JP6114117B2 - Printing apparatus and printing method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a printing apparatus, and more particularly to a printing apparatus that performs a printing process on a printing medium using an ink ribbon.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, printing apparatuses that form images such as face photographs and character information on a printing medium such as a plastic card are widely known. In such a printing apparatus, an indirect printing method is used in which an image (mirror image) is formed on a transfer film (recording medium) with a thermal head via an ink ribbon, and then the image formed on the transfer film is transferred to the printing medium. It has been.

  Ink ribbons used in this type of printing apparatus are composed of color ribbon panels such as Y (yellow), M (magenta), C (cyan), and Bk (black) in order of color. Can print. At that time, it is known that a color image such as a face photograph is printed with YMC, and a monochrome image such as a character is printed with Bk (Patent Document 1).

  When printing on both sides of the print medium, after printing on the front surface of the print medium, the print medium is reversed, and then the printing process is performed on the back side of the print medium.

  Also, a printing apparatus is known that determines the printing order (front and back) according to the type of printing medium when printing is performed on both sides of the printing medium, although it is not a card (Patent Document 2). .

JP 2008-207375 A Japanese Patent No. 4698744

Changing the printing order depending on whether the discharge surface of the print medium is face-up discharge or face-down discharge has an effect of shortening the processing time when discharging the print medium. For example, in the case of a printing apparatus that performs printing processing on a printing medium from below, if the printing medium is to be ejected with the back side up, the surface transfer → inverted and backside transfer → further inverted and discharged, and the reversing operation In this case, if the printing order is changed from the back side to the front side, the reversing operation after printing becomes unnecessary and the processing time can be shortened.

However, when changing the printing order on both sides of the printing medium, there are the following problems. For example, in a printing apparatus using an ink ribbon as in Patent Document 1, different types of ribbon panels (for example, a color ribbon panel 41a and a black ribbon panel 41b) are provided on the front surface and the back surface of the print medium shown in FIG. ) Is used, if the printing order is changed giving priority to the processing speed when the print medium is discharged, printing may be performed by skipping either the color ribbon panel 41a or the monochrome ribbon panel 41b. There is a possibility that the ribbon panel is wasted. Note that since the printing apparatus of Patent Document 2 uses toner instead of an ink ribbon, the consumption of consumables does not change even if the printing order is changed.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a printing apparatus using an ink ribbon that can shorten the processing time when the printing medium is discharged.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention is different from the first ribbon panel and the first ribbon panel of a single color or a plurality of colors in order to print on both sides of a print medium having a first surface and a second surface. The second ribbon panel is continuously arranged, and the first ribbon panel and the second ribbon panel are arranged in the surface order, or the same type of ribbon panel is arranged in the surface order. In a printing apparatus that directly or indirectly prints on a print medium using an ink ribbon, a printing unit that forms an image directly or indirectly on the print medium, and the ink ribbon is a first ink ribbon or a second ink Ribbon type determining means for determining whether or not a ribbon, print data determining means for determining whether or not to use the same type of ribbon panel for the first surface and the second surface of the print medium, and the print medium of Discharge surface setting means for setting whether to discharge with one side facing up or with the second surface facing upward, and a print order determining means for determining the print order between the first surface and the second surface of the print medium And the print order determining means determines that the second ink ribbon is used by the ribbon type determining means or the print data determining means is the same type for the first surface and the second surface of the print medium. When it is determined that the ribbon panel is used, the printing order for the printing medium is determined according to the setting information by the discharge surface setting means.

In addition, the printing method of the present invention prints on both sides of a print medium having a first side and a second side, so that the first ribbon panel and the first ribbon panel of a single color or a plurality of colors are different from each other. A first ink ribbon in which a ribbon panel is continuously arranged, and a first ribbon panel and a second ribbon panel are arranged in a plane order, or a second ink ribbon in which the same type of ribbon panels are arranged in a plane order. A printing method for performing a printing process on a printing medium using the same, determining whether an ink ribbon is a first ink ribbon or a second ink ribbon, and the same for the first side and the second side of the printing medium from the print data It is determined whether or not to use the type of ribbon panel, whether to discharge the print medium with the first side up or the second side up, and the ink ribbon to be used is the second ink ribbon Is determined to be used, If the same type of ribbon panel is determined to be used for the first side and the second side of the print medium, the first side and the second side of the print medium according to the setting information of the discharge side of the print medium The printing order for two sides is determined, and printing processing is performed on both sides of the printing medium according to the determined printing order.

  According to the present invention, the type of the ink ribbon and the type of the ribbon panel to be used are determined from the print data, and printing is performed using the same type of ribbon panel on both sides of the print medium when it is not a double-sided dedicated ribbon. In this case, since the printing order for the first surface and the second surface of the print medium is determined according to the discharge surface of the print medium, it is possible to shorten the processing time when discharging the print medium even in a printing apparatus using an ink ribbon. effective.

