JPH03262651A - Recording device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To avoid failure in the operation of the title device and prevent the damage of a thermal head by setting the heating element of the thermal head in the state of being spaced at a predetermined distance from the surface of a platen at the time of recording. CONSTITUTION:When a thermal head is pressed against a platen, a support member abuts against a pin 196 fixed to a side plate, and the top end of the thermal head is not directly contacted with a platen roller 4 under pressure. In this case, an interval 't' between the surface of the platen roller 4 and a heating resistor that is the top end of the thermal head 5 is made narrower than the thickness T of a card 6, whereby pressure is generated at the time of inserting the card. Thus, when the card is inserted for over-coating the card 6 under the condition that the thermal head is pressed against the platen in advance, the insertion of the card becomes easier because the interval between the thermal head 5 and the surface of the platen roller 4 is made narrower than the thickness of the card, and such troubles as failure in the operation of a device can be avoided. Furthermore, recording on the entire surface of the card is made possible without causing the damage of the expensive thermal head.

Description

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

(Conventional Technique I#1) It is well known that in recent years, along with the spread of credit cards and ID cards due to the decentralization of information processing, prepaid cards such as telephone cards have also become extremely popular.

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

Among these cards, IDs that record information such as facial photos
Cards and the like are often used for boat fishing, with a photo attached to the card and the card laminated. On the other hand, as printing technology improves, printing is becoming more popular, and the applicant has developed a recording device that can instantly record (draw) image information captured on the spot with a video camera, etc., on a card at that location. I suggested it earlier. This recording device can record (print) captured image information directly onto a card, has a simple structure, is compact, and has many advantages such as easy maintenance. Since they are often passed through a reading device, recorded images, characters, etc. are easily worn out. Furthermore, when heat sublimation ink is used during recording, there is a tendency for discoloration to occur due to oil from people's fingers.

(Problem to be Solved by the Invention) Therefore, as described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 61-51391, there is a technique of applying an overcoat to the recording surface. The overcoat film is transferred and recorded using the same device using the overcoat ink applied to the same transfer paper as the ink, and the printing conditions are the same for yellow, magenta, and cyan, and a strong overcoat film is created. There is a possibility that it will not be possible to form. In addition, when using a card-shaped recording medium as a recording medium and recording from the edge of the card and overcoating it, the thermal head must be pressed against the platen in advance, and when feeding the card, the pressure must be against the pressing force of the thermal head. The card must be inserted while raising the lever's thermal head. For this reason, if the card is too thick, it may become impossible to insert the card, causing the device to malfunction, or in the worst case, the expensive Thermal Herarad II.
I! There is a high possibility that Furthermore, if the thermal head is pressed against the platen when no card is present due to malfunction, not only will the thermal head be damaged, but the transfer paper and platen will be damaged, and the drive system will be overloaded. Failure to do so may result in fatal damage to the equipment.

(Means for Solving the Problems) The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and its purpose is to apply heat sublimation ink or heat melt ink to a business card-sized card made of synthetic resin, for example. By pressing with a thermal head through coated transfer paper, image information from a video camera or computer and text information are combined and recorded (printed), simplifying the conventional printing function and By providing a second recording device to protect the thermal head and its drive system and to protect the recorded surface so as to be connected to the previous recording device, recording (printing) efficiency is improved. Furthermore, the present invention provides a recording device that can selectively protect recorded surfaces.

For this purpose, there is provided a recording device that records information such as image information or character information on a card-shaped recording medium on a platen using a thermal head via a transfer paper, and between a recording position and a non-recording position. A recording apparatus characterized in that the thermal head operated in the recording apparatus is set such that its heating element is spaced a predetermined distance from the surface of the platen during recording.

2. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the distance between the heating element of the thermal head and the surface of the platen during recording is smaller than the thickness of the card-shaped recording medium.

Furthermore, the recording apparatus records information such as image information or character information on a card-shaped recording medium using a thermal head via a transfer paper, and the recording apparatus records information such as image information or character information on a card-shaped recording medium that is placed on a linearly moving stage. The card-shaped recording conveyed from a first recording device that records information such as image information or character information via a transfer paper with a line-type first thermal head equipped with a heating element arranged orthogonally to the moving direction. During overcoat recording in which a protective film is applied to the recording surface of the medium by a second recording device following the first recording, the heating element of the second thermal head is set to be spaced a predetermined distance from the surface of the platen. The present invention provides a recording device characterized in that:

(Embodiment) Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the basic configuration of a recording device of the present invention. Fig. 2 shows a thermal head drive mechanism, which is a first recording device that constitutes a part of the main parts of the device of the present invention, and a transfer sheet. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a transfer paper cartridge applied to the apparatus of the present invention, FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a transfer paper roll, and FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the transfer paper cartridge of the apparatus of the present invention. 6 is a side view of the stage shown in FIG. 5, and FIG.
The figure is a cross-sectional view of the same stage taken along line ■-■ in Figure 6, and Figure 8.
The figure is an enlarged sectional view of the card position regulating section, and FIGS. 9 and 10 are plan views of the stage drive system shown in FIG. 5.

