JP4239282B2 - Stamp making device - Google Patents

Description

【００６３】
【表２】

【００６４】
また、ＥＥＰＲＯＭ２１６には、以下の式（１）に示すような温度センサ１３０で検出された温度を電圧に換算するための電圧換算式が記憶されている。（Ｖ：電圧換算値、ｐ，ｑ：正の定数でｐ＜＜ｑ）Ｖ＝ｐ×（２５−ｔ）2 ＋ｑ×（２５−ｔ） （１）
【００６５】
また、ＥＥＰＲＯＭ２１６には、以下の〔表３〕に示すような湿度センサ１３２で検出された湿度によって充電電圧値を補正するためのテーブルが記憶されている。すなわち、検出された湿度が５０％未満であれば捺印結果への影響が少ないので充電電圧の補正は行わず、５０％以上７０％未満であれば充電電圧を＋５Ｖにし、７０％以上であれば充電電圧を＋１０Ｖにする。なお、電圧補正値は固定された値でなく、印材のサイズなどの関数になっていてもよい。
【００６６】
【表３】

【００６７】
さらに、ＥＥＰＲＯＭ２１６には、以下の式（２）に示すようなコンデンサ容量Ｃを電圧に換算する電圧換算式が記憶されている。（ｋ：負の定数）Ｖ＝ｋＣ（２）
【００６８】
また、ＥＥＰＲＯＭ２１６に記憶された発光用コンデンサ２２４の充電電圧計算式とは、以下の式（３）に示すものである。（充電電圧）＝（サイズごとの基準電圧）×（キセノン管光量補正係数）＋（コンデンサ容量の電圧換算値）＋（温度変化量の電圧換算値）＋（湿度による電圧補正値）（３）
【００６９】
ここに、サイズごとの基準電圧は、スタンプ本体７のサイズひいては印材のサイズが大きくなるに従って大きくなるように設定されている。その理由は、印材のサイズが大きくなっても印材の全面にわたって均一に光を照射するためである。また、コンデンサ容量の電圧換算値をコンデンサ容量の増加とともに減少させるのは、発光エネルギー一定のもとではコンデンサ容量と充電電圧とが負の相関関係を有しているからである。
【００７０】
また、印材の周囲温度が２５℃近傍よりも高くなるにしたがって充電電圧を低くするのは、キセノン管１１の発光エネルギーを減少させて周囲温度による印材の溶融性への影響を排除するためである。換言すれば、印材は周囲温度が高いほど溶けやすいので、周囲温度が高いときにはキセノン管１１の駆動電圧を下げないと必要以上に溶融してしまう。逆に、周囲温度が低いときには、キセノン管１１の駆動電圧を上げないと溶融不足になる。そして、いずれの場合にも捺印結果の品質劣化を招くことになるからである。
【００７１】
また、印材の周囲湿度が高くなるにしたがって充電電圧を大きくするのは、湿度が高いほど印材に含まれる水分が多くなり、印材を溶融してシール部を形成する際に、この水分を蒸発させるために多くのエネルギーが必要になるからである。換言すれば、印材は周囲湿度が高いほど溶けにくくなるので、周囲湿度が高いときにはキセノン管１１の駆動電圧を上げないと必要な溶融量が得られず、十分なシールが行われず所望でない個所からインクが滲出して捺印結果の品質劣化を招くことになるからである。
【００７２】
ＣＰＵ２００は、温度センサ１３０が検出した印材の周囲温度から、式（１）に基づいて温度変化量の電圧換算値を求めるとともに、湿度センサ１３２が検出した印材の周囲湿度から、〔表３〕に基づいて湿度による電圧補正値を求める。さらに、ＣＰＵ２００は、スタンプサイズ検出センサ１４０が検出したスタンプ本体７のサイズと、式（１）から求められた温度変化量の電圧換算値と、〔表３〕から求められた湿度による電圧補正値と、ＥＥＰＲＯＭ２１６に記憶された発光用コンデンサ２２４の容量ランクと、識別手段２２２により識別されたキセノン管１１の発光性能ランクとを元に、式（２）に基づいて発光用コンデンサ２２４の充電電圧を計算する。
【００７３】
このように、本実施の形態のスタンプ作成装置１において、発光用コンデンサ２２４の充電電圧は、印材のサイズと、キセノン管１１の光量比（発光性能）と、コンデンサ２２２の容量と、印材の周囲温度および周囲湿度とに基づいて決定される。これらＥＥＰＲＯＭ２１６に記憶されたテーブルおよび計算式は、印材サイズや周囲温度・湿度、キセノン管発光性能、コンデンサ容量に応じて、キセノン管１１が適正な光量（発光エネルギー＝（１／２）×（コンデンサ容量）×（充電電圧）2 ）の光を照射するように予め決められたものである。
【００７４】
本発明において、ＣＰＵ２００と、キセノン管発光制御回路Ｌのうちのキセノン管発光用コンデンサ充電回路２１８およびキセノン管発光用コンデンサ充電電圧検出回路２２０とが、電圧制御手段を構成している。
【００７５】
次に、本実施の形態のスタンプ作成装置１の製版動作について、スタンプ作成装置１の動作フローチャートである図２０に基づいて説明する。なお、以下の動作は特に記載しない限りＣＰＵ２００からの命令により実行される。
【００７６】
まず、パーソナルコンピュータ２０１から原稿印刷および製版実行の命令を受けると、ステップＳ１において、パーソナルコンピュータ２０１から印面データを受信する。そして、ステップＳ２において、式（２）に基づいて発光用コンデンサ２２４の充電電圧が求められる。
【００７７】
次に、ステップＳ３において、キセノン管発光用コンデンサ充電回路２１８に対し、ステップＳ２で求めた発光用コンデンサ２２４の充電電圧を含む発光用コンデンサ充電信号が与えられ、発光用コンデンサ２２４への充電が開始される。そして、ステップＳ４において、サーマルヘッド５および図示しないステップモータが駆動され、受信した印面形状のデータに従って原稿フィルム８の上面にポジ原稿が印刷される。
【００７８】
次に、ステップＳ５において、印刷された原稿フィルム８が所定の製版位置に到達するようにステップモータが駆動され、原稿フィルムが所定位置に移動したかどうかが判断される。原稿フィルムが所定位置に移動したと判断されると（Ｓ５：ＹＥＳ）、ステップＳ６に進んで上蓋３６および上前蓋１０６（メインカバー）が閉まっているかどうかがフォトセンサＰＳ１からの検出信号により判断される。このステップＳ６はメインカバーが閉まっていると判断されるまで繰り返される（Ｓ６：ＮＯ）。
【００７９】
次に、メインカバーが閉まっていると判断されると（Ｓ６：ＹＥＳ）、ステップＳ７において、スタンプ本体７がスタンプ収納部７０にセットされているかが判断される。ここでは、スタンプサイズ検出センサ１４０の検出電圧が最低レベルより所定値以上大きいときにスタンプ本体７がセットされているものと判断される。スタンプ本体７がセットされていると判断されると（Ｓ７：ＹＥＳ）、続いて、ステップＳ８において、スタンプサイズが正しいかどうか、つまり、スタンプサイズ検出センサ１４０で検出されたスタンプ本体７のサイズが、パーソナルコンピュータ２０１から与えられた原稿データのサイズと一致するかどうかが判断される。スタンプサイズが正しいと判断された場合には（Ｓ８：ＹＥＳ）、ステップＳ９に進む。
【００８０】
次に、ステップＳ９において、発光用コンデンサ２２４がステップＳ２で求められた所定の充電電圧まで充電されたか、つまり発光用コンデンサ２２４の充電が完了したかが判断される。発光用コンデンサ２２４の充電電圧はキセノン管発光用コンデンサ充電電圧検出回路２２０によって検出され、この検出電圧がほとんど変化しないようになってステップＳ２で求められた充電電圧にほぼ一致するようになると、キセノン管発光用コンデンサ充電電圧検出回路２２０からコンデンサ充電完了信号がＣＰＵ２００に与えられる。ＣＰＵ２００はこのコンデンサ充電完了信号を検出することにより、発光用コンデンサ２２４の充電が完了したかどうかを判断する。
【００８１】
