75)). Thereafter, a card leading end processing is performed (step (76)).

Thereafter, in FIG. 26, a printing position setting process (step (77)) is performed. That is, the pulse motor M3 is rotated in the reverse direction by the predetermined amount, whereby the card is returned to the position where the start end of the print area corresponds to the thermal head 52. After setting the printing conditions for cyan (step (78)),
The cam 45 rotates again from the operation position to the standby position, and the unit U1 tilts about the shaft 26 (step (7)
9)) Therefore, the surface of the card C to be printed is pressed by the spring 47 on the YMC film 58 below the thermal head 52.

A predetermined information signal is supplied to the thermal head 52, and at the same time, the card is fed in synchronism with the feeding of the cyan (C) film, and cyan (C) printing of a desired face photograph is performed (step ()). 80)).

Thus, a complete color photograph such as a desired face photograph was printed on a predetermined area of the card.

When the cyan (C) printing, which is the last step, is completed (step (81)), the cam 45 returns from the standby position to the operating position (step (82)), and the platen roller 24
Is a lower position separated from the thermal head 52. In this state, the pulse motor M3 of the card transport system rotates forward,
The card is sent from the path of the pass unit U1 to the transport path F (step (83)).

(9) Wax Black (WBk) Printing Phase In the second printing section 30 of FIG.
Transport pulse motor M3A as in the print section
And is slowed down immediately before the unit exit sensor S6 (steps (84) and (85)). And
The printing position for printing characters by the wax black WBk on the transfer film 68 is performed in the same manner as in the case of the first print section (step (86)), and subsequently, the film on the wax black WBk surface of the transfer film 68 Cueing (step (87)) and setting of printing conditions are performed (step (88)).

When the area for printing binary information such as characters on the card C enters below the thermal head 62, the pass unit U2 of the second print section 20 is raised (step (8)
9)) is performed, the thermal head 62 is energized with character information and the like, and printing is performed with the hot-melt wax black (WBk) that has been caught by the film detection sensor S10 (step (90)).

In this case, the pass unit U2 is also raised by changing the cam 45 from the working position to the standby position as described in the first printing section 20, and during this change, the unit U2 is raised. Tilts upward about the axis 36, so that the platen roller 34 approaches the thermal head 62, and the surface of the card C to be printed is placed on the wax black (WBk) film 68 under the thermal head 62 by a spring. Pressed by only 47.

While a predetermined information signal is supplied to the thermal head 62, the card is fed in synchronization with the feeding of the wax black (WBk) film, and printing of predetermined characters and the like is performed. However, since binary information is used for characters and the like here, the transfer film 68 consumes a large amount of wax black (WBk) over the effective printing area of the card, unlike the case of transfer of the protective layer described below. As a result, as shown in FIG. 15A, only a part 681 of the total area of one frame of the black ink layer WBk on the base 680 is consumed.

In the case of the dye of the sublimation type, it can be used only in the visible light range, and therefore cannot be recognized by the infrared light of the bar code reader. Further, since the gradation can be expressed, the edge is blurred. However, in the case of the hot-melt wax black, there is an advantage that it is less bleeding than a sublimation type dye, so that a clear character can be drawn, and that it can be recognized even by light other than visible light.

(10) Overcoat Printing Phase When the wax black (WBk) printing phase ends, the cam 45 returns from the standby position to the operating position, and the platen roller 34 is separated from the thermal head 62 (step (91)). The film 68 is fed by a predetermined amount by the motor M4 and the encoder 83 (FIG. 9), and the cueing of the overcoat area is performed (step (92)). Since the lengths of each wax black and the overcoat area are known in advance, when the number of pulses corresponding to the length of the wax black area is counted up, the start position of the overcoat area is determined. ing.

Subsequently, the printing position of the protective layer is determined (step (93)), and the pulse motor M3B of the card transport system is returned in the reverse direction by a predetermined amount, whereby the card is moved to the start of its print area. Is returned to a position corresponding to the thermal head 62. After setting the printing conditions for the protective layer (step (94)), the pass unit U2 in the second print section is raised (step (95)). That is, the cam 45 rotates again from the operation position to the standby position, and the unit U
2 is tilted about the axis 36, so that the surface of the card C to be printed has a film 68 under the thermal head 62.
It is pressed upward by a spring 47.

When the thermal head 62 is energized,
The card is fed in synchronization with the feeding of the protective layer film 68, and the printed area on the card is overcoated with a transparent resin film by thermal transfer (step (96)). afterwards,
The pass unit U2 is lowered (step (97)), and after the card ejection routine (step (98)), the number of prints is counted (step (99)), and the completion of printing is confirmed (step (100)). , The program ends.

