JP5669563B2 - Thermal transfer printer - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a thermal transfer printer, and more particularly to a thermal transfer printer capable of selectively transferring an overcoat only to a partial area of an image of a transfer target.

  A sublimation thermal transfer printer is known as an image forming apparatus capable of outputting a high-quality image comparable to a silver salt photograph image. The sublimation type thermal transfer printer is a surface sequential printer having a thermal head that sequentially heats each of the ink portions and the protective material portions of the ink sheet on which the sublimable dye inks and protective materials of a plurality of colors are formed. is there. The thermal head sequentially heats each of the ink portion and the protective material portion of the ink sheet, whereby the image and the overcoat layer are transferred from the ink sheet to the recording paper in an overlapping manner. The overcoat layer is a protective layer covered with a protective material.

  Hereinafter, a general sublimation thermal transfer printer will be described with reference to FIGS. 10 to 13. 10 and 11 are schematic configuration diagrams of an image forming unit 20 in a general sublimation thermal transfer printer, FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram of an ink sheet unit 30 for a sublimation thermal transfer printer, and FIG. 13 is a sublimation thermal transfer printer. It is a schematic sectional drawing of the recording paper 4 for use.

  As shown in FIG. 12, the ink sheet unit 30 includes a feeding portion 31 that is a portion in which the belt-shaped ink sheet 3 is wound in a roll shape, and a portion in which the ink sheet 3 that has been fed out from the feeding portion 31 is wound up. The winding part 32 which is. Further, the ink sheet 3 includes ink forming portions 3a, 3b, and 3c, which are portions in which layers of sublimable dye inks of a plurality of colors are formed on the surface of a base material layer made of a belt-like film, And a protective material forming portion 3d which is a portion where a transparent protective material layer is formed on the surface. Each of the ink forming portions 3 a, 3 b, 3 c and the protective material forming portion 3 d are repeatedly arranged in a predetermined order in the longitudinal direction of the belt-shaped ink sheet 3.

  In the example shown in FIG. 12, the ink forming portions 3a, 3b, and 3c include a yellow ink portion 3a in which a yellow ink layer is formed, a magenta ink portion 3b in which a magenta ink layer is formed, and a cyan ink layer. And a cyan ink portion 3c formed thereon. The ink forming part may include a black ink part in which a black ink layer is formed.

  The recording paper 4 for a sublimation thermal transfer printer has a structure in which a receiving layer 4B is formed on the surface of a sheet-like base material layer 4A. The receiving layer 4B is a resin layer having high affinity with the dye ink.

  As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the image forming unit 20 of the sublimation thermal transfer printer includes a thermal head 21, a platen roller 22, a paper roll 23, a pinch roller mechanism 24, and an ink sheet unit 30. The paper roll 23 is a portion where the recording paper 4 is wound. The thermal head 30 is a device that sequentially heats each of the ink forming portions 3a, 3b, 3c and the protective material forming portion 3d in the ink sheet 3. The thermal head 30 can adjust the heating energy of the ink sheet 3 in pixel units of the image.

  Further, the thermal head 21 is supported so as to be movable between a recording position in which the ink sheet 22 is sandwiched between the thermal head 21 and the platen roller 22 and a retracted position away from the platen roller 22. FIG. 10 shows a state where the thermal head 21 exists at the recording position, and FIG. 11 shows a state where the thermal head 21 exists at the retracted position.

  In a state where the thermal head 21 exists at the retracted position, the recording paper 4 is fed out from the paper roll 23 by the pinch roller mechanism 24 and the platen roller 22 that rotate in the forward direction, and moves between the platen roller 22 and the ink sheet 3. Be transported. At that time, the ink sheet 3 is stopped in a state of being separated from the recording paper 4.

  On the other hand, in a state where the thermal head 21 exists at the recording position, the recording paper 4 is fed back to the paper roll 23 side by the pinch roller mechanism 24 and the platen roller 22 that rotate in the reverse direction. At that time, the ink sheet 3 moves from the feeding unit 31 to the winding unit 32 in a state of being in close contact with the recording paper 4. Further, the thermal head 21 heats the moving ink sheet 3 to transfer the image or the overcoat layer from the ink sheet 3 to the recording paper 4. At that time, the thermal head 21 heats the ink forming portions 3a, 3b, and 3c of the ink sheet 3 with heating energy corresponding to the density of each pixel in the image data.

  The image forming unit 20 moves the thermal head 21 to the retracted position and feeds the position of the recording paper 4 forward by one page, and moves the thermal head 21 to the recording position to heat the ink sheet 3 while heating the ink sheet 3. The transfer operation is sequentially repeated.

  By the operation of the image forming unit 20 described above, the ink images of the respective colors in the ink forming units 3a, 3b, 3c are sequentially transferred from the ink sheet 3 to the recording paper 4. Further, the overcoat layer is transferred from the ink sheet 3 to the recording paper 4 so as to cover the color image on the recording paper 4.

  The overcoat layer is a protective layer that improves the light resistance and fingerprint resistance of the image formed on the recording paper 4, and also plays a role of improving the smoothness of the surface of the recording paper 4 and improving the glossiness.

