JPH0890856A - Card printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To provide a card printer in which the mounting and the regulation are simple, the positional deviation of a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the card can be effectively prevented without clogging the card and which can accurately stably print. CONSTITUTION: A card 4A input to a printing unit 24Y by a conveying roller 170 and a pinch roller 172 is delivered to a delivery roller 118 and a pinch roller 120. In this case, the pinch rollers 120, 124 are moved downward and a pinch roller 104 is moved upward. When the end of the input card 4A is detected by a first sensor 154, a solenoid 148 is operated, and the rollers 120, 124 are moved upward and the roller 104 is moved downward. In this case, the card 4A is instantaneously in non-contact state with the rollers 120, 124, the card 4A is pressed to a positioning guide block 162 by a pressing guide roller 168 during the period, and positioned in the direction perpendicular to the conveying direction.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a card carrier which is applied to, for example, a driver's license of an automobile, a card making apparatus for making a certification card such as a personal identification card called credit card or ID card. .

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a card making apparatus for a certification card, a face image of the owner and character information necessary for the certification card are printed on the surface of the card medium, and then a protective film is formed on the printed surface of the card medium. The certification card is then discharged to the stacker, which is the card storage means.

In the face image forming section, color thermal sublimation printing for obtaining a clear image is mainly used. In this printing, three colors are superimposed on the surface of the card to form an image, so that the positioning accuracy of the card is important.

For this reason, conventionally, as shown in FIG. 12, between a reciprocating card carrier b having a hook claw a and a thermal head c arranged so as to oppose the card carrier b. By interposing a ribbon d in which color inks of three colors of yellow, magenta, and cyan are sequentially arranged, and reciprocating a card e held by a card carrier b under a thermal head c, the color ink of the ribbon d is removed. An image is formed by transferring one color to the card e and superimposing three colors.

In this printing method, since the card is held by the card carrier b having the hook claw a, the positioning accuracy of the card can be excellent. However, since the card e is reciprocally printed a plurality of times, one card is printed. The printing time per hit is long, which has been a major obstacle to improving the card processing capability of the card issuing device.

Therefore, recently, a yellow printing unit, a magenta printing unit, and a cyan printing unit using a single color ink ribbon are arranged side by side, and a card is successively passed through these printing units.
By applying a card printing device that superimposes colors and obtains an image, a printing time per card can be shortened, and a card issuing device capable of issuing a large number of cards has been developed and put into practical use.

However, in the above card printing apparatus, when the card is misaligned in the direction orthogonal to the carrying direction, it appears as a printing misalignment, and in the past, the card is carried by the card carrying device. Fixed regulation guides are provided along both sides of the path to stabilize the card conveyance posture between the opposing surfaces of these fixed regulation guides.

[0008]

As described above, in the conventional card printing apparatus, the fixed regulation guides are provided along both sides of the card conveyance path along which the card is conveyed, and between the fixed regulation guides. Since the card transportation posture was stabilized, high dimensional accuracy was required between the fixed regulation guides, and mounting and adjustment of the fixed regulation guides was troublesome. In addition, the size between the two fixed regulation guides must be larger than the width of the card for card transportation, and the skew (tilt) of the card cannot be completely eliminated, improving printing accuracy. There was a limit to what I could do. In addition, there is a problem that the card is easily jammed in the card transport path because the card receiving side between the fixed regulation guides is narrow.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and is easy to install and adjust, and reliably prevents positional deviation in the direction orthogonal to the card conveying direction without causing the card to be clogged. An object of the present invention is to provide a card printing apparatus capable of stably performing highly accurate printing.

[0010]

As a first means for solving the problems of the present invention, there is provided a conveying member arranged on one surface of a card conveying path and a pressing member arranged on the other surface, Card conveying means for holding the card by the conveying member and the pressing member to convey the card, and printing for printing image information on the card conveyed by the card conveying means provided facing the card conveying path. Means, and a conveying member and a pressing member provided at a position downstream of the card conveying path in the card conveying direction with respect to the arrangement position of the printing means,
A card carry-out means for holding the card on which the image information is printed by the printing means by the carrying member and a pressing member and carrying it out from the printing completion position, and fixedly provided along one side of the card carrying path. A first guide for regulating the position of one side of the card that is conveyed by the card conveying means and on which image information is printed by the printing means
Card guide means, and is provided movably on the other side of the card transport path, and is transported by the card transport means,
Also, second card guide means for guiding the other side of the card, on which image information is printed by the printing means, while pressing the other side portion of the card toward the first card guide means, and before the printing operation of the printing means is started. In addition, a card releasing means for temporarily releasing the holding operation of the card carrying member and the pressing member to release the card is provided.

