JPH01108067A - Recorder - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enhance the coverage of images transfer recorded on a recording material, promote mixture of colors in multicolor recording and obtain high- quality images, by providing a means for applying a predetermined pressure and beat to the recording material onto which an image is transferred at s transferring part. CONSTITUTION:A motor is driven to sequentially pay out a transfer recording medium 1 from a payout roll 2, and light and heat are applied to a transfer recording layer 1b of the medium 1 according to an image signal at a recording part 3, whereby an image is formed. The image formed at the recording part 3 is thermally transferred onto a recording paper 8 at a transferring part 4. Then, the medium 1 and the paper 8 are released from each other by a releasing roller 5, the medium 1 is taken up on a take-up roll 6, and the paper 8 on which the image is recorded in desired colors is fed to an applying means 14. At the applying means 14, the paper 8 is fed by a heated color-mixing roller 14a and a feeding belt 14b, whereby thermal energy and a shearing force are applied to image forming elements transferred to the paper 8. The energy promotes mixture of colors at the boundaries of the image forming elements.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION <Field of Industrial Application> The present invention relates to a recording device that can be used in printers, copying machines, facsimile machines, and the like.

<Prior Art> In recent years, with the rapid development of the information industry, various information processing systems have been developed, and recording devices suitable for each information processing system have also been developed.

One of the above-mentioned recording devices is a thermal transfer recording device. In this method, recording is performed on a recording paper using an ink ribbon made by coating a ribbon-shaped support with a heat-melt ink made by dispersing a colorant in a heat-melt binder.

That is, the ink ribbons are stacked so that their heat-melting ink layers are in contact with the recording paper, and the ink ribbon and the recording paper are conveyed between a thermal head and a platen, and the ink ribbon is transferred from the support side of the ink ribbon to the thermal head. By applying pulse-shaped heat according to the image signal and pressing the two together and transferring the molten ink to the recording paper, an ink image corresponding to the heat application is recorded on the recording paper. .

The above recording apparatus has been widely used in recent years because it is small and lightweight, makes no noise, and can record on plain paper.

<Problems to be Solved by the Invention> However, conventional thermal transfer recording devices are not without problems.

The reason is that in conventional thermal transfer recording devices, the transfer recording performance, that is, the image quality, is greatly affected by the surface smoothness of the recording paper.
Although good image recording is performed on recording paper with high smoothness, there is a possibility that the quality of image recording will deteriorate when recording paper with low smoothness is used.

Furthermore, when attempting to obtain a multicolor image with a conventional thermal transfer recording device, it is necessary to repeat transfer to overlap the colors. For this purpose, it is necessary to install multiple thermal heads or make complicated movements such as stopping and reversing the recording paper, which not only makes color misalignment unavoidable, but also makes the entire device large and complicated. There is a problem with this.

<Means for solving the problem> Therefore, the present applicant uses a photothermal sensitive material, and when thermal energy and light energy are applied, the reaction of the material proceeds rapidly and the transfer characteristics change irreversibly. proposed a technology for forming an image based on the difference in characteristics according to the image signal and transferring it to a recording medium (Japanese Patent Application No. 1200-1983).
No. 80, No. 60-120081, No. 60-13141
No. 1, No. 60-134831, No. 60-150597
No. 60-199926, etc.).

According to this technology, it is possible to record high-quality images even on recording media with low surface smoothness, and when applied to multicolor recording, it is possible to make complex movements on the recording medium. It is possible to obtain multi-colored images without any problems.

The present invention is a further development of the above technology, and improves the coverage of an image transferred and recorded on a recording medium, and also improves the mixing of each color in multicolor recording, thereby obtaining a high-quality image. The purpose of the present invention is to provide a recording device capable of recording data.

For this purpose, the means of the embodiment described below is a transfer recording medium having a transfer recording layer whose transfer characteristics change by applying a first energy and a second energy different from the first energy. and a first energy applying means for applying the first energy to the transfer recording medium, which is provided along the conveyance path of the transfer recording medium conveyed by the conveyance means. and a second for applying the second energy.
a recording section having an energy imparting means; a transfer section for transferring an image formed on the transfer recording medium by the recording section to a recording medium; The present invention is characterized in that it is provided with application means for applying pressure and heat.

Effect> According to the above means, when the transfer recording medium and the recording medium are set in the apparatus and recording is performed, multiple types of energy are applied to the transfer recording medium in the recording section to form an image. The image is transferred to the recording medium in the transfer section.

Further, when a contact member applies a predetermined pressure and heat to the recording medium after image transfer, the four colors of the transferred recording layer are promoted.

<Example> Next, an embodiment of the present invention to which the above means is applied will be described.

FIG. 1(A) is a cross-sectional schematic explanatory diagram of the recording device, and the first
Figure (B) is a perspective explanatory view.

In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes a transfer recording medium in the form of a long sheet, which is wound into a roll and used as a supply roll 2 in the apparatus main body M.
It is removably incorporated into the.

That is, this supply roll 2 is removably loaded onto a rotatable shaft 2a provided in the main body M of the apparatus.