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

The recording device 1 has a first recording section M (a first
a second recording unit [(second
(recording section) 1b.

The first recording device 1a places the card 6 inserted along the longitudinal direction from the direction of the arrow with the short side as the leading end on the stage 10 by rotation of a pair of supply rollers 2a, 2a. 82. by rotating the ball screw shaft 9 in a direction perpendicular to the card insertion direction using guide shafts Ba and Bb as guide shafts. The thermal head is moved back and forth in the direction B1, and the thermal head is placed on the card 6 via the transfer paper 13 wound around a pair of supply rolls 15 and a take-up roll 14 attached to a transfer paper cartridge as shown in FIG. 11
is pressed to record a predetermined signal.

At this time, the transfer paper 13 is sent out from the supply roll 14 by a transfer paper drive mechanism described later in synchronization with the moving speed of the stage 10, and is wound up while supplying a predetermined signal current to the heating resistor of the thermal head. After printing with yellow ink (Y ink), which is the first color ink, by being wound around the circle 15, at the same timing as the thermal head 11 rotates and retreats from the stage 10, The stage 1o returns to the 82 direction and reaches the initial position, and the transfer paper 13 is further fed in the winding direction to position the magenta ink (M ink), which is the second color ink, and the above operation is performed again. Printing is started sequentially by the same operation as above.

When printing of the final color ink is completed, the stage 10 returns to the initial position again, and in response to the completion signal, the card 6 is ejected from the card ejection port 16 on the opposite side on the same line as the card insertion direction, and full-color printing is performed. is completed.

Further, from the card ejection port 16, a pair of rollers 2b, 2b
, 3a, 3a, the card 6 is transferred to the second
is guided onto the platen roller 4 of the recording apparatus lb. The axis of the rotation shaft of this platen roller 4 is parallel to the moving direction of the stage 10 of the first recording apparatus 1a.

In this case, another thermal head 5 prints a protective overcoat on the card 6 via a transfer paper 155 wound around a pair of supply rolls 153 and a take-up roll 154 by means described later. In this way, the card 6 that has finally been printed is ejected from the device by the ejection rollers 3b, 3b, and the series of printing (recording) steps is completed.

That is, as a basic operation of the device of the present invention, cards 6 are fed and ejected along the longitudinal direction from the front panel of the device, and the printing direction by the first recording device 1a is perpendicular to the card feeding and ejecting direction. (lateral direction), it is easy to regulate the position of the card, and high-quality printing without registration deviation can be performed.Subsequently, a protective overcoat is applied to the recorded edge surface by the second recording device 1b. Therefore, during the recording operation by the first recording device 1a, the second recording device 1b performs overcoat printing in the next step at the same time, so that even if the overcoat material has different printing conditions, an appropriate overcoat can be applied. The various features, such as the ability to overcoat any part of the card, will be more clearly understood from the specific configuration described below.

Furthermore, since the card 6 is inserted along the longitudinal direction and printing is performed along the lateral direction of the card 6 (sub-scanning direction of the thermal head 2), the length of one color of the transfer paper is shortened for printing. Since the time can be shortened and all operations can be performed on the front panel 3 side as described above, the recording@w1 can be downsized and the operability can be improved.

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

Here, the detailed configuration of the recording device 1 (first recording device 1a and second recording device 1b) of the present invention will be explained as follows.
The explanation will be given sequentially starting from a. FIG. 2 shows a thermal head drive mechanism and a transfer drive mechanism, which are the main mechanisms of the first recording apparatus 1a, and FIG. 3 shows a stage and a stage moving mechanism.

(Thermal Head and Mechanism for Mu) First, in FIG. 2, the frame 17 of the device is formed into a substantially U-shaped cross section by a pair of opposing side plates 17a and 17b and a bottom plate 17G connecting the two. and one side plate 17a
includes a thermal head drive mechanism 18 and a transfer paper winding mechanism 1.
The other side plate 17b has an insertion hole 17 (l) for inserting the transfer paper cartridge 12. At the top of this housing 17, a thermal head device! (assembly) is formed. By arranging the stage 10 that moves via the transfer paper cartridge 12 at the bottom of the stage 10, each related drive mechanism can be effectively arranged, and each mechanism can be organically combined, so that the device can be It is compact.

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

The upper ends of the mounting plates 20a and 20b are bridged by connecting rods 23, while the lower parts thereof support the swing shafts 24 installed on the side plates 17a and 17bll, so that the thermal helmet 11 can support the swing shafts 24. It is supported as a support shaft so as to be rotatable in the C1 and C2 directions. These mounting plates 20a,
20b, the thermal head 11, and the connecting rod 23 constitute a thermal head assembly. In addition, this swing shaft 24
is located at a position offset from the connecting rod 23 by an appropriate length in the B+ direction.

