JP3331725B2 - Cleaning cartridge and cleaning method for thermal transfer printer - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention aims to provide a novel cleaning cartridge for a thermal transfer printer and a cleaning method which enables a user to easily perform a cleaning operation of a thermal head of the thermal transfer printer. It is.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a thermal transfer printer, it is known that dirt on a resistor portion of a thermal head affects print quality.

That is, as shown in FIG. 12, if dust c is adhered to the resistor portion b of the thermal head a, as shown in FIG.
As shown by d and d in FIG. 2A, streaks (in the case of a monochrome printer) or missing colors (in the case of a color printer) occur on the printing screen of the printing paper e, which causes a significant reduction in printing quality. .

Therefore, in order to remove such dust, a professional engineer in charge of maintenance disassembles the printer, takes out the thermal head a and removes the thermal head a.
Cleaning (wiping dust with a cotton swab moistened with a cleaning solution such as alcohol).

[0005]

In the conventional cleaning method, however, there is a problem that a person engaged in the cleaning operation is limited to a specialist engineer. The reason for this is that it is dangerous for the user to handle the thermal head, which becomes hot during use of the printer, and that the user cannot be expected to have knowledge of the thermal head. There was no choice but to print without printing or to endure the printing quality with dust remaining on the thermal head.

In addition, the printer requires disassembly to remove the thermal head during the cleaning operation, which causes a problem that the operation is troublesome.

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, a cleaning cartridge for a thermal transfer printer according to the present invention is provided for cleaning a thermal head of a thermal transfer printer for printing by mounting an ink ribbon cartridge having an ink ribbon provided with cue information. Cleaning cartridge, which is sometimes used as an ink ribbon cartridge.
A housing having the same shape and provided with a spool, and a housing
And the cue information is added and extended to the opening
And a cleaning cart
The ridge moves to the printing position of the thermal head.
And the cue information is detected by the detection means of the printer.
And an information sheet arranged at a reading position
It is.

[0008]

Further , the cleaning method according to the present invention comprises:
Heat resistance is the thermal head resistance of thermal transfer printers
Heating temperature higher than body temperature and contact with resistor
Supply cleaner sheet with uneven surface to printer
And the same shape as the ink ribbon cartridge
And a housing provided with a spool and formed on the housing.
Opening and the cueing information is added to extend to the opening
And a cleaning cartridge
Deformed by moving the thermal head to the printing position
The cue information is read by the detection means of the printer.
With an information sheet arranged at the take-off position
The printing cartridge and print it to the printer.
To clear the resistor part of the thermal head.
Is performed .

[0010]

According to the present invention, dust attached to the resistor portion can be removed by supplying the cleaner sheet to the printer and transporting the cleaner sheet in a state in which the uneven surface is in close contact with the resistor portion of the thermal head. Therefore, the user himself can perform the cleaning work without disassembling the printer and without the help of an expert. At this time, by mounting a cleaning cartridge in the printer instead of the ink ribbon cartridge, the same operation (but not using the ink ribbon) as the printing operation on the printing paper may be performed during cleaning. Can be easily performed.

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The details of a cleaning cartridge and a cleaning method for a thermal transfer printer according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the illustrated embodiments.

Before describing the cleaning cartridge and cleaner sheet according to the present invention and the cleaning method using them, a printer to be cleaned and an ink ribbon cartridge thereof will be described.

FIGS. 6 and 7 show a sublimation type thermal transfer video printer 1. FIG.

The video printer 1 has a housing 2 composed of an upper case 2a and a lower case 2b made of synthetic resin. An ink ribbon cartridge, which will be described later, is mounted on the side near the rear of the housing 2 in the printer 1. A cover 3 for accommodating the camera is mounted so as to be openable and closable.

A paper feed tray 4 is provided on the front of the printer 1, and a paper door 5 of the lower case 2b is provided.
By opening the paper discharge cover 6 of the upper case 2a, the paper feed tray 4 can be taken in and out of the printer 1.

Reference numeral 7 denotes a paper discharge port for discharging printed photographic paper.

