JPH02249670A - Recording apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To simplify the printing function thereby to obtain a recording apparatus simple in structure and low in price with less consumption of ink, etc., by providing a detecting means for detecting insertion of a recording medium from an inserting port, starting printing by said detecting means, and disabling receipt of a next recording medium until said detecting means becomes unable to detect insertion after completion of the printing. CONSTITUTION:When a recording medium, i.e., a card 6 is inserted one by one by hands along controlling ribs 129, 129 of a guide member 7, a paper sensor 151 and a positioning sensor 152 detect the insertion of this card. In other words, the paper sensor 151 responds to the insertion of the card 6, and a geared motor 122 of a card carrying mechanism 121 is driven in a normal direction by the output from the sensor 151. Accordingly, the card 6 is carried to butt against stoppers 107, 107 at the deepest portion on a stage 10. Since the card 6 is carried by rubber belts 126, 128, the card can be positively positioned by the tension of the belts when it butts against the stoppers 107, 107. Thus, the positional deviation at the printing time can be prevented. Moreover, printing is started when it is detected that the card 6 is correctly placed on the stage 10, and the subsequent operation is automatically proceeded. Therefore, the operating efficiency becomes good.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Field of Industrial Application) The present invention relates to a recording device for recording image information and character information on recording media such as various flat cards such as magnetic cards and membership cards.

(Prior art and its problems) It is well known that in recent years, along with the spread of credit cards and 10 cards due to the decentralization of information processing, prepaid cards such as telephone cards have also become extremely popular.

This type of card is generally made of synthetic resin or the like in the form of a flat plate, and is functionally oriented and equipped with a magnetic stripe on which predetermined information signals are recorded, for example.
On top of that, there are various types of photos that have undergone special processing, such as facial photos, in order to further confirm the identity of the person.

Among these cards, IO that records information such as facial photos
Cards are often used in which a photograph is attached to the card inside the film and the card is laminated. On the other hand, with the improvement of printing technology, printing is becoming more and more popular, but it is not a good idea to immediately create (drawing) on a card from image information captured on the spot with a video camera, etc. It was difficult. Furthermore, printing devices for printing directly onto cards are very complex and large, and have the problems of not only requiring maintenance but also being expensive. In addition, such a device inserts a recording medium,
Each mode must be set appropriately until printing is completed, making the operation complicated.

(Means for Solving the Problems) The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned conventional situation, and its purpose is to inject heat-sublimable ink or heat-melting ink onto business card-sized cards made of synthetic resin, for example. By pressing with a thermal head through transfer paper coated with ink, the image data from a video camera or computer is combined with data such as text and printed, simplifying the conventional printing function. To provide a recording device that uses few consumables, has a simple structure, and is inexpensive.

For this purpose, there is provided a recording device that prints data such as image information or character information, or a mixture of these data, on a recording medium. An apparatus configured to manually insert recording media one by one, comprising a detection means for detecting that the recording medium is inserted from the insertion slot, and the detection means starts a printing operation, There is provided a recording apparatus characterized in that, after printing is completed, it is impossible to accept the next recording medium until the detection means can no longer detect the recording medium.

(Example) Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the basic configuration of the recording device of the present invention, and Fig. 2 shows a thermal head drive mechanism, a transfer paper cartridge drive mechanism, and their surroundings, which constitute a part of the main parts of the device of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a transfer paper cartridge applied to the apparatus of the present invention, FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a transfer paper roll, and FIG. 5 constitutes a part of the main parts of the apparatus of the present invention. 6 is a side view of the stage shown in FIG. 5, FIG. 7 is a sectional view of the same stage taken along the line Vl-VI in FIG. 6, and FIG. 9 and 10 are plan views of the stage drive system shown in FIG. 5.

First, the basic configuration of the apparatus of the present invention will be explained using FIG.

The front panel 3 of the housing 2 of the recording apparatus 1 is provided with an operation section 4 and a card insertion slot 5 for setting various modes such as a print mode. A flat card 6, which is a recording medium, is inserted into this card insertion slot 5.
A guide member 7 for moving from two directions is attached with a part thereof protruding from the front panel 3. Also,
This front panel 3 has an opening/closing lid 1 straddling the card insertion slot 5.
6 is rotatably attached, and by opening the opening/closing lid 16, it is easy to insert and remove the transfer paper cartridge 12 (replacement operation) as shown in FIG.

In this way, since the card 6 and the transfer paper cartridge 12 can all be operated from the front panel 3 side, which is the operation surface, the operability of the printer is very good.

Inside the housing 2 is a stage 10 which is a moving body that is guided by a pair of guide shafts 8a and 8b and moves linearly in a direction (81° 82) orthogonal to the insertion direction of the card 6 by rotation of a ball screw shaft 9. is located.

During printing when the recording apparatus 1 is set to a predetermined mode, the stage 10 on which the inserted card 6 is positioned and placed with the transverse direction side as the leading end is the guide shaft 8a.

8b, and at the same timing, the line-type thermal head 11, which had retreated to the position indicated by the solid line, is rotated in the C1 direction to the position indicated by the two-dot chain line by the thermal head drive mechanism described later. Then, the card 6 is pressed through a transfer paper 13 attached to a transfer paper cartridge 12, which will be described later.

At this time, the transfer paper 13 is sent out in the D direction from the supply roll 14 by a transfer paper drive mechanism, which will be described later, in synchronization with the moving speed of the stage 10, and while supplying a predetermined signal current to the heating resistor of the thermal head, By being wound around the winding roll 15, the first color ink, yellow ink (
After printing Y ink), at the same timing as the thermal head 11 returns to the position indicated by the solid line by rotating in the 02 direction, the stage 10 returns to the 82 direction and reaches the initial position, and then the transfer paper 13 is sent in the D direction to locate the beginning of magenta ink (M ink), which is the second color ink, and sequential printing is started again by the same operation as described above.

When printing of the final color ink is completed, the stage 10 returns to the initial position again, and in response to the completion signal, the card 6 is ejected from the card insertion slot 5 in the A2 direction while being guided by the guide member 7, completing full-color printing. do.

