JPS6251755B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Technical field to which the invention pertains] The present invention relates to a thermal transfer recording device, and particularly to a thermal transfer recording device capable of expressing multiple colors. [Technical Background of the Invention] Advances in electronics have also reached offices, and office work is being streamlined and mechanized under the name Hofuis Automation. In particular, the recording device
It is becoming increasingly important as a terminal device. Among these recording devices, thermal transfer printers have recently attracted attention. Thermal transfer printers have simple equipment, are not susceptible to tampering, and have good storage stability. Another advantage is that it is easy to create multiple colors. As a multicolor thermal transfer recording device, for example,
There is one disclosed in Publication No. 54-156647. This recording device provides a mosaic of ink layers of multiple colors on an ink carrier, uses a thermal head with heating elements arranged in the same manner as the ink pattern, and prints the mosaic of ink according to color signals. It is selected and thermally transferred. In such a recording apparatus, it is difficult to manufacture the ink carrier and the thermal head, the degree of freedom in color expression is limited, and the method of applying recording signals is complicated. Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 54-156647 discloses that a recording device uses an ink carrier with ink layers coated in stripes and a thermal head in which a plurality of heating elements are arranged in a line, and the transport speed of the ink carrier is adjusted to the recording paper. It is also shown that thermal transfer is carried out by multiplying the number of ink colors at a transport speed of . In this recording device, thermal transfer is performed while the ink carrier and the recording paper move relative to each other, so thermal transfer is not performed accurately, causing problems in overlapping the inks. On the other hand, JP-A-56-28872 discloses a recording apparatus in which ink carriers having ink layers of different colors are independently prepared and a thermal head is provided for each ink carrier. This recording device ended up being large in size. [Object of the Invention] An object of the present invention is to provide a thermal transfer recording device that can eliminate the above-mentioned drawbacks, ensure ink transfer to a recording medium, and obtain a high-quality multicolor image. shall be. [Summary of the Invention] This invention provides a method for applying monochromatic ink layers of at least two colors in the longitudinal direction on an ink carrier over an area larger than the effective recording area during one recording,
The thermal head is provided with a heating element that adds heat to the thermal head. It is assumed that the ink carrier is conveyed only in one direction, and during recording, the recording medium is conveyed in the same direction as the ink carrier, and after recording of a single color component, the ink carrier and ink film are kept in close contact, and the ink carrier is conveyed in the same direction as the ink carrier. After solidifying, the two are peeled off and separated. The separating means is provided in contact with the platen roller, and guides the ink carrier along the platen roller. Thereafter, the recording medium is conveyed in the opposite direction, and the next monochrome ink layer on the ink carrier is brought into contact with the area (effective recording area) on the recording medium to which the previous monochrome ink layer has been transferred.
Furthermore, during ink transfer, the heating element, the ink carrier, and the recording medium are brought into pressure contact, and this pressure contact state is preferably released when the ink carrier and the recording medium are conveyed in a different direction. More preferably, after the ink transfer, the ink carrier and the ink film are conveyed while being in close contact with each other, and are peeled off and separated at a position different from the ink transfer position. [Effects of the Invention] According to the present invention, after the ink carrier and the recording paper are guided along the platen roller for a predetermined distance, only the recording paper is further guided along the platen roller, so that the ink carrier does not reach the point other than the peeling point. It is possible to prevent unstable transfer recording due to random separation. Furthermore, since the recording medium is always pressed against the platen roller, no positional shift occurs when forming a multicolor image. Therefore, ink transfer can be performed reliably and a high quality multicolor image can be obtained. Furthermore, since the ink carrier is guided along the platen, the ink carrier is not wrinkled, making it possible to provide an apparatus with fewer failures. [Embodiments of the Invention] Before describing embodiments of the invention in detail, the principle of the invention will be briefly explained. The thermal recording device according to the present invention basically includes a thermal head provided with a plurality of heating resistors (not shown) as heating elements, as shown in FIG.
20 , an ink film 33 as an ink agent, which is coated with a plurality of colors of ink in the direction in which it is fed out, and a recording paper 22 as a recording medium to which ink is transferred from the ink film 33. To record, transfer image information to ink film 3.
3 are prepared separately for each color of monochrome ink, and the heating resistor, ink film 33, and recording paper 22 are brought into pressure contact with each other at the ink transfer position. Then, a single color component signal is applied to the heating resistor to perform ink transfer. When the recording corresponding to the single color ink layer is completed in this way, the ink film 33 is moved so that the next single color ink layer is located under the heating resistor.