As a second means, there is a carrying roller provided on one surface of the card carrying path and a pinch roller provided on the other surface, and the carrying roller and the pinch roller sandwich the card. A card transport mechanism that transports the card as the transport roller rotates; a printing mechanism that faces the card transport path and prints image information on the card transported by the card transport mechanism; It has a carry-out roller and a pinch roller which are provided on the downstream side in the card transport direction from the position where the printing mechanism is arranged on the path, and the image information is printed by the transport mechanism and the pinch roller by the printing mechanism. A card unloading mechanism that holds the card and unloads it from the print completion position as the unloading roller rotates, and is fixedly provided along one side of the card transport path. It is conveyed by de transport mechanism, and,
A positioning guide member that regulates the position of one side portion of the card on which image information is printed by the printing mechanism, and is movably provided on the other side of the card transport path, and is transported by the card transport mechanism, and A pressing guide member that guides the other side of the card on which image information is printed by the printing mechanism while pressing the other side of the card toward the positioning guide side; and a conveyance roller for the card before starting the printing operation of the printing mechanism. A card releasing mechanism for temporarily releasing the holding operation by the pinch roller and releasing the holding operation is provided.

Further, as a third means, there is a carrying roller arranged on one surface of the card carrying path and a pinch roller arranged on the other surface, and the carrying roller and the pinch roller sandwich the card. A card transport mechanism that transports the card as the transport roller rotates; a printing mechanism that faces the card transport path and prints image information on the card transported by the card transport mechanism; It has a carry-out roller and a pinch roller which are provided on the downstream side in the card transport direction from the position where the printing mechanism is arranged on the path, and the image information is printed by the transport mechanism and the pinch roller by the printing mechanism A card unloading mechanism that holds the card and unloads it from the print completion position as the unloading roller rotates, and is fixedly provided along one side of the card transport path. It is conveyed by de transport mechanism, and,
A positioning guide block that regulates the position of one side of the card on which image information is printed by the printing mechanism;
The other side of the card, which is provided on the other side of the card transport path and is transported by the card transport mechanism and on which image information is printed by the printing mechanism, is pressed to the first positioning guide block side. While pressing the guide roller, the swingable first link connecting the carry-out roller of the card carry-out mechanism and the carry roller of the card carry mechanism, and the pinch roller of the card carry-out mechanism and the card carry mechanism. The printing mechanism includes a swingable second link that connects a pinch roller, a first link displacement member that displaces the first link, and a second link displacement member that displaces the second link. Prior to the start of the printing operation, a card releasing mechanism for temporarily releasing and releasing the holding operation of the card conveying roller and the pinch roller. It is obtained by the configuration.

[0013]

According to the card printing apparatus of the first means, the card that is carried while being held by the carrying member and the pressing member is
Before the start of the printing operation of the printing means, the holding operation of the card is once released to be released, and this card is the first card fixedly provided by the urging force of the movable second card guide means. The guide means is securely pressed and positioned. As a result, it is possible to reliably prevent misalignment in the direction orthogonal to the card transport direction, and to perform stable printing with high accuracy. Multiple printing units are arranged side by side and different colors are successively superimposed in succession. It is particularly useful when applied to a case where color printing is performed.

Further, since the first card guide means is fixed and the second card guide means is movable and is constantly pressed toward the first card guide means, the dimensional accuracy between the two card guide means is large. It is not necessary to increase the height as in the conventional case, and the card guide means can be easily attached and adjusted. Further, since the dimension between both card guide means is the width dimension of the card when the card is positioned, the skew (tilt) of the card can be completely eliminated, and the printing accuracy can be improved.

According to the card printing apparatus of the second means, the card held by the carrying roller and the pinch roller and carried is released before the printing operation of the printing mechanism is started. As a result, the card is reliably pressed and positioned by the positioning guide member fixedly provided by the urging force of the movable pressing guide member. As a result, it is possible to reliably prevent misalignment in the direction orthogonal to the card transport direction, and to perform stable printing with high accuracy. Multiple printing mechanisms are installed side by side and different colors are successively overlapped. It is particularly useful when applied to a case where color printing is performed.

Further, since the positioning guide member is fixed and the pressing guide member is movable and is constantly pressed to the positioning guide member side, it is not necessary to increase the dimensional accuracy between both guide members as in the conventional case. It becomes easy to attach and adjust the guide member. Further, since the dimension between both guide members is the width dimension of the card when the card is positioned, the skew (tilt) of the card can be completely eliminated and the printing accuracy can be improved.

