JPS63115770A - Ink sheet cassette - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent a thermal head from being broken and prevent jamming from occurring, by feeding an ink sheet by using an edge part of an opening part of a payout roll containing part of an ink sheet cassette as a guide, and composing the edge part or the vicinity of the edge part of a grounded conductive member. CONSTITUTION:An ink sheet 2 is guided by an edge part 7f of an opening part 7e of a payout roll containing part 7a, so that it is unnecessary to provide a separate member for guiding the ink sheet 2, and the construction of an ink sheet cassette is simplified. The ink sheet 2 is constantly subjected to static elimination by a conductive member 12 and a cassette guide 13, so that it is possible to prevent breakage of a thermal head 3 due to static electricity or jamming due to adhesion of image-receiving paper and the ink sheet 2 under the effect of static electricity from occurring.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] Industrial Field of Use The present invention outputs images from televisions, computers, etc.
- It relates to a highly reliable and low cost ink sheet cassette useful as a Tocobee device.

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, there has been a remarkable trend toward color display devices such as CRTs, and with this trend, there has been a growing demand for hard copy devices capable of color recording. Currently, the impact method, thermal transfer method, inkjet method, electrophotographic method, etc. are being considered as color recording methods, but among these methods, the thermal transfer method is the preferred method for practical use due to its quietness, ease of maintenance, and cost. It can be said that this method is leading the way compared to other methods.

Conventionally, when color recording is performed using a thermal transfer method, yellow (102b) is printed on a transparent base material 102a in the manner shown in FIG.
), magenta (102c), shea y (102d)
Opaque marks 102e and 102f corresponding to each color ink are placed on an ink sheet 102 that is painted in three different colors.

Apply 102q. As shown in FIG. 9, since the ink sheet 1o2 is a consumable item, it is easier to replace the ink sheet 1o2 with the supply roll 1o69 and the take-up roll 1o6. Together with the sheet guides 116, 112 and the reflective member 109 provided on the sheet guide 116, the ink sheet cassette 107 is configured to be removably attached to the apparatus. In a thermal transfer type recording apparatus, as shown in FIG.
The line-shaped thermal head 1 is conveyed in the direction of
The ink is transferred from the ink sheet 102 by selective heating of the heating elements 103a arranged linearly on the thermal head 103, which are brought into pressure contact with the ink sheet 1o2 at the position of pressure contact between the ink sheet 1o2 and the platen roller 104. Form. At the same time, the shrunk sheet 12 is driven by a sheet driving means (not shown) through a sheet guide 116 in the direction of arrow b', and is wound onto a take-up roll 106. However, the supply roll 106 and the take-up roll 106 are each configured to transmit a predetermined torque via a slip mechanism (not shown). In the case of color recording, the image receiving paper 101 is moved by the capstan roller 1 corresponding to each color ink.
The ink sheet 10 reciprocates 3 times due to forward and reverse rotation of 10, while the ink sheet 10
2 sequentially transfers each color while traveling in the direction of arrow b', and by repeating the above operation, the three colors of yellow, magenta, and cyan are superimposed and recorded on the image receiving paper 101 to form a color image.

Here, at the start of recording for each color, the marks 102θ, 102f, 102 on the ink sheet 1o2 are detected by the sensor 108 provided at a position facing the reflective member 109, when the leading edge of the corresponding ink comes to a position facing the heating element 103a.
g is detected respectively.

Problems that the invention helps solve 0) Static electricity generated on the ink sheet is thermal.

The thermal head may be damaged due to discharge near the head, or jamming may occur due to close contact with the image receiving paper.

(2) It is necessary to provide a guide member to detect marks on the ink sheet and to stabilize its running, which complicates the structure of the ink sheet cassette.

(3) The supply roll applies pack tension to the ink sheet with a constant torque, so if the radius of the supply roll changes as the ink sheet wears out, the value of pack tension will also change; If the pack tension is too large, the tension of the ink sheet becomes large, which acts as a resistance to the pressing force of the thermal head. If the pack tension is too small, wrinkles will occur in the ink sheet, causing deterioration of the recorded image.

(4) Dust attached to the ink sheet deteriorates the recorded image.

Means for Solving the Problems In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention runs the ink sheet using the edge of the opening of the supply roll storage section of the ink sheet cassette as a guide. Is the area near the area a grounded conductive member or a shiny reflective member?
The cleaning member is made of a member having a higher coefficient of friction than the supply roll housing part.

Effects The present invention eliminates static electricity, simplifies the guide member for detecting each color mark on the ink sheet, removes dust adhering to the ink sheet, and reduces changes in the pack tension of the ink sheet. highly reliable,
You can get an ink sheet cassette at a low price.

Embodiment Hereinafter, the configuration of a first embodiment of the present invention will be explained based on the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a basic configuration diagram showing an ink sheet cassette and a thermal transfer recording device in a first embodiment of the present invention.
1 is an image receiving paper, 2 is an ink sheet, 3 is a thermal head arranged linearly with the heating element 3a, and 4 is a platen roller. Reference numeral 5 designates a supply roll formed by winding the ink sheet 2, which rotates with a constant torque when rotating in the direction of arrow a, and is connected to means such as a slip mechanism (not shown). A take-up roll is rotationally driven by a sheet winding means (not shown) via means such as a slip mechanism (not shown). An ink sheet cassette 7 rotatably supports a supply roll 6 and a take-up roll 6, and is attached to and detached from the main body of the apparatus in the depth direction of the drawing.

8 is a sensor having a light emitting part and a light receiving part and detects reflected light; 16 is a sheet guide fixed to the ink sheet cassette 7; the part facing the sensor 8 is provided with a reflective member 9 having a gloss. 10 is a capstan roller, and 11 is a pinch roller which is in pressure contact with the capstan roller 1o. Further, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the ink sheet cassette 7. As shown in the figure, the ink sheet cassette has a supply roll storage section 7a and a take-up roll storage section 7b to prevent direct contact with the ink sheet 2. Further, when the ink sheet cassette 7 is inserted into the main body of the apparatus, the supply roll 5 and the take-up roll 6 are connected to a slip mechanism (not shown) through the openings 7C and 7d. Further, FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the configuration near the opening 7e of the supply roll storage section 7a, where 12 is a conductive member provided at the edge 7f of the opening 7e, and 13 is a conductive member fixed to the main body of the apparatus and grounded. It is a cassette guide. The conductive member 12 comes into contact with the cassette guide 13 when the ink sheet cassette 7 is inserted into the main body of the apparatus. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the basic structure of the ink sheet 2, in which yellow (2b), magenta (2c), and cyan (2d) are printed on a transparent base material 2a, each having an area equivalent to the recording screen. The reeds are coated with ink and have opaque marks 2e, 2f, and 2g corresponding to each color.

However, since the mark 2θ corresponds to the beginning of a set of three colors of ink, it is longer to distinguish it from other marks.

Next, the operation of the ink sheet cassette in this first embodiment will be explained using FIGS. 1 to 4. When the ink sheet cassette 7 is inserted into the main body of the apparatus, the take-up roll 6 rotates in the direction of the arrow C, and the ink silt 2 is rotated in the direction of the arrow C.
Direction (to run.

However, at this time, the ink sheet 2 is applied with pack tension by the torque of the supply roll 5, and the conductive member 12
The static electricity on the ink sheet 2 is removed via the conductive member 12 and the cassette guide 13. When the mark 2e on the ink sheet 2 blocks the detection of the light reflected by the reflective member 9 of the sensor 8, the take-up roll 6 further runs the ink sheet 2 in the direction of arrow C for a certain period of time, and the sensor 8 detects the reflected light. If not detected, it will stop. At this time, the recording start position of the yellow ink 2b on the ink sheet 2 faces the heating element 3a of the thermal head 3. Next, the thermal head 3 is pressed against the platen roller 4, the capstan roller 1o is driven to rotate in the direction of the arrow d, and the image receiving paper 1 is conveyed in the direction of the arrow e at the position where the capstan roller 10 and the pinch row 211 are in pressure contact. At the same time, the take-up roll 6 is rotated and driven in the direction of the arrow to apply tension to the ink sheet 2 while taking it up. At the same time, a desired recording signal is transmitted to the thermal head 3, and the heating element 3a selectively generates heat to transfer the ink on the ink sheet 2 to the image receiving paper 1 to obtain a desired image. Also at this time, the ink sheet 2 is guided to the edge 7f via the conductive member 12 while being given puncture tension by the supply roll 5, and static electricity is removed. After recording one screen with the yellow ink 2b, move the thermal head 3 away from the platen roller 4, and move the capstan roller 1° in the direction of arrow f.
to rotate the image receiving paper 1 in the direction of the arrow q,
Return to recording start state. Further, the ink sheet 2 is wound up in the direction of arrow C, and stops when the mark 2f blocks detection of the reflected light by the sensor 8. At this time, the recording start position of the magenta ink 2C on the ink sheet 2 faces the heating element 3a.