1 is an external view of a printing system including a printing apparatus according to an embodiment to which the present invention is applicable. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a printing apparatus according to an embodiment. FIG. 6 is an operation explanatory diagram illustrating a state of a standby position of the printing apparatus. FIG. 6 is an operation explanatory diagram illustrating a state of a conveyance position of the printing apparatus. It is operation | movement explanatory drawing explaining the state of the printing position of a printing apparatus. It is an external appearance perspective view of a ribbon cassette. It is a perspective view which shows the engagement state of a supply spool and a main body side. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a control unit of the printing apparatus according to the embodiment. It is a flowchart of the printing order determination processing routine which CPU of the microcomputer of the control part of the printing apparatus of embodiment performs. It is explanatory drawing which shows typically the relationship between the sensor which detects an ink ribbon, and an empty mark, and is a figure when it sees from the arrow A side of FIG. 6, (A) is the time of the normal process before near empty detection, (B) shows the time of near empty processing after near empty detection. It is a figure which shows the ink ribbon used with the printing apparatus of embodiment, (A) is a ribbon for exclusive use of the double side | surface with which the ribbon panel of a different kind is arrange | positioned in the surface sequential order, (B) is the ribbon panel of the same kind in the surface sequential order It is the arranged ink ribbon.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a printing apparatus that prints and records characters and images on a card and magnetically or electrically records information on the card will be described with reference to the drawings.

<System configuration>
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 8, the printing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment constitutes a part of a printing system 200. That is, the printing system 200 is roughly configured by a host device 201 (for example, a host computer such as a personal computer) and the printing device 1.

  The printing apparatus 1 is connected to the host apparatus 201 via an interface (not shown), and print data, magnetic or electrical recording data, etc. are transmitted from the host apparatus 201 to the printing apparatus 1 to perform a recording operation or the like. Can be instructed. Note that the printing apparatus 1 includes an operation panel unit (operation display unit) 5 (see FIG. 8), and in addition to a recording operation instruction from the host apparatus 201, a recording operation instruction from the operation panel unit 5 is also possible.

  The host device 201 displays an image input device 204 such as a digital camera or a scanner, an input device 203 such as a keyboard or mouse for inputting commands and data to the host device 201, and data generated by the host device 201. A monitor 202 such as a liquid crystal display to be performed is connected.

<Printing device>
As illustrated in FIG. 2, the printing apparatus 1 includes a housing 2, and the housing 2 includes an information recording unit A, an image forming unit B, a medium storage unit C, and a storage unit D.

  The information recording unit A includes a magnetic recording unit 24, a non-contact type IC recording unit 23, and a contact type IC recording unit 27.

  The medium accommodating portion C accommodates a plurality of cards arranged in a standing posture, and a separation opening 7 is provided at the tip thereof so that the pickup roller 19 feeds out the cards from the front row. It has become.

  The fed card is first sent to the reversing unit F by the carry-in roller 22. The reversing unit F is composed of a rotating frame 80 supported by the housing 2 so as to be pivotable and two roller pairs 20 and 21 supported by the frame. The roller pairs 20 and 21 are axially supported by the rotary frame 80 so as to be rotatable.

  A magnetic recording unit 24, a non-contact type IC recording unit 23, and a contact type IC recording unit 27 are disposed on the outer periphery around which the reversing unit F turns. The pair of rollers 20 and 21 forms a medium carry-in path 65 for carrying in either of the information recording units 23, 24, and 27, and the card is magnetically or electrically connected to the card in these recording units. Data is written.

  The image forming unit B forms an image such as a face photograph or character data on the front and back surfaces of the card, and a medium transport path P1 for transporting the card is provided on the extension of the medium transport path 65. In addition, transport rollers 29 and 30 for transporting the cards are arranged in the medium transport path P1, and are connected to a transport motor (not shown).

  The image forming unit B includes a film-like medium conveyance device. First, a primary transfer unit that prints an image with a thermal head 40 on a transfer film 46 conveyed by the conveyance device, and then a heat roller 33. And a secondary transfer portion that prints an image printed on the transfer film 46 on the surface of the card in the medium transport path P1.

  On the downstream side of the image forming unit B, a medium transport path P2 for transporting the printed card to the storage stacker 60 is provided. Conveying rollers 37 and 38 for conveying cards are arranged in the medium conveying path P2, and are connected to a conveying motor (not shown).

  A decurling mechanism 36 is disposed between the conveying roller 37 and the conveying roller 38, and the curl generated by the thermal transfer by the heat roller 33 is corrected by pressing the central portion of the card held between the conveying rollers 37 and 38. For this reason, the decurling mechanism 36 is configured to be movable in the vertical direction shown in FIG. 2 by a lifting mechanism such as a cam (not shown).

  The accommodating portion D is configured to accommodate the card sent from the image forming portion B in the accommodating stacker 60. The storage stacker 60 is configured to move downward in FIG.

  The image forming unit B in the overall configuration of the printing apparatus 1 will be described in more detail.

  The transfer film 46 is wound around a winding roll 47 and a feeding roll 48 of a transfer film cassette that is rotated by driving of the motors Mr2 and Mr4. The film transport roller 49 is a main driving roller that transports the transfer film 46, and the transport amount and transport stop position of the transfer film 46 are determined by controlling the driving of the roller 49. The film transport roller 49 is connected to a stepping motor (not shown). Although the motor Mr2 is also driven when the film transport roller 49 is driven, it is for winding the transfer film 46 fed out by the take-up roll 47, and is not intended to drive the transfer film 46 as a main transporter. . The feeding roll 48 is connected to the motor Mr4, and when the transfer film 46 is conveyed in the direction of being wound around the take-up roll 47, the rotation speed of the motor Mr4 is controlled to provide an appropriate back tension to the transfer film 46. Is granted.

