JPH07149017A - Thermal transfer recording apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To reduce the cost of the system of a thermal transfer recording apparatus as a whole by reducing a waste part after use and to reduce industrial waste to achieve environmental protection. CONSTITUTION:A cassette A is loaded with a transfer ribbon 2 having lead parts 70, 71 provided to both ends thereof and the lead part, 70 is fed by a lead part feed roller 35 to be inserted in the groove 31c provided to the cylindrical part 31b of a take-up reel 31 and the pin 31d arranged to the groove 31c is engaged with the hole 70a of the lead part 70 and, thereafter, the take-up reel 31 is revolved to take up the transfer ribbon 2. The transfer ribbon 2 before use is cylindrically wound around the lead part 71 and the used transfer ribbon 2 is cylindrically wound around the lead part 70. Since a supply reel and a take-up reel are not required, the unit cost of the cassette A can be reduced. Even when the used transfer ribbon is discarded, environment can be protected because the supply reel and the take-up reel are not provided.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a thermal transfer recording apparatus for thermally recording a dye on a thermal transfer ribbon onto an image receiving paper by the heat of a thermal head, and more particularly to a color thermal transfer recording apparatus using a color thermal transfer ribbon. .

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, CAD / CAM and computer
With the development of graphics (CG), a hard print device for a display, especially a print device using a color transfer ribbon which can save maintenance and is easy to handle, has been greatly desired. In addition, there is a growing interest in environmentally friendly devices, and there is a demand for environmentally friendly devices in the life cycle (production → use → disposal → recycling).

A conventional color thermal transfer recording apparatus will be described below. 13A and 13B show the main part of the recording apparatus, in which the thermal head 81 is in pressure contact with the platen 82 via the transfer ribbon 86 and the image receiving paper 85. The pressure roller 84 is in pressure contact with the drive roller 83, and the image receiving paper 85 is
It is conveyed by being pinched by 3,84. The transfer ribbon 86 is coated with Y (yellow), M (magenta), and C (cyan) dyes in different sections in sequence, and is supplied from the supply reel 87 and wound on the winding reel 88.

As shown in FIG. 14, the cassette 89 is divided into an upper cassette 89a and a lower cassette 89b.
86 is a lower cassette 89 together with a supply reel 87 and a take-up reel 88.
It is stored in the storage part 89c and the storage part 89d of b. still,
The supply reel 87 and the take-up reel 88 are rotatably held inside the cassette.

Transfer ribbon 86, supply reel 87, take-up reel
88, an upper cassette 89a and a lower cassette 89 that house the spring 90
The joint surfaces of b are firmly adhered or welded to each other to form a cassette 89. The spring 90 is a supply reel.
87 and the take-up reel 88 are constantly urged in the direction of the arrow P, and the side end portions 89e and 89f of the upper cassette 89a and the lower cassette 89b.
The flanges 87a and 88a of the respective reels 87 and 88 are brought into contact with.
The rotation of the supply reel 87 and the take-up reel 88 is regulated by the frictional force of the two abutted.

Therefore, when the cassette 89 is removed from the thermal transfer recording apparatus, the supply reel 87 and the take-up reel
88 does not idle, and the transfer ribbon 86 does not loosen. When the cassette 89 is loaded in the thermal transfer recording apparatus, it is biased by a biasing means (not shown) in the direction opposite to the arrow P direction, and the regulation of the rotation of the supply reel 87 and the take-up reel 88 by the frictional force is released. .

Next, the operation of the thermal transfer recording apparatus will be described. In FIG. 13A, the cassette 89 is loaded in the thermal transfer recording apparatus by a predetermined method, and the transfer ribbon 86 is loaded between the thermal head 81 and the platen 82. And image receiving paper
The driving roller 83 is sandwiched between the driving roller 83 and the pressure roller 84, and the image receiving paper 85 and the first color (for example, yellow) of the transfer ribbon 86 are sandwiched between the thermal head 81 and the platen 82. Is rotated in the direction of arrow A, and the thermal head 81
When a recording signal is applied to, the dye (yellow) on the transfer ribbon 86 is transferred onto the image receiving paper 85 by the heat generated by the thermal head 81.

When the recording for one screen of one color is completed, the thermal head 81 separates from the platen 82 as shown in FIG. In this state, the drive roller 83 rotates in the direction of the arrow B opposite to that at the time of recording to feed the image receiving paper 85, and the recording start position of the first color of the image receiving paper 85 reaches the heat generating position of the thermal head 81. Stop. During this time, the transfer ribbon 86 is taken up by the take-up reel 88 in the cassette 89, and stops when the second color of the transfer ribbon 86 reaches the heat generation position of the thermal head 81. After that, the thermal head 81 is brought into pressure contact with the platen 82 to be in the state of FIG. 9A, and the recording of the second color is performed. Similarly, when the recording of the third color is completed, a color print is obtained.

