JPH04115668U - thermal transfer printer - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Objective] The purpose is to provide a thermal transfer printer that can reliably carry out a thermal ribbon conveyance operation regardless of the amount of thermal ribbon collected by a take-up roller. [Structure] A thermal head 1, a platen roller 2 disposed in pressure contact with the thermal head 1, a supply roller 4 that supplies a thermal ribbon 3 between the thermal head 1 and the platen roller 2, and a used thermal ribbon 3. The main parts are composed of a take-up roller 5 for collecting the thermal ribbon 3 and a pinch roller 6 with a torque limiter installed between the take-up roller 5 and the thermal head 1. Since this is performed by the pinch roller 6 with a torque limiter, the tensile force acting on the thermal ribbon 3 between the thermal head 1 and the pinch roller 6 can be kept constant regardless of the amount of thermal ribbon 3 collected by the take-up roller 5. .

Description

[Detailed explanation of the idea]

0001

[Industrial application field]

This invention is a long thermal cartridge that is sent out from the supply roller and collected by the take-up roller. It relates to a thermal transfer printer that uses a bong to form a recorded image on a recording medium, and in particular, Thermal ribbon transport operation is carried out regardless of the amount of thermal ribbon collected by the take-up roller. The present invention relates to improvements to thermal transfer printers that can reliably perform the following steps.

0002

[Conventional technology]

As shown in Figure 3, this type of thermal transfer printer is selected according to the recorded information. A thermal head a equipped with a heating element group (not shown) that generates heat, and a thermal head a that is press-fitted to this Thermal head a and platen roller b are arranged as follows. A supply roller d that supplies a long thermal ribbon c to between b and a used thermal ribbon between the take-up roller e that collects the cylinder c, the thermal head a and the platen roller b A recording medium (not shown) such as a plastic card or printing paper is carried into the The main part consists of multiple conveyance rollers f, etc. that carry out and convey the recorded recording medium. There are known devices that do this.

0003 As for the transport mechanism for the thermal ribbon c, the take-up roller e is driven and rotated. This was done by rotating the supply roller d in a driven manner.

0004 In this case, the nip area of the thermal head a and platen roller b and the winding Make sure that excessive tension is not applied to the thermal ribbon c being conveyed between the rollers e. In order to The dynamic source was applied. That is, as shown in FIG. 4, the rotation axis e1 of the take-up roller e The rotary plate e2 is directly connected to a drive motor (not shown) via gears, etc., and is pressed. The above torque is achieved by the rotating friction plate e4 which is pressed against the surface of the rotating plate e2 by the biasing force of the spring e3. The drive source with a limiter is composed of a rotating friction plate E4 that converts the rotational force of the drive motor into is transmitted to the rotating shaft e1 through the rotating plate e2 to rotate the take-up roller e. was. If excessive tension is applied to the thermal ribbon c, The rolling plate e2 and the rotating friction plate e4 slip against each other, and the driving force from the drive motor is applied to the rotating shaft. e1, and such a mechanism (i.e. torque limiter ), the take-up roller e was rotated with a constant torque.

[0005] The supply roller d is driven to rotate as described above, but the thermal head Thermal material transported between the nip area of platen roller a and platen roller b and supply roller d In order to prevent ribbon c from loosening, a brake spring is attached to supply roller d. (not shown) applies a biasing force in the opposite direction to the conveying direction to the thermal ribbon c. It was adjusted as follows.

[0006]

[Problem that the idea aims to solve]

In this way, a drive source with a torque limiter is used to drive the take-up roller e at a constant torque. Because the thermal ribbon c is rotated by a torque, excessive tension is applied to the thermal ribbon This prevents the thermal ribbon c from breaking, but the take-up roller Since the torque of the rotation axis e1 at e is constant, the thermal energy collected by the take-up roller e The diameter of the take-up roller e changes depending on the amount of ribbon c, and this change causes thermal There was a drawback that the conveying force (tensile force) acting on the ribbon c also fluctuated.

