JPH10129089A - Thermal printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent generation of a disorder of an image or a wrinkle of an ink ribbon by eliminating damage of the ribbon due to heat. SOLUTION: This thermal printer comprises an ink ribbon 16a fed from a supply side roll 16b and wound on a winding side roll 16c, a thermal head 14 having a heating part for selectively heating in response to an image, a radiating member 15 for supporting the head 14 and radiating heat built up in the head, and a recording sheet 10 to be transferred with ink of the ribbon 16a. Thus, the sheet 16a is brought into contact with the sheet 10 via the head 14, and the ink of the ribbon 16a is transferred to the sheet 10 by the heat of the head 14. In this case, a region (c) of the ribbon 16a suffering thermal damage by the head 14 and the member 15 is idle fed and wound before start of printing, and the ribbon having no thermal damage is given to the heater of the head 14.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a thermal printer, and more particularly to a thermal printer suitable for use in a thermal sublimation type printing system.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A thermal printer using a thermal sublimation type printing system receives a sublimation dye between a thermal head 14 having a plurality of heating elements and a platen 12, as shown in FIGS. A recording paper 10 provided with an image receiving layer is located. An ink ribbon 16a composed of an ink layer coated with a sublimation dye and a heat-resistant layer is interposed between the recording paper 10 and the thermal head 14. This ink ribbon 1
6a is fed out from the supply roll 16b and passes between the thermal head 14 and the recording paper 10 to take up the roll 16c.
Wound at. The thermal head 14 is supported by a heat radiating member 15 that radiates heat stored in the thermal head. A part 15a of the heat radiation member 15 is
In order to guide 6a to the thermal head 14 side, it is in contact with the ink ribbon 16a.

In the above-described thermal printer, when performing printing, as shown in FIG.
The thermal head 14 presses the recording paper 6a against the recording paper 10 with a predetermined pressing force. In the printing area of the recording paper 10, the sublimation dye sublimated by the heat of the heating element of the thermal head 14 is transferred to the image receiving layer of the recording paper 10, and an image is formed. When the printing is completed, as shown in FIG. 7, the thermal head 14 is moved together with the ink ribbon 16a to the recording paper 10 as shown in FIG.
Separate more.

[0004]

However, in order to increase the printing speed, it is necessary to increase the amount of heat applied to the thermal head 14 and to speed up the relative operation between the thermal head 14 and the recording paper 10 at high speed. In particular, in a serial thermal head type thermal printer, it is necessary to increase the amount of heat applied to the thermal head 14 and move the thermal head 14 at high speed.

However, when the amount of heat applied to the thermal head 14 is increased, the amount of heat stored in the thermal head 14 is also increased. In particular, in the thermal sublimation type printing method in which the thermal storage of the thermal head 14 is large, the contact portion 15 of the cooling heat radiating member 15 is used.
The ink ribbon 16a located in a portion (a in the figure) that comes into contact with a or in a region (b) in the figure that is very close to the thermal head 14 is thermally damaged. The thermal damage of the ink sheet 16a has been a cause of image disturbance and wrinkling of the ink ribbon 16a.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems, and has as its object to eliminate damage caused by heat of an ink ribbon and prevent image disturbance and wrinkling of the ink ribbon. And

[0007]

According to the present invention, there is provided a thermal head having an ink ribbon fed from an ink supply side roll and wound on an ink winding side roll, and a heat generating portion for selectively generating heat according to an image. A heat radiating member that supports the thermal head and radiates heat stored in the thermal head; and a recording paper to which ink of the ink ribbon is transferred. A thermal printer that transfers the ink of the ink ribbon to the recording paper by heat generated by the thermal head. In the thermal printer, the area of the ink ribbon that has been thermally damaged by the thermal head and the heat radiating member is idle-fed before the start of printing. Winding is performed, and an ink ribbon having no heat damage to a heat generating portion of the thermal head is provided.

[0008] With the above-described configuration, at the start of printing, printing can be started from an ink ribbon that is not damaged.