そして、発光用コンデンサ２２４の充電が完了したと判断されると（Ｓ９：ＹＥＳ）、ステップＳ１０において、キセノン管発光回路２１０にキセノン管発光信号が与えられてキセノン管１１が発光し、スタンプ本体７の下面に配された印材が製版され、所望の印版が形成される。なお、ステップＳ５、７、８、９のいずれかのステップにおいて「ＮＯ」と判定されたときには、キセノン管１１の発光は中止され（ステップＳ１１）、本処理が終了する。このように、キセノン管１１を発光させてスタンプ製版を行うに当たり、いくつものチェックを行うことで、誤操作によって無駄な製版動作を実行してしまうといった事態が生じないようにしている。
【００８２】
また、パーソナルコンピュータ２０１から見だしラベル印刷の命令を受けった場合には、供給口３から供給されたカットシートＣＳに対して印刷部４のサーマルヘッド５によって印面データがポジ印刷される。
【００８３】
このように、本実施の形態のスタンプ作成装置１によると、キセノン管１１の発光用コンデンサ２２４の充電電圧が、印材の周囲温度と周囲湿度と印材のサイズと発光用コンデンサ２２４の容量ランクとキセノン管１１の発光性能ランクとに応じて制御されるので、発光用コンデンサ２２４の容量ランク、キセノン管１１の発光性能ランクおよび印材の周囲温度・周囲湿度にかかわらず、印材のサイズに応じた適正な光量の光を印材に与えることができる。そのため、１つのスタンプ作成装置で形成される印版の凹凸を印材のサイズによらずにその全体にわたって常に均一にすることができる。
【００８４】
特に、本実施の形態では、温度だけではなく湿度を検出し、検出された湿度をも考慮してコンデンサの充電電圧を決定しているので、印材により細かいドット間隔（例えば６００ｄｐｉ）の画像が形成される場合であっても、湿度を考慮しない場合と比較すると画質の良好なスタンプを得ることが可能である。
【００８５】
また、パーソナルコンピュータ２０１からのデータに基づいて印面形状を決定できるので、ワープロで作成した文字はもちろん、デジタルカメラ等で取り込んだ画像情報など、プリンタに出力可能なデータならばいかなるものでも用いることができ、多種多様な印面形状のスタンプを容易に作成することができる。
【００８６】
また、本実施の形態のスタンプ作成装置１において、上述したテーブルや式（１）、（２）、（３）はＥＥＰＲＯＭ２１６に記憶されているため、ユーザによる書き換えが可能である。そのため、これらを書き換えることで、使用状態や環境変化などに対応することができる。
【００８７】
また、本実施の形態のスタンプ作成装置１において、キセノン管１１の発光性能（光量比）の補正係数やコンデンサ容量、湿度による電圧補正値は適当な数にランク分けされてＥＥＰＲＯＭ２１６に記憶されているため、これらをランク分けせずに処理する場合に比べてＣＰＵ２００による演算負担を軽減することが可能であり、演算速度が高速化されて印加電圧を極短時間で見つけ出すことができる。
【００８８】
なお、上述した実施の形態には様々な設計変更が可能である。例えば、コンデンサ２２４の充電電圧を、ＥＥＰＲＯＭ２１６に記憶されたコンデンサ容量だけまたは検出された印材の周囲湿度だけで制御するようにしてもよい。このようにしても、上述の実施の形態よりは劣るものの、装置ごとのコンデンサ容量のばらつきまたは印材の周囲湿度の変化を補償して凹凸の比較的均一な印版を有するスタンプを形成することができるようになる。
【００８９】
また、上述の実施の形態では、キセノン管１１の発光性能を光量指示部４８で指示するようにしたが、キセノン管１１の発光性能をＥＥＰＲＯＭ２１６に記憶させるようにしてもよい。
【００９０】
【発明の効果】
以上説明したように、請求項１によると、周囲温度にかかわらず、適切な光量の光を印材に与えることができるので、１つのスタンプ作成装置によって形成される印版の凹凸を印材の周囲温度に因らず常に均一にすることができる。
【００９１】
請求項２によると、発光手段の発光性能にかかわらず、適切な光量の光を印材に与えることができるので、どのスタンプ作成装置によっても均一な凹凸を有する印版を形成することができる。
【００９２】
請求項３によると、印材の周囲湿度に応じた適正な光量の光を印材に与えることができるので、１つのスタンプ作成装置によって形成される印版の凹凸を周囲湿度に因らず常に均一にすることができる。
【００９３】
請求項４によると、印材の周囲温度、発光手段の発光性能、および印材の周囲湿度の組み合わせと、電荷蓄積手段への印加電圧とを対応させるための記憶部が書き換え可能であるために、前記組み合わせと電荷蓄積手段への印加電圧との対応関係をユーザが任意に設定することができる。
【００９４】
請求項5によると、印材の周囲湿度に応じた適正な光量の光を印材に与えることができるので、１つのスタンプ作成装置によって形成される印版の凹凸を周囲湿度に因らず常に均一にすることができる。
【００９５】
【図面の簡単な説明】
【図１】 本発明の好適な実施の形態によるスタンプ作成装置の全体斜視図である。
【図２】 図１のスタンプ作成装置の全体断面図である。
【図３】 図１のスタンプ作成装置の部分断面図である。
【図４】 図１のスタンプ作成装置において、上蓋および上前蓋が開いた状態での斜視図である。
【図５】 図１のスタンプ作成装置に装着されるスタンプ本体を含むスタンプユニットの分解斜視図である。
【図６】 図１のスタンプ作成装置のフィルムマガジン部分の平面図である。
【図７】 図１のスタンプ作成装置のフィルムマガジン部分の断面図である。
【図８】 図１のスタンプ作成装置のフィルムマガジン部分の断面図である。
【図９】 図１のスタンプ作成装置の搬送系を示す概略斜視図である。
【図１０】 図１のスタンプ作成装置の発光ユニットの断面図である。
【図１１】 図１のスタンプ作成装置の発光ユニットの平面図である。
【図１２】 図１のスタンプ作成装置の発光ユニットのコネクタ近傍部分の等価回路図である。
【図１３】 図１のスタンプ作成装置において、上蓋および上前蓋が開いた状態での断面図である。
【図１４】 図１のスタンプ作成装置において、上蓋および上前蓋が閉じた状態での断面図である。
【図１５】 図１のスタンプ作成装置において、スタンプ収納部の所定製版位置にスタンプ本体をセットした状態を模式的に示す平面図である。
【図１６】 図１のスタンプ作成装置において、スタンプ収納部の所定製版位置にスタンプ本体をセットした状態を模式的に示す側面図である。
【図１７】 図１のスタンプ作成装置において、スタンプ収納部の所定製版位置にスタンプ本体をセットした状態を模式的に示す断面図である。
【図１８】 図１のスタンプ作成装置において、スタンプ収納部の所定製版位置にスタンプ本体をセットした状態を模式的に示す断面図である。
【図１９】 図１のスタンプ作成装置の制御系を示すブロック図である。
【図２０】 図１のスタンプ作成装置の動作を説明するためのフローチャートである。
【符号の説明】
１ スタンプ作成装置
２ フィルムマガジン
４ 印刷部
５ サーマルヘッド
６ スタンプ部
７ スタンプ本体（ホルダ部）
８ 原稿フィルム
１０ 発光ユニット
１１ キセノン管
１２ 装置本体
３３ ステージ
４８ 光量指示部
１３０ 温度センサ
１３２ 湿度センサ
１４０ スタンプサイズ検出センサ
２２４ 発光用コンデンサ[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a stamp producing apparatus for forming a printing plate on a printing material having a porous resin layer containing a light energy absorbing substance, and more particularly to a uniform printing stamp by applying an appropriate amount of light to the printing material. It is related with the stamp production apparatus which can form.
