JP5843476B2 - Thermal printer - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a thermal transfer recording type thermal printer using a thermal head.

  In recent years, printing apparatuses (thermal printers) for easily obtaining printed matter from image data obtained with a digital camera or the like have become widespread. Conventionally, in these printing apparatuses, a thermal transfer recording method using a thermal head is used as a method for obtaining high-quality image recording. The thermal head has a plurality of heating elements (resistive elements) arranged in a line, and printing is performed by selectively energizing these heating elements and transferring ink ribbon ink onto the recording paper.

  Further, with these printing apparatuses, for the purpose of protecting the image after printing, the overcoat layer formed on the ink ribbon is transferred in advance following the printing, thereby forming the overcoat layer on the image. Is done. By forming an overcoat layer on the printed image, it is protected from a gas that causes image deterioration. In addition, by providing an ultraviolet absorbing function in the overcoat layer, prevention of discoloration of the printed image, prevention of transition to those containing various plasticizers such as an eraser of dye on the printed image, prevention of abrasion of the printed image, It also prevents dirt caused by sebum and liquid.

  Patent Documents 1 and 2 below disclose printing apparatuses that transfer an overcoat layer following an image transfer using an ink ribbon on which an overcoat layer is applied together with a color material ink layer for printing.

JP 2009-154410 A Japanese Patent No. 4039106

  However, in the printing apparatus that transfers the overcoat layer subsequent to the image transfer of the color material ink layer as described above, the dye transfer process of the color material ink layer to the recording paper and the overcoat layer to the recording paper are performed. The transfer process is different. Therefore, in order to maintain high image quality, it is necessary to perform each process optimally.

  In other words, after the printing of the ink layer on the recording paper is completed, if the surface of the ink ribbon on which the dye ink is applied is not immediately removed from the recording paper, the dye transfer is performed outside the printing area of the recording paper. . In this case, trailing edge tailing occurs in a portion outside the print area, and the appearance quality of the print is significantly impaired.

  On the other hand, if the surface of the ink ribbon on which the overcoat layer is applied is immediately peeled off from the recording paper after the printing of the overcoat layer in the printing area, the overcoat layer will have a defective foil and image quality will deteriorate. This is because in the state immediately after the transfer of the overcoat layer, the overcoat layer is still in a high temperature state, and the adhesive force between the recording paper in the transferred region and the overcoat layer is weak. On the other hand, even in the area where the transfer is not performed, the adhesive force between the recording paper and the overcoat layer exists due to the residual heat of the thermal head. In addition, since the overcoat layer itself is relatively soft at a high temperature, the difference in the adhesion state between the recording sheet and the area where the overcoat layer is transferred is not clear. . Therefore, the cutting of the overcoat layer itself is also unclear, and a foil breakage defect occurs at the transfer end position.

  Usually, the ink ribbon is peeled off from the recording paper on a peeling plate provided on the downstream side of the heating element of the thermal head in the transport direction of the recording paper and the ink ribbon at the time of transfer. By appropriately setting the distance between the heat generating element of the thermal head and the release plate, after the transfer of the overcoat layer is completed, the application surface of the ink ribbon overcoat layer is peeled from the recording paper after an appropriate time. Therefore, it is possible to make an appropriate difference in the adhesive force between the recording paper and the overcoat layer between the transfer region of the overcoat layer to the recording paper and the other region. Therefore, it is possible to prevent occurrence of defective foil cutting of the overcoat layer.

  When peeling the recording paper from the ink ribbon using a release plate and performing thermal transfer using a material with a different transfer process, the release plate is removed from the heating element as a method of solving the problems of trailing edge trailing and foil breakage defects. There is known a method of changing the interval until the time depending on the material used.

  Normally, in thermal transfer recording, a thermal head unit having a heating element needs to be pressed against a platen roller during thermal transfer. Therefore, the thermal head unit is configured to be movable so as to be able to transition between a pressure contact state and a non-pressure contact state with respect to the platen roller.

  In order to reduce the size and cost of the apparatus, a peeling plate for peeling the recording paper and the ink ribbon is also configured as a part of the thermal head unit, and is driven as the thermal head is driven. However, with such a configuration, it is difficult to change the distance from the heating element to the peeling plate according to the material used. Therefore, in the above-mentioned Patent Document 2, the peeling plate and the thermal head are configured as separate constituent units, respectively, and are configured to be independently movable.

  However, if the release plate and the thermal head are configured as separate constituent units and configured so as to be independently movable, not only the control is complicated, but also it is difficult to reduce the size and cost of the printing apparatus.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems of the prior art, and an object thereof is to maintain high image quality with simple control in a thermal printer.

