JPS63116877A - Thermal recording apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To rapidly check a recording image by eliminating necessity for adjusting a density volume each time, by constituting the title apparatus in the manner that the recording image is checked while density is automatically changed to effeet recording. CONSTITUTION:A CPU 21 inputs the order signal and data signal from a host 22 such as an office computer or a word processor, and motors and the heat generating elements of a recording head 4 are driven on the basis of said signals through a driver 23. When the checking of a recording image is started, density (n) is set to 1 at first and the heating time to the density (n) is subsequently determined from the density/heating time table stored in ROM to record one line. Next, the density (n) is raised by one step to record the next line. As mentioned above, since a check pattern is recorded when the recording image is checked while density is automatically changed by one line along a program, necessity for manually adjusting a density volume each time is eliminated.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Technical Field] The present invention relates to control means for checking recorded images in a thermal recording apparatus such as a thermal printer.

[Prior art]

Recording devices such as printers and facsimiles selectively drive multiple dot forming elements provided in the recording head according to recording information (image data), and at the same time drive the recording head and recording sheet (recording medium such as paper or thin plastic plate). The recording sheet is configured to form a dot pattern on the recording sheet while relatively moving the recording sheet.

This type of recording device can be divided into thermal type, inkjet type, wire dot type, etc. depending on the type of dot forming means, and can also be divided into serial type, line print type, page print type, etc. depending on the type of device. Can be done.

In such a recording apparatus, a recorded image check (print check, etc.) is performed to visually check the recording quality during a shipping inspection or periodic inspection.

By the way, the recorded image check in the above-mentioned thermal type recording apparatus (thermal recording apparatus) has conventionally been performed by simply recording a specific free-running pattern at the same density.

However, with such conventional checking methods, in order to investigate density changes due to density volume, it is necessary to manually adjust the density volume and record it at several stages, making the inspection process complicated and time-consuming. The problem was that it took a lot of time.

〔the purpose〕

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a thermal recording device that can solve the problems of the prior art, eliminates the need to adjust the density volume each time, and allows easy checking of recorded images.

[Means to achieve the purpose]

The present invention achieves the above object by automatically changing the density when checking a recorded image.

〔Example〕

The present invention will be specifically described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a thermal recording device (thermal transfer type) suitable for use with the present invention.

In FIG. 1, a thermal head 4 mounted on a carriage 3 is configured to record on a sheet 2 supported by a platen 1. Note that the illustrated platen 1 has a roller shape and also serves as a sheet feeding roller.

The carriage 3 is movably mounted along a guide shaft 5 installed parallel to the platen 1, and is connected to a stepping motor 6, a driving pulley 7, a driven pulley 8, and tensioned between these pulleys. It is reciprocated by a drive system consisting of a belt 9.

The thermal head 4 has a plurality of heating elements, for example, three in one vertical row.
It has a dot forming means consisting of 32 heating elements arranged in 2 or 2 vertical rows, and is swingably mounted between a down position in which it is pressed against the sheet 2 and an up position in which it is separated.

On the carriage 3 is an ink ribbon cassette 1 for supplying the ink ribbon between the thermal head 4 and the sheet 2.
0 is attached replaceably.

During recording, the thermal head 4 is moved under pressure, and the ink ribbon is wound and driven in synchronization with the movement of the thermal head, and a plurality of heating elements are driven in accordance with image information to melt ink onto the sheet 2. The sheet 2 is transferred and recorded, and the sheet 2 is pinch fed in the direction of arrow P every time one line is recorded.

In the thermal recording device described above, the density of the recorded image is determined by the amount of melted and transferred ink on the ink ribbon. Therefore, it is necessary to increase the voltage applied to the dot forming means consisting of a heating element or to heat (drive) the recording cycle. ) It can be made darker by lengthening the time (voltage application time).

Therefore, in the thermal recording apparatus according to the present invention, the above object is achieved by automatically changing the density and recording when checking a recorded image.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a control system that controls the recording operation, including the recorded image check.

In FIG. 2, a control circuit (CPU) 21 inputs command signals and data signals (recording information) from a host 22 such as an office computer or a word processor, and based on these inputs, controls motors and records via a driver (drive circuit) 23. The heating element (dot forming means) of the head 4 is driven.

The motors include a carriage motor 6 (Fig. 1) that reciprocates the carriage 3 in the width direction of the sheet 2, a head motor 24 that drives the recording head 4 up and down, and a sheet feed roller (platen) 1 (Fig. 1). ) and the like.

The control circuit 21 is provided with a RAM that stores image data and command signals, and a ROM that stores a control program.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the operation procedure when the control system of FIG. 2 automatically changes the density and records a check pattern when checking a recorded image.

The embodiment shown in FIG. 3 shows a case where the concentration is changed in five steps.

In FIG. 3, when the recorded image check is started in step 100, the density n is first set to 1 in step 101. Next, proceeding to step 102, the concentration n
The heat time (voltage application time) is determined from the concentration/heat time table stored in the ROM.

Figure 4 shows an example of this concentration/heat time table,
When the concentration n is set to 1, the heat time is selected to be 300 μsec.

In step 103, one line is recorded using the heat time (300 μsec) determined in step 102 above.

Next, the process proceeds to step 104, where it is determined whether recording has been performed while changing the density n in five steps from 1 to 5. If the density n has not been changed by five steps yet, the process proceeds to step 105, where the density n is increased by one step ( The next line recorded at density n-1 is recorded at density n=2), and the process returns to step 102 to record the next line at a density one level higher.

As described above, change the density and record one line at a time,
If it is determined in step 104 that the density has changed over five steps, the process returns to step 101 and the density is 1 again.
Start recording from.

Figure 4 is a table showing the relationship between the density and heat time for recording check patterns stored in the ROM, where the density n (n=1.2.3.4.5) corresponds to the position of the density volume. It's a number.

According to the embodiment described above, when checking a recorded image, the check pattern is recorded while automatically changing the density line by line according to the program. This eliminates the need for manual operations, making it possible to check recorded images easily and quickly.

In addition, although the above embodiment describes a case applicable to a serial type thermal transfer recording device, the present invention is applicable to a thermal recording device that directly heats and colors a heat-sensitive sheet without using an ink ribbon; Alternatively, it can be widely used regardless of the recording method or device type, such as a line print type or a page print type.

Furthermore, the manner in which the recording density is changed can be freely set by appropriately selecting the number of stages, recording length, number of repetitions, etc.

〔effect〕

As is clear from the above explanation (According to the present invention, the thermal recording device is configured to automatically change the density and record the recorded image, so there is no need to adjust the density volume each time, and it is easy and A thermal recording device capable of quickly checking recorded images is provided.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a thermal recording device according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a recording control system of the device shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a graph illustrating a density/heat time table used for checking the recorded image in FIG. 3. 2------・--sheet, 4--・-1----
--Thermal head, 6-------Carriage, 21---CPU, 23--
---Driver, 25-- Sheet feed motor. Agent: Yasushi Ooto, Patent Attorney Figure 1 Figure 4

Claims (1)

[Claims] (1) A thermal recording device characterized by automatically changing the density and recording when checking a recorded image.