JPH0286479A - Thermal transfer recorder - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enable feed quantity of an ink sheet to be constantly controlled to a substantially fixed value by providing a controlling means for controlling the driving quantity of a driving means so as to maintain the ratio of feed quantity of the ink sheet to the feed quantity of a recording paper at a substantially constant value, according to an increase in take-up quantity at a take-up means. CONSTITUTION:A take-up means is driven to rotate by a driving means, thereby taking up an ink sheet 14. The diameter of a taken-up roll 18 on the take-up means is detected by a detecting means 23 in a controlling means, and the driving quantity of the driving means is controlled according to the detected roll diameter, thereby maintaining the ratio of feed quantity of the ink sheet 14 to the feed quantity of a recording paper 11 at a substantially constant value.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a thermal transfer recording device that records an image on a recording medium by transferring ink contained in an ink sheet to a recording medium.

[Prior Art] Generally, a thermal transfer printer uses an ink sheet in which a base film is coated with heat-melting (thermally sublimable) ink, and a thermal head selectively heats the ink sheet in accordance with an image signal. Images are recorded by transferring melted (sublimated) ink onto recording paper. Generally, this ink sheet is one in which the ink is completely transferred to the recording paper by one image recording (a so-called one-time sheet), so after the image recording of one character or one line is completed, the recorded length is It was necessary to transport the ink sheet by an amount corresponding to the amount of the ink sheet, and to surely bring the unused portion of the ink sheet to the next recording position. For this reason, the amount of ink sheets used increases, and the running cost of thermal transfer printers tends to be higher than that of ordinary thermal printers that record on thermal paper.

In order to solve these problems, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 57-83
471, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 58-201686, or Japanese Patent Publication No. 62-58917, a thermal transfer printer has been proposed in which a recording paper and an ink sheet are conveyed in the same direction with a speed difference. ing.

The present invention is a further development of the invention described in the above publication.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] An ink sheet (multi-print sheet) capable of recording images a plurality of times (n) is known, and if this ink sheet is used, a recording length can be continuously recorded. In this case, the transport length of the ink sheet transported after each image recording or during image recording is smaller than that length (L/n +
n>1). As a result, the usage efficiency of the ink sheet is n times higher than that of the conventional method, and it is expected that the running cost of the thermal transfer printer will be reduced. Hereinafter, this recording method will be referred to as multi-print.

When multi-printing is realized using such an ink sheet, it is necessary to always transport the ink sheet a certain distance for a predetermined length of transport of the recording paper. In this type of transport control, if the ink sheet transport is controlled by rotating the support shaft of the ink sheet take-up roll, the diameter of the take-up roll that winds the ink sheet increases, and the take-up roll is rotated by the same amount. Even with such control, the conveyance distance of the ink sheet differs between the start of winding and the end of winding. For this reason, the ink sheet is held between capstan rollers, pinch rollers, and the like, and the ink sheet is conveyed by rotation of these rollers.

However, in order to wind up the ink sheet, it is necessary to use a roller to pull the ink sheet with a strong force, and when used for a long time, these rollers become distorted, and the ink sheet becomes wrinkled and cannot be conveyed uniformly. Furthermore, the provision of these rollers complicates the mechanism, leading to an increase in the cost of the apparatus.

The present invention has been made in view of the above conventional example, and an object of the present invention is to provide a thermal transfer recording device that can control the amount of conveyance of an ink sheet to be almost constant by controlling the winding of the ink sheet or the rotation of the supply roll. purpose.

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to achieve the above object, the thermal transfer recording device of the present invention has the following configuration. That is, the thermal transfer recording device records an image on the recording medium by transferring ink contained in an ink sheet to the recording medium, and includes a winding means for winding up the ink sheet, and a winding means for rotating the winding means. a driving means for driving and winding the ink sheet; and a driving means for driving and winding the ink sheet, and a driving means for keeping a conveyance ratio of the ink sheet to the recording paper substantially constant in response to an increase in the amount of winding by the winding means. and adjustment means for adjusting the amount of drive.

[Operation] In the above configuration, the winding means for winding up the ink sheet is rotationally driven to wind up the ink sheet. In response to an increase in the amount of winding by the winding means, the driving amount of the driving means is adjusted so as to keep the transport ratio of the ink sheet to the recording paper substantially constant.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the adjusting means detects the diameter of the winding roll of the winding means, and changes the driving amount of the driving means in accordance with the detected roll diameter.

According to another aspect of the invention, the adjusting means detects the used length of the ink sheet in conjunction with the driving means, and changes the driving amount of the driving means in accordance with the used length of the ink sheet.

According to yet another aspect of the invention, the adjusting means detects the amount of rotation of the supply roll that supplies the ink sheet conveyed by the take-up roll. Then, the amount of drive of the drive means corresponding to a predetermined amount of rotation of the supply roll is counted, and when the counted value is equal to or less than a predetermined value, the amount of drive of the drive means is changed.

According to another invention, the ink sheet has marks attached at predetermined intervals, and the conveyance amount of the ink sheet is detected based on the marks. Then, the amount of drive of the drive means relative to a predetermined conveyance amount of the ink sheet is counted, and when the counted value is less than or equal to a predetermined value, the amount of drive of the drive means is changed.

[Embodiments] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[Description of facsimile machine (Figs. 1 to 4)] Figs. 1 to 4 are diagrams showing an example in which a thermal transfer printer using an embodiment of the present invention is applied to a facsimile machine. Fig. 2 is a diagram showing the electrical system connection between the control unit and the mechanism unit, Fig. 2 is a diagram showing the transport mechanism system for recording paper and ink sheets, Fig. 3 is a side sectional view of the facsimile machine, and Fig. 4 is a schematic configuration of the facsimile machine. A block diagram is shown.

First, the schematic structure of the facsimile apparatus of the embodiment will be explained based on FIG.

In the figure, 100 is a reading unit that photoelectrically reads a document and outputs it as a digital image signal to the control unit 101. explain. A line memory 110 stores image data for each line of image data, and when transmitting or copying a document, one line of image data from the reading unit 100 is stored.
When image data is received, one line of decoded received image data is stored. Image formation is then performed by outputting the stored data to the recording unit 102. Reference numeral 111 denotes an encoding/decoding unit that encodes image information to be transmitted by MH encoding or the like, and decodes received encoded image data to convert it into image data. Further, 112 is a buffer memory that stores encoded image data that is transmitted or received. Each part of the control unit 101 is controlled by a CPU 113 such as a microprocessor. In addition to the CPU 113, the control unit 101 includes a ROM 114 that stores control programs and various data for the CPU 113, and a CPU 11.
R to temporarily save various data as 13 work areas
It is equipped with AM115 etc.

