JP7017106B2 - Thermal transfer printing device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a thermal transfer printing apparatus and a thermal transfer printing method.

A thermal transfer printing device is known in which a thermal transfer sheet and an image receiving sheet are sandwiched between a thermal head and a platen roll, heat is applied to the thermal transfer sheet from the thermal head, and ink of the thermal transfer sheet is transferred to the image receiving sheet.

In the thermal transfer printing device, an afterimage of the printing remains on the used thermal transfer sheet, and information may be leaked from the afterimage. For example, in a commercial printer, the used thermal transfer sheet used by the user is still stored in the printer in the store. Since the used thermal transfer sheet is only set in the printer, the printer administrator can easily access it. If this used thermal transfer sheet is discarded as it is, the printing information may be leaked to a third party. Therefore, it is required to take some measures to prevent information leakage from the used thermal transfer sheet.

For example, a thermal transfer system has been proposed in which the outermost thermal transfer sheet wound around the winding portion is fused to the thermal transfer sheet located inside the outermost thermal transfer sheet. According to such a thermal transfer system, a used thermal transfer sheet wound around the winding unit can be integrated, and leakage of printed character information and image information from the used thermal transfer sheet can be prevented. ..

However, in such a thermal transfer system, it is provided near the first thermal head that transfers the ink of the thermal transfer sheet to the image receiving sheet to print characters and images, and the winding unit that winds up the used thermal transfer sheet, and is used. There is a problem that two thermal heads, a second thermal head and a second thermal head, which heats the completed thermal transfer sheet and fuses it to the thermal transfer sheet located inside, are required, which increases the cost.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2013-20802 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2005-14398 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2013-103496 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2014-69349 Japanese Patent No. 4935394 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 5402364 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 3-243383

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned conventional circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a thermal transfer printing apparatus and a thermal transfer printing method capable of preventing leakage of an afterimage of a used thermal transfer sheet with a simple configuration.

In the thermal transfer printing apparatus of the present invention, a supply unit for supplying a thermal transfer sheet, the thermal transfer sheet and an image receiving sheet are sandwiched between a thermal head and a platen roll, and ink is thermally transferred from the thermal transfer sheet to the image receiving sheet to produce an image. The printing unit to be printed, the recovery unit that winds up and collects the thermal transfer sheet after thermal transfer, and the thermal transfer sheet wound up by the recovery unit while the recovery unit winds up the thermal transfer sheet, come into contact with each other. It is provided with a notch forming portion that reciprocates along the width direction of the thermal transfer sheet to form a notch that is oblique to the long side of the thermal transfer sheet.

In one aspect of the present invention, the notch forming portion forms a zigzag-shaped notch in the thermal transfer sheet.

In one aspect of the present invention, the notch forming portion has a plurality of blades arranged at intervals along a direction parallel to the width direction of the thermal transfer sheet.

In one aspect of the present invention, the notch forming portion forms a notch in a plurality of thermal transfer sheets wound around the recovery portion from the outermost peripheral side toward the inside.

In one aspect of the present invention, at least a part of the thermal transfer sheet wound around the recovery portion has a plurality of first cuts in a first oblique direction with respect to the long side of the thermal transfer sheet, and the long side. A plurality of second cuts that are in the second diagonal direction with respect to the side and intersect with the first cut are formed.

The thermal transfer printing method of the present invention is a step of supplying a thermal transfer sheet, sandwiching the thermal transfer sheet and an image receiving sheet between a thermal head and a platen roll, and thermally transferring ink from the thermal transfer sheet to the image receiving sheet to print an image. A step of winding the thermal transfer sheet after thermal transfer to a recovery section, and a step of forming a notch in the thermal transfer sheet wound around the thermal transfer section in an oblique direction with respect to the long side of the thermal transfer sheet. And.

According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent leakage of an afterimage of a used thermal transfer sheet.

