JPS6384960A - Thermal transfer color recorder - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To carry out automatic alignment between the surface of a head and the front edge of an area on an ink sheet to be applied with ink, by providing a control section for carrying the ink sheet upon finish of connection through a connecting means and starting the recording operation from the time point when a detector detects the alignment between the front end of the area to be applied with ink and the surface of a thermal head. CONSTITUTION:When a movable frame 20 is closed, an engaging projection 52a of a drive coupling shaft 52 is contacted with the head portion of the coupling shaft 42 of an ink sheet cartridge 40. In other words, the winding core 47 of the ink sheet cartridge 40 and the drive coupling shaft 52 of an ink sheet cartridge operating device 60 are coupled through a coupling means. An ink sheet detector facing with a reflection bar 35 of the ink sheet cartridge 40 and detecting the position of the front edge of an area on an ink sheet 46 to be applied with ink is provided with reflection photo-sensors 101, 101' for detecting black marks 46b, 46c at the opposite side ends on the ink sheet 46.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a thermal transfer color recording device, and more particularly to a thermal transfer color recording device using an ink sheet cartridge loaded with multicolor ink sheets.

[Conventional technology]

A thermal transfer color recording device uses a color ink sheet in which thermal transfer inks of primary colors such as yellow, magenta, and cyan are applied in a predetermined order to rectangular sections lined up on a strip-shaped sheet. The ink, for example yellow ink, applied to the first section on the ink sheet is transferred onto the recording paper by the heat and pressure applied by the thermal head. After thermally transferring it to a predetermined section, only the recording paper is sent backwards, and the ink applied to the second section on the ink sheet, for example, magenta ink, is thermally transferred to the predetermined section where the yellow ink on the recording paper has been thermally transferred. Then, in the same manner as above, colors including intermediate colors can be expressed by overlapping and thermally transferring the ink applied to the third section of the ink sheet to the section where both inks have been thermally transferred on the recording paper. A thermal transfer record is made.

The ink sheet used in this type of thermal transfer recording device is
Since the width of the ink sheet is almost the same as the width of the recording paper, it is not easy to handle it, so it is desirable that the ink sheet can be attached and removed from the thermal transfer recording apparatus with a particularly simple operation, which is done in relatively large numbers. In addition, since the ink sheet is thin and wide, it tends to sag or wrinkle when installed in a thermal transfer recording device.If these occur, clear thermal transfer recording will not be possible, so make sure to apply appropriate tension to the ink sheet when installing it. It is necessary to prevent the occurrence of sagging and wrinkles by feeding the baby while transporting it.

Further, in this type of thermal transfer type color recording device, it is necessary that the thermal transfer onto the recording paper starts from the leading edge of the color of the first section on the ink sheet, for example, from the section where yellow ink is applied. Therefore, at the start of thermal transfer recording, it is necessary, for example, to align the leading edge of the yellow ink application section with the head surface of the thermal head.

FIG. 15 is a diagram for explaining the mounting of an ink sheet in a conventional thermal transfer recording apparatus described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 58-183281. In this figure, 111 is a feeding core, 112 is an ink sheet, 113 is a winding core, 114 is a thermal head, 115 is a platen, and 116 is a recording paper.

In this thermal transfer recording device, one end of a long ink sheet 112 wound around a feeding core 111 is attached to a take-up core 113, and both cores 111 and 113 are attached to the ink sheet 112 at a predetermined location within the recording device. However, the ink sheet 112 was manually installed between the thermal head 114 and the platen 115 so that it could pass close to the recording paper 116.

In addition, FIGS. 16(a) and (b) are Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 60-2757.
9 is a diagram for explaining the installation of an ink sheet in the conventional thermal transfer recording device described in Publication No. 9. In these diagrams, 117 is a feeding core, 118 is a take-up core, 119 is an ink sheet, and 120 is a case. , 121 is the set axis, 1
22 is a platen, and 123 is a thermal head.

In this thermal transfer recording device, a feed core 117 around which an ink sheet 119 is wound and a take-up core 118 to which one end of the ink sheet 119 is attached are housed in a single case 120, and the case 120 is used for thermal transfer recording. It is a cassette type that is installed inside the device. When installing, the set shaft 121 and the like are manually moved to align the feed-out winding core 117 degrees with the take-up winding core 118, and then the platen 122 is used to hold it down.

[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

In the conventional thermal transfer recording device as described above, it is not easy to handle the ink sheet 112, and it is time-consuming and inconvenient to mount the ink sheet 112 to prevent it from sagging or wrinkles. There is a problem in that positioning must be performed by operating the set shaft 121, which is inconvenient.

Furthermore, in any case, the head surface of the thermal head 114, 123 and the ink sheet at the start of thermal transfer recording)
There has been a problem in that alignment with the front edge of the ink application section on 112, 119 must be performed manually after installation in the thermal transfer recording device, which is inconvenient.

This invention was made to solve this problem, and it is possible to install an ink sheet cartridge pre-loaded with an ink sheet with a simple operation, and also allows the head surface of the thermal head and the ink sheet to overlap when starting thermal transfer recording. An object of the present invention is to provide a thermal transfer type color recording device that can automatically perform alignment with the leading edge of an ink application section.

[Means for solving problems]

The thermal transfer type color recording device according to the present invention includes: an ink sheet cartridge loaded with an ink sheet that is stretched between 22 cores; a thermal head for thermally transferring the thermal transfer material on the ink sheet to a recording paper; A thermal head support device that supports this thermal head and pushes it onto the ink sheet and pulls it back, and an ink sheet that applies the operating force to wind the ink sheet onto the core of the ink sheet cartridge via a drive joint shaft. a main frame to which a cartridge actuating device is attached and holding the ink sheet cartridge therein; a recording paper feeding device; and a detector for detecting when the front end of the ink application section of the ink sheet matches the head surface of the thermal head. a movable frame attached thereto and connected to the main frame in an openable and closable manner; a connecting means for connecting the core of the ink sheet cartridge and the drive joint shaft of the ink sheet cartridge actuating device when the movable frame is closed; The controller is configured to transport the ink sheet after the connection by the connecting means is completed, and to start the recording operation from the time when the detector detects that the front end of the ink application section matches the head surface of the thermal head. This is what I did.

[Effect]

In this invention, when the movable frame is opened and the ink sheet cartridge is installed in the main frame and the movable frame is closed, the connection means connects the core of the ink sheet cartridge and the shaft of the drive joint of the ink sheet cartridge actuating device. Connected. Furthermore, before starting recording, the control unit transports the ink sheet until the front end of the ink application section of the ink sheet matches the head surface of the thermal head.