[0007] In other words, in the case shown by the dashed-dotted line in Fig. 3 (the amount of recovered thermal ribbon c is If the temperature is small), the diameter of the take-up roller e is small, so it acts on the thermal ribbon c. In contrast to the case where the conveying force (tensile force) is strong, the case shown by the solid line in Figure 3 (thermal release) When the amount of collected cylinders c is large), the diameter of the take-up roller e becomes large, so thermal There was a drawback that the conveying force (tensile force) acting on the ribbon c continuously decreased.

[0008] Then, as the conveying force (tensile force) acting on the thermal ribbon c decreases, the The force with which the thermal ribbon c is peeled off from the recording medium also becomes weak, so that the thermal ribbon c formed on the recording medium is There is a problem that the quality of recorded images tends to deteriorate, and thermal There is a problem that it becomes impossible to convey the ribbon c when it is being fed emptyly. It was.

[0009] This invention was developed with a focus on these problems, and the issues to be addressed are: The thermal ribbon transport operation is fixed regardless of the amount of thermal ribbon collected by the take-up roller. The purpose of the present invention is to provide a thermal transfer printer that can perform printing reliably.

0010

[Means to solve the problem]

In other words, the present invention is A thermal head that selectively generates heat depending on recorded information and a thermal head placed in pressure contact with the thermal head. The long thermal ribbon fed from the supply roller and the platen roller It is inserted over the recording medium and forms a recorded image on the recording medium according to the recorded information. A thermal transfer printer that collects used thermal ribbon using a take-up roller. Assuming that A torque clamp that transports the thermal ribbon between the thermal head and the take-up roller. It is characterized by the provision of a pinch roller with a mitter.

[0011] Conventionally, the torque limiter in such technical means is a take-up roller. The same structure as the torque limiter used for rotational drive is used as is. can.

0012 In addition, this technical means also uses a torque limiter for transporting the thermal ribbon. Since it is equipped with a pinch roller, it can be used as a rotation drive source for the take-up roller. It is optional whether or not to apply a torque limiter, such as the one with a torque limiter. Thermal ribbon is carried out via a pinch roller as a rotational drive source for the roller. A simple type that can be wound up and collected without loosening the material may be sufficient.

[0013] On the other hand, the thermal transfer printer to which this technical means is applied is Examples include melt-type thermal transfer printers and sublimation-type thermal transfer printers.

[0014] In addition, the applicable thermal ribbon is a thermal ribbon with a colored ink layer. In addition to ribbons, for example, transparent resin layers (overcoat layers) for forming protective films can be used. This also includes the thermal ribbons that have been developed.

[0015]

[Effect]

According to the technical means mentioned above, A torque limiter is used to transport the thermal ribbon between the thermal head and the take-up roller. Because it is equipped with a pinch roller with a This pinch roller with torque limiter allows thermal ribbons to be conveyed with a constant force. It is now possible to transport the thermal head and the pinch roller. The tensile force acting on the thermal ribbon affects the amount of thermal ribbon collected by the take-up roller. It is always constant.

[0016]

【Example】

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The thermal transfer printer according to the invention selectively generates heat according to recorded information, as shown in Figure 1. A thermal head 1 is provided with a group of heating elements (not shown), and is arranged in pressure contact with the thermal head 1. platen roller 2, and a long length between the thermal head 1 and platen roller 2. The supply roller 4 that supplies the thermal ribbon 3 and the used thermal ribbon 3 are rotated. A winding roller 5 is provided between the winding roller 5 and the thermal head 1. A pinch roller 6 with a torque limiter that conveys the thermal ribbon 3 and the above-mentioned support When the recording medium 10 such as a card is carried between the thermal head 1 and the platen roller 2, A plurality of conveyance rollers 7, etc., which carry out and convey the recorded object 10, This is what the department consists of.

[0017] In addition, the pinch roller 6 with the torque limiter is located under the thermal ribbon 3. The lower roller 61 is arranged on the surface side, and the lower roller 61 is arranged on the upper surface side of the thermal ribbon 3. The upper roller 62 is pressed against the lower roller 61 by external biasing means. A drive source with a torque limiter is attached to the lower roller 61. The upper roller 62 is driven to rotate.