  The overcoat layer is usually transferred with a uniform film thickness. On the other hand, the printer disclosed in Patent Document 1 forms a concavo-convex pattern of an overcoat layer on recording paper by changing the heating energy of the protective material forming portion in the ink sheet 3 in units of pixels. A matte effect on the surface of the recording paper is obtained by the uneven pattern of the overcoat layer.

  Further, the printer disclosed in Patent Document 2 records related information of an image such as a shooting date and time or a shooting condition of the image on a recording sheet by a printing pattern such as a barcode configured by the presence or absence of an overcoat layer. The overcoat layer printing pattern can be read by a reading device constituted by an optical device, but does not hinder the visibility of an image by a person.

Japanese Patent No. 3618293 JP 2002-211017 A

  By the way, the sublimation type thermal transfer printer is often applied to an amusement photographic printer installed in an amusement facility. A typical example of an amusement photographic printer is a photographic printer that is installed in a game center and transfers a photographed user's photographic image to a recording paper with an adhesive. In an amusement photographic printer, functions mainly for amusement such as playfulness and fun, as well as functions mainly for high image quality such as definition, water resistance and light resistance of the output image, Or, instead, increase the added value of the device.

  For example, if a part of the image area on the recording paper can be set as a non-protected area where the overcoat layer is not transferred, the user can detect the difference in gloss and the ink between the image in the protected area and the image in the non-protected area. The user can enjoy the difference in discoloration over time, and the user's playfulness is stimulated.

  In addition, since the functions mainly intended for entertainment as shown here promote the diversification of the use of thermal transfer printers, application to thermal transfer printers other than photographic printers at entertainment facilities is also considered effective.

  However, the thermal transfer printer disclosed in Patent Document 1 adjusts the transfer pattern of the entire overcoat layer for the purpose of matting, etc., on the assumption that the overall reproducibility of the image corresponding to the input image data is not affected. . Similarly, the thermal transfer printer disclosed in Patent Document 2 also has a predetermined position for recording inconspicuous additional information on the premise that it does not affect the overall reproducibility of an image corresponding to input image data. To adjust the transfer pattern of the overcoat layer.

  As described above, the conventional thermal transfer printer dares to set an area where the overcoat layer is not transferred to an arbitrary part of the image area on the recording paper. There is no entertainment that you can enjoy the difference in color change.

  An object of the present invention is to allow a thermal transfer printer to form an area in which an overcoat layer is not transferred to an arbitrary part of an image area on a recording paper, and thereby to provide a difference in gloss of an image for each area and The object is to realize an amusement that can enjoy the difference in discoloration of images over time.

A thermal transfer printer according to the present invention that achieves the above object is a surface sequential thermal transfer printer that sequentially heats each of a plurality of color developer portions and a transparent protective material portion formed on a developer. Is provided with a thermal head for transferring an image and a transparent protective layer in an overlapping manner from the developing member to the transfer member. Furthermore, the thermal transfer printer according to the first aspect of the present invention includes the following components.
(1) The first component is an image data input unit that inputs image data.
(2) The second component is a protective layer data input unit that inputs protective layer data for specifying a protected region to which the protective layer in the transfer target is transferred and other non-protected regions.
(3) The third component is a first controller that transfers the image from the developer to the transfer target by controlling the heating energy of the developer portion of the developer by the thermal head according to the image data. is there.
(4) The fourth constituent element controls the heating energy of the protective material portion of the developer by the thermal head in accordance with the protective layer data, so that a part of the protected area of the transferred body is protected from the developer. Only the second control unit transfers the protective layer.

  According to the present invention, an arbitrary area is set as a non-protected area in the protective layer data input to the thermal transfer printer, whereby the overcoat layer is transferred to an arbitrary partial area in the image area on the transfer medium. It is possible to form a region that is not. As a result, it is possible to provide an enjoyable way of enjoying the difference between the glossiness of the image in each region and the change in color of the image over time as a way of enjoying the image transferred to the transfer object. Become.

1 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a main part of a thermal transfer printer 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an image forming process procedure according to the first embodiment executed by the thermal transfer printer 1; It is a figure which shows the 1st example of the image formed by the image formation process which concerns on 1st Example. It is a figure which shows the 2nd example of the image formed by the image formation process which concerns on 1st Example. It is a graph which shows the time-dependent change of the density of the image of a sublimation dye ink. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a procedure of image forming processing according to a second embodiment executed by the thermal transfer printer 1; It is a figure which shows the condition of the reflection of the light of the protection area | region and non-protection area | region in the image area | region on recording paper. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an image forming process procedure according to a third embodiment executed by the thermal transfer printer 1; It is a figure which shows an example of the image formed by the image formation process which concerns on 3rd Example. FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of an image forming unit in a state where a thermal head in a general sublimation type thermal transfer printer is at a recording position. FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration diagram of an image forming unit in a state where a thermal head in a general sublimation thermal transfer printer is in a retracted position. It is the schematic of the ink sheet unit for sublimation type thermal transfer printers. It is a schematic sectional drawing of the recording paper for sublimation type thermal transfer printers.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The following embodiment is an example embodying the present invention, and is not an example of limiting the technical scope of the present invention.