As described above, the transfer ribbon 86 is taken up by the take-up reel 88 in the cassette 89 each time color printing is performed, and when the predetermined number of prints is completed, the operator uses a predetermined method to remove the cassette 89 from the thermal transfer device. Take out. In the cassette 89 taken out, as shown in FIG. 15, all of the transfer ribbons 86 used by the color print are the take-up reels.
There is no transfer ribbon 86 on one supply reel 87 side when wound around 88.

The used cassette 89 is a used transfer ribbon 86,
It is treated as industrial waste together with the take-up reel 88, the supply reel 87, and the spring 90.

[0011]

The above-mentioned cassette is a so-called "disposable" in which all the parts are treated as industrial waste when the predetermined number of prints is completed. However, the cassette main body, the take-up reel, the supply reel, and the spring are manufactured with the same accuracy and material as those used for the thermal transfer recording apparatus main body, even though the use period (life) is short. Therefore, there is a problem that the quality of the cassette becomes excessive, resulting in an increase in unit price, and the cost of the entire system using the cassette becomes high.

The cassettes differ from each other in the material of the used transfer ribbon, the material of the cassette body, the take-up reel, the material of the supply reel, and the material of the spring. Therefore, when treating these as industrial waste, it is necessary to disassemble the cassettes that are firmly adhered or welded and to separate them according to their respective materials. The time and effort required for such disassembly and separation also contribute to the cost increase, and as a result, the cassette unit price increases. Furthermore, since the method of recycling these has not been established, it has a point that it lacks the qualities as a device in consideration of environmental protection in recent years.

There are some cassettes that can be used repeatedly and take the above problems into consideration, but all of them have poor operability.
In some cases, the operation was unstable, and some support was required for use.

An object of the present invention is to provide a low cost thermal transfer recording apparatus by reducing the waste portion after use.

[0015]

In order to solve the above problems and achieve the object, a typical means of the thermal transfer recording apparatus according to the present invention is to load a thermal transfer ribbon having a ribbon guide member into the apparatus main body, In a thermal transfer recording apparatus that performs recording by applying energy according to a recording signal in synchronization with the transfer of a thermal transfer ribbon, a guide for guiding the transfer direction of the ribbon guide member and a transfer force to the ribbon guide member. It is characterized by having a cylindrical elastic member for applying and a reel for winding up the ribbon guide member.

[0016]

According to the above-mentioned means, a ribbon guide member (hereinafter referred to as a "lead portion") provided with a transfer ribbon loaded in a detachable cassette in a main body of a thermal transfer recording apparatus (hereinafter referred to as "recording apparatus") is provided. ) You can guide and carry.

The means for conveying the lead portion is formed by pressing the lead portion and the guide portion for guiding the conveying direction by regulating the direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction and guiding the lead portion in the longitudinal direction. It is composed of a cylindrical elastic member to be conveyed and a reel that holds and winds the leading end of the lead portion.

Therefore, the transfer ribbon loaded in the cassette by winding the lead portion around the central portion is rewound by the cylindrical elastic member around the lead portion wound around the outermost periphery, and is guided in the conveying direction by the guide portion. Can be transported while
Furthermore, the lead portion can be wound around a reel and conveyed.

[0019]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of a recording apparatus to which the means according to the present invention is applied will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of a cassette loaded with a transfer ribbon, FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of a transfer ribbon, FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of a recording device, and FIG. 4 is a configuration of a supply reel drive device. FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the configuration of the take-up reel drive device,
FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the configuration of the lead portion drive device, FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining the procedure for loading the supply reel in the cassette,
8 is a diagram illustrating a procedure for loading the cassette into the recording apparatus, FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a loading operation of the lead portion, and FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an engaging operation between the lead portion and the take-up reel. Figure 11
Is a diagram for explaining a recording operation, and FIG. 12 is a diagram for explaining an operation for taking out a used transfer ribbon.

First, a schematic structure of the recording apparatus B is shown in FIG.
Will be described. The recording device B is loaded with the cassette A,
An image is recorded on the recording paper 1, which is a recording medium, according to an image signal transmitted from another device.

As shown in FIG. 1A, the recording papers 1 are stacked and accommodated in a paper cassette 11, and the recording papers 1 are fed one by one from the top by rotating the paper feed roller 7 in the direction of arrow a. Will be sent. The fed recording paper 1 is nipped by the driving roller 5 and the pressure contact roller 6 which rotate in the direction of arrow b, and is conveyed to the recording start position for the first color.

Then, as shown in FIG. 3B, the recording paper 1 and the transfer ribbon 2 which are superposed are pressed by the recording head 3 toward the platen 4 side which is a rotating body, and the driving roller 5 is driven to rotate in the direction of arrow c. By doing so, the recording paper 1 and the transfer ribbon 2 are conveyed. In synchronization with the conveyance of the recording paper 1 and the transfer ribbon 2, the recording head 3 is caused to generate heat in accordance with an image signal to melt the ink applied to the transfer ribbon 2 (including sublimation, the same applies hereinafter), and the melted ink is recorded. It is configured to be transferred onto the paper 1 to form an image.

When the recording for one screen of the first color is completed by the above operation and the recording for the three screens of three colors is completed in the same manner, the recording paper 1 is conveyed by the pair of discharge rollers 8 and 9 and the recording apparatus. It is configured to be discharged to the outside of B.

Next, the structure of the transfer ribbon 2 will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG.
Is configured as a belt-shaped member in which dyes of Y (yellow), M (magenta), and C (cyan) are sequentially applied to different sections, and lead portions 70 and 71 are attached to both ends.
The lead portions 70 and 71 are attached to the transfer ribbon 2 by adhesion with an adhesive or the like, attachment with an adhesive or the like, and welding with ultrasonic waves or the like.

The lead portions 70 and 71 are made of a material having a composition similar to or equivalent to that of the transfer ribbon 2. The thickness t of the lead portions 70 and 71 is set so as to satisfy the flexibility such that the lead reel 70 and 71 can be easily wound around a winding reel described later and the strength sufficient for winding the transfer ribbon 2. In this embodiment, t = 0.1 mm to 0.2 mm is set.

The width W2 of the lead portions 70, 71 and the width W1 of the transfer ribbon 2 have a relationship of W1 <W2. In this embodiment, W1 = 95 mm and W2 = 112 mm are set.

The length L1 of the lead portion 70 is substantially the same as the dimension L2 from the lead portion conveying roller 35 shown in FIG. 10A to the lead portion conveying guide 36 to the groove portion 31c of the take-up reel 31. . In the present embodiment, since L2 = 74.8 mm is set, L1 = 7 is added to this dimension by adding the sending margin 1.2 mm.
It is set to 6 mm. Here, the delivery allowance is
This is for absorbing an error such as a slip of the lead portion 70 and the lead portion conveying roller 35, a slack of the lead portion 70 in the lead portion conveying guide 36, and the like, so that the lead portion loading operation is surely performed.

The tip portions of the lead portions 70 and 71 are formed in a concave shape in which a part of the circumference of the radius R is included in the dimension z. In this embodiment, R = 120 mm and z = 10 mm are set.

Holes 70 are provided on both sides of the tip portions of the lead portions 70 and 71.
a and 71a are formed. The holes 70a and 71a are shown in FIG.
As shown in (c), a hole having a diameter V0 is formed at a position having a dimension V1 from the side end and a dimension V2 from the tip, and V1
And V2 have a relationship of V1 <V2. Further, the hole diameter φV0 and the diameter φV0 ′ of the pin 31d on the take-up reel 31 of the cassette A shown in FIG. 1 (b) have a relationship of φV0> φV0 ′. In this embodiment, V0 = φ3 (mm), V0 ′ = φ2
(Mm), V1 = 1.25 mm, V2 = 2.5 mm.

The transfer ribbon 2 before being loaded in the cassette A is wound as shown in FIG. 2B, and the lead portion 70 is wound on the outermost circumference and the lead portion 71 is wound on the innermost circumference. , The transfer ribbon 2 by these lead portions 70, 71
Is protected, the handling is improved and the product is maintained. Hereinafter, the "lead portions 70 and 71 around which the transfer ribbon 2 as the belt-shaped member is wound" are collectively referred to as the supply reel 30. Although the lead portion 71 wound on the innermost circumference and the lead portion 70 wound on the outermost circumference have a common shape, an increase in manufacturing cost is suppressed, but it is wound on the innermost circumference. Hole for lead 71
The concave shape of 71a and the tip may be eliminated.

Next, the structure of the cassette A will be described with reference to FIG. In the figure, the transfer ribbon 2 which is a strip-shaped member and has a long shape is wound around the outer circumference with the wound lead portion 71 disposed on the innermost circumference, and the lead wound around the outermost circumference. Cylindrical supply reel protected by section 70
It is loaded into the case 40 in the form of 30. The lead part
70 is a take-up reel 31 driven by a take-up reel drive device described later.
To be wound up.

A pivot 32 is fitted to one end of the supply reel 30 (left side in FIG. 3A), and a holder 33 is fitted to the other end. An engaging claw 33b is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the holder 33, and the engaging claw 33b is configured to engage with a supply reel driving device described later.

As shown in FIGS. 3B and 3C, the take-up reel 31 has a gear 31a formed on the outer peripheral portion thereof. Gear 31
The pinion gear 34 that meshes with a is fixed to a shaft having a pawl 34a formed at one end (right side in FIG. 7C), and the pawl 34a engages with the take-up reel drive device. The pinion gear 34 is driven by the motor.

