JPH0357490Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to an ink ribbon used in a multicolor thermal transfer recording device that performs thermal transfer recording of a plurality of colors.

[Conventional technology]

Generally, as a multi-color thermal transfer recording apparatus that performs thermal transfer recording of a plurality of colors, there is one called a field-sequential swing system as shown in FIG.

In the figure, 1 is a recording head equipped with a line-type heat generating resistor, 2 is a platen roller, and the platen roller 2 is connected to a paper 4 traveling in the direction of arrow A from a paper roll 3, a supply roll 5, and a take-up roll. An ink donor film 7 as an ink ribbon that runs along with the running of the paper 4 is sandwiched between the ink donor film 7 and the recording head 1 . 8 is a pressure roller.

The recording head 1 rotates about a fulcrum 10 attached to a bracket 9 and is held pressed against the platen roller 2 by a spring 11 to perform recording, and is separated from the platen roller 2 by a motor 12 and a cam 13 when not printing. .

FIG. 4 is a front view of a conventional ink donor film 7 in the apparatus configured as described above.

This ink donor film 7 has the same width as the paper 4, and has a dimension L that is slightly larger than the dimension L of the recording area 14 on the paper 4 on which transfer inks of the three primary printing colors of yellow, magenta, and cyan are set in advance. Marks 15, 16, and 17 corresponding to the printing start position of each color are printed in advance at positions that can be detected by the sensor 18 in FIG. 3.

With the above configuration, conventionally, yellow, magenta,
If it is set in advance to print in cyan order, a power supply (not shown) is turned on to the device and the ink donor film 7 is taken up by the take-up roll 6 until the sensor 18 detects the mark 15 corresponding to the printing start position of yellow. The vehicle is caused to travel, and at the time of detection, travel is stopped and the position is initialized.

Here, the recording head 1 is pressed against the platen roller 2 by the force of the spring 11, and in this pressed state, the ink donor film 7 and the paper 4 are fed to transfer yellow onto the recording area 14.

Next, the recording head 1 is moved away from the platen roller 2 by the motor 12 and the cam 13, the paper 4 is reversely fed, the recording area 14 on which yellow has been transferred is returned to the initial position, and the ink donor film 7 is taken up by the winding roll 6. The sensor 18 detects the mark 16 corresponding to the magenta printing start position, sets the position, presses the recording head 1 against the platen roller 2 in the same way as the yellow transfer, and prints magenta in the recording area 14. Perform the transcription.

Furthermore, cyan is transferred to the recording area 14 in the same manner as the magenta transfer described above, thereby completing the recording of one screen.

Then, the ink donor film 7 is run until the sensor 18 detects the mark 15' corresponding to the next yellow printing start position, the initial setting of the printing start position is made, and the process waits until the next recording.

[Problem that the invention attempts to solve]

However, in the conventional technology having the above-mentioned configuration, when the power is turned off during standby with the ink donor film set at the print start position, and when printing is required and the power is turned on, the mark 15 for setting the print start position is turned off.
Since the ink donor film 7 is at the position where it just passed through the sensor 18 and was read when the power was turned off, the ink donor film 7 can print the yellow, magenta, and cyan that were waiting when the power was turned off without being used for printing. The ink donor film runs until the mark 15' corresponding to the print start position is detected by the sensor 18, and is then set at the print start position, so each time the power is turned on, the ink donor film wastes the ink application group for one print. There was a problem with making it.

In addition, in order to eliminate this waste, some equipment uses a method in which the supply roll is driven by a motor or the like to rewind it a certain distance at a time when the power is turned on, and then advances it. etc., which led to the problem of complicating the device.