  A pinch roller 32 a and a pinch roller 32 b are disposed on the peripheral surface of the film transport roller 49. Although not shown in FIG. 2, the pinch rollers 32 a and 32 b are configured to be movable so as to advance and retreat with respect to the film conveyance roller 49, and the state shown in the drawing advances to the film conveyance roller 49 and comes into pressure contact therewith. Thus, the transfer film 46 is wound around the film transport roller 49. As a result, the transfer film 46 is accurately transported at a distance corresponding to the number of rotations of the film transport roller 49.

  The ink ribbon 41 is accommodated in an ink ribbon cassette 42. A supply spool 43 for supplying the ink ribbon 41 and a take-up spool 44 for taking up the ink ribbon 41 are accommodated in the cassette 42. The take-up spool 44 is driven by a motor Mr1. The supply spool 43 is driven by the motor Mr3. As the motor Mr1 and the motor Mr3, DC motors capable of forward and reverse rotation are used. Further, Se2 shown in FIG. 2 is a transmission type sensor for detecting an empty mark (see symbol EMP_M in FIG. 10B) attached to the end portion of the ink ribbon 41 and indicating the use limit of the ink ribbon 41.

The ink ribbon 41 is a ribbon for exclusive use on both sides, and is a ribbon of Y (yellow), M (magenta), C (cyan), and Bk (black), which is a color ribbon panel for printing on the front side (first side) of the card. A panel and a Bk (black) ribbon panel that is a monochrome ribbon panel for printing on the back surface (second surface) are repeated in the surface order (see FIG. 11A). The ink ribbon 41 is for printing a color image such as a face photograph on the front surface (first surface) and printing a monochrome image such as a character on the back surface (second surface). Therefore, printing is performed on one card using Y, M, C, Bk, and Bk. Note that different types of ribbon panels are continuously arranged from the double-sided ribbon (Y, M, C, Bk: Bk, Y, M, C, Bk, Hs: Bk, Hs (Hs is heat seal), etc. ), Which is an ink ribbon that is configured by arranging them in a surface sequential manner. Therefore, printing is performed on the first side of the card using the first type of ribbon panel, and printing is performed on the second side of the card using the second type of ribbon panel. Do.

  When both sides of a card are printed in color, the same type of ribbon panels (a group of Y (yellow), M (magenta), C (cyan), and Bk (black)) are arranged sequentially. When printing is performed using the configured ink ribbon (see FIG. 11B) and printing is performed in double-sided monochrome, an ink ribbon (not shown) including only Bk (black) is used.

  Since the printing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment can perform printing using a plurality of types of ink ribbons 41 as described above, the type of the ink ribbon 41 needs to be determined. This may be determined by mounting an IC chip on the ink ribbon and communicating with the printing apparatus 1 or by setting the type of the ink ribbon 41 by the user. Alternatively, the ink ribbon 41 may be marked, the mark may be read by a sensor Se2 described later, and the type of the ink ribbon 41 may be determined based on the result.

The sensor Se2 also detects the passage of the Bk panel. The position of each ribbon panel is managed by the detection of the Bk panel and used for ribbon cueing described later. Specifically, by detecting the rotation amount of the supply spool 43 from the off edge of the back Bk (black) (detecting the rotation amount of the supply spool by the encoder 121 described later), Position management in Y (yellow), M (magenta), and C (cyan) up to Bk (black) is performed. In this embodiment, since there is no mark indicating the boundary between Y (yellow) and M (magenta), and M (magenta) and C (cyan), the Bk (black) off edge (Bk rear end) is set to Y (yellow). And the relative position management from here (Y (yellow) and M (magenta) boundary (M tip), M (magenta) and C (cyan) boundary ( C).

Further, since a gap of about 3 mm is formed between the front surface Bk (black) and the rear surface Bk (black), the On edge (front end) of the rear surface Bk can be detected. Bk (black) cueing is also possible. In this embodiment, the rotation amount of the supply spool 43 is detected by an encoder 121 described later, and the supply spool 43 and / or the rotation amount of the supply spool 43 when the ink ribbon 41 is conveyed by a certain amount is detected. The remaining ribbon amount is calculated by detecting the spool diameter of the take-up spool 44. This spool diameter information is also used for ribbon cueing. The ribbon transport distance for cueing Y, M, and C from the Off edge of the Bk (black) panel is constant, but the supply spool rotation amount for transporting the constant distance varies depending on the spool diameter. It detects and controls the rotation amount of the supply spool 43.

  The platen roller 45 and the thermal head 40 constitute a primary transfer portion, and the thermal head 40 is disposed at a position facing the platen roller 45. The thermal head 40 is heated and controlled according to image data by a head control IC (not shown), and prints an image on the transfer film 46 using a sublimation ink ribbon 41. The cooling fan 39 is for cooling the thermal head 40.

  The ink ribbon 41 that has finished printing on the transfer film 46 is peeled off from the transfer film 46 by the peeling roller 25 and the peeling member 28. The peeling member 28 is fixed to the cassette 42, and the peeling roller 25 abuts against the peeling member 28 at the time of printing, and the transfer film 46 and the ink ribbon 41 are sandwiched between them to perform peeling. The peeled ink ribbon 41 is taken up by a take-up spool 44 driven by a motor Mr1, and the transfer film 46 is conveyed by a film conveying roller 49 to a secondary transfer portion including the platen roller 31 and the heat roller 33. The

  In the secondary transfer portion, the transfer film 46 is sandwiched between the heat roller 33 and the platen roller 31 together with the card, and the image on the transfer film 46 is transferred to the card surface. The heat roller 33 is attached to an elevating mechanism (not shown) so as to be pressed against and separated from the platen roller 31 via the transfer film 46.