Reference numeral 8 denotes an operation unit, and operation switches 9, 9,
Are arranged on the front surface of the housing 2 and on a portion near the front end of the upper case 2a. These operation switches 9, 9, ...
.. Include a print switch for starting a printing operation, a switch for designating the number of prints, and the like.

FIGS. 8 and 9 show the ink ribbon cartridge 10. FIG.

Reference numeral 11 denotes a housing of the ink ribbon cartridge 10, which is composed of an upper half 12 and a lower half 13 made of synthetic resin. An opening 14 having a rectangular shape is formed in the upper half 12, and a used portion of the ink ribbon 15 is exposed through the opening 14.

Reference numerals 16 and 17 denote spool housings (FIG. 9)
reference. ), Formed by the upper half 12 and the lower half 13. The supply-side spool 18 around which the unused ink ribbon 15 is wound is accommodated in the spool accommodating portion 16. One end 18 a and the shaft end 18 b of the supply spool 18 are accommodated in the housing 1.
The first bearing portions 19 and 20 rotatably support the respective bearing portions 19 and 20. A take-up spool 21 is housed in the spool housing 17, and one end 21 a and a shaft end 21 b are rotatably supported by bearings 22 and 23 of the housing 11, respectively. Both the one end 18a of the supply spool 18 and the one end 21a of the take-up spool 21 protrude outside the housing 11, and these are provided on a reel shaft (see FIG. (Not shown) are respectively engaged.

A compression coil spring 24 is interposed between the end of the supply spool 18 near the shaft end 18b and the bearing 20, and the end of the take-up spool 21 near the shaft end 21b and the bearing. A compression coil spring 25 is interposed between the spools 23 and 23, and the spools 18 and 21 are biased toward the bearings 19 and 22 by these.

Reference numeral 26 denotes a ribbon cord ring, which is coaxial with the center axis of the supply side spool 18 and is rotatably attached to the supply side spool 18. The ribbon code ring 26 is provided with an information code 27 for determining the type (color, monochrome, laminating, etc.) of the ink ribbon 15, and a gear portion 26 a is formed on the outer peripheral portion near the shaft end 18 b. I have. The ribbon code ring 26 is exposed to the outside through a window 28 formed in the housing 11 as shown in FIG. 8, and a driving means provided in the printer 1 meshes with a gear 26a of the ribbon code ring 26. Rotate this and use sensor to set information code 2
7 is read, whereby the type of the ink ribbon 15 is determined.

As shown in FIG. 10, strip-shaped header marks 29, 29,... Are provided on the ink ribbon 15 as cueing information for each set of ink areas corresponding to one printing operation. It is attached to. That is, in the printing operation, it is necessary to take up the ink ribbon 15 by the reel shafts respectively engaged with the supply spool 18 and the take-up spool 21 of the ink ribbon cartridge 10 to perform the cueing operation. When the ink ribbon 15 is used, for example, one printing is performed using the ink areas 30, 31, and 32 of three colors of Y (yellow), M (magenta), and C (cyan) as one set. , A header mark 29 is provided in front of the ink area 30 located at the head thereof.

A band-shaped patch mark 33 indicating the next color (magenta) is provided in front of the ink area 31, and a band-shaped patch mark 34 indicating the next color (cyan) is provided in front of the ink area 32. Provided.

As shown by hatching in FIG. 10, the information area of the header mark 29 has a width equal to the width of the ink ribbon 15, and the information area of the patch mark 33 has about half the width of the ink ribbon 15. These have a lower light transmittance and reflectivity than the other parts.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing the internal structure of the printer 1 with the ink ribbon cartridge 10 loaded.

Reference numeral 35 denotes a chassis, and the paper feed tray 4 is detachably attached to a front opening 35a of the chassis 35.

Reference numeral 36 denotes a paper feed plate on which photographic papers 37 are set.
The paper feed tray 4 is provided with a pair of pressing claws 38, 38 (only one of which is shown in the figure) for pressing the left and right ends of the photographic paper 37 in the paper feeding direction to regulate the position. I have.