[0002]
[Prior art]
As a stamp producing device, one described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-278350 is known. The stamp producing apparatus described in this publication drives a thermal head arranged in the apparatus main body to transfer the ink of the thermal transfer ribbon to the printing paper ribbon side, and the negative film formed thereby is irradiated with an ultraviolet irradiation light source, a stamping member, The ultraviolet curable resin constituting the printing surface forming member (printing material) is partially cured so as to correspond to the transparent portion of the negative film by being irradiated with ultraviolet rays in this state, and thereafter The desired stamp is created by washing and removing the uncured portion of the printing material in a predetermined liquid.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in the stamp producing apparatus as described above, the amount of light from the light emitting means such as an ultraviolet light source is not appropriately controlled. For this reason, there is a problem that the unevenness of the printing plate becomes uneven depending on the location depending on the conditions at the time of creating the stamp such as individual difference of each device, temperature and / or humidity, and it is not always possible to produce a good stamp of the printing plate.
[0004]
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a stamp producing apparatus capable of producing a stamp with uniform unevenness of a printing plate regardless of individual differences between apparatuses and conditions at the time of producing a stamp.
[0005]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, a stamp producing apparatus according to claim 1 is a stamp producing apparatus for forming a printing plate on a printing material having a porous resin layer containing a light energy absorbing substance. Based on the data, a document creating means for creating a document in which a non-translucent member is arranged on a transparent film, and a light for irradiating the printing material through the document created by the document creating means The ambient temperature of the printing material detected by the temperature detection means is increased, the light emission means, the charge storage means for supplying energy to the light emission means, the temperature detection means for detecting the ambient temperature of the marking material Accordingly, voltage control means for controlling the applied voltage so as to reduce the applied voltage to the charge storage means is provided.
[0006]
According to the first aspect, a document based on the printing surface data is created by the document creating unit, and the voltage control unit decreases the voltage applied to the charge storage unit as the ambient temperature of the printing material detected by the temperature detection unit increases. The applied voltage is controlled so that Therefore, the light emitting unit can irradiate the printing material with a light amount corresponding to the ambient temperature of the printing material through the document created by the document creating unit. As a result, only the portion of the printing material having the porous resin layer containing the light energy absorbing material irradiated with light is melted and solidified to form a desired uniform uneven printing plate on the printing material. That is, regardless of the ambient temperature of the printing material, an appropriate amount of light can be given to the printing material, so that the unevenness of the printing plate formed by one stamp producing device is always made uniform regardless of the ambient temperature of the printing material. be able to.
[0007]
The stamp producing apparatus according to claim 2 is a light emission performance instruction means for instructing the light emission performance of the light emission means. And size detecting means for detecting the size of the stamp material; The voltage control means further comprises: Based on a reference voltage corresponding to the size of the stamp detected by the size detection means, The applied voltage is controlled so that the applied voltage to the charge storage means decreases as the light emitting performance of the light emitting means instructed by the light emitting performance instruction means increases.
[0008]
According to claim 2, a document based on the seal face data is created by the document creating means, and the voltage control means includes: Based on the reference voltage corresponding to the size of the stamp detected by the size detection means, The applied voltage is controlled so that the applied voltage to the charge storage means decreases as the light emission performance of the light emitting means specified by the light emission performance instruction means increases. Therefore, the light emitting means compensates for variations in the light emitting performance of the light emitting means for each stamp producing device. Depending on the size of the stamp An appropriate amount of light can be applied to the printing material via the document created by the document creation means. As a result, only the portion of the printing material having the porous resin layer containing the light energy absorbing material irradiated with light is melted and solidified to form a desired uniform uneven printing plate on the printing material. In other words, regardless of the light emission performance of the light emitting means, Depending on the size of the stamp Since an appropriate amount of light can be applied to the printing material, a printing plate having uniform unevenness can be formed by any stamp producing apparatus.
[0009]
The stamp producing apparatus according to claim 3 further includes a humidity detecting means for detecting an ambient humidity of the printing material, and the voltage control means is configured such that the ambient humidity of the printing material detected by the humidity detecting means is As the voltage increases, the applied voltage is controlled so that the applied voltage to the charge storage means increases.
[0010]
According to the third aspect, a document based on the printing surface data is created by the document creating means, and the voltage control means increases the voltage applied to the charge storage means as the ambient humidity of the printing material detected by the humidity detecting means increases. The applied voltage is controlled so that Therefore, the light emitting unit can irradiate the printing material with a light amount corresponding to the ambient humidity of the printing material through the document created by the document creating unit. As a result, only the irradiated portion of the printing material having the porous resin layer containing the light energy absorbing material is melted and solidified, and a desired uniform uneven printing plate is formed on the printing material. In other words, it is possible to give the printing material an appropriate amount of light according to the ambient humidity of the printing material, so that the unevenness of the printing plate formed by one stamp producing device is always made uniform regardless of the ambient humidity of the printing material. Can do.
[0011]
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a stamp producing apparatus that stores a combination of an ambient temperature of the stamp material, a light emission performance of the light emitting means, and an ambient humidity of the stamp material, and a voltage applied to the charge storage means. Can be rewritten.
[0012]
According to claim 4, since the storage unit for associating the combination of the ambient temperature of the printing material, the luminous performance of the light emitting device, and the ambient humidity of the printing material with the voltage applied to the charge storage device can be rewritten, The user can arbitrarily set the correspondence between the combination and the voltage applied to the charge storage means.
[0013]
Further, the stamp producing device according to claim 5 is a stamp producing device for forming a printing plate on a printing material having a porous resin layer containing a light energy absorbing material, and is transparent based on the printing surface data of the printing plate. Document creating means for creating a document in which a non-translucent member is arranged on a film, light emitting means for irradiating light to the printing material via the document created by the document creating means, and the light emission Charge storage means for supplying energy to the means, humidity detection means for detecting the ambient humidity of the printing material, and as the ambient humidity of the printing material detected by the humidity detection means increases, the charge storage means Voltage control means for controlling the applied voltage so as to increase the applied voltage.
[0014]
According to the fifth aspect, a document based on the printing surface data is created by the document creating unit, and the voltage control unit increases the voltage applied to the charge storage unit as the ambient humidity of the printing material detected by the humidity detection unit increases. The applied voltage is controlled so that Therefore, the light emitting unit can irradiate the printing material with a light amount corresponding to the ambient humidity of the printing material through the document created by the document creating unit. As a result, only the irradiated portion of the printing material having the porous resin layer containing the light energy absorbing material is melted and solidified, and a desired uniform uneven printing plate is formed on the printing material. In other words, since it is possible to give the printing material an appropriate amount of light according to the ambient humidity of the printing material, the unevenness of the printing plate formed by one stamp producing device can be made uniform regardless of the ambient humidity. .
[0015]
[0016]
[0017]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
[0018]
The stamp producing apparatus of this embodiment has a xenon tube as a light emitting means, and the charging voltage of the light emitting capacitor of the xenon tube is determined by the ambient temperature and humidity of the printing material, the size of the printing material, and the light emitting capacitor 224 (see FIG. 19) and the light emission performance rank of the xenon tube 11 (see FIG. 19). 1 is an overall perspective view of the stamp producing apparatus, FIG. 2 is an overall sectional view, and FIG. 3 is a partial sectional view. The stamp producing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment is provided in a film magazine 2 that can be attached to and detached from the apparatus main body 12 and can store a plurality of transparent original films 8, and an apparatus main body 12 in the vicinity of the film magazine 2. A printing material (not shown) provided on the lower surface of the stamp body 7 based on the supply port 3 of the cut sheet CS for the printing plate identification (heading) label, the printing unit 4 provided with the thermal head 5, and the printed original film 8. (Not shown) includes a stamp portion 6 for forming a marking surface, and a cut sheet CS and a discharge port 108 for the original film 8 provided in the apparatus main body 12 in the vicinity of the stamp portion 6.
