JPH0414072B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a multicolor thermal recording device that performs multicolor recording by thermal transfer using a plurality of sets of donor sheet supply rolls. The present invention relates to a multicolor thermosensitive recording device that performs recording by passing through.

In general, a thermal recording device using a donor sheet supply roll (hereinafter abbreviated as supply roll) overlaps an ink donor sheet fed out from the supply roll with recording paper (plain paper), and then uses a thermal head to stack the ink donor sheet and recording paper (plain paper). By selectively heating, the thermofluid or thermosublimable ink applied to the donor sheet flows or sublimates depending on the image information and is transferred to the recording paper, thereby recording the image information on the recording paper. It is made to be done.

Furthermore, among this type of thermal recording apparatus, one that performs multicolor recording is known.
To explain this, multiple sets of recording sections each having a thermal head and a supply roll are arranged in series in correspondence with the number of recording colors, and one sheet of recording paper is delivered from each supply roll of the plural sets of recording sections. Multi-color recording is performed by sequentially overlapping each ink donor sheet, which is fed out, and performing a thermal transfer recording process each time.

Incidentally, among such multicolor thermal recording devices, one is known that has a function of selecting a recording color depending on the document. For example, black and red 2
Multi-color thermal recording devices that can record in color can create recorded images in one color, black or red, or can create recorded images in black and red. . However, when recording colors are selected in this manner, one of the following recording methods is employed in conventional multicolor thermal recording apparatuses.

One is to let out ink donor sheets from all the supply rolls during recording and overlay one sheet of recording paper on these one by one, and drive only the thermal head that corresponds to the color you want to record.This allows you to print only the desired color. This is a method of creating recorded images.

The other one is, for example, the patent application filed in 1983 by the present applicant.
20958, the ink donor sheet is fed out only from the supply roll corresponding to the color desired to be recorded during recording, and the conveyance path of the recording paper is fed out only from the thermal head corresponding to the supply roll from which the ink donor sheet is fed out. In this method, the bypass conveyance path provided for each color is switched so that the recording paper is superimposed only on the ink donor sheet corresponding to the color desired to be recorded, thereby creating a recorded image in only the desired color.

However, the former method has the disadvantage that even when monochromatic recording, for example black, is performed, the ink donor sheet that would otherwise be used for recording other colors such as red is wasted, making it uneconomical. In addition, since a switching mechanism is provided for all colors, although recording is usually limited to only one color, the configuration becomes complicated and costs increase. Ta.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and includes a plurality of recording units for thermal transfer recording each having a thermal head and a donor sheet supply roll for supplying an ink donor sheet to the thermal head in accordance with the number of recording colors. A multicolor recording section arranged in series, a recording paper main conveyance path that sequentially passes through each recording section of the multicolor recording section, and a recording paper supply mechanism provided at the start and end points of this main conveyance path, respectively. and a discharge mechanism, a bypass conveyance path branching from the middle of the main conveyance path and reaching the discharge mechanism, and a conveyance path switching mechanism provided at the branching point to prevent waste and consumption of ink donor sheets. To provide a multicolor thermal recording device which is capable of simple configuration and cost reduction without requiring a switching mechanism for switching the conveyance path of recording paper.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a schematic side view of a multicolor thermosensitive recording device that records in two colors, black and red. This device includes a B color recording section 1 for recording black color.
Two sets of recording sections, ie, an R color recording section 2 and an R color recording section 2 for recording red color, are arranged in series. B color recording section 1
In this case, the B color ink donor sheet 4 fed out from the B color supply roll 3 is connected to the B color thermal head 5 and the B color ink donor sheet 4 fed out from the B color supply roll 3.
After passing sequentially between the color back roll 6 and between the B color back roll 6 and the B color drive roll 7,
It is adapted to be wound up on a color take-up roll 8. In the R color recording section 2, the R color ink donor sheet 10 fed out from the R color supply roll 9 is placed between the R color thermal head 11 and the R color back roll 12, and between the R color back roll 12 and the R color drive roll 13. After passing sequentially, the R color take-up roll 14
It is designed so that it can be wound up.

