JPH0691987A - Erasure device of thermosensitive recording medium recorder - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To reduce the running cost of equipment and a recording medium by providing a detachable member for assembly which assembles a writing device into an erasure device in a detachable manner, on the erasure device. CONSTITUTION:A recording medium in the form of a sheet or card is composed of a thermosensitive sheet material in which information can be written and erased repeatedly. In addition, an erasure device 1 is equipped with a device for writing information in the recording medium and the erasure device 1 heats and erases information written in the recording medium uniformly. In this recording device, a detachable assembling member 3 which assembles the erasure device 1 into the device for writing information in a detachable manner, is installed. That is, information is written in the recording medium using a commercially sold, compact and low-cost thermal printer, and the thermal printer is used efficiently. In addition, the information written in the recording medium can be erased and the recording medium can be used repeatedly. These features are incorporated in the erasure device which saves running cost for a recorder.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an erasing device in a recording device for a thermochromic recording medium which is used as a printer / erasing device in combination with an existing thermal printer.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A conventional thermosensitive material is a thermochromic material having the characteristics shown in FIGS. 12 and 13 in which the visualized state is thermoreversibly changed between white turbidity and transparency or coloring and erasing by heating. There is used a display device (not shown) that constitutes an endless belt-shaped recording medium, writes and displays information, and rotates and erases. As another example, a sheet-shaped or card-shaped recording body 4 (hereinafter referred to as recording body 4) is formed by using a thermochromic material in a sheet shape or a card shape.
A device (not shown) is used to display information while writing information with a printing heating element and keeping the recording medium warm with a heat retaining body. As another example, the thermal printer 5 of a thermal transfer system or a thermal paper printing system as shown in FIGS. 14 and 15 is used as a writing device. In the thermal transfer method of the thermal printer 5, printing can be performed by mounting the ink ribbon cassette 56 and inserting plain paper into the insertion port 6 of the recording body 4 of the thermal printer 5, and removing the ink ribbon cassette 56 to remove the thermal paper. By inserting it into the thermal printer 5, it is possible to print out on thermal paper. When printing out on the recording body 4 using the recording body 4 in the thermal printer 5, the output of a word processor, a computer or the like is input to the thermal printer 5 with the ink ribbon cassette 56 removed, similar to the case of printing on thermal paper. The head 55 prints. Further, the thermal printer 5 has a temperature adjusting knob 7 for adjusting the temperature of the thermal head 55.
Is attached so that the settings corresponding to the temperatures T1, T2, T1 ', T2' can be made. The temperatures T2 and T2 'are
It is 100 ° C to 150 ° C. Further, the thermal printer 5 is provided with a "paper feed" button 8 and a "page break" button 9 for running plain paper or thermal paper at the time of printing, and the paper can be run by selecting these buttons also at the time of not printing. Is something that can be done. 10 is the start of operation
A stop button, 11 is a power switch, and 12 is a connector.

[0003]

In the display device using the conventional recording material having an endless belt shape as described above, it is not possible to take out the recording material on which the information is written and use the recording material as a sheet. The display device that is formed into a shape and writes / displays cannot erase the information written in the recording body, cannot reuse the recording body, and cannot effectively use resources.
In addition, the thermal transfer type and thermal paper printing type thermal printers use recording media (plain paper,
There is a problem that information on thermal paper cannot be erased and reused. Further, the method using the ink ribbon has a problem that the running cost is higher than the method using the ink jet.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a display device and a thermal printer device for writing and displaying information on a recording body using a heat-sensitive material capable of repeatedly writing and erasing information by heating as described above. The problem that has been solved is solved, information is written on the recording medium by using a commercially available small-sized and low-cost thermal printer device, the thermal printer can be effectively used, and the information is written on the recording medium. It is an object of the present invention to provide an erasing device in a recording device that can erase information and can reuse a recording medium repeatedly to reduce running costs.