[0019]
Further, in the stamp producing apparatus 1, three vent holes 128 are provided in the vicinity of the lower left portion of the front surface of the apparatus main body 12. On the back side of these vent holes 128, a temperature sensor 130 and a humidity sensor 132 are provided. The vent hole 128 is provided so that the air in the apparatus main body 12 and the outside air can be appropriately exchanged so that more accurate temperature and humidity can be measured.
[0020]
The temperature sensor 130 and the humidity sensor 132 are for detecting the ambient temperature and ambient humidity of the printing material provided in the stamp body 7. These sensors 130 and 132 are arranged so as not to be influenced by the heat generated in the wiring board.
[0021]
The head holder unit 102 provided on the upper surface of the printing unit 4 has a thermal head 5 on the lower side thereof, and is rotatable upward about a shaft 110. Thus, maintenance inside the apparatus can be performed.
[0022]
A light emitting unit (HU) 10 including a xenon tube 11 is detachably provided below the stamp unit 6. The light emitting unit 10 can be detached from the stamp producing apparatus 1 by sliding the slide lever 101 upward. The stamp unit 6 is provided with an upper lid 36 and an upper front lid 106 that are opened and closed when the stamp body 7 is inserted and removed. FIG. 4 shows a state where the upper lid 36 and the upper front lid 106 are opened and the stamp main body 7 is loaded on the stage 33 of the light emitting unit 10 at a predetermined position of the stamp storage unit 70. As shown in FIG. 4, a pressing plate PL described later is provided on the back surface of the upper lid 36.
[0023]
The stamp producing apparatus 1 is connected to a personal computer 201 (see FIG. 19), and in accordance with control from the personal computer 201, prints a positive document on a document film 8 and prints a heading label on a cut sheet CS. Various operations such as stamp making based on the original film 8 on which a positive image is printed are executed.
[0024]
That is, the thermal head 5 prints a positive image such as predetermined characters and figures on the original film 8 conveyed from the film magazine 2 to the printing unit 4, and the printed original film 8 is sent to the stamp unit 6. It is done. The light emitting unit 10 irradiates the printing material disposed on the lower surface of the stamp main body 7 with light through the original film 8, thereby making the printing material and completing a series of stamp producing operations by the stamp producing apparatus 1.
[0025]
In the case of cut sheet CS printing, the cut sheet CS is supplied from the supply port 3, and positive images such as characters and figures are printed on the cut sheet CS instead of the original film 8 and discharged from the discharge port 108. The printed cut sheet CS may be attached to the top of a grip member 112 (see FIG. 5), which will be described later, as a label for the stamp body 7.
[0026]
Here, the structure of the stamp unit provided with the stamp and the stamp body 7 used in the stamp producing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment will be described. The printing material used here is a soft porous resin (for example, a urethane-based resin) in which a light energy absorbing material such as carbon black is dispersed, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application No. 9-249983 by the present applicant, for example. ) And a upper layer made of a hard porous resin (for example, polyvinyl formal) that stores ink and applies pressure uniformly to the lower layer. It is a stamp material.
[0027]
When light is selectively irradiated through a transparent original film (positive original) on which a positive image is printed in a state where the printing material is compressed, the lower layer portion irradiated with light corresponding to the transparent portion of the original Is solidified after being melted by the exothermic action of the light energy absorbing material, so that it is sealed and does not transmit ink. On the other hand, the portion of the lower layer corresponding to the printed portion of the document is not irradiated with light but is not melted and solidified by conduction heat from the printed portion of the document, and is not sealed corresponding to the characters of the document. It will remain as it is. As a result, a stamp is formed in which a seal portion (non-printing portion) and a non-sealing portion (printing portion) of a desired pattern are mixed on the lower surface of the printing material.
[0028]
Further, the stamp main body 7 constitutes a part of the stamp unit 111 shown in FIG. 5. The stamp unit 111 includes a grip (handle) member 112, a skirt member 114, a stamp for a user to hold at the time of stamp printing. A main body (holder member) 7 and a cap member 116 serving as a cover for a printing material when the stamp is not used are provided. The stamp body 7 includes an upper holder portion 81 and a lower holder portion 82 that are integrally formed. The stamp body 7 and the grip member 112 are coupled so that the stamp body 7 can move up and down within the skirt member 114. A printing material (not shown) is disposed on the lower surface of the stamp body 7 by thermal bonding so that ink does not leak from the peripheral edge. The ink is stored in an upper layer made of a hard porous resin as a printing material. Therefore, when the grip member 112 is pushed down and the printing material is brought into contact with the printing paper with the cap member 116 removed during stamp printing, the ink supplied from above the printing material oozes out only from the non-sealed portion of the lower layer of the printing material. It adheres to the printing paper and a desired image is stamp-printed.
[0029]
As shown in FIG. 5, a wedge-shaped inclined groove 43 and concave detection grooves 44 at three positions on both sides of the inclined groove 43 are provided below the side surface of the stamp body 7. The number and position patterns of the detection grooves 44 are made different depending on the type of stamp body 7 having a different size. The inclined groove 43 is a groove provided for setting the stamp main body 7 at a predetermined plate-making position in the stamp storage unit 70 when forming the printing plate on the printing material using the stamp producing device 1. The detection groove 44 is used to specify the type (size) of the stamp body 7 when stored in the stamp storage unit 70 as will be described later.
[0030]
Next, the film magazine 2 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3 and FIGS. 6 is a plan view of the film magazine, FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the film magazine 2 when loaded into the apparatus, and FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the film magazine 2 when taken out from the apparatus. As shown in FIGS. 6 to 8, the film magazine 2 includes an open box-shaped magazine main body 22 capable of accommodating a large number of document films 8 and a loading / unloading device 24. The magazine main body 22 includes a receiving plate 25 on which the original film 8 is placed, a detachable frame 26, and a main body frame 27. The receiving plate 25 and the detachable frame 26 can swing at left and right fulcrums P and Q, respectively. It is pivotally supported by the main body frame 27.
[0031]
When the film magazine 2 is pushed into the apparatus main body 12, the loading / unloading device 24 is supported by the apparatus main body 12 with a receiving plate 25 (on the downstream side in the transport direction of the original film 8) as the film magazine 2 is pushed in. When the film magazine 2 is pulled out from the apparatus main body 12 and the push-up mechanism 24A pushed up toward the feeding roller 23, the magazine is forcibly moved so that the front end side of the receiving plate 25 is moved away from the feeding roller 23 in accordance with the pulling-out operation. The lowering mechanism 24B is configured to be lowered toward the bottom 2a.
[0032]
The push-up mechanism 24A is formed on the magazine bottom 2a and the detachable frame 26 so as to allow the push-up piece 28 mounted on the apparatus main body 12 to be protruded and biased by the spring 28a, and the push-up piece 28 to enter. The receiving plate 25 abuts on the push-up piece 28 and is pushed up as the film magazine 2 is inserted. That is, the detachable frame 26 swings and rises around the fulcrum Q when both corners of the receiving plate 25 push up the separation claw 32 of the detachable frame 26 through the document sheet.
[0033]
The lowering mechanism 24B includes a torsion bar spring 30 that constantly presses and urges the detachable frame 26 downward (toward the magazine bottom 2a). When the interference with is released, the detachable frame 26 is forcibly swung downward. That is, the push-up mechanism 24 </ b> A pushes up the detachable frame 26 against the urging force of the torsion bar spring 30.
[0034]
The detachable frame 26 includes first and second separation claws 31 and 32 that are located on the upstream side and the downstream side, respectively, of the feeding roller 23 in the film conveying direction in the set of the film magazine 2 and the like and act on the document film 8. ing. The pair of first separation claws 31 are hooked on the left and right end portions of the original film 8, and the pair of second separation claws 32 are hooked on both corners on the leading end side of the original film 8. It plays a role of transmitting a forcible lowering force so as to separate the original film 8 from the feeding roller 23 during operation, and is also a constituent part of the lowering mechanism 24B.
