JPS61114879A - Thermal transfer type color printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enable margins of a recording paper to be eliminated, by a construction wherein a sensor for detecting a starting end part of a recording paper is disposed in proximity to a recording part, in color printing in which overlap transfer is conducted while reciprocating the recording paper. CONSTITUTION:The recording paper 6 is fed between a transfer film 1 and a platen roller 3, and is fed to a position on the upstream of the sensor 9 disposed in proximity to a contact point 0 of a thermal head 2 and the roller 3. Next, the head 2 is released from the contact point 0, and in order to match a starting end part of each color of the film 1 to a frame of the recording paper 6, the corresponding starting end part of the film 1 is located at the contact point 0, and a U-shaped member 10 is turned until the sensor 9 is located in proximity to the contact point 0, upon which the roller 3 is started rotating to feed the paper 6 until the leading end thereof is detected by the sensor 9, whereby the leading end of the paper 6 is matched substantially to the contact point 0. Then, the member 10 is turned so as to be moved away from the contact point 0, and is turned with a fulcrum 11 as a center to such a position that the paper 6 and the film 1 can be set between the head 2 and the roller 3 and pressed therebetween without trouble.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Field of Application of the Invention] The present invention relates to a thermal transfer color printer, and more particularly to a thermal transfer color printer suitable for removing blank areas of a recording medium and improving recording overlapping position accuracy. .

[Background of the invention]

Conventional thermal transfer color printers of this type, for example,
As disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 56-156845, after cutting the roll paper, the pressure contact between the thermal head and the platen roller is released, and the recording paper, which is the recording medium, is pulled back to remove the margin at the leading edge of the recording paper. ing. This method is suitable for recording only colors because the image quality is not affected even if the recording start position shifts slightly, but in color printers that perform overlapping recording, the difference between the recording paper and the recording paper when pulling it back is Variation in paper feed amount due to slippage between platen rollers.

In addition, due to out-of-plane deformation of the recording paper between the pressure contact point between the recording paper and the thermal head, the part of the cutter that cuts the recording paper, or the part of the sensor that detects the starting edge of the recording paper, the leading edge of the recording paper when overlapping recording may be The drawback was that alignment was difficult.

[Purpose of the invention]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a thermal transfer color printer that can obtain high overlapping recording position accuracy and can remove blank spaces at the leading edge of recording paper.

[Summary of the invention]

The present invention applies tension necessary to prevent the generation of wrinkles to the transfer film that is a carrier, releases the thermal head from the pressure contact state between the transfer film and the recording paper, and detects the leading edge of the recording paper near the pressure contact part. The platen roller is rotated to position the leading edge of the recording paper.

[Embodiments of the invention]

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. FIG. 1 is a side view showing a schematic diagram of this embodiment, and FIGS. 2 and 3 are enlarged perspective views of the main parts of FIG. 1.

In FIG. 1, a recording paper 6, which is a recording medium, faces the transfer film 1 between the above-mentioned thermal head 2 and platen roller 3, and when the thermal head is operated, ink on the transfer film 1 is transferred onto the recording paper 6. arranged to be transferred.

The thermal head 2 has a large number of heating elements 2a arranged in the width direction of the recording paper 6 so that recording can be performed without mechanical scanning in the width direction of the recording paper 6. Further, this thermal head 2 is attached to a support member 8 that is rotatably supported at a fulcrum 7.

Although not shown, this support member 8 constantly presses the thermal head 2 against the platen roller 3 side by means of a rotating means (not shown), and rotates as necessary so that the thermal head 2 separates from the transfer film 1. ing.

Although not shown, the platen roller 3 is connected to a drive source, such as a DC motor, capable of forward and reverse rotation, and conveys the engaged transfer film 1 and recording paper 6 in the forward or reverse direction. The transfer film 1 and the recording paper 6 are transported in the forward or reverse direction by a drive source connected to the delivery reel 4 and take-up reel S of the transfer film 1, in addition to the platen roller 3 described above, Although this is not done, it is performed while applying a certain tension using a means for conveying the recording paper 6 or the like.

Next, the recording method and the positioning method of recording paper and transfer film will be explained with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3.

First, the recording paper 6 is transported between the transfer film 1 and the platen roller 3 by a transport means (not shown), and is transported to the front of the detection sensor 9 located near the contact point 0 between the thermal head 2 and the platen roller 3. be done.

Next, the thermal head 2 is removed from the contact point 0, and the starting end of the yellow iy portion of the transfer film 1 is positioned at the contact point 0 in order to align the starting end of each color of the transfer film 1 with the image frame of the recording paper 6. let In this state, a desired tension is applied to the transfer film 1 by the take-up reel 5 and the delivery reel 4. On the other hand, a sensor 9 for detecting the leading edge of the recording paper 6 is attached to a U-shaped member 10 rotatably attached at a fulcrum 11. here,
A reflective optical sensor is used as the sensor 9. The U-shaped member 10 rotates until the sensor 9 attached to the U-shaped member 1o is located near the contact point 0. The U-shaped member 10 is U-shaped so that the L member 12 attached to the thermal head 2 comes into contact with the L member 12 so that the sensor 9 is at a desired position relative to the trajectory of the L member 12 attached to the thermal head 2 rotating around the fulcrum 7. When the shape of the member 10 is determined and the sensor 9 is located near the contact point, the platen roller 3 starts rotating and the recording paper 6 pressed against the transfer film l
The paper is transported until the tip of the paper is detected by the sensor 9.

At this time, the tip of tt=al 6 and the contact point O almost coincide.