  As shown in FIGS. 3, 4 and 5, the tension receiving member 52 </ b> A receiving the tension of the platen roller 45, the peeling roller 25, and the transfer film 46 moves the standby position apart from the transfer film 46, the transfer film 46 and the ink ribbon 41. Accordingly, the platen roller 45 and the thermal head 40 can be moved to a film conveying position where the thermal head 40 and the peeling member 28 are pressed against each other, and between the standby position and the printing position.

  Further, the pinch rollers 32 a and 32 b and the tension receiving member 52 are configured to be able to contact and separate from the film transport roller 49. The platen roller 45, the peeling roller 25, the tension receiving members 52 and 52A, and the pinch rollers 32a and 32b are driven by cams (not shown).

  3, the pinch rollers 32 a and 32 b are not in pressure contact with the film transport roller 49, and the platen roller 45 is not in pressure contact with the thermal head 40.

  When the print command is received, the image forming unit B shifts to the print position shown in FIG. At that time, first, the pinch rollers 32 a and 32 b wind the transfer film 46 around the film transport roller 49, and the tension receiving member 52 contacts the transfer film 46. Thereafter, the platen roller 45 comes into pressure contact with the thermal head 40. In this printing position, the platen roller 45 moves toward the thermal head 40 to sandwich and press the transfer film 46 and the ink ribbon 41, and the peeling roller 25 is in contact with the peeling member 28.

  In this state, when the transfer of the transfer film 46 is started by the rotation of the film transport roller 49, the ink ribbon 41 is simultaneously wound by the winding spool 44 by the operation of the motor Mr1 and transported in the same direction. During this conveyance, the positioning mark provided on the transfer film 46 moves by a predetermined amount through the sensor Se, and when the transfer film 46 reaches the print start position, the thermal head 40 is placed in a predetermined area of the transfer film 46. Is printed. In particular, since the tension of the transfer film 46 is increased during printing, the tension of the transfer film 46 is such that the pinch rollers 32a and 23b are separated from the film conveying roller 46, and the peeling roller 25 and the platen roller from the peeling member 28 and the thermal head 40. 45 in the direction of separating them. However, as described above, since the tension of the transfer film 46 is received by the tension receiving members 52 and 52A, the pressure contact force of the pinch rollers 32a and 32b is not weakened, and accurate film conveyance can be performed. Since the pressure contact force between the thermal head 40 and the platen roller 45 and the pressure contact force between the peeling member 28 and the peeling roller 25 are not weakened, accurate printing and peeling can be performed. The ink ribbon 41 after printing is peeled off from the transfer film 46 and taken up on the take-up spool 44.

  The movement amount of the transfer film 46, that is, the length in the transport direction of the printing area where printing is performed, is detected by an encoder (not shown) provided on the film transport roller 49, and the film transport roller accordingly. The rotation of 49 stops, and at the same time, the winding by the winding spool 44 due to the operation of the motor Mr2 is also stopped. Thereby, the printing of the first color in the printing area of the transfer film 46 by the thermal head 40 is completed.

  Thereafter, the image forming unit B shifts to the transport position shown in FIG. 5, and the platen roller 45 returns to the direction of retracting from the thermal head 40. In this state, the pinch rollers 32a and 32b still wind the transfer film 46 around the film transport roller 49, the tension receiving member 52 is in contact with the transfer film 46, and the transfer film 46 is rotated by the reverse rotation of the film transport roller 49. Reversely conveyed to the initial position. At this time as well, the moving amount of the transfer film 46 is controlled by the rotation of the film transport roller 49, but the length in the transport direction of the print area on which printing has been performed is transported in reverse. The ink ribbon 41 is also rewound by a predetermined amount by the motor Mr3, and the panel of the color to be printed next is put on standby at the initial position (cueing position).

  When the printing position shown in FIG. 4 is reached again, the platen roller 45 is brought into pressure contact with the thermal head 40, and the film transport roller 49 rotates in the forward direction again to move the transfer film 46 by the length of the printing area. Then, printing with the next color is performed by the thermal head 40.

  Thus, the operation at the printing position and the transport position is all colors (in this example, four colors of Y (yellow), M (magenta), C (cyan), and Bk (black) for the front side. In the case of the back side). The printing is repeated until printing of Bk (black) is completed. When the printing (primary transfer) by the thermal head 40 is completed, the primary transfer area of the transfer film 46 is conveyed to the heat roller 33. At this time, the pressure contact of the pinch rollers 32a and 32b with the transfer film 46 is released. . Subsequent secondary transfer is performed by transferring the film onto the card while the transfer film is conveyed by driving the take-up roll 47. In the secondary transfer, the image formed on the transfer film 46 is transferred to the card by heating the transfer film 46 and the card by pressing with the heat roller 33 and the platen roller 31.