Reference numeral 102 denotes a recording unit that is equipped with a thermal line head and records on a recording paper by a thermal transfer recording method, and this configuration will be described in detail later with reference to FIG. 3. Reference numeral 103 is an operation unit including various function instruction keys such as starting transmission, keys for inputting a telephone number, etc.
A switch 103a indicates the type of ink sheet to be used. When the switch 103a is on, it indicates that a multi-print ink sheet is loaded, and when it is off, it indicates that a normal ink sheet is loaded. Reference numeral 104 is a display section that is normally provided in the operation section 103 and displays various functions, the status of the device, and the like. 105 is a power supply unit for supplying power to the entire device. Further, 106 is a modem (modulator/demodulator), 107 is a network control unit (NCU), and 108 is a telephone set.

Next, the configuration of the recording section 102 will be explained in detail with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. Note that common parts in each drawing are indicated by the same figure number.

In FIG. 3, reference numeral 10 denotes a roll paper in which recording paper 11, which is plain paper, is wound into a roll shape around a core loa. The roll paper 10 is rotatably housed in the apparatus so that the recording paper 11 can be supplied to the thermal head 13 by rotation of the platen roller 12 in the direction of the arrow. In addition, 10b
1 is a roll paper loading section in which roll paper 10 is removably loaded. Furthermore, a platen roller 12 conveys the recording paper 11 in the direction indicated by the arrow and presses the ink sheet 14 and the recording paper 11 between it and the heating element 132 of the thermal head 13 . The recording paper 11, on which the image has been recorded due to the heat generated by the thermal head 13, is transferred to the discharge rollers 16, 16 by further rotation of the platen roller 12.
When the sheet is conveyed in the b direction and image recording for one page is completed, the sheet is cut into pages by the engagement of the cutters 15a and 15b.

17 is an ink sheet supply roll that winds the ink sheet 14; 18 is an ink sheet winding roll;
It is driven by an ink sheet motor, which will be described later, and winds up the ink sheet 14 in the direction of arrow a. Note that the ink sheet supply roll 17 and the ink sheet take-up roll 18 are removably loaded into an ink sheet loading section 7o within the main body of the apparatus. Furthermore, 19 is a sensor for detecting the remaining amount of the ink sheet 14 and the conveying speed of the ink sheet 14. Also, 20 is ink sheet 1
An ink sheet sensor 21 is a spring that presses the thermal head 13 against the platen roller 12 via the recording paper 11 and the ink sheet 14. Further, 22 is a recording paper sensor for detecting the presence or absence of recording paper.

Next, the configuration of the reading section 100 will be explained.

In the figure, 30 is a light source that illuminates the original 32;
The light reflected by CCD sensor 2 is input to CCD sensor 31 through an optical system (mirror 50, 51, lens 52) and converted into an electrical signal. The document 32 is conveyed by conveyance rollers 53, 54, 55, and 56 driven by a document conveyance motor (not shown).
Accordingly, the document 32 is transported in accordance with the reading speed of the document 32.

Note that 57 is a document loading table, and the plurality of documents 32 stacked on this loading table 57 are separated one by one by the cooperation of the conveying roller 54 and the pressing separation piece 58 and sent to the reading section 100. transported.

A control board 41 constitutes the main part of the control section 101, and various control signals are output from this control board 41 to each part of the apparatus. Further, 106 is a modem board unit, 107 is N
This is a CU board unit.

Furthermore, FIG. 2 is a diagram showing details of the conveyance mechanism for the ink sheet 14 and the recording paper 11.

In the figure, 24 rotationally drives the platen roller 12;
This is a recording paper transport motor that transports the recording paper 11 in the direction of the arrow opposite to the direction of the arrow a. Further, 25 is an ink sheet conveying motor that conveys the ink sheet 14 in the direction of arrow a. Furthermore, 26 and 27 are transmission gears that transmit the rotation of the recording paper conveyance motor 24 to the platen roller 12;
28 and 29 are transmission gears that transmit the rotation of the ink sheet conveyance motor 25 to the take-up roll 18.

33 reduces the amount of rotation of the rotating shaft of the winding roll 18;
The worm gear 35.36 transmits the rotation to the disk 34 for displaying the winding amount of the ink sheet 14, and the worm gear 35.36 detects the slit 37-1. A photo sensor for detection includes a photo diode that outputs light, and a slit 37-, each of which is provided with the disk 34 in between.
1 or 37-2.

By reversing the conveyance directions of the recording paper 11 and the ink sheet 14 in this manner, images are sequentially recorded in the longitudinal direction of the recording paper 11 (direction of arrow a, opposite direction to the conveyance direction of the recording paper 11). and the conveyance direction of the ink sheet 14 match. Here, the transport speed 2 of the recording paper 11 is VP=
-n-V.

(V+ is the conveyance speed of the ink sheet 14, - is the conveyance speed of the recording paper 1
1 is different from the conveyance direction of the ink sheet 14), the relative speed v□ of the recording paper 11 and the ink sheet 14 with respect to the thermal head 13 is V
p+=Vp-Vt=(111/n)V
p, and this relative speed VPI is equal to or higher than Vp, that is, relative speed Vp+° (=
(11/n) Vp).

In addition to this, when recording n lines with the thermal head 13, (I2/m) is recorded for each (n/m) line.
(m is an integer, n>m) Move the ink sheet 14 by arrow a
When recording a distance corresponding to the length, the ink sheet 14 is transported in the opposite direction to the recording paper 11 at the same speed during recording, and before recording the next predetermined amount, (
Rewind the ink sheet 14 by n-1)/n (however,
n〉1) There is a method. In any of these cases,
The relative speed when recording is performed while stopping the ink sheet 14 is Vp, and the relative speed when recording is performed while moving the ink sheet 14 is 2VP.

FIG. 1 shows a control unit 10 in a facsimile machine according to an embodiment.
1 and the recording unit 102, and parts common to other drawings are indicated by the same figure number.

The thermal head 13 is a line head. The thermal head 13 is connected to a shift register 130 for inputting one line of serial recording data 43 from the control section 101, and a latch signal 44 to input the shift register 130.
A latch circuit 131 for latching 0 data is provided with a heating element 132 consisting of a heating resistor for one line. Here, the heating resistor 132 is divided into m blocks indicated by 132-1 to 132-m and driven. Further, 133 is a temperature sensor attached to the thermal head 13 for detecting the temperature of the thermal head 13. The output signal 42 of this temperature sensor 133 is A/D converted within the control unit 101 and input to the CPU 113. As a result, the CPU 113 detects the temperature of the thermal head 13 and changes the pulse width of the strobe signal 47 or changes the driving voltage of the thermal head 13 in accordance with the temperature, depending on the characteristics of the ink sheet 14. The energy applied to the thermal head 13 is changed.

Note that the characteristics (type) of this ink sheet 14 are instructed by the switch 103a described above. In addition, the type and characteristics of this ink sheet 14 are as follows:
The discrimination may be made by detecting a mark printed on the ink sheet 4, or by a mark, notch, protrusion, etc. attached to the cartridge of the ink sheet.

