JPS62173267A - Thermal ink-transfer printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obtain high printing quality by eliminating the shortage of the printing density near the start point of printing, by preheating a printing head during the approach run of a carrier. CONSTITUTION:A printing head 3 is heated on the printing data from a printing head drive means 2. The outputs from a printing data retention means 1 and a preheating data generation means 10 are respectively inputted to a switching means 20. Then, the information on whether a motor is in the approach run to a stabilized fixed speed or not is sent to the switching means 20 from the carrier motor drive means 4 by which a carrier motor 5 is driven. If the switching means 20 is in the approach run, the output of the preheating data generation means 10 and if it is not in the approach run, the output of the printing data retention means 1 is outputted to the printing head drive means 2. The printing head 3 is preheated during the approach run of the carrier motor 5, warmed almost to T1 at the start time point ts of printing and the shortage of the printing density does never occur at the start time of printing.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a printing device used in electronic computers, data terminals, and the like.

[Conventional technology]

FIG. 3 shows a basic configuration for driving and controlling a conventional thermal transfer printing device. Print data is given to print head driving means 2 as an output from print data holding means 1 .

The heating elements in the print head 3 corresponding to the above-mentioned print data are driven by the applied pulses from the print head driving means 2. On the other hand, the carrier motor driving means 4 drives the carrier motor 5 for moving the carrier on which the print head 3 is mounted. FIG. 4 shows the speed of the carrier motor and the temperature change of the print head at this time.

[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

In the above-mentioned conventional technology, the temperature of the print head at printing start time L5 is almost the ambient temperature T. , and the temperature envelope just before each printing pulse is applied approaches T. Therefore, near the printing start point of each line, there is insufficient energy in the area exceeding the ink melting temperature T□, resulting in a drawback that sufficient printing density cannot be obtained.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a thermal transfer printing device that eliminates insufficient printing density near the printing start point.

[Means for solving problems]

The present invention provides a thermal transfer printing device that generates heat in a print head to melt ink and transfer it to paper, including a print data holding unit that holds data printed by the print head;
a preheating data generating means for outputting preheating command data for the print head; a print head driving means for heating the print head based on the print data; a carrier motor driving means for driving a carrier motor for moving the carrier; and the carrier motor driving means. The thermal transfer printing apparatus is characterized in that it has a switching means for switching between the output of the print data holding means and the output of the preheating data generating means based on run-up information from the printer and outputting the same to the print head driving means.

〔Example〕

Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present invention will be explained with reference to the drawings.

In FIG. 1, 3 is a print head, and print head 3
generates heat due to the print data from the print head driving means 2, melts the ink and transfers it to the paper.

Reference numeral 5 denotes a carrier motor that drives a carrier on which the print head 3, ribbon cassette, etc. are mounted and moves them along the platen.The carrier motor 5 drives the carrier in accordance with the output of the carrier motor driving means 4.

The present invention further includes a print data holding means 1 for holding data of printing by the print head 3, a preheating data generating means 10 for outputting preheating command data for the print head 3, and a run-up information from the carrier motor driving means 4. It has a switching means 20 for switching between the output of the print data holding means 1 and the output of the preheating data generating means 10 and outputting the same to the print head driving means 2.

In one embodiment, the outputs from the print data holding means 1 and the preheating data generating means 10 are input to the switching means 20, respectively. On the other hand, the carrier motor drive means 4 that drives the carrier motor 5 sends information to the switching means 20 as to whether or not the motor is running on a run-up until the motor stabilizes at a constant speed. The switching means 20 outputs the output of the preheating data generating means 10 to the print head driving means 2 if the run-up is in progress, and otherwise outputs the output of the print data holding means 1 to the print head driving means 2.

FIG. 2 shows carrier motor speed and printhead temperature variations according to the present invention. According to the present invention, the print head 3 is preheated during the run-up of the carrier motor 5, and the print head 3 is preheated at the print start time t.
, it is heated to almost T, and there is no possibility of insufficient print density at the start of printing.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As explained above, the present invention has the effect that by preheating the print head during the run-up of the carrier, insufficient print density near the printing start point can be resolved and high print quality can be obtained.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a time chart showing the effects of the present invention, Fig. 3 is a block diagram of the prior art, and Fig. 4 is a time chart showing the operation of the prior art. It is. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Print data holding means, 2... Print head driving means, 3... Print head, 4... Carrier motor driving means, 5... Carrier motor, 10... Preheating data generating means, 20...Switching means. Enmi'41 Ward 4

Claims (1)

[Claims] (1) In a thermal transfer printing device that generates heat in a print head to melt ink and transfer it to paper, there is a print data holding means that holds data printed by the print head, and a preheater that outputs preheating command data for the print head. a data generating means; a print head drive means for heating the print head based on the print data; a carrier motor drive means for driving a carrier motor for moving the carrier; A thermal transfer printing apparatus characterized by comprising a switching means for switching between the output of the holding means and the output of the preheating data generating means and guiding the same to the print head driving means.