JP2012025019A - Printing device - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a recording apparatus capable of always forming a stable image without damaging or deforming the transfer film when an image formed on the transfer film is transferred onto a recording medium by a transfer roller.
When a transfer film having an image is fed to an image forming unit and an image is formed on a recording medium by a transfer roller provided in the image forming unit, the transfer roller is separated from an operation position pressed against the recording medium. It is configured to be able to move up and down between the retracted positions. At the same time, a peeling member that peels the transfer film from the recording medium on the downstream side of the transfer roller is configured to be movable up and down between an operating position where the transfer film is pressed against the recording medium and a retreat position where the recording film is separated from the recording medium. Then, after the rear end of the recording medium passes through the transfer roller, the transfer roller is moved from the operating position to the retracted position, and after the rear end of the recording medium passes through the peeling member, the peeling member is moved from the operating position to the retracted position. .
[Selection] Figure 3

Description

  The present invention relates to a recording apparatus that transfers an image on a transfer film to a recording medium such as a card, and relates to an improvement of a transfer film transfer mechanism that peels off a transfer film on which an image has been transferred by an image forming unit.

  In general, this type of apparatus is widely known as an apparatus for forming an image such as a facial photograph or character information on a medium such as a plastic card. In this case, an apparatus configuration for directly forming an image on a recording medium and an apparatus configuration for forming an image on a transfer film and transferring the image to a recording medium are known.

  In the case of an apparatus configuration in which an image formed on the latter transfer film is transferred to a recording medium by a platen portion, it is necessary to peel the transfer film from the recording medium at the rear end portion of the recording medium.

  For example, in Patent Document 1, a transfer roller (heat roller) and a film guide member are arranged as a unit at a position facing the platen, and a pair of guide members are arranged on the upstream side and the downstream side of the platen to support the transfer film. is doing. An apparatus is disclosed in which a unit having a transfer film attached to a card sent to a platen is pressed against a card surface together with a transfer roller to transfer an image, and the transfer film and the unit are separated from the card after the transfer is completed.

  The apparatus of this document 1 presses the transfer film and the transfer roller simultaneously at the timing when the leading end of the card is conveyed to the platen, and after the trailing end of the card passes the downstream film guide, the unit and the transfer film are separated from the platen. Yes.

  Patent Document 2 discloses an apparatus for fixing film guide members disposed on the upstream side and the downstream side of a platen, mounting a transfer film between the guide members, and pressing and separating the transfer roller with respect to the platen. Has been. The transfer roller is separated from the platen at the timing when the rear end of the card passes this roller.

  Further, Patent Document 3 discloses an apparatus for disposing a peeling member outside the cassette separately from a unit (film cassette) on which a transfer film is mounted.

JP 2005-096476 A JP 2000-141727 A JP 08-276646 A

  As described above, an image forming mechanism in which the transfer film is mounted on the platen so as to run while being pressed against the recording medium, and the image on the transfer film is transferred to the recording medium by the transfer roller, the image is transferred to the downstream side of the platen. The peeling member which peels the film which peeled from the recording medium is needed. This peeling member is generally composed of a small-diameter roll or pin member so that the film is securely fitted to the recording medium and is not damaged at the same time.

  Therefore, conventionally, the peeling member is retracted from the recording medium at the same time as the transfer roller after image formation (the method of Patent Document 1), or only the transfer roller is retracted from the recording medium with the peeling member fixed (Patent Document). 2 method) or either method. The above-mentioned Patent Document 3 discloses a mechanism for moving the peeling member up and down separately from the transfer member, but does not suggest what timing to shift the peeling member.

  In the method of Patent Document 1 described above, the transfer roller (heat roller) is maintained in contact with the transfer film even after the trailing edge of the recording medium passes through the transfer portion of the platen. For this reason, there is a possibility that the transfer roller burns out or thermally deforms the transfer film substrate. In order to avoid this, if the transfer roller and the peeling member are retracted at the timing when the trailing edge of the recording medium passes through the transfer portion of the platen, the peeling angle of the film differs between the leading edge side and the trailing edge side of the recording medium, and image spots Cause.

  Further, in the method of Patent Document 2 described above, the film peeling angle of the peeling member is constant on the front end side and the rear end side of the recording medium. The recording medium cannot be transported backward to the platen again. For example, when images are formed on both the front and back sides of a recording medium, the image cannot be reversed (reversely conveyed) back to the platen after the image is formed on the surface with the platen and then reversed on the downstream side of the platen. This is because the transfer film is damaged at the end face of the recording medium fed backward.

