JP2005305776A - Intermediate transfer type thermal transfer printer - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an intermediate transfer type thermal transfer printer which can improve the printing quality of images at a recording medium. <P>SOLUTION: In the intermediate transfer type thermal transfer printer 1, when upstream side and downstream side contact rollers 31 and 32 move to a platen roller 20 side, the upstream side contact roller 31 is pressed against the platen roller 20 with a film F interposed therebetween at the upstream side of a thermal transfer position P. The downstream side contact roller 32 is pressed against the platen roller 20 with the film F interposed therebetween at the downstream side of the thermal transfer position P. The film F sent by the platen roller 20 is surely wound around the platen roller 20 from a contact position of the upstream side contact roller 31 to a contact position of the downstream side contact roller 32. Consequently, a shift of the film F with respect to the platen roller 20 can be prevented, and the printing quality of the image on a card S can be improved. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an intermediate transfer type thermal transfer printing apparatus that thermally transfers an image on a film and then thermally transfers the image on the film to the surface of a recording medium.

As a conventional apparatus of this type, for example, there is a thermal transfer printing apparatus described in Patent Document 1. In this thermal transfer printing apparatus, the thermal head is pressed against the feed roller via the transparent agent ribbon and the ink ribbon, and the ink is thermally transferred to the transparent agent of the transparent agent ribbon fed by the feed roller. Subsequently, the transparent agent ribbon is pressed against the recording medium by the heating roller, and the transparent agent to which the ink has been thermally transferred is thermally transferred to the recording medium.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-261951

  However, the above-described thermal transfer printing apparatus has the following problems. That is, when the transparent ribbon is reciprocated by the feed roller to thermally transfer the ink of each color (for example, yellow, magenta, cyan, etc.) applied to the ink ribbon, the region where the ink is thermally transferred on the transparent ribbon is obtained. , There is a risk of shifting for each color. Further, when the transparency ribbon is pressed against the recording medium by the heating roller, the area where the ink is thermally transferred on the transparency ribbon may be shifted from the area where the thermal transfer is to be performed on the recording medium. When these situations occur, the print quality of the image on the recording medium deteriorates.

  Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide an intermediate transfer type thermal transfer printing apparatus capable of improving the print quality of an image on a recording medium.

  In order to achieve the above object, an intermediate transfer type thermal transfer printing apparatus according to the present invention uses an ink ribbon to contact a film fed by a platen roller with a thermal head to thermally transfer an image onto the film, and then to a recording medium. In the intermediate transfer type thermal transfer printing apparatus that heat-transfers the image to the surface of the recording medium by bringing the film into contact with the heat roller, it can move between the thermal head side and the platen roller side, and when moved to the platen roller side, An upstream contact roller that is pressed against the platen roller with a film interposed therebetween on the upstream side of the thermal transfer position where the image is thermally transferred onto the film, and is movable between the thermal head side and the platen roller side. Platen roller with a film interposed downstream of the thermal transfer position. Characterized in that it comprises a downstream-side abutment rollers pressed against.

  In this intermediate transfer type thermal transfer printing apparatus, when the upstream side and downstream side contact rollers move to the platen roller side, the upstream side contact roller is pressed against the platen roller via the film on the upstream side of the thermal transfer position, On the downstream side of the thermal transfer position, the downstream contact roller is pressed against the platen roller with the film interposed. Thus, the film fed by the platen roller is surely wound around the platen roller from the contact position of the upstream contact roller to the contact position of the downstream contact roller. Therefore, when an ink ribbon is brought into contact with a film fed by a platen roller by a thermal head and an image is thermally transferred onto the film, for example, the film is reciprocated by a platen roller to thermally transfer each color ink applied to the ink ribbon. Even if it is moved, the region where the ink is thermally transferred on the film is prevented from shifting for each color. Furthermore, when the film is brought into contact with the recording medium by a heat roller and the image is thermally transferred onto the surface of the recording medium, the area on the film where the image is thermally transferred may deviate from the area to be thermally transferred on the recording medium. Is also prevented. Therefore, according to the intermediate transfer type thermal transfer printing apparatus, it is possible to improve the print quality of the image on the recording medium.

  When the upstream and downstream contact rollers move to the thermal head side, each contact roller is separated from the platen roller, so that the reliable winding of the film around the platen roller is released. This makes it possible to easily perform, for example, a film exchange operation.

  Further, it is preferable that the upstream contact roller and the downstream contact roller are connected to a moving means that can advance and retract along the direction in which the thermal head and the platen roller face each other.