〔Example〕

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an embodiment of a thermal transfer color recording device of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line I-I' in FIG. 1, and FIG. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line ■-■′ in FIG. 2, FIG. 5 is a view taken along arrow A in FIG. 3, and FIG. m-m' in Figure 5
FIG. 7 is a front view of the ink sheet cartridge installed in the thermal transfer color recording device of the present invention;
Figure 8 is a diagram showing the IV-rV' cross section in Figure 7;
Figure 9 (a), (b) t*Figure 8 Neo is le v-v
'Diagram showing the cross section and suppression spring, Figure 10 (a
).

(b) is an explanatory diagram of the color ink sheet loaded into the ink sheet cartridge shown in Figures 8 and 9, and Figure 11 is a diagram showing the state when the movable frame is opened and the ink sheet cartridge is installed. , Fig. 12 shows the state when the ink sheet cartridge is installed and the movable frame is closed, and Fig. 13 shows the state when the engagement between the ink sheet cartridge and the ink sheet cartridge actuating device is completed. FIG. 14 is a block diagram for explaining the operation of the thermal transfer type color recording apparatus of the present invention.

In these figures, 1, 2, 12, 13°30.31
is side plate, 3,4,5,6,14゜15.16,17,3
2.32', 32".

32"', 33, 33' are stays, 7.8, 9゜18.19 are substays, 1o is main frame, 11
is the rotating shaft, 20 is the movable frame, 21°22 is the receiving plate, 2
3 is a latch shaft, 24 is a latch, 25°26 is a guide fitting, 27
is a pressure spring, 28.29 is a bracket, 30a, 30b
are the round grooves of the side plate 30, 31a, 31a', 31b, 3
1b' are grooved holes and notched grooves of the side plate 31, 31c, 31
d is a round groove, 34, 34' are roller shafts, 35 is a reflection bar, 36.38' is a set disk, 36a, 36a'
are the projections, 36b, 3 of the set disk 36, 36'.
6b" is the braking drum for the set disk 36°36', 37.37' is the shaft, 38°3.8' is the pressing spring, 39.39" is the spring hook, 4o is the ink sheet cartridge, and 41°41' is the Bearing disc, 41a, 41a
' is the cylindrical surface of the bearing disk 41, 41', 41b
.

41b' is a flange of the bearing disks 41b, 41b';
41c, 41c' are engagement projections of the bearing disks 41, 41', 42, 42' are joint shafts, 42a, 42a
' is the engagement groove of the joint shaft 42.42', 43.43' is the set disk, 43a+43a' is the protrusion of the set disks 43, 43', and 43b, 43b' are the set disks 43.43'. Outer cylinder part, 44.44
' is a stepped collar, 44a, 44a' are the stepped collars 4
4° 44' outer cylinder part, 45 and 45' are clutch springs, 46 is an ink sheet, 46a is a part where ink is not applied, 46b and 46c are black marks, 47.4
7' is the winding core, and 47a and 47a' are the winding cores 4.
7, 47' grooves, 48 an ink sheet winding motor, 49 a driving gear, 50 a driven gear, 51 a driving sleeve, 51a and 51b an inner cylindrical portion of the driving sleeve 51, a guide hole, and 52 a driving joint. Axis, 52a, 52b, 52
c is an engagement projection, a sliding shaft, and a locking ring of the drive hand shaft 52; 53 is a bearing; 54 is an operating spring; 55 is a recovery spring;
6 is a spring bearing ring, 57 is a thrust bearing, 58 is a disk bearing, 59 is a cam plate, 59a is a cam surface, 6o is an ink sheet cartridge actuating device, 61 is a support shaft, 62 is a head holder, 62a, 62a' are The head holder 6
2 ears, 62b.

62b' is a bearing hole, 63 is a thermal head, 63a is a head surface of the thermal head 63, 64.64' is a head suppression lever, 65 and 65' are roller shafts, and 66.6
6' is a pressure roller, 67.67' is a spring-loaded shaft, 68.6
8' is the head pressing spring, 69.69' is the recovery arm, 6
9a and 69a' are the engagement grooves of the restoration arm 69.69', 70 is the thermal head support device, 71.71' is the solenoid, and 71a and 71a' are the solenoid 71°71.
72, 72' is a hook pin, 73 is a stepping motor, 73a is a drive shaft of the stepping motor 73, 74 is a drive gear, 75 is a driven gear, 76 is a platen shaft, 77 is a platen, 78 is a drive Pulley, 79 is a toothed belt, 80 is a driven pulley, 81 is a roller shaft, 81
a is the handle of the roller shaft 81, 82 is the paper feed roller, 83.91 is the support shaft, 84.92 is the pressing lever, 85
．． 87.93 is a support shaft, 86.94 is a pressure roller, 88 is a guide roller, 89.89', 96°96' is a spring, 9
o is a recording paper feeding device, 95 is a spring-loaded bin, 97 is a recording paper support shaft, 98 is a recording paper, 99 is a recording paper detection lid, 100 is an ink sheet detector, 101.101' is a reflective photosensor, 102 .102" is a bracket, 103 is an empty room, 104a is a recording switch, 104b is a thermistor,
105 is a control unit, 105a is a CPU, 105b, 105
C is a motor driver, 105d.

105e, 105h are bar'/77.105f is a drive circuit, 105g ft power supply control circuit, 105i (tA
/D converter, 106 is an interface, 107 is a power supply,
108 is a connecting means.

The thermal transfer type color recording device of the present invention is shown in FIGS. 1 to 5.
As shown in the figure, the side plate 1 and the side plate 2 are connected to the stays 3.4, 5.
．． 6 and sub-stays 7.8.9, the main frame 10 is connected to the main frame 10 so as to be arranged facing each other at a predetermined distance, and the side plates 12 and 13 are connected to the stays 14.15.
, 16° 17 and a movable frame 2o connected by substays 18 and 19 at a wider interval than the main frame 10, which can be opened and closed by a rotating shaft 11 provided at one end of the side plates 1 and 2 and the side plate 12° 13. When the movable frame 20 is closed, the movable frame 20 is connected to the main frame 10 for support.
and a receiving plate 21 attached to the outside of the side plates 1 and 2.
．． 22 supports the end faces of the side plates 12, 13, and the latch 2 is attached to a latch shaft 23 which is pivotally supported by the side plate 1.2.
4 engages with the stay 14, the movable frame 20 is coupled to the main frame 10. Inside the main frame 10, there is an ink sheet cartridge 4o loaded with an ink sheet 46, and an ink sheet cartridge 4o that holds the ink sheet cartridge 4o and applies rotational force to wind up the ink sheet 46. A cartridge actuating device 6o and a thermal head support device 70 that supports a thermal head for performing thermal transfer recording are attached, and inside the movable frame 2o are a recording paper feeding device 9o that feeds recording paper on which thermal transfer recording is to be performed and a thermal transfer recording device. At the start of the process, the head surface 6 of the thermal head 63
An ink sheet detector 100 is provided to detect the coincidence between the ink sheet 3a and the leading edge of the ink application section of the ink sheet 46. Further, inside the side plates 1 and 2, stepped rod-shaped guide fittings 25 and 26 for guiding and supporting the ink sheet cartridge 40 to the mounting position are provided so as to be positioned facing each other at a predetermined interval. A pressure spring 27 is attached to the inside of the ink sheet cartridge 4o to press and hold the ink sheet cartridge 4o in the installed position, and a bracket (28) for holding the thermal head support device 70 is attached to the center of the inside of the side plates 1 and 2. 29 are attached so that they are located opposite each other. The ink sheet cartridge 40 is the seventh
As shown in FIGS. 9(a) and 9(b), the stays 32.32' ,
32'', 32''', 33.