[Means to solve the problem]

This invention applies multiple colors of ink sequentially,
In the ink ribbon used in a multicolor thermal transfer recording device that performs thermal transfer recording of multiple colors, marks are provided corresponding to the recording start position of each color of ink.
Among the marks, a plurality of marks corresponding to the recording start position of the ink of the color to be recorded first are provided, and the application area of the ink of the color to be recorded first is extended according to the number of the marks and the installation interval. It is characterized by

[Effect]

With the above-described configuration, the present invention is capable of detecting a position where the first one or some of the plurality of marks corresponding to the recording start position of the ink set in advance as the first color to be recorded has already passed the detection sensor. Even when the power is turned on, initial settings for starting recording are made by detecting the mark closest to the detection sensor among the remaining marks, and recording is performed using the part of the application area that corresponds to the detected mark. It can be carried out.

〔Example〕

Examples will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a front view showing an embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, reference numeral 19 indicates an ink donor film as an ink ribbon, which is applied to the multicolor thermal transfer recording apparatus shown in FIG. 3. In this embodiment, printing is performed in three colors, yellow, magenta, and cyan, in the order of yellow, magenta, and cyan.

The ink donor film 19 has the same width as the paper 4, and transfer inks of three primary colors for printing, yellow, magenta and cyan, are placed on the surface of the ink donor film 19, forming a group in the order of yellow, magenta and cyan. Several groups are applied depending on the total length of 19.

20a, 20b, 20c are marks corresponding to the printing start position in yellow;
1 is a mark corresponding to the magenta printing start position,
22 is a mark corresponding to the cyan printing start position, and is provided at a position that can be detected by the sensor 18.

The magenta and cyan coating areas have a length L' slightly larger than the preset dimension L of the recording area 14 on the paper 4, and the marks 21, 2
2 are provided with an interval m determined by the dimensional relationship of the main body of the apparatus.

On the other hand, the marks 20a, 20b, and 20c corresponding to the print start position for yellow are consecutively provided at intervals of n from the distance m above, so that the yellow mark has a dimension L that is slightly larger than the dimension L of the recording area 14. It has a coating area with a length of L′ + 2n, which is the sum of ′ and 2n.

Incidentally, the shorter the interval between the marks 20a, 20b, 20c, the shorter the length of the ink donor film 19, but since there is a possibility that a detection error between the marks may occur, the dimension P of the marks 20a, 20b, 20c as a code is For this, n=2P is appropriate.

The operation of printing by applying this embodiment having the above configuration to the multicolor thermal transfer recording apparatus shown in FIG. 3 will be described.

First, turn on the power to the device.

At this time, if the yellow printing start position on the ink donor film 19 has not reached the recording head 1, the ink donor film 19 is moved around the take-up roll until the sensor 18 detects the first mark 20a corresponding to the yellow printing start position. The machine travels according to the method, stops traveling at the time of detection, and performs initial settings for starting printing.

Here, the recording head 1 is pressed against the platen roller 2 by the force of the spring 11, and in this pressed state, the ink donor film 19 and the paper 4 are fed to transfer yellow onto the recording area 14.

Next, the recording head 1 is separated from the platen roller 2 by the motor 12 and the cam 13, the paper 4 is reversely fed, the recording area 14 on which yellow has been transferred is returned to the initial position, and the ink donor film 19 is taken up by the winding roll 6. The mark 21 corresponding to the magenta printing start position is detected by the sensor 18, the position is set, and the recording head 1 is moved in the same way as the yellow transfer.
is pressed against the platen roller 2, and magenta is transferred to the recording area 14.

The motors 12 and 13 again move the recording head 1 away from the platen roller 2, and the paper 4 is reversely fed to the recording area 1 where yellow and magenta have been transferred.
4 to the initial position, and remove the ink donor film 1.
9 is conveyed by the winding roll 6, and the mark 22 corresponding to the cyan printing start position is detected by the sensor 18.
The recording head 1 is pressed against the platen roller 2 in the same manner as the yellow and magenta transfers, and cyan is transferred to the recording area 14.

With the above steps, one screen of multicolor thermal transfer recording is completed.

In this case, the portion of the ink donor film 19 used for recording becomes as shown by the broken line in FIG. 2a.

