JPH06198929A - Heat transfer recording apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent a linear stripping phenomenon generated when the temp. of a stripping member is low and a cohesive peeling phenomenon generated when the temp. of the stripping member is high from occurring and to attempt to improve the quality of printing by controlling the temp. of the stripping member which peels off an ink substrate from a recording paper. CONSTITUTION:When the temp. of a at-ripping member 50 is close to room temp., as the temp. of the stripping member 50 is low, a control part 61 stops to output an action command signal to a driving part 41 and outputs a signal to a heater 62. The heater 62 heats the stripping member 50 and when the temp. is elevated, the control part 61 actuates a thermal head 40. In addition, when the temp. of the stripping member 50 is elevated up to the m.p. of a thermally melting ink after used for a long time, as the temp. of the stripping member 50 is high, the control part 61 stops the action command signal to the driving part 41 and outputs a signal to a cooling fan 63. The cooling fan 63 cools the stripping member 50 and when the temp. is lowered, the control part 61 actuates the thermal head 40. Therefore, as it is possible to perform speedy and surely temp. control of the stripping member, the quality of printing can be prevented from being lowered.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

The present invention relates to a thermal transfer recording apparatus, and more particularly,
The present invention relates to a thermal transfer recording apparatus that improves print quality by controlling the temperature of a peeling member that separates an ink support from a recording paper.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A conventional thermal transfer recording apparatus having a peeling member is disclosed, for example, in JP-A-1-174148. In this thermal transfer recording apparatus, a separate plate (peeling member) having a V-shaped cross section is rotatably attached downstream of the thermal head in the running direction of the ink support, and the position of the separate plate is
The recording paper is peeled off from the ink support by changing between printing and biting the recording paper.

Further, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 1-304972, a plate which, when the thermal head is retracted from the ink support, is inserted between the ink support and the recording paper to separate the ink support from the recording paper. There is disclosed a thermal transfer recording device provided with a strip-shaped separating member (peeling member).

However, these thermal transfer recording apparatuses are
There is a problem that the structure becomes complicated in order to operate the separating member and the separate plate in a timely manner, and there is a problem that the separating member and the separate plate rub against the printing surface of the recording paper to deteriorate the printing quality. . Therefore, in order to solve these problems, there has been proposed a thermal transfer recording apparatus in which a peeling member is directly provided on the Thermell head to simplify the configuration and improve the printing quality.

For example, in the thermal transfer recording apparatus shown in FIG. 3, a peeling member 500 having a curved surface portion 501 formed at the lower end is attached to an end portion (downstream side of the platen roller 30) of the thermal head 40 in the running direction of the ink support. The curved surface portion 501 is projected from the lower portion of the thermal head 40 to press the back surface portion of the ink support 10. According to this thermal transfer recording apparatus, the curved surface portion 501 branches the ink support 10 and the recording paper 20 and guides only the recording paper 20 to the paper guide 70 to separate it from the ink support 10.

In Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2-107455, a thermal head is directly provided with a pressurizing means for deforming the shape of the ink support by pressing the ink support after printing from the back side. There is disclosed a thermal transfer recording apparatus that separates a recording sheet by a separating member provided separately from a thermal head.

[0007]

However, in the thermal transfer recording apparatus having the above-mentioned conventional peeling member directly provided on the thermal head, when the temperature of the peeling member is close to room temperature such as when printing is started. When the recording paper is peeled off from the ink support, the cohesive force of the ink is large and the peeling becomes uneven, so that characters etc. are printed in a state where the glossy part and the non-glossy part are repeated in the horizontal direction of the recording paper. There is a problem that it will end up (hereinafter referred to as a linear peeling phenomenon).

When the heat of the thermal head is conducted to the peeling member due to continuous printing for a long time and the temperature of the peeling member is close to the melting point of the heat-meltable ink, the heat-melting is performed. The ink has a temperature close to the melting point and its cohesive force is extremely small. Therefore, when the recording paper is peeled off from the ink support in such a state, the heat-meltable ink is peeled off in the middle of the thickness direction of the heat-meltable ink, and the gloss and density of the printed characters and the like are lowered. There is a problem that it will occur (hereinafter referred to as a cohesive peeling phenomenon).

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and prevents the linear peeling phenomenon that occurs when the temperature of the peeling member is too low and the cohesive peeling phenomenon that occurs when it is too high, An object of the present invention is to provide a thermal transfer recording device capable of improving print quality.

