JPH06255148A - Thermal transfer type color serial printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To shorten printing time by a method wherein when a free ink area of the third color is passed on, an initial end is set up and when a thermal head is reciprocated, an ink ribbon is passed on to record the third color. CONSTITUTION:For thermal recording of an add line a yellow image is recorded in going of a thermal head, a magenta image is recorded in return of the thermal head, and a cyan image is recorded in going of the thermal head. Further, for thermal recording of an even line the yellow image is recorded in the going of the thermal head, the magenta image is recorded in return of the thermal head, and the cyan image is recorded in the return of the thermal head. That is, two colors are recorded each reciprocation of the thermal head. Every finish of recording of three colors for one line, a platen roller is rotated by a specific quantity, and recording paper is sent by one line content. The image of one frame content is recorded by the same repetition hereafter.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an improvement of a thermal transfer type color serial printer.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a color image recording method, a color thermal recording method, a color ink jet recording method, a color electrophotographic recording method and the like are known. Recently, attention has been paid to a color heat recording method because of the miniaturization of the apparatus and the ease of maintenance. This color thermal recording method includes color thermal recording in which a color image is directly recorded on a thermal recording sheet and color thermal transfer recording in which ink of an ink film is transferred to a recording paper. In the color thermal transfer recording, there are a melt type in which a melted ink is transferred to a recording paper and a sublimation type in which the amount of the ink transferred to the recording paper changes according to thermal energy.

[0003]

In the color serial printer using the above thermal transfer recording method, a thermal head in which a large number of heating elements are arranged in the main scanning direction is used, and the thermal head is interlocked with the movement of the thermal head in the sub scanning direction. The ink ribbon is sent to the side opposite to the moving direction of the thermal head so that the relative speed between the ink ribbon and the recording paper becomes zero. Therefore, in the conventional color serial printer in which the feeding of the ink ribbon is limited to one direction, it is necessary to reciprocate the thermal head three times for one line of color recording. Therefore, there is a problem that the printing time becomes long.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a thermal transfer type color serial printer capable of improving the feeding of the ink ribbon and shortening the printing time. To do.

[0005]

In order to achieve the above object, the invention described in claim 1 is provided with ribbon feeding means for selectively feeding the ink ribbon in the sub-scanning direction forward or backward, and recording of each line. At this time, the ribbon feed means sets the forward end of the unused ink area of the first color at the forward print start position of the thermal head at the time of the forward feed, and the forward feed of the ink ribbon at the time of the forward movement of the thermal head records the first color. After that, the ribbon feeding means sets the reverse feed start end of the unused ink area of the second color at the print start position on the return side of the thermal head, and reversely feeds the ink ribbon when the thermal head returns. The second color is recorded, and thereafter, the leading end at the time of the forward feeding of the unused ink area of the third color is set at the print start position of the thermal head of the thermal head by the ribbon feeding means, It is to record a third color to forward the ink ribbon during the forward movement of the head.

Further, in the invention described in claim 2, in the invention described in claim 1, when recording an odd number of rows, the thermal head is moved back to move the first color, and to move forward to move the second color, Move back to record the third color, and when recording even rows,
Move the thermal head back to move the first color, and move it forward to move the second color.
The third color is recorded by moving the color back.

[0007]

After the recording of the first color by the forward movement of the thermal head, the ribbon feeding means sets the reverse feeding start end of the unused ink area of the second color at the printing start position on the backward movement side of the thermal head. Then, even when the thermal head moves back, the ink ribbon is fed backward to record the second color. In this way, since thermal transfer recording is performed even when the thermal head moves back, the printing time is shortened as compared with the case where one color is recorded by reciprocating movement of the thermal head.

[0008]

EXAMPLE As shown in FIG. 2, the recording paper 10 is sandwiched by a platen roller 11 and a guide roller 12,
It is intermittently fed line by line in the main scanning direction. A thermal head 15 is provided on the platen roller 11 so as to sandwich the recording paper 10 and the ink ribbon 13.

