JPS62134273A - Recording apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To lower running cost, to improve heat efficiency and to further prevent transfer omission even with respect to a recording medium inferior in surface smoothness, by a method wherein a rotating transfer medium is heated by a recording head and predetermined pressure is applied to the surface of the recording medium and, even if the recording medium inferior in smoothness is used, fluffing is pushed in the recording medium during feeding. CONSTITUTION:When a motor is driven, an ink roller 1 rotates to the direction shown by an arrow (b). At the same time, a recording head 5 generates heat correspondingly to image information to melt the ink on the surface of the ink roller 1 under heating according to an image pattern and reaches a pressure contact part (c). A supply roller 10 and timing rollers 11 separates recording sheets 8 one by one to feed the same to a pressure contact part (c). The molten ink having the image pattern is transferred to the recording sheet 8 in the pressure contact part (c). Further, even if a recording sheet having a fluffy surface causing inferior surface smoothness is used, by passing said sheet between the timing rollers 11, the surface smoothness of the sheet is enhanced and transfer omission is prevented.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION <Industrial Application Field> The present invention relates to a recording apparatus that performs recording by heating a rotating transfer medium.

<Prior Art> The thermal recording method has been widely used in recent years because of its general features such as a small and lightweight device and no noise, as well as the ability to record on plain paper.

Conventionally, a generally used thermal recording device forms a transfer medium by coating a heat-resistant base film with a thin layer of heat-melting ink, superimposes the ink layer of the transfer medium on the recording medium, and prints the image. The ink on the transfer medium is melted according to the image pattern by heating from the base film side using a recording head that generates heat according to the information, and is transferred and recorded on the recording medium (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 58-220795).
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<Problems to be Solved by the Invention> However, in the conventional heat-sensitive recording device described above, the heat-melting ink must be coated on a relatively expensive heat-resistant base film through a complicated process, and furthermore, this Since the transfer medium is disposable once transferred, the running cost is high, and the heat-melting ink has to be heated through the base film, so the thermal efficiency is poor. Furthermore, the transfer recording is affected by the surface smoothness of the recording medium, and if the surface of the recording medium is not smooth, there is a problem that the molten ink will not adhere and transfer omissions will occur.

In addition, in order to improve thermal efficiency, there is a method in which the heat-resistant base film is made of a conductive film, and the recording head is made up of electrodes that are energized according to the image information, and the ink is directly heated by Joule heat. Kaisho 58427
No. 90), in this configuration, the base film becomes even more bulky.

The present invention solves the above-mentioned conventional problems, has low running costs, has good thermal efficiency, and can record even on recording media with low surface smoothness such as uneven surfaces without causing transfer omissions. The aim is to provide a recording device that is

<Means for Solving the Problems> The means of the present invention for solving the above conventional problems includes a rotatable transfer medium, a recording head that heats the transfer medium according to image information, and a recording head that heats the transfer medium according to image information. The recording medium is characterized by being provided with a conveying means for conveying the recording medium and applying a predetermined pressure to the surface of the recording medium.

<Operation> According to the above means, the transfer medium rotates in response to recording and is heated in an image pattern by the recording head, and the heated transfer medium is transferred onto the recording medium conveyed by the conveyance means.

In addition, since the surface of the recording medium is pressurized by the conveying means, any fuzz, etc. is erased, and the surface is brought into pressure contact with the recording medium in a smooth state, so that transfer recording can be performed without causing transfer omissions. .

<Embodiment> Next, an embodiment of a recording apparatus to which the above means is applied will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a partially cut away perspective view of the recording device.
FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view.

First, to explain the overall outline, ① is an ink roller which is a transfer medium, and is formed by solidifying ink having supercooling characteristics in a core 1a into a roll shape, and the core 1a is rotatably attached to the side plate 2 of the device. , and is attached so as to slide downward as the roller diameter decreases.

Reference numeral 3 denotes a pressure contact roller which is a pressure contact member that comes into pressure contact with the ink roller 1, and is moved by the stepping motor 4 as shown by the arrow a.
The ink roller I is configured to rotate in the direction indicated by the arrow by driving and rotating stepwise or continuously in the direction indicated by the arrow.

Further, a hood 5 is attached to the upstream side in the rotational direction of the ink roller 1 based on the pressure contact portion (hereinafter simply referred to as "pressure contact portion") C between the ink roller 1 and the pressure roller 3, which generates heat according to image information. It is being This recording head 5 is in line contact with the axial surface of the ink roller 1, and as the diameter of the ink roller l decreases, the contact area (hereinafter simply referred to as "contact area") d between the ink roller 1 and the recording head 5 increases.
moves upward so that the circumferential length from the contact portion d to the pressure contact portion C is always constant.