On the recording paper 22, the top of the area where the recording corresponding to the previous monochrome ink layer was performed (including the area where the monochrome component signal was "0" and no ink was transferred) is below the heating resistor. Transport both of them so that they are located at . At this time, the pressure contact between the heating resistor, the ink film 33, and the recording paper 22 is released. Hereinafter, by performing recording using each monochromatic signal component, one color image is obtained. The effective recording area is the area of an image to be created through multiple recordings using single-color ink layers. Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The thermal transfer device in this embodiment receives image information from an external information processing device and outputs it onto recording paper. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 2a, the apparatus consists of a mechanical section 11 that actually extracts images and an electrical control section 12 that controls this mechanical section 11 and exchanges information with the outside. The thermal transfer apparatus in this embodiment will be explained below by explaining each of the mechanical section 11 and the electric control section 12 . As shown in FIG. 2b, the mechanical section 11 of this thermal transfer device is comprised of an upper lid section 21 containing an ink film (not shown) and a thermal head 20 , and a bottom section 23 containing a recording paper 22. The top lid part 21 and the bottom part 23 are a kind of metal box. Upper lid part 21
If the side from which the recording paper 22 is sent out is the front side, the bottom part 23 and the bottom part 23 are always connected to each other via a bearing on the back side. Locking hooks 24a and 24b are provided on the front side surface of the top lid portion 21, and are paired with protrusions 25a and 25b provided on the front side surface of the bottom portion 23 , so that the top lid portion 21 and the bottom portion 23 are can be fixed, and when not recording, the upper lid part 21 can be rotated around the bearing on the back side. When it is fixed, the upper lid part 21
The heating resistor 2 of the thermal head 20 provided in
6 is adapted to come into pressure contact with the recording paper 22.
The ink film (not shown) can be installed without wrinkles by removing the locking hooks 24a and 24b and raising the top cover 21 , as will be described later. Each part will be explained in more detail. In the upper lid part 21 ,
As shown in FIG. 3, a thermal head 20 including a heating resistor 26, a drive system 32 for vertically moving the thermal head 20 , an ink film 33,
The ink film winding shafts 34a and 34b, a traveling guide roller 35, an ink film transport drive system (not shown), and an optical system 36 for detecting the colors of the ink painted on the ink film 33 are installed. Of these, the thermal head 20 and the ink film 33 are movable. As shown in FIG. 4, the thermal head 20 is composed of a ceramic plate 41 containing a heating resistor 26 and a metal plate 42 on which the ceramic plate 41 is held. This retention is
This is done by screwing at three points P, Q, and R.
The heat generating resistor 26 needs to be in contact with the recording paper 22 at right angles to the conveyance direction, and its adjustment is performed using screws at three points P, Q, and R. The heating resistor 2 is mounted on the ceramic plate 41.
6. An IC package 43 for a circuit that drives the heating resistor 26, a terminal 44 for supplying operating power to the heating resistor 26, a grounding terminal 45, and a terminal 46 for supplying various signals to the IC package 43 are provided. ing. The signals supplied to the IC package 43 are image signals, clock pulses, enable signals, and latch signals. The heating resistors 26 have a total length of 215 mm and are provided in one line at a density of 8 to 12 pieces/mm. This embodiment is designed to be able to record up to A4 size. Structurally, the heating resistor 26 is biased towards one end of the ceramic plate 41, and in this embodiment is biased towards the side from which the recording paper 22 is delivered. For convenience of explanation, the side where the heating resistor 26 is located will be referred to as the front side. The heating resistor 26, IC package 43, etc. are commercially available. The metal plate 41 is made of aluminum, and has projections and recesses 47 provided on the surface opposite to the surface on which the heating resistor 26 and the like are provided in order to improve the heat dissipation effect. Further, on the side surface of the metal plate 42, protrusions 48a, 48b are provided on the front side, and support fittings 49a, 49, which serve as the center of rotation of the metal plate 42, are provided on the rear side.
b are provided symmetrically. The support fittings 49a and 49b connect and fix the upper lid part 21 and the thermal head 20 , as shown in FIG. Bearings are provided around the axes of the support fittings 49a, 49b, and the thermal head 20 can be precisely rotated about the axis connecting the support fittings 49a, 49b. On the other hand, a straight line connecting the protrusions 48a and 48b is located directly above the heating resistor 26. These protrusions 48a, 48
Each of the two levers 50a, 5
It is sandwiched between 0b, 50c, and 50d. Each lever 50a, 50b, 50c, 50d
is approximately L-shaped. a pair of levers 50a,
50b, 50c, and 50d are connected to the axis 54 at one point along the way.
a, 54b, and has a kind of scissors-like structure, and is designed to sandwich the protrusions 48a, 48b. As shown in FIG. 3, the levers 50a, 50c are dynamically connected to electromagnets 51a, 51b via plates 52a, 52b at the ends not in contact with the protrusions 48a, 48b. The electromagnets 51a, 51b apply a force directed from the front to the rear, as shown by an arrow 53, to the plates 52a, 52b only when energized. This force is axis 5
4a, 54b and the L-shaped shapes of levers 50a, 50c provide an upward force to protrusions 48a, 48b. This is 3 kg·f (29 N) for each electromagnet 51a, 51b. On the other hand, springs 55a and 55b are connected to one ends of the levers 50b and 50d. Spring 55a,
The other end of 55b is fixed to the upper lid part 21. The springs 55a, 55b constantly apply a force directed from the back to the front of the thermal head 20 to the levers 50b, 50d, which is opposite to the force exerted by the electromagnets 51a, 51b. This force applies a downward force to the projections 48a, 48b due to the action of the shafts 54a, 54b. This force is 2Kg·f (19.6N). Protrusions 48a, 4
8b is integrally provided with the metal plate 42, so the above-mentioned force is applied to the thermal head 20.
Rotate. Therefore, a downward force is always applied to the thermal head 20 , and when the electromagnet is energized, it applies an upward force only when not recording, as will be described later. In the thermal transfer printer of this embodiment, recording is performed while the heating resistor 26, ink film 33, and recording paper 22 are stacked and pressed against each other. In particular, when pressure is applied from the heat generating resistor 26 side to realize pressure contact between the ink film 33 and the recording paper 22, the line of action of the force on the thermal head 20 is between the heat generating resistor 26 and the printing area on the recording paper 22. and the center of a platen roller 72, which will be described later. Therefore, the line of action of the force and the heating resistor 2
6 to the ink film 33 and the recording paper 22 coincide with the direction of maximum heat transfer. Thereby, ink transfer is performed accurately and stably. No wrinkles occur on the ink film 33. Furthermore, since the point of force application and the fulcrum are sufficiently long, the thermal head 20 can be rotated efficiently with minimal force. on the other hand,
During non-recording, the electromagnets 51a and 51b are energized, an upward force is generated on the thermal head 20 , and the pressure between the ink film 33 and the recording paper 22 is released. Therefore, the ink film 33 and the recording paper 22 can move freely relative to each other. As will be described later, in this embodiment, the recording paper 22 is conveyed in two directions: forward and reverse. Since the ink film 33 and the recording paper 22 are in a free state, it is also possible to apply a speed higher than that of the forward direction when conveying the ink film 33 in the reverse direction (corresponding to the non-recording time). As shown in FIG. 3, a pinch roller 57 (second
(omitted in the figure and FIG. 4a) is attached. This pinch roller 57, as described later,
After ink transfer, recording paper 22 and ink film 3
This is provided in order to smoothly perform uniform transfer and uniform peeling of the ink by not peeling off the ink immediately but running the ink while keeping them in close contact with each other for a while. Next, the ink film travel drive system will be explained. It should be noted here that the ink film 33 as an ink carrier is very thin and wide, so wrinkles are likely to occur. Moreover, in this invention, if wrinkles occur in the ink film 33,
This is an obstacle to color printing. In order to eliminate this, we have adopted the following configuration. The driving force of this drive system is the rotational force of the pulse motor 77, as shown in FIG. 4b. This rotational force is transmitted via the toothed belt 121 to the sprocket 122 constituting the ink film winding shaft 34b. The sprocket 122 has a cylindrical side surface, a groove is provided on the circumferential surface thereof, and the sprocket 122 meshes with the toothed belt 121. A shaft 123 is integrally provided to the sprocket 122 through its center.
This shaft 123 is fixed to the upper lid part 21 by bearings 124a and 124b. This bearing 124
The ink film 33 is wound between the ink film shaft 34a and the ink film 124b, and since the ink film winding shaft 34b winds up the used ink film 33, its radius continues to increase. Therefore, if the rotational speed of the pulse motor 77 is kept constant, the conveying speed of the ink film 33 will not be constant. In this embodiment, in order to prevent this, the ink film winding core 125 is designed to produce an angular velocity difference with respect to the rotation of the shaft 123. For this purpose, the following configuration is adopted. The pressure adjustment pieces 126L and 126R are connected to the shaft 12.
3. This pressure adjustment piece 126L, 12
The side opposite to the 6R ink film winding core 125 is
This is the wall of the upper lid part 21 and cannot be moved in this direction. On the other hand, a friction plate 127L,
Core pressers 129L and 129R are provided via springs 127R and springs 128L and 128R, and sandwich the ink film winding core 125 from both sides. The rotational force of the shaft 123 is controlled by the pressure adjustment piece 126.
transmitted to L. This rotational force is applied to the spring 12
It is transmitted to the tail presser 129L via 8L. At this time, since the spring 128L is present, a frictional force is generated against the rotational force of the shaft 123, and the tail presser 129L transmits only a rotational force corresponding to the amount (weight) of the ink film 33 to be wound up. As a result, when the amount of the ink film 33 to be wound increases, the number of rotations at the ink film winding core 125 decreases.
Conversely, since the radius of the ink film roll increases, the transport speed of the ink film 33 remains constant. At the same time, the springs 128L and 128R push the ink film winding core 125 together from opposite directions.