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

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

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

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

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

Further, the long hole 26C of the other end acting portion 26b of the drive arm 26
Inside is a cam disk 2 supported by a rotating shaft 30 installed between a bearing portion 27a of a connecting rod 27 serving as a frame and a side plate 17a.
A cam roller 29 attached at an eccentric position of 8 is fitted. Note that this cam roller 29 may be a fixed shaft. A large-diameter gear 31 is fixed to the other end of the rotating shaft 30 on the outer surface side of the side plate 17a. In addition, this rotating shaft 3
A pair of reflective disks 32 and 33 each having through holes 32a and 33a, which serve as detection parts for detecting the rotational position of the cam disk 28, are fixed to the cam disk 28, and a connecting rod 2
Detection sensors 34 and 35 attached to 7 are arranged. One detection sensor 34 detects the operating position If (pressing position l) of the thermal head through the through hole 32a, and the other detection sensor 35 detects the non-operating position (separated position from the stage 10) of the thermal head through the through hole 33a. ) are detected respectively. For this detection, a disk with slits may be used instead of the reflective disk, and a transmission type detection sensor may be used. Furthermore, it is of course possible to integrate the reflecting disks 32 and 33.

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

The thermal head drive mechanism 18 has a bracket 139 fixed to the side plate 17a, and the rotational force of the motor 42 is transmitted from a timing pulley 43 fixed to the motor shaft to another timing pulley 45 via a timing belt 44. . The rotation of the timing pulley 45 is greatly decelerated by being transmitted to the worm wheel 41 which is integral with the small gear 41a through the worm 46 which is integral with the timing pulley 45, and the decelerated rotational force is transmitted through the drive arm 26. C1 with the thermal head 11 centered around the swing shaft 24
, PlvJ in the C2 direction.

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

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

This will be explained with reference to FIG.

The transfer paper cartridge 12 is inserted into the insertion hole 17d of the frame 17 from the A+ force direction with the gear 50. It is placed between the stage 10 and the stage 10. The entrance sides of the guide plates 52 and 53 are expanded outwardly, respectively, with expanded portions 52a and 53a.
is bent to facilitate insertion of the transfer paper cartridge 12.

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

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

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

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

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

Both transfer paper supply rolls 14. Notches 14a and 15a are formed at one end of the transfer paper take-up roll 15, and the sides of these one end notches 14a and 15a support a roll support shaft supported by a shaft holder 58 fixed to a cartridge side plate 54. It is inserted into the bins 58a and 59a of 59°59. On the other hand, the other end of the roll 14.15 is fitted into a roll support shaft 61.61 supported by a shaft holder 60.60 fixed to the other cartridge side plate 55. In addition, this roll support shaft 61.61 and the shaft holder 60.6
Compression coil springs 61 and 62 are installed between the rollers 14 and 0, and by bending the springs, the rolls can be easily attached and detached, and at the same time, the rolls 14 and 15 are always urged toward the cartridge side plate 54. The position is Illu.

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

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

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

Teeth lm66 and lm67 are arranged on the side plate 17a of the frame 17 at positions that mesh with the supply-side gear 50 and the take-up-side gear 51 of the transfer paper cartridge 12, respectively.

One of the teeth 166 has a large gear 68 integral therewith, which is supported by a shaft.
It meshes with a small gear 70 integrated with 9. And disk 6
The detection sensor 71 facing the pattern 9 is connected to the support part 72.
It is attached to the side plate 17a via. That is, when the supply roll 14 rotates, the disk 6 is supplied via the gear train.
At this time, the detection sensor 71 detects a radial white/black pattern and outputs a pulse-like signal to confirm the rotational state of the supply roll 14. Therefore, when the transfer paper 13 is finished, the rotation of the disk 69 naturally stops, so the apparatus can always check the remaining state of the transfer paper 13.

Further, the gear 5 on the winding side of the transfer paper cartridge 12
The other gear 67 that meshes with the gear 1 has its shaft 74 connected to the side plate 17.
It is slidably and rotatably supported by a shaft holder 73 fixed to the outer surface of a. A drive gear 76 is attached to the rotating shaft 74 on the shaft holder 73 side, and a coil spring 75 is fitted on the gear 67 side. Therefore, when the gear 67 meshes with the gear 68 of the transfer paper cartridge 12, even if the mutual teeth are out of phase, the gear 68
7 rotates while being displaced in the pressing direction against the elastic force of the coil spring 75, and elastically returns again at the position where the teeth are in phase, so that an accurate meshing relationship can be maintained.

The drive gear 76 is slidably engaged with a wide small gear 78 which is an output gear of the transfer paper drive mechanism 19. The small total weight 78 is formed integrally with the large float 79, and is supported by a shaft 77 embedded in the side plate 17a.

The large gear 79 meshes with a wide small gear 81 supported by a shaft 80 installed on the side plate 17a, and is a friction gear fixed to a 7-runte portion 81a of this small gear 81 and a coaxial gear 83. The felt 82 is pressed from the rear side by a coil spring 84 and friction-bonded. In other words, the pinion 81 and the gear 83 are connected by the slip clutch mechanism.The pinion 83 is connected to the pinion 81 on the rotating shaft of the motor 85.
mesh with. This motor 85 is fixed to the side plate 17a by a frame 87.