That is, as a basic operation of the device of the present invention, cards 6 are fed and ejected along the longitudinal direction from the front panel 3 of the device, and the printing direction is perpendicular to the card feeding and discharging direction (in the lateral direction). ), it will be more clearly understood from the specific configuration described later that card position regulation is facilitated and high-quality printing without registration errors is performed.

Furthermore, since the card 6 is inserted along the longitudinal direction and printing is performed along the lateral direction of the card 6 (sub-scanning direction of the thermal head 2), the length of one color of the transfer paper is shortened for printing. Since the time can be shortened, and all operations can be performed on the front panel 3 side as described above, the recording/recording apparatus 1 can be downsized and the operability can be improved.

The above explanation should have provided an understanding of the features associated with the basic operation of the device of the present invention.

Here, the detailed configuration of the recording apparatus 1 of the present invention will be sequentially explained. FIG. 2 shows the main mechanisms, a thermal head drive mechanism and a transfer drive mechanism, and FIG. 3 shows a stage and a stage moving mechanism.

(Thermal Head and Related Mechanisms) First, in FIG. 2, the frame 17 of the device has a substantially U-shaped surface shape with a pair of opposing side plates 17a and 17b and a bottom plate 17G connecting the two. is formed, and one side plate 17a
includes a thermal head drive mechanism 18 and a transfer paper winding mechanism 1.
9 are arranged respectively, and an insertion hole 17d for inserting the transfer paper cartridge 12 is formed in the other side plate 17b. A thermal head device (assembly) is placed in the upper part of this housing 17, and a stage 10 that moves via the transfer paper cartridge 12 is placed in the lower part, so that each related drive mechanism can be operated effectively. This makes it possible to organically connect each mechanism, making the device more compact.

A line-type thermal head 11 having a plurality of linear heating resistors is arranged so that the main scanning direction (the direction in which the heating elements are arranged) is perpendicular to the moving direction of the stage 10, and both ends thereof are rectangular. Mounting plates 20a, 2 having rigidity in shape
A card 6, which is a recording medium, is fixed at the front end of the head with a screw 21, and a screw 22 located at the top of the head.
The contact (the contact position of the head in the XI and X2 directions) can be adjusted. This adjustment enables printing without color unevenness.

The upper ends of the mounting plates 20a and 20b are bridged by a connecting rod 23, while the lower part thereof supports a swing shaft 24 installed between the side plates 17a and 17b, so that the thermal head 11 supports the swing shaft 24. It is rotatably supported in the CI and C2 directions as a support shaft. These mounting plates 20a, 2
0b, the °-maru head 11, and the connecting rod 23 constitute a thermal head assembly. In addition, this swing shaft 24
is located at a position offset from the connecting rod 23 by an appropriate length in the B1 direction.

Moreover, between the side plate 17a and the mounting plate 20a, the swing shaft 2
A compression coil spring 25 is inserted into the mounting plate 20.
a is constantly pressed in the E direction to restrict movement of the thermal head 11 in the axial direction (the main scanning direction of the thermal head, ie, the direction in which the heating resistors are arranged) during a printing operation to be described later. By using the compression coil spring 25 in this manner, it is possible to absorb the play in the axial direction of the thermal head 11, and at the same time, it is possible to reduce the load when the head swings.

One end support portion 26a of the drive arm 26 formed in an abbreviated shape
is pivotally supported at the center of the swing shaft 24, and the other end is connected to the operating portion 26.
b has a long hole 26G formed in the longitudinal direction, and the upper end of the one end support portion 26a faces the connecting rod 23 at a predetermined distance.

In the opposing portion 26d of the one-end support portion 26a, there are installed pins 36° 36 that loosely fit into the connecting rod 23, and coil springs 37 and 37 are fitted into each pin. As a result, the coil springs 37 and 37 apply a pressing force to the thermal head 11.

38. 38 is a plate connecting the connecting rod 23 and the drive arm 26, one end of which is fixed to the connecting rod 23, and the other end is a long hole inserted into a bottle 39, 39 installed in the driving arm 26. 38a, 38a are inserted. coil spring 37,
Due to the elastic force of 37.

While regulating the distance between the connecting rod 23 and the drive arm 26,
The action of the elongated hole 38a allows relative displacement of the drive arm 26 with respect to the connecting rod 23 (the relationship between the two is clearly shown in FIG. 11). That is, drive arm 2
6 rotates in the C1 direction around the swing axis 24, the movement of the drive arm 26 and the movement of the thermal head 11 are linked at the beginning of the rotation, but at the end of the rotation (when the thermal head is pressed) the drive arm 26 is connected to the coil. It rotates independently while bending the springs 37 and 37, and this stirring force becomes the head pressing force, and the force is, for example, about 10 kg.

Further, the long hole 26c of the other end acting portion 26b of the drive arm 26
Inside is a cam disk 2 supported by a rotating shaft 30 installed between a bearing portion 27a of a connecting rod 27 serving as a frame and a side plate 17a.
A cam roller 29 attached at an eccentric position of 8 is fitted. Note that this cam roller 29 may be a fixed shaft. A large-diameter gear 31 is fixed to the other end of the rotating shaft 30 on the outer surface side of the side plate 17a. In addition, this rotating shaft 3
A pair of reflective circles 132 and 33 each having through-holes 32a and 33a, which serve as detection parts for detecting the rotational position of the cam circle IM28, are fixed to the cam circle IM28. Detection sensors 34 and 35 are arranged. One detection sensor 34 detects the operating position (pressing position) of the thermal head through the through hole 32a, and the other detection sensor 35 detects the non-operating position of the thermal head (separated position W from the stage 10) through the through hole 33a. Detect each. For this detection, a disk with slits may be used instead of the reflective disk, and a transmission type detection sensor may be used. Another reflective circle! It is of course possible to integrate g32.33.

The large-diameter gear 31 meshes with a small gear 41a, which is an output gear of the thermal head drive mechanism 18, supported by a shaft 40 provided upright on the side plate 17a.

