JPS58212971A - Heat sensitive recording method - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To perform high speed printing in a simple constitution, by providing a plurality of heating element lines in a serial thermal recording head, and conducting a current through the elements at a specified timing. CONSTITUTION:In a recording head 18, M lines (M=2 lines in the Figure) of heating element lines 19 and 20 are arranged in parallel at a pitch NXM times a dot pitch P of recording dots to be recorded (N is positive integer, M=2, and N=2 in the example of the Figure). A current conducting timing to heating elements is made to be one cycle for M times. The timing is assigned to the different heating element lines at every time. The current conduction to the heating elements in each line is controlled at the assigned current conduction timing in accordance with a dot information signal of an information picture where the heating elements are located. Thus the heating element lines which are used for recording are used alternately or circulatively. When one heating element line is conducted and heated, the other heating element line can be stopped and cooled. Thus the overall recording speed can be improved.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a heat-sensitive recording method, and particularly relates to a heat-sensitive recording method suitable for application to serial links. The heat-generating recording head and the recording medium are brought into contact with each other directly or via a transfer film, and the heat-generating elements are energized to generate heat in accordance with the information signal to be arranged while moving the heat-generating recording head and the recording medium relative to each other in a direction perpendicular to the arrangement direction of the heat-generating elements to record an information image on the recording medium. A heat-sensitive recording device for recording constituent dots has been proposed. An example of such a thermal recording device will be explained with reference to FIG. 2.
, FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a thermal transfer type serial printer, in which 1 is a heat-generating recording head, 2 is a transfer film, 3 is recording paper, and 4 is a platen roller. 5 is the transfer film 2
6 is a heat-generating recording head 10
This is a solenoid that releases the contact force. 8 is a guide shaft provided parallel to the platen roller 4, and
A recording head 1, transfer film 2, film cassette 5
, a gear ridge with a solenoid 6 and a pulse motor 7. Pulse motor 1 guides the carriage l1
4I+ Drive in a half line with the platen roller 4 along 8,
The pulse motor 9 rotates the platen roller 4 and drives the recording paper 3 every time one line of B recording is photonized.

101 is a drive circuit section for the solenoid 6 and pulse motor/9, and 11 is an overall control circuit section. Reference numeral 12 detects the presence and size of recording paper 3 with a desk detector, 13 with a film detector detects the presence or absence of the transfer film 2, and 14 with a home position detector detects that the carriage is located at the home position. and report these detections to the entire system@j
Human power is applied to the circuit section 11. 15 is the operation/display section, 16
1 is an interface circuit section, and 17 is a power supply section.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the heat generating element array 19 of the conventional heat generating recording head 10. As shown in FIG. Heating elements 19a, 19b...
are arranged linearly in a direction perpendicular to the direction of movement of the carriage.

In the case of such a heat generating upper edge head 1, the carriage is continuously driven parallel to the platen roller 4, as shown in FIG.
) The heat generated by the electric current is suppressed in accordance with the above-mentioned inertia information in the energization cycle of 10,000 times. At this time, the heating cord 1
9a,... temperature characteristics are shown in Figure 4(b) 1o
The ink applied to the transfer film 2 is melted by the temperature generated when electricity is generated and is transferred to the H upper edge paper 3, forming an upper edge dot. In this case, the 1ir2 recording speed is determined by the heat % of the heat-generating recording head 1 and the transfer film 2. Limited by A-axis property, once (2-4 m5eC for recording of 1 dot)
, the energizing time and the cooling time 2 to 3 times that time are required.
The thermal HD recording device has the disadvantage that it cannot perform high-speed recording due to this cooling time.

Figure 3 shows another conventional heat generating H upper edge head 10 heating element row 1.
9, the heating cords 19a, . . . are arranged in a dot matrix shape corresponding to one character. In this case, the heating wires 19a, . Because the positioning method is accurate, intermittent drive is required,
It requires a KiA dynamic mechanism with high commercial efficiency. Since mechanical vibrations occur due to intermittent driving, vibration and soundproofing measures are required, and the heating cord 19a is energized at the same time.
. . . There are many explanations (because of this, a stabilized power source with a large current Ut is required, which has the disadvantage of being expensive. Furthermore, the heating cord 19a.

. . . are arranged in a high-density IJ box shape, so that the lead electrodes for each heating cord 19a, . . . Multi-layer wiring will be performed between the ceramic substrates, and the heating cable 19a
There is a problem that the temperature characteristics of , . . . deteriorate.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a thermal recording method that can realize thermal recording at high speed using a heat-generating recording head with a simple structure.

To achieve this object, the present invention provides a heat-generating recording head with M rows of heat-generating elements arranged in parallel at a pitch that is N or M times (N is a positive integer) the dot pitch P of recording dots recorded by the heat-generating elements. The timing of energizing the heating cords is assigned to a different heating element row each time with M times as one cycle, and the heating element of each row is set to a dot in the information image where this heating element is located at the assigned energization timing. By controlling the energization according to the information signal, the heating element arrays used for recording are alternately or cyclically operated, and when one heating element array is energized and generates heat, the other heating elements are paused and cooled, thereby increasing the overall recording speed. FIG. 5 is a front view of the mature recording head 1 used in the practice of the present invention, and FIG. 6 is an enlarged front view of the heating cord rows 19 and 20 thereof. In the figure of γL et al., 18 is a ceramic substrate, 19.20 is a row of two heating elements in parallel, and the row of heating elements 19.20 is a heating wire 19a formed of a thin film resistor.
, 20a, . . . is N of the dot pitch P of recording dots recorded by this heating element.
, are linearly arranged in parallel with a pitch of M times (N is a positive number) 2. In this example, M, = 2. N=2 and the pitch is 4P. Reference numeral 21 denotes a drive IC which receives electric corrosion, control + + I*, dot 1h report from @11 m: overall flj control circuit section 11 via plug section 22, and then generates the heating element 19a, . . .・・・・・・；：2ud、・・・・・・
°≦ Electrification heat generation @ 1 0 The seventh cause is the heat generation on the upper edge head 1 (the circuit is bad,
Heating element 1LJa,...Bow 20a,...
The valleys 11111 and 11111 are commonly connected to the recording terminal 2I, and the other sides of the valleys are connected to NAN independently.
D driver 23a,...;24a,...
·It is connected to the. NANO) driver 23a,...
. . . ; one input of each group is connected in common to each group, and each is connected to a strobe signal terminal 28, 29. The other inputs of the NAND drivers 23a, . . .; 24a, . Each shift register 25.
The 26 data input terminals are connected to the dot information@signal terminal 30, and the clock input terminals are connected to the clock signal terminal 3, respectively.
1.32 is connected.