The rotational force generated in the tail pressers 129L and 129R is transmitted to the ink film roll. On the other hand, the ink film winding shaft 34a is the side that supplies the ink film 33, and has almost the same structure as the ink film winding shaft 34b. However, a rotation stopper 130 is provided in place of the sprocket 122. By doing this, the ink film 3
3 is constantly conveyed at a constant speed and a constant tension is applied, so wrinkles do not occur. Next, the optical system 36 will be explained. This optical system 36 includes three lamps 61a, 61b, 61c located below the ink film 33, filters 62R, 62G, 62B provided above the lamps 61a, 61b, 61c, and the ink film 33. Three photoelectric conversion devices, for example, phototransistors 63a, 63b, and 63c, are provided on the ink film 33 to convert light into electrical signals, and the phototransistors 63a, 63b, and 63c convert light into electrical signals. A signal processing circuit 6 that outputs an electrical signal according to the color of the ink applied to the
It consists of 4. Of these, phototransistors 63a, 63b, and 63c and a signal processing circuit 64 are provided in the upper lid portion 21 . The three lamps 61a, 61b, and 61c are provided substantially perpendicular to the surface of the ink film 33. Filters 62R, 62G, 62B, photoelectric conversion devices, such as phototransistors 63a, 63b, 63
The same applies to c. At the same time, the lamp 61a, the filter 62R, and the phototransistor 63a are provided substantially perpendicularly to the ink film 33 and in substantially a straight line.
This forms one set. The same applies to the set of lamp 61b, filter 62G, and phototransistor 63b, and the set of lamp 61c, filter 62B, and phototransistor 63c. Next, the bottom portion 23 will be explained. This bottom 23
As shown in FIG.
1, a platen roller 72 that applies a feeding force to the recording paper 22 fed out from the roll-shaped recording paper 71 and conveys it to the outside after ink transfer; and a platen roller 72 for reliably transmitting the feeding force from the platen roller 72 to the recording paper 22. It consists of pinch rollers 73a, 73b that bring the recording paper 22 into close contact with the platen roller 72, lamps 61a, 61b, 61c of the optical system 36 , and filters 62R, 62G, 62B. The recording paper roller 71 is housed in a container 76, as shown in FIG. Rotational force is applied to the platen roller 72 from a pulse motor 74 via a toothed belt 75 . Platen roller 72
rotates in two directions. In this example, roller 7
2 and the rolled recording paper 71, there is provided a space in which the recording paper 22 can slacken by at least about 30 cm. Next, the ink film 33 will be explained.
As shown in FIG. 7, the ink film 33 is a capacitor paper or polyester film 81 with a thickness of 6 to 12 μm and a width ω=220 mm, and is coated with 4 g/m ^{2 .}
With a coating amount of It is coated. These inks dissolve or become sticky when heated. As mentioned above, such an ink film 33 is very thin and wrinkles more easily. The installation of this ink film 33 will be explained. When starting to use the device, the top cover 21 and bottom 23 are unlocked and the top cover 21 is raised. Then, the ink film winding shafts 34a and 34b, which are the ink film transport system, and the pinch roller 3
5,57 goes outside. The ink film 33 is
A tape is attached to the tip of the ink film 33, which is taken out from the ink film winding shaft 34a, pulled to the outside of the pinch rollers 35 and 57, and taken out to the front of the ink film winding shaft 34b. Paste it on the winding core 125. In this way, the ink film 33 can be easily attached and wrinkles do not occur. The ink film 33 mounted in this way is
Transported in only one direction. On the other hand, recording paper
A feature of this embodiment is that it is transported in two directions: forward and reverse. The manner in which recording is performed through such operations will be explained. Since it is a thermal transfer type, an electric signal is supplied to the heating resistor 26 according to the recorded information. Furthermore, the present invention is of a multicolor thermal transfer type, and recorded information is separated into yellow, magenta, cyan, and black, and electric signals are supplied to the heating resistor 26 for each color. For example, one page's worth of image information is separated for each color, and electrical signals corresponding to the separation are sent to the heating resistor 26. Here, image signals of the same color are called color signals corresponding to that color. For example, an electrical signal with a yellow component is called a yellow signal. When recording one page of one color signal, the ink film 33
and the recording paper 22 are transported in the same direction and at the same speed. Therefore, the ink film 33 and the recording paper 22
The relative speed difference with that is zero. During recording, the ink film 33 and the recording paper 22 are placed between the thermal head 20 and the platen roll 72, that is, between the thermal head 20 and the platen roll 72.
Immediately below the heat generating resistor 26, the heat generating resistor 26 and the platen roller 72 are brought into close contact with each other at the same time due to the pressing force from the thermal head 20 .
In this state, heat is applied to the ink film 33 from the energized heating resistor 26 in accordance with the recording information. Then, ink is transferred from the heated ink film 33 to the recording paper 22. After the transfer, the ink film 33 and the recording paper 22 are transferred to the pinch roller 5.
