JPH0890798A - Heat-sensitive color printer fixing by ultraviolet ray - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To miniaturize a printer and cut manufacturing costs by reducing conventionally required two fluorescent tubes to one. CONSTITUTION: This heat-sensitive color printer fixing by ultraviolet rays has a thermal head 3. The thermal head 3 adapted to impress roughly three levels of thermal energy from a smaller one supplies a predetermined thermal energy to a heat-sensitive paper 7 developing three primary colors in the order of yellow, magenta and cyan. The printer further has a fixing part 8 consisting of a filter 5, one fluorescent tube 4 as a luminescent body and a sliding mechanism 6 which can change the position of the filter if it is necessary. Two kinds of fluorescent paint are applied to the filter 5, which generate light of two kinds of wavelengths in the ultraviolet band necessary to illuminate and fix the corresponding yellow and magenta colors after the color development so as to prevent the color in a precedent stage from reacting when a larger thermal energy is applied after the development of yellow or magenta color.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ultraviolet fixing heat sensitive color printer, and more particularly to an ultraviolet fixing heat sensitive color printer which generates two kinds of ultraviolet wavelength light in association with ultraviolet fixing.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an ultraviolet fixing thermal color printer of this type has been disclosed in, for example, THE, manufactured by Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd.
Like RMO-AUTOCHROME PAPER,
Yellow, magenta and cyan 3 on print paper
Using a medium in which color-developing layers are laminated, it is roughly divided into 3
By applying thermal energy of a step size in ascending order, the maximum of 256 primary colors in the order of yellow, magenta, and cyan is 256.
Colors are produced with gradation, and by superimposing these three primary colors, it is possible to realize approximately 16.77 million almost natural colors. By the way, in order to prevent the reaction of the color at the previous stage when applying the heat energy of a larger amount after the color of yellow or magenta is developed, the color of yellow or magenta is respectively applied. It is necessary to irradiate the light with a wavelength in the ultraviolet region to fix it.

[0003]

This conventional UV fixing thermal color printer is equipped with two fluorescent tubes for generating two kinds of UV wavelength light for fixing two colors of yellow and magenta. If an inverter circuit for driving these fluorescent tubes is also included, the external size of the printer becomes large, making it impossible to make it compact, and the cost also increases accordingly.

[0004]

The heat-sensitive color printer for fixing ultraviolet rays according to the present invention applies three types of heat energy in a descending order to develop three primary colors in the order of yellow, magenta and cyan. A thermal head for supplying a predetermined amount of heat energy to the thermal paper; yellow or magenta is used, and when a larger amount of heat energy is applied, yellow or magenta is applied in order to prevent reaction of the color in the preceding stage A filter coated with two kinds of fluorescent paints that generate two kinds of ultraviolet wavelength light corresponding to each of which is necessary for irradiating and fixing after color development of magenta; one fluorescent tube as a light emitting body; And a fixing unit including a mechanism unit that can switch the position of the filter according to the above.

[0005]

The function of the wavelength in the ultraviolet region is not determined by the characteristics of the fluorescent tube itself, that is, the gas or driving frequency enclosed in the tube, but by the type of fluorescent paint applied to the outer surface of the tube. Is used in the present invention.

[0006]

Next, the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 1, the UV fixing heat-sensitive color printer of this embodiment is a heat-sensitive paper that applies three types of heat energy in a large order to three primary colors in order of yellow, magenta, and cyan. A thermal head 3 for supplying a predetermined amount of heat energy to 7; yellow or magenta; and when a larger amount of heat energy is applied, in order to prevent the reaction of the color at the previous stage, yellow or magenta A filter 5 coated with two kinds of fluorescent paints that generate two kinds of ultraviolet wavelength light corresponding to each of which is necessary for irradiating and fixing after color development of magenta, and one fluorescent tube 4 as a light emitting body. , A slide operation mechanism 6 capable of switching the position of the filter 5 as necessary
And a fixing unit 8 including.

In the thermal head 3, the thermal paper 7 is the drum 2
When wound around the drum 2, the mechanism is such that the drum 2 can move from the circumference to the outside. The thermal head 3 has a thermistor function, and when a heating element on the thermal head 3 reaches a target temperature, the thermal head 3 detects it and shuts off the input to the heating element to set the target heating element temperature. Can hold. Therefore, the thermal head 3 is capable of fine temperature control, and particularly in the case of color printing, a maximum of 2 is possible for each of yellow, magenta and cyan.
Color tone control of 56 gradations can be realized. The thermal head 3 applies heat energy in three steps to the thermal paper 7 in order of increasing magnitude, thereby developing three primary colors of yellow, magenta, and cyan in order of maximum 256 gradations,
By superimposing these three primary colors, it is possible to develop approximately 16.77 million almost natural colors. The thermal paper 3 is applied with thermal energy by the thermal head 3 according to print data from the host controller.

