JPH02143881A - Thermal transfer ink sheet feeder - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To take up a thermal transfer ink sheet with the effective action of a take-up force to a recording part by a method wherein a sheet guide means is brought into elastic contact with the thermal transfer ink sheet to apply a nearly uniform tensile force over a full width of the sheet. CONSTITUTION:In a take-up side sheet guide shaped into a plate spring form with an elasticity, one end part is folded to form a mounting part 13a to a thermal head, and the other end is provided with small-width cutout parts 13b to form a plurality of guide parts 13c. A sheet running path is formed in a straight line form between a folded part 13d and a heating element part of the thermal head. The guide parts 13c are elastically deformed according to the state of an thermal transfer ink sheet 5 between the folded part 13d and a take-up reel so that a winding force can be applied over a full width L of the thermal transfer sheet 5. The take-up reel 17 is formed into a barrel shape with a large-diameter center part to take up the thermal transfer ink sheet 5. The barrel shape is formed with a predetermined diameter difference between the center part and the end part so as to absorb the thermal deformation, i.e., elongation, of the thermal transfer ink sheet 5 caused by a thermal recording.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a thermal transfer ink sheet supplying device for a thermal transfer recording apparatus that performs recording by heating a thermal transfer ink sheet using a thermal head and transferring the ink on the ink sheet to a recording paper surface. It is something.

A conventional thermal transfer recording apparatus has a platen 100 as shown in FIG.
A thermal transfer ink sheet 1 is placed between the and the thermal head 101.
02 and the recording paper 103 are sandwiched between the recording paper 103 and the capstan 104 and the pinch roller 106. At the same time, the thermal transfer ink sheet 102 is taken up with the cylindrical take-up reel 106, and the thermal head 101 is selectively heated. By doing so, the ink on the thermal transfer ink sheet 102 can be transferred onto the recording paper 103 for recording.

Thermal transfer ink sheet 1o2 is a sheet of PET (polyethylene terephthalate) or the like several μm thick inside the film,
In addition to providing an ink layer of several μm, the thermal head 101
The side that comes into contact with is coated with a heat-resistant material to a thickness of several μm, and the total thickness is less than 10 μm. Also the 9th
As shown in the figure, the recording width β of the recording portion where ink is actually transferred is narrower than the width of the thermal transfer ink sheet, and the width of the ink sheet 1021L is configured to be wider than the recording width l. In some cases, the ink sheet 102a is configured over the entire width, but both sides of the ink sheet are non-recording areas. In addition, 102 & in FIG. 9 indicates a recorded area in which the recording area has been thermally deformed due to recording heating, and 1o2I
L2 indicates an unrecorded portion where no data is recorded.

Problems to be Solved by the Invention Despite the fact that the surface of the thermal transfer ink sheet that comes into contact with the thermal head is coated with a heat-resistant material as described above, the recording area is thermally deformed by the heating by the thermal head and the surface area decreases. increases.

Therefore, when looking at the ink sheet after recording, as shown in FIG. 9, the non-recorded areas located on both sides of the recorded area 102a are not deformed, but the range of recording width E (recorded area) is thermally deformed. The surface area becomes larger and it becomes wakame-shaped.

Despite this thermal deformation of the recording section and increase in surface area, with the conventional sheet guide and take-up reel configuration, winding force is applied to the recording section when the ink sheet is wound up with the take-up reel. Instead, the ink sheet is wound up by the tension of only the non-recording areas on both sides, and as recording progresses, the ink sheet in the recording area gradually lags behind in winding, and the amount of movement between both sides and the recording area increases. If the difference reaches a certain amount, recording unevenness will occur at the boundary between the recording section and both sides, or if it is significant, the sheet will wrinkle or wrinkle in the recording section.
There has been a problem in that overlapping occurs and recording defects occur.

In view of the above, the present invention provides a thermal transfer ink sheet supplying device that can wind up a thermal transfer ink sheet by effectively applying a winding force to at least the recording section with a simple configuration, and can obtain high recording quality. It is something to do.