First, the leading end of the transfer recording medium 1 is connected to the supply port 2.
Guide roller 12 a + Transfer roller 4 a and pressure roller 4 via recording pad 3 a and guide roller 12 b
Peeling roller 5 from between b. It is directed by the guide roller 12c and brought to the take-up roll 6, and its tip is locked to the take-up roll 6 by means such as a gripper (not shown). Thereafter, while applying torque to the take-up roll 6 in the direction of arrow C using a known driving means, the transfer roller 4 is
By rotating a, the transfer recording medium 1 moves in the direction of arrow a.
The paper is unwound in the direction and sequentially wound around the circumferential surface of the winding roll 6.

Incidentally, during the winding, a certain back tension is applied to the supply roll 2 by, for example, a hysteresis brake (not shown), and this tension and the guide rollers 12a, 12b cause the transfer recording medium 1 to move toward the recording head 3a. It is configured to be conveyed while being pressed against the object at a certain pressure and at a certain angle.

Next, the configuration of each part will be explained in detail.

First, as shown in FIG. 2, the transfer recording medium 1 has a transfer recording layer 1 having the property of forming an image when both thermal energy and light energy are applied on a sheet-like support 1a.
It is made by attaching b.

As an example, as shown in FIG. 2, the transfer recording RITB uses the components shown in Tables 1 and 2 as the cores LC and LD, and forms a microcapsule-shaped image forming element by the following method. It forms.

Table 1 Table 2 In other words, the ingredients Log shown in Tables 1 and 2 are first mixed in 20 parts by weight of methylene chloride, and 1 g of gelatin is dissolved in a surfactant such as a cationic or nonionic surfactant with an HLB value of at least 10 or more. Mixed with 200 d of water and heated to 60°C with a homomixer to 8,000~10
Stir at m to emulsify to obtain oil droplets with an average particle size of 26.

Stirring was continued for an additional 30 minutes at 60°C, and the methylene chloride was distilled off to give an average particle size of about 10-.

To this, 20% of water in which gum arabic tg was dissolved was added, slowly cooled, and then NHdOH (ammonia) water was added to make the pH 11 or higher to obtain a microcapsule slurry.
- is added slowly to harden the capsule wall.

After that, solid-liquid separation was performed using a Nutsche filter, and 3
It is dried at 5° C. for 10 hours to obtain a microcapsule-shaped image forming element.

This image forming element has cores lc and l shown in Tables 1 and 2.
d is a microcapsule coated with a shell 1e, which is formed to have a particle size of 7 to 15u and an average particle size of 1hm.

The image forming element thus formed is adhered onto a support la using an adhesive 1f to obtain a transfer recording medium l. To explain this in more detail, the adhesive 1f, which is made by dissolving the polyester adhesive Polyester LP-022 (solid content 50%) manufactured by Nippon Gosei Kagaku Kogyo (solid content: 50%) in ice at a rate of 3 cc of toluene, is applied to a thickness of 6- The mixture is coated on a support la made of a polyethylene terephthalate film. Thereafter, the solvent was removed by drying, and the thickness was measured and found to be approximately 14. Since this adhesive Ir has a glass transition point of -115° C., a slight tack remains even at room temperature, making it possible to easily attach the formed image forming element to the support 1a as described above. .

Next, a microcapsule-shaped image forming element using the core material as shown in Tables 1 and 2 obtained as above was prepared.
The mixture was mixed at a ratio of t, and this was sprinkled to adhere. Thereafter, when the excess image forming element was brushed off, the image forming element was disposed on the adhesion layer at a rate of approximately IN and 90%.

Thereafter, the image forming element is firmly fixed on the support la by applying a pressure of about 1 kg/- and thermal energy of about 80 DEG C., thereby forming the transfer recording medium 1.

The photoinitiator in the image forming element shown in Table 1 absorbs light in the band of graph A in the light absorption characteristics shown in FIG. The photoinitiator in the image-forming element shown in Table 2 absorbs light in the band shown in graph B in FIG. 3 to start a reaction, and the color becomes blue during image formation.

Next, the recording section 3 will be explained. The recording unit 3 includes a heating means for applying thermal energy, which is a first energy, to the transfer recording medium 1, and a heating means, which applies light energy, which is a second energy, to the transfer recording medium l. and a light irradiation means.

The heating means is composed of a line-type heating element row 3b arranged on the surface of the recording head 3a, which generates heat according to the image signal, and has a width Q of 71 mm and 8 dots/dragon for A-4 size. As described above, the support la side of the transfer recording medium l is configured to be pressed against the heating element array 3b with a predetermined pressure due to back tension during conveyance. The image signal is generated from a control unit of a facsimile, an image scanner, an electronic blackboard, or the like, depending on the purpose.

On the other hand, on the transfer recording layer lb side facing the recording head 3a, two fluorescent lamps 3c and 3d, which are 2OW type light irradiation means having spectral characteristics as shown in FIG. are also spaced apart from each other by approximately 15 to 35 mm.

Furthermore, the transfer recording medium 1 is in pressure contact with the recording head 3a.
The slit plate 3e is kept at a distance of about 0.5 mm from the transfer recording medium 1, and the opening width is 1.5 mm, so that the direct light from the fluorescent lamps 3c and 3d is irradiated only on the area directly above the row of heating elements. 2f
i.

