JP4651995B2 - Plate making apparatus and plate making printing apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a plate making apparatus including a thermal stencil plate making apparatus and the like, and a plate making printing apparatus including a heat sensitive stencil plate making printing apparatus and the like.

  As a simple printing method, a thermal stencil plate making and printing apparatus (hereinafter sometimes simply referred to as “plate making printing apparatus”) equipped with a digital thermal stencil making apparatus (hereinafter sometimes simply referred to as “plate making apparatus”) is known. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1). In the plate making apparatus, a thermal head having a plurality of heating elements also called heating elements, heating resistors and the like arranged in the main scanning direction and a platen roller are used. The thermal head is generally moved based on an image data signal read by a scanner or the like while moving the master relatively in the sub-scanning direction orthogonal to the main scanning direction through the rotation of the platen roller while pressing the “master”. By heating a predetermined heating resistor corresponding to the image data of the master, the thermoplastic resin film of the master is selectively heated, melted and punched and plate-formed to form a dot-shaped plate-making image (piercing pattern) on the master. It is.

  As a method of detecting and dealing with the abnormal overheating of the thermal head mounted on the conventional plate making and printing apparatus as described above (hereinafter referred to as “thermal head abnormal overheating detection method”), a thermistor (thermal head for detecting the temperature of the thermal head). When the thermal head temperature detected by the thermistor is equal to or higher than the thermal head temperature upper limit threshold temperature set below the guaranteed operating temperature of the thermal head, a service man call or the like is displayed on the display unit of the plate-making printer. Thus, control for prohibiting the transition to the plate-making operation or stopping the continuation of the plate-making operation was performed (hereinafter referred to as “the former technique”).

  More specifically, as indicated by a solid line in FIG. 5, the thermal head temperature T rises every time the number of plate making n is repeated at the time of continuous plate making or the like, and the thermal head temperature T is enlarged in the region A shown in FIG. When the temperature exceeds the thermal head temperature upper limit threshold temperature Ta indicated by a broken line, a serviceman call is displayed on the liquid crystal display unit or LED (light emitting diode) arranged on the operation panel or the like, and the shift to the plate making operation is prohibited. And control to stop the continuation of the plate-making operation.

Usually, the storage head temperature and the operation guarantee temperature are defined as the ratings of the thermal head, and the thermal head temperature upper limit threshold temperature is set below the operation guarantee temperature. More specifically, the thermal head temperature upper limit threshold temperature is set in consideration of electrical variations of a thermistor or the like as a thermal head temperature detecting means, and is substantially lower than the guaranteed operating temperature.
Here, the guaranteed storage temperature means the guaranteed temperature when storing the thermal head when the thermal head is not driven, and the guaranteed operation temperature means the guaranteed temperature when driving the thermal head where the thermal head is driven. .

  On the other hand, a thermal head having the same basic configuration as described above, that is, having a plurality of heating elements in the main scanning direction is also used in technical fields such as a thermal recording apparatus and a thermal printing apparatus including a thermal printer. ing. (For example, refer to Patent Document 2). Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-191577 (Patent Document 2) includes a comparator circuit that outputs a head error signal to the head power supply switching circuit to cut off the drive current supplied to the thermal head when the temperature exceeds the abnormal overheat threshold temperature. Thus, a technique for maintaining the function of the CPU normally during abnormal overheating has been proposed (hereinafter referred to as “the latter technique”).

Japanese Patent No. 2756224 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-191577

However, the former thermal head abnormal overheat detection method based on the former technique has an abnormal overheating associated with a temperature rise caused by repeated plate-making operations during continuous plate-making, and abnormalities in the electrical drive unit of the thermal head (for example, a power supply line to the thermal head). If the temperature exceeds the above-mentioned thermal head temperature upper limit threshold temperature, the service man call may be displayed without distinguishing / distinguishing from abnormal overheating due to harness short circuit, circuit abnormality, in-board abnormality, thermistor abnormality, etc.) Thus, the operator or user (hereinafter referred to as “user”) determines that the plate-making printing apparatus, plate-making apparatus, thermal head, or the like has failed, and calls a service representative (hereinafter referred to as “service man”). It was. For this reason, there are cases where the user has to bear service costs.
In particular, the thermal head used in the technical field of the plate-making apparatus and the plate-making printing apparatus heats and melts the master thermoplastic resin film as a plate, so that the heating temperature of each heating element is set high. From this point of view, it is urgent to solve the above problems.

  Even with the latter technology, it is impossible to distinguish and distinguish between the temperature rise during arrows and continuous printing, and abnormal overheating due to abnormalities in the electrical drive part of the thermal head, etc., and the drive current supplied to the thermal head is uniform. As a result of the interruption, a service man call or the like by the user becomes a problem.

  Accordingly, the present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and it is impossible to discriminate between abnormal overheating due to abnormality of the drive unit of the thermal head and abnormal overheating of the thermal head during continuous plate making, and abnormal overheating is not possible. Since there is only one means of notification and the notification display is a serviceman call, the user can prevent the situation that the serviceman has been called even during abnormal overheating during continuous plate making, The main purpose is to provide a plate-making apparatus and a plate-making printing apparatus that can reduce a situation where a user has to bear a service cost.

In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the above object, the present invention is characterized in that the invention according to each claim adopts the following configuration.
According to the first aspect of the present invention, a thermal head having a plurality of heating elements arranged in the main scanning direction is brought into direct contact with the thermoplastic resin film side of a master having a thermoplastic resin film, and the main head A dot-shaped plate-making image is formed on the master by selectively heating each of the heating elements according to the image signal while relatively moving the master in the sub-scanning direction perpendicular to the scanning direction, and the thermal head temperature detecting means The temperature of the thermal head detected by the thermal head temperature detecting means in the plate making apparatus in which the temperature of the thermal head can be detected and the thermal head temperature upper limit threshold temperature not more than the guaranteed operating temperature of the thermal head is preset. based on the transition state, continuous plate-making of abnormal overheating and the plate making apparatus according to electric drive unit abnormality of the thermal head And overheating factor determining means for determining the abnormal overheating of the thermal head due to a temperature rise due to repeated plate making operation in the above thermal head temperature in the thermal head to the plate making a version portion of the master in a predetermined stencil making conditions A normal rise temperature setting means for setting the rise temperature of the normal temperature, and a normal rise temperature storage means for storing the rise temperature set by the normal rise temperature setting means. When the temperature is close to the thermal head temperature upper limit threshold temperature or exceeds the thermal head temperature upper limit threshold temperature, the transition state of the thermal head temperature detected by the thermal head temperature detection means and the normal rise temperature storage means are stored. by comparing been the above temperature rise, to determine the respective abnormal overheating And features.

Specific examples of the abnormal overheating factor determination means include a microprocessor having a CPU and the like as described in an embodiment described later, and a microcomputer having a CPU and the like.
“At the time of continuous plate-making of the plate-making apparatus” includes the time of only one plate-making without substantially performing continuous plate-making.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, a thermal head having a plurality of heating elements arranged in the main scanning direction is brought into direct contact with the thermoplastic resin film side of a master having a thermoplastic resin film, and A dot-shaped plate-making image is formed on the master by selectively heating each of the heating elements according to the image signal while relatively moving the master in the sub-scanning direction perpendicular to the scanning direction, and the thermal head temperature detecting means The temperature of the thermal head detected by the thermal head temperature detecting means in the plate making apparatus in which the temperature of the thermal head can be detected and the thermal head temperature upper limit threshold temperature not more than the guaranteed operating temperature of the thermal head is preset. Based on the transition state of the thermal head, abnormal overheating due to abnormality of the electrical drive unit of the thermal head and continuous plate making of the plate making apparatus An abnormal overheating factor determining means for determining an abnormal overheating of the thermal head due to a temperature rise due to repetition of a plate making operation in the plate, and the thermal head temperature when the thermal head makes a master for one plate under predetermined plate making conditions. Normal rising temperature setting means for setting the rising temperature of the plate, normal rising temperature storage means for storing the rising temperature set by the normal rising temperature setting means, and start of plate making of the thermal head during continuous plate making of the plate making apparatus Pre- and post-plate making temperature storage means for storing the thermal head temperature before and the thermal head temperature after making the thermal head at the time of the continuous plate making, the abnormal overheating factor determination means is the thermal head temperature Near the thermal head temperature upper threshold temperature or the thermal head temperature upper threshold temperature. In this case, the thermal head temperature before the start of the plate making and the thermal head temperature after the plate making stored in the pre- and post-plate making temperature storage means are compared with the rising temperature stored in the normal rising temperature storage means. Thus, each abnormal overheating is discriminated .