[0018] The drive source with a torque limiter attached to the lower roller 61 is shown in Figure 2. As shown, there is a rotary plate 66 directly connected to the rotary shaft 65 of the lower roller 61, and a drive (not shown). It is connected to a dynamic motor via a gear 67 and rotates by the biasing force of a presser spring 68. It is composed of a rotating friction plate 69 that is pressed against the surface of the plate 66, and the rotational force of the drive motor is is transmitted to the rotating shaft 65 via the rotating friction plate 69 and the rotating plate 66, and the lower roller 6 It is designed to rotate 1. And excessive tension on thermal ribbon 3 is applied, the rotating plate 66 and the rotating friction plate 69 slip against each other and are not driven. The driving force from the motor is not transmitted to the rotating shaft 65, and such A mechanism (that is, a torque limiter) keeps the lower roller 61 at a constant torque. It is designed to rotate.

[0019] Further, the supply roller 4 rotates drivenly as in the conventional case, and supplies The thermal ribbon 3 is transported by a brake spring (not shown) to prevent it from loosening. A biasing force in the opposite direction is applied to the thermal ribbon 3.

[0020] On the other hand, regarding the take-up roller 5, the pinch roller 6 with the torque limiter is used. In order to wind the thermal ribbon 3 that is carried out through the It is rotated by a driving source. In addition, the cut prevention function of thermal ribbon 3 is A pinch roller 6 with a limiter is provided.

[0021] To perform thermal transfer using the thermal transfer printer according to the embodiment configured as described above, As in the past, the thermal revolver is inserted between the thermal head 1 and the platen roller 2. A recording medium 3 and a recording medium 10 are loaded in a stacked manner, and a recorded image corresponding to the recorded information is placed on the recording medium 10. After transferring and forming on the surface, this recording medium 10 and the thermal ribbon 3 are peeled off, and , the used thermal thermal is carried out via the pinch roller 6 with a torque limiter. While the ribbon 3 is wound up and collected by the take-up roller 5, the recorded object 10 is transported. This is carried out by carrying it out to the collection area side via the feed roller 7 as appropriate.

[0022] At this time, in this thermal transfer printer, the conveyance of the thermal ribbon 3 is controlled. Since this is done using the pinch roller 6 with a The tensile force acting on the thermal ribbon 3 between the board 1 and the pinch roller 6 is applied to the take-up roller. It is always constant regardless of the amount of thermal ribbon 3 collected by La 5.

[0023] Therefore, the separation operation between the recording medium 10 and the thermal ribbon 3 after the recorded image is formed is It has the advantage of being able to perform operations reliably, as well as reliably perform the dry feed operation of the thermal ribbon 3. have.

[0024]

[Effect of the idea]

According to this invention, The tensile force acting on the thermal ribbon between the thermal head and the pinch roller is It is always constant regardless of the amount of thermal ribbon collected by the take-up roller.

[0025] Therefore, after the recorded image is formed, the separation operation between the recording material and the thermal ribbon is confirmed. It has the effect of making it possible to perform the thermal ribbon feeding operation reliably. Ru.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of a thermal transfer printer according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of a pinch roller with a torque limiter.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of a conventional thermal transfer printer.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of a drive source with a torque limiter attached to a conventional take-up roller.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Thermal head 2 Platen roller 3 Thermal ribbon 4 Supply roller 5 Take-up roller 6 Pinch roller 10 Recorded object

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] Claim 1: A long thermal ribbon and a recording medium fed from a supply roller are placed between a thermal head that selectively generates heat according to recording information and a platen roller disposed in pressure contact with the thermal head. In a thermal transfer printer in which a used thermal ribbon is inserted overlappingly to form a recorded image on a recording medium according to recorded information, and the used thermal ribbon is collected by a take-up roller, a thermal ribbon is inserted between the thermal head and the take-up roller. A thermal transfer printer featuring a pinch roller with a torque limiter that conveys the thermal ribbon.