Reference numeral 39 denotes a paper feed arm, which is turned by a cam 40 so that a lever 39a at the front end pushes up a paper feed plate 36 and holding claws 38, 38. One end of 37 is pressed against the feed roller 41. The paper feed roller 41 is provided near the front opening 35 a of the chassis 35.

Reference numerals 42 and 43 denote ink ribbon cartridges.
When the lid 3 is opened and the ink ribbon cartridge 10 is loaded into the printer 1, the spool housing 16 of the supply spool 18 is received in the housing 42, and the take-up spool The 21 spool storage sections 17 are received in the storage section 43.
In this state, in the ink ribbon cartridge 10, the spool accommodating portion 17 is positioned higher than the spool accommodating portion 16.

Reference numeral 44 denotes a pinch roller, and reference numeral 45 denotes a capstan roller, which is disposed below the rear end of the housing 43.

Reference numeral 46 denotes a platen roller, which is disposed slightly below and behind the capstan roller 45.

Reference numeral 47 denotes a paper length identification sensor, which is disposed in front of the capstan roller 45. The paper length identification sensor 47 is provided to detect whether the photographic paper 37 has been conveyed before the capstan roller 45 and to detect the length of the photographic paper 37 in the conveyance direction.

Reference numeral 48 denotes a gap for temporarily discharging the photographic paper 37, and is formed between the bottom plate of the chassis 35 and the storage section 42.

Reference numeral 49 denotes a thermal head, on the lower end surface of which a resistor portion 49a is provided. The mounting arm 50 of the thermal head 49 is moved by a driving mechanism using levers 51 and 52 and a cam 53 for positioning, whereby the positioning control of the thermal head 49 is performed. The position of the thermal head 49 shown in FIG. 7 indicates a printing position among three positions described later.

Reference numeral 54 denotes a ribbon guide, which is provided on a side surface of the front end of the thermal head 49. The ribbon guide 54 is formed of a material having a high reflectivity (for example, a mirror-finished stainless plate).

Numerals 55 and 56 denote ribbon mark sensors (only one of them is shown in the figure), and the upper edge of the rear end of the accommodating portion 43 is attached to a portion bent downward.
The ribbon mark sensors 55 and 56 serve as the header mark 29 and the patch marks 33 and 34 of the ink ribbon 15 described above.
Is provided to detect Incidentally, reflection optical sensors are used for the ribbon mark sensors 55 and 56.

FIG. 11 schematically shows three positions of the thermal head 49. In the home position shown in FIG. 11A, the thermal head 49 is located slightly above the opening 14 of the ink ribbon cartridge 10. ing.

The ink ribbon 1 shown in FIG.
5, the thermal head 49 is lowered so that the ribbon guide 54 is at a position facing the ribbon mark sensors 55 and 56 through the opening 14 of the ink ribbon cartridge 10, and the ink ribbon 15 is moved to the ribbon mark sensor 55, The state is interposed between 56 and the thermal head 49. As described above, the information area of the header mark 29 and the patch marks 33 and 34 has a lower light transmittance and a lower reflectance than the other parts.
5 to send header mark 29, patch mark 33, 3
4 when the information area 4 faces the detection surfaces of the ribbon mark sensors 55 and 56.
5 and 56 detect darkness (OFF). The ribbon mark sensors 55 and 56 are arranged at intervals smaller than the horizontal width of the ink ribbon 15 as shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 10, and the length of the information area differs between the header mark 29 and the patch marks 33 and 34. Therefore, when the header mark 29 is detected, the two ribbon mark sensors 55 and 56
Are turned on, and when the patch marks 33 and 34 are detected, one of the ribbon mark sensors 55 and 56 is turned on and the other is turned off, so that both marks can be distinguished.

In the printing position shown in FIG.
The thermal head 49 is at the lowest position, and the ink ribbon 15 is transferred to the printing paper 37 on the platen roller 46.
It is in a state of being pressed against.

Reference numerals 57, 57 denote paper discharge rollers, which are provided above the paper supply roller 41.