According to the card printing apparatus of the third means, the card held by the carrying roller and the pinch roller and carried is released before the printing operation of the printing mechanism is started. As a result, the card is reliably pressed and positioned by the positioning guide block fixedly provided by the urging force of the movable pressing guide roller. As a result, it is possible to reliably prevent misalignment in the direction orthogonal to the card transport direction, and to perform stable printing with high accuracy. Multiple printing mechanisms are installed side by side and different colors are successively overlapped. It is particularly useful when applied to a case where color printing is performed.

Further, since the positioning guide block is fixed and the pressing guide roller is movable and is constantly pressed to the positioning guide block side, it is not necessary to increase the dimensional accuracy between both guide members as in the conventional case. , It becomes easy to attach and adjust the pressure guide roller. The dimension between the positioning guide block and the pressure guide roller is
When positioning the card, it will be the width of the card,
The skew (tilt) of the card can be completely removed, and the printing accuracy can be improved.

[0019]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 schematically shows the configuration of a license creation device A as a card creation device to which the card printing device 1 of the present invention is applied. In the figure,
Reference numeral 2 denotes a housing as a main body of the apparatus, and an operation input section (not shown) formed on a front surface portion (a left side portion in the drawing) of the housing 2 serves as an information and certification card for independently operating the device. An operation panel as first input means for inputting necessary information, a 3.5-inch magneto-optical disk device as second input means for directly inputting face image information of the owner, and information contents input by these And a display device for displaying abnormalities and the like.

In the housing 2, the card medium 4A, which is the original ticket of the certification card 4 which is a card, is conveyed with one side to be printed face up and one side is conveyed and discharged. An upper card transport path 6 is formed as a first card transport path, and a lower transport path 8 is formed below the upper card transport path 6 and in a parallel state as a second card transport path. The first card transport path 6 and the second card transport path 8 are in communication with each other via a shooter 10.

At the upper portion on the front side in the housing 2, that is, at the starting end side of the upper card transport path 6, the card medium 4A which is the original ticket of the certification card 4 is sequentially taken out one by one and supplied. A supply unit 12 is provided.

The card medium supply unit 12 is a card hopper 1.
The card medium 4A, which is stacked and housed in a horizontal state with the surface to be printed facing up in 4 inside, is taken out by the take-out roller 18 composed of a rubber roller that rotates in the clockwise direction.
One by one from A is sequentially sent to the upper card transport path 6,
The card is conveyed rightward in the figure through the upper card conveying path 6.

First, the glue roller 20 removes dust adhering to the upper surface (printing surface) of the card medium 4A, and then sends it to the three-color thermal sublimation printing section 22. The three-color thermal sublimation printing unit 22 uses the card medium 4A.
On the other hand, the face image of the owner (updater) is printed in full-color multicolor, and as shown in FIG. 2, the yellow printing units 24 are sequentially arranged in the transport direction of the card medium 4A.
It comprises a Y, magenta printing section 24M and a cyan printing section 24C, and is adapted to perform thermal sublimation printing by sequentially superposing three colors of Y (yellow), M (magenta) and C (cyan).

The printing units 24Y, 24M and 24C are
Platen rollers 26Y, 26M, 26C, thermal print heads 28Y, 28M, 28C, and platen rollers 26Y, 26M, 26C and thermal print heads 28Y, 28
Ink ribbons 30Y, 30M, 30C and Y (yellow), M (magenta), and C (cyan) heat-sensitive sublimation printing ink ribbons 30Y, 30M, 30C having intermediate portions between M, 28C and ink ribbons 30Y, 30M, 30C Of the ink ribbon delivery shafts 32Y, 32M, 32C and the ink ribbon take-up shafts 34Y, 34M, 34C.

Further, a black character fusion transfer printing section 36 as a second printing means is arranged at the subsequent stage (on the right side in the drawing) of the three-color heat-sensitive sublimation printing section 22 thus constructed, and the face image is displayed. The printed card medium 4A is sent to the black character fusion transfer printing section 36, and necessary information is printed in black characters.

The black character fusion transfer printing unit 36 prints the described information as characters as described above, and includes the platen roller 3
8, a thermal print head 40, a black thermal melt transfer ink ribbon 42, an ink ribbon delivery shaft 44, and an ink ribbon take-up shaft 46.

Further, a light resistance improving protective film transfer portion 50 as a protective film forming means is disposed after the black character fusion transfer printing portion 36, and the card medium 4A for which printing has been completed.
An ultraviolet (UV) protective film is melt-transferred onto the surface of the.

This is the protection against the fading of the sublimation-printed face image due to the irradiation of ultraviolet rays by coating the surface protective film of the ultraviolet curing type in the next stage. The UV protective film also has an essential function for preventing fading (light resistance) when exposed to sunlight in actual use.

