JPH0811400A - Thermal transfer type printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a printer in which an ink ribbon is prevented from becoming transparent by printing and a photoelectric sensor for detecting the break, etc., of the ribbon makes no error in detection. CONSTITUTION:A printer is equipped with a printing head 12 for printing, an ink ribbon 11 arranged to pass through the front face of the head 12, a winding shaft 16 which is wound with the ribbon 11 and driven to wind and rewind the ribbon 11, a photoelectric sensor which is installed on the route of the ink ribbon 11. The ink ribbon 11 is composed of a base film coated with an ink layer which melts when irradiated with heat. The base film is opaque by being formed with a heat resistant colored or opaque material.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a thermal transfer type printing apparatus which drives an ink ribbon and prints on a form by a print head.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A conventional printing apparatus is, for example, an actual Kaihei 6-0.
As disclosed in No. 05970, an ink ribbon having a reflective film attached to the start and end thereof is detected by a reflective photoelectric sensor, and the start and end of the ink ribbon are detected.
Some of them detect the broken state. At this time, the ink ribbon is polyethylene terephthalate (hereinafter P
It is composed of a base material film formed of a biaxially stretched film (abbreviated as ET) and an ink layer coated with an ink that melts when irradiated with heat.

[0003]

However, in the above-mentioned apparatus, when printing is performed, the ink is transferred to the form, so that the PET film as the base material is exposed on the ink ribbon. Since this PET film is transparent, the photoelectric sensor may react with the exposed portion, that is, the transparent portion, and erroneous detection may occur, for example, a state where the photoelectric sensor is broken even though it is printable. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to solve the above problems, the present invention has an object to provide a thermal transfer type printing apparatus in which erroneous detection of a photoelectric sensor due to printing does not occur.

[0004]

The present invention has been devised in order to achieve the above-mentioned object, and is a print head 12 for printing, and is mounted so as to pass through the front surface of the print head 12. And the ink ribbon 11, and the ink ribbon 11 is wound and the ink ribbon 11 is wound.
The printing apparatus includes a take-up shaft 14 that drives for feeding out, and a photoelectric sensor 15 that is arranged on the feeding path of the ink ribbon 11. The ink ribbon 11 of this printing apparatus has a base material film serving as a base material, and an ink layer coated with ink which is melted by irradiating heat on the surface of the base material film and which is transferred by the print head 12. Composed of and. At this time, the base material film of the ink ribbon 11 is opaque. However, it may be made opaque by coloring with heat resistance. Further, the base material film may be formed of an opaque material. The opacity of the base material film represents a state in which the light projected by the photoelectric sensor 15 is not transmitted.

[0005]

With the above structure, the ink on the ink ribbon 11 is irradiated with heat by the print head 12,
It is transferred to the form to be printed. The winding shaft 14 is
The ink ribbon 11 is wound and unwound according to the form to be printed. By these, printing on the form is sequentially performed. The photoelectric sensor 15 projects light onto the ink ribbon 11, and, for example, in the case of a reflection type sensor, detects the start end, end, or break of the ink ribbon 11 depending on the magnitude of the reflected light. At this time, since the base material film of the ink ribbon 11 is opaque, even if ink is transferred by printing and the base material film is exposed, it is not detected by the photoelectric sensor 15 as a transparent portion.

[0006]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A printer according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the apparatus. As shown in the figure, the apparatus 10 includes a print head 12 that prints on a form, an ink ribbon 11 that is stored in a ribbon cassette 13 while passing through the front surface of the print head 12, and the ink ribbon 11. The ink ribbon 11 includes a winding shaft 14 that drives the feeding and winding of the ink ribbon 11, and two photoelectric sensors 15 arranged on the feeding path of the ink ribbon 11. The ink ribbon 11 is of a thermal transfer type, and its base material film is formed of an opaque material, for example, a PET film whose base is subjected to heat resistant coloring. Further, a reflective film (not shown) for detection by the photoelectric sensor 15 is provided at the start end and the end.
Is affixed. The photoelectric sensor 15 is a reflection type sensor, and one sensor is provided at each position where each reflection film can be detected when the ink ribbon 11 is wound up to the start end or the end. Reflection walls 16 made of a material that reflects emitted light are provided at respective positions facing the photoelectric sensor 15 with the ink ribbon 11 in between.

In the printing apparatus 10 having the above structure, the two photoelectric sensors 15 can detect breakage of the ink ribbon 11 as well as detection of the start end and the end of the ink ribbon 11. For example, when the two photoelectric sensors 15 are in the ON state at the same time, that is, when the reflection film or the reflection wall 16 is detected, the start end and the end are not detected at the same time, and therefore it can be determined that the ink ribbon 11 is broken. At this time, since the PET film which is the base material of the ink ribbon 11 is subjected to heat resistant coloring, even if there is a portion where the ink is transferred by printing and the PET film is exposed, that portion becomes transparent. It never happens. Therefore, the photoelectric sensor 15
Does not cause erroneous detection such as the start end, the end, or breakage of the ink ribbon 11.

FIG. 2 shows a block diagram of another embodiment according to the present invention. The printing device 20 in the illustrated example has a photoelectric sensor 25
Print head 2 that prints on the form when two are provided
2, an ink ribbon 21 wound in a ribbon cassette 23 while passing through the front surface of the print head 12, a winding shaft 24 for driving the unwinding and winding of the ink ribbon 21, and a reflection type It is composed of a photoelectric sensor 25. The ink ribbon 21 is of a thermal transfer type, and its base material film is opaque, for example, formed from a PET film base which is colored with heat resistance. Further, the photoelectric sensor 25 detects the presence or absence of the ink ribbon 21, and is arranged at a position near the print head 22 on the feeding path of the ink ribbon 21 after printing. In such a configuration, when the photoelectric sensor 25 detects that there is no ink ribbon 21, the ink ribbon 21
Can be judged to be broken. However, since a transparent portion does not occur on the ink ribbon 21 due to printing, erroneous detection does not occur even with the photoelectric sensor 25 arranged on the feeding path after printing.

[0009]

As described above, in the present invention,
By making the base material film of the ink ribbon opaque, a transparent portion does not occur on the ink ribbon even if the ink is transferred by printing. Therefore, the light projected by the photoelectric sensor is not transmitted, and the start and end of the ink ribbon,
Or false detection such as breakage does not occur.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing an example of a printing apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram showing another embodiment according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 11, 21 Ink ribbon 12, 22 Print head 14, 24 Winding shaft 15, 25 Photoelectric sensor

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A thermal transfer type print head for performing printing, an ink ribbon mounted so as to pass through the front surface of the print head, the ink ribbon wound, and the ink ribbon wound up, A winding shaft that drives for feeding out, and a photoelectric sensor arranged on the feed path of the ink ribbon, and the ink ribbon is a base material film that is a base material of the ink ribbon, and a surface of the base material film. Characterized in that it is composed of an ink layer coated with an ink transferred by the print head and melted by being irradiated with heat, wherein the base material film is opaque. Thermal transfer printing device. 2. The ink ribbon base material film is made opaque by heat resistant coloring.
The thermal transfer printing device described. 3. The thermal transfer printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the base material film of the ink ribbon is formed of an opaque material.