[0035]
Thus, just by mounting the film magazine 2 on the apparatus main body 12, the top end portion of the document film 8 is brought into pressure contact with the feeding roller 23, and the document film is driven and rotated in this state by driving the feeding roller 23. 8 can be conveyed well toward the printing unit 4. When the film magazine 2 is pulled out from the apparatus main body 12, the leading end of the original film 8 can be forcibly moved downward from the pressing contact state with the carry-out roller 23 in the initial operation of the drawing.
[0036]
That is, the separation claws 31 and 32 are configured to be switchable between an operation position for forcibly separating the original film 8 from the surface of the feeding roller 23 having a slightly adhesive surface and a retracted position separated from the feeding roller 23. A torsion bar spring 30 that presses and urges the separating claws 31 and 32 in the position toward the retracted position is provided, and the separating claws 31 and 32 can be held at the operating position against the pressing force of the torsion bar spring 30. It is configured.
[0037]
The outer peripheral surface of the feeding roller 23 is a slightly adhesive surface so that foreign matters such as dust and dust attached to the printing side of the original film 8 can be removed at the start of conveyance. In other words, the outer peripheral surface 23 of the feeding roller 23 is formed of silicon rubber having a viscosity of 45 mm and set in a range of 0.01 N to 0.5 N, and foreign matter is brought into contact with the original film 8 when it comes into contact with the original film 8. This causes a cleaning action to be peeled off and adhered to the feeding roller 23.
[0038]
In addition, the contact friction with the original film 8 is enhanced by the slightly adhesive surface, and there is an advantage that the original film 8 can be sent out reliably. In addition, when the film magazine 2 is inserted and set in the apparatus main body 12 for a long period of time, it is expected that the original film 8 will adhere to the slightly adhesive surface of the feeding roller 23 relatively firmly. As described above, the first and second separation claws 31 and 32 provided at the four attachment / detachment frames 26 ensure that the peeling force of the lowering mechanism 24B acts on the document film 8 and separates them well. it can.
[0039]
Next, the feeding mechanism of the cut sheet CS will be described. The cut sheet CS feed mechanism includes a pair of feed rollers 19 and 20 provided immediately after the supply port 3 and a sheet guide 21 provided immediately after the feed rollers 19 and 20 and curved in the direction of the thermal head 5. is doing. The cut sheet CS supplied from the supply port 3 is conveyed between the pair of delivery rollers 19 and 20 to a position where printing by the thermal head 5 is possible by the sheet guide 21 and the guide rail 15. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating, as an example, a case where the main part of the transport system for the document film 8 and the cut sheet CS is transported. As shown in FIG. 9, the cut sheet CS is guided between the thermal head 5 and the platen 14 via the feed rollers 19 and 20.
[0040]
Of the pair of delivery rollers 19 and 20 that deliver the cut sheet CS, the outer peripheral surface of the delivery roller 19 on the thermal head 5 side is a slightly adhesive surface like the delivery roller 23, and the foreign matter on the printing side surface of the cut sheet CS is thermally removed. It can be removed before the head 5. However, a spring plate 47 for forcibly separating the cut sheet CS from the slightly adhesive surface is provided so that the cut sheet CS itself does not stick to the slightly adhesive surface.
[0041]
That is, as shown in FIG. 9, the width of the feed roller 19 is made narrower than the width of the cut sheet CS, and the left and right action pieces 47 a and 47 b of the spring plate 47 are pressed against the cut sheet CS at both ends of the feed roller 19. By contacting the cut sheet CS, the cut sheet CS is prevented from being wound around the feeding roller 19 and is conveyed well. However, the width of the feed roller 19 is set wider than the width of the printing surface (recording surface) of the cut sheet CS. The slightly adhesive surfaces of the feeding roller 19 and the feeding roller 23 are detachably wound so that they can be easily replaced with new ones when the cleaning function is deteriorated due to dirt.
[0042]
Next, the structure of the printing unit 4 will be described. The printing unit 4 is provided with an original winding roll 13 a and a winding roll 13 b for the thermal transfer ribbon 9. A platen 14 is provided below the thermal head 5 disposed below the head holder unit 102. Further, below the original roll 13a, a guide rail 15 that guides the original film 8 and the cut sheet CS between the thermal head 5 and the platen 14, and the uplift of the original film 8 and the cut sheet CS in the middle of conveyance. A presser guide 16 is provided for prevention. A transfer guide 17 and a pair of supply rollers 18 are provided on the downstream side of the thermal head 5.
[0043]
Next, the structure of the stamp unit 6 will be described. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of a light emitting unit (HU) 10 that is detachably mounted below the stamp unit 6, and FIG. 11 is a plan view. The light emitting unit 10 includes a xenon tube 11, a stage (light transmission surface) 33 made of a transparent acrylic plate disposed above the xenon tube 11 and interposed between the stamp body 7 and the periphery of the xenon tube 11. The reflector box 34 is covered, and these are integrally formed.
[0044]
Above the light emitting unit 10, there is provided a stamp storage unit 70 for sandwiching and setting stamp bodies of various sizes from both sides according to the size. The positive document printed by the printing unit 4 described above is conveyed onto the stage 33 and stopped at the plate making position, and the stamp body 7 is aligned by the stamp storage unit 70 in a state where the stamp body 7 is placed thereon. Is done.
[0045]
The connector 49 that connects the light emitting unit 10 to the apparatus main body 12 includes a female connector 49A on the apparatus main body 12 side and a male connector 49B on the light emitting unit 10 side. The connector 49 includes four terminals a, b, c, d for light emission of the xenon tube 11 and four terminals e, f, g, h for identification means 222 (see FIG. 19) described later. A total of 8 terminals are connected. The connector 49B is connected to a light amount instruction unit 48 that indicates the light emission amount (light emission performance) of the xenon tube 11 per unit power measured in advance.
[0046]
FIG. 12 shows a schematic equivalent circuit diagram of the connector 49 and its peripheral part. Terminals e, f, and g are connected to the same power source through resistors, respectively, and terminal h is grounded. The light quantity instruction unit 48 is provided as a jumper wire (shown in FIG. 12 for connecting the terminal f and the terminal h) that connects the grounded terminal h and one or more of the terminals e, f, and g. ing. As described above, since the terminal connected to the terminal h by the jumper wire has a ground potential, and the unconnected terminal has a potential higher than the ground potential, the light amount instruction unit 48 sets the light amount of the xenon tube 11 to five ranks. The rank can be identified by identifying the terminal of the ground potential. By providing the light quantity instruction section 48, it is possible to easily instruct the light emission performance of the xenon tube having a relatively large quantity of light quantity variation due to a product error.
[0047]
In the stamp producing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, the light emitting unit 10 is detachably provided as a separate body from the apparatus main body 12, so that parts such as the xenon tube 11 can be easily replaced without having to disassemble the apparatus. In addition, it is possible to easily perform maintenance such as removing dirt on the light transmission surface.
[0048]
Further, as shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, the rotation shaft 36a of the upper cover 36 of the stamp unit 6 is supported by a side frame 121 extending from the back frame FR1 of the apparatus main body 12 to the front side. The upper lid 36 is biased by the torsion spring 36b wound around the rotation shaft 36a so as to be in a substantially vertical position when opened. Further, the upper front lid 106 rotatably attached to the front end of the upper lid 36 is biased in a direction to open forward by a torsion spring 106a, and is in a position slightly inclined forward when opened. As a result, the upper lid 106 and the upper front lid 106 do not get in the way when the stamp body 7 is set in the stamp storage unit 70.