Therefore, the motor 85 of the transfer paper cartridge drive mechanism 19
The rotation of the small gear 86 is decelerated and transmitted to the small gear 81 connected to the gear 83 via a slip clutch mechanism, and the small gear 81 is further transmitted to the large gear 79 . Small gear 78. Transfer paper cartridge 1 is driven by decelerating gear 76 (gear 67).
The second gear 51 is rotated clockwise to wind up the transfer paper 13. When winding up this transfer paper, the transfer paper 13
If the paper is wound with excessive force, streaks will occur in the main scanning direction of the print screen, so the slip clutch mechanism effectively acts to prevent overload during winding.

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

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

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

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

Furthermore, a transfer paper cartridge 1 is provided on the side surface of the side plate 17b.
A lock lever 94 for locking the paper cartridge 2 is rotatably attached to the transfer paper cartridge 12, and when the transfer paper cartridge 12 is inserted into the stomach and positioned, the cartridge side plate 55
Movement in the insertion direction is completely regulated by being locked to.

(Stage and Stage Moving Mechanism) The stage 10 and stage moving mechanism are shown in detail in the perspective view of FIG. 5 and in FIGS. 6 to 8, and in FIG.
1 and 10 are respectively shown in plan views.

Card 6 and stage 10 consist of rectangular blocks.
As shown in FIG. 6, the guide shafts 8a and 8b, which have both ends attached to support plates 100 and 101 fixed to the frame 17, are supported via linear ball bearings 102 and 102, and are rotated by the rotation of the ball screw shaft 9. The card 6 moves in a direction perpendicular to the main scanning direction of the thermal head 11 and is inserted along the longitudinal direction of the guide member 7 from the direction perpendicular to the direction of movement as shown in FIG.
Fix it. This linear ball bearing 102.102
are regulated by stoppers 103 and 103 fixed to the side surfaces 10a and 10b of the stage 10 with screws.

The ball screw shaft 9 is arranged between both guide shafts f3a and 3b, and its nut is fixed to the stage 10, and both ends are rotatably connected to support plates 100 and 101 fixed to the frame 17 via ball bearings 104 and 105. Supported.

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

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

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

The stoppers 107, 107 are movable forward and backward from the upper surface 10C of the stage by means not shown, and sometimes lower to the bottom of the stage when ejecting the card to transport the card 6 to the ejecting port 16 side. The bottom of the groove section is a flat platen section 110 made of an elastic material such as rubber, and the hardness is appropriately set according to the material and thickness of the card 6, which is a recording medium.

For example, the material of the card 6 is made of vinyl chloride polymer, vinyl chloride, vinyl acetate polymer, etc., and the thickness is 0.
For cards of 68g1m to 0.80-1, set the hardness to about 40° to 65°, which corresponds to the hardness of rubber.
For cards made of paper with a thickness of 0.2-1 to 0.4cm, the thermal head can be set to a hardness equivalent to 60'' to 85'', which is equivalent to the hardness of rubber, to prevent warping and bending of the card 6. 11, the card is prevented from sinking into the elastic member more than necessary, and an image with a good S/N ratio can be obtained without registration deviation occurring.

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

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

Also, conveyance rollers 113a, 113a, 113b, 113 for feeding and discharging the card 6 in proximity to the positioning rib 108 and guide rib 109 of the platen portion 110 are provided.
b is rotatably attached to the stage 10. Conveyance roller 1iaa.

The outer circumferential surface of 113b is covered with rubber having a high friction coefficient for a length of 1 m! 115.115 is formed.

Conveyance rollers 113a, 11a (113b, 113b)
is coaxial with the rotating shaft 114a (114b), and is movable up and down within the groove 118 as shown in FIG.
Although the bearing portion 119.119 of the holding pin 117.117 is elastically supported by the coil spring 116.116 disposed below 0, its raised position protrudes from the positioning rib 108 and the guide rib 109.
regulated by. These presser bins 117.117
Both are rotatable. The elastic force of the coil springs 116 and 116 is appropriately set so that the thermal head 11 presses the card 6 wABi\ and the card comes into close contact with the platen portion 110.

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

As shown in FIG. 6, the geared motor 122 of the card transport mechanism 121 is attached below the stage 10, and the rotation of the small pulley 124 fixed to the motor shaft 123 is controlled by the first geared motor 122.
is transmitted from the rubber belt 126 to the large pulley 120b via a pair of idlers 125. Large pulley 120b
The rotation of the second rubber belt 12 is caused by the small pulley 120a.
8 to the small pulley 127 on the rotating shaft 114b of the other conveyance rollers 113b, 113b.

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

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

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

In addition, there is an LED 7c on the front side of this guide member 7,
The status of the device is confirmed using two-color LEDs that emit different colors when a card can be inserted and when printing.

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

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

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

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

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

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

The movement position of the stage 10 is detected by a start sensor 146. which is a transmission type optical sensor. This is done using a limit plate 148 attached to the side surface of the stage 10 by an end sensor 147. That is, the start sensor 146 is connected to the limit plate 1.
48, the stage 1o is at the card supply/discharge position, and when the end sensor 147 is blocked, the stage 10 is on the end side, and both sensors 146, 14
When 7 is not blocked, it is recognized that it is in the process of moving.

