JPH0375353B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a transfer printing device useful for, for example, a printing and issuing machine that prints and issues tickets using a transfer medium (hereinafter referred to as a thermal transfer film).

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a printing and issuing machine that prints and issues tickets using a band-shaped heat-sensitive transfer film coated with or containing a transfer dye is shown in FIG. This is an example of a thermal transfer type printing/publishing machine. In Fig. 1, a belt-shaped thermal transfer film F is wound up into a roll with the transfer agent coated side facing outward, and is placed on a feed reel 1. The unrolled end of the thermal transfer film F is stretched over the tension arm 2, then passed between the feed roller 3 and the pinch roller 4, and then stretched over the guide roller 5 and pressed against the thermal printing head 6. After being sandwiched between the drive roller 7, the separating roller 8, passing between the feed roller 9 and the pinch roller 10, and the tension arm 11, the take-up reel It is designed to be wound up in 12 turns. The pinch rollers 4 and 10 are urged by a spring (not shown) and constantly press the feed rollers 3 and 9. Further, the thermal printing head 6 is rotatably arranged in the direction of the arrow shown in the figure and is urged by a spring (not shown) to press the head pressing drive roller 7. and,
The original note P supplied from the original paper supply mechanism 14 is printed by the printing head 6, and the printed original note P is
After being fixed, it is configured to be stored in a not-illustrated ticket ejection section via the ticket conveyance path 15.

However, the thermal transfer film supply mechanism used in this type of printing and publishing machine is configured such that the film take-up reel is directly driven via a drive mechanism. As a result, excessive force is applied to the thermal transfer film being wound onto the take-up reel due to a malfunction of the drive mechanism, causing the thermal transfer film to be cut, resulting in the machine stopping and the printing and issuance of tickets being interrupted. There were inconveniences such as a drop in operation rate due to the suspension and inconvenience to ticket purchasers.

The present invention was made based on the above-mentioned circumstances, and is capable of applying an appropriate tension to the transfer medium, so that even if the drive mechanism malfunctions, the transfer medium will not be cut. It is an object of the present invention to provide a transfer printing device that has a simple configuration and is highly reliable.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a printing press using a thermal transfer printing device will be described as an embodiment of the present invention with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a printing/publishing machine which is an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 3 is a schematic explanatory view showing the inside of the same example, and FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional plan view of a thermal transfer printing mechanism portion. Fig. 5 is a front view of the printing head portion, Fig. 6 is a cutaway side view of the same portion, and Fig. 7 is a
8 is a cross-sectional plan view showing the winding mechanism for the thermal transfer medium, FIG. 9 is a front view of the pressure fixing mechanism, and FIG. 10 is a bottom view of the same, and FIG.
1 is a longitudinal sectional view of the writing part, FIG. 12 is a front view of the sorting gate part, FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the storage member, and FIGS. 14A and B are a plan view and side view of the original paper. FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram showing the printing yield of a thermal transfer medium, and FIG. 16 is a system configuration diagram showing an example of a printing apparatus to which an embodiment of the thermal transfer printing apparatus is applied. In each figure, 128 is
This printing and issuing machine 128 is a printing and issuing machine.
The apparatus main body 20 includes a base paper supply mechanism 21, a thermal transfer printing mechanism 33, a link mechanism 73, a thermal transfer medium winding mechanism 74, a pressure fixing mechanism 96, and a storage mechanism 12.
It is equipped with 7.

The device main body 20 has doors 132 and 133 on the entire surface.
is attached so that it can be opened and closed freely, and on the bottom side,
A caster 142 is attached so that it is movable (see FIG. 2). The base paper supply mechanism 2
1 is placed on the upper right side of the device main body 20 as shown in FIG.
The sheets are supplied one by one to a transfer printing mechanism (hereinafter also referred to as a thermal transfer printing mechanism) 33. This original paper (hereinafter also referred to as original paper) P is shown in Figure 14 A and B.
As shown in , one side is formed as a printing surface Pa, while the other side is formed as a magnetic recording layer Pb.
The base paper supply mechanism 21 has a hopper 22 in which the original paper P, which has been formed into a card shape in advance, is stored so that the printing surface Pa is always facing upward.
In the top row of the original tickets P, which contains a large number of tickets,
A card holding member 23 is placed. This card holding member 23 has a recess 23a formed on the bottom surface in the feeding direction of the original note P, and the recess 23a serves as an escape route for a picker 25, which will be described later.
It is configured to feed out one sheet at a time up to the original sheet P at the top. Further, this card holding member 23 is formed with relief portions (not shown) for actuators of detectors 31A and 31B, which will be described later. A picker 25 and a throat knife 26, which are rotated in the direction of arrow A by a winding motor 24, are arranged below the hopper 22.
When the ticket feed motor 24 operates according to the ticket issuing command, the picker 25 rotates in the direction of arrow A, and the rotation of the picker 25 causes the original ticket P to be passed one by one through the throat knife 26 and sent to a plurality of sets of feed rollers 27A, 2.
7B. This original note supply path 28 includes an original note detector 29.
is arranged, and this original note detector 29 detects 1
Detects that the sheet is fed from inside the hopper 22,
The supplied original note P is configured so that one original note P is kept on standby at a predetermined position, that is, in front of a printing head (hereinafter also referred to as a thermal printing head) 30. In addition, in the lower part of the hopper 22, the hopper 2
Shortage detector 31A that detects a shortage of original notes P in 2
and a non-detector 31B for detecting the non-state of the original note P in the hopper 22 are respectively arranged.