According to a third aspect of the present invention, a thermal head including a plurality of heating elements arranged in the main scanning direction is brought into direct contact with the thermoplastic resin film side of a master having a thermoplastic resin film, and A dot-shaped plate-making image is formed on the master by selectively heating each of the heating elements according to the image signal while relatively moving the master in the sub-scanning direction perpendicular to the scanning direction, and the thermal head temperature detecting means The temperature of the thermal head detected by the thermal head temperature detecting means in the plate making apparatus in which the temperature of the thermal head can be detected and the thermal head temperature upper limit threshold temperature not more than the guaranteed operating temperature of the thermal head is preset. Based on the transition state of the thermal head, abnormal overheating due to abnormality of the electrical drive unit of the thermal head and continuous plate making of the plate making apparatus An abnormal overheating factor determining means for determining an abnormal overheating of the thermal head due to a temperature rise due to repetition of the plate making operation in the plate, the thermal head temperature before starting the plate making of the thermal head at the time of continuous plate making of the plate making apparatus, and the above Pre- and post-plate making temperature storage means for pre-stored the thermal head temperature after making the thermal head at the time of continuous plate making, the abnormal overheating factor determining means, wherein the thermal head temperature is the thermal head temperature upper limit threshold temperature In the vicinity or when the thermal head temperature upper limit threshold temperature is exceeded, the transition state of the thermal head temperature detected by the thermal head temperature detecting means, and the thermal before the plate making start stored in the pre- and post-making temperature storage means Head temperature and thermal head temperature after plate making By comparing, characterized by determining the above abnormal overheating.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the plate making apparatus according to any one of the first to third aspects, an abnormal overheating factor display means for displaying an abnormal overheating factor of the thermal head determined by the abnormal overheating factor determination means. It is characterized by having .
As a higher-level conceptual term of the abnormal overheating factor display means, there is an “abnormal overheating factor notification (or notification) means”. In this case, other than the LCD display unit for displaying the abnormal overheating factor as described in an embodiment described later, etc. In addition, voice notification means for notifying an abnormal overheating factor by voice, abnormal overheating factor warning sound generating means for generating a warning sound, or a combination of two or more of these is also included. In the present invention, the abnormal overheating factor display means according to claim 4 and the abnormal overheating factor warning sound generation means according to claim 5 are clearly shown separately in view of the situation and importance that are normally widely used.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the plate making apparatus according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, an abnormal overheating factor that emits a warning sound regarding the abnormal overheating factor of the thermal head determined by the abnormal overheating factor determination means. It has a warning sound generating means . A specific example of the abnormal overheating factor warning sound generating means includes a buzzer arranged on an operation panel as described in an embodiment described later. The location of the buzzer is not limited to the operation panel, but may be an appropriate location on the apparatus main body as long as it is a location where the user can listen.

A sixth aspect of the present invention is the plate making apparatus according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, wherein a plurality of pre- and post-plate making temperature storage means for storing the respective thermal head temperatures before and after the start of the plate making or a temperature difference thereof a plurality of times. It is characterized by having.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the plate making apparatus according to the sixth aspect , the number of times each of the thermal head temperatures before and after the start of the plate making or a temperature difference thereof is stored in the plurality of pre- and post-making temperature storage means is set. It has a memory number setting means.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the plate making apparatus according to any one of the first to seventh aspects, wherein the thermal process is performed immediately after turning on the power of the plate making apparatus and before the start of plate making, or in a standby state between plate making operations. In the case where the abnormal overheating factor of the thermal head detected by the abnormal overheating factor determination means is other than abnormal overheating of the thermal head during the continuous plate making, the thermal head temperature is the upper limit of the thermal head temperature. When the temperature is equal to or higher than the threshold temperature, the process is performed when the electric drive unit of the thermal head is abnormal.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the plate making apparatus according to any one of the first to eighth aspects, when an abnormal overheating due to an abnormality in the electrical drive unit of the thermal head is determined, the plate making operation is performed. It is characterized by prohibiting migration.

A tenth aspect of the present invention comprises a plate cylinder on which a master made of a plate is wound, and an ink supply means for supplying ink to the master on the plate cylinder, and presses printing paper against the master on the plate cylinder. A plate making and printing apparatus for printing on the printing paper has the plate making apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9 .

  The thermal head includes all known types and types as long as the thermal head includes a plurality of heating elements arranged in the main scanning direction. That is, the thermal head may be a planar thermal head, an end face thermal head, a real edge thermal head, or a corner edge thermal head. The glaze layer structure may be not only a full glaze but also a partial glaze, and the shape of the heating element (heating resistor, heating element) may be a so-called rectangular type or a heat concentrated type.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a novel plate making apparatus and plate making printing apparatus by solving the above-mentioned conventional problems. The main effects are as follows.
That is, according to the present invention, according to the above configuration , it is possible to discriminate between abnormal overheating due to an abnormality in the electrical drive unit of the thermal head and abnormal overheating of the thermal head due to a temperature rise due to repeated plate-making operation during continuous plate-making of the plate- making apparatus. Since it can be performed reliably, it is possible to prevent the user from calling a serviceman even during abnormal overheating during continuous plate making, and the user must bear the service cost etc. The situation that must be reduced is also reduced (claims 1 to 3 ).

According to the present invention, the above-described configuration, a display based on discrimination of abnormal overheating and by electric drive unit abnormality Sa Maruheddo, abnormal overheating of the thermal head due to a temperature rise due to repeated plate making operation at the time of continuous plate-making of the plate making device Therefore, the above-described effect can be achieved more reliably (claim 4 ).

According to the present invention, it further comprises an abnormal overheating factor warning sound generating means for generating a warning sound regarding the abnormal overheating factor of the thermal head determined by the abnormal overheating factor determination means, thereby having a plurality of means for notifying abnormal overheating. Therefore, the above-described effect can be achieved more reliably (Claim 5 ).

DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an embodiment of the invention including the best mode and examples for carrying out the invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Constituent elements such as members and components having the same functions and shapes over the background art, embodiments, modifications, and the like described above will be omitted after having been described once by assigning the same reference numerals. In order to simplify the drawings and the description, even components that are to be represented in the drawings may be omitted as appropriate without being specifically described in the drawings. When a constituent element such as a published patent publication is cited and explained as it is, the reference numeral is attached with parentheses to distinguish it from that of the embodiment.
First, an overall configuration and operation of a digital heat-sensitive stencil type plate making apparatus and a digital heat-sensitive stencil type plate making printing apparatus having the plate making apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The plate-making printing apparatus is also called a stencil printing apparatus.