Like the thermal printing ink ribbon, this UV protection film is also formed on the ribbon of the transfer paper and is transparent, and the heat roller 54 having a heating element embedded therein is pressed against the UV protection film. Perform thermal transfer.

Therefore, the card medium 4A on which the written information is printed by the black character fusion transfer printing section 36 is provided with the light resistance improving protective film transfer section 5 disposed on the terminal side of the upper card transport path 6.
Sent to 0. The light resistance improving protective film transfer section 50 performs the melt transfer of the UV protective film as described above, and includes a platen roller 52, a heat roller 54, a UV protective film melt transfer ribbon 56, a ribbon delivery shaft 58, and It is composed of a ribbon winding shaft 60.

The card medium 4A, to which the UV protection film has been melt-transferred by the light resistance improving protective film transfer section 50, is sent to the shooter 10 section through the clamp roller 62 which is a conveying means arranged in the upper card conveying path 6. Then, as described later, it is transferred onto the belt conveyor 66 that forms the lower transport path 8. Then, it is conveyed leftward in the drawing by the belt conveyor 66 and is sent to the surface protective film coating section 70 as the surface protective film coating means.

The surface protective film coating section 70 is used for the card medium 4A.
Applying UV curing liquid to the surface of the
2, UV curing liquid tank 74, constant quantity feeder 76, and
It is composed of an application pen 78. That is, the card medium 4A conveyed by the belt conveyer 66 is first firmly pressed onto the belt conveyer 66 by the pressing roller 72, and then the constant amount feeder 76 sucks a fixed amount of the UV curing liquid from the UV curing liquid tank 74. Then, the coating pen 78
Then, the UV curable liquid is thinly applied to the entire surface of the card medium 4A by the application pen 78 by applying the capillary phenomenon.

The card medium 4A coated with the UV curable liquid in the surface protective film coating section 70 is sent to the surface protective film curing section 80 as the surface protective film curing means through the lower conveying path 8. The surface protective film curing section 80 cures the UV curing liquid applied on the card medium 4A, and is composed of a belt conveyor 82 and a mercury lamp 84 installed above the belt conveyor 82 with a distance of about 10 cm. That is, the card medium 4A conveyed by the belt conveyor 66 is delivered to the belt conveyor 82 and conveyed. By irradiating the surface of the card medium 4A carried on the belt conveyor 82 with ultraviolet rays from a mercury lamp 84, the UV curable liquid applied to the surface of the card medium 4A is rapidly cured. Is.

The card medium 4A that has passed through the surface protective film curing section 80, that is, the produced certification card 4 is sent to the surface protecting film curing section 80, which is a stacking unit 90 arranged in the left direction in the drawing. It is adapted to be accommodated in the stacker 92 as a card accommodation means.

In FIG. 1, 96 is an electrical component, 98
Is a creator control rack that controls the entire device. In addition, the yellow printing unit 24Y and the magenta printing unit 24
The M and cyan printing units 24C are unitized, respectively, and constitute the card printing apparatus 1 of the present invention.

Next, referring to FIGS. 2 to 4, the yellow printing section (hereinafter referred to as a yellow printing unit) 24Y and the magenta printing section (hereinafter referred to as a magenta printing unit) which constitute the card printing apparatus 1 of the present invention. ) 24M, and cyan printing unit (hereinafter referred to as cyan printing unit) 2
The configuration of 4C will be described.

The structure of the yellow printing unit 24Y will be described with reference to FIGS. Since the other magenta printing unit 24M and the cyan printing unit 24C have the same configuration as the yellow printing unit 24Y, reference numerals (Y) are (M) and (C) as shown in FIG.
The description will be omitted by replacing with.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the platen roller 26Y is provided at the approximate center of the yellow printing unit 24Y.
Is provided. The first lower transport guide 1 that supports the lower surface of the card 4A is provided on the upstream side (left side in the drawing) of the platen roller 26Y in the card transport direction.
00 is provided.

Further, on the downstream side (on the right side in the drawing) of the platen roller 26Y from the position where the platen roller 26Y is disposed, the carrying roller 102 as a carrying member and the carrying roller 1 are provided.
A pinch roller 104 as a pressing member forming a pair with 02 is arranged, and constitutes a first transfer mechanism 106 as a first card transfer means for holding and transferring the card 4A.

Further, a thermal printing head 28Y is provided so as to be vertically movable above the disposition position of the first lower conveyance guide 100 and the platen roller 26Y, and the thermal printing head 28Y, the platen roller 26Y and A thermal sublimation printing ink ribbon 30Y is stretched between the first lower conveyance guide 100 and an intermediate portion, and a yellow printing mechanism 108 as a yellow printing unit.
Makes up Y.

