JPH03215056A - Control device of thermal transfer recording device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent a misalignment of image by using two sensors arranged along the movement path of a platen plate, one of which is as a detection device for the tip part and the other of which is as a detection device of the end part of a sheet, and thereby positioning an image to be written in the sheet. CONSTITUTION:A sensor S1 is used for the setting of an initial position of a platen plate 11 and a reference position of printing, and a sensor S2 is used for the setting of a reference position for the plate 11, both along the movement path of the platen plate 11. If the plate moves outwardly beyond the reference range, a sensor S3 prevents the runaway of a platen device 10 for an emergency stop. A sensor S4 is used for the detection of the position and size of a sheet on the plate. An interval l between the sensor S1 and a thermal head 21 and a reference point are set for the plate using the sensor S1. In addition, the lengths from the reference point to the printing start and end points of various colors are set using a control pulse. Thus the subject device is controlled and thus an image is prevented from becoming saligned.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention (Industrial Application Field) The present invention uses one thermal head and a plurality of ink donor films of different colors (hereinafter abbreviated as IDE), and selectively prints any IDF using the thermal head. Regarding thermal transfer recording devices that create full-color copies by setting the film in the printing unit and repeating the printing operation, the film is not wasted without being fed, especially in areas where there is no printing information. The present invention relates to a device provided with means for preventing wear and tear.

(Prior Art) As a device that combines an ink donor film (IDF) and a thermal head to record an image on paper, conventionally, as in the case of devices such as facsimiles, one thermal head and one IDF are used. A method is used in which the elements of the thermal head are heated in accordance with the image information input to the apparatus, melting the ink of the IDF and transferring it to the paper.

To deal with this, a set of multiple IDFs of different colors and thermal heads corresponding to each IDF is distributed along the paper conveyance path, and selectively In some cases, a device is used in which a heating element of a thermal head generates heat to print a specified color image.

As an apparatus for printing using a plurality of IDFs as described above, there is, for example, an apparatus as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 59-202875.

In the transfer-type heat-sensitive color recording device shown in the conventional example, a plurality of recording units are arranged around the paper conveyance drum,
A combination of IDE and thermal heads of different colors is arranged in each recording section.

Then, the image information input to the image information processing device of the control device is separated into each color and transmitted to each recording section, and an operation signal is output to each thermal head in time with the passage of paper. Then, I try to make color copies.

However, in order to hold the paper around one drum as described above and write from each color image recording section, the drum for holding the paper must have a large diameter. In addition to the problem that the size of the @ place tends to increase, there is also the problem that the written image is likely to be misaligned.

On the other hand, as shown in Japanese Utility Model Application No. 61-151949, etc., a writing section including a plurality of IDFs and thermal heads is arranged along the paper conveyance path without using a large diameter drum. A structure has been proposed in which ink is transferred from an IDF arranged in each writing section while the paper moves along a paper conveyance path.

Furthermore, in the conventional example, the black image transfer section is arranged at the end of the transfer section for yellow, cyan, and magenta color images, and the transfer section for the black image is directly connected to the paper feed section. A bypass conveyance path is provided so that the image can be sent without passing through the color image transfer section when recording using only one color, black.

By configuring as described above, the degree of freedom in arranging the paper path within the control device of the thermal transfer recording device is improved, and the configuration of the device can be simplified.

(Problems to be solved by the invention) However, in the conventional device as described above,
It is necessary to arrange a recording section that combines a large number of IDFs and thermal heads in the vRll, and since the price of the thermal heads is relatively expensive, it is possible to reduce the manufacturing cost of the control device of the thermal transfer recording device. This poses an obstacle when trying to

Therefore, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, as shown in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 50-80713, etc., a method was developed to record a single color image using a printing means using one thermal head. It is proposed to do so.

In the case of the conventional example, unlike an apparatus that combines an IDE and a thermal head, a printing means using a pressure-sensitive multicolor copying ribbon and a needle hammer is used. and,
Color bands of red, blue, green, etc. are arranged in horizontal stripes with a constant width on the copy ribbon, and each color band is positioned in the printing area according to the color information of the input image. , the image recording operation is performed.

When applying the means shown in the conventional example to a thermosensitive thermal transfer recording device that combines an IDF and a thermal head, it is possible to reduce the cost of an expensive thermal head by providing only one thermal head in the printing section. This is an effective means in that the number can be reduced and the manufacturing cost of the device can be lowered.

Furthermore, in a device provided with an IOF as in the conventional example, the number of thermal heads can be reduced, making it possible to reduce the manufacturing cost of the device, and making the thermal transfer recording device compact. There are many advantages such as being able to

However, placing strips of different colors at predetermined lengths in the IDF is necessary for all copying operations, for example, except for full-color copying, which uses donor films of four colors evenly. Since the color band parts are combined into one set and used for one sheet of paper, for example, even when printing only a black image, the other three color parts are wasted. occurs.

Furthermore, in the conventional IDF-based apparatus as described above, even when there is no image information, the film is fed by following the movement of the paper, which causes problems such as wasting the film unnecessarily. Ta.