  In FIG. 1, reference numeral 50 denotes an apparatus main body frame that forms the framework of the plate-making printing apparatus. A portion indicated by reference numeral 80 in the upper portion of the apparatus main body frame 50 constitutes a document reading apparatus, a portion indicated by reference numeral 1 below the plate making apparatus to which the present invention is specifically applied, and a portion indicated by reference numeral 100 on the left side thereof. Is a printing drum apparatus in which a printing drum 101, also called a porous plate cylinder, is arranged, a portion indicated by reference numeral 70 on the left is a plate discharging apparatus, a portion indicated by reference numeral 110 below the plate making apparatus 1 is a paper feeder, and the printing drum 101 A portion denoted by reference numeral 120 below the reference numeral indicates a printing pressure device, and a portion denoted by reference numeral 130 at the lower left of the apparatus main body frame 50 indicates a paper discharge device. In the plate making and printing apparatus, the plate making apparatus 1 is mounted on the apparatus main body frame 50.

The overall configuration and basic operation of the plate-making printing apparatus will be described below with reference to the overall configuration of the plate-making printing apparatus shown in FIG. 1 and the operation panel 90 shown in FIG.
First, a document 60 having an image to be printed is placed on a document placing table (not shown) arranged at the top of the document reading device 80, and a plate making start key 91 on the operation panel 90 is pressed. When the plate making start key 91 is pressed, a plate removing process is first executed. That is, in this state, the used master 12 used in the previous printing remains attached to the outer peripheral surface of the printing drum 101 of the printing drum apparatus 100.

  When the printing drum 101 rotates counterclockwise and the rear end portion of the used master 12 on the outer peripheral surface of the printing drum 101 approaches the plate release roller pair 71a, 71b in the plate release device 70, the roller pair 71a, 71b is While rotating, the rear end portion of the used master 12 is scooped up by one of the discharge plate peeling rollers 71b, and the discharge plate roller pairs 73a and 73b and the discharge plate peeling roller pair 71a disposed on the left side of the discharge plate peeling roller pairs 71a and 71b, While being conveyed in the direction of the arrow Y1 by the pair of discharged plate conveying belts 72a and 72b stretched between 71b, the discharged master 74 is discharged from the outer peripheral surface of the printing drum 101 and discharged. Ends. At this time, the printing drum 101 continues to rotate counterclockwise. The used master 12 that has been peeled and discharged is then compressed inside the plate discharge box 74 by the compression plate 75.

  In parallel with the plate removal process, the document reader 80 reads the document. That is, the document 60 placed on a document placement table (not shown) is conveyed in the directions of arrows Y2 to Y3 by the rotation of the separation roller 81, the front document conveyance roller pair 82a and 82b, and the rear document conveyance roller pair 83a and 83b. It is used for exposure reading. At this time, when there are a large number of documents 60, only the lowermost document is conveyed by the action of the separating blade 84. When reading the image of the original 60, the reflected light from the surface of the original 60 illuminated by the fluorescent lamp 86 while being transported on the contact glass 85 is reflected by the mirror 87 and passes through the lens 88, and then the CCD (photocoupler such as a charge coupled device) is read. This is performed by being incident on an image sensor 5 composed of a conversion element. The document 60 from which the image has been read is discharged onto the document tray 80A.

Optical information of the document 60 is photoelectrically converted by the image sensor 5, and an analog electric signal is input to an analog / digital (A / D) converter 6 and converted into a digital image signal. The digital image signal is subjected to image processing by the image processing unit 7, and the image signal thus subjected to image processing is input to the plate making control unit 8. The image signal input to the plate making control unit 8 is transmitted to the thermal head 10 via a thermal head driving circuit (not shown) after appropriately performing control processing which is already known and will be described later.
Note that the image signal input to the plate making control unit 8 via the image processing unit 7 is not limited to the one read by the image sensor 5 made of a CCD, but is read by an image sensor such as a contact sensor as described above. Alternatively, it may be an image signal transmitted from a personal computer or the like.

  On the other hand, in parallel with this image reading operation, plate making and plate feeding processes are performed based on image information (image data signal) converted into digital signals. That is, the master 12 is set in a predetermined part of the plate making apparatus 1 so that the master 12 can be fed out, pulled out from a master roll 12A formed around the core tube 12a in a roll shape, and the master 12 is transferred to the thermal head 10. The platen roller 14 pressing through the pair of rollers and the pair of tension rollers 15a and 15b are transported downstream in the sub-scanning direction Y, which is the master transport direction. A plurality (small number) of minute heating elements 9 arranged in a line in the main scanning direction perpendicular to the sub-scanning direction Y of the thermal head 10 from the master 12 transported in this way from the plate making control unit 8. The thermoplastic resin film portion of the master 12 that is selectively heated according to the data signal sent and is in contact with the generated heating element 9 via a protective film layer (not shown) is heated, melted and perforated. The In this way, image information is written in the master 12 as a drilling pattern by position-selective melt drilling of the master 12 according to the image information.

  The platen roller 14 is connected to the master feed motor 11 via a rotation transmission member (not shown) such as a timing belt and a gear, and is rotated by the master feed motor 11. The master feed motor 11 is composed of a stepping motor, for example. The rotational driving force of the master feed motor 11 is supplied to a pair of upper and lower reversing rollers 17a, 17b via a tension transmission pair 15a, 15b and an electromagnetic clutch (not shown) via a rotation transmission member (not shown) such as a gear. To be communicated to.

The leading end of the master 12 having image information written therein is fed toward the outer peripheral side of the printing drum 101 by the pair of reverse rollers 17 a and 17 b while being guided on the guide plate 16, and is advanced by the plate feeding guide plate 18. The direction is changed downward and hangs down toward the master clamper 102 (indicated by a two-dot chain line) of the printing drum 101 in the plate feeding position state shown in the drawing. At this time, the used master 12 has already been removed from the printing drum 101 by the plate discharging process.
When the front end of the master 12 that has been made is clamped by the master clamper 102 at a fixed timing, the printing drum 101 rotates the master 12 that has been made on the outer peripheral surface while rotating in the direction A (clockwise direction) in the figure. Wrap gradually. The rear end of the master 12 that has been subjected to plate making is cut into a fixed length by a cutter 13.

When the master plate 12 for one plate has been wound around the outer peripheral surface of the printing drum 101, the plate making and plate feeding steps are completed, and the printing step is started. First, the uppermost one of the printing sheets 62 stacked on the sheet feeding table 51 is sent in the direction of arrow Y4 toward the registration roller pair 113a and 113b by the sheet feeding roller 111 and the separation roller pair 112a and 112b. Further, it is sent to the printing pressure device 120 at a predetermined timing synchronized with the rotation of the printing drum 101 by the registration roller pair 113a, 113b. When the fed printing paper 62 comes between the printing drum 101 and the press roller 103, the press roller 103 that has been separated below the outer peripheral surface of the printing drum 101 is moved upward, whereby the printing drum 101. It is pressed by the master 12 that has been pre-rolled around the outer peripheral surface. In this way, ink oozes out from the perforated portion of the printing drum 101 and the perforated pattern portion of the master 12 that has been made (not shown), and the oozed ink is transferred to the surface of the printing paper 62 to form a printed image. Is done.
At this time, on the inner peripheral side of the printing drum 101, ink is supplied from the ink supply pipe 104 to the ink reservoir 107 formed between the ink roller 105 and the doctor roller 106, and in the same direction as the rotation direction of the printing drum 101. Ink is supplied to the inner peripheral side of the printing drum 101 by the ink roller 105 that is in contact with the inner peripheral surface while rotating in synchronization with the rotation speed of the printing drum 101. The ink supply tube 104, the ink roller 105, and the doctor roller 106 constitute an ink supply unit that supplies ink to the master 12 that has been made on the printing drum 101.

