JPH0548755B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of Industrial Application The present invention uses a thermal recording head and a thermal transfer recording sheet to record monochrome images on a recording medium (image receptor).
Alternatively, it relates to a thermal transfer recording apparatus that sequentially overlays thermal transfer recording at predetermined positions using a three-primary color method or a four-primary color method to obtain a full-color image.

2. Description of the Related Art A thermal transfer recording device devised prior to the present invention is shown in FIG. Here, 100 is a thermal transfer recording sheet, 200 is a recording medium (image receptor) such as a recording paper, 400 is a pressure of pressing the recording medium 200 against the recording sheet by a recording platen, and 5
10 is a plurality of resistance heating elements 510a, 51
It is a linear type thermal recording head having 0b... The recording sheet 100 is made of a heat-resistant substrate 1 such as a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) film.
On the surface 110a side of 10, a coloring material 122 made of pigments, dyes, or a mixture thereof used in printing inks, paints, etc., and a binder material 121 whose viscosity decreases as the temperature rises (for example, wax or polymer material) The melting point or softening point of hot melt materials such as
A layer (thickness t) of the ink material 120 containing a mixed material (approximately 60 to 120 degrees
For example, if the particle size is
3 μm solid particles such as alumina 123 per 1 mm ²
A thermal transfer layer 130 having an uneven surface formed by mixing at a density of about 10 ⁴ is installed.

The thermal transfer layer 130 is a resistive heating element 510 of the recording head 500 that is pressed against the back surface 110b of the substrate.
Temperature increase recording signals 500 such as electrical signals 500a, 500b, etc., which are selectively pulse width (P _W ) modulated, are applied to a, 510b, etc., and the heat generated by them selectively increases the temperature through the base 110. Temperature rise recording is controlled.

Next, the operation will be explained.

For example, a recording signal 500a with a narrow modulation pulse width (P _W =P _W1 ) like the heating element 510a in FIG. 4A
When , the hot melt binder contained in the ink material 120 is melted from the base surface 110a (back surface 120b of the ink material layer) side according to the amount of heating, and the molten ink material 1 has a low viscosity.
40a. Heat conduction through the solid particles 123 also produces molten ink material 140b on the solid particle surfaces 123a. These molten ink materials 140a and 140b are caused by the thermal expansion of the binder 121 when it is melted, and the protruding surfaces 123b of the particles 123.
The ink is pushed out by capillary action due to the narrow gap between the surface 123b and the recording medium surface 200a, the ink penetrates 150 through the surface 123b, and is attached to and transferred to the recording medium surface 200a.

After applying the signal 500a, the melted ink material 14
If the recording sheet 100 is peeled off from the recording medium 200 before the particles 0a and 140b return to their original solid state and the solid particles 123 do not lose their mobility, as illustrated in FIG. Parts of the penetrating molten ink materials 140a and 140b are attached and transferred to the recording medium surface 200a while being attached to the surfaces 123a and 123b, and a transfer record 160 is created.
give rise to a. On the other hand, when a recording signal 500b with a sufficiently wide pulse width (P _W =P _W2 ) is applied as in the element 510b, the ink melting 140a, 140b progresses to the ink material layer surface 120a, causing ink penetration 150 and particle surface By adhering to the ink material layer 123a and 123b and transferring it to the recording medium surface 200, the entire thickness direction of the ink material layer 120 is transferred as a transfer record 160b. In this case, transfer record 160 provides maximum optical density.

In this way, since the recording optical density of the transfer record 160 corresponds to the amount of the molten ink materials 140a and 140b, the density of the transfer record 160 is controlled with continuity in response to the modulation pulse width _PW of the record signal 500. Ru.

Therefore, when Kahn black is used as the coloring material 122, a black gradation image can be created using a three-primary color method or a four-primary color method using cyan, magenta, yellow, or even black primary color pigments or dyes. Overlapping transfer recording allows full-color image thermal transfer recording.

Problems to be Solved by the Invention However, since this type of thermal transfer recording device performs transfer recording according to the amount of heating, there is little ink transfer in the low transfer density area, and in addition, because the amount of heating is small, melting during ink transfer occurs. The viscosity of the ink materials 140a and 140b tends to be higher than in the high transfer density region, and therefore the adhesion strength to the recording medium surface 200 tends to be insufficient. In this case, since the solid particles 123 are also included in the transfer record 160, this tendency is particularly likely to be exacerbated.