<Ink ribbon cassette>
Next, the cassette 42 for storing the ink ribbon 41 will be described in detail. As shown in FIG. 6, the cassette 42 has a rectangular plate-like base 11 that serves as a base of the cassette 42. The base 11 is provided with main body connection protrusions 15 and 16 for mounting on the main body apparatus (printing apparatus 1). Spring is wound around the main body mounting protrusions 15 and 16, and these springs are slidably mounted on the main body device.

  A winding spool 44 is rotatably arranged on one side in the longitudinal direction of the base 11 (upper side in FIG. 6), and a supply spool 43 is rotatable on the other side in the longitudinal direction of the base 11 (lower side in FIG. 6). Is arranged. That is, on one side and the other side of the base 11 in the longitudinal direction, there are circular through holes that rotatably support a shaft (see reference numeral 119 in FIG. 7) on one side of the take-up spool 44 and the supply spool 43, respectively. Is formed. The winding spool 44 has a large-diameter engaging portion 115 on the opposite side of the shaft, and the supply spool 43 has an engaging portion 112 having a smaller diameter than the engaging portion 115 on the opposite side of the shaft 119. Thus, the diameters of the engaging portion 115 and the engaging portion 112 are different so that when the cassette 42 is attached to the main body device, it cannot be attached even if it is erroneously attached in the vertical direction shown in FIG. It is.

  Further, the cassette 42 has a cover 17 that covers the take-up spool 44 and the supply spool 43 in a direction crossing the base 11. The cover 17 is fixed to an end portion along the longitudinal direction of the base 11. Further, in the cassette 42, the shafts 14 and 13, the shaft-like peeling member 28, and the shaft 12 are arranged in order from the lower side to the upper side in FIG. 6 so as to be parallel to the axis of the supply spool 43 or the take-up spool 44. It is installed. Each of these shafts is fixed to the base 11 on one side, and is fixed to an extending portion projecting from the cover 17 so as to face the base 11.

  Therefore, the ink ribbon 41 fed out from the supply spool 43 is slidably contacted with the shafts 14 and 13, the peeling member 28 and the shaft 12 on one side and wound on the winding spool 44, or vice versa. The separation member 28 and the shafts 14 and 13 are brought into sliding contact with the supply spool 43 so as to be rewound.

  Here, when the cassette 42 is attached to the main unit, the arrangement relationship between the shaft Se and the sensor Se2 on the main unit side and the thermal head 40 and these shafts will be described. As shown in FIG. A sensor Se <b> 2 is positioned between the shaft 14 and the shaft 13 along the drawn out ink ribbon 41, and a thermal head 41 is positioned between the shaft 13 and the peeling member 28.

  Further, regarding the relationship between the ink ribbon 41, the supply spool 43, the take-up spool 44, and the like when the cassette 42 is mounted on the main body device, a tension is provided between the supply spool 43 and the take-up spool 44 of the ink ribbon 41. The set length is set to be smaller than the total length of three ribbon panels among four consecutive ribbon panels of Y (yellow), M (magenta), C (cyan), and Bk (black). Further, along the ink ribbon 41 stretched between the supply spool 43 and the take-up spool 44, a distance between the supply spool 43 and the sensor Se2, a distance between the sensor Se2 and the thermal head 40, The distance between the thermal head 40 and the peeling member 28 and the distance between the peeling member 28 and the take-up spool 44 are both the one-color ribbon of the ink ribbon 41. It is set smaller than the length of the panel.

<Engagement with spool body and body device>
Next, the spool main body 110 on the supply spool 43 side and the engaging portion of the printing apparatus 1 that engages with the spool main body 110 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 7 shows an engagement state between the engagement portion 112 of the supply spool 43 and the engagement member (engagement convex portion 122) on the main body device side. The engagement portion of the take-up spool 44 and the main body device are shown. Since the engagement state with the engagement member on the side is the same, only the supply spool 43 will be described, and the description of the winding spool 44 will be omitted. The engaging part 112 has eight rectangular convex parts protruding in the end part direction. The supply spool 43 and the take-up spool 44 shown in FIG. 6 are obtained by winding (holding) the ink ribbon 41 around the spool body 110, and the supply spool 43 includes unused portions of the ink ribbon 41. A used portion (ink ribbon 41 after thermal transfer by the thermal head 40) of the ink ribbon 41 is wound around the winding spool 44.

  The spool body 110 includes a cylindrical ribbon holding portion 118 that has flanges 113 and 114 on both sides and holds the ink ribbon 41, an engagement portion 112 provided at one end adjacent to the flange 113, and a flange 114 and a shaft portion 119 provided on the opposite side of the engaging portion 112 and having a diameter reduced from the cylindrical portion of the ribbon holding portion 118.

  Since the flanges 113 and 114 position-control the winding of the ink ribbon 41 around the ribbon holding portion 118 in the axial direction of the spool main body 110, the unused link ribbon 41 from the ribbon holding portion 118 even if the spool main body 110 rotates. Is supplied without being misaligned (in the case of the supply spool 43), and the used portion of the link ribbon 41 is appropriately wound around the ribbon holding portion on the winding side (in the case of the winding spool 44).