It is a schematic block diagram of the thermal transfer printing apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a top view of the thermal transfer sheet. It is a schematic diagram of a notch forming part. (A) and (b) are diagrams for explaining the operation of the notch forming portion. (A) and (b) are diagrams for explaining the operation of the notch forming portion. (A) and (b) are diagrams for explaining the operation of the notch forming portion. It is a figure which shows the example of the notch formed in the thermal transfer sheet. It is a figure which shows the example of the notch formed in the thermal transfer sheet. (A) to (c) are diagrams showing an example of the configuration of the notch forming portion. (A) and (b) are diagrams showing an example of the configuration of the notch forming portion. (A) to (c) are diagrams showing an example of the configuration of the notch forming portion.

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a thermal transfer printing device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a plan view of a thermal transfer sheet used in the thermal transfer printing device.

The thermal transfer printing apparatus is provided with a Y layer 51 containing a yellow dye (Y), an M layer 52 containing a magenta dye (M), a C layer 53 containing a cyan dye (C), and a protective (OP) layer 54 in a surface-sequential manner. Using the heat transfer sheet 5 obtained, Y, M, and C are sublimated and transferred onto the image receiving sheet 7 to print an image, and the thermal head 1 is provided to form a protective layer on the image. The image to be printed is, for example, a person image such as a face image or characters such as an address and a name.

A supply unit 3 formed by winding a thermal transfer sheet 5 is provided on the downstream side of the thermal head 1, and a recovery unit 4 is provided on the upstream side of the thermal head 1. The thermal transfer sheet 5 unwound from the supply unit 3 passes through the thermal head 1 and is wound up by the recovery unit 4 to be recovered.

In the vicinity of the recovery unit 4, a notch forming unit 20 for forming a notch in the thermal transfer sheet 5 wound around the recovery unit 4 is provided. The configuration of the notch forming portion 20 and the notch forming process will be described later.

A rotatable platen roll 2 is provided on the side opposite to the thermal head 1 with the thermal transfer sheet 5 interposed therebetween. The printing unit 10 including the thermal head 1 and the platen roll 2 sandwiches the image receiving sheet 7 and the thermal transfer sheet 5, heats the thermal transfer sheet 5, and thermally transfers the dye onto the image receiving sheet 7 to form an image.

In the thermal transfer sheet 5, the Y layer 51, the M layer 52, the C layer 53, and the OP layer 54 are sequentially formed on one surface of the base material layer from the recovery unit 4 side. For the Y layer 51, the M layer 52, and the C layer 53, it is preferable to use a material in which a sublimation dye is melted or dispersed in a binder resin. It is preferable to use a transparent material having adhesiveness, light resistance and the like for the OP layer 54.

As the base material layer of the thermal transfer sheet 5, a conventionally known material having a certain degree of heat resistance and strength can be used. For example, polyethylene terephthalate (PET) film, polyethylene naphthalate film, polystyrene film, polypropylene (PP) film, polycarbonate film and the like can be mentioned.

A back layer is provided on the other surface of the substrate layer, that is, the surface opposite to the surface on which the dye is applied. The thermal head 1 heats the thermal transfer sheet 5 from the back layer side. The back layer has a function of improving heat resistance so that the thermal transfer sheet 5 is not deformed by heat during thermal transfer, and improving the running performance of the thermal head 1 during thermal transfer to suppress sticking and the like. The back layer can be generally formed by applying a binder resin to which a slipper, a surfactant, an inorganic particle, an organic particle, a pigment or the like is added, and drying the binder resin.

The thermal transfer sheet 5 is provided with a melt layer containing a color material such as a pigment or carbon black together with a binder resin in a surface-sequential manner with the Y layer 51, the M layer 52, and the C layer 53, which are dye layers for sublimation transfer. May be good.

On the upstream side of the thermal head 1, a rotationally driveable capstan roller 9a for transporting the image receiving sheet 7 and a pinch roller 9b for crimping the image receiving sheet 7 to the capstan roller 9a are provided.

The image receiving sheet 7 is unwound from the image receiving sheet roll 6 around which the image receiving sheet 7 is wound. The image receiving sheet roll 6 is attached to a winding shaft component (not shown), and when the winding shaft component is rotated (forward / reverse rotation), the image receiving sheet roll 6 rotates and the image receiving sheet 7 is extended (transported to the downstream side). And winding (transportation to the upstream side) are performed.