Thereafter, in the same way as the above-described recording operation using the yellow ink 2b, one screen worth of recording is performed using the magenta ink 2C, superimposed on the image recorded using the yellow ink 2b.

Similarly, recording is performed using the cyan ink 2d to complete recording of a full color image for one screen.

As described above, according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the ink sheet 2 is guided by the edge 7f of the opening 7e of the supply roll storage section 7a, so the ink sheet 2 is guided by a separate member. This is not necessary and the configuration of the ink sheet cassette 7 is simplified. In addition, static electricity is constantly removed from the ink sheet 2 through the conductive member 12 and the cassette guide 13 when the ink sheet 2 travels, so static electricity may damage the thermal head 3 or jam the image receiving paper 1 and ink sheet 2 due to static electricity. can be prevented from occurring.

Hereinafter, the configuration of a second embodiment of the present invention will be described based on the accompanying drawings.

In the ink sheet cassette of the second embodiment, the basic configurations of the ink sheet cassette, thermal transfer recording device, and ink sheet are the same as those shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 4, and therefore the description thereof will be omitted. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the structure of the vicinity of the opening 7e of the supply roll storage section 7a in the second embodiment of the present invention, and 14 is a cleaning member such as a nonwoven fabric provided at the edge 7f of the opening 7e. .

The operation of closing the ink sheet cassette of the second embodiment configured as described above is the same as that of the first embodiment, and the explanation will be omitted. It is guided by the edge 7f.

From the above, according to the second implementation row, the ink sheet 2
Since it is constantly sliding on the cleaning member, dust and the like on the ink sheet 2 are removed, and deterioration of the recorded image due to dust and the like can be prevented.

A third embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

In the ink sheet cassette of the third embodiment, the basic configurations of the ink sheet cassette, thermal transfer device, and ink sheet are the same as those shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 4, and therefore the description thereof will be omitted. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the structure of the vicinity of the opening 7e of the supply roll storage section 7a in the third embodiment of the present invention. Reference numeral 15 denotes a friction member provided on the edge 7f of the opening 7e, and the ink sheet cassette 7 The cover is also made of a material with a high coefficient of friction. In addition, the edge 7f guides the ink sheet 2 with a curved portion of radius H, and when the radius of the supply roll 5 is the minimum, the back tension of the ink sheet 2 is maximum, but when the radius of the supply roll 5 is the maximum Compared to the case of , the wrapping angle of the ink sheet 2 around the edge 7f is reduced by θ, which has the effect of reducing the maximum pack tensilon.

The operation of the ink sheet cassette 7 of the third embodiment configured as described above is the same as that of the first embodiment, and the explanation will be omitted. It is guided by the portion 7f.

Based on the above, the third implementation f! According to AJK, since the ink sheet 2 constantly slides on the curved portion of the edge 7f via the friction member 16, it is possible to reduce changes in the puncture tension of the ink sheet 2 that correspond to changes in the radius of the supply roll 6. can.

A fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the basic configuration of an ink sheet cassette and a thermal transfer recording device in a fourth embodiment Q of the present invention. In the figure, 1 and 3 to 6 and 10 and 11 are the same as in FIG. 1, and their explanation will be omitted. The difference from the first embodiment is that a reflective member 19 with gloss is provided near the edge 17f of the opening 17e of the supply roll storage section 17a of the ink sheet cassette 17, and that the sensor 18 is connected to the ink sheet 22. configured at a position facing the reflective member 19 through the
This is because the sheet guide 16 has been removed. Further, FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing the basic configuration of the ink sheet 22, and the configuration requirements are the same as those in FIG. 22Q, 22f.

Since the only difference is the position of 22g, the explanation will be omitted. However, mark 22e (or 22f or 22q)
When blocking the detection of the light reflected on the reflective member 19 of the sensor 18, the recording start position of the yellow ink 22b (or the magenta ink 22c, i or the cyan ink 22d) is located at the heating element 3a of the thermal head 3 or the opposing side. It is composed of:

The operation of the ink sheet cassette of the fourth embodiment configured as described above is the same as that of the first embodiment, and the explanation will be omitted.
and maintains a constant distance from the reflecting member 16.