In order to achieve the above object , the present invention provides a thermal printer that prints on a recording sheet using an ink ribbon in which color ink and overcoat are sequentially formed, and the ink ribbon is applied to the recording sheet by a thermal head. A printing control means for transferring the overcoat onto a recording paper onto which the color ink has been transferred by the thermal head after the color ink is transferred, the thermal head, the ink ribbon and the ink A moving means for moving between a printing position pressed against the platen roller via a recording sheet and a retracted position separated from the platen roller, and moved in conjunction with the thermal head, after being transferred by the thermal head; anda peeling member for peeling the ink ribbon from the recording sheet, the transfer Means, upon transfer completion of the color ink, the thermal head and the peeling member at the timing of the transfer completion of the color ink is moved to the retracted position from the printing position, when the transfer completion of the overcoat The thermal head stops heating and keeps the thermal head at the printing position, and after the transfer of the overcoat is completed, the thermal head and the release plate are moved to the retracted position when a predetermined timing elapses. It is made to move .

  According to the present invention, high image quality can be maintained with simple control.

1 is a diagram illustrating an external configuration of a printing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention and a cartridge used in the printing apparatus. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of a printing apparatus. FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the printing apparatus in a state where a cartridge is mounted. It is a figure which shows a part of ink ribbon. It is a flowchart of a printing process. 6 is a flowchart of a printing process executed in step S805 of FIG. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a print start state in the printing apparatus. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a printing state in the printing apparatus. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a paper discharge state in the printing apparatus. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a state immediately after a paper discharge operation in the printing apparatus.

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

  In the following description, “printing” to “printing operation” refers to a series of overall operations from performing printing based on a printing instruction from the user, cutting the roll paper to a predetermined size, and discharging the paper. To do. “Print” refers to recording images on roll paper by thermally transferring ink (coloring material ink layer, overcoat layer) applied to the ink ribbon to roll paper, which is recording paper, in the printing operation. It shall refer to the action to be performed.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an external configuration of a printing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention and a cartridge used in the printing apparatus.

  The printing apparatus 100 is configured as a thermal printer (thermal transfer printer). The printing apparatus 100 includes a housing 101, and the side surface of the housing 101 opens and closes so that the cartridge 110 can be attached and detached in the direction of the arrow 120. A display unit 102 and an operation unit 103 are disposed on the upper portion of the housing 101.

  The display unit 102 includes a display screen such as an LCD, and displays image data to be printed and a menu for inputting setting data necessary for printing. The operation unit 103 includes a power switch 104 that instructs to turn on / off the power of the printing apparatus 100 and a selection switch 105 for selecting various menus displayed on the display unit 102. Further, a left / right key 106 and an up / down key 107 for moving the cursor displayed on the display unit 102 to a desired position are arranged around the selection switch 105.

  The cartridge 110 stores an ink ribbon 407 (see FIG. 3) to which ink is applied and a roll paper 409 (see FIG. 3) as a recording sheet. Further, in a state before the cartridge 110 is mounted on the printing apparatus 100, the roll paper 409 is completely covered by the housing 101, and the user cannot directly touch the roll paper 409. . Thereby, the mixing of foreign matter or the like into the cartridge 110 is avoided. When printing, the roll paper 409 is pulled out from the cartridge 110, and the ink applied to the ink ribbon 407 is transferred to the roll paper 409 by the thermal head 227 (see FIG. 3) of the printing apparatus 100, and printing is performed.

  The roller shaft 112 is a rotation shaft of the roller 408 (FIG. 3) around which the roll paper 409 is wound. When the cartridge 110 is mounted on the printing apparatus 100, the roller shaft 112 is coupled to the rotation mechanism of the paper feed motor 215 (FIG. 2) included in the printing apparatus 100, and the rotation is controlled by the printing apparatus 100. The cartridge 110 is provided with the rotation shaft 113 of the supply roller 113a (FIG. 3) of the ink ribbon 407 and the rotation shaft 114 of the take-up roller 114a (FIG. 3). The rotation shaft 114 of the take-up roller 114 a is coupled to the rotation mechanism of the ink ribbon winding motor 217 (FIG. 2) included in the printing apparatus 100 when the cartridge 110 is mounted on the printing apparatus 100, and is rotated by the printing apparatus 100. Be controlled.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of the printing apparatus 100. In the printing apparatus 100, a main controller (printing control means, moving means, conveyance means) 201 controls the entire printing apparatus 100. The main controller 201 is connected to a ROM 202, a RAM 203, various sensors, a driver, and the like.

  The ROM 202 stores a control program and the like, and the main controller 201 operates according to the control program stored in the ROM 202. The RAM 203 is used as a work memory for arithmetic processing of the main controller 201, and temporarily stores various setting data input via the operation unit 103.