The printing paper 62 on which the printing image is formed in the printing pressure device 120 is peeled off from the print drum 101 by the paper discharge peeling claw 114 in the paper discharge device 130 and sucked by the suction fan 118, while the suction paper discharge inlet roller 115 and The porous conveying belt 117 stretched around the suction discharge outlet roller 116 is conveyed toward the discharge tray 52 as indicated by an arrow Y5 by the counterclockwise rotation, and is sequentially discharged and stacked on the discharge tray 52. Is done. In this way, so-called plate printing is completed.
Next, when the number of prints is set with the numeric keypad 93 of the operation panel 90 and the print start key 92 is pressed, the steps of feeding, printing and paper discharge are repeated for the set number of prints in the same process as the plate printing. This completes the entire stencil printing process.

Hereinafter, supplementary explanation will be given on the configuration around the operation panel 90, the master 12, and the plate making apparatus 1.
As the master 12 currently used in the plate-making printing apparatus shown in FIG. 1, for example, a thermoplastic resin film and a porous support made of Japanese paper fiber, synthetic fiber, or a mixture of Japanese paper fiber and synthetic fiber, etc. The thing of the laminated structure bonded together is mentioned. As the thermoplastic resin film, for example, a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) film is used. As the master 12, all known masters, that is, the thickness of the master 12 generally used in the plate-making printing apparatus is in the range of 20 to 60 μm, and the thickness of the thermoplastic resin film among them is Is in the range of 1.0 to 2.5 μm.

  The master 12 is not limited to the above-described one, and may be a master in which the thickness of the porous support of the master 12 is reduced, and is described in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-77949 proposed by the applicant of the present application. Such a synthetic fiber base master (2) may be used, or a master in which a molten resin is applied to a synthetic resin film and a resin film is integrally formed on the synthetic resin film, or substantially only a thermoplastic resin film. A master consisting of can also be used.

  The operation panel 90 is disposed on one side of the upper part of the document reading device 80. As shown in FIG. 2, the operation panel 90 has a plate making start key 91, a numeric keypad 93, a printing start key 92, a trial printing key 94, an enter key 95, a mode clear key 96, a buzzer 97, and an LCD (liquid crystal display) display. A section 98, a printed sheet number display 99, and the like are arranged.

  The plate making start key 91 functions as an operation starting means for starting a series of steps (operations) from reading of an image of a document to plate discharge, plate making, plate feeding, paper feeding, plate printing, and paper discharge steps. The numeric keypad 93 has a function for inputting and setting the number of prints and the like, the print start key 92 has a function for starting the printing operation for the number of prints inputted and set with the numeric keys 93, and the trial printing key 94 has Each has a function of starting a test printing operation. When the trial printing key 94 is pressed once, one sheet is passed for trial printing, and when the pressing is continued, the corresponding number of sheets are passed for trial printing.

The enter key 95 has a function for confirming / setting values and the like at various settings, and the mode clear key 96 has a function for erasing / clearing various mode setting states. Is done.
The key relationship including the numeric keypad 93, the enter key 95 and the mode clear key 96 sets the temperature rise of the thermal head temperature when the thermal head 10 makes the master 21 for one plate under predetermined plate making conditions as will be described later. It has a function as a normal rise temperature setting means.

The buzzer 97 has a function as an abnormal overheating factor warning sound generating means for generating a warning sound regarding the abnormal overheating factor of the thermal head 10 determined by the abnormal overheating factor determination means 3 shown in FIG.
The LCD display unit 98 is driven through an LCD drive circuit (not shown), and functions as an abnormal overheating factor display unit that displays the abnormal overheating factor of the thermal head 10 determined by the abnormal overheating factor determination unit 3 shown in FIG. Have. Further, in the case of abnormal overheating during continuous plate-making of the plate-making apparatus 1, the LCD display unit 98 displays an operation guarantee temperature of the thermal head 10 if the thermal head temperature upper limit threshold temperature Ta shown in FIGS. When the temperature of the thermal head 10 is equal to or lower than the thermal head temperature upper limit threshold temperature Ta or equal to or lower than the plate making operation return threshold temperature, it is displayed as a notification means for displaying and notifying that plate making is possible. It has a function. In addition to the first and second functions, the LCD display unit 98 displays a message such as an operation status and a warning, or a selected function, and displays an operation content for selecting and setting the function. It has a function to display at any time.

  The abnormal overheating factor display means is not limited to the LCD display unit 98, and includes, for example, lighting or blinking display of an abnormal overheating factor by a plurality of LEDs that are driven and controlled via an LED drive circuit. Further, the switching display of each key or the LCD display unit 98 may be performed by a touch panel type. The printed sheet number display 99 has a function of displaying the number of printed sheets, the number of remaining printed sheets during the printing operation, and the like via an LED drive circuit (not shown).

Next, with reference to FIG. 3, a control configuration for controlling the thermal head 10 will be supplemented, and a control configuration for mainly determining abnormal overheating of the thermal head 10 will be described. As shown in FIG. 3, the control configuration related to the thermal head 10 includes a microprocessor 2, a memory related unit 4 such as a ROM (Read Only Storage Device), a plate making control unit 8, and a thermistor 37.
The essential control configuration of the main part of the present invention is not limited to the control configuration shown in FIG. 3, but the image sensor 5, the A / D conversion unit 6, the image processing unit 7, and the plate making control unit are shown in the same block diagram. Eight control components may be deleted and expressed simply.

  The plate making control unit 8 and the microprocessor 2 are in a relationship of transmitting / receiving signals to / from each other, and the microprocessor 2 and the memory related unit 4 are in a relationship of transmitting / receiving signals to / from each other.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the thermistor 37 has a function as thermal head temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature of the thermal head 10. In the present embodiment, a signal related to the thermal head temperature from the thermistor 37 is sent to the A / D conversion unit (not shown) provided with the CPU (not shown) of the microprocessor 2 via the plate making control unit 8. To the CPU. Of course, it is also possible to configure such that the CPU 2 transmits / inputs to the CPU via the A / D conversion unit of the microprocessor 2 without going through the plate making control unit 8. The temperature detection location of the thermal head 10 is preferably a surface portion of the heating element 9, for example, a portion close to the central surface portion of the heating element 9 surrounded by the electrodes. Here, the temperature of the main body of the thermal head 10 is detected on the thermal head substrate 27 which is a circuit board mounted on the thermal head 10.
The thermistor 37 is preferable because it is relatively small and inexpensive and has the desired sensitivity and reliability for detecting the temperature of the thermal head 10. The temperature detecting means may be used. The location of the thermistor 37 is not limited to the location on the thermal head substrate 27 but may be provided inside an aluminum heat radiating support 36 called an aluminum heat radiating plate. In FIG. 4, reference numeral 28 denotes a heating element housing portion of the thermal head 10.

  The signal relating to the thermal head temperature transmitted / input from the thermistor 37 to the A / D conversion unit of the microprocessor 2 via the plate making control unit 8 may be only an electric signal suitable for the environment. In the input unit of the A / D conversion unit 38, noise or the like is added. Therefore, it is desirable to perform a known chattering process for the signal processing from the thermistor 37 in order to reduce the influence of the noise when detecting the thermal head temperature.

  The plate making control unit 8 has a configuration and function as a heat history control unit (not shown) that performs heat history control that is already known and a printing rate correction control unit (not shown) that performs common drop correction control. For generating various signals when driving the thermal head 10 from the thermal head temperature-specific perforation energy adjusting means 20 and energization rate-specific perforation energy adjusting means 21. It also has configuration and functions. In FIG. 3, it is shown that the plate making control unit 8 has the configuration and functions as the thermal head temperature-specific perforation energy adjusting means 20 and the energization rate-specific perforation energy adjusting means 21. The processor 2 has these configurations and functions. Of course, they may be provided to the plate making control unit 8.