(Object of the invention) The present invention solves the above-mentioned drawbacks of the conventionally used gastrointestinal system.
A device that uses a combination of one thermal head,
When writing images in a superimposed manner on paper, a means is provided to prevent the images from shifting, and to stop feeding the film and separate the film from the paper if there is no information to be printed on the image. It is an object of the present invention to provide a recording device equipped with a means for preventing wasteful consumption and damage to film.

(Means and effects for solving the problem) The apparatus of the present invention includes one thermal head disposed at a printing position with respect to paper, and a thermal head that is moved to a position corresponding to the thermal head only when printing is performed. A plurality of IDEs of different colors are arranged, and an IDF corresponding to color information of an image is set in a printing section using a thermal head to perform a printing operation.
F is held in one cassette holder, and the specified IDF is moved to the printing section only when printing, and the film is fed to follow the movement of the paper, and the printing operation is performed. related to equipment.

In the apparatus of the present invention, a drive system for the platen device is configured such that the paper is supported by the platen device and reciprocated with respect to the printing section, and each time the paper moves back and forth with respect to the printing section, In an apparatus configured to perform a printing operation, a plurality of sensors are disposed along the moving path of the plate template, one of the sensors is used as a paper tip detection means, and the other The sensor is used as a means for detecting the trailing edge of the paper, and the image to be written on the paper is positioned based on such information.

In addition, in the apparatus of the present invention, when image information is not output to the printing unit that transfers the drawing pattern onto the paper (if the image information is not output), a means for separating the thermal head from the paper is provided, and the paper feeding speed is set to a high speed. At the same time, it is necessary to perform control to stop the IDF feeding operation, and to provide a mechanism to separate the platen roller from the thermal head when there is no image information, and to separate the platen roller from the thermal head when there is no image to be recorded. Control can be performed to form a gap between the paper and the paper.

Furthermore, in the apparatus of the present invention, at the beginning of the operation of the apparatus when the main switch is turned on, the operations of setting the position of the plate template and loading the film cassette of the first color onto the thermal head are performed. It is possible to provide means for performing this.

In addition to the above-mentioned configuration, in the apparatus of the present invention, the movement range when discharging the paper is set to be wider than the movement range during image transfer of the plate template supporting the paper, and the plate is moved within the range during image formation. When moved outward from the
It can be configured to perform the operation of discharging the paper.

In the thermal transfer recording apparatus of the present invention, by providing a control means for detecting the paper position as described above, it is possible to avoid misalignment of images when creating a full-color copy by overlapping images of different colors. It is possible to prevent this from occurring and create clear, high-quality copies.

Further, by providing a means for stopping the feeding of the film and separating the film from the paper when there is no printed information, unnecessary consumption of the film can be prevented. Further, when only paper is fed, it is possible to prevent problems such as damage to the ink surface of the film due to the paper sliding on the film.

In addition to the above-mentioned image writing control means, the apparatus of the present invention can be provided with a means for automatically separating the copy from the plate template, so that the burden on the operator can be reduced and the copy creation process can be reduced. It becomes possible to improve efficiency.

(Example) The configuration of the thermal transfer recording apparatus of the present invention will be explained according to the illustrated example.

In the embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 1, the configuration of only a thermal transfer recording device [1 is shown, but the thermal transfer recording device of the present invention can be connected to an arbitrary image reading device to obtain the read image information. The system is configured to be able to create color images based on the following.

As an image reading device for outputting image information as a digital signal to the thermal transfer recording device 1 of the present invention, for example, a mechanism similar to the scanning means of an ordinary electrophotographic copying machine, an arbitrary image sensor, or , an image information output device such as a computer, etc. can be combined.

In the thermal transfer recording apparatus of the present invention, image information output from an arbitrary image information output device can be received via an image information input device (not shown). Then, the ID of the required color is determined according to the color information of the received image.
Select E, set the IDF cassette in the printing section using the thermal head, and perform the image one-in operation.

The thermal transfer recording apparatus 1 of the present invention has a printing section 20 disposed above the frame 2 so as to sandwich the paper path therebetween, and a printing means using a thermal head 21 disposed therein. Further, drive shafts 23a and 24a for driving the film are arranged on both sides of the thermal head 21, and gears 23 and 24 are provided on each drive shaft.

Then, by driving either of the gears 23 and 24,
The film is driven according to the moving direction of the paper, the elements of the thermal heads 2 and 1 are heated, and the ink on the film is melted to write on the paper.

Further, at the bottom of the frame, a number of IDE cassettes 30 are placed at positions corresponding to the thermal heads 21.
A cassette holder 40 that accommodates the IDE cassette 30 selected from the cassette holder 40 is placed.
By feeding the cassette to a printing position corresponding to the thermal head 21 and fixing the cassette to the printing section, printing can be performed on the paper.

In the apparatus of the present invention, paper is supplied from the paper feeder H4 arranged at the upper side of the apparatus, and the paper is fed from the paper tray 5 to the paper feeder in the same way as in a normal electronic copying machine or other apparatus. , a nudger roller 6 and a paper handling mechanism 7 are arranged.

The paper handling mechanism 7 is composed of a paper feed roller 7a and a retard roller 7b, and the nudger roller 6 separates the papers taken out from the paper tray 5 and sends them one by one toward the platen M10.