The thermosensitive sublimation printing ink ribbon 30Y is wound and held on both ends by an ink ribbon delivery shaft 32Y and an ink ribbon winding shaft 34Y, and the ribbon guide 11
It is wound around 0, 110 and supported in a state of being separated from the card transport path 6 by a predetermined dimension. Further, in the vicinity of the thermal print head 28Y, the thermal print head 28Y
Ribbon guides 112, 112 that vertically move integrally with the heat sensitive sublimation printing ink ribbon 30Y can be smoothly supplied to the heat sensitive printing head 28Y.

Image information is printed by the yellow printing mechanism 108Y between the positions where the conveying rollers 102 and the pinch rollers 104 that form the first conveying mechanism 106 are arranged and the platen roller 26Y is arranged. A first card carry-out mechanism 114 is provided as a first card carry-out means for holding the formed card 4A and carrying it out from the printing completion position. Further, the first card carry-out mechanism 114 and the carrying roller 102 constituting the first carrying mechanism 106 are provided. A second card unloading mechanism 116 as a second card unloading unit is provided at a stage subsequent to the position where the pinch roller 104 is provided.

The first card carry-out mechanism 114 is composed of a carry-out roller 118 as a carry-out member and a pinch roller 120 as a pressing member paired with the carry-out roller 118, and the second card carry-out mechanism 116 is composed of: It is composed of a carry-out roller 122 as a carry-out member and a pinch roller 124 as a pressing member paired with the carry-out roller 122.

A second lower conveyance guide 126 and an upper conveyance guide 128 are arranged at the positions where the first conveyance mechanism 106 and the first and second card ejection mechanisms 114 and 116 are arranged. Roller 102, carry-out rollers 118, 12
2 and a part of the pinch rollers 104, 120, 124 protruding into the card transport path 6 through the notches 130, 132 (see FIG. 4) formed in the lower transport guide 126 and the upper transport guide 128. Has become.

Further, the carry-out roller 122 of the second card carry-out mechanism 116 is swingable with the support shaft 102A of the carry roller 102 of the card carry mechanism 106 as a pivot.
Attached and held to one end of the V-shaped first link 134,
Further, a first solenoid 136 as a first link displacement member is connected to the other end side of the first link 134. The ON / OFF operation of the first solenoid 136 causes the transport roller 102 to project into the card transport path 6 or come out of the card transport path 6.

Further, the pinch roller 120 of the first card carry-out mechanism 114 is attached and held to one end side of the swingable second link A140 having the support shaft 138 as a pivot fulcrum, and also of the second link 140. An engagement groove 142 is formed on the other end side of the pinch roller 10 of the card transport mechanism 106.
4 is engaged with the support shaft 104A. Further, the pinch roller 104 is attached and held to one end side of a swingable second link B146 having a support shaft 144 as a rotation fulcrum, and the first transport mechanism is attached to the other end side of the second link B146. 10
Six pinch rollers 124 are attached.

The support shaft 144 of the second link B146 has a second
Is connected to the upper end of a link 150, the lower end of which is connected to the second solenoid 148 as the link displacing member. The pinch rollers 104, 120, and 124 project into the card transport path 6 or come out of the card transport path 6 by the ON-OFF operation of the second solenoid 148. At this time, the vertical movements of the pinch rollers 120 and the vertical movements of the pinch rollers 104 and 124 are in opposite directions.

The pinch roller 120 and the pinch rollers 104 and 124 are pressed by the second solenoid 148.
When the switching is performed by the ON-OFF operation by the pinch rollers 120 and 104, both of the pinch rollers 120 and 104 temporarily move out.
Is separated from the transport roller 102. Then, the card releasing mechanism 152 is configured as a card releasing means for temporarily releasing the holding operation of the card 4A and releasing it.

Further, the first transmission type position detecting means composed of the light emitting element 154a and the light receiving element 154b is arranged so that the optical axis may pass immediately after the position where the conveying roller 102 of the first conveying mechanism 106 is arranged. 1 sensor 154 is arranged, and the light emitting element 156a and the light receiving element
56b and a first sensor 156 as a second transmission type position detecting means are arranged.

Further, as shown in FIG. 4, one side of the card transport path 6 and the latter stage of the position where the platen roller 26Y is disposed, that is, the first card carry-out mechanism 114 and the first transport mechanism 106. A positioning guide member 160 as a first card guide means is fixedly arranged corresponding to the arrangement position. This positioning guide member 16
Reference numeral 0 denotes a positioning guide block 162 having a positioning reference surface 162a on the card transport path 6 side, and is fixed at a predetermined position via a fixing tool such as a screw (not shown). Then, the platen roller 26Y and the first transport mechanism 106
And the yellow printing mechanism 108Y.
Thus, the position of one side of the card 4A on which the image information is printed is guided to be regulated.