<Device configuration>
First, the configuration of a thermal transfer printer 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The thermal transfer printer 1 is a sublimation thermal transfer printer, and includes an image forming unit 20 shown in FIGS. 10 and 11 as in the case of a conventional general thermal transfer printer. Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the thermal transfer printer 1 includes a communication interface 11, a CPU (Central Processor Unit) 12, a memory controller 13, a first frame memory 14, a second frame memory 15, a non-volatile memory 16, image processing, and the like. A circuit 17 and a thermal head controller 18 are provided. The communication interface 11, CPU 12, memory controller 13, image processing circuit 17, and thermal head controller 18 are connected to each other via, for example, a bus 19, and can exchange data with each other.

  As described above, the image forming unit 20 includes the thermal head 21, the platen roller 22, the paper roll 23, the pinch roller mechanism 24, and the ink sheet unit 30. The contents of each component of the image forming unit 20 are as described above.

  The ink sheet 3 in the ink sheet unit 30 is formed with each of ink forming portions 3a, 3b, 3c which are a plurality of color developer portions and a protective material forming portion 3d which is a transparent protective material portion. It is an example of a developing body. The recording paper 4 is an example of a transfer target.

  The communication interface 11 is a device that relays data communication between the CPU 12 and the external host computer 5. The host computer 5 is a computer such as a personal computer or a workstation.

  The CPU 12 is a processor that performs data communication with the host computer 5 through the communication interface 11 and controls the image processing circuit 17 and the thermal head controller 18.

  The memory controller 13 is a device that relays data transfer between the first frame memory 14 and the second frame memory 15 and other devices connected to the bus 19 at high speed.

  The first frame memory 14 is a high-speed memory that temporarily stores image data, that is, gradation data of each pixel of the image. Since the thermal transfer printer 1 is a color image forming apparatus, a plurality of first frame memories 14 are provided for each color corresponding to each of a plurality of types of ink forming portions 3 a, 3 b, 3 c formed on the ink sheet 3. ing. The image data recorded in the first frame memory 14 is image data received from the host computer 5 and image data obtained by applying various corrections to the image data. In the present embodiment, the first frame memory 14 includes three frame memories corresponding to three colors of yellow, magenta, and cyan.

  The second frame memory 15 is a high-speed memory that temporarily stores overcoat data including gradation data for each pixel of the overcoat layer and data obtained by correcting the overcoat data. The gradation data for each pixel in the overcoat data is an index value of the thickness for each pixel of the overcoat layer.

  The nonvolatile memory 16 is a memory that stores a control program executed by the CPU 12 and various parameters referred to by the CPU 12.

  The image processing circuit 17 is a circuit that executes calculations for performing various image correction processes such as sharpness calculation and gamma conversion on the image data when a processing start command is received from the CPU 12. The image processing circuit 17 reads and writes image data to and from the first frame memory 14 through the memory controller 13.

  The thermal head controller 18 is a circuit that adjusts the heating energy of the thermal head 21 for each pixel. For example, when receiving an image transfer command from the CPU 12, the thermal head controller 18 adjusts the heating energy of the thermal head 21 for each pixel based on the image data corrected by the image processing circuit 17. Further, when the thermal head controller 18 receives an overcoat layer transfer command from the CPU 12, the thermal head controller 18 determines the heating energy of the thermal head 21 for each pixel based on the overcoat layer transfer data stored in the second frame memory 15. Adjust to.

<Image Forming Process: First Example>
Next, an example of the procedure of the image forming process according to the first embodiment executed by the thermal transfer printer 1 will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. The image forming process is started when the thermal transfer printer 1 receives print job data including image data from the host computer 5. In the following, S1, S2,... S5 represent identification codes of processing procedures.

<Step S1>
In the image forming process according to the first embodiment, first, the CPU 12 receives print job data including image data and overcoat data from the host computer 5 through the communication interface 11 (S1). Further, the CPU 12 records the received image data in the first frame memory 14 through the memory controller 13, and records the received overcoat data in the second frame memory 15 through the memory controller 13 (S1).

  The image data is, for example, image data obtained by a camera (not shown) controlled by the host computer 5, or image data stored in an external memory set in a memory drive device of the host computer 5. The external memory is, for example, a memory card that stores image data acquired by a user using a digital camera or the like.

  The overcoat data includes gradation data for each pixel of the overcoat layer, and each pixel in the overcoat data has a one-to-one correspondence with each pixel in the image data. Further, the overcoat data is data for specifying a protected area where the overcoat layer is transferred and a non-protected area where the overcoat layer is not transferred.

  For example, in the overcoat data, the gradation data of pixels in a part of the entire image area is set to a value equal to or less than a predetermined threshold value. The threshold value is 0, for example. Hereinafter, the threshold value is referred to as a region division threshold value.

  In the thermal transfer printer 1, an area for which gradation data equal to or less than the area classification threshold is set is determined to be an unprotected area where the overcoat layer is not transferred, and gradation data larger than the area classification threshold is determined. Is determined to be a protection region to which the overcoat layer is transferred. Such overcoat data is an example of data for specifying a protected area and a non-protected area.

  In the present embodiment, the overcoat data is an example of protective layer data that identifies a protected area and a non-protected area. In the present embodiment, the communication interface 11 and the CPU 12 that execute the processing of step S1 are an example of an image data input unit that inputs image data and a protection layer data input unit that inputs protection layer data.