Reference numeral 46 denotes a drive circuit that inputs a drive signal for the thermal head 13 from the control unit 101 and outputs a strobe signal 47 for driving the thermal head 13 in units of blocks. Note that this drive circuit 46 changes the voltage output to the power supply line 45 that supplies current to the heating element 132 of the thermal head 13 in accordance with instructions from the control unit 101 to control the thermal head 13.
The applied energy of can be changed. 48.49
are motor drive circuits that rotationally drive the corresponding recording paper conveyance motor 24 and ink sheet conveyance motor 25, respectively. Although the recording paper conveyance motor 24 and the ink sheet conveyance motor 25 are stepping motors in this embodiment, they are not limited to this, and may be, for example, DC motors. Further, 38 is an ink sheet replacement detection unit that detects that the ink sheet 14 has been replaced;
It is linked to a lever for attaching and detaching the ink sheet 14, and outputs a pulse signal when the ink sheet is replaced to instruct the control unit 101 that the ink sheet 14 has been replaced.

Here, since the recording paper 11 is conveyed and driven by the platen roller 12 which is rotationally driven by the recording paper conveyance motor 24, the recording paper 11 is conveyed when the recording paper conveyance motor 24 rotates by a predetermined amount. The amount is always constant.

On the other hand, since the conveyance drive of the ink sheet 14 is performed by controlling the rotation speed of the take-up roll 18 which is rotationally driven by the ink sheet conveyance motor 25, the ink sheet conveyance motor 25 is rotated by a predetermined number of times. Even if it rotates,
The amount of conveyance of the ink sheet 14 varies depending on the amount of the ink sheet 14 wound around the take-up roller 18 (the diameter of the take-up roller 18).

As a method for keeping the amount of the ink sheet 14 wound constant regardless of the diameter of the winding roll 18, the following two methods can be considered.

Now, it is assumed that the core diameter of the take-up roll 18 of the ink sheet 14 is rl, and the diameter of the take-up roll 18 when a predetermined amount of the ink sheet is wound is r2. Here, the conveyance amount of the ink sheet 14 when the take-up roll 18 is rotated by a predetermined angle θ is rl θ immediately after the start of winding, and a predetermined amount of the ink sheet 14 is wound around the take-up roll 18. The time becomes r2θ. In multi-print,
When the recording paper 11 is conveyed one line, the ink sheet 1
In order to control the ink sheet to be conveyed by 1/n lines, the diameter of the take-up roll 18 is checked by the sensor 23 shown in FIG. 2: It may be selected so that r I . Note that the minimum step angle θ of the ink sheet conveying motor 25 at this time is constant.

Next, as another method, by microstep driving,
The minimum step angle may be changed according to the amount of winding of the ink sheet 14, and θ may be set so that θ,:θz=f″z:rl.

In addition, as a method for controlling the conveyance amount of the ink sheet 14 to be almost constant, there is a method for controlling the conveyance amount of the ink sheet 14 to be approximately constant.
Calculate the diameter of This means that the thickness of the ink sheet 14 is t9.
If the rotation speed is p, the diameter is given by (rt+pt). In this way, the conveyance of the ink sheet 14 can be controlled while calculating the diameter of the take-up roll 18.

When using this method, when the replacement detection unit 38 detects that the ink sheet 14 has been replaced, the calculated value of the diameter described above may be initialized as rl.

However, if an ink sheet with a different diameter is installed, or if an ink sheet in use is once removed and then installed again, it will be initialized incorrectly, so the sensor 23 in FIG. , a sensor is required to read the diameter of the take-up roll 18. The diameter of the take-up roll 18 can also be determined by reading the marks printed on the ink sheet at predetermined intervals and determining the rotation angle of the ink sheet transport motor 25 required to transport the ink sheet a predetermined distance. Ink sheet conveyance errors due to fluctuations can be prevented.

Hereinafter, three embodiments other than those described above will be described in which the amount of conveyance of the ink sheet 14 is kept constant and the amount of conveyance of the ink sheet 14 relative to the recording paper 11 is controlled to be approximately constant.

[Description of the first embodiment (Figs. 1 to 7)] Both the recording paper transport motor 24 and the ink sheet transport motor 25 are constituted by stepping motors, and are driven by 1-2 phase excitation. do.

In the case of a facsimile machine, the ratio of the transmission gear 26.27 is determined so that the recording paper 11 is conveyed by 1/15.4 mm in one step of the recording paper conveyance motor 24.

When recording in standard mode on a facsimile device,
Four lines of the same image data are recorded, two lines of the same image data are recorded when recording in fine mode, and one line of the same image data is recorded in super fine mode.

When the diameter of the ink sheet take-up roll 18 is the core diameter, the ink sheet 14 is processed by the ink sheet motor 25.
With 6 steps of 2-phase excitation, 1/n of 1/15.4mm (
Here, the gear 2
A gear ratio of 6.27 has been determined. FIG. 5 shows the relationship between the conveyance amount of the ink sheet 14 at this time and the value of n indicating the conveyance amount of the ink sheet 14 with respect to the conveyance amount of the recording paper 11.

In FIG. 5, 500 indicates the excitation timing of the recording paper conveyance motor 24, and 510 indicates the excitation timing of the ink sheet conveyance motor 25. Also, 520~
550 each prints one line of recording paper 11 (1/15.
4 mm) indicates the length of the ink sheet 14 that is conveyed during the conveyance, and 560 to 590 indicate the amount of variation in the value of n associated therewith. As is clear from the figure, as the length of the ink sheet 14 used becomes longer and the diameter of the take-up roll 18 becomes larger, the ink sheet conveyance motor 25
The amount of conveyance of the ink sheet 14 with respect to a predetermined rotation angle increases, the value of n decreases, and the usage efficiency of the ink sheet 14 decreases.

520 indicates the point in time when the ink sheet 14 starts to be used, and by energizing the ink sheet conveyance motor 25 six times,
Specified amount ((115X 1 ・15.4) mm)
Only the ink sheet 14 is being conveyed. Thereafter, the conveyance amount of the ink sheet 14 due to the predetermined rotation amount of the ink sheet conveyance motor 25 gradually increases due to the increase in the diameter of the take-up roll 18, and when it becomes 615 times the above-mentioned prescribed amount. (corresponding to the usage amount I2+m of the ink sheet 14), and the ink sheet 14 is excited in steps of 5 degrees corresponding to the conveyance of one line of the recording paper 11. As a result, 55
As indicated by 0, the ink sheet 14 is again conveyed by the specified distance m (115 x 1/15.4) mm.

560 to 590 indicate the value of n (1/n line for one line of recording paper) corresponding to the conveyance amount of the ink sheet 14 described above, and 580 corresponds to 540, and 580 has the smallest n ((
5x 5/6), that is, the usage efficiency is low. Then, when the usage amount of the ink sheet 14 reaches I21m, the value of n can be returned to "5" again by setting the number of excitations of the ink sheet conveyance motor 25 to 5. In this way, find the point where the conveyance distance of the ink sheet 14 does not become less than 115 x 1/15.4 mm even if the number of steps for driving the ink sheet conveyance motor 25 is reduced by one, and n is always less than "5". In this way, the conveyance of the ink sheet 14 is controlled.