  The image memories 224Y, 224M, and 224C are image buffers that store image data received via the image data input unit 229, and temporarily store yellow, magenta, and cyan image data, respectively.

  The thermal head 227 sublimates the dye ink applied to the ink ribbon 407 when a built-in heating element (not shown) generates heat, and prints on the roll paper 409. When the thermal head 227 is in pressure contact with the ink ribbon 407, the release plate 228 (FIG. 3 etc.) rolls at a position where the release plate 228 is in contact with the ink ribbon 407 (hereinafter referred to as “predetermined position Ph”). The ink ribbon 407 is peeled from the paper 409. That is, the peeling plate 228 peels the ink ribbon 407 after being transferred by the thermal head 227 from the roll paper 409. The release plate 228 may be a release member having a release function of the dye application surface and the overcoat application surface, and is not limited to a plate shape.

  The head drive circuit 226 drives a heating element built in the thermal head 227. The image memories 224Y to 224C hold image data recorded in a bitmap format and automatically generated overcoat image data. Using these data, the driver controller 225 connected to the main controller 201 controls the head driving circuit 226 to perform printing.

  The roll paper transport motor driver 211 drives the drive motors 212 and 213. The drive motors 212 and 213 are coupled to a curl removal roller (not shown), a grip roller 614, a paper discharge roller 606 (FIG. 3), a paper discharge kick roller (not shown), and the like via a rotation mechanism. The roll paper 409 is conveyed by driving the rollers.

  The paper feed motor driver 214 controls the rotation of the paper feed motor 215. In a state where the cartridge 110 is mounted, the roll paper 409 is wound around the roller 408 (FIG. 3), and the roller shaft 112 becomes the rotation shaft of the roller 408. The paper feed motor 215 is coupled to the roller shaft 112 via a rotation mechanism, and the rotation drive of the roller shaft 112 is controlled by the paper feed motor driver 214.

  The ink ribbon winding motor driver 216 controls the rotation of the ink ribbon winding motor 217. In a state where the cartridge 110 is mounted, the take-up roller 114a of the ink ribbon 407 and the ink ribbon winding motor 217 are coupled via a rotation mechanism. Accordingly, the ink ribbon winding motor driver 216 controls the winding or winding of the ink ribbon 407. A generic term for components related to the conveyance of the roll paper 409 and the ink ribbon 407 is referred to as conveyance means.

  The head up / down motor driver 218 controls the rotation of the head up / down motor 219 that moves the thermal head 227 up and down, thereby causing the thermal head 227 to transition between the “printing posture” and the “retracting posture”. As will be described in detail later, in the present embodiment, when the color material ink (color ink) is transferred and when the overcoat layer is transferred, the thermal head 227 is raised immediately after the transfer to the printing area ( Change the timing.

  The cutter motor driver 220 cuts the roll paper 409 by controlling a cutter motor 221 that drives a cutter blade and a cutter receiving blade that constitute the cutter unit. The end detection sensor 204 is disposed in the roller 408 (FIG. 3) of the cartridge 110, and detects that the end is detected when the roll paper 409 wound around the roller 408 is consumed and the remaining amount becomes less than one turn. To do. When the end is detected, a message that the remaining amount of the roll paper 409 is low is displayed on the display unit 102.

  The roll paper cueing sensor 206 is disposed between a platen roller 605 and a grip roller 614 (FIG. 3) provided to face the thermal head 227. At the start of printing, the roll paper cueing sensor 206 detects that the leading end of the roll paper 409 pulled out from the cartridge 110 has passed the downstream side of the grip roller 614.

  The ribbon cue sensor 207 detects a marker 2401 (FIG. 4) that is an identification band applied to the head portion of each ink on the ink ribbon 407. The winding operation of the ink ribbon 407 by the ink ribbon winding motor 217 is controlled based on the detection result of the ribbon cue sensor 207.

  In addition, a roll paper detection sensor 205, an environmental temperature sensor 208, a head pressure detection sensor 209, a print range identification sensor 210, and an IC read / write unit 230 are provided.

  FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the printing apparatus 100 in a state where the cartridge 110 is mounted. The configuration of each unit that operates when the printing apparatus 100 performs the printing operation will be described with reference to FIG.

  In FIG. 3, a transport path 601 is provided in the cartridge 110. The roll paper 409 contained in the cartridge 110 passes through the conveyance path 601 and is drawn to the printing position P0 during printing. Here, the printing position P 0 is a position where the thermal head 227 presses the ink ribbon 407 against the roll paper 409 between the thermal head 227 and the platen roller 605. That is, it is a position where the thermal head 227 is pressed against the platen roller 605 via the ink ribbon 407 and the roll paper 409. The roll paper 409 wound around the roller 408 is pulled off by the separation member 406, and is drawn out of the cartridge 110 from the cartridge outlet 602 and passes through the conveyance path 601.