The lead portion 70 is provided on the cylindrical portion 31b of the take-up reel 31.
A groove 31c for winding up is provided. The groove 31c is open on the left side as shown in FIG. 3B, and the width dimension of the groove 31c is set to T3. The grooves 31c are provided in the same phase on the take-up reels 31 on both sides.

A pin is formed in the groove 31c in a direction orthogonal to the groove 31c.
31d is provided, and this pin 31d is a hole of the lead portion 70.
The lead portion 70 can be reliably wound up by engaging with the 70a. The pin 31d is constantly urged in the direction of arrow o by the spring 31e. In this embodiment, the biasing force of the spring 31e is set to 10 g.

As shown in FIG. 3D, the lead portion conveying roller 35 is fixed to a shaft having a pawl 35a formed at one end thereof, and the pawl 35a is associated with a lead portion driving device described later. In addition, the lead portion transport roller 35 is configured to be driven. An elastic member 35b is provided on the outer peripheral portion of the lead portion conveying roller 35, and the elastic member 35b is brought into pressure contact with the lead portion 70 and is conveyed to the groove 31c of the take-up reel 31. In this embodiment, the elastic member 35 is made of chloroprene rubber having a hardness Hs = 60 degrees.

The case 40 in which the supply reel 30 is loaded has a recording window 40a for exposing the transfer ribbon 2 in the center thereof, and is formed on a side wall 40b on one side (the left side in FIG. 7A). The convex portion 40c has an inner diameter end surface 71 of the lead portion 71 of the supply reel 30.
A pivot 32 that fits with b is fitted via a spring 41. The spring 41 supports the pivot 32 swingably,
The supply reel 30 fitted in the pivot 32 is urged in the direction of arrow d. By this urging, the end surface 33d of the holder 33 fitted to the supply reel 30 comes into pressure contact with the inner surface of the side wall 40d on the other side of the case 40 (the right side in FIG. 7A), and the friction force of both supplies the supply. The rotation of the reel 30 is restricted. Therefore, when the cassette A is removed from the recording apparatus B, the supply reel 30 does not idle and the transfer ribbon 2 is not loosened.

On the side wall 40d of the case 40, a holder 33 that fits into the supply reel 30 is rotatably supported in the hole 40e. A shaft 42 for rotatably supporting the take-up reel 31 is provided on the side walls 40b and 40d. The shaft 42 has a fixing member 42a.
Are fixed to prevent the take-up reel 31 from falling off in the axial direction. Further, the side walls 40b and 40d are formed with a hole 40h into which the shaft of the pinion gear 34 and the shaft of the lead conveying roller 35 can be fitted.

Guides 36 for holding and guiding both ends of the lead portion 70 when the lead portion 70 is conveyed to the groove 31c of the take-up reel 31 are fixed to the side walls 40b and 40d. As shown in FIG. 10, the guide 36 is provided between the outer peripheral portion of the lead portion conveyance roller 35 (outer periphery of the elastic member 35b) and the cylindrical portion 31b of the take-up reel 31, and the conveyance passage 36a, 36b, 36
c are provided respectively.

The transport path 36a is an inlet through which both ends of the lead portion 70 are inserted, and has a shape with an open top so that the lead portion 70 can be easily introduced. The conveying path 36b is a bent portion for converting the conveying direction of the lead portion 70 conveyed by the lead portion conveying roller 35 to the downward direction of the angle θ. The angle θ is determined by the mounting position of the lead transport roller 35 and the take-up reel 31.
It is determined from the relative position with the groove 31c formed in the cylindrical portion 31b of the above, and is set to 30 degrees in this embodiment. The transport path 36c guides the lead portion 70, which has been turned around by the transport path 36b, to the entrance of the groove 31c of the take-up reel 31.

The thickness t of the lead portion 70 and the gap T of the transport path 36a
1, the clearance T2 of the transport path 36b and the clearance T3 of the groove 31c of the take-up reel 31 have a relationship of t <T2 <T1 ≦ T3. In this embodiment, T1 = 2 mm, T2 = 1.5 mm and T3 = 2 mm are set.

Next, the structure of the supply reel driving device will be described with reference to FIG. The supply reel drive device drives a holder 33 fitted with the supply reel 30, and has a polygonal shaft portion 14a at the center of the reel drive shaft 14 and a tip surface 33a of the holder 33 (see FIG. 1A). ) Abuts against the contact portion 14b. The sliding member 15 has an inner shape formed in a polygonal shape corresponding to the shaft portion 14a, and slides in the longitudinal direction on the outer periphery of the shaft portion 14a. The sliding member 15 has a claw portion 15a that engages with the engaging claw 33b of the holder 33 in the circumferential direction. The supply reel driving device includes a spring 17 for urging the sliding member 15 in one direction, and a fixing member which is engaged with the tip of the sliding member 15 and is attached to the shaft portion 14a.
16 are provided.