The thermal head drive mechanism 18 has a bracket 139 fixed to the side plate 17a, and the rotational force of the motor 42 is transmitted from a timing pulley 43 fixed to the motor shaft to another timing pulley 45 via a timing belt 44. . The rotation of the timing pulley 45 is greatly decelerated by being transmitted to the worm wheel 41 which is integral with the small gear 41a through the worm 46 which is integral with the timing pulley 45, and the decelerated rotational force is transmitted through the drive arm 26. The thermal head 11 is mounted on the IC with the swing axis 24 as the center.
1, swing in the C2 direction.

Since the force with which the thermal head 11 presses the card 6 on the stage 10 is around 10 kg as described above, driving the drive arm 26 by the cam disk 28 that rotates once through the worm 46 and the worm wheel 41 is effective. Moreover, in this worm wheel drive, the cam disk 28 is not rotated by the reaction force that acts during the thermal head pressing operation, and therefore there is no need to provide a special rotation prevention mechanism due to the reaction force.

(Transfer Paper Cartridge and its Drive Mechanism) FIG. 3 shows a transfer paper cartridge and a drive mechanism for driving the transfer paper cartridge along with FIG. 2.

This will be explained with reference to FIG.

The transfer paper cartridge 12 is inserted from the A1 direction through the insertion hole 17d of the frame 17 with the gears 50 and 51 provided on the cartridge side plate 54 as the leading end, and the thermal head 11 and It is placed between the stage 10 and the stage 10. This guide board 52.53
The inlet side of each is expanded outwardly with expanded portions 52a and 53, respectively.
A is bent to facilitate insertion of the transfer paper cartridge 12.

Here, the specific configuration of the transfer paper cartridge 12 will be explained. The frame portion of the transfer paper cartridge 12 is constructed by connecting a pair of cartridge side plates 54 and 55 facing each other at a predetermined distance with seven shafts 56a to 56f. A recess 54a is provided at the upper center of the cartridge side plates 54,55.

A handle 57 is fixed to the outer surface of one of the cartridge side plates 55 to facilitate insertion and removal of the transfer paper cartridge 12.

Furthermore, both cartridge side plates 54 and 55 have position holes 54b for positioning the cartridges when they are installed in the device.

54c, 55b, and 55c are each provided.
A transfer paper supply roll 14 and a transfer paper take-up roll 15 each having a transfer paper 13 wound thereon as shown in FIG. 4 are rotatably attached to each other so as to straddle the recesses 54a and 55a of the cartridge side plates 54 and 55. This transfer paper 13 is coated with yellow (Y) and magenta (M) heat-sublimable or heat-melting ink on a polyester film as a base.
.

Cyan (Cy) was applied in a surface-sequential manner.

Both transfer paper supply rolls 14. Notches 14a and 15a are formed at one end of the transfer paper winding roll 15, and the one end notches 148.15a side is a roll support shaft supported by a shaft holder 58 fixed to the cartridge side plate 54. It is inserted into the bins 58a and 59a of 59°59. On the other hand, the other end of the roll 14.15 is fitted into a roll support shaft 61.61 supported by a shaft holder 60.60 fixed to the other cartridge side plate 55. In addition, this roll support shaft 61.61 and the shaft holder 60.6
Compression coil springs 61 and 62 are installed between the rollers 14 and 0, and the rollers 14 and 15 are always urged toward the side plate 54 of the cartridge. Location is regulated.

Further, a gear 50.51 located on the outer surface of the cartridge side plate 54 and connected to the roll support shaft 58.59 is driven to rotate by meshing with a gear 67.66 (described later) of the device shown in FIG. . As a result, the transfer paper 13 is sent out from the transfer paper supply roll 14 and wound onto the transfer paper take-up roll 15 side.

In addition, 648 to 64d1 is a shaft row installed between the cartridge side plates 54 and 55 to form a travel bus for the transfer paper 13, and 65 is a highly reflective plate attached to the mounting bracket 66. , in a positional relationship facing an ink detection sensor 93 of the apparatus, which will be described later.

Now that the configuration of the transfer paper cartridge 12 is understood,
The structure of the transfer paper cartridge drive mechanism 19 that drives the transfer paper cartridge drive mechanism 19 and related mechanical parts will be explained with reference to FIG. 2 again.

On the side plate 17a of the frame 17, teeth 1i66, 67 are arranged at positions that mesh with the supply side teeth 1!50 and the winding side gear 51 of the transfer paper cartridge 12, respectively.

One gear 66 has large teeth W168 integral with it and is supported by a shaft, and this large gear 68 is integral with a disk 69 formed with a white and black radial pattern supported on the side plate 17a. It meshes with the small tI4170. A detection sensor 71 facing the pattern of six disks is attached to the side plate 17a via a support portion 72. That is, if the supply roll 14 rotates, the above i! The disk 69 is rotated through the lil vehicle train, and at this time the detection sensor 71 detects a radial white/black pattern and outputs a pulse-like signal to confirm the rotational state of the supply roll 14. Therefore,
When the transfer paper 13 is finished, the rotation of the disk 69 naturally stops, so the apparatus can always check the remaining state of the transfer paper 13.

Further, the gear 5 on the winding side of the transfer paper cartridge 12
The other tooth 1g67 that meshes with 1 has its shaft 74 connected to the side plate 1.
It is slidably and rotatably supported by a shaft boulder 73 fixed to the outer surface of 7a. The rotating shaft 74 has drive teeth 1776 attached to the shaft holder 73 copper, and a gear 6
A coil spring 75 is fitted on the 7 side. Therefore, when the gear 67 meshes with the gear 68 of the transfer paper cartridge 12, even if the mutual teeth are out of phase, t
The a-wheel 67 rotates while being displaced in the pressing direction against the elastic force of the coil spring 75, and elastically returns again at the position where the teeth are in phase, so that an accurate meshing relationship can be maintained.

The drive gear 76 meshes with a wide small gear 78, which is an output gear of the transfer paper drive mechanism 19, so as to be freely movable. The small gear 78 is integrally formed with the large gear 79, and is supported by a shaft 77 implanted in the side plate 17a.