  Accordingly, the upstream and downstream contact rollers can be moved to the platen roller side and pressed against the platen roller simply by moving the moving means forward to the platen roller side. On the other hand, the upstream and downstream abutment rollers can be moved to the thermal head side and separated from the platen roller simply by retracting the moving means from the platen roller side. That is, the film can be reliably wound around the platen roller and released with a simple configuration.

  An upstream side that is swingable about a first axis that is substantially parallel to the central axis of the platen roller and that holds the upstream contact roller and presses it toward the platen roller when tilted to the platen roller. The holding means and swingable about a second axis substantially parallel to the center axis of the platen roller, and when tilted to the platen roller, hold the downstream contact roller and press it toward the platen roller. It is preferable to further include a downstream holding means.

  By providing such upstream holding means, the upstream contact roller can be reliably pressed against the platen roller at a predetermined position upstream of the thermal transfer position. Similarly, by providing the downstream holding means, the downstream contact roller can be reliably pressed against the platen roller at a predetermined position downstream of the thermal transfer position.

  The upstream holding means is swingable about the first axis, and is swingable about the first axis that is tilted toward the platen roller by the cam, and the first axis, When tilted to the platen roller side, a pair of first holding portions that hold the upstream contact roller at both ends of the platen roller and the first main body portion are screwed together, and the first main body portion is the platen roller. A pair of first adjusting screws that press each of the first holding portions toward the platen roller when tilted to the side, and the downstream holding means is swingable about the second axis. There is a second body portion tilted to the platen roller side by a cam and swingable about the second axis, and when tilted to the platen roller side, it contacts the downstream side at both ends of the platen roller. A pair of first holding rollers A pair of second adjustments that are screwed into the holding part and the second main body part and press each of the second holding parts to the platen roller side when the second main body part tilts to the platen roller side. It is preferable to have a screw.

  With this configuration, in the upstream holding means, the platen roller is moved when the first main body portion tilts toward the platen roller side by moving the pair of first adjustment screws forward and backward in the first main body portion. The force with which each of the pair of first holding portions presses the upstream contact roller toward the platen roller can be adjusted at both ends. The same applies to the downstream holding means. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the meandering of the film wound around the platen roller and to stabilize the traveling thereof.

  According to the present invention, the print quality of an image on a recording medium can be improved.

  DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of an intermediate transfer type thermal transfer printing apparatus according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  The intermediate transfer type thermal transfer printing apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 1 temporarily transfers an image onto a transparent film F having a thickness of about 20 μm, and then transfers the image on the film F to a card (recording medium) such as a credit card or an IC card. This is a device for reheat transfer to the surface of S and is also called a card printer.

  As shown in the figure, the thermal transfer printing apparatus 1 has a stock section 2 for setting cards S to be printed in a stacked state. The cards S are fed one by one from the bottom of the stock unit 2 by the advance / retreat movement of the feeding claws 3, and the fed cards S are once loaded into the reversing unit 4.

  When the card S is loaded in the reversing unit 4, the reversing unit 4 rotates 90 degrees from the horizontal state. When the card S is fed upward by the feed roller 6, the card S is loaded into the magnetic reading / writing unit 7. The magnetic reading / writing unit 7 writes predetermined information in the magnetic stripe of the card S and reads predetermined information from the magnetic stripe. On the other hand, when the card S is sent downward by the feed roller 6, the card S is loaded in the non-contact IC reading / writing unit 8. In the non-contact IC reading / writing unit 8, predetermined information is written in the IC of the card S, or predetermined information is read from the IC.

  Thereafter, when the card S is reloaded into the reversing unit 4 from the magnetic reading / writing unit 7 or the non-contact IC reading / writing unit 8, the reversing unit 4 returns to the horizontal state and the card is placed on the opposite side of the stock unit 2. S is sent out. The card S sent out from the reversing unit 4 passes through the detachable cleaning roller 10 and is then transported to the position immediately before the image printing position by the transport roller 11 while being supported on both sides by the guide grooves 12.

  Note that when there is no need for magnetic detection or non-contact IC detection, the reversing unit 4 is kept horizontal. The card S determined to be inappropriate by the magnetic reading / writing unit 7 or the non-contact IC reading / writing unit 8 is discharged into the eject box 9 by the feed roller 6 after the reversing unit 4 rotates.

