Foil transfer device

Abstract

To provide a foil transfer apparatus capable of determining a failure in a temperature sensor.SOLUTION: A foil transfer apparatus for transferring a foil onto a sheet by overlapping the sheet on a foil film including the foil, includes: a heating member for heating the foil film and the sheet; a pressure member for sandwiching the foil film and the sheet against the heating member; a first temperature sensor; and a control section. The control section determines whether or not the first temperature sensor has a failure (S52-S58) on the basis of a voltage value of the first temperature sensor (S51).SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 10

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a foil transfer device for transferring a foil onto a sheet. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, a foil transfer device is known that includes a supply reel on which a foil film is wound, a take-up reel for taking up the foil film, a heating roller for heating the foil film and the sheet, and a pressure roller for sandwiching the foil film and the sheet between the heating roller and the pressure roller (see Patent Document 1). In this foil transfer device, it is possible to replace the foil film or remove a jammed sheet by opening the cover. A control unit in this foil transfer device locks the cover when the temperature detected by the temperature sensor is equal to or higher than a threshold value, and unlocks the cover when the temperature is lower than the threshold value. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2020-121788 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in the conventional foil transfer device, it is not possible to determine whether the temperature sensor is broken. Therefore, when the temperature sensor breaks down, the control unit cannot control the device in response to the break. For example, when the temperature sensor breaks down, the control unit cannot appropriately control the locking and unlocking of the cover.

[0005] SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT DISCLOSURE An object of the present invention is to provide a foil transfer device capable of determining whether a temperature sensor has failed. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A foil transfer device for solving the above problem is a foil transfer device that overlays a sheet on a foil film containing a foil and transfers the foil to the sheet, and includes a heating member for heating the foil film and the sheet, a pressure member for sandwiching the foil film and the sheet between the heating member and the pressure member, a first temperature sensor, and a control unit. The control unit determines whether the first temperature sensor has failed based on a voltage value of the first temperature sensor.

[0007] According to this configuration, the control unit can determine whether the first temperature sensor has failed based on the voltage value of the first temperature sensor.

[0008] In the above-described configuration, the control unit may be configured to determine that the first temperature sensor has failed when the voltage value of the first temperature sensor is outside a predetermined range.

[0009] In the above-described configuration, the control unit may be configured to determine that the first temperature sensor has failed when a state in which the voltage value of the first temperature sensor is outside a predetermined range continues for a predetermined time.

[0010] According to this configuration, even if the control unit determines that the voltage value of the first temperature sensor is outside the specified range, the control unit will not determine that the first temperature sensor has failed unless the state outside the specified range continues for a specified period of time, thereby preventing the control unit from erroneously determining that the first temperature sensor has failed.

[0011] In the above-described configuration, the control unit may convert the voltage value of the first temperature sensor into a temperature and determine whether the first temperature sensor has failed based on the converted temperature.

[0012] In the above-described configuration, when the control unit converts the voltage value of the first temperature sensor into a temperature, the control unit may perform the conversion by referring to a table showing the relationship between the voltage value and the temperature.

[0013] In addition, in the above-mentioned configuration, the foil transfer device may be configured to include a housing main body having an opening, a cover movable between a closed position that closes the opening and an open position that opens the opening, and a locking mechanism that can lock the cover in the closed position, and the control unit may be configured to control the locking mechanism based on the voltage value of the first temperature sensor.

[0014] In the above-described configuration, the control unit may be configured to stop control of the locking mechanism based on the voltage value of the first temperature sensor when it is determined that the first temperature sensor has failed.

[0015] In addition, in the above-mentioned configuration, the foil transfer device may further include a second temperature sensor that is positioned closer to the heating member than the first temperature sensor and detects the temperature of the heating member, and the control unit may be configured to control the locking mechanism based on the voltage value of the second temperature sensor when it determines that the first temperature sensor has failed.

[0016] According to this configuration, even if the first temperature sensor breaks down, the control unit can appropriately control the lock mechanism based on the second temperature sensor.

[0017] In addition, in the above-mentioned configuration, the apparatus may further include a metal plate facing the heating element, extending in the width direction of the foil film and positioned downstream of the heating element in the sheet conveying direction, and the first temperature sensor may be arranged on the metal plate.