Therefore, the transfer record 160 in the low density area is more susceptible to mechanical friction than the transfer record 160 in the high density area, and may sometimes peel off easily.

On the other hand, in the case of overlapping thermal transfer of multiple primary colors, in addition to the above, the subsequent transfer record 160 may not mix well with the preceding transfer record 160 due to insufficient viscosity reduction of the molten ink material and insufficient temperature in the low density region. figure,
There may be cases where sufficient color mixing cannot be achieved using the subtractive color method. In particular, since both the preceding transfer record 160 and the subsequent transfer record 160 contain solid particles 123, the presence of the solid particles 123 tends to act as a spacer that obstructs the mixing of transfer ink materials, and the transfer record The color of No. 160 has problems in that its color purity is reduced, it has diffused reflection, and it tends to become opaque.

In view of the points related to the present invention, it is an object of the present invention to provide a thermal transfer recording device that improves the above-mentioned problems.

Means for Solving the Problems The present invention provides a thermal transfer recording apparatus using the above-mentioned thermal transfer recording sheet, in which the binder material of the ink material is heated to a temperature higher than the melting point or softening point of the binder material of the ink material after the thermal transfer recording onto the recording medium is completed. This is a thermal transfer recording device characterized in that it is provided with means for.

Function According to the present invention, during transfer recording on a recording medium, the binder material is remelted and viscosity-reduced by the heating means, regardless of the transfer recording density. Therefore, this melting and lowering of the viscosity improves the adhesion to the recording medium, and the abrasion resistance is improved by firmly adhering to the recording medium.

In addition, by melting and lowering the viscosity, the adhesion of the preceding transfer record and the following transfer record is improved, and furthermore, the mixing property is improved, and a full-color transfer record with improved color purity and transparency can be obtained. , the surface of the transfer record becomes smoother by remelting and lowering the viscosity.
A glossy transfer record can be obtained.

Embodiment FIG. 1 is a system structure diagram of an embodiment of a thermal transfer recording apparatus according to the present invention.

510 is a linear type thermal recording head, and the temperature rising recording section 511 includes, for example, 4 to 4 resistive heating elements.
The dots are arranged at a density of 8 dots/mm. Each of these element dots forms a recording pixel. This temperature rise recording section 5
11 and the recording platen 610, the recording medium 2
00 and the thermal transfer recording sheet 100 having the thermal transfer layer 130 explained in FIG.
Feed the paper as shown in 12,613. 621,622
are a recording medium roll, a winding roll, and 632, respectively.
are a transfer roll and a take-up roll, respectively. 5
20 sends a recording signal 500A pulse width modulated corresponding to the input image signal 500B to each of the resistance heating elements of the recording head 510 through paper feeds 612, 61.
This is a modulated power supply device that converts and supplies line-sequentially in synchronization with 3. By the recording head 510, the recording section 511
The temperature of the thermal transfer layer 130A corresponding to 130A is selectively controlled to increase the temperature in a line-sequential manner via the base 110. A large number of solid particles 123 are located within each recording pixel. The heat generation of the heating resistor element is controlled in accordance with the pulse width P _W of the recording signal 500A, and by this temperature increase recording control, the molten ink material 140 penetrates through a large number of fine solid particles 123. , and the recording medium surface 200a together with the solid particles 123.
, the pulse width of the signal 500A P _W
A transfer record 160 is obtained over the entire recording pixel with a continuous gradation recording density corresponding to .

In this case, the thermal transfer recording sheet 100 is peeled off from the recording medium 200 before the molten ink material 140 returns to its original solid state and while the solid particles 123 retain their mobility.
If there is a large unevenness in the time from temperature increase recording control to peeling off, it will cause unevenness in the transferred recording density and deteriorate the image quality. Give.

In this example, the above conditions are satisfied by increasing the tension of the paper feeds 612 and 613 and arranging the stripper 700 at a position immediately past the recording section 511 to separate the sheet 100 and the medium 200. , in this embodiment, the thermal recording head 510
, recording platen 610, and stripper 700
A transcription means is constructed by this method.

The transfer record 160 on the recording medium 200 after the thermal transfer record is transferred in the paper feeding direction 61 as illustrated in the figure.
2, and is heated by radiant heat 711 from a linear (or rod-shaped) infrared heater 710, which is a heating means having a length equal to or longer than the recording image width.