At the rear end of the original note supply path 28, as shown in FIG. 3, FIG. 4, FIG. 5, and FIG. A mechanism 33 is arranged. The thermal transfer printing mechanism 33 is a dot matrix type printing head in which the thermal recording surface 30a is positioned at a desired angle so that it can come into contact with the leading end surface of the original document P supplied to the vicinity of the end of the original document supply path 28. (hereinafter also referred to as a thermal printing head) 30 and a head pressing drive roller 32 are arranged opposite to the thermal printing head 30, and a thermal transfer film is placed in a state in which the intermediate portion is in close contact with the heat generating portion 30b of the thermal recording surface 30a of the thermal printing head 30. F is stretched.

The thermal transfer printing mechanism 33 includes a thermal printing head 3 movably provided between an overlapping position and an open position.
0 and holding the thermal printing head 30 is mounted on a support shaft 48 which is rotatably supported on the main body 20 of the apparatus, as shown in FIGS. 4, 5 and 6. It is attached to one end and is rotatably arranged in the direction of arrow I. Also,
The support shaft 48 is rotatably inserted through a housing 50 into which a bearing 49 is inserted and which is attached to the device main body 20 via a screw 50a.
A lift plate 51 is pivotally attached to the support shaft 48, and a bottle 52 attached to the lift plate 51 is attached to the support shaft 48.
is loosely fitted into the head block 40, and a set shaft 53 is inserted through the extending portion on the side to which the pin 52 attached to the lift plate 51 is attached. Further, the spring 55 whose movement in one direction is restricted by the holder 54 attached to the lift plate 51 biases the stop ring 56 fitted to the set shaft 53 in the direction of arrow B.
The set shaft 53 is fitted into a set hole 57 provided in the main body 20 of the apparatus. Also,
On the back side of the set hole 57, a detection means such as a micro switch 58 is arranged to detect whether or not the set shaft 53 is correctly set in the set hole 57. The ticket is printed and issued based on the detection signal from the detection means and the ticket issue instruction signal from the operating section. In the figure, reference numeral 59 denotes a head pressing spring, one end of which is hooked to the spring retainer 60 of the lift plate 51, and the other end is in contact with the head block 40, which presses the head. The urging force of the spring 59 is applied to the head block 40, and the thermal printing head 30 attached to the head block 40 is pressed against the head pressing drive roller 3.
1. Reference numeral 61 denotes a holding hole provided in the main body 20 of the apparatus, into which the set shaft 53 is fitted (see FIG. 5). Note that a detection means may be provided in the inner part of this holding hole 61, and control may be performed by at least one of the detection means. In addition, the support shaft 4
A link holder 63 to which a link pin 62 is attached is attached to the other end of the link 8 via a screw 63a. One end portions of a pair of links 64 and 65 are loosely fitted and supported by the link pin 62 of the link holder 63, respectively. This pair of links 64,6
The other ends of the rollers 5 are loosely fitted and supported by link pins 62 attached to bosses 68 and 69 of levers 66 and 67 that pivotally support the pinch rollers 37 and 43, respectively. Further, the levers 66 and 67 are pivoted by a lever shaft 70 attached to the main body 20 of the apparatus. Boss 6 of the levers 66, 67
A spring hanger 71 is attached to 8 and 69, and the other end of a spring 72 is attached to the spring hanger 71, one end of which is attached to the device body 20, and the spring 72 applies a biasing force. is given, the pinch roller 37 contacts the return feed roller 36, and the pinch roller 43
are adapted to come into contact with the feed roller 42, respectively. The head block 40, the support shaft 48, the set shaft 53, the link holder 63, the links 64, 65 and the lever 66, which are constructed in this way,
67 constitutes a link mechanism 73 (see FIG. 7). The link mechanism 73 is configured to bring the pinch roller 37 and the pinch roller 43 into contact with and away from the return feed roller 36 and the feed roller 42 which are rotated by the motor 46 and the transmission member 46a. The conveyance path will be expanded when loading.

The thermal transfer film F has a width smaller than the width in the direction intersecting the conveying direction of the original note P, and is rolled up into a roll with the side coated with the transfer agent outside and used as a transfer medium. It is attached to a feeding reel 34 as a feeding section, and the feeding end is stretched over a tension arm 35 as a first tension holding means whose one end is rotatably supported on the device main body 20, and then rotated counterclockwise. The first one is equipped with a one-way clutch that has a sliding action in the direction of
A film-free detector 38 passes between the return feed roller 36 and the pinch roller 37 which constitute the guiding means of the
The thermal printing head 30 and the head pressing drive roller 32
and a thermal printing head 30.
The feed roller 42 and the pinch roller 43, which constitute a second guide means equipped with a one-way clutch having a clockwise sliding action, The tension arm 44, which serves as a second tension holding means, has one end pivotally supported on the device main body 20, and is wound around a take-up reel 45. The feed roller 42 and the return feed roller 36 are configured to transmit information through a transmission member such as a belt 46a on the back side, but for the thermal transfer film F, only one roller 36 or the feed roller 42 is always driven. It serves as a mechanism for transmitting force. This drive is
The head pressing drive roller 31 is also driven by a forward/reverse motor 46 in synchronization with the head pressing drive roller 31. 47 in the figure is a film shortage detector.