[0018] In the above-described configuration, the first temperature sensor may be arranged not in contact with the heating member, and the second temperature sensor may be arranged in contact with the heating member.

[0019] In addition, in the above-mentioned configuration, the control unit may be configured to control the locking mechanism to lock the cover when the temperature indicated by the voltage value of the first temperature sensor is equal to or higher than a first threshold, and to control the locking mechanism to unlock the cover when the temperature indicated by the voltage value of the first temperature sensor is less than a second threshold that is smaller than the first threshold.

[0020] According to this configuration, by setting the second threshold value smaller than the first threshold value, it is possible to prevent the cover from being locked and unlocked repeatedly too frequently.

[0021] In the above-described configuration, the control unit may be configured to determine whether the first temperature sensor has failed after the power supply of the foil transfer device is turned on and before foil transfer is performed to transfer the foil onto the sheet.

[0022] In the above-described configuration, the control unit may be configured to determine whether the first temperature sensor has failed while performing foil transfer to transfer foil onto the sheet.

[0023] In the above-described configuration, the control unit may be configured to determine whether or not the first temperature sensor has failed after performing foil transfer to transfer the foil onto the sheet.

[0024] In the above-described configuration, the control unit may be configured to constantly determine whether or not the first temperature sensor has failed at predetermined time intervals while the power supply of the foil transfer device is on.

[0025] In addition, in the above-mentioned configuration, the foil transfer device may further include a second temperature sensor arranged closer to the heating member than the first temperature sensor, and at 0°C, the voltage value of the first temperature sensor may be different from the voltage value of the second temperature sensor.

[0026] In addition, in the above-mentioned configuration, the foil transfer device may further include a second temperature sensor arranged closer to the heating member than the first temperature sensor, and the difference between the voltage value of the first temperature sensor at 0°C and the voltage value of the first temperature sensor at 1°C may be greater than the difference between the voltage value of the second temperature sensor at 0°C and the voltage value of the second temperature sensor at 1°C.

[0027] In the above-described configuration, the voltage value of the first temperature sensor at 0° C. may be 0.1 V or more.

[0028] In the above-mentioned configuration, the foil transfer device may further include a second temperature sensor arranged closer to the heating member than the first temperature sensor, the first temperature sensor and the second temperature sensor being composed of thermistors whose resistance value decreases as the temperature increases, the first temperature sensor forms a resistance voltage divider circuit together with the first resistor, and the second temperature sensor forms a resistance voltage divider circuit together with the second resistor, the control unit obtains the potential between the first temperature sensor and the first resistor as the voltage value of the first temperature sensor, and the resistance value of the first resistor may be greater than the resistance value of the second resistor. Effect of the Invention

[0029] According to the present invention, a failure of a temperature sensor can be determined. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0030] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing a foil transfer device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the foil transfer device with the cover open. [Diagram 3] 1A is a side view showing the structure around the lock lever, in which FIG. 1A shows the state in which the lock lever is restricted to the locked position, FIG. 1B shows the state in which the lock lever is not restricted, and FIG. 1C shows the state in which the lock lever is swung to the unlocked position. [Figure 4] FIG. [Diagram 5] FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a heating unit and is a diagram illustrating the position of a first temperature sensor. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the heating unit as viewed from a different direction from that in FIG. 5, and is a diagram illustrating the position of a second temperature sensor. [Figure 7] 1A is a circuit diagram of a first temperature sensor, FIG. 1B is a circuit diagram of a second temperature sensor, and FIG. 1C is a graph showing the relationship between Vthm and temperature of the first temperature sensor and the second temperature sensor. [Figure 8] 10 is a flowchart showing a process for locking the cover that is executed by the control unit after the power is turned on. [Figure 9] 11 is a flowchart of a cover locking / unlocking process executed by a control unit. [Figure 10] 5 is a flowchart of a sensor failure determination executed by a control unit. [Figure 11] 13A is a circuit diagram of a first temperature sensor in another embodiment, FIG. 13B is a circuit diagram of a second temperature sensor, and FIG. 13C is a graph showing the relationship between Vthm and temperature of the first temperature sensor and the second temperature sensor. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0031] Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. An embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings as appropriate. In the following description, directions will be described in terms of the directions shown in Fig. 1. That is, the right side of Fig. 1 will be referred to as "front", the left side of Fig. 1 will be referred to as "rear", the front side of the paper in Fig. 1 will be referred to as "left", and the back side of the paper in Fig. 1 will be referred to as "right". Additionally, the top and bottom of Fig. 1 will be referred to as "top and bottom".

