JPS63267576A - Thermal transfer recorder - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obtain a highly reliable function of reading a coating position detection mark and a code information mark with a simple construction, by a method wherein a change-over means selectively inputs either of an output signal of a detection means and an output signal of a decoder. CONSTITUTION:Whether a Yellow ink for the first color is disposed in position is detected by an optical sensor 111a corresponding to a coating position detection mark 117a. With the input of a printing action signal, a change-over means 114 is changed over so as to select an output signal of a decoder 113 as an input. Simultaneously, a thermal head 101 is driven to successively transfer the Yellow ink applied on an ink sheet 104 to an image-receiving paper 105 to form a Yellow image. If a code information mark on the ink sheet 104 is detected by an optical sensor (2) 111b during the recording, the change-over means 114 is changed over so as to select an output signal of the sensor 111b as a signal to be inputted to a recording control means 112. Whether a Magenta ink for the second color is disposed in position is again detected, ad a Magenta image is printed on the Yellow image.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of Industrial Application The present invention relates to a thermal transfer recording device that performs recording by heating a thermal transfer sheet and transferring it to image-receiving paper. This relates to a thermal transfer recording device that prints information on an ink sheet as code information.

BACKGROUND ART The technique of providing an ink sheet with a mark for detecting the application position and a pattern for confirming the remaining amount is well known, and an example thereof can be seen in, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 8089-8089. FIG. 4 shows a plan view of an example of a conventional ink sheet. (2) Thermal transfer ink is applied on a base sheet 201 alternately in the order of yellow, magenta, and cyan. 202a
is the coating position detection mark for yellow ink, which is the recording start color.
202b is the second and third color magenta.

This is a cyan ink application position detection mark. 203 is a code pattern. Application position detection mark 202a,
202b and the code pattern 203 are provided at different positions in the width direction, and are detected by three corresponding detection means (not shown) when the ink sheet is fed in the input direction.

FIG. 6 VC1 shows a schematic diagram of an apparatus constructed using the above-mentioned ink sheet. 204 is a thermal head, which moves to the position 204a during heating printing and prints on the ink sheet 205.
and image-receiving paper 206 are pressed against a platen roller 207 and held therebetween. 20B is an ink sheet supply reel.

Reference numeral 209 denotes an ink sheet take-up reel that rotates in conjunction with the ink sheet take-up motor 210 and winds up the ink sheet 205. 211a, b, and a are three binary output type optical sensors that detect two types of coating position detection marks and a code pattern provided on the ink sheet 2o5.

212 is a stepping motor that drives the platen roller 207 at a constant speed, and 213 is a paper press roller that presses and holds the image receiving paper 206 between it and the platen roller 207. 214 is a receiving paper supply roll.

The operation of the apparatus configured as above will be explained.

At the beginning of recording, the ink sheet take-up motor 210 is driven to rotate the ink sheet take-up reel 209 and convey the ink sheet 205 in the A direction. The code pattern on the ink sheet 20S is detected by the optical sensor 211C while the ink sheet 2o6 is being conveyed. Optical sensor 211c
The output is decoded by a decoder (not shown), and the VL ink sheet remaining amount information is displayed on a display unit (not shown).

Next, when the recording start color coating position detection mark on the ink sheet 20S is detected by the optical sensor 211a, the ink sheet winding motor 210 is stopped, and the thermal head 2
04 to the dotted line position 204a. After that, the stepping motor 212 and the ink sheet winding motor 2
10 to heat the thermal head 204 while conveying the image receiving paper 206 and the ink sheet 2o6, and when the recording of the first color is completed, the thermal head 204 moves to the solid line position and moves to the position of the platen roller. 207
distance from. While the stepping motor 212 is reversed to return the image receiving paper 206 to the recording start position, the ink sheet winding motor 210 is driven to convey the ink sheet 205, and the optical sensor 211b detects the second color ink application position detection mark. Then, the ink sheet winding motor 21
0 and move the thermal head 204 to the dotted line position 204a.
Move up to. Thereafter, the second and third colors are recorded in the same manner as the first color recording. When the third color recording is completed, the thermal head 204 is moved to the solid line position and the platen roller 2
07, the stepping motor 212 is driven to convey the image receiving paper 206 in the same direction as the recording direction, and discharge the recorded portion, thereby completing the recording.