  Accordingly, when the transfer roller and the peeling member are retracted from the platen, the inventor retracts the transfer roller when the rear end of the recording medium passes through the platen positioned on the upstream side, and then the peeling member positioned on the downstream side. The idea of retracting the peeling member when the rear end of the recording medium has passed has been reached.

  It is an object of the present invention to provide a recording apparatus capable of always forming a stable image without damaging or deforming the transfer film when the image formed on the transfer film is transferred to a recording medium by a transfer roller. . Another object of the present invention is to provide a recording apparatus in which a transfer film can be easily set in the apparatus.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention feeds a transfer film having an image to an image forming unit, and forms an image on a recording medium with a transfer roller provided in the image forming unit. It is configured to be able to move up and down between the pressed operation position and the separated retreat position. At the same time, a peeling member that peels the transfer film from the recording medium on the downstream side of the transfer roller is configured to be movable up and down between an operating position where the transfer film is pressed against the recording medium and a retreat position where the recording film is separated from the recording medium.

  Then, after the rear end of the recording medium passes through the transfer roller, the transfer roller is moved from the operating position to the retracted position, and after the rear end of the recording medium passes through the peeling member, the peeling member is moved from the operating position to the retracted position. It is characterized by that.

  As a result, the card-shaped recording medium is image-formed under the same transfer condition and film peeling condition from one end to the other end.

  More specifically, the configuration will be described. An image forming section (B) having a platen, medium conveying means (29, 30) for feeding the recording medium (K) to the image forming section, and a transfer film on the image forming section. A film unit (60) for feeding (46), a transfer roller (33) for transferring an image formed on the transfer film to a recording medium, and an operating position (pressing contact of the transfer roller with the recording medium of the image forming unit) Pn1) and a transfer member lifting / lowering means (61) that moves up and down between the retracted position (Pn2) and a transfer roller disposed on the downstream side of the transfer roller in the medium conveyance direction, and the transfer film on which the image is transferred by the image forming unit is removed from the recording medium Peeling member lifting / lowering means for raising and lowering the peeling member between the peeling member (34b) to be peeled, an operating position (Pn3) for pressing the transfer film against the recording medium, and a retracted position (Pn4) for separating from the recording medium Comprises a 62), control means for controlling the peeling member elevating means and the transfer member elevating means (70).

  The control means moves the transfer roller from the operating position to the retracted position after the trailing edge of the recording medium has passed the transfer roller, and moves the peeling member from the operating position to the retracted position after the trailing edge of the recording medium has passed the peeling member. Move to.

  The film unit (60) is detachably attached to the apparatus frame, a pair of spool shafts provided on the unit frame and wound with a transfer film, and wound around the pair of spool shafts. A guide member that guides the transfer film toward the image forming unit, and a peeling member that peels the transfer film onto which the image has been transferred by the image forming unit from the recording medium. The peeling member is attached to the unit frame so as to be movable between an operating position where the transfer film is pressed against the recording medium and a retracted position where the transfer film is peeled off from the recording medium.

  As a result, the peeling member can be detached from the apparatus frame together with the unit frame, and the transfer film can be detached from the spool shaft of the unit in that state, or newly mounted.

  According to the present invention, a transfer roller disposed in an image forming unit and a peeling member disposed downstream thereof are configured so as to be movable up and down between an operation position where they are pressed against a recording medium and a retracted position where the recording medium is retracted. The transfer roller is moved from the operating position to the retracted position after the trailing edge of the medium has passed the transfer roller, and the peeling member is moved from the operating position to the retracted position after the trailing edge of the recording medium has passed the peeling member. Therefore, the following effects are obtained.

  Since the transfer roller is withdrawn from the state in which the rear end of the recording medium passes through the image forming portion, the transfer film is not damaged from the transfer roller and is not thermally deformed. Therefore, the film base of the transfer film is not distorted and the subsequent image formation is not affected.

  In addition, the transfer film that runs while being in pressure contact with the recording medium is peeled off from the recording medium by the peeling member, and at this time, the peeling member is operated to press the film against the recording medium after the trailing end of the recording medium passes. Therefore, the film having the image transferred from one end to the other end of the recording medium is peeled in the same angular direction. Therefore, a uniform image without image spots is formed on the entire recording medium.

  Further, according to the present invention, a transfer unit for loading a transfer film is detachably attached to an apparatus frame, and a peeling member is attached to the unit frame so as to be movable between an operating position and a retracted position. It can be detached from the apparatus frame, and in this state, the transfer film can be detached from the spool shaft of the unit or can be newly installed. In particular, when the peeling member is mounted on the apparatus main body, mounting of the transfer film is troublesome, but the mounting work is simple.

