JPH0349977A - Method for controlling recording of multicolor ink ribbon - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enhance the recording efficiency of an ink ribbon by dividing a continuous ink arrangement part of each color into a plurality of regions and using only one region to successively perform recording output and mounting the ink ribbon so as to reverse the front and rear surfaces thereof when the recording of the ink ribbon up to the last is completed and using the new divided region to perform recording. CONSTITUTION:When a user considers recording content to input a desired number of divisions from the keyboard of an operation part 20 to indicate the same. For example, by indicating and inputting '3', one continuous ink coating length 'L' of each color is divided into three regions each having a length of L/3 and only an A- region of each color is used at first to perform recording and an ink ribbon is once used up to the last and only a B-region of each color is used at the second time to perform recording and only a C-region of each color is used at the third time. In the use of the second time, the bar code discrimination in a bar code reading part 14 is set to a reversal discrimination mode and the reading bar code detection position due to a sensor 15 is at the last of the ink color specified by the bar code concerned and the ink color applied in succession to said bar code is set to a mode being a color applied before one.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial Field of Application] The present invention relates to a method for controlling recording of a multicolor ink ribbon, for example, a method of controlling recording of a multicolor ink ribbon in a serial printer.

[Prior Art] Multicolor ink ribbons for serial printers are usually made by applying each color of ink to a fixed length on a single film of a predetermined width. In order to determine which part is coated with which color, a barcode part is provided on each color coated part.

Conventionally, when recording using this ink ribbon,
Prior to recording, the ink ribbon is first read while winding up the barcode area, the target color area is detected, and when the target color area is reached, each color is sequentially recorded starting from the target color.

At this time, the length of the ink application portion for each color (the length of the continuous same color application portion) is determined to be a constant length. Therefore, in order to prevent recording beyond the same color area to the next color area, the maximum recording length that can be continuously recorded for each color is set in advance, and control is performed to prevent continuous recording beyond this length. has been done.

Therefore, when performing recording that exceeds the maximum continuous recording length, the recording operation is interrupted once, and while the ink ribbon is wound up, the bar code is used to monitor the next area coated with the same color coming to the next recording position. However, after the same color portion is reached, the remaining portion is recorded continuously. In other words, in this case, the ink portions of other colors that are applied between the two colors are not used, and are wound up as they are and are completely wasted.

To avoid this, it would be better to have a long continuous ink application length for each color, but if it is too long, on the other hand, if you record only a small amount of one color and then record another color, This results in a large portion of the continuous ink application length for that color being unused and wasted.

Therefore, in the past, for boat fishing, taking the width of the recording paper into consideration,
4 size vertical (257mm) or A4 size vertical (21
The length of one continuous ink application is determined to be slightly longer than the width of the recording paper so that recording can be performed consecutively - times on the recording paper (0 mm).

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, in the conventional example described above, emphasis was placed on the length that can be continuously recorded at one time, so when narrow paper such as a postcard is used, the recording range at one time is narrow. However, there is a drawback that a large portion of one continuous ink-applied area remains unused and is wasted.

To improve this, it would be possible to create an ink ribbon with a shortened continuous ink application length for narrow width paper such as postcards, separately from the conventional ink ribbon, but it would be a good idea to make an ink ribbon with a shorter one continuous ink application length, but the manufacturing cost, method of distinguishing between the two, Considering problems such as misuse by users, this is not very realistic.

[Means for Solving the Problems] The present invention has been made for the purpose of solving the above problems, and as a means for solving the above problems, it is as follows.

That is, in recording using a multicolor ink ribbon in which coloring agents of at least two colors are applied side by side, one continuous ink application area for each color is virtually divided into multiple areas, and only one area of the area is divided. When printing is completed to the end of the ink ribbon, the mounting direction of the ink ribbon cassette is changed, and the ink ribbon cassette is mounted with the front and back reversed, and the printing process is performed using a new divided area.

[Example] Hereinafter, an example according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[First Embodiment] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a color printer according to an embodiment of the present invention, and numeral 10 in the figure shows the control procedure shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, which will be described later, stored in the ROM 1. 11 is a ROM that stores the above-mentioned control procedures, etc.; 12 is a RAM that stores recorded information sent from the host; and 13 is for connection with an external device such as a host computer. 14 is a barcode reading unit for reading a barcode indicating the ink color of a color ink ribbon, which will be described later; 15 is a sensor for reading the barcode; 16 is a ribbon feed control unit; 1
7 is a ribbon mechanism, 18 is a printer recording control section, 19 is a printer engine section, and 20 is an operation section consisting of a keyboard and a display, into which operational instructions and the like of this embodiment are input.