The recording paper main transport path 15 is arranged between the B color thermal head 5 and the B color back roll 6, between the B color back roll 6 and the B color drive roll 7, between the R color thermal head 11 and the R color back roll 12, R
It has a structure in which it passes sequentially between the color back roll 12 and the R color drive roll 13. A recording paper supply mechanism 16 is provided at the starting point of this main conveyance path 15, and a recording paper ejection mechanism 17 is provided at the end point thereof. The supply mechanism 16 transports the recording sheets 19 placed on the supply tray 18 one by one from the upper side (or lower side) to the main conveyance path 15 by means of a feed roll 20.
The data is sent to the starting point. The ejection mechanism 17 removes the recording paper 1 from the end point of the main conveyance path 15.
9 is discharged onto a discharge tray 23 by a pair of upper and lower conveyor belts 21 and 22.

The recording paper sub-transport path 24 has one end connected to the manual paper feed port 25 and the other end connected to the middle of the main transport path 15 between the recording units 1 and 2, respectively. In the middle of the sub-conveyance path 24,
A first sensor 26, a register roll 27, and a second sensor 28 are provided in this order from the manual paper feed port 25 toward the main conveyance path 15.

The main conveyance path 15 has a sub-conveyance path 24 along the way.
The discharge mechanism 1 is branched slightly before the connection point of
It has a bypass conveyance path 28 that reaches No. 7 conveyor belts 21 and 22. Further, a conveyance path switching mechanism 29 is provided at the branch point. This switching mechanism 29
has a switching member 30 that is operated by a drive source (not shown) such as a solenoid that is controlled by a mode switching signal (see FIGS. 2 and 3), and this switching member 30 , bypass conveyance path 2
8 and open the main conveyance path 15, and a state in which the main conveyance path 15 is shut off and the bypass conveyance path 28 is opened. The operation of the multicolor thermosensitive recording device constructed as follows will be explained. First, when performing two-color recording, the second
As shown in the figure, the switching member 30 is switched to a state in which the bypass conveyance path 28 is shut off and the main conveyance path 15 is opened. In this state, when the recording paper 19 is sent out from the supply tray 18 by the feed roller 20, this recording paper 19 passes through the main conveyance path 15 and is transferred to the B color thermal head 5 and the B color back roll 6.
enter between. Then, the B color drive roll 7 and the B color take-up roll 8 start driving, and accordingly the B color back roll 6 rotates in a predetermined direction, and the B color ink donor sheet 4 is fed out from the B color supply roll 3. . Also, at this timing, an image signal for black recording is started to be supplied to the B color thermal head 5 from a control circuit (not shown), and a black image is printed on the recording paper 19 being conveyed in a state overlapping with the B color ink donor sheet 4. Information is recorded.

After the black recording has been completed, the recording paper 19 is peeled off from the B ink donor sheet 4 and passes through the main transport path 15 in an open state as shown in FIG. 2 between the R color thermal head 11 and the R color back roll 12. enter. Then, the R color drive roll 13 and R
The color take-up roll 14 starts driving, and along with this, R
As the color back roll 12 rotates in a predetermined direction, the R color ink donor sheet 10 is fed out from the R color supply roll 9. Also, at this timing, an image signal for red recording is started to be supplied to the R color thermal head 11 from a control circuit (not shown), and a red image is printed on the recording paper 19 being conveyed in a state overlapping with the R color ink donor sheet 10. Information is recorded.

After the two-color recording is completed, the recording paper 19 is peeled off from the R color ink donor sheet 10 and transferred to the main conveyance path 1.
5 and is discharged onto a discharge tray 23 by conveyor belts 21 and 22.

Note that the feeding of the ink donor sheets 4 and 10 from the respective supply rolls 3 and 9 is stopped when the recording paper 19 is peeled off from each of the ink donor sheets 4 and 10.