  Further, in order to enable image printing on the card S, the thermal transfer printing apparatus 1 includes a primary transfer portion A that thermally transfers an image to the film F, a region where the image is thermally transferred on the film F, and the surface of the card S. Are brought into contact with each other, and a secondary transfer portion B that thermally transfers the image to the surface of the card S and a warp correction portion C that corrects the warp of the card S after the image is thermally transferred are provided.

  Furthermore, the thermal transfer printing apparatus 1 has a film cartridge 13 and a ribbon cartridge 14 that can be exchanged by inserting and removing. In the film cartridge 13, the film F is wound around a pair of upper and lower bobbins 15 and 16, and in the ribbon cartridge 14, the ink ribbon R is wound around a pair of upper and lower bobbins 17 and 18. The ink ribbon R in the ribbon cartridge 14 is coated with ink of each color periodically with one frame of three colors of meltable or sublimable yellow, magenta, and cyan (or four colors including black). ing.

  In the above-described primary transfer portion A, the platen roller 20 and the thermal head 21 are opposed to each other in the horizontal direction so as to sandwich the film F and the ink ribbon R. As a result, the ink ribbon R is brought into contact with the film F fed by the platen roller 20 by the thermal head 21, and the yellow ink on the ink ribbon R is thermally transferred onto the film F.

  At this time, in the primary transfer portion A, the film F is wound around the substantially half circumferential surface of the platen roller 20 by the film winding mechanism 30. Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the film winding mechanism 30 includes an upstream contact roller 31 and a downstream contact roller that are movable between the thermal head 21 side and the platen roller 20 side. 32. As shown in FIG. 2, the contact rollers 31 and 32 move to the platen roller 20 side when an image is thermally transferred onto the film F. The upstream contact roller 31 is pressed against the platen roller 20 with the film F interposed on the upstream side of the thermal transfer position P where the image is thermally transferred onto the film F, and the film F is interposed on the downstream side of the thermal transfer position P. Thus, the downstream contact roller 32 is pressed against the platen roller 20. Thereby, the film F fed by the platen roller 20 is surely wound around the substantially half circumferential surface of the platen roller 20 from the contact position of the upstream contact roller 31 to the contact position of the downstream contact roller 32. .

  When the yellow ink on the ink ribbon R is thermally transferred onto the film F, as shown in FIG. 2, the thermal head 21 is moved backward by the rack and pinion drive mechanism 22, and the film F and the ink ribbon R are separated from each other. . In this state, the platen roller 20 reverses and the film F is rewound to return to the original position. Thereafter, while repeating the above-described thermal transfer operation, ink is overlaid on the film F for each color such as magenta and cyan, and a desired color image is formed on the film F. Note that when the ink of each color is thermally transferred, the film F and the ink ribbon R are fed at the same speed. The platen roller 20 functions as a driving roller for running the film F.

  After that, as shown in FIG. 1, the platen roller 20 as a driving roller becomes the main, and the region on the film F where the image is thermally transferred is moved to the front of the heat roller 23. At this time, the leading edge of the card S is aligned with the leading edge of the area on the film F where the image has been thermally transferred, and the card S and the film F are fed into the secondary transfer portion B in a superposed state.

  In the secondary transfer portion B, the card S and the film F that have been aligned are sandwiched between the heat roller 23 and the pressing roller 24 in a state where they are overlapped. The card S and the film F are pressurized and conveyed by the cooperation of the heat roller 23 and the pressure roller 24 heated to 160 to 200 ° C., and the image thermally transferred onto the film F is gradually applied to the surface of the card S. It is thermally transferred to. At this time, the film F is wound around the bobbin 16 while being peeled off from the card S. Further, since the card S heated by the heat roller 23 is warped, the card S is sent to the warp correction unit C and subjected to pressure treatment, and then discharged out of the thermal transfer printing apparatus 1 in a straight state. The

  As described above, in the thermal transfer printing apparatus 1, when the upstream and downstream contact rollers 31 and 32 move to the platen roller 20, the upstream contact roller 31 intervenes the film F on the upstream side of the thermal transfer position P. The downstream contact roller 32 is pressed against the platen roller 20 with the film F interposed therebetween at the downstream side of the thermal transfer position P. Thus, the film F fed by the platen roller 20 is surely wound around the platen roller 20 from the contact position of the upstream contact roller 31 to the contact position of the downstream contact roller 32.