7. Drive in close contact with the vehicle. Therefore, ink transfer is performed reliably. It is important to bring the ink film 33 and the recording paper 22 into close contact up to the pinch roller 57, and the pinch roller 57 is not necessarily required. For example, a plate with doctor edges may be provided. After passing this pinch roller 57, the ink film 33 is
The recording paper 22 is fed upward by the guide roller 35, and the recording paper 22 is fed downward by the pinch roller 73b. As a result, the ink film 33 and the recording paper 22 are separated. In this way, when the ink film 33 and the recording paper 22 are conveyed in close contact with each other after ink transfer and then separated, the ink transfer is performed reliably and the separation of the two is also performed uniformly. According to the inventor's experiments, the platen roller 72
If the pressure is released immediately after the ink is transferred and the recording paper 22 is transported without conveying it at a relative speed of 0 while keeping it in close contact for 5 to 10 mm at the top,
The ink film 33 and the recording paper 22 adhere to each other, making accurate positioning impossible. Also, after the ink has solidified, the ink film 3
3 and the recording paper 22 should be separated,
It is not necessarily necessary to convey the paper on the platen roller 72. Further, as shown in FIG. 14, a plate 141 having a doctor edge may be used instead of the pinch roller 57. In this way, when one page of monochromatic component signals of a certain color has been recorded, the thermal head 20 is released from pressure as described above, and the ink film 33 is moved to the position where the next color can be transferred. move in the same direction. On the other hand, the recording paper 22
is advanced in the direction shown by arrow 84 in FIG. 3, returns to the first recording position on the same page, and begins recording the next monochromatic component signal. By repeating the above steps for four colors, one page of multicolor printing can be achieved. Further, it is preferable that the ink is transferred in the order of yellow, magenta, cyan, and black, that is, printing is performed from the lightest color. The multicolor thermal transfer apparatus in this embodiment performs recording by the above-described operation. Next, electric signals for realizing and controlling this operation will be explained with reference to FIGS. 3 and 8. The thermal head 20 is supplied with color signals for each color for one page, as shown in FIG. 8a. In this embodiment, each color signal is serially supplied to the IC package 43 in the order of yellow signal A, magenta signal L, cyan signal C, and black signal D in synchronization with a 500 Hz clock pulse. Inside the IC package 43, one line of color signals supplied serially is latched and supplied to the heating resistor 26. In this way, recording is performed for each color, and at this time, the ink film 33 and the recording paper 22 are conveyed at a constant speed while being brought into pressure contact with each other directly below the heating resistor 26. However, when starting printing, as shown in FIG.
Make sure that it is located before 6. In this way, the accuracy of ink application to the ink film 33 becomes less of a problem. Further, in order to bring the ink film 33 and the recording paper 22 into pressure contact with the heating resistor 26, no current is supplied to the electromagnets 51a and 51b until time _t0 as shown in FIG. This force applies a downward force to the thermal head 20 . In this state, while supplying color signals to the thermal head 20 , pulse signals are supplied to the pulse motor 77 for transporting the ink film 33 until time _t1 , as shown in FIG. 8c. Figure 8c
indicates that the pulse signal is supplied to the pulse motor 77 when the signal is “1”. The rotation angle of the pulse motor 77 changes depending on the number of pulses, and the conveying distance of the ink film 33 changes. In this example, one pulse produces 125 μm.
(equivalent to 8 dots/mm). The pulse motor 74 for conveying the recording paper 22 is also supplied with a pulse signal identical to the pulse signal supplied to the pulse motor 77 until time _t1 , as shown in FIG. 8d. This pulse motor 7
The characteristics of 4 and pulse motor 77 are exactly the same,
During recording, the ink film 33 and the recording paper 22 are conveyed at a constant speed while being in close contact with each other. The pulse signals supplied to the pulse motors 74 and 77 are continued until time t _{1 after time t 0 when} the color signal supply ends. Therefore, from time t ₀ to time t ₁ , no printing is performed and the ink film 33 and recording paper 22 are kept in close contact with each other and are fed by about 5 mm. During this idle feeding, since there is a pinch roller 57 between the ink film traveling system between the heating resistor 26 and the ink film winding shaft 34b, the ink film 33 and the recording paper 23 maintain a close contact state. This ensures that the ink is transferred. When printing for one color is completed in this way, the color of the ink on the ink film 33 directly below the thermal head 26 is yellow, as shown in FIG. 9c. However, the color near the optical system 36 changes from yellow to magenta before time _t0 , as shown in FIG. 9b. Among the outputs from the optical system 36 at this time, the yellow detection signal changes from "1" to "0" as shown in FIG.
, the magenta detection signal changes synchronously from "0" to "1". By using this signal, as will be described later, it is possible to accurately locate the beginning of the next color of ink regardless of the coating accuracy of the ink film 33, and it is possible to select a color signal regardless of the order of ink coating. In this way, printing ends at time _t0 , and idle feeding of the ink film 33 and recording paper 22 ends at time _t1 . Therefore, ideally the time
At t ₂ , as shown in FIG. 8b, the electromagnet 5
A current is passed through 1a and 51b. energized electromagnet 5
1a, 51b generate a suction force on the plates 52a, 52b, and apply upward force to the protrusions 48a, 48b. Then, the thermal head 20 moves around the support fittings 49a and 49b as the rotation centers. Then, the recording paper 22 and the ink film 33 are
The pressurized state is released. However, in reality the electromagnet 5
1a and 51b cannot realize a non-pressure contact state immediately after being energized, but there is a delay of about 50 msec, so energization is started at time t ₀ when the supply of image signals ends. Then, at time _t2, a non-pressure contact state occurs. After energizing the electromagnets 51a and 51b and releasing the pressure contact state of the ink film 33, etc., another 50 msec later, at time _t3 , a pulse signal is supplied to the pulse motor 77, and the next color, magenta, is applied. The top of the region 82M is positioned at the tip of the heating resistor 26. In order to realize this, in the optical system 36 ,
The ink film 33 is conveyed forward until a certain period of time T has elapsed after the color change of the ink is detected. If the time interval between times t ₁ and t ₃ is kept constant, the ink film 33 can always be located at the beginning.