1 is an overall configuration explanatory diagram of an information recording apparatus according to the present invention. The perspective view of the film cassette in the apparatus of FIG. 4A and 4B are diagrams illustrating the principle of image transfer, in which FIG. 4A shows a state where a recording medium is carried in, FIG. 4B shows a state where a transfer roller is in an operating position, and FIG. FIG. 2 is a perspective configuration diagram of a transfer unit and a film cassette in the apparatus of FIG. 1. FIG. 5 is an exploded view of the transfer unit in the apparatus of FIG. 4. FIGS. 6A and 6B show a lifting mechanism of a transfer roller, wherein FIG. 6A is an overall perspective view, and FIG. 6B is a lifting mechanism diagram of a peeling member in FIG. 5. FIG. 7 is a relationship diagram between a drive cam and a drive rotary shaft in the apparatus of FIG. 6. (A) thru | or (e) are the operation | movement control diagrams of a shift motor. The control block diagram concerning the apparatus of FIG. The principle explanatory view of conventional image transfer.

  The present invention will be described in detail below based on the preferred embodiments shown in the drawings. FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of the overall configuration of an information recording apparatus according to the present invention. The apparatus of FIG. 1 records image information on an ID card for various certifications, a credit card for commercial transactions, and the like. For this purpose, an information recording unit A, an image recording unit (image forming unit; the same applies hereinafter) B, and a card supply unit C for supplying cards to these are provided.

[Card supply section]
The device housing 1 is provided with a card supply unit C, and is constituted by a card cassette that stores a plurality of cards. The card cassette 3 shown in FIG. 1 stores a plurality of cards arranged in a standing posture, and feeds the cards from the left end to the right end in the figure. A separation opening 7 is provided at the front end of the card cassette 3, and the pickup roller 19 supplies the card from the front row to the apparatus.

[Configuration of information recording section]
A card (recording medium; the same applies hereinafter) sent from the card cassette 3 is sent from the carry-in roller 22 to the reversing unit F. The reversing unit F is composed of a unit frame supported by a device frame (not shown) so as to be pivotable and a pair or a plurality of roller pairs supported by the frame.

  In the illustrated example, two roller pairs 20 and 21 arranged at a distance from each other at a distance are axially supported on a unit frame so as to be rotatable. The unit frame is swiveled in a predetermined angle direction by a swivel motor (pulse motor or the like), and a roller pair attached to the unit frame is configured to rotate in a forward / reverse direction by a transport motor. Although this drive mechanism is not shown in the figure, even if it is configured that the rotation of the unit frame and the rotation of the roller pair are switched by a clutch with one pulse motor, the rotation of the unit frame and the rotation of the roller pair are configured as separate drives. May be.

  Accordingly, the cards prepared in the card cassette 3 are separated one by one by the pickup roller 19 and the separation roller (idle roller) 9 and sent to the reverse unit F on the downstream side. The reversing unit F carries the card into the unit with the roller pairs 20 and 21 and deflects its posture in a predetermined angle direction while being nipped by the roller pair.

  A magnetic recording unit 24, a non-contact type IC recording unit 23, a contact type IC recording unit 27, and a reject stacker 25 are disposed on the outer periphery of the reversing unit F in the turning direction. Incidentally, 28 shown in the figure is a bar code reader, which is a unit for reading a bar code printed by, for example, an image forming unit B, which will be described later, and determining correctness (error determination). Hereinafter, these recording units are referred to as data recording units.

  Therefore, when the card whose posture is deflected in the predetermined angle direction by the reversing unit F is transferred to the recording unit by the roller pairs 20 and 21, data can be magnetically or electrically input to the card. Further, when a recording error occurs in these data input units, they are carried out to the reject stacker 25.

  An image forming unit B is provided on the downstream side of the reversing unit F, and a carry-in path P1 for transferring a card from the card cassette 3 is provided in the image forming unit B. The reversing unit F is disposed in the path P1. ing. In addition, conveyance rollers (or belts) 29 and 30 for conveying the card are arranged in the carry-in path P1, and are connected to a conveyance motor (not shown). The transport rollers 29 and 30 are configured to be capable of switching between forward and reverse, and are configured to transport the card from the image forming unit B to the reversing unit F in the same manner as the card is transported from the reversing unit F to the image forming unit B. .

  On the downstream side of the image forming unit B, a carry-out path P2 for transferring the card to the storage stacker 55 is provided. Conveying rollers (or belts) 37 and 38 for conveying cards are arranged in the carry-out 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 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 in FIG.