33', and the side plates 30.31
Two roller shafts 34° and 34' are attached to the inner side of the upper center of the roller shaft, both ends of which are supported by side plates 30 and 31.
At a position adjacent to the roller shaft 34, a reflective cover 35 with a rectangular cross section is provided on the side plates 30, 3 to reflect the irradiated light from the ink sheet position detector 100 and input it to the light receiving section of the detector.
1. Also, inside both ends of the side plate 30, a core 47 of the ink sheet 46,
47' for supporting each set disk 36.
36' is rotatably supported by a shaft 37.37' fixed to the side plate 30, and a set disk 36.36
' is the notch groove 47a of each winding core 47 and the winding core 4.
protrusions 36a, 36a' that engage with notch grooves 47a' of 7';
The set disk 36' is further provided with brake drums 36b and 36b', respectively. The other end of a pressing spring 38, which is wound around the stay 33 and supported by a spring catch 39 whose one end is fixed to the side plate 30, is hung on the brake drum 36b.
' is a pressing spring 38' that is wound around the stay 33' and supported by a spring hook 39' that has one end fixed to the side plate 30.
The other end is hung, and both springs 38
, 38' generate a braking force on both braking drums 36b, 36b'. Also, three radial notch grooves 3 are provided on the side plate 31 facing the set disk 36, 36'.
Grooved holes 31a and 31a' having diameters 1b and 31b' are provided, and a set disk 43 supporting a winding core 47, a stepped collar 44, and a coiled clutch spring 45 are installed in the grooved holes 31a and 31a', respectively. A bearing disk 41 is attached via a joint shaft 42, a set disk 43' supporting a winding core 47', a stepped collar 44', and a coiled clutch spring 45' are attached via a handle shaft 42'. A bearing disk 41' is attached thereto. Then, on the cylindrical surfaces 41a, 41a'' of the bearing disks 41, 41', which are loosely fitted into the grooved holes 31a, 31a', are located at positions separated by the thickness of the side plate 31 from the flanges 41b, 41b', respectively. Three engaging protrusions 41c and 41C' are provided, and these are connected to the grooved holes 31a and 31a.
'cy) When aligned with the notched grooves 31b, 31b', the bearing disc 41 is loosely fitted with the notched grooves 31b, 31b' so that it can pass through, and the engagement protrusion 41c of the bearing disc 41 is arranged in the grooved hole 31a. When the bearing disk 41 is rotated approximately 60', the periphery of the grooved hole 31b of the side plate 31 is aligned with the engagement protrusion 41c of the bearing disk 41. Its flange 41
The bearing disk 41 is mounted on the side plate 31 while being held between the side plate 31 and the side plate 31.

Further, the bearing disk 41' is also configured to be installed in the grooved hole 31a' of the side plate 31 in the same manner as the bearing disk 41. The bearing discs 41 and 41' each have a joint shaft 4 having engagement grooves 42a and 42a' at their tips.
2.42' is passed through the center hole of the bearing disk 41.41' so as to be rotatably supported, and the joint shafts 42, 4
Set disks 43 and 43'' are rotatably mounted on each of the joint shafts 42 and 42', and stepped collars 44 and 44' are fixed to the ends of the joint shafts 42 and 42', respectively. 43b and the outer cylindrical portion 44a of the stepped collar 44 are fitted with a right-handed tight coil spring 45 that provides a slight tightening interference with these outer cylindrical portions. A right-handed contact spring 45' with a slight tightness is also fitted into the outer cylindrical portion 44a' of the collar 44'.The joint shaft 42 to which the stepped collar 44 is fixed rotates counterclockwise (the engagement groove The torque transmitted from the stepped collar 44 to the set disc 43 by the clutch spring 45 when viewed from the direction of 42a is expressed by the following equation.

ΔR Torque Te=EI− The above torque Te is the pressure spring 38, 3
The ink sheet 46 wound around the 0-roll core 47 is set to be slightly larger than the sum of the braking torque applied to the set disk 36°36' by 8'. ), for example, yellow, magenta, and cyan inks are applied in fixed sections along the length of a nearly transparent plastic film, and an ink sheet is also used. Portions 46a on both sides of 46 where ink is not applied
black marks 46b, 46 are provided so that the ink sheet detector 100 can detect the boundaries of the sections coated with ink of each color.
c are provided at predetermined intervals. The black mark 46b is, for example, yellow, magenta, and cyan.
The black mark 46c is yellow so that the leading edge of the first yellow ink application section in the group can be detected.

The ink sheet 46 is located between the position B of the head surface 63a of the thermal head 63 and the detection point position C of the ink sheet detector 100 so that the leading edge of each magenta and cyan ink application section can be detected. The first ink, for example, yellow ink, is provided at a position shifted from the leading edge of the application area by a distance corresponding to the distance along the area.

Further, on both sides of the first-volume cores 47 and 47', there are protrusions 36a and 35a' of set disks 36 and 36' and protrusions 43a and 43a' of set disks 43 and 43', respectively.
Notch grooves 47a and 47a' that can be connected to the holder are provided. The ink sheet cartridge 40 inserted into the main frame 1o has round grooves 30a and 31C provided on the lower side of the side plate 30.31 engaging with the substay 7, and round grooves 30b and 30d engaging with the substay 8. It is configured to be engaged and positioned during installation.