Furthermore, at the start and end positions of stage 10,
Limit switches 149 and 150 are arranged respectively, and if the device becomes unable to detect the position with the above-mentioned sensor of the stage 10 due to an unexpected situation (for example,
If the microcomputer that controls the mechanism goes out of control due to noise, etc., or if the start sensor 146. If the stage 10 comes into contact with the support plates 100 and 101 and a switch is turned on to prevent destruction of each part of the vehicle (such as disconnection or destruction of the end sensor 147), a reset signal is sent to the microcomputer hardware to stop the program. be able to.

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

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

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

When the recording apparatus 1 is powered on (step 200), the microcomputer of the mechanical controller is initialized (step 201), and then all the motors of the above configuration are stopped and displayed, and the ED is turned off (step 202). By these operations, the outputs of all the motors (42, 85, 133) of each drive system become [HiQhJ because the "lowj drive moke" is adopted.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

If the supply/discharge sensor 130 reacts, the geared motor 122 is reversed after a certain period of time and then stopped. Thereafter, the program waits until the card can no longer be detected by the supply/discharge sensor 130, and when the card is no longer detected, it is determined that the card has been removed and the program proceeds to the next program.

By performing such steps, double feeding of cards can be prevented and stable operation of the device can be guaranteed.

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

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

Here, the black mark BL on the transfer paper 13 shown in FIG. 4 in the transfer paper cartridge 12 shown in FIG. Let's do it. The ink detection sensor 93 emits light and the ED is infrared, which transmits through the dyes of Y, M, and C colors, but does not transmit through black. Therefore, if the light is not reflected by the reflective plate 65 provided on the transfer paper cartridge 12, it can be detected as a black mark BL. This operation is limited by timer settings, and in the event of a sensor failure, the program is stopped to prevent unnecessary winding of transfer paper.

That is, as shown in the subroutine of FIG. 16, if a black mark is not detected in step 240, a predetermined time (for example, 10 seconds) is set (step 241), and then the transfer paper motor 85 is rotated (step 242), and the process proceeds to step 240. 24
When the beginning of the Y color ink is located in step 3, the transfer paper motor 85 is stopped (step 244, and the process returns to step 210 of the main routine.Furthermore, if the beginning of the Y color ink is not located in step 243, Check whether the predetermined time (for example, 10 seconds) has been reached (step 245). If it has reached L/, check the beginning of the Y ink again in step 243, and if it has reached the predetermined time R@, proceed to step 245. At step 246, an error code (for example, error code 1) is set, the transfer paper motor 85 is stopped, and the process returns to step 211 of the main routine.

The printing preparation operation is completed through the steps up to this point. Then, the process returns to the main routine shown in FIG. 15 again, and if there is no operational error in step 211, the display LED 7C on the front of the guide member 7 for card insertion lights up rREADY J (step 212), and the card insertion is completed. hold

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

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

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

When the card 6 is accurately placed on the stage 10 and detected, a printing operation is started. For this reason, the recording apparatus 1 itself does not have a print start switch, and subsequent operations proceed automatically, resulting in extremely good operability.

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

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

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

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

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

When the start sensor 146 is disconnected, the origin pattern 144 of the encoder plate 142 passes through the origin sensor 145 shown in FIGS. 9 and 10. Then, the origin pattern 144 passes the origin sensor 145 (
Step 251> and FG counting is started (Step 252).

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

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

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

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

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

This is to stabilize the motor startup speed.

A heating element resistor element is supplied to the thermal heater 11 as a composite signal in which image information captured by a video camera and character information from a personal computer or the like are combined.

Stage 10 is stage transportation! 11131 moves in the 81 direction from the position shown in FIG. 9 to the position shown in FIG. 10 (the position shown in FIG. 12 to FIG. paper 1
3 is sent out from the supply roll 14 and wound onto the take-up roll 15 in synchronization with the moving speed of the stage 10. Power is started and a predetermined printing line (for example, 400
When the thermal head 11 is counted (step 255), the power to the thermal head 11 is cut off (step 256).

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

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

This ilF is performed in a subroutine shown in FIG.

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

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

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

On the other hand, if the origin of the stage 10 is not detected in step 261, magenta cue detection is performed in step 265 while the stage 10 continues to move. Here, if the magenta cueing is not completed, the process returns to step 261 and detects the resuming origin (i.e., 26
1→265→261...) If magenta cue detection is confirmed, in step 266 the transfer paper motor 8
5, return to step 261, and repeat steps 261 → 265 → 266 → 261 until the origin of stage 10 can be detected.
Perform a loop of... Thereafter, if the origin of the stage 10 can be detected, steps 261→262→263→264 are performed.

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

The magenta (M) cue is detected by a reflective sensor using a green LED as a light source, which transmits the Y color but not the M color, so one of the ink detection sensors 93 detects the boundary. Then, the motor 85 for driving the transfer paper is stopped.

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

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

After completing M color, if there is no operation error in step 227,
Similar to step 204, head separation is performed in step 228, and if there is no operation error in step 229,
Step 230) for finding the stage origin and the beginning of the transfer paper is performed again. Cy color is detected by a reflective piece sensor using a red LED as a light source, which transmits M color but does not transmit Cy color, and uses one of the ink detection sensors 93 to perform positioning.