Next, a case will be described in which the power is turned on again to the apparatus which was turned off with the yellow printing start position of the ink donor film 19 set by the detection of the mark 20a by the sensor 18.

First, when the power is turned on, the ink donor film 19 is moved to the second position corresponding to the yellow printing start position.
It is slightly run by the take-up roll 6 until the mark 20b is detected by the sensor 18, and at the time of detection, the run is stopped and initial settings for starting printing are performed.

As a result, yellow, magenta, and cyan are transferred, and the procedure is the same as the initial setting performed by detecting the mark 20a described above, so a description thereof will be omitted.

In this case, the portion of the ink donor film 19 used for recording becomes as shown by the broken line in FIG. 2b. In other words, yellow is mark 20a and mark 20
b is displaced rearwardly by a distance n from the position shown in FIG. 2a. However, magenta and cyan are at the same position.

Furthermore, a case will be described in which the power is turned on again to the apparatus which was turned off with the yellow printing start position of the ink donor film 19 set by the detection of the mark 20b by the sensor 18.

First, when the power is turned on, the ink donor film 19 is moved to the third position corresponding to the yellow printing start position.
It is slightly run by the take-up roll 6 until the mark 20c is detected by the sensor 18, and at the time of detection, the run is stopped and initial settings for starting printing are performed.

As a result, yellow, magenta, and cyan are transferred, but the procedure is the same as the initial setting performed by detecting the mark 20a described above, so a description thereof will be omitted.

In this case, the portion of the ink donor film 19 used for recording becomes as shown by the broken line in FIG. 2c. In other words, yellow is mark 20a and mark 20c
It is displaced backwards from the position shown in Figure 2a by a distance 2n. However, magenta and cyan are at the same position.

In this way, marks 20a, 20b, 20c
The part used for recording yellow will differ depending on which one is detected and initial settings are performed, but paper 4
It goes without saying that recording is done in the same way.

[Effect of idea]

As explained in detail above, according to the present invention, a plurality of marks are provided corresponding to the recording start position of ink set in advance as the first color to be recorded, and the application area of the first color to be recorded is determined by the interval between the marks. Since the length of the ink donor film is adjusted to correspond to the number of marks, even if the printer is turned off after setting the ink donor film to the printing start position and then turned off and then turned on again, it is possible that some of the multiple marks may still be detected. The one in front of the sensor corresponds to the initial setting for starting printing, and recording can be performed using the part of the coating area that corresponds to the position of the detected mark.

Therefore, unlike in the past, there is no need to waste the ink application group for one printing that was on standby when the power was turned off, and to perform initial settings to start printing using the first mark of the next ink application group. This has the advantage that the ink application group that was on standby when the power was turned off can be used for the first printing after the power is turned on.

Further, according to the present invention, there is an advantage that no special member is required to eliminate waste of ink donor film.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the ink color to be recorded is determined in advance and a plurality of marks are provided for that color to lengthen the coating area, but even if the same dimension L'+2a is used for other colors, there will be no recording problem. There isn't.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Figure 1 is a front view showing one embodiment of the present invention;
The figure is a front view showing the parts used for recording in the same embodiment, FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the main parts of a multicolor thermal transfer recording apparatus to which the present invention is applied, and FIG. 4 is a front view showing a conventional example. 1... Recording head, 2... Platen roller, 4
... Paper, 6 ... Winding roller, 14 ... Recording area, 18 ... Sensor, 19 ... Ink donor film, 20a, 20b, 20c, 21, 22 ...
…mark.

Claims (1)

[Claims for Utility Model Registration] Multiple colors of ink are applied sequentially, a mark corresponding to the recording start position of each color is provided, and each color is sequentially overlaid and recorded. In an ink ribbon used in a multicolor thermal transfer recording device that performs thermal transfer recording, a plurality of marks are provided corresponding to the recording start position of the ink of the color to be recorded first among the marks, and the color to be recorded first is provided. An ink ribbon characterized in that an ink application area of the above is extended according to the number of marks and the interval between the marks.