<Setting of overcoat data>
The overcoat data is set by the host computer 5 in accordance with a user operation on a man-machine interface such as a touch panel (not shown) provided in the host computer 5. For example, in a storage unit such as a hard disk provided in the host computer 5, a plurality of reference pattern data representing an overcoat layer having a uniform thickness and an overcoat layer having a regular concavo-convex pattern is stored in advance. In any reference pattern data, each gradation data is set to a value larger than the region segmentation threshold value.

  Then, the host computer 5 selects one reference pattern data from among a plurality of reference pattern data in accordance with a user operation on the man-machine interface. Further, the host computer 5 classifies the entire image area into a protected area and a non-protected area in accordance with a user operation on the man-machine interface.

  For example, the host computer 5 detects an operation of drawing a boundary line of a part of the closed area in the image area with a finger through the touch panel. Further, the host computer 5 detects an operation for designating which one of the inside and the outside of the drawn boundary line is the non-protected area through the touch panel. The host computer 5 divides the entire image area into a protected area and a non-protected area according to the detection results of these operations. Further, the host computer 5 updates the gradation data in the unprotected area in the selected reference pattern data to a value equal to or smaller than the area division threshold value, and uses the updated data as overcoat data to the thermal transfer printer 1. Send.

  It is also conceivable that the thermal transfer printer 1 has a man-machine interface, and the CPU 12 generates overcoat data according to information input through the man-machine interface.

<Step S2>
Next, the image processing circuit 17 executes various image correction processes such as sharpness calculation and gamma conversion on the received image data in the first frame memory 14 (S2). By the image correction process, gradation data representing the density of the image of each color for each pixel is converted into gradation data corresponding to the current applied to the thermal head 21 necessary for transferring the ink of that density. The processing in step S2 is started when the CPU 12 outputs an image data correction processing start command to the image processing circuit 17.

<Step S3>
Next, the thermal head controller 18 executes an image transfer process for transferring an image from the ink sheet 3 to the recording paper 4 by controlling the thermal head 21 in accordance with the corrected image data in the first frame memory 14. (S3). The processing in step S3 is started when the CPU 12 outputs an image transfer command to the thermal head controller 18.

  In the image transfer process, each of the ink forming portions 3 a, 3 b, 3 c in the ink sheet 3 passes through the position of the thermal head 21 in a state where it overlaps the recording paper 4. Further, in the image transfer process, the thermal head controller 18 adjusts the current supplied to the thermal head 21 for each pixel in accordance with the size of each gradation data in the corrected image data, thereby each gradation in the image data. The ink having a density corresponding to the data is transferred to the recording paper 4. As a result, the image is transferred from the ink sheet 3 to the recording paper 4.

  In the present embodiment, the thermal head controller 18 that executes the process of step S3 is an example of a first control unit. That is, the thermal head controller 18 transfers the image from the ink sheet 3 to the recording paper 4 by controlling the heating energy of the ink forming portions 3a, 3b, 3c of the ink sheet 3 by the thermal head 21 according to the image data. .

<Step S4>
Next, the image processing circuit 17 executes a process of correcting the overcoat data in the second frame memory 15 (S4). The processing in step S4 is started when the CPU 12 outputs an overcoat data correction processing start command to the image processing circuit 17.

  In step S4, the CPU 12 corrects the gradation data representing the thickness of the overcoat layer for each pixel into gradation data corresponding to the current applied to the thermal head 21 necessary for the transfer of the overcoat layer of that thickness. Execute the process. Therefore, the gradation data of the non-protected area in the overcoat data is converted into data that is not heated by the thermal head 21, that is, data in which the heating energy is zero. In the overcoat data obtained from the host computer 5, if gradation data corresponding to the current applied to the thermal head 21 is set, the correction process in step S4 is unnecessary.

<Step S5>
Finally, the thermal head controller 18 controls the thermal head 21 according to the corrected overcoat data in the second frame memory 15, thereby transferring the overcoat layer from the ink sheet 3 to the recording paper 4. A coat layer transfer process is executed (S5). The process of step S5 is started when the CPU 12 outputs an overcoat layer transfer command to the thermal head controller 18.

  In the overcoat layer transfer process, the protective material forming portion 3 d in the ink sheet 3 passes through the position of the thermal head 21 in a state of overlapping the recording paper 4. Further, in the overcoat layer transfer process, the thermal head controller 18 adjusts the supply current to the thermal head 21 for each pixel in accordance with the size of each gradation data in the corrected overcoat data, thereby overheating. A protective material having a thickness corresponding to each gradation data in the coating data is transferred to the recording paper 4. Thereby, the transfer of the overcoat layer from the ink sheet 3 to the recording paper 4 is performed.

  In this embodiment, the thermal head controller 18 that executes the process of step S5 is an example of a second control unit. That is, the thermal head controller 18 transfers the overcoat layer from the ink sheet 3 to the recording paper 4 by controlling the heating energy of the protective material forming portion 3d of the ink sheet 3 by the thermal head 21 according to the overcoat data. Let The overcoat data is an example of protective layer data.

<Output>
3 and 4 are diagrams illustrating a first example and a second example of images formed on the recording paper 4 by the image forming process according to the first embodiment. The example in each figure is an example in which the entire area of the recording paper 4 is an image area. 3A and 4A show an image immediately after being printed on the recording paper 4. FIG. In FIG. 3A, a region surrounded by a broken line is a non-protected region 42, and the other region is a protected region 41. In FIG. 4A, the area surrounded by a broken line is a protected area 41, and the other area is a non-protected area 42. In addition, the broken line surrounding the one part area | region of each image area in each figure is a line drawn for convenience of explanation, and is not a part of the transferred image.

  FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the recording paper 4 showing the state of light reflection of the protected area 41 and the non-protected area 42 in the image area on the recording paper 4.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the surface of the non-protection region 42 where the overcoat layer 3y is not formed and the ink image layer 3x is exposed is the surface of the protection region 41 where the overcoat layer 3y is formed. The incident light has a lower reflectivity and lower gloss. Therefore, by forming the protected area 41 and the non-protected area 42 on the image on the recording paper 4, only a part of the image has a high gloss and stands out, or only a part of the image has a low gloss. An inconspicuous image is formed.

  On the other hand, FIG. 3B and FIG. 4B correspond to the images of FIG. 3A and FIG. 4A, respectively, and an image after a period of time has passed since it was printed on the recording paper 4. Represents.

  FIG. 5 is a graph showing the change over time in the density of the sublimation dye ink image transferred to the recording paper 4. In FIG. 5, the horizontal axis of the graph represents the elapsed time from when the image of the sublimable dye ink is printed on the recording paper 4. The vertical axis of the graph represents the index value of the density of the image printed on the recording paper 4. However, the density index value is a ratio to the density immediately after the image is printed. In addition, a graph line g1 in the graph of FIG. 5 indicates a change in density of an image printed on the recording paper 4 with an overcoat layer, and a graph line g2 indicates an image printed on the recording paper 4 without an overcoat layer. Changes in the concentration of are shown.

  As shown in FIG. 5, when an image of sublimation dye ink is printed on the recording paper 4, the density of the image gradually decreases with time. Also, the density reduction rate is faster in the image without the overcoat layer than in the image with the overcoat layer. That is, the color of an image without an overcoat layer is faster in color fading due to deterioration with time than the color of an image with an overcoat layer. For example, when about one to two years have passed since the printing, the density of the image without the overcoat layer is about 10% to 20% lower than the density of the image with the overcoat layer.

  Therefore, the density of the image of the unprotected area 42 in the images shown in FIGS. 3A and 4A decreases with time, and is shown in FIGS. 3B and 4B. Like the image of the non-protected area 42, the image is more fading than the image of the protected area 41.

  For example, if the non-protected area 42 is set in a part of the closed area in the image, the density of the image of the closed area becomes lower than the other areas with time, and the closed area An image that appears to be deeper than other regions is obtained.

  Further, if the non-protected area 42 is set in a part other than a part of the closed area in the image, the density of the image in the area outside the closed area decreases with time, and the image of the closed area is reduced. You will get an image that appears to be embossed.

<Effect>
As described above, by adopting the thermal transfer printer 1, if an arbitrary non-protected area 42 is set in the overcoat data, the thermal transfer printer 1 is overlaid on an arbitrary partial area in the image area on the recording paper 4. It is possible to form a region where the coat layer is not transferred. As a result, as a way to enjoy the image transferred to the recording paper 4, it is possible to provide a highly enjoyable way to enjoy an image that enjoys the difference in gloss of the image in each region and the difference in discoloration of the image over time. It becomes possible.

<Image Forming Process: Second Embodiment>
Next, an example of an image forming process procedure according to the second embodiment executed by the thermal transfer printer 1 will be described with reference to a flowchart shown in FIG. The image forming process is started when the thermal transfer printer 1 receives print job data including image data from the host computer 5. In the following, S11, S12,... S16 represent process procedure identification codes.

  As described above, in the recording paper 4 on which an image is formed, the surface of the non-protected area 42 has a lower gloss than the surface of the protected area 41 on which the overcoat layer is formed. Further, it is known that the glossiness of the surface of the image of the recording paper 4 on which the image is formed has a negative correlation with the heating energy when the image is transferred to the recording paper 4. That is, as the energy for heating the ink forming portions 3a, 3b, 3c of the ink sheet 3 increases, the glossiness of the image transferred to the recording paper 4 decreases.

  The image forming process according to the present embodiment uses the characteristic that the glossiness of an image changes depending on the magnitude of heating energy when transferring the image, and the glossiness of the protected area 41 and the glossiness of the non-protected area 42 It is possible to make the difference larger or make the difference smaller.

<Step S11>
In the image forming process according to the second embodiment, first, the CPU 12 receives print job data including image data and overcoat data from the host computer 5 through the communication interface 11 (S11). Further, the CPU 12 records the received image data in the first frame memory 14 through the memory controller 13, and records the received overcoat data in the second frame memory 15 through the memory controller 13 (S11). The processing in step S11 and the data handled in step S11 are the same as the processing in step S1 and the data handled in step S1.

  In this embodiment, the communication interface 11 and the CPU 12 that execute the process of step S11 are an example of an image data input unit that inputs image data and a protection layer data input unit that inputs protection layer data.

<Step S12>
Next, the image processing circuit 17 specifies a part of the unprotected area 42 of the image area based on the overcoat data in the second frame memory 15 (S12). The image processing circuit 17 determines that the area in which the gradation data equal to or less than the area division threshold is set in the overcoat data as the unprotected area 42. The processing in step S12 is started when the CPU 12 outputs a processing start command for specifying a non-protected area to the image processing circuit 17.

