JPH0193379A - Recorder - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obtain an image having high density and free of ununiformity and enable faithful color reproduction, by heating from the side of a recording material at a transferring part, and heating from the side of a transfer recording medium at a releasing part. CONSTITUTION:A transfer recording medium 1 forms magenta and blue images in a transfer recording layer 1b when being supplied with both thermal energy and optical energy. The images formed on the medium 1 are transferred as a two-color image, in magenta and blue, onto a recording paper 8 at a transferring part 4. At this moment, the medium 1 and the paper 8 are heated from the side of the paper 8 by a heater 4c, whereby defective transfer or ununiform transfer are prevented from occurring. At the time of releasing, the medium 1 and the paper 8 are released from each other while heating the medium 1 by a releasing roller 5 incorporating a heater 5a therein, whereby an adhesive if constituting the recording layer 1b is softened to ensure smooth transfer of image forming elements onto the paper 8. Thus, an image free of ununiformity in density can be obtained.

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.

In addition, when trying to obtain a multicolor image with conventional thermal transfer recording devices, the colors are layered by repeating transfer.

It is necessary to match. 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-mentioned technology, and is capable of recording clear images without transfer defects or transfer unevenness, and also achieves faithful color reproduction when performing multicolor recording. The purpose of the present invention is to provide a recording device that can perform the following functions.

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 comprising a transfer member and a pressure member that are in pressure contact with each other in order to transfer the image formed on the transfer recording medium in the recording section to a recording medium; a heating means for heating the transfer member in contact with the recording medium; a peeling section for peeling off the transfer recording medium and the recording medium after image transfer; It is characterized by being provided with a heating means for heating the.

Effect> According to the above means, when the transfer recording medium and the recording medium are placed 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 heated from the recording medium side in the transfer section and is transferred to the recording medium.

Furthermore, when the recording medium and the transfer recording medium are peeled off at the peeling part, the transfer recording medium side is heated and peeled off, and an image is recorded on the recording medium, so the recorded image is extremely high quality. become the property of

<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 edge of the transfer recording medium 1 is transferred to the supply roll 2.
The peeling roller 5. 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, by rotating the transfer roller 4a while applying torque to the take-up roll 6 in the direction of arrow C using a known drive means, the transfer recording medium 1 is fed out in the direction of arrow a, and the circumferential surface of the take-up roll 6 is rotated. It is wound up one after another.

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

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

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

To explain an example, as shown in FIG. 2, the transfer record 1i11b uses the components shown in Tables 1 and 2 as the cores lc and Id, and forms a microcapsule-shaped image forming element by the method shown below. It forms.

(Left below) Table 1 Table 2 In other words, 10 g of the ingredients shown in Tables 1 and 2 are first mixed with 20 parts by weight of methylene chloride, and then mixed with a surfactant such as a cationic or nonionic surfactant with an HLB value of at least 10 or more. Mix 1 g of gelatin with 200 m of water and mix with a homomixer while heating at 60°C.
Emulsify by stirring at pm to obtain oil grooves with an average particle size of 26-.

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

A microcapsule slurry was obtained by adding 20° of water in which 1 g of gum arabic was dissolved, cooling slowly, and then adding NH, OH (ammonia) water to make the pH 11 or more. h
d is added slowly to harden the capsule wall.

Thereafter, solid-liquid separation is performed using a Nutsche filter, and drying is performed at 35° C. for 210 hours using a vacuum drying mRN 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 covered with a shell 1e, and the particle size ranges from 7 to 15, with an average particle size of 10.

The image forming element formed in this manner is adhered onto a support la using an adhesive 1f to obtain a transfer recording medium 1. To explain this in more detail, adhesive 1f, which is prepared by dissolving 3 cc of toluene in the polyester adhesive Polyester LP-022 (solid content 50%) lee manufactured by Nippon Gosei Kagaku Kogyo ■, is applied to a thickness of 61. It is coated on a support la consisting of a polyethylene terephthalate film of Irn. After that, the solvent was removed by drying and the thickness was measured, and it was found that it was about 1.
-It was. This adhesive 1f has a glass transition point of 115°.
Since it is C, a slight tack remains even at room temperature, and the image forming element formed as described above can be easily attached to the support 1a.