[0010]

In order to achieve the above object, the thermal transfer recording apparatus of the present invention comprises a thermal head which locally heats an ink support having a surface coated with a heat-fusible ink so that the heat-melting property is improved. In a thermal transfer recording apparatus in which ink is transferred to a recording paper and then the ink support and the recording paper are separated by using a peeling member, a temperature detecting unit for detecting the temperature of the peeling member and a signal from the temperature detecting unit. Input the, comparing the temperature of the peeling member and the preset temperature, when the temperature of the peeling member is lower than the set temperature, the control unit that outputs a signal to the heating unit, and the signal from this control unit. A heating means for heating the peeling member is provided, and preferably, a large number of fins are formed on the peripheral surface of the peeling member. Further, in order to control the temperature of the peeling member more accurately, a heat insulating material is interposed between the peeling member and the thermal head, and the temperature of the peeling member is set in a range of a temperature predetermined by the controller. It is configured to have a function of suspending the printing operation until it reaches the inside.

[0011]

According to the thermal transfer recording apparatus of the present invention having the above-mentioned structure, the temperature of the peeling member is detected by the temperature detecting section and output to the control section as a detection signal. The control unit, which has input this detection signal, compares the temperature of the peeling member with an arbitrary preset temperature, and when the temperature of the peeling member is lower than the set temperature, outputs a control signal to the heating means to output the peeling member. Increase the temperature to within the set temperature range. Further, when the cooling means is provided together with the heating means, when the temperature of the peeling member becomes higher than the set temperature, the control unit outputs a control signal to the cooling means to lower the temperature of the peeling member to within the set temperature range.
Furthermore, when a heat insulating material is interposed between the peeling member and the thermal head, heat conduction from the thermal head to the peeling member can be prevented, and the temperature control of the peeling member becomes easy. Furthermore, when the control unit has a print pause function, printing is not executed until the temperature of the peeling member falls within the set temperature range, so that the peeling member is actually within the set temperature range from the start of temperature control. It is possible to prevent the print quality from deteriorating due to printing during the time.

[0012]

EXAMPLES Examples of the thermal transfer recording apparatus of the present invention will be described below. FIG. 1 is a side view showing a thermal transfer recording apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention, which has both heating means and cooling means.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 10 denotes an ink support, which is pulled out from a paper feed roller 11 and wound around a winding roller 12 with an appropriate tension. This ink support 1
The surface of No. 0 is coated with hot melt ink. A recording paper 20 is conveyed to the platen roller 30 while being in contact with the surface of the ink support 10. A thermal head 40 is driven by a driving unit 41, and a printing unit 42 is provided at a position corresponding to the platen roller 30. The printing section 42 heats the ink support 10 from the back surface side,
Printing is performed on the recording paper 20 by melting the hot-melt ink.
Further, the heat generated in the printing section 42 is radiated from the heat radiation section 43 on the peripheral surface of the thermal head 40.

Reference numeral 50 denotes a peeling member, which is attached to an end portion of the thermal head 40 on the running side of the ink support, that is, the printing portion 41 and the downstream side of the platen roller 30 via a heat insulating material 51 and a heater (heating means) 62. is there. A large number of fins are formed on the side surface of the peeling member 50 in order to enhance the heat radiation effect of the peeling member 50. Such a peeling member 50 has a curved surface portion 5 protruding from the lower side of the thermal head 40.
By pressing 0a against the back surface of the ink support 10, the ink support 10 and the recording paper 30 are branched to guide only the recording paper 30 to the paper guide 70, and the recording paper 30 is peeled from the ink support 10.

The thermistor 60 is attached to the upper portion of the peeling member 50, detects the temperature of the peeling member 50, and outputs a detection signal to the controller 61. The controller 61 uses the heater 62.
It is connected to the cooling fan 63 and the drive unit 41, and an arbitrary temperature which is lower than the melting point of the heat-meltable ink and higher than room temperature is preset. Further, the control unit 61 has a print suspension function of suspending the operation command signal to the drive unit 41 to stop the printing operation when the peeling member 50 is out of the set temperature range. The control unit 61 includes a thermistor 60.
The current temperature of the peeling member 50 is compared with the set temperature, and when the temperature of the peeling member 50 is lower than the set temperature, the printing operation is stopped and a signal is output to the heater 63. To heat the peeling member 50. On the contrary, when the temperature of the peeling member 50 is higher than the set temperature, the printing operation is stopped and a signal is output to the cooling fan 64 to cool the peeling member 50.