<Step S13>
Next, the image processing circuit 17 executes various image correction processes such as sharpness calculation and gamma conversion on the received image data in the first frame memory 14 in the same manner as the process of step S2 (S13). . However, in this step S13, the image processing circuit 17 performs the correction process for the gradation data of the non-protected area 42 specified in step S12 and the correction process for the gradation data of the other protected area 41. The correction parameter is changed over time. The processing in step S13 is started when the CPU 12 outputs an image data correction processing start command to the image processing circuit 17.

  For example, the image processing circuit 17 uses a correction parameter for relatively reducing the heating energy by the thermal head 21 in correcting the gradation data in the protected area 41, and in correcting the gradation data in the non-protected area 42. Then, a correction parameter that makes the heating energy by the thermal head 21 relatively large is used. More specifically, it is conceivable that the gradation data of the non-protected area 42 is corrected so that the heating energy increases from several percent to about several tens of percent as compared with the gradation data of the protected area 41. As a result, the difference between the glossiness of the protected area 41 and the glossiness of the non-protected area 42 becomes larger. Hereinafter, this example is referred to as an example of gloss difference enlargement.

  The image processing circuit 17 uses a correction parameter for relatively increasing the heating energy by the thermal head 21 in correcting the gradation data in the protected area 41, and in correcting the gradation data in the non-protected area 42. It is also conceivable to use a correction parameter for reducing the heating energy by the thermal head 21 relatively. More specifically, it is conceivable that the gradation data of the non-protection region 42 is corrected so that the heating energy is reduced by several percent to tens of percent compared to the gradation data of the protection region 41. In this case, the difference between the glossiness of the protected area 41 and the glossiness of the non-protected area 42 caused by the presence or absence of the overcoat layer is alleviated by the difference in heating energy. Hereinafter, this example is referred to as an example of gloss difference mitigation.

  Note that an algorithm for correcting image data, that is, a method for setting the heating energy by the thermal head 21, is that the ink sheet 3 is broken by applying excessive thermal energy to the ink sheet 3 or the ink sheet 3 is applied to the recording paper 4. It is determined experimentally so that problems such as adhesion do not occur.

<Step S14>
Next, the thermal head controller 18 controls the thermal head 21 in accordance with the corrected image data in the first frame memory 14 in the same manner as in step S3, whereby an image is transferred from the ink sheet 3 to the recording paper 4. The image transfer process for transferring the image is executed (S14). The processing in step S14 is started when the CPU 12 outputs an image transfer command to the thermal head controller 18.

  In the present embodiment, the thermal head controller 18 that executes the process of step S14 is an example of a first control unit.

<Step S15>
Next, the image processing circuit 17 executes a process of correcting the overcoat data in the second frame memory 15 as in the process of step S4 (S15). The processing in step S15 is started when the CPU 12 outputs an overcoat data correction processing start command to the image processing circuit 17.

<Step S16>
Finally, the thermal head controller 18 controls the thermal head 21 in accordance with the corrected overcoat data in the second frame memory 15 in the same manner as the processing in step S5, whereby the ink sheet 3 and the recording paper 4 An overcoat layer transfer process for transferring the overcoat layer is performed (S16). The processing in step S16 is started when the CPU 12 outputs an overcoat layer transfer command to the thermal head controller 18.

  As described above, in this embodiment, the image processing circuit 17 and the thermal head controller 18 that execute the processes of steps S12 to S14 heat the ink forming portions 3a, 3b, and 3c of the ink sheet 3 by the thermal head 21. The energy is controlled according to different control rules between the protected area 41 and the non-protected area 42 in the recording paper 4.

  That is, in the example of the gloss difference enlargement, the image processing circuit 17 and the thermal head controller 18 use the heating energy of the ink forming units 3a, 3b, and 3c by the thermal head 21 as the heating energy in the protected area 41. Control is performed according to a control rule that is smaller than the heating energy.

  On the other hand, in the example of the gloss difference mitigation, the image processing circuit 17 and the thermal head controller 18 use the heating energy of the ink forming units 3a, 3b, and 3c by the thermal head 21 as the heating energy in the protected area 41. It controls according to the control rule which becomes larger than the heating energy.

  In the present embodiment, it is possible to perform image data correction processing using different correction parameters for the protected area 41 and the non-protected area 42 and to control the thermal head 21 according to the corrected image data. It is an example of a control rule. In the present embodiment, the thermal head controller 18 that executes the process of step S16 is an example of a second control unit.

<Effect>
Even when the image forming process according to the second embodiment described above is adopted, the difference in gloss of the image for each region and the difference in discoloration of the image over time are the same as in the case where the first embodiment is adopted. It is possible to provide an enjoyable way of enjoying images.

  In addition, by adopting an example of gloss difference expansion in the second embodiment, the difference between the glossiness of the protected area 41 and the glossiness of the non-protected area 42 in the image transferred to the recording paper 4 is made more prominent. The effect of enjoying the difference in gloss of the image for each region can be further enhanced.

