JPS6073888A - Color printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To make it possible to perform printing by using only an indicated colorant while making it possible to perform various printings, by providing a bar code to a thermal transfer ribbon corresponding to the color of ink and discriminating said bar code. CONSTITUTION:In an apparatus main body 1, a ribbon storing part 7 for storing a roll shaped thermal transfer ribbon 6 as a transfer material in a deliverable state and a ribbon wind-up part 8 for successively winding up the thermal transfer ribbon delivered from the ribbon storing part 7 are provided. For example, a discriminating code, for example, a bar code 201 comprising four bits is provided to one side part of the thermal transfer ribbon 6. This bar code 201 is constituted of light pervious parts 202 and light impervious parts 203 each of which has a width l3 from a position separated from the boundary of each color of the thermal transfer ribbon 6 over l2 at pitches l1 and detected by a ribbon detector 201 to discriminate the color of ink. The bar code applied to each ink ribbon is different at every kind of the thermal transfer ribbon 6 in a certain color even if a same color.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Technical Field of the Invention] The present invention relates to, for example, a color printer device that uses a transfer agent composed of a plurality of colorants.

[Technical background of the invention and its problems]

As is well known, in a color printer device, printing is performed using a transfer material (thermal transfer ribbon) made of a plurality of colorants (inks). However, in this type of color printer device, there are cases where it is desired to print using only a predetermined ink, but conventional devices have not been equipped with such a function.

[Purpose of the invention]

This invention was made based on the above circumstances, and its purpose is to perform multicolor printing using a transfer material consisting of a plurality of colorants, and to use only specified colorants among them. The present invention aims to provide a color printer device capable of printing in a variety of ways.

[Summary of the invention]

This invention provides a thermal transfer Lithin K barcode corresponding to the color of the ink, and by identifying this barcode,
Printing is performed only in the designated color, and other colors are skipped and conveyed.

[Embodiments of the invention]

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described with reference to an embodiment shown in the drawings. FIG. 1 schematically shows the structure of the entire thermal transfer recording device. In the figure, 1 is the main body of the device. On the top of this main body 1 is a paper ejection tray 2, and in the rear part is a cut paper tray. A supply cassette 3 is installed. Further, a platen roller 4 is provided at a position corresponding to the mounting portion of the paper ejection tray 2 in the apparatus main body 1, and a heat generating device (not shown) is provided below the platen roller 4 along the axial direction of the siratin roller 4. A thermal head 5 whose portion is formed into a line tod shape is provided.

Further, as shown in FIG. 2, inside the apparatus main body 1 there is a ribbon storage section 1 that stores a roll-shaped thermal transfer ribbon 6 as a transfer material in a manner that it can be fed out, and a thermal transfer ribbon 6 that is fed out from this ribbon storage section 7. A ribbon winding section 8 is provided to sequentially wind up the ribbon.

The thermal transfer ribbon 6 is wound around the roll (winding core) 9 of the ribbon storage section 7 and fed out, and is sequentially wound around the first and second glue guides 10 and 11, and then connected to the platen roller 4 and the thermal head 5. and then the third IJ
,]? The fourth ribbon guide 1 is folded back so as to be rapidly separated from the platen roller 4 via the guide 12.
3 is wound on a roll (core) 14 of a winding section 8.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 3, a pair of aligning rollers 15 and 15 are disposed at the rear of the upper part of the platen roller 4. Cut paper Pa as a transfer material (recording material) that has been taken out and supplied, and paper that has been inserted from a manual feed tray 17 provided at the rear of the paper ejection tray 2 and is fed via a pair of manual feed rollers 18 and 18. Cut paper Pb1
A roll paper Pc supplied from a roller paper supply cassette 19 (described later) which can be replaced with the cut paper supply cassette 3 is fed between the platen roller 4 and a paper feed side pinch roll 20 arranged to roll into contact with the platen roller 4. The structure is as follows.

Further, a brake means 21 is provided between the aligning roller pair 15, 15 and the platen roller 4. Further, the cassette mounting section 22 and the aligning roller pair 15
．． 15 to form a paper guide path 23 for guiding cut paper Pa or roll paper Pc. A second guide plate 24.25 is arranged. Further, between the pair of manual paper feed rollers 18.18 and the pair of aligning rollers 15.15, there is a manual paper guide path 2 for guiding the manual paper pb.
2nd to form 6. A third guide plate 27,28 is arranged.

Further, in a portion corresponding to the pair of paper ejection rollers 29 and 29, there is a grating roller 4 and a paper ejection side pinch roller 3 that rolls into contact with the grating roller 4.
Paper sent out from between 0 and 0 Pa g pb + P
Fifth and sixth guide plates 32.33 are arranged to form a paper ejection side paper guide path 31 that guides the paper ejection rollers 29, 29 to the paper ejection roller pair 29.29. Also, between the sheet discharge side paper system inner path 31 and the manual paper guide path 26, a cut sheet Pa fed out from between the paper feed side pinch roller 20 and the platen 4 is provided.
Alternatively, a return paper guide path 34 for guiding the manual paper pb between the paper discharge tray 2 and the manual paper tray 17 is formed. This return paper guide path 34 (d 7th and 8th
The guide plates 35, . It is formed by 36 mutually opposing surface parts.

Further, a ribbon detector 39 consisting of a light emitter 37 and a light receiver 38 is provided on the upstream side of the IJ and pn tensioning path, and a paper detector (feeder) is provided near the aligning roller pair 15.15. A paper sensor) 40 is provided, and a paper leading edge detector 41 is provided near the paper discharge side pinch roller 3o.

In FIG. 1, 42 is a display/operation input unit, 43 is a pulse motor as a main drive source, 44 is a paper feeding pulse motor,
45 is a manual paper feeding pulse motor, and 46 is a ribbon winding pulse motor.

Further, 47 and 48 are plants type solenoid that brings the paper feed side pinch roller 2o and the paper discharge side pinch roller 3o into contact with and separate from the siratin roller 4, p549 is a power supply unit, and 50
is the control section.