The paper sent out from the paper tray 5 as described above is supported on the plate 11 of the platen unit W10,
When the plate 11 passes under the printing section by the thermal head by its drive mechanism, an image is transferred according to printing information input to the thermal head.

In addition, paper ejection devices [17, 17] are provided on both sides of the main body of the apparatus outside the range of paper movement during normal printing, and the completed copies are peeled off from the plate template 11. , it can be discharged outside the machine. The paper discharge means, which will be explained in detail later with reference to FIG.
The material is peeled off with a holder and discharged through a discharge port 18.

In all of the present invention having the configuration as described above,
The following describes the operation when four types of cassettes (yellow, magenta, cyan, and black) are attached to the cassette holder and full-color copies are made.

Before the apparatus starts operating, paper of the required size is set in the paper tray of the paper feeder 4, the plate 11 of the platen W110 is stopped at the standby position, and the paper is stored in the cassette holder 40. An arbitrary color IDE cassette is stopped in a state corresponding to the thermal head 21.

In this state, image information is input from the image information output device to the image information input device provided in the thermal transfer recording device, and commands for operating the device are input by actions such as pressing a start button.

By inputting the above information, the operation of feeding the paper from the paper tray is started, the leading edge of the paper is positioned on the plate 11, and the paper is pressed against the plate 11 by the press roller 9. will be temporarily stopped.

In parallel with the start of the paper feeding operation, an operation is started to move the cassette of IE-0-, which performs the first printing, to the printing section. When moving the cassette, the cassette holder 4
It is possible to use a method such as attaching a mark to a specific one (for example, a yellow cassette) among the IDF power sets stored in the IDF power set 0 and having the specific cassette detected by a sensor or the like.

Then, from the detection position of that particular cassette, the first yellow cassette is attached to the thermal head by counting the pulses applied to the drive motor or by counting the number of recesses provided in the disc member. The holder is moved to a corresponding position, and a stop signal for the holder is output from the arm detection sensor 69 or the like to the control device.

As described above, when the yellow cassette housed in the cassette holder is stopped at the position of the vertical movement device, the swinging arm 55 is driven to raise the cassette, and the arm 55 is detected by the sensor 58. The machine will be stopped in the same state. In the raised position of the cassette up/down arm 51, the gear provided on the shaft of the cassette is connected to the thermal head 21.
The thermal head 21 is set in a position where it engages with a driving gear 24 arranged on the side of the film, and the thermal head 21 is set in a position where it presses the film downward.

After the cassette is set in the printing position, the platen row 525 is moved to the lower part of the thermal head 21 so that it can press and hold the paper that passes between the head 21 and the rollers 25. be made into

After completing the printing preparation as described above, next
The operation of moving the plate 11 to move the paper through the printing position is started, and by the operation of moving the plate 11 to the left side in the figure, yellow printing is performed on the paper.

Note that when transferring the image, the IDF in the cassette
The film is driven in synchronization with the moving speed of the paper, and the used film is wound up by the driving gear of the main body driving the gear of the winding shaft.

After the yellow image has been transferred and the paper is stopped on the left side of the apparatus, a magenta image is then printed. In that case, the plate 11 should be stopped at the left end, the platen row 525 should be retracted, the yellow cassette should be returned to the holder 40, and the holder should be
After 74 rotations, the next magenta cassette is stopped at the moving position.

Then, the magenta cassette is raised by driving the cassette vertical movement device and set at a position corresponding to the thermal head, and the magenta image is transferred while the paper is being moved from the left side to the right side.

By repeating the above-mentioned operations and moving the paper back and forth twice along the printing section, four-color images are written in an overlapping manner to complete a full-color copy. The completed copy is then manually peeled off from the plate 11 and taken out.

(Control of image transfer position) In the example shown in FIG.
Sensors 81 to S4 are arranged along one movement route. Among these sensors, the sensor S1 is used to set the initial position of the plate template 11 and the reference position of printing, and the sensor S2 is used to set the reference position of the plate 11. It will be done.

Further, sensor S3 is a runaway prevention sensor used to emergency stop the platen device 110 when the plate moves outward beyond a reference range, and sensor S4 is a sensor for preventing runaway when the plate moves outward beyond the reference range. Used for size detection.

The relationship between the plastic template 11 and the sensor is determined by the second
As shown in the figure in a simplified manner, the distance between the sensor S1 and the thermal head 21 is set to 1, and the position of the plate is adjusted from a to d in accordance with the position of the plate 11 and the printing mode.
The explanation will be based on the assumption that

The movement with respect to the plate template and the printing operation on the paper supported by the plate are illustrated in the explanatory diagram of FIG.
The control operation is performed as shown in the timing chart of FIG.

First, in Fig. 3, the prescribed pulse ■ is the number of pulses corresponding to the interval 1 between the thermal head and the sensor S1, and the prescribed pulse ■ is the length of the prescribed pulse I plus the paper length detected by the sensor S4. The number of pulses corresponding to the total length of the forward scan, and the specified pulse (■) respectively indicate the number of pulses corresponding to the total length of the forward scan.

Further, in order to control the movement of the plate, a control pulse is constantly output from a timer of the control device, and printing and movement of the plate are controlled based on the control pulse.

And sensor S1 for detecting the tip of the plate template
Thus, a reference point on the plate is set, and the lengths from that point to the print start and end points of each color are set by the control pulses, and control operations are performed.