The large gear 79 meshes with a wide small gear 81 supported by a shaft 80 installed on the side plate 17a, and the flange 81a of this small gear 81 and a felt, which is a friction material, fixed to the coaxial gear 83. 82 are pressed from the rear side by a coil spring 84 and are frictionally joined. In other words, the pinion 81 and the gear 83 are connected by a slip clutch mechanism.

The gear 83 meshes with a small gear 86 on the rotating shaft of the motor 85. This motor 85 is fixed to the steel plate 17a by a frame 87.

Therefore, the motor 85 of the transfer paper cartridge drive mechanism 19
The rotation of the small gear 86 is transmitted at a reduced speed to the small gear 81 connected to the gear 83 via a slip clutch mechanism, and the small gear 81 is further transmitted to the large gear 79 . Small gear 78. gear 7
6 (gear 67) is decelerated to drive the transfer paper cartridge 12.
The gear 51 is rotated clockwise to wind up the transfer paper 13. When winding up the transfer paper, if the transfer paper 13 is wound up with excessive force, streaks will occur in the main scanning direction of the print screen, so the slip clutch mechanism is designed to effectively prevent overload during winding. It is something that works.

Further, the through holes 54b, 54c, 55b, 55c of the cartridge side plates 54, 55 of the inserted cartridge are introduced into the inner surface of the side plate 17a and the outer surface of the side plate 17b, respectively, and positioning pins 89a, 89 for positioning are introduced.
9b, 90a, and 90b are provided in a protruding manner.

These positioning bins 89a, 89b, 90a.

The tip of 90b has a conical shape to facilitate the introduction of a through hole for positioning the cartridge.

Furthermore, a mounting plate 92 is attached to the corner member 91 of the humumum 17.
Three ink detection sensors 93 are provided in a line in the width direction facing the traveling transfer paper 13 via the ink detection sensors 93. Each detection sensor 93, 93.93 is connected to the transfer paper 13 shown in FIG.
It is possible to distinguish between black mark B and yellow (Y) and magenta (M), and between magenta (M) and cyan (Cy), as will be described later.

Furthermore, a transfer paper cartridge 1 is provided on the side surface of the side plate 17b.
A lock lever 94 for locking the transfer paper cartridge 12 is rotatably attached, and when the transfer paper cartridge 12 is inserted into the apparatus and positioned, the cartridge side plate 55 is attached to the lock lever 94.
Movement in the insertion direction is completely regulated by being locked to.

(Stage and Stage Movement Mechanism) The stage 10 and stage movement mechanism are shown in perspective view in Fig. 5, details of the stage in Figs. 6 to 8, and plan views in Figs. 9 and 10. Each is shown below.

Card 6 and stage 10 consist of rectangular blocks,
A support plate ioo fixed to the frame 17.

Guide shafts 8a and 8b, both ends of which are attached to 101,
Linear ball bearing rig 102.10 as shown in Figure 6
2, and is moved in a direction perpendicular to the main scanning direction of the thermal head 11 by rotation of the ball screw shaft 9, and as shown in FIG. The card 6 inserted along the direction is placed and fixed. This linear ball bearing 1
02.102 is regulated by stoppers 103, 103 fixed to the side surfaces 10a, 10b of the stage 10 with screws.

A ball screw shaft 9 is arranged between both guide shafts 8a and 8b,
The nut is fixed to the stage 10, and both ends are rotatably supported by support plates 100 and 101 fixed to the frame 17 via ball bearings 104 and 105.

One ball bearing 105 on the support plate 101 side is in a fixed state, and the other ball bearing 104 on the support plate 100 side is simply in a supported state. Therefore, even when the threaded portion thermally expands due to VAelA movement of the stage 10, the ball bearing 104 will not move in the axial direction and bend the threaded portion.

The guide shafts 8a and 8b have shaft diameters that allow the stage 10 to maintain sufficient rigidity against the pressing force of the thermal head 11, thereby preventing the occurrence of deflection of the ball screw shaft 9 and minimizing gear unevenness during printing. It has a polished finish to hold it in place and allow smooth movement of the stage. Further, by disposing the ball screw shaft 9 between the guide shafts 8a and 8b, it is effective against deflection and rattling can be reduced.

The upper surface 10c of the stage 10 is provided with a card fixing section 106 which is a flat surface.
The slot has a groove shape with an opening on the card insertion side formed by a pair of stoppers 107° 107 at the back, a hamstring rib 108 at a position approximately corresponding to the width of the card 6 to be inserted, and a guide rib 109.

The bottom of this groove is a flat platen part 110 made of an elastic material such as rubber, and the hardness is appropriately set according to the material and thickness of the card 6, which is a recording medium. For example, the material of the card 6 is made of vinyl chloride polymer, vinyl chloride, vinyl acetate polymer, etc., and the thickness is 0.68 m.
For cards of ~0.80m-, the rubber hardness is equivalent to 40
°~659th position, made of paper with a thickness of 0.21~0.4
For cards number 11, the rubber hardness is 60” to 85.
By setting the temperature to °, the thermal head 11 will be able to better contact the warping and bending of the card 6, and will also prevent the card from sinking into the elastic member more than necessary, preventing registration misalignment. /N good images can be obtained.

As shown in an enlarged view in FIG. 8, the guide rib 109 is attached with a positioning pin 111 whose head 111a protrudes into the groove.
1 is wound with a coil spring 112 so that it can move forward and backward into an elastic hand cup.

Further, the head 111a is formed with a tapered surface to allow the card 6 to be smoothly introduced.

Also, conveyance rollers 113a, 113a, 113b, 113 for feeding and discharging the card 6 in proximity to the positioning rib 108 and guide rib 109 of the platen portion 110 are provided.
b is rotatably attached to the stage 10. Conveyance roller 113a.

The outer peripheral surface of 113b is coated with a coating 11115.115 made of rubber or the like having a high coefficient of friction.

