JPH0424230B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION FIELD OF INDUSTRIAL APPLICATION The present invention relates to a color recording apparatus that performs color recording by thermally transferring dyes on a thermal transfer paper onto an image receiving paper using heat from a thermal head.

Conventional Structures and Problems There has been an increase in the use of display devices such as CRTs (cathode ray tubes) for color display in recent years, and with this, there has been a demand for devices that can hard copy these color images. In particular, there is a need for a device using color transfer paper that is easy to use and does not require troublesome maintenance.

A conventional color recording apparatus will be explained below. FIG. 1 shows the main recording parts of the conventional apparatus. Reference numeral 1 denotes a thermal head, which is pressed against a platen 2 via a transfer paper 5 and an image receiving paper 4. There is. Two auxiliary rollers 3 are pressed against the platen 2. The transfer paper 5 is supplied from a supply reel 7 and wound onto a take-up reel 6. The transfer paper 5 has cyan, magenta, and yellow pigments sequentially applied to different sections.

The operation will be described below.

With the first color transfer paper (for example, cyan) sandwiched between thermal head 1 and platen 2, rotate platen 2 in the direction of the arrow and transfer thermal head 1.
give a recording signal to. The heat generated by the thermal head 1 causes the dye on the transfer paper 5 to be transferred onto the image receiving paper 4. When one screen of Isshiki is recorded,
The thermal head 1 is separated from the platen 2 as shown in FIG. In this state, the platen 2 is reversed and rotated in the direction of arrow B. At this time, the auxiliary roller 3 remains in pressure contact with the platen 2. Therefore, the image receiving paper 4 is pressed against the platen 2, and the image receiving paper 4
The head also moves in the opposite direction and stops when the recording start position of the first color reaches the heat generation position of the thermal head 2. Also, during this time, the transfer paper 5 is wound up on the take-up reel 6, and stops when the second color reaches the heat generation position of the thermal head 1. When the above stop 2 is completed, the thermal head 1 is pressed against the platen 2 and becomes the state shown in FIG. 1, and recording of the second color is performed. Thereafter, when the recording of the third color is completed in the same manner, a color copy is obtained.

However, in the above configuration, platen 2
The image receiving paper 4 located between the two auxiliary rollers 3 at the top tends to sag. Therefore, the recording start positions of the second and third colors are inaccurate on the image receiving paper 4, which tends to cause color misregistration, making it difficult to obtain clear color copies.

In order to improve this problem, there is a device, as shown in FIG. 3, in which image receiving paper cut to a predetermined length is wound around a drum for recording. In this device, a thermal head 1 is pressed against a drum 10 via a transfer paper 5 and an image receiving paper 9. The drum 10 is large enough to wrap the image receiving paper 9 in a single layer. The leading end of the image receiving paper 9 is held against the surface of the drum 10 by a holder 11 provided on the drum 10. The holder 11 is attached to the drum 1 by the spring 12.
It is biased toward the center of zero. The roller 13 is lightly pressed against the drum 10.

During recording, recording of the first color is started from a point where the holder 11 is slightly past the heat generating position of the thermal head 1. The mechanism of transcription is similar to that shown in FIG. When the recording of the first color is completed, the thermal head 1 separates from the drum 10, and the drum 1
0 continues to rotate in the same direction, makes one rotation and stops at the recording start position of the first color, and the transfer paper 5 is wound up by the take-up reel 6 until the second color comes out. When the above operations are completed, the thermal head 1 is again pressed against the drum 10 and starts recording the second color.
When the third color is recorded in the same manner, color copying is completed.

According to this method, the drum 10 rotates as shown by arrow C, and after the holder 11 passes the roller 13, the roller 13 brings the image receiving paper 9 into close contact with the drum 10, so that the image receiving paper 9 It does not float off the surface of 10.

Therefore, the position of the image-receiving paper 9 can be accurately controlled, and color misregistration does not occur.

However, in this device, it is necessary to open and close the holder 11 each time the image receiving paper 9 is wound around the drum 10 or peeled off, and this requires active parts such as a solenoid and a motor, which increases the cost. are doing.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION The present invention solves the above-mentioned conventional drawbacks, and aims to provide an apparatus with less color shift and which can be manufactured at low cost.

Structure of the Invention The present invention attempts to achieve the above object by opening and closing a holding means for holding the leading edge of image receiving paper on a drum in conjunction with the movement of a thermal head.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS FIGS. 4, 6, 7, and 8 show the main parts of a color recording apparatus in an embodiment of the present invention. Figures 4, 6, 7 and 8
In the figure, the thermal head 13 is the thermal transfer paper 1
4. It is pressed against the drum 16 via the image receiving paper 15. The image receiving paper 15 is cut in advance to be slightly shorter than the outer circumference of the drum 16. Thermal transfer paper 14 is supplied from a supply reel 17 and taken up from a take-up reel 18.
It is wound up. A holder 19, which is a holding means for the image receiving paper 15, slides along a radial groove 16' provided in the drum 16, and one end 19' of the holder 19 is attached to the drum 16.
It extends along the 6th plane. One end 19' of the image receiving paper 15 is pressed against the drum 16 through the image receiving paper 15.
The tip of the drum 5 is firmly held on the surface of the drum 16 so as not to cause slips. Holder 19
is urged toward the center of the drum 16 by a spring 20. The thermal head 13 is moved to the drum 16 via a spring 23 by the movement of a sliding member 21' that moves left and right by the rotation of a screw 21 serving as a driving means.
The thermal transfer paper 14 and the image receiving paper 15 are sandwiched between them and pressed. Note that the sliding member 21' slides smoothly along the fixed base 21''.

The levers 24 and 25 are each rotatably mounted around pins 26 and 27 implanted on a chassis (not shown). The lever 24 is biased counterclockwise about a pin 26 by a spring 28 with respect to the chassis (not shown), and comes into contact with a stopper 29 on the chassis. One end of the lever 24 has a protrusion 24', which is in a relationship such that it can come into contact with a protrusion 19'' provided on the holder 19.
At normal times, they diverge at slight intervals. The lever 24 and the protrusion 25' attached to the lever 25 are in contact with each other. Lever 25, thermal head 1
It is in a relationship that it can come into contact with the protrusion 22 provided at 3. The roller 30 presses the drum 16 lightly.

As shown in FIG. 5, the thermal transfer paper 14 has cyan C, magenta M, and yellow Y coated in different areas in sequence.

The operation of the embodiment described above will be explained next.
FIG. 6 shows the point in time when the image-receiving paper 15 is mounted on the holder 19. The thermal head 13 is connected to the sliding member 2
1' is moved far away from the drum 16, the protrusion 22 and the lever 25 engage, and the lever 2
5 and 24 rotate in conjunction to bring the holder 19 into the open state as shown in the figure. Here, the image receiving paper 15 is inserted, and in this state, the sliding member 21' is moved to the left to bring the thermal head 13 close to the position shown in FIG. The engagement is broken, the lever 24 comes into contact with the protrusion 29 by the spring 28, and the protrusion 19''
The holder 19, which has been disengaged from the holder 19, is urged toward the center of the drum 16 by the urging force of the spring 20, and brings the leading end of the floating paper 15 into close contact with the drum 16. Next, when the drum 16 is rotated in the direction of arrow D as shown in FIG. 15 is wound tightly onto the surface of the drum 16. When the holder 19 passes between the thermal head 13 and the drum 16 and reaches the recording start point, the thermal head 13 comes into contact with the drum 16 by moving the sliding member 21' to the left, as shown in FIG. A predetermined pressing force is applied by the spring 23. From here, recording of the first color begins, and continues through the state shown in FIG. 4 until the end of recording. During this time, the thermal transfer paper 14 is lightly wound up by the take-up reel 18 and moves at the moving speed of the image receiving paper 15. In this way the first
When the recording of the color is completed, the thermal head 13 retreats again to the position shown in FIG. The recording material is taken up by the take-up reel 18, and at the recording start point of the drum 16, the thermal head 13 is pressed onto the surface of the drum 16, and recording of the second color begins. Thereafter, the third color is recorded in the same manner to complete one color copy.

When copying is completed, the state shown in FIG. 6 is reached, and the holder 19 is separated from the drum 16, so the image-receiving paper 15 is taken out in this state.

In this embodiment, a method using a screw was used to drive the thermal head, but it is needless to say that the method is not limited to a screw, and a method using a lever or the like may also be used. Moreover, in this example,
The thermal head and holder are linked using two levers, but it goes without saying that this can also be done using other methods such as a cam.

Effects of the Invention As is clear from the above embodiments, according to the present invention, since the image receiving paper is brought into close contact with the drum, it is possible to realize color copying without color misregistration, and the operation of holding and releasing the image receiving paper is performed by the thermal head. Since it is configured to use a moving power source, a dedicated power source is not required, and a low-cost color recording device can be provided.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view of the main parts of a conventional color recording device, FIG. 2 is a side view of the main parts of another color recording device, FIG. 3 is a side view of the same main parts, and FIG. 4 is a side view of the main parts of another color recording device. A side view of main parts of a color recording device in one embodiment,
FIG. 5 is a plan view of the thermal transfer paper, and FIGS. 6, 7, and 8 are side views of the same essential parts in different states. 13...Thermal head, 14...Thermal transfer paper,
15... image receiving paper, 16... drum, 19... holder, 24, 25... lever.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A drum on which image-receiving paper is wound, a thermal head that presses the image-receiving paper on the drum through a thermal transfer paper and sequentially heats and transfers the dye on the thermal transfer paper to the image-receiving paper, and a thermal head provided on the drum. , a paper holding means for making the leading end of the image receiving paper removably attachable to the drum; a thermal head moving means for moving the thermal head toward and away from the drum; an operation of the thermal head toward and away from the drum; A color recording device provided with a transmission means that mechanically interlocks the attachment/detachment operation of the holding means.