JPH0696300B2 - Color recording device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a color recording apparatus, and more particularly to a thermal transfer type color recording apparatus.

[Conventional technology]

Conventionally, in this type of color recording apparatus, the recording paper and the ink sheet coated with the thermal transfer ink are superposed and sandwiched between the thermal head and the platen roller, and the thermal transfer is performed while the recording paper and the ink sheet are conveyed by the rotation of the platen roller. I am recording. In the case of color recording, since it is necessary to record on the same recording surface a plurality of times, the recording paper is reciprocated a plurality of times.

[Problems to be solved by the invention]

In the conventional color recording apparatus described above, the recording paper is reciprocated a plurality of times in order to perform repeated recording on the same recording surface a plurality of times. However, there is a problem in that color misregistration occurs in recording.

An object of the present invention is to provide a color recording device that can prevent the occurrence of recording misregistration.

[Means for solving problems]

The color recording apparatus of the present invention includes a recording paper on which linear position marks are previously attached at regular intervals along the longitudinal direction on at least one end or the back surface of the recording surface in the longitudinal direction, and when the recording paper is moving. A reading unit that outputs a position signal to read the position mark, a drive mechanism that reciprocates the recording paper multiple times so as to perform overprinting on the same recording surface with multiple colors of ink, and recording on the recording paper with one color of ink Position signal that is input when the recording paper moves in one direction until the recording with one color of ink is completed and the recording paper stops, and the count value is obtained, and then input when the recording paper moves in the opposite direction. And a drive control unit for starting the recording of the next ink after counting the same number of position signals as the above-mentioned count value [Example] Next, an example of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Explain.

FIG. 1 is a side view of an embodiment of the present invention.

The embodiment shown in FIG. 1 is a recording paper 1 on which a position mark is printed.
An ink sheet 3 in which a plurality of color inks that are melted by heat are sequentially applied; a thermal head that heats and melts the ink on the ink sheet 3 according to a recording signal to transfer it onto the recording paper 1; It opposes the thermal head 2 via the recording paper 1, and rotates in the direction of rotation B during recording to move the recording paper 1 and the ink sheet 3 in the direction of arrow A. After recording one color, the direction of rotation B A platen roller 4 which rotates in the opposite direction to return the recording paper 1 to the recording start position for each of a plurality of colors of ink on the ink sheet 3.
A reading unit 5 including a light source 51 for reading a moving position mark of the recording paper 1 and outputting a position signal S, a lens 52 and an optical sensor 53, and a step motor for driving the platen roller 4.
A drive mechanism 6 including a belt 61 and a belt 62, and a belt 63 and a discharge roller 64 that discharge and convey the recording paper 1, a motor clock generator 7, a position signal S, and a motor clock CL. A drive control unit 8 for controlling
It includes a pressure mechanism 9 including solenoids 91 and 92 that lifts the thermal head 2 during recording and releases the ink sheet 3 and the recording paper 1 from the pressure of the platen roller 4.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the recording paper used in the embodiment of FIG.

As shown in FIG. 2, the recording paper 1 has linear position marks 11 at regular intervals at least at one end in the longitudinal direction of the recording surface.
Is printed. The width and interval of the position marks 11 are determined by the values determined by the resolution required for the recorded image, but it is necessary that the reading unit 5 reliably read and be thin. The position mark 11 is printed outside the recording area 12 or on the back surface of the recording surface. In the case of this back side printing, the fifth embodiment of FIG.
It goes without saying that 1,52,53 are placed behind the recording paper.

The ink sheet 3 is formed by repeatedly coating each color of yellow, cyan and magenta on the film in the same color in sequence. For each color, the length of the film in the longitudinal direction is the same as one recording length, and if recording yellow on the recording paper 1 and the first color, cyan records on the second color. Full color recording is possible. Ink is recording paper 1 at room temperature
It is not transferred to and is melted and transferred when heated.

Prior to recording, the ink application surface of the ink sheet 3 and the recording paper 1 are overlapped and set on the recording electrode position of the thermal head 2 so that the boundary between magenta and yellow of the ink sheet 3 coincides, and the thermal head 2 is added. The platen roller 4 is pressed by the spring 92 of the pressure mechanism 9.

The drive control circuit 8 is set to an initial value when the receiver is activated by the reception signal and the mode switching signal M is in the reception state (high level), and the motor clock CL from the motor clock generator 7 to the drive control circuit 8. Supplied.

FIG. 3 is a detailed block diagram of the drive circuit 8 of FIG.