The reel drive shaft 14 is constructed so that a constant load is applied during rotation, and a constant tension can be applied to the transfer ribbon 2 drawn from the supply reel 30. The sliding member 15 of the reel drive shaft 14 is a holder
It is provided for facilitating the engagement with 33, and when the sliding member 15 and the engaging claw 33b are engaged, the claw portion 15a is provided.
Even when the engaging claw 33b and the engaging claw 33b come into contact with each other, there is a gap between the inner diameter of the sliding member 15 and the outer diameter of the shaft portion 14a of the reel drive shaft 14, so that the sliding member 15 is slightly moved in the rotation direction. By sliding while rotating, the contact is disengaged and engaged.

Next, the structure of the take-up reel drive device will be described with reference to FIG. The take-up reel drive device is adapted to drive the take-up reel 31 by fitting with a claw 34a provided at one end of the pinion gear 34, and the take-up reel drive shaft 60 having a rectangular claw portion 60a at the center. And a spring 61 for urging the take-up reel drive shaft 60 in one direction, and a bearing portion for axially supporting the take-up reel drive shaft 60 slidably in the longitudinal direction and rotatable in the circumferential direction.
It comprises a bearing 62 having 62a and a fixing member 63 attached to the shaft portion of the take-up reel 60.

The take-up reel drive shaft 60 is constructed so that a rotational force is applied through a drive transmission system (not shown),
At the time of recording, the transfer ribbon 2 is wound around the lead portion 70 integrated with the winding reel 31. Further, the take-up reel drive shaft 60 is configured so that a constant load is applied during rotation, and a constant tension can be applied to the transfer ribbon 2 pulled out from the supply reel 30.

A spring 61 for urging the take-up reel 60 in one direction
Is provided for easier engagement with the claw 34a provided at one end of the pinion gear 34. That is, when the rectangular claw portion 60a and the claw 34a do not engage due to different angular phases, the take-up reel drive shaft 60 causes the spring 61 to move due to the contact between the two.
It moves to the right in the figure against the urging force of. The rectangular claw portion 60a rotates in a minute amount while being in contact with each other so that the phases match each other, and the biasing force of the spring 61 causes the take-up reel drive shaft 60 to rotate.
Will be restored to the left side in the figure and both will engage.

Next, the structure of the lead portion driving device will be described with reference to FIG. The lead portion drive device is for fitting the pawl 35a of the lead portion conveying roller 35 to convey the lead portion 70, and has a rectangular pawl 64a.
64, a spring 65 for urging the lead portion transport roller drive shaft 64 in one direction, and a bearing portion for rotatably supporting the lead portion transport roller drive shaft 64 so as to be slidable in the longitudinal direction and rotatable in the circumferential direction. 66a
And a fixing member 67 attached to the shaft portion of the lead portion transport roller drive shaft 64.

A rotational force is applied to the lead portion conveying roller drive shaft 64 via a drive transmission system (not shown). When the supply reel 30 is loaded, the lead portion 70 is attached to the cylindrical portion 31b of the take-up reel 31. It is configured so that it can be conveyed to the provided groove 31c.

The spring 65 for urging the lead portion conveying roller drive shaft 64 in one direction is provided to facilitate engagement with the claw 35a provided at one end of the lead portion conveying roller 35. Is. That is, when the rectangular claw portions 64a and the claws 35a are not engaged due to different angular phases, the abutment of the two causes the lead portion transport roller drive shaft 64 against the urging force of the spring 65 in the rightward direction in the drawing. Move to. The phase of the rectangular claw portion 64a is rotated by a minute amount while keeping contact with each other, and the phases are matched with each other, and the urging force of the spring 65 restores the lead portion transport roller drive shaft 64 in the leftward direction in the drawing to engage the two. . The lead portion drive device is similar to the above-described take-up reel drive device in most parts.

Next, the procedure for loading the supply reel 30 into the cassette A will be described with reference to FIG. The supply reel 30 before being loaded in the cassette A has a cylindrical shape in which the lead portion 70 is wound around the outermost circumference, so that the transfer ribbon 2 is protected and the handleability is improved. Also, the lead portion 71 is wound around the innermost circumference to hold the transfer ribbon 2.

As shown in FIG. 9A, the loading portion of the cassette A is a convex portion in which the pivot 32 is provided on the side wall 40b of the case 40.
It is fitted to 40c and is swingably supported by a spring 41. A holder 33 is rotatably supported by the hole 40e on the side wall 40d.

In the above state, when the operator first presses the supply reel 30 against the taper portion 32a of the pivot 32 in the direction of arrow h, the taper portion 32a is fitted with the inner diameter end surface portion 71b of the lead portion 71 of the supply reel 30. . At this time, since the pivot 32 is swingably supported by the spring 41, the supply reel 30 can be easily inserted by tilting it. Further, the pivot 32 is supported by a spring 41 so that the supply reel 30 can slide a little in the longitudinal direction.