  The perforating energy adjusting means 20 for each thermal head temperature corresponds to the temperature of the thermal head detected by the thermal head temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature of the thermal head 10 for the perforating energy supplied to each heating element 9 of the thermal head 10. And has a function of adjusting to a predetermined energy. The perforation energy adjusting means 21 for each energization rate corresponds to the energization number counted by the energization number counting means for counting the energization number for energizing each heating element 9 with the perforating energy supplied to each heating element 9 of the thermal head 10. And has a function of adjusting to a predetermined energy.

  The function of the perforation energy adjusting means 21 by energization rate will be schematically described as follows. That is, as the number of prints to be punched and made is larger, the harness resistance to the thermal head 10 and the resistance loss at the common electrode in the thermal head 10 become larger, and the optimum punching energy is applied at a low printing rate. In the case of perforation, the optimum perforation state cannot be obtained at a high printing rate, and in the worst case, perforation failure (unperforation) occurs due to insufficient perforation energy. In order to prevent such a phenomenon from occurring, the number of prints for each heating element 9 to be perforated and plate-making is counted, and in order to compensate for the loss, the energization pulse width is increased and the optimum perforating energy condition is set. Means.

The memory-related section 4 is optimal for drilling and plate making of the master 12 by performing various data for controlling the drive of the thermal head 10, that is, adjusting the drilling energy for each thermal head temperature and adjusting the drilling energy for each energization rate. Data related to drilling energy (such as energization pulse width) for obtaining a proper drilling size, an operation program to be described later, and the like are stored in advance.
Supply of the drilling energy adjusted to a predetermined energy may be performed by changing energization pulse widths to the individual heating elements 9 of the thermal head 10 according to the image signal, or individually according to the image signal. This may be performed by changing a current value flowing through the heating element 9 or a voltage value applied to each heating element 9.

  In the plate-making printing apparatus of the present embodiment, the image signal input to the plate-making control unit 8 is used for the thermal history control, the perforation energy adjustment control for each energization rate, and various signal controls when driving the thermal head 10. In addition, the number of prints for energizing each heating element 9 by actually energizing each heating element 9 by the perforation energy adjusting means 21 by energization rate is counted, and the counted print rate data and the like are once input to the microprocessor 2. Here, it is also used to call and set the optimum energization pulse width from the relationship data stored in advance in the memory related section 4, that is, from the relationship data between the plate-making state and the energization pulse width obtained in advance through experiments or the like. . The plate making control unit 8 heats, melts and perforates the thermoplastic resin film portion of the master 12 based on the optimum energization pulse width set as described above while driving the master feed motor 11 to feed and convey the master 12. Let The data related to the energization pulse width described above varies depending on the temperature of the thermal head 10.

Next, a control configuration for determining abnormal overheating of the thermal head 10 unique to this embodiment will be described in detail.
In the plate-making printing apparatus provided with the plate-making apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, a thermal head temperature upper limit threshold temperature Ta that is equal to or lower than the operation guarantee temperature of the thermal head 10 is set in advance, and stored in advance as, for example, related data in the memory related unit 4. ing.

With reference to FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, the basic principle for determining abnormal overheating of the thermal head 10 will be described. In both figures, the vertical axis represents the thermal head temperature T detected by the thermistor 37, and the horizontal axis represents the number n of plate making (also time).
Basically, the thermal head temperature T is the most severe plate-making conditions that can be executed by the plate-making apparatus 1 and is continuous under the conditions when the master 12 is continuously made with all solids (all black: 100% printing rate). When the temperature rise is larger than the gradient of the temperature rise at the time of plate making, it can be determined that the electrical drive unit abnormality of the thermal head 10 (for example, harness short circuit, circuit abnormality, in-substrate abnormality, thermistor abnormality). 6 is an enlarged view of region A in FIG. 5 (before and after the thermal head temperature T exceeds the thermal head temperature upper limit threshold temperature Ta). The detected thermal head temperature T exceeds the thermal head temperature upper limit threshold temperature Ta. In this case, if the transition is higher than the transition state (rising temperature curve) of the thermal head temperature T at the time of continuous plate-making in FIG.

Based on the basic principle of determining the abnormal overheating of the thermal head 10 described above, functions of the abnormal overheating factor determination means 3 and the like will be described together.
The numeric keypad 93, the enter key 95, and the mode clear key 96 are used as a normal rise temperature setting means for setting a rise temperature of the thermal head temperature when the thermal head 10 makes the master 21 for one plate under predetermined plate making conditions. It has a function and can change a predetermined program called a so-called serviceman program stored in the memory related section 4 at any time.

  The memory-related unit 4 functions as a normal rise temperature storage means for storing the rise temperature of the thermal head 10 set by the normal rise temperature setting means (consisting of the numeric keypad 93, the enter key 95, and the mode clear key 96). Have

The memory related unit 4 stores not only related data such as the thermal head temperature upper limit threshold temperature Ta but also the operation programs shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 in advance.
The memory-related unit 4 stores a thermal head temperature before starting the plate making of the thermal head 10 at the time of continuous plate making of the plate making apparatus 1 and a thermal head temperature after the plate making of the thermal head 10 at the time of continuous plate making in advance. It has a function as a means.

  The memory-related unit 4 determines the thermal head temperature before starting the plate making of the thermal head 10 at the time of continuous plate making of the plate making apparatus 1 and the thermal head temperature after the plate making of the thermal head 10 at the time of continuous plate making, or before and after the start of plate making. It has a function as pre- and post-plate making temperature storage means for storing the temperature difference of the thermal head temperature as needed. The memory-related unit 4 also has a function as a plurality of pre- and post-plate making temperature storage means for storing each thermal head temperature before and after plate making or the temperature difference thereof a plurality of times.

  The CPU (not shown) of the microprocessor 2 mainly detects the thermal head temperature detected by the thermistor 37 when the thermal head temperature detected by the thermistor 37 exceeds the thermal head temperature upper limit threshold temperature Ta. The head 10 has a basic function as an abnormal overheating factor determining means 3 for determining an abnormal overheating mainly due to an abnormality in the electric drive unit and an abnormal overheating of the thermal head 10 during continuous plate making of the plate making apparatus 1. Hereinafter, the CPU of the microprocessor 2 is referred to as abnormal overheating factor determination means 3 which is an easy-to-understand conceptual term.

  The abnormal overheating factor discriminating means 3 grasps the transition state of the thermal head temperature (usually the rising temperature) based on the signal related to the thermal head temperature transmitted from the thermistor 37, and the grasped transition state of the thermal head temperature (normally the rising temperature) A first temperature for determining each abnormal overheating is obtained by comparing a temperature rise (usually a rise temperature) with a rise temperature of the thermal head 10 stored in the memory-related unit 4 (hereinafter referred to as a “normal thermal head temperature rise value”). Discriminating function.

  The abnormal overheating factor discriminating means 3 having the first discriminating function is the thermal head temperature transition state (usually the rising temperature) when the thermal head temperature detected by the thermistor 37 exceeds the thermal head temperature upper limit threshold temperature Ta. ) Exceeds the normal thermal head temperature rise value stored in the memory-related unit 4, it is determined that the thermal head 10 is abnormally overheated due to an abnormality in the electric drive unit of the thermal head 10. When the temperature is equal to or lower than the normal thermal head temperature rise value stored in the memory-related unit 4, it is determined that the thermal head 10 is abnormally overheated during continuous plate making.