[0005]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention provides a sheet-shaped or card-shaped recording medium capable of repeating writing and erasing of information. An erasing device in a recording device, comprising a heat-sensitive sheet material, for writing information on the recording medium, and an erasing device for uniformly heating and erasing the information written on the recording medium. The device is characterized in that an assembling member for detachably assembling the writing device to the erasing device is detachably provided. According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the erasing device does not have a drive device for conveying the recording medium. According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, a means for detecting the recording medium traveling in the erasing device, a means for detecting the traveling speed of the recording medium, and a planar heating element for uniformly heating the recording medium. And a controller for controlling the operation of the sheet heating element, and a mechanism for bringing the sheet heating element and the recording body into contact with or apart from each other. Drives a mechanism that makes contact with or separates from the body, and the control device keeps the temperature at which the sheet heating element heats the recording body within the set value according to the traveling speed of the recording body by inputting the traveling speed detection signal. To control. According to the invention of claim 4, in the invention of claim 3, before the contact between the sheet heating element and the recording body, after the sheet heating element is brought into contact with a contact member for lowering the heat generation temperature of the sheet heating element, the recording is performed. It has means for controlling it so that it contacts the body. The invention of claim 5 relates to claim 1
In the invention described above, a power switch is provided in the erasing device, the energization of the planar heating element is started by turning on the switch, the maximum voltage is continuously applied for a certain period of time, and when the running of the recording medium is not detected, A device that has an auto power-off circuit device that applies the same voltage as that when running is detected to the planar heating element for a predetermined time, and then automatically turns off the power when running of the recording body is not detected after a preset time Is. According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, a pressing member made of a heat-resistant member that presses the recording body is provided so as to face the planar heating element. According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the recording medium insertion port and the recording medium ejection port are provided, and when the insertion port, the ejection port, and the writing device are attached to the device, The plain paper or the thermal paper of the writing device is connected to the opening so as to allow the recording medium to smoothly pass therethrough, and is arranged in a substantially straight line to form a passage, and near the insertion port or the ejection port. In addition, a member for passing the recording body only in the writing direction of the recording body is provided. According to an eighth aspect of the invention, in the first aspect of the invention, a cooling member is disposed so as to come into contact with the recording body downstream of the planar heating element after the recording body comes into contact with the planar heating element. .

[0006]

In the invention as described above, the invention of claim 1 is the erasing device in the recording device as described above, wherein the writing device is fixed to the erasing device by an assembly member detachably provided. Assemble. The invention of claim 2 relates to claim 1
In the invention, the conveyance drive device of the writing device carries the recording medium. According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, when the recording medium detection signal by the means for detecting the recording medium traveling in the erasing device is input to the control device, the control device causes the planar heating element and the recording medium. When a traveling speed detection signal from the means for detecting the traveling speed of the recording body is input to the control device by driving a mechanism for contacting or separating with the recording medium, the control device causes the planar heating element to operate in accordance with the traveling speed of the recording medium. The temperature for heating the recording medium is controlled so as to be maintained within the set value. According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the third aspect of the invention, the means for controlling the planar heating element and the recording body to contact each other is provided before the planar heating element and the recording body come into contact with each other. A contact member that lowers the heat generation temperature of is brought into contact with the planar heating element. According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, when the power switch provided in the erasing device is turned on, energization of the planar heating element is started, application of the maximum voltage is continued for a certain period of time, and running of the recording medium is detected. If not, the auto power-off circuit device applies the same voltage to the planar heating element for a predetermined time as when the running of the recording body is detected,
Then, when the running of the recording medium is not detected after a preset time, the power is automatically turned off. According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the pressing member, which is a heat-resistant member for pressing the recording body, presses the recording body against the planar heating element to uniformly erase information written on the recording body. According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, when the recording medium insertion port of the erasing device, the recording medium discharge port, and the writing device attached to this device are attached to this device, The recording medium and the opening for inserting the thermal paper are placed so as to communicate with each other so that the recording medium passes smoothly, and the recording medium is smoothly passed through the passage. The member is conveyed only in the writing direction by a member that allows the recording medium to pass in the vicinity only in the writing direction. Claim 8
In the invention of claim 1, in the invention of claim 1, after the recording body comes into contact with the sheet heating element, the recording member is cooled by a cooling member arranged so as to come into contact with the recording element on the downstream side of the sheet heating element.

[0007]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In this embodiment shown in the drawings, the same parts as those of the conventional one are referred to by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted.