  In addition, the pinch roller 613 and the grip roller 614 pinch the roll paper 409. The decurling guide 603 is provided to give a curvature opposite to the curling direction of the roll paper 409 during printing, and corrects curling of the roll paper 409. As the grip roller 614 rotates clockwise in FIG. 3, the roll paper 409 sent out from the cartridge 110 is conveyed toward the printing position P0.

  The thermal head 227 is integrally fixed to the head lever 612 and is rotatably disposed on the base frame of the printing apparatus 100 via the head lever 612. As shown in FIG. 3, in this embodiment, the peeling plate 228 is configured as a thermal unit integrated with the thermal head 227. Therefore, the peeling plate 228 moves integrally with the thermal head 227. The head up / down motor 219 drives the head lever 612 to rotate the thermal head 227.

  The platen roller 605 maintains a state where the ink ribbon 407 and the roll paper 409 are overlapped with the thermal head 227 at the printing position P0 during printing. A paper discharge roller 606 conveys the roll paper 409 in the paper discharge direction. The paper discharge roller 606 and the driven roller 607 are arranged at positions facing each other via the roll paper 409, and are pressed and separated by a driving mechanism (not shown). To do.

  The cutter blade 609 and the cutter receiving blade 610 are disposed at positions facing each other across the conveyance path of the roll paper 409, and a cutter motor 221 and a gear train 608 that drive the cutter blade 609 are integrally configured. These constitute the cutter unit. The operation of the cutter motor 221 is transmitted to the cutter unit by the gear train 608. The cutter blade 609 and the cutter receiving blade 610 are driven by a gear train 608, and the roll paper 409 is cut by sliding the upper and lower blades in scissors.

  Here, the paper discharge direction is a direction in which the paper discharge roller 606 and the driven roller 607 are present when viewed from the platen roller 605. The roll paper 409 is once conveyed in the same direction as the paper discharge direction before the start of printing. However, the direction in which the ink ribbon 407 is conveyed when the ink ribbon 407 is wound from the supply roller 113a to the take-up roller 114a is the conveyance direction of the roll paper 409 during printing. Accordingly, when viewed from the platen roller 605, the downstream side in the transport direction of the roll paper 409 at the time of printing is the side opposite to the paper discharge side.

  FIG. 4 is a view showing a part of the ink ribbon 407. A yellow layer 2402, a magenta layer 2403, and a cyan layer 2404 are applied to the ink ribbon 407 as color material ink layers, and an overcoat layer 2405 is further applied in order. A marker 2401 is applied in a band shape at the cueing position of each layer. The marker 2401 is a black line. Two markers 2401 are applied to the head portion of the yellow layer 2402, and there is one marker 2401 at the head portion of the other layer, so that the head portion of the yellow layer 2402 is identified.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the ribbon cue sensor 207 is disposed at a position closer to the take-up roller 114 a than the roll paper cue sensor 206. A reflective sheet 115 is attached to a position facing the ink cueing sensor 207 with the ink ribbon 407 interposed therebetween, and the light projected from the ink cueing sensor 207 is reflected by the reflective sheet 115. The ribbon cue sensor 207 detects that the light reflected by the reflective sheet 115 is blocked by the marker 2401. Then, the detection result is transmitted to the main controller 201, and the main controller 201 can identify which layer is currently located. For example, if two markers 2401 are detected, it can be recognized that the position is the cue position of the yellow layer 2402 to be printed first.

  Next, the overall flow of the printing process in the printing apparatus 100 will be described. FIG. 5 is a flowchart of the printing process.

  After the cartridge 110 is mounted on the printing apparatus 100 and the power is turned on, the state shown in FIG. 3 is entered, and when the capture of the image data to be printed is completed, the processing shown in FIG. 5 is started.

  In step S <b> 801, the main controller 201 receives information related to image data selected as a print target by the user via the operation unit 103 from the image data displayed on the display unit 102. In step S802, the main controller 201 determines whether there is a print instruction from the user via the operation unit 103. If there is a print instruction, the process proceeds to step S803.

  In step S803, the main controller 201 determines whether printing is possible. Here, it is determined based on the remaining amount of the roll paper 409 whether or not all the image data selected in step S801 can be printed.

  If printing is not possible, the main controller 201 displays a message indicating that printing is not possible on the display unit 102 and advances the process to step S806. On the other hand, if printing is possible, the main controller 201 generates print data for each color based on the selected image data (step S804).