[Image forming unit]
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. The image forming unit B is provided with a transfer platen 31, and an image is formed on the platen in a card shape. In the illustrated apparatus, an image is formed on a transfer film 46 (intermediate transfer film), and an image of this film is transferred onto a card by a transfer platen 31. Therefore, the apparatus housing 1 is equipped with an ink ribbon cassette 42 and a transfer film cassette 50.

  The illustrated ink ribbon cassette 42 has a sublimation ink ribbon or other thermal transfer ink ribbon 41 wound between a feed roll 43 and a take-up roll 44 and is detachably mounted on the apparatus housing 1. A wind motor Mr1 (not shown) is connected to the winding roll 44. On the apparatus side, a thermal head 40 and an image forming platen 45 are disposed opposite to each other with the ink ribbon 41 interposed therebetween.

  A head control IC 74a (see FIG. 9) is connected to the thermal head 40 so that the thermal head 40 is thermally controlled. The head control IC 74a controls the heating of the thermal head 40 according to the image data, thereby forming an image of the ink ribbon 41 on the transfer film 46 described later. Therefore, the take-up roll 44 rotates in synchronization with the thermal control of the thermal head 40, and the ink ribbon 41 is taken up at a predetermined speed. Reference numeral f1 denotes a cooling fan for cooling the thermal head 40.

  On the other hand, a transfer film cassette 50 (hereinafter referred to as “film cassette”) is also detachably attached to the apparatus housing 1. The transfer film 46 loaded in the film cassette 50 travels between the platen roller (image forming platen) 45 and the ink ribbon 41 to form an image on the transfer film. Therefore, the transfer film 46 is wound around a supply spool 47 and a take-up spool 48, and the transfer film 46 transfers an image formed on the image forming platen 45 between the transfer platen 31 and a transfer roller 33 described later. 49 is a transfer roller for the transfer film 46, and pinch rollers 32a and 32b are arranged on the peripheral surface of the transfer roller and connected to a drive motor (not shown).

  34a is a guide roller for guiding the transfer film 46 to the transfer platen 31, and 34b is a peeling roller (peeling member; hereinafter the same) for peeling the transfer platen 31 from the recording medium. The guide roller 34a and the peeling roller 34b are attached to the film cassette 50 with the transfer platen 31 sandwiched between the guide roller 34a on the upstream side and the peeling roller 34b on the downstream side. The distance L1 between the guide roller 34a and the peeling roller 34b is set to be shorter than the length Lc in the image forming direction (conveying direction) of the recording medium K (L1 <Lc).

  A transfer roller 33 is opposed to the transfer platen 31 with a transfer film 46 interposed therebetween. The transfer roller 33 transfers the image formed on the transfer film 46 to the card by heating and pressing. For this reason, the transfer roller 33 is constituted by a heat roller, and is provided with a transfer member raising / lowering means 61 described later so as to be pressed against and separated from the transfer platen 31 from the inside of the film cassette 50. In the figure, Se1 is a position detection sensor for the ink ribbon 41, Se2 is a presence / absence detection sensor for the transfer film 46, and the image forming unit B is provided with a fan f2 for releasing heat generated in the apparatus. ing.

  A card accommodating portion D is provided on the downstream side of the image forming portion B, and the card sent from the transfer platen 31 is accommodated in the accommodating stacker 55. The storage stacker 55 is configured by an elevating mechanism 56 and a level sensor (not shown) so as to be lowered and lowered in accordance with the card storage amount.

[Structure of film cassette]
The film cassette 50 loaded with the transfer film 46 will be described. As shown in FIG. 2, the film cassette 50 is composed of a unit separated from the apparatus housing 1 and is detachably attached to the apparatus housing 1. Although not shown, a front cover is disposed on the front side of FIG. 1 so as to be openable and closable. With the front cover opened, the film cassette 50 is attached to the apparatus frame in the direction of the arrow in FIG.

  A supply spool 47 and a take-up spool 48 are detachably attached to the film cassette 50. 52 is a bearing portion for supporting one end of the spool, and 56 is a coupling member for supporting the other end side of the spool. The spool end portion is supported by the bearing portion 52 and the coupling member 56 arranged on the cassette side. Then, the transfer film 46 is bridged from the supply spool 47 to the guide rollers 34a, 35b, 35a and then to the take-up spool 48 through the peeling roller 34b.

  The guide rollers 35a, 35b, 34a and the peeling roller 34b are composed of pin members (driven rollers) attached to the film cassette 50, but these are fixed pins (non-rotating). Also good. In this apparatus, when the image on the transfer film 46 is transferred to the card, transfer is performed while winding the transfer film 46 with the supply spool 47. Therefore, the peeling roller 34 b is provided on the downstream side in the film transport direction when transferring the transfer film 46 (on the supply spool 47 side than the transfer roller 33).

