JPH0486619A - Color multilevel image display device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To facilitate the execution of repetitive recording of color multilevel images without using ink by controlling the heating quantity to a recording member formed by sticking a high polymer-liquid crystal composite film to a base material and executing the multilevel image display by the density corresponding to the heating quantity in the picture element unit of the main scanning direction of a thermal head for each of color information. CONSTITUTION:The multilevel image display by the density corresponding to the heating quantity is executed by controlling the heating quantity to the recording member 1 formed by sticking the high polymer-liquid crystal composite film 3 to the base material 2 in the picture element unit of the main scanning direction of the thermal head 8 for each of the color information. Namely, the high polymer-liquid crystal composite film 3 formed by dispersing a liquid crystal 3a into the high-polymer material 3b is used as the recording part of the recording member 1 and such an electric field as to orient the liquid crystal 3a in a specified direction is applied to the recording member 1 by using an erasing roller 6 to prevent the irregular reflection of light to attain a transprent state. The recording member 1 is heated by a thermal head 8 to control the heating quantity, by which the gradation recording is executed. The member is made transparent and reusable when the electric field is impressed again thereto after use.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Field of Industrial Application) The present invention relates to a color gradation image display device using a recording member that can be used repeatedly for recording and erasing by thermal recording and charge erasure.

(Prior Art) There is a sublimation type thermal printer that uses a thermal head to control the amount of heating and record a gradation image. In this method, sublimation ink is coated on a film, heated with a thermal head, and transferred onto recording paper, and the density is changed depending on the amount of heating to obtain a gradation image.

(Problem to be Solved by the Invention) Once ink is recorded on recording paper, it is difficult to erase it, and after cutting the recorded recording paper and removing the ink, only the recording paper portion must be taken out and reproduced. It was difficult to reuse paper.

(Means for Solving the Problems) In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides the following (1):
A color gradation image display device having the configuration (2) is provided.

(1) By controlling the amount of heat applied to the recording member with a polymer-liquid crystal composite film attached to the base material, color gradation images can be displayed in the main scanning direction of the thermal head for each color information with density according to the amount of heating. A color gradation image display device characterized in that display is performed pixel by pixel.

(2) By controlling the amount of heating applied to the recording member with the polymer-liquid crystal composite film attached to the base material, color gradation images can be displayed in the main scanning direction of the thermal head for each color information with density according to the amount of heating. A color gradation image display device characterized in that image display is performed in sub-scanning direction units at intervals equal to or smaller than pixel intervals.

(Example) Hereinafter, a gradation image display device according to the present invention will be explained with reference to FIGS. 1 to 9.

Figure 1 is a configuration diagram of an embodiment of the present invention device, Figure 2 is a configuration diagram of an embodiment of the thermal head, Figures 3 (A), (B), and 4.
The figures show the shape of the heating resistor for controlling the amount of heating, respectively.
Fig. 5 is a configuration diagram of the recording member, Fig. 6 is a characteristic diagram showing the transmission density versus temperature of the recording member, Fig. 7 (A>, (B),
Figure 9(A).

(B) is a diagram showing the color pattern and image printing, respectively.
The figure is a configuration diagram of a gradation image projection device.

In FIGS. 1 to 9, 1.1a is a recording member, 2 is a base material, and 3
3a is a polymer-liquid crystal composite film, 3a is a liquid crystal, 3b is a polymer material, 4 is a heat-resistant material, 5 is a gradation image display device, 6 is an erasing roller, 7 is a platen roller, 8 is a thermal head, 9
is a thin film, 10 to 13 are input terminals, 14 is a shift register (Shlft Re(litter), 15
is a latch circuit (tatchCircuit),
16 is a gate circuit (Gate C1 circuit), 17
．． 23 is a color pattern, 18. ．． 24 is an image printing device, 19 is a gradation image projector (OHP), 21 is a projection lens, 22
is a reflector, E is a power supply, R1, R2, R3 are heating resistors,
Trl, Tr2, and Tr3 are transistors.

The color gradation image display device 5 according to the present invention controls the amount of heat applied to the recording member 1 on which the polymer-liquid crystal composite film 3 is attached to the base material 2, thereby producing a color gradation with a density corresponding to the amount of heating. It has a configuration in which the tone image is displayed for each pixel in the main scanning direction of the thermal head 8 for each color information.