Further, a smooth blade 6 is attached to the downstream side of the ink roller 1 in the rotation direction with respect to the pressure contact portion C. This smoothing blade 6 is used to smooth the ink by scraping off minute irregularities remaining on the roller surface after the ink from the ink roller 1 has been transferred to the recording medium, or by smoothing the surface with heating pressure, etc. is attached to the side plate 2 so as to contact the surface of the ink roller 1 and slide as the diameter of the roller 1 decreases.

7 is a conveying means for conveying recording sheets 8, which are recording media, in the direction of arrow e in accordance with the recording operation, and the recording sheets 8 stored in the cassette 9 are pulled out one by one by a feeding roller 10, and the timing The recording sheet 8 is conveyed by the roller 11 in synchronization with the recording operation, and when the recording sheet 8 conveyed by the conveying means 7 passes between the ink roller I and the pressure roller 3, a predetermined recording is made, and the recording sheet 8 is transferred to the sheet receiver 12. It is configured to be discharged.

Next, the configuration of each part of the recording apparatus will be described in detail.

First, the ink roller 1 will be explained. As mentioned above, the ink of the ink roller 1 is composed of ink having supercooling characteristics. Ink that has this supercooling property means that when it is heated and melted or softened and then cooled,
This is an ink that maintains a melted or softened state or adhesive state for a certain period of time that can be transferred to the recording sheet 8 even at temperatures below the ink's original melting point or softening point, and contains carbon black in a thermofusible binder with supercooling properties. It is made by dispersing colorants such as dyes and pigments that are commonly used in printing or other recording methods, either singly or in a mixture of two or more.

Here, as an example of the thermofusible binder having supercooling properties, N-cyclohexyl-p-
Plasticizers such as toluenesulfonamide, N-ethyl-p-)luenesulfonamide, dicyclohexyl phthalate, benzotriazole, acetalinide, etc., or derivatives thereof may be used alone or in combination of two or more to perform conventional thermal transfer. Conventional heat-melting binders made of thermoplastic resins such as polyamide resins, polyacrylic resins, polyvinyl acetate resins, or copolymers of these, various natural or synthetic waxes, etc. used in sex inks. The ink roller 1 can be obtained by solidifying this into a roll shape using a mold, etc. To obtain the supercooled thermofusible binder used in this example, for example, the above supercooled Cooling substance 2
0 parts to 90 parts of the conventional heat-melting binder 10 to 9
0 parts, or by adding an oil agent or the like to the supercooled thermofusible binder to adjust its supercooling characteristics.
Melt viscosity, adhesive strength, etc. may be adjusted by adding elastomers and the like.

The ink having supercooling characteristics has a melting point or softening point of preferably about 40 to 200°C, more preferably about 50 to 180°C, and is melted or softened by being heated above the melting point or softening point. After that, the time until solidification starts when left at room temperature is preferably 0.
．． It is set to about 1-100 seconds, more desirably about 0.1-10 seconds.

The ink roller 1 having the above-mentioned characteristics has cores 1a at both ends inserted into vertically elongated holes 2a drilled in the left and right side plates 2, and inserted into horizontally elongated holes 13a bored in the rotary plate 13 attached to the side plate 2. has been done.

One end of the rotating plate 13 is attached to be rotatable about a shaft 13b, and the other end is pulled downward by a spring 14. Therefore, the ink roller 1 is always urged downward and is configured to come into pressure contact with the pressure roller 3 disposed below the ink roller 1.

The pressure roller 3 has a shaft 3a protruding from both ends thereof, which is connected to the side plate 2.
As shown in FIG. 3, it is connected to a stepping motor 4 via a belt 4a, and is configured to be driven and rotated by the driving of the motor 4. Further, at both ends in the longitudinal direction of the pressure roller 3, rollers 3b are provided.
is provided, and when the pressure roller 3 is driven to rotate as described above, the knurl 3b bites into the ink roller 1, causing the ink roller 1 to rotate in a driven manner.