FIG. 2 shows a part of the ribbon mechanism 17 and printer engine section 19 of this embodiment.

In FIG. 2, the recording paper 34 is backed up by the platen 35 and is pressed against the rubber portion of the sheet feed roller 36 by a pinch roller 36b. A gear 37 is attached to the shaft 36a of the sheet feed roller 36, and is connected to the sheet feed motor M1 via a reduction gear 37a. Therefore, the sheet feed roller 36 rotates due to the rotation of the sheet feed motor Ml, and the recording paper 34 rotates.
is transported.

Therefore, when a thermal head 48, which will be described later, contacts the recording paper 34 via the ink ribbon to perform recording, the platen 35 maintains the position of the recording paper 34.

Next, the reciprocating movement of the carriage 50 will be explained.

A shaft 42 is fixed in parallel to the front side of the platen 35, and a rack 43 is fixed to the opposite side of the carriage 50 in a predetermined positional relationship.
The carriage 50 is guided and supported so as to be movable in the direction of arrow B while maintaining a predetermined positional relationship determined by the guide surface on the upper surface of the rack 43 and the carriage 50 . That is, the carriage 50 carries the recording paper 3
It is possible to reciprocate in a direction perpendicular to the transport path A of No. 4.

Further, a portion of the belt 41 is fixed to the carriage 50 and is stretched by a pulley gear 39 and a pulley 40. The pulley gear 39 is a reduction gear 38a, 38
The motor M2 is connected to the carriage motor M2 via the motor M2. Therefore, by rotating the carriage motor M2,
This rotation is transmitted to the pulley gear 39 via the reduction gears 38a and 38b, and the pulley gear 39 rotates.

This drives the belt 41, and the carriage 50 fixed to the belt 41 moves back and forth along the shaft 42 (in the direction of arrow B).

Furthermore, two ink ribbon cassettes are mounted on the carriage 50.
A head holder 55 for mounting on a stack is rotatably guided and supported around a head holder shaft (not shown). A thermal head 48 is attached to this head holder 55, and this head holder 55 also serves as a heat sink for the heat generated by the thermal head 48. Also,
This head holder 55 is provided with a color sensor (color detection means) S3 for color identification of the multicolor ink ribbon in the ink ribbon cassette. Further, the carriage 50 is provided with a ribbon sensor S for detecting the presence or absence of an ink ribbon cassette 60, the type of the ink ribbon cassette 60, and the end of the ink ribbon.
2 are arranged.

A bottle 35a is provided on the top surface of the head holder 55.

35b and hooks 35c, 35d, and 35e are provided, and these allow the ink ribbon 60 to be removably loaded.

Next, the structure of the ink ribbon cassette 60 used in the apparatus of this embodiment, which is loaded into the head holder 55 shown in FIG. 2, will be described below with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4.

In FIGS. 3 and 4, the ink ribbon cassette 6
0 is formed of an upper case 61 and a lower case 62, and is removably loaded into the head holder 55 with the ink ribbon 21 stored in the cassette 60.

The ink ribbon 21 is wound around the supply core 23, passes through rollers 68 rotatably attached to the protrusions 62a and 62b of the lower case 62, and is partially exposed outside the cassette 60 through the opening 62c of the lower case. It again enters the cassette 60 through the lower case opening 62d. Furthermore, after being exposed to the outside of the cassette 60 again through the lower case opening 62e, it enters the cassette 60 through the lower case opening 62f and is wound around the winding core 22.

Note that when the cassette 60 is loaded in a predetermined position of the head holder 55, the ink ribbon 21 exposed from the openings 62c and 62d is positioned between the recording paper facing the head 48 on the main body side. The ink ribbon 21 can be reliably and easily heated by the thermal head 48 that generates heat according to the recorded information. Further, the ink ribbon 21 is connected to the protruding portion 62g of the lower case 62 by pressure contact springs 65 and 66 provided in the lower case 62.
62h, respectively. In addition, the pressure contact spring 65
, 66 are felt 65a.

66a is attached to prevent the ink ribbon 21 from being damaged by pressure contact.