As shown in FIG. 3, the motor clock CL is supplied to the motor driver 88, and the motor driver 88 activates the step motor 61 shown in FIG. The rotation of the step motor 61 rotates the platen roller 4 in the rotation direction B via the belt 62, and rotates the paper discharge roller 64 via the belt 63. Therefore, the recording paper 1 and the ink sheet 3 are conveyed in the direction of arrow A.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 3, the selector 81 supplies the motor clock CL to the UP input of the up / down counter 84 according to the high level mode switching signal M, and the up / down counter 84
84 counts up the motor clock CL.

As the recording paper 1 is conveyed, the first position mark 11 shown in FIG. 2 is read by the reading unit 5 shown in FIG. 1, and the position signal S is a flip-flop (hereinafter referred to as FF) 86 of the drive control circuit 8.
Is supplied to, the potential of the output signal of FF86 changes and the up / down counter 84 stops. At the same time, the position signal S is up-counted by the up-down counter 85.

In FIG. 1, when the recording of one copy of the first color of yellow is completed, the mode switching signal M returns to the return state (low level) and the motor clock generator 7 stops the motor clock CL. And the ink sheet 3 is stopped.
On the other hand, the solenoid 91 of the pressurizing mechanism 9 operates to lift the thermal head 2 upward with the shaft 21 as a fulcrum, and the recording paper 1 and the ink sheet 3 are released from the pressing force of the spring 92. In this state, the motor clock CL is again output from the motor clock generator 7, and the motor driver 88 shown in FIG. 3 controls the step motor 61 to rotate in the reverse direction during recording. Therefore, the platen roller 4 rotates in the direction opposite to the rotation direction B, the paper discharge roller 64 rotates in the direction opposite to the rotation direction C,
The recording paper 1 returns in the direction of arrow A '.

When the position signal S is output from the reading unit 5, the up / down counter 85 down-counts the position signal S, as shown in FIG. When the return conveyance of the recording paper 1 progresses and the up / down counter 85 detects zero, the potential of the output signal from the FF 87 changes and the up / down counter 84 starts down counting of the motor clock CL.

When the up / down counter 84 detects zero, a zero detection signal is supplied to the motor driver 88, the drive power from the motor driver 88 is cut off, the recording paper 1 is stopped, the return conveyance is finished, and the motor clock CL is also stopped. .

By performing the above operation for cyan and magenta as well, full-color recording of three primary colors can be obtained.

In the embodiment, the drive control unit is composed of hardware, but it goes without saying that it can be realized by software using a general-purpose low-priced one-chip microcomputer.

〔The invention's effect〕

As described above, the color recording apparatus of the present invention prints position marks at equal intervals on the recording paper, stores the number of the position marks read at the time of conveyance in one direction, and stores the position marks at the time of conveyance in the opposite direction. By controlling the conveyance distance of the recording paper with reference to the stored number, the setting error at the recording start position due to the expansion and contraction of the recording paper and the feeding error of the roller does not occur, so that the color misregistration occurs in the overlapping recording. This has the effect of preventing this.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view of an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a plan view of a recording paper used in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a detailed block diagram of a drive control unit of FIG. is there. 1 ... recording paper, 2 ... thermal head, 3 ... ink sheet, 4 ... platen roller, 5 ... reading unit, 6 ... driving mechanism, 7 ... motor clock generating unit, 8 ... driving control unit , 9 ... Pressure mechanism, 11 ... Position mark, 12 ... Recording area, 51 ... Light source, 52 ... Lens, 53 ... Optical sensor, 61
…… Step motor, 62,63 …… Belt, 64 …… Discharge roller, 81,82,83 …… Selector, 84,85 …… Up / down counter, 86,87 …… FF, 88 …… Motor driver, 91 ...
… Solenoid, 92… Spring, CL… Motor clock, M
…… Mode switching signal, S …… Position signal.

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Toshiyuki Yanagawa 3-20-4 Nishishinbashi, Minato-ku, Tokyo Inside Nippon Electric Engineering Co., Ltd. (56) References JP-A-60-145865 (JP, A) Kai 60-99659 (JP, A) JP 59-68277 (JP, A)

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A recording paper having linear position marks preliminarily provided at regular intervals along the longitudinal direction on at least one end or the back surface of the recording surface in the longitudinal direction, and the recording paper while the recording paper is moving. A reading unit that outputs a position signal each time the position mark is read, and a drive mechanism that moves the recording paper back and forth a plurality of times so as to perform overlapping recording on the same recording surface with a plurality of colors of ink,
The position signal input when the recording paper moves in one direction along with the recording on the recording paper with one color ink is counted and counted until the recording with the one color ink ends and the recording paper stops. A color recording apparatus including a drive control unit that obtains a numerical value and then counts the position signal input when the recording paper moves in the opposite direction by the same number as the count value, and then starts recording of the next ink.