JPS647879B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] The present invention relates to an improved thermal recording device.

In recent years, various non-impact type recording devices have been put into practical use. In particular, thermal recording devices require less maintenance, are noiseless, and are harmless.
Due to the simple structure of the device, demand is increasing as an output device for information processing devices and the like. For example, in ticket issuing machines, this type of thermal recording device is used as a means of printing tickets, but it also prevents tampering with the ticket after it has been issued, and is durable for long-term use (especially (in the case of commuter passes), a recording method that can fix the image after thermal recording is desired.

For example, the thermal development diazo method is a recording method that can optically fix recorded images, but it has had problems in terms of durability. However, among the heat development diazo methods, a recording method using a recording material containing diazosulfonate is promising for use in thermal recording/photofixing because this recording material is relatively stable in a dark place.

The reaction of diazosulfonate to heat and light has been studied for a long time, and its optical behavior can be expressed as follows.

U.S. patent No.
No. 2217189 discloses that (1)
→ Perform the reaction (2) → (4) to decompose the diazosulfonate in the exposed area, and then perform the reaction (1) → (2) → (3) to color the unexposed area by heating. How to obtain images and first selectively heat (1)→(2)→
Perform reaction (3), then expose to light (1)→(2)→(4)
A heat-sensitive recording fixing method is disclosed in which the reaction proceeds to obtain an image.

Further, JP-A-51-43926 discloses a heat-sensitive recording fixing method in which the reactions (1)→(2)→(3) are progressed by simultaneously applying light and heat.

However, since a thermal head is generally used during thermosensitive recording, the amount of heating expressed as the product of temperature and time is limited due to the relationship with the lifespan of the thermal head, and the above-mentioned method cannot be used. That is, the method disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 2,217,189 has low thermal sensitivity and insufficient image density, and the method disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 51-43926 has a problem of (1)→(2)→(4 ), which requires a large amount of exposure, making them impractical for ticket issuing machines and the like.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and
It is an object of the present invention to provide a heat-sensitive recording device that can obtain clear and stable images even if the amount of heat supplied for heat-sensitive recording and the amount of light that can be used for optical fixing are small.

First, the thermal recording fixing method will be explained.

The heat-sensitive recording fixing method of the present invention first irradiates a heat-sensitive layer containing diazosulfonate, a coupling agent, and a thermoplastic resin binder to convert the diazosulfonate into the unstable form described in (2) above, and heats the heat-sensitive recording layer. It consists of carrying out an activation to improve the sensitivity and photosensitivity, and carrying out thermosensitive recording with a small amount of heat by means of the activated thermosensitive layer, which is then fixed in place, also with a relatively small exposure. In other words, the key point of the present invention is that by applying energy in the photoactivation process, only a small amount of energy is required for later thermal recording and photofixing.
This makes it possible to use diazosulfonate heat-sensitive agents in thermal printers.

The light source used for photoactivation preferably has a wavelength of 400 nm or more, preferably up to 550 nm.
xenon lamp, tungsten lamp, mercury lamp,
Arc lamps, halogen lamps, and fluorescent lamps for copying can be used. It is desirable to use a filter that cuts out wavelengths of 550 nm or more. On the other hand, the light source used for fixing has a wavelength of 300 to 450 nm, and is appropriately selected from the various light sources mentioned above.

Energy for photoactivation is 0.1-5J/cm ² ,
Furthermore, energy for optical fixing requires 5 to 20 J/cm ² . Depending on the type of diazosulfonate, the activation wavelength and the fixing wavelength may overlap, and in this case, the method of the present invention can be carried out using the same light source and changing the amount of irradiation energy.

Thermal heads used for thermal recording in the method of the present invention include dot type (line, matrix),
Any type such as segment type, thermal type, thermal pen type, etc. can be used. Thermal energy for recording requires 1 to 10 mJ per dot.