Problems to be Solved by the Invention However, in the device described in the conventional example, in order to detect the code information mark, in addition to the number of sensors required to detect the application position detection mark, one dedicated sensor is required. sensor is required.

In addition, in order to read and decipher the code information mark with a binary output type sensor, the ink sheet must be running at a constant speed within a certain tolerance, but the ink sheet does not have a constant speed running mechanism. Therefore, there was a problem with the reliability of decoding the code information mark. However, providing a constant speed traveling mechanism for the ink sheet complicates the apparatus. In view of this, the present invention provides a sensor for detecting a coating position detection mark with a function as a sensor for detecting a code information mark, thereby reducing the number of required sensors, and in addition, the image receiver conveying system moves the image receiving paper at a constant speed. The ink sheet is pressed against the image receiving paper while it is being conveyed, causing the ink sheet to travel at a constant speed, and by setting the code information mark to be detected during this period, the ink sheet can be conveyed at a constant speed. It is an object of the present invention to provide a thermal transfer recording device having a simple configuration and a highly reliable application position detection mark and code information mark reading function.

Means for Solving the Problems The present invention provides a thermal head, a platen, an image receiving paper, an image receiving paper transporting means for transporting the image receiving paper at a constant speed, an ink sheet, an ink sheet winding means, one or more detections for detecting a coating position detection mark provided on the ink sheet, a code information mark provided between the coating position detection marks on the ink sheet, and the coating position detection mark and the code information mark; a decoder for inputting and decoding an output signal of at least one of the detection means; and a decoder for selectively inputting the output signal of the detection means and the output signal of the decoder.

The action detection means detects the application position detection mark or the code information mark and outputs an output signal, the decoder inputs and decodes this output signal, and the switching means switches the output signal of the detection means and the output signal of the decoder. By selecting and inputting the information, it is possible to provide the same detection means with the functions of detecting both the application position detection mark and the code information mark.

Embodiment FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a thermal transfer recording apparatus in an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, 101 is a thermal head, which can be moved to a dotted line position 101M by driving a thermal head moving motor 102. do. 106 is an ink sheet take-up reel, 107 is an ink sheet take-up motor for driving the ink sheet take-up reel, 0108 is a capstan roller, and 1o9 is a pinch roller. Receiving paper 10
6 is a capstan roller 108 and a pinch roller 109
The ink sheet 011a is held under pressure between the ink sheet 1 and conveyed at a constant speed by the stepping motor 110.
Detect the coating position detection mark of the recording start color on 04 and press 2.
The optical sensor 1.111b is an optical sensor that outputs a binary value output signal by detecting the coating position detection mark for the second and subsequent colors on the ink sheet 104 and the pattern having code information. This is the type sensor 2.

Reference numeral 112 denotes a recording control means composed of a CPU, ROM, RAM, input/output ports, and the like. 113 is a decoder that demodulates the output signal of the optical sensor 2111b and decodes the code information; 114 is a decoder that demodulates the output signal of the optical sensor 2111b according to the signal from the recording control means 112;
This is a switching means for selectively inputting the output signal of the decoder 113. When the switching means 114 selects the output signal from the decoder 113 as the input to the recording control means 112, this information is outputted from the recording control means 112 to the display means 116 and displayed. Reference numeral 120 denotes a thermal head heating element driving means for driving the heating element of the thermal head.

Figure 2 shows the positional relationship between the ink application part of the ink sheet 1o4, the application position detection mark of the recording start color, the application position detection mark of the second and subsequent colors, the pattern with code information, and the two optical sensors. FIG. 1st
Items that are the same as those in the figure are given the same numbers. Thermal transfer ink is applied on the base sheet 116 alternately in the order of yellow, magenta, and cyan. 117a is a coating position detection mark for yellow ink, which is the recording start color, and 117b and C are magenta, which are the second and third colors.
This is a cyan ink application position detection mark. 118 is a pattern with code information, for example, a binary number is
It is a modified version. An optical sensor 111a is located corresponding to the coating position detection mark 117a, and a pattern 11 having coating position detection marks 117b, C and code information is provided.
An optical sensor 111b is located corresponding to 8.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the control operation of the recording control means in FIG. 1. This program is written in advance in the ROM of the recording control means.