In the example shown in FIG. 2, first, a reference point is set at position C on the plate by initial setting.

Next, when the button to start printing is pressed, the plate 1
1 starts moving in the forward direction, and at plate position b, information on the detection of the leading edge of the paper is output. Then, the distance 1 from the sensor S1 to the thermal head is counted by adding the length between the leading edge of the plate and the leading edge of the paper to the corresponding number of pulses, and printing using the IDF is started based on the yellow printing information. be done.

After the yellow printing is completed, the plate counts pulses equivalent to the entire scan length (l constant pulses) and then stops at position a.

After the plate has stopped at position a, the IDE cassette is switched from yellow to magenta.

The plate then begins a return scan. The starting point of printing at this time is the already set reference point, and the printing operation is performed until the number of pulses from the reference point to the final end of the magenta print information is reached. Furthermore, when the plate is moved in the backward direction and the sensor S1 is turned off (position lid), the plate is stopped in the backward direction and waits for the next cyan printing. After that, I
The DE is switched from magenta to cyan, and forward scanning is started.

Hereafter, the above operation is repeated to switch the IDE, and
The printing operation is repeated in sequence to create a full-color copy.

When the copying is finished, the plate is moved further from the end position to the part of the ejection device, by which it is ejected to the ejection tray outside the machine.

(Means for separating the paper from the thermal head when there is no printed information) In the embodiment of the present invention shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, when the paper P is moved by the printing unit, the printed information is If there is no
This figure shows means for separating the thermal head and IDF from the paper and for setting the paper moving speed to a high speed.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, a platen roller 25 is disposed below the thermal head 21 and the IDF cassette 30 that constitute the printing section, and a The paper P supported by the plate is moved.

Also, the separation opening roller 7 is connected to the platen roller 25.
0 and the roller 70 presses down the platen 25 to release the pressing action of the thermal head against the paper.

The separation row 570 is supported by an arm 71 that is swingably provided via a fulcrum 73, and is driven by a motor 75 via a drive gear 72 disposed at the other end of the arm 71. The arm 71 is rotated clockwise about the fulcrum, and the roller 70 acts to push down the platen opening 525.

As described above, when the platen roller 25 is pressed down, a gap by the distance X is created between the upper surface of the paper P and the lower surface of the thermal head, as shown in FIG.

In addition, in the apparatus of the present invention, when there is no iii* information, the motor 75 is driven to swing the platen roller 25 downward, and the moving speed of the plate 11 is changed to v2, as described above. Set to .

The speed v2 of the paper is set in the relationship v1<v2 with respect to the speed v1 during normal scanning, and when there is no printing information, the paper is driven at high speed without being contacted by the IDE. become.

Furthermore, the apparatus of the present invention is provided with means for also stopping the drive of the IDF winding device when there is no printed information. In other words, release the contact between the paper and the IDF,
When information for moving the paper at high speed is output from the control device, the operation of turning off the driving means for the cassette of the printing section and interrupting the winding of the IDF is performed at the same time.

As mentioned above, if a means for swinging the platen roller 25 downward is provided, a spring or the like is installed at the connection between the support link 27 of the row 525 shown in FIG. 1 and the roller swinging arm 26. This can be easily accommodated by providing means for attaching the support link or by using other means for attaching the support link.

As mentioned above, the operations of interrupting the IDF feeding, feeding the paper at high speed, and releasing the contact between the IDF and the paper are performed whenever there is no image information being printed. When the image information is output from the output device, the interruption operation is stopped and the normal printing mode is returned to.

The moving speed of the paper and the pressing operation against the platen roller during printing as described above are performed in steps as shown in the flowchart of FIG. In the 7-port chart of FIG. 7, the presence or absence of printed information is determined in step A, and if there is printed information, the process proceeds to step B, step C, and step D at the same time.

Then, the paper feed speed is set to 1, and the IDE winds up the paper and prints at the same time (Step E).

If there is no printed information, the process moves from step A to step F and subsequent steps, and in step F, the separation roller is activated.
Contact between the thermal head and the paper is released. Then,
In steps G and H, the sheet feeding speed is set to 2 and the winding operation of the IDE is interrupted. Then, when the print information is output again,
Returning to step A, if paper end information is input, the process ends at step 1.

(Automatic Copy Ejection Mechanism) In the apparatus of the present invention shown in FIG.
The ejecting device performs the operation shown in FIG. 8 to separate the paper P from the plate 11 and eject the copy.

Although the embodiment shown in FIG. 8 shows the evacuation device 17 as being provided at one end of the device, the evacuation device 17 is provided at one end of the device, as in the case shown in FIG. It can be placed on both sides, and can be configured so that it can be ejected from the side where scanning is completed at any time.

The ejection device 17 is disposed outside the sensor S3 that sets the scan end during printing, and in response to a signal indicating that copying is completed, the plate 11 is moved to the outside of the sensor S3 and reaches the position of the ejection device @17. Control is performed such that the object is moved.

Further, in the embodiment of the present invention, the plate template 11 is made of a plate-like member made of rubber or the like, and its tip can be easily bent.