As the image receiving sheet 7, a known one used in this type of thermal transfer printing device can be used.

The control device 14 controls the drive of each part of the thermal transfer printing device, and performs the printing process and the notch forming process described later. In the printing process, first, the image receiving sheet 7 and the Y layer 51 are aligned, and the thermal head 1 comes into contact with the platen roll 2 via the image receiving sheet 7 and the thermal transfer sheet 5. Next, the capstan roller 9a and the recovery unit 4 are rotationally driven, and the image receiving sheet 7 and the thermal transfer sheet 5 are sent to the upstream side. During this period, the region of the Y layer 51 is selectively and sequentially heated by the thermal head 1 based on the image data, and Y is sublimated and transferred from the thermal transfer sheet 5 onto the image receiving sheet 7.

After the sublimation transfer of Y, the thermal head 1 rises and separates from the platen roll 2. Next, the image receiving sheet 7 and the M layer 52 are aligned. Similar to the method of sublimation transfer of Y, M and C are sequentially sublimated and transferred onto the image receiving sheet 7, and an image for one screen is formed on the image receiving sheet 7. Next, the OP layer 54 is transferred onto the image by the thermal head 1 to form a protective layer. The thermal transfer sheet 5 used in the printing process is wound up by the recovery unit 4 and recovered.

In the image receiving sheet 7 on which the protective layer is formed, the rear edge of the screen is cut by a cutter (not shown) provided on the downstream side to produce a printed matter on which an image is formed.

Since the afterimage of the printed image remains on the used thermal transfer sheet 5 wound around the recovery unit 4 and the printed image information may be leaked, it is necessary to take measures to prevent information leakage. In the present embodiment, as an information leakage prevention measure, the notch forming portion 20 is used to perform a process of forming a notch in the used thermal transfer sheet 5 wound around the recovery portion 4.

As shown in FIG. 3, the cut forming portion 20 includes a plurality of blades 22 arranged at intervals along a direction parallel to the width direction of the thermal transfer sheet 5, and a support member 24 for supporting the plurality of blades 22. Has. The blade 22 is made of steel, for example. In the support member 24, as shown in FIG. 4A, the blade 22 is separated from the used thermal transfer sheet 5A wound around the recovery unit 4, and as shown in FIG. 4B, the blade 22 is separated from the used thermal transfer sheet 5A. The position (posture) is controlled so that the state of contact with the used thermal transfer sheet 5A wound up by the recovery unit 4 can be switched.

The blade 22 in contact with the used thermal transfer sheet 5A wound around the recovery unit 4 penetrates the outermost used thermal transfer sheet 5A. In this state, the recovery unit 4 rotates to wind up the used thermal transfer sheet 5, so that a notch is formed in the used thermal transfer sheet 5A.

The notch forming portion 20 reciprocates in the width direction (short direction) of the thermal transfer sheet 5. For example, as shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, by moving the notch forming portion 20 from one end side to the other end side in the thermal transfer sheet width direction while rotating the recovery portion 4, the used thermal transfer sheet 5A can be used. A notch 30 that is oblique to the edge (long side) is formed. The orientation of the blade 22 changes according to the notch forming portion 20.

As shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, by moving the notch forming portion 20 from the other end side in the thermal transfer sheet width direction to one end side while rotating the recovery portion 4, the edge of the used thermal transfer sheet 5A is used. A notch 31 that is diagonal to (long side) is formed.

The angle formed by the notches 30 and 31 and the edge of the used thermal transfer sheet 5A is arbitrary, and is determined by the rotation speed of the recovery unit 4 and the movement speed of the notch forming unit 20. The number of cuts 30 and 31 is the same as the number of blades 22 provided in the cut forming portion 20.