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

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

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

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

The spacing of the thermal conductor 11 is determined by the motor 4 shown in FIG.
2, rotate the cam disk 28 to reflect inside! 833
The detection sensor 35 facing the hole 3 of the reflection disk 33
When 3a is confirmed, the current is cut off and the separation state is established.

Further, the positioning mark BL of the transfer paper 13 is detected by the ink detection sensor 93, and current is supplied to the motor 85 of the transfer paper 13 which is stopped at that position of the transfer paper drive unit 19.

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

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

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

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

As described above, when the motor 42 of the thermal head drive mechanism 18 is energized, the cam disk 28 rotates, and the reflection disk 3
The detection sensor 34 detects the second hole 32a, and the hour motor 42 stops based on the detection signal. At this time, a coil spring 3 is installed between the rotating drive arm 26 and the connecting rod 23 that forms the frame of the thermal head assembly.
7 and 37 are bent, and the thermal head 1 is bent according to the amount of bending.
1 rotates in the 01 direction, and a vertical pressing force is applied to the card 6.

When the thermal head 11 and the card 6 are in contact with each other, the stage drive motor 133 of the stage transport mechanism 131 rotates the ball screw shaft 9, and the stage 1
0 moves in the B1 direction using the guide shafts 3a and sb as guide parts. At the same timing as this movement of the stage 10, the motor 85 of the transfer paper drive mechanism 19 that drives the transfer paper 13 rotates, and the tMi wheel 51 on the take-up roll 15 side of the transfer paper cartridge 12 is rotationally driven via the gear 67. Then, the transfer paper 13 is sent out from the supply roll 14. At the same time, a predetermined signal current is supplied to the heating resistor of the thermal head 11, and the ink on the transfer paper 13 is sequentially transferred onto the card 6.

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

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

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

When the above operation is performed again, the second color ink is transferred to the card 6. In this way, Y, M, C
Full-color printing is completed by transferring the three colors of ink y.

Note that the transfer paper 13 may be made of 8K black in addition to the three colors Y, M, and Cy, and in that case, the number and type of the detection sensors 93 must be appropriately selected.

When the printing operation for a predetermined color is completed in this way, the stopper 107 of the stage 10, which has returned to the starting position, is lowered, and the card 6 is moved by the conveyance rollers 113a and 113b as shown in FIGS. 2 and 5 by the rotation of the geared motor 122. The paper is discharged toward the discharge port 16 and subjected to overcoat printing by the second recording device ib.

(Second recording device @1b and related mechanism) Second recording device g
ib in Figure 20 (A) < B)! I will explain using

The card 6, on which full-color printing has been completed by transferring ink of three colors Y, M, and Cy, by the first recording device 1a is transferred to a second recording device disposed consecutively to the first recording device 1a. 1b forms an overcoat film.

That is, the frame 157 of the second recording device 1b is formed into a substantially U-shape by a pair of opposing side plates 157a and a bottom plate 157b, and one of the side plates 157a is crimped with a head (not shown) as described above. A mechanism, a platen roller drive mechanism, a transfer paper winding mechanism, etc. are installed.

The heating resistor of the thermal head 5 is connected to the platen roller 4.
The support member 15 is arranged parallel to the axial direction of the
It is fixed at 9,159.

This support member 159 is rotatable about a shaft 159a.

Connecting rod 1 installed on this support member 159, 15911
60 is pressed by a pressure arm 161 fixed to a shaft 162, the thermal head 5 is rotated. This shaft 162 is rotated by a drive means (a motor, a rotary solenoid, etc.) not shown. In addition, the pressure arm 16
1 rotates in the opposite direction, the thermal head 5 is separated from the platen roller 4 by the return force of the spring 163.

The platen roller 4 is composed of a hard metal core 4a and an elastic member 4b made of rubber or the like formed thereon, and is rotated counterclockwise by means (for example, a stepping motor, a servo motor, etc.) not shown.

The transfer paper 155 is wound between a supply roll 153 and a take-up roll 154, and is guided by guide rollers 164 and 165, and is inserted into a transfer paper cartridge as shown in the third figure used in the first recording device. It is attached to the device and can be attached to and detached from the device as a unit.

The winding of the take-up roll 154 is transmitted from the same drive source as that of the platen roller 4 to a gear 166 by means not shown, and then to a gear 169 of the roll shaft via gears 167 and 168. A slipping clutch is interposed between the gear 169 and the winding wheel 154 to absorb changes in the winding amount due to differences in winding diameters.

The supply rollers 2b and 2b are rotated at a reduced speed by a geared motor 170 via gears 171 and 172.

The supply rollers 2b, 2b and 3a, 3a are rotated by a transmission means (not shown, for example, a belt, gears, etc.).

Further, the upper roller among the supply rollers 2b and 3a is pressed downward by a spring 173 and functions as a pressure roller. A transmission type optical sensor 174a is installed before and after the supply roller 2b.
, 174b are provided to detect the supplied card 6. Note that 175 to 177 are card guide rails.