Next, the thermal transfer medium winding mechanism (also referred to as the thermal transfer film supply mechanism) 74 shown in FIG. 8 will be explained.
The reel shaft 75 is fixed to the reel shaft 75 fixed to the reel shaft 75.
A brake mechanism 76 is attached to the side). This brake mechanism 76 is penetrated by an adjusting bolt 80 that adjusts the biasing force of a compression spring 79 whose movement on one side is restricted by a presser plate 77 fitted to the reel shaft 75. A brake plate 78 has one side in sliding contact with the presser plate 77 and the other side in sliding contact with the feed reel 34. The compression spring 7
The brake plate 78 is pressed through the presser plate 77 with a biasing force of 9.
By pressing the brake plate 78, the feed reel 34 is also pressed against the brake plate 78. the result,
The brake is applied by the frictional force between the brake plate 78 and the feed reel 34. 81 is
This lid 81 is a lid that holds down the thermal transfer film F so that it does not shift.The lid 81 has an internal engaging protrusion 81a that is removably attached to a recess 82a of the shaft core 82 of the feed reel 34. It is configured to be attached to the shaft core 82. Further, a leaf spring 83 is attached to the shaft core 82.
3 prevents the hub F' around which the thermal transfer film F is wound from rotating within the feed reel 34. Next, the operation of attaching and detaching the thermal transfer film F in the feed reel 34 will be explained. First, the lid 81 is pulled out in the direction of arrow C in the drawing, so that the engaging protrusion 81a of the lid 81 is inserted into the recess 82 of the shaft core 82.
One frame 34a of the feed reel 34 is detached from the lid 81 and attached to the lid 81 via a screw 81b.
will leave. Next, take out the empty hub F' held on the shaft core 82 via a leaf spring 83, and replace it with a new hub with a new thermal transfer film F wound around it.
F' and attach the lid 81 having the frame 34a to the shaft center 82.
The engagement protrusion 81a is engaged with the recess 82a.

On the other hand, the mounting portion of the take-up reel 45 is constructed as follows. That is, the device main body 20
A locking mechanism 85 consisting of a leaf spring 86 and a stop fitting 87 for holding the take-up reel 45 is attached to a shaft core 84 rotatably attached to a reel shaft 75A attached to the reel shaft 75A. The stop hole formed in the take-up reel 45 at the position where the take-up reel 45 is located and the stop fitting 87 fit together to set the take-up reel 45 at the fixed position, and the take-up reel 45 is configured to be detachable from the shaft center 84. There is.
Further, a leaf spring 88 is attached around the axis of the take-up reel 45, into which the leading end of the thermal transfer film F is fitted. On the back side of the take-up reel 45,
A motor 89 that drives the take-up reel 45 is disposed, and a gear 9 attached to this motor shaft 89a.
The driving force is transmitted through 0.
Further, the brake gear 91 that is meshed with the gear 90 is fitted with the presser plate 77A, and is further fitted with the shaft center 84.
It is in sliding contact with. The presser plate 77A fits into the reel shaft 75A and has a compression spring 79.
An adjusting bolt 80A for adjusting the biasing force of A passes through the presser plate 77A, and the presser plate 77A is pressed against the presser plate 77A by the biasing force of the compression spring 79A.
The brake gear 91 that is fitted with the brake gear 91 is pressed into contact with the brake gear 91. As a result, the driving force of the motor 89 is transmitted to the brake gear 91 via the motor shaft 89a and the gear 90.
The shaft core 84 is driven by the frictional force of the winding reel 4.
5 rotates, and these parts drive the drive mechanism 14.
0 is configured. Further, when an excessive load is applied to the thermal transfer film F wound on the take-up reel 45, that is, when the thermal transfer film F is reversely fed, slippage occurs between the brake gear 91 and the shaft core 84. A slip section (hereinafter also referred to as a slip mechanism) serves as a buffering means to disperse excessive force caused by the thermal transfer film F and prevent the thermal transfer film F from breaking.
It consists of Reference numeral 81A denotes a lid for holding the wound thermal transfer film F in place, and the lid 81A has an internal engaging protrusion 81b that can be detachably attached to the recess 84a of the shaft core 84 of the take-up reel 45. The lid 81A is configured to be attached to the shaft core 84. Next, the operation of attaching and detaching the take-up reel 45 will be explained. First, when the lid 81A is pulled out in the direction of arrow D in the drawing, the engaging protrusion 81b of the lid 81A engages with the recess 84a of the axis 84.
Then, the lid 81A and the take-up reel 45 attached thereto via the screw 84b will come off. Next, the used thermal transfer film F wound around this take-up reel 45 is removed, the empty take-up reel 45 is inserted into the shaft core 84, and the engaging protrusion 81b of the lid 81A is inserted into the shaft core 84. It will be held by being engaged with the recess 84a. In addition, the feed reel 3
The brake mechanism 76 of No. 4 is configured to prevent the feeding reel 34 from idling due to the tensile force of the thermal transfer film F being fed out.