  A transfer roller 49 and pinch rollers 32a and 32b arranged on the apparatus side are engaged with the transfer film 46 that is spanned in this way. A drive rotating shaft (not shown) connected to the supply spool 47 and the take-up spool 48 and the transfer roller 49 are driven and rotated so as to travel the film at the same speed.

  The principle configuration of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. First, the transfer film 46 is supported by a guide roller 34a and a peeling roller 34b (peeling member; hereinafter the same). As shown in FIG. 3C, the peeling roller 34b is configured to be movable between an operating position (solid line) and a retracted position (broken line). In this operating position, the peeling roller 34b is set to contact the surface of the card conveyed along the conveyance path P1 via the transfer film 46.

  Therefore, the transfer film 46 transferred to the card is adhered to the card from the transfer roller 33 to the peeling roller 34b, and when the card reaches the peeling roller 34b, the transfer film 46 is peeled off from the card surface. Since the peeled transfer film 46 is wound in a direction perpendicular to the card (downward in the figure), the card and the peeled transfer film 46 maintain a substantially 90 degree relationship via the peeling roller 34b. (Peeling angle β is approximately 90 degrees).

  For example, when the peeling roller 34b is provided at a position away from the transport path P1 as shown in FIG. 10, the transferred film 46 is peeled off from the card before reaching the peeling roller 34b. In such a configuration, the position where the transfer film 46 peels from the card and the peel angle (β2) become uncertain, and there is a possibility that transfer spots occur. Furthermore, since the time from the transfer to the peeling is shortened, there are cases where good peeling cannot be performed. Therefore, by setting the peeling roller 34b to the operating position of the present embodiment, the peeling angle and the time until peeling (distance from the transfer roller 33 to the peeling position) become constant, thereby suppressing the occurrence of transfer spots. be able to.

  Further, the transfer roller 33 is pressed against and separated from the transfer platen 31. The control means 70 described later moves the transfer roller 33 to the operating position (Pn1) and presses it (FIG. 3B) when transferring an image onto the card, and after the image is formed (the rear end of the card passes the transfer roller 33). After that, it is moved to the standby position (Pn2) and separated (FIG. 3 (c)). This prevents the transfer film 46 from coming into contact with the transfer roller (heat roller) 33 after the rear end of the card has passed through the transfer roller 33 and deforming.

  Further, the control means 70 moves the peeling roller 34b from the operating position (Pn3) to the standby position (Pn4) at the timing when the rear end of the card passes the peeling roller 34b. Here, since the separation roller 34b is moved to the standby position, the card collides with the separation roller 34b when the card is switched back and conveyed toward the reversing unit F on the upstream side of the conveyance path when performing duplex printing. Is preventing. By such control, there is no risk of excessive heat acting on the transfer film to cause deformation, and image spots do not occur when the transfer film is peeled off.

  Therefore, in order to raise and lower the transfer roller 33 and the peeling roller 34, a transfer member raising / lowering means 61 and a peeling member raising / lowering means 62 described later are controlled by the control means. In this control, the transfer roller 33 is moved from the standby position (Pn2) to the operating position (Pn1) within an estimated time for the leading edge of the card to reach the transfer platen 31. Further, before and after this (for example, a print command signal, an upstream job end signal, etc.), the peeling roller 34b is moved from the standby position (Pn4) to the operating position (Pn3).

  In this state, an image is transferred from the leading edge to the trailing edge of the card that moves to the platen position at a predetermined speed. The transfer roller 33 is moved to the standby position (Pn2) in the estimated time that the rear end of the card has passed the transfer roller 33. Then, the transfer film 46 is supported by the guide roller 34a and the peeling roller 34b, and a part of the transfer film 46 is struck on the card surface. As the card moves in the ejection direction, the transfer film 46 is gradually peeled off from the card surface.

  In the image transfer process, the transfer film 46 peels off the film in the same angle direction from the front end of the card to the rear end at a constant peeling angle β with the card surface. Therefore, no spots are generated on the image transferred to the card.

Next, the configuration of the transfer member lifting / lowering means 61 and the peeling member lifting / lowering means 62 will be described. FIG. 4 is an explanatory view showing the entire configuration of the above-described film cassette 50, transfer member elevating means 61, and peeling member elevating means 62. The elevating means 61 and 62 and the transfer roller 33 are built in the film unit 60 and attached to the apparatus frame. On the other hand, the peeling roller 34b is attached to the film cassette 50 side.