  Therefore, when the ink ribbon R is brought into contact with the film F fed by the platen roller 20 by the thermal head 21 and the image is thermally transferred onto the film F, the platen roller is used to thermally transfer the ink of each color applied to the ink ribbon R. Even if the film F is reciprocated by 20, the region where the ink is thermally transferred on the film F is prevented from shifting for each color. Furthermore, when the film F is brought into contact with the card S by the heat roller 23 and the image is thermally transferred onto the surface of the card S, the area on the film F where the image is thermally transferred is deviated from the area on the card S to be thermally transferred. This is also prevented. Therefore, according to the thermal transfer printing apparatus 1, the print quality of the image on the card S can be improved.

  When the upstream and downstream contact rollers 31 and 32 move toward the thermal head 21, the contact rollers 31 and 32 are separated from the platen roller 20, so that the reliable winding of the film F around the platen roller 20 is released. (See FIG. 3). Thereby, for example, the film F can be easily replaced by inserting and removing the film cartridge 13.

  Next, the moving means 40 of the film winding mechanism 30 described above will be described. FIG. 4 is a plan view of the periphery of the primary transfer portion A when the upstream and downstream contact rollers 31 and 32 move to the thermal head 21 side, and FIG. 5 shows the upstream and downstream contact rollers 31 and 32. FIG. 6 is a rear view around the primary transfer portion A when 32 is moved to the thermal head 21 side.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the platen roller 20 is stretched between a side plate 33 and a side plate 34 arranged in parallel at a predetermined interval, and is connected to a drive motor (not shown). ing. A shaft 35 that rotatably supports the upstream and downstream contact rollers 31 and 32 for winding the film F around the platen roller 20 protrudes outside the side plate 34 through a guide hole 34 a formed in the side plate 34. ing.

  Moving means 40 is installed outside the side plate 34. The moving means 40 has a pair of guide rods 41 extending in a direction in which the thermal head 21 and the platen roller 20 face each other, and a movable body 42 is slidable on the guide rods 41. Is attached. The pair of guide rods 41 are supported by a frame body 43 that is fixed to the outer surface of the side plate 32.

  Further, the moving means 40 has a swing arm 45 that can swing around an axis 44 that is substantially parallel to the center axis CL of the platen roller 20, and a cam 46 is engaged with the base end of the swing arm 45. Match. The distal end portion of the swing arm 45 extends between the side plate 34 and the moving body 42, and a pin 42a standing on the moving body 42 is disposed in an elongated hole 45a formed in the distal end portion. Has been.

  Upstream and downstream abutment rollers 31 and 32 are connected to the moving means 40 configured as described above. Specifically, the shaft 35 of the upstream contact roller 31 has a bearing 37 at the tip of a connecting arm 38 that is rotatably attached to the moving body 42 via the shaft 36 and the bearing 37 outside the side plate 34. It is attached via a rotation. Further, the shaft 35 of the downstream contact roller 32 rotates outside the side plate 34 via the bearing 37 to the distal end portion of the connecting arm 39 that is rotatably attached to the moving body 42 via the shaft 36 and the bearing 37. It is attached freely.

  Due to the connection between the upstream and downstream abutment rollers 31 and 32 and the moving means 40, the following operational effects can be obtained. That is, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the cam 46 is rotated forward to tilt the swing arm 45 toward the platen roller 20, and the moving body 42 is moved forward along the guide rod 41 toward the platen roller 20. The upstream and downstream contact rollers 31 and 32 can be moved toward the platen roller 20 and pressed against the platen roller 20. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 5, the cam 46 is rotated in the reverse direction so that the swing arm 45 is tilted to the opposite side of the platen roller 20 and the moving body 42 is retracted from the platen roller 20 along the guide rod 41. Further, the downstream contact rollers 31 and 32 can be moved away from the platen roller 20 by moving to the thermal head 21 side. That is, it is possible to realize reliable winding and release of the film F around the platen roller 20 with a simple configuration.

  Next, the upstream side holding unit 50 and the downstream side holding unit 60 of the film winding mechanism 30 will be described. FIG. 8 is a front view of the vicinity of the primary transfer portion A when the upstream and downstream contact rollers 31 and 32 are moved to the thermal head 21 side.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 8, the upstream side holding means 50 is swingable between the side plate 33 and the side plate 34 around a first axis L1 substantially parallel to the center axis CL of the platen roller 20. A first main body 51 is provided. The first main body 51 is integrally formed with an upright portion 52 extending downward, and the cam 53 is engaged with the upright portion 52 so that the first main body 51 is platen. Tilt to the roller 20 side. Moreover, the 1st main-body part 51 has the L-shaped member 51a extended along the 1st axis L1, The 1st adjustment with a hexagonal hole is carried out at the both ends of this L-shaped member 51a. A screw 54 is screwed. The first adjustment screw 54 is fixed at a predetermined position by a lock nut 55.