Further, as shown in FIG. 4, in the device of the present invention, the upper base illumination body 51 and the lower pace side assembly 52 are connected to each other so as to be rotatable about a pivot shaft 53. The upper pace side assembly 51 and the lower pace side assembly 52 are connected by a push-up support mechanism 54 consisting of a guide rod and a compression spring, and are configured to constantly push the upper base side assembly 5 upward. Then, the upper plate 2 side assembly 51
can be rotated upward. Further, a hook 55 is provided on the free end side of the upper pace fine assembly body 51, and a hook 55 is provided on the lower pace side/assembly 52.
A hook latching par 56 is provided opposite to the mounting position of 5. By hooking the hook 55 to the hook latching par 56, the upper base assembly 5 can be prevented from being accidentally moved by some external force. It's not supposed to open. Also, hook 55
By releasing the hook from the hook retaining par 56, it is automatically rotated upward by the push-up blade of the compression spring.

Then, by rotating the upper base assembly 51 in three directions and separating it from the lower pace assembly 52, the tensioning path for the thermal transfer ribbon 6 is fully exposed. But what about heat transfer in this state? Maintenance such as replacement of the ribbon 6 and maintenance of the portion along the tensioning path of the thermal transfer ribbon 6 can be performed extremely easily. Also, by opening the upper page side assembly 51, the transfer paper transport path will be sufficiently opened, so that in case
Even if the paper Pa + (Pb, 'Pc) jams for some reason, it can be easily removed.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 5(a) and 5(b), a switch pressing piece 57 is provided protruding from the upper pace side assembly 51, and an interrupter SW59 is provided within the power supply unit 58, and the device The opening/closing operation of the device reduces the power supply to 0N.
It is now possible to perform 10FF.

Furthermore, the control section 50 is connected to equipment housed within the apparatus main body 1, as will be described later, and is also connected to external equipment (not shown).

For example, when a recording command is issued from an external computer, word processor, etc., this recording device operates, and when the cut paper supply cassette 3 is installed, the recording is performed on the cut paper Pa. Become. That is,
In response to the recording command, the 7No. lance motor 44 is driven to carry out the loading and unloading of the Yakuni Jingjaku Modenton Seven Leads as will be described later. The roller 16 rotates in the opposite direction, and the uppermost cut paper Pa in the cut paper supply cassette 3 is taken out. In this case, the cut paper supply cassette 3 is coated with lubricant Chisoro 0 as a 1/11 material, which will be described later, to prevent the cut paper and Pa from slipping and to ensure that the take-out roller 16 and the cut paper Pa are in contact with each other. Eliminates unloading errors. That is, as shown in FIG. 6, the cut paper supply cassette 3 is
1, the cut sheets Pa are placed all at once on a paper mounting table 63 pushed up by a spring 62.
Separating claws 6 separate both corners of the top cut paper Pa in the take-out direction.
It is configured to hold down at 4.64.

Therefore, if the cut paper is set in an inclined state so that the end of the paper to be taken out is on the lower end of the incline as shown in Figure 1, the cut paper
The tip of a... comes into contact with the inner wall surface of the front frame portion 61h of the cassette main body 6, increasing the frictional force, and due to this frictional force, the cut paper pa does not come into contact with the takeout roller 16, causing a mistake in taking out. Sometimes. Therefore, a lubricating tape 60 as a lubricating material made of low-friction synthetic resin or the like is pasted along the inner wall surface and upper end surface of the front frame portion 61a of the cassette body 61 to reduce the frictional resistance and cut paper Pa... It is designed so that it contacts the take-out roller 16 smoothly.

A magnet 65 is embedded in the front frame 61a of the cassette main body 6, and the position of the magnet 65 is detected by a detector (two sets of reed switches) 66 disposed in the cassette loading section 22. By magnetically detecting it, it is possible to automatically detect that it is a paper supply cassette.

Further, the cut paper Pa taken out from the cut paper supply cassette 3 is placed in the first. The leading edge of the cut paper Pa passes through the paper guide path 23 formed by the second guide plates 24 and 25, and comes into contact with the rolling contact portion of the stopped aligning rollers 15, 15, where the leading edge of the cut paper Pa is aligned.

After that, the aligning roller 1 is
5.15 is driven and advances between the paper conveyance guide 70 and the brake plate 71 of the brake means 2.

At this time, as shown in FIG.
8 in the direction of arrow B and separated from the platen roller 4.

On the other hand, at this time, the plunger-type solenoid 73 as one driving force of the head contact/separation mechanism 72 described later is in a non-energized state, so the thermal head 5 is displaced in the direction of arrow C and separated from the flatten roller 4. is in a state of Then, the pulse motor 43 rotates the platen roller 4 counterclockwise, the pulse motor 46 rotates the winding section 80 and the winding core 14 counterclockwise, and the solenoid 73 is energized to connect the platen roller 4 and thermal transfer. 76) Advance the paper Pa in the D direction. A detector 41 for detecting the leading edge of the cut paper Pa is provided near the top of the paper discharge side pinch roller 30, and this detector 41 is composed of, for example, a light emitting element and a light receiving element.