In this example, a 20W fluorescent lamp FL20SE manufactured by Toshiba is used as one of the fluorescent lamps 3C having the spectral characteristics shown in graph A of FIG. 4, and the characteristics shown in graph B are used. As the other fluorescent lamp 3d having spectral characteristics, a 20W fluorescent lamp PLIO^70E39 manufactured by Toshiba is used.

Next, the transfer section 4 will be explained. The transfer section 4 is disposed downstream of the recording section 3 in the conveyance direction of the transfer recording medium 1, and is in pressure contact with a transfer roller 4a that rotates in the direction of the arrow as shown in FIG. and a pressure roller 4b.

The transfer roller 4a is composed of an aluminum roller whose surface is 1 m thick and covered with silicone rubber having a hardness of 70 degrees, and whose surface is maintained at 90 to 100 degrees Celsius by a built-in 800 W halogen heater 4c. It is composed of

The pressure roller 4b is an aluminum roller coated with a 1fi thickness of silicone rubber having a hardness of 70 degrees, and the pressure roller 4b has a pressing force of 6 to 1 kgf/(71 is set to .

Furthermore, recording paper 8 as a recording medium loaded in the cassette 7
is the feed roller 9. The LED 26a and the phototransistor 2 are fed by the registration roller pair 10a+10b.
By detecting the leading edge of the recording paper 8 by a registration sensor 26 consisting of 6b and controlling the feeding timing, the recording paper 8 is fed to the transfer section 4 synchronously so as to overlap the image area of the transfer recording medium 1. has been done.

The recording paper 8 onto which the image has been transferred in the transfer section 4 is transferred to a pair of discharge rollers 1.
3a and 13b, and at this time pressure and heat are applied by the application means 14. This application means 14 is composed of a color mixing roller 14a and a conveyor belt 14b that is in pressure contact with the roller 14a.

The color mixing roller 14a is an aluminum roller with a mirror-finished surface, and a 200W halogen heater 14c is installed inside.
is provided, and the surface of the color mixing roller 14a is maintained at 140 to 150°C by the heater 14c. Further, the conveyor belt 14b is made of urethane rubber with a thickness of 1 fl, and is driven to rotate by the discharge roller 13b.
and the driven roller 13c, and the conveyor belt l-14b and the color mixing roller 14a are connected to each other at a speed of 0.05 to 0.1k.
They are configured to be pressed together with a pressing force of gf/c++.

The color mixing roller 14a and the conveyor belt 14b are rotated in the directions of arrows d and e, respectively, by a discharge motor to be described later. At this time, the rotation peripheral speed of the conveyor belt 14b is controlled by the drive transmission system (not shown) connected to the ejection motor.
The rotation speed of the color mixing roller 14a is controlled to be approximately 2% faster than the rotation speed of the conveyor belt 14b.

Next, a recording method using the recording apparatus configured as described above will be explained.

Note that this embodiment shows an example in which heat is applied in accordance with an image signal and light is applied uniformly.

The motor is driven to sequentially feed out the transfer recording medium 1 from the supply roll 2, and the recording section 3 applies light and heat to the transfer record N1b of the transfer recording medium 1 in accordance with the image signal, thereby forming an image. The transfer recording layer 1b has a property that when light and heat of a predetermined wavelength are applied, the softening point temperature increases, that is, the transfer characteristics change irreversibly, and the layer is no longer transferred to the recording paper 8. . Therefore, as shown in the timing chart of FIG. 5, when recording magenta color, the heating element array 3
Of b, the heating element corresponding to the magenta of the image signal is not energized, but the part corresponding to the white of the image signal (recording paper 8 is white) is energized for 25m5, and the fluorescent lamp 3c is turned off with a delay of 5 ns. irradiate in a similar manner. The irradiation time at this time is 301
I! shall be.

Next, when recording blue, ioo from the energization start time.
After ma, in the heating element row 3b, the heating element corresponding to the blue of the image signal is not energized, but the part corresponding to the white of the image signal is energized for 25 times, and after the 5th shift, the fluorescent lamp 3d is turned on. Irradiate uniformly. The irradiation time at this time was also 30 hours as described above.

In the manner described above, the recording head 3a is controlled according to the blue, magenta, and white image signals to form a negative image on the transfer recording layer 1b, and the transfer recording medium 1 is synchronously transferred at a repetition period of 200m5/1ine. transport.

Here, a control system according to this embodiment for performing the above recording operation will be specifically explained with reference to FIGS. 6 to 12. In addition, FIG. 6 is a block diagram of the control n system, FIGS. 7 and 8 are timing charts of recording operation, FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the relationship between each member, and FIG. 1O is for sending out each signal. The sequence table, FIG. 11 is a flowchart of the recording operation, and FIG. 12 is a block diagram of the temperature control system of the transfer roller 4a.

This system? As shown in FIG. 6, the J system is used as a CPU 20a such as a microprocessor, a ROM 20b storing control programs and various data for the CPU 2Qa, and a work area for the CPU 20a.
A control unit 20, an interface 21, and an operation panel 22 equipped with RAM M2Oc, etc., for temporarily storing various data, etc.
, image forming timing generator 23, feeding motor driver 24, transport motor driver 25, ejection motor driver 40. It consists of a registration sensor 26 and respective fluorescent lamp lighting devices 27 and 28.