This embodiment is shown in FIGS. Figures 1, 2,
3, the erasing device 1 pivotally supports a lower end of an inverted L-shaped assembly member 3 for fixing the thermal printer 5 to one end of a base portion of an L-shaped erasing device main body 2 by a pivot shaft 13. . The sheet heating element 14, the contact member 15, and the pressing member are provided in the erasing device body 2.
16, traveling detection sensor 17, traveling speed detection sensor 18, a control device 19 that outputs the outputs of these sensors to drive a drive device, a cooling member 20, a power switch 21, a power display lamp 22, an erasable display A lamp 23, a non-erasable display lamp 24, etc. are provided. However, since the drive unit of the thermal printer 5 drives the recording body 4, the erasing apparatus 1 is not provided with a drive unit for moving the recording body 4. Further, the erasing device main body 2 is provided with an insertion port 25 for the recording paper or the recording body 4, and the assembling member 3 is provided with an outlet 26 for the recording paper or the recording body 4, both of which are the recording paper or the recording body of the thermal printer 5. One passage is formed so that the recording paper or the recording body 4 can smoothly pass therethrough so as to communicate with the insertion opening 6 of the recording medium 4 in a substantially straight line. Further, the control device 19 is a traveling detection sensor 17,
An output from the traveling speed detection sensor 18 is input to control the driving of the cam 27, and the CPU 40 controls the temperature of the heating element 28.

The assembling member 3 is manufactured by determining the height from the base portion to the hook portion 53 according to the size of the existing thermal printer 5. Therefore, several types are prepared so that they can be selectively combined according to the size of the thermal printer model. A pressing pad 29 is provided below the assembling member 3 for pressing and fixing the thermal printer 5 when it is mounted. As shown in FIG. 4, a check claw 30 is provided in the passage of the recording body 4 near the discharge port 26 so that the recording body 4 can pass only in the writing direction and not in the reverse direction. The non-return pawl 30 rotates counterclockwise when the recording body 4 presses the support shaft 31 as a shaft in the direction of the arrow shown in the figure, and the discharge port 26
At this point, a gap is formed and the recording body 4 is discharged. Even if the recording body 4 is inserted and pressed from the direction opposite to the arrow direction, the check claw 30 cannot be rotated by the stopper 32 provided on the side plate of the assembling member 3, and the recording body 4 is ejected. It becomes impossible to insert from 26. As a result, the operator's operation error can be prevented, and even when the thermal printer 5 is attached to the erasing device 1, unless the erasing device 1 is powered on, the thermal printer 5 has the function (thermal Printing on paper and plain paper). The check claw 30 may be provided on the insertion port 25 side.

As shown in FIG. 3, a pressing member 16 that is arranged above the recording body 4 and presses the recording body 4 is provided in the passage of the recording body 4 on the left side in the main body 2 of the erasing device. The pressing member 16 is made of a silicone rubber foam or a thick heat-resistant resin in a convex shape so as to have elasticity, and is formed into a size that can be pressed against the planar heating element 14 and the cooling member 20 as the supporting member 33. It is installed. This improves the close contact between the recording body 4 and the sheet heating element 14 and the cooling member 20.

A contact member 15 is provided to face the pressing member 16 with the recording body 4 interposed therebetween, a planar heating element 14 is provided below the contact member 15, and a cam 27 for moving the heating element 14 up and down is provided. The cooling member 20 is provided so as to be in contact with the lower surface of 4. In the planar heating element 14, a heating element 35 is provided on a supporting body 34, a protective layer 36 is provided on the upper surface, and a link 38 having an elongated hole 37 in the lower part is attached to one end of the supporting body 34, and the elongated hole 37 is attached to the elongated hole 37. One end of the crank 39 is loosely fitted and the other end of the crank 39 is locked to one end of the contact member 15. When the cam 27 rotates by the drive output of the control device 19,
By the height of the cam 27, the sheet heating element 14 and the link 38 are pushed upward, the crank 39 retracts the contact member 15 to the left as shown by the dotted line in FIG. 3, and the driving device (not shown) moves the pressing member 16 downward. Then, the recording body 4 and the sheet heating element 14 and the cooling member 20 are pressed and brought into contact with each other.