Next, the operator rotates the supply reel 30 in the direction of the arrow g as shown in FIG. 7B while holding the pressing force in the direction of the arrow h, so that the operator faces the holder 33 in the direction of the arrow h. Release the pressure on. As a result, the supply reel 30 is urged in the direction of arrow d by the spring 41 as shown in FIGS. (C) and (d), and the inner diameter end surface portion of the lead portion 71 of the supply reel 30.
71b is fitted in the tapered portion 33c of the holder 33. At this time,
The tip portion of the lead portion 70 is located directly above the transport path 36a of the guide 36 and immediately above the elastic member 35b of the lead transport roller 35.

By the above operation, the loading of the supply reel 30 onto the cassette A is completed, and the loading of the cassette A onto the recording apparatus B becomes possible.

Next, the construction of the cassette loading section in the recording apparatus B and the procedure for loading the cassette A will be described with reference to FIG. 8A is a plan view of the recording apparatus B loaded with the cassette A, and FIG. 8B is a view E1- of FIG.
E1 sectional view, (c) is an E2-E2 sectional view of (a).

In the cassette loading section of the recording apparatus B, a reel drive shaft 14 is rotatably attached to a shaft 18 fixed to a rear chassis 19. The rear chassis 19 is attached to the main chassis 20, and the front chassis 21 is attached to the main chassis 20.

Hole for inserting the cassette A in the front chassis 21
Pins at 2 places on the left and right of 21a (upper and lower sides in Fig. (A))
22 and 23 are fixed, and these pins 22 and 23 are adapted to engage with holes 40f and 40g formed in the case 40 of the cassette A. The one hole 40g is a long hole. Therefore, the positioning of the cassette A to the recording device B in the transfer ribbon transport direction is performed by the holes 40f and 40g of the case 40 and the pins 22 and
It will be done by 23 and.

A pressure plate 24 which can be opened and closed is provided on the side wall 40b side of the case 40, and a spring member 25 is attached to the pressure plate 24. The biasing force of the spring member 25 is set to be stronger than the biasing force of the spring 41 provided in the cassette A. When the pressing plate 24 is closed, the spring member 25 opens the side wall 40b near the spring 41 of the cassette A. It is configured to press.

Therefore, when the cassette A is inserted into the hole 21a of the front chassis 21 (the sliding member 15 of the supply reel driving device is fitted into the holder 33 at the same time as this insertion) and the pressing plate 24 is closed, the spring member 25 is formed. The tip surface 33a of the holder 33 abuts the abutting portion 14b due to the urging force. By this abutment, the supply reel 30 is pressed and moved in the direction of the arrow e, the end surface 33d pressed against the inner surface of the side wall 40d of the case 40 is separated, and the supply reel 30 is in a freely rotatable state. At this time, the convex portion 32b of the pivot 32 is configured to abut the bottom portion of the concave portion 40i inside the convex portion 40c, whereby positioning in the longitudinal direction of the reel and positioning in the circumferential direction are performed. It has become.

At the same time, the claw 34a of the pinion gear 34 for driving the take-up reel 31 and the claw 35a of the lead portion conveying roller 35 for conveying the lead portion 70 are respectively claw portions 60 of the take-up reel drive shaft 60.
a and the claw portion 64a of the lead portion conveying roller drive shaft 64, and power from the take-up reel driving device and the lead portion driving device can be transmitted.

With the above operation, the loading of the cassette A into the recording apparatus B is completed, and the loading of the take-up reel 31 of the lead section 70 becomes possible.

Next, regarding the loading operation of the lead portion, FIG.
This will be described with reference to FIG. The loading operation of the lead portion is performed with the cassette A loaded in the recording device B. The supply reel 30 loaded in the cassette A is shown in FIG.
As shown in (a), the tip portion of the lead portion 70 is located directly above the conveying path 36a of the guide 36, and the side end of the lead portion 70 is directly above the lead portion conveying roller 35 and of the lead portion pressing member 37. It is located directly below.

In the above state, when the power from the lead portion driving device is transmitted to the lead portion conveying roller 35 to rotate the roller 35 in the direction of arrow i, the lead portion conveying roller 35 and the lead portion pressing member 37 are sandwiched. The lead portion 70 is conveyed in the direction of arrow j. During this conveyance process, the lead portion 70 is moved to the conveyance path 36b of the guide 36.
Is guided to the transport path 36c from the cylindrical portion 31b of the take-up reel 31.
It reaches the entrance portion of the groove 31c provided in the.