[0009]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS First, a serial thermal head type thermal sublimation type thermal printer to which the present invention is applied will be described.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a recording paper transport system and a printing mechanism of a thermal sublimation type thermal printer of a serial thermal head system. The printer includes a transport roller 11 for transporting recording paper (not shown), a platen 12 disposed near the transport roller 11, a motor (not shown) that rotates a predetermined angle in response to a pulse, and A gear group 13 for transmitting the rotational force of the motor to the transport roller 11, and a serial type thermal head 14 for printing on recording paper (shown by phantom lines because it is located on the back side of the head support member 15). ), A carriage 19 to which the head support member 15 is fixed, and which has an accommodating portion for accommodating the ink ribbon cassette 16, and guides the carriage 19 in the lateral direction of the recording paper. A shaft 17 and a paper feed tray 18 are provided.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the shaft 17 and the carriage 19. The supply sprocket 19a is provided in the ink ribbon cassette accommodating portion of the carriage 19.
The take-up sprocket 19b is rotatably provided, and the take-up sprocket 19b is rotated by a drive motor 20. And the carriage 19
When the ink ribbon cassette 16 is mounted in the ink ribbon cassette accommodating portion, the supply sprocket 19a has the supply roll 16b (see FIG. 3) of the ink ribbon cassette 16, and the take-up sprocket 19b has the take-up roll 1b.
6c (see FIG. 3) are respectively fitted.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory view showing the printing mechanism. The recording paper 10 is located between the thermal head 14 and the platen 12. The ink ribbon 16a of the ink ribbon cassette 16 is interposed between the recording paper 10 and the thermal head 14. The thermal head 14 and the ink ribbon cassette 16 move in the left direction (carriage scanning direction) in the figure, and
Is unwound from the supply roll 16b and is taken up by the winding roll 1
It is wound up at 6c. When one line (one scanning recording line) is printed, the transport roller 11 is driven,
The recording paper 10 is moved by the line feed width.

In the thermal printer configured as described above, when printing is completed, the movement of the thermal head 14 stops at the end position of the printing area. Subsequently, the thermal head 14 and the ink ribbon 16a are the same as in FIG.
Is separated from the recording paper 10.

At this time, as shown in FIG. 4, the thermal head 14 and the heat radiating member 15 damage the area of the ink sheet 16a indicated by c in FIG. This thermal damage causes disturbance of an image, wrinkles on the ink ribbon 16a, and the like. Therefore, in the present invention, after cooling down before the start of printing, the take-up sprocket 19b is rotated, and the heat-damaged portion of the ink sheet 16a is taken up by the take-up roll 16c.

With such a configuration, at the start of printing, as shown in FIG.
Printing can be started from 6a.

In FIGS. 4 and 5, a portion indicated by d is a portion for separating each color in the case of a color type surface-sequential ink ribbon. That is, in the case of the frame sequential color, a margin portion of each color (printing area length + α)
The control is performed so that the damaged portion of the ink sheet comes to the right.

In the above embodiment, the thermal printer of the serial thermal head system has been described. However, during the image forming operation, the recording paper moves relative to the stationary thermal head, that is, the so-called line thermal head system. It can be applied to a thermal printer.

[0018]

As described above, according to the present invention, wrinkling of the ink ribbon which occurs at the time of cooling down before the start of printing can be prevented, and image defects can be improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a recording paper transport system and a printing mechanism of a thermal sublimation type thermal printer to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of a carriage 19 of FIG.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory view showing a printing mechanism.

FIG. 4 is a schematic view showing the operation of the thermal printer according to the present invention after the cooling down before the start of printing.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing an operation of the thermal printer according to the present invention at the time of starting printing. FIG. 3 is a schematic sectional view showing a recording sheet.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing a printing operation state of a conventional thermal printer.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing a printing end state of a conventional thermal printer.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 10 Recording paper 14 Thermal head 15 Heat dissipation member 16a Ink ribbon

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Hisao Nagao 2-5-5 Keihanhondori, Moriguchi-shi, Osaka Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Yukio Tsukagoshi 2-chome Keihanhondori, Moriguchi-shi, Osaka No. 5 Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd.

Claims (1)

[Claims] An ink ribbon fed from an ink supply side roll and wound on an ink winding side roll, a thermal head having a heat generating portion for selectively generating heat in accordance with an image, and supporting the thermal head; A heat radiating member that radiates heat stored in the thermal head, and a recording sheet onto which the ink of the ink ribbon is transferred, the ink sheet being brought into contact with the recording sheet via the thermal head,
In a thermal printer that transfers the ink of the ink ribbon to recording paper by the heat of the thermal head, the area of the ink ribbon that has been thermally damaged by the thermal head and the heat radiating member is idle-fed and wound before the start of printing, A thermal printer, wherein an ink ribbon having no thermal damage is given to a heat generating portion of the thermal head.