The control section 20 receives various information (for example, recording density, number of recording sheets,
(recording size, etc.), a signal from the registration sensor 26, and a magenta line synchronization signal generated by the image forming timing generator 23. The control unit 20 also generates a motor ON signal for the feeding motor 30, a motor ON signal for the transport motor 31, a motor ON signal for the ejection motor 41, and a page signal through the interface 21.

The image forming timing generator 23 divides the clock of the internal crystal oscillator and generates various signals (magenta line synchronization signal, blue line synchronization signal, page synchronization signal, video clock, enable signal, strobe signal, fluorescent lamp ON signal, etc.) ) occurs.

As shown in Figure 7, the magenta line synchronization signal and the blue line synchronization signal have a duty ratio of 50% at a circumference of 200 m.
This is a signal whose phase is shifted by 1801 points.

Then, the page signal sent from the control unit 20 via the interface 2I is latched at the rising edge of the magenta line synchronization signal to generate a page synchronization signal.

The video clock generates a 25KHz clock from the rising edge of the magenta and blue line synchronization signals, and
(The recording head 3a of this embodiment has 1728 pixels per line.)

Further, an external image signal generator (for example, a facsimile, an image scanner, an electronic whiteboard, etc.) 32 receives a page synchronization signal, magenta and blue line synchronization signals, and a video clock from the image forming timing generator 23, and generates a page synchronization signal. From the time when the magenta line synchronization signal is "r high 1", the magenta image signal is synchronized with the video clock, and when the blue line synchronization signal is "r high", the blue image signal is synchronized with the video clock, 1728 times each. Send one by one.

In addition, the magenta and blue line synchronization signals r high
A strobe signal that is high during the period in which the video clock is inactive is generated.

The enable signal repeats 25m5r high 1 from the rising edge of the magenta and blue line sync signals, and repeats 25m5r high 1 from the rising edge of the magenta and blue line sync signals, and 25m5r high 1 within the r high J period of the first magenta line sync signal when the page sync signal becomes r low J. This enable signal corresponds to the energization signal to the heating element 3b corresponding to the image signal shown in FIG.

Further, the image forming timing generator 23 generates a fluorescent lamp ON signal. The ON signal of the fluorescent lamp 3c becomes "high j" with a delay of 51 u from the rise of the first enable signal, and
This is a signal that becomes r low J after 0as, and this is repeatedly generated for every other enable signal. Also, fluorescent lamp 3d O
The N signal is generated in the same manner with a delay of 100 m from the ON signal of the fluorescent lamp 3c.

The recording head 3a and the fluorescent lamp 3c are activated by the above signal.

3d is driven, and the recording head 3a captures the image signal from the external image signal generator 32 into the shift register inside the head using the video clock from the image forming timing generator 23. is latched in a latch register in the head by a strobe signal from the image forming timing generator 23, and then energized to the heating element 3b according to the image signal in the latch register by an enable signal from the image forming timing generator 23. At the same time as the current is turned on, the next image signal is taken into the shift register by the video clock.

Also, lighting device for fluorescent lamp 3 cr 3 d 27.28
The fluorescent lamps 3c, 3 from the image forming timing generator 23
In response to the ON signal of d, the ON signal of each of the fluorescent lamps 3c and 3d is changed to "The corresponding fluorescent lamp 3c at the time of high 1.

Turn on 3d.

An image is formed on the transfer recording medium 1 by the above control.

Next, conveyance control of the transfer recording medium 1 and the recording paper 8 for transferring the image formed on the transfer recording medium 1 to the recording medium 8 will be explained.

The feed motor driver 24 is connected to the interface 21
When the feed motor ON signal from the control unit 20 is r high 1, the feed motor 3o is driven, and the feed roller 9 and the registration roller pair 10a, 10b are rotated to rotate the recording paper 8.
is transported at a constant speed.

Further, the conveyance motor driver 25 also turns on the conveyance motor from the control unit 2o via the interface 21.
When the signal is r high 1, the conveyance motor 31 is driven to rotate the transfer roller 4a, and the pressure roller 4 rotates as a result of this.
The weight of the transfer recording medium and the recording paper 8 are conveyed at a constant speed by the cooperative action with b.

Similarly, when the ejection motor ON signal from the control unit 2° is r high 1, the ejection motor driver 40 drives the ejection motor 41 and rotates the ejection roller 13b and the color mixing roller 14a via the drive transmission system. At this time, as described above, due to the drive transmission system, the rotation peripheral speed of the color mixing roller 14a is increased by the conveyor belt l-14b rotated by the discharge roller 13b.
It is set to be slightly faster than the rotational circumferential speed of.

Here, the timing of each signal sent by the control section 20 via the interface 21 is as shown in FIG. Incidentally, the time T+"" Ts in FIG. 8 is calculated as shown in FIG. 9, when the distance between each member is Ll""L4, the transfer recording medium 1 or the recording paper 8 is conveyed as follows. This is the time it takes to

Ll: Conveyance distance of the transfer recording medium 1 from the recording head 3a to the pressure contact portion between the transfer roller 4a and the pressure roller 4b.

L2: Conveyance distance of the transfer recording medium 1 from the pressure contact portion to the peeling roller 5.