Further, the tension spring 67 holds the ink ribbon 21 in the first position.
Pressure springs 65 and 66 are biased in the direction of the arrow in Figure 3.
The slack of the ink ribbon 21 is removed by working together with the ink ribbon 21.

Also, the ink ribbon 2 is inserted through the opening 62n of the lower case 62.
1 is exposed, and when this cassette 60 is loaded into a predetermined position of the head holder 5S, the ribbon sensor S2 on the main body side shown in FIG. 2 is located at the opening 62n of this cassette 60. , the ribbon sensor S2 is connected to the ink ribbon 21
Detect the ribbon end of. Further, the color sensor S3 on the main body side shown in FIG. 2 is located in the opening 62e of the lower case 62.

It faces the position of the ink ribbon 21 exposed from 62f.

Next, a case will be described in which the ink ribbon cassette 60 described above is removably loaded into the head holder 55.

First, when loading the ink ribbon cassette 60 in the lower stage, openings 61a, 61b, 62i provided in the upper case 61 and lower case 62 of the ink ribbon cassette 60,
62j to the bins 35a, 3 on the head holder 55
5 Insert into b.

Then, the hook 35c is elastically engaged with the locking portion 62k of the lower case.

Thereby, the ink ribbon cassette 60 is removably loaded onto the head holder 55.

Also, in this way, the ink ribbon cassette 60 is placed in the lower row.
When loading the ink ribbon cassette 60 on the upper stage after installing the ink ribbon cassette 60, the openings 61a, 61b, 6
Insert 2i and 62j. And the locking part 6 of the lower case
Hooks 35d and 35e are elastically engaged with 2k.

As a result, the upper ink ribbon cassette 60 is also removably loaded onto the head holder 55.

Next, the color ink ribbon 21 in the ink ribbon cassette 60 used in this embodiment will be explained in detail with reference to FIG.

The ribbon shown in FIG. 5 is an example of the color ink ribbon 21 used in this embodiment.
Y) Three colors of ink, magenta (M) and cyan (C), are sequentially printed with a width of "L" via barcodes 1, 2.3.

"LM", "Lc" are painted in random colors.

When the ribbon cassette 60 is loaded into the predetermined position of the head holder 55, the color sensor S3 on the main body side is connected to the opening 62e of the lower case 62.

It faces the color ink ribbon 21 exposed from 62f.

When the color ink ribbon 21 is wound onto the winding core 22, the barcode 1 on the color ink ribbon 21 is
, 2.3 is detected by a color sensor s3, and the color applied next to the barcode can be identified.

The barcode may be structured so that its color can be distinguished by the difference in the number of black lines as shown in FIG. It is not limited to this form, and may be any form as long as the color can be distinguished.

Further, the number of colors may be set to a desired number instead of the three colors of Y, M, and C.

FIG. 6 is a diagram schematically showing how the multicolor ink ribbon used in the color printer of this embodiment having the above configuration is used when divided. In the case of FIG. 6, similarly to FIG. 5, three colors of ink, yellow (Y), magenta (M), and cyan (C), are sequentially applied.

In the figure, 1, 2.3 are bar codes for determining the application positions of yellow, magenta, and cyan inks, respectively, and 4, 5, and 6 are color ink areas to which yellow, magenta, and cyan inks are applied. Also, LY, Ly,
Lc is the continuous ink application length of each ink, g,
I2. , ρ. is the length of the area used by recording each ink. That is, in FIG. 6, after using the ink ribbon, the yellow, magenta, and cyan inks are (Ly Ilv ) and (Lm 1 ), respectively.
2M).

This means that a length of (Lc-βC) remains unused. Therefore, even if the ink ribbon has been used for recording, if it is possible to use the unused portion of the ink to perform recording again, the ink ribbon can be used more efficiently and the ink ribbon can be used without wasting it. can.

The problem here is how long is the unused part of the ink ribbon after using the ink ribbon?
The length used for recording each part is QY, QU, Flood. If this is not detected in some way, there is a possibility that the ink used area may be used for re-recording by mistake.

Therefore, in this embodiment, the following methods were adopted to solve the above problems.

First, the above-mentioned problem is solved by dividing one continuous ink application area of each color into a predetermined number of parts and using only a designated divided area among the divided areas for printing.

That is, the user inputs and specifies the desired number of divisions from the keyboard of the operation unit 20, taking into account the recorded content. For example, by inputting "3", the continuous ink application length "L" of each color is set to 1/1 as shown in FIG.
The ink ribbon is divided into three areas each having a length of 3 mm, and only one divided area of the ink ribbon is used for recording each color.