The thermal head 15 has a large number of heating elements 15a, 15b, ... 15n in the main scanning direction (see FIG. 4).
Are formed side by side in a line, and the cassette mount 1
It is attached to the tip position of the central portion of 6. The thermal head 15 is driven by a known head drive unit 17. In this embodiment, since a heat-melting type ink ribbon is used, an area gradation method is used when recording a halftone image.

The cassette mount 16 is a platen roller 1.
It is mounted so as to be movable in the axial direction of No. 1 and reciprocated by the shift portion 18. Shift unit 16
As is well known, it is composed of a pulse motor and a timing belt that rotates forward and backward by the pulse motor, and a part of the timing belt is fixed to the cassette mount 16.

The ink ribbon 13 is a ribbon cassette 20.
It is wound and housed between the first and second winding shafts 21 and 22. In the unused state, the ink ribbon 13 is wound around the first winding shaft 21. And
The used ink ribbon 13 is wound around the second winding shaft 22.

As shown in FIG. 3, the ink ribbon 13 is
Yellow ink area 25, magenta ink area 2
6. Cyan ink areas 27 are sequentially formed with a predetermined length, and identification marks 28a, 28b, 28c for identifying these areas are formed at the boundaries of the areas. The identification marks 28a to 28c can be identified by changing the width thereof, in addition to identifying the areas 25 to 27 by changing the reflectance. A heat-melting type ink layer is provided in each of the ink areas 25 to 27.

As shown in FIG. 2, the ribbon cassette 20 is set on the cassette mount 16. Cassette mount 1
The first and second rotating shafts 31 and 32 are formed to project on the reference numeral 6, and these rotating shafts 31 and 32 are formed into the first and second rotating shafts.
It is fitted to the take-up shafts 21 and 22 and is rotated. For this reason, the motor 34 is attached to the first and second rotating shafts 31 and 32 via a known clutch mechanism 33 including a planetary gear train.
Are linked. The clutch mechanism 33 transmits drive to the second rotating shaft 32 side by displacement of a planetary gear (not shown) when the motor 34 rotates in the normal direction, and sequentially feeds the ink ribbon 13. Also, when the motor 34 rotates in the reverse direction, the first
The drive is transmitted to the rotating shaft 31 side, and the ink ribbon 13 is fed backward. Instead of the forward and reverse feed of the ink ribbon by the clutch mechanism 33 and the motor 34, two motors may be provided for forward and reverse feed.

Further, the cassette mount 16 is provided with a mark sensor 35, and the area identification mark 28 is provided.
a to 28c are detected. This mark detection signal is sent to the controller 36. Based on this mark detection signal, the controller 36 controls the motor 34 to rotate forward and backward through the driver 34a to set the start end of the ink area at the print start position of the thermal head.

Further, capstan rollers 40 and 50 are provided on the cassette mount 16. These capstan rollers 40 and 50 are rotationally driven by motors 41 and 51, and feed the ink ribbon 13 in a forward direction and a backward direction at a constant speed. The motor 41 is rotationally controlled by the controller 36 via the driver 41a, and the motor 51 is the driver 5
The rotation is controlled by the controller 36 via 1a. By the capstan rollers 40 and 50, the relative speed between the recording paper 10 and the ink ribbon 13 is set to "0" when the cassette mounting base 16 reciprocates.

The ribbon cassette 20 is provided with a remaining amount display window 42 for indicating the remaining amount of ribbon. An ink level sensor 43 is provided on the cassette mount 16 at a position close to the window 42.

The controller 36 is composed of a well-known microcomputer, and controls the head drive unit 17 in accordance with image data and controls each unit in sequence to record a color image one line at a time and then for only one line. The recording paper 10 is fed and a color image for one frame is thermally recorded. In the thermal recording for each line, in the present invention, the thermal recording is performed not only when the thermal head 15 is moving forward but also when it is moving backward, so that the printing time is shortened.