Next, the recording head 5 will be explained as shown in FIG. 4(A).
, As shown in (B), the recording head 5 is long enough to be in line contact with the ink roller l in the longitudinal direction, and has a heating element (not shown) that generates heat according to image information.
It is attached to the support body 15 by. Guide protrusions 15b are provided protruding from the upper portions of both sides of the support body 15, and a U-shaped notch 15c is provided at the lower end. 1
6b and attached to the support side plate 16,
When the support body 15 is urged in the direction of arrow r by an eccentric cam 17 rotated by a motor (not shown), the guide projection 15b is configured to slide along the curved elongated hole 16a using the support projection 16b as a fulcrum. There is. Reference numeral 18 denotes a spring stretched between the guide protrusion 15b and the support side plate 16, which extends the guide protrusion 15b from -" (
Below, the minus sign indicates the opposite direction).

Here, as shown in FIG. 4(C), the curved elongated hole 16a is formed at the contact portion d when the guide protrusion 15b slides using the support protrusion 16b as a fulcrum as the diameter of the ink roller decreases.
The guide protrusion 15b is configured to have a curved shape that guides the slide of the guide protrusion 15b so that the circumference of the ink roller l from the to the pressure contact part C and the angle between the normal line at the contact part d and the recording head 5 are always constant. ing.

Further, a nut member 16C is non-rotatably attached to the outside of both supporting side plates 16, and the nut member 16c is threadedly engaged with a lead screw member 19. As shown in FIG. 1, this lead screw member 19 is a U-shaped holding member 19 that is attached to a predetermined position of the side plate 2 with screws 19a.
A boo' J19c is fixed to the end of each lead screw member 19, and a heel H9d is suspended between each pulley 19C. Further, a gear 19e is attached to the end of one lead screw member 19, and the lead screw member 19 is driven by a motor 19f connected to the gear 19e.
rotates, the nut member 16C slides along the lead screw member 19, and the recording pad 5 slides in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the ink roller 1.

Next, the smooth blade 6 is formed to have approximately the same length in the axial direction of the ink roller 1, and as shown in FIG. It has a knife-like structure that can be cut with. Two slide protrusions 6a are protruded from both ends of the smooth blade 6, and the slide protrusions 6a are slidably inserted into guide holes 2b formed in the side plate 2.

Further, a connecting plate 6b is attached to the end of the slide projection 6a as shown in 11ffl, and one end of the link member 20 is pivotally attached to the connecting plate 6b. The link member 2
0 is composed of a member bent in the shape of a letter ``<1'', and is rotatably attached to the side plate 2 by a link shaft 20a at the bent portion, and the other end 20b abuts the lower end of the rotating plate 13. Therefore, when the diameter of the ink roller 1 decreases and the rotating plate 13 rotates in the direction of arrow g, the link member 20
rotates in the direction of the arrow to guide the smooth blade 6 into the guide hole 2b.
It slides along the

Further, an eccentric cam 21 is attached to the lower part of the link member 20 so as to be in contact therewith. This eccentric cam 21 is connected to the rotating plate 1
The rotating shaft 21a of the eccentric cam 21 is rotatably attached to the side plate 2 at a position below the link member 20 that contacts the link member 3.
and motor 21b are connected via one-way clutch 21c, and only when motor 21b rotates in the direction of arrow i, one-way clutch 21c is locked and rotates eccentric cam 21, whereby link member 2
0 in the direction of arrow -h.

Next, in the structure of the sheet conveying means 7, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the feeding roller 10 and the timing roller 11 have a length above the axis of the recording sheet 8, and the respective rollers 10.1
Shafts 10a and lla are protruded from both ends of the shaft 10a.
, lla are pivoted to the side plate 2 and rotatably mounted by a motor 4 that rotates the pressure roller 3.

Here, the feeding roller lO is attached to a position where it comes into pressure contact with the top layer of recording sheets 8 stored in the cassette 9 when the cassette 9 is loaded into the apparatus, and rotates in the direction of arrow j according to the recording operation. The recording sheet 8 is separated and fed one by one.

The timing roller II rotates in the direction of the arrow in synchronization with the rotation of the pressure roller 3 that operates in response to recording, and conveys the recording sheet 8 between the ink roller 1 and the pressure roller 3, and is made of stainless steel. It is composed of a roller pair in which metal rollers such as steel and steel are arranged above and below, and a tension spring 22 is attached between the mutual shafts lla,
The pair of rollers is configured to come into pressure contact with each other. The pressing force between the pair of rollers by the tension spring 22 is set to 16 kg/cm'' or more, which is a general fixing pressure when an image transferred in a copying machine or the like is fixed under pressure.