For example, the first time you print using only area A of each color shown in Figure 7, use the ink ribbon once to the end, the second time you print using only area B of each color, and the third time you print using only area A of each color. Control is performed so that only the C area of each color is used for recording.

By controlling in this way, the above-mentioned problem can be solved because the area where ink is not used is always used for recording when reusing the ink.

Note that the maximum continuous recording length "Ls" for each color is automatically changed according to the input division number.

For example, in the case of FIG. 7, the number of divisions is "3" and (L!
l = t-/3). Here, when printing data exceeding L/3", printing of that color cannot be completed within the divided ink ribbon. Therefore, in this embodiment, in such a case, the printing of the next same color portion is The barcode is detected and the continuation is recorded.Therefore, even if the recording data exceeds the divided area, it can be recorded without any problem.

The recording control specific to this embodiment described above will be explained below with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

In this embodiment, the operation section 2
Specify the number of ink ribbon divisions from the 0 keyboard, and
Please enter the number of times you used the ink ribbon (.

In addition, the recording data for each color is sent to the host interface 13.
It is stored in the RAM 12 via such as (.

The number of divisions is determined in consideration of the width of the recording paper so that the ink application length L3 after division is slightly longer than the width of the recording paper so that one line of continuous recording can be performed on the recording paper. do it.

Then, when a print start instruction is input, control shifts to the control shown in FIG. 8, and color printing is sequentially performed, for example, one line at a time.

The CPU 10 first operates the operation unit 20 in step S1.
It is checked whether there is any division instruction input, and if there is no division instruction input, the process advances to step s2. Then, the maximum continuous recording length "La" of each color is determined as the continuous ink application length "L" of each color.
”.

In the subsequent step S3, the barcode reading section 14 sets the barcode reading mode to a normal rotation discrimination mode, and sets the mode in which the ink color specified by the barcode read by the sensor 15 is applied following the barcode. . and,
In step S4, it is set to perform recording control for each color using the entire continuous ink application length "L" of each color, and the process proceeds to step S5.

In step S5, the ribbon feed control section 16 is activated, and the ink ribbon is driven until the barcode reading section 14 detects the ink ribbon color to be recorded.

When the desired color position is reached, the process proceeds to step S6, in which the printer recording control section is instructed to scan the recording head (not shown), and when the desired color position is reached, the designated color ink is recorded from the ink ribbon. Then, the ribbon feed control section 16 drives the ink ribbon by the recording length. In this way, the print data of the specified color is printed within the range of Lm. Then, in step S10, it is determined whether recording of the color has been completed. If not, recording of the desired color in the row has not been completed, and the ribbon feed control section 16 is activated in step Sll until the barcode reading section 14 detects the next same ink ribbon color. (to the position of the same color ink in the next cycle) the ink ribbon is driven. When the desired color position is reached, the process moves to step 86 and subsequent steps, and the above process is repeated until the recording of the color concerned is completed.

If the recording of the recording line has been completed in step S10, the process advances to step S15, and it is checked whether all the recording data in the RAM 12 has been recorded. If all have been completed, the recording process ends.

If there is still data to be recorded, the process advances to step S16;
Activate the ribbon feed control section 16 and start the barcode reading section 14.
The ink ribbon is driven until it detects the next ink ribbon color to be recorded. At this time, if it is necessary to feed the recording paper, the recording control section 18 is instructed to perform the necessary line feed processing. When the desired color position is reached, the process moves to step 86 and subsequent steps to record the next recording color.

On the other hand, if a division instruction has been input by the operation unit 20 in step S1, the process advances to step S20, where the maximum continuous recording length "Lm" of each color is divided by the continuous ink application length "L" of each color by the instructed number of divisions. Set the value to "L/Number of divisions." In this embodiment, the following explanation will be given using an example in which the number of divisions is 3. However, the number of divisions may be any number, and the number of divisions is repeated as many times as the number of divisions. Colored ribbons can be used.

Following step S20, it is checked in step S21 whether the number of times the ink ribbon has been used is 1, that is, the ribbon is being used for the first time. If the number of uses N is "1" and it is the first use, the process advances to step S22, and the barcode reading section 1
The barcode identification in step 4 is set to the normal rotation identification mode, and the mode is set such that the ink color specified by the barcode read by the sensor 15 is applied following the barcode. Then, in step 323, a mode is set in which printing is performed using the first divided area of the continuous ink coating length "L" for each color. When the ink is divided into three, the mode is set to use the area A in FIG. 7 for each color ink. Since the initial settings before starting recording are now completed, the process proceeds to step 85 and subsequent steps.