[0032] 1, foil transfer device 1 is a device for transferring a foil such as gold foil onto a toner image formed on sheet S by an image forming device such as a laser printer. In other words, foil transfer device 1 forms an image of the foil on sheet S by transferring the foil onto the toner image on sheet S. Foil transfer device 1 includes a housing 2, a sheet tray 3, a sheet conveying unit 10, a film supply unit 30, a transfer unit 50, a control unit 100, and an operation panel PA.

[0033] The housing 2 is made of resin or the like, and includes a housing body 21 and a cover 22. The housing body 21 has an opening 21A (see FIG. 2) at the top. The opening 21A is an opening for inserting and removing a film cartridge FC, which will be described later, into the housing body 21. The cover 22 is a member for opening and closing the opening 21A. A rear end portion of the cover 22 is rotatably supported by the housing body 21. The cover 22 is movable between a closed position (position in FIG. 1) where the opening 21A is closed, and an open position (position in FIG. 2) where the opening 21A is opened.

[0034] The foil transfer device 1 includes a locking mechanism 8 that locks the cover 22 in the closed position. The locking mechanism 8 will be described in detail later.

[0035] The sheet tray 3 is a tray on which sheets S, such as paper and overhead projector films, are placed. The sheet tray 3 is provided at the rear of the housing 2. The sheet S is placed on the sheet tray 3 with the surface on which the toner image is formed facing downward. The sheet tray 3 is provided with a sheet tray sensor SS0 that detects the sheet S placed on the sheet tray 3. The sheet tray sensor SS0 is ON when a sheet S is placed on the sheet tray 3, and is OFF when a sheet S is not placed on the sheet tray 3.

[0036] The sheet conveying section 10 includes a sheet supply mechanism 11 and a sheet discharge mechanism 12. The sheet supply mechanism 11 is a mechanism that conveys the sheets S on the sheet tray 3 one by one toward the transfer section 50. The sheet supply mechanism 11 includes a pickup roller 11A and a conveying roller.

[0037] The sheet discharge mechanism 12 is a mechanism that discharges the sheet S that has passed through the transfer unit 50 to the outside of the housing 2. The sheet discharge mechanism 12 includes a plurality of transport rollers.

[0038] The film supply unit 30 is a portion that supplies the foil film F so as to be superimposed on the sheet S conveyed from the sheet supply mechanism 11. The film supply unit 30 includes a film cartridge FC and a drive source such as a motor (not shown).

[0039] 2, the film cartridge FC is detachably attached to the housing body 21 by passing through an opening 21A in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of a supply reel 31 (described later). The film cartridge FC includes a supply reel 31 and a take-up reel 35. A foil film F is wound around the supply reel 31.

[0040] The foil film F is a film composed of multiple layers. More specifically, the foil film F has a support layer and a supported layer. The support layer is a tape-like transparent substrate made of a polymeric material, and supports the supported layer. The supported layer has, for example, a release layer, a transfer layer, and an adhesive layer. The release layer is a layer for facilitating peeling of the transfer layer from the support layer, and is disposed between the support layer and the transfer layer. The release layer contains a transparent material, such as a wax-based resin, that is easily peeled from the support layer.

[0041] The transfer layer is a layer to be transferred to the toner image and contains a foil. The foil is a thin metal such as gold, silver, copper, or aluminum. The transfer layer also contains a coloring material such as gold, silver, or red, and a thermoplastic resin. The transfer layer is disposed between the release layer and the adhesive layer. The adhesive layer is a layer for facilitating adhesion of the transfer layer to the toner image. The adhesive layer contains a material that easily adheres to the toner image heated by the transfer unit 50 described later, such as a vinyl chloride resin or an acrylic resin.

[0042] The supply reel 31 is made of resin or the like and has a supply shaft portion 31A around which the foil film F is wound. One end of the foil film F is fixed to the supply shaft portion 31A. The foil film F is wound around the supply reel 31 with the supporting layer on the outside and the supported layer on the inside.