The function of the color gradation image display device 5 according to the present invention is that a polymer-liquid crystal composite film 3 in which a liquid crystal 3a is dispersed in a polymer material 3b is used as the recording portion of the recording member 1, and an erasing roller 6 is first used. Then, an electric field is applied to the recording member 1 so that the liquid crystal 3a is oriented in a certain direction, thereby preventing diffuse reflection of light and making it transparent. Next, gradation recording is performed by heating the recording member 1 with the thermal head 8 and controlling the amount of heating. After use, if an electric field is applied again, it becomes transparent and can be reused. In this gradation recording, each color information is recorded in units of pixels in the main scanning direction (or in units of pixels in the sub-scanning direction) of the thermal head 8. A color pattern 17.23 corresponding to the recording position of each color is thermally transferred in advance to another transparent medium using sublimation or molten ink using the same printer.

By superimposing this color pattern and the recorded polymer-liquid crystal composite film 3, a color image can be displayed (Gakaiin@
18.24).

In the recording member 1 described above, as shown in FIG. 5, a polymer-liquid crystal composite film 3 is adhered onto a highly smooth base material 2 such as PET. Furthermore, a heat-resistant coating material 4 is coated on top of it,
Prevents damage to polymer-liquid crystal composite 1IliI3 during heating.

As shown in FIG. 1, in the color gradation image display bag #5, first, an electric charge is applied to the recording section v11 by the erasing roller 6 to disturb the direction of the liquid crystal 3a and record an image made by A, which is obtained by making the liquid crystal 3a cloudy. When there is no heat-resistant coating material 4 on the recording member, a thin film 9 indicated by a dotted line is used by superimposing it on the recording member 1a. As the thin film 9, it is effective to use PET coated with the heat-resistant coating material 4.

The characteristic indicating the transparent density with respect to the temperature of the recording member 1 is the sixth
As shown in the figure, when the temperature applied to the polymer-liquid crystal composite film 3 is tO to tlaX, the transparent density is Dmin to Dmax.
changes continuously. This temperature (O is about 60℃, for example,
t+nax is, for example, about 70°C. Even if the temperature exceeds tmax, the transparent density does not change any further, and the transparent density remains approximately constant at temperatures above this temperature. As a result, in the range of 10 to t+++ax where the transparent density changes,
By controlling the amount of heating applied to the polymer-liquid crystal composite film 3, it can be used to display a color gradation image with a density corresponding to the amount of heating.

A plurality of heat generating resistors R1 to R3, . . . shown in FIG.
By supplying current through Tr3 and generating heat accordingly, the polymer-liquid crystal composite g1
A gradation image is obtained by setting the transparency turbidity of No. 3 to a predetermined value.

That is, the heating data (Data) corresponding to the image and the clock (data) for transmitting the data are sent to the shift register 14 shown in FIG.
Clock) is supplied from the input terminals 10 and 11, and the heating data at the positions of the heating resistors R1- and R3° are stored in the shift register 14. Next, this heating data is simultaneously sent to the latch circuit 15 and stored. When the storage is completed, the next heating data is sent to the shift register 14. The heating data stored in the latch circuit 15 to which the latch signal (Latch) is supplied from the input terminal 12 is transferred to the gate signal (
By turning on the gate of the gate circuit 16 to which the current (Gate) is supplied, the transistors Tr1 to R3, . A current is applied to heat the recording member 1, making it cloudy and recording an image.

The shape of each heating resistor used to display a gradation image by changing the density by controlling the heating amount as described above is the shape shown by a in FIG. 3(A). In addition, if high resolution or high density is required, a shape with multiple heat generating parts as shown in Figure (B), indicated by c, can be used to further equalize the heat generation temperature. It is configured to obtain a uniform concentration, lower the maximum temperature, and prevent thermal interference with adjacent heating resistors.

When performing color display on a pixel basis in the main scanning direction of the thermal head 8, first, sublimation type or melt type ink is sequentially and alternately applied on one line in the three colors R, G, and B, and this is used as the thin film 9. That is, PET having a color pattern 17 shown in FIG. 7(A) is used, and a transparent recording material (for OHP) is used as the above-mentioned transparent medium to print in a different color for each heating resistor of the thermal head 8.

Next, a transparent recording material is used in place of the thin film 9, and gradation images of each color are recorded on the polymer-liquid crystal 11 composite film 3 of the recording member 1 in accordance with the color pattern recorded on the transparent recording material. Record at once. Record the gradation image in the same way as Naruko.