As an input value of the thermal head temperature rising temperature per master plate of the master 12 by the normal rising temperature setting means (the numeric keypad 93, the enter key 95, and the mode clear key 96), it is assumed that the thermal efficiency of the thermal head 10 varies and the normal thermal It is desirable to make it higher than or equal to the normal thermal head temperature rise value when all solids are near the head temperature rise value (all black: 100% printing rate) (normally 10 ° C or less, depending on the type of plate making equipment) .
For example, when setting and inputting the above-mentioned 10 ° C. as the thermal head temperature rise value, for example, after pressing the mode clear key 96 once, “10” ° C. is entered / input with the numeric key 93, and then the enter key 95 is set to 1 Press once to confirm.
The key relationship including the numeric keypad 93, the enter key 95, and the mode clear key 96 is the number of times the memory related unit 4 serving as a plurality of post-printing temperature storage means stores each thermal head temperature before and after the plate making or a plurality of temperature differences. It also has a function as a memory count setting means for setting.

  The abnormal overheating factor discriminating means 3 grasps the transition state of the thermal head temperature based on the signal related to the thermal head temperature transmitted from the thermistor 37, and the transition state (usually rising temperature) of the grasped thermal head temperature. By comparing the thermal head temperature before starting the plate making of the thermal head 10 at the time of continuous plate making of the plate making apparatus 1 stored in the memory-related unit 4 and the thermal head temperature after the plate making of the thermal head 10 at the time of continuous plate making, A second discrimination function for discriminating each abnormal overheat is provided.

  The abnormal overheating factor discriminating means 3 having the second discriminating function is configured such that when the thermal head temperature detected by the thermistor 37 exceeds the thermal head temperature upper limit threshold temperature Ta, the thermal head temperature (usually rising temperature) is stored in the memory. When the temperature difference (increase temperature) between the thermal head temperature before starting the plate making of the thermal head 10 stored at the related part 4 and the thermal head temperature after the plate making of the thermal head 10 at the time of continuous plate making is exceeded. When the thermal head temperature (usually rising temperature) is equal to or lower than the temperature difference (rising temperature), it is determined that the thermal head 10 is abnormally overheated during continuous plate making. To do.

In the second determination function of the abnormal overheating factor determination means 3, the thermal head temperature before the start of plate making and the thermal head temperature after plate making are stored in the memory related section 4 as shown in FIG. There may be a plurality such as n-1 and n-2. As a result, the use history can be traced back to the time when the number of plate making is young, that is, it becomes clear when the abnormality of the electric drive unit of the thermal head 10 occurs. Even when the electrical drive unit of the thermal head 10 is not abnormal, it is possible to confirm the normal thermal head temperature rise value (maximum, average, etc.) for the original used by the user.
In addition to the second determination function, the abnormal overheating factor determination means 3 also has a function of determining each of the abnormal overheats in consideration of the first determination function.

  The abnormal overheating factor determination means 3 stores the thermal head temperature before starting the plate making of the thermal head 10 during the continuous plate making of the plate making apparatus 1 and the thermal head temperature after the plate making of the thermal head 10 during the continuous plate making stored in the memory-related unit 4. And a normal thermal head temperature rise value of the thermal head 10 stored in the memory-related unit 4 to have a third discrimination function for discriminating each abnormal overheating.

  The abnormal overheating factor discriminating means 3 having the third discriminating function is used for continuous plate making stored in the memory-related unit 4 when the thermal head temperature detected by the thermistor 37 exceeds the thermal head temperature upper limit threshold temperature Ta. Normal temperature of the thermal head 10 in which the temperature difference (increase temperature) between the thermal head temperature before starting the plate making of the thermal head 10 and the thermal head temperature after making the thermal head 10 during continuous plate making is stored in the memory related section 4. When the head temperature rise value is exceeded, it is determined as abnormal overheating due to an abnormality in the electrical drive unit of the thermal head 10, and when the temperature difference (rise temperature) is less than or equal to the normal thermal head temperature rise value, the thermal head 10 at the time of continuous plate making. It is determined as abnormal overheating.

The phenomenon of abnormal overheating of the thermal head 10 due to the abnormality of the drive unit of the thermal head 10 does not occur only during plate making. If the drive unit abnormality of the thermal head 10 occurs before the start of plate making, regardless of the presence or absence of plate making operation. It is also assumed that the temperature is equal to or higher than the thermal head temperature upper limit threshold temperature Ta set to be equal to or lower than the operation guarantee temperature of the thermal head 10. In such a case, the control function of the microprocessor 2 described below is required.
That is, the microprocessor 2 detects the thermal head temperature immediately after the plate-making apparatus 1 is turned on until before the start of plate-making, or in a standby state between plate-making operations, and the thermal head 10 determined by the abnormal overheating factor determining means 3. In the case where the abnormal overheating factor is other than the abnormal overheating of the thermal head 10 at the time of continuous plate-making, when the thermal head temperature becomes equal to or higher than the thermal head temperature upper limit threshold temperature Ta, processing when the thermal head 10 drive unit is abnormal is performed.

When confirming the temperature rise of the thermal head 10 other than at the time of plate making, the thermal head temperature based on the detection of the thermal head temperature by the thermistor 37 is not checked once before starting plate making, but at a certain time interval. It is desirable that the detection is carried out at least once before the start of plate making.
In recent years, plate making speeds of plate making printing apparatuses have been increased. Therefore, not only the detection of the thermal head temperature before and after the start of plate making, but also the temperature of the thermal head is detected at least once during the plate making, taking into account the heat storage action of the thermal head 10 from the detected value, It is desirable to apply the energy applied to the individual heating elements 9 of the thermal head 10 more optimally.

  When the abnormal overheating factor determination means 3 confirms abnormal overheating due to an abnormality in the electrical drive unit of the thermal head 10, the plate making operation of the plate making printing apparatus is not shifted. That is, when the abnormal overheating factor discriminating means 3 discriminates the abnormal overheating due to the abnormality of the drive part of the thermal head 10, the microprocessor 2 and the master feed motor 11 and the unillustrated so as to prohibit the shift to the plate making operation. It has a function of controlling the thermal head drive circuit.

  In the case of abnormal overheating at the time of continuous plate making, the plate making operation is not shifted until the temperature reaches the thermal head temperature upper limit threshold temperature Ta which is set below the guaranteed operating temperature of the thermal head 10. That is, in the case of abnormal overheating at the time of continuous plate making determined by the abnormal overheating factor determining means 3, the microprocessor 2 performs the plate making operation until the plate making operation return threshold temperature not more than the thermal head temperature upper limit threshold temperature Ta. It has a function of controlling the thermal head 10 via the master feed motor 11 and a thermal head drive circuit (not shown) so as to prohibit the transition.

  In the case of abnormal overheating at the time of continuous plate making, plate making may be possible if the temperature falls below the thermal head temperature upper limit threshold temperature Ta which is set below the operation guarantee temperature of the thermal head 10, but the thermal head temperature has dropped to some extent. However, it may be set so that the plate is made again immediately and the abnormal overheating does not occur due to the thermal head temperature. In the case of such abnormal overheating during continuous plate making, a display / notification is made that the temperature is above the guaranteed operating temperature of the thermal head 10 until the plate making operation return threshold temperature is below the upper limit threshold temperature temperature Ta of the thermal head. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 11, when the thermal head temperature is equal to or lower than the plate-making operation return threshold temperature equal to or lower than the thermal head temperature upper limit threshold temperature Ta, the plate-making is possible (see FIG. 11). Is going.