L: Conveyance distance of the recording paper 8 from the Ni-registration sensor 26 to the pressure contact portion.

L4: Conveyance distance of the recording paper 8 from the peeling roller 5 to the discharge roller 13b.

TI: Time required to convey the transfer recording medium l a distance of L IL x.

T2: Time required to convey the recording paper 8 a distance of .

T: Length of recording paper 8 (for example, 29 for A4 size)
The time required to convey the transfer recording medium 1 by 7 m).

T4: Time required to transport the transfer recording medium 1 a distance # of Ll +L, .

Ts: Time required to convey the recording paper 8 a distance of L4, that is, when the operator presses the start button on the operation panel 22, the feeding motor 30 is driven and the recording paper 8 is fed so that its leading edge reaches the registration sensor. 26, the drive is stopped. Simultaneously with this driving body stopping, the conveyance motor 31 is driven to convey the transfer recording medium 1 in the direction of arrow a in FIG. A forming step is performed.

The conveyance motor 31 stops after the image forming time T3 has elapsed and a further time T has elapsed.

Note that the feed motor 30 is driven for a time T after the transfer recording medium 1 starts to be conveyed, and then is driven for a time T to convey the recording paper 8 at the same speed as the transfer recording medium 1, and then stops. As a result, the leading edge of the recording paper 8 matches the leading edge of the transfer image formed on the transfer recording medium 1 in the transfer unit 4, and is conveyed by the drive of the conveyance motor 31 while being in close contact with the transfer recording medium 1.

Here, the control section 2 sends out each signal as shown in FIG.
To explain the operation of 0, the control unit 20 inputs the magenta line synchronization signal via the interface 21,
The number of pieces is counted by a software counter. That is, the magenta line synchronization signal is 2 as described above.
00 as has the same period, so the control unit 20 can manage time by counting the signals.

The control unit 20 has a sequence table as shown in FIG. 10 inside, and when the registration sensor signal is "high"
Then, while counting magenta line synchronization signals, sequentially refer to the sequence table
Sends N signal, transport motor ON signal, page signal,
The drive of each member is controlled by each signal.

In this embodiment, the sequence table has a 4-bit configuration as shown in FIG. 10, and consists of a total of 3217 words from the 0th to the 3216th word, where bit 0 is the feed motor ON signal and bit 1 is the feed motor ON signal. The transport motor ON signal, bit 2 corresponds to the page signal, and bit 3 corresponds to the discharge motor ON signal.

In addition, the numbers in parentheses at the top of Fig. 8 indicate the magenta line synchronization signal at the time when the registration sensor signal becomes r high 1 as number 0, and the number of the magenta line synchronization signal at each time point (signal number). number).

Next, the recording operation of the control section 20 having the above-mentioned functions is performed as follows.
To explain using the flowchart in Figure 1, first, the Sl
), if pressed, sends the feed motor ON signal (
32), then wait until the registration sensor signal becomes "r high" (S3), substitute 0 to R indicating the rask number of the sequence table (S4), then wait until the magenta line synchronization signal becomes r low J. It waits until it reaches L (S5), and then waits for it to go to rhighj (S6), thereby detecting the rising edge of the magenta line synchronization signal. When the edge is detected, the Rth of the sequence table is referred to, and bits 0 to 2 are sent out as a feed motor ON signal, a transport motor ON signal, and a page signal, respectively (37), and then the value of R is Add 1 (S8), H
39), R
If the value is smaller than or equal to 3216, the process returns to step S5 to continue recording, and if it is larger, the process ends.

The image formed in the recording section 3 as described above is thermally transferred to the recording paper 8 in the transfer section 4, and the temperature control of the transfer roller 4a is configured as shown in FIG. 12.

The thermistor 33 in FIG. 12 is arranged so as to be in contact with the surface of the transfer roller 4a, and its resistance value changes depending on the surface temperature of the transfer roller 4a. It is converted to Ex and compared with the reference voltage E0 by the comparator 35. The comparison output is connected to the power supply E via the relay driver 36 and by the relay 37.
s controls the energization of the halogen heater 4c.

Here, the driving principle of the temperature control configuration will be described. The thermistor 33 has a property that its resistance value decreases as the temperature rises. Therefore, as the surface temperature of the transfer roller 4a increases, the resistance value of the thermistor 33 decreases, and the voltage E2 decreases. Conversely, if the surface temperature of the transfer roller 4a decreases, the thermistor 33
The resistance value increases and the voltage E2 also increases.

Therefore, as shown in the flowchart of FIG. 13(A),
By setting the value of the reference voltage E0 to the value of the voltage E2 corresponding to the temperature of the transfer roller 4a at 95°C, the power switch is turned off.
NL, if the surface temperature of the transfer roller 4a is lower than 95°C (311), the comparison output becomes "r high" and the halogen heater 4c is turned on (S12.
5I3), transfer o-ra 4 a (D surface temperature rises. Conversely, if it is higher than 95°C, the comparative output is r-row 1
and the halogen heater 4c is not energized (312, 3
14) The surface temperature decreases.