The overcoat prevents the card from suffering from fading of the photo print area and the like and damage from the outside.

In this case, as shown in FIG. 15A, the protective layer OC is consumed on an area scale 682 sufficient to cover a photographic pictorial image already formed with the sublimable ink. Therefore, when the transfer film is formed of the protective layer OC without the region of the black ink layer WBk, the protective layer is consumed in a large area one after another as shown in FIG. 15B and disappears from the base film. Therefore, the film to be wound is weak.

However, in this case, between the top 682 where the protective layer OC is greatly consumed as described above,
Since there is a frame of the black ink layer WBk in which only a part 681 of the entire area is consumed, a decrease in the strength of the entire transfer film after use is suppressed. This means that mechanical strength can be ensured without particularly increasing the thickness of the base film, so that sensitivity to the thermal head does not need to be sacrificed.

(11) Magnetic Recording The overcoated card C
As a result, it is carried out of the printer unit 1 from the card discharge port 9. Then, predetermined information is magnetically recorded on the magnetic surface by the magnetic encoding recording unit 2 shown in FIG. 4, and the magnetically recorded cards C are sent to the stocker unit 3 and stacked.

In the above embodiment, the first print section 2
The peeling time for the transfer film 58 or 68 was not particularly different between the thermal head 52 of No. 0 and the thermal head 62 of the second printing section 30. However, according to the experiments performed by the present inventors, the timing at which the transfer film 58 or 68 separates from the sheet directly affected the quality of image formation. Then, as shown in FIG. 30, when this was examined as a function of the peeling angles θ1 and θ2, the following was found.

That is, the transfer film 6 of the wax black protective layer is more than the good peel angle θ1 of the transfer film 58 using the yellow, magenta, and cyan dyes as coloring materials.
8, the better peel angle θ2 is smaller, and θ1>
θ2.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 30, a guide member 621 is protruded from the side wall of the second printing section 30 on the downstream side of the thermal head 62, thereby reducing the peeling angle θ2 and the timing of peeling from the sheet. Are configured to lag behind the case of the first thermal head 52.

The conditions can be set differently because a transfer film using a dye of yellow, magenta, and cyan as a coloring material, and a transfer film of wax black and a protective layer are separately handled. This is the effect. For the same reason, the temperature adjustment of each head is also performed in steps (36), (70), (78) and steps (88), (9).
4) and can be easily performed respectively.

[0122]

[0123]

[0124]

[0125]

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an external view of a thermal transfer printer according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the thermal transfer printer of FIG. 1 with an opening and closing cover thereof opened.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of a thermal transfer printer incorporated in the card manufacturing system.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing units connected in cascade to a thermal transfer printer in the card manufacturing system.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a pass unit portion of the thermal transfer printer according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a configuration diagram of a card supply section and a first printing section of the thermal transfer printer according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a configuration diagram of a second printing section of the thermal transfer printer according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a plan view showing a drive system of a portion of a first print section in FIG. 6;

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a drive system of a portion of a card supply section and a first printing section of FIG. 6;

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a drive system of a second printing section of FIG. 7;

FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing a card supply section.

FIG. 12 is a plan view showing a card supply section.

FIG. 13 is a view showing a state in which a printing section of the present invention is not printed.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a printing section of the present invention when printing.

FIG. 15 is a view illustrating a wax black protective layer transfer film according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an outline of a control device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating a method of detecting a print start edge in the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating a method of detecting the leading edge of a sheet according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 19 is a diagram showing a part of a control flow (card leading end routine) in the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 20 is a diagram showing a part of a control flow (printing position setting routine) in the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 21 is a diagram illustrating a part of a control flow (print position determination routine) according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 22 is a diagram showing a part of a control flow in the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 23 is a diagram showing a part of a control flow (card leading end routine) in the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 24 is a diagram showing a part of a control flow (card leading end routine) in the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 25 is a diagram showing a part of a control flow in the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 26 is a diagram showing a part of a control flow in the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 27 is a diagram showing a part of the control flow of the second print section.

FIG. 28 is a diagram illustrating a part of the control flow of the second print section.

FIG. 29 is a diagram showing a part of the control flow of the second print section.

FIG. 30 is a diagram for describing a peeling angle of a thermal head.