The sheet heating element 14 is made of a heat-sensitive material having the characteristics shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, and when the recording body 4 is running, the temperature of the recording body 4 is adjusted to T1, T2, T1 ', T2 in accordance with the background condition. Set to a temperature that can The material of the heating element 35 of the planar heating element 14 is nickel chrome or stainless metal such as electrodeposition or metal foil, a conductive polymer, a ceramic semiconductor to which a trace amount of a rare earth element is added and solidified in a furnace, indium oxide ( ITO)
And so on.

The contact member 15 is a metal plate made of aluminum or the like, the surface of which is coated with a slippery resin as required, and the sheet heating element 14 is provided after the power switch 21 of the erasing device 1 is turned on. The heating element 35 serves as a cover to prevent the operator from directly contacting the planar heating element 14 from the outside while the temperature continues to rise or when the temperature is high during standby. Since the heat is removed from the running recording body 4 and the heating element 35 is at a temperature higher than a constant temperature, the contact member 15 is touched as shown in FIG. The surface of the contact member 15 is controlled to be in a temperature range suitable for erasing the body 4, and in order to prevent heat accumulation in the contact member 15, the surface is roughened or made hollow so as to increase the surface area.

The cooling member 20 is made of a metal having a good thermal conductivity such as aluminum, and fins for releasing heat are provided on a portion other than the contact surface with the recording body 4 to radiate the heat accumulated by the recording body 4 from the heating element. Then, the temperature of the recording body 4 is lowered.

In the passage of the recording body 4, as shown in FIG. 3, on the downstream side of the cooling member 20, the traveling detection of the recording body 4 when the recording body 4 passes and the traveling detection sensor for detecting the traveling speed.
17 and a traveling speed detection sensor 18 are provided. The traveling detection sensor 17 may be either a light transmission type sensor or a light reflection type sensor. A rotary encoder is used for the traveling speed detection sensor 18.
A rotary encoder is used to mount the roller 50 provided on the machine frame of the assembly member 3 in contact with the recording body 4 using the 50, and the recording roller 4 is moved by the feed roller 51 of the thermal printer 5.
The rotation can be detected at 50 and its speed can be obtained. Not limited to the rotary encoder 50, a method of printing a regular pattern on the edge of the recording body 4 and detecting it may be used.
The output of the rotary encoder 50 is converted into a voltage by the F / V converter 42 and compared with the reference voltage generated by the reference voltage generation circuit 44 by the comparison circuit 43, and its high or low is converted into a binary voltage level and the comparison circuit. Output from 43, control device 19
Is input to the CPU 40. The control device 19 is a heating element driver
The drive output is output to the 58 and the cam driver 57, and the control device 19 causes the heating element driver 58 to output the voltage (V1 or V2) shown in FIG.
Is output. By this control, the temperature of the heating element 35 is set to the recording element 4
Even if the traveling speed of is different, it becomes L shown in the temperature characteristic. The control device 19 outputs so that the cam driver makes a half rotation of the cam 27 after the rotary encoder 50 starts and stops rotating, that is, after the traveling of the recording body 4 and the passage thereof are completed.

In FIG. 12 showing the visualized state of the heat-sensitive material of the recording body 4, the vertical axis of the graph shows the transparent and cloudy state, and the horizontal axis shows the temperature for heating the heat-sensitive material. First, when the temperature of the recording body 4 in the cloudy state A is raised from room temperature to the temperature T1, the heat-sensitive material becomes transparent state B, and in this state, the temperature T
When the heat-sensitive material in 1 is cooled to room temperature, the transparent state B is maintained. When the temperature of the heat-sensitive material is further raised from the temperature T1 to the temperature T2, and then the temperature of the heat-sensitive material is lowered to around room temperature, the temperature becomes less than T0 to become the cloudy state A, and the cloudy state A is maintained at room temperature. After raising the temperature of the heat-sensitive material to the temperatures T1 and T2, the temperature of the heat-sensitive material returns to room temperature, and two visible states can be secured. The heat-sensitive material exhibiting such characteristics forms a heat-sensitive material layer by using a polymer / low molecule as a dispersion film to form particles having low molecule of 0.1 μm to 5 μm. If the crystal state of the particles is polycrystal, the incident light is scattered by the polycrystal and becomes a cloudy state A. When the crystal state of the particles is a relatively large crystal, the incident light is in the transparent state B without being scattered by the crystal. The characteristics of other heat-sensitive materials are shown in FIG. The vertical axis of the graph in FIG. 13 shows the state of decolorization and color development, and the horizontal axis shows the temperature at which the heat-sensitive material is heated. First, when the temperature of the recording medium in the decolored state D is raised from room temperature to T2 'by passing through the temperature T1', the thermosensitive material enters the colored state C. When the heat-sensitive material at the temperature T2 'is lowered to room temperature, the coloring state C is maintained.
When a heat-sensitive material in a coloring state C near room temperature below the temperature T0 'passes through the temperature T0' and is heated to a temperature T1 ', the density decreases in the state of a dotted line to the decoloring state D, and again the heat-sensitive material When the temperature is lowered to room temperature, the decolored state D is maintained.
When the temperature is further raised from the temperature T1 'to T2', the heat-sensitive material enters the coloring state C, and the coloring state C is maintained even when the temperature is lowered to room temperature. The heat-sensitive material in which the state of decoloring and coloring is repeated is composed of a coloring agent, a decoloring agent, and a binder. A sheet-shaped or card-shaped recording body 4 is formed by using the heat-sensitive material as described above, an existing printer is used for writing information to the recording body 4, and this erasing device is used for erasing information. 1 is used.