[0049]
When the upper lid 36 and the upper front lid 106 are rotated in the closing direction against the urging force of the torsion springs 36b, 106a, the arc-shaped cut portions 106c of the ribs 106b extending to the back side of the upper front lid 106 become the front side frame. It engages with a hook rod 150 provided on FR2. Thereby, the upper lid 36 and the upper front lid 106 can be kept closed as shown in FIG. When the upper lid 36 and the upper front lid 106 are closed, the rib 106b blocks between the light emitting element and the light receiving element of the transmissive photosensor PS1 attached to the frame FR2. In addition, it is possible to detect that the upper front lid 106 is closed.
[0050]
A flat metal pressing plate PL is fixed to the back side of the upper lid 36. The pressing plate PL is provided on the lower surface of the stamp body 7 so as to press the stamp body 7 in the direction of the stage 33 when the upper lid 36 and the upper front lid 106 are closed in a state where the stamp body 7 is set in the stamp storage unit 70. The position is set such that the printed material is compressed by a predetermined amount.
[0051]
Next, the size detection mechanism of the stamp body 7 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 15 is a plan view schematically showing a state in which the stamp body 7 is set at a predetermined plate-making position of the stamp storage unit 70, FIG. 16 is a side view, and FIGS. 17 and 18 are sectional views. As described above, the stamp body 7 is provided with the inclined groove 43 and the detection groove 44, while the stamp storage unit 70 is attached to the stamp body 7 in cooperation with the inclination groove 43 and the detection groove 44. A mechanism for identifying stamp bodies 7 of various sizes is also provided.
[0052]
15 to 18, the stamp holder 70 is provided with two holder fixing members 71 and 72 for fixing the stamp body 7 from both sides. The holder fixing member 71 is fixed in the stamp accommodating portion 70, and a switch plate 74 fastened and fixed by three screws 73 is disposed therein. Six micro switches 75A, 75B, 75C, 75D, 75E, and 75F are aligned and arranged on the upper surface of one end side of the switch plate 74 (the side facing the stamp body 7). The switch terminals 76 of the micro switches 75A, 75B, 75C, 75D, 75E, and 75F are biased toward the stamp body 7 and project toward the stamp body 7 when the stamp body 7 is not attached. The micro switches 75A, 75B, 75C, 75E, and 75F are used to detect the type of the stamp body 7 based on the combination of on and off when the stamp body 7 is set in the stamp storage unit 70. The microswitch 75D is used to determine whether or not the stamp body 7 is attached and whether or not the position is appropriate.
[0053]
In addition, a positioning projection 77 having a shape matching the inclined groove 43 of the stamp body 7 is formed above the microswitch 75D on the side end surface of the fixing member 71 at a substantially central position in the longitudinal direction of the holder fixing member 71. ing. A set mark M serving as an index for setting the stamp body 7 is provided at a position corresponding to the positioning protrusion 77 on the upper surface of the fixing member 71. The fixing member 72 is movably provided with respect to the fixing member 71 and is urged in an upward direction (in the direction of the arrow) in FIG. 15 by an urging spring (not shown).
[0054]
In order to set the stamp main body 7 at a predetermined plate-making position with respect to the stamp storage portion 70, first, the fixing member 72 is moved downward in FIG. 15 against the urging force of the urging spring, and the stamp storage portion 70 is moved. open. Then, after setting the stamp main body 7 in the holder accommodating portion 70 so that the substantially central position (position of the inclined groove 43) in the longitudinal direction of the stamp main body 7 is aligned with the positioning projection 77 using the set mark M as a rough guide, The fixing member 72 is moved upward in FIG. 15, and the stamp body 7 is sandwiched between the fixing members 71 and 72.
[0055]
At this time, since both sides of the inclined groove 43 are inclined surfaces, even when the positional relationship between the center position in the longitudinal direction of the stamp main body 7 and the set mark M is slightly deviated, the fixing member 71 of the stamp accommodating portion 70 is obtained. The stamp main body 7 is moved so that the positioning protrusion 77 abuts on the center position of the inclined groove 43 based on the cam action generated between the positioning protrusion 77 formed on the inclined surface and the inclined surface of the inclined groove 43. As a result, the stamp body 7 is set at a predetermined plate-making position in the stamp storage unit 70. In this state, a printing plate is formed on the printing material held on the lower surface of the stamp body 7.
[0056]
As shown in FIG. 15, when the stamp main body 7 is set in the stamp storing portion 70, the positioning projection 77 contacts the inclined groove 43, and the switch terminal 76 of the micro switch 75 </ b> D contacts the outer peripheral wall of the stamp main body 7. In the moving position. Further, the switch terminals 76 of the micro switches 75A and 75F are in contact with the outer peripheral wall of the stamp body 7 and are in the moving position. On the other hand, the switch terminals 76 of the microswitches 75B, 75C, and 75E are in a protruding position where they enter the detection groove 44 as shown in FIG. That is, the micro switches 75A and 75F are in the on state, and the micro switches 75B, 75C, and 75E are in the off state. The type of the stamp body 7 and the size of the printing material can be detected by the combination of the on / off states of these micro switches. Further, since the micro switch 75D is in the ON state, it is detected that the stamp body 7 is present in the stamp storage unit 70 and the position thereof is appropriate.
[0057]
As shown in FIG. 15, the inclined groove 43 and the detection groove 44 are formed on the outer peripheral walls in the longitudinal direction of both the stamp main bodies 7 at positions that are rotationally symmetric with respect to each other. This is because the inclined groove 43 and the detection groove 44 can be detected even when the front wall and the rear wall are reversed when the stamp body 7 is set at a predetermined plate-making position of the stamp storage unit 70 of the stamp producing apparatus 1. It is.
[0058]
Next, a control system of the stamp creating apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 19 is a schematic block diagram of the stamp creating apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment. In FIG. 19, the CPU 200 that controls the operation of the stamp producing apparatus 1 controls the temperature sensor 130, the humidity sensor 132, the PC interface control circuit 203 for exchanging data with the personal computer 201, and the thermal head 5. The thermal head control circuit 205, the ROM 212, the RAM 214, the EEPROM 216, the stamp size detection sensor 140 for detecting the size of the stamp main body 7 mounted on the stamp storage unit 70 and the size of the printing material, the photo sensor PS1, and the above-mentioned The xenon tube light emission control circuit L is connected to the identifying means 222 for recognizing the light quantity instruction unit 48 and identifying the five xenon tube ranks.
[0059]
The xenon tube light emission control circuit L includes a xenon tube 11, a light emitting capacitor 224 that accumulates charges for causing the xenon tube 11 to emit light, a xenon tube light emitting circuit 210 that actually emits light from the xenon tube 11, and a light emitting capacitor 224. And a xenon tube light emitting capacitor charging circuit 218 for charging the light emitting capacitor 224, and a xenon tube light emitting capacitor charging voltage detecting circuit 220 for detecting the voltage charged in the light emitting capacitor 224.
[0060]
Various control processing programs are stored in the ROM 212, and the CPU 200 performs various operations in accordance with these control processing programs. In addition, the RAM 214 temporarily stores the calculation result calculated by the CPU 200. The EEPROM 216 stores a data table including the capacity rank of the light emitting capacitor 224 and the charge voltage calculation formula for the light emitting capacitor 224 in a rewritable manner by the user.
[0061]
The capacitance rank of the light emitting capacitor 224 stored in the EEPROM 216 is obtained by dividing the previously measured capacitance of the light emitting capacitor 224 into three parts a to c according to the size. The data table stored in the EEPROM 216 includes the xenon tube ranks A to E in which the light emission performance of the xenon tube as shown in [Table 1] is ranked in an excellent order, and the light quantity of the xenon tube is corrected to a standard value. In addition to the correspondence with the correction coefficient, the light emitting capacitor 224 is set to a, b, c so that the median value of the capacitance C of the light emitting capacitor 224 as shown in Table 2 below is 10000 μF, 10500 μF, and 11000 μF, respectively. These are classified into three categories.