The tension arm 35 is connected to the arrow E in FIG.
When the thermal transfer film F fed out from the feeding reel 34 is reversely fed and returned, an appropriate tension is applied to the thermal transfer film F. A tension arm 35 is provided below this tension arm 35.
A detector 93 is arranged to detect the position of the
In the normal state, that is, when the thermal transfer film F is fed out or reversed and returned, the position of the tension arm 35 is determined by the detector 93.
It is located higher up and is less likely to be detected. If the thermal transfer film F breaks or becomes too slack between the feeding reel 34 and the return feed roller 36, the tension arm 35 rotates downward due to its own weight, and the detector 93
It will be detected. Further, the tension arm 44 is rotatable in the direction of the arrow J shown in the figure, and is supported by a spring (not shown).
4 is always urged in the original document transport direction, and the speed becomes slower than the winding speed of the thermal transfer film F.
It is configured to apply appropriate tension to the slack thermal transfer film F between the feed roller 42 and the take-up reel 45. Also, tension arm 4
A detector 94 for detecting the position of the tension arm 44 is disposed on the right side of the tension arm 44. When the feed roller 42 is not operating, the tension arm 44 is at a position where it is detected by the detector 94, and the roller 4
2, the thermal transfer film F is fed, the tension arm 44 is rotated to the left by the biasing force of the spring, and when it is no longer detected by the detector 94, the motor 89 is driven and the take-up reel 45 is rotated.
The thermal transfer film F is wound up. Further, as the thermal transfer film F is wound, the tension arm 44 is rotated to the right, and when detected by the detector 94, the motor 89 is stopped and the take-up reel 45 also stops rotating. It's getting old.

Furthermore, if the thermal printing film F breaks between the take-up reel 45 and the feed roller 42 for some reason, the tension arm 44 is rotated to the left by the biasing force of the spring, and the detector 94 detects a break. Since it is no longer detected, this can be determined from the fact that the thermal transfer film F is torn. In addition, the separation roller 4
1 and the tension arm 44, the thermal transfer film F is sent by the feed roller 42, and when the cut end on the feed roller 42 side passes the feed roller 42, it is detected in the same manner as described above. is detected by the device 94. Further, if the thermal transfer film F breaks between the return feed roller 36 and the guide roller 39, it is detected by the film non-detector 38 and it is known that the thermal transfer film F is broken. As a result, the detector 94, the film non-detector 3
8. The tension arms 35, 44 and the like constitute a detection mechanism for the thermal transfer film F.

Further, in the original note transporting direction of the thermal transfer printing mechanism 33, there is a ticket transport path 95 for transporting the transfer-printed original ticket P separated from the thermal transfer film F by the separation roller 41, a pressure fixing mechanism 96, and a ticket transport path. 108 are arranged continuously, and are configured to be driven by a motor 98 through a transmission member such as a belt on the back side. The ticket conveyance path 95 is composed of a conveyance roller 99 and a variable speed feed roller 100, and conveys the transfer-printed original note P at a medium speed.
The image is transferred to a pressure fixing mechanism 96 whose details will be described later. Further, the pressure fixing mechanism 96 includes:
As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the device main body 20
a fixing feed roller 101 attached to a frame 96A fixed to the frame 96A; a pressure roller 102 of a frame 96C disposed on the lower side opposite to the fixing roller 101 and swingably attached to the frame 96A via a pin 96B; It is composed of an intermediate roller 103 that is in contact with the fixing feed roller 101, and a silicon-impregnated roller 104 that is in contact with this intermediate roller 103. Further, the frames 96A, 96C
The portion opposite to the pivot portion is biased by a biasing member such as a large number of disc springs 96D so that both rollers 101 and 102 come into contact with each other. Then, this pressure fixing mechanism 96 passes the original note P printed by the thermal transfer printing mechanism 33, which is moved by the note conveying path 95, between the fixing feed roller 101 and the pressure roller 102. At the same time, the visual information on the printed surface of the original note P is fixed by the pressure of It is designed to be transported. Note that 105 in the figure is a detector that detects that the original note P has reached the pressure fixing mechanism 96.

