JPS639569A - Recording ribbon - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obtain a recoding ribbon with a simple film structure which is easy to handle and requires to ink layer by forming a resistance layer and a conductive layer formed on one surface of the former and locally heating a part corresponding to the printed character of the resistance layer through energization. CONSTITUTION:A recording ribbon consists of a metallic conductive layer 12 formed on surface of a resistance layer 11 composed of a resistor. The resistance layer 11 is a polymer resistance layer 11 which consists of a resin material such as polycarbonate containing a fine particle material such as carbon black fine particle so that an appropriate resistance value may be obtained. The resin material is melted onto a base film and formed into a film having a prearranged thickness. Next a metallic conductive layer 12 is formed on the film. As a material which forms the conductive layer 12, for instance, an aluminum material having a low resistance value is used. This conductive layer is formed by evaporating aluminum. When an electric current is supplied to the resistance layer of the ribbon from an electrode of a printing head, a part corresponding to the electrode is heated in the form of micropoints and a very small part corresponding to paper is thermally changed.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of Industrial Application This invention relates to a recording ribbon that is applied to a printer that prints on paper using a thermal method.

Conventional thermal printers have low noise, easy maintenance, simple structure, and easy miniaturization.

In addition, the printed characters have features such as heat resistance, 1 light, 1 light, and -1 chemical resistance, and these have recently become popular.

In conventional thermal printers, the printing nod itself generates heat, which consumes a considerable amount of heat in the head itself, and at the same time, the heat also diffuses into the ribbon base material, resulting in the transfer efficiency depending on the thickness of the base material. Therefore, as a technique to solve such problems, the printing ribbon itself is made into a suitable resistor, and a current is applied to a small portion of the resistor corresponding to the position where printing is to be performed. A method has been proposed in which the ink applied to the area is melted and transferred to the paper by generating heat through the ink. Conventionally, the recording ribbon used in this transfer type printer is
As shown in the figure, a resistive layer 1, a metal conductive layer 2, and a release layer 3 were formed from above, and an ink layer 4 with a thickness of about 4 to 5 μm was provided via the pattern layer 3. When the resistance layer 1 is energized through the electrodes of a print head (not shown), a small portion corresponding to the printing position generates heat, melting the ink in the ink layer 4, reducing its shear strength, and transferring it to the paper. . At that time, the conductive layer 2 becomes a path for electrode current.

Problems to be Solved by the Invention However, the recording ribbons that have been proposed so far have a disadvantage in that they have very high running costs during use and lack marketability in terms of price. Additionally, the adhesion of the ink layer heated through the resistive layer to the paper fibers depends on the printhead pressure and the maximum temperature of the partially melted ink, and the size of the printed dots also depends on the ink. Since it is related to temperature, it is essential to control and manage the ink temperature in order to obtain good print quality, and handling is extremely troublesome. Furthermore, since it is necessary to form an ink layer, the manufacturing process is accordingly complicated.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a novel recording ribbon that is easy to handle, inexpensive, and has a simple film structure that does not require an ink layer.

Means for Solving the Problems The present invention comprises a resistive layer and a conductive layer formed on one surface of the resistive layer, and employs a configuration in which a portion of the resistive layer corresponding to printing locally generates heat when energized.

Function: The recording ribbon of the present invention has a two-layer structure consisting of a resistive layer and a conductive layer, and since an ink layer is not required, the film structure is simple. Therefore, there is no need to control the ink temperature, making handling easier. Furthermore, since no ink is required, the unit price per sheet of paper during use is lower than that of conventional recording ribbons, resulting in a significant reduction in running costs.

During printing, when electricity is applied to the resistive layer through the electrodes of the print head, heat is generated locally in the area corresponding to the printing, and that heat thermally changes a correspondingly small portion of paper such as thermal paper. This forms the letters. That is, in the recording ribbon of the present invention, the ribbon itself generates heat, and the ink can be used to form characters due to the heat generated.

Embodiments Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a partially enlarged perspective view showing a cross section of the recording ribbon according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the recording ribbon according to the present invention in a wound state.