[0062]
[Table 1]

[0063]
[Table 2]

[0064]
Further, the EEPROM 216 stores a voltage conversion formula for converting the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 130 as shown in the following formula (1) into a voltage. (V: voltage conversion value, p, q: positive constant, p << q) V = p × (25−t) 2 + q × (25−t) (1)
[0065]
The EEPROM 216 stores a table for correcting the charging voltage value based on the humidity detected by the humidity sensor 132 as shown in [Table 3] below. That is, if the detected humidity is less than 50%, there is little influence on the marking result, so the charging voltage is not corrected. If the detected humidity is less than 50% and less than 70%, the charging voltage is + 5V, and if it is 70% or more. Set the charging voltage to + 10V. The voltage correction value is not a fixed value, but may be a function such as the size of the printing material.
[0066]
[Table 3]

[0067]
Further, the EEPROM 216 stores a voltage conversion formula for converting the capacitor capacitance C into a voltage as shown in the following formula (2). (K: negative constant) V = kC (2)
[0068]
Further, the charging voltage calculation formula for the light emitting capacitor 224 stored in the EEPROM 216 is shown in the following formula (3). (Charge voltage) = (Reference voltage for each size) × (Xenon tube light amount correction coefficient) + (Voltage conversion value of capacitor capacity) + (Voltage conversion value of temperature change) + (Voltage correction value due to humidity) (3)
[0069]
Here, the reference voltage for each size is set so as to increase as the size of the stamp body 7 and the size of the printing material increases. The reason is that even when the size of the printing material is increased, light is irradiated uniformly over the entire surface of the printing material. The reason why the converted value of the capacitor capacity is reduced as the capacitor capacity is increased is that the capacitor capacity and the charging voltage have a negative correlation under the constant light emission energy.
[0070]
The reason why the charging voltage is lowered as the ambient temperature of the printing material becomes higher than around 25 ° C. is to reduce the emission energy of the xenon tube 11 and eliminate the influence of the ambient temperature on the melting property of the printing material. . In other words, the higher the ambient temperature, the easier it is for the printing material to melt, so when the ambient temperature is high, the xenon tube 11 will melt more than necessary unless the driving voltage is lowered. On the other hand, when the ambient temperature is low, melting is insufficient unless the drive voltage of the xenon tube 11 is increased. In any case, the quality of the stamping result is deteriorated.
[0071]
In addition, the charging voltage is increased as the ambient humidity of the printing material increases. The higher the humidity is, the more moisture is contained in the printing material, and this moisture is evaporated when the printing material is melted to form the seal portion. This is because much energy is required. In other words, the higher the ambient humidity is, the more difficult it is to melt the stamping material. Therefore, when the ambient humidity is high, the required melting amount cannot be obtained unless the driving voltage of the xenon tube 11 is increased. This is because the ink exudes and causes the quality deterioration of the stamping result.
[0072]
The CPU 200 obtains a voltage converted value of the temperature change amount from the ambient temperature of the printing material detected by the temperature sensor 130 based on the equation (1), and from the ambient humidity of the printing material detected by the humidity sensor 132, [Table 3] Based on this, a voltage correction value based on humidity is obtained. Further, the CPU 200 detects the size of the stamp body 7 detected by the stamp size detection sensor 140, the voltage conversion value of the temperature change amount obtained from the equation (1), and the voltage correction value based on the humidity obtained from [Table 3]. And the charging voltage of the light emitting capacitor 224 based on the equation (2) based on the capacitance rank of the light emitting capacitor 224 stored in the EEPROM 216 and the light emission performance rank of the xenon tube 11 identified by the identifying means 222. calculate.
[0073]
As described above, in the stamp producing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, the charging voltage of the light emitting capacitor 224 includes the size of the printing material, the light quantity ratio (light emission performance) of the xenon tube 11, the capacity of the capacitor 222, and the surroundings of the printing material. Determined based on temperature and ambient humidity. These tables and calculation formulas stored in the EEPROM 216 show that the xenon tube 11 has an appropriate light amount (luminescence energy = (1/2) × (capacitor) according to the printing material size, ambient temperature / humidity, light emission performance of the xenon tube, and capacitor capacity. (Capacity) × (charging voltage) 2).
[0074]
In the present invention, the CPU 200, the xenon tube light emission capacitor charging circuit 218 and the xenon tube light emission capacitor charging voltage detection circuit 220 in the xenon tube light emission control circuit L constitute voltage control means.
[0075]
Next, the plate making operation of the stamp producing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The following operations are executed by instructions from the CPU 200 unless otherwise specified.
[0076]
First, when an instruction for printing an original and executing plate making is received from the personal computer 201, the printing surface data is received from the personal computer 201 in step S1. In step S2, the charging voltage of the light emitting capacitor 224 is obtained based on the equation (2).
[0077]
Next, in step S3, a light emitting capacitor charging signal including the charging voltage of the light emitting capacitor 224 obtained in step S2 is given to the xenon tube light emitting capacitor charging circuit 218, and charging of the light emitting capacitor 224 is started. Is done. In step S4, the thermal head 5 and a step motor (not shown) are driven, and a positive document is printed on the upper surface of the document film 8 in accordance with the received seal surface shape data.
[0078]
Next, in step S5, the step motor is driven so that the printed original film 8 reaches a predetermined plate making position, and it is determined whether or not the original film has moved to the predetermined position. If it is determined that the original film has moved to a predetermined position (S5: YES), the process proceeds to step S6 to determine whether the upper cover 36 and the upper front cover 106 (main cover) are closed based on the detection signal from the photosensor PS1. Is done. This step S6 is repeated until it is determined that the main cover is closed (S6: NO).
[0079]
Next, if it is determined that the main cover is closed (S6: YES), it is determined in step S7 whether the stamp body 7 is set in the stamp storage unit 70. Here, it is determined that the stamp body 7 is set when the detection voltage of the stamp size detection sensor 140 is larger than the minimum level by a predetermined value or more. If it is determined that the stamp body 7 is set (S7: YES), then in step S8, whether or not the stamp size is correct, that is, the size of the stamp body 7 detected by the stamp size detection sensor 140 is determined. Then, it is determined whether or not it matches the size of the document data given from the personal computer 201. If it is determined that the stamp size is correct (S8: YES), the process proceeds to step S9.
[0080]
Next, in step S9, it is determined whether the light-emitting capacitor 224 has been charged to the predetermined charging voltage obtained in step S2, that is, whether the light-emitting capacitor 224 has been charged. The charging voltage of the light emitting capacitor 224 is detected by the xenon tube light emitting capacitor charging voltage detection circuit 220. When the detected voltage hardly changes and almost matches the charging voltage obtained in step S2, the xenon A capacitor charging completion signal is supplied from the tube light emitting capacitor charging voltage detection circuit 220 to the CPU 200. The CPU 200 determines whether or not the charging of the light emitting capacitor 224 is completed by detecting the capacitor charging completion signal.
[0081]
When it is determined that the charging of the light emitting capacitor 224 is completed (S9: YES), in step S10, the xenon tube light emission signal is given to the xenon tube light emitting circuit 210, the xenon tube 11 emits light, and the stamp body 7 The stamping material arranged on the lower surface of the plate is engraved to form a desired stamping plate. When it is determined as “NO” in any of steps S5, S7, S8, S9, the xenon tube 11 is stopped from emitting light (step S11), and this process ends. As described above, when performing stamp plate making by causing the xenon tube 11 to emit light, a number of checks are performed to prevent a situation where a wasteful plate making operation is executed due to an erroneous operation.
[0082]
Further, when receiving a label printing command from the personal computer 201, the printing surface data is positively printed by the thermal head 5 of the printing unit 4 on the cut sheet CS supplied from the supply port 3.
[0083]
As described above, according to the stamp producing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, the charging voltage of the light emitting capacitor 224 of the xenon tube 11 depends on the ambient temperature, the ambient humidity, the size of the printing material, the capacitance rank of the light emitting capacitor 224, and the xenon. Since it is controlled according to the light emission performance rank of the tube 11, it is appropriate for the size of the printing material regardless of the capacity rank of the light emitting capacitor 224, the light emission performance rank of the xenon tube 11 and the ambient temperature and humidity of the printing material. A quantity of light can be applied to the printing material. Therefore, the unevenness of the printing plate formed by one stamp producing device can always be made uniform over the whole regardless of the size of the printing material.