In addition, the ticket transfer path 108 is shown in FIGS. 3 and 11.
As shown in the figure, two pairs of upper and lower conveyor belts 106a,
106b, 107a, 107b and the extended portions of the lower conveyor belts 106a, 106b and the mutually opposing surfaces of the variable speed feed roller 109. It is designed to be transported by 110a, 110b are belt drive rollers; 111a, 111b,
112 and 113 are belt guide rollers. Further, a magnetic recording device 97 for magnetically recording machine-readable information on the magnetic recording surface of the original note P is arranged in the middle of the note transfer path 108. This magnetic recording device 97 has a structure including a write magnetic head 114 and a read magnetic head 115 provided at a subsequent stage. 116 is a magnetic head 114, 115
This is a head pressure roller placed opposite to the head.
Further, in the ticket transfer path 108, there is a magnetic writing timing detector 117 and a magnetic reading completion detector 118, and furthermore, a magnetic writing timing detector 117 and a magnetic reading completion detector 118 are provided to determine whether visual information is printed on the printing surface of the original ticket P by the thermal transfer printing mechanism 33. A reflective print detector 119 is provided as a print discrimination device 141 for detecting. Further, a ticket storage mechanism 127 having a storage member such as a ticket storage box 120 and a sorting gate 123 is provided at the terminal end of the ticket transfer path 108. It is configured as shown in the figure. That is, the printing press 128
A part of the ticket storage box 120 into which the printed and issued tickets are discharged projects from the left side of the device 128, so that the tickets can be easily taken out from the device 128.
Ticket storage box 1 having the ticket removal notch 120a
20 is fitted with a pin 135 inside the device 128, and with this pin 135 as a fulcrum, the arrow G shown in the figure
It is configured to be rotatable in the direction. Therefore, when the ticket storage box 120 is rotated in the direction of the arrow G shown in the figure,
It serves as a lid that covers the winding section 136 and serves as a ticket storage box 120.
will be stored in the main body 20 of the printing/publishing machine 128. Therefore, there is no fear of foreign matter intruding into the inside of the printing/issuing machine 128, and since the ticket storage box 120 does not protrude outside the device, there is no risk of damage to the operator's clothes or injury. .

Further, a solenoid 137 and a spring (not shown) are attached to the ticket storage box 120, and the solenoid 137 is connected to the operating device 129.
A power switch 139 arranged on the operation unit 138 of
It is now working properly. When the power switch 139 of the operating device 129 is turned on, the solenoid 137 is energized, and the printing/publishing machine 1
28 ticket storage boxes 12 stored inside the main body 20
0 is rotated against the biasing force of a spring, and is capable of storing a completed ticket issued by the printing and issuing machine 128. Further, when the power switch 139 is turned off, the solenoid 137 is deenergized, and the ticket storage box 120 is rotated by the biasing force of the spring to become a lid covering the ticket outlet 136, and is stored in the printing and issuing machine 128. Therefore, just by operating the power switch 139 at the start and end of this device, the ticket storage box 1 can be opened.
20 rotates, which not only saves the trouble of manually rotating it, but also eliminates the risk of foreign matter entering the inside of the printing and issuing machine 128. Also, since the ticket ejection port does not protrude outside the device, it is easy to operate. There is no risk of damage to clothing or injury to persons. As explained above, it is possible to protect the transfer printing device housed inside the printing/publishing machine 128 and to ensure the safety of the operator and the like. In the above embodiment, the ticket storage box 120 is automatically operated using a combination of the solenoid 137 and a spring, but the configuration is not limited to this, and the configuration may be such that the operation is performed manually. It may also be a combination of the following. In this case, the bottom of the ticket storage box 120 is connected to the bottom part 136a of the ticket ejection section 136 of the device main body 20.
By bringing it into contact with , the downward movement is restricted (see Fig. 13).

A sorting gate 123 is provided between the ticket transfer path 108 and the ticket storage box 120, and this sorting gate 123 is driven by a solenoid 124. That is, the gate 123 normally guides the tickets conveyed through the ticket transfer path 108 to the ticket storage box 120 via the spring 123a. On the other hand, when the solenoid 124 is activated, the gate 1 moves in the direction of arrow H against the biasing force of the spring 123a.
The original note P is conveyed by the rotation of 23.
to the ticket receiving path 121 and the second ticket storage box 12.
It is designed to be stored in 2. Further, 125 is a discharge detector that detects that the original ticket P has been discharged into the ticket storage box 120.

The separation roller 41 is a roller for separating the heat-sensitive transfer film F and the original note P on which transfer printing has been performed, and while pushing the original note P with the separation roller 41, the heat-sensitive transfer film F is separated The feed roller 42 above the thermal transfer film F
By pulling the original document P and the thermal transfer film F
are constructed so that they are necessarily separated.

Next, the ticket issuing operation of the device will be explained.