The paper ejection path (left side) arranged via the paper feed path and the platen roller 4 has the same configuration as the supply side, and is connected to the paper ejection roller 1 by a geared motor 178 via a reduction gear train 179.
80.180. Drive the roller 3b. Similarly to the above, the upper roller is pressed downward by the spring 181 and functions as a pressure roller.

Reference numeral 182 indicates an optical sensor for recognizing the paper ejection i11, and reference numerals 183 to 185 indicate guide rails.

Each of the rollers 2b, 3a, 3b, and 180 has a one-way clutch interposed between it and its rotating shaft, and the circumferential speed of the roller 113 arranged on the stage 10 of the first recording apparatus 1a is It is set slower than the peripheral speed, and card 6
When the card is transferred from the first recording device to the second recording device, the feeding speed of the card is controlled by the platen roller 4 and the roller 113.
to prevent scratches on the card.

Here, the operation of overcoating a card by the second recording device f1b will be explained.

As mentioned above, the card 6 on which full color printing has been completed by the first recording device 1a is transferred to the roller 113 of the stage 10.
The transmission sensor 174a is then transported by the sensor 174a. As a result, the geared motor 170 starts rotating and the roller 2b
, 3a rotate counterclockwise. Thereafter, the transported card 6 is inserted between the supply rollers 2b, 2b at the feed speed of the roller 113. When the card 6 is separated from the roller 113, it is transported by the rotational force of the rollers 2b and 3a, and when the card 6 blocks the transmission sensor 174b, the platen roller 4 is rotated clockwise by the signal. Furthermore, the rotation of the platen roller 4 also drives the transfer paper drive mechanism.

When the rear end of the card 6 passes the transmission sensor 174b, the leading end is inserted between the platen roller 4 and the thermal head 5, the pressure arm 161 rotates, and the head pushes the card 6 through the transfer paper 155. Press and energize. (
(The energization pulse is determined by counting the pulses generated on the platen drive system.) The relationship between the thermal head 5 and the platen roller 4 is as shown in FIG. The tip of the thermal head does not come into direct pressure contact with the platen roller 4. At this time, the distance t between the surface of the platen roller 4 and the heating resistor which is the tip of the thermal head 5
is smaller than the plate thickness T of the card 6, so that pressure is generated when the card is inserted.

When overcoating the card 6 in this way, when feeding the card with the thermal head crimped onto the platen in advance, the distance between the thermal head 5 and the surface of the platen roller 4 is smaller than the thickness of the card. This makes it easier to insert the card, prevents the device from malfunctioning, prevents damage to the expensive thermal helmet, and enables full-scale recording of the card. Furthermore, even if the thermal head is pressed onto the platen without a card due to malfunction, damage to the thermal head 5, transfer paper 155, and platen row 54 can be prevented, and in addition, the load on the drive system can be reduced to reduce the motor speed. Can be made smaller.

Also, the head is 0.2w + m ~ 0 from the normal card pressure.
．． 31 is in a floating position, and the crimping operation starts from this point, so the time used for crimping is extremely short.

During printing, since the speed of the platen roller 4 is faster than the feed speed of the supply roller, each roller is slipping due to the action of the one-way clutch. Further, during printing, the leading end of the card 6 is caught on the ejection row 53b, but similarly slips due to the one-way clutch. Then, when the card 6 separates from the platen roller 4 and its tip blocks the transmission sensor 182, the head separates from the platen roller 4, and at the same timing, the rotation of the platen roller 4 also stops.

Thereafter, the discharge roller continues to rotate until the rear end of the card 6 passes the transmission sensor 182.

Here, a drive system for driving the apparatus of the present invention will be explained using the schematic block diagram of FIG. 21.

The first recording device 1a and the second recording device 1b of the recording device of the present invention each have a mechanical system 1 such as a dedicated motor and a sensor.
90a and mechanical drive 191 for driving it
a, a microcomputer 192a and a head drive circuit 193a for the thermal head 11.

The head drive circuit 193a of the first recording device f1a transfers image information and character information to the image memory 19 from an external I/F circuit such as a video camera or a personal computer.
4, the memory image is subjected to signal processing suitable for the thermal head, and is supplied to the head drive circuit 193a.

On the other hand, the head drive circuit 1 of the second recording device 1b
93b reads out the predetermined printing pattern from the microcomputer 192b (for example, printing on the entire surface, excluding the magnetic tape section, excluding the embossed section, etc.) prepared in the ROM 195, and prints the overcoat pattern.

In this second recording device 1b, if an error such as a card jam occurs, the microcomputer 192b
A signal is sent to the microcomputer 192a of the recording device i1a of the first
Although the processing in the recording device 1a is temporarily stopped,
Usually the first. The second recording devices are each operated independently. Also, mechadrab, head power supply VTh3. vTh
b is also independent, and both can perform optimal recording (printing).

In this way, since each recording device is driven independently, optimal recording can be performed even with overcoat materials having different recording conditions (for example, ink thickness, head voltage, head energization time, head cooling time). Furthermore, while the second recording device 11b is overcoating the card 6, the first recording device 1a can continue to record, so the recording time is short and efficient.