Next, referring again to FIG. 1, the operation of the printer apparatus of this embodiment will be described. First, the optical sensor 111a detects whether or not the first color, yellow ink, is at a predetermined position. If the yellow ink is not at the predetermined position, the ink sheet take-up motor 107 is driven to remove the ink sheet 10.
The thermal head 101 that conveys the ink sheet 4 and stops it when it reaches a predetermined position presses against the platen roller 103 with the image receiving paper 105 and the ink sheet 1o4 interposed therebetween, and at this time, the recording control means 112 indicates that the apparatus is in the print mode. To indicate this, a print operation signal of H is output. Switching means 114
inputs an H printing operation signal and switches to select the output signal of the decoder 113 as an input. At the same time, the stepping motor 110 is driven to rotate the capstan roller 108 to transport the image receiving paper 105 at a constant speed, and in synchronization with this, the thermal head 101 is driven. The colored yellow ink is sequentially transferred to the image receiving paper 105, and a yellow image is formed on the image receiving paper 106. While recording the first color, the code information mark on the ink sheet 104 is detected by the optical sensor (2) 111b and sent to the decoder 114. Since the ink sheet 104 is traveling together with the image receiving paper 105 at a constant speed, the optical sensor (2) 111
The output signal of b has a small timing error, and the decoding reliability of the decoder 113 is high. The information decoded in this way is displayed by the display means 115. When printing of the first color is completed, the printing operation signal is set to L. The switching means 114 is now an optical sensor (2)
The output signal of 111b is selected as the input signal of the recording control means 112. The thermal head 1o1 is separated from the platen roller 103, the stepping motor 110 is reversed, and the image receiving paper 105 is conveyed to the initial position. Next, whether or not the second color magenta ink is at a predetermined position is detected again based on the output signal of the optical sensor (2) 11b, and a magenta image is printed on the yellow image in the same manner as described above. . The third color cyan operates in the same way, and when the color image printing is completed,
Eject the recording surface and end recording. In the above example,
Although the case where the switching means 114 and the decoder 113 are provided separately from the recording control means 112 has been described, the switching means 1
14 may be part of the recording control means 112, or the switching means 114 and decoder 113 may be part of the recording control means 112. In this case, switching and decoding are performed by software processing by the CPU. .

Effects of the Invention The thermal transfer recording device according to the present invention has the above-described configuration, in which the detection means detects the application position detection mark or the code information mark and outputs an output signal, and the decoder inputs and decodes this output signal. , the switching means selects and inputs the output signal of the detection means and the output signal of the decoder, thereby giving the same detection means both the functions of detecting the application position detection mark and the detection of the code information mark. There is.

Also, by pressing the ink sheet against the image receiving paper while the image receiving paper transport system is conveying the image receiving paper at a constant speed, the ink sheet is made to travel at a constant speed, and the code information mark is detected during this period. By setting this, it is possible to reduce the timing error in the detection output of the code information mark on the ink sheet, and to provide a thermal transfer recording device having a simple configuration and a highly reliable coating position detection mark and code information mark reading function.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a thermal transfer recording device according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the positional relationship between an ink sheet and a detection means used in the device, and FIG. 3 is a recording control operation of the device. FIG. 4 is a plan view of a conventional ink sheet, and FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a conventional thermal transfer recording apparatus. 101... Thermal head, 103...
-Platen roller, 1o4... Ink sheet, 106... Image receiving paper, 106... Ink sheet take-up reel, 108... Capstan roller, 111. ...Optical sensor, 113.
...Decoder, 114...Switching means Name of agent Patent attorney Toshi Nakao and 1 other person 2nd
Fig. 2 Start color application position mark No. 3 Fig. 3 Plastic routine A Sudrun B Fig. 3 Subroutine C

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) A thermal head, a platen, an image receiving paper, an image receiving paper conveying means for conveying the image receiving paper at a constant speed, an ink sheet, an ink sheet winding means, and a coating position detection provided on the ink sheet. a mark, a code information mark provided between the application position detection marks on the ink sheet, one or more detection means for detecting the application position detection mark and the code information mark, and at least one of the detection means. A thermal transfer recording apparatus comprising: a decoder that inputs and decodes the output signal of one of the detection means; and a switching means that selectively inputs the output signal of the detection means and the output signal of the decoder. (2) During the period in which the image receiving paper and the ink sheet are conveyed while the image receiving paper and the ink sheet are held in pressure contact between the thermal head and the platen, the switching means inputs the output signal of the decoder and the thermal head 2. The thermal transfer recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the switching means inputs an output signal from the detecting means during a period when the platen and the platen are separated from each other.