When a thermal transfer recording device is used, the ink sheet cartridge is connected to the ink sheet cartridge 4o, and the actuating force for winding the ink sheet 46, which is wound around the core for winding the cartridge, onto the core 47' for winding is applied to the ink sheet cartridge. The ink sheet cartridge actuating device 6o attached to the main frame 10 (7) is operated by an ink sheet take-up motor 48 attached to the side plate 1 of the main frame 10 (7), and engages with a drive gear 49 attached to the shaft of the ink sheet take-up motor 48. It is rotated via a matching driven gear 50. The driven gear 50 is attached to a drive sleeve 51 which is rotatably held by a bearing 53 attached to the side plate 1, and inside the drive sleeve 51 there is an inner cylindrical part 51a with one side open and this inner cylindrical part 51a. A guide hole 51b consisting of an oval hole formed on the other side is provided, and a drive joint shaft 52 is provided through the inner cylinder portion 51a and the guide hole 51b. The stepped head of the drive joint shaft 52 has an engagement protrusion 52a at the tip thereof for engaging with the engagement groove 42a of the joint shaft 42 of the ink sheet cartridge 4o, and an intermediate shaft portion of the drive joint shaft 52 has an engagement protrusion 52a for engaging with the engagement groove 42a of the joint shaft 42 of the ink sheet cartridge 4o. A sliding shaft portion 52b having an oval cross section that can be slidably engaged with the guide hole 51b of the drive sleeve 51 in a predetermined section is provided, and a shaft end of the final stage of the drive joint shaft 52 is provided with a sliding shaft portion 52b. A retaining ring 52c is attached. Then, the outer side of the intermediate stage shaft portion of the drive joint shaft 52 and the drive sleeve 5
The stepped head of the drive joint shaft 52b is engaged with the gap between the inner cylinder portion 5ta of the ink sheet cartridge 4
An operating spring 54 is attached to the final stage shaft portion of the drive joint shaft 52 to push it toward the joint shaft 42 (in the direction of the arrow). The bearing 57 and the bearing that holds the thrust bearing 57 are ring-mounted with a disk 58, and the thrust bearing 5
7 is provided so as to be locked by a locking ring 52c attached to the end of the drive joint shaft 52. Further, a recovery spring 55 is installed between the drive sleeve 51 and the spring receiver ring 58, and the recovery spring 55 causes the spring receiver ring to
6 and the actuating spring 54 via the thrust bearing 57
A pressing force in the direction of arrow E is applied to the drive joint shaft 52, which is opposite to the pressing force by the actuating spring 54 and larger than the pressing force by the actuating spring 54.

Further, when the movable frame 20 is closed, the cam plate 59 attached to the side plate 12 of the movable frame 2o
, 13 are the receiving plates 21 and 22 of the main frame 10, respectively.
When the ink sheet cartridge actuating device 6o is held in a state in which the disk 58 is held on its cam surface 59a, the receiver of the ink sheet cartridge actuating device 6o
, the recovery spring 55 is pushed up in the direction of the actuating sleeve 51 against the reaction force of the recovery spring 55 , and the recovery spring 55 is pushed up against the drive joint shaft 52 .
The operating force of the actuating spring 54 is removed from the drive joint shaft 52.
The structure is such that only the force exerted by the That is, the recovery spring 55. Spring receiver ring 56. Thrust bearing 57. The bearing includes a connecting means 108 for connecting the drive joint shaft 52 to the joint shaft 42 from the disk 58 and the cam plate 59.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the thermal head support device 70 is held by platens 28 and 29 fixed to the side plates 1 and 2 of the main frame 1o, respectively, and the ink sheet cartridge 40 is mounted on the main frame 10. When the side plates 30, 3 of the ink sheet cartridge 4o
It is located inside 1. The thermal head 63 held by the head holder 62 has ears 62a formed by bending on both sides of the head holder 62.
, 62a'.

62b' and both ends thereof are platens) 2
It is rotatably supported by a support shaft 61 held at 8.29. The head surface 63a of the thermal head 63 is attached to a platen 7 provided on the movable frame 20.
At least one of the bearing holes 82b and 62b' of the head holder 62 is formed as an elliptical hole so as to be in contact with the head holder 7 without a gap over the entire length thereof. Also, head suppression levers 84, 64 are rotatably supported by the support shaft 61 inside the ears 62a, 62a' of the head holder 62.
' are arranged side by side.

At one end of the head pressing levers 64 and 64', there are pressing rollers 66 and 66' for pressing the thermal head 63 against the platen 77 with equal pressure on the left and right sides, respectively. It is rotatably supported by a roller shaft 65.65'' at the desired position.

Furthermore, spring-loaded shafts 67 , 67 ′ are provided at the other ends of the suppression levers 64 , 64 ′, respectively.
67' and the substay 9 are provided with pressure rollers 66 and 66.
Pressing springs 68, 68' for pressing the thermal head 63 are suspended through the springs 68, 68'. Also, platen) 2
8.29, a solenoid 71.71' is installed to restore the head suppression levers 64, 64' against the tension of the pressure springs 68, 68' and release the suppression between the platen 77 and the thermal head 63. are attached, and the solenoids 71 and 71' are provided so that the centers of their suction shafts 71a and 71a' are located opposite to the center line of the pressing roller 66 and 66'', respectively.Furthermore, the head suppression lever 64, 69 and 69' are fixed to 64', respectively, and suction shafts 71a and 71a' are connected to solenoids 71 and 71.
When the recovery arm is suctioned and displaced by '69.69''
The retaining grooves 69a, 69a' are the suction shafts 71a, 71a.
The recovery arms 69, 69' are engaged with the hook pins 72, 72' attached to the head pressing springs 68, respectively.
, 68' clockwise around the support shaft 61 (
(see FIG. 6), the pressure rollers 66, 66' are disengaged from the head holder 62. The operation of the renoids 71 and 71 is performed by an electromagnetic attraction force, and the recovery is performed by a recovery spring (not shown), but when the attraction shafts 71a and 71a' are in the operating position, they are activated by the magnetic force of the permanent magnet. It is desirable to use a latching type that can be held.

The recording paper is overlapped with the ink sheet and the thermal head 63
The recording paper feeding device 9o that feeds the paper between the platen 77 and the movable frame 2o is driven by a stepping motor 73 attached to the side plate 12 of the movable frame 2o, and a drive gear 74 attached to the drive shaft 73a is rotated by the side plates 12 and 13. It meshes with a driven gear 75 attached to a freely supported platen shaft 76 at a reduction ratio of 1:1, thereby rotating the platen shaft 76 and the platen 77. Also, the second
As shown in the figure, at the diagonally upper left position of the platen shaft 76, there is a
A roller shaft 81 rotatably supported by the side plates 12, 13 is provided, and a paper feed roller 82 is provided on the roller shaft 81.

The platen 77 and the paper feed roller 82 have the same diameter and are made of an elastic member with high friction. Further, a driving pulley 78 and a driven pulley 80 having a 1:1 reduction ratio are attached to one end of the platen shaft 76 and the roller shaft 81, and a toothed belt 79 hooked between both pulleys is connected to the paper feed roller 82 and the platen 77. is driven at the same circumferential speed. Further, a handle 81a for manually feeding the recording paper 98 is provided at the other end of the roller shaft 81. Also, pressing rollers 86 and 94 are used to press and transport the recording paper so as to contact the platen 77 and the paper feed roller 82, respectively.
is provided.