Means for Solving the Problems A thermal transfer ink sheet supplying device according to the invention according to claim 1 includes:
In the running path of the thermal transfer ink sheet, the sheet guide means is brought into elastic contact with the thermal transfer ink sheet to apply a substantially uniform tension over the entire width of the 11th correction sheet, so that a constant amount of winding can be performed over the entire width of the sheet. It is characterized by the following.

The thermal transfer ink sheet supplying device according to the second aspect of the invention has a take-up reel configuration in which the winding diameter of the portion of the thermal transfer ink sheet corresponding to the recording portion is increased to accommodate elongation (increase in surface area) due to thermal deformation of the ink sheet. This is characterized in that uniform winding can be performed over the entire width of the recording section.

According to the invention set forth in claim 1, even if the thermal transfer ink sheet is thermally deformed, the sheet guide means can come into elastic contact with the sheet guide means in accordance with the amount of deformation (elongation) to equalize the tension in the recording section. It is possible to apply a uniform winding force.

ii'l'i According to the invention described in claim 2, thermal deformation in the recording section can be absorbed by the large diameter portion of the take-up reel corresponding to the recording section, A uniform winding force can be applied over the entire width of the recording section.

Embodiment FIG. 1 is a side view of the main parts of a thermal transfer sheet supply device according to the first embodiment of the present invention, in which 1 is a thermal head, 2 is a platen roller, 3 is a supply reel, 4 is a take-up reel, and 6 is a thermal transfer sheet. Ink sheet 6 is recording paper.

The thermal head 1 includes a recording paper 6 and a thermal transfer ink sheet 6.
A plurality of heating element elements are arranged in a straight line in the direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction (hereinafter referred to as the sub-scanning direction) (hereinafter referred to as the main scanning direction), and selectively generate heat to electrically control the main scanning. configured to scan. During recording, the thermal transfer ink sheet 6 and the recording paper 6 are brought into pressure contact with the platen roller 2, as shown in FIG. It is configured to be rotated in the input direction and separated from the platen roller 2.

The platen roller 2 has an outer periphery lined with an elastic member such as rubber, and when the thermal head 1 is in pressure contact, brings the thermal transfer ink sheet 6 and the recording paper 6 into contact with the thermal head 1 with a predetermined width in the sub-scanning direction. It is rotatably attached to the device so that it can be rotated. The supply reel 3 has a cylindrical shape, and a thermal transfer ink sheet 6 is wound around its outer periphery. Further, in order to apply pack tension to the thermal transfer ink sheet 6, as shown in FIG. 2, a brake means 7 installed on the apparatus side is configured to be brought into pressure contact with the outer peripheral surface of the end of the supply reel 3. The brake means 7 is rotatably supported by a shaft, and is biased by a tension spring 7a in a direction in which it comes into pressure contact with the outer peripheral surface of the end portion. As shown in FIG. 3, the take-up reel 4 includes a slip member made of felt 8 on the outside of the 7 langes 4a, a rotation transmission member 9 rotatably attached to the take-up reel 4, and a rotation transmission member and felt. 8 and 7 langes 42L, and is configured to be rotated by a motor 11 to wind up the thermal transfer ink sheet 6. The thermal transfer ink sheet 6 is made of polyethylene terephthalate (PE
A heat-resistant material is coated on the surface of the base material T) on the thermal head 1 side, and a heat-melting or heat-sublimating ink is applied on the recording paper 6 side. A supply-side sheet guide 12 is provided on the apparatus side to guide the thermal transfer ink sheet 6 between the thermal head 1 and the supply reel 3. Note that it may be provided integrally with the thermal head 1, or may be configured to be rotatable.

13 is a transfer sheet guide on the winding side, and a thermal head 10
It is fixed to the thermal head 1 to guide the thermal transfer sheet 6 between the heating element arrangement position and the take-up reel 4. As shown in FIG. 4, the take-up side transfer sheet guide 13 has an elastic plate-like shape with one end bent to form an attachment part 13a to the thermal head 1, and a narrow notch at the other end. A plurality of guide portions 1 are provided with a portion 13b.
It constitutes 3C. Further, the relationship between the width of the thermal transfer sheet and the recording width E is constructed as shown in FIG.