FIG. 6 shows a state in which the thermal printer 5 is attached to the erasing device 1. When printing out on the recording body 4, printing is performed with the ink ribbon cassette 56 removed, and information is written on the recording body 4 in the same manner as when printing on thermal paper. When used, the white turbid state is set as the background state to make the information transparent. The temperature raised by the thermal head 55 of the thermal printer 5 is the temperature T1. At this time, the temperature of the sheet heating element 14 is set to the temperature T2 while the recording body 4 is running at a certain speed, and when the transparent state is the bare state and the information is clouded, , The temperature raised by the thermal head 55 is controlled to the temperature T2, and the temperature of the sheet heating element 14 is
The temperature is set to T1 when the recording medium is running at a certain speed. In the recording body 4 having the characteristics shown in FIG.
The temperature that is raised by the thermal head 55 that brings the information to the color-developed state in the decolored state is the temperature T2 ', and the temperature of the sheet heating element 14 is such that the recording body 4 runs at a predetermined speed. In this state, the temperature is set to T1 '.

The recording body 4 is provided with a colored layer as needed above the support of a heat-resistant resin having a thickness of 20 μm to 0.5 mm, a heat sensitive material layer coated with a heat sensitive material of about 2 μm to 20 μm, and further thereon. Then, a protective layer having a thickness of 5 μm or less is applied. When the temperature of the thermal head 55 is higher than the temperatures T2 and T2 'in such a layer structure, a thick protective layer is applied or a few μm is applied.
The auxiliary sheet of is used so as to overlap the recording body 4 so that an appropriate temperature can be obtained.

In FIG. 3, the dotted line shows the thermal printer 5, and the thermal printer 5 can be attached to and detached from the erasing apparatus 1 by the assembly member 3. If the thermal printer 5 is determined for the assembling member 3, the height from the inverted L-shaped base portion to the hook portion 53 is also determined. Therefore, the assembling member 3 suitable for it is selected and used. Then, as shown in FIG. 2, the assembling member 3 is detachably attached to the erasing apparatus main body 2 by the assembling member supporting shaft 13, and the assembling member 3 is rotated about the supporting shaft 13 as an axis, and the pressing pad 29 is used. The thermal printer 5 is pressed against the wall surface of the erasing device 1 and fixed and installed at a predetermined position.