In the case of color reproduction, color pattern 1 shown in FIG. 7(A)
A color gradation image can be displayed by overlapping the recording member 1 and the recording member 1 and projecting the image using an OHP, which is an example of the gradation image projection device 19 shown in FIG.

In addition, in the case of color display performed at intermediate intervals in the sub-scanning direction at intervals equal to or smaller than the pixel interval in the main-scanning direction of the thermal head 8, first, sublimation or melting ink is applied line by line in R, G, B A film coated with three colors alternately in sequence was used as the a-membrane film 9 (that is, PET having the color pattern 23 shown in FIG. 9(A)), and a transparent recording material (for OHP) was used as the transparent medium described above. Then, printing is performed in a different color for each heating resistor of the thermal head 8. in this case,
Color printing is performed by reciprocating between three lines of each color, but as shown in Fig. 4, the pixel interval H1) in the main scanning direction of the thermal head 8 is the same as the interval between the heating resistors, and printing below this I can't. Therefore, it is required to set the pixel interval SO of the thermal head 8 in the sub-scanning direction to Hp and Sp, and to record so that the pattern does not visually appear. In addition, as shown in FIG. 3(B) mentioned above,
It is more effective if a plurality of heat generating parts are provided for one pixel and the aspect ratio of the combined shape of the heat generating parts becomes Hp:Sp.

FIG. 9 (A) recorded on the transparent recording material obtained as above
) and the recording member 1 are superimposed to form an OH image, which is an example of the gradation image projecting device shown in FIG.
By projecting at P, a color gradation image can be displayed. Furthermore, since extremely high overlay accuracy is required, it is desirable that the color pattern 23 and the polymer-liquid crystal composite film 3 be recorded using the same thermal printer.

(Effects of the Invention) As described above, the gradation image display device according to the present invention controls the amount of heating applied to the recording member having the polymer-liquid crystal composite film adhered to the base material, thereby adjusting the amount of heating depending on the amount of heating. It is configured to display a color gradation image based on the density of each color information in units of pixels in the main scanning direction of the thermal head or at intervals of 31 ψ in the scanning direction at intervals equal to or smaller than the pixel interval in the main scanning direction of the thermal head. , it is possible to repeatedly record color gradation images without using ink, and l5Ii
Color images with good S/N quality and gradation characteristics can be obtained, color gradation images can be recorded and erased repeatedly on the same recording member, and the reusability of the recording member is improved. effective.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Figure 1 is a configuration diagram of an embodiment of the present invention device, Figure 2 is a configuration diagram of an embodiment of the thermal head, Figures 3 (A), (B), and 4.
The figures each show the shape of the heat generating resistor for heating control, FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram of the recording member, FIG. 6 is a characteristic diagram showing the transmission density versus temperature of the recording member, and FIGS. ), Figure 9(A). (B) is a diagram showing the color pattern and image printing, respectively.
The figure is a configuration diagram of a self-image projection device. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Recording member, 2... Base material, 3... Polymer-liquid crystal composite film, 4... Heat-resistant coating material,
5... Color gradation image display device, 6... Erasing roller, 7... Blank roller, 8... Thermal head,
9... am film, 10 to 13 are input ends r, 14...
...Shift register, 15...Latch circuit, 16...
・Gate circuit, 17.23...Color pattern, 18.2
3... Image printing, 19... Gradation image projection device, 21
...projection lens, 22...reflector, E...power supply,
Hp... pixel interval in the main scanning direction, R1-R3... heating resistor, Sρ... pixel interval in the sub-scanning direction, Tri-Tr3... transistor. Patent Applicant: Japan Victor Co., Ltd.

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) By controlling the amount of heat applied to the recording member with the polymer-liquid crystal composite film attached to the base material, color gradation images can be displayed in the main scanning direction of the thermal head for each color information with density according to the amount of heating. A color gradation image display device characterized in that display is performed pixel by pixel. (2) By controlling the amount of heating to the recording member with the polymer-liquid crystal composite film attached to the base material, color gradation images can be displayed in the main scanning direction of the thermal head for each color information with density according to the amount of heating. A color gradation image display device characterized in that image display is performed in sub-scanning direction units at intervals equal to or smaller than pixel intervals.