  In addition, by adopting the example of gloss difference reduction in the second embodiment, the thermal transfer printer 1 cannot visually recognize that the image is divided into the protected area 41 and the non-protected area 42 at the time of printing. An image can be output. In this case, the difference between the degradation of the image in the protected area 41 and the degradation of the image in the non-protected area 42 on the recording paper 4 increases as time elapses. Therefore, the user can recognize an image that looks as if a part of the area is dug down or an image that appears as if a part of the area is embossed only after a certain period of time has passed. As a result, the effect of enjoying the difference in discoloration of the image over time can be further enhanced.

<Image Forming Process: Third Example>
Next, an example of the procedure of the image forming process according to the third embodiment executed by the thermal transfer printer 1 will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. The image forming process is started when the thermal transfer printer 1 receives print job data including image data from the host computer 5. In the following, S21, S22,... S26 represent identification codes of processing procedures.

  As shown in FIG. 7, it is possible to preliminarily measure the characteristics of the change in the density of the image of the sublimation dye ink over time. In the image forming process according to the present embodiment, an image including a gradation image representing a change with time of the color of the image transferred to the non-protected area 42 is recorded on the recording paper 4 based on the characteristics of the change with time of the image density measured in advance. Including the process of transferring to

<Step S21>
In the image forming process according to the third embodiment, first, the CPU 12 receives print job data including image data and overcoat data from the host computer 5 through the communication interface 11 (S21). Further, the CPU 12 records the received image data in the first frame memory 14 through the memory controller 13, and records the received overcoat data in the second frame memory 15 through the memory controller 13 (S21). The processing in step S21 and the data handled in step S21 are the same as the processing in step S1 and the data handled in step S1.

  In this embodiment, the communication interface 11 and the CPU 12 that execute the process of step S21 are an example of an image data input unit that inputs image data and a protection layer data input unit that inputs protection layer data.

<Step S22>
Next, the image processing circuit 17 executes various image correction processes such as sharpness calculation and gamma conversion on the received image data in the first frame memory 14 as in the process of step S2 (S22). . The processing in step S22 is started when the CPU 12 outputs an image data correction processing start command to the image processing circuit 17.

<Step S23>
Next, the image processing circuit 17 specifies a part of the unprotected area 42 of the image area based on the overcoat data in the second frame memory 15 (S23), similarly to the process of step S12. The image processing circuit 17 identifies an area in which gradation data equal to or lower than the area division threshold is set as the non-protected area 42 in the overcoat data. The processing in step S23 is started when the CPU 12 outputs a processing start command for specifying a non-protected area to the image processing circuit 17.

<Step S24>
Next, the image processing circuit 17 sets a reference color, which is a color representative of the color of the image in the non-protected area 42, based on the gradation data in the non-protected area 42 in the corrected image data (S24). . The reference color is used to generate gradation image data. The reference color is, for example, a color obtained by averaging the colors of the image in the non-protected area 42, or a color having the highest frequency among the colors of the image in the non-protected area 42. The processing in step S24 is started when the CPU 12 outputs a reference color setting start command to the image processing circuit 17.

<Step S25>
Next, the image processing circuit 17 generates gradation image data representing the elapsed time of the reference color based on the reference color set in step S24 (S25). Further, the image processing circuit 17 synthesizes the corrected image and the gradation image by replacing the data of a part of the protected area 41 in the image data in the first frame memory 14 with the data of the gradation image. The image data is stored in the first frame memory 14 (S25). The processing in step S25 is started when the CPU 12 outputs a gradation image generation start command to the image processing circuit 17. A specific example of the gradation image will be described later.

<Step S26>
Next, the thermal head controller 18 controls the thermal head 21 in accordance with the corrected image data in the first frame memory 14 in the same manner as in step S3, whereby an image is transferred from the ink sheet 3 to the recording paper 4. The image transfer process for transferring the image is executed (S26). The processing in step S26 is started when the CPU 12 outputs an image transfer command to the thermal head controller 18.

  The protected area 41 of the image transferred to the recording paper 4 in step S26 includes a gradation image based on the data generated in step S25. That is, in step S25 and step S26, the image processing circuit 17 and the thermal head controller 18 transfer the gradation image 45 in the protected area 41 on the recording paper 4 instead of a part of the image data image.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of an image formed by the image forming process according to the present embodiment. An example of the gradation image 45 is shown in FIG. The gradation image 45 shown in FIG. 9 includes a gradation gauge image 43, elapsed time information 44 representing the elapsed time from the printing time point, and a gradation gauge image 43.

  The gradation gauge image 43 is a color in which the reference color pattern image corresponding to the color of the image immediately after printing and the reference color of the non-protected area 42 have changed until the time indicated by the elapsed time information 44 has elapsed. Pattern images.

  Note that the gradation gauge image 43 shown in FIG. 9 is shown in sections where the color change with time is very rough for the sake of drawing accuracy. However, it is desirable that the gradation gauge image 43 is an image showing color change with time in finer sections.

  In the present embodiment, the image processing circuit 17 and the thermal head controller 18 that execute the processes of steps S25 and S26 are an example of a first control unit.

<Step S27>
Next, the image processing circuit 17 executes a process of correcting the overcoat data in the second frame memory 15 as in the process of step S4 (S27). The processing in step S27 is started when the CPU 12 outputs an overcoat data correction processing start command to the image processing circuit 17.

<Step S28>
Finally, the thermal head controller 18 controls the thermal head 21 in accordance with the corrected overcoat data in the second frame memory 15 in the same manner as the processing in step S5, whereby the ink sheet 3 and the recording paper 4 An overcoat layer transfer process for transferring the overcoat layer is performed (S28). The processing in step S16 is started when the CPU 12 outputs an overcoat layer transfer command to the thermal head controller 18.