  Further, the upstream side holding means 50 includes first holding portions 56 that are swingable about the first axis L1 on both sides of the first main body 51 between the side plate 33 and the side plate 34. Yes. When the first main body 51 tilts toward the platen roller 20, the tip of the first adjustment screw 54 abuts on the end surface 56 a on the L-shaped member 51 a side of each first holding portion 56. When each first holding portion 56 tilts toward the platen roller 20, the upstream contact roller 31 pressed against the platen roller 20 is held on both sides of the platen roller 20. Specifically, each first holding portion 56 has a shaft 35 protruding from both ends of the upstream contact roller 31 disposed in a notch 56 b formed so as to face the peripheral surface of the platen roller 20. Thus, the upstream contact roller 31 is held.

  The first holding member 56 is tilted toward the platen roller 20 by, for example, arranging the pins formed on the first holding member 56 in the hooking holes formed on the side walls 33 and 34. One holding member 56 is limited so as not to contact the platen roller 20.

  On the other hand, the downstream holding means 60 has a second main body portion 61 that can swing around a second axis L2 that is substantially parallel to the central axis CL of the platen roller 20 between the side plate 33 and the side plate 34. doing. The second body portion 61 is integrally formed with a standing portion 62 that extends upward, and the cam 63 is engaged with the standing portion 62, so that the second body portion 61 has a platen. Tilt to the roller 20 side. Further, the second main body 61 has an L-shaped member 61a extending along the second axis L2, and a second adjustment with a hexagonal hole is provided at both ends of the L-shaped member 61a. A screw 64 is screwed. The second adjustment screw 64 is fixed by a lock nut 65 at a predetermined position.

  Further, the downstream side holding means 60 has a second holding portion 66 that can swing around the second axis L2 on both sides of the second main body portion 61 between the side plate 33 and the side plate 34. Yes. When the second main body 61 tilts toward the platen roller 20, the tip end of the second adjustment screw 64 comes into contact with the end surface 66 a on the L-shaped member 61 a side of each second holding portion 66. When each second holding portion 66 tilts toward the platen roller 20, the downstream contact roller 32 pressed against the platen roller 20 is held on both sides of the platen roller 20. Specifically, each second holding portion 66 has a shaft 35 protruding from both ends of the downstream contact roller 32 in a notch 66b formed so as to face the peripheral surface of the platen roller 20. Thus, the downstream contact roller 32 is held.

  The upstream side holding means 50 and the downstream side holding means 60 configured as described above provide the following operational effects. That is, as shown in FIG. 9, when the upstream and downstream contact rollers 31, 32 move to the platen roller 20, the upstream contact roller 31 contacts the platen roller 20, as shown in FIG. The shaft 35 of the upstream contact roller 31 is disposed in the notch 56 b of the first holding part 56. At the same time, the downstream contact roller 32 contacts the platen roller 20, and the shaft 35 of the downstream contact roller 32 is disposed in the notch 66 b of the second holding portion 66.

  Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 11, the cam 53 rotates 180 ° to tilt the first main body 51 toward the platen roller 20, and the first holding member 56 is moved to the platen roller 20 by the first adjustment screw 54. Pressed to the side. At the same time, the cam 63 rotates to tilt the second body 61 toward the platen roller 20, and the second holding member 66 is pressed toward the platen roller 20 by the second adjustment screw 64.

  Thus, by providing the upstream holding means 50, the upstream contact roller 31 can be reliably pressed against the platen roller 20 at a predetermined position upstream of the thermal transfer position P. Similarly, by providing the downstream holding means 60, the downstream contact roller 32 can be reliably pressed against the platen roller 20 at a predetermined position downstream of the thermal transfer position P.

  Further, in the upstream side holding means 50, when the first main body 51 is tilted toward the platen roller 20 by moving the pair of first adjustment screws 54 forward and backward in the first main body 51, the platen The force with which each of the pair of first holding portions 56 presses the upstream contact roller 31 toward the platen roller 20 at both ends of the roller 20 can be adjusted. The same applies to the downstream holding means 60. Thereby, the meandering of the film F wound around the platen roller 20 can be prevented, and the traveling thereof can be stabilized.