However, in the printer 1 described above,
By reading the information code 27 of the ink ribbon cartridge 10 before starting the printing operation, the ink ribbon 1
5 is determined in advance, and the thermal head 49 is moved to the ribbon cueing position shown in FIG.
5 and 56, the header mark 29 of the ink ribbon 15
And patch marks 33 and 34 are detected.

Then, the paper feed arm 39 is rotated by the cam 40, the paper feed plate 36 and the holding claws 38, 38 are raised, and the printing paper 37 is pressed against the paper feed roller 41 to rotate the paper feed roller 41. The photographic paper 37 is conveyed by the arrow (the conveying path is indicated by a thick line and an arrow).

The edge of the transported photographic paper 37 is detected by a paper length identifying sensor 47, and further transported by the capstan roller 45 and the pinch roller 44 until the photographic paper 37 reaches a predetermined printing position. At this time, a part of the printing paper 37 is located in the gap 48.

Then, after the thermal head 49 comes to the printing position and printing is performed in a state where the ink ribbon 15 is pressed against the printing paper 37, the printing paper 37 is
The paper is discharged from the paper discharge port 7 by the reference numerals 7 and 57.

FIG. 2 shows the cleaner sheet 58.

The cleaner sheet 58 is inserted into the printer 1 to perform a printing operation, so that a thermal head 49 is formed.
The size of the sheet is exactly the same as the standard size of the printing paper 37 so that the same operation as the printing on the printing paper can be performed during the cleaning operation.

As shown exaggeratedly in FIG. 2B, one side is a surface having irregularities, and this surface comes into contact with the resistor portion 49 a of the thermal head 49. At this time, since the thermal head 49 is heated to a high temperature of about 200 degrees due to heating, the cleaning sheet 5
The heat-resistant temperature of 8 must be a larger value.
If a material that is melted by the heat of the thermal head 49, such as a plastic material, is used, a melt adheres to the thermal head 49 and conversely contaminates the resistor portion 49a.

As a preferable material for the cleaner sheet 58, for example, Nomex (A
ramid) Felt and general felt materials.

FIG. 1 shows the structure of the cleaning cartridge 59.

The cleaning cartridge 59 does not have the ink ribbon 15 therein, and the upper half 1
2 has the same shape, structure, and size as the ink ribbon cartridge 10 except that a header mark sheet to be described later is attached to the upper surface of the ink ribbon cartridge 10. The parts are denoted by the same reference numerals as the reference numerals assigned to the respective parts of the ink ribbon cartridge 10, and the description thereof is omitted.

Reference numeral 60 denotes a header mark sheet having a substantially rectangular shape, and a portion near one end in the longitudinal direction is fixed to the upper surface of the upper half 12 which constitutes the spool accommodating portion 17 of the take-up spool 21. . The other end of the header mark sheet 60 extends to the middle of the opening 14, and a portion other than a portion attached to the upper half 12 partially covers the opening 14. The length of the long side of the header mark sheet 60 is shorter than the long side of the opening 14.

A header mark 6 having the same function as the above-mentioned header mark is provided on the back surface of the header mark sheet 60.
1 (see FIG. 1B), and the header mark 61 is formed in a strip shape along the longitudinal direction near the end of the header mark sheet 60.

The header mark 61 is necessary to cause the printer 1 to perform the same printing operation as the printing operation on the printing paper 37 at the time of cleaning.

In this case, it is desirable to attach a code indicating a monochrome ink ribbon to the information code 27. This is because, when the printer 1 is loaded with the monochrome ink ribbon cartridge, printing is performed only for one color ink area, and one printing operation is completed, so that a patch mark is not required. When a code indicating a color ink ribbon is given to the information code 27, the printer 1 finishes the first printing operation after the detection of the header mark 61,
The patch mark indicating the start of the next color is to be detected, but since there is no patch mark on the header mark sheet 60, the patch mark is not detected anymore even when the feeding operation of the ink ribbon 15 is performed. Therefore, the printer 1
Displays an error message after determining that the ribbon has run out or is at the end, but this is inappropriate for the user. However, the cleaning operation is completed normally.