On the other hand, on the other side of the card transport path 6, a pressing guide member 164 as a second card guide means is arranged corresponding to the positioning guide block 162. The pressing guide member 164 is movable and movable by a leaf spring member 166 in a predetermined direction, that is, toward the positioning guide block 162.
It is composed of 8. Then, the other side portion of the card 4A is guided while being pressed toward the positioning guide block 162 side.

Further, in the preceding stage of the yellow printing unit 24Y thus constructed, a carrying roller 170 as a carrying member and a pinch roller 172 as a pressing member paired with the carrying roller 170 are provided, and the card 4A is provided. Second holding the paper and transporting it inside the yellow printing unit 24Y
The second transfer mechanism 174 as the card transfer means is provided.

In the case of the magenta printing unit 24M and the cyan printing unit 24C, the second transport mechanism 174, as shown in FIG. 2, has the yellow printing unit 24Y and the magenta printing unit, which are the respective preceding printing units. It is also used by the second card carry-out mechanism 116 of the unit 24M.

Next, the printing operation of the yellow printing unit 24Y will be described with reference to FIGS. First, the card 4A is taken in by the carrying roller 170 and the pinch roller 172 of the second carrying mechanism 174 provided in the preceding stage of the yellow printing unit 24Y, and the carry-out roller 118 and the pinch roller 120 of the first card carry-out mechanism 114 are taken.
Hand over the card 4A to. At this time, the second solenoid 148 is operating, and the pinch rollers 120, 1
24 is moved downward and the pinch roller 104 is moved upward.

Then, as shown in FIG. 6, when the leading edge of the taken-in card 4A is detected by the first sensor 154, the second solenoid 148 operates to move the pinch roller 120, as shown in FIG. 124 moves upward and the pinch roller 104 moves downward.

At this time, in the card 4A, the pinch rollers 120 and 104 can be brought into a non-contact state at an instant, and as shown in FIGS.
As will be described later with reference to No. 1, a pressing guide roller 168 movably attached to the other side of the card transport path 6 is pressed against a positioning guide block 162 fixedly attached to one side of the card transport path 6 therebetween. By abutting against the positioning reference surface 162a, accurate positioning of the card 4A in the direction orthogonal to the transport direction (longitudinal direction) is performed.

After that, the leading end of the card 4A is pinched by the conveying roller 102 and its pair of pinch rollers 104, whereby the vertical position of the card 4A is corrected and variations are suppressed, and the first sensor 154 is accurately measured. Prompt action.

At this time, the thermal printing head 28Y composed of a flat thermal head located above the card 4A descends, and the thermal sublimation printing ink ribbon 30Y and the card 4A.
And are sandwiched between the thermal printing head 28Y and the platen roller 26Y.

From this state, the card 4A is in the printing transport mode in which the platen roller 26Y alone is mainly fed. As shown in FIG. 8, when the card 4A blocks the optical axis of the second sensor 156, an electric signal is sent to the thermal printing head 28Y. Will be sent to card 4A
Yellow printing is performed in the face image print area E (see FIGS. 2 and 11).

At this time, the pinch roller 124 and the carry-out roller 122 that moves up and down by the first solenoid 136 are retracted from the card transport path 6, so that the end surface of the card 4A being printed is brought into contact with the rollers. Since it disappears, it is possible to prevent printing deviation.

Upon completion of printing, as shown in FIG. 9, the thermal printing head 28Y rises, the thermal sublimation printing ink ribbon 30Y separates from the card 4A, and the first solenoid 136 and the second solenoid 148 operate. Then, the card 4A is held by the conveying rollers 118 and 122 and the pinch rollers 120 and 124 that form a pair with the conveying rollers 118 and 122, and is carried out toward the magenta printing unit 24M in the subsequent stage. And
In the same manner as above, magenta printing and cyan printing are performed to obtain a color image.

FIGS. 10 and 11 show the state of the card when it is positioned before printing, and when the leading edge of the card 4A is detected by the first sensor 154, as described above with reference to FIG. As described with reference to FIG. 7, the second solenoid 148 operates so as to move the pinch rollers 120 and 124 upward and the pinch roller 104 downward, and the operation of the second solenoid 148 at this time is as follows. Figure 1
As shown in 0, the support shaft 144 of the second link B146 is moved downward (direction of arrow A).

