JPH05278308A - Roll recording medium and recording apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To emit the warning of medium replacing preparation a little early, to prevent the deterioration of an image in the vicinity of a terminal and to certainly detect a terminal part. CONSTITUTION:A cut part 3c with a cut width dimension (t) is formed to one side end part of the recording paper 3 of roll recording paper 2 in the vicinity of the terminal of the recording paper 3. A reflection type optical sensor 11 detecting the cut part 3c is provided to a thermal transfer printer 1 using the roll recording paper 2 and the warning of the replacement of the recording paper is displayed on a display panel on the basis of the detection signal of the sensor 11.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a roll recording medium wound in a roll shape in the longitudinal direction and a recording apparatus using the roll recording medium.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, recording devices such as thermal transfer printers have been widely used. This thermal transfer printer melts the ink on the transfer paper with the heat of the thermal head (thermal melting type) or sublimates it (thermal sublimation type) to transfer it to a desired position on the recording paper according to characters and image information. Transfer is performed in accordance with a signal, and a roll recording paper is known as this recording paper. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a thermal transfer printer according to an embodiment of the present invention and a conventional example which will be described later.

As shown in the figure, a conventional thermal transfer printer 21 includes a platen roller 7, a thermal head 8, a cutter 12, a case 13, a control circuit 14, an operation control microcomputer 15, a display panel 16 and a reflection type optical sensor 31. Etc. The printer 21 uses a roll recording paper 22 in which a recording paper 23 is wound around the outer periphery of the roll 4 in a longitudinal direction in a roll shape. The center hole of the roll 4 is loaded on the roll recording paper shaft 5, the recording paper 23 is sequentially pulled out from the roll-shaped starting end side, and the rear surface of the recording surface 23a passes through the recording paper roller (A) 6A. It is wound in a substantially U-shape so as to follow the outer periphery of the platen roller 7, and is cut one screen at a time by the cutter 12 via the recording paper roller (B) 6B, and is recorded outside the case 13 as the recorded recording paper 23b. Is discharged to.

Transfer paper shafts (A) 10A and (B) 10
A transfer paper 9 is stretched between B, and the thermal head 8 is pressed against the recording surface 23a of the recording paper 23 on the outer periphery of the platen roller 7 via the transfer paper 9. Then, due to the heat generated by the energization control of the thermal head 8, the color ink on the transfer paper 9 is transferred to the recording surface 23a of the recording paper 23 as the respective parts move in the directions indicated by the arrows in FIG. Transcribed line by line.

The above-described operation is performed under the control of the control circuit 14 in accordance with a command from the microcomputer 15, and this operating condition is displayed on the display panel 16 under the control of the control circuit 14. Further, when the recording paper 23 of the roll recording paper 22 reaches near the end by repeating the recording operation described above, an alarm of recording paper replacement is displayed on the display panel 16 based on the detection signal of the reflective optical sensor 31. Therefore, the user prepares to replace the roll recording paper 22.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the essential parts of a conventional roll recording paper and thermal transfer printer. As shown in the figure,
On the recording paper 23 of the roll recording paper 22 of the above-mentioned conventional example, an end display band 23c of red or black is provided at one end of the back surface of the recording surface 23a near the end thereof.
Is printed in the longitudinal direction. Although the recording region width dimension w is slightly smaller than the recording sheet width dimension W of the recording paper 23, the position of the end portion display band 23c in the recording paper width direction is inside the recording region width dimension w for the convenience of printing. There is. And
The recording paper end portion is detected by the optical detection of the end portion display band 23c by the optical sensor 31 and the visual detection of the end portion display band 23c of the recorded recording paper 23b by the user. Incidentally, apart from the above-mentioned conventional example, it is also known that the arrival of the final end of the roll recording paper 22 is detected by, for example, a change in tension, an optical sensor or the like, but in this method, before the final end is reached, It is not possible to issue a warning to prepare for chart paper replacement early.