Next, a method of determining the timing to switch the excitation using the winding display disk 34 of the ink sheet 14 will be described.

Assume that the maximum value of n is N (for example, 5), and when the ink sheet 14 starts to be used, the number of excitations of the ink sheet conveyance motor 25, which is excited every time the recording paper is conveyed by one line, is S (for example, 6). , when the number of excitations of the ink sheet conveyance motor 25 is decreased by 1 during the i-th conveyance of the recording paper 11 (when the ink sheet 14 is conveyed), the value of n is n+.
-i ” ”” S-r+1 ... (1) At this time, if the conveyance amount of one line of the recording paper 11 is △I2p, △4.=NSr, θ=n+(S i + 1) r+
θHere, ro is the core diameter of the ink sheet take-up roll 18 (
radius), rm is the diameter (radius) of the ink sheet take-up roll 18 when changing the step for the i-th time, and θ is the rotation angle of the ink sheet take-up roll 18 per step.

As a result, by substituting the equation (1), N S r+= ・n1s−i+1 °r0, the disk 3 representing the winding amount of the ink sheet 14 is obtained.
The rotation angle R of 4 is as follows, where e is the ratio between the disk 34, the axis of the ink sheet take-up roll 18, and the worm gear. Here, t indicates the thickness of the ink sheet 14.

When starting conveyance of the ink sheet 14 with N=5 and S=6 and changing the number of steps S from 6 to 3, in the above formula, ro = 19 mm, t = 11 μm, e = 2073.
Then, ■When i = 1, R'-60 @ At this time, S is 6 to 5
, from n = 25/6 to 5.

■When i=2, R cape 150'' At this time, S is changed from 5 to 4, and n=4 becomes 5.

■When i=3, R Cape 300'' At this time, S is changed from 4 to 3, and n is changed from 15/4 to 5.

In other words, when R is between 0° and 60', there are 6 steps per line on the recording paper 11, when R is between 60° and 150@, there are 5 steps per line, and when R is between 150° and 300° is 4 steps per line, R is 300'
In the above case, 3 steps per line of the recording paper 11,
By conveying each ink sheet 14, the value of n can be suppressed between 5 and 15/4.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the rotational position of the disk 34 that indicates the amount of winding of the ink sheet 14 and a method for detecting this rotational position.

FIG. 6(A) is a diagram showing a state where each rotation R is "0°",
At this time, both sensors 35 and 36 have slits 37-
1 and 37-2 are not detected.

FIG. 6(B) shows the case where each rotation R is °606",
At this time, the sensor 35 is detecting the slits 37-1 and 37-2. Therefore, from the state where both sensors 35 and 36 are off to the state where only sensor 35 is on,
It can be determined that the rotation angle R is between 0'' and 60°. In the state shown in FIG. 6(B), the conveyance distance of the ink sheet 14 is β1 from that in FIG. 5. (C) shows when the rotation angle R is 150 @, the sensor 35 detects the slits 37-1 and 37-2, and the sensor 36 detects the slit 3.
By detecting 7-1, both sensors 35 and 36 are turned on. Therefore, the rotation angle R can be detected as 60'' to 1500 from when only the sensor 35 is turned on until when the sensor 36 is turned on.

FIG. 6(D) shows a state where the rotation angle R is 3do degrees, and here only the sensor 36 is turned on. Therefore, the rotation angle R can be determined to be between 150'' and 300@ from when both sensors 35 and 36 are on until only sensor 36 is on, and when only sensor 36 is on, it can be determined that it is 300' or more. Note that this disk 34 is configured to be returned to the initial position shown in FIG. 6(A) when the ink sheet 14 is replaced.In this way, based on the calculation formula described above, The rotation angle of the disk 34 is 60
By detecting when the angle is 150° 300' and changing the number of steps of the ink sheet transport motor 25 based on the calculation result described above, the transport amount of the ink sheet 14 for one line transport of the recording paper 11 can be determined. is almost constant (n
5 or less).

Next, based on FIG. 7, the conveyance process of the ink sheet 14 by the control unit 101 based on the rotation angle R of the disk 34 will be explained.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the image recording process for one page in the facsimile machine of the embodiment. A control program for executing this process is stored in the ROM 114 of the control unit 101.

This process starts when image data for one line to be recorded is stored in the line memory 110, and a state is reached in which the image recording operation can be started. First, in step S1, one line of recording data is serially output to the shift register 130. When the transfer of one line of recording data is completed, the latch signal 44 is output in step S2, and one line of recording data is stored in the latch circuit 131. Next, in step S3, the number of steps of the ink sheet conveyance motor 25 is determined based on the amount of rotation of the disk 34, and the ink sheet 14 is moved along one line of the recording paper 11 (
1/n) line in the direction of arrow a in FIG. This conveyance process of the ink sheet 14 will be explained with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 7B.

Then, in step S4, the recording paper transport motor 24 is driven to transport the recording paper 11 by one line in the direction of the arrow. Note that this one line corresponds to the length of one dot recorded as an image by the thermal head 13. Next, proceeding to step S5, the heating element 13 of the thermal head 13
2, each block is energized. Then, in step S6, it is checked whether all m blocks are energized, and the heating elements 13
When all blocks of No. 2 are energized and image recording for one line is completed, the process advances to step S7 to check whether image recording for one page has been completed. If image recording for one page has not been completed, the process advances to step S8, the next line of recording data is transferred to the thermal head 13, and the process returns to step S2.

When image recording for one page is completed in step S7, the process advances to step S9, and a predetermined amount of the recording paper 11 is transferred to the paper ejection rollers 16, 16.
Send in direction b. Then, in step SIO, cutter 15
a and 15b are driven and engaged to cut the recording paper 11 into page units.Next, in step Sll, the cut recording paper 11 is discharged from the apparatus by the discharge roller 16, and in step S1
At step 2, the remaining recording paper 11 is returned by a distance corresponding to the distance between the thermal head 13 and the cutter 15, and the recording process for one page is completed.

Note that, as shown in steps S3 and S4, it is desirable that the ink sheet transport motor 25 is driven to transport before the recording paper transport motor 24 is driven to transport.

This is because even if the ink sheet conveyance motor 25 is driven, there is a time delay until the ink sheet 14 actually starts conveying due to the characteristics of the motor and the characteristics of the drive transmission system. In addition, the recording paper conveyance motor 2
The same effect can be obtained even if the drive in step S4 is performed first, but if the time from the start of conveyance of the recording paper 11 to the drive of the thermal head 13 (the recording operation shown in step S4) becomes too long, There is a risk that gaps may be formed between the recorded dots.

In addition, in the cutting process of the recording paper 11 by the cutter 15 from step S9 to step SL2, the recording paper 11
The movement of the ink sheet 14 when conveying the ink sheet 14 may be carried out in the opposite direction to the recording paper 11 at V,/n, as in the case of recording, or it may be conveyed by increasing the value of n. .

Furthermore, it may be conveyed in the same way as the recording paper 11, or it may remain stationary.

FIG. 7B is a flowchart showing the ink sheet conveyance process in step S3 of FIG. 7A.