  In FIG. 4, a film cassette 50 is detachably attached to the apparatus frame in the direction of the arrow in the figure. The film unit 60 provided in the apparatus frame and the transfer film 46 of the film cassette 50 are combined. FIG. 5 is an exploded view of the film unit 60, and an elevating frame 63 having a transfer roller 33 is supported on the transfer unit 60 so as to be movable up and down in the direction of the arrow. Further, the peeling roller 34b is supported by the fitting groove 34S on the film cassette 50 side so as to be movable up and down (see FIG. 2). Installed.

  FIG. 6 shows a configuration of the lifting frame 63 provided with the transfer roller 33. The transfer roller 33 is attached to the unit frame 64 so as to move up and down in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 6 together with the lifting frame 63 at a position facing the transfer platen 31 (shown is a roller). A shift motor MS is attached to the unit frame 64, and a shift cam 64c (for example, an eccentric cam; not shown) is provided on the rotating shaft of the motor. By the rotation of the shift cam 64c, the elevating frame 63 fitted to the cam with a long groove (cam follower; not shown) is moved up and down in FIG.

  The transfer roller 33 is provided with an open / close cover 65 at a position facing the transfer platen 31 so as to rotate (open / close) around the support shaft 65p in the direction of the arrow shown. The opening / closing cover 65 guards the user's fingers from touching the high heat transfer roller 33. For this reason, when the transfer roller 33 is in the standby position (Pn2), the opening / closing cover 65 covers the roller surface, guards the card from jamming and touching the roller surface when the user performs the jam release operation, and the transfer roller 33 Is at the operating position (Pn1), retracts from the roller surface and presses the transfer film 46 against the platen 31. Further, by covering the transfer roller 33, heat is not applied to the transfer film 46 except during the transfer, so that the transfer film 46 is also protected.

  In the opening / closing mechanism, a rack 63r is integrally provided on the unit frame 64, and a pinion 63p that meshes with the rack is provided on the lifting frame 63. The pinion 63p is gear-coupled to the support shaft 65p of the opening / closing cover 65. Accordingly, when the shift cam 64c is rotated by the shift motor MS to raise the elevating frame 63 in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 6, the pinion 63p rotates in the counterclockwise direction in the figure, and the opening / closing cover 65 geared to the pinion 63p Rotate clockwise.

  As is apparent from the above description, the transfer member elevating means 61 that elevates between the operating position (Pn1) where the transfer roller 33 is pressed against the card and the retracted position (Pn2) separated from each other is constituted by the shift motor MS and the shift cam 64c. Will be. The transfer member lifting / lowering means 61 opens and closes the opening / closing cover 65 of the transfer roller 33 between an open position (FIG. 3B) and a closed position (FIG. 3A).

  Further, the peeling member raising / lowering means 62 for raising and lowering the peeling member 34b between the operating position (Pn3) for peeling the transfer film 46 having the image transferred to the recording medium K and the retracted position (Pn4) separated from the recording medium K will be described. To do. FIG. 6B is an explanatory diagram in which only the configuration of the peeling member lifting / lowering means 62 is extracted from the mechanism of FIG. 5. As shown in FIG. 6B, the drive rotary shaft 64 d connected to the shift motor MS is connected to the drive rotary shaft 64 d. Is connected to a drive cam 66c. A lever 66r having a cam follower 66f that engages with the drive cam 66c is supported by the unit frame 64 by a slit and a pin so as to be movable up and down in a vertical direction in FIG. A return spring 66S is bridged between the lever 66r and the unit frame 64.

  Therefore, when the drive cam 66c is rotated by the rotation of the shift motor MS, the lever 66r having the cam follower 66f moves up and down. As will be described later, the drive cam 66c causes the peeling member 34b to stand by at the retracted position (Pn4) by the angle control of the shift motor MS, and moves from this state to the operating position (Pn3).

  Therefore, the drive cam 66c is rotated to raise the lever 66r in the direction of the arrow. A swing lever 67 is connected to the lever 66r, and the swing lever 67 rotates (swings) in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 6 about the support shaft 67p. Then, the elevating lever 68a that is pin-slit connected to the swing lever 67 is lowered in the direction of the arrow. An operating lever 68b integrated with the elevating lever 68a is engaged with the peeling pin brackets 69a and 69b. The lift lever 68a is restricted in movement by the pin-slit coupling with the unit frame 64 in the vertical movement direction.

  Accordingly, the lever 66r is lifted by the drive cam 66c, and the swinging lever 67 is swung by the vertical movement that is lowered by the return spring 66S, and the lift lever 68a and the operating lever 68b are vertically moved and engaged with the operating lever 68b. The peeling pin brackets 69a and 69b move up and down. The peeling pin brackets 69a and 69b are integrally attached to both ends of a peeling roller (peeling member) 34b.