1 is a front view of an embodiment of an intermediate transfer thermal transfer printing apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a front view of a primary transfer unit when an upstream contact roller and a downstream contact roller move to a platen roller side in the intermediate transfer type thermal transfer printing apparatus of FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a front view of a primary transfer unit when an upstream contact roller and a downstream contact roller move to a thermal head side in the intermediate transfer thermal transfer printing apparatus of FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a plan view of the vicinity of a primary transfer portion when an upstream contact roller and a downstream contact roller move to a thermal head side in the intermediate transfer thermal transfer printing apparatus of FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a rear view of the vicinity of a primary transfer unit when upstream and downstream abutment rollers are moved to a thermal head side in the intermediate transfer type thermal transfer printing apparatus of FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a rear view of the vicinity of a primary transfer portion in which an upstream contact roller and a downstream contact roller are moving toward a platen roller in the intermediate transfer thermal transfer printing apparatus of FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a rear view of the periphery of a primary transfer portion when upstream and downstream abutment rollers move to a platen roller side in the intermediate transfer type thermal transfer printing apparatus of FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a front view of the vicinity of a primary transfer portion when upstream and downstream abutment rollers are moved to a thermal head side in the intermediate transfer type thermal transfer printing apparatus of FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a front view of the vicinity of a primary transfer portion in which an upstream contact roller and a downstream contact roller are moving toward a platen roller in the intermediate transfer thermal transfer printing apparatus of FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a front view of the vicinity of a primary transfer portion when an upstream contact roller and a downstream contact roller move to a platen roller side in the intermediate transfer type thermal transfer printing apparatus of FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a front view of the vicinity of a primary transfer portion when an upstream side and a downstream side contact roller move to a platen roller side and an upstream side and a downstream side holding means act in the intermediate transfer type thermal transfer printing apparatus of FIG. 1.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Intermediate transfer type thermal transfer printing apparatus, 20 ... Platen roller, 21 ... Thermal head, 23 ... Heat roller, 31 ... Upstream contact roller, 32 ... Downstream contact roller, 40 ... Moving means, 50 ... Upstream holding Means 51: First body 53, 63: Cam 54: First adjustment screw 56: First holding part 60: Downstream holding means 61: Second body part 64: First 2 adjustment screws, 66 ... second holding part, S ... card (recording medium), F ... film, R ... ink ribbon, P ... thermal transfer position, CL ... central axis, L1 ... first axis, L2 ... first 2 axis.

Claims (4)

An ink ribbon is brought into contact with a film fed by a platen roller by a thermal head to thermally transfer an image on the film, and then the film is brought into contact with a recording medium by a heat roller to thermally transfer the image onto the surface of the recording medium. In the intermediate transfer type thermal transfer printing device
It is movable between the thermal head side and the platen roller side, and when moved to the platen roller side, the film is interposed on the upstream side of the thermal transfer position where the image is thermally transferred onto the film. An upstream contact roller pressed against the platen roller;
A downstream side that is movable between the thermal head side and the platen roller side, and is pressed against the platen roller with the film interposed on the downstream side of the thermal transfer position when moved to the platen roller side. An intermediate transfer type thermal transfer printing apparatus comprising a contact roller.   2. The upstream contact roller and the downstream contact roller are connected to moving means that can move forward and backward along a direction in which the thermal head and the platen roller face each other. Intermediate transfer type thermal transfer printing device. The platen roller is swingable about a first axis substantially parallel to the center axis of the platen roller, and when tilted to the platen roller, holds the upstream contact roller and presses it toward the platen roller. Upstream holding means;
The platen roller is swingable about a second axis substantially parallel to the center axis of the platen roller, and when tilted toward the platen roller, holds the downstream contact roller and presses it toward the platen roller. The intermediate transfer type thermal transfer printing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a downstream holding unit. The upstream holding means includes
A first main body that is swingable about the first axis and tilted toward the platen roller by a cam;
A pair of first holding portions that are swingable about the first axis and that hold the upstream contact roller at both ends of the platen roller when tilted toward the platen roller;
A pair of first adjustments that are screwed into the first body portion and press each of the first holding portions toward the platen roller when the first body portion tilts toward the platen roller. A screw and
The downstream holding means includes
A second main body that is swingable about the second axis and tilted toward the platen roller by a cam;
A pair of second holding portions that are swingable about the second axis and that hold the downstream contact roller at both ends of the platen roller when tilted toward the platen roller;
A pair of second adjustments that are screwed into the second body portion and press each of the second holding portions toward the platen roller when the second body portion tilts toward the platen roller. The intermediate transfer type thermal transfer printing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a screw.

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