  In the subsequent step S805, the main controller 201 performs a printing process shown in FIG. 6 to be described later using the generated print data. In step S806, the main controller 201 determines whether there is the next image data selected as a print target. If there is next image data, the main controller 201 returns the process to step S803. Repeat the above process. On the other hand, if there is no next image data, the main controller 201 advances the process to step S807. In step S807, the main controller 201 performs end processing and returns to the state shown in FIG.

  Here, the posture of the thermal head 227 taken when the thermal head 227 presses the ink ribbon 407 against the roll paper 409 with the platen roller 605 at the printing position P0 is the printing posture (see FIG. 8). On the other hand, a posture in which the thermal head 227 is separated from the ink ribbon 407 and the ink ribbon 407 is not pressed against the roll paper 409 is a retracted posture (see FIGS. 7, 9, and 10). In the retracted posture, the thermal head 227 is located away from the platen roller 605. The thermal head 227 can transition between a printing posture and a retracted posture by a rotation operation.

  Further, as described above, the peeling plate 228 moves together with the thermal head 227. When the thermal head 227 is in the printing posture and the retracted posture, the peeling plate 228 has a “first posture” and a “second posture”, respectively. In the first posture, the peeling plate 228 is pressed against the roll paper 409 via the ink ribbon 407 at a predetermined position Ph (FIG. 8). The predetermined position Ph is a position separated from the position of the heating element of the thermal head 227 in the printing posture (corresponding to the printing position P0) by a predetermined distance in the transport direction at the time of printing. On the other hand, in the second posture, the peeling plate 228 contacts the ink ribbon 407, but the ink ribbon 407 is separated from the roll paper 409, so that it does not come into pressure contact with the roll paper 409 (FIGS. 7 and 7). 9, FIG. 10).

  Next, the operation of the printing apparatus 100 during the printing process will be described below with reference to FIGS. 3 and 6 to 10. FIG. 6 is a flowchart of the printing process executed in step S805 of FIG. 7, 8, 9, and 10 are diagrams illustrating a print start state, a print state, a paper discharge state, and a state immediately after the paper discharge operation in the printing apparatus 100, respectively.

  First, in step S <b> 101 of FIG. 6, the main controller 201 controls the roll paper 409 to be sent out from the cartridge 111 and fed. Next, in step S102, the main controller 201 controls to convey the roll paper 409 to the print start position, and sets the print start state (FIG. 7).

  The paper feeding operation executed in steps S101 and S102 will be described. In the state shown in FIG. 3, when the roller 408 that rotates integrally with the roll paper 409 is driven counterclockwise in FIG. 3, the roll paper 409 rotates. As the roll paper 409 rotates, the roll paper holding flange 503 also rotates, and the leading end of the roll paper 409 wound around the roller 408 advances along the inner peripheral surface of the cartridge 111 and is scooped up by the separation member 406. Then, it is pushed out to the conveyance path 601. As a result, the leading end of the roll paper 409 is sent out from the cartridge outlet 602.

  The roll paper 409 sent out from the cartridge outlet 602 passes through the grip roller 614. The pinch roller 613 is always in pressure contact with the grip roller 614, and the roll paper 409 is guided to the grip position so that the roll paper 409 is held together with the grip roller 614. Fine protrusion-like claws are formed on the surface of the grip roller 614, and the roll paper 409 is gripped by being bitten into the back surface of the roll paper 409.

  The roll paper 409 gripped by the grip roller 614 is further conveyed and passes between the thermal head 227 and the platen roller 605. A roll paper cueing sensor 206 (FIG. 2) is disposed at a position near the platen roller 605 of the grip roller 614. When the leading end of the roll paper 409 passes through this position, the roll paper cueing sensor 206 is turned on. .

  When the main controller 201 receives the ON signal of the roll paper cueing sensor 206, the main controller 201 calculates the remaining paper conveyance amount according to the print size. Based on this calculation result, the roll paper conveyance motor driver 211 (FIG. 2) is controlled to drive the grip roller 614 connected by the gear train. The roll paper 409 is conveyed by the grip roller 614 and stops when reaching the printing start position, and the cueing of the roll paper 409 is completed (FIG. 7). In this manner, the roll paper 409 necessary for printing one image is pulled out from the cartridge 111, conveyed to the print start position, and waits.

  Next, in step S103, the main controller 201 performs ribbon cueing. That is, in the printing start state, the ink ribbon 407 stored in the cartridge 110 is wound up. The ink ribbon 407 is wound on the take-up roller 114a via a ribbon winding motor 217 (FIG. 2) and a gear train connected to the ribbon winding motor 217.

  When the ribbon cue sensor 207 detects two markers 2401 of the yellow layer 2402 of the ink ribbon 407, the main controller 201 stops the ink ribbon winding motor 217. The ribbon cueing is performed as described above. In this step S103, the main controller 201 also resets a counter CT described later to “0”.