Due to the above control, the surface temperature of the transfer roller 4a is 90 to 10
It is kept at 0°C. This control system is constantly operating when the power switch of the apparatus is on, and is controlled so that the surface temperature of the transfer roller 4a reaches 90 to 200 DEG C. before the start button on the operation panel is pressed.

As described above, an image is formed on the transfer recording medium 1, and the cough image is transferred to the recording paper 8 as a magenta and blue image in the transfer section 4.

Thereafter, the transfer recording medium 1 and the recording paper 8 are separated by the peeling roller 5, the transfer recording medium 1 is wound up onto the take-up roll 6, and the ejection motor of the recording paper 8 on which the image of the desired color has been recorded is turned on. It is sent to the application means 14 by driving the ejection motor 41 which is operated by a signal.

The recording paper 8 is conveyed by a heated color mixing roller 14a and a conveyance belt 14b in the application means 14, but since there is a speed difference between the color mixing roller 14a and the conveyance belt 14b, the colors are not transferred onto the recording paper 8. Thermal energy and shear force are applied to the image forming element. This energy promotes destruction of the capsule-shaped image forming elements and promotes color mixing at the boundaries of each image forming element.

To explain the color mixing state in detail with reference to the drawings, the blue-purple image transferred to the recording paper 8 by the transfer unit 4 is shown in FIG.
As shown in A) and (B), the blue image forming element 15
a and the magenta color image forming element body 15b are transferred. When this image passes through the applying means 14, as shown in FIGS. 15(A) and 15(B), the image forming elements 15a, 1 are
As the destruction of the image forming element 5b progresses, the coverage improves, color mixing at the boundary between the image forming elements 15a and 15b progresses, the blue-violet image becomes clearer, and the image quality is further improved.

In addition, the surface temperature of the color mixing roller 14a is set at 140 to 150.
℃ is the same as the temperature control circuit for the transfer roller 4a shown in FIG. 12, and a thermistor provided on the surface of the color mixing roller 14a as shown in FIG. 14d detects the temperature of the surface of the roller 14a, and as shown in the flowchart of FIG. 13(B), when the power switch of the device is turned on, the heater 14c is activated in response to the comparison output of the control circuit, thereby mixing colors. The surface temperature of the roller 14a is maintained at 140 to 150°C (S21 to 524).

The recording paper 8 on which the three-color recording of blue, magenta, and bluish-violet was performed in one shot as described above is transferred to the discharge roller pair 13a.
, 13b to the discharge tray 11.

Other Embodiments Next, other embodiments of each part of the above-mentioned embodiment will be described.

(1) Transfer recording medium In the above embodiments, two-color recording was explained, but as disclosed by the applicant in Japanese Patent Application No. 61-128814, the colorant and light that constitute the image forming element are By appropriately selecting the type of initiator, selecting a light source with a wavelength that causes the photoinitiator to react, and using the process related to the above application, monochromatic, multicolor or full-color recorded images of three or more colors can be created. You can also get it.

Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the transfer recording layer 1 of a polymeric material containing a colorant is transferred by light energy and thermal energy.
Although an example has been shown in which the image is transferred and recorded onto the recording paper 8 by changing the softening point temperature of b, the image may be transferred and recorded depending on the difference in adhesive properties or sublimation properties to the recording paper 8. Alternatively, the transfer recording medium 1 is provided with a layer that imparts color development to the recording paper 8 and changes the color development characteristics of the recording paper 8, and the image formed on the transfer recording medium 1 is transferred to the recording paper 8. The configuration may be such that an image is obtained by

Furthermore, the first energy and the second energy applied to the transfer recording layer 1b are not limited to the above-mentioned heat and light energy, and for example, an image may be formed by using force energy such as pressure energy. .

In addition to the above-mentioned polyethylene terephthalate, for example, polyamide, polyimide, capacitor paper, cellophane paper, etc. can also be used as the material for the support 1a.

Further, as the transfer recording layer 1b, any transfer recording layer can be used as long as the physical properties can be changed by a plurality of types of energy to form a transferred image. For example, a transfer image can be formed by using a transfer recording layer whose physical properties such as melting temperature, softening point, glass transition point, and viscosity change by applying multiple types of energy.

The image forming element constituting the transfer recording layer 1b contains a sensitive component and a coloring component, and the sensitive component exhibits changes in physical properties when multiple energies such as light and heat energy are applied. It is preferable to use a material that starts to respond or a material that rapidly changes the reaction rate of physical property change.

The polymerization component contained in the sensitive component is a component that causes a polymerization reaction or a crosslinking reaction, such as a monomer,
Oligomers or polymers may be mentioned.

Examples of the monomer or oligomer include polyvinyl cinnamate, p-methoxycinnamic acid-succinic acid half ester, etc., or those having a reactive group at the terminal or side chain of epoxy resin, unsaturated polyester resin, etc. It will be done.

Examples of the polymerizable monomer include ethylene glycol diacrylate and propylene glycol diacrylate.

Further, when using the above polymerizable monomer or oligomer, cellulose acetate succinate, methyl methacrylate-hydroxyethyl methanelylate copolymer, etc. may be included in order to improve layer-forming properties.

A reaction initiator is added as necessary to cause the reaction of the polymerization component.As the reaction initiator, radical initiators such as azo compounds, organic sulfur compounds, carginyl compounds, and halogen compounds are preferable. .