[0084]
In particular, in the present embodiment, not only the temperature but also the humidity is detected, and the charging voltage of the capacitor is determined in consideration of the detected humidity, so that an image with a fine dot interval (for example, 600 dpi) is formed by the printing material. Even in such a case, it is possible to obtain a stamp with good image quality as compared with the case where humidity is not taken into consideration.
[0085]
In addition, since the stamp face shape can be determined based on data from the personal computer 201, any data that can be output to a printer such as image information captured by a digital camera or the like as well as characters created by a word processor can be used. It is possible to easily create stamps having a wide variety of stamp face shapes.
[0086]
Further, in the stamp creating apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, since the above-described table and formulas (1), (2), and (3) are stored in the EEPROM 216, the user can rewrite them. Therefore, by rewriting these, it is possible to cope with usage conditions, environmental changes, and the like.
[0087]
Further, in the stamp producing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, the correction coefficient of the light emission performance (light quantity ratio) of the xenon tube 11 and the voltage correction value based on the capacitor capacity and humidity are ranked in an appropriate number and stored in the EEPROM 216. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the calculation burden on the CPU 200 as compared with the case where the processes are performed without ranking, and the calculation speed is increased and the applied voltage can be found in a very short time.
[0088]
Note that various design changes can be made to the above-described embodiment. For example, the charging voltage of the capacitor 224 may be controlled only by the capacitor capacity stored in the EEPROM 216 or only by the detected ambient humidity of the printing material. Even in this case, although it is inferior to the above-described embodiment, it is possible to form a stamp having a relatively uniform printing plate with unevenness by compensating for variations in the capacitance of each device or changes in the ambient humidity of the printing material. become able to.
[0089]
In the above-described embodiment, the light emission performance of the xenon tube 11 is indicated by the light quantity instruction unit 48. However, the light emission performance of the xenon tube 11 may be stored in the EEPROM 216.
[0090]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the first aspect, an appropriate amount of light can be applied to the printing material regardless of the ambient temperature, so that the unevenness of the printing plate formed by one stamp producing device can be changed to the ambient temperature of the printing material. It can always be made uniform regardless of.
[0091]
According to the second aspect, since a suitable amount of light can be applied to the printing material regardless of the light emitting performance of the light emitting means, a printing plate having uniform unevenness can be formed by any stamp producing apparatus.
[0092]
According to the third aspect of the present invention, it is possible to provide the printing material with an appropriate amount of light according to the ambient humidity of the printing material, so that the unevenness of the printing plate formed by one stamp producing device is always uniform regardless of the ambient humidity. can do.
[0093]
According to claim 4, since the storage unit for associating the combination of the ambient temperature of the printing material, the luminous performance of the light emitting device, and the ambient humidity of the printing material with the voltage applied to the charge storage device can be rewritten, The user can arbitrarily set the correspondence between the combination and the voltage applied to the charge storage means.
[0094]
According to claim 5, since it is possible to give the printing material an appropriate amount of light according to the ambient humidity of the printing material, the unevenness of the printing plate formed by one stamp making device is always uniform regardless of the ambient humidity. can do.
[0095]
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view of a stamp producing apparatus according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
2 is an overall cross-sectional view of the stamp producing apparatus of FIG.
FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional view of the stamp producing apparatus of FIG.
4 is a perspective view of the stamp producing apparatus in FIG. 1 with an upper lid and an upper front lid opened. FIG.
FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of a stamp unit including a stamp main body to be attached to the stamp producing apparatus of FIG.
6 is a plan view of a film magazine portion of the stamp producing apparatus of FIG. 1. FIG.
7 is a cross-sectional view of a film magazine portion of the stamp producing apparatus of FIG. 1. FIG.
8 is a cross-sectional view of a film magazine portion of the stamp producing apparatus of FIG.
FIG. 9 is a schematic perspective view showing a conveyance system of the stamp producing apparatus of FIG. 1;
10 is a cross-sectional view of a light emitting unit of the stamp producing apparatus of FIG.
11 is a plan view of a light emitting unit of the stamp producing apparatus of FIG. 1. FIG.
12 is an equivalent circuit diagram of the vicinity of the connector of the light emitting unit of the stamp producing device of FIG. 1;
13 is a cross-sectional view of the stamp producing apparatus of FIG. 1 in a state where an upper lid and an upper front lid are opened.
14 is a cross-sectional view of the stamp producing apparatus of FIG. 1 with the upper lid and the upper front lid closed.
15 is a plan view schematically showing a state in which the stamp main body is set at a predetermined plate-making position of the stamp storage unit in the stamp producing apparatus of FIG. 1. FIG.
16 is a side view schematically showing a state in which the stamp main body is set at a predetermined plate-making position of the stamp storage unit in the stamp producing apparatus of FIG. 1. FIG.
17 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a state in which the stamp main body is set at a predetermined plate-making position of the stamp storage unit in the stamp producing apparatus of FIG. 1. FIG.
18 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a state in which the stamp main body is set at a predetermined plate-making position of the stamp storage unit in the stamp producing apparatus of FIG. 1. FIG.
FIG. 19 is a block diagram showing a control system of the stamp creating apparatus in FIG. 1;
20 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the stamp creating apparatus in FIG. 1;
[Explanation of symbols]
1 Stamp making device
2 Film magazine
4 Printing department
5 Thermal head
6 Stamp part
7 Stamp body (holder)
8 Original film
10 Light emitting unit
11 Xenon tube
12 Device body
33 stages
48 Light intensity indicator
130 Temperature sensor
132 Humidity sensor
140 Stamp size detection sensor
224 Light emitting capacitor

Claims (5)

In a stamp making apparatus for forming a printing plate on a printing material having a porous resin layer containing a light energy absorbing substance,
Based on the stamp face data of the printing plate, a document creating means for creating a document in which a non-translucent member is arranged on a transparent film,
A light emitting means for irradiating the printing material with light through the original created by the original creating means;
Charge storage means for supplying energy to the light emitting means;
Temperature detecting means for detecting the ambient temperature of the stamp material;
Voltage control means for controlling the applied voltage so that the applied voltage to the charge storage means decreases as the ambient temperature of the printing material detected by the temperature detecting means increases. Stamp making device. A light emission performance instruction means for instructing the light emission performance of the light emission means; and a size detection means for detecting the size of the printing material ,
The voltage control means , based on a reference voltage corresponding to the size of the printing material detected by the size detection means, as the light emission performance of the light emission means instructed by the light emission performance instruction means increases, the charge storage means The stamp producing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the applied voltage is controlled so that the applied voltage to the electrode becomes small. It further comprises humidity detecting means for detecting the ambient humidity of the printing material,
The voltage control means controls the applied voltage so that the applied voltage to the charge storage means increases as the ambient humidity of the printing material detected by the humidity detecting means increases. The stamp producing apparatus according to 2.   The storage unit for associating a combination of an ambient temperature of the printing material, a light emitting performance of the light emitting unit, and an ambient humidity of the printing material with an applied voltage to the charge storage unit is rewritable. Item 4. A stamp producing apparatus according to Item 3. In a stamp making apparatus for forming a printing plate on a printing material having a porous resin layer containing a light energy absorbing substance,
Based on the stamp face data of the printing plate, a document creating means for creating a document in which a non-translucent member is arranged on a transparent film,
A light emitting means for irradiating the printing material with light through the original created by the original creating means;
Charge storage means for supplying energy to the light emitting means;
Humidity detection means for detecting the ambient humidity of the printing material;
Voltage control means for controlling the applied voltage so that the applied voltage to the charge storage means increases as the ambient humidity of the printing material detected by the humidity detecting means increases. Stamp making device.

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