[0007]

The conventional roll recording paper 22 and thermal transfer printer 21 having the above-mentioned structure.
At the recording surface 23a of the end display band 23c
As seen from the side, the above-mentioned recording paper 2 near the end is recorded.
If the image quality of 3b is deteriorated, and if there is transfer to the recording surface 23a side due to insufficient drying of the printing ink of the end display band 23c, the image quality is further deteriorated and the display band 23c is printed by this transfer. There is a problem that malfunctions occur in the detection of the end portion of the recording paper by the optical sensor 31 due to defects (scratching, blurring, etc.).

The present invention has been made by paying attention to the above points. It is possible to issue a medium replacement preparation warning early before the final end is reached, and there is no deterioration in image quality near the end of the recording medium. Moreover, it is an object of the present invention to provide a roll recording medium and a recording device capable of surely detecting the recording medium end portion.

[0009]

A roll recording medium of the present invention is wound in a roll shape in the longitudinal direction, loaded into a recording device, and sequentially pulled out from the starting end side of the roll for recording. The above-mentioned object is achieved by configuring the medium so that the width dimension of the recording medium is changed near the end thereof. Further, the recording apparatus of the present invention achieves the above-mentioned object by using the roll recording medium and comprising a width detecting means for detecting a change in the width dimension of the recording medium.

[0010]

EXAMPLE An example of the present invention will be compared and explained under the same conditions as in the case of the above-mentioned conventional example. As shown in FIG. 2, the thermal transfer printer 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention is different from the above-described conventional printer 21 in that the roll recording paper 2 used.
Since only the reflective optical sensor 11 and the reflective optical sensor 11 are different, the description of the same parts as those in the conventional example will be omitted.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing essential parts of a roll recording paper and a thermal transfer printer which are one embodiment of the roll recording medium and the recording apparatus of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the recording paper 3 of the roll recording paper 2 has a cut portion 3c cut in the longitudinal direction with a cut width dimension t at one side end near the end thereof. This cut width dimension t is smaller than (recording paper width dimension W-recording area width dimension w) / 2.

Then, the end portion of the recording paper is detected by the optical detection of the cut portion 3c by the optical sensor 11 and the visual detection of the change in the recording paper width dimension of the recorded recording paper 3b by the user. In this case, since the cut portion 3c is formed outside the recording area, there is practically no adverse effect on the recorded recording paper 3b.

The roll recording paper 2 and the thermal transfer printer 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention having the above-mentioned structure are different from the roll recording paper 22 and the thermal transfer printer 21 in the conventional example described above in the above-mentioned end portion display. Since there is no see-through from the recording surface 3a side of the strip 23c and no transfer of printing ink to the recording surface 3a side,
There is no deterioration in the image quality of the recorded recording paper 3b near the end,
Further, the malfunction of detection of the recording paper end portion by the reflection type optical sensor 11 due to the printing failure of the end portion display band 23c described above does not occur. In the description of the above embodiment, an example using the reflection type optical sensor 11 has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and a width detection unit such as a transmission type optical sensor or a mechanical sensor can be used.

[0014]

According to the roll recording medium and recording apparatus of the present invention having the above-described structure, it is possible to issue an alarm for medium replacement preparation early before the final end is reached, and further the image quality near the end is deteriorated. Since it is possible to reliably detect the end of the recording medium, the usability, function, and reliability of the medium and the device are improved, and the cost performance of the system in which the medium and the device are used is improved.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing essential parts of a roll recording medium and a thermal transfer printer which are examples of a roll recording medium and a recording apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a thermal transfer printer according to an embodiment of the present invention and a conventional example.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing essential parts of a conventional roll recording paper and a thermal transfer printer.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Thermal transfer printer (recording device) 2 Roll recording paper (roll recording medium) 11 Reflective optical sensor (width detection means) W Recording paper width dimension (recording medium width dimension)

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[Procedure amendment]

[Submission date] June 23, 1992

[Procedure Amendment 1]

[Document name to be corrected] Drawing

[Name of item to be corrected] Figure 1

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

[Figure 1]

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A roll recording medium which is wound in a roll shape in the longitudinal direction, is loaded in a recording device, and is sequentially pulled out from the start end side of the roll to perform recording, and a recording medium width dimension near the end thereof. A roll recording medium characterized in that 2. A recording apparatus using the roll recording medium according to claim 1, further comprising width detection means for detecting a change in the width dimension of the recording medium.