JPH04275167A - Thermal transfer recording apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To accurately guide recording paper to a recording standby position by providing a movable guide guiding the recording paper along the surface of a platen roller in a curved state at an entry position in a freely advancing and recording state with respect to the feed-in passage of the recording paper reaching the recording standby position. CONSTITUTION:In a thermal transfer recording apparatus 21, a movable guide 22 is provided on the same axis as a platen roller 10 and constituted of a fan- shaped body 24 revolvable within the angular range of about 180 deg. and the l6 cylindrical body 25 integrally molded on the skirt part of the fan-shaped body along the axial direction thereof. The 1/6 cylindrical body 25 is made free to advance and recede with the revolution of the fan-shaped body 24 by the power of a motor with respect to the feed-in path of recording paper 5 to guide the recording paper 5 along the surface of the platen roller 10 in a curved state at an entry position and retracted to a retraction position not disturbing the feed of the recording paper 5 before recording. The guided curved recording paper 5 is guided in a direction keeping the curved state of the recording paper by a fixed guide.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a thermal transfer recording device which is provided with a movable guide and a fixed guide along a recording paper conveyance path to accurately guide the recording paper and to make the device more compact.

0002

[Prior Art] Various recording methods have been studied in parallel with the development of recording media for printing technology for so-called hard copies, in which images are printed and recorded on recording paper, and among them, sublimation thermal transfer recording devices are , is attracting attention for its reliability and high quality. The thermal transfer recording apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 5 uses a sublimation thermal transfer method, and has approximately three parts: a paper feed section 2, a recording section 3, and a paper discharge section 4. In the paper feed section 2, several dozen sheets of dedicated recording paper 5, which are synthetic paper cut to a certain size and coated with an image-receiving layer, are stored in a paper cassette 6. The uppermost recording paper 5 is fed toward the recording section 3 by a paper feed roller 7. The leading edge of the recording paper 5 sent out from the paper feed section 2 is guided between a pair of paper feed rollers 8 and 9 that are vertically in contact with each other in the recording section 3, and the paper feed rollers 8 and 9 guide the recording paper 5 onto the platen roller 10. will be transported to. Platen roller 10
An ink ribbon 11 and a thermal head 12 are arranged above, and the thermal head 12 presses the recording paper 5 from above the ink ribbon 11 against the platen roller 10, and the paper is fed in this state, so that the ink ribbon 11 is The ink is thermally transferred onto the recording paper 5.

The ink ribbon 11 shown in this example is made by coating sublimation dyes of three colors, Y (yellow), M (magenta), and C (cyan) on a polyester film base material. An ink ribbon 11, which has been repeatedly coated with three colors sequentially in accordance with the size of the recording paper 5, is wound around a supply reel 11s and a take-up reel 11t, and is housed in a cartridge. When recording a full-color image on a single sheet of recording paper 5, it is necessary to apply each color of Y, M, and C three times in total. A method is used in which the recording paper 5 is moved back and forth three times based on the recording standby position and the three colors are sequentially coated. That is, the recording paper 5 that has finished recording yellow first is returned to the recording standby position in the opposite direction to the conveyance direction, then purple recording is performed using the ink ribbon 11 whose application color has been changed to magenta, and finally light blue is recorded. record. In this way, the recording paper 5 that has been recorded by overlapping the three colors is sent out onto the take-out pallet 15 by a pair of paper ejection rollers 13 and 14 that are vertically in contact with each other in the paper ejection section 4, where one sheet is Complete recording.

0004

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] In the conventional thermal transfer recording device 1 described above, the recording paper 5 fed by the paper feed rollers 8 and 9 hits the ink ribbon 11, changes direction slightly and reaches the carry-in position, and then thermal head 12
Since the ink ribbon 11 is sandwiched between the ink ribbon 11 and the recording paper 5 is pressed down from above for recording, if the ink ribbon 11 is poorly hit, the recording paper 5 will get caught during conveyance, making it impossible to perform accurate thermal transfer. There are times when
Furthermore, since the recording paper 5 that has been recorded is transported as it is in the transport direction, a considerable amount of space is required along the transport direction, and therefore it is necessary to have a certain depth. , a device that records a color image by reciprocally conveying the recording paper 5 and overprinting it has problems such as not only the conveying space cannot be made compact, but also it is difficult to make the entire device compact. .

[0005]

[Means for Solving the Problems] The present invention has solved the above problems, and is capable of thermally transferring ink by a thermal head to a recording paper carried into a recording standby position between a platen roller and an ink ribbon in a forward and reverse direction. In a thermal transfer recording device that performs thermal transfer recording by repeating paper conveyance, the recording paper is provided so as to be movable forward and backward with respect to an entrance path for the recording paper leading to the recording standby position, and the recording paper is curved along the surface of a platen roller at the entrance position. a movable guide that guides the recording paper and retreats to a retracted position that does not interfere with the conveyance of the recording paper before entering thermal transfer recording; The present invention is characterized in that it includes a fixed guide that guides the recording medium in a direction that maintains the curvature even during thermal transfer recording.