In this case, after detecting the desired color position on the ink ribbon using the barcodes 1 to 3, recording starts immediately.

On the other hand, if N=1 is not determined in step S21, the process proceeds to step S25, and it is checked whether N=2, that is, whether this is the second use. In the case of N''2 in the second use, the process advances to step S26, where the barcode identification in the barcode reading section 14 is set to the inverted identification mode, and the barcode detection position read by the sensor 15 is specified by the barcode. This is the last ink color applied to the barcode, and the ink color applied following the barcode is set to the mode in which the ink color applied next is the previous color.In this embodiment, once the ink ribbon has been recorded to the end, After that, if the division designation is made, the number of times N of use of the ink ribbon is incremented by one, and the ink ribbon is reversely driven in the opposite direction.For this reason, the reversal identification mode is set. The ink ribbon is coated with yellow (Y), magenta (M), and cyan (C) in the order of Y-M-C-Y-M-C-Y→... For example, yellow (Y) ) is detected, it can be determined that the next area is coated with cyan (C) ink.

Then, in step S27, one continuous ink application length of each color is
The mode is set to perform recording using the second divided area of "L".

In this case, after detecting the desired color position on the ink ribbon using the barcode, move the ink ribbon ((number of divisions)
-2) Drive for L minutes, and then start recording for up to L3 minutes.

If the area is divided into three, the mode will be such that the area B in FIG. 7 is used for each color ink. Since the initial settings before starting recording are now completed, the process proceeds to step 85 and subsequent steps.

If the number of uses N is not 2 in step S25, the process advances to step S30 to check whether the number of uses N=3. If N=3, the process advances to step S31, where the barcode identification in the barcode reader 14 is set to the normal job change mode, and the ink color specified by the barcode read by the sensor 15 is set following the barcode. The mode is set to the one in which it is applied. Then, in step S32, a mode is set in which printing is performed using the third divided area of the continuous ink application length "L" for each color. When the ink is divided into three, the mode is set to use the area C in FIG. 7 for each color ink. Since the initial settings before starting recording are now completed, the process proceeds to step 85 and subsequent steps.

In this case, after detecting the desired color position of the ink ribbon using the barcode, the ink ribbon is driven for "2L," and then recording for the maximum length of L3 is started.

In this way, the ink ribbon is used repeatedly for the number of divisions. When all the ink ribbon divided areas have been recorded, no further reversal is performed, a ribbon replacement request etc. is displayed, the recording process is interrupted, and the printer waits until a new ink ribbon is set again.

In the above explanation, it is assumed that the number of divisions is "3", but the number of divisions may be arbitrary. Furthermore, the order in which the ink ribbon divided areas are used does not necessarily have to be in the order of A, B, and C in FIG.
It may be in any order such as A, C, B.

Details of the ribbon cue processing for the ink ribbon 21 in the above description will be explained below with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

Ribbon cue is determined using the barcode section 1 provided on the color ink ribbon 21. , 2.3 are detected by the color sensor S3.

First, in step 5501, the head motor M3 is driven to shift the ink ribbon cassette 60 to the ribbon winding-on position. Next, in step 5502, it is determined whether the ribbon sensor S2 has detected the ribbon end. If the ribbon end is detected, the process advances to step 5503, where the head motor M3 is driven to turn off ribbon winding. Then, the process advances to step 5504, where a ribbon end error is displayed and the process ends.

On the other hand, if the ribbon end is not detected in step 5502, the process proceeds to step 5505, where it is determined whether a barcode is detected by the color sensor S3. If no barcode is detected, the process advances to step 5506, where the carriage motor M2 is driven to move the carriage 50 in the recording direction (rightward) and wind up the color ink ribbon 21. Next, the process advances to step 5507, where it is determined whether the ribbon winding amount exceeds a predetermined winding length "shi". Here, if the ribbon winding amount does not exceed the predetermined winding length, the process returns to step 5502, and as the ribbon continues to wind, color sensor detection is repeated.

If the ribbon winding amount exceeds the predetermined winding length in step 5507, this ink ribbon is regarded as a monochrome ink ribbon rather than a multi-ink ribbon 60.
Proceeding to step 8508, the head motor M3 is driven to shift to the ribbon winding-off position. Next, in step 5509, a cassette setting error is displayed.

Further, when the color sensor S3 detects a barcode in step 5505, the process advances to step 5510, and the detected color of the color ink ribbon is set to the color according to the barcode.

Next, in step 5511, it is determined whether or not the detected color of the color ink ribbon is the specified color for which the cue is being attempted. If it is not the specified color for which the cue is being attempted, the process proceeds to step 5515, and the bar of the specified color is Continue ribbon feeding until code is detected. Then, the process returns to step 5502. Note that if the detected color of the color ink ribbon is undetermined after the power is turned on, it is not possible to determine which color will come when cueing is performed, so in such a case, wind up the ribbon and return it to its original position. It is necessary to perform the following processing. .

If the color detected by the color ink ribbon in step 5511 is the specified color for which the cue is being searched, step 5
The process advances to step 512, where the head motor M3 is driven to shift to the ribbon winding-off position, and the ribbon cueing process for the designated color is completed.

By performing the above processing, color ink ribbons are not cued up unnecessarily, and efficient cueing is possible, and it is also possible to detect errors when a different ink ribbon is inserted. Become.

If there is a division designation, etc., the ink ribbon area where recording and transfer has been completed is skipped first and actual recording is started.

As described above, according to this embodiment, by allowing the user to input and specify the desired number of divisions, the unused portion of ink can be minimized and the recording usage efficiency of the ink ribbon can be increased.

[Second Embodiment] In addition, in the above explanation, the case of a printer capable of bidirectional recording in which the ink ribbon is reversely driven in the opposite direction once the ink ribbon is used to the end has been described. It is not limited to this (it may be a force direction printing printer).

In this case, the inside of the ink ribbon cassette case after use is schematically shown in FIG. 10(A), and the ink ribbon 21 is wound around the winding core 22 as shown. For this reason, the ink ribbon 21 cannot be reused as is, but if the cassette case can be disassembled, the ink ribbon 21. By taking out the winding core 22 and the supply core 23 in that state, and re-inserting them by inverting them as shown in FIG. 10(B), the same state as the initial state can be achieved, and reuse becomes possible.

However, if the ink ribbon is reversed and reinserted, the color of each color barcode and the ink applied area will be different from the original color, so in this case, barcode identification should be set to reverse mode as shown in step S26 in Figure 8. When the barcode is for magenta, the next barcode is yellow, when it is for cyan, it is magenta, and when it is for yellow, it is read as cyan ink.

Alternatively, without disassembling the cassette case, an ink ribbon rewinding mechanism is provided to rewind the ink ribbon to its initial state as shown in FIG. 10(B).

Furthermore, the shape of the ink ribbon cassette may be changed to, for example, the 11th
As shown in FIGS. (A) and (B), the recording head insertion opening 51
, the winding core 22, the supply core 23, the fitting portion between the ink ribbon cassette and the mounting portion, etc. are arranged in symmetrical positions.

With this configuration, there is no need to disassemble the ink ribbon cassette or rewind the ink ribbon.
- After use in the force direction, simply turn it inside out and attach it, making it ready for reuse.

Furthermore, in this case, the first use is on the surface in normal rotation,
The second time, the front and back sides are used alternately, such as the reverse side in an inverted state.

Therefore, it is also possible to control the barcode identification to be automatically converted and detected for normal rotation on the front side and inversion on the back side, depending on the odd or even number of the input value of the number of uses. If you do this,
There is no need to worry about erroneously converting forward/reverse barcode identification.

For example, an outline of the control when the number of divisions is designated and input as "4" will be explained below with reference to FIG.

By inputting "1" during the first use, only the area A of each color image 10 is used for the first recording.

Then, when using the ink ribbon for the second time, the ink ribbon cassette is turned over so that it is on the back side. Then, by inputting "2", only the area B in FIG. 12 is used for recording. At this time, the input number is an even number, and the barcode identification is automatically converted to inversion.

When using the ink ribbon for the third time, the ink ribbon cassette is further turned over so that it is on the front side. Then, by inputting "3", only the area C in FIG. 12 is used for recording. At this time, the number of inputs is an odd number, and the barcode identification is automatically converted to normal conversion.

Furthermore, when using the ink ribbon for the fourth and final time, the ink ribbon cassette is further turned over so that it is on the back side, and by inputting "4" manually, only the area D in FIG. 12 is used for recording. At this time, the input number is an even number, and the barcode identification is automatically converted to inversion.