In particular, in the structure of the transfer recording layer when a transferred image is formed by receiving both light and thermal energy, the reaction speed is determined by the reaction between the reaction initiator and the polymerization component, which act in response to the above-mentioned light energy. The type of reaction initiator and polymerization component should be selected so that the combination has a large temperature dependence.

For example, polymerizable prepolymers with functional groups such as methacrylic esters or acrylic ester copolymers,
Examples include a combination of a photosensitive crosslinking agent such as tetraethylene glycol diacrylate and a reaction initiator such as benzophenone and Michael's ketone.

The coloring component is a component contained in order to form an optically recognizable image, and various pigments and dyes are used as appropriate. Examples of such pigments and dyes include inorganic pigments such as carbon black and yellow lead, organic pigments such as Victoria Blue Lake and Fast Sky Blue, and colorants such as leuco dyes and phthalocyanine dyes.

In addition, the transfer recording layer 1b may contain stabilizers such as hydroquinone and p-methoxyphenol.

Furthermore, an exacerbating agent such as p-nitroaniline or 1,2-benzoanthraquinone may be included in the transfer recording layer in order to enhance the activation of the reaction initiator with respect to energy.

Furthermore, in addition to the coloring agent and the sensitive component, a resin, wax, or liquid crystal may be mixed as a binder in the transfer recording 1tb.

Examples of the resin used as the binder include polyester resins, polyamide resins, and the like, and these resins may be used alone or in combination of two or more.

Examples of wax binders include vegetable waxes such as candelilla wax and carnauba wax;
Animal waxes such as spermaceti wax, mineral waxes such as montan wax, or synthetic waxes made of fatty acids, fatty acid amides, esters, etc. can be used, and one or more of the above waxes may be mixed. May be used.

Further, examples of the liquid crystal used as a binder include cholesterol hexanoate, cholesterol decanoate, and the like.

When microcapsules are used in the image forming element constituting the transfer recording layer 1b, the core portion contains the above-mentioned materials, but the materials used for the wall material of the microcapsules include gelatin, gum arabic, Examples include cellulose-based materials such as nitrocellulose and ethylcellulose, and polymer-based materials such as polyethylene and polystyrene.

(2) Recording section In the above embodiment, in the recording section 3, light of a predetermined wavelength corresponding to a desired color is uniformly irradiated from the transfer recording layer 1b side of the transfer recording medium l, and the support 1a side Although the configuration is such that heat is applied according to the image signal from the beginning, as another embodiment, a configuration may be adopted in which heat is uniformly applied and a predetermined light is irradiated according to the image signal.

Furthermore, if the support 1a is made of a translucent material, the support 1a can be made of a transparent material.
A configuration may be adopted in which light is irradiated from the a side and heat is applied from the transfer recording layer 1b side.

Furthermore, in the above embodiment, light irradiation and heat application were performed with the support 1a in between, but image formation is also possible by performing both light irradiation and heat application from one side of the support La. be.

Further, as the heating means, in addition to the method using the recording head 3a described above, a method of selectively heating using a YAG laser and a polygon mirror, etc. may be used.

Further, as the light irradiation means, the above-mentioned fluorescent lamp 3c is used.

In addition to the method using 3D, for example, a method using an LED array, a method using a xenon lamp and a filter matching the light absorption characteristics of the material, etc. can be used.

In the above-mentioned embodiment, optical energy and thermal energy are applied to the transfer recording medium at the same time, but even if the optical energy and thermal energy are applied separately, both energies can be applied as a result. Any configuration is fine as long as it is possible.

(3) Transfer unit The transfer unit 4 is not limited to a roller-like configuration such as the transfer roller 4a and the pressure roller 4b, but may be configured as long as it can obtain a desired pressure, such as a rotating belt, for example. .

Furthermore, if necessary, a fixing means for fixing the image on the recording medium onto which the image has been transferred by the transfer section 4 may be provided downstream of the peeling roller 5 in the conveying direction of the recording medium.

(4) Recording medium The recording medium is not limited to the above-mentioned recording paper; for example, an overhead projector (OHP)
Of course, plastic sheets etc. can also be used.

(5) Application means In the above embodiment, the color mixing roller 14a is replaced by the conveyor belt 14b.
Although an example has been shown in which the color mixing roller 14a and the conveyor belt 14b rotate about 2% faster than the color mixing roller 14a, the speed difference between the color mixing roller 14a and the conveyor belt 14b may be appropriately set depending on the relationship with the pressing force between the two. Therefore, the rotation direction of the color mixing roller 14a may be set in the opposite direction to that in the above embodiment, or may be fixed.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 16(A) and 16(B), a cleaning mechanism for the color mixing roller 14a may be provided.

In the configuration shown in FIG. 16(A), a felt par 14e made of aromatic polyamide resin fibers is coated with 5,000 to 1
Impregnated with 0.0OOcs silicone oil,
It is in pressure contact with the color mixing roller 14a. In this way,
The surface of the color mixing roller 14a that has come into contact with the image on the recording paper 8 is cleaned by the felt par 14e, and offset of the image forming element can be prevented. In the configuration shown in FIG. 16(B), a cleaning belt 14f made of aromatic polyamide resin fibers made into a web and impregnated with silicone oil in the same manner as described above is pressed against a color mixing roller 14a by a pressure roller 14g. Therefore, the same effect as in the case of FIG. 16(A) can be obtained.