  The engaging part on the main body side with respect to the engaging part 112 of the supply spool 43 is composed of a plurality of members. That is, the support shaft 125 is fixed to the housing 2, and the support shaft 125 rotatably supports an engagement member having a disk shape and having a gear on the outer edge. On the side of the engaging member that engages with the engaging portion 112, two engaging convex portions 122 that are different in shape from the convex portion (groove portion) of the engaging portion 112 are opposed to each other (of the engaging member). It is provided so as to make a phase difference of 180 ° with respect to the rotation direction. The engaging portion 122 is formed with a groove formed by an inclined surface that is linearly formed on the side surface of the convex portion and has a predetermined inclination angle, and a bottom portion that connects the inclined surfaces of the adjacent convex portions. In FIG. 7, the relationship of the convex part of the engaging part 112 and the engaging part 122 is reverse.) A spring 124 is wound around the support shaft 125, and the engagement member (engagement convex portion 122) is slidably biased toward the engagement portion by the spring 124. A gear (not shown) is engaged with the gear 123, and the driving force from the motor Mr3 is transmitted to the gear (not shown).

  When the cassette 42 is mounted on the main body device, the front end of the convex portion of the engaging portion 112 of the spool main body 110 and the front end of the engaging convex portion 122 provided on the engaging member on the main body side come into contact with each other. And may not be inserted smoothly. Since the engaging member is provided so as to be slidable in the axial direction of the support shaft 125, when the tip of the convex portion of the engaging portion 112 and the tip of the engaging convex portion 122 collide, the engaging convex portion 122. Is temporarily retracted to the apparatus frame side (opposite side of the spool body 110). Thereafter, when the engaging member or the spool main body 110 rotates, the engaging convex portion 122 enters the groove between the convex portions of the engaging portion 112 and is urged toward the spool main body 110 by the spring 124. Point contact is made at two points with the convex portions (grooves between) of the engaging portions 112.

  A gear 121C is engaged with the gear of the engaging member, and a rotating plate 121A having a slit (not shown) coaxially formed is fixed to the gear 121C. In addition, a transmission-integrated sensor 121B composed of a light emitting element and a light receiving element is disposed at a position sandwiching the rotating plate 121A. Accordingly, the rotating plate 121A and the sensor 121B constitute an encoder 121 as a rotation amount detecting means for detecting the rotation amount of the supply spool 43 that supplies the ink ribbon 41. In addition, the encoder (not shown) provided in the film conveyance roller 49 mentioned above is comprised similarly. That is, a gear similar to the gear 123 shown in FIG. 7 is fitted on the drive shaft of the film transport roller 49, and a gear meshing with this gear (corresponding to the gear 121C in FIG. 7) and a rotating plate (in FIG. 7). The rotation plate 121A is configured to be detected by a sensor (corresponding to the sensor 121B in FIG. 7).

  The ink ribbon 41 is transported from the supply spool 43 side to the take-up spool 44 along with the printing process of the thermal head 40 on the transfer film 46. According to this, the ribbon diameter of the supply spool 43 is The diameter changes from the large diameter to the small diameter, and the ribbon diameter of the take-up spool 44 changes from the small diameter to the large diameter. Along with this change, the tension (tension) when winding the ink ribbon 41 on the take-up spool 44 shifts from large to small, and the tension when rewinding the ink ribbon 41 to the supply spool 43 is opposite. In order to shift from small to large, in this example, two motors are used: a motor Mr1 which is a rotational drive source of the take-up spool 44 and a motor Mr3 which is a rotational drive source of the supply spool 43. These two motors also adjust the tension of the ink ribbon 41 using the speed difference. For example, when the ink ribbon 41 is taken up by the take-up spool 44, the motor Mr1 also sets the rotation speed of the motor Mr3 slightly slower than the rotation speed, and applies a back tension so that the ink ribbon 41 does not loosen. In addition, when the motors Mr1 and Mr3 are rotated in the direction in which the ink ribbon 41 is wound around the take-up spool 44, the forward rotation drive is performed, and when the motors Mr1 and Mr3 are rotated in the direction of rewinding the supply spool 43, the reverse drive is performed. .

  Next, the control and electrical system of the printing apparatus 1 will be described. As shown in FIG. 8, the printing apparatus 1 includes a control unit 100 that controls the operation of the entire printing apparatus 1, and a power supply unit that converts a commercial AC power source into a DC power source that can drive / operate each mechanism unit and the control unit. 120.

<Control unit>
As shown in FIG. 8, the control unit 100 includes a microcomputer 102 (hereinafter simply referred to as a microcomputer 102) that performs overall control processing of the printing apparatus 1. The microcomputer 102 includes a CPU that operates with a high-speed clock as a central processing unit, a ROM that stores basic control operations (programs and program data) of the printing apparatus 1, a RAM that functions as a work area for the CPU, and an internal bus that connects these. It consists of

  An external bus is connected to the microcomputer 102. On the external bus, an interface (not shown) for communication with the host device 201, print data to be printed on the card, recording data to be magnetically or electrically recorded on the magnetic stripe portion of the card or built-in IC, etc. Is temporarily connected to the buffer memory 101.

  In addition, the external bus includes a sensor control unit 103 that controls signals from various sensors, an actuator control unit 104 that controls a motor driver that sends drive pulses and drive power to each motor, and a heating element that constitutes the thermal head 40. The thermal head control unit 105 for controlling the heat energy to the operation unit, the operation display control unit 106 for controlling the operation panel unit 5, and the information recording unit A described above are connected.

  The power supply unit 120 supplies operating / driving power to the control unit 100, the thermal head 40, the operation panel unit 5, and the information recording unit A.