That is, the microprocessor 2 guarantees the operation of the thermal head 10 until the thermal head temperature upper limit threshold temperature Ta becomes lower than or equal to the thermal head temperature upper limit temperature Ta when the abnormal overheating factor discriminating means 3 discriminates the abnormal overheating at the time of continuous plate making of the plate making apparatus 1. LCD display unit to display / notify that the temperature is above the temperature, and to display / notify that plate making is possible when the thermal head temperature falls below the plate making operation return threshold temperature below the thermal head temperature upper limit threshold temperature Ta It has a function of controlling 98 liquid crystal drive circuits (not shown).
In addition, automatic plate-making may be performed on a document set at that time, and in recent years, on-line printing has become popular in plate-making printing apparatuses, and it is considered effective in that case.
That is, the microprocessor 2 is set when the abnormal overheating factor determination means 3 determines that the abnormal overheating during continuous plate making is below the plate making operation return threshold temperature not more than the thermal head temperature upper limit threshold temperature Ta. It has a function of controlling the drive unit of the document reading device 80, the master feed motor 11 and a thermal head drive circuit (not shown) so as to automatically perform the plate making operation based on the image signal including the existing document.
Here, “the plate making operation based on the image signal” is not limited to the one read by the image sensor as described above, for example, the one read by the image sensor such as the contact sensor, the plate making apparatus or the plate making printing via the controller. It may be a plate making operation based on an image signal output / transmitted from a personal computer (personal computer) or a host computer connected to be communicable with the apparatus. Further, “automatically performing the plate making operation” includes manual switching and manual operation.

  In FIG. 1, the A / D conversion unit 6, the image processing unit 7, the plate making control unit 8, and the microprocessor 2 are schematically shown and arranged in the plate making apparatus 1, respectively. For the sake of convenience, the apparatus is included in the plate making apparatus 1 because it includes those related to the apparatus. Of course, the present invention can also be applied to a plate-making printing apparatus equipped with a plate-making apparatus. In this case, the A / D conversion unit 6, the image processing unit 7, the plate-making control unit 8, and the microprocessor 2 are made to plate-making. There is no need to arrange them in the apparatus 1, and they may be arranged outside the plate-making apparatus 1 and at appropriate portions in the apparatus main body frame 50.

Next, the operation of the main part unique to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.
First, in step S1, when the power switch (not shown) of the plate-making printing apparatus shown in FIG. 1 is turned on / on, the memory-related section 4 stores the thermal head temperature before starting plate-making (step S2). The reason why the thermal head temperature before the start of plate making is stored before the plate making start key 91 is pressed is that there is a possibility of abnormal overheating due to an abnormality in the electrical drive unit of the thermal head 10.

  Next, in step S3, it is determined whether or not the thermal head temperature detected by the thermistor 37 is equal to or lower than the thermal head temperature upper threshold temperature Ta. If YES in step S4, the process proceeds to step S4, where it is determined whether the plate making start key 91 is pressed. If YES in step S5, the process proceeds to step S5, where the memory-related unit 4 again stores the thermal head temperature before the start of plate making. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S6, where it is determined whether or not the thermal head temperature detected by the thermistor 37 is equal to or lower than the thermal head temperature upper limit threshold temperature Ta. In the case where the temperature is equal to or lower than the thermal head temperature upper limit threshold temperature Ta, the process proceeds to step S7 shown in FIG. 8, and the same plate making operation as described above is performed.

In step S8, the memory related unit 4 stores the thermal head temperature after completion of plate making. The reason why the thermal head temperature after the completion of the plate making is stored is to obtain a comparison of the thermal head temperature upper limit threshold temperature Ta and the like and information on the temperature difference before and after the plate making.
Next, the same printing operation as described above is performed, and when the printing operation is completed, it is determined whether or not the power switch is turned off (steps S9 to S11). If the power switch is turned off, the process ends (step S12).

  On the other hand, in step S3, if the thermal head temperature is no greater than the thermal head temperature upper limit threshold temperature Ta, the process proceeds to step S17 shown in FIG. When it is determined that the electrical driving unit of the thermal head 10 is abnormal from the point determined by the overheating factor determining unit 3, a display such as “service man call” is displayed on the LCD display unit 98 as shown in FIG. At the same time, a warning sound is emitted by the buzzer 97. Thereafter, in step S18, the shift to the plate making operation is prohibited and the state is maintained, and the process proceeds to step S12, and the process is terminated if the power switch is turned off.

  On the other hand, in step S6, if the thermal head temperature exceeds NO in the thermal head temperature upper limit threshold temperature Ta, the process proceeds to step S13, and it is determined whether or not it is equal to or lower than the normal thermal head temperature rise (temperature) value. In the case where the temperature is normally equal to or lower than the thermal head temperature rise (temperature) value, the process proceeds to step S14 shown in FIG. 8, and the thermal head 10 exceeds the thermal head temperature upper limit threshold temperature Ta by continuous plate-making as shown in FIG. Is displayed on the LCD display unit 98 and the buzzer 97 sounds. “The writing part has been warmed. Please wait for a while.” A warning sound is emitted.

Next, the process proceeds to step S15, where it is determined whether the temperature is equal to or lower than the plate making operation return threshold temperature. If YES in step S16, the process proceeds to step S16, and as shown in FIG. 11, the thermal head 10 is below the thermal head temperature upper limit threshold temperature Ta in continuous plate making, and plate making operation is possible. Is displayed on the LCD display section 98, and a warning sound is sounded by the buzzer 97 sounding. Thereafter, in order to execute continuous plate making, the process proceeds to step S2 shown in FIG. 7, the same operation flow as described above is repeated, and finally the process reaches step S12, and the operation ends. If NO in step S15, the process returns to step S14, and the same operation is repeated.
On the other hand, in step S13, if the thermal head temperature exceeds NO in the normal thermal head temperature rise (temperature) value, the process proceeds to step S17 to step S18 shown in FIG. 8, and the same operation as described above is performed.

  The operation flow shown in FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 is merely an example of this embodiment, and as noted in FIG. 7, for example, even during the printing operation between step S8 and step S9 in FIG. Since there is a possibility of abnormal overheating due to 10 electrical drive unit abnormalities, an operation example in which step S6 and step S13 in FIG. 7 are added may be used.

The following configuration example and operation are not limited to the above embodiment. In other words, when the thermal head temperature detected by the thermistor 37 approaches the vicinity of the operation guaranteed temperature of the thermal head 10 or less, it may have a notification means for notifying that “the thermal head temperature is increasing”. . As this notification means, in addition to the LCD display section 98 as a display means for displaying that “the temperature of the thermal head is getting higher”, a voice notification means for notifying by voice, or a warning sound generating a warning sound is generated. The buzzer 97 as a means, or a combination of two or more thereof is also included.
In this case, when the thermal head temperature detected by the thermistor 37 approaches the vicinity of the operation guarantee temperature of the thermal head 10 or less, the microprocessor 2 notifies that “the thermal head temperature is increasing”. It has a function of controlling the notification means.

  As described above, the present invention has been described with respect to specific embodiments. However, the technical scope disclosed by the present invention is not limited to those exemplified in the above-described embodiments and the like. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various embodiments, modifications, and examples can be configured within the scope of the present invention in accordance with the necessity and application.

  The present invention is not limited to a thermal stencil type plate making apparatus and a thermal stencil type plate making and printing apparatus, but a thermal head including a plurality of heating elements in the main scanning direction includes a thermal recording apparatus including a thermal printer, a thermal printing apparatus, and the like. It can also be applied or applied mutatis mutandis to these technical fields.