Further, a sheet guide 23 for guiding the recording sheet 8 being conveyed is provided between the feeding roller IO and the timing row 911 and between the timing roller 11 and the pressure roller 3.

Next, the operation of the device configured as described above will be explained.

When the motor 4 is driven, the pressure roller 3 rotates in the direction of the arrow a, and the ink roller l rotates in the direction of the arrow. Simultaneously with this rotation, the recording head 5 generates heat according to the image information, heats and melts the ink on the surface of the ink roller 1 in an image pattern, and the ink remains in a molten state as the ink roller 1 rotates. This leads to C. At the same time, the supply roller 10 and the timing roller 11 rotate in the directions of the arrows j to transfer the recording sheet 8 to the cassette 9.
The sheets are separated one by one from the inside and conveyed to the pressure contact section C in synchronization with the recording operation. Therefore, the molten ink in the form of an image pattern is transferred to the recording sheet 8 at the pressure contact portion C.
The recording sheet 8 on which a predetermined image has been recorded is discharged to the sheet receiver 12 by the rotation of the ink roller 1 and the pressure roller 3.

Further, after the ink is transferred, minute irregularities remain on the surface of the ink roller, but when the ink roller 1 rotates and comes to the position of the smoothing blade 6, the surface of the roller 1 is heated to be cut or smoothed by the blade 6. , the unevenness is eliminated and a smooth surface is obtained.

Therefore, continuous transfer recording is performed.

The diameter of the ink roller 1 decreases as recording progresses due to ink transfer and cutting by the smooth blade 6, but the core 1a of the ink roller 1 slides along the vertical hole 2a as the roller diameter decreases. Therefore, the ink roller 1 and the pressure roller 3 are pressed against each other with a constant pressure regardless of the change in the roller diameter. Further, the rotating plate 13 rotates in the direction of arrow g due to the slide of the core la, and accordingly, the link member 20, in which the lower end of the rotating plate 13 and one end 20b are in contact, rotates in the direction of the arrow. Then, the slide protrusion 6a of the smooth blade 6 slides in the direction of the ink roller 1 along the guide hole 2b, so that the smooth blade 6 is always in contact with the surface of the ink roller 1.

Also, even if the ink roller diameter changes, the contact area d will change from the contact area d to the pressure contact area C.
The circumferential length of the recording head 5 must be kept constant, but since the recording head 5 is biased in the direction of the arrow r by the eccentric cam 17, the recording head 5 will move closer to its support 15 as the diameter of the ink roller decreases. The guide protrusion 15b of the supporting side plate 16
It slides along the curved elongated hole 16a using the support protrusion 16b as a fulcrum. Therefore, the ink roller l and the recording head 5
The contact angle with the contact portion d and the circumferential length from the contact portion d to the pressure contact portion C are always kept constant.

Next, when the recording sheet 8 is conveyed, the recording sheet 8 fed from the feeding roller 10 is subjected to pressure on the sheet surface by the pair of rollers as it passes between the timing rollers 11. Therefore, if the recording sheet 8 is made of paper or the like due to the pressure, even if minute fibers are stretched on its surface or paper dust, etc. is attached to it, the fibers, paper dust, etc. will get into the paper. It is something. Therefore, even if the surface of the recording sheet 8 is fluffy or has low surface smoothness,
As the sheet passes between the timing rollers 11, the smoothness of the sheet surface is increased and transfer omission is prevented.

Generally, when pressure equivalent to pressure fixing by a copying machine is applied to the sheet surface, the smoothness of the sheet surface is increased.

Although it is more effective for the timing roller 11 to be made of a metal roller in order to smooth the surface of the recording sheet 8 by the pressure contact, at least the side where the recording sheet 8 contacts the ink roller 1, that is, the recording If only the timing roller 11 on the side that contacts the transfer surface of the sheet 8 is made of metal, the same effect can be obtained even if the timing roller 11 on the other side is made of hard rubber or hard plastic.

Further, when the timing roller 11 made of hard rubber or hard plastic is used on one side as described above, it is preferable to install a pact below the roller 11 to collect minute dust such as paper dust.