Furthermore, even if the color mixing roller 14a shown in the above-mentioned embodiment is not a rotating member, for example, as shown in FIG. Even if you configure it to
Heat and shearing force can be applied to the image forming element on the recording paper 8.

Furthermore, as shown in FIGS. 18(A) and 18(B), a piezoelectric vibrator 16b is attached to the color mixing bar 16, and this
The color mixing bar 16 may be slightly vibrated in the direction of the arrow r in the figure at a frequency of about 50 to 50 Hz. By slightly vibrating the color mixing bar 16 in this way, the color mixing effect described above can be further improved.

<Effects of the Invention> As described above, the present invention sequentially performs the formation of an image on a transfer recording medium and the transfer of this image to a recording medium. Images can be recorded well. Furthermore, when the present invention is applied to multicolor recording, a multicolor image can be obtained without making any complicated movements on the recording medium.

Furthermore, by applying a predetermined amount of pressure and heat to the recording medium onto which the image has been transferred, the coverage of the image can be improved, and when applied to multicolor recording, the color mixing of each color can be further enhanced, resulting in high You can obtain high-quality images.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Figures 1 (A) and (B) are overall schematic explanatory diagrams of an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 2 is an explanatory diagram of the structure of a transfer recording medium, and Figure 3 is an optical absorption characteristic of a photoinitiator in the transfer recording medium. Figure 4 is a graph showing the spectral characteristics of the light irradiation means, Figure 5 is a timing chart for applying heat and light, Figure 6 is a block diagram of the control system, Figures 7 and 8 are recording Timing chart of operation, Figure 9 is an explanatory diagram showing the relationship between each member, Figure 10 is an explanatory diagram of a sequence table for sending out each signal, Figure 11 is a flowchart of recording operation, and Figure 12 is a transfer roller. Explanatory diagram of the temperature control system of 4a, Fig. 13 (A)
. (B) is a flowchart of temperature control operation, Fig. 14 (A
). (B) is an explanatory diagram showing the image state before the recording paper passes through the application means, FIGS. 15(A) and (B) are explanatory diagrams showing the image state after the recording paper passes through the application means, and FIG. 16 (A ), (B)
17 is an explanatory diagram of an embodiment in which a cleaning member is provided in the application means, FIG. 17 is an explanatory diagram of an embodiment in which a non-rotatable color mixing bar is provided, and FIGS. 18 (A) and (B) are illustrations of an embodiment in which the color mixing bar is vibrated. It is an explanatory diagram of an example. (2) is a transfer recording medium, 1a is a support, 1b is a transfer recording layer,
lc and ld are the core, 1e is the shell, 1f is the adhesive, 2 is the supply roll, 2a is the supply roll shaft, 3 is the recording section, 3a is the recording head, 3b is the heating element array, 3c and 3d are fluorescent lamps,
3e is a slit plate, 4 is a transfer section, 4a is a transfer roller, 4
b is a pressure roller, 4c is a heater, 5 is a peeling roller, 6 is a take-up roll, 7 is a cassette, 8 is a recording paper, 9 is a feeding roller, 10a, 10b are registration rollers, 11 is an ejection tray, 12a+ 12b+ 12c is a guide roller,
13a, 13b are discharge rollers, 14 is an application means, 14a
is a color mixing roller, 14b is a conveyor belt, 14c is a heater,
14d is a thermistor, 14e is a felt bar, 14f is a cleaning belt, 14g is a pressure roller, 15a, 1
5b is an image forming element, I6 is a color mixing bar, 16a is a heater, 16b is a vibrator, 20 is a control unit, 20a is a CPU, 2
0b is a ROM, 20C is a RAM, 21 is an interface, 22 is an operation panel, 23 is an image forming timing generator, 24 is a feeding motor driver, 25 is a transport motor driver, 26 is a registration sensor, 26a is an LED
. 26b is a phototransistor, 27.28 is a fluorescent lamp lighting device, 30 is a feeding motor, 31 is a transport motor, 32
is an external image signal generator, 33 is a thermistor, 34 is a resistor,
35 is a comparator, 36 is a relay driver, 37 is a relay, 40 is an ejection motor driver, and 41 is an ejection motor.

Claims (4)

[Claims] (1) A conveying means for conveying a transfer recording medium having a transfer recording layer whose transfer characteristics change by applying a first energy and a second energy different from the first energy; , a first energy applying means for applying the first energy to the transfer recording medium, which is provided along a conveyance path of the transfer recording medium conveyed by the conveyance means; and a first energy applying means for applying the first energy to the transfer recording medium; a recording section having a second energy applying means for applying energy; a transfer section for transferring an image formed on the transfer recording medium in the recording section to a recording medium; A recording device comprising: applying means for applying a predetermined pressure and heat to a recorded recording medium. (2) The recording device according to claim 1, wherein the first energy is heat and the second energy is light. (3) The recording device according to claim 1, wherein the pressure applied by the applying means involves shearing force. (4) The recording device according to claim 1 or 3, wherein the applying means is configured to vibrate minutely.