By this heating, the binder material in the transfer recording 160 is remelted and firmly adhered to the recording medium surface 200a, and the transfer recording surface 160a is
It becomes glossy.

Thus, in this example, the ink material 12
When a black pigment such as carbon black is used as the zero coloring material 122, a glossy black image with excellent abrasion resistance from a low density region to a high density region can be obtained.

FIG. 2 is a system configuration diagram of another embodiment of the thermal transfer recording apparatus according to the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a sectional structural diagram of a thermal transfer recording sheet for color transfer recording used in the apparatus of FIG. 2.

In this example, as illustrated in FIG.
Cyan, magenta, and yellow thermal transfer layers 130C, 130M, and 130Y in which solid particles 123C, 123M, and 123Y such as alumina and glass powder are mixed in 20M and 120Y, respectively, are arranged in plane sequential manner on the surface 110a of the same substrate 110. This is a case where a full-color image is thermally transfer-recorded using the color thermal transfer recording sheet 101 using a three-color plane sequential method.

In FIG. 2, a color thermal transfer recording sheet 101
A recording medium 200, which is a recording paper, is inserted and pressed between a linear thermal recording head 510 and a recording platen 612 that is intermittently rotated by a rotation drive system 611A. 521 is a drive control signal system, 6
23 is a transfer sheet roll, 624 is a transfer sheet winding roll, 633 is a recording paper roll, and 634 is a recording paper winding roll. Color transfer sheet 10
1 is shown in FIG. Reference numeral 750 denotes a blower cooler that blows cold air 751 onto the recording medium surface 200a to keep the recording medium surface 200a at a constant temperature and to stabilize thermal transfer recording. 760 is a heating means, for example, a heated metal roller whose surface is treated with Teflon, and 770 is a heat-resistant rubber roller.

In this embodiment, the thermal transfer layers 130C, 130M, 13 are
Primary color transfer recording 1 by controlling temperature increase in 0Y plane sequentially.
60C (cyan), 160M (magenta), 160Y
(Yellow) is overlaid and transferred to record a full color image.

Such thermal transfer recording is performed by a three-primary color plane sequential method using, for example, cyan, magenta, and yellow in the order described below, using a pulse width modulation recording signal. (Note that this order can be changed as necessary.) The heating roller 760 is moved by the arrow 7 according to the control signal B.
62, it is separated from the recording medium surface 200a.

While the recording head 510 is moved as indicated by the arrow 502A, the transfer paper winding roll 624 is rotated 50
The sheet is fed by 1C' to 501C, and the leading edge of the cyan thermal transfer layer 130C is positioned in the recording section 511.

In this state, the recording head 510 is moved toward the arrow 501A.
The cyan thermal transfer layer 130C is brought into pressure contact with the recording medium surface 200a. The pulse width modulated cyan recording signal from the drive control signal system starts line-sequential heating recording of the thermal transfer layer 130C, and the control signal A controls the rotation drive system 612A. The recording platen 612 rotates intermittently as shown by the arrow 501 in synchronization with this linear temperature increase recording, and the recording medium 20 is rotated as shown by the arrows 501B and 501C.
0 and the transfer sheet 101 are fed and peeled off, and the arrows 501B' and 501 appear on the rolls 634 and 624, respectively.
It is wound up as shown in C'.

Thus, on the recording medium surface 200a from which the transfer sheet 101 has been peeled off, there is a cyan transfer record 160C with an optical density corresponding to the pulse width of the cyan record signal.
is obtained.

When the transfer recording of the cyan image is completed, transfer sheet 1
01 winding 501C' and recording platen rotation 5
01, the winding 501B' of the recording medium 200 is stopped, and the recording head 510 moves as indicated by the arrow 502A. In this state, the recording platen 612 is rotated in the reverse direction as shown by the arrow 502 in response to the control signal A, and the recording medium 200 is fed backward as shown by the arrow 502B and wound around the recording paper roll 633 as shown by the arrow 502B'.
When the leading edge of the cyan image plane reaches the air cooler 750, the above-mentioned reverse feeding is stopped and the rotation starts again at 501.
And the paper is fed like 501B by 501B,
The leading edge of the cyan image surface appears on the recording unit 511, and the paper feed 501B stops. Rotation 50 in this process
1C' transfers the magenta thermal transfer layer 13 to the recording section 511.
The cue of the 0M tip is also performed. Head 51 again
0 moves as shown by the arrow 501A and reaches the recording medium surface 2.
A magenta thermal transfer layer 130M is pressed onto 00a,
In alignment with the cyan transfer record 160C, a magenta transfer record 160M is performed line-sequentially as in the case of the cyan thermal transfer layer, and then a yellow transfer record 160Y is performed in the same manner.