The diazosulfonate that can be used for this recording paper has the general formula This is a compound represented by In the formula, R ₁ is an alkali metal, R ₂ , R ₃ , R ₅ and R ₆ are hydrogen, halogen,
It is an alkyl group or an alkoxy group, and R ₄ is hydrogen, halogen, alkyl group, amino group, benzoylamino group, morpholino group, tolylmercapto group or pyrrolidino group. Many such diazosulfonates are already known,
It is obtained by treating each diazonium salt with a metal sulfite salt. Particularly suitable is R ₄
is an amino group, a benzoylamino group, a morpholino group, a trimercapto group, or a pyrrolidino group, R ₂ and R ₅ are hydrogen, and R ₃ and R ₆ are a methoxy group, an ethoxy group, or a putoxy group. This is a diazosulfonate obtained from a diazonium salt used in

The coupling agent used in combination with the above-mentioned diazosulfonate can be arbitrarily selected from a large number of known compounds.

For example, resorcinol, phloroglucin, catechol, pyrazolone, naphthoic acid, or their derivatives are often used.

Any thermoplastic resin binder can be used as long as it does not affect the PH when forming the heat sensitive agent layer. For example, acrylic resins such as polymethacrylic ester and acrylic ester-methacrylic ester copolymer,
Cellulosic resins such as nitrocellulose, cellulose acetate, cellulose acetate butyrate, ethylcellulose and hydroxyethylcellulose, vinyl acetate resins and their derivatives such as polyvinyl acetate, polyvinyl alcohol, polyvinyl formal and polyvinyl butyral, such as polyvinylpyrrolidone and polyvinylcarbazole. Examples include vinyl polymers of nitrogen-containing cyclic compounds, and polycarbonates. Among these, those having a glass transition point of 70 to 150°C are preferred. When using a resin with a glass transition point lower than 70°C, the molecular motion of the color-forming molecules becomes active during thermal recording, allowing recording with high color density to be obtained.However, as the melted resin adheres to the thermal head, thermal recording Not suitable for paper. On the other hand, for resins with a glass transition point of 150° C. or higher, the molecular motion of color-forming molecules cannot easily occur simply by the amount of heat provided from the thermal head, and the color-forming ability is significantly reduced. Therefore, a binder for thermal paper suitable for thermal recording devices has a glass transition point of 70 to 150°C.
It is desirable to use a range of .

Commercially available thermoplastic resins with relatively high glass transition points are listed below along with their transition temperatures.

Polymethyl methacrylate 60-105℃ Polyacrylic acid 80-95℃ Cyclohexyl polyacrylate 66-88℃ Polystyrene 80-100℃ Polydivinylbenzene 106℃ Polyvinyl alcohol 68-85℃ Polymethyl chloroacrylate 84-100℃ Polyacrylonitrile 80 to 100°C Polyethylene-1,5-naphthalate 71°C Polyethylene-2,6-naphthalate 113°C Triacetylcellulose 30, 105°C The heat-sensitive agent composition for recording paper targeted for the heat-sensitive recording fixing method of the present invention includes: In addition to the above-mentioned ternary compounds, any other component can be added as long as it does not adversely affect heat sensitivity or photosensitivity. For example, it is recommended to add a lubricant or the like to prevent the heat-sensitive agent composition from separating from the recording paper and adhering to the thermal head. In particular, in dot line type thermal printers, pressure is applied during thermal printing, causing strong friction between the recording paper and the thermal head, so the use of a lubricant can be said to be effective.

Examples of lubricants useful as lubricants include metal soaps, i.e., metal salts of fatty acids such as lauric acid and stearic acid, but there are also amides of higher fatty acids, higher alcohols and their derivatives, and paraffin waxes. Silicones are also useful.

The heat sensitizer composition as described above must be supported on a suitable support.

As the material for the support, any paper or film can be used as long as it does not change the pH of the heat-sensitive layer. The characteristics desired for the support are smoothness,
In addition to heat resistance, coated paper or art paper is preferred because it does not allow heat-sensitive ink to penetrate. If it is desired to use a plastic film, it is best to choose one from relatively heat resistant polyester or triacetate films.

A roll coating method or a gravure coating method is convenient as a coating means for forming a heat-sensitive layer on this support. In addition, in preparing the thermosensitive recording paper, techniques known in the art may be followed.

