JPS582625Y2 - Ink crawler mechanism - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed explanation of the idea] The present invention relates to an ink roller mechanism of a recording apparatus.

As a recording device that uses plain paper as recording paper, a solid ink layer is uniformly formed on the surface of a rubber roller, the solid ink layer is partially selectively heated and melted by means such as a heat stamp element, and the molten ink is recorded. There is a method that records by attaching it to paper.

In this recording apparatus, the solid ink layer formed on the surface of the rubber roller gradually becomes thinner as stamp recording is repeated, and the solid ink layer is eventually consumed.

Therefore, in order to perform printing continuously, it is necessary to replenish the surface of the rubber roller with molten ink to form a layer of solid ink one after another, and replenishing the ink and controlling the temperature of the molten ink are important steps for this purpose. ing.

In other words, the timing of ink replenishment is important.
If this timing is lost, there will be a shortage of ink, or conversely, an oversupply will occur and the ink will overflow.

On the other hand, the temperature of the molten ink must be controlled so that the thickness of the ink layer is uniform and becomes a solid ink layer near the area where it contacts the recording paper.If this temperature is too high, wax etc. will evaporate from the molten ink. If the temperature is too low, the ink will gel or solidify, making it difficult to form a uniform solid ink layer.

The purpose of this invention is to obtain an ink roller mechanism that can replenish the ink and control the ink temperature in an appropriate manner.To this end, a temperature-sensitive element is placed in the molten ink collected in the contact recess between the heat roller and the rubber roller. It is characterized by

One embodiment of the present invention will be explained with reference to the drawings. In Fig. 1, 1 is a rubber roller, 2 is a heat roller, and there is a heater 10 inside.
The rubber roller 1 and the heat roller 2 are configured to rotate in the direction of the arrow 3 while contacting each other.

The molten ink 4 is stored in the contact recess between the rubber roller 1 and the hot roller 22, and is kept in a molten state by the heater 10 of the hot roller 2.

With the ink roller mechanism configured in this way, the molten ink 4 adheres to the surface of the rubber roller 10, forming a solid ink layer 5.
The diameter and rotational speed of the rubber roller 1 are adjusted so that the molten ink 4 adhering to the surface of the rubber roller 10 cools down enough to form a solid ink layer 5 before reaching the vicinity of the recording paper 6. is set.

7 is a thermal printing element having a heating section 8, which selectively heats the solid ink layer 5 from the back side of the recording paper 6, thereby melting the ink onto the surface of the recording paper 6. It is attached to print and record.

The molten ink 4 accumulated in the contact recess between the rubber roller 1 and the hot roller 22 gradually decreases as printing is performed, so in order to continuously print and record, it is necessary to replenish the molten ink 4 before it runs out. In addition, in order to obtain a good solid ink layer 5, it is necessary to control the temperature of the molten ink 4 so that it does not rise above a certain temperature or below a certain temperature.

In other words, the ink viscosity characteristics depending on the temperature of the molten ink 4 are as shown in FIG. 2 as an example. Below about 60°C, the ink is in a solid or gel state, and above about 150°C, it becomes a wax etc. Evaporate.

Therefore, the temperature of the molten ink 4 must be between 60 and 150 degrees Celsius so that the viscosity is approximately 100 CP (centipoise), and the molten ink 4 applied to the rubber roller 1 of the present ink roller mechanism is If it is necessary to sufficiently solidify the ink until it reaches near the recording paper 6 as it rotates, for example, if a rubber roller 1 with a diameter of 30 mm is used, the temperature of the molten ink 4 will be 85 to 90°C as indicated by the arrow 14.
It is necessary to control the range between .

Reference numeral 9 denotes a temperature sensing element such as a thermistor that outputs a signal for performing such ink replenishment and temperature control, and the rubber roller 1
It is placed in the molten ink 4 collected in the contact recess between the heat roller 2 and the heat roller 2.

A level determiner 1 receives the output of this temperature sensing element 9.
1, when the amount of molten ink 4 decreases below a certain level,
A signal is issued to operate the ink supply device 12 to supply a certain amount of replenishment ink 13 to the contact recess between the rubber roller 1 and the heat roller 2.

That is, since the detected temperature is different when the amount of molten ink 4 covers the temperature sensing element 9 and when it does not, the output of the level determiner 11 is determined when the difference in detected temperature exceeds the set value. It sends a command to the ink supply device 12.

Another function of the level determiner 11 is to obtain a signal for controlling the temperature of the molten ink 4.

That is, when the output of the temperature sensing element 9 is lower than a preset level, the heater of the heat roller 22 is turned on to generate heat, and when the output is higher than the set level, the heater is turned off.

However, in this case, when the output of the temperature sensing element 9 is at a low level,
It is necessary to determine whether this is because the amount of molten ink 4 is insufficient or because the heater of the heat roller 2 is turned off.

This determination can be made by combining whether the heater of the heat roller 2 is turned on or off and whether the output of the temperature sensing element 9 is higher or lower than a set level, as shown in the table below.

As explained above, the present invention detects the amount of molten ink and the temperature by arranging a temperature sensing element in the molten ink collected in the contact recess between the rubber roller and the heat roller, and outputs the output of the temperature sensing element. Depending on the signal, the level judge will replenish the ink □
The ink roller mechanism is capable of constantly forming a solid ink layer with a uniform thickness, eliminating the risk of ink shortages or oversupply. It is possible to perform good preliminary recording in a recording device that uses 6-recording paper.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a basic recording apparatus to which an embodiment of the present invention is applied, and FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the relationship between ink temperature and ink viscosity. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1...Rubber roller, 2...Heat roller, 4...Melted ink, 5...Solid ink layer, 6...Recording paper, T.
...Thermal printing element, 8...Heating part, 9...Temperature sensing element,
10... Heater, 11... Level judger, 12...
- Ink supply device, 13... Replenishment ink.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] It has a heat roller equipped with a heater inside, a rubber roller that rotates in contact with the heat roller, and molten ink stored in the contact recesses of both rollers, and the molten ink is attached to the surface of the rubber roller. In an ink roller mechanism that forms a solid ink layer, a temperature sensing element is arranged in the molten ink, and when the temperature of the molten ink detected by the temperature sensing element is higher than a predetermined temperature, the heating roller is heated. 1. An ink roller mechanism characterized in that the ink roller mechanism is provided with a means for interrupting the heat roller and for starting heating of the heat roller when the heat roller is low or for replenishing ink to the contact recess when the heat roller is already in a heated state.