The pressing roller 86 is rotatably supported by a support shaft 85 at one end of a pressing lever 84 which is rotatably supported by a support shaft 83 whose both ends are held by the side plates 12 and 13.
Further, a guide roller 88 rotatably supported by a support shaft 87 is provided at the other end of the pressing lever 84 .

A spring 89 is provided between the support shaft 87 and the substay 19.
89' is suspended, and the pressure roller 86 is
is configured to be pressed by the paper feed roller 82. The pressure roller 94 is rotatably supported by a support shaft 93 at one end of a suppression lever 92 which is rotatably supported by a support shaft 91 whose both ends are supported by the side plates 12-13. Spring-loaded bin 95 at the end
．． 95' is attached. A spring 96.9 is connected between the spring hanging pin 95.95' and the sub-stay 18.
6' is suspended, and the pressure roller 94 is pressed against the platen 77 by its acting force. In addition,
The pressure applied by the pressure roller 94 to the platen 77 is set to a value sufficient to transport the recording paper 98 without slipping due to the friction force between the platen 77 and the recording paper 98, and the pressure roller 86 is applied to the paper feed roller. Similarly, the pressing force on the recording paper 98 is set so that it can take a value for transporting the recording paper 98.

The recording paper 98 wound into a roll has side plates 12.1 at both ends.
One end of the recording paper 98 pulled out from the roll is hung on a guide roller 88 and then passed through a paper feed roller 8.
2 and the pressure roller 94, and the paper feed roller 82
The path passes through a recording paper detector 99, for example, a photo interrupter, provided between the platen 77 and the platen 77, is hung on the platen 77, and passes between the platen 77 and the pressing roller 94 to exit to the upper surface of the movable frame 2Q. It is designed to pass through. Further, inside the side plates 1 and 2 on the lower side of the recording paper 98 wound in a roll, the recording paper 98 is reversely fed a certain length when thermal transfer color recording is sequentially performed on the recording paper 98. A vacant chamber 103 is provided to temporarily accommodate the reversely fed portion of the recording paper 98.

an ink sheet detector located opposite the reflective bar 35 of the ink sheet cartridge 40 when the movable frame 20 is closed, and for detecting the position of the leading edge of the application section of each applied ink on the ink sheet 46; As shown in FIG. 12, 100 is, for example, a reflective photosensor 101.101.
' and brackets 102, 102 that support this
The reflective photosensors 101 and 101 ' are provided so as to be able to detect black marks 45b and 460 provided at both ends of the ink sheet 46 guided by the reflective pad 35. Further, the platen 77 of the recording paper feeding device 90 brings the recording paper 98 and the ink sheet 46 attached to the ink sheet cartridge 40 into contact with the head surface 63a of the thermal head 63 when the movable frame 2o is closed. Also, the recording paper 98
is placed on top of the ink sheet 46 at the roller shaft 34' of the ink sheet cartridge 40, and is separated from the ink sheet 46 at the roller shaft 34. As shown in the block diagram of FIG. 14, the thermal transfer color recording device of the present invention includes an interface 106 for requesting image information to be recorded from an external device and receiving image information sent from the external device, and a thermal transfer recording device. A recording section 104 receives signals sent from the detectors 101 and 101' depending on the state of the recording section, and sends a corresponding control signal to the recording section 104 to control the operation of the recording section 104. It is composed of a control unit 105 and a power supply 107.

Next, the operation and operation of the thermal transfer color recording apparatus of the present invention will be explained.

When setting the ink sheet 46 in the ink sheet cartridge 4o in advance, set the bearing disc 41 at approximately 60 mm.
@Rotate to align the engagement protrusion 41c of the bearing disk 41 with the notch groove 31b of the side plate 31, and connect the joint shaft 42. Set differential 439 Remove the bearing disc 41, to which the stepped collar 44 and clutch spring 45 are attached, from the grooved hole 31a of the side plate 31, and do the same for the bearing disc 41'. 41C' is aligned with the cutout groove 31b' of the side plate 31, and the disc 41' to which the joint shaft 42', the set disc 43', the stepped collar 44, and the clutch spring 45 are attached is attached to the side plate 31.
from the grooved hole 31a'.

Next, the winding core 47 for winding up the thermally transferred ink sheet is inserted between the side plates 30 and 31, and the notch groove 47a provided at one end of the winding core 47 is aligned with the protrusion 36a of the set disk 36. Insert one end into the set disk 36, align the notch 47a provided at one end of the feeding core 47' around which the ink sheet 47 is wound with the protrusion 36a' of the set disk 36', and then wind the ink sheet 47. Core 47'
Fit one end of the set disk 36' into the set disk 36'.

Next, the joint shaft 42. Set D2F 439 Stepped Color 4
4. The engagement protrusion 410 of the bearing disk 41 to which the clutch spring 45 etc. are attached is inserted into the notch groove 31b of the side plate 31.
Insert the disc 41 into the grooved hole 31a of the side plate 31, aligning the protrusion 43a of the set disc 43 attached to the bearing disc 41 with the cutout groove 47a of the winding core 47, and insert the disc 41 into the set disc 43. , rotate the bearing disk 41 by about 60 degrees and attach the corresponding disk 41 to the side plate 31.
Attach to. Similarly, the engagement protrusion 41C' of the bearing disc 41' is aligned with the notch groove 31b' and inserted into the grooved hole 31a' of the side plate 31, and the protrusion 43a of the set disc 43' added to the bearing disc 41' is inserted. is aligned with the cutout groove 47a' of the winding 47', and the set disc 43' is fitted into the winding core 47', and the bearing disc 41' is rotated about 60' to attach the disc 41' to the side plate 31.

Next, the ink sheet 46 wound on the winding core 47'
Pull out one end of the stay 32'', roller shaft 34',
The ink sheet 46 is stretched over the roller shaft 34, the reflector 35, and the stay 32'', and one end of the ink sheet 46 is attached to the outer periphery of the core 47.Then, the joint shaft 42 is rotated counterclockwise (see FIG. 7), and the ink sheet is 46 is slightly wound around the core 47 and placed in a position where the first black marks 46b, 46c on the ink sheet 46 do not exceed the reflection plate 35. By this operation, the slack in the ink sheet 46 between the cores 47, 47' is set. It is removed by the braking force of the pressure springs 38, 38' acting on the discs 36, 36', respectively.