Figure m8 is an operation timing chart of the electrical circuit shown in Figure 7, and reference numbers indicate corresponding components. As is clear from the figure, the dot information signal terminals 300 and 300 dot information signals are supplied alternately to clock signal terminals 31 and 32 (three are shown in the figure, but in reality, the number of dot information signals is the same as the number of heating elements). ) is stored in the shift register 25 or 26, and outputted in parallel for each column by a strobe signal to generate heat generating elements 19a, . . . in each column.
20a, . . . control energization and heat generation.

As a result, the heating elements 19a, . . . , 20 of each row
Since the elements a, . . . generate heat alternately, the cooling period becomes longer.

FIG. 9 shows the alphabet letter r according to the above embodiment.
This is an example of recording AJ. During the first energization heat generation control in (a), the third in (C), the fifth in (e), and the seventh in (g), the heating element row 20 is assigned; The heating elements 20a of this row at the energization timing
, . . . corresponding heating elements 20a, . Then, during the second energization heat generation control in (b), the fourth time in (d), the sixth time in (f), and the eighth time in (h), the heating element row 19 is assigned, and this heating element row 1
At the 90 energization timing, the heating water elements 19a of this row...
According to the dot information @ signal of the information image in which . In the figure, the squares without hatching are the heating elements in a resting cooling state, the squares with hatching on the lower right are the heating elements in the energized heating state, and the squares with hatching on the lower left are recording dots. are shown respectively [.

Heat generating recording head 10 heat generating element array 1 in the above embodiments
The pitch of 9.20 is 4P, but it can be changed to 2P as shown in Figure 10, or [6P as shown in Figure 11].
A similar record is also possible by setting .

FIG. 12 shows three rows of heating elements 19 in the heating recording head 1.
20.33 are arranged at a pitch of a P, and the energization assignments in this case are the first and fourth.

The 7th time... is the heat generating water element row 33, the 2nd time, the 5th time, the 8th time...... the heat generating element row 20, the 3rd time...
The second time.

The heating element row 19 is used for the 6th, 9th, etc. Also, the pitch of this heating water element row 19, 20, 33 is as follows:
6P.

A similar effect can be obtained by arranging them instead of 91', 12)', . . . .

FIG. 13 shows four rows of heating elements 19 in the heating recording head 1.
This is an example of arranging 20, 33.34 with a pitch of 4P,
This is the first energization control assignment in this case.

The heating element row 34 is used for the 5th, 9th, etc., the heating water element row 33 is used for the 2nd, 6th, 10th, etc., the 3rd, and 7th. , 11th...
heating element row 29, 4th, 8th, 12th
. . . is the heating element array 19. Also, the pitches of the heating element rows 19, 2 sails 33, 34 are 8F, 12P,...
A similar effect can be obtained by arranging them instead of ....

The method of the present invention can also be applied to a contact recording type thermal recording device using thermosensitive coloring paper.

As described above, the present invention enables heating element rows to be
(Multiple rows) are provided, the energization timing is M times in one period, and each trough is divided into a different heating element row, and the heating element of each row is information that the heating element is located at the assigned energization timing. By controlling the energization according to the dot information on the surface Io, the heating element rows used for recording are alternately or circularly arranged so that when one heating element row generates heat, the other heating element rows are paused and cooled. Therefore, increase the recording speed.
I can make it 1st. Furthermore, since the single alignment of the heat generating elements in the upper edge head of the heat generating head requires only one step, wiring etc. are easy and the heat ID recording head does not become cluttered.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Figure 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a thermal transfer serial printer, Figures 2 and M3 are front views of the heat generating element array of a conventional heat generating recording head, and Figures 4 (a) and (b) are energization of the heat generating element array. Fig. 5 is a front view of the heat generating recording head used in the implementation of the present invention, Fig. 6 is an enlarged front view of its heat generating element array, Fig. 7 is an electrical circuit diagram, and Fig. 8 is its operation. Timing charts and FIGS. 9(a) to 9(h) are explanatory diagrams showing examples of recording by the method of the present invention, and are front views showing a second example.
-1... Heat generating n1 recording head, 3... Recording paper, 19. Noisy 20・
...Heating element row, 19a, ...;20a
,...Heating element Fig. 2 Fig. 3 Fig. 4 Fig. 5 W! Figure 6 (-

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A heat-generating recording head in which heat-generating elements arranged in series for a number of seconds is brought into contact with a recording medium, and the heat-generating recording head and the recording medium are moved relative to each other in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the heat-generating elements are arranged, and the information signal to be recorded by the heat-generating elements is recorded. In a thermal recording method in which dots constituting an information image are recorded on a recording medium by energizing and generating heat according to ) heating element rows are arranged in parallel in M rows with a pitch of A thermal recording method characterized in that energization is controlled in accordance with a dot information signal of an information image where this heating element is located at the energization timing.