Note that normal/reverse barcode identification conversion is not a necessary means in the present invention, but is a problem with the barcode itself.

That is, in the above explanation, the color identification barcode is
For example, a case is assumed in which ink ribbons having exactly the same information are used in the forward direction shown by arrow 81 and in the reverse direction shown by arrow 82 in FIG. 13.

However, if the barcode is made to have different information for the normal rotation direction and the reverse rotation direction, for example, as shown in FIG. 14, the color can be directly discriminated without having to distinguish between normal rotation and reverse rotation. That is, in FIG. 14, if the barcode is "thick and thin" or "thin and thick," it is determined as yellow ink, "thick and thin" or "thin and large" as magenta ink, and "thin and thick" as cyan ink. good.

[Effects of the Invention] As explained above, when recording with a multicolor ink ribbon, by dividing the continuous ink application area of each color into multiple areas and using them for recording, the ink-free area of the ink ribbon can be used for recording. This has the effect of increasing the recording efficiency of the ink ribbon.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of the ribbon mechanism and printer engine section of the embodiment, and FIG. 3 is a plan view of the ink ribbon cassette of the embodiment. Figure 4 is a perspective view of the ink ribbon cassette of this example, Figure 5 is a diagram showing the configuration of the color ink ribbon of this example, and Figure 6 is a diagram showing the state of the color ink ribbon used in this example after recording use. 7 is a diagram for explaining an example of ink ribbon division in this embodiment, FIG. 8 is a recording control flowchart in this embodiment, and FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing ribbon cue processing in this embodiment. , FIGS. 10(A) and (B) are schematic diagrams of the inside of the ink ribbon cassette of this embodiment, FIGS. 11(A) and (B) are diagrams showing an ink ribbon cassette case of another embodiment according to the present invention, FIG. 12 is a diagram for explaining ink ribbon division control in another embodiment, FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of an ink ribbon using barcodes that have the same information in forward and reverse rotations, and FIG. 14 is a diagram for explaining ink ribbon division control in another embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of an ink ribbon using a barcode that has different information depending on whether it is rotated normally or reversed. In the figure, 1, 2.3... Barcode for identifying the color of each ink, 4, 5.6... Part where ink of each color is applied, 10... CPU, 11... ROM, 12...R
AM, 13... Host interface, 14... Barcode reading unit, 15... Sensor, 16... Ribbon feed control unit, 17... Ribbon mechanism, 18... Printer recording control unit, 19 ...Printer engine section, 20.
...Operation department, 21...Ink ribbon, 22
... Winding core, 23 ... Supply core, 34 ...
Recording paper, 35... Platen, 48... Thermal head, 50... Carriage, 51... Opening for inserting the recording head, 55... Carriage table, 6
0... Ink ribbon cassette, 61... Upper case,
62... Lower case, 81... Normal running direction of the ink ribbon, 82... Reverse running direction of the ink ribbon, βY
β21℃. ... Part used in recording each color, LY+LM
, LC...each continuous ink coating length of each color, Ml
...Sheet feed motor, M2... Carriage motor, S2... Ribbon sensor, S3... Color sensor.

Claims (4)

[Claims] (1) A recording control method for a multicolor ink ribbon using a multicolor ink ribbon in which coloring agents of at least two colors are sequentially applied in a field-sequential manner, wherein one continuous ink dispensing area for each color is virtually arranged in multiple areas. The ink ribbon is divided into areas, and printing is performed sequentially using only one of the divided areas, and when the printing to the end of the ink ribbon is completed, the installation direction of the ink ribbon cassette is changed, and the ink ribbon cassette is installed with the front side reversed, and a new divided area is printed. 1. A recording control method for a multicolor ink ribbon, characterized in that recording is performed using a multicolor ink ribbon. (2) The multicolor ink ribbon printing control method according to claim 1, wherein the number of divisions can be specified and input. (3) In the recording control method for a multicolor ink ribbon according to claim 1, if the recording data is longer than the length obtained by dividing one continuous ink dispensing portion, recording is performed using divided areas of the same color in the next cycle. A recording control method for a multicolor ink ribbon, characterized in that: (4) The multicolor ink ribbon recording control method according to claim 1, characterized in that the barcode identification is automatically converted to normal rotation or reverse rotation in accordance with the odd or even number of the input value of the number of repeated uses. .