Next, a microcapsule-shaped image forming element using the materials shown in Tables 1 and 2 obtained as above as a core material was prepared.
They were mixed at a ratio of 1:1, and this was sprinkled to adhere. Thereafter, when the excess image forming element was brushed off, the image forming element was disposed on the adhesive layer in approximately one layer and at a ratio of 90%.

Thereafter, the image forming element is firmly fixed on the support la by applying a pressure of about 1 kg/cj and thermal energy of about 80° C. to form 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 as a first energy to the transfer recording medium 1, and a light unit for applying optical energy as a second energy to the transfer recording medium 1. It consists of an irradiation means.

The heating means is composed of a line-type heating element array 3b arranged on the surface of the recording head 3a for A-4 size with a width of 0.2 dots and 8 dots/dragon, which generates heat according to the image signal.
As described above, the support la side of the transfer recording medium 1 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 20W type light irradiation means having spectral characteristics as shown in FIG. They are also placed about 15 to 35 dragons apart.

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 tm from the transfer recording medium 1, and the opening width is l, 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.
2u+.

In this example, a 20W health line fluorescent lamp PL205E 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 FLIOA70E39 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 includes a transfer roller 4a, which is a transfer member that rotates in the direction of the arrow as shown in FIG. A pressure roller 4b, which is a pressure member, is pressed against the pressure roller 4b.

The transfer roller 4a is composed of an aluminum roller whose surface is coated with silicone rubber having a thickness of 1 mm and a hardness of 70 degrees.
A 0W halogen heater 4C is provided. That is, the transfer roller 4a is turned on by a temperature control circuit to be described later.
, ○The surface temperature of the heater 4c becomes 9.
The temperature is maintained at 0 to 100°C.

The pressure roller 4b is made of an aluminum roller coated with silicone rubber having a hardness of 70 degrees to a thickness of 11 nm, and the pressing force with the transfer roller 4a is 6 to 7 kgf/cI11 by a pressure means (not shown) such as a spring. It is set.

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 a pair of registration rollers 10a and 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. At this time, recording paper 8
is on the transfer roller 4a side, and the transfer recording medium 1 is on the pressure roller 4 side.
The transfer recording medium 1 and the recording paper 8, which are located on the b side and are in close contact with each other, are conveyed while being pressed by both rollers 4a and 4b.

Next, the peeling roller 5 constituting the peeling section is composed of an aluminum roller having a diameter of 15n, and is attached so that the roller 5 contacts the transfer recording medium 1 and changes the conveyance path of the transfer recording medium 1. Further, inside the peeling roller 5, there are 50
A heating means consisting of a 0W halogen heater 5a is provided. This heater 5a is operated by a temperature control circuit to maintain the surface temperature of the peeling roller 5 at 50 to 60°C.

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.

An image is formed by driving the motor to sequentially feed out the transfer recording medium 1 from the supply roll 2, and applying light and heat to the transfer recording layer 1b of the transfer recording medium 1 in the recording section 3 according to the image signal. . 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 transfer recording layer 1b is no longer transferred to the recording paper 8. . Therefore, as shown in the timing chart of the fifth area, when recording magenta color, the heating element row 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 on with a delay of 5 ms. irradiate in a similar manner. The irradiation time at this time was 45 m.
5.

Next, for blue recording, after 50 minutes have elapsed after the end of the light irradiation, that is, 100 hours after the energization start time, power is applied to the heating elements corresponding to the blue color of the image signal in the heating element array 3b. 25m to the part corresponding to the white of the image signal.
After 5 ms, the fluorescent lamp 3d is uniformly irradiated. The irradiation time at this time was also 45 m3 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 is synchronously transferred at a repetition period of 200m5/1ine. Transport 1.

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 system, Figs. 7 and 8 are timing charts of recording operation, Fig. 9 is a diagram showing the relationship between each member, and Fig. 10 is a sequence for sending out each signal. FIG. 11 is a flowchart of the recording operation, and FIG. 12 is a block diagram of the temperature control system for the transfer roller 4a.

As shown in FIG. 6, this control system includes a CPU 20, an interface 21, an operation panel 22, an image forming timing generator 23, a feed motor driver 24, a transport motor driver 25, a registration sensor 26, and each fluorescent lamp lighting device 27. Consisting of .28.