  In the present embodiment, the thermal head controller 18 that executes the process of step S28 is an example of a second control unit.

<Effect>
Even when the image forming process according to the third embodiment described above is adopted, the difference in gloss of the image for each region and the difference in discoloration of the image over time are the same as in the case where the first embodiment is adopted. It is possible to provide an enjoyable way of enjoying images.

  Further, in the third embodiment, an image including a gradation image 45 representing a change with time of the color of the image transferred to the non-protected area 42 is transferred into the protected area 41 of the recording paper 4. Therefore, the image viewer can estimate the elapsed time from the printing time point by comparing the image in the non-protected area 42 with the gradation image 45. As described above, the thermal transfer printer 1 that executes the image forming process according to the third embodiment can provide an unprecedented way to enjoy an image by estimating the elapsed time from the printing time point.

<Others>
In the embodiment described above, the CPU 12 inputs image data and barcode data from the host computer 5 through the communication interface 11. However, it is also conceivable that the CPU 12 inputs image data and barcode data through another route.

  For example, it is conceivable that the thermal transfer printer 1 includes a memory drive device that reads data from an external memory that stores image data and overcoat data. In this case, the CPU 12 reads the image data and the overcoat data through the memory drive device, and records each data in the first frame memory 14 and the second frame memory 15, respectively. The CPU 12 and the memory drive device that execute such processing are also examples of the image data input unit and the protective layer data input unit.

  In the embodiment described above, the CPU 12 continuously inputs image data and barcode data from the host computer 5. However, the CPU 12 inputs the image data from the host computer 5 before the image data correction process, and after the image data correction process, before the overcoat data correction process, the host computer 5 receives the barcode data. It is also possible to enter.

  In the embodiment described above, the gradation image 45 is generated based on a reference color that represents the color of the image of the protection area 41. However, it is also conceivable that the gradation image 45 is generated on the basis of predetermined colors, for example, three primary colors of yellow, cyan, and magenta.

  It is also conceivable to apply the generation and composition processing (S25) of the gradation image 45 in the image forming processing according to the third embodiment to the image forming processing according to the second embodiment.

  1 thermal transfer printer, 3 ink sheet, 3a, 3b, 3c ink forming part, 3d protective material forming part, 3y overcoat layer, 3x ink image layer, 4 recording paper, 5 host computer, 11 communication interface, 12 CPU, 13 Memory controller, 14 First frame memory, 15 Second frame memory, 16 Non-volatile memory, 17 Image processing circuit, 18 Thermal head controller, 19 Bus, 20 Image forming unit, 21 Thermal head, 22 Platen roller, 23 Paper roll, 30 ink sheet units, 41 protected area, 42 unprotected area, 43 gradation gauge image, 44 elapsed time information, 45 gradation image, S1 to S5, S11 to S16, S21 to S28 steps.

Claims (3)

Thermally transferring an image and a transparent protective layer from the developer to the transfer target by sequentially heating each of a plurality of color developer portions formed on the developer and a transparent protective material portion. A thermal transfer printer of a field sequential type with a head,
An image data input unit for inputting image data;
A protective layer data input unit for inputting protective layer data for specifying a protected region to which the protective layer in the transfer object is transferred and a non-protected region other than the protected region; and
A first controller for transferring an image from the developer to the transfer target by controlling heating energy of the developer portion of the developer by the thermal head according to the image data;
By controlling the heating energy of the portion of the protective material of the developer by the thermal head according to the protective layer data, the protection is applied only to a part of the protection region of the transferred body from the developer. A second controller for transferring the layer ,
The first control unit controls the heating energy of the developer portion of the developer by the thermal head according to a control rule different between the protected area and the non-protected area in the transferred body,
In the first control unit, the heating energy of the developer portion of the developer by the thermal head is larger than the heating energy in the non-protection region of the transfer target. thermal transfer printer characterized that you control in accordance with the control rule. A gradation image data generation unit that generates gradation image data representing a change in color of an image transferred to the non-protected area in the transfer object,
  The thermal transfer printer according to claim 1, wherein the first control unit transfers the gradation image instead of a part of the image of the image data into the protection area of the transfer target. Thermally transferring an image and a transparent protective layer from the developer to the transfer target by sequentially heating each of a plurality of color developer portions formed on the developer and a transparent protective material portion. A thermal transfer printer of a field sequential type with a head,
  An image data input unit for inputting image data;
  A protective layer data input unit for inputting protective layer data for specifying a protected region to which the protective layer in the transfer object is transferred and a non-protected region other than the protected region; and
  A first controller for transferring an image from the developer to the transfer target by controlling heating energy of the developer portion of the developer by the thermal head according to the image data;
  By controlling the heating energy of the portion of the protective material of the developer by the thermal head according to the protective layer data, the protection is applied only to a part of the protection region of the transferred body from the developer. A second controller for transferring the layer,
  A gradation image data generation unit that generates gradation image data representing a change in color of an image transferred to the non-protected area in the transfer object,
  The thermal transfer printer, wherein the first control unit transfers the gradation image instead of a part of the image of the image data into the protection area of the transfer target.

Images