When the thermal printer 5 is mounted on the erasing device 1 and the recording body 4 is the first erasing operation, when the power switch 21 of the erasing device 1 is turned on, the heating element 28 is energized. , At first, the non-erasable indicator lamp 24 lights up,
When the temperature of the sheet heating element 14 reaches the erasable temperature, the erasable display lamp 23 lights up. The recording body 4 is inserted from the insertion opening 25 of the erasing apparatus 1 to the feed roller 51 of the thermal printer 5 by the operator's hand, and the recording body 4 is in a standby state by the feed roller 51, and the heating element 28 is Before the voltage is applied, or when the voltage is applied, the recording medium 4
Is in a standby state with no running. After the erasable display lamp 23 lights up, the operator presses the "paper feed" button 8 or the "page break" button 9 of the thermal printer 5 to cause the recording body 4 to run. "Paper feed" button 8
When the recording body 4 continues to run, the erasing and writing can be continued if the operator inserts the recording body 4 up to the feed roller 51 one by one after the second sheet. At this time,
Since the sheet heating element 14 and the pressing member 16 are in contact with each other as shown in FIG. 9, the second recording body 4 cannot be inserted unless the contact is released. The sheet heating element 14 and the recording body 4 are separated from each other by a traveling detection signal of the recording body 4, and the control device 19 controls the operation of the cam 27, which is performed in the order shown in FIGS. When the traveling of the recording body 4 is detected by the traveling detection sensor 17, the cam 27 below the planar heating element 14 is rotated and the planar heating element 14 is pushed up, and as shown in FIG. The heating element 14 comes into contact with the contact member 15, the temperature of the sheet heating element 14 is transmitted to the contact member 15, and the temperature is slightly lowered. Then the contact member
As shown in FIG. 9, 15 is retracted and the sheet heating element 14 comes into contact with the recording body 4, and at the same time, the pressing member 16 is lowered to press the recording body 4 against the sheet heating 14 and the cooling member 20. This series of operations is performed by the detection outputs of the traveling detection sensor 17 and the traveling speed detection sensor 18 being input to the control device 19, and the drive output of the control device 19 operating the cam 27 by a motor (not shown). When the recording body 4 stops running or the end of the recording body 4 passes by, the state shown in FIG. 9 shifts to the standby state shown in FIG.

The operator pushes the "paper feed" button 8 or the "page break" button 9 to move the recording body 4,
The running speed of the recording body 4 is different between the two buttons. When the traveling speed becomes faster at the position of the "page break" button 9, the amount of heat taken by the recording body 4 from the planar heating element 14 increases, and the temperature of the planar heating element 14 becomes higher than the temperature for erasing the recording body 4. Since it becomes lower, the control device 19 controls the electric power supplied to the heater driver by the traveling speed detection signal so that the temperature of the sheet heating element 14 does not change. Since the speed of the recording body 4 is two levels, the input voltage to the sheet heating element 14 may be set to two levels.

FIG. 10 shows the transition of the temperature of the sheet heating element 14 along the abscissa, and FIG. 11 shows the transition of the voltage applied to the sheet heating element 14 along the abscissa. The same time is shown. The power switch 21 of the erasing apparatus 1 is turned on, a voltage of V3 is applied to the heating element 28, and the temperature of the sheet heating element 14 becomes T.
After passing 20, the erasable display lamp 23 indicating that the temperature has reached the erasable state is turned on, and when the temperature of the sheet heating element 14 reaches T30 at the elapsed time t1, the voltage applied to the heating element 28 is changed. The temperature is switched to V1 and the temperature of the sheet heating element 14 is maintained within T30. At the elapsed time t2, the sheet heating element 14 starts the operation shown in FIG. 5 when the traveling of the recording body 4 is detected, and at the elapsed time t3, the sheet heating element 14 touches the contact member 15 and the sheet heating element 14 is touched on the recording body 4.
14 contact each other, supply of electric power to the heating element 28, that is, the planar heating element 14
When the temperature is maintained by the voltage V1 and the amount of heat that the recording body 4 travels to absorb heat from the planar heating element 14 is balanced, the temperature of the planar heating element 14 becomes the temperature curve L in FIG. When the amount of heat taken away is large (the running speed of the recording body is high), the temperature curve H is reached, and when the temperature range of the sheet heating element 14 for erasing the information of the recording body 4 is T10 to T20,
The temperature curve H cannot be erased. Therefore, when the traveling speed of the recording body 4 detected by the traveling speed detection sensor 18 is high, the voltage of the heating element 28 is increased from V1 to V2 so that the temperature curve L is reached. It is shown by the dotted line in FIG. It is time t5 when the second sheet is inserted and the traveling is started when the time t4 has elapsed and the traveling of the first sheet of the recording body 4 is finished. The elapsed times t6 and t7 are the same as the above t2 and t3. However, the case where the start of running of the second recording medium 4 is shorter than that of the first recording medium 4 is shown.

When the recording body 4 is not continuously inserted, the operator turns off the power switch 21 of the erasing device 1 or the voltage V3 is continuously applied to the heating element 28 for a certain period of time, and the recording body 4 runs. After a predetermined time has not been detected, the automatic power-off circuit 41 provided in the control device 19 automatically turns off the power when a preset time elapses.

[0024]

The present invention is as described above. According to the invention of claim 1, the sheet-shaped or card-shaped recording material is made of a heat-sensitive sheet material capable of repeating writing and erasing of information. In a recording device equipped with a writing device for writing information on a body and an erasing device for uniformly heating and erasing written information, the erasing device has a writing device detachably assembled to the erasing device. It has a detachable mounting member to be attached, and the writing device is fixed to the erasing device with the mounting member, and the information written in the recording medium can be erased and reused.
Since it is possible to write information on the recording medium by utilizing the existing thermal printer, there is an effect that the running cost of the device and the recording medium becomes low. According to the invention of claim 2, in the invention of claim 1, since the erasing device does not have the drive device for conveying the recording medium, the cost of the device can be reduced. According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the invention, means for detecting a recording medium traveling in the erasing device, means for detecting a traveling speed of the recording medium,
A planar heating element that uniformly heats the recording element, a control device that controls the operation of the planar heating element, and a mechanism that contacts or separates the planar heating element and the recording element are provided. The control device drives a mechanism for contacting or separating the sheet heating element and the recording body according to the input, and the controller heats the recording body according to the traveling speed of the recording body when the traveling speed detection signal is input. The temperature is controlled so that it is kept within the set value, so the heating to the recording medium is uniform, the heat conduction is good, the heating is appropriate, and the written information can be erased reliably. There is. According to the invention of claim 4, in the invention of claim 3, before the contact between the sheet heating element and the recording body, after the sheet heating element is brought into contact with a contact member for lowering the heat generation temperature of the sheet heating element, the recording is performed. Since it has a means for controlling it so that it comes into contact with the body, there is an effect that heating to the recording medium is made uniform, heat conduction is improved, heating is properly performed, and written information can be erased surely. The invention of claim 5 is
In the invention of claim 1, when a power switch is provided in the erasing device, energization of the planar heating element is started by turning on the switch, application of the maximum voltage is continued for a certain period of time, and traveling of the recording medium is not detected, An auto power-off circuit that applies the same voltage as when the recording medium is detected to the planar heating element for a predetermined time, and then automatically turns off the power when the recording medium is not detected after a preset time. Since the device is provided, there is an effect that the power consumption of the erasing device can be saved. According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, a pressing member made of a heat-resistant member for pressing the recording body is provided so as to face the planar heating element, and the recording body presses the planar heating element against the planar heating element. Therefore, it is possible to uniformly heat the recording medium, improve heat conduction, perform proper heating, and reliably erase written information. According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the recording medium insertion port and the recording medium ejection port are provided, and when the insertion port, the ejection port, and the writing device are attached to the device, The plain paper or the thermal paper of the writing device is connected to the opening so as to allow the recording medium to smoothly pass therethrough, and is arranged in a substantially straight line to form a passage, and near the insertion port or the ejection port. Since a member that allows the recording medium to pass through only in the writing direction of the recording medium is provided in the recording medium, the recording medium smoothly passes through the passage in which the recording medium is configured and is conveyed only in the writing direction. There is an effect that the paper is surely secured and an operation error of inserting the recording medium does not occur. According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the invention, a cooling member is arranged so that after the recording body comes into contact with the planar heating element, the cooling member is provided downstream of the planar heating element so as to come into contact with the recording element. The recording medium is cooled, the temperature in the thermal printer is not raised, and the temperature of the recording medium discharged from the discharge port of the erasing device becomes equal to or lower than T0 or T0 '. You can check it by hand, and you can immediately judge the quality of erasing the recorded body,
This has the effect of increasing work efficiency.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory view showing a state in which an assembling member is rotatably attached to the erasing apparatus body of the above.

FIG. 3 is a schematic vertical sectional view of the same erasing device.

FIG. 4 is a view of a check claw provided on the assembly member of the above.

