JPS63199672A - Thermal recorder - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To reduce temperature variations in a printing unit and enhance recording quality, by controlling the rotating direction of a fan correspondingly to the temperature in the printing unit. CONSTITUTION:When the temperature in a printing unit 1 is low due to a low ambient temperature or at the time of starting an apparatus, a controller 3 supplied with an output from a temperature detector 2 controls the rotating direction of a fan 4 so that air flows from the side of the controller 3 toward the printing unit 1, namely, in the direction of an arrow A. When air flows in the direction of the arrow A, air sucked in from the exterior cools a controlling unit 5 first, the air warmed by the heat of the unit 5 is blown to the printing unit 1, and is discharged to the exterior. Conversely, when the temperature in the printing unit 1 is high, the controller 3 supplied with the output of the detector 2 controls the rotating direction of the fan 4 so that air flows in a direction opposite to the above, namely, in the direction of an arrow B. Air sucked in from the exterior cools the printing unit 1 first, is then blown to the controlling unit 5, and is discharged to the exterior. Thus, the temperature in the printing unit 1 is maintained at a constant value, variations in recorded density are reduced, and recording quality is enhanced.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Field of Industrial Application) The present invention relates to a thermal recording device used in facsimiles, printers, plotters, and the like.

(Prior art and its problems) This type of thermal recording device has low operating noise and is easy to operate.
Although it has features such as small size, low cost, and high reliability, it has the problem that the recording quality changes depending on the ambient temperature.

Conventionally, in order to improve this problem, temperature compensation methods have been used, such as heating the head portion with a heater when the temperature is low, and cooling the head portion with a fan when the temperature is high.

However, this method requires the installation of separate units for heating and cooling, which has the disadvantage that the equipment is complex and expensive.

(Means for solving the @ point of interest) The present invention was proposed in view of the above points, and its purpose is to solve the problem of '1Arx?' economically. It is an object of the present invention to provide a heat-sensitive recording device that can compensate for li and improve recording quality.

That is, the present invention includes a printing unit having a heat generating head, a control unit including a drive unit of the printing unit, a power supply for each part, etc., a temperature detector for detecting the temperature inside the printing unit, and a temperature detector for detecting the temperature inside the printing unit. generating an air flow between the printing unit and the control unit via a signal;
The above object is achieved by including a fan capable of reversing the air flow, and controlling the rotating direction of the fan by switching it depending on the temperature condition inside the printing unit.

(Example) Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present invention will be described along with the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram of an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an embodiment of the present invention. In these figures, 1 is a printing unit that includes a thermal head that generates heat, 2 is a temperature detector such as a thermistor installed inside the printing unit, and 3 is a device that controls the rotation direction of the fan in response to the output from the temperature sensor. 4 is a reversible rotary fan whose direction of airflow changes depending on the direction of rotation; 5 is a control unit that includes electric glands and a drive unit for the printing unit; the printing unit 1 and the control unit 5 are arranged in substantially the same direction; Arranged.

Next, the operation will be explained with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.

When the temperature inside the printing unit 1 is low, such as when the ambient temperature is low or when starting up the device, the controller 3 receives the output from the temperature sensor 2 and directs the airflow from the controller 3 side toward the printing unit 1. The direction of rotation of the fan 4 is controlled so that the flow is in the direction of the arrow in the figure. Therefore, when the airflow flows in this direction, the air sucked in from the outside first cools the control unit 5, and the air warmed by the heat of the control unit 5 is blown against the printing unit 1. released to the outside.

Conversely, when the temperature inside the printing unit 1 is high, the controller 3 receives the output from the temperature detector 2 and controls the rotational direction of the fan 4 so that the air flow is reversed as indicated by B. In this case, the air absorbed from the outside first cools the printing unit 1, and then is blown onto the control unit 5 and discharged to the outside.

Therefore, when the temperature of the printing unit 1 is low, the heat generated in the control unit 5, which is the main heat generating part of the device, is used to warm the printing unit 1, and conversely, when the temperature of the printing unit 1 is high, As a result, the temperature of the printing unit 1 is maintained in a constant direction. Therefore, it is possible to reduce changes in recording density and improve recording quality.

(Effects of the Invention) As described above, according to the present invention, by controlling the rotational direction of the fan in accordance with the temperature inside the printing unit, it is possible to provide a heating and cooling device especially for the printing unit section or the thermal head section. This has the advantage that recording quality can be economically improved because temperature changes in the printing unit can be reduced.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram of an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an embodiment of the present invention. 1... Printing unit including a thermal head section, 2...
...Temperature detector, 3...Fan rotation direction controller, 4...Reversible rotation type fan, 5...Control unit

Claims (1)

[Claims] A printing unit having a heat generating head, a control unit including a drive unit of the printing unit, a power supply for each part, etc., a temperature detector that detects the temperature inside the printing unit, and a signal of the printing unit that detects the temperature inside the printing unit. and a fan that generates an airflow passing between the control unit and the control unit and is capable of reversing the airflow.