  Next, in step S104, the main controller 201 controls the head up / down motor 219 to drive the head lever 612 to rotate the thermal head 227 to the printing position P0 (FIG. 8). As a result, the thermal head 227 changes from the retracted posture to the printing posture, and the peeling plate 228 changes from the second posture to the first posture.

  In the present embodiment, the main controller 201 determines whether the printing operation is a color material ink layer transfer or an overcoat layer transfer before performing the printing operation every time. Then, based on the determination result, the movement operation of the thermal unit immediately after the printing operation is controlled.

  That is, in step S105, the main controller 201 determines whether or not the color material ink layer (2402-2404) of any color is transferred. If the color material ink layer is not transferred, the main controller 201 determines in step S201 whether the overcoat layer 2405 is transferred.

  As described above, the value of the counter CT is set to 0 by the detection of the two markers 2401 and the cueing of the yellow layer 2402, and then the marker 2401 is detected in step S109. Incremented by 1 every time. Accordingly, the main controller 201 can determine which color material ink layer is transferred based on the value of the counter CT. Specifically, when the counter CT = 0, 1, 2, 3, it is determined that the current print is the yellow layer 2402, the magenta layer 2403, the cyan layer 2404, and the overcoat layer 2405.

  If the result of the determination in step S105 is that the next material to be printed is a color material ink layer, the main controller 201 advances the processing to step S106 and executes the printing operation. That is, in the state where the thermal head 227 has reached the printing position P0 (FIG. 8), the grip roller 614 starts conveying the roll paper 409 for printing. When the roll paper 409 is conveyed by a predetermined amount and the conveyance speed becomes constant, the heating element built in the thermal head 227 is driven to generate heat, and the yellow layer 2402 of the ink ribbon 407 is sublimated and transferred to the roll paper 409. .

  Next, in step S107, the main controller 201 determines whether or not the current printing has been completed. When the current printing is completed, the main controller 201 advances the process to step S108. In step S108, the main controller 201 immediately controls the head up / down motor 219 to rotate the head lever 612. Accordingly, the thermal head 227 fixed integrally with the head lever 612 is retreated from the printing posture position to the retreat posture position. Since the peeling plate 228 moves integrally with the thermal head 227, the transition from the first posture to the second posture is performed.

  Here, when the printing is completed, the end position Pe (transfer completion position) (FIG. 7 and the like) of the printing area of the roll paper 409 conveyed in the conveying direction at the time of transfer (during printing) reaches the printing position P0. This is the case. Therefore, immediately after the color material ink layer is transferred, the thermal head 227 is immediately retracted. That is, the thermal head 227 is changed from the printing posture to the retracted posture after the print region end position Pe of the roll paper 409 has reached the printing position P0 and before the predetermined position Ph. That is, when the transfer of the color material ink layer is completed, the main controller 201 moves the thermal head 227 and the release plate 228 to the retracted position at the transfer completion timing.

  As a result, the color material ink layer of the ink ribbon 407 is quickly peeled from the roll paper 409, so that the occurrence of trailing edge trailing to the portion outside the printing area can be suppressed.

  Next, in step S109, the main controller 201 performs the next ribbon cueing. That is, when the ink ribbon 407 is wound up and the next marker 2401 is detected by the ribbon cueing sensor 207, the ink ribbon 407 is cueed by stopping the ink ribbon winding motor 217. At the same time, the counter CT is incremented by one. For example, immediately after the yellow layer 2402, the marker 2401 of the magenta layer 2403 is detected, the printing of the yellow layer 2402 is completed through the ribbon cueing operation of the magenta layer 2403, and the counter CT becomes “1”.

  Next, in step S110, the main controller 201 controls to convey the roll paper 409 to the print start position, sets the print start state again (FIG. 7), and returns the process to step S104. In this way, by repeating steps S104 to S110, the yellow layer 2402, the magenta layer 2403, and the cyan layer 2404 are sequentially printed. In step S105 after the end of printing of the cyan layer 2404 of the third color, the value of the counter CT is 3, so the main controller 201 determines that the color material ink layer is not transferred. Then, the main controller 201 determines whether or not the overcoat layer 2405 is transferred (step S201).

  If the value of the counter CT is 3, the main controller 201 determines that the overcoat layer 2405 is transferred, and advances the process to step S202. However, if the counter CT is an unexpected value or the like and cannot be determined as transfer of the overcoat layer 2405 due to some abnormality, the process proceeds to step S301. In this case, the main controller 201 performs an error display process and ends the process of FIG.