[0043] The take-up reel 35 is made of resin or the like, and has a take-up shaft portion 35A for taking up the foil film F. The other end of the foil film F is fixed to the take-up shaft portion 35A. The foil film F is wound around the take-up reel 35 with the supporting layer on the outside and the supported layer on the inside. For the sake of convenience, FIG. 1 and other figures show a state in which the foil film F is wound to its maximum extent around both the supply reel 31 and the take-up reel 35.

[0044] With the film cartridge FC attached to the foil transfer device 1, the take-up reel 35 is driven to rotate counterclockwise by a drive source (not shown). When the take-up reel 35 rotates, the foil film F wound around the supply reel 31 is pulled out, and the pulled-out foil film F is taken up by the take-up reel 35. More specifically, during foil transfer, the foil film F is fed out by a pressure roller 51 and a heating roller 61 (described later), so that the foil film F is pulled out from the supply reel 31. Then, the foil film F fed out from the pressure roller 51 and the heating roller 61 is taken up by the take-up reel 35.

[0045] The transfer unit 50 is a section for transferring a transfer layer onto the toner image formed on the sheet S by applying heat and pressure to the sheet S and the foil film F in a superposed state. The transfer unit 50 includes a pressure roller 51 as an example of a pressure member, and a heating roller 61 as an example of a pressure member. The transfer unit 50 heats and presses the sheet S and the foil film F in a superposed state at a nip portion between the pressure roller 51 and the heating roller 61.

[0046] The pressure roller 51 is a roller in which the periphery of a cylindrical core metal is covered with a rubber layer made of silicone rubber. The pressure roller 51 is disposed on the upper side of the foil film F and is capable of contacting the rear surface of the sheet S (the surface opposite to the surface on which the toner image is formed).

[0047] The pressure roller 51 is disposed in the cover 22. Both ends of the pressure roller 51 are rotatably supported by the cover 22. The pressure roller 51 sandwiches the sheet S and the foil film F between itself and the heating roller 61, and is driven to rotate by a driving source (not shown), thereby rotating the heating roller 61.

[0048] The heating roller 61 is disposed in the housing main body 21. The heating roller 61 is a rotatable roller in which a heater H is disposed inside a cylindrical metal tube, and heats the foil film F and the sheet S. The heating roller 61 is disposed below the foil film F and is in contact with the foil film F.

[0049] The heating roller 61 is supported by the heating unit 6 so as to be rotatable and movable up and down. In addition to the heating roller 61, the heating unit 6 has a fixed frame 60 that configures an outer frame, a shutter 62, and a contact / separation mechanism 7.

[0050] The shutter 62 is guided by the fixed frame 60, and is slidable between a closed position and an open position in conjunction with the contact / separation mechanism 7. As shown in Fig. 1, when the heating roller 61 is in the contact position, the shutter 62 is in the open position, which is a position different from between the heating roller 61 and the pressure roller 51. As shown in Fig. 2, when the heating roller 61 is in the separation position, the shutter 62 is in the closed position, which is a position between the pressure roller 51 and the heating roller 61, and covers the heating roller 61.

[0051] The contact / separation mechanism 7 is a mechanism for moving the heating roller 61 between a pressure contact position where the heating roller 61 is in pressure contact with the pressure roller 51 and a separation position where the heating roller 61 is separated from the pressure roller 51. When the film cartridge FC is attached, the heating roller 61 contacts the foil film F when the heating roller 61 is in the pressure contact position. When the cover 22 is closed, the contact / separation mechanism 7 moves the heating roller 61 to the contact position where the heating roller 61 contacts the foil film F in accordance with the timing at which the sheet S is supplied to the transfer section 50. When the cover 22 is opened or when foil transfer to the sheet S is not performed in the transfer section 50, the contact / separation mechanism 7 positions the heating roller 61 at the separation position where the heating roller 61 is separated from the foil film F.

[0052] In the foil transfer device 1 configured in this manner, the sheets S placed on the sheet tray 3 with their front surfaces facing downwards are transported one by one toward the transfer unit 50 by the sheet supply mechanism 11. The sheets S are overlapped with the foil film F supplied from the supply reel 31 on the upstream side of the transfer unit 50 in the transport direction of the sheets S (in the following description, simply referred to as the "transport direction"), and are transported to the transfer unit 50 with the toner image on the sheets S and the foil film F in contact with each other.

[0053] In the transfer section 50, when the sheet S and the foil film F pass through a nip between the pressure roller 51 and the heating roller 61, they are heated and pressed by the heating roller 61 and the pressure roller 51, and the foil is transferred onto the toner image. On the downstream side of the transfer section 50, the foil film F is peeled off from the sheet S.

[0054] The foil film F peeled off from the sheet S is taken up by the take-up reel 35. Meanwhile, the sheet S from which the foil film F has been peeled off is discharged by the sheet discharge mechanism 12 to the outside of the housing 2 with the surface on which the foil has been transferred facing down.

[0055] The control unit 100 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a RAM (Random access Memory), a ROM (Read only Memory), and an input / output circuit, and performs various arithmetic processing based on programs and data stored in the ROM, etc., thereby controlling the foil transfer device 1. The operation of the control unit 100 will be described in detail later.

[0056] 1, the foil transfer device 1 includes a cartridge sensor AS. The cartridge sensor AS can detect whether a film cartridge FC is attached to the housing main body 21.

[0057] Here, the lock mechanism 8 that locks the cover 22 will be described in detail. 3(a), the lock mechanism 8 has a lock lever 81, an actuator 91, a swing restriction member 92, and a lock pin RP. In this embodiment, the lock lever 81 is located at the front end of the cover 22, and the actuator 91, the swing restriction member 92, and the lock pin RP are located in the housing main body 21 (see FIG. 2).

[0058] The lock lever 81 is capable of swinging between a lock position (see FIG. 4(a)) where the cover 22 is locked in the closed position, and an unlock position (see FIG. 4(c)) where the cover 22 is not locked.

[0059] As shown in Fig. 4, the lock levers 81 are provided on both ends of a cylindrical shaft 82. The shaft 82 is rotatably supported by the cover 22. A handle 83 that is operated by the user is provided at the center of the shaft 82 in the axial direction (see also Fig. 5(a)). Each lock lever 81 and handle 83 are fixed to the shaft 82. As a result, when the user rotates the handle 83, each lock lever 81 rotates together with the shaft 82.

[0060] 3(a), the tip of the lock lever 81 is hook-shaped and can be engaged with the lock pin RP. When the cover 22 is in the closed position, the lock lever 81 can move between a locked position (position in FIG. 3(a)) where it can be engaged with the lock pin RP, and an unlocked position (position in FIG. 3(c)) where it is disengaged from the lock pin RP.

[0061] The swing restricting member 92 is movable between a restricting position shown in Fig. 3(a) and non-restricting positions shown in Fig. 3(b) and (c). As shown in Fig. 3(a), the swing restricting member 92 comes into contact with the lock lever 81 at the restricting position, thereby restricting the lock lever 81 from swinging from the locked position to the non-locked position.

[0062] Furthermore, as shown in FIGS. 3(b) and 3(c), when in the non-restrictive position, the swing restricting member 92 is separated from the lock lever 81 and does not restrict the lock lever 81 from swinging from the locked position to the non-locked position.

[0063] The actuator 91 is for sliding the swing restricting member 92 between a restricting position and a non-restricting position.

[0064] Here, a description will be given of the first temperature sensor 66 and the second temperature sensor 68 provided in the heating unit 6. As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the heating unit 6 further includes the first temperature sensor 66, a metal plate 67, and a second temperature sensor 68.

[0065] The metal plate 67 is located downstream of the heating roller 61 in the transport direction. As shown in FIG.

[0066] The first temperature sensor 66 is disposed on the lower surface of the metal plate 67. That is, the first temperature sensor 66 is disposed on the surface of the metal plate 67 facing the heating roller 61, and is located downstream of the heating roller 61 in the conveying direction. The first temperature sensor 66 is disposed out of contact with the heating roller 61. The distance from the heating roller 61 to the first temperature sensor 66 is approximately the same as the distance from the heating roller 61 to the shutter 62. The first temperature sensor 66 is for estimating the temperature of the shutter 62 and executing the cover lock / unlock process of the cover 22.

[0067] The second temperature sensor 68 is located upstream of the heating roller 61 in the transport direction. As shown in Fig