For a certain period of time until the support shaft 144 reaches the lower limit position, as shown in FIG. 10, the card 4A can be in a state where it does not contact the pinch rollers 120 and 104. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 11, since the card 4A is pressed in the direction of the positioning guide block 162 (direction of arrow B) by the pressing guide roller 168 movably attached to the other side of the card transport path 6, Pinch roller 12
The card 4A that is in a non-contact state with the 0, 104 is abutted against the positioning reference surface 162a of the positioning guide block 162.

As a result, the card 4A can be accurately positioned in the direction orthogonal to the carrying direction (longitudinal direction). The present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, and it goes without saying that various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0065]

As described in detail above, the present invention has the following effects. According to the card printing apparatus of the first aspect, the card held and carried by the carrying member and the pressing member is released by temporarily releasing the holding operation of the card before starting the printing operation of the printing means, This card is reliably pressed and positioned by the first card guide means fixedly provided by the urging force of the movable second card guide means. As a result, it is possible to reliably prevent misalignment in the direction orthogonal to the card transport direction, and to perform stable printing with high accuracy. Multiple printing units are arranged side by side and different colors are successively superimposed in succession. It is particularly useful when applied to a case where color printing is performed.

Further, since the first card guide means is fixed and the second card guide means is movable and constantly pressed toward the first card guide means, the dimensional accuracy between both card guide means is high. It is not necessary to increase the height as in the conventional case, and the card guide means can be easily attached and adjusted. Further, since the dimension between both card guide means becomes the width dimension of the card when the card is positioned, the skew (tilt) of the card can be completely eliminated and the printing accuracy can be improved.

Further, according to the card printing apparatus of the second aspect, the card held by the carrying roller and the pinch roller and carried is released before the printing operation of the printing mechanism is started. As a result, the card is reliably pressed and positioned by the positioning guide member fixedly provided by the urging force of the movable pressing guide member. As a result, it is possible to reliably prevent misalignment in the direction orthogonal to the card transport direction, and to perform stable printing with high accuracy. Multiple printing mechanisms are installed side by side and different colors are successively overlapped. It is particularly useful when applied to a case where color printing is performed.

Further, since the positioning guide member is fixed and the pressing guide member is movable and is constantly pressed toward the positioning guide member side, it is not necessary to increase the dimensional accuracy between both guide members as in the conventional case. It becomes easy to attach and adjust the guide member. Further, since the dimension between both guide members is the width dimension of the card when the card is positioned, the skew (tilt) of the card can be completely eliminated, and the printing accuracy can be improved.

Further, according to the card printing apparatus of the third aspect, the card held by the carrying roller and the pinch roller and carried is released before the printing operation of the printing mechanism is started. As a result, the card is reliably pressed and positioned by the positioning guide block fixedly provided by the urging force of the movable pressing guide roller. As a result, it is possible to reliably prevent misalignment in the direction orthogonal to the card transport direction, and to perform stable printing with high accuracy. Multiple printing mechanisms are installed side by side and different colors are successively overlapped. It is particularly useful when applied to a case where color printing is performed.

Further, since the positioning guide block is fixed and the pressing guide roller is movable and is constantly pressed to the positioning guide block side, it is not necessary to increase the dimensional accuracy between both guide members as in the conventional case. , It becomes easy to attach and adjust the pressure guide roller. The dimension between the positioning guide block and the pressure guide roller is
When positioning the card, it will be the width of the card,
The skew (tilt) of the card can be completely removed, and the printing accuracy can be improved.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view schematically showing the configuration of a card making apparatus to which an embodiment of a card printing apparatus of the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a schematic side view showing a main part of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1 and showing a plurality of printing units constituting a card printing apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic side view showing one printing unit in the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional plan view showing a portion below the card transport path of the printing unit shown in FIG.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing a printing operation of the printing unit in the embodiment.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing a printing operation of the printing unit in the embodiment.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing a printing operation of the printing unit in the embodiment.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing a printing operation of the printing unit in the embodiment.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing a printing operation of the printing unit in the embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a side view of the main part showing the card positioning state immediately before the printing operation of the printing unit in the embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional plan view of the essential parts showing the card positioning state immediately before the printing operation of the printing unit in the embodiment.

FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram showing a conventional color printing operation.