  In step S202, the main controller 201 executes the printing operation of the overcoat layer 2405. That is, in the state where the thermal head 227 has reached the printing position P0, the grip roller 614 starts to convey the roll paper 409 for printing. When a predetermined amount of the roll paper 409 is conveyed and the conveyance speed becomes constant, the heating element built in the thermal head 227 is driven to generate heat, and the overcoat layer 2405 of the ink ribbon 407 is transferred to the roll paper 409.

  Next, in step S203, the main controller 201 determines whether or not the current print has been completed. When the current printing is completed, the main controller 201 advances the process to step S204. In step S204, the main controller 201 stops the heat generation driving of the thermal head 227, but continues the conveyance of the roll paper 409 and the ink ribbon 407 while keeping the thermal head 227 in the printing posture.

  Next, in step S205, the main controller 201 determines whether or not the end position Pe of the printing area of the roll paper 409 has passed the predetermined position Ph that is also the position of the peeling plate 228 in the transport direction during printing. . Here, whether or not the end position Pe has passed the predetermined position Ph is determined from the detection result of the print range identification sensor 210, for example.

  Although not shown in FIG. 3 or the like, the print range identification sensor 210 is disposed at a position corresponding to the predetermined position Ph. The print range identification sensor 210 detects that the end position Pe has passed the predetermined position Ph in the transport direction of the roll paper 409 for printing. The printing range identification sensor 210 may be an optical type, but the configuration is not limited.

  The end position Pe is the leading end of the roll paper 409 in the paper discharge direction, but is not limited thereto. For example, it may be a position where a margin is secured from the front end portion, and the arrangement position of the print range identification sensor 210 is also set accordingly. Further, as described above, the main controller 201 obtains the paper conveyance amount after receiving the ON signal of the roll paper cueing sensor 206 by calculation. Therefore, the calculated value may be stored, and it may be determined that the end position Pe has passed the predetermined position Ph from the calculated value and the transport amount of the roll paper 409 in the transport direction at the time of printing. . In this case, it is not necessary to use the print range identification sensor 210.

  As a result of the determination in step S205, the main controller 201 advances the process to step S206 when the print region end position Pe passes the predetermined position Ph. In step S206, as in step S108, the main controller 201 controls the head up / down motor 219 to rotate the head lever 612 to cause the thermal head 227 to transition to the retracted posture. The peeling plate 228 transitions from the first posture to the second posture. That is, when the transfer of the overcoat layer 2405 is completed, the main controller 201 moves the thermal head 227 and the release plate 228 to the retracted position after a predetermined timing has elapsed from the completion of the transfer.

  As a result, after the printing of the overcoat layer 2405 is completed, the overcoat layer 2405 of the ink ribbon 407 is peeled from the roll paper 409 after adequately ensuring the time for the temperature of the overcoat layer 2405 to decrease. Accordingly, since the separation is made after the difference in the adhesive state with the roll paper 409 is clarified between the transfer region of the overcoat layer 2405 and the other region, the occurrence of foil breakage failure of the overcoat layer 2405 is suppressed. can do.

  Next, in step S207, the main controller 201 winds up the ink ribbon 407 by a minute amount toward the supply roller 113a and removes the slack of the ink ribbon 407. Thus, the printing operation in which the ink is superimposed and transferred in the order of yellow, magenta, cyan, and overcoat layer is completed.

  Next, in step S208, the main controller 201 executes a paper discharge operation. That is, as shown in FIG. 9, the roll paper 409 is conveyed in the paper discharge direction. At this time, the roll paper 409 is conveyed so that the boundary between the printed area and the unprinted area is at the cutting position of the cutter unit.

  The grip roller 614 and the pinch roller 613 are in a state of holding the roll paper 409, and the roll paper 409 is conveyed by a predetermined amount by rotating the grip roller 614 by a predetermined amount. When the cutter motor 221 of the cutter unit is driven, the roll paper 409 is cut by the cutter blade 609 and the cutter receiving blade 610.

  The printed roll paper 409 having the leading end cut by the cutting process is gripped by the paper discharge roller 606. From this state, the paper discharge roller 606 is driven, and the roll paper 409 is conveyed in the paper discharge direction. Here, the leading edge of the roll paper 409 on the roll storage unit side advances in the paper discharge direction simultaneously with the paper feed at the time of paper discharge. As a result, the printed roll paper 409 is sent in the paper discharge direction by the paper discharge roller 606, and then pushed out to the leading end of the unprinted roll paper 409 coming from the upstream side and discharged out of the printing apparatus 100. The

  After processing the paper discharge operation, the main controller 201 performs end processing in step S805 in FIG. In the end processing, roll paper rewinding processing is performed. After the paper discharge operation is completed, the roll paper 409 is pulled out as shown in FIG. When the next printing is not performed, the roll paper 409 must be completely stored in the cartridge 111 and the cartridge 111 must be detachable. Therefore, the winding operation of the roll paper 409 is performed.