The controller 36 uses the thermal head 15
At the time of forward movement, the ink ribbon 13 is sequentially fed so as to be wound from the first winding shaft 21 to the second winding shaft 22, and thermal transfer recording is performed. During this feeding, the feeding speed of the ink ribbon 13 is made constant by the capstan roller 40. At the start of thermal recording during the forward movement, the ink ribbon 13 is fed by a constant amount after the mark is detected by the mark sensor 35.
As shown in FIG. 4, the start end YAP _A of the ink area 25 of a color to be recorded, for example, the yellow ink area 25, is set to the thermal head 1.
Set it to the forward start position SP _A of item 5. After that, the thermal head 15 moves forward with the ink ribbon 13 being fed forward, and the yellow image is thermally transferred and recorded for one line.

Further, when the thermal head 15 is returned, the controller 36 feeds the ink ribbon 13 backward so as to wind it from the second winding shaft 22 to the first winding shaft 21. Therefore, when the thermal head 15 is moved back, based on the signal from the mark sensor 35, the unused ink area 26 of the next color to be printed, for example, magenta, is forwarded by one area in advance, and thereafter this area is printed. 26 is reversed and a magenta image is thermally transferred and recorded for one line. Even during this advance feed, the ink ribbon 13 is fed by a constant amount after the mark is detected by the mark sensor 35, so that the reverse feed start end MAP _B of the magenta ink area 26 is moved to the thermal head 1.
Set to the starting position SP _B on the return side of 5.

In this way, as shown in FIG. 1A, in the thermal recording of odd rows, the yellow image is recorded when the thermal head 15 moves forward, and the magenta image is recorded when the thermal head 15 moves backward. A cyan image is recorded when the thermal head 15 moves forward. Also, in the thermal recording of even rows,
A yellow image is recorded when the thermal head 15 moves back,
A magenta image is recorded when the thermal head 15 moves forward,
A cyan image is recorded when the thermal head 15 moves back.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described. The ink ribbon 13 is sequentially fed by the print start signal.
Then, the area identification mark 28 from the mark sensor 35
As shown in FIG. 4, the forward feed start end YAP _A of the unused yellow ink area 25 is set at the forward movement side start position SP _A of the thermal head 15 by the detection signal a.
After that, while the thermal head 15 is moved forward by the shift unit 18, the heating elements 15a to 15n of the thermal head 15 are driven by the head drive unit 17 based on the image data. Further, the ink ribbon 13 is sequentially fed in association with the forward movement of the thermal head 15. As a result, one line of yellow image is recorded.

After the recording of this yellow image, as shown in FIG. 5, the next unused magenta ink area 26 is sequentially advanced by one area, and the mark detection signal of the mark sensor 35 causes the magenta ink area 26 to move. The starting end MAP _B at the time of reverse feed is the backward movement start position SP _B of the thermal head 15.
Is set to. In this magenta recording, since the ink ribbon 13 is fed backward, the backward feeding start end MAP _B of the magenta ink area 26 is opposite to the forward feeding start end YAP _A of the yellow ink area 25. After that, while the thermal head 15 is moved back by the shift section 18, the heating elements 15a to 15n are driven by the head drive section 17 based on the image data. Further, the ink ribbon 13 is fed backward in association with the backward movement of the thermal head 15. As a result, one line of magenta image is recorded.

After recording the magenta image, the ink ribbon 13 is fed in sequence. Then, according to the detection signal of the area identification mark 28c from the mark sensor 35, the forward feeding start end CAP _A of the unused cyan ink area 27 is set at the forward movement side start position SP _A of the thermal head 15.
After that, while the thermal head 15 is moved forward by the shift section 18, the heating elements 15a to 15n are driven by the head drive section 17 based on the image data. Further, the ink ribbon 13 is sequentially fed in association with the forward movement of the thermal head 15. As a result, the cyan image is recorded for one line.

Similarly, as shown in FIG. 1 (A), two colors are recorded every time the thermal head 15 reciprocates, and one color is recorded.
The platen roller 1 is set for each line after recording three colors.
1 rotates a predetermined amount, and the recording paper 10 is fed by one line. Hereinafter, by repeating the same process, an image for one frame is recorded.

Although the hot-melt ink ribbon is used in the above embodiment, a sublimation ink ribbon may be used instead. Further, the present invention may be applied to a dot impact type printer using a color ink ribbon.