Next, the operation of the thermal transfer recording apparatus of this embodiment will be described. The temperature of the peeling member 50 is the thermistor 6
It is detected by 0 and a detection signal is output to the control unit 61. The control unit 61, to which this detection signal is input, controls the peeling member 5
The temperature of 0 and the preset temperature are compared. here,
For example, when the temperature of the peeling member 50 is close to room temperature, such as immediately after the power source of the thermal transfer recording apparatus is turned on, the temperature of the peeling member 50 is lower than the set temperature, and therefore the control unit 61 operates the drive unit 41. The command signal is stopped and the thermal head 40
The printing operation is stopped and a signal is output to the heater 62. The heater 62 to which this control signal is input heats the peeling member 50. As a result, when the temperature of the peeling member 50 rises to the set temperature, the control unit 61 causes the drive unit 4 to operate.
The operation command signal is output to 1 to operate the thermal head 40.

Although the operation when the temperature of the peeling member 50 is lower than the set temperature has been described above, the temperature of the peeling member 50 is close to the melting point of the heat-meltable ink, for example, when printing is continuously performed for a long time. If the temperature of the peeling member 50 is higher than the set temperature, the controller 61
Stops the operation command signal to the drive unit 41, stops the printing operation of the thermal head 40, and cools the cooling fan 6
The signal is output to 3. Cooling fan 6 that receives this signal
3 releases the air in the apparatus to the outside to lower the temperature in the apparatus and cools the peeling member 50. As a result, when the temperature of the peeling member 50 falls to the set temperature, the control unit 61 outputs an operation command signal to the drive unit 41, and the thermal head 40.
To operate.

According to the thermal transfer recording apparatus of the present embodiment described above, the temperature control of the peeling member can be performed quickly and reliably, and printing is not executed until the temperature of the peeling member falls within the set temperature range. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the print quality from deteriorating due to printing while the peeling member is actually within the set temperature range from the start of the temperature control.

Next, a second embodiment of the thermal transfer recording apparatus of the present invention will be described. FIG. 2 is a side view showing the thermal transfer recording apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention. The thermal transfer recording apparatus of the present embodiment has a configuration in which the cooling means (cooling fan) is removed from the thermal transfer recording apparatus of the first embodiment.

In the thermal transfer recording apparatus of the present embodiment having the above-mentioned configuration, when the temperature of the peeling member 50 rises above the set temperature, the controller 61 suspends the printing operation of the thermal head 40, thereby ensuring the printing quality. At the same time, the peeling member 50 is naturally cooled while the thermal head 40 suspends the printing operation.

According to the thermal transfer recording apparatus of this embodiment, the structure of the control unit 61 can be simplified, and the cost can be reduced by removing the cooling fan. Such a device can be suitably used in a place where the temperature is low.

The heating means and cooling means in the thermal transfer recording apparatus of the present invention are not limited to the heater 62 and the cooling fan 63, and conventionally known heating means and cooling means can be used.

[0023]

As described above, according to the thermal transfer recording apparatus of the present invention, the temperature of the peeling member can be maintained at any temperature which is lower than the melting point of the heat-meltable ink and higher than room temperature. Therefore, the linear peeling phenomenon that occurs when the temperature of the peeling member is too low and the cohesive peeling phenomenon that occurs when it is too high can be prevented, and the printing quality can be improved.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view showing a thermal transfer recording apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view showing a thermal transfer recording apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a side view showing a thermal transfer recording apparatus according to a conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

 50 ... Peeling member 51 ... Thermal insulation material 60 ... Thermistor 61 ... Control part 62 ... Heater 63 ... Cooling fan

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁵ Identification code Internal reference number FI Technical display location B41J 29/377 35/04 A 9012-2C 9113-2C B41J 29/00 Q

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. An ink support having a surface coated with a heat-meltable ink is locally heated by a thermal head to transfer the heat-meltable ink to a recording paper, and then a peeling member is used to form the ink support. In a thermal transfer recording device that separates a recording sheet, a temperature detection unit that detects the temperature of a separation member and a signal from this temperature detection unit are input to compare the temperature of the separation member with a preset temperature, Thermal transfer recording characterized by comprising a control unit for outputting a signal to the heating unit when the temperature of the peeling member is lower than a set temperature, and a heating unit for heating the peeling member based on the signal from this control unit. apparatus. 2. The thermal transfer recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a large number of fins are formed on the peripheral surface of the peeling member. 3. The thermal transfer recording apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a cooling fan that cools the peeling member based on a signal from the controller when the temperature of the peeling member is higher than a preset temperature. 4. The thermal transfer recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a heat insulating material is interposed between the peeling member and the thermal head. 5. The thermal transfer according to claim 1, 2, 3 or 4, wherein the control unit has a function of suspending the printing operation until the temperature of the peeling member falls within a temperature range preset by the control unit. Recording device.