In response to a print start signal from an operation unit (not shown), one original document P waiting in the original document supply path 28 is sent to the head pressing drive roller 31 in synchronization with the start of the operation of the picker 25. The thermal film F fed by the feed roller 42 and the head pressing drive roller 31 start feeding at the same conveying speed as the original note P just before the original note P reaches the head pressure drive roller 31. Then, the thermal transfer film F is superimposed on the original document P, and is conveyed while being pressed against the thermal printing head 30 by the head pressing drive roller 31. Next, the thermal printing head 30 performs thermal transfer printing of visual information from the thermal transfer film F side using a dot matrix method. The timing of this thermal transfer printing is determined by activating a timer by detecting the trailing edge of the original ticket P with a ticket detector 29 that detects pooled tickets. Even after printing is completed, the thermal transfer film F is moved to a position where the original document P exceeds the separation roller 41, and the original document P on which the visual information has been transferred is separated from the thermal transfer film F. The ticket is held in between the tickets and taken into the ticket conveyance path 95 with the speed changed from 50 mm/sec to 500 mm/sec. On the other hand, the thermal transfer film F is transferred to the take-up reel 45 by the feed roller 42.
When the tension arm 44 rotates to the left, the motor 89 is driven by the signal from the detector 94, and the tape is wound onto the take-up reel 40. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 15, the thermal transfer film F requires a printing area of only the L dimension for one original document P, and due to the separation between the original document P and the thermal transfer film F, the next printing area is The waste generated between the two, that is, the dimension l, cannot help but become extremely large. In order to separate the thermal transfer film F from the original document P, the thermal transfer film F is fed until it completely passes through the separation roller 41, so that the distance between the heat generating part 30b of the thermal printing head 30 and the separation roller 41 is determined by the dimension l. This dimension l is made as small as possible in order to improve the utilization efficiency of the thermal transfer film F. That is, at the same time that the original note P is taken into the note conveyance path 95, the forward/reverse motor 46 is reversely rotated, and the thermal transfer film F is reversely conveyed by the return feed roller 36 and returned by a predetermined amount.

Further, the original note P taken into the note conveyance path 95 separated from the thermal transfer film F is transferred to the conveyance roller 9
9. Convey at medium speed with the non-printed side edges held by the variable speed feed rollers 100;
The printed surface of the original ticket P is transferred to the pressure fixing mechanism 96, and at the same time the visual information printed on the printed surface of the original ticket P is fixed, silicone is applied to the printed surface to make it sufficiently durable for automatic ticket gates as mechanical reading devices. Obtainable.

Next, the original document P having passed through the pressure fixing mechanism 96 and on which the visual information has been fixed is transferred to the conveyor belts 106a, 106.
b and the variable speed feed roller 109,
The ticket is taken into the ticket transfer path 108 in a state where the speed is changed from mm/sec to 1500 mm/sec, and the following two pairs of belts 106
A, 106b, 107a, and 107b hold both side edge portions and convey at high speed. Then, the original note P is conveyed with its magnetic recording surface facing the magnetic recording device 97, and after machine-readable information is magnetically recorded by the write magnetic head 114, the original note P is read and checked by the read magnetic head 115, and at the same time, it is sent to the print detector. 119, the level of the reflected light is checked, and it is detected that the printed surface of the original note P is printed. Then, the ticket is detected by the discharge detector 125 and discharged to the ticket discharge port 120. Thus, the information magnetically recorded on the original note P is read by the magnetic head 1.
15, and if it is determined to be abnormal, or if the print detector 119 checks the level of reflected light and determines that no printing is being performed, the solenoid 124 is energized. The sorting gate 123 rotates in the direction of the arrow H in the figure, and abnormal bills conveyed through the ticket transfer path 108 are taken into the ticket take-in path 121 and stored in the ticket storage box 122. Further, the sorting gate 123 is connected to the ticket transfer path 108 via a solenoid 124 deenergized by a timer.
The original note P being conveyed is discharged to a note discharge port 120. By automatically storing abnormal tickets in the cabin in this way, abnormal tickets can be identified at a glance, and furthermore, it is possible to identify abnormal tickets from among a large number of tickets at the ticket ejection slot when consecutive tickets are issued. This will save you the trouble of searching.

Further, when the thermal transfer film F mounted on the feeding reel 34 is detected to be missing by the film non-detector 38, a means is taken to send a signal to an operation section (not shown) to inform the staff. Then, a new thermal transfer film F is loaded.

Next, a method of loading the thermal transfer film F will be explained.

By pulling out the set shaft 53 attached to the lift plate 51 which is pivoted to the support shaft 48 from the set hole 57 and rotating it in the direction of the arrow shown in the figure, the pin 52 loosely fitted into the head block 40 will come into contact with the head block 40. Since the contact head block 40 also rotates at the same time, the support shaft 48 also rotates. As a result, the link holder 63 attached to the other end of the support shaft 48 rotates and comes into contact with the pinch roller 37 and the feed roller 42 which are in contact with the return feed roller 36 through a pair of links 64 and 65. Each of the pinch rollers 43 is rotated in the direction of the arrow shown in the figure to separate them. Furthermore, by fitting the set shaft 53 into the holding hole 61, the pinch rollers 37 and 43 are moved back and forth between the return feed roller 36 and the feed roller 4.
2, and the head block 40
The thermal printing head 30 attached to the head is held and fixed in an open state spaced apart from the head pressing drive roller 31, respectively. After that, after loading a new thermal printing film F according to the loading path, the holding hole 61
By pulling out the set shaft 53 that has been fitted into the set hole 57 and inserting it into the set hole 57, the pinch roller 3 can be removed.
7, 43, the thermal printing head 30 returns to its original state, the thermal transfer film F is stretched, and preparations for issuing the next ticket are completed. In this way, the thermal transfer printing mechanism 3
3 and the thermal transfer medium winding mechanism 74, the loading path for the thermal transfer film F can be expanded and formed with a single touch, making it extremely easy to load the thermal transfer film F into the device. It is something that can be done.