First, in step S20 it is checked whether the sensor 35 is on, and if it is not on, the process proceeds to step S21 and it is checked whether the sensor 36 is on. If both sensors 35 and 36 are off, the rotation angle R is between o'' and 60 degrees (see Figure 6).
A)) Therefore, the process advances to step S22, and the number of driving steps of the ink sheet conveying motor 25 for conveying one line of the recording paper 11 is set to six steps. On the other hand, if the sensor 36 is on in step S21, the rotation angle R is 300° or more as shown in FIG. ”.

Further, if the sensor 35 is on in step S20, the process advances to step S23 to check whether the sensor 36 is on.

If the sensor 36 is not on, as shown in FIGS. 6(B) and 6(C), since the rotation angle R is 60° or more and 1506 or less, the process proceeds to step S24, and the number of driving steps of the motor 25 is set to "5". set. On the other hand, if the sensor 36 is on in step S23, as shown in FIGS. 6(C) and (D),
Since the rotation angle is greater than or equal to 150 degrees and less than or equal to 300 degrees, the process proceeds to step S25 and the number of steps of the ink sheet conveying motor 25 is set to 4''.

In this way, the process proceeds to step S27, where the presence or absence of the ink sheet 14 is detected by the ink sheet sensor 19. If the ink sheet 14 is exhausted, the process proceeds to step S28, where the display section 104 displays a message indicating that there is no ink sheet. If there is an ink sheet 14, the process advances to step S29, and the ink sheet conveyance motor 2 is moved by the number of steps set in step S22 or steps S24 to S26.
5 is rotationally driven to transport the ink sheet 14 by l/n lines per transport of one line of the recording paper 11.

As described above, this embodiment has the advantage that the ink sheet can be conveyed while keeping n substantially constant without being affected by changes in the diameter of the ink sheet take-up roll 18.

(Margin below) [Description of the second embodiment (Figs. 8 to 10)] Fig. 8 is a diagram showing the configuration of the recording paper and ink sheet conveying mechanism system of the second embodiment. Parts common to those in the embodiment are indicated by the same figure numbers.

Here, an encode plate 61 having a slit is provided on the rotating shaft of the roll 17 for supplying the ink sheet 14, and the rotation of the supply roll 17 is detected by detecting the rotation with the photo ink club taro 2. Now, both the core diameter of the winding roll 18 and the core diameter of the supply roll 17 are set to ro.
The current diameter of the take-up roll 18 is r l + the roll diameter of the supply roll 17 is r. At this time, if the total length of the ink sheet 14 wound around the take-up roll 18 is ρ, the thickness of the ink sheet 14 is t, and the total length of the ink sheet 14 is L, then rt = (J2t/π) + ro'' r , = ((L-β)1/π) +r02 From this, r
t”+r,”= (Lt/π)+2ro2ra=
(Lt/π)+2ro −rt”...(2
).

The rotation angle per unit step of the ink sheet take-up roll 18 is θ. , if the rotation angle per unit step of the ink sheet supply roll 17 is 01, then the ink sheet 14
Since the supply amount and the winding amount are equal, rt θo =
r aθ1, and θ1=r1・θ. /r.

= r1θo / (L t/π) + 2 r02
r; transport amount Δβ of the recording paper 11 per 21 lines is
Δβp = N-5-r o ·θ. It is expressed as Here, N is the number 1 of the recording paper 11 as described above. It shows the ratio of the transport distance of the ink sheet 14 to the transport distance of the line, and here N=5. Further, S indicates the number of driving steps of the ink sheet conveyance motor 25 required to convey the ink sheet 14 by 1/N of one line.

As shown in FIG. 9, if the angle between adjacent slits among the plurality of slits 63 provided on the encode plate 61 is θ, the number of steps S required for the supply roll 17 to rotate 01 times is: S=θ, /θ.

= (L t / i) + 2 ro" - r, 2 x
θg/r 1θ.

becomes. Substituting the 0th △β, /N-3-r, into this, s = ((Lt/π)"2ro"-rt"/ml
)×θ,・N−3,r. /Δβ.

Here, since rt = S-ro / (S-i), s = ((Lt/π) + 2ro2-(S-ro/(S-i
))2×θ8・N・(S−i)/Δβ2. And θ,=π/6. Δ℃, = 1715,
4mm, ro = 9.5mm, L = 100
m.

t=11um, N=5. If S=6, then 5=4035 when i=1, so the step number S is changed from 6 to 5 at this time. This reduces n from 25/6 to 5
become.

(2) When i=2, 5=2918, so the number of steps S is changed from 5 to 4 at this time. As a result, n is 4
becomes 5.

(2) When i=3, 5=1575, so the number of steps S is changed from 4 to 3 at this time. As a result, n is 1
From 5/3 to 5.

This will be explained based on the mechanism diagram shown in FIG. The ink sheet 14 is supplied from a supply roll 17 and taken up by a take-up roll 18. This winding roll 18 is driven by an ink sheet conveyance motor 25. Here, by rotationally driving the winding roll 18, the encode plate 61
Check the number of steps of the ink sheet conveying motor 25 required for the ink sheet to rotate by θ (for example, 30 degrees), and when the value is less than "4o35", the number of steps required for conveying one line of recording paper is checked. , the ink sheet 14 is conveyed by driving the motor 25 in five steps.

Similarly, when the number of steps required to rotate the encoder plate 61 by θ8 is less than "2918", the number of drive steps S of the ink sheet conveying motor 25 for one line of recording paper is set to 4, and the step number S is set to 4. The number is °'
When it is less than 1575'', the number of steps S of the ink sheet conveying motor 25 for one line of the recording paper 11 is set to 3.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the recording operation of the second embodiment, and this operation is continuously executed after the ink sheet 14 is loaded until the ink sheet supply roll 17 runs out of ink sheets.

First, in step S30, the number of steps S of the ink sheet conveyance motor 25 that is driven for one line of the recording paper 11 is set to, for example, "6".

In step S31, a counter provided in the RAM 115 of the control unit 101 is cleared, and in step S32, one line of image is recorded on the recording paper 11. This one-line image recording process is shown in the flowchart of FIG. 10B. In step S33, it is checked whether the slit 63 of the encoder plate 61 has been detected by the photosensor 62, and steps S32 and S33 are repeatedly executed until the slit 63 is detected. Next, in step S34, one line of image recording processing is performed, and in step S35 it is checked whether the line has completely passed through the slit 63. These steps S32 to S35 are carried out between the position of the slit 63 and the photo sensor at the beginning of use, since it is unknown where the slit 63 is relative to the photosensor 62 when the ink sheet 14 is installed. This is for aligning the sensor 62.

When passage through the slit 63 is detected in this way, step S
Proceed to step 36 to perform image recording processing for one line and step S
At step 37, S is added to the counter.

Then, it is checked in step S38 whether the slit 63 is detected, and if the slit 63 is not detected, step S38 is performed.
The process advances to step 39 to check whether the counter value has exceeded a predetermined value. If it is less than or equal to the predetermined value, the process returns to step S36, but if it is greater than or equal to the predetermined value, the process returns to step S31 and the above-described operations are executed.