Conveyance rollers 113a, 11a (113b, 113b
) is coaxial with the Lt rotating shaft 114a (114b),
As shown in FIG. 7, a coil spring 116.11 is movable up and down in the groove 118 and is disposed below the stage 10.
Although the bearing portions 119, 119 are elastically suppressed and supported at 6, the presser pin 117 protrudes from the positioning rib 108 and the guide rib 109 in its raised position.
, 117. These presser bottles 117
．． 117 are both rotatable. The elastic force of the coil springs 116 and 116 is set so that the card can be brought into close contact with the platen section 110 during printing when the thermal head 11 presses the card 6.

A pulley 120, which includes a pair of large and small pulleys 120b and 120a, is attached to the side surface 10a of the stage of the rotating shaft 114a. This pulley 120 is attached to the stage 10 and serves as an output of a card transport mechanism 121 that moves together with the stage 10.

As shown in FIG. 6, the geared motor 122 of the card transport 11f1121 is attached below the stage 10, and the rotation of a small pulley 124 fixed to a motor shaft 123 is controlled by a first rubber belt 126 via a pair of idlers 125. The signal is transmitted to the large pulley 120b. Large pulley 12
0b is rotated from the small pulley 120a via the second rubber belt 128 to the other conveyance rollers 113b, 1.13.
b is transmitted to the small pulley 127 on the rotating shaft 114b.

This small pulley 127 has the same diameter as the small pulley 120a, and both rotate in synchronization. These first and second rubber belts 126 and 128 are connected to the large pulleys 12o and b, and the small pulley 1.
Since the coil springs 116 and 116 are wound horizontally or nearly horizontally with respect to the cards 20a and 20a, the coil springs 116 and 116 are compressed by the belt tension, thereby preventing a decrease in the running force of the card.

As previously shown in FIG. 1, the guide member 7, which is connected to the stage 10 during card insertion and removal, has a positioning rib 108 on the stage 10 and a position where the guide rib 109 extends to restrict the movement of the card. Regulating rib 129
．． It has 129.

The flat upper surface 7a of the guide member 7 is provided with a pad 7b for preventing scratches.
This is a position corresponding to the position of the magnetic stripe surface of the card defined by JIS standards, etc., and also serves as a guide for the insertion direction when inserting the card. A feeding/wandering sensor 130, which is a reflective optical sensor, is provided within this groove 7b, and detects the presence or absence of a card during card feeding/ejection to prevent malfunction of the device.

Moreover, on the front surface of this guide member 7,
The status of the device is confirmed using two-color LEDs that emit different colors when a card can be inserted and when printing.

Here, FIG. 5 shows the drive system of the stage 10.

This will be explained with reference to FIGS. 9 and 10.

131 is a stage transport mechanism that transports the stage 10 in a direction (B1, B2) perpendicular to the line direction of the heating element of the thermal head 11; , a small-diameter timing pulley 135 connected to a stage drive motor (DC motor) 133 through a coupling 134 is rotated at a reduced speed via a timing belt 136, and its rotational motion is converted into linear motion by a ball screw shaft 9. .

The stage drive motor 133 and timing pulley 135 are each fixed to the bottom plate 17G via mounting bases 137 and 138. This timing pulley 135
Since the ball bearing 140 is used as the bearing, it has the effect of reducing unnecessary rotational unevenness.

An encoder plate 142 is fixed to the shaft 141 of one of the timing pulleys 135, and the rotation of the stage drive motor 133 is controlled by the FG sensor 1, which is a transmission type optical sensor.
43 to detect. Its FG ratio output stage drive motor 1
33 servo t+i1w and print timing.

The encoder plate 142 has an origin pattern 144 that outputs one pulse per rotation, and the detection of this pattern is used by the origin sensor 145 as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 to detect the print start timing in the operation described later. .

The movement position of the stage 10 is detected by a start sensor 146. which is a transmission type optical sensor. This is done using a limit plate 148 attached to the side surface of the stage 10 by an end sensor 147. That is, the start sensor 146 is connected to the limit plate 1.
48, the stage 10 is at the card feeding/ejection position, and when the end sensor 147 is cut off at 711, the stage 10 is on the end side, and both sensors 146.
When 147 is not blocked, it is recognized that it is in the process of moving. Further, limit switches 149 and 150 are arranged at the start position and end position of the stage 10, respectively, so that the device may
If position detection becomes impossible with the above-mentioned sensor (
For example, if the microcomputer that controls the mechanism goes out of control due to noise or the like, or if the start sensor 146. End sensor 14
7) the stage 10 is the support plate 100,1
01 and the switch is turned on to prevent damage to various parts of the mechanism, a reset signal can be sent to the microcomputer hardware to stop the program.

Reference numerals 151 and 152 are card supply/discharge sensors and positioning sensors provided at the starting position of the stage 10, and are attached to the fixed part. One of the feeding and discharging sensors 151 is a transmissive type and is of a reflective type and is used to detect cards of undetectable colors and to detect card jams during feeding and discharging.

The other positioning sensor 152 is used to detect when the card 6 comes into contact with the stopper 107 during card insertion. Since these sensors 151 and 152 are not attached to the moving stage 10, there is no fear of wire breakage and the reliability is high.

(Explanation of Operation of Recording Apparatus) Here, the operation of the recording apparatus according to the present invention configured as described above will be explained by the operation explanatory diagrams shown in FIGS.
This will be explained in detail in sequence with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

When the power is turned on to the recording device 1 (step 200), the microcomputer of the mechanical controller is initialized (step 201), and then all the motors in the above configuration are stopped and the display L is
The ED is turned off (step 202). As a result of these operations, the outputs of all the motors (42, 85, 133) of each drive system become rHighJ since "lowJ drive motors are employed."

Thereafter, IC data for setting the print mode, etc. is set using the power supply control of the thermal head 11 and the operation section 4 of the front panel 3 (step 203).

As for the mechanical operation, first, the separation state of the thermal head 11 from the stage 10 is confirmed (step 204).
.

That is, when the detection sensor 34 detects that the thermal head 11 is not separated from the stage 10 as shown in FIG.
8 rotates clockwise, the thermal head assembly is rotated clockwise in the 02 direction about the swing shaft 24, and the head separation operation is performed, resulting in the state shown in FIG. This is done first, prior to all mechanical operations, in order to prevent the expensive thermal head 11 from being destroyed.