  As is clear from the above description, the peeling member lifting / lowering means 62 includes the shift motor MS, the drive cam 66c, the lever 66r, the swing lever 67, the lifting lever 68a, and the operation lever 68b. The illustrated apparatus is characterized in that the peeling roller (peeling member) 34b is lifted and lowered equally by the same amount without biasing both ends of the peeling roller 34b by the operating lever 68b.

  Next, the relationship among the shift cam 64c, the drive cam 66c, and the drive rotating shaft 64d will be described with reference to the cam diagram of FIG. A shift cam 64c and a drive cam 66c are connected to a drive rotating shaft 64d that is gear-connected to the shift motor MS. Both the cams are constituted by the following cam surfaces, for example. At the home position HP, both cams move the transfer roller 33 to the “down” position and the peeling roller 34 to the “down” position to the retracted position. From this state, the drive rotating shaft 64d is rotated, for example, 180 degrees. At this time, the shift cam 64c and the drive cam 66c move the transfer roller 33 to the “up” position and the separation roller 34 to the “up” position, respectively.

  When the drive rotation shaft 64d is further rotated by an angle θ1 from the 180 degree position, the shift cam 64c moves the transfer roller 33 to the “down” position, and the drive cam 66c maintains the peeling roller 34 at the “up” position. When the drive rotation shaft 64d is rotated by an angle θ2, the shift cam 64c holds the transfer roller 33 in the “down” position and maintains the peeling roller 34 in the “down” position. Such a cam configuration can employ an eccentric cam and various other cam shapes regardless of the illustrated cam shape.

[Control configuration]
FIG. 9 illustrates a control configuration according to the present invention. The control unit H is constituted by, for example, a control CPU 70, and the CPU 70 is provided with a ROM 71 and a RAM 72. The control CPU 70 includes a data input control unit 73, an image formation control unit 74, and a card transport control unit 75. Then, the card conveyance control unit 75 transmits a command signal to a drive circuit of a drive motor (not shown) so as to control card conveyance means (a conveyance roller pair shown in FIG. 1) arranged in the carry-in path P1 and the carry-out path P2. The card conveyance control unit 75 transmits a command signal to the drive circuit of the turning motor of the reversing unit F.

  The card transport control unit 75 is electrically connected to each sensor so as to receive the status signals of the sensors Se1 to Se10. At the same time, it is connected so as to receive a job signal from the data input control unit 73.

  The data input control unit 73 transmits a command signal for controlling transmission / reception of input data to the data R / W IC 73x built in the magnetic recording unit A1, and similarly for the data R / W of the IC recording unit A2. The IC 73y is configured to transmit a command signal. The image formation control unit 74 controls image formation on the front and back surfaces of the card in the image forming unit B.

  In this image formation control, the image is transferred onto the surface of the card by the transfer platen 31 in accordance with the card conveyance controlled by the card conveyance control 75. Therefore, the image forming control unit 74 includes an ink ribbon wind motor control unit 74b, a transfer film wind motor control unit 74c, and a shift motor MS control unit 74d that form an image on the transfer film 645 with the image forming platen 45. Yes.

  The RAM 72 stores a processing time for inputting data on the card by the data input unit (magnetic / IC recording unit), for example, in a data table. Further, the card transport control unit 75 is provided with a monitoring unit H1, and both are incorporated in a control program of the control CPU 70. The monitoring unit H1 is configured to receive the status signals of the sensors Se1 to Se10 and the job signal of the data input control unit 73 and monitor the conveyance status of the card existing in the apparatus.

  The operation control of the shift motor MS control unit 74d will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6A shows a state in which the front end of the card approaches the transfer platen 31, and the control CPU 70 determines the position of the card by the card position monitoring means, and when the card for image formation approaches the transfer platen, it is placed on the transfer film. Form an image. Thereafter, the control CPU 70 rotates the shift motor MS by a predetermined angle (for example, 180 degrees). In this rotation angle, the shift cam 64c moves the transfer roller 33 from the retracted position (down) to the operating position (up), and the drive cam 66c moves the peeling roller 34b from the retracted position (down) to the operating position (up).

  Then, the transfer roller 33 and the peeling roller 34b are in the state shown in FIG. At this time, the leading end of the card reaches the transfer platen 31, and the image forming operation is started. Next, the control unit 74d rotates the shift motor MS by a predetermined angle θ1 when the insertion time (a preset timer time) for the rear end of the card to pass through the transfer roller 33 elapses. Then, the transfer roller 33 moves from the operating position to the standby position from the state shown in FIG. At this time, the peeling roller 34 is held in an operating state in which the transfer film 46 is peeled from the card.