(Operation)
Next, the print processing operation of the printing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment will be described focusing on the CPU of the microcomputer 102 (hereinafter simply referred to as CPU). Since the entire operation of the printing apparatus 1 has already been described, the description here will focus on the flow of determining the printing order for cards by the CPU.

  First, in the printing system 200 of the present embodiment, printing can be performed on both sides of a card, so the user creates print data with the host device 201 such as a PC. The ink ribbon 41 used in this apparatus is for printing color and black (Y, M, C, Bk) (referred to as color) on the front side of the card and black (Bk) on the back side, for example. Create print data for the front side and print data for the back side. At this time, there is no problem if you always print color on the front side and black on the back side, but when you issue multiple cards, if you try to print black on the front side and color on the back side, color ribbon for the front side Printing is started from the monochrome ribbon panel 41b for the back side by skipping the panel 41a, and then an image for printing on the back side of the card is printed by the color ribbon panel 41a for the next side. Therefore, the previous color ribbon panel 41a is wasted.

  For this reason, the printing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment can change the printing order by comparing the type of ribbon panel (color or black) of the next usable ink ribbon 41 with the print data sent from the host apparatus 201. It is configured. In addition, even when using the YMCBk-Bk ink ribbon 41 shown in FIG. 11A, when printing using the same type of ribbon panel on both sides of the card (for example, double-sided color or double-sided black), either ribbon panel Will be wasted. In that case, if the printing order is changed depending on whether the card is discharged with the front side up or the back side up, the processing speed of card issuance can be improved. For example, when discharging the card with the back side up, if the back side is transferred after the front surface transfer in the secondary transfer unit, it is necessary to reverse the card after the back side transfer and then discharge it. Therefore, if the front surface is transferred and then discharged as it is after the back surface is transferred, the time required for the reversing process is shortened.

  In this embodiment, the print order received by the CPU of the microcomputer 102 is compared with the type of ribbon panel that can be used next, and the print order is determined. Hereinafter, a specific processing flow will be described.

  As shown in the flowchart of FIG. 9, in step S1, the type of the next usable ribbon panel is determined. As described above, since the current ribbon position is known by detecting the passage of the Bk (black) panel by the sensor Se2 and detecting the rotation amount of the supply spool 43 by the encoder 121, the next usable ribbon panel is the color. It can be determined whether the ribbon panel 41a or the monochrome ribbon panel 41b.

  In step S2, print data is received from the host device. First, it is determined whether or not the print data includes front side print data (step S3). If there is no front side print data and only the back side print data, it is determined that the print data is single-sided and the print order is " Only the back side "(step S4). If there is no print data on the back side and only the front side (step S5), it is determined as single-sided printing, and the printing order is “table only” (step S6). As described above, when only the front side or only the back side is selected, the type of ribbon panel to be used is determined by the print data. Therefore, the color ribbon panel 41a is used for printing color data, and the monochrome ribbon panel is used for monochrome data. Printing is performed using 41b.

  Next, it is determined whether or not the ink ribbon 41 set in the printing apparatus 1 is a double-sided ribbon (step S7). The ink ribbon 41 used in this embodiment is a Y, M, C, Bk: Bk double-sided dedicated ribbon, but ink in which ribbon panels of four colors Y, M, C, and Bk are constructed in a surface sequential manner. In the case of the ribbon (FIG. 11B), there is no need to change the printing order depending on the print data. In such a case, the printing order is changed depending on the orientation of the card discharge surface (step S8). Therefore, when the front side is set to be discharged, the printing order is “front → back” (step S9), and the back side is set to be discharged. The printing order is “back → front” (step S10).

  If it is determined in step S7 that the ink ribbon 41 set is a double-sided dedicated ribbon, the front side print data and the back side print data are compared, and the same type of ribbon panel is used on the front side and the back side. Whether or not (step S11). For example, when color data is printed on both sides with the double-sided ribbon set, there is no need to change the printing order according to the print data. In this case, the process proceeds to step S8 and printing is performed according to the orientation of the card discharge surface. Determine the order.

  If it is determined in step S11 that the type of print data is different between the front side and the back side, the type of the next usable ribbon panel determined in step S1 and the type of print data on the front side (color or monochrome) are determined. A comparison is made to determine whether or not they match (step S12). For example, when the type of ribbon panel that can be used next is the color ribbon panel 41a and the print data on the front side is also color data, the ribbon panel is wasted if printing is performed in the order of front (color) → back (monochrome). Therefore, the printing order is set as “front → back” (step S13). On the other hand, if the type of ribbon panel that can be used next is the color ribbon panel 41a and the print data on the front surface is monochrome data, the next use is possible if printing is performed in the order of front (monochrome) → back (color). Since the color ribbon panel 41a is skipped to print monochrome data on the surface, the color ribbon panel 41a is wasted. Therefore, the printing order in this case is set as “back → front” (step S14).