When the leading edge of the cut paper Pa is detected by this detector 41,
Stop the rotation of the pulse motor 46 and start thermal transfer? Stop conveyance of line 6. The solenoid 73 also releases the thermal head 5 from the planer 4, and the solenoid 47
The paper feed side pinch roller 20 is released from the platen roller 4 by the solenoid 48, the paper discharge side pinch roller 30 is pressed against the platen roller 4 by the solenoid 48, and the rotary solenoid 74 of the brake means 21 is rotated clockwise as shown in FIG. By doing so, the support shaft 74a of the teflake plate 71 is rotated in the E direction, and the cut paper Pai is sandwiched between the friction material 75 and the support shaft 74a. In this state, by slightly rotating the grating roller 4 clockwise by the fM f /SO pulse motor 43, a force is generated between the friction material 75 and the paper discharge side pinch roller 3o, and the paper Pa is wound around the platen roller 4 without being deflected. This means that Thereafter, the solenoid 47 is operated to press the paper feed side pinch roller 20f against the platen roller 4, and at the same time, the brake means 210 and the rotary lean rake plate 71 are rotated in the E' direction, so that the platen roller 4 and the paper discharge side pinch roller 30 are pressed against each other. Rotate the platen roller 4 clockwise until it is close to the part where it touches the cut paper P.
Transport a in the reverse direction. After reverse conveyance, solenoid 73
The thermal head 5 is brought into pressure contact with the platen roller 4, and the thermal transfer ribbon 6 is moved to the core 14 of the ribbon winding section 8.
The thermal head 11 is rotated clockwise to wind it up, while at the same time rotating the platen roller 4 counterclockwise.
heating record begins. That is, in this portion, the ink on the thermal transfer litho 6 is heated and melted by the thermal head 5 and transferred to the cut paper Pa. Transferred cut paper P
A passes through the paper guide path 31 on the paper discharge side formed between the guide plates 32 and 33, and the rear end of the cut paper PaQ is brought into contact with the platen roller 4 and the pinch roller 20 on the paper feed side by the paper discharge roller pair 29 and 29. The paper is ejected to the paper ejection tray 2 up to the area where it is located. Thereafter, the rotary solenoid 74 of the brake means 2 is rotated in the E direction, and at the same time the solenoid 73 is rotated.
OFF, release the thermal head 5 from the platen roller 4, and rotate the platen roller 4 clockwise to reverse the cut paper Pa in the return paper guide path 34 formed between the guide plates 3'5 and 36. Have it transported. In this case, the brake plate 71 has a guide plate 35.36 in which the cut paper Pa is
Once it is in the middle, it is returned to the E' direction and the cut paper Pa is conveyed in the reverse direction to the printing start position. After that, the same operation is repeated nine times for each color of the thermal transfer ribbon 6, and when the transfer is completed, the paper is discharged to the paper discharge tray 2. During this time, the cut paper Pa is being ejected with its leading end to the paper ejection tray 2 and its rear end to an intermediate portion between the paper ejection tray 2 and the manual feed tray 17.

As shown in FIG. 9, one aligning roller 16 is pressed against the other aligning roller 15 by a spring body 80. As shown in FIG. Therefore, the distance between the aligning rollers 16 and 16 is equal to the thickness of the sheets Pa and (Pb)' passing through. When the thickness of two or more sheets of paper Pa, (Pb) is known using a lever 81 and a detector 82, the paper is ejected to the paper ejection tray 2 without printing, thereby preventing misaligned printing and paper jams. be able to. This lever 8 is the movement of one of the aligning rollers 15 magnified several ten times at the position of the detector 82, and the detector 82 consists of a light emitting element and a light receiving element.

The thermal transfer ribbon 6 is wound up by a ribbon winding section 8 by a pulse motor 46 through a ribbon feeding section 7 and a ribbon guide 10, 11, 12, 13. The type of thermal transfer ribbon 6 and the thermal transfer ribbon/6 are located near the ribbon guide 1o.
A detector 39 capable of detecting the color is provided. This detector 39 is composed of a light emitting element 37 and a light receiving element 38, and the thermal transfer IJ, pn 6 is provided with a plurality of bar codes, for example, four bar codes, as will be described later. The type and color of the thermal transfer ribbon 6 can be detected by the combination of codes, and the type of thermal transfer ribbon 6 is displayed on the color display sections 85, 86, 87, 88 of the operation section 42, which will be described later, and can be set without opening the machine. Understand the types of heat transfer resin 6. Further, a rotary encoder 90 and a detector 91 are provided near the ribbon guide 13 in order to set the color boundary of the thermal transfer ribbon 6 near the printing point. (See Figures 1 and 2) The rotary encoder 90 rotates as the thermal transfer bond 6 moves, and the rotary encoder 9
0 rotates, and the conveyance distance of the thermal transfer ribbon 6 can be detected by detecting it with a hole provided in the rotary encoder 90 and the detector 91.
The leading edge of a predetermined color is brought near the printing point 93, and initial setting is automatically performed. Further, as will be described later, the type of thermal transfer ribbon 6 can be automatically determined, the mechanism control mode can be changed, and the printing range can be changed. In particular, when the thermal transfer ribbon 6 is a monochrome transfer paper, it is possible to print in a wider range υ than the printing range of a multicolor thermal transfer ribbon.

Further, when a multicolor thermal transfer ribbon is used, when the print signal reaches the specified color of the thermal transfer ribbon, the thermal transfer ribbon is skipped and conveyed after printing of the specified color is completed. Especially 4
Color thermal transfer ribbon (black B, yellow Y, magenta M
, cyan C), printing starts with the pyrothermal transfer ribbon, and when it ends with a black print signal, yellow Y, magenta M, and cyan C are skipped and conveyed to make the next black print possible.

The relationship between the platen roller 4 and the thermal head 5 requires nine repetitions of pressure contact and release in order to convey the sheets Pa, Pb, and Pc. Therefore, as shown in 10th Th2+, the plate spring 95 that supports the thermal head 5, the thermal head holding shaft 96 that supports the plate spring 95, the screws 97 and 98 that fix these, and the thermal head 5 are brought into pressure contact with the platen roller 4. It is composed of a solenoid 73. Then, the thermal head 5 is brought into pressure contact with the platen roller 4 by turning the solenoid 73 ON, and the solenoid 73 is turned OFF and OFF to release the thermal head 5 from the platen roller 4 by its own weight. However, if the solenoid plate spring 95 is simply used in a directly connected state, the pressure will change due to a slight difference in the distance between the solenoid 23 and the thermal head 5, resulting in variations in the airframe. Therefore, as in the present application, the gap (stroke) between the armature 99 and the 7 run length 1θθ + L is used by inserting a spring 102 between the two and 101 provided on the thermal head 5 and the solenoid 73, as shown in FIG. For example, if a pressing force of P2 is required, use the spring ring 102 with a compressive load of P2, and if the gap (stroke) is S□, there is a margin of pt-pzCkg), and the holding force of the solenoid 73. Since it only needs to be larger than P2, the voltage can be lowered accordingly, resulting in energy savings9.If the voltage is not lowered, a smaller solenoid can be used, resulting in energy savings and a more compact body. Furthermore, even if the printing surface (heating element part) of the thermal head 5 is tilted with respect to the platen roller 4 as shown in FIG. Since it is in uniform contact with the roller 4 and the load is evenly distributed, it has the wonderful effect of eliminating uneven printing density and uneven printing, and preventing printing defects.