FIG. 3 shows the position of the thermal head 49 when the cleaning cartridge 59 is loaded into the printer 1 and the thermal head 49 is cleaned by the cleaner sheet 58.

Each position is the same as each position shown in FIG. 11. In the home position shown in FIG. 3A, the thermal head 49 is located above the header mark sheet 60, and is shown in FIG. At the ribbon cueing position, the thermal head 49 is lowered to push down the header mark sheet 60 as shown by the arrow B and bend it into an L-shape. In this state, the header mark 61 faces the ribbon mark sensors 55 and 56. At the cleaning position (same as the printing position) shown in FIG. 3C, the thermal head 49 is further lowered, and the resister portion 49a is pressed against the conveyed cleaner sheet 58.

FIG. 4 shows the procedure of the cleaning operation.

In step a, the user performs a preparation operation. That is, when the cleaner sheet 58 is
And the cleaning cartridge 59 is mounted on the printer 1.

The printer 1 detects the information code 27,
The code indicating the monochrome ink ribbon is read.
At this time, the position of the thermal head 49 is the home position.

When the user presses the print switch in the next step b, the thermal head 49 moves while pressing down the header mark sheet 60, and comes to the ribbon cueing position shown in FIG. 3B.

In step c, a ribbon cueing operation is performed. The header mark 61 is a ribbon mark sensor 55,
Since the header mark 61 is located between the ribbon guide 56 and the ribbon guide 54, the process proceeds to the next step d when the header mark 61 is immediately detected by the ribbon mark sensors 55 and 56.

In step d, the operation of feeding and returning the cleaner sheet 58 is performed, and the cleaner sheet 58 is transported to a predetermined position.

In step e, the thermal head 4
9 comes to the cleaning position shown in FIG. 3C, and the resistor portion 49a of the thermal head 49 is
8.

In the cleaning operation of step f, the printing operation is performed by the printer 1. That is, the cleaner sheet 58 is conveyed in the sheet discharging direction while being sandwiched between the capstan roller 45 and the pinch roller 44. At this time, dust adhering to the resistor portion 49a of the thermal head 49 is removed. To be removed.
At this time, the thermal head 49 is in a heated state by energization.

FIG. 5 schematically shows how the dust is removed by the cleaner sheet 58. The dust 62 attached to the resistor portion 49a of the thermal head 49 is shown in FIG.
Is removed by adhering to the cleaner sheet 58 side due to unevenness of the surface of the cleaner sheet 58.

In the final step g, the cleaner sheet 58 is discharged, and the cleaning operation is completed.

When the information code 27 of the cleaning cartridge 59 is a code indicating a color ink ribbon, the process returns to the step c after the step f as shown by a broken line in FIG. 4, but no patch mark is detected. Therefore, the printer 1 determines that the ribbon has run out or is at the ribbon end, and jumps to step g to discharge the cleaner sheet 58.

Thus, in the method of cleaning a thermal head according to the present invention, a cleaner sheet 58 of the same size as the printing paper 37 is supplied to the printer 1 and the printer 1 is supplied with the same cleaning sheet as that of the printing paper 37. A cleaning cartridge 59 having a header mark sheet 60 provided with a header mark 61 for performing a printing operation is mounted on the printer 1, and the resistance portion 49 a of the thermal head 49 in a heated state is pressed against the cleaner sheet 58. Then, by transporting the cleaner sheet 58, dust adhered to the resistor portion 49a can be removed.

[0070]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the cleaning cartridge and the cleaning method of the thermal transfer printer of the present invention, the cleaner sheet is supplied to the printer, and the uneven surface is formed on the resistor portion of the thermal head. Since the dust adhered to the resistor portion can be removed by transporting in a state of being in close contact with the thermal head, the user can easily perform a cleaning operation without touching the thermal head. At this time, by mounting a cleaning cartridge in the printer instead of the ink ribbon cartridge, the same operation (but not using the ink ribbon) as the printing operation on the printing paper may be performed during cleaning. Operation is not complicated, and a special cleaning mode (for example,
A special mode for displaying a cleaning switch, in which when the switch is pressed, the user is instructed to remove the ink ribbon cartridge by a message, and the printing operation is performed after detecting that the ink ribbon cartridge has been removed. There is no need to prepare a simple sequence (procedure).