For the operations described below that perform mechanical υ control using sensors, such as head crimping and stage movement, the operation time is appropriately limited (timer settings), and if the operation is not completed within the time limit (predetermined time), all operations will be stopped. An error occurs (step 205) and the program is stopped. Note that when the error code is PA0'', it is determined that there is no error. This is based on error code detection after each subroutine.

Further, if the thermal head 11 is separated from the stage 10 from the beginning as shown in FIG. 11, step 205
Then, the process moves to step 206.

In the subroutine of step 206 (SOB>), the start position of the stage 1o is determined. That is, as shown in FIG.
If the stage 10 is not at the starting position, the stage driving motor 133 is reversely rotated to position the stage 10, resulting in the states shown in FIGS. 9 and 11.

If this is not completed within the timer setting, the program will be stopped due to mechanical or sensor damage. Note that if the stage 10 is at the start position from the beginning, this process is passed through in the same way as above and step 20 is performed.
7, the process moves to the card ejection subroutine of step 208.

In this subroutine, if the card 6 remains on the card fixing part 106 on the stage 10 that has returned to the starting position, the card 6 will block the positioning sensor 152, so the geared motor 122 of the stage 10 shown in FIG. Drive to perform card ejection operation. At this time, if the supply/ejection sensor 151 is not shut off within the timer setting, the program will stop as a card ejection error. Furthermore, if the supply/discharge sensor 130 of the guide member 7 shown in FIG. 5 does not respond within a certain period of time, the program is similarly stopped.

If the supply/discharge sensor 130 reacts, the geared motor 122 is reversed after a certain period of time and then stopped.

Thereafter, when the card is no longer detected by the supply/discharge sensor 130, it is determined that the card has been handled and the process proceeds to the next program. By performing such steps, double feeding of cards can be prevented and stable operation of the device can be guaranteed.

If there is no card from the beginning, the process proceeds from step 209 to the transfer paper cue subroutine of step 210.

The beginning of Y ink, which is the first color of the transfer paper 13, is moved by the motor 85 of the transfer paper drive mechanism 19.

Here, the black mark BL on the transfer paper 13 shown in the fourth figure in the transfer paper cartridge 12 shown in the third figure is detected by one of the reflective ink detection sensors 93 shown in FIG. 2. The ink detection sensor 93 emits light and the ED is infrared, which transmits the dyes of Y, M, and 0 colors, but does not transmit the black. Therefore, if the light is not reflected by the reflective plate 65 provided on the transfer paper cartridge 12, it can be detected as a black mark BL. This operation is limited by timer settings, and in the event of a sensor failure, the program is stopped to prevent unnecessary winding of transfer paper.

That is, as shown in the subroutine of FIG. 16, if a black mark is not detected in step 240, after setting a predetermined time (for example, 10 seconds) (step 241), the transfer paper motor 85 is rotationally driven (step 242). Step 2
When the Y color ink is located in step 43, the transfer paper motor 85 is stopped (step 244), and the process returns to step 210 of the main routine. Further, if the beginning of the Y ink is not performed in step 243, at a predetermined time m<for example, 1
(0 seconds) is reached (step 245). If it has reached L.
Sets an error code (for example, error code 1) and stops the transfer paper motor 85 in step 2 of the main routine.
Return to 11.

The printing preparation operation is completed through the steps up to this point. Then, returning to the main routine of FIG. 15 again, if there is no operation error in step 211, the display L E D7C on the front of the guide member 7 for card insertion is "READ".
Turn on YJ (step 212) and hold the card inserted.

Here, when the cards 6 are manually inserted one by one along the regulating ribs 129, 129 of the guide member 7 as shown in FIGS. Insertion detected.

That is, when the card 6 is inserted, the feeding sensor 151 responds, and its output causes the geared motor 122 of the card conveying mechanism 121 shown in FIGS. 2 and 6 to rotate forward, and the card 6
is conveyed until it abuts on the innermost stoppers 107, 107 on the stage 10. As described above, this conveyance is carried out using the rubber belts 126° and 128, so when the card 6 is butted, the tension of the belt ensures reliable positioning.
It is possible to prevent misregistration during printing.

When the card 6 comes into contact with the stopper 107, 107, the positioning sensor 152 is blocked by the card 6, and the geared motor 122 is stopped. If this is not shut off within the timer setting, the program will stop as a supply error.

When the card 6 is accurately placed on the stage 10 and detected, it is printed! l] Production begins.

For this reason, the recording apparatus 1 itself does not have a print start switch, and subsequent operations proceed automatically, resulting in extremely good operability.

The card 6 is confirmed to be mounted on the stage 10 (step 213), the card 6 is inserted according to the car insert subroutine in step 214, and the card 6 is inserted in step 215.
If there is no operational error, the head crimping operation is performed.

That is, as shown in FIG. 2, the motor 42 of the thermal head drive mechanism 18 is driven in normal rotation until the detection sensor 35 on the connecting rod 27 detects the hole 3' 3a of the reflection plate 33, and the head is crimped (step 216). ). This state is shown in FIG.

If there is no operation error in step 217, step 2
Print at 18. Printing is started according to the subroutine shown in FIG.

A stage drive motor 133 that drives the stage 10 shown in FIG. The motors 19 of the transfer paper drive mechanism 19 shown in FIG. 2 are respectively driven (step 250).

That is, the stage 10 is moved by the rotation of the stage drive motor 133, and the start sensor 146 is interrupted by the limit plate 148.

When the [li of the start sensor 146 is cut off, the origin pattern 144 of the encoder plate 142 changes as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10.
The signal passes through the origin sensor 145 shown in the figure. Then, when the origin pattern 144 passes the origin sensor 145 (step 251), FG counting is started (step 252).

Since the stage 10 moves at a low speed, there is variation in the timing at which the start sensor 146 is cut off, and this is shown in Figure 19 (a) when shown in analog value, and as shown in Figure 19 (b) when shown in digital form. , the one line count is different in the figure.