The fixing unit 8 prevents the reaction of the color of the preceding stage when the heat energy larger than that is applied after the color development of yellow or magenta, and after the color development of yellow or magenta, respectively. Then, each color is fixed by irradiating the wavelength light in the ultraviolet region corresponding to. The fixing unit 8 is a fluorescent tube 4 having a transparent surface as a light emitting body, and two kinds of fluorescent light for generating two kinds of ultraviolet region light necessary for fixing yellow and magenta. It has a filter 5 to which paint is applied, and a slide operation mechanism 6 that can switch the position of the filter 5 as needed. The filter 5 includes a fluorescent paint Y required to generate the ultraviolet region wavelength λ _Y required to fix yellow and a fluorescent coating required to generate the ultraviolet region wavelength λ _M required to fix magenta. Paint M,
It has three parts coated with a black paint B for preventing the light from the fluorescent tube 4 from irradiating the thermal paper 7, and if necessary, paints Y, M or below the fluorescent tube 4 serving as a light source. The slide operation mechanism 6 is provided so that the position B can be positioned.

Next, the printing procedure will be described. Hopper part 1
The thermal paper 7 fed out from is conveyed and wound around the platen and the drum 2 which also has a medium conveying function at the time of printing. On the circumference of the drum 2, a thermal head 3 is arranged which is pressed in the radial direction of the drum 2 toward the center of the drum 2 with a predetermined force. The thermal paper 7 fed from the hopper unit 1 is conveyed to the position of the thermal head 3 by the drum 2 rotating in the direction of arrow A. Thermal head 3
Applies yellow data, which can be colored with the lowest heat energy, to the thermal paper 7. After that, the fixing unit 8 which is an ultraviolet region wavelength light emitter is arranged on the circumference of the drum 2 at a position advanced by 90 ° in the direction of arrow A from the thermal head 3.
The already-printed portion (yellow in this case) of the thermal paper 7 is conveyed to the printer. First, in order to fix the yellow color, the slide operation mechanism 6 slides the portion of the paint Y on the filter 5 under the fluorescent tube 4 to fix the yellow color. After yellow fixing, the slide operation mechanism 6 slides the filter 5 so that the paint B is below the fluorescent tube 4. Fluorescent tube 4
Since the life and the output decrease in proportion to the number of power-on / off operations, in order to reduce the number of operations, the fluorescent tube 4 is in the power-on state except when fixing yellow and magenta, and instead, when it is not necessary. The black paint B absorbs the light so that the light from the fluorescent tube 4 does not irradiate the thermal paper 7.

After the yellow fixing, the front end of the thermal paper 7 is again conveyed under the thermal head 3, where the thermal energy larger than the previous time is applied and the magenta color is developed. Then, it is again conveyed to the fixing unit 8 which is an ultraviolet light emitter, and this time, light of wavelength λ _M is irradiated and magenta is fixed. Finally, the largest amount of heat energy is applied, cyan is colored, and printing ends. By the way, since cyan does not require a fixing process by irradiating a wavelength in the ultraviolet region, the fluorescent tube 4 is turned off after the magenta fixing is completed, and the filter 5 is returned to the initial state in which the paint B is below the fluorescent tube 4. Has been done.

[0011]

As described above, according to the present invention,
A thermal head that supplies predetermined thermal energy to a thermal paper that develops three primary colors in the order of yellow, magenta, and cyan; and when a larger thermal energy is applied after developing yellow or magenta, the color of the previous stage is In order to prevent the reaction, a filter coated with two types of fluorescent paints that generate two types of ultraviolet wavelength light corresponding to each of which is necessary for irradiating and fixing after color development of yellow or magenta. In the prior art, a fixing section including one fluorescent tube as a light emitting body and a mechanism section that can switch the position of the filter as needed is provided.
It is possible to reduce the number of fluorescent tubes and their driving circuits required to one to one, and it is possible to reduce the size of the printer and the manufacturing cost.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of an embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Hopper part 2 Drum 3 Thermal head 4 Fluorescent tube 5 Filter 6 Sliding mechanism 7 Thermal paper 8 Fixing part

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A thermal head which applies heat energy of three major levels in a descending order and supplies predetermined heat energy to a thermal paper that develops three primary colors in the order of yellow, magenta, and cyan; After applying yellow or magenta color, when applying heat energy larger than that, in order to prevent the color of the previous stage from reacting, it is necessary to irradiate and fix after yellow or magenta color development. From a filter coated with two kinds of fluorescent paints that generate two kinds of corresponding wavelengths in the ultraviolet region, one fluorescent tube as a light emitter, and a mechanism section that can switch the position of the filter as necessary. A heat-sensitive color printer for fixing UV rays, comprising: