JPH0120135Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] Industrial Application Field The present invention relates to a multicolor thermal transfer recording device that is capable of producing color images.

Conventional Structure and Problems There has heretofore been a thermal transfer recording device as shown in FIG. 1 for obtaining multicolor recording. In the figure, a transfer sheet 1 is supplied from a supply roller 3, and is placed on a base paper at regular intervals along the running direction.
The structure is such that four colors of heat-fusible or heat-sublimable monochromatic ink are sequentially and repeatedly applied and wound around a winding roll 3. When recording, the platen 5 around which the recording paper 4 is wound is rotated to align the recording start position of the recording paper 4 with the thermal recording head 6, and the take-up reel 3 for the transfer sheet 1 is rotated to match the recording signal. Align the top of the part coated with the same color with the position of the thermal recording head 6.
This alignment of the transfer sheet 1 is performed by
A detection mark is provided on the base of the main body of the apparatus, and a detector 7 such as an optical sensor is installed on the base of the main body of the apparatus.

However, in such a configuration, the detector 7 of the transfer sheet 1 is fixed to the base of the apparatus main body in the vicinity of the transfer sheet 1, so it is difficult to replace the transfer sheet 1 with a new one when the transfer sheet 1 is used up. The work is very troublesome, and when considering the configuration of a cartridge type replacement method, the detector 7 of the transfer sheet 1 prevents the cartridge from being downsized and simplified, which in turn leads to an increase in the size and cost of the device body. was.

Purpose of the invention The present invention eliminates the above-mentioned drawbacks by improving the mark detection means of the transfer sheet, and has excellent operability.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a multicolor thermal transfer recording device that has a compact structure and low device cost.

Structure of the invention In the present invention, when the thermal recording head is in the position for changing the color tone of the transfer sheet, the mark detection member has a spring property and comes into contact with the platen via the transfer sheet and the recording paper, At the end, the mark detection member retreats together with the thermal recording head,
It is configured so that it does not come into contact with the platen.

Description of Examples Examples of the present invention will be described below. Second
In the figure, the platen 11 is fixed to the shaft 12,
It is rotatably attached to a substrate (not shown here) via a bearing or the like. The recording paper 13 is fixed at its end by a clamp member 14 provided on the platen 11 and is wound around the outer periphery of the platen 11 . As shown in FIG. 3, the transfer sheet 15 has, for example, cyan 22, yellow 23, magenta 24, and black 2 printed on the base paper at intervals slightly longer than the recording length of the recording paper 13 along the running direction.
The transfer sheet is repeatedly coated with heat-fusible or heat-sublimable monochromatic ink No. 5 in a plane-sequential manner, and this transfer sheet is first wound around a supply roll 16, and then sequentially wound around a take-up roll 17 during recording. Here, the recording sheet 15 is stored together with the supply roll 16 and take-up roll 17 in a cartridge 18 as shown in FIG. 4, and is structured to be detachable from the main unit. Further, on the transfer sheet 15, marks 19 made of a conductive sheet or conductive paint for detecting the leading edge of each color are provided on the surface opposite to the ink-applied surface outside the recording width.

Reference numeral 20 denotes a thermal recording head in which a large number of heating elements are arranged to cover the entire recording width, and is structured to be movable only in the vertical direction. Reference numeral 21 denotes a detection member for the mark 19 on the transfer sheet 15, which is composed of a pair of two conductive terminals, and is fixed to the thermal recording head 20 with spring properties in the vertical direction. The structure is such that electricity is applied when the mark 19 comes into contact with the vehicle while the vehicle is running.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be explained using FIGS. 5 to 7. Here, a in each figure is a front view of each state, and b is a side view. FIG. 5 shows the standby state. In the thermal recording head 20, the detection member 21 is connected to the transfer sheet 15.
The transfer sheet 15 is completely separated from the transfer sheet 15 and has been lowered to a position where it does not interfere with the attachment and detachment of the cartridge 18 containing the transfer sheet 15. In this state, when a recording command for the first color is issued from the electric circuit, the thermal recording head 20 is raised to the state shown in FIG. Here, the detection member 21 is urged with a weak force that does not interfere with detection, and presses the platen 11 via the transfer sheet 15 and the recording paper 13. In this state, the transfer sheet 15 travels in the direction of the arrow by rotating the take-up roll 17, and the mark 19 indicating the beginning of the section coated with ink of the same color as the recording command comes into contact with the detection member 21. When the position is reached, the detection member 21 is energized, and in response to the signal, the winding is stopped and the leading edge of the first color is aligned with the position of the thermal recording head 20. Further, the recording start position of the recording paper 13 is aligned with the position of the thermal recording head 20 by rotation of the platen 11. After this alignment is completed, the thermal recording head 20 moves to the position shown in FIG. 7 and performs a substantial recording operation. That is, the thermal recording head 20
presses the platen 11 via the transfer sheet 15 and the recording paper 13, and at the same time, the detection member 21 is also pressed against the platen 11 in a biased state.
When the recording of the first color is completed, the thermal recording head 20
is lowered to the position shown in FIG. 6, and the recording paper 13 and the second color transfer sheet 15 are aligned in the same manner as the first color recording. When the above-described steps are repeated and recording of four colors is completed, the thermal recording head 20 is lowered to the position shown in FIG. 5. Since the cartridge 18 containing the transfer sheet 15 can be attached and detached only when the thermal recording head 20 is in the position shown in FIG. 5, the detection member 21 does not interfere with the attachment and detachment of the cartridge 18.

As described above, according to this embodiment, since the detection member 21 of the transfer sheet 15 is provided with spring properties and is provided in a part of the thermal recording head 20, the transfer sheet 15
Cartridge 18 which is smaller than 5 and has a simple structure
This allows the transfer sheet 15 to be easily replaced, and the main unit itself can be made smaller and less expensive.

Effects of the Invention As is clear from the above embodiments, according to the present invention, the transfer sheet is detected by a detection member having spring properties and provided in a part of the thermal recording head, so that the transfer sheet is wound into a roll. The transfer sheet stored in the cartridge can be used, and the transfer sheet can be easily replaced, making it possible to realize a compact and inexpensive multicolor thermal transfer recording device, which has great practical effects.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a front view of the main parts of a conventional multicolor thermal transfer recording device, FIG. 2 is a front view of the main parts of a multicolor thermal transfer recording device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a front view of the main parts of a multicolor thermal transfer recording device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the sheet, FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the cartridge in this embodiment, FIGS.
Figures a and 7a are front views of essential parts to show different operations, and Figures 5b, 6b, and 7b are side views of the same. 11...platen, 13...recording paper, 15...
Transfer sheet, 18... Cartridge, 20... Thermal recording head, 21... Detection member.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] Heat-melting or heat-sublimating single-color ink of multiple tones is sequentially and repeatedly applied to a fixed length along the running direction on the base paper, a detection mark is placed at the beginning of each tone, and the ink is rolled in a roll. a wound transfer sheet; a platen pressed by a thermal recording head via the recording paper and the transfer sheet; a first position in contact with the platen via the transfer sheet and the recording paper; A second plate that is slightly spaced apart from the platen and is in a state where the transfer sheet can run.
a thermal recording head that is movable to a third position that is far away from the platen and in which the cartridge is removable; and a mark detection member that is elastic and is provided on a part of the thermal recording head. When the thermal recording head is in the first and second positions, the mark detection member is in contact with the platen via the transfer sheet and the recording paper, and when the thermal recording head is in the third position, the mark detection member is in contact with the platen. A multicolor thermal transfer recording device characterized in that the device does not come into contact with the platen.