The comparison with this predetermined value is, for example, when the number of steps S is “°6”.
When the step number S is 5, it is '4035', and when the step number S is 5', it is '1575°'.

When the slit 63 is detected in step S38, step S
Proceeding to step 40, it is checked whether the count value of the counter is less than or equal to a predetermined value. If it is not less than the predetermined value, the process proceeds to step S41, the counter is cleared, and the process proceeds to step S34. On the other hand, if the count value of the counter is equal to or less than the predetermined value in step S40, the process proceeds to step S42, where the step number S is decremented by 1, and the counter is reset in step S43, and the process ends.

FIG. 10B is a flowchart showing the recording process for one line in FIG. 10A.

Here, one line of recording data is transferred to the thermal head 13 and latched in steps S50-351).
In step S52, the ink sheet conveying motor 25 is driven by the number of steps specified by step S30 in FIG. 10A or S set in step S42. Then, in step S53, the recording paper 11 is conveyed one line, and in step S54. In S55, the heating resistor 132 of the thermal head 13 is energized block by block to record an image. In step S56, it is checked whether image recording for one page has been completed.
If the image recording has not been completed, the process returns to the main routine, but if the image recording of one page has been completed, the process returns to step S.
The process advances to step 57 and the recording paper 11 is conveyed by a predetermined amount. Then, in step S58, the cutter 15 cuts the recording paper 11, and the cut recorded recording paper is discharged from the apparatus. Next, in step S59, the leading portion of the recording paper 11 is returned to the recording position of the thermal head I3, and the image recording process for one line is completed.

Further, the movement of the ink sheet I4 during the conveyance of the recording paper 11 shown in steps S57 to S59 of this flowchart is, for example, even when it is stopped or when the recording paper 11 is being conveyed. It may be conveyed together with the paper, and is not particularly limited.

As described above, according to the second embodiment, the number of steps of the ink sheet conveyance motor 25 required to rotate the ink sheet supply roll 17 by a predetermined angle is determined, and the number of steps is, for example, 4035.2918. 157
5 or less, the number of steps for driving the ink sheet conveying motor 25 for one line of the recording paper 11 is changed, for example, from 6 to 5.5, from 4.4 to 3, respectively. This makes it possible to suppress fluctuations in the feed amount of the ink sheet 14 due to changes in the diameter of the ink sheet take-up roll 18 and the diameter of the supply roll 17. As a result, the ink sheet 14 for a predetermined feeding amount of the recording paper
Since the feeding amount of the ink sheet 14 can be controlled to be constant, recording can always be performed with a uniform recording density, and the ink sheet 14 can be used efficiently. In this embodiment, when the ink sheet 14 is replaced, the step number S is set to the original value, for example, "6°°," and the counter is set to "Ooo
cleared.

[Description of the third embodiment (Figs. 11 to 14)] No. 11
The figure shows the configuration of the recording paper and ink sheet conveyance mechanism of the third embodiment, and parts 9 common to those of the previous embodiment are indicated by the same figure numbers.

On the side of the ink sheet 14° opposite to the side on which the ink is applied (upper side in FIG. 11), scales 72 are printed at constant intervals β over the entire length of the ink sheet 14°. This interval ρ is sufficiently shorter than the length of A5 size paper in the vertical direction, and this scale 72 is read by the photosensor 71. 83 is a driver circuit that drives the recording paper conveyance motor 24, 75 is a driver circuit that excites the A phase of the ink sheet conveyance motor 25, and 76 is a driver circuit that excites the B phase of the ink sheet conveyance motor 25. 77.
Both 78 are D/A converters, which input control signals 79 and 81 from the control unit 10, respectively, and change the drive voltage of the corresponding driver circuit to control the ink sheet conveying motor 2.
5 is microstep controlled. 80 and 82 are phase excitation signals for the A phase and B phase of the ink sheet conveying motor 25, respectively. 73 and 74 are signals for exciting the A phase and B phase of the ink sheet conveyance motor 25, respectively.

FIG. 12A shows the excitation vectors of the two-phase four-pole stepping motors that are the recording paper conveyance motor 24 and the ink sheet conveyance motor 25 in this embodiment, and when the motors are driven with 1-2 phase excitation. The order of phase excitation is 12B.
As shown in the figure.

Note that the reverse phase of each phase is indicated by X here. It is also assumed that the recording paper conveying motor 24 is driven by 1-2 phase excitation shown in FIG. 12B, and the recording paper 11 is conveyed by one line with one excitation pulse.

On the other hand, FIG. 13A shows the ink sheet conveying motor 2.
5, in order to maintain the position at the rotation angle θ indicated by 90, the A phase is obtained by exciting with a current corresponding to COS θ and the B phase with a current corresponding to sin θ. . For example, if we consider a microstep that divides one rotation of this motor into 256 steps, the unit angle is (90/64·360/256)'. FIG. 13B shows a 256-stage table at this time.

Similar to the embodiment described above, the ink sheet is controlled to be transported by (1/n) lines for each line of recording paper, and the initial value of n is set to 5 when the ink sheet 14 starts to be used. do. As recording is performed and the amount of ink sheet 14 used increases, the core diameter of the take-up roll 18 increases, and even if the take-up roll 18 is rotated by the same amount, the conveyance distance of the ink sheet 14 gradually increases, and n The value gradually decreases. Therefore, similar to the embodiment described above, it is necessary to perform a process to return n to 5 again. In this embodiment, this process is carried out three times for every 10 ink sheets.

The ink sheet conveying motor 25 is controlled by selecting m steps (m is an integer sufficiently larger than the number of times of control to return n to a predetermined value) from the 256 steps per rotation shown in FIG. 13B. conduct. Here, the initial value of m is set to 6, and in order to keep the value of n constant, by decreasing it to m = 5.4°3 at an appropriate timing, 1
The ink sheet conveyance motor 25 for the excitation trigger of
Reduce the rotation angle. Note that here, the initial state m=
6, the gear ratios of the transmission gears 26, 27 and 28, 29 are set so as to satisfy n=5.

On the other hand, the amount of movement of the ink sheet 14 is determined by detecting the scale 72 with a reflective photosensor 71. When the photosensor 71 detects the scale 72, it is turned on and the ink sheet conveying motor 25 is driven one step. It shall be turned off when Then, the number of steps J in which the ink sheet conveyance motor 25 is driven is counted from this scale until the next scale is detected, and when the number J becomes smaller than a predetermined value, correction control is performed.

For example, initially n=5. Suppose that the number of skip steps is set to m=6 and the ink sheet 14 is conveyed by one division, but J=100. Ink sheet 14
As the used length of the winding roll 18 increases,
If the rotation angle of the ink sheet conveyance motor 25 is the same, the amount of conveyance of the ink sheet 14 by one excitation of the ink sheet conveyance motor 25 increases.