A linear sheet travel path is formed between the bent portion 13d and the heating element portion of the thermal head 10, and the bent portion 13(i
The guide portion 13C is elastically deformed between the thermal transfer ink sheet 5 and the take-up reel to apply a winding force to the entire width of the thermal transfer sheet 60. In this embodiment, the thermal transfer sheet guide 13 having elasticity is fixed to the thermal head 1, but it may be provided on the apparatus side. Alternatively, an elastic body such as rubber may be used.

Reference numeral 14 denotes a capstan, which is configured to transport or reversely transport the recording paper 6 by holding the recording paper 6 in pressure contact with a pinch roller 16 and rotating or rotating it in the direction of the arrow.

In the above configuration, while conveying the recording paper 6 and the thermal transfer ink sheet 5 at a predetermined speed by the capstan 14 and the pinch roller 16, the thermal transfer ink sheet 5 is selectively heated by the heating element of the thermal head 1. This ink can be transferred onto the recording paper 6 to perform recording. When performing color recording, as shown in FIG. 6, using a thermal transfer ink sheet 6 coated with ink of three colors Y, M, and C in order, first print the first color on the recording paper 6 in the above procedure. Next, the thermal head 1 is moved away in the direction of the arrow, and the thermal transfer ink sheet 6 is conveyed to the take-up reel 4 to the position of the next color, and the capstan 14 is rotated in the reverse direction to transfer the recording paper. 6 is reversely conveyed to the initial position, after which the thermal head 1 is brought into pressure contact with the platen roller 2, the second color is recorded on the first color as described above, and the third color is recorded repeatedly in the same manner as the second color. This allows color recording to be performed by overlapping recording of three colors.

When performing thermal transfer recording as described above, the thermal transfer ink sheet 6 is heated by the heating element of the thermal head 1 over the recording width l, causing thermal deformation, but due to the elastic restoring force of the sheet guide 13 on the winding side, the thermal transfer ink sheet 6 A winding force can be applied over the entire width of the thermal transfer ink sheet 6 in the recording section, and it is possible to uniformly feed the thermal transfer ink sheet 6 over the entire width, thereby preventing recording unevenness and recording defects.

The thermal transfer ink supply device described above is configured so that the recording paper 6 and the thermal transfer ink sheet 6 are conveyed by the cab stun 14 and the pinch roller 16, but the circumferential length of the platen roller 2 is made larger than the size of the recording screen. The recording paper 6 and the thermal transfer ink sheet 6 may be conveyed by wrapping the recording paper 6 around the outer periphery of the platen roller.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the main parts of a thermal transfer ink sheet supply device according to a second embodiment of the present invention, in which the take-up reel 4 of the first embodiment is shaped like a drum. The configuration other than the sheet guide 16 is the same as that of the first embodiment, so illustration thereof is omitted.

The take-up side sea F guide 16 has a cylindrical shape and is provided on the apparatus side so that the thermal transfer sheet 5 takes a predetermined path between a thermal head (not shown) and a take-up reel 17. The take-up reel 17 is configured to take up the thermal transfer ink cartridge 5 in a drum shape so that the center portion has a large diameter. The drum-like shape is constructed by determining the difference in diameter between the center and end portions so as to absorb the amount of thermal deformation and elongation of the thermal transfer ink cartridge due to recording heating. Similarly to the first embodiment, the take-up reel 17 is configured to be rotated by a drive means such as a motor via a slip mechanism (see FIG. 3).

With the above configuration, even if the recording portion of the thermal transfer ink sheet 6 is thermally deformed and elongated when performing thermal transfer recording, the elongation is absorbed by the drum-shaped circumferential surface of the winding wheel 17, so that the thermal transfer ink sheet A substantially constant winding force can be applied over the entire width of the thermal transfer ink sheet 6 in the recording section, and the thermal transfer ink sheet 6 in the recording section can be conveyed uniformly over the entire width. In addition, in the configuration using the take-up side sheet guide 13 made of an elastic body in the first embodiment, the guide portion 13C (see FIG. 4)
There is a risk that the thermal transfer ink sheet 6 may be damaged during the process, resulting in a winding failure, but according to this embodiment, there is no such risk, and when it is attached to a thermal head as in the first embodiment. It is also possible to eliminate the influence of the thermal head on the pressing force against the platen roller.