  Thereafter, the control unit 74d rotates the shift motor MS again by a predetermined angle θ2 after the expected time (timer time) for the rear end of the card to pass through the peeling roller 34 ends. Then, the peeling roller 34 moves to the retracted position in the state of FIG. At this time, the transfer roller 33 is held at the standby position. Note that the shift cam 64c and the drive cam 66c described in FIG. 7 move to the home position HP after the image forming operation is completed.

A Information recording section B Image recording section (image forming section)
K recording 31 transfer platen 33 transfer roller 34a guide roller 34b peeling roller (peeling member)
34S Fitting groove 35a Guide roller 35b Guide roller 36 Decal mechanism 37 Conveying roller 38 Conveying roller 40 Thermal head 41 Ink ribbon 42 Ink ribbon cassette 43 Feeding roll 44 Winding roll 45 Image forming platen (platen roller)
46 Transfer film (intermediate transfer film)
47 Take-up spool 48 Feed spool 49 Transfer roller 50 Film cassette 52 Bearing portion 55 Storage stacker 56 Coupling member 60 Film unit 61 Transfer member elevating means (MS, 64c)
62 Peeling member lifting / lowering means 64c Shift cam 64d Drive rotary shaft 65 Opening / closing cover 66c Drive cam 69a Peeling pin bracket 69b Peeling pin bracket β Peeling angle Pn1 Operating position Pn2 Standby position MS Shift motor

Claims (6)

A recording apparatus for forming an image on a card-shaped recording medium,
A conveyance path through which the recording medium is conveyed;
An image forming unit provided on the conveyance path and having a platen;
Medium conveying means for feeding a recording medium to the image forming unit;
A film unit for feeding a transfer film to the image forming unit;
A transfer roller for transferring the image formed on the transfer film to the recording medium;
A transfer member raising / lowering means for raising and lowering the transfer roller between an operating position in pressure contact with the recording medium of the image forming unit and a retracted position spaced apart;
A peeling member that is arranged on the downstream side of the transfer roller in the medium conveying direction and peels the transfer film on which the image has been transferred by the image forming unit from the recording medium;
A peeling member raising / lowering means for raising and lowering the peeling member between an operation position for peeling the transfer film image-transferred to the recording medium and a retracted position separated from the recording medium;
Control means for controlling the transfer member lifting means and the peeling member lifting means;
With
The control means includes
After the rear end of the recording medium passes through the transfer roller, the transfer roller is moved from the operating position to the retracted position,
A recording apparatus, wherein the peeling member is moved from an operating position to a retracted position after a rear end of the recording medium passes through the peeling member. The transfer unit is
A unit frame detachably attached to the device frame;
A pair of spool shafts provided on the unit frame and winding the transfer film;
A guide member for guiding the transfer film wound around the pair of spool shafts toward the image forming unit;
A peeling member for peeling the transfer film having the image transferred thereon from the recording medium;
Consists of
2. The peeling member according to claim 1, wherein the peeling member is attached to the unit frame so as to be movable between an operating position for peeling the transfer film having the image transferred to the recording medium and a retracted position separated from the recording medium. The recording device described in 1. The transfer roller is attached to the apparatus frame, and the peeling member is attached to the unit frame of the transfer unit so as to be movable between an operating position and a retracted position.
The transfer member lifting means and the peeling member lifting means are:
A first shift member that moves the transfer roller between an operating position and a retracted position;
A second shift member that moves the peeling member between an operating position and a retracted position;
A common drive motor for driving the first and second shift members;
The recording apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising: The first shift member and the second shift member are:
A rotating cam connected to the rotating shaft of the drive motor;
A first elevating member that moves the transfer roller between an operating position and a retracted position by rotation of the rotating cam;
A second elevating member that moves the peeling member between an operating position and a retracted position;
The recording apparatus according to claim 3, comprising: The transfer roller is composed of a heat roller that heat-transfers an image formed on the transfer film to a recording medium,
The heat roller is provided with a cover member that covers at least a part of the circumferential surface of the roller,
5. The recording according to claim 4, wherein the cover member is interlocked with the first elevating member so as to cover a roller peripheral surface when the transfer roller is in the retracted position and retract when the transfer roller is in the operating position. apparatus. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a printing unit that prints an image on the transfer film, the printing unit including an ink ribbon for printing on the transfer film transferred to the image forming unit. A recording apparatus comprising a thermal head.

Images