13 and 14 show the relationship between the thermal head 5 and the cooling fan ios. The thermal head 5 is composed of a ceramic substrate 5a having a heating element and a heat sink 5b, and is installed near the heating element. A pair of substrate temperature detectors (semiconductor sensors) 106 detect temperature changes in the heating element portion, and the rotation speed of the cooling fan 1θ5 can be controlled based on the temperature changes to improve cooling efficiency.

Further, as shown in FIG. 15, the first operation section 42 includes a paper filling indicator 107, a paper out indicator 108, and a paper out indicator 108 on the left side. There is a color display 109 in the center, and a color display 85 to 88 in the center.
, eject display section 1101 eject key 111. A letter display section 112 is arranged, and on the right side there are a copy display section 113, a copy key 114, an online display section 115, an online key 116, a test display section 117,
Test key 118, feed display section 119, feed key 1202, ready display section 121, and power display section 12
2 has been installed.

Next, the roll paper supply cassette 19 will be explained with reference to FIGS. 16 to 18.

FIG. 16 shows the configuration of the roll paper supply cassette 19. In the figure, 130 is a cassette body, and a cassette cover 131 is superimposed on the upper surface of the cassette body 130.

The cassette body 130 includes a roll paper loading section 132, a roll paper feeding means 133, and a roll paper tensioning means 1.
34 and the cassette cover 13
1 is provided with an opening 135, and a cutter 136 is provided at the tip.

As shown in FIG. 17, the roll paper mounting section 132 attaches both ends of a core (paper tube) 137 around which the roll paper Pc is wound in a first position. It is configured to be supported by second reel units 13B, , 139.

The first reel unit 138 has a support shaft 140 fixed at one end to the side frames 130h, 130a of the cassette body 130.
a reel body 141 rotatably attached to the reel;
A disk 143 is constantly pressed against the reel body 141 side via a trapezoidal coil spring 142, and this disk 14
3 and a brake 144 provided on mutually opposing surfaces of the reel body 141.

The brake 144 is composed of a stainless steel material 145 fixed to the disk 1431111 and a polyester-based nonwoven fabric (trade name: L'Ecceine) 146 fixed to the reel body 141 side.

The reel body 141 is provided with anti-rotation protrusions 147, 147 that protrude and engage with notches 137a, 137a formed on the end face of the roll 9, so that there is no gap between the winding core 137 and the reel body 141. The structure is such that this does not occur.

Further, the second reel unit 139 is connected to the side frame 13.
The reel main body 149 is rotatably attached to a support shaft 148 with one end fixed to 0a, and a trapezoidal coil spring 150 constantly presses the reel main body 149 toward the first reel unit side 138. Note that FIG. 17 shows a state in which the reel main body 149 holds the end of the winding core 137 9 and is pushed down against the biasing force of the trapezoidal coil spring 150.

In addition, since the middle part of the support shaft 148 of the second reel unit 139 is formed with a small diameter through a tapered part, the reel body 149 can swing, and the core 137 can be easily attached and detached. It looks like this.

However, % alt m2 reel unit) 138
.

The winding core 137 held at both ends by the winding core 139 will not rotate unless a predetermined force is applied due to the frictional resistance of the brake 144, and the roll paper Pc wound around the winding core 137 will not rotate.
This prevents the roll paper PC from being unintentionally fed out, and at the same time, a predetermined tension is applied to the roll paper PC to maintain a good tensioned state without sagging.

Next, we will explain the case where the above-mentioned cut paper t (roll paper supply cassette 19 is set in place of the supply cassette 3) [7] and an image is formed. 137 to the cassette body 13 as described above.
The first and second reel units 138, 1 incorporated in
Hold via 39.

After that, the cassette cover 131 is moved to the device f, and the rollers 160 and 16 constituting the roll paper feeding means 133 are
1, the roll paper Pc is fed out through the knob 162 and pulled out to the outlet, and the leading end of the roll paper Pc is cut by the cutter 136 formed at the leading end of the cassette cassette/6-131 to align the leading ends. . At this time, there is a buffer effect because a roll paper tension means 134 consisting of a tension arm 164 that is always urged in a predetermined direction by a spring 163 is provided between the roll paper mounting section 132 and the roll paper feeding means 133. .

Then, as shown in FIG. 18, the roll paper supply cassette 19 is installed in the cassette installation section 22. At this time, the position of the magnet 170 embedded in the cassette main body 130 is detected by the detector (reed switch) 66 provided in the cassette mounting section 22, and the position of the magnet 170 embedded in the cassette main body 130 is detected by the
can be automatically detected. That is, the embedded positions of the magnets 65 and 170 of the roll paper and the cut paper are mutually connected, so that the magnets 65 and 170 are detected by the detectors 66, respectively.

Then, by turning knob 162, roll! T.E.
When Pck is pulled out, it passes between the guide plates 24 and 25 in the same way as when the cut paper supply cassette 3 is pulled out.

Then, when the feed key 12θ of the display/operation input section 42 is pressed, the aligning roller 15° 15 etc. are driven.
The roll paper Pc is fed through the same transport path as the cut paper Pa (pb) until it appears on the paper discharge tray 2. In this state,
Further, by actuating the eject key 111 of the operation section 42), the roller clamping conveyance system in the λ2 section is automatically released and the roll paper Pc is conveyed by an arbitrary length, and then the cut paper Pc is
a After bending in the same way as (Pb), start printing 9. When printing multiple colors, press the paper feeding side pinch roller 20 and the paper ejection side pinch roller 30 against the platen roller 4, turn off the solenoid 73 to release the thermal head 5 from the platen roller 4, and turn off the pulse motor 43. Rotate clockwise and transport in reverse. In this case, the roll paper Pc is bent at an opening 135 provided in the cassette cutter 131.

In addition, if the roll paper Pc is skewed, operate the control key 111 of the operation unit 42 shown in FIG. Can be corrected.