Next, when recording is not to be performed, it is desirable not to apply pressure to the surface of the ink roller 1 in order to maintain the roundness of the roller 1. To do this, first move the motor 21b with the arrow i
Drive rotation in the direction. At this time, one-way clutch 21
c is in the locked state, the eccentric cam 21 is rotated in the i direction, and the link member 20 is rotated in the -h direction. As a result, the rotary plate 13 rotates in the -g direction and pushes the ink roller 1 upward, so that the pressure contact between the ink roller 1 and the pressure roller 3 is released, and at this time, the smooth blade 6 also rotates as the link member 20 rotates. to separate from the surface of the ink roller l. At the same time, when the motor 19f is driven and the lead screw member 19 is rotated in a predetermined direction, the nut member 16c screwed with the lead screw member 19 slides in the direction of arrow 4, thereby causing the recording head 5 to rotate. is separated from the ink roller L.

Therefore, according to the apparatus of this embodiment, it is possible to prevent other members from coming into pressure contact with the surface of the ink roller 1 except during recording.

In the above-mentioned embodiment, the timing roller 11 applied pressure to the surface of the recording sheet 8 to remove the unevenness on the sheet surface. A pair may be provided, and instead of rollers, for example, a rotating belt or the like may be used.

Further, the pressure roller 3, the supply roller 10, and the timing roller 11 are not limited to roller-shaped members, and the same effect can be obtained by using other members such as rotating belts.

Further, in the above-mentioned embodiment, an example of an ink roller in which the transfer medium is formed in the shape of a roller is shown, but in other embodiments, the ink may be applied to the surface of a rotating drum, an endless heddle, etc. be.

Also, if the heating part of the recording gutter 5 is coated with silicone resin, the ink that melts when heated will be transferred to the recording gutter 5.
It is possible to prevent the ink from adhering to the ink roller 1, and also to improve the sliding with the ink roller 1.

Furthermore, although the knife-shaped smoothing member 6 was used in the above embodiment, the surface of the ink roller 1 may be smoothed by bringing a heating roller into contact with the ink roller 1.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the recording sheets 8 were stored in the cassette 9, but the recording sheets 8 may be stacked on a deck, manual tray, or the like.

<Effects of the Invention> As described above, the present invention is configured so that the rotating transfer medium is heated by the recording head and a predetermined pressure is applied to the surface of the conveyed recording medium. Since it is not necessary and thermal efficiency for the transfer medium is good, running costs can be reduced. In addition, even if the surface of the recording medium has a low level of smoothness, such as a fuzzed surface, the fuzz is pushed into the inside of the recording medium during conveyance, so the surface smoothness improves and the transfer wave can be recorded without causing any defects. It is something that can be done.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partially broken perspective explanatory view of a recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view thereof, FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of the relationship between an ink roller and a pressure roller, and The figures are explanatory diagrams of the recording head, (8) is an exploded explanatory diagram, (B
) is an explanatory diagram of assembly, and (C) is an explanatory diagram of sliding of the recording head as the diameter of the binder roller decreases. l is an ink roller, la is a core, 2 is a side plate, 2a is a vertical hole, 2b is a guide hole, 3 is a pressure roller, 3a is a shaft, 3b
is a knurl, 4 is a motor, 4a is a belt, 5 is a recording head, 6 is a smooth blade, 6a is a slide protrusion, 6b
1 is a connecting plate, 6c is a nichrome wire, 7 is a conveying means, 8 is a recording sheet, 9 is a cassette, 1O is a feeding roller, 11 is a timing roller, 12 is a sheet receiver, 13 is a rotating plate, 13
a is a horizontally elongated hole, 13b is a shaft, 14 is a spring, 15 is a support body, 15a is a screw, 15b is a guide protrusion, 15C is a U
character-shaped notch, 16 is a support side plate, 16a is a curved long hole, 16
b is a support projection, 16C is a nut member, 17 is an eccentric cam,
18 is a spring, 19 is a lead screw member, 19
a is a screw, 19b is a U-shaped holding member, 19c is a pulley,
19d is a belt, 19e is a gear, 19" is a motor, 2
0 is a link member, 20a is a link shaft, 21 is an eccentric cam,
21a is a rotating shaft, 21b is a motor, 21c is a one-way clutch, 22 is a tension spring, and 23 is a seat guide.

Claims (3)

[Claims] (1) A recording device comprising a rotatable transfer medium, a recording head that heats the transfer medium according to image information, and a conveying means that conveys the recording medium and applies a predetermined pressure to the surface of the recording medium. . (2) Claim 1 in which the pressure applied to the surface of the recording medium by the conveyance means is 16 kg/cm^2 or more.
Recording device as described in section. (3) The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the conveying means is constituted by a pair of rollers, and the roller on the side that contacts the surface where the recording medium comes into pressure contact with the transfer medium is constituted by a metal roller.