FIG. 5 is a connection configuration block diagram of the traveling speed detection device, the control device, the heating element driver, and the cam driver of the above.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a state in which a thermal printer is attached to the erasing device of the above.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a state in which the sheet heating element and the contact member are separated from each other.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a state in which the planar heating element and the contact member are in contact with each other.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a state in which the contact member of the same is retracted and the recording body is pressed by the planar heating element and the pressing member.

FIG. 10 is a relationship characteristic diagram between the elapsed time and the temperature of the sheet heating element in the above.

FIG. 11 is a characteristic diagram showing the relationship between the elapsed time and the voltage supplied to the heating element.

FIG. 12 is a characteristic diagram showing the relationship between the visualized state and temperature of the thermochromic material.

FIG. 13 is a characteristic diagram showing the relationship between the visualized state and temperature of another thermochromic material of the same.

FIG. 14 is a schematic perspective view of a conventional thermal printer.

FIG. 15 is a schematic vertical sectional view of the thermal printer of the above.

[Explanation of symbols]

 A recording device 1 erasing device 2 erasing device main body 3 assembly member 4 recording body 5 thermal printer 13 spindle 14 planar heating element 15 contact member 16 pressing member 17 travel detection sensor 18 travel speed detection sensor 19 control device 20 cooling member 21 Power switch 23 Erasable indicator lamp 24 Non-erasable indicator lamp 25 Insertion port 26 Ejection port 27 Cam 28 Heating element 29 Push pad 30 Check claw 38 Link 39 Crank 41 Auto power off circuit 50 Rotary encoder

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A sheet-shaped or card-shaped recording medium is made of a heat-sensitive sheet material capable of repeating writing and erasing of information, and a writing device for writing information on the recording medium and a writing device for writing information on the recording medium. A erasing device for uniformly heating and erasing the recorded information, the erasing device having a detachable assembly member for detachably assembling the writing device to the erasing device. Erasing device in recording device for thermosensitive recording medium. 2. The erasing device in a recording device for a thermosensitive recording medium according to claim 1, wherein the erasing device does not have a drive device for conveying the recording medium. 3. A means for detecting a recording medium traveling in the erasing device, a means for detecting a traveling speed of the recording medium, a planar heating element for uniformly heating the recording medium, and an operation of the planar heating element. And a mechanism for contacting or separating the planar heating element and the recording body, and a mechanism for the controller to contact or separate the planar heating element and the recording body by input of a recording body detection signal. 2. The thermosensitive recording according to claim 1, which is driven and the control device controls the temperature at which the sheet heating element heats the recording body to a temperature within a set value according to the traveling speed of the recording body by inputting the traveling speed detection signal. Erase device in body recorder. 4. A means for controlling the contact between the sheet heating element and the recording body before contacting the sheet heating element with the contact member for lowering the heat generation temperature of the sheet heating element. An erasing device in a recording device for a thermosensitive recording medium according to claim 3. 5. The erasing device is provided with a power switch, and when the switch is turned on, the sheet heating element is energized, the maximum voltage is continuously applied for a certain period of time, and when the running of the recording body is not detected, the recording body is detected. It has an auto power-off circuit device that applies the same voltage to the planar heating element for a predetermined time as when the running of the recording medium is detected, and then automatically turns off the power when the running of the recording medium is not detected after a preset time. An erasing device in a recording device for a thermosensitive recording medium according to claim 1. 6. An erasing device in a recording device for a thermal recording medium according to claim 1, wherein a pressing member made of a heat-resistant member for pressing the recording medium is provided facing the planar heating element. 7. A recording medium insertion port and a recording medium discharge port,
The insertion port, the discharge port, and the opening for inserting the plain paper or the thermal paper of the writing device when the writing device is attached to the writing device are connected to each other so that the recording medium smoothly passes therethrough. 2. A recording device for a thermosensitive recording medium according to claim 1, further comprising: a member arranged in a straight line to form a passage, and a member for passing the recording medium only in a writing direction of the recording medium is provided in the vicinity of the insertion port or the discharge port. Erase device. 8. An erasing device for a thermosensitive recording medium according to claim 1, wherein a cooling member is arranged so that after the recording body comes into contact with the sheet heating element, the cooling member is provided downstream of the sheet heating element so as to come into contact with the recording element. apparatus.