As described above, when the plate is moved beyond the sensor S3 toward the ejection device 17, the tip portion 1lb of the plate 11 is attached to the upper and lower guide portions of the separation claws 19 of the ejection device 17.
and paper P are guided separately.

Then, the leading end of the paper P is driven in the ejection direction by the ejection port roller 18, and the paper is moved toward the ejection port 17a. In addition, the above-mentioned discharge port roller may be constructed of upper and lower rollers, as in the case of normal transport roller loading, and may be of the type that transports the paper in a nipped state during that roller, or may be of a type in which the paper is transported in a nipped state during that roller, or a single drive roller. Any method may be used in which the paper is conveyed while being pressed against the upper part of the claw by a roller.

Furthermore, the ejecting device shown in the above embodiment can also be placed at the right end of the paper scanning path, and can eject completed copies in any direction. be.

(Paper handling device If) In the example shown in FIG.
A paper feeding device 4 for feeding paper is arranged on one side thereof. In addition, as described above, a platen device 10 that is movable in the horizontal direction in the figure is provided for the printing section by the thermal head 21, and the paper is supported on the plate 11 of the platen device iW10 for reciprocating printing. Make it correspond to the action.

The plate 11 of the platen device 10 has guide blocks 12, 12a provided on both sides in its moving direction.
The plate 11 is supported by the guide rods 13, 13a, etc. through the guide rods 13, 13a, and guides the plate 11 along the rods to prevent the paper from misaligning with the printing position. make the movement.

In the embodiment of the plate 11 of the present invention, the plate 11 is made of an elastic plate member such as rubber, and has a large coefficient of friction on its surface. The end portions 11a and 1lb are formed in a tapered shape.

The tapered tip is configured in the printing section of the apparatus of the present invention, and the thermal head 21 and the platen aperture 25
This is because the distance between the two is made to correspond to the combined thickness of the plate 11 and the paper, so that the plate can easily fit into the narrow space.

Therefore, by providing the tapered portion, as will be described later, when the plate is moved back and forth, the paper can be prevented from being caught in the printing portion and can be passed through the printing portion reliably.

In order to drive the plate 11, a driving wire 1 is used.
5, the ends of which are connected to the front and rear parts of the plate 11, and are wound around a number of bools 16 to drive them. The plate is configured to be moved back and forth with respect to the printing section by a motor that can be driven in forward and reverse directions connected to the printer. Then, images of different colors are transferred to the sheet of paper supported by the plate in the forward and backward passes, respectively.

Furthermore, pressing rollers 9 and 9a are arranged on both sides of the printing section provided with the thermal head 21 with respect to the path of the plate 11, and the paper supported on the plate 11 is pressed by the rollers 9 and 9a. ing.

A member with a large friction coefficient on the surface of the plate that supports the paper prevents the paper from moving relative to the plate, and allows the paper to move accurately with the plate during printing to prevent misalignment of the image. Make sure that this does not occur.

(IDF Cassette) As shown in FIGS. 9 and 9a, the IDF cassette 30 used in the thermal transfer recording apparatus of the present invention has side plates 35, 35a formed of plate members on both sides, and two
Holding plates 36, 36a are provided to connect the two side plates.

Then, the two holding plates 36, 3 are arranged opposite to each other.
6a, an opening 37 penetrating vertically is disposed, and a thermal head enters into the opening 37, and is configured to press the film with a predetermined pressure toward the paper with the tip of the head.

Two parallel shafts 32, 32a are arranged on the side plates 35, 35a on both sides, a film 31 is wound around these shafts, and the ink-covered surface of the film is directed toward the paper side. It is arranged like this.

Further, as shown in the figure, an opening is formed in the holding plate, gears 33, 33a are arranged so as to be located in the respective openings with respect to the shaft, and a driving gear is arranged on the side of the thermal head. By being engaged with and driving the gear, the film 31 is wound up.

In the IDF cassette 30 of the present invention, the shaft on which the gear is driven serves as a drive shaft, and the other shaft serves as a feeding shaft. In the cassette of the present invention, the holding plates 36 and 36a protect the film stored therein, but the holding plates may have any shape, such as an arc-shaped cross section or a groove-shaped one. It is possible to use a shape of . Further, an opening is formed in a portion of the holding plate where the gear is arranged, and a drive gear enters through the opening to drive the shaft.

In the above-described IDF cassette 30 of the present invention, for example, when four IDF cassettes are mounted on the cassette holder, two of the cassettes are driven in correspondence with printing on the outward path of the platen device. It is done.

On the other hand, the other two IDE cassettes are configured to be able to perform printing operations on the return path of the platen device, and each cassette is configured to correspond to those printing modes. In order to solve the problem that the direction of movement of the film is reversed internally, the film is configured to be able to be driven in both directions, as described above.

In other words, the driving direction for the film stored in the IDF cassette is different between printing on the forward path of the platen device and printing on the return path, so when using one type of IDF cassette, as described above, It is possible to improve the versatility of the cassette by equipping it with two driving force input means according to the film moving direction.

In the IDF cassette, two bins protruding outward are provided on each side plate on both sides. Each of the bottles has one long bottle and one short bottle, and one side plate 35 has a long bottle 38 and a short pin 3.
8a, and the other side plate 35a has long and short bottles 39, 39a.
are placed respectively.