By doing this, even if you do not necessarily print in A4 size, the distance from when a change in ink color is detected by the optical system 36 to the beginning of the next color is approximately constant, so you can reliably locate the beginning. , the degree of freedom in recording increases. Furthermore, the accuracy of ink application of each color on the ink film 33 inevitably decreases;
By detecting the ink color and its changes in this way, it is possible to reliably locate the next color. On the other hand, a pulse motor 7 that conveys the recording paper 22
4, a pulse signal with a frequency twice the number of pulses supplied during recording is supplied. However, as can be seen from FIG. 8c, which shows a signal indicating the rotation direction of the pulse motor 74, the rotation direction of the pulse motor 74 is reversed. As a result, the recording paper 22 returns to the initial position at twice the speed of recording. This completes the preparation for printing in magenta color. Up to this point, the pressure contact between the ink film 33 and the recording paper 22 by the thermal head 20 has been released. Before the next printing, as shown in FIG. 8b, at time _t4 , the electromagnets 51a and 51
Stop energizing b. Then, the thermal head
20 presses the ink film 33 and the recording paper 22 against the platen roller 72 by a spring 55a;
The printer is ready to print. After time _t5 , the above operation is repeated. Next, the electric control section 12 that realizes the above electric signals will be explained. As shown in FIG. 10, this electrical control section 12 receives information from the outside and operates based on the input/output control section 91, which is the center of control of the entire device, and the finger cooling signal and image information from the input/output control section 91. , and a mechanical control section 92 that actually supplies control signals to the mechanical section 11 . The input/output control unit 91 is a control system centered on the CPU 93. The CPU 93 connects to an external information processing device (not shown) via an interface 94.
Image information is taken into this control system. next
The CPU 93 stores this image information in the image memory 9
Store in 5. The image information supplied from the information processing device is a color signal for one page, for example, a yellow signal for one page, a magenta signal for one page, a cyan signal for one page, and a black signal for one page. be. Naturally, these signals are binary signals of "0" and "1". Such signals are stored two-dimensionally in the image memory 95. In normal image reading and scanning, signals are read in the main scanning direction and sub-scanning is performed in the paper feeding direction. These signals are stored in the image memory 95 in the order in which they were read, while clearly maintaining the differences between main scanning lines. For example, a blur is set at the beginning or end of the image information for each main scanning line and stored. Once the image information has been stored, the CPR 93 supplies control signals and image information to the machine controller 92 via an internal interface 96 to begin recording. The mechanical control section 92 includes a circuit that controls the electromagnets 51a and 51b that move the thermal head 20 up and down, a circuit that controls the pulse motors 74 and 77 that transport the recording paper 22 and the ink film 33, and a circuit that controls the pulse motors 74 and 77 that transport the recording paper 22 and the ink film 33 . Thermal head 2 is a circuit that controls the conveyance of the ink film 33 according to signals.
0 and a circuit that supplies a signal according to image information. The circuit that controls the electromagnets 51a and 51b includes a solenoid controller 97 and a driver 98. The CPU 93 supplies a pulse signal to the solenoid controller 97 only when moving the thermal head 20 up or down. Solenoid controller 9
7 consists of a flip-flop, and the CPU 9
A pulse having a time width corresponding to the interval between the two path signals from 3 is supplied to the driver 98. The driver 98 converts the voltage into a voltage sufficient to drive the electromagnets 51a and 51b, and supplies the voltage to the electromagnets 51a and 51b. This is the signal shown in Figure 8b. The circuit that controls the pulse motor 74 that conveys the recording paper 22 includes a pulse generator 99, a comparator 100, a counter 101, and an AND circuit 10.
2 and a driver 103. CPU93
performs the following control in order to convey the recording paper 22 by a length corresponding to the size of the area to be recorded. First, the CPU 93 sets the comparator 100 to
Set the number. Then, the comparator 100 instructs the counter 101 to start counting. A constant pulse signal is supplied from the pulse generator 99 to this counter 101 at a frequency f ₁ during recording and at a frequency 2f ₁ during non-recording to perform counting. At the same time, the counter 101 keeps the signal "1" as long as it is counting.