This appears as a decrease in the value of the number of steps J for conveying the ink sheet 14 by a length corresponding to the interval between each scale. Therefore, the value of J is set to a predetermined value K (for example, 80 steps).
When the value of m is smaller than , the minimum step angle of the ink sheet conveying motor 25 is set smaller by subtracting the value of m by -1. As a result, the amount of conveyance of the ink sheet 14 due to one step of excitation of the ink sheet conveyance motor 25 decreases, so the value of J increases and becomes close to the original value (for example, 100), and the value of n increases again. The value will be close to "5". In this way, it becomes possible to keep n within a certain range.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing the image recording process of the third embodiment, and a control program for executing this control is stored in the ROM 114a of the control unit 101a.

First, in step S60, the skip number m is set to the maximum value. This is done by outputting a predetermined digital value as a control signal 79.81, and outputting an appropriate control voltage to each driver circuit 75.76 using a D/A converter 77.78. In step S61, it is checked whether the scale 72 has been detected. If the scale 72 is detected, the process advances to step S62, and the step number J is set to "0". On the other hand, if the scale is not detected, the process proceeds to step S63, sets the value of K to J, and proceeds to step S64.

In step S64, it is checked whether one page of image recording has been completed, and if it has not been completed, the process advances to step S65, where one line of recording data is transferred to the thermal head 13. Then, in step 366, the excitation signal 80.82 is output, and the ink sheet conveyance motor 25 is excited in n steps, skipping the step excitation by m as shown in FIG. 13B. Next, in step S67, the recording paper conveyance motor 24 is excited by one step to convey the recording paper 11 by one line.

Next, the process proceeds to step S68, where the thermal head 13 is energized block by block to record one line of image.

In step S69, it is checked whether the photosensor 71 has detected the scale 72. If the scale has not been detected, the process advances to step S70 and J is incremented by 1.

On the other hand, when the scale is detected in step S69, the process advances to step S71 to check whether the value of J is smaller than K (=80). When the value of J is smaller than K, in step S72, the output voltage of the D/A converters 77 and 78 is changed so that the value of the skip number m is decreased by 1, and the process returns to step S62. By reducing the value of m in this way,
The rotation angle per step of the ink sheet conveyance motor 25 becomes smaller, and even if the ink sheet conveyance motor 25 is driven by n steps in step S66, the ink sheet 14 is conveyed a shorter distance than before. become. In this way, when one page of image recording is completed, step S
The process advances to step S73, where post-processing such as cutting and ejection of the recording paper is performed, and the process returns to step S64.

Note that the value of m (output voltage of the D/A converter) is set to the original maximum value when the ink sheet 14 is replaced, and is returned to the original initial value unless the ink sheet 14 is replaced. There isn't. Further, the value of J is also preset to the value of K when the ink sheet 14 is replaced.

In this embodiment, a scale was printed on the back side of the ink sheet and detected by a photosensor, but the invention is not limited to this. Detection may be performed using a photo ink lamp, a micro switch, or the like. In addition, the ink sheet conveyance motor 25 and the recording paper conveyance motor 25 are
Although a polar stepping motor is used, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, a DC motor or a servo motor may be used.

Further, in each of the embodiments described above, the value of n was controlled to be equal to or less than a predetermined value, but with n as the center, n±a (n>α
) may be controlled to fall within the range.

Furthermore, in the flowcharts of FIGS. 7, 10, and 14, the number of steps to keep n approximately constant and the step angle of the motor 25 are changed regardless of page divisions. However, if the timing to change the number of steps or step angle occurs during image recording of a page, the number of steps or step angle may be changed after waiting for the end of image recording of that page. This has the effect that the same page is recorded with approximately the same image density.

Furthermore, in the first and second embodiments described above, the amount of conveyance of the ink sheet 14 is changed by reducing the number of drive steps of the ink sheet conveyance motor 25. In this embodiment as well, as shown in the third embodiment, the step angle of the ink sheet conveyance motor 25 may be reduced by microstep drive.

[Explanation of Recording Principle (FIG. 15)] FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an image recording state when an image is recorded with the conveyance directions of the recording paper 11 and the ink sheet 14 reversed in this embodiment.

As shown in the figure, a recording paper 11 and an ink sheet 14 are held between a platen roller 12 and a thermal head 13, and the thermal head 13 is pressed against the platen roller 12 with a predetermined pressure by a spring 21. Here, the recording paper 11 is conveyed at a speed VP in the direction of the arrow by the rotation of the platen roller 12. On the other hand, the ink sheet 14
is transported in the direction of arrow a at a speed V1 by the rotation of the ink sheet transport motor 25.

Now, power supply 1 is connected to heating resistor 132 of thermal head 13.
When the ink sheet 14 is energized and heated, the shaded portion 91 of the ink sheet 14 is heated. Here, 14a represents the base film of the ink sheet 14, and 14b represents the ink layer of the ink sheet 14. The ink in the ink layer 91 heated by energizing the heating resistor 132 is melted, and a portion of the ink layer 92 is transferred onto the recording paper 11 . This transferred ink layer portion 92 corresponds to approximately 1/n of the ink layer indicated by 91.

At the time of this transfer, at the boundary line 93 of the ink layer 14b,
It is necessary to generate a shearing force on the ink and transfer only the portion indicated by 92 onto the recording paper 11. However, this shearing force varies depending on the temperature of the ink layer, and the higher the temperature of the ink layer, the smaller the shearing force tends to be. Therefore,
If the heating time of the ink sheet 14 is shortened, the shearing force within the ink layer increases, so if the relative speed between the ink sheet 14 and the recording paper 11 is increased, the ink layer to be transferred can be reliably peeled off from the ink sheet 14. can be done.

According to this embodiment, since the heating time of the thermal head 13 in a facsimile machine is as short as about 0.6 ms, the conveyance direction of the ink sheet 14 and the recording paper 11 is made to be opposite to each other, so that the ink sheet 14 and the recording paper 11 are I'm trying to increase relative speed.

[Description of Ink Sheet (Fig. 16)] Fig. 16 is a sectional view of the ink sheet used for multi-printing in this embodiment, and here it is composed of four layers.

First, the second layer is a base film that serves as a support for the ink sheet 14. In the case of multi-printing, thermal energy is applied to the same location many times, so aromatic polyamide films and capacitor paper with high heat resistance are advantageous, but conventional polyester films can also be used. Considering the role of a medium, it is advantageous for the thickness of these materials to be as thin as possible in terms of printing quality, but from the viewpoint of strength, it is desirable that the thickness be 3 to 8 μm.

The third layer is an ink layer containing an amount of ink that can be transferred n times onto a recording paper (recording sheet).

This component mainly consists of resin such as EVA as an adhesive, carbon black and nigrosine dye for coloring, carnauba wax and paraffin wax as binding materials, and is designed to withstand n times of use in the same place. It is blended. This application amount is 4-8 g/m
2 is desirable, but the sensitivity and density will vary depending on the amount of application.
Can be selected arbitrarily.