Since the cleaning cartridge has exactly the same shape and structure as the ink ribbon cartridge except for the point that the cleaning cartridge does not have the ink ribbon and the point that it has the sheet to which the cue information is added, the used ink cartridge is used. If the ribbon cartridge is collected, the ink ribbon is extracted, and a header mark sheet is attached thereto, it can be reused as a cleaning cartridge, and the cleaning cartridge can be provided relatively inexpensively.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIGS. 1A and 1B show a cleaning cartridge according to the present invention, wherein FIG. 1A is a perspective view and FIG. 1B is a view showing a header mark provided on a header mark sheet.

FIG. 2 shows a cleaner sheet according to the present invention,
(A) is a perspective view, (b) is a schematic side view of a main part.

FIGS. 3A and 3B show respective positions of a thermal head when a cleaning cartridge is mounted on a printer, wherein FIG. 3A shows a home position, FIG. 3B shows a ribbon leading position, and FIG. 3C shows a cleaning position.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure of a cleaning operation.

FIG. 5 is a schematic view showing a state in which dust adhered to a resistor portion is removed by a cleaner sheet.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view illustrating a thermal transfer printer.

FIG. 7 is a schematic sectional view showing a main part of the thermal transfer printer.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing an ink ribbon cartridge.

FIG. 9 is a plan view showing the ink ribbon cartridge with a part cut away.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a header mark and a patch mark attached to the ink ribbon.

11A and 11B show respective positions of a thermal head when an ink ribbon cartridge is mounted on a printer, wherein FIG. 11A shows a home position, FIG. 11B shows a ribbon leading position, and FIG. 11C shows a printing position.

FIGS. 12A and 12B are schematic diagrams for explaining degradation of printing quality due to contamination of the thermal head, where FIG. 12A is a plan view, FIG. 12B is a side view of the printing paper as viewed from the transport direction, and FIG.
FIG. 2 is a side view as seen from a direction orthogonal to the transport direction of the printing paper.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Thermal transfer printer 10 Ink ribbon cartridge 11 Housing 18, 21 Spool 49 Thermal head 49a Resistor 55, 56 Ribbon mark sensor (detection means) 58 Cleaner sheet 60 Header mark sheet (information sheet) 61 Header mark (heading information)

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ identification code FI B41J 31/05 B41J 29/00 L (58) Fields investigated (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) B41J 35/00 B41J 2 / 32 B41J 17/00 B41J 17/32 B41J 29/17 B41J 31/05

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. A cleaning cartridge for use in cleaning a thermal head of a thermal transfer printer for mounting and printing an ink ribbon cartridge having an ink ribbon to which cue information has been added, which is substantially the same as the ink ribbon cartridge. Formed into shape
A housing provided with a spool, an opening formed in the housing, and cueing information provided, and provided to extend to the opening.
And the cleaning cartridge is
Changes when the thermal head is moved to the printing position.
And the cue information is sent to the detection means of the printer.
A cleaning cartridge for a thermal transfer printer, comprising: an information sheet disposed at a reading position of the printer. 2. A thermal transfer printer having a heat-resistant temperature.
Temperature higher than the heating temperature of the resistor
Above the cleaner sheet with irregularities on the contact surface with the antibody part
Supply to the printer and ink ribbon cart
A housing that is formed in the same shape as the ridge and has a spool
Body, opening formed in the housing, and cueing information added
Is provided so as to extend to the opening, and
The cleaning cartridge is printed on the thermal head.
Deformed by moving to the position, the cue information
Is located at the reading position by the detecting means of the printer.
Cleaning cartridge with an information sheet
The printer is installed and the printer
Let's clean the resistor part of the thermal head
The thermal transfer printer
Method.