When the lead portion 70 is further conveyed in the direction of the arrow j, as shown in FIG. 10B, the tip of the lead portion abuts on the tip sloped portion 31f of the pin 31d of the take-up reel 31. Then, as shown in FIG. 3C, the tip of the lead portion is a beveled surface portion 31f.
The pin 31d is moved in the direction of the arrow m while sliding. Further, the leading end of the lead portion is conveyed toward the inside of the groove 31c, the pin 31d engages with the hole 70a of the lead portion 70, and the spring 31e moves.
31d is urged in the direction of arrow o to return to the normal state.

The lead portion drive device has a sufficient time (1 in this embodiment) for the lead portion 70 to be conveyed deep into the groove 31c of the take-up reel 31 and for the pin 31d to engage with the hole 70a of the lead portion 70. (Seconds to 2 seconds) After rotating the lead portion transport roller 35, this rotation is stopped.

The rotation control of the lead driving device does not require strictness. That is, even when the lead portion transport roller 35 continues to rotate, the length L1 of the lead portion 70 is substantially the same as the length L2 of the transport path, and
The width W2 of 70 is larger than the width W1 of the transfer ribbon 2, and the lead conveying roller 35 is arranged at a position where it does not interfere with the end of the transfer ribbon 2 in the width direction. The rear end is the elastic member 35b of the lead portion transport roller 35.
When the lead portion 70 is disengaged, the conveyance of the lead portion 70 is stopped.

As described above, the lead portion 70 of the supply reel 30
After loading the take-up reel 31, the power from the take-up reel driving device is transmitted to rotate the take-up reel 31 in the direction of arrow k, the lead portion 70 is wound around the cylindrical portion 31b of the take-up reel 31. To be done.

With the above operation, the lead portion 70 is integrated with the take-up reel 31, and the transfer ribbon 2 used in the subsequent recording operation of the recording apparatus B can be wound up.

Next, the recording operation of the recording apparatus B will be described with reference to FIG. In the figure, the recording head 3 is attached to a support arm 50 integrally attached to a shaft 57 that is rotatably attached to a chassis, and is configured to be rotatable around the shaft 57. Further, the platen roller 4, the driving roller 5 and the pressure contact roller 6 are respectively attached to the chassis by a shaft 5 rotatably mounted thereon.
It is attached to 4, 55, 56 integrally. Stopper 5
8 is installed on the chassis and is configured so as to be able to contact the support arm 50. Further, a sensor 59 for detecting the leading end of the recording paper 1 is provided at a predetermined position on the chassis.

In the above structure, the recording head 3 is a supporting arm.
By the rotating operation of 50, the recording paper 1 and the transfer ribbon 2 are sandwiched and pressed against the platen roller 4.

First, as shown in FIG. 9A, the drive roller 5 rotates in the direction of arrow b and is conveyed to a position where the leading edge of the recording paper 1 is detected by the sensor 59 by the pressure contact roller 6,
When the first color (for example, yellow) of the transfer ribbon 2 is set at the recording start position, the preparation for recording the first color is completed.

Next, as shown in FIG. 7B, the shaft 57 is rotated in the direction of arrow p by a supporting arm driving unit (not shown) so that the recording head 3 sandwiches the recording paper 1 and the transfer ribbon 2 and the platen roller. Press into contact with 4. In this state, the recording head 3
A recording signal is applied to the recording head 1 and the dye (yellow) on the transfer ribbon 2 is transferred onto the recording paper 1 by the heat generated by the recording head 3. At the same time, when the drive roller 5 is rotated in the direction of arrow c while the recording paper 1 is sandwiched by the drive roller 5 and the pressure contact roller 6, the recording of the first color is started and the recording is performed up to the final end. During this time, the transfer ribbon 2 is taken up by the lead portion 70 integrated with the take-up reel 31 and moves at the moving speed of the recording paper 1. Since the support arm drive unit has a built-in torque limiter, the recording head 3 is pressed with a constant force in the arrow q direction by the action of the torque limiter.

After the recording of the first color is completed as described above, when the shaft 57 is rotated in the arrow r direction, the support arm 57 is rotated in the arrow s direction as shown in FIG. Recording head 3
Are separated from the platen roller 4. When the support arm 50 engages with the stopper 58, the force transmission to the shaft 57 is released,
The support arm 50 is held in the locked position.

Next, the drive roller 5 is rotated in the direction of arrow b to convey the recording paper 1, and the leading end of the recording paper 1 is a sensor.
Stop at the position detected by 59. During this time, the transfer ribbon 2 is wound around the lead portion 70 and stopped when the second color (for example, magenta) reaches the recording start position.

Subsequently, the second color and the third color are recorded, and one color printing is completed.