Output. This signal "1" and the pulse signal from the pulse generator 99 are multiplied by an AND circuit 102. Therefore, as long as the counter 101 is counting, the output of the AND circuit 102 is a pulse signal synchronized with the pulse signal from the pulse generator 99a. The number counted by the counter 101 is also supplied to the comparator 100. In the comparator 100, the number counted by the counter 101 and the CPU 93
When the number matches the number set by , the counter 101 is caused to stop counting. Then, the output from the counter 101 becomes "0" and the output from the AND circuit 102 also becomes zero. The pulse signal at this time is a signal output by time _t1 in FIG. 8d. The output of the AND circuit 102 is the driver 103
is supplied to This driver 103 has
A signal instructing the rotation direction of the pulse motor 74 as shown in FIG. 8e is supplied from the CPU 93. Based on these two signals, the driver 103 converts the voltage into a voltage sufficient to rotate the pulse motor 74, and supplies the voltage to the pulse motor 74 together with a signal specifying the rotation direction. The circuit that controls the pulse motor 77 that transports the ink film 33 has substantially the same configuration as the circuit that controls the pulse motor 74 that transports the recording paper 22. Pulse generator 99b, counter 104, comparator 105, AND circuit 10
6, an OR circuit 107 and a driver 108. However, the frequency of the pulse signal from the pulse generator 99b is _f1 . The output of the AND circuit 106 is
The pulse signal is output at a time interval corresponding to the length of the recording area. This output is ORed with a signal that is "1" for a certain period of time after it is detected that the ink colors on the ink film 33 are different, as will be described later. OR circuit 107. The output of OR circuit 107 is supplied to pulse motor 77 by driver 108, resulting in a signal as shown in FIG. 8c. A circuit that controls the conveyance of the ink film 33 according to signals from the light receiving system 36 is a signal processing circuit 6.
4, a counter 109, a comparator 110, and an AND circuit 111. The signal processing circuit 64 is a part of the optical system 36 , and will be explained based on FIG. 11. lamp 61
In front of a, 61b, 61c, there is a red filter 62.
Since there are R, green filters 62G, and blue filters 62B, the lights irradiated onto the ink film 22 are red, green, and blue, respectively. On the ink film 22, yellow, magenta, cyan, and black inks are applied. The ink film 33 coated with each ink allows light other than light having a complementary color relationship to pass therethrough. For example, cyan blocks red light, magenta blocks blue light, and yellow blocks green light. However, in this embodiment, the color of the ink on the ink film 33 is not pure, and since it is relatively close to the three lamps 61a, 61b, and 61c, there is some leakage of transmitted light. . For example, a case where the color of ink on the ink film 33 is cyan will be explained. The light that has passed through the red filter 62R does not reach the phototransistor 63a, and the input to the amplifier 65a is "0".
The output _D1 from the comparator 66a also becomes "0". Green filter 62G and blue filter 62B
The light that has passed through the phototransistors 63b and 6
3c, and by appropriately setting the resistors 67b and 67c of the comparators 66b and 66c, the outputs D ₂ and D ₃ from the comparators 66b and 66c become "1". FIG. 12 shows this. Such inputs enter logic circuit 68. In the logic circuit 68, the output from the comparator 63a is multiplied by a weight of "1," the output from the comparator 63b is multiplied by a weight of "2," and the output from the comparator 63c is multiplied by a weight of "4." Then, if the color of the ink on the ink film 33 is cyan, it will be "6", if it is magenta, it will be "3", if it is yellow, it will be "5", and if it is black, it will be "0". On the other hand, the output of the logic circuit 68 is set to be "0" for cyan, "1" for magenta, "2" for yellow, and "3" for black, as shown in FIG. This allows information about the color to be obtained in 2 bits. During actual color detection, as mentioned above, there is light leakage, so if the settings of the resistors 67a, 67b, 67c are changed appropriately, the outputs of the comparators 66a, 66b, 66c will also change accordingly. The output of such a logic circuit 68 is sent to the CPU 93.
sent to. Based on this signal, the CPU 93 recognizes the color change in the light receiving system 36 and the color of the ink on the ink film 33. With this, CPU93
can tell you which color to print next. Therefore, the image signal corresponding to this color is sent to the thermal head 2.
0 can be supplied. With this configuration, even if the ink coating length of the ink film 33 changes, it can be easily accommodated. At the same time, the CPU 93 calculates the time from time t ₁ to time t ₀ .
T ₁ is measured by a timer (not shown).