  The winding operation of the roll paper 409 is performed by rotating the grip roller 614 and the roller 408 in the direction opposite to that at the time of paper supply. During the winding of the roll paper 409, the roll paper cueing sensor 206 used for cueing the roll paper 409 is used. The roll paper 409 can be accurately stored in the cartridge 111 by additionally driving the grip roller 614 and the roller 408 by a predetermined amount starting from the place where the roll paper is changed to the state without the roll paper.

  According to the present embodiment, immediately after the transfer of the color material ink layer, the thermal head 227 transitions from the printing posture to the retracted posture before the end position Pe of the printing area of the roll paper 409 passes the predetermined position Ph. At the same time, the peeling plate 228 transitions from the first posture to the second posture. On the other hand, immediately after the transfer of the overcoat layer 2405, after the end position Pe passes the predetermined position Ph, the thermal head 227 transitions from the printing posture to the retracted posture, and the peeling plate 228 is moved from the first posture to the second posture. Transition to posture.

  That is, the main controller 201 performs control so that the roll paper 409 and the ink ribbon 407 are conveyed even after the transfer of the overcoat layer 2405 is completed. Then, at the timing when the transfer completion position of the roll paper 409 and the ink ribbon 407 is conveyed to the position of the release plate 228, the thermal head 227 and the release plate 228 are controlled to move to the retracted position.

  Therefore, when the transfer is the overcoat layer 2405, the timing of retracting the thermal unit is delayed compared to the case of the color material ink layer. Thus, the color material ink layer is peeled off immediately after the transfer, while the overcoat layer is peeled off after taking an appropriate time after the transfer of the overcoat layer. Therefore, high image quality can be maintained with simple control.

  Further, since the thermal head 227 and the release plate 228 are integrally configured, the configuration is simple, which is advantageous for downsizing and cost reduction of the apparatus.

  Even if the thermal head 227 and the peeling plate 228 are not integrated, it is possible to maintain high image quality by controlling the operation timing. That is, as described above, the thermal head 227 is linked to the transition to the printing posture and the retracting posture, and the separation plate 228 may be controlled to transition to the first posture and the second posture.

  As mentioned above, although preferable embodiment of this invention was described, this invention is not limited to these embodiment, A various deformation | transformation and change are possible within the range of the summary.

201 Main controller 227 Thermal head 228 Release plate 407 Ink ribbon 409 Roll paper 605 Platen roller 2402 to 2404 Color material ink layer 2405 Overcoat layer Pe End position Ph Predetermined position

Claims (4)

A thermal printer that prints on recording paper using an ink ribbon in which color ink and overcoat are formed in order,
Print control means for transferring the color ink of the ink ribbon to the recording paper by a thermal head, and transferring the overcoat to the recording paper to which the color ink has been transferred by the thermal head after the transfer of the color ink;
Moving means for moving the thermal head between a printing position where the thermal head is pressed against the platen roller via the ink ribbon and the recording paper and a retracted position where the thermal head is separated from the platen roller;
A separation member for moving in conjunction with the thermal head, for separating the ink ribbon after the transfer by the thermal head from the recording paper,
When the transfer of the color ink is completed, the moving unit moves the thermal head and the peeling member from the print position to the retracted position at the completion timing of the transfer of the color ink, and the transfer of the overcoat is completed. In this case, after the heat transfer of the thermal head is stopped and the thermal head is kept at the printing position and the transfer of the overcoat is completed, the thermal head and the release plate are retracted when a predetermined timing elapses. A thermal printer characterized by being moved to a position . The moving means, when the transfer completion of the overcoat, the predetermined timing than when moving the thermal head and the peeling member when the transfer of the color ink has been completed to the retracted position from the printing position When but it passes thermal printer according to claim 1, wherein the moving the thermal head and the peeling member to the retracted position from the printing position. Furthermore, when transferring the color ink and the overcoat by the thermal head, it has transport means for transporting the recording paper and the ink ribbon, respectively .
In case of transfer of the overcoat, the conveying means, even after the transfer completion of the overcoat to convey the recording sheet and the ink ribbon, the moving means, the transfer completion position of the recording paper and the ink ribbon The thermal printer according to claim 3, wherein the thermal head and the peeling member are moved to the retracted position at a timing when the thermal head and the peeling member are conveyed to the position of the peeling member.   When the thermal head is in the printing position, the peeling member is in a position to contact the recording paper via the ink ribbon, and when the thermal head is in the retracted position, the peeling member is in the recording position. The thermal printer according to claim 1, wherein the thermal printer is located at a position separated from the paper.

Images