In this case, when the leading edge of the last yellow image surface approaches the heating roller 760, the drive control signal system 5
21, the roller 760 moves as indicated by an arrow 761, and the cyan, magenta, and yellow transfer records 160C and 16 are transferred in an overlapping manner.
It is pressed against the 0M and 160Y planes and heated and melted. When the thermal transfer recording of the yellow image is completed, the head 510 moves as indicated by the arrow 502A, and the winding 501C' of the transfer sheet 101 is stopped. On the other hand, when the end of the yellow image plane has passed, the heating roller 760 moves again in the direction of an arrow 762 in accordance with the control signal B, and winds up the recording medium 200 501B' and rotates the platen 612 501.
will also stop.

In this way, a full-color image consisting of the primary color transfer records 160C, 160M, and 160Y of cyan, magenta, and yellow is thermally transferred and recorded on the recording medium surface 200a in a three-color plane sequential manner, and these transfer records are transferred to the heating roller 760. Excellent abrasion resistance due to pressure welding and remelting, and good transfer recording16
By mixing 0C, 160M, and 160Y, colors become clearer, transparency increases, and a glossy full-color image is obtained.

When using a conventional heat-melting type transfer sheet, the transfer record spreads when it is pressed and melted with a heating roller, and the image quality deteriorates significantly.
When solid particles are mixed as in this embodiment, the image quality and color reproducibility are significantly improved without causing such diffusion. In addition,
Similar improvements can be made by replacing the heating roller 760 with a linear infrared heater as in FIG. 1.

In this example, a blower cooler 750 was installed to stabilize thermal transfer recording, but when overlapping transfer is performed using a color transfer sheet with excellent continuous gradation properties as in the above example, When overlapping transfer is performed in a state where there is a significant temperature history in the previous transfer recording, the transfer density changes in accordance with this temperature history, reducing the quality of the recorded image.

However, as in this example, by providing a means for reducing the temperature history of the preceding transfer recording by cooling, an excellent effect of recording a good full-color image can be obtained.

In the thermal transfer recording device according to the present invention, the recording medium 2
As 00, uncoated paper, coated paper, synthetic paper, and even plastic film can be used.

In addition, in the present invention, the transfer recording surface was directly heated, but in particular when using a heating roller etc.
A heat-resistant transparent or translucent film such as a film or a fluororesin film may be inserted and the transfer recording may be heated and melted, or these films may be laminated on the transfer recording surface.

Effects of the Invention As described above, the thermal transfer recording device according to the present invention is capable of thermal transfer recording of single-color images and full-color images with excellent abrasion resistance, color reproducibility, gloss, and transparency. , HA, has a great industrial effect as a high-quality printer in the new media field.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram of a thermal transfer recording device in one embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a system configuration diagram of a thermal transfer recording device in another embodiment of the invention, and FIG. 3 is a thermal transfer diagram used in the device shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional structure diagram of a recording sheet, and is an explanatory diagram of the operation of a thermal transfer recording sheet used in a thermal transfer recording device conceived prior to the present invention. 100, 101...Thermal transfer recording sheet, 110
...Base, 120, 120C, 120M, 120
Y...Ink material, 130, 130C, 130
M, 130Y...Thermal transfer layer, 200...Recording medium, 400...Press, 510...Thermal recording head, 610, 612...Recording platen, 710
... Linear infrared heater, 720 ... Heating roller.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An ink material containing a binder material on one side of a sheet-like heat-resistant substrate whose viscosity decreases when heated and imparts transferability to a recording medium,
A thermal transfer recording sheet on which a thermal transfer layer is formed by mixing solid particles having a particle size larger than the thickness of the layer made of the ink material to form an uneven surface, and a recording medium;
The present invention is characterized by comprising a transfer means for transferring the ink material onto the recording medium by selective heating, and a heating means for heating the transferred record of the recording medium to a point or a softening point or higher of the binder material. Thermal transfer recording device.