The recording ribbon 10 is constructed by forming a metal conductive layer 12 on one surface of a resistance layer 11 made of a resistor.

The resistance layer 11 is a so-called polymer resistance layer, and is made of a resin material such as polycarbonate containing fine particles such as carbon blank particles so as to have an appropriate resistance value, and is melted and poured onto a base film to a predetermined thickness. It is formed into a film shape with a A metal conductive layer 12 is then formed thereon.

As a material for forming the conductive layer 12, for example, aluminum material having a low resistance value is used. This conductive layer is formed by vapor depositing aluminum, but the method for forming the film is not limited to vapor deposition.

The thickness of the resistance layer 11 is selected to be about 16 μm, but is not necessarily limited to this. In short, it is sufficient that the thickness is such that when heat is generated by energization, the heat can be transferred to the paper and cause a thermal change. A metal conductive layer 12 is formed on this resistance layer 11 with a very thin film thickness. This metal conductive layer 12 serves as a ground path for electrode current.

The recording ribbon 10 formed as described above is peeled off from the base film and wound up as shown in FIG. 2, then trimmed to a specified width and length and placed in a ribbon cartridge (not shown). It will be done.

During printing, the recording ribbon 10 is interposed between a sheet of paper and a print head (none of which is shown).

Then, the resistive layer 11 of the ribbon 10 is connected to the electrode of the print head.
When a current is applied to the paper, the part corresponding to the electrode generates a very small amount of heat locally, that is, it generates heat in the form of tiny dots, and that heat is transferred to the paper. This heat thermally changes a correspondingly small portion of the paper. Specifically, the corresponding area turns black in the form of a minute spot. As a result, dots forming characters, figures, etc. are formed on the paper. A dot matrix is formed by a collection of dots formed in this way.

Characters composed of box-like characters are printed.

The recording ribbon 10 of this embodiment has a structure in which the recording ribbon itself generates heat when an electric current is applied, and the corresponding part of the paper is thermally changed by this heat, thereby forming dots, unlike the conventional ribbon structure. There is no need for an ink layer or a template layer for adhering it. Therefore, the membrane structure is extremely simple and manufacturing is accordingly easy. Further, as a matter of course, there is no need for troublesome control and management of ink temperature as in the conventional structure, so handling is easy.

As the paper to which this recording ribbon 10 is applied, for example, thermal paper is used. When actually printing with this ribbon structure using this thermal paper, extremely high-speed printing is possible, approximately 10 times faster than conventional paper (using a thermal head), and clear printing is possible. became possible.

Note that since the recording ribbon 10 of this embodiment does not have a structure for transferring ink, it can be used repeatedly.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION As described in detail, the ribbon structure of the present invention has a simple structure, is easy to manufacture, and does not require ink, making it very easy to handle. Additionally, the running cost per sheet of paper is significantly reduced compared to the conventional method. Therefore, it becomes easier to use in terms of cost and marketability increases.

Furthermore, no ink is required, and the heat generated by the ribbon itself causes a thermal change on the paper to form dots.
A novel ribbon structure that is fundamentally different from that of conventional thermal transfer printers can be provided.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partially enlarged perspective view of a recording ribbon according to the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the recording ribbon in a wound state, and FIG. 3 is a partially enlarged perspective view showing the conventional recording ribbon in cross section. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10... Recording ribbon, 11... Resistive layer, 11... Conductive layer. Patent applicant: NEC Home Electronics No. 3
Figure 2 Procedural amendment form 2, Ribbon for recording the name of the invention 3, Person making the amendment

Claims (3)

[Claims] (1) A recording ribbon comprising a resistive layer made of a resistor and a conductive layer formed on one surface of the resistive layer, wherein the resistive layer locally generates heat when energized. (2) A thin conductive layer is formed by aluminum vapor deposition on one surface of the resistive layer having an appropriate resistance value, and serves as a grounding path for electrode current during printing. The recording ribbon described in item (1). (3) According to claim (1), the local heat generation of the resistive layer causes a thermal change in recording paper such as thermal paper to form dots. Recording ribbon.