(Effect of the invention) In the recording device of the present invention configured as described above,
A thermal head that operates between a recording position and a non-recording position is set so that its heating element is separated from the surface of the platen by a predetermined distance during recording, which may cause the device to malfunction. This avoids damage to expensive thermal rads. Furthermore, even if the thermal head is moved to the platen without a card due to a malfunction, the gap between them can prevent damage to the thermal head, transfer paper, and platen, and the gap between the thermal head and the surface of the platen can prevent damage to the thermal head, transfer paper, and platen. Since this is smaller than the board thickness of the card, the card can be easily inserted, and the load on the drive system can be reduced, making it possible to downsize the motor. Also, a first recording device, and a second recording device linked to the first recording device.
For example, after a predetermined information signal is recorded on a card, which is a recording medium, in the first recording section, the next recording such as overcoating is performed on the platen of the second recording device. It is possible to perform a recording operation, improving the operating rate of the device, and has the advantage that the first recording device can record information over the entire surface.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the basic configuration of the recording apparatus of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a thermal head drive mechanism, a transfer paper cartridge drive mechanism, and their surrounding parts, which constitute a part of the main parts of the apparatus of the present invention. , FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a transfer paper cartridge applied to the device of the present invention, FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a transfer paper roll, and FIG. 5 is a stage and stage movement that constitute a part of the main parts of the device of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a side view of the stage shown in FIG. 5, FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the stage taken along line VI-VI in FIG. 6, and FIG. 8 is an enlarged view of the card position regulating section. 9 and 10 are stage drive plan views, and FIGS. 11 to 14 are explanatory diagrams of the operation of the present invention.
16 is a flowchart of the main routine for explaining the operation of the device of the present invention, FIGS. 16 to 18 are flowcharts showing subroutines, FIG. A) and (B) are a side view of the second recording device and an enlarged view showing the relationship between the thermal head and the platen roller, and FIG. 21 is a schematic block diagram of the drive system of the device of the present invention. 1... Recording device, 1a... First recording device (first recording section), 1b... Second recording device (second recording section)
, 4... platen roller, 5.11-... thermal head, 6... card, 7... guide member, 8a, 8
b...Guide shaft, 9...Ball screw shaft, 10...
Stage, 12...Transfer paper cartridge, 13.15
5... Transfer paper, 14... Supply roll, 15... Winding roll, 17... Frame, 17a, 17b...
・Side plate, 18... Thermal head drive mechanism, 19...
・Transfer paper winding mechanism, 20a, 20b-Mounting plate, 23-
・・Connection rod, 24-・・Swing arm, 26・・Drive arm, 27・・Connection rod, 28・・Cam disc, 3o・
...Shaft, 31...Large diameter gear, 32.33...Reflection disk, 34.35...Detection sensor, 36...Bin, 3
7... Spring, 38... Leaf spring, 39... Bottle, 4
1... Worm wheel, 42... Motor, 42.
43...Timing pulley, 50...Gear on the supply side, 5]...Gear on the winding side, 54.55...Cartridge side plate, 68...Large gear. 69... Disc, 70... Small gear, 71... Detection sensor, 74... Rotating shaft, 76... Drive gear, 7
8... Small gear, 85... Motor, 93... Ink detection sensor, 94... Lock lever, 100, 101.
...Support plate, 106...Card fixing part, 107...
Stopper, 108... Positioning rib, 109... Guide rib, 113a, 113b... Conveyance roller, 12
1... Card transport mechanism, 122... Geared motor,
126... First rubber belt, 128... Second rubber belt, 129... Regulating rib, 131... Stage transport mechanism, 133... Stage drive motor, 14
2...Encoder, 144...Origin pattern, 14
5...Origin sensor, 146...Start sensor, 1
47... End sensor, 148... Limit plate, 1
51... Supply/discharge sensor, 152... Positioning sensor,
170...Geared motor. Patent Applicant: Japan Victor Co., Ltd. Representative Umiki
Kunio General Gugo 4/Dezu mother lO figure (E3)

Claims (3)

[Claims] (1) A recording device that records information such as image information or text information on a card-shaped recording medium on a platen using a thermal head via transfer paper, and operates between a recording position and a non-recording position. The recording apparatus is characterized in that the thermal head is set such that its heating element is spaced a predetermined distance from the surface of the platen during recording. (2) The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the distance between the heating element of the thermal head and the surface of the platen during recording is smaller than the thickness of the card-shaped recording medium. (3) A recording device that records information such as image information or character information on a card-shaped recording medium using a thermal head via transfer paper, the recording device recording information such as image information or character information on a card-shaped recording medium placed on a linearly moving stage. The card is conveyed from a first recording device that records information such as image information or character information via a transfer paper using a line-type first thermal head equipped with a heating element arranged orthogonally to the moving direction of the stage. During an overcoat recording operation in which a protective film is applied to the recording surface of a shaped recording medium by a second recording device following the first recording, the heating element of the second thermal head is at a predetermined distance from the surface of the platen. A recording device characterized in that it is set in a separated state.