In particular, when the stage 10 moves back and forth three times, a one-line lens shift occurs, resulting in poor image quality.

Therefore, if the FG count is performed after checking the origin pattern 144 provided on the encoder plate 142 again, a counting error will not occur. In particular, even if the encoder plate rotates at high speed and has jitter, no counting errors occur. FIG. 19 is a waveform diagram of the FG pattern and the origin pattern, and there is one pulse at the origin for three FG lines.

Further, since the FG pattern and the origin pattern 144 are on the same encoder plate 142, the phase does not change, so no registration error occurs.

After starting the FG count, a certain count (for example, 50
After line count (step 253), energization of the thermal head is started (step 254).

This is to stabilize the motor startup speed.

A heat generating resistor element is supplied to the thermal head 11 as a composite signal obtained by combining, for example, image information photographed by a video camera and character information from a personal computer or the like.

The stage 10 moves in the B+ direction from the position shown in FIG. 9 to the position shown in FIG. 10 and from the position shown in FIG. 12 to FIG. The motor 85 rotates and the transfer paper 13
is sent out from the supply roll 14 and wound onto the take-up roll 15 in synchronization with the moving speed of the stage 10. When energization is started and a predetermined print line (for example, 400 lines) has been counted (step 255), the energization to the thermal head 11 is cut off (step 256).

When the stage 10 reaches the end position, the end sensor 147
detects the limit plate 148 (step 257), the stage drive motor 133 and the transfer paper drive motor 85
are stopped (step 258), and as shown in FIG. 14, the thermal head 11 is separated from the stage 10, and printing of the first color, Y, is completed. This head separation operation is performed in the same manner as the previously described operation. Then, on the card 6, for example, an image such as a person's face is recorded on the left side, and text information such as an organization name or a profile is recorded on the right side. This reverse positional relationship may be used, or a superimposition method in which characters are recorded on the video may be used.

When the head separation is completed (step 220), the stage 10 returns to the B2 direction, and the stage origin and the beginning of the transfer paper 13 of magenta (M color ink), which is the second color, are located (step 232).

This operation is performed in a subroutine shown in FIG.

That is, the stage drive motor 133 is reversed and the motor 85 is driven (step 260).

Then, the stage 10 is detected by the origin sensor 146 (step 261), and if the detection is confirmed, the stage drive motor 133 is stopped (step 263),
The process loops until the next ink detection sensor 93 detects the beginning of magenta (M) (step 263).

If the beginning of magenta is detected in step 263, the transfer paper motor is stopped (step 264), and the process returns to step 222 of the main routine.

On the other hand, if the origin of the stage 10 is not found in step 261, magenta cue detection is performed in step 265 while the stage 10 continues to move. Here, if the magenta cueing is not completed, the process returns to step 261 and detects the origin again. (i.e. 261
→265→261...) If magenta cue detection is confirmed, in step 266 the transfer paper motor 85
261 → 265 → 26G → 261 until the origin of the stage 10 can be detected.
Perform a loop of... Thereafter, if the origin of the stage 10 can be detected, steps 261→262→263→264 are performed.

In this case, since the magenta cueing has been completed, there is no loop at step 263.

The beginning of magenta (M color) is detected by a reflective sensor that uses a green LED as a light source, and since it transmits the Y color but not the M color, one of the ink detection sensors 93 detects the boundary. It is detected and the motor 85 for driving the transfer paper is stopped.

In the program, the start position detection of the stage 10 and the transfer paper detection are performed simultaneously, and either one may be detected first, but independent timer settings are made for both, and when this timer is exceeded, the program is stopped.

If there is no operation error in step 222) and step 223 when the beginning and start position of the transfer paper are completed, the thermal head 1 is placed on the card 6 in the same manner as above.
If there is no operational error in step 225, the stage drive motor 133 rotates normally, and after setting the printing timing in the same manner as for Y color, printing of M color is performed (Step 226). Since this step is carried out in the same manner as the subroutine shown in FIG. 17 for the Y color, a redundant explanation will be omitted.

After completing M color, if there is no operation error in step 227,
Similar to step 204, head separation is performed in step 228, and if there is no operation error in step 229,
Step 230) for finding the stage origin and the beginning of the transfer paper is performed again. Cy color is red, and a reflective piece sensor using ED as a light source is transparent to M color but opaque to Cy color, and positioning is performed using one of the ink detection sensors 93.

This cueing makes it possible to print cyan (C/color), and if there is no operation error in step 231, the head is pressed (step 232).

If there is no operation error in step 233, printing is performed according to the subroutine for printing the Y color, and when printing of the final color is completed, the process returns to the first routine, separating the head, locating the start position of stage 10, ejecting the card, and transferring. After locating the beginning of paper Y color, etc., the state returns to rREADY J state.

(Series of operations from card supply to paper ejection) Here, in order to summarize the operation of the present invention, the series of operations from card supply to completion of printing and paper ejection will be explained using FIGS. 11 to 14. explain.

As shown in FIG. 11, the thermal head 11 is spaced apart from the stage 10 so that it can supply cards.

This separation of the thermal head 11 is achieved by energizing the motor 42 shown in FIG. 83
When the hole 33a in the reflection inner part 9133 is confirmed by the detection sensor 35 facing the part 3, the electric current is cut off and the separated state is established.

Further, the ink detection sensor 93 detects the positioning mark B on the transfer paper 13 and supplies current to the motor 85 of the transfer paper 13 which is stopped at that position of the transfer paper drive unit 19.

Further, the start position of the stage 10 is determined by the limit plate 14 of the stage 10 using a start sensor 146 shown in FIG.
8 is detected, and the card becomes ready to be supplied at this time.

Therefore, as shown in FIG.
When the guide member 7 is inserted, the supply/discharge sensor 130 shown in FIG.
13b rotates, and the card 6 is transferred to the transport rollers 113a, 11
3b and the presser pins 117, 117, and mounted on the platen part 110 while being elastically held.

When the position sensor 152 detects the stop position of the card 6, the current to the geared motor 122 is cut off, and the card 6 is supplied onto the stage 10 as shown in FIG.