In the heat-sensitive recording fixing method of the present invention, as described above, the heat-sensitive agent is photoactivated to increase the heat sensitivity and photosensitivity before thermal recording is performed, so that clear printing can be performed with a small amount of heat, and the subsequent simple steps can be performed. Stable and long-lasting images can be obtained by photofixing. Therefore, this is a suitable recording and fixing method for output devices such as information processing devices that require high-speed printing, ticket issuing machines, and the like.

Example 1 A Diazosulfonate: Sodium 4-(4'-tolylmercapto)-2,5-diethoxybenzenediazosulfonate 3g Methyl cellosolve 9g B Coupling agent: 2-hydroxy-3
- Naphthoic acid 2g Methyl cellosolve 6g C As a thermoplastic resin binder, polymethyl methacrylate (Sumipetx BHO (trade name),
Glass transition point: 115°C) 5g Methyl ethyl ketone 67g Mix A to C above immediately before coating, and roll coat onto coated paper (Top Coat, manufactured by Kanzaki Paper Co., Ltd.) at 50 g/m ² (1 g/m ² as diazosulfonate) amount was applied. Drying was carried out at 60°C for 1 minute.

The entire surface of the thus prepared recording paper was irradiated with a xenon flash lamp and activated with an energy of 5 J/m ² , and then thermal recording was performed using a dot type thermal head. The conditions are the applied voltage
The voltage was 15V and the application time was 50msec. A clear blue image with no missing characters was obtained.

Next, light from a chemical lamp for diazocopy is applied.
By irradiating for 120 seconds and fixing, the non-image areas became white. No recording was made even after reheating, and the image was completely fixed.

Example 2 A Sodium 4-(4'-tolylmercapto)-2,5-diethoxybenzenediazosulfonate
3 g Methyl cellosolve 9 g B Phloroglucin 2 g Methyl cellosolve 6 g C Sumipex B-MHO (polymethyl methacrylate) 5 g Methyl ethyl ketone 57 g These solutions were mixed and coated in the same manner as in Example 1, and thermal recording showed no defects. A brown image was obtained. Fixation was carried out in the same manner.

Example 3 A Sodium 4-benzoylamino-2,5-diethoxybenzenediazosulfonate 3 g Cellosolve 9 g B 2-hydroxy-3-naphthoic acid 2 g Cellosolve 6 g C Sumipex B-MHO (trade name) (polymethyl methacrylate) 5 g Methyl ethyl ketone 57 g After photoactivation with a xenon flash (5 J/cm ² ) in the same manner as in Example 1, thermal recording was performed using a dot line type thermal head, and a clear image was obtained. After fixing it with a diazocopy chemical lamp, the color did not reappear even when exposed to the flame of a lighter.

Example 4 A Sodium 4-(4'-tolylmercapto)-2,5-diethoxybenzenediazosulfonate
3g Cellosolve 9g B 2-Hydroxy-3-naphthoic acid 2g Methyl cellosolve 8g C Sumipex B-MHO (trade name) 5g Methyl ethyl ketone 57g D Polyethylene wax AF 1g Toluene 3g Mix the above solutions A to D and immediately coat with a roll coater. It was applied to coated paper at a rate of 50 g/m ² (1 g/m ² as diazosulfonate).

The thus prepared recording paper was activated by irradiation with xenon flash light (5 J/cm ² ) in the same manner as in Example 1, and then thermal recording was performed using a wasegment thermal head.

The printing conditions were an applied voltage of 15 V and a printing time of 50 msec. The obtained blue image was clear and no missing characters were found. When this was passed under a chemical lamp for diazo copying, only a blue image remained after 120 seconds and was fixed.

Example 5 A 4-(N-ethyl-N-benzyl)aminobenzenediazosulfonate 3g Methyl cellosolve 9g B 2-hydroxy-3-naphthoic acid 2g Methyl cellosolve 8g C Sumipex B-MHO (trade name) 5g Methyl ethyl ketone 67g D Polyethylene Wax AF 1 g Toluene 3 g Recording paper was prepared in the same manner as in Example 4, activated with xenon flash, and thermal recording was performed using the dot type thermal head used in Example 1. A blue image without missing characters was obtained. For fixing, a xenon flash was used and irradiation was performed three times (5 J/cm ² ) until the non-image area changed from yellow to white.