In the above embodiment, the fixing mechanism is a pressure fixing mechanism, but the fixing mechanism is not limited to this, and a flash fixing mechanism having a xenon flash tube is used, and the flash energy of the xenon flash tube is used as the fixing mechanism. Therefore, visual information on the original note may be fixed.

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of the configuration of a printing system to which a printing/publishing machine is applied, which includes a printing/publishing machine 128 in which the device main body 20 is housed, an operating device 129 containing a control circuit, and an operating device 129 operated by the operating device 129. a CRT display 130 for displaying the given guidance;
The system is configured with a charge display 131 that displays the charge of the issued ticket, and the operation device 129 controls the printing and issuing machine 128, the CRT display 130, and the charge display 13.
1 will be controlled respectively.

FIG. 17 is a schematic explanatory diagram showing another embodiment of the thermal transfer printing apparatus of the present invention, FIG. 18 is an enlarged view of the main part of the same example, and FIG. 19 is a control circuit diagram of the same example. , this is the same as in the previous embodiment, with the addition of a second paper supply mechanism 154 for supplying paper _P1 of a desired length. That is, the reel 153 is attached to the lower right end of the device main body 20 in the figure. A belt-shaped base paper (hereinafter also referred to as base paper material) P' is mounted on the reel 153 and is wound into a roll with the thermal printing surface facing outward. An original note material shortage detector 155 is arranged adjacent to the reel section 153.
It is designed to detect a shortage of the original note material P' wound around the paper. Further, an alignment roller 156 is disposed close to the reel portion 153, and a conveyor roller 157 consisting of a presser roller 157a and a fixed-size feed roller 157 is disposed at a desired distance from the alignment roller 156. A roller 158 is arranged. The fixed size feed roller 157b is driven via a fixed size drive motor 160, which will be described later, and is configured to feed the original document material P' passing between the fixed size feed roller 157b and the presser roller 157a. . This conveyance roller 158 and alignment roller 156
An original note material presence/absence detector for detecting the presence or absence of the original note material P', for example, an optical detector 159 consisting of an issuing element and a light receiving element, is arranged between.

The rear part of the conveyance roller 158 (alignment roller 1
56), a pair of feed rollers 160
a, 160b are arranged, and a cutter portion 161 having a pair of cutter blades 161a, 161b is provided between the conveyance roller 158 and the feed rollers 160a, 160b at upper and lower positions sandwiching the conveyance path. . The feeding rollers 160a, 16
A printing section 162 that heat-sensitively prints visual information on the printing surface of the original note material P' is arranged at the rear part of 0b (on the opposite side of the cutter section 161). That is, the supply path 1 formed by the feed rollers 160a and 160b
Near the end of 63, there is a dot matrix type thermal printing head 3 whose heat-sensitive recording surface is positioned at an angle where it can come into contact with the leading end surface of the supplied original note material P'.
0 and the head pressing drive roller 32 are arranged to face each other. The feed rollers 160a, 16
An original document pool detector, for example, an optical detector 164 consisting of a light emitting element and a light receiving element, is arranged between the print head 30 and the print head 30.

As shown in FIG. 18, the heat generating part 30a of the printing head 30 and the center of the head pressing drive roller 32 are arranged so as to coincide with each other, and the distance between the center line M and the cutter part 161 is equal to the short paper P' It is arranged at a distance L longer than the length X of b and shorter than the length Y of the long ticket P'a. In addition, the original ticket material
P' is being transported to a position L away from the center line M. That is, the distance from the cutter portion 161 is the same as the length Y of the short ticket P'a.

The second base paper supply mechanism 15 configured in this way
4 is selectively used alternately with the first base paper supply mechanism 21, and the second base paper supply mechanism 154 further selectively supplies short bills P'a and long bills P'b. Therefore, it is possible to print and issue at least three types of tickets with different lengths. In addition, the second base paper supply mechanism 154 is configured such that the short paper P'a
Alternatively, when the long note P'b signal is input to the control unit 171, the output signal from the control unit 171 is input to the printing unit, cutter 161, fixed length feed motor 170, and original note pool detector 166, and each member is is configured to operate. However, short ticket
When the output signal of P'a is input to the control section 171,
The cutter section 161 is actuated by the output signal from the control section 171, and the cutter section 161 operates to cut the original note material P' into the short note P'a length
After being cut to a fixed size, the short note P'a is transferred to the printing section, and at the same time, the fixed size feed motor 170 is driven, and the original note material P' is transferred by the fixed size feed roller 158, so that the tip part is It stops when it is transported to a predetermined position. On the other hand, the cut short note P'a is printed by the printing head 30 and transferred to the next pressure fixing mechanism 96.
It will be sent to. Further, when the signal of the long note P′b is input to the control unit 171, the sizing drive motor 170 is driven by the output signal from the control unit 171 to rotate the sizing feed roller 157b. Due to the rotation, the original note material P' is sent out and its leading end enters the printing section 162,
Printing by the printing unit 162 is started in response to a signal from the control unit 171. Then, fixed size feed roller 157
When b sends a long note P′b of length Y, printing section 1
62 is temporarily stopped, and the sizing drive motor 170 is also stopped. When the printing section 162 and fixed size drive motor 170 stop, the control section 171
The cutter blades 161a and 161b of the cutter section 161 are activated by the output signal from
After cutting P′b to length Y, control section 1 is cut again.
The output signal from 71 is input to the printing section 162 and the fixed size drive motor 170, and the printing section 162 starts printing, and the fixed size drive motor 170 is driven to move the leading edge of the original note material P' to a predetermined position. It will be transported to. Further, the long paper P'b printed and cut by the printing section 162 is conveyed to the next pressure fixing mechanism.