The bottle protruding from the side plate is, as will be explained later,
When holding the IDF cassette in the cassette holder,
It is used to hold the IDF cassette in a groove provided in the plate of the thermal head, it is used as a guide member when sliding it into the groove, and it is used when moving the IDF cassette to the position of the thermal head. , is used as a member to which the retaining protrusion of the vertical movement arm is locked.

Note that when printing on paper, as shown in FIG. 9a, the film 31 is pressed against the paper P supported by the plate 11 by the thermal head 21,
With the lower surface of the plate 11 supported by the platen row 525, the film 31 is moved at the same speed in the moving direction of the paper P to perform printing.

<<Cassette Honorer>> As shown in detail in FIG. 10, the cassette holder 40 shown in the embodiment of the present invention has a shaft 4 passing through the center.
1, a substantially disk-shaped holder plate 42 on both sides,
42, and is configured such that an IDE cassette can be accommodated between the plates.

The holder plates 42, 42 have the same shape, and are provided with four arms 42a to 42d protruding in a cross shape, and each arm has a groove 43 radially extending from the axis.
a to 43d are provided respectively.

Then, one IDF cassette 30 is accommodated in each of the grooves 438 to 43d provided in the arm, and the selected tDF cassette is moved relative to the IDF cassette moving means by rotating the shaft. It then performs an operation such as handing it over to an IDE vertical movement device, which will be described later.

Further, in the cassette holder 40 of the present invention, for example, when the direction in which the cassette holder is driven is clockwise, yellow, magenta, cyan, and black films are sequentially arranged in the IDF cassette clockwise. The arrangement order of the IDEs is set to be the same as the writing order when transferring colors in an overlapping manner in a printing apparatus using a normal IDF.

Then, by intermittently rotating the cassette holder clockwise, the necessary IDF cassettes are efficiently supplied by sequentially continuing the operation of rotating the holder by 1/4 turn when transferring the image slides one on top of the other. You can.

Note that if the rotation direction of the cassette holder is reversed, the arrangement relationship of the IDF cassettes of each color can be set in the opposite direction. In any case, by storing the arrangement of the IDF cassettes in the control device of the device, the angle of rotation of the holder when transferring colors in layers can be minimized, and the order of writing can be easily set. This allows full-color copies to be created.

The cassette holder 40 of the present invention described above is configured such that the distance between the plates 42 on both sides corresponds to the length of the IDF cassette 30. The bins 38, 38a and 39, 39a of the cassette are respectively protruded from the top.

Then, the engaging protrusion 54 of the cassette vertical moving device is inserted between the bottles protruding from the side of the plate, and the engaging protrusion 54 is caused to follow the up and down movement of the arm 51.
To cause the DF cassette to move up and down.

Further, from the cassette holder 40 of the present invention described above, I
A mechanism for taking out the DF cassette 30 and setting it in the printing section is constructed as shown in FIGS. 10a and 12. As shown in the embodiment, the arm 51 for vertically moving the cassette is guided by guide means such as the shaft 41 or other bin members at the upper and lower parts, and locks both sides of the cassette to move the cassette up and down. I am trying to make the action of the movement take place.

Note that in the cassette holder 40 described above, the IDF
As a means for holding the cassette, any fixed holding means such as providing an arm member that locks the bottle or placing a leaf spring member against the groove to press and hold the pin may be arranged. This allows the IDE cassette to be easily removed from the holder and mounted.

(Cassette Holder Driving and Positioning Device) The cassette holder 40 of the present invention constructed as described above has a mechanism for holding a plurality of cassettes around it, as shown in FIG. It is something that exists. The holder is provided with a driving means and a positioning means as shown in FIG. 11 and FIG. 11a.
The IDF cassette selected based on the printing information can be stopped at a position to be moved toward the printing section, and then moved toward the printing position.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 11 and 11a, a sprocket 45 is provided on the shaft 41 of the cassette holder 40, and a chain 46 is installed between the sprocket 45 and the sprocket provided on the drive shaft 47. A driving force transmission means such as the following is arranged.

Then, the drive shaft 47 is driven by the motor 48, and its rotation is transmitted to the shaft 41 via the chain 46, thereby causing the cassette holder 40 to rotate.

Further, at the end of the shaft 41 of the cassette holder 40,
A disc member 61 is provided, and the disc member 61 and devices arranged around it constitute a positioning mechanism 60. In the positioning mechanism 60, there are four recesses 62 around the disk 61 corresponding to the IDE cassettes.
..., and the locking member 65 is placed in the recessed portion thereof.
has been established.

The locking member 65 is composed of an L-shaped arm 67 operated by a solenoid 66 and a locking protrusion 68 disposed at the tip of the arm 67. By engaging the recess 62 in the disk, a particular IDF cassette can be fixed in a position corresponding to the thermal head and moved towards the thermal head.

Further, when rotating the cassette holder, a recess detection sensor 63 is arranged to detect the number of recesses in the disc member 61 when moving the selected IDF cassette to the vertical movement position. The sensor 63 controls the rotation of the cassette holder.

Therefore, in the cassette holder rotating device of the present invention, when an IDF cassette to be used for printing is specified,
The drive mechanism of the cassette holder 40 is activated, and the shaft 41
The rotational state of the IDF cassette is determined by the number of recesses 62 in the disc member, and the selected IDF cassette is stopped at a predetermined position.