Then, at time _t3 , the number corresponding to the time T shown in FIG. 8 minus the previous time _T1 (T- _T1 divided by the synchronization of the pulse signal from the pulse generator 99a) (number of vines). Then, the comparator 110 instructs the counter 109 to start counting. The counter 109 counts the number of pulse signals supplied from the pulse generator 99. This number is determined by the comparator 110
is supplied to the CPU 93 and compared with the number set by the CPU 93. When these two numbers match, comparator 110 instructs counter 109 to stop counting. The counter 109 outputs "1" to the AND circuit 111 as long as it is counting. At the same time, a pulse signal from pulse generator 99 is also supplied to AND circuit 111 . As a result, the _eighth
A pulse signal is output as shown in Figure c. This pulse signal is supplied to the pulse motor 97 via the OR circuit 107 to locate the beginning of the ink film 33. On the other hand, the CPU 93 applies the latch and at the same time,
It is supplied to the heating resistor 26. Recording is thereby performed. As described above, in the thermal transfer recording apparatus shown in this embodiment, (i) the ink film 33 can be easily attached and wrinkles do not occur. (ii) The coating accuracy of each monochromatic ink layer of the ink film 33 does not need to be very high. (iii) The positional accuracy of the ink transfer of each monochrome ink layer is high, and the quality of the multicolor image is high. (iv) Ink peeling is performed smoothly and image quality does not deteriorate. (v) The recording area can be controlled electrically, so it can be changed freely. It has the following advantages. In (i), the conveyance system for the ink film 33 and the conveyance system for the recording paper 22 are housed in separate metal boxes, and these can be separated;
Moreover, when they are separated, the conveyance system for the ink film 33 is exposed to the outside. The advantage of (ii) is that a single color ink layer is coated on the ink film 33 in an area larger than the effective recording area, and cueing is performed. In this embodiment, the optical system 36
This is assisted by. However, it is also possible to apply a single color ink layer with a sufficient margin and to perform cueing by a pulse signal sent to the pulse motor 77. The advantage of (iii) is that the ink film 33 and recording paper 22
This is based on the fact that the ink film 33 and the recording paper 22 are conveyed at a constant speed, and that the direction of maximum heat transfer from the heating resistor 26 coincides with the direction of application of force from the thermal head 20 to the ink film 33 and the recording paper 22. The conveying means is not limited to the pulse motors 74 and 77. The advantage of (iv) is that the ink film 33 and recording paper 22
The position where the ink is peeled off and separated is separate from the ink transfer position, and the position is peeled off and separated after the ink has solidified.
Further, the ink film 33 and the recording paper 22 are kept relatively stationary from ink transfer to peeling and separation. The advantage of (v) is that the image information is separated into each monochrome component, and the pulse motors 74 and 77 are used as conveyance means. However, as a means of transportation,
Anything can be used as long as it can be controlled by electrical signals. Furthermore, if an image reading device is provided via the interface 94 in this embodiment, it becomes a multicolor copying machine. Furthermore, if the image information is obtained via a telephone line or the like, it becomes a color facsimile. Although this invention has been described in detail above, it is natural that any modifications are included in this invention as long as they are not restricted to the embodiments and do not depart from the spirit of this invention.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the principle of a multicolor thermal transfer recording device according to the present invention, FIGS. 2 to 13 show examples, and FIG.
Figure b is a perspective view of the main part, Figure 3 is a side view of the main part, Figure 4a is a perspective view of the surroundings of the thermal head,
FIG. 4b is a diagram showing an ink film transport system;
5 is a perspective view of the optical system 36 , FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the recording paper conveyance system, FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the ink film, and FIG. 8 is a diagram showing signals for controlling and operating the device. The time charts shown in FIGS. 9a to 9d are diagrams showing the conveyance position of the ink film, and FIG.
FIG. 11 is an electrical circuit diagram of the entire device, FIG. 11 is an electrical circuit diagram configuring the optical system, FIGS. 12 and 13 are diagrams for explaining signals in the optical system, and FIG. 14 is an electrical circuit diagram of the optical system.
It is a figure which shows the modification of a separation means. 20... Thermal head, 33... Ink film, 57... Platen roller, 74, 77...
pulse motor.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. In a thermal transfer recording device that uses color separation signals of image information for one page to be recorded to form a multicolor image over an effective recording area on a recording medium corresponding to the one page. , an ink carrier having an area substantially equal to or larger than the effective recording area and formed by repeatedly coating in the longitudinal direction at least two or more monochromatic ink layers that dissolve or become sticky when heated; A thermal head having a plurality of heating elements arranged in contact with a surface on which ink is not applied; a platen roller provided opposite to the thermal head; the heating element of the thermal head, the ink carrier, and the ink. a first pressure contact unit that presses the recording medium that is in contact with the coated surface of the carrier against the platen roller during recording; and a first pressure contact unit that presses the recording medium that is in contact with the coated surface of the carrier against the platen roller during recording; a first conveying means for conveying the ink carrier and the recording medium in the same direction at a constant speed with respect to the heat generating element; During recording, a second pressing means is provided to press the recording medium and the ink carrier against the platen roller, and only the recording medium is pressed against the platen roller before and after the first and second pressing means. 3rd pressure contact
pressure contact means, and after the recording is completed, the ink carrier and the recording are pressed so that the surface of the monochromatic ink layer to be recorded next on the ink carrier and the surface of the recording medium on which the recording has been made coincide with each other. and a second conveyance means for moving the recording medium relatively to the medium, and the first and second pressure contact means release the pressure contact while the recording medium is conveyed by the second conveyance means, and the first and second pressure contact means release the pressure contact while the recording medium is conveyed by the second transportation means. No. 3, the pressure contact means is connected to the first and second
A thermal transfer recording apparatus, characterized in that the recording medium is in pressure contact with the recording medium while the recording medium is conveyed by the conveying means.