The above points are different from those of the embodiment described above, and the other points are almost the same as the embodiments described above, so a detailed explanation thereof will be omitted. Although the above embodiments have been described using a thermal transfer printing device as an example, the present invention is not limited to this embodiment, and can be applied to wire dot type or type type printing devices that use an ink ribbon as a transfer medium. Needless to say, it can be applied to such devices.

It should be noted that the above embodiment is merely an example, and it goes without saying that each member can be replaced with another member having the same function.

Since the present invention is configured as described above, the tension acting on the transfer medium can be maintained at a predetermined value by the action of the first and second tension holding means and the buffering means, and
The action of the first and second guide means makes it possible to stabilize the movement of the transfer medium before and after the transfer printing mechanism, so that even if the drive mechanism malfunctions, the transfer medium will not be cut, and the ticket will not be cut. There will be no inconvenience to the purchaser. Furthermore, the apparatus is prevented from stopping due to cutting of the transfer medium, and the operating rate of the apparatus can be increased. Furthermore, since the transfer medium is reversely conveyed by the return roller and returned by a predetermined amount, there is an advantage that the utilization efficiency of the transfer medium can be improved. Moreover, it has excellent effects such as being able to supply a product with a simple structure and high reliability at a low cost.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic explanatory diagram showing an example of a conventional transfer printing device, FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a schematic explanatory diagram showing the inside of the same example.
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional plan view of the transfer printing mechanism part, and FIG.
The figure is a front view of the printing head section, FIG. 6 is a cutaway side view of the same section, FIG. 7 is a rear view of the link mechanism section, and FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional plane showing the transfer film winding mechanism. 9 is a front view of the pressure fixing mechanism, FIG. 10 is a bottom view thereof, FIG. 11 is a vertical sectional view of the writing section, FIG. 12 is a front view of the distribution gate section, and FIG. 13 is a front view of the pressure fixing mechanism. 14 is a perspective view of a base paper storage member, FIGS. 14A and 14B are a plan view and a side view of the base paper, FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram showing the printing yield of a transfer film, and FIG. 16 is a diagram of a transfer printing device. FIG. 17 is a schematic explanatory diagram showing another embodiment of the device of the present invention, FIG. 18 is an enlarged view of the main part of the same example, and FIG. 19 is a control diagram of the same example. It is a circuit diagram. 20...Device main body, 21...Base paper supply mechanism, 2
2... Hopper, 25... Picker, 30... Thermal printing head, 33... Thermal transfer printing mechanism, 34...
Feeding reel, 35, 44... Tension arm, 40... Head block, 45... Take-up reel, 64, 65... Link, 73... Link mechanism, 76... Brake mechanism, 85... Lock mechanism, 92 ... Slip mechanism, 96 ... Pressure fixing mechanism, 104 ... Silicone impregnated roller, 120 ...
Storage box, 128...Printing machine, 130...
CRT display.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A base paper feeding mechanism that supplies a base paper having a printed surface, a transfer medium feeding unit that feeds out a transfer medium coated with or containing a transfer dye toward the printed surface of the base paper, and a transfer medium. a transfer medium winding mechanism including a drive means for winding up the transfer medium; a transfer medium transport section that transports the transfer medium from the transfer medium feeding section to the transfer medium winding mechanism; , the transfer medium fed out from the transfer medium feeding section and the printed surface of the base paper supplied from the base paper supply mechanism are superimposed, and the necessary visual inspection is performed using a printing head that is movable between a superposition position and a release position. A transfer printing mechanism that transfers a transfer dye of a transfer medium that forms information onto a printing surface of a base paper, and a transfer printing mechanism provided between the transfer medium feeding section and the transfer printing mechanism,
A first tension holding means for holding the tension of the transfer medium at a predetermined value; and a first tension holding means provided between the first tension holding means and the transfer printing mechanism, and maintained at the predetermined value by the first tension holding means. holding the transfer medium;
a first guide means having a return roller that guides the transfer medium supplied to the transfer printing mechanism to a predetermined conveyance path and that is driven in reverse to return the transfer medium by a predetermined amount; a second tension holding means provided between the transfer medium winding mechanism and maintaining the tension of the transfer medium at a predetermined value; and a second tension holding means provided between the transfer printing mechanism and the second tension holding means, a second guide for guiding the transfer medium supplied from the transfer printing mechanism to a predetermined conveyance path;
1. A transfer printing apparatus comprising: a guide means; and a buffer means for buffering a tension of a predetermined value or more when a tension of a predetermined value or more is applied to the transfer medium. 2. The transfer printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the transfer printing mechanism includes a separation roller that separates the polymerized transfer medium from the base paper.