It is a schematic front view of the plate-making printing apparatus which shows one Embodiment of this invention. It is a top view of the operation panel arrange | positioned at the plate-making printing apparatus. It is a block diagram showing the control structure of the principal part of the plate-making printing apparatus shown in FIG. It is a side view which shows the arrangement | positioning location of the thermistor which detects the temperature of a thermal head. It is a graph showing the relationship between the number of plate making and the thermal head temperature. It is the graph which expanded and represented the part of the A area | region of the graph shown in FIG. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an operation sequence of the plate-making printing apparatus of FIG. 1 when focusing on the determination of abnormal overheating of the thermal head. It is a continuation of the flowchart of FIG. It is an example of a display on the LCD display unit in the case of abnormal overheating due to abnormality of the electrical drive unit of the thermal head. It is an example of a display on an LCD display part in the case of abnormal overheating during continuous plate making. It is an example of display on the LCD display section when plate making becomes possible due to abnormal overheating during continuous plate making.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Plate making apparatus 2 Microprocessor 3 Abnormal overheating factor discrimination means 4 Memory related part (Normal temperature rising memory means, Pre- and post-plate temperature storage means, Multiple plate making temperature memory means)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 5 Image sensor 8 Plate making control part 9 Heating body 10 Thermal head 12 Master 14 Platen roller 37 Thermistor (thermal head temperature detection means)
62 Printing paper 90 Operation panel 97 Buzzer (Abnormal overheating factor warning sound generation means)
98 LCD display (abnormal overheating factor display means)
101 Printing drum (plate cylinder)
T Thermal head temperature Ta Thermal head temperature upper threshold temperature Y Sub-scanning direction

Claims (10)

A thermal head having a plurality of heating elements arranged in the main scanning direction is brought into direct contact with the thermoplastic resin film side of the master having the thermoplastic resin film, and the sub scanning direction is orthogonal to the main scanning direction. A dot-shaped prepress image is formed on the master by selectively heating each of the heating elements according to the image signal while moving the master relatively, and the temperature of the thermal head can be detected by the thermal head temperature detecting means. In the plate making apparatus in which a thermal head temperature upper limit threshold temperature below the guaranteed operating temperature of the thermal head is preset,
On the basis of the transition state of the thermal head temperature detected by the thermal head temperature detecting means, the temperature is increased due to abnormal overheating due to an abnormality in the electrical drive unit of the thermal head and repetition of the plate-making operation during continuous plate-making of the plate- making apparatus. An abnormal overheating factor determining means for determining an abnormal overheating of the thermal head ;
Normal rising temperature setting means for setting the rising temperature of the thermal head temperature when the thermal head makes a master for one plate under predetermined plate making conditions;
Normal rising temperature storage means for storing the rising temperature set by the normal rising temperature setting means ;
Have
The abnormal overheating factor determination unit is configured to change the thermal head temperature detected by the thermal head temperature detection unit when the thermal head temperature is near the thermal head temperature upper limit threshold temperature or exceeds the thermal head temperature upper limit threshold temperature. A plate making apparatus , wherein the abnormal overheating is determined by comparing the state and the elevated temperature stored in the normal elevated temperature storage means . A thermal head having a plurality of heating elements arranged in the main scanning direction is brought into direct contact with the thermoplastic resin film side of the master having the thermoplastic resin film, and the sub scanning direction is orthogonal to the main scanning direction. A dot-shaped prepress image is formed on the master by selectively heating each of the heating elements according to the image signal while moving the master relatively, and the temperature of the thermal head can be detected by the thermal head temperature detecting means. In the plate making apparatus in which a thermal head temperature upper limit threshold temperature below the guaranteed operating temperature of the thermal head is preset,
On the basis of the transition state of the thermal head temperature detected by the thermal head temperature detecting means, the temperature is increased due to abnormal overheating due to an abnormality in the electrical drive unit of the thermal head and repetition of the plate-making operation during continuous plate-making of the plate-making apparatus. An abnormal overheating factor determining means for determining an abnormal overheating of the thermal head;
Normal rising temperature setting means for setting the rising temperature of the thermal head temperature when the thermal head makes a master for one plate under predetermined plate making conditions;
Normal rising temperature storage means for storing the rising temperature set by the normal rising temperature setting means;
Pre- and post-plate temperature storage means for storing the thermal head temperature before the start of plate making of the thermal head at the time of continuous plate making of the plate making apparatus and the thermal head temperature after plate making of the thermal head at the time of continuous plate making;
Have
When the thermal head temperature is near the thermal head temperature upper limit threshold temperature or exceeds the thermal head temperature upper limit threshold temperature, the abnormal overheating factor determination means is configured to store the pre-plate making temperature storage means before the plate making start. A plate making apparatus , wherein the abnormal overheating is discriminated by comparing the thermal head temperature and the thermal head temperature after the plate making with the elevated temperature stored in the normal elevated temperature storage means . A thermal head having a plurality of heating elements arranged in the main scanning direction is brought into direct contact with the thermoplastic resin film side of the master having the thermoplastic resin film, and the sub scanning direction is orthogonal to the main scanning direction. A dot-shaped prepress image is formed on the master by selectively heating each of the heating elements according to the image signal while moving the master relatively, and the temperature of the thermal head can be detected by the thermal head temperature detecting means. In the plate making apparatus in which a thermal head temperature upper limit threshold temperature below the guaranteed operating temperature of the thermal head is preset,
On the basis of the transition state of the thermal head temperature detected by the thermal head temperature detecting means, the temperature is increased due to abnormal overheating due to an abnormality in the electrical drive unit of the thermal head and repetition of the plate-making operation during continuous plate-making of the plate-making apparatus. An abnormal overheating factor determining means for determining an abnormal overheating of the thermal head;
Pre- and post-plate making temperature storage means for preliminarily storing the thermal head temperature before the start of plate making of the thermal head at the time of continuous plate making of the plate making apparatus and the thermal head temperature after plate making of the thermal head at the time of continuous plate making;
Have
The abnormal overheating factor determination unit is configured to change the thermal head temperature detected by the thermal head temperature detection unit when the thermal head temperature is near the thermal head temperature upper limit threshold temperature or exceeds the thermal head temperature upper limit threshold temperature. The abnormal overheating is determined by comparing the state with the thermal head temperature before starting the plate making and the thermal head temperature after the plate making stored in the pre- and post-plate making temperature storage means. Plate making equipment. In the plate making apparatus as described in any one of Claims 1 thru | or 3,
A plate making apparatus, comprising: an abnormal overheating factor display means for displaying an abnormal overheating factor of the thermal head determined by the abnormal overheating factor determination means . In the plate making apparatus as described in any one of Claims 1 thru | or 4 ,
A plate making apparatus, comprising: an abnormal overheating factor warning sound generating means for generating a warning sound regarding the abnormal overheating factor of the thermal head determined by the abnormal overheating factor determination means . In the plate making apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5 ,
A plate making apparatus comprising a plurality of pre- and post-plate making temperature storage means for storing the respective thermal head temperatures before and after the plate making start or a temperature difference thereof a plurality of times . In the plate making apparatus of claim 6 Symbol mounting,
A plate making apparatus, comprising: a storage number setting means for setting the number of times each of the thermal head temperatures or temperature differences before and after the start of plate making is stored in the plurality of plate making front and back temperature storage means . The plate making apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7 ,
The thermal head temperature is detected immediately after turning on the power of the plate making apparatus until before the start of plate making, or in a standby state between plate making operations, and the abnormal overheating factor of the thermal head determined by the abnormal overheating factor determination means is the above In cases other than abnormal overheating of the thermal head at the time of continuous plate making, when the thermal head temperature becomes equal to or higher than the thermal head temperature upper limit threshold temperature, processing when the electrical drive unit of the thermal head is abnormal is performed . Characteristic plate making equipment. The plate making apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8,
A plate making apparatus characterized in that when an abnormal overheating due to an abnormality in the electrical drive unit of the thermal head is determined, a shift to a plate making operation is prohibited . A plate cylinder on which the master made by the plate making is wound, and an ink supply means for supplying ink to the master on the plate cylinder, press the printing paper against the master on the plate cylinder to perform printing on the printing paper. In the plate-making printer,
A plate-making printing apparatus comprising the plate-making apparatus according to claim 1.

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