The CPU 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. Further, the CPU 20 generates a motor ON signal for the feeding motor 30, a motor ON signal for the transport motor 31, and a page signal via 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 FIG. 7, the magenta line synchronization signal and the blue line synchronization signal are signals having a period of 200, a duty ratio of 50%, and a phase shift of 180'.

Then, a page signal sent from the CPU 20 via the interface 21 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 moment when the magenta synchronization signal becomes "high j", the magenta image signal is synchronized with the video clock, and when the blue line synchronization signal is "r high 1", the blue image signal is synchronized with the video clock, 1728 each. Send.

Furthermore, during the r high 1 period of the magenta and blue line synchronization signals, the period during which the video clock is inactive is "
Generates a strobe signal that becomes high 1.

The enable signal repeats 25W "high" from the rising edge of the magenta and blue line synchronization signals, and 2511I! within the r high j period of the first magenta line synchronization signal when the page synchronization signal becomes r low! The process ends when Ir high j occurs. 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 is a signal that becomes "r high" with a delay of 5+us from the rise of the first enable signal, and becomes "r low" 45 seconds later, and this signal is repeatedly generated for every other enable signal. Also, fluorescent lamp 3d O
The N signal is 100m5 with respect to the ON signal of the fluorescent lamp 3C.
The same happens with a delay.

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

3d, the recording head 3a takes in an image signal from an external image signal generator 32 into a shift register inside the head using a video clock from an image forming timing generator 23. The captured image signal is latched in a latch register in the head by a strobe signal from the image forming timing generator 23, and then heated according to the image signal in the latch register by an enable signal from the image forming timing generator 23. The element 3b is energized, and at the same time the next image signal is taken into the shift register by the video clock.

In addition, the lighting devices 27 and 28 for the fluorescent lamps 3c and 3d receive ON signals for the fluorescent lamps 3c and 3d from the image forming timing generator 23, and turn them on when the ON signals for the respective fluorescent lamps 3c and 3d are "high". Compatible fluorescent lamp 3c.

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 paper 8 will be explained.

The feed motor driver 24 is connected to the interface 21
When the feed motor ON signal from the CPU 20 is "high j", the feed motor 30 is driven, the feed roller 9 and the pair of registration rollers 10a and 10b are rotated, and the recording paper 8 is
is transported at a constant speed.

Further, the transport motor driver 25 is configured to turn on the transport motor from the CPU 20 via the interface 21.
When the signal is r high j, the conveyance motor 31 is driven to rotate the transfer roller 4a, and the pressure roller 4 rotates as a result of this.
The transfer recording medium 1 and recording paper 8 are conveyed at a constant speed by the cooperative action with b.

Here, the timing of each signal sent by the CPU 20 via the interface 21 is as shown in FIG. Incidentally, the time T1 to T4 in FIG. 8 is the time required for the transfer recording medium 1 or the recording paper 8 to be conveyed as shown below, assuming that the distance between each member is LI-L3 as shown in FIG. It is.

L: 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.

L3: Conveyance distance of the recording paper 8 from the Ni-registration sensor 26 to the pressure contact portion.

T1: Time required to transport the transfer recording medium 1 a distance of -L.

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

T3: Length of recording paper 8 (for example, 2 for A4 size)
The time required to convey the transfer recording medium 1 by 97t*).

T: Time required to transport the transfer recording medium 1 a distance of L + + L t.

That is, when the operator presses the start button on the operation panel 22, the feeding motor 30 is driven, feeds the recording paper 8, and stops driving when the leading edge of the recording paper 8 touches the registration sensor 26. Simultaneously with this driving body stopping, the conveying 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 T has elapsed and further after a time T4 has elapsed.

Incidentally, after the time T1 has elapsed since the transfer recording medium 1 started to be conveyed, the feeding motor 30 is driven for a time T8 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 section 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 CPU 2 sends out each signal as shown in FIG.
To explain the operation of 0, the CPU 20 inputs a magenta line synchronization signal via the interface 21,
The number of pieces is counted using the software Unique Rank. That is, the magenta line synchronization signal is 2 as described above.
Since the period is 0011IS, the CPU 20 can manage the time by counting the signals.

The CP and U3O have a sequence table as shown in Fig. 1O, and after the registration sensor signal becomes r high 1, the sequence table is sequentially referred to while counting the magenta line synchronization signal, and the feed motor ON signal is set. , a conveyance motor ON signal, and a page signal, and the drive of each member is controlled by the respective signals.