  In accordance with the printing order set in this way, the primary transfer unit performs a printing process on the transfer film 46, and the secondary transfer unit performs the transfer process on the first surface of the card. Thereafter, in the case of duplex printing, the card is reversed and a transfer process is performed on the second surface of the card (step S15). The card for which the transfer process has been completed is discharged to the accommodating portion D (step S16). If the printing order set depending on the type of ribbon panel and the type of print data and the printing order set depending on the orientation of the card ejection surface are different, the user can set which is prioritized. If the printing order set according to the type of ribbon panel and the type of print data is given priority, after performing transfer processing on both sides of the card, card reversal processing is performed once again, and the card is discharged into the storage unit D.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the type of the next available (most recent) ribbon panel from the current position of the ink ribbon 41 and the type of print data (color data or monochrome data) received from the host apparatus 201 are determined. Since the printing order is determined by comparison, waste of the ribbon panel can be reduced. Also, if the print data does not waste the ribbon panel (if the set ink ribbon is not a double-sided ribbon or the front side print data and the back side print data are the same type), Since the printing order can be set depending on the orientation, the processing time is shortened.

  In the present embodiment, the CPU of the microcomputer 102 determines the printing order. However, the information on the next usable ink ribbon is sent to the host apparatus 201, and the printing order is determined on the host apparatus 201 side. A print command may be transmitted to the printing apparatus 1 in the determined printing order. Similarly, the type information of the ink ribbon 41 and the card discharge surface setting information set in the same manner may be sent to the host apparatus 201 and the printing order may be determined on the host apparatus 201 side.

  In this embodiment, an example of an intermediate transfer type printer in which an image using the ink ribbon 41 is formed on the transfer film 46 in the primary transfer portion and the image is transferred to the card in the secondary transfer portion is shown. A direct transfer printer that directly presses the ribbon 41 and the card with the thermal head 40 and the platen roller 45 and prints on the card may be used.

  As described above, the present invention provides a printing apparatus that uses an ink ribbon and can reduce the processing time when the printing medium is discharged, and thus contributes to the manufacture and sale of the printing apparatus. With the above applicability.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Printing apparatus 5 Operation panel part 28 Separation member 40 Thermal head 41 Ink ribbon 41a Color ribbon panel 41b Monochrome ribbon panel 43 Supply spool 44 Winding spool 46 Transfer film 100 Control part (a part of printing order determination means)
121 Encoder Mr1, Mr3 Motor EMP_M Empty mark Se2 sensor

Claims (4)

In order to print on both sides of a print medium having a first surface and a second surface, a single-color or multiple-color first ribbon panel and a second ribbon panel of a different type from the first ribbon panel are continuously arranged. Directly or indirectly using a first ink ribbon in which the first ribbon panel and the second ribbon panel are arranged in a plane order, or a second ink ribbon in which the same type of ribbon panel is arranged in a plane order. In a printing apparatus that performs a printing process on the print medium,
A printing unit that directly or indirectly forms an image on the print medium;
Ribbon type determining means for determining whether the ink ribbon is the first ink ribbon or the second ink ribbon;
Print data determination means for determining whether to use the same type of the ribbon panel for the first surface and the second surface of the print medium from the print data;
Discharge surface setting means for setting whether to discharge the print medium with the first side up or the second side up;
Printing order determining means for determining the printing order of the first surface and the second surface of the print medium,
The printing order determining means determines that the second ink ribbon is to be used by the ribbon type determining means, or is the same type for the first surface and the second surface of the print medium by the print data determining means. A printing apparatus for determining a printing order for the printing medium according to setting information by the discharge surface setting means when it is determined that the ribbon panel is used. Further, a detecting means for detecting a panel position of each ribbon panel of the ink ribbon, and a detection result by the detecting means determines whether the next available ribbon panel is the first ribbon panel or the second ribbon panel. Use panel determining means for determining; and print data determining means for determining whether data to be printed is printed using the first ribbon panel or the second ribbon panel;
The printing order determining unit determines that the first ink ribbon is used by the ribbon type determining unit, and the print data determining unit determines different types of the first surface and the second surface of the printing medium. When it is determined that the ribbon panel is used, the type of the next available ribbon panel determined by the used panel determining unit is compared with the type of the ribbon panel determined by the print data determining unit. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a printing order for the printing medium is determined. In order to print on both sides of a print medium having a first surface and a second surface, a single-color or multiple-color first ribbon panel and a second ribbon panel of a different type from the first ribbon panel are continuously arranged. Printing on a printing medium using the first ink ribbon in which the first ribbon panel and the second ribbon panel are arranged in a surface sequence or the second ink ribbon in which the same type of ribbon panel is arranged in a surface sequence. A printing method for performing processing,
Determining whether the ink ribbon is the first ink ribbon or the second ink ribbon;
From the print data, determine whether to use the same type of ribbon panel for the first side and the second side of the print medium,
Set whether to discharge with the first side up or the second side up of the print medium,
When it is determined that the ink ribbon to be used uses the second ink ribbon, or when it is determined that the same type of the ribbon panel is used for the first surface and the second surface of the print medium. , Determining the printing order for the first surface and the second surface of the print medium according to the setting information of the discharge surface of the print medium,
A printing method comprising: performing printing processing on both sides of the printing medium in accordance with the determined printing order. Further, the panel position of each ribbon panel of the ink ribbon is detected to determine whether the next available ribbon panel is the first ribbon panel or the second ribbon panel;
Determining whether print data is printed using the first ribbon panel or the second ribbon panel;
If it is determined to use the first ink ribbon and it is determined that a different type of ribbon panel is used for the first side and the second side of the print medium, 4. The printing order for the first surface and the second surface of the print medium is determined by comparing the type of the ribbon panel and the type of the ribbon panel determined by the print data. The printing method as described in.

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