Then, the roll paper Pc on which printing has been completed is discharged to the paper discharge tray 2, and is cut by a knife 171 provided at the paper discharge port. Note that the detailed operation will be described later.

Next, the control circuit will be explained. In Figure 19,
The main control unit 191 receives control signals from the display/operation input unit 42 and various sensors, namely, a ribbon detector 39, a paper detector 4θ, a paper leading edge detector 41, a cassette detector 66, an aligning roller opening/closing detector 82, Substrate temperature sensor 106, 106 of thermal head 5, print medium temperature sensor 19
2, a paper discharge detector 193, an output signal from a paper discharge roller opening/closing detector (not shown), and an output signal from a sub-control unit 194 are supplied. main? Based on these signals, the 1ilJ control section 191 controls the display/operation input section 42, the sub-control section 194,
Thermal head 5, data buffer (memory) 195,
A predetermined control signal is supplied to the interface section 196. That is, in the display/operation input section 42, the main control section 191
A predetermined operation signal is supplied to the main controller 191, and a display corresponding to the predetermined operation is performed based on the control signal supplied from the main control section 191.

The sub-control unit 194 controls the Nockles motor 43 and the ribbon S-picking pulse motor 4 by control signals supplied from the main control unit 191 and the rotary encoder detector 91.
6, paper feed pulse motor 44, manual paper feed pulse motor 45, thermal head 5, drive solenoid 73, pinch roller 20 drive solenoid 47, pinch roller 3
The zero drive solenoid 48 and the brake plate 4 drive rotary solenoid 74 are each set to a predetermined operating state. Further, the data buffer 195 stores print data from an externally connected device 197 supplied via the interface section 196 in response to a control signal from the main control section 19, for example, line by line, and also stores this stored print data in a thermal mode. An operation of supplying the head 5 is performed.

The thermal head 5 performs thermal transfer based on the control ζ1 signal supplied from the main control section 191 and the print data supplied from the data buffer 195. An operation is performed to melt the ink on the pen 6 and thermally transfer it to the sheets Pa, Pb, and Pc.

Further, the interface section 196 is connected to the main control section 191.
It transmits and receives signals between the external connection device 197 and the external connection device 197. External connection from interface section 196 (receiver 197
Vertical synchronization signal (peso synchronization signal), horizontal synchronization signal,
A clock signal and a status signal indicating the operating state of the main body of the apparatus are supplied, and externally connected equipment 197 is supplied with command signals such as a start signal, a store f signal, a color designation signal, and print data. For example, if the input print data is a print pattern, it is directly written to the data buffer 195, and if it is a character code, it is written to the data buffer 195 using a coat interface control circuit, character generator, etc. (not shown). After being converted into a character pattern, it is stored in the data buffer 195.

Next, the cassette detector 66 will be further explained. As mentioned above, this detector 66 consists of two sets of reed switches, and these reed switches are connected to the roll paper cassette 19. The cut paper supply cassette 3 is operated by magnets provided at different positions.

The main control section 19 determines which cassette is installed in the insertion slot depending on which of these reed switches is operated. The printing operation mode is automatically set to cut paper or roll paper depending on the type of cassette installed in the insertion slot, and each section is operated in accordance with the type of paper.

Therefore, this is advantageous compared to the conventional case where only either roll paper or cut paper can be used, and moreover, it is possible to mount the roll paper cassette 19 and the cut paper supply cassette 3 in the same mounting section 22. As a result, it is automatically determined which cassette is installed, and printing operations, etc. are automatically switched and set accordingly, resulting in good operability.

Further, since the determination result of the loaded cassette is supplied to the externally connected device 197 via the interface section 196 by the status signal 7'+I, it is advantageous that the externally connected device 197 can know this.

Next, the thermal head 5 will be further explained.

The thermal head 5 can be driven in 0 to 4 divisions depending on the number of data for one line to be printed. Note that 0 means that there is no print data. This thermal head 5 is a line head in which heating elements for 1728 dots are arranged horizontally in a row, and this thermal head 5 is arranged at 448,448°448
．． It is divided into four blocks of 384 dots. 3,4
Advance the paper when using colored ribbons.

In order to prevent color shift due to regression, the processing time for one line (data transfer to the thermal head 5 and driving of the thermal head 5) is kept constant by four-division fixed driving. This is also a measure for allowing the paper feed and printing to proceed at the same time in this apparatus, without adopting an incremental paper discharging method such as printing→pushing→printing→etc. In the incremental method, it is assumed that the paper is stopped during printing, but in reality, even with the incremental method, the paper does not stop completely, so printing and paper feeding are the same)j;, + This is because the state can be considered to be the same no matter where you go.

Note that even when using one-color or two-color thermal transfer printing without overlapping colors, printing is performed in the above-mentioned direction.

However, in this case, the divided drive of the thermal head should be
The processing time for one line is different. That is, since there is almost no fear of color misregistration, the printing speed can be increased.

Transfer of print data is performed as shown in FIG. That is, during the period T1, the external connection device 197? 17
While all 28 bits of data are stored in the data buffer 195, the 448 bits of data of the first block stored first are transferred to the thermal head 5 during the period T2. After all the data is stored in the data buffer 195, the first block of data is printed during the period T3. Thereafter, 448 bits of data of the second block are transferred during the period T4 and printed during the period 1, T.

Thereafter, three blocks of data of 448 bits and a fourth block of data of 384 bits are sequentially transferred and printed.

Further, in the sub-control section 194, the pulse motor 43 and the ribbon winding pulse motor 46 are driven at points D□ and D2.

By the way, in printing control by the thermal head 5, the ambient temperature (external temperature), the temperature rise caused by the electric circuit inside the apparatus main body, and the substrate temperature of the thermal head 5 are important. The former is largely related to the melting state of the thermal transfer ribbon 6 and the paper, especially the thermal transfer ribbon 6. In order to know these states, the print medium temperature sensor 19 is used.
2 is provided inside the main body of the device. The latter is due to heat accumulation in the thermal head 5 due to continuous printing), and in order to detect this, a pair of substrate temperature detectors 106, 106 are provided. The substrate temperature detectors 106, 106 are mounted at positions corresponding to, for example, blocks at both ends of the thermal head 5, which is divided into four parts.