In FIG. 12, the thermal head 11 transfers the card 6 to the transfer paper 13.
This shows a state in which pressure is applied from the vertical direction through the .

As described above, when the motor 42 of the thermal head drive mechanism 18 is energized, the cam disk 28 rotates, causing the reflection inside! The detection sensor 34 detects the hole 32a of the 1I32, and the hour motor 42 is stopped by the detection signal. At this time, the coil springs 37, 37 installed between the rotating drive arm 26 and the connecting rod 23, which constitutes the frame of the thermal head assembly, are deflected, and the thermal head 11 is deflected according to the amount of deflection. 01 direction, and a vertical pressing force is applied to the card 6.

When the thermal head 11 and the card 6 are in contact with each other, the stage drive motor 133 of the stage transport mechanism 131 rotates the ball screw shaft 9, and the stage 1
0 moves in the B1 direction using the guide shafts 8a and 8b as guide parts. At the same timing as this movement of the stage 10, the motor 85 of the transfer paper drive mechanism 19 that drives the transfer paper 13 rotates, and via the gear 67 rotates the gear 51 on the take-up roll 15 side of the transfer paper cartridge 12. , transfer paper 13
is sent out from the supply roll 14. A predetermined signal current is supplied to the heating resistor of the thermal head 11 at the same time,
The ink on the transfer paper 13 is sequentially transferred onto the card 6.

When the stage 10 reaches the printing end position as shown in FIG. stops.

Then, a current is supplied to 42 to rotate the cam disk 28,
The cam roller 29 moves within the elongated hole 26C of the drive arm 26, rotates the drive arm 26 in the direction around the swing shaft 24, and moves the thermal head 11 to the stage 10.
14.

Next, the ink detection sensor 93 detects the head position of the second color ink.
Current is supplied to the motor 85 until one of the motors detects the
It will then be detected and stopped. Stage 10 82 in parallel
direction and return to the starting position.

When the above operation is performed again, the second color ink is transferred to the card 6. In this way, Y, M, (
, / completes full-color printing by transferring the three colors of ink.

Note that the transfer paper 13 may be made of three colors of Y, M, and Cy, plus black B, and in that case, it is necessary to appropriately select the number and type of the detection sensors 93.

When the predetermined printing operation is completed in this way, from the stage 1o which has returned to the starting position, the geared motor 1
22, the card 6 is transferred to the transport rollers 113a, 1
13b in the direction A2 in FIG. 1, and is ejected from the card insertion slot 5.

(Effects of the Invention) In the recording device according to the present invention configured as described above, all that is required is to manually insert the cards as recording media into the insertion slot of the recording device one by one. Since the detection means, which is a sensor inside the printer, performs all the functions, it is very easy to use, and also has features such as preventing double feeding of recording media and ensuring stable operation of the recording apparatus.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the basic configuration of the recording apparatus of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a thermal head drive mechanism, a transfer paper cartridge drive mechanism, and their surrounding parts, which constitute a part of the main parts of the apparatus of the present invention. , FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a transfer paper cartridge applied to the apparatus of the present invention, FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a transfer paper roll, and FIG. A perspective view showing the vJ mechanism, FIG.
Figure 7 is a side view of the stage shown in the figure.
8 is an enlarged sectional view of the card position regulating section, FIGS. 9 and 10 are stage drive plan views, and FIGS. 11 to 14 are explanations of the operation of the present invention. Figure, 1st
FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a main routine for explaining the operation of the apparatus of the present invention, FIGS. 16 to 18 are flowcharts showing subroutines, and FIG. 19 is a diagram showing detection timing states of each sensor. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Recording device, 2... Housing, 3... Front panel, 4... Operation part, 5... Card insertion hole, 6... Card, 7... Guide member, 3a , 3b... Guide shaft, 9... Ball screw shaft, 10... Stage, 11...
...Thermal head, 12...Transfer paper cartridge,
13... Transfer paper, 14... Supply roll, 15...
Winding roll, 17... Frame, 17a, 17b.
・・Side plate, 18・・Thermal head drive mechanism, 1・
...Transfer paper winding mechanism, 20a, 20b...Mounting plate,
23... Connecting rod, 24... Swinging arm, 26...
Drive arm, 27... connecting rod, 28... cam disk,
30... shaft, 31... large diameter gear, 32.33...
Reflection disk, 34. 35... Detection sensor, 36... Bin, 37... Spring, 38... Leaf spring, 39... Bin, 41... Worm wheel, 42... Motor, 42.43...Timing pulley, 50...Gear on the supply side, 51...Gear on the winding side, 54.55...Cartridge side plate, 68...Large gear, 69...Disk, 70... small gear, 71...
・Detection sensor, 74... Rotation shaft, 76... Drive gear, 78... Small gear, 85... Motor, 93... Ink detection sensor, 94... Lock lever, 100, 10
1... Support plate, 106... Card fixing part, 107.
...Stopper, 108...Positioning rib, 109...
・Guide ribs, 113a, 113b...conveyance rollers,
121... Card transport mechanism, 122... Geared motor, 126... First rubber belt, 128... Second
rubber belt, 129... regulating rib, 131... stage transport mechanism, 133... stage drive motor,
142...Encoder, 144...Origin pattern,
145... Origin sensor, 146... Start sensor, 147... End sensor, 148... Limit plate, 151... Supply/discharge sensor, 152... Positioning sensor. Chinoza Kouichi! -/Drawing procedure amendment 1. Display of the case 1989 Patent Application No. 72634 2, Invention title recording device 3, Person making the amendment Relationship with the case

Claims (1)

[Claims] A recording device that prints data such as image information or character information, or a mixture of these data, on a recording medium, and one sheet of the recording medium is inserted into an insertion slot of this device into which the recording medium is inserted. The device is configured to be manually inserted into the recording medium, and the device includes a detection means for detecting that the recording medium is inserted from the insertion slot, the detection means starts a printing operation, and after printing is finished, the detection A recording device characterized in that it is impossible to accept the next recording medium until it can no longer be detected by means.