Example 6 A Sodium 4-(4'-tolylmercapto)-2,5-diethoxybenzenediazosulfonate
3 g Methyl cellosolve 9 g B Phloroglucin 2 g Methyl cellosolve 8 g C Sumipex B-MHO (trade name) 5 g Methyl ethyl ketone 67 g D Polyethylene wax AF 1 g Toluene 3 g A recording paper made using the above heat-sensitive agent composition was prepared in the same manner as in Example 1. It was activated and thermosensitive recording was performed using the thermal head used in Example 4. A clear brown image was obtained, which could be fixed in the same manner as in each of the above examples.

Next, an apparatus for recording and fixing based on the heat-sensitive recording and fixing method as described above will be explained.

The embodiment described below is an example in which the present invention is applied to a commuter pass issuing machine that prints and issues train tickets, for example, commuter passes.

Figures 1a, b, and c are a cross-sectional view, a top view, and a back view of a commuter pass issued by this device. A commuter pass is issued by performing necessary printing on the card 1 as its original ticket. Card 1 is prepared based on appropriate examples of Examples 1-6 described above.
That is, a base material 1a such as a polyester film
A card 1 is prepared in advance, in which the heat-sensitive agent composition described above is coated on one side to form a heat-sensitive layer 1b, and a magnetic film or the like is applied to the other side of the base material 1a to form a magnetic recording layer 1c. do. Necessary information is recorded on the heat sensitive layer 1b as shown in FIG. 1b. Six magnetic recording tracks MT are formed in the magnetic recording layer 1c, and necessary information such as a clock signal serving as a reference signal during reading and departure/arrival stations are magnetically recorded. In this way, magnetic recording in addition to thermal recording is performed for such commuter passes in addition to conventional manned ticket gates.
This is to enable unmanned ticket inspection using an automatic ticket inspection device.

FIG. 2 is a schematic front view of the device.

This apparatus is roughly composed of a card supply and transport mechanism 2, an exposure section 3, a printing section 4, and a magnetic recording section 5. The card supply and conveyance mechanism 2 includes a hopper 6 that stores a large number of cards 1 prepared by the method described above in a stacked state, a weight 7 that presses the cards 1 stored in the hopper 6 downward, and a weight 7 that presses the cards 1 stored in the hopper 6 downward. Weight 7
A picker 8 that feeds out the card 1 pressed downward by the picker 8; a throat knife 9 that regulates the card thickness so that the cards 1 fed out by the picker 8 are fed one by one; It is comprised of a conveyance path 13 formed by a carry-out section 10, a roller 11, and a belt 12, from which the cards 1 are once pooled and then carried out.

The exposure section 3 is composed of a card guide section 14 and an exposure device 15, as shown in FIG. The card guide section 14 includes guide plates 16, 17, 18, 1
9, a separation claw 20, an adsorption roller 21, and a separation roll 22. The separating claw 20 separates the plastic film 20a and the film holder 20b.
It consists of The suction roller 21 is composed of a roller main body 23 having a through hole, and a suction chip 24 that adsorbs through the through hole of the roller main body 23. The roller body 23 can freely rotate relative to the tip 24, and the tip 24 is fixed in position. The chip 24 communicates with a vacuum device (not shown) via a pipe 25. The chip 24 is fixed by a screw 26, and its open end 27 faces the exposure device 15. Note that 28 is a seal plate for bringing the open end 27 into close contact with the roller body 23. Separation roll 2
2 is a roller that can be rotated in forward and reverse directions. Exposure device 15
The drum 29 is made of a transparent material such as quartz glass, and the mirror 3 installed inside the drum 29.
0, a xenon lamp 31, and a cleaning pad 32 for cleaning the inner surface of the drum 29. The cleaning pad 32 is made up of a member 32a such as felt fixed to a mounting member 32b, and the member 3 can be removed as needed by turning a screw 33.
2a is brought into sliding contact with the drum 29. The xenon lamp 31 is turned on by the circuit shown in FIG.