In this embodiment, the sequence table has a 3-bit configuration as shown in FIG. 10, and consists of a total of 2417 words from the 0th to the 2416th word, where bit 0 is the feed motor ON signal and bit 1 is the feed motor ON signal. The transport motor ON signal and focus 2 correspond to the page signal, respectively.

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

Next, the series of operations of the CPU 20 that has the above-mentioned functions will be explained using the flowchart shown in FIG.
1) If pressed, sends a feed motor ON signal (S2). Next, the registration sensor signal is “High 1”.
Wait until the Rask number is reached (S3), and then assign 0 to R indicating the rask number in the sequence table (S4). Next, wait until the magenta line synchronization signal is r row 1 (S5), and
After that, wait for it to become "high" (S6). This detects the rising edge of the magenta line synchronization signal. When the edge is detected, the ninth bit 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 (S7). Next, add 1 to the value of R and (3
8), determine whether the value of R is greater than 2416.
9) If the value of R is smaller than or equal to 2416, the process returns to step S5 to continue recording, and if it is larger, the recording ends.

The image formed as described above is thermally transferred to the recording paper 8 in the transfer section 4, but the temperature control circuit of the transfer roller 4a is
It is configured as shown in Figure 2.

The twelfth thermistor 33 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. and is compared with a reference voltage E by a comparator 35. The comparison output is connected to the power supply E via the relay driver 36 and by the relay 37.
3 to control 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 Figure 13 (8),
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, when the power switch is turned on (Sll), the surface temperature of the transfer roller 4a is lower than 95°C. If it is low, the comparison output becomes r high j and the halogen heater 4c becomes energized (312,
313) The surface temperature of the transfer roller 4a increases. Conversely, if the temperature is higher than 95°C, the comparison output becomes "r low" and the halogen heater 4c is not energized (S12.514).
, the surface temperature decreases.

Due to the above control, the surface temperature of the transfer roller 4a is 90 to 10
It is held at 0°C. This control system is constantly operating when the power switch of the device is on, and is controlled so that the surface temperature of the transfer roller 4a reaches 90 to 100°C before the start button on the operation panel is pressed. .

An image is formed on the transfer recording medium 1 as described above, and the cough image is transferred to the recording paper 8 in the transfer section 4 as a two-color image of magenta and blue. During this transfer, heating is performed from the recording paper 8 side by the heater 4c, so that sufficient adhesion between the image forming element and the recording paper 8 can be obtained during transfer, resulting in poor image transfer. and transfer unevenness will no longer occur.

After that, the transfer recording medium 1 and the recording paper 8 that have passed through the transfer section 4
The recording paper 8 is sent to a peeling section, is peeled off by a peeling roller 5, and the recording paper 8 on which an image of a desired color has been recorded is discharged onto a discharge tray 11 by a pair of discharge rollers 13a and 13b.

During this peeling, the transfer recording medium 1 and the recording paper 8 are peeled off while heating the transfer recording medium 1 by the peeling roller 5 having a built-in heater 5a, so that the adhesive 1f constituting the transfer record N1b is softened and the image is The transfer of the forming element to the recording paper 8 is performed very smoothly, and an image without density unevenness can be obtained.

The temperature control circuit for maintaining the surface temperature of the peeling roller 5 at 50 to 60''C is the same as the temperature control circuit for the transfer roller 4a shown in FIG. 12, and as shown in FIG. The temperature of the surface of the roller 5 is detected by the thermistor 5b provided near the surface of the roller 5, and as shown in the flowchart of FIG. 5a, the surface temperature of the peeling roller 5 is set to 50 to 60°.
(821-524).

As described above, two-color recording can be performed clearly in one shot.

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 recording paper 8 may be made to have color development properties.
The transfer recording medium 1 may be provided with a layer that changes the color development characteristics of the transfer recording medium 1, and the image formed on the transfer recording medium 1 may be transferred to the recording paper 8 to obtain an image.

Furthermore, the first energy and the second energy applied to the transfer record 111b are not limited to the above-mentioned heat and light energy, but may be applied to form an image using local energy such as depressurized energy. Also good.