By arranging it in this way, even when printing a text that tends to be concentrated on the left side of the paper, the difference in heat accumulation between the left and right ends of the thermal head 5 can be detected. Stable temperature control can be performed by controlling the duration of power supplied to the heating resistor of the block. Moreover, by performing this control using the temperature information of the thermal transfer resin 6 obtained by the printing medium temperature sensor 192 as a parameter, even better printing can be performed.

Although the substrate temperature detectors 106, 106 are provided corresponding to the blocks at both ends of the divided thermal head 5, the present invention is not limited to this, and even better printing can be achieved if they are provided correspondingly to each divided block. It can be carried out.

Next, automatic discrimination of thermal transfer ribbon using the lithine detector 39 will be explained. As mentioned above, the thermal transfer ribbon 6
On one side, as shown in FIG. 21, there is an identification code, for example, a bar code 20, consisting of, for example, 4 bits, corresponding to the color of the ink.
No. is provided. As shown in FIG. 22, this barcode P201 is composed of transparent parts 202 or light shielding parts 203 having a width of t8 at a pitch of t3 from a position t2 away from the border of each color of the thermal transfer ribbon 6. 201 is detected by the ribbon detector 39, and the color of the ink is determined. The barcode attached to each ink ribbon is a stamp shown in FIG. 23, and even if the ribbon is the same color, the barcode differs depending on the type of thermal transfer ribbon 6.

The main control unit 191 determines the type of thermal transfer ribbon 6 from the detected barcode, and performs printing operations accordingly.

That is, when the power supply unit 5o is turned on in step S11 in FIG. 24, the thermal transfer ribbon 6 is conveyed in step SI2, and the ribbon detector 39 detects the ribbon bar code 201 in step SI3. As a result, when the bar:I-code 201 is detected, step SI4
The type of thermal transfer ribbon 6 is determined in .

This determination is made based on FIG. 23. When the type of thermal transfer ribbon 6 is determined, the thermal transfer ribbon 6 is conveyed to the first color in step 0SI5, and then a printing command is determined in step SI6. If the print command is fHH+H, the printer is placed in a standby state. , If the barcode 201 is not detected in step SI3, one page (1 page) is detected in step SI7.
It is determined that the thermal transfer ribbon 6 (for each color) has been fed, and if this result indicates that it has not yet been fed, the control is shifted to step SI2.

If the ribbon 6 has been fed by one page, it is determined in step SI8 that the ribbon 6 is of one color (black only), and the control is shifted to step SI6.

When it is determined in step SI6 that there is a print command,
Is the thermal transfer ribbon 6 in 3 or 4 colors in step SI9?
As a result, if it is a 3 or 4 color ribbon, printing control for 3 or 4 colors is performed. That is, the first color is printed in step 8110, and the first color is printed in step 5II.
In I, the grade is returned. After this, step 5112
In step 511, the ribbon 6 is sent to the second color.
3, printing of the second color is performed. Thereafter, the same operations are performed to print the third color or the third color or the fourth color.

In addition, in step SI9, if the thermal transfer ribbon 6 has colors other than 3.4, in step 5114, 2 colors are used.
It is determined whether or not there are two colors, and if the result is two colors, the first color is printed in step 5115. Thereafter, the paper is returned in step 5116, the ribbon 6 is fed to the second color in step 5117, and second printing is performed in step 5118.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step 5114 that the ribbon 6 is of one color, then in step 5119, ink is used! Printing for 1l11 basis is performed.

Incidentally, at the same time as printing is performed in steps 5ILO, 5113, 5115, etc., the next color is determined by the ribbon detector 39. Furthermore, when the type of thermal transfer ribbon 6 is determined, the corresponding display section of the display/operation section 42 is lit.

In addition, as described above, when thermal transfer ribbons of two to four colors are installed, for example, if the external connection device 197 specifies the printing color, after printing with that color, the next The ribbon is fed at a speed faster than the ribbon feeding speed during printing up to the same color portion, and other colors are skipped. This control is performed in conjunction with the output signal of the ribbon detector 39.

In this way, various types of thermal transfer ribbons 6 can be used, and the type of ribbon 6 can be automatically determined just by setting the ribbon 6, and printing operations can be performed according to the type of ribbon 6. , the operability is extremely good. .

Further, since the automatically determined type of thermal transfer ribbon 6 is displayed on the display/operation input section 42, it is possible to prevent printing due to a difference in ink ribbon.

Furthermore, if the thermal transfer ribbon 6 is fully automatically identified as a monochrome ribbon, there is no need to locate the beginning of the ink and printing is possible from the spot, which is advantageous because the printing range can be wider than that of multicolor ribbons. be.

Furthermore, since different thermal transfer ribbons can be automatically identified and used, it is possible to avoid the waste of printing, for example, using four color ribbons for a two-color print.

Furthermore, since the conveyance of the thermal transfer ribbon uses a rotary encoder 90 and a detector 9 to detect the distance traveled by the IJ gun, the head of the ribbon can be reliably conveyed with a relatively simple configuration. Printing and writing errors can be prevented.

Furthermore, since the ink ribbon is identified using a bar code, it can be detected with a relatively simple configuration.

Furthermore, since ink other than the specified color is skipped at a speed υ faster than the ink ribbon transport speed during printing,
When printing with a small number of colors using multicolor engraving, it is possible to shorten the time required to finish printing one sheet.

Next, detection of the end of roll paper will be explained.

The roll paper Pc described above is provided with an indicator, for example, a rectangular through hole 204, as shown in FIG. 25, at a portion approximately 500 mm before the end. When this through hole 204 is detected by the paper leading edge detector 4, the main control unit 1
Paperless display 108 of the display/operation input section 42 according to 91
will be displayed. However, since a margin of more than one A4 size sheet remains between the through hole z'o4 and the end, it is possible to print one A4 size or letter size sheet using this space. There is.

With such a configuration, the end of the roll pawl can be detected easily and reliably, so that half-finished printing can be prevented. Furthermore, it is convenient because it is possible to print for one sheet of paper size after the terminal end is detected.