Next, the U-shaped member 10 is rotated away from the contact point O, and the recording paper 6 and the transfer film 1 are interposed between the thermal head 2 and the platen roller 3 so that the pressure contact between the recording paper 6 and the transfer film 1 is not hindered. It rotates around the fulcrum 11 up to the point. [U-shaped member] When 0 has finished rotating, the thermal head 2
is rotated so that the transfer film 1 and the recording paper 6 are interposed between the platen roller 3 and brought into pressure contact. The pressing force during this pressure contact should be sufficient to ensure good transfer. In this state, add an image signal to the thermal head 2 according to the image information,
The delivery reel 41, take-up reel 5, and platen roller 3 are rotated in the direction of the solid arrow, and the transfer film 1 and recording paper 6 are conveyed in the forward direction. As a result, only yellow is transferred onto the recording paper 6, and a yellow image is recorded. After transfer, the terminal end A of the yellow part 1y of the transfer film 1 (also the beginning and end of the magenta 1m) is located at the contact point O between the thermal head 2 and the platen roller 3, and the recording paper 6 is located in the image frame. The terminal end is located. After the yellow color is transferred onto the recording paper 6, the support member 8 of the thermal head 2 is rotated to float the thermal head 2 above the platen roller 3. In this state, the delivery reel 4 and the take-up reel 5 are rotated in the direction of the solid line arrow (forward direction) to transport only the transfer film 1 in the direction of the solid line arrow (forward direction), and the magenta portion of the transfer film 1 is 1m long.
The terminal end B (which is also the starting end of the cyan section 1s) is located at the contact point O between the thermal head 2 and the platen roller 3. Next, the thermal head 2 is rotated again to press it against the platen roller 3, and while it is in operation, the delivery reel 4, take-up reel 5, and platen roller 3 are rotated in the direction of the dashed arrow (in the opposite direction). The transfer film 1 and the recording paper 6 are conveyed in a superimposed state in the direction of the broken line arrow (in the opposite direction). As a result, magenta is superimposed on the image recorded in yellow from the end of the image frame and transferred in the opposite direction to the transfer direction of yellow, and an image in which yellow and magenta are superimposed is formed on the recording paper 6. recorded.

After the overlapping transfer of magenta, the transfer film 1 is located at the contact point 0 between the thermal head 2 and the platen roller 3, which is the starting end A of the magenta 1m (also the terminal end of the yellow part 1y).

) is located, and the starting edge of the image frame of the recording paper 6 is located. At this time, the platen roller 3 is rotated extra to allow the starting edge of the recording paper 6 to pass approximately 1 m beyond the detection point of the sensor 9.

When yellow and magenta are superimposed and transferred onto the recording paper 6, the support member 8 of the thermal head 2 is rotated again to make the thermal head 2 float above the platen roller 3, and the U-shaped member 10 is rotated again. The starting edge of the recording paper 6 is detected by the sensor 9. In this state, the delivery reel 4,
The take-up reel 5 is rotated in the direction of the solid arrow (forward direction), and only the transfer film 1 is conveyed in the direction of the solid arrow (forward direction).

Start end B of cyan part 1s of transfer film 1 (magenta 1
(also the terminal end of the thermal head 2) is located at the contact point 0 between the thermal head 2 and the platen roller 3.

Next, the U-shaped member 10 is retracted, the thermal head 2 is rotated again and pressed against the platen roller 3, and while it is in operation, the feed reel 4, take-up reel 5, and platen roller 3 are moved by the solid line arrows. direction (forward direction), and with the transfer film 1 and recording paper 6 superimposed, move in the direction of the solid arrow C.
Convey in the M force direction.

As a result, cyan is transferred to the recording paper 6 in the same direction as the yellow transfer direction and in the opposite direction to the magenta transfer direction, superimposed on the image recorded in yellow and magenta from the starting edge side of one image frame. be done.

In this way, yellow, magenta and cyan are superimposed and transferred onto the recording paper 6, thereby recording a color image.

According to the configuration described above, in a color printer that moves the recording paper back and forth to perform overlapping transfers, the sensor that detects the starting edge of the recording paper is located very close to the recording section.
It is possible to eliminate blank spaces on the recording paper, and since the starting edge of #C paper is pressed against the platen roller by the transfer film 11, position detection errors due to out-of-plane deformation and vibration of the recording paper are eliminated, resulting in high precision. Position detection can be performed.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As explained above, according to the present invention, it is possible to improve the overlapping position accuracy in overlapping recording.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a schematic side view showing an embodiment of a thermal transfer type color printer of the present invention, and FIGS. 2 and 3 are enlarged perspective views of the main parts of FIG. 1. 1... Transfer film, 2... Thermal head, 3...
...Platen roller, 4...Feeding roller, 5...
Winding roller, 6...recording paper, 7...fulcrum, 8...
- Support member, 9... Sensor, 10... U-shaped member, 11... Fulcrum, 12... L member. Atsushi 1 Figure Z mouth

Claims (1)

[Claims] A carrier on which a plurality of thermally transferable inks are sequentially applied, a thermal head having a heating element that generates heat in response to an image signal, and the carrier and the recording medium are superimposed between the thermal head. In a thermal color printer, which is composed of a platen roller that conveys the recording medium while pressing the recording medium, and moves the recording medium in the forward or reverse direction to perform overlapping recording, the thermal head is released from the pressing state and the starting edge of the recording medium is moved. A thermal transfer type color printer, characterized in that a sensor for detecting the thermal head and the platen roller is located near a contact part, and a mechanism is provided for retracting the sensor when pressing the thermal head.