[0026]

As described above, according to the present invention,
Before the thermal head moves back, the ink area to be recorded next is sequentially forwarded by one area, and then the ink is fed backwards and recording is performed at the time of returning, so two colors are recorded by the reciprocating motion of the thermal head. can do. Therefore, unlike the conventional one in which one color is recorded by one reciprocation of the thermal head, the printing time can be shortened.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1A is an explanatory diagram showing a recording method in a thermal transfer type color serial printer embodying the present invention,
(B) is an explanatory view showing a conventional recording method.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a main part of a thermal transfer type color serial printer.

FIG. 3 is a front view showing an ink ribbon.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a thermal recording state when the thermal head moves forward.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing a thermal recording state when the thermal head is returning.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 Recording Paper 11 Platen Roller 13 Ink Ribbon 15 Thermal Head 15a, 15b, ... 15n Heating Element 16 Cassette Mounting Base 20 Ribbon Cassette 25 Yellow Ink Area 26 Magenta Ink Area 27 Cyan Ink Area 28a, 28b, 28c Area Identification Mark 35 Mark Sensor 40,50 Capstan roller

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁵ Identification code Office reference number FI technical display location B41J 35/16 A 9012-2C 35/36 9012-2C

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A thermal head in which a plurality of heating elements are arranged in the main scanning direction, means for reciprocating the thermal head in the sub-scanning direction on the recording paper, means for moving the recording paper in the main scanning direction, and recording. The ink ribbon is arranged between the paper and the thermal head, and has an ink ribbon in which a large number of ink areas of at least three colors of yellow, cyan, and magenta are provided in order, and a means for detecting a boundary between the ink areas of the respective colors of the ink ribbon. In the thermal transfer type color serial printer,
Ribbon feeding means for selectively feeding the ink ribbon in the sub-scanning direction forward or backward is provided, and when recording each line, the ribbon feeding means feeds the unused ink area of the first color forward to the print start position on the forward side of the thermal head. When the start end is set, the first color is recorded by sequentially feeding the ink ribbon when the thermal head moves forward, and thereafter, the second color unused ink is fed to the backward print start position of the thermal head by the ribbon feeding means. When the backward feeding of the area is set, the ink ribbon is fed backward when the thermal head moves backward to record the second color, and thereafter, the third feeding is performed by the ribbon feeding means to the forward side printing start position of the thermal head. A thermal transfer characterized by setting the starting end of a color unused ink area during sequential feeding, and by progressively feeding the ink ribbon when the thermal head moves forward to record the third color Color serial printer. 2. A thermal head in which a plurality of heating elements are arranged in the main scanning direction, a means for reciprocating the thermal head in the sub-scanning direction on the recording paper, a means for moving the recording paper in the main scanning direction, and recording. The ink ribbon is arranged between the paper and the thermal head, and has an ink ribbon in which a large number of ink areas of at least three colors of yellow, cyan, and magenta are provided in order, and a means for detecting a boundary between the ink areas of the respective colors of the ink ribbon. In the thermal transfer type color serial printer,
Ribbon feeding means for selectively feeding the ink ribbon in the sub-scanning direction forward or backward is provided, and when recording an odd number of rows, the ribbon feeding means is used to move the unused ink area of the first color to the print start position on the forward side of the thermal head. At the time of forward feeding, the leading edge is set, and when the thermal head moves forward, the ink ribbon is fed forward to record the first color, and thereafter the ribbon feeding means causes the second side of the unused color of the second color to be used at the backward print start position of the thermal head. When the reverse end of the ink area is set at the reverse feed, the ink ribbon is reversely fed at the time of the backward movement of the thermal head to record the second color, and then the ribbon feed means moves the print head to the print start position on the forward side of the thermal head. Set the leading edge of three unused ink areas during sequential feeding, and feed the ink ribbon forward when the thermal head moves forward to record the third color. A first color by backward the thermal head,
A thermal transfer color serial printer characterized by recording a second color by moving forward and recording a third color by moving backward.