As mentioned above, determining the IDF cassette of a specific color when rotating the cassette holder means, for example, that the IDF cassette supported by the cassette holder is
When colors are arranged in the order of overlapping printing as in a general IDF, the judgment is made according to the order of arrangement of the IDF. A specific IDF cassette can then be easily selected and positioned in the cassette moving section.

In addition, the locking protrusion 68 provided on the locking member of the cassette holder is used to hold the disc until the IDF cassette is taken out from the cassette holder, an image is written by the thermal head, and the IDE cassette is returned to its original storage position. Fix in the engaged state in the recess.

Then, when the cassette holder is rotated next time, the arm 67 is swung by the solenoid 66, thereby releasing the locking of the disc member and allowing the cassette holder to rotate, so that the next IDF cassette is placed in a predetermined position. When the position is reached, the locking member engages with the recess corresponding to the IDF cassette, thereby positioning the disc member.

Therefore, the solenoid 66 is actuated only when the locking member 68 is removed from the recess, and after that, the arm 67 is configured to press the locking member around the disk using a spring or the like, so that the disk can be moved around the disk. Intermittent driving of members can be controlled.

(Cassette Vertical Movement Device) As described above, in the apparatus of the present invention, as a means for moving an IDF cassette between the cassette holder 40 that accommodates a plurality of IDF cassettes 30 and the printing position by the thermal head 21, Is a cassette vertical movement system I! 50 is used.

As shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 10, FIG. 10a, and FIG. 12, the cassette vertical movement device 50 has arm members and the like of the same shape arranged on both sides of the device. are configured to drive in synchronization.

The cassette vertical movement device 50 includes an arm member 51 that slides vertically inside the frame 2 of the device, and a swing lever 55 for driving the arm member 51.

The arm member 51 is composed of a plate-shaped member, and a long hole 52 is provided in the lower member in the vertical direction, and the shaft 41 of the cassette holder is positioned in the long hole 52 to guide the vertical movement of the arm member 51. Let's do it.

The upper member 53 of the arm member 51 is bent into a substantially U-shape, and has an engaging protrusion 54 extending from the inner member toward the IDE cassette.
Upper and lower bins 38 protruding from the side of the IDF cassette 30;
38a, 39, 39a, and the ID
It acts to move the F cassette up and down.

Note that the locking protrusions 54 provided on the arm member 51 lock each ID when the cassette holder 40 is rotated.
Since it is located between the upper and lower bins of the F cassette, rotation of the cassette holder is not obstructed.

Cassette vertical movement device 1 of the present invention configured as described above
At 50, a swinging lever 55 for driving the arm member 51 is connected to the drive means via a shaft 56, and the other end is connected to the arm member 51 via a pin 57. A drive mechanism connected to the shaft 56 drives the swing lever 55 to move the arm member 51 up and down.

In order to detect the position of the swing lever 55, the twelfth
As shown in the figure, two sensors 58 and 58a are arranged, and depending on the lever position information output from these sensors, it is possible to determine whether the IDE cassette is in the printing position or held in the cassette holder. It becomes possible to judge.

The IDF cassette, which is moved up and down by the cassette up and down movement device 50, is guided by a groove provided in the arm of the cassette holder until it is removed from the cassette honorer, but the IDF cassette is positioned at the upper part of the groove with respect to the thermal head. Until this happens, the guide can be guided by any guide means.

(Platen Roller Swinging Mechanism) In the thermal transfer recording apparatus 1 of the present invention configured as described above, a platen roller 25 is provided at the lower part of the plate 11 that supports the paper, corresponding to the thermal head 21 of the printing section.
is provided, and the lower surface of the plate 11 is supported by the roller 25. The distance between the paper and the thermal head is maintained constant by the roller 25, and the setting is made so that the printing operation can be performed accurately.

However, since the platen roller 25 is disposed in the vertical movement path of the IDF cassette, there is a problem in that it becomes an obstacle when moving the cassette. Therefore, in the apparatus of the present invention, when moving the IDF cassette up and down, the platen roller 25 is moved laterally so that the movement of the cassette is not obstructed.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 10, in the apparatus of the present invention, the platen roller 25 is supported by a roller swinging arm 26 via a support link 27, and the swinging arm 26
By swinging the platen roller 6 about the shaft 28, the platen roller 25 is moved from the printing position toward the retracted position.

When the swing arm 26 moves the IDF cassette 30 from the holder 40 to the thermal head 21, the swing arm 26 swings immediately before the cassette vertical movement device is driven, and prints from the holder. After the cassette is raised to the position and the positioning is performed, it is returned again and set at the printing position.

When replacing the cassette, always use the platen O-
The swing arm is moved to the retracted position so that it does not get in the way of replacing the cassette, and when printing is performed, the swing arm is driven so that it is returned to the position corresponding to the thermal head. .

As described above, it is necessary to control the swinging operation of the platen roller 25 in conjunction with the operation of the cassette vertical movement device 1f50, and for this purpose, the raised position of the swinging lever 55 is detected. Using the signal from the sensor 58, it is confirmed that the cassette is in the raised position, and actions such as setting the platen roller 25 at the printing position are performed.