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 forming the transfer record 1i11b contains a sensitive component and a coloring component. It is preferable to use a substance that starts with , or a substance that causes a rapid change in 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 polymerizable polymers 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 polymerization component to react. 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, yellow 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, the transfer recording layer may contain a sensitizer such as p-nitroaniline or 1,2-benzoanthraquinone to enhance the activation of the reaction initiator with respect to energy.

Further, 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 layer 1b.

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.

Also, an adhesive 1f for fixing the image forming element to the support 1a.
Any conventionally known adhesive can be used, but thermoplastic adhesives are particularly preferred, such as ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymers, polyamides,
Polyester, polyolefin, polyurethane,
Examples include polychloroprene, nitrile rubber, styrene/butadiene rubber, and waxes.

(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 jiJ1b side of the transfer recording medium 1, and light of a predetermined wavelength corresponding to the desired color is irradiated from the support 1a side. Although the configuration has been described in which heat is applied according to the image signal, as another embodiment, a configuration may be adopted in which heat is uniformly applied and predetermined light is irradiated according to the image signal.

Further, if the support 1a is made of a transparent 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 1a. 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, light energy and thermal energy were applied to the transfer recording layer 1b at the same time. However, even if the optical energy and thermal energy are applied separately, the result is that both energies are applied separately. Any configuration that is given is acceptable.

(3) Transfer unit The transfer unit 4 is not limited to roller-like rollers such as the transfer roller 4a and the pressure roller 4b (for example, it may be a rotating belt, etc., as long as it has a structure that can obtain the desired pressure). good.

Further, it is a matter of course that the heating means for heating the transfer roller 4a is not limited to the halogen heater shown in the above embodiment.

Further, 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 conveyance direction of the recording medium.

(4) Peeling section In the embodiment described above, the peeling roller 5 is heated by the heater 5a built into the roller, but in another embodiment, if the peeling roller 5 is placed close to the transfer roller 4a, the transfer The peeling roller 5 is simultaneously heated by the radiant heat of the roller 4a. Therefore, if the surface temperature of the peeling roller 5 is brought to a desired temperature by the radiant heat, the peeling roller 5 does not need to have a built-in heater 5a.

Furthermore, the surface temperature of the peeling roller 5 depends on the characteristics of the transfer recording medium 1.
That is, it may be appropriately set according to the physical properties of the transfer recording layer 1b, the thickness of the support 1a, etc. so that the highest quality transfer image can be obtained.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, a roller-shaped peeling roller 5 was used as a component of the peeling section, but the peeling section is not limited to a roller-shaped one. Therefore, it may be a rectangular member or may be constructed from a non-rotating member.

(5) 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.

<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, so that an image can be formed even on a recording medium with a relatively low surface smoothness. Recording can be performed 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.

In addition, by heating from the recording medium side at the transfer section and from the transfer recording medium side at the peeling section, it prevents transfer defects and transfer unevenness, smoothes the transfer of the image to the recording medium, and enables high density. You can get an even image,
In addition, multicolor recording enables faithful color reproduction.

[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, Figure 13 (8)
(B) is a flowchart of temperature control operation. 1 is a transfer recording medium, 1a is a support, 1b is a transfer recording layer,
lc and Id are the core, 1e is the shell, 1f is the adhesive, 2 is the supply roll, 2a is the supply roll axis, 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, 5a
is a heater, 5b is a thermistor, 6 is a winding roll, 7
is a cassette, 8 is recording paper, 9 is a feeding roller, 10a, 1
0b is a registration roller, 11 is an ejection tray, 12a, 1
2b and 12c are guide rollers, 13a and 13b are ejection rollers, 20 is a CPU, 21 is an interface, 22 is an operation panel, 23 is an image forming timing generator, 24 is a feed motor driver, 25 is a transport motor driver, and 26 is a resist sensor, 26a is an LED, 26b is a phototransistor, 27.28 is a fluorescent lamp lighting device, 3
0 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, and 37 is a relay.

Claims (2)

[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; and a transfer member and a pressure member that are in pressure contact with each other in order to transfer the image formed on the transfer recording medium in the recording section to the recording medium. a transfer section; a heating means for heating the transfer member that contacts the conveyed recording medium; a peeling section for peeling off the transfer recording medium and the recording medium after image transfer; A recording apparatus comprising: heating means for heating the transfer recording medium. (2) The recording device according to claim 1, wherein the first energy is heat and the second energy is light.