Next, an outline of the printing operation using cut paper and roll paper will be explained. Detection of cut paper and roll paper is the same as described above. First, the printing operation using cut paper will be described with reference to FIGS. 26 and 27.

When the external connection device 197 supplies the start signal,
In step s01, the pinch roller 20 is pressed against the platen roller 4. After that, in step SC2, the take-out roller 16°, aligning roller pair 15, 15, and platen roller 4 are driven once, as shown in FIGS. 27(a) and (b).
The paper Pa is conveyed as shown in FIG. At the same time, in step SC3, the ribbon winding section 8 is driven, and a predetermined ink is conveyed to the printing point 1. Along with this ribbon transfer, the thermal head 5 is pressed against the platen roller 4 in step SC4. In this state, step S
At C5, it is determined whether the leading edge of the paper Pa has been detected by the paper leading edge detector 41. As a result, the leading edge of the paper Pa is not detected: step SC6 and step SC5 are repeatedly executed, and the paper Pa is transported. Further, when the leading edge of the paper Pa is detected by the detector 41 as shown in FIG. 27(c), the pinch roller 3o is pressed against the platen roller 4 in step S07.
The thermal head 5 is separated from the platen roller 4 in step SC8. Furthermore, in step SC9, Vintyronilla 2θ is separated, and in step sci.

The brake plate 71 is pressed at this point. Then, in step 5CII, the sheet Pa is slightly conveyed by the rotation of the platen roller 4, and the deflection of the sheet Pa is removed as shown in the 27th row 1(d). And step 5C
12, the pinch roller 2° is pressed against the platen roller 4, and in step 5C13, the brake plate 71 is separated, and in step 5C14, as shown in FIG.
As shown in e), the platen roller 4 is rotated in the opposite direction, and the paper P
a is slightly transported backwards. At this time, the claw P a is held between the pinch rollers 20 and 30 and the platen roller 4 without bending. In this way, the printing start position 1 of the paper Pa is set, and then step 5C15
At step 5C16, the thermal transfer bomb 6 and paper Pa are conveyed, and at the same time, the thermal head 5 is conveyed at step 5C16.
is pressed by the platen roller 4, and printing is started in step 5C17 as shown in FIG. 27(f). Then, in step 5C18, printing ends (-s--,,
'until a sync signal or stop signal) is detected.
Steps 5017 and 5018 are executed repeatedly.

When the end of printing is detected, the thermal transfer recan 6 is transported to the printing point of the next color in step S'C19, and the thermal head 5 is separated from the platen roller 4 in step S'C20.

Further, in step 5C21, the brake plate 71 is pressed, and in step 5C22, the paper Pa is conveyed backward to the printing point as shown in FIG. 27(g). At this time,
As shown in FIG. 27(h), the paper Pa passes through the guide path 35.
It is stored between 36 and 36.

Thereafter, the thermal head 5 is pressed against the platen roller 4 in step 5C23, and printing of the next color is started in step 5C24. In step 5C25, it is determined whether printing of all the colors designated by the color designation signal has been completed, and if not, steps 5C19 to 5C25 are repeatedly executed. and,
When printing of all colors is completed, in step 5C26,
A pair of paper discharge rollers 29 and 29 are driven, and the paper is delivered to a paper discharge tray (not shown).

Although the above explanation was about multi-color printing, in the case of monochrome printing, the paper is ejected immediately after the first printing. Is this the thermal transfer detected as mentioned above? It is controlled according to the type of color and the color designation signal.

Next, a printing operation using roll paper will be explained with reference to FIGS. 28 and 29.

In step SRI, when the feed key 120 of the display/operation input section 42 is pressed, the pinch roller 20 is pressed against the platen roller 4. After this, in step SR2, the aligning roller pair xs, xs and the platen roller 4 are set to f9,7 Wlr! Sill.

In this state, when the roll paper Pc is fed out by turning the cassette knob (not shown), this roll paper Pc is transferred to the second
It is transported as shown in Figure 9 (,) (b). At the same time, in step SR3, the ribbon winding section 8 is driven, and a predetermined ink is conveyed to the printing point. Along with this ribbon conveyance, in step SR4, the thermal head 5
is pressed by the platen roller 4. In this state, in step SR5, the paper Pc is detected by the paper leading edge detector 41.
It is determined whether the tip of is detected. As a result, if the leading edge of the paper Pc is not detected, step SR6;
Step SR5 is repeatedly executed to transport the paper Pc. Further, when the leading edge of the paper Pc is detected by the detector 41 as shown in FIG. 29(c), step SR7
, SR8, the thermal head 5 is separated, the pinch roller 30 is pressed against the platen roller 4, and the paper Pc is further conveyed. And FIG. 29(d)
When the paper Pc is detected by the paper ejection detector 193 as shown in FIG.
00+nm+tfa is sent. After this 5 steps 5RI
At Q, press the ENTER/QUEK key on the display/operation input section 42.
111 is manually turned on and all rollers 15,
15.20, 30.29°29 and thermal head 5
is released as shown in FIG. 29(e). In this state, paper skew correction is performed (step 5RI).
I).

For example, if the eject key 111 is manually turned off after skew correction, step 5R12°5R13,5R
14, the pinch roller 30 is pressed and the pinch roller 20 is released as shown in FIG. 29(f).
While conveying the paper Pc, the brake plate 71 is pressed to remove the deflection of the paper Pc. After this, step SRI
5*SR16.

In 5R17, 5R18, 5R19, Fig. 29 (g
), when the brake plate 71 is released, the pinch roller 20 is pressed and the thermal transfer ribbon 6 is conveyed, and in this state the thermal head 4 is pressed and printing begins. In step 5R20, the end of printing is detected, and steps 5R19 and 5R20 are repeatedly executed until printing is completed. When the end of printing is detected in step 5R20, steps 5R21, 5R22, 5R2
3, the thermal transfer ribbon 6 is attached as shown in FIG. 29(h).
is conveyed to the printing point of the next color, the thermal pad 5 is separated, and the paper Pc is reversely conveyed into the roll paper cassette (tooth not shown) to the position of the printing surface m1.