As described above, according to the fourth embodiment, the ink sheet 2
Since the sensor always travels while maintaining a stable distance from the reflective member 19, the mark can be easily detected by the sensor 8, and the guide member for detecting the mark can be omitted. , the structure of the ink sheet cassette 17 can be simplified and the price can be reduced.

In addition, in all the examples, the edge 7g (or 17e) of the opening 7e (or 17&)
or near the edge 17f), the conductive member 12 or the friction member 16-! Alternatively, although the cleaning member 14 or the reflecting member 19 is provided, the same effect can be obtained even if the supply roll storage section 7a (or 17a) itself is constructed of the above-mentioned members.

Furthermore, in all of the examples, the recording method was a thermal transfer method, but if the configuration uses an ink sheet for transfer, other methods such as an electric heat-sensitive method may be used, or the order of ink transfer may be changed to yellow, magenta, etc. .

Although the cyan order is used, it goes without saying that any other order may be used.

Further, in all the embodiments, the image receiving paper 1 was conveyed using the capstan roller 1o, but other image receiving paper conveying methods may be used, such as wrapping the image receiving paper 1 around a platen roller and recording one color at a time in one rotation.

In addition, in this embodiment, the mark 2e indicating the beginning of the ink set is made longer than the other marks 2f and 2g to differentiate the force; A similar effect can be obtained by detecting .

Effects of the Invention The present invention allows the ink sheet to run using the edge of the opening of the supply roll storage section of the ink sheet cassette as a guide.
The edge of the opening is made of a grounded conductive material to eliminate static electricity, and is made of a glossy reflective material, which eliminates the need for a guide member for detecting each color mark on the ink sheet and facilitates cleaning. The structure of the friction member removes dust that adheres to the ink sheet, and the structure of the friction member reduces changes in the pack tension of the ink sheet due to changes in the diameter of the supply roll, eliminating problems caused by static electricity. The configuration of the cassette is simplified, image quality is prevented from deteriorating, and the running of the ink sheet is stabilized, thereby providing a highly reliable and inexpensive ink sheet cassette.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an ink sheet cassette and a thermal transfer recording device according to a first embodiment of the present invention taken along a plane perpendicular to the main scanning direction, and FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the ink sheet cassette shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a partially enlarged schematic cross-sectional view of the structure of the ink sheet cassette shown in FIG. 1 showing the vicinity of the opening, FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view of the structure of the ink sheet of FIG. a partially enlarged schematic cross-sectional view showing the vicinity of the opening of the ink sheet cassette in the second embodiment;
FIG. 6 is a partially enlarged schematic cross-sectional view showing the vicinity of the opening of an ink sheet cassette in a third embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an ink sheet cassette and a thermal transfer recording device in a fourth embodiment of the present invention. Schematic cross-sectional view of the configuration, Figure 8 is the 7th
FIG. 9 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a conventional ink sheet cassette and thermal transfer recording device, and FIG. 10 is a schematic perspective view of the ink sheet shown in FIG. 2.22... Ink sheet, 5... Supply roll, 6... Take-up roll, 7.17...
... Ink sheet cassette, 7a ... Supply roll storage section, 7e ... Opening, 7f ...
・Edge, 8, 18...Sensor, 9°19...
... Reflective member, 16 ... Sheet guide, 12
... Conductive member, 14 ... Cleaning member, 16 ... Friction member. Name of agent: Patent attorney Toshio Nakao and 1 other person No. 1
Fig. 2 Fig. 3 Fig. 4 Ink sheet Fig. 5 7t Z No. 6 [4 θ Fig. 7 G lθ Fig. 8 Inno 7 int

Claims (4)

[Claims] (1) A supply roll with an ink sheet wound thereon, a supply roll storage section having an opening for pulling out the ink sheet from the supply roll, and a tensioning of the ink sheet using at least the edge of the opening as a guide. An ink sheet cassette comprising an ink sheet take-up roll for winding up the ink sheet. (2) Claim 1, which has a supply roll storage section made of a conductive member with at least the edge of the opening grounded.
Ink sheet cassette described in section. (3) The ink sheet cassette according to claim 1 or 2, which has a supply roll storage section in which the vicinity of the edge of the opening is made of a reflective member having gloss. (4) Claim 1, 2, or 3 has a supply roll storage section in which at least the edge of the opening is made of a member having a higher coefficient of friction than other parts of the supply roll storage section. ink sheet cassette. (4) The ink sheet cassette according to claim 1, 2, or 3, wherein at least the edge of the opening is formed of a cleaning member.