[0006]

[Operation] In the present invention, a movable guide provided so as to be able to freely move forward and backward with respect to the recording paper entry path leading to the recording standby position between the platen roller and the ink ribbon curves the recording paper along the surface of the platen roller at the entry position. The recording paper is moved to a retracted position that does not interfere with the conveyance of the recording paper before starting thermal transfer recording, and a fixed guide fixed in the middle of the recording paper conveyance path causes the recording paper that has been curved and guided by a movable guide to be thermally transferred. By guiding the recording paper in a direction that continues to maintain the curve inside, it is possible to accurately guide the recording paper to the recording standby position and to make the space for transporting the recording paper more compact.

[0007]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Examples of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4. FIG. 1 is a side view of the main parts of an embodiment of the thermal transfer recording device of the present invention, showing the state when recording paper is carried in. FIG. 2 shows the thermal transfer recording device shown in FIG. 1, showing the state when recording paper is conveyed. FIG. 3 is a side view of main parts.

The thermal transfer recording device 21 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is provided with a movable guide 22 and a fixed guide 23 along the conveyance path of the recording paper 5, in order to accurately guide the recording paper 5 and make the device more compact. It is. The movable guide 22 is coaxially assembled to the platen roller 10 and
It consists of a fan-shaped body 24 that can be rotated over an angular range of about 180 degrees separately from the fan-shaped body 24, and a 1/6 cylindrical body 25 that is integrally molded along the axial direction at the hem of this fan-shaped body 24. As the fan-shaped body 24 rotates, the body 25 can move into the entrance path for the recording paper 5, or vice versa. The movable guide 22 shown in the embodiment is driven forward and backward by motor power, guides the recording paper 5 in a curved manner along the surface of the platen roller 10 at the approach position, and prevents the conveyance of the recording paper 5 before starting recording. Evacuate to the evacuation position.

The fixed guide 23 is located at a position slightly apart from the platen roller 10 and facing forward in the direction of conveyance of the recording paper 5, and guides the recording paper 5 during recording in a direction substantially perpendicular to the previous direction of conveyance. The recording paper 5, which has been guided in a curve by the movable guide 22, is guided in a direction in which the curve continues to be maintained even during recording.

By the way, the recording paper 5 carried in the direction of the platen roller 10 by the paper feed rollers 8 and 9 is moved to the 1/6 cylindrical body 2 by the movable guide 22 waiting at the entry position.
5 toward the recording standby position. Here, the recording paper 5 is curved and guided along the inner periphery of the 1/6 cylindrical body 25 and is guided in a direction in which the leading end of the recording paper 5 comes into contact with the fixed guide 23 . However, just before the leading edge of the recording paper 5 hits the fixed guide 23, the movable guide 22 makes a half turn around the axis of the platen roller 10 and retreats from the approach position to the retreat position. When the movable guide 22 retracts to the retracted position shown in FIG. 2, the leading edge of the recording paper 5 completely contacts the surface of the fixed guide 23, completing the conveyance to the recording standby position.

The recording paper 5 carried into the recording standby position is
A thermal head 12 is pressed from above with the ink ribbon 11 interposed therebetween, and as the platen roller 10 rotates, printing is performed. At this time, the fixed guide 23 fixed in the middle of the conveyance path of the recording paper 5 is connected to the movable guide 22.
The recording paper 5, which has been guided in a curved manner, is continuously guided in a direction in which the curved state is maintained. Therefore, the recording paper 5 is guided downward along a direction substantially perpendicular to the previous conveyance direction. Then, the recording paper 5, which has been conveyed to the conveyance limit position and has undergone yellow printing, is returned to the recording standby position as the paper feed rollers 8 and 9 reverse, and is then subjected to purple printing. However, even when the recording paper 5 is returned to the recording standby position, the leading edge of the recording paper 5 is in contact with the surface of the fixed guide 23, so the recording paper 5 is guided along the fixed guide 23 even when printing a purple color. . Furthermore, the recording paper 5 that has been overcoated with two colors by the purple print is sent out to the paper discharge section 4 after the last light blue print is performed.