The blade 22 penetrates not only the outermost used thermal transfer sheet 5A but also at least one used thermal transfer sheet 5A wound inward of the used thermal transfer sheet 5A. Therefore, the notch forming portion 20 forms a notch in a plurality of used thermal transfer sheets 5A wound around the recovery portion 4 from the outermost peripheral side toward the inside.

FIG. 7 shows an example of a notch formed in the used thermal transfer sheet 5A. FIG. 7 shows a case where the thermal transfer sheet in which the notch is formed is unfolded. FIG. 7 shows an example in which three blades 22 are provided in the notch forming portion 20 for convenience of explanation. For example, when the cut 40 is formed in the outermost used thermal transfer sheet 5A, the cut 40a is simultaneously formed in the used thermal transfer sheet 5A located inside.

The moving direction of the notch forming portion 20 is reversed, and the notch 41 is formed in the outermost used thermal transfer sheet 5A following the notch 40. At this time, a notch 41a is simultaneously formed in the used thermal transfer sheet 5A located inside.

As shown in FIG. 7, in the used thermal transfer sheet 5A, a plurality of notches intersect.

FIG. 8 shows an example of a notch formed in the used thermal transfer sheet 5A. In the example shown in FIG. 8, the outer peripheral length of the roll body of the thermal transfer sheet 5A wound around the recovery unit 4 and the sheet of each dye layer of the thermal transfer sheet 5 (each of the Y layer 51, the M layer 52, and the C layer 53). It is assumed that the length L in the longitudinal direction is about the same.

After forming the notch 42 in the used Y layer 51 on the outermost circumference, the moving direction of the notch forming portion 20 is reversed to form the notch 43 in the used M layer 52 on the outermost circumference. At this time, a cut 43a is simultaneously formed in the used Y layer 51 located inside.

Subsequently, the moving direction of the notch forming portion 20 is reversed to form the notch 44 in the used C layer 53 on the outermost circumference. At this time, a cut 44a is simultaneously formed in the used M layer 52 located inside.

Subsequently, the moving direction of the notch forming portion 20 is reversed to form the notch 45 in the used OP layer 54 on the outermost circumference. At this time, a notch 45a is simultaneously formed in the used C layer 53 located inside.

In the used Y layer 51, the plurality of notches 42 and the plurality of notches 43a intersect. A large number of diamond-shaped small regions R1 surrounded by the notch 42 and the notch 43a are cut from the used thermal transfer sheet 5A. Similarly, in the used M layer 52, a large number of diamond-shaped small regions R2 surrounded by the notch 43 and the notch 44a are cut from the used thermal transfer sheet 5A. Further, in the used C layer 53, a large number of diamond-shaped small regions R3 surrounded by the cut 44 and the cut 45a are cut from the used thermal transfer sheet 5A.

Therefore, if the used thermal transfer sheet 5A is unwound from the recovery unit 4 after the cut is formed, the small regions R1 to R3 fall out of the used thermal transfer sheet 5A, making it difficult to restore the image.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the used thermal transfer sheet 5A is recovered by rotating the recovery section 4 while reciprocating the notch forming portion 20 in the width direction of the thermal transfer sheet, whereby a plurality of used thermal transfer sheets 5A are formed. The notch can be formed in a zigzag pattern.

The notch is formed not only on the outermost thermal transfer sheet but also on the innermost thermal transfer sheet. In the thermal transfer sheet located inside, a plurality of notches intersect and are cut into a large number of small areas. This makes it possible to prevent leakage of an afterimage from the used thermal transfer sheet.

Further, it is not the outermost used thermal transfer sheet 5A wound around the recovery unit 4 but the inner used thermal transfer sheet 5A that the cuts intersect and the thermal transfer sheet is cut into a large number of small regions. That is, since the used thermal transfer sheet 5A cut into small regions is wound by the used thermal transfer sheet 5A before the cut formation, the thermal transfer sheet can maintain the roll-to-roll state.

In the above embodiment, an example in which the blade 22 is provided in the notch forming portion 20 has been described, but the present invention is not limited to the blade 22 and may be any as long as it can scrape the thermal transfer sheet to form a cut.

It is preferable that the notch forming portion 20 is provided in the vicinity of the recovery portion 4 and at a position substantially one round from the start of winding of the thermal transfer sheet 5. As a result, the thermal transfer sheet 5 in which the notch is formed is quickly covered with the thermal transfer sheet 5 having no notch.

Next, the notch forming portion 20 and its moving mechanism will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 to 11. As shown in FIG. 9A, the cut forming portion 20 has a plurality of blades 22 arranged side by side and held by the body (housing) 21. 9 (b) is a sectional view taken along line bb of FIG. 9 (a), and FIG. 9 (c) is a side view taken from the direction of arrow R of FIG. 9 (a).

One end side of the body 21 is an opening, and the tip end portion of the blade 22 extends to the outside of the body 21 through this opening. A hole 22a is provided slightly behind the center of the blade 22, and a shaft 29 is inserted through the hole 22a. In the body 21, the blade 22 is sandwiched by the O-ring 23, and the tip portion of the blade 22 can swing.

A leg portion 21a is provided on the other end side of the body 21, and a D-shaped shaft insertion hole 21b is formed in the leg portion 21a. A shaft G having a D-shaped cross section (see FIGS. 10 and 11) is inserted into the shaft insertion hole 21b.

As shown in FIGS. 10A and 10B, a wire 24 is wound around a pair of pulleys 25, and both ends of the wire 24 are connected to the body 21. When the motor 26 rotates the pulley 25, the body 21 moves along the shaft G (guide rail).

Microswitches 27 are provided at both ends of the shaft G, and when the body 21 comes into contact with the microswitch 27, the left and right stop positions can be detected, and the body 21 can be reciprocated.

As shown in FIG. 11A, the rotation of the shaft G is controlled by the drive unit 28. As shown in FIGS. 11 (b) and 11 (c), the body 21 is laid down by rotating the shaft G, and the blade 22 is crimped to the used thermal transfer sheet 5A. The drive unit 28 is provided with a torque limiter, and the blade 22 presses against the used thermal transfer sheet 5A at a constant pressure regardless of the winding amount of the used thermal transfer sheet 5A.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment as it is, and at the implementation stage, the components can be modified and embodied within a range that does not deviate from the gist thereof. In addition, various inventions can be formed by an appropriate combination of the plurality of components disclosed in the above-described embodiment. For example, some components may be removed from all the components shown in the embodiments. In addition, components across different embodiments may be combined as appropriate.

1 Thermal head 2 Platen roll 3 Supply unit 4 Recovery unit 5 Thermal transfer sheet 6 Image receiving sheet roll 7 Image receiving sheet 10 Printing unit 14 Control device 20 Notch forming unit

Claims (4)

The supply unit that supplies the thermal transfer sheet and
A printing unit that sandwiches the thermal transfer sheet and the image receiving sheet between the thermal head and the platen roll, and thermally transfers ink from the thermal transfer sheet to the image receiving sheet to print an image.
A recovery unit that winds up and collects the thermal transfer sheet after thermal transfer,
During the winding of the thermal transfer sheet by the recovery unit, the thermal transfer sheet is contacted with the thermal transfer sheet wound by the recovery unit and reciprocates along the width direction of the thermal transfer sheet to reach the long side of the thermal transfer sheet. A notch forming part that forms a notch in the diagonal direction,
Equipped with
The thermal transfer printing apparatus , wherein the cut forming portion has a plurality of blades arranged at intervals along a direction parallel to the width direction of the thermal transfer sheet . The thermal transfer printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the notch forming portion forms a zigzag-shaped notch in the thermal transfer sheet. The first or second aspect of the present invention, wherein the notch forming portion forms a notch in a plurality of thermal transfer sheets wound from the recovery portion from the outermost peripheral side toward the inside. Thermal transfer printing device. At least a part of the thermal transfer sheet wound around the recovery portion has a plurality of first notches that are in the first diagonal direction with respect to the long side of the thermal transfer sheet, and a second diagonal direction with respect to the long side. The thermal transfer printing apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein a plurality of second cuts intersecting with the first cut are formed.

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