Next, when performing black monochrome recording, the switching member 30 is switched to a state in which the main conveyance path 15 is shut off and the bypass conveyance path 28 is opened, as shown in FIG. When the recording paper 19 is fed out from the supply tray 18 in this state, image information is recorded in black on the recording paper 19 in the same manner as described above. After the black recording has been completed, the recording paper 19 is peeled off from the B color ink donor sheet 4 and then discharged to the discharge tray 23 by the conveyor belts 21 and 22 via the bypass conveyance path 28 which is in an open state as shown in FIG. be done.

In this way, since the recording paper 19 does not pass through the R color recording section 2, the R color ink donor sheet 10 is not fed out from the R color supply roll 9, and there is no need to do so.

Next, when performing red monochrome recording, the switching member 3
0 may be in any of the states shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. Incidentally, in this case, the operator manually inserts the recording paper 19 into the sub-transport path 24 via the manual paper feed port 25. Then, the first sensor 26 detects that the recording paper 19 has been inserted into the sub conveyance path 24, and only the R color recording section 2 is placed in a recording standby state. Thereafter, the recording paper 19 is conveyed by the register roll 27, and the second sensor 28 detects that the recording paper 19 has been supplied, so that the recording paper 19 is recorded in R color as described later. When reaching section 2, control is performed so that the recording position is appropriate. After that, the recording paper 19 enters the main transport path 15 from the sub transport path 24,
Then, it enters between the R color thermal head 11 and the R color back roll 12 via this main conveyance path 15. Thereafter, image information is recorded in red on the recording paper 19 in the same manner as described above, and the recording paper 19 is discharged to the discharge tray 23 after the red recording is completed.

In the above embodiment, the B color recording section 1 is provided at the front stage, and the R color recording section 2 is provided at the rear stage. This is because when performing this, it is usual to record in black. In some cases this may be the other way around.

Further, in the above embodiments, two-color recording has been described, but it goes without saying that the present invention can be similarly applied to multi-color recording of three or more colors.

As explained above, according to the multicolor thermal recording apparatus according to the present invention, there is a bypass conveyance path that branches off from the middle of the recording paper main conveyance path that sequentially passes through a plurality of recording units and reaches the above-mentioned ejection mechanism, and Since the ink donor sheet is equipped with a conveyance path switching mechanism installed at each point, wasteful consumption of the ink donor sheet can be prevented, and by passing through a bypass conveyance path that is shorter than the main conveyance path, it can be discharged quickly after recording. It has effects such as being able to.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic side view showing an embodiment of a multicolor thermosensitive recording apparatus according to the present invention, and FIGS. 2 and 3 are diagrams showing the - state and other states of the switching mechanism, respectively. 1...B color recording section, 2...R color recording section, 3...
B color supply roll, 4...B color ink donor sheet, 5...B color thermal head, 9...R color supply roll, 10...R color ink donor sheet, 11
... R color thermal head, 15 ... Recording paper main conveyance path, 16 ... Recording paper supply mechanism, 17 ... Recording paper discharge mechanism, 19 ... Recording paper, 24 ... Recording paper sub-conveyance path, 25 ... Manual paper feed slot, 28...
Bypass conveyance path, 29... Conveyance path switching mechanism, 30
...Switching member.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A plurality of recording units for thermal transfer recording each having a thermal head and a donor sheet supply roll for supplying an ink donor sheet to the thermal head are arranged in series corresponding to the number of recording colors. a recording paper main conveyance path that sequentially passes through each recording section of the multicolor recording section; a recording paper supply mechanism and a discharge mechanism provided at the start and end points of the main conveyance path, respectively; a sub-conveyance path for supplying recording paper to a point between any two recording units on the main conveyance path from a point different from the starting point of the main conveyance path; A multicolor thermosensitive recording device comprising: a bypass conveyance path branching from a branch point located between recording sections and reaching the discharge mechanism; and a conveyance path switching mechanism provided at the branch point.