FIG. 31 is a schematic view of a conventional thermal transfer type business card sheet printer.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Printer unit 2 Magnetic encoding recording unit 3 Stocker unit 4 Card supply section opening / closing cover 5 First printing section opening / closing cover 6 Second printing section opening / closing cover 7 Front cover 8 Operation panel 9 Card outlet 10 Card supply section 11 Not yet Processing card stocker 11a Card mounting table (bottom plate of stocker) 11b Card storage frame 11c Card surrounding frame 11d Notch 12 Card feeding means 13 Guide rod 14 Card feeding slider 14a Kick claw 15 Rack 16 Pinion gear 17, 18 Gear 19 Double feed prevention member 19a Clearance 20 First Printing Section 21 Inlet Conveyance Roller 21a Axis 22 Guide Plate 23 Cap Stan Roller 23a Axis 23b Pulley 24 Platen Roller 24a Axis 24b Pulley 5 Cap Stan Roller 26 Shaft (Swinging Center Shaft) 26a, 26b Pulley 27 Reverse L-Shaped Support Plate 28 Drive Mechanism 29 Relay Transport Roller 29a Shaft 30 Second Printing Section 31 Inlet Transport Roller 32 Guide Plate 33 Cap Stan Roller 34 Platen Roller 35 Cap stun roller 36 Shaft (oscillation center axis) 37 Support plate 38 Drive mechanism 39 Relay conveyance roller 41, 42 Sensing plate 43 Light emitting device 44 Light receiving device 45 Cam 45a Cam shaft 46 Cam follower 47 Spring 48a, 48b Gear 49 Sensing plate Reference Signs List 51 side wall 52 first thermal head 53 opening / closing axis 54 support lever 55 axis 56 pin 57 YMC film cassette 58 YMC film 58a supply roll 58b take-up roll 61 side wall 62 second thermal head C 63 Open / close axis 67 Wax black protective layer film cassette 68 Wax black (WBk) protective layer film 68a Supply roll 68b Take-up roll 71 Pulley 72 Timing belt 73, 73a, 73b Pulley 74 Timing belt 75, 75a, 75b Timing belt 76 Timing Belt 77 Pulley 78 Timing belt 79 Pulley 80, 81 Gear 82 Gear 83 Encoder 83a Encoding disk 83b Photointerrupter 85 Main control unit 86 Interface unit 87 I / O port 88 Liquid crystal display 101, 102 Device frame 111, 112 Opening C card C1 Stack U1, U2 Pass unit M1 Card supply motor M2 Elevating motor M3 Card transport motor (pulse motor) M4 Winding motor Pinch roller S0 Lever type card empty sensor S1 Slider position detection sensor S2 Slider position detection sensor S3 Lever type card detection sensor S4 Card detection sensor S5 Card detection sensor (unit entrance sensor) S6 Card cue sensor (unit exit sensor) S7 card Detection sensor S8, S9 Cam position detection sensor S10 Film detection sensor S12 Rotation speed sensor P1 Print start end P2 Print end L3 Distance between head and exit sensor (step number conversion value) Ystart Distance from exit sensor to print start end P1 (Step number) (Converted value) Ysize Length of the image area to be printed in the sub-scanning direction (converted value of the number of steps) SBK Number of overrun steps for removing backlash 502 Feed mechanism 503 Receiving layer / image forming mechanism 504 Protective layer formation Machine 505 Paper feed path 506 Paper discharge path 515 Switching gate 518 Grid roller 519 Pinch roller 520 Head 529 Platen 532 Belt 533 Driving pulley 621 Guide member 680 Base film 681 Consumed portion of black ink layer WBk 682 Consumption of protective layer OC part

────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of front page (56) References JP-A-61-171370 (JP, A) JP-A-3-275363 (JP, A) JP-A-6-64347 (JP, A) JP-A-6-64347 344583 (JP, a) JitsuHiraku flat 5-78585 (JP, U) (58 ) investigated the field (Int.Cl. ^7, DB name) B41J 2/32 - 2/325 B41J 17/00 B41M 5/26 B41M 5/38-5/40

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. Using a transfer film in which three or more colors of a single-color ink layer having sublimability by heating are repeatedly provided on a base film in a face-to-face manner, a thermal transfer is performed under a thermal head to a sheet supplied from a paper feeding section. A first printing section for printing an image, and a monochromatic ink layer and a protective layer, which are meltable by heating, are provided on a base film on a sheet on which an image is formed in the first printing section, in a face-to-face sequence. And a second printing section for printing binary information such as characters by thermal transfer under a thermal head using a transfer film and then overcoating a protective layer. 2. A thermal transfer printer in which images and characters are recorded by a thermal head on a sheet supplied using a transfer film in which an ink layer is formed in a plane-sequential manner, an ink layer having sublimability by heating is formed on a base film . Surface order
Next, a first step of recording an image with a thermal head on a sheet supplied using a repetitively provided transfer film, and a single-color ink layer having a melting property by heating the sheet on which the image is recorded by the first step. And a second step of overcoating the protective layer after printing binary information such as characters by thermal transfer with a thermal head using a transfer film having a layer and a layer repeatedly provided on a base film in a sequential manner. Recording method of a thermal transfer printer.