Although the take-up reel 17 of this embodiment is shown to be made of Ni integrally with the apparatus, it goes without saying that similar effects can be obtained even if this take-up reel 17 is applied to a thermal transfer ink sheet cassette. do not have.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a main part showing a thermal transfer ink sheet supply device according to a third embodiment of the present invention, in which the winding portion of the winding reel 18 is equal to or slightly narrower than the recording width l; Configurations other than 18 are 1st. Since it is the same as the second embodiment, illustration is omitted.

Similar to the second embodiment, the take-up sheet guide 16 is provided on the apparatus side to guide the thermal transfer ink sheet 6 between the thermal head and the take-up reel 18. The take-up reel 18 is a stepped reel consisting of a large-diameter portion 18L that is equal to or slightly narrower than the recording width l, and small-diameter portions 18b at both ends. It is configured to be wound by applying a winding force.

Similarly to the first embodiment, the winding wheel 18 is configured to be rotated by the driving means of the motor 11 via a slip mechanism (see FIG. 3).

With the above configuration, even if the recording part of the thermal transfer ink sheet 6 is thermally deformed and stretched during thermal transfer recording, only the thermally deformed part is rolled up, so that the recording part can absorb the winding force over almost the entire width. can be applied, and uniform conveyance can be performed over almost the entire width of the recording section.

Note that although the portion that is not thermally deformed becomes shorter than the recording portion, there is no problem because the reel diameter of the small diameter portion 18b around which this portion is wound is small.

Furthermore, when the drum-shaped take-up reel 17 (see FIG. 6) as shown in the second embodiment is used, the heat deformation 1. When the characteristics of the take-up reel 17 change, it becomes necessary to change the shape accordingly, and when the recording width e becomes wider and the device becomes larger, the difference between the large diameter part at the center and the small diameter parts at both ends becomes large. However, according to this embodiment, such an increase in diameter can be avoided, and furthermore, the simple cylindrical configuration makes resin molding easier. It is possible to achieve cost reduction.

Note that the take-up reel of this embodiment is integrated with the device (I'
Although the present invention has been shown as a four-piece structure, it goes without saying that the same functions and effects can be obtained even if it is applied as a take-up reel for a thermal transfer ink sheet cassette.

As can be seen from the effects of the invention, if the thermal transfer ink sheet supplying device of the present invention is used, a winding force can be applied to the entire width of the recording area of the thermal transfer ink sheet with a simple structure, and recording can be performed evenly and stably. It can prevent unevenness and recording defects, and its practical effects are great.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a side view showing a thermal transfer ink sheet supply device according to a first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a supply reel, and FIG. 3 is a take-up reel and a drive means for the take-up reel. 4 is a perspective view showing the sheet guide configuration on the winding side, FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a thermal transfer ink sheet for color recording, and FIG. 6 is a thermal transfer ink sheet in a second embodiment of the present invention. A perspective view showing the main parts of the supply device,
FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the main parts of a thermal transfer ink sheet supply device according to a third embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 8 is a side view showing a thermal transfer ink sheet supply device according to a first conventional example.
FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a second conventional thermal transfer ink sheet. 3...Supply reel, 4,17.18...Take-up reel, 6...Thermal transfer ink sheet, 13.
River: Transfer sheet guide on the winding side. Name of agent: Patent attorney Shigetaka Awano and one other person Figure 3 Figure 3 Flange section 0L Uide stand Figure 4 Figure 2 hole a) So J / 3tL Prayer capital Figure 17 Charity sole Figure tOS Interola

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) A thermal transfer ink sheet supply device comprising a sheet guide means that comes into elastic contact with the thermal transfer ink sheet in a thermal transfer ink sheet travel path between a supply reel and a take-up reel. (2) A portion corresponding to the recording portion of a take-up roller that winds up a thermal transfer ink sheet having a recording portion at the center in the width direction and non-recording portions on both sides is replaced by a portion corresponding to the non-recording portion. A thermal transfer ink sheet supply device characterized by having a larger diameter.