That is, a direct current is supplied via the rectifier circuit 34, and this is adjusted to an appropriate value by the charging resistor 35. Therefore, capacitors 36 and 37 are charged until they reach a predetermined voltage. At this time, if the relay 38 is not operating, the capacitor 3
The circuit for charging 7 is opened and capacitor 37 is not charged. 39 is a backflow prevention diode, and 40 is a chiyoke coil. The charge detection circuit 41 detects the state of charge of the capacitors 36 and 37. Trigger circuit 42
outputs a signal for triggering the xenon lamp 31. Reference numeral 43 denotes a manual switch, which is used when turning on the xenon lamp 31 on a trial basis.
1 can be lit.

The printing section 4 is composed of a thermal head 44 and a platen roller 45.

The magnetic recording section 5 is composed of magnetic heads 46R, 46W and a pressing roller 47.
The magnetic recording layer 1c is magnetically recorded, and the recorded contents are read and verified to prevent recording errors.

This apparatus having the above-described configuration is controlled by a control section as shown in FIG.

That is, the main control section 48 is mainly composed of a processor such as a microprocessor, and sequentially controls the operating procedure of the apparatus according to a program stored in the memory 49.
Note that the memory 49 also stores character patterns necessary for printing. From the main control section 48, necessary control signals are sent to a mechanism control section 51, an exposure control section 52, a printing control section 53, a magnetic recording control section 54, and an operation control section 55 via a bus line 50. These control units 51 to 55 include a card supply and conveyance mechanism 2, an exposure unit 3, a printing unit 4, and a magnetic recording unit 5, respectively.
and the operating section 56 are actually operated individually according to control signals sent from the main control section 48. Further, the operation unit 56 is used to input issuance conditions such as departure/arrival station and validity period.

In addition, in Figure 2, SC ₁ to SC ₅ are card 1
It is a detector that detects the arrival and presence of. Detection signals from these detectors SC ₁ to _{SC 5} are sent to the mechanism control section 51.

Next, the operation of the embodiment configured as described above will be explained.

First, when an issue button (not shown) of the operation section 56 is operated, an issue signal is transmitted from the operation control section 55 to the main control section 48 via the bus line 50 in response.
sent to. Note that one card 1 is pooled in the unloading section 10 when the issuing machine is powered on.