Next, the used transfer ribbon 2 is loaded into the cassette A.
The procedure of taking out from the device will be described with reference to FIG. Incidentally, FIGS. 7B and 7C are sectional views taken along line E3-E3 of FIG.
The transfer ribbon 2 is taken up by the take-up reel 31 every time color printing is performed.
It is wound around the lead portion 70 integrated with the lead portion 70, and the lead portion 71 is exposed when the predetermined number of prints is completed. Further, by winding the transfer ribbon 2, the taper portion 32a of the pivot 32 is
The lead portion 71 fitted to the taper portion 33c of the holder 33 is unwound, and the lead portion 71 is wound around the outermost periphery of the transfer ribbon 2 wound around the take-up reel 31 side.

As described above, the lead portion 70 is provided on the take-up reel 31 side.
In order to take out the used transfer ribbon 2 wound in a cylindrical shape with the lead portion 71 arranged on the innermost circumference and the lead portion 71 on the outermost circumference, as shown in FIG. Hold the center of 2 and lift in the direction of arrow n
The hole 70a of the winding reel 70 is pulled out from the pin 31d arranged in the groove 31c formed in the winding reel 31 to remove the lead portion 70 from the cylindrical portion 31b of the winding reel 31. The used transfer ribbon 2 removed is treated as industrial waste.

[0078]

As described above, according to the present invention, the lead portions attached to both ends of the transfer ribbon replace the supply reel and the take-up reel. That is, the transfer ribbon before use is wound around the lead portion on the rear end side that is an alternative to the supply reel, and the transfer ribbon that has been used by color printing is a lead on the front end side that is an alternative to the take-up reel. Wound around the club. Therefore, the supply reel and the take-up reel are unnecessary.

Further, since the cassette loaded with the transfer ribbon can be repeatedly used, the unit cost of the transfer ribbon is low, and the entire system using the cassette can be a low-cost thermal transfer recording apparatus.

Furthermore, since the supply reel and the take-up reel which have been disposable are not used, the thermal transfer recording apparatus can be made environmentally friendly.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a cassette loaded with a transfer ribbon.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a transfer ribbon.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a recording device.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a supply reel driving device.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a take-up reel drive device.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a lead portion driving device.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a procedure for loading a supply reel into a cassette.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a procedure for loading a cassette into a recording device.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a loading operation of a lead portion.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an engaging operation of the lead portion and the take-up reel.

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a recording operation.

FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an operation of taking out a used transfer ribbon.

FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a recording operation in a conventional color thermal transfer recording device.

FIG. 14 is a development view of a conventional cassette.

FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating a use end state of a conventional cassette.

[Explanation of symbols]

A-cassette, B-recording device, 1-recording paper, 2-transfer ribbon, 3-recording head, 4-platen, 5-drive roller, 6-pressure contact roller, 7-paper feed roller, 8,9-discharge roller Pair, 11-paper cassette, 14-reel drive shaft, 14a-shaft part, 14b-contact part, 15-sliding member, 15a-claw part, 16-fixing member, 17-spring, 18-shaft, 19- Rear chassis, 20-main chassis, 21-front chassis, 21a-holes, 22,23-pins, 24-pressing plate, 25-spring member, 30-supply reel, 31-
Take-up reel, 31a-gear, 31b-cylindrical part, 31c-groove part,
31d--Pin, 31e--Spring, 31f--Slope of Tip, 32--Pivot, 32a--Taper, 33--Holder, 33a--Tip, 33
b--engagement claw, 34--pinion gear, 34a--claw, 35--lead portion conveying roller, 35a--claw, 35b--elastic member, 36a, 36
b, 36c-conveyance path, a, 36b, 36c, 37-lead portion pressing member, 40-case, 40a-recording window, 40a, 40d-side wall, 40c-convex portion, 40e, 40h-hole portion, 40f, 40g-hole,
40i-recess, 41-spring, 42-axis, 42a-fixing member, 50-
Support arm, 54, 55, 56, 57-axis, 58-stopper, 59-sensor, 60-take-up reel drive shaft, 60a-pawl part, 61-spring, 62-bearing, 62a-bearing part, 63-fixed Member, 64-lead drive roller, 64a-pawl, 65-spring, 66-bearing, 66a-bearing, 70,71-lead, 70a, 71a-
Hole, 71b-Inner diameter end face

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A thermal transfer recording apparatus, wherein a thermal transfer ribbon provided with a ribbon guide member is loaded into an apparatus main body, and energy is applied in accordance with a recording signal in synchronization with conveyance of the thermal transfer ribbon to perform recording. Thermal transfer recording having a guide for guiding the conveyance direction of the ribbon guide member, a cylindrical elastic member for applying a conveyance force to the ribbon guide member, and a reel for winding the ribbon guide member. apparatus. 2. The thermal transfer recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the guide regulates a direction orthogonal to the lengthwise direction of the ribbon guide member and guides the lengthwise direction. 3. The thermal transfer recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cylindrical elastic member is brought into pressure contact with the ribbon guide member and conveyed. 4. The thermal transfer recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the reel holds and winds the tip of the ribbon guide member.