In this way, the thermal transfer recording device 21 has the following features:
A movable guide 22 provided so as to be able to move forward and backward with respect to the entrance path for the recording paper 5 that reaches the recording standby position between the platen roller 10 and the ink ribbon 11 curves the recording paper 5 along the surface of the platen roller 10 at the entrance position. The fixed guide 23 fixed in the middle of the conveyance path of the recording paper 5 guides the recording paper 5 to a retracted position that does not interfere with the conveyance of the recording paper 5 before starting recording. Since the movable guide 22 is configured to guide the recording paper 5 in a direction that continues to maintain the above-mentioned curvature, the recording paper 5 can be accurately guided to the recording standby position, and the recording paper 5 can be directly applied to the ink ribbon 11 to move the recording paper 5 to the platen roller 10. Unlike the conventional thermal transfer recording device 1, which has a structure in which the recording paper 5 is guided to the side, there is no possibility that the recording paper 5 gets caught during conveyance and cannot perform accurate thermal transfer, and the movable guide 22 fulfills its role. Since it is retracted to a position where it does not interfere with the conveyance of the paper 5, the movable guide 22 itself does not interfere with the conveyance of the recording paper 5, and the fixed guide 23 also allows the recording paper 5 guided by the movable guide 22 to be carried in. Since the recording paper 5 is guided in a direction substantially perpendicular to the direction, the space required for transporting the recording paper 5 can be saved, unlike the conventional thermal transfer recording apparatus 1 in which the recording paper 5 that has finished recording is transported as it is almost in an extension of the carrying direction. It can be made more compact, and especially in devices such as the sublimation method, which record color images by reciprocating the recording paper 5 and overprinting it, making the transportation space more compact can be used to make the entire device more compact. It is possible to make an effective contribution.

In the above embodiment, the movable guide 22 is provided coaxially with the platen roller 10, and the movable guide 22 is provided coaxially with the platen roller 10.
The movable guide 22 was configured to move forward and backward between the approach position and the retreat position by rotating along the circumference of the
As in the thermal transfer recording device 31 shown in 4, a movable guide 32
It is also possible to configure the recording paper 5 to move forward and backward along the conveyance direction of the recording paper 5. That is, in the approach position, the movable guide 32 approaches the movable guide 22 at almost the same position and in the same state, but when retreating, it moves in a straight line along the conveyance direction of the recording paper 5 to the vicinity of the supply reel 11s. retreat to. However, since the fixed guide 23 is the same as in the previous embodiment, the recording paper 5 that has been guided by the movable guide 32 is guided along the fixed guide 23 in a direction substantially perpendicular to the previous conveyance direction. be done.

[0013]

As explained above, the present invention provides a movable guide that is provided so as to be able to move forward and backward with respect to the recording paper entry path that reaches the recording standby position between the platen roller and the ink ribbon.
At the entry position, the recording paper is curved and guided along the surface of the platen roller, and before starting recording, it is retracted to a retracted position that does not interfere with the conveyance of the recording paper, and a fixed guide fixed in the middle of the recording paper conveyance path is installed. Since the recording paper that has been curved and guided by the movable guide is guided in a direction that maintains the curvature, the movable guide can accurately guide the recording paper to the recording standby position, and the recording paper can be directly guided to the ink ribbon. Unlike conventional thermal transfer recording devices, which have a structure in which the recording paper is guided to the platen roller side, there is no chance that the recording paper will get caught on the way in and the paper cannot be accurately transferred, and the movable guide fulfills its role. Since the movable guide itself does not interfere with the conveyance of the recording paper, the fixed guide continues to guide the recording paper guided by the movable guide in the specified direction. Unlike conventional thermal transfer recording devices, in which the recording paper that has been recorded is transported as it is in the direction in which it is transported, the space required for transporting the recording paper can be made more compact. In devices such as thermal transfer recording devices that record color images by reciprocally conveying recording paper and recording in layers, the compactness of the conveyance space can effectively contribute to the compactness of the entire device. It has excellent effects such as

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a side view of a main part of an embodiment of a thermal transfer recording apparatus according to the present invention, showing a state when recording paper is carried in;

FIG. 2 is a side view of a main part of the thermal transfer recording apparatus shown in FIG. 1, showing a state in which recording paper is being conveyed for recording.

FIG. 3 is a side view of the main parts of another embodiment of the thermal transfer recording apparatus of the present invention, showing the state when recording paper is carried in;

FIG. 4 is a side view of a main part of the thermal transfer recording apparatus shown in FIG. 3, showing a state in which recording paper is being conveyed for recording.

FIG. 5 is a side view showing an example of a conventional thermal transfer recording device.

[Explanation of symbols]

5 Recording paper 10 Platen roller 11 Ink ribbon 12 Thermal head 21, 31 Thermal transfer recording device 22, 32 Movable guide 23 Fixed guide

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A thermal transfer recording device that performs thermal transfer recording on recording paper carried into a recording standby position between a platen roller and an ink ribbon by repeating thermal transfer of ink by a thermal head and conveyance of the paper in forward and reverse directions. The recording paper is provided so as to be movable forward and backward with respect to the entry path for the recording paper leading to the standby position, and guides the recording paper in a curved manner along the surface of the platen roller at the entry position, and transports the recording paper before entering thermal transfer recording. a movable guide that retreats to a retracted position where it does not interfere; and a fixed guide that is fixed in the middle of the conveyance path of the recording paper and that guides the recording paper that has been guided in a curve by the movable guide in a direction that continues to maintain the curve even during thermal transfer recording. A thermal transfer recording device comprising: