JPH0298473A - Thermal transfer recorder and facsimile device using the recorder - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent contamination of a recording medium and enhance quality of recorded images by recording images while feeding the recording medium and an ink sheet in substantially the same direction at approximately equal velocities, and rewinding the ink sheet by a length smaller than an image- recording length after the recording of the images is finished. CONSTITUTION:When image data is recorded over a predetermined length L, which can be detected based on the number of energizing steps for driving a recording paper-feeding motor, a rewinding motor is driven to rotate through a motor-driving circuit, thereby taking up an ink sheet backward by an amount of, for example, (n-1)L/n. The take-up quantity can be detected based on, for example, the number of marks read by a sensor for detecting feed quantity. After image recording is conducted n times, ink sheet parts having a length of 1/n times the length of the ink sheet used have been used for printing (multi- time printing) one time, two times, three times..., respectively, from the right side. Thus, image recording is conducted while the recording paper and the ink sheet are fed in the same direction, unrequired transfer of an ink to the paper can be prevented, and image quality can be enhanced.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a thermal transfer recording device that records an image on a recording medium by transferring ink contained in an ink sheet to a recording medium, and a facsimile machine using the device. It is.

[Prior Art] Generally, a thermal transfer printer uses an ink sheet in which a base film is coated with heat-melting (thermally sublimable) ink, and a thermal head selectively heats the ink sheet in accordance with an image signal. Images are recorded by transferring melted (sublimated) ink onto recording paper. Generally, this ink sheet is one in which the ink is completely transferred to the recording paper by one image recording (a so-called one-time sheet), so
After recording one character or one line, it is necessary to transport the ink sheet by an amount corresponding to the recorded length, and to ensure that the unused portion of the ink sheet is brought to the next recording position. For this reason, the amount of ink sheets used increases, and the running cost of thermal transfer printers tends to be higher than that of ordinary thermal printers that record on thermal paper.

In order to solve such problems, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 57-834
No. 71, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 58-201686, and Special Publication No. 6
As seen in Publication No. 2-58917, a thermal transfer printer has been proposed in which a recording paper and an ink sheet are conveyed at different speeds.The present invention further improves the invention described in the above-mentioned publication. It has been developed.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] An ink sheet (so-called multi-print sheet) capable of recording an image multiple times is known, and if this ink sheet is used, when recording a recording length continuously, The transport length of the ink sheet transported after each image recording or during image recording is set to be smaller than that length (L/n: n>
1) It can be recorded. As a result, the usage efficiency of the ink sheet is n times higher than that of the conventional method, and it is expected that the running cost of the thermal transfer printer will be reduced. Hereinafter, this recording method will be referred to as multi-print.

However, as seen in the above-mentioned publication, in this type of multi-printing using ink sheets, the conveyance direction of the recording paper and the ink sheet are the same, similar to conventional thermal transfer printers, and the relationship between their speeds is Vp = n・■It was. Here, VP indicates the relative speed of the recording paper with respect to the thermal head, and 1 indicates the relative velocity of the recording paper with respect to the thermal head. In this way, when the recording paper and the ink sheet are conveyed in the same direction with a speed difference, the melted (sublimated) ink layer portion of the ink sheet due to the application of thermal energy is transferred to the recording paper faster than the ink sheet. However, the image may be transferred to an untransferred area where it should not be transferred. For this reason, the recording paper may become stained and the quality of the recorded image may deteriorate.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned conventional example, in which an image is recorded by conveying a recording medium and an ink sheet at approximately the same speed in approximately the same direction, and after the image recording is completed, the length of the recording medium is shorter than the image recording length. To provide a thermal transfer recording device which prevents staining of a recording medium and improves the quality of a recorded image by rewinding an ink sheet by the length thereof, and a facsimile device using the device.

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to achieve the above object, the thermal transfer recording method of the present invention has the following configuration. That is, it is a thermal transfer recording method in which ink contained in an ink sheet is transferred to a recording medium to record an image on the recording medium, and the recording means acts on the ink sheet to record an image on the recording medium. and,
an ink sheet conveying means for conveying the ink sheet, a recording medium conveying means for conveying the recording medium, and after the recording means records an image on the recording medium,
and control means for controlling the ink sheet to be rewound by a length shorter than the image recording length.

Further, a facsimile apparatus according to another invention has the following configuration. That is, it is a facsimile machine using a thermal transfer recording device that records an image on the recording medium by transferring ink contained in an ink sheet to a recording medium, and includes image input means for photoelectrically reading and inputting an original image. , a transmitting/receiving means for transmitting and receiving image signals, and acting on the ink sheet based on the image signal from the image input means or the transmitting/receiving means,
a recording means for recording an image on the recording medium; an ink sheet conveying means for conveying the ink sheet; a recording medium conveying means for conveying the recording medium; and control means for controlling the ink sheet to be rewound by a length shorter than the image recording length after recording the image.

[Operation] In the above configuration, after an image is recorded by the recording means that acts on the ink sheet to record an image on the recording medium, the ink sheet conveyance means for conveying the ink sheet is driven, and the ink sheet is It is controlled to rewind by a length shorter than the recorded length of the image.

A facsimile apparatus according to another invention includes an ink sheet for conveying the ink sheet after recording an image from an image input means or a transmitting/receiving means by a recording means that acts on an ink sheet to record an image on a recording medium. [Embodiment] A preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Explain.

[Description of facsimile machine (Figs. 1 to 4)] Figs. 1 to 4 are diagrams showing an example in which a thermal transfer printer using an embodiment of the present invention is applied to a facsimile machine. 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the facsimile machine, and FIG. 3 is a side sectional view of the facsimile machine.

First, the schematic configuration will be explained based on FIG. 2.

In the figure, 100 is a reading unit that photoelectrically reads a document and outputs it as a digital image signal to the control unit 101.The configuration of the control unit 101 is as follows: explain. A line memory 110 stores image data for each line of image data, and when transmitting or copying a document, one line of image data from the reading unit 100 is stored.
When image data is received, one line of decoded received image data is stored. Image formation is then performed by outputting the stored data to the recording unit 102. Reference numeral 111 denotes an encoding/decoding unit that encodes image information to be transmitted by MH encoding or the like, and decodes received encoded image data to convert it into image data. Further, 112 is a buffer memory that stores encoded image data that is transmitted or received. Each part of the control unit 101 is controlled by a CPU 113 such as a microprocessor. Control unit 101
In addition to this CPU 113, there is a ROM 114 that stores control programs and various data for the CPU 113, and a CPU
It is equipped with a RAM 115 for temporarily storing various data as a work area for U113.

Reference numeral 102 denotes a recording unit that is equipped with a thermal line head and records an image on recording paper by a thermal transfer recording method. This configuration will be described in detail later with reference to FIGS. 1 and 3. 103 is a key for instructing various functions such as starting transmission, and a key for inputting a telephone number.
103a is the ink sheet 1 to be used.
When the switch 103a is on, it indicates that a multi-print ink sheet is installed, and when it is off, it indicates that a normal ink sheet is installed.

Reference numeral 104 is a display section provided in the normal operation section 103, which displays various functions, the status of the device, and the like. 105 is a power supply unit for supplying power to the entire device. Also, 1
06 is a modem (modulator/demodulator), 107 is a network control unit (NCU)
), 108 is a telephone.

Next, the configuration of the recording section 102 will be explained in detail with reference to FIG. Note that parts common to FIGS. 1 and 2 are indicated by the same figure numbers.

In the figure, 10 indicates recording paper 11, which is plain paper, as a core 10.
A is a roll of paper wound into a roll. The roll paper 10 is rotatably housed in the apparatus so that the recording paper 11 can be supplied to the thermal head section 13 by rotation of the platen roller 12 in the direction of the arrow. Note that 10b is a roll paper loading section, in which the roll paper 10 is removably loaded. Furthermore, 12 is a platen roller which conveys the recording paper 11 in the direction indicated by the arrow and presses the ink sheet 14 and the recording paper 11 between it and the heating element 132 of the thermal head 13. Thermal head 13
As the platen roller 12 further rotates, the recording paper 11 on which the image has been recorded due to the heat generated by the
, 18b, and when image recording for one page is completed, the cutters 15a and 15b are engaged to cut the paper into pages.

17 is an ink sheet supply roll that winds the ink sheet 14, and 18 is an ink sheet take-up roll, which is driven by an ink sheet conveyance motor to be described later and winds up the ink sheet 14 in the direction of arrow a. . In addition,
The ink sheet supply roll 17 and the ink sheet take-up roll 18 are connected to an ink sheet loading section 70 in the apparatus main body.
It is removably loaded. Furthermore, 19 is a sensor for detecting the remaining amount of the ink sheet 14 and the conveying speed of the ink sheet 14. Further, 20 is an ink sheet sensor for detecting the presence or absence of the ink sheet 14;
is a spring that pushes the thermal head 1 against the platen roller 12 via the recording paper 11 or ink sheet 14.
3 is pressed. Further, 22 is a recording paper sensor for detecting the presence or absence of recording paper. Furthermore, 23 is an ink sheet transport amount detection sensor that reads marks printed on the ink sheet 14 and detects the transport amount of the ink sheet 14.

Next, the configuration of the reading section 100 will be explained.

In the figure, 30 is a light source that illuminates the original 32;
The light reflected by the CCD sensor 31 is input to the CCD sensor 31 through an optical system (mirrors 50, 51, and lens 52), and is converted into an electrical signal. The document 32 is conveyed by conveyance rollers 53, 54, 55.5 driven by a document conveyance motor (not shown).
6, the document 32 is transported in accordance with the reading speed. Note that 57 is a document loading table, and the plurality of documents 32 stacked on this loading table 57 are separated into sheets one by one by the cooperation of the conveying roller 54 and the pressing separation piece 58, and then transferred to the reading section 100. transported to.

A control board 41 constitutes the main part of the control section 101, and various control signals are output from this control board 41 to each part of the apparatus. Further, 106 is a modem board unit, 107 is N
This is a CU board unit.

Furthermore, FIG. 4 is a diagram showing details of the conveyance mechanism for the ink sheet 14 and the recording paper 11.

In the figure, 24 rotationally drives the platen roller 12;
This is a recording paper transport motor for transporting the recording paper 11 in the direction indicated by the arrow. Further, 25 indicates the direction of the winding roll 18 with the arrow a
This is an ink sheet transport motor for rotating the ink sheet 14 in the same direction as the recording paper 11 and transporting the ink sheet 14 in the same direction as the recording paper 11. Rotating shaft 25 of ink sheet conveyance motor 25
A gear 28 is attached to a, and this gear 28 meshes with a gear 75a of a slip clutch 75. As a result, when the rotating shaft 25a of the ink sheet conveyance motor 25 rotates clockwise, the gear 75a rotates counterclockwise (in the direction of arrow a), and the ink sheet 14 can be wound onto the take-up roll 18. can.

In addition, the ink sheet 1 is operated by a rewind motor 85, which will be described later.
4, the take-up roll 18 can freely rotate in the direction opposite to the arrow a by the action of the slip clutch 75. Also, 26°27 is the recording paper transport motor 2.
This is a transmission gear that transmits the rotation of No. 4 to the platen roller 12.

85 is a rewind motor, which rotates the supply roll 17 of the ink sheet 14 in the direction of arrow C to rewind the ink sheet 14. A gear 86 is attached to the rotating shaft 85a of the rewind motor 85. This gear 86 meshes with a gear 87. As a result, when the gear 86 rotates counterclockwise, the gear 87a rotates clockwise (in the direction of arrow C).
The ink sheet 14 can be rewound onto the supply roll 17. On the other hand, when the ink sheet 14 is transported in the direction indicated by the arrow by the ink sheet transport motor 25, the supply roll 17 is moved in the direction of the arrow d opposite to the arrow C by not passing a phase current to the ink sheet transport motor 25. Can be rotated freely.

Further, as shown in FIG. 4, a mark 29 is attached to the back end of the ink-applied surface of the ink sheet 14. The ink sheet conveyance amount detection sensor 23 optically reads this mark 29 to detect the conveyance amount of the ink sheet 14.

FIG. 1 shows a control unit 10 in a facsimile machine according to an embodiment.
1 and the recording unit 102, and parts common to other drawings are indicated by the same figure number.

The thermal head 13 is a line head. The thermal head 13 is operated by a shift register 130 for inputting one line of serial recording data 43 from the control section 101, and a shift register 130 for inputting one line of serial recording data 43 from the control section 101.
A latch circuit 131 for latching 30 data is provided with a heating element 132 consisting of a heating resistor for one line.

Here, the heating resistor 132 is divided into m blocks indicated by 132-1 to 132-m and driven. Further, 133 is attached to the thermal head 13,
This is a temperature sensor for detecting the temperature of the thermal head 13. The output signal 42 of the temperature sensor 133 is A/D converted within the control section 101 and input to the CPU 113. As a result, the CPU 113
The strobe signal 4 is detected in response to the temperature.
7 pulse width or thermal head 1.
The energy applied to the thermal head 13 is changed in accordance with the characteristics of the ink sheet 14 by changing the drive voltage of No. 3 and the like.

The type (characteristics) of this ink sheet 14 is specified by the switch 103a described above. The type and characteristics of the ink sheet 14 may be determined by detecting marks printed on the ink sheet 14, or by detecting marks, cutouts, protrusions, etc. attached to the cartridge of the ink sheet. It may also be possible to perform this by determining.

Reference numeral 46 denotes a drive circuit that inputs a drive signal for the thermal head 13 from the control unit 101 and outputs a strobe signal 47 for driving the thermal head 13 in units of blocks. Note that this drive circuit 46 changes the voltage output to the power supply line 45 that supplies current to the heating element 132 of the thermal head 13 in accordance with instructions from the control unit 101 to control the thermal head 13.
The applied energy of can be changed. 48.49
and 88 are the corresponding recording paper transport motors 24,
This is a motor drive circuit that rotationally drives the ink sheet conveyance motor 25 and the rewind motor 85. The recording paper conveyance motor 24, the ink sheet conveyance motor 25, and the rewind motor 85 are stepping motors in this embodiment.
The motor is not limited to this, and may be a DC motor, for example.

[Description of Recording Operation (Figures 1 to 6)] Figure 5 is a flowchart showing the recording process for one page in the facsimile machine of this embodiment. is stored in

This process starts when one line of image data to be recorded is stored in the line memory 110 and a state is reached in which the recording operation can be started.

First, in step Sl, one line of recording data is serially output to the shift register 130. When the transfer of the recording data for one line is completed, the latch signal 44 is output in step S2, and the recording data for one line is stored in the latch circuit 131. Next, in step S3, the ink sheet conveying motor 25 is driven to transport the ink sheet 14.
Then, at the same time or immediately after this, in step S4, the recording paper 11 is conveyed by one line in the same direction as the ink sheet 14 (in the direction indicated by the arrow).

Here, since the ink sheet conveyance motor 25 and the take-up roll 18 are connected via the slip clutch unit 75, the ink sheet 14 is prevented from slacking between the platen roller 12 and the take-up roll 18. In addition, the ink sheet 14 is conveyed a distance longer than one line. Note that this 1942 minutes corresponds to the length of one dot recorded by the thermal head 13.

Next, the process proceeds to step S5, in which each block of the heating element 132 of the thermal head 13 is energized. And step S
In step S6, it is checked whether all of the blocks m are energized, and when all the blocks of the heating elements 132 are energized and the image recording of 1 line is completed, the process proceeds to step S7. At this time, the supply roll 17 is It is rotated in the direction of arrow d (FIG. 4). However, due to the holding torque, the rewind motor 85
By applying tension to the ink sheet 14 between the ink sheet 14 and the platen roller 12, the ink sheet 14 is prevented from sagging.

It is checked in step S7 whether image recording for one page has been completed, and if image recording for one page has not been completed, step S8
Next, 1942 minutes of image data to be recorded is transferred to the thermal head 13. In step S9, the recording paper 11
It is checked whether image data corresponding to the length "L'" has been recorded, and if the image data corresponding to the length "L" has not been recorded, the process returns to step S2, and next, one line of image recording is performed.

Detection of this predetermined amount can be determined by the number of excitations to drive the recording paper conveyance motor 24.

When an image of length "L" has been recorded in step S9, the process proceeds to step SIO, where the τ rewinding motor 85 is rotationally driven via the motor drive circuit 88, and the ink sheet 14 is rotated, for example, by (n-1)L/n. Just move the arrow to wind it in the opposite direction.

The amount of winding can be determined based on the number of times the mark 29 is read by the conveyance amount detection sensor 23. When the ink sheet 14 is rewound by (n-1)L/n in this way, the process returns to step S4 and the above-described operations are executed.

On the other hand, when the image recording of one page is completed in step S7, the process proceeds to step Sll, and a predetermined amount of the recording paper 11 is transferred to the paper ejection roller 16.
Send in directions a and 16b. Then, in step S12, the cutters 15a and 15b are driven and engaged to cut the recording paper 11 into pages.Next, in step S13, the recording paper 11 is returned by a distance corresponding to the distance between the thermal head 13 and the cutter 15. Then, the image recording process for one page is completed.

In addition, in the series of cutter operations from step Sll to step S13, the ink sheet 14 when conveying the recording paper 11 is moved around the recording paper 11 in the same way as when recording an image.
The ink sheet 14 may be conveyed in the same direction as , or may be conveyed at a slower speed, or the ink sheet 14 may remain stationary.

Due to the above-described recording operation, the ink sheet 14 is multi-printed once at most, and this method is particularly effective when using cut paper or the like whose conveyance distance is clear.

Note that with this method, even if image recording is forcibly terminated during image recording operation, image recording can be resumed from the current ink sheet position when restarted. However, in this case, there is a possibility that the ink sheet portion located at the first image recording position will not be multi-printed once. This also applies to the first portion of the ink sheet 14 used for image recording.

Further, as shown in steps S3 and S4, it is preferable that the ink sheet transport motor 25 is driven to transport before the recording paper transport motor 24 is driven to transport.
This is because even if the ink sheet transport motor 25 is driven, there is a time delay before the ink sheet 14 actually starts transporting due to the characteristics of the motor and the characteristics of the drive transmission system. . Note that the same effect can be obtained even if the recording paper conveyance motor 24 is driven first, but the process from the start of conveyance of the recording paper 11 to the driving of the thermal head 13 (the recording operation shown in step S5) If the time increases, there is a risk that gaps may be formed between the recorded dots.

Further, in this embodiment, the conveyance length of the ink sheet 14 is determined by the marks attached to the ink sheet 14, but the invention is not limited to this. The determination may be made based on the number of rotations, the number of excitations of the transport motor, or the like.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the conveyance distance of the ink sheet 14 and the number of times the ink sheet 14 is used when recording according to this embodiment.

140 indicates the position of the thermal head 13, and 141 indicates the length corresponding to one page before starting image recording. 142 indicates the state after recording an image of length “L”;
3 shows the state when the ink sheet 14 is rewound by (n-1)L/n after recording an image of length "L". However, here, n=6 is set. Reference numeral 144 shows the state when an image is recorded for the next length L, and the part shown by 151 of the ink sheet 14 is used only once,
The part indicated by 52 is used twice.

Similarly, 145 indicates the state after being rewound by 5/6 of L after two recordings, 146 indicates the state after recording the length of "L" for the third time, and 147 indicates the state after the third recording. Rear, 5L
Similarly, 148 shows the state after the fourth recording, and 149 shows the state when rewinding by 5L/6 after the fourth recording. As shown at 150, after image recording is performed n times, the length corresponding to l/n of the used ink sheet 14 is recorded once, twice, and three times from the right, respectively. It is multi-printed as follows.

[Explanation of Recording Principle (FIG. 7)] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an image recording state when an image is recorded with the recording paper 11 and the ink sheet 14 conveyed in the same direction in this embodiment.

As shown in the figure, a recording paper 11 and an ink sheet 14 are held between a platen roller 12 and a thermal head 13, and the thermal head 13 is pressed against the platen roller 12 with a predetermined pressure by a spring 21. Here, the recording paper 11 and the ink sheet 14 are placed on the platen roller 1.
2, the paper is conveyed in the direction of the arrow at a speed Vp.

Now, power supply 1 is connected to heating resistor 132 of thermal head 13.
When the ink sheet 14 is energized and heated, the shaded portion 81 of the ink sheet 14 is heated. Here, 14a represents the base film of the ink sheet 14, and 14b represents the ink layer of the ink sheet 14. The ink in the ink layer 81 is heated by energizing the heating resistor 132 and melts, and a portion of the ink layer 82 is transferred onto the recording paper 11 . The ink layer portion 82 to be transferred corresponds to approximately 1/n of the ink layer indicated by 81.

At the time of this transfer, at the boundary line 83 of the ink layer 14b,
By generating a shearing force on the ink, only the portion of the ink layer indicated by 82 is transferred onto the recording paper 11.

[Description of Ink Sheet (FIG. 8)] FIG. 8 is a sectional view of the ink sheet used for multi-printing in this embodiment, and here it is composed of four layers.

First, 2N is a base film that serves as a support for the ink sheet 14. In the case of multi-printing, thermal energy is applied to the same location many times, so aromatic polyamide films and capacitor paper with high heat resistance are advantageous, but conventional polyester films can also be used. Considering the role of a medium, it is advantageous for the thickness of these materials to be as thin as possible in terms of printing quality, but from the viewpoint of strength, it is desirable that the thickness be 3 to 8 μm.

The third layer is an ink layer containing an amount of ink that can be transferred n times onto a recording paper (recording sheet).

This component mainly consists of resin such as EVA as an adhesive, carbon black and nigrosine dye for coloring, carnauba wax and paraffin wax as binding materials, and is designed to withstand n times of use in the same place. It is blended. The coating amount is preferably 4 to 8 g/m'', but the sensitivity and density vary depending on the coating amount, and can be arbitrarily selected.

The fourth layer is a top coating for preventing pressure transfer of the third layer ink onto the recording paper in areas where no printing is performed, and is made of transparent wax or the like. As a result, only the transparent fourth layer is pressure-transferred, and it is possible to prevent background smudges on the recording paper. The first layer is the thermal head 13
This is a heat-resistant coating layer that protects the second layer base film from heat. This is suitable for multi-printing where 1912 minutes of thermal energy may be applied to the same location (when black information is continuous), but whether or not to use it can be selected as appropriate. It is also effective for base films with relatively low heat resistance, such as polyester films.

Note that the structure of the ink sheet 14 is not limited to this embodiment, and may be composed of, for example, a base layer and a porous ink-retaining layer containing ink provided on one side of the base layer. A heat-resistant ink layer having a microporous network structure may be provided on top of the ink layer, and the ink may be contained in the ink layer.The material of the base film may be, for example, polyamide, polyethylene,
It may be a film or paper made of polyester, polyvinyl chloride, triacetyl cellulose, nylon, etc. Furthermore, although a heat-resistant coating layer is not necessarily required,
The material may be, for example, silicone resin, epoxy resin, fluorine resin, nitrocellulose, or the like.

An example of an ink sheet containing a heat sublimable ink is a base material made of polyethylene terephthalate, polyethylene naphthalate, aromatic polyamide film, etc., and spacer particles made of guanamine-based resin and fluorine-based resin. An example is an ink sheet provided with a coloring material layer containing a dye.

Further, the heating method is not limited to the thermal head method using the above-mentioned thermal head, and for example, an energization method or a laser transfer method may be used.

As described above, according to this embodiment, images are recorded while conveying the recording paper and the ink sheet in the same direction. When a predetermined length of image recording is completed, the ink sheet is rewound a distance shorter than the predetermined length, for example, by (1-1/n) times the predetermined length, thereby preventing unnecessary ink transfer to the recording paper. This allows multi-printing to be performed with improved image quality.

In this example, an example was explained in which a thermal line head was used, but the invention is not limited to this.For example, an ink ribbon made of the same material as the ink sheet described in this example was used, and a serial The same can be achieved when recording is performed using a head. That is, the ink sheet is wound up by an amount for image recording, and after a predetermined amount of recording is completed, the ink sheet is rewound in the same manner as in the case described above, thereby realizing multi-printing.

Further, in the above embodiment, the ink sheet is wound up after recording a predetermined length (L), but it may be wound back every time one line of image is recorded.

Furthermore, the recording medium is not limited to recording paper, and may include cloth, plastic sheets, etc. as long as it is made of a material that allows ink transfer.

In addition, the ink sheet is not limited to the roll configuration shown in the embodiment, but may be a so-called ink sheet in which the ink sheet is built into a housing that can be attached to and detached from the recording apparatus main body, and the housing can be attached and detached from the recording apparatus main body. It may be of a cassette type or the like.

Furthermore, although this embodiment has been explained in the case of a facsimile machine, the present invention is not limited thereto; for example, the thermal transfer recording device of the present invention can be applied to a word processor, a typewriter, a copying machine, and the like.

[Effects of the Invention] As explained above, according to the present invention, an image is recorded by conveying a recording medium and an ink sheet at approximately the same speed in approximately the same direction, and after the image recording is completed, the recording medium and the ink sheet are conveyed at approximately the same speed. By rewinding the ink sheet by a short length, the quality of the recorded image can be improved.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the electrical connection between the control section and the recording section in the facsimile machine of this embodiment, FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the schematic configuration of the facsimile machine of the embodiment, and FIG. 3 is the facsimile machine of the embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the structure of the ink sheet and recording paper conveyance system in the recording section; FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the recording process in the facsimile apparatus of the embodiment; FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of how the ink sheet is used in the fifth embodiment, FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the state of the recording paper and ink sheet during recording in this embodiment, and FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the state of the recording paper and ink sheet used in this embodiment. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of an ink sheet. In the figure, 1O...rolled recording paper, 11...recording paper,
12...Platen roller, 13...Thermal head, 14...Ink sheet, 15...Cutter, 16...
...Discharge roller, 17...Ink sheet supply roll,
18... Ink sheet winding roll, 19... Ink sheet sensor, 20... Ink sheet presence/absence sensor, 2
1... Spring, 22... Recording paper presence/absence sensor, 2
3...Sensor for detecting conveyance amount, 24...Motor for conveying recording paper, 25...Motor for conveying ink sheet, 75.
...Sliding clutch, 85...Rewinding motor, 87...
・Gear, 100... Reading section, 101... Control section, 1
02...Recording section, 103...Operation section, 104...
Display unit, 105... Power supply, 106---E-dem,
107・NCU, 110... line memory, 111・
... Encoding/decoding unit, 112... Buffer memory,
113...CPU, 114...ROM, 115...
-RAM, 132...Heating resistor (heating element).

Claims (4)

[Claims] (1) A thermal transfer recording device that records an image on the recording medium by transferring ink contained in an ink sheet to the recording medium, and recording that acts on the ink sheet to record the image on the recording medium. means, an ink sheet conveying means for conveying the ink sheet, a recording medium conveying means for conveying the recording medium, and after the recording means records an image on the recording medium, the ink sheet is transferred to the image recording medium. A thermal transfer recording device comprising: a control means for controlling the rewind by a length shorter than the recording length. (2) The control means controls the image recording length to be (1-1/n)
2. The thermal transfer recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the ink sheet is rewound by a factor of 1.). (3) A facsimile machine using a thermal transfer recording device that transfers ink contained in an ink sheet to a recording medium and records an image on the recording medium, and an image input means that photoelectrically reads and inputs a document image. a transmitting/receiving means for transmitting and receiving image signals; a recording means for recording an image on the recording medium based on the image signal from the image input means or the transmitting/receiving means by acting on the ink sheet; an ink sheet conveyance means for conveying an ink sheet; a recording medium conveyance means for conveying the recording medium; and after the recording means records an image on the recording medium, the ink sheet is 1. A facsimile machine comprising: control means for controlling the rewind by a short length. (4) The control means controls the image recording length to be (1-1/n)
4. The facsimile apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the ink sheet is rewound by a factor of 1.).