The fourth layer is a top coating layer for preventing pressure transfer of the 3N ink onto the recording paper in areas where printing is not performed, and is made of transparent wax or the like. As a result, only the transparent fourth layer is pressure-transferred, and it is possible to prevent background smudges on the recording paper. The first layer is the thermal head 13
This is a heat-resistant coating layer that protects the second layer base film from heat. This is suitable for multi-printing where 0942 minutes of thermal energy may be applied to the same location (when black information is continuous), but whether or not to use it can be selected as appropriate. It is also effective for base films with relatively low heat resistance, such as polyester films.

Note that the structure of the ink sheet 14 is not limited to this embodiment, and may be composed of, for example, a base layer and a porous ink-retaining layer containing ink provided on one side of the base layer. A heat-resistant ink layer having a microporous network structure may be provided thereon, and the ink may be contained within the ink layer. In addition, examples of the base film material include polyimide, polyethylene,
It may also be a film or paper made of polyester, polyvinyl chloride, triacetylcellulose, nylon, or the like. Furthermore, although a heat-resistant coating layer is not necessarily required,
The material may be, for example, silicone resin, epoxy resin, fluorine resin, nitrocellulose, or the like.

An example of an ink sheet containing a heat sublimable ink is a base material made of polyethylene terephthalate, polyethylene naphthalate, aromatic polyamide film, etc., and spacer particles made of guanamine-based resin and fluorine-based resin. An example is an ink sheet provided with a coloring material layer containing a dye.

Further, the heating method is not limited to the thermal head method using the above-mentioned thermal head, and for example, an energization method or a laser transfer method may be used.

Further, the recording medium is not limited to recording paper, and may include cloth, plastic sheets, etc. as long as it is made of a material that allows ink transfer. Further, the ink sheet is not limited to the configuration shown in the embodiment, and may be of a so-called ink sheet cassette type built in the housing, for example.

As explained above, according to this embodiment, the ink sheet -
By controlling the rotation of the take-up roll 18 of Since no control is required, there is an effect that the mechanical part of the printer is simplified.

Further, according to this embodiment, even if the ink sheet 14 is replaced midway through, the amount of ink sheet conveyance relative to the predetermined conveyance amount of the recording paper 11 can be kept approximately constant.

[Effects of the Invention] As explained above, according to the present invention, by controlling the winding of the ink sheet or the rotation of the supply roll,
This has the effect of being able to control the transport length of the ink sheet to be substantially constant for a predetermined length of transport of the recording medium.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the electrical connection between the control section and the recording section in the facsimile machine of the embodiment, FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the conveyance mechanism for the recording paper and ink sheet of the first embodiment, and FIG. 3 4 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the facsimile device of the embodiment. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the conveyance amount of the ink sheet with respect to the drive step of the ink sheet motor. Diagram showing fluctuations, Figure 6 (A) ~
(D) is a diagram showing the rotational position of the disk that displays the amount of rotation of the take-up roll, Figures 7A and 7B are flowcharts showing the recording process of the first embodiment, and Figure 8 is the second embodiment. Figure 9 is an external view of the encoder plate, Figures 10A and 10B are flowcharts showing the recording process of the second embodiment, and Figure 11 is a flowchart showing the recording process of the second embodiment. Figures 12A and 12B are vector diagrams of the 2-phase-4-pole motor and their excitation order, and Figure 13A is a diagram showing the configuration of the ink sheet conveyance system in Example 3. Vector diagram, Figure 13B is a diagram showing the current value of each microstep when one revolution of the motor is divided into 256 parts, and Figure 14 is a diagram showing the current value of each microstep when one revolution of the motor is divided into 256 parts.
FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing the recording process of this embodiment, FIG. 15 is a diagram showing the state of the recording paper and ink sheet during recording in this embodiment, and FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view of the ink sheet used in this embodiment. . In the figure, 10... Rolled recording paper, 10b... Roll paper loading section, 11... Recording paper, 12... Platen roller, 13... Thermal head, 14... Ink sheet, 15 ... cutter, 16 ... discharge roll, 17.
... Ink sheet supply roll, 18... Ink sheet take-up roll, 19... Ink sheet sensor, 20...
・Ink sheet presence/absence sensor, 21... Spring, 2
2... Recording paper presence/absence sensor, 23... Sensor, 24...
...Recording paper conveyance motor, 25...Ink sheet conveyance motor, 33...Worm gear, 34...Rotation amount display disk, 35.36...Photo sensor, 37
-1゜37-2...Slit, 38...Replacement detection unit, 61...Encode plate, 62...Photo sensor,
63...Slit, 70...Ink sheet loading section,
71... Photo sensor, 72... Scale, 75.76
...Driver circuit, 77.78...D/A converter,
100...Reading section, 101, 101a."Control section, 1
02...recording section, 103...operation section, 104...
・Display section, 105...Power supply, 106...Modem, 1
07...NCU, 110...Line memory, 111
... Encoding/decoding unit, 112... Buffer memory, 113... CPU, l14.114a... ROM
, 115=RAM, 132... heating resistor (heating element). iL Division T-Fee 7 Sheet 1-7 1〆500 u+ttmtmt 1tmtit+tm 510 ml Figure 5 Figure 6 Figure 8 Figure 9 Figure A x \ Figure 13A Figure 13B Figure 15 Figure 16

Claims (5)

[Claims] (1) A thermal transfer recording device that records an image on the recording medium by transferring ink contained in an ink sheet to a recording medium, comprising: a winding means for winding up the ink sheet; and a winding means. a driving means for rotationally driving and winding up the ink sheet; and a driving means for keeping a conveyance ratio of the ink sheet to the recording paper substantially constant in response to an increase in the winding amount of the winding means. A thermal transfer recording device comprising: an adjusting means for adjusting the amount of drive of the thermal transfer recording device. (2) The adjusting means includes a detecting means for detecting the diameter of the winding roll of the winding means, and changes the driving amount of the driving means in accordance with the roll diameter detected by the detecting means. The thermal transfer recording device according to claim 1, characterized in that: (3) The adjusting means is interlocked with the driving means and includes a detection means for detecting the length of use of the ink sheet, and is configured to change the driving amount of the driving means in accordance with the length of use of the ink sheet. The thermal transfer recording device according to claim 1, characterized in that: (4) The adjustment means includes a rotation amount detection means for detecting the rotation amount of a supply roll that supplies the ink sheet conveyed by the take-up roll of the take-up roll; and a rotation amount detection means that corresponds to a predetermined rotation amount of the supply roll. and counting means for counting the driving amount of the driving means, and the driving amount of the driving means is changed when the count value of the counting means is less than or equal to a predetermined value. The thermal transfer recording device according to item 1. (5) The ink sheet has marks attached at predetermined intervals, and a transport amount detection means detects the transport amount of the ink sheet based on the marks; and the drive means for detecting the transport amount of the ink sheet at a predetermined transport amount. 2. Counting means for counting the driving amount of the driving means, the driving amount of the driving means being changed when the count value of the counting means is less than or equal to a predetermined value. thermal transfer recording device.