Next, when attaching the ink sheet cartridge 4o to the main frame 10, remove the latch 24 of the main frame 1° that is engaged with the stay 14 of the movable frame 20, and rotate the movable frame 20 counterclockwise around the rotating shaft 11. (
(see Fig. 3) to open the upper part of the main frame 10.

and the side plates 30 and 31 of the ink sheet cartridge 40.
Align both ends of the guide fittings 25 and 26 with the stepped portions of the guide fittings 25 and 26, and drop them into the inside of the main frame 1o as guides. At this time, the side plates 30 and 31 of the ink sheet cartridge 40
The round grooves 30a and 31c provided in the main frame 10
In addition, the round grooves 30b and 31d provided in the side plates 30.31 engage with the substay 8 of the main frame 1o, and thereby the ink sheet cartridge 4o is positioned at the mounting position in the vertical and horizontal directions. (see Figure 3) are regulated. Further, the ink sheet cartridge 40 is pressed against the side plate 1 of the main frame 10 by the pressing spring 27 attached to the side plate 2 of the main frame 10.
This restricts the mounting position in the front and back direction (see FIG. 5).

When the movable frame 2o is open, the drive joint shaft 52 of the ink sheet cartridge actuating device i60 is pressed in the direction of arrow E by the tension of the recovery spring 55, which is greater than the tension of the actuation spring 54. 52
The engagement between the ink sheet cartridge 40 and the joint shaft 42 of the ink sheet cartridge 40 is broken as shown in FIG. When the movable frame 20 is closed in this state, as shown in FIG. In response, the receiver pushes up the disk 58 in the direction of the arrow. Due to this pushing up, the recovery spring 55 is
6. The thrust bearing 57 and the bearing are supported by a cam plate 59 via a disk 58, and the acting force of the recovery spring 55 on the drive joint shaft 52 is removed, and the driving joint shaft 52 is moved by the action force of the operating spring 54 to its engagement protrusion 528L. is in contact with the head of the joint shaft 42 of the ink sheet cartridge 40. That is, the core 47 of the ink sheet cartridge 40 and the ink sheet cartridge 6 are connected by the connecting means 108.
This means that the drive joint shafts 52 of No. 0 are connected.

In this case, the engagement protrusion 52a of the drive joint shaft 52 and the joint shaft 4
If the orientation of the second engagement groove 42a does not match, the 12th engagement groove 42a
As shown in the figure, the engagement protrusion 52a and the engagement groove 42a are in a state where they are merely in contact without engaging, and come into alignment when the driven gear 50 rotates.

Also, at this time, the reflective photosensor 101 of the ink sheet detector 100 attached to the movable frame 20
．． 101' indicates ink sheet cartridge 4, respectively.
Black mark 48 on the ink sheet 46 stored in 0
b and 46c.

At this time, the renoids 71.71' of the thermal head support device 70 suction-displace their suction shafts 71a, 71a' into their interiors, and engage the hook pins 72.72'' with the recovery arms 69.69'. head pressing spring 68,
head suppression levers 64, 64 against the tension of 68'.
' is rotated clockwise around the support shaft 61 (see Fig. 6), and the press rollers 66, 68' and head holder 62
It is in a state where it is disengaged. Therefore, the thermal head 63 assumes a state in which it is not pressed by the platen 77.

The thermal head 63 and platen 7 are in this state.
To pass the recording paper 98 between the rollers 7 and 7, pull out the end of the wound recording paper 98, insert it between the paper feed roller 82 and the pressure roller 86, and press the By turning the handle 81a in the direction in which the paper feed roller 82 is rotated counterclockwise (see FIG. 2), the recording paper 9
After passing through the recording paper detector 99, the paper is passed between the thermal head 63 and the platen 77, guided by the roller shaft 34, drawn between the platen 77 and the pressing roller 94, and guided to the upper surface of the apparatus.

Next, as described above, with the ink sheet cartridge 40 installed in the state shown in FIG. 12 and the recording paper 98 being passed between the thermal head 63 and the platen 77, The operation when the color recording apparatus is activated will be explained with reference to the block diagram shown in FIG.

First, when the main switch is turned on, power is supplied from the power supply 107 to the recording section 104, the control section 105, and the interface 106, and the recording section 104, the control section 105, and the interface 106 are ready for operation.

Next, when the recording switch 104a is turned on, the paper presence signal from the recording paper detector 99 is stored in memory via the CPU 105a, and the ink sheet winding motor 48 is activated by the CPU.
105a and motor driver 105c. A drive sleeve 51 of an ink sheet cartridge actuating device 60 is driven by an ink sheet take-up motor 48 via a drive gear 49 and a driven gear 50.
and the drive joint shaft 52 are rotated, and the engagement protrusion 52a of the drive joint shaft 52 engages with the joint shaft 4 of the ink sheet cartridge 40.
2, the engagement protrusion 52a of the drive joint shaft 52 is pressed by the actuating spring 54 and the engagement groove 42a of the drive joint shaft 52 is pressed.
The drive joint shaft 52 and the joint shaft 42 are connected to each other in the state shown in FIG. 13. Along with this, the core 47 of the ink sheet cartridge 40 begins to rotate and the ink sheet 46 begins to be wound around the core 47 from the core 47'. Through this winding operation, appropriate tension is applied to the ink sheet 46 hung between the cores 47' by the braking drum 36b' and the pressing spring 38', and slack and wrinkles in the ink sheet 46 are removed. .

Also, due to this winding operation, the black marks 46b and 46c provided on the ink sheet 46 are detected by the ink sheet detector 10.
0 and is detected by the reflective sensor 101.101', this detection signal causes the CPU 105a to activate the solenoid 71.71' of the thermal head support device 7o.
The suction shafts 71a and 71a' are respectively projected from the solenoids to disengage the hook pins 72 and 72' from the arms 69 and 69', and the head pressing springs 6
8, 68' pressure roller 66°66'
The thermal head 63 is pressed against the platen 77 through the thermal head 63, and the ink sheet 46 and recording paper 98 passed between the thermal head 63 and the platen 77 are pressed tightly against the head surface 63a of the thermal head. Also, at this time,
The image signal is sent from the interface 106 to an external device (not shown), and from the external device, for example, first, the image signal for one screen to be recorded with yellow ink is sent as one image signal.
Lines will begin to be sent one by one. the first one sent
Image signals for lines are sent to the interface 106, CP
The head surface 6 of the thermal head 63 via U105a
The heating pulse is outputted as a heating pulse for heating the heating element provided at 3a and temporarily stored in the buffer 105h, and the heating pulse corresponding to the stored image signal for one line is sent to the thermal head 63 and heated on the head surface of the thermal head 63. Thermal transfer recording is performed by selectively heating the heating element provided on the head surface 63a and displacing the yellow ink on the ink sheet 46 in contact with the heating element on the head surface 63a onto the recording paper 98.

When the thermal transfer recording for one life is completed in this way, the stepping motor 73 operates in steps via the CPU 105a and the motor driver 105b to transport the recording paper 98 and the ink sheet 46 by one step, and then thermal transfer recording for one line is performed. Prepare for. When an image signal for one line is subsequently sent from an external device, the image signal is output as a heating pulse to the thermal head 63 and thermal transfer is performed, in the same way as when the image signal for one line is sent for the first time. As recording is performed, the recording paper 98 is transferred after thermal transfer recording.
The ink sheet 46 is then fed one step by the stepping motor 73.

The above operations are sequentially repeated for one screen, and one screen's worth of thermal transfer recording is performed using yellow ink. The ink sheet 46 and the recording paper 98 on which the thermal transfer recording has passed through the thermal head surface 63a are separated from the recording paper 98 at the roller shaft 34, and the recording paper 98 on which the yellow ink has been thermally transferred is separated from the recording paper 98 at the roller shaft 34. guided to the upper side of this device.

Note that the transport speed of the ink sheet 46 by the ink sheet winding motor 48 is set to be slightly higher than the transport speed of the recording paper 98, which is transported in steps by the stepping motor 73, and the recording is caused by the difference in transport speed between the two. Misalignment of the ink sheet 46 with respect to the paper 98, or ink sheet 4 with respect to the recording paper 98 during a thermal transfer recording operation in which the ink sheet 46 and the recording paper 98 are held pressed against the head surface 63a of the thermal head 63.
6 can be avoided by slipping of the clutch spring 45 wound around the set disk 43 and stepped collar 44 of the ink sheet cartridge 40.

When the thermal transfer recording of yellow ink for one screen is completed, the recording paper 98 and the ink sheet 46 are pressed against the head surface 63a of the thermal head 63, and the end of the thermal transfer recording section of the recording paper 98, which is in contact with the head surface 63a, passes through the roller shaft 34. The ink sheet 46 is further moved by a predetermined number of steps by the stepping motor 73 to the past position, and the peeling of the ink sheet 46 from the recording paper 98 in the thermal transfer recording section is completed. Since it is desired that the length of transport of the two ink sheets 46 for separating the ink sheet 46 from the recording paper 98 after the thermal transfer recording is completed is short, the head surface 63a of the thermal head and the roller shaft 43 are arranged as close as possible. ing.

When the transfer of the recording paper 98 and the ink sheet 46 for peeling is completed, the CPU 105a and the drive circuit 105
The solenoid 71°71' operates via f, suctioning and displacing the suction shafts 71a, 71a'', and the hook pin 72.7
2', the recovery arms 69 and 69' fixed to the head suppression levers 64 and 64' are connected to the head pressing spring 68.
The head pressing lever 64 is pulled down against the tension of ゜68'.
．． 64' clockwise (see FIG. 6) to release the pressure on the thermal head 63 by the pressure rollers 66 and 66'. By releasing this pressure, the recording paper 98 and the ink sheet 46 can be transported independently.
When the second black mark 48c on the ink sheet 46 being transported by the ink sheet take-up motor 48 reaches a position facing the reflective photosensor 101 and is detected by the reflective photosensor 101', the CPU 105a and the motor driver The ink sheet winding motor 48 is stopped via the ink sheet winding motor 105c, and the ink sheet 46 is placed at the next magenta thermal transfer recording start position.

Further, when the solenoid 71, 71' is operated, the stepping motor 73 is connected to the CPU 105a and the motor driver 1.
05b, the recording paper 98 is driven to rotate in the opposite direction to that in thermal transfer recording. Thermal transfer recording of yellow ink is performed by the number of steps equal to the sum of the number of steps in which the recording paper 98 and ink sheet 46 are transported to perform +1 printing and the number of steps in which the recording paper is transported for thermal transfer recording of yellow ink. It is transported in the opposite direction to that in the case of , and is placed at the next magenta ink thermal transfer start position.

Note that the recording paper 98 that is fed backward at this time is not wound up by the recording paper support shaft 97 and is accommodated in the empty chamber 103 in a loose form.

When the ink sheet 46 and the recording paper 98 are placed at the next magenta thermal transfer recording start position as described above, the next image signal is refwest sent from the interface 106 to the external device, and the magenta is thermally transferred from the external device. Signals for one screen to be recorded begin to be sent one line at a time. At this time, solenoid 71.71' is connected to CPU1.
05a and the drive circuit 105f, the engagement between the hook pin 72.72' and the recovery arm 69, 69' is released, and the tension of the head pressing spring 68, 68' causes the head to be restored via the pressing roller 66, 68'. The thermal head 63 is pressed against the platen 77, and the ink sheet 46 and recording paper 98, which are passed between the thermal head 63 and the platen 77, are brought into close contact with the flat surface 63a of the thermal head.

When an image signal for one line is sent from the external device, the image signal is output as a heating pulse to the thermal head 63 in the same manner as in the case of thermal transfer recording of yellow ink, and thermal transfer recording of one line of magenta ink is performed. is carried out on the recording paper 98 on which the yellow ink has been thermally transferred recorded, and then the recording paper 98 and the ink sheet 46 are fed one step by the stepping motor 73. That is, the above-mentioned operations are sequentially repeated for one screen, and one screen's worth of thermal transfer recording with magenta ink is superimposed on the recording paper 98 on which thermal transfer recording of yellow ink has been completed. The thermal transfer recorded recording paper 98 and the ink sheet 46 that have passed through the thermal head surface 63 a are separated again at the roller shaft 34 . When thermal transfer recording of magenta ink for one screen is completed, the head surface 63 of the thermal head 63
Recording paper 98 and ink sheet 4 pressed against a
6 is further transported by a predetermined number of steps, and the close contact portion between the recording paper 98 and the ink sheet 46 on which thermal transfer recording has been performed is separated.

Then, a recording paper 98 and an ink sheet 4 for peeling
When the transfer of the thermal head 6 is completed, the solenoid 71° 71' operates in the same way as in the case of yellow ink thermal transfer recording, and this causes the thermal head 6 to be moved by the pressure roller 66° 66'.
Release the pressure in step 3. By releasing this pressure, the recording paper 9
8 and the ink sheet 46 can be transported independently, and the third black mark ° 4 on the ink sheet 46 being transported by the ink sheet winding motor 48
When the ink sheet 6c reaches a position facing the reflective photosensor 101' and is detected by the reflective photosensor 101', the ink sheet take-up motor 48 is stopped via the CPU 105a and the motor driver 105c, and the ink sheet 46 is moved to the next cyan ink sheet. It is placed at the ink thermal transfer recording start position.

Furthermore, when the solenoids 71, 71' are operated, the stepping motor 73 is driven via the CPU 105a and the motor driver 105b to rotate in the opposite direction to that in the case of thermal transfer recording. is sent backwards and placed at the cyan ink thermal transfer starting position.

When the ink sheet 46 and the recording paper 98 are placed at the starting position for the next cyan ink thermal transfer recording as described above, the next image signal is refwest sent from the interface 106 to the external device, and the cyan ink is transferred from the external device. Image signals for one screen for thermal transfer recording begin to be sent line by line. At this time, solenoid 71.71'
is restored via the CPU 105a and the drive circuit 105f, and the pressure rollers 86 and 66 are activated by the tension of the head pressure springs 88 and 68' as in the case of yellow ink thermal transfer recording.
The thermal head 63 is pressed against the platen 77 via ', and the ink sheet 46 and recording paper 98, which are passed between the thermal head 63 and the platen 77, are pressed into close contact with the thermal head surface 63a.

When an image signal for one line is sent from the external device, the image signal is output as a heating pulse to the thermal head 63 as in the case of thermal transfer recording of yellow ink, and the thermal transfer recording of cyan ink for one life is performed with yellow ink. and magenta ink are applied onto the recording paper 98 on which thermal transfer recording has been performed, and then the recording paper 98 and the ink sheet 46 are fed one step by the stepping motor 73.

That is, the above-mentioned operations are sequentially repeated for one screen, and one screen's worth of thermal transfer recording with cyan ink is superimposed on the recording paper 98 on which yellow ink and magenta ink have been thermally transfer recorded.

When the thermal transfer recording of cyan ink for one screen is completed, the recording paper 98 and the ink sheet 46 that are pressed against the thermal head surface 63a are further transported by a predetermined number of steps, and the recording paper 98 on which the thermal transfer recording has been performed is moved. The part of the ink sheet 46 that is in close contact with the ink sheet 46 is peeled off.

When the transfer of the recording paper 98 and the ink sheet 46 for this separation is completed, the solenoid 71°71' operates in the same way as in the case of yellow ink thermal transfer recording, and this causes the thermal head caused by the pressure roller 66°66' to operate. 63 is released, and the recording paper 98 and the ink sheet 46 can be transported independently. This causes the fourth black mark 46b on the ink sheet 46 to be transported by the ink sheet take-up motor 48.

46c reaches a position facing the reflective photosensor 101.101', and the reflective photosensor 101.10
1', the ink sheet winding motor 48 is activated via the CPU 105a and the motor driver 105c.
is stopped, and the ink sheet 46 is placed at the thermal transfer recording start position of the image signal for one screen that is sent next. Note that the recording paper 98 is thermal transfer recorded with yellow ink, magenta ink, and cyan ink superimposed.

For example, by operating the handle 81a, the platen 7
7, it is fed out onto the top surface of the device.

Although one embodiment has been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to this embodiment, and the ink sheet 46
The ink may be heat-dissolved or sublimated.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As explained above, this invention comprises: an ink sheet cartridge loaded with an ink sheet stretched between 22 cores; a thermal head for thermally transferring the thermal transfer material on the ink sheet to recording paper; and the thermal head. a thermal head support device that supports the ink sheet and pushes it against the ink sheet and pulls it back; and an ink sheet cartridge actuating device that applies the actuating force to wind the ink sheet onto the core of the ink sheet cartridge via a drive joint shaft. a main frame that holds an ink sheet cartridge inside the main frame; a recording paper feed device and a detector that detects when the front end of the ink application section of the ink sheet matches the head surface of the thermal head. a movable frame connected to the main frame in an openable and closable manner; a connecting means for connecting the core of the ink sheet cartridge and the drive joint shaft of the ink sheet cartridge actuating device when the movable frame is closed; The ink sheet is transferred after the connection is completed by the means, and the recording operation is started from the time when the detector detects that the front end of the ink application section meets the head surface of the thermal head. There is an advantage that the ink sheet cartridge can be installed in a thermal transfer type color recording device simply by opening the movable frame and dropping the ink sheet cartridge into the main frame and then closing the movable frame.

Further, the installed ink sheet cartridge is automatically connected by the joint shaft, and there is an effect that there is no need to perform alignment of the joint shaft, and there is also no need to align the ink sheet.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an embodiment of a thermal transfer color recording device of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line I-I' in FIG. 1, and FIG. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line I--■' in FIG. 2 when the color recording device is opened. FIG. 5 is a view taken along arrow A in FIG. 3. FIG. is m-m' in Figure 5
FIG. 7 is a front view of the ink sheet cartridge installed in the thermal transfer color recording device of the present invention;
Figure 8 is a diagram showing the IV-IV' cross section in Figure 7;
FIGS. 9(a) and 9(b) are views showing the v-v' section and the suppression spring in FIG. 8, and FIG. 10(a). (b) is an explanatory diagram of the color ink sheet loaded into the ink sheet cartridge shown in Figures 8 and 9 (a) and (b), and Figure 11 is an illustration of the ink sheet cartridge being installed with the movable frame opened. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing the state when the ink sheet cartridge is installed and the movable frame is closed. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the relationship between the ink sheet cartridge and the ink sheet cartridge actuating device. Figure 14 showing the state when the connection is completed.
The figures are block diagrams for explaining the operation of the thermal transfer type color recording apparatus of the present invention, FIG. 15 and FIG. 16(a). (b) is a diagram for explaining mounting of a conventional ink sheet. In the figure, 10 is the main frame, 2o is the movable frame, and 4
0 is the ink sheet cartridge, 47°47' is the core,
63 is a thermal head, 70 is a thermal head support device, 90 is a recording paper feeding device, 100 is an ink sheet detector, and 105 is a control section. Figure 6 Figure 7 Figure 9 Figure 10 jla Figure 14 IQ5 Eyes

Claims (1)

[Claims] an ink sheet cartridge in which an ink sheet is loaded and stretched between two cores; a thermal head for thermally transferring the thermal transfer material on the ink sheet to recording paper; A thermal head support device that presses against and pulls back the sheet, and an ink sheet cartridge actuation device that applies an actuation force for winding the ink sheet to the core of the ink sheet cartridge via a drive joint shaft are attached. a main frame that holds the ink sheet cartridge inside the main frame; a recording paper feeding device;
a movable frame attached with a detector for detecting that the front end of the ink application section of the ink sheet matches the head surface of the thermal head, and connected to the main frame in a freely openable and closable manner; when the movable frame is closed; connecting means for connecting the core of the ink sheet cartridge and the drive joint shaft of the ink sheet cartridge actuating device when the ink sheet cartridge is activated; after the connection by the connecting means is completed, the ink sheet is transferred; 1. A thermal transfer type color recording apparatus comprising: a control section that starts a recording operation from the time when it is detected that the front end of the ink application section matches the head surface of the thermal head.