Then, in step 5R24°S R25, the thermal head 5 is pressed and the next color is overprinted. In step 5R26, it is determined whether printing of all colors designated by the color designation signal has been completed, and if not, steps 5R21 to 5R26 are repeatedly executed. Then, when all colors have been printed, step 5
At R27, the paper Pc is delivered to a paper discharge tray (121 not shown).

Although this case also concerns multi-color printing, in the case of single-color printing, the paper is ejected immediately after the first printing. This 1 is controlled according to the detected type of thermal transfer ribbon and color designation signal as described above.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As described in detail above, according to the present invention, it is possible to perform multicolor printing using a transfer material made of a plurality of colorants, and also to print using only a designated colorant among them, making it possible to print in a variety of colors. We can provide all color printer devices capable of printing.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

The drawings show one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1 is a schematic longitudinal sectional front view showing the overall structure of the device, and FIGS. 2 and 3 show the structure of the main parts. Figure 4 is a schematic front view showing the opening/closing operation of the upper base side assembly, and Figures 5(a) and (b) are the inside of the power supply unit as the upper base side assembly opens/closes. Fig. 6 is a sectional view showing the structure of the main part of the cut paper supply cassette, Fig. 7 is an explanatory view of the structure of the brake means, and Fig. 8 is a diagram showing the surroundings of the platen roller. 9(a) and 9(b) are explanatory diagrams for explaining overlap feed detection, FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the thermal head contact/separator, and FIG. 11 is a thermal head An explanatory diagram showing the relationship between the pressing force of the spring used in the head contact/separation mechanism and the pressing load, Figure 12 is an explanatory diagram showing the relationship between the thermal head and the platen, and Figures 13 and 14 are the thermal A side view and a front view showing the head cooling structure, Fig. 15 is a plan view of the display operation section, Fig. 16 is a schematic M cross-sectional side view of the roll paper supply cassette, and Fig. 17 shows the roll class core holding section. 18 is an explanatory diagram showing the installed state of the roll paper supply cassette, FIG. 19 is a block diagram schematically showing the control circuit, and FIG. 20 is an explanation of the operation of the main control section and the sub 1b1. FIG. 21 is a plan view showing an example of a thermal transfer ribbon, FIG. 22 is a plan view to explain the barcode, and FIG. 23 is a relationship between the tumor of the thermal transfer ribbon and the barcode. FIG. 24 is a flowchart to explain the operation according to the type of product transfer ribbon, FIG. 25 is a plan view to explain how to detect the end of roll paper, and FIG. 26 is a diagram showing cut paper. 27(a) to (h) are schematic diagrams showing the operation of each part corresponding to FIG. 26, and FIG. 28 is a flowchart shown to explain the printing operation using roll paper. Flowchart shown to explain the printing operation used, FIG. 29(a)
) to (h) are schematic configuration diagrams showing the operation of each part corresponding to FIG. 28, respectively. 1... Apparatus main body, 2... Paper output tray, 3... Cut paper supply cassette, 4... Platen roller, 5...
Thermal head, 6... Thermal transfer ribbon, 15.15.
・・Aligning roller pair, 16・(・Takeout roller,
Pa...Cut paper, 19...Roll paper cassette,
Pc...Roll paper, 20...Paper feed side pinch roller,
22...Cassette installation part, 30...Paper discharge side pinch roller, 39...Ribbon detector, 40...Paper detector, 4)...Paper leading edge detector, 42...Display/ Operator power 81S. 43...Pulse motor, 44...Lusmoke for paper feeding, 45...Pulse motor for manual paper feeding, 46...
Norse motor for reel winding, 47.48... Plunger type solenoid, 49... Power supply section, 50... Control section, 51... Upper pace side assembly, 52... Lower base side assembly 3D, 53... Pivot shaft, 59... Interactor switch, :' es... Magnet, 66...
・Cassette detector, 7...brake plate, 73...
Plunger type solenoid, 74... Rotary solenoid, 9o... Rotary encoder, 9no... Detector, 106... Board temperature detector, 170... Magnet, 191... Main control unit, 192 . . . Print medium temperature detector, 194 . . Sub-control unit, 195 . . Data buffer, 196 .
...External connection device, 20...Barcode, 204
-...Through hole. Applicant's Representative Patent Attorney Takehiko Suzue Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 4 Figure 1 z Figure 5 #I6 Figure 8 Figure 9 (a) (b) Figure 10 Figure 11 Figure 20 Figure 23 Fig. 21 Fig. 22 Fig. 25 Fig. 27 (a) (C) Fig. 17 (9) (h) Fig. 28 Procedural amendment document Showa 9゜・♂28th 1, patent application for indication of the case 1983- No. 182784 No. 2, Name of the invention Color printer device 3, Relationship with the person making the amendment Case Patent applicant (307) +q: Toshiba company 4, Agent 2, Claims (1) Multi-color colorant A transfer material provided with a transfer material, a means for conveying the transfer material, a means for detecting the conveyance distance of the transfer material, a means for conveying the transfer material, and a means for conveying print data to the conveyed transfer material. means for transferring the n11 coloring agent based on the coloring material; an identification code provided on the iii transfer material corresponding to the coloring agent; a means for detecting the identifier ~ number; and a means for specifying the color of the coloring agent. A color printer device comprising: a designating device; and a device for conveying the transferred pattern is controlled to be fed based on an output signal of the designated flat stage. A color printer device according to claim 1.

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) A transfer material provided with colorants of multiple colors, a means for conveying this transfer material, a means for detecting the conveyance distance of this transfer material, a means for conveying a transfer material, and a means for conveying this conveyed material. means for transferring the colorant to a transfer material based on print data; and an identification code provided on the transfer material corresponding to the colorant;
means for detecting the identification code; a specifying means for specifying the color of the colorant; and a means for conveying the transfer material in response to an output signal from the specifying means, and controlling only the specified colorant. What is claimed is: 1. A color printer device comprising a control means for printing using the color printer. (2) Does it depend on the output signal of the means for detecting the conveyance distance of the ribbon? Controls the means for conveying the transfer material, and moves the border of the transfer material corresponding to the detected identification code; (n or FAJ+A)
Ax: G/IffW'3tζ〉": J-1-Z, rL
3. A color printer device according to claim 1.