[Explanation of symbols]

A ... Card making device, 1 ... Card printing device, 4 ... Certificate card, 4A ... Card (card medium), 6 ... Upper card transport path (card transport path), 22 ... Three-color thermal sublimation printing section, 24Y ... Yellow Printing unit, 24M ... Magenta printing unit, 24C ... Cyan printing unit, ... Platen rollers 26Y, 26M, 26C, 28Y, 28M, 2
8C ... Thermal printing head, 30Y, 30M, 30C ... Thermal sublimation printing ink ribbon, 102 ... Conveying roller (conveying member) 104 ... Pinch roller (pressing member), 106 ... First
Transport mechanism (first card transport means), 108Y, 10
8M, 108C ... Printing mechanism (printing means), 114 ... First
Card ejection mechanism, 116 ... Second card ejection mechanism, 1
18 ... carry-out roller (carry-out member), 120 ... pinch roller (pressing member), 122 ... carry-out roller (carry-out member), 12
4 ... Pinch roller (pressing member), 126 ... Lower conveyance guide, 128 ... Upper conveyance guide, 134 ... First link, 1
36 ... First solenoid (first link displacement member), 1
38 ... Spindle, 140 ... Second link A, 142 ... Engaging groove,
144 ... Support shaft, 146 ... Second link B, 104A ... Support shaft, 148 ... Second solenoid (second link displacement member), 150 ... Link, 152 ... Card releasing mechanism (card releasing means).

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A card which has a conveying member arranged on one surface of a card conveying path and a pressing member arranged on the other surface, and which conveys the card by sandwiching the card between the conveying member and the pressing member. Transporting means, a printing means which is provided so as to face the card transporting path and prints image information on the card transported by the card transporting means, A card that has a conveying member and a pressing member that are provided on the downstream side in the direction, and holds the card on which image information is printed by the printing means by the conveying member and the pressing member and carries it out from the printing completion position. A position of one side of the card, which is fixedly provided along the one side of the card transport path and is transported by the card transport means and on which image information is printed by the printing means. First card guide means for guiding to regulate, and a card that is movably provided on the other side of the card transport path and is transported by the card transport means and on which image information is printed by the printing means. A second card guide unit that guides the other side portion while pressing it toward the first card guide unit, and a gripping operation of the card conveyance member and the pressing member before the printing operation of the printing unit is started. A card printing apparatus comprising: a card releasing unit that releases and releases the card once. 2. A card carrying path has a carrying roller provided on one surface and a pinch roller provided on the other surface, and the carrying roller and the pinch roller hold a card, and the carrying roller rotates. A card transport mechanism for transporting the card, a printing mechanism provided to face the card transport path for printing image information on the card transported by the card transport mechanism, and a printing mechanism for the card transport path. It has a carry-out roller and a pinch roller provided on the downstream side in the card transport direction with respect to the arrangement position, and holds the card on which image information is printed by the printing mechanism with the transport roller and the pinch roller. A card carry-out mechanism that carries out the print completion position as the carry-out roller rotates, and a card that is fixedly provided along one side of the card carrying path and is carried by the card carrying mechanism. And a positioning guide member that regulates the position of one side of the card on which image information is printed by the printing mechanism; and a movably provided on the other side of the card transport path, A pressing guide member that guides the other side of the card that is conveyed and on which image information is printed by the printing mechanism while pressing the other side of the card toward the positioning guide, and the card before the printing operation of the printing mechanism is started. And a card releasing mechanism for temporarily releasing the holding operation by the conveying roller and the pinch roller. 3. A card carrying path has a carrying roller arranged on one surface and a pinch roller arranged on the other surface, and the carrying roller and the pinch roller hold a card, and the carrying roller rotates. A card transport mechanism for transporting the card, a printing mechanism provided to face the card transport path for printing image information on the card transported by the card transport mechanism, and a printing mechanism for the card transport path. It has a carry-out roller and a pinch roller provided on the downstream side in the card transport direction with respect to the arrangement position, and holds the card on which image information is printed by the printing mechanism with the transport roller and the pinch roller. A card carry-out mechanism that carries out the print completion position as the carry-out roller rotates, and a card that is fixedly provided along one side of the card carrying path and is carried by the card carrying mechanism. And a positioning guide block that regulates the position of one side of the card on which image information is printed by the printing mechanism, and is provided on the other side of the card transport path, and is transported by the card transport mechanism, And a pressing guide roller that guides the other side of the card on which image information is printed by the printing mechanism while pressing it toward the first positioning guide block side; the carry-out roller of the card carry-out mechanism and the card. In addition to having a swingable first link that connects a transport roller of a transport mechanism and a swingable second link that connects the pinch roller of the card carry-out mechanism and the pinch roller of the card transport mechanism, The first to displace the link
Second link displacing member and second displacing the second link
And a card releasing mechanism for temporarily releasing the holding operation of the card conveying roller and the pinch roller before releasing the printing operation of the printing mechanism. Card printing device.