Now, the main control section 48 operates the card supply and conveyance mechanism 2 via the mechanism control section 51, and
Cards 1 pooled at 0 are sent out toward the exposure section 3. At this time, the card 1 is detected by the detector SC ₂ , and this signal is sent to the main control section 48 via the mechanism control section 51. Then, a feed command is output from the main control section 48, the picker 8 is driven, and the cards 1 stored in the hopper 6 are fed out and pooled in the carry-out section 10. The fact that card 1 has been pooled is detected by detector SC ₁ . This card 1 is on standby in preparation for the next issue signal. On the other hand, card 1 sent to exposure section 3
passes through the exposure device 15 while being held between the drum 29 and the belt 12 and is photoactivated. That is, the main control section 48 controls the exposure control section 5 to execute the exposure routine based on the signal from the detector _SC2 .
Command to 2. Therefore, after a certain period of time has passed since the card 1 was detected by the detector SC ₂ , the trigger circuit 42 is activated and the xenon lamp 31 is activated.
to emit light. At this time, the relay 38 is not operating, and therefore the capacitor 37 is not being charged, so the amount of light emitted from the xenon lamp 31 is relatively small. Furthermore, if the charge detection circuit 41 detects charging of the capacitor 36 even though a trigger instruction has been given to the trigger circuit 42, this signal is sent to the exposure control section 52 and a re-trigger is performed. , to prevent mis-flashing. When photoactivation is performed in this way, the card 1 is attracted by the attraction roller 21 and is guided by the separation claw 20, separated from the drum 29, and separated between the attraction roller 21 and the roller 11. The paper is then clamped and further sent to the printing section 4 by the separation roll 22 (rotating clockwise at this time). The sent card 1 is detected by the detector SC ₃ ,
This signal is then sent to mechanism control section 51. Printing is started in response to this signal. That is,
By operating the operation unit 56, print information such as departure and arrival stations and expiration dates is retrieved from the memory 49 and stored in the print control unit 53 in advance. These pieces of print information are sequentially printed as the card 1 is transported. The thermal head 44 is a dot-type thermal head in which heating elements are arranged in one line at a density of, for example, 7 dots/mm, and the heating elements selectively generate heat according to information to perform thermal recording. It is. The card 1 is conveyed and driven while being pressed against the thermal head 44 by the pressing roller 45, and guided again by the guide plates 16 and 17 to the detector _SC2 . Detector SC ₂
The exposure section 3 performs optical fixing based on the signal from. That is, at this time, the relay 38 is activated to charge the capacitors 36 and 37, and the timing when the card 1 passes the exposure device 15 (after a certain period of time has elapsed after passing the detector SC ₂ ) is set. , this is the conveyance speed of the belt 12 etc. and the detector
(determined by the distance from SC ₂ ), the exposure control section 52 issues a trigger command to the trigger circuit 42 of the exposure section 3, causing the xenon lamp 31 to emit light. The amount of light emitted at this time is larger than that in photoactivation. When optical fixing is performed in this way, the card 1 is attached to the suction roller 21 and separation claw 20.
separated from the drum 29 by the separating roll 2
Sent to 2. At this time, the separation roll 22 is rotated counterclockwise and operates to feed the card 1 into the magnetic recording section 5. That is, the card 1 is guided by the guide plate 18 and fed into the magnetic recording section 5, and is detected by the detector _SC4 . Then, magnetic encoded information corresponding to the information printed by the printing section 4 is sent from the memory 49 to the magnetic recording control section 54. The control unit 54 is
According to this information head 48W for card 1
The head 48R performs magnetic recording, and the recorded contents are read by the head 48R.
Verify both. As a result of the verification, if the magnetic recording has been performed correctly, a commuter pass as shown in FIGS. 1b and 1c will be issued. If magnetic recording is not performed correctly, the card will be collected in a collection box (not shown) and will not be issued. Note that the detector SC ₅ detects the passage of the card 1 and notifies the main control unit 48 via the mechanism control unit 51 that one commuter pass issuance has been completed. As a result, the main control unit 48 waits for the next issuing signal.

In the above embodiments, a recording material formed in the form of a card in advance was used, but a roll-shaped material may be cut as necessary for recording. Furthermore, instead of the dot type thermal head, a heating printing plate may be used.

As described above, according to the present invention, clear and stable images can be obtained even if the amount of heat required for thermal recording and the amount of heat required for optical fixing are small.

In addition, when performing heat-sensitive recording fixing using such a heat-sensitive recording device, the recording material is re-transported toward the exposure section for photoactivation and photofixing, which makes the device more compact. configured. Furthermore, since the image is fixed, there is no risk of tampering, fading, etc.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Figures 1a, b, and c are sectional views, top views, and back views of a recording material used in an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 2 is a schematic front view of an embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention, and Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of a front view of an embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a front view of the main parts of the same example, FIG. 4 is a circuit diagram of the main parts of the same example, and FIG. 5 is a configuration block diagram of the same example. 1...Card (recording material), 1b...Thermosensitive layer,
2... Supply conveyance mechanism, 3... Exposure section, 4... Printing section, 13... Conveyance path, 14... Guide section, 31...
Xenon lamp (light source).

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A supply conveyance mechanism for supplying and conveying a recording material having a heat-sensitive layer provided on one side thereof containing diazosulfonate, a coupling agent, and a thermoplastic binder; and a record supplied by this supply conveyance mechanism. an exposure section that exposes the material to activate and fix the heat-sensitive layer; a guide section that feeds the recording material to the exposure section; and a recording material that is fed into the exposure section by the guide section and subjected to photoactivation. A thermal recording device comprising: a printing unit that thermally prints necessary visual information on a material; and a conveyance path that retransports the recording material printed by the printing unit towards the exposure unit for optical fixation. Device. 2. The heat-sensitive recording device according to claim 1, wherein the exposure section comprises a light source that irradiates light that activates the heat-sensitive layer, and a light source that irradiates light that fixes the heat-sensitive layer. 3. Claim 1, wherein the exposure section is equipped with the same light source that serves both for activating and fixing the heat-sensitive layer.
The heat-sensitive recording device described in Section 1.