Note that the above-described swinging means for the platen roller of the present invention is as follows:
In addition to the mechanism shown in the embodiment, any roller moving means can be used, and in addition to retracting the roller diagonally downward, means such as swinging it laterally may be used. is also possible.

(Effects of the Invention) By providing a control means for detecting the position of the paper as described above, the thermal transfer recording device of the present invention can be used to transfer images of different colors in a superimposed manner to create a full color copy. , it is possible to prevent image deviations from occurring, and it is possible to create clear, high-quality copies.

In addition, by providing a means to stop the film feeding and separate the film from the paper when there is no printed information, it is possible to prevent wasteful consumption of the film, and to prevent paper from being fed as if only the paper was fed. By sliding the film, problems such as damage to the ink surface can be prevented from occurring.

In addition to the above-mentioned image writing control means, the apparatus of the present invention can be provided with means for automatically separating the copy from the plate template, so that the burden on the operator can be reduced and the efficiency of copy creation can be improved. It becomes possible to improve.

Since it has the above-mentioned configuration, the IDF cassettes of each color can be accurately set in the designated positions of the holder in the thermal transfer recording device, and the work of replacing them can be easily performed. becomes.

Furthermore, in the present invention, by using one thermal head and a plurality of IDFs, it is possible to simplify the mechanism of a device that creates full-color copies, and it is possible to downsize the thermal transfer recording device and to install the device at low cost. It can be manufactured.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view of the thermal transfer recording device of the present invention, FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram regarding the position of the plate template when performing a printing operation, and FIG. 3 is a timing chart showing movement of the plate template and control of printing. Figure 4 is a side view showing the relationship between the platen roller and separation roller in the printing section, Figure 5 is its front view, Figure 6 is an explanatory diagram of the state when the separation roller is activated, and Figure 7. 9 is a flowchart of the printing operation in the apparatus of the present invention, FIG. 8 is a side view of the paper ejecting device from the plate template, FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the IDF cassette, and FIG. 9a is a diagram of the interaction between the cassette and paper during printing. 10 is a side view showing the operation of exchanging the IDF cassette, FIG. 10a is a perspective view thereof, and FIG.
1a is a perspective view of the device shown in FIG. 11, and FIG. 12 is a rear view of the cassette vertical movement device. Reference numeral 1 in the figure: thermal transfer recording device, 2: frame, 5: paper tray, 9/9a...
Pressing roller, 10...Platen device, 11...
...Plate, 17...Ejection device, 20.
...Printing section, 21...Thermal head,
23, 24... Drive gear, 25... Platen roller, 27... Roller swing arm, 3
0...IDF cassette, 31...Film, 35...Side plate, 36...Holding plate, 38/39...Bin, 40 ...Cassette holder, 41...Shaft, 42...
Arm, 43... Groove, 45... Drive gear, 50... Cassette vertical movement device, 51...
...Vertical movement arm, 52...Long hole, 54.
...Engagement protrusion, 55 ... Swing lever 58
... Arm sensor, 60 ... Holder positioning device, 61 ... Disc member, 62 ...
...Recess, 63...Recess detection sensor, 6
5... Locking member, 66... Solenoid, 68... Locking protrusion, 69... Locking sensor, 70... Separation roller. 4-” lθ diagram z1

Claims (5)

[Claims] (1) Comprising one thermal head placed at a printing position with respect to recording paper, and a plurality of ink donor films of different colors placed so as to be moved to positions corresponding to the thermal head only when printing is performed. , the plurality of ink donor films are held in one cassette holder, and when printing, the ink donor film corresponding to the color information of the image is moved to the printing section, and the film is fed by following the movement of the paper. A drive system for the platen device is configured so that the paper is supported by the platen device and reciprocated relative to the printing section, and the paper is supported by the platen device and moved back and forth relative to the printing section. The plate template is configured to perform a printing operation each time it moves back and forth, and a plurality of sensors are arranged along the moving path of the plate template, and one of the sensors is used as means for detecting the leading edge of the paper, 1. A control device for a thermal transfer recording apparatus, characterized in that another sensor is used as a means for detecting a trailing edge of a sheet of paper, and information detected by each of the sensors is used to position an image to be written on the sheet of paper. (2) means for separating the printing means from the paper when there is no image information in the printing unit that transfers the image onto the paper;
A control device for a thermal transfer recording device according to claim 1, further comprising means for setting the moving speed of the means for supporting the paper to be faster and means for stopping the feeding operation of the ink donor film. . (3) A mechanism is provided to separate the platen roller from the thermal head, and when there is no image to be recorded, a gap is formed between the thermal head and the paper, and the paper is controlled to be fed at high speed. A control device for a thermal transfer recording device according to claim 2. (4) A patent claim characterized in that means is provided for setting the position of the plate template and for mounting the film cassette of the first color onto the thermal head at the beginning of the operation of the apparatus. A control device for a thermal transfer recording device according to scope 1. (5) Set the movement range for paper ejection wider than the movement range of the plate template for image transfer, and operate the paper ejection with the plate moved outside the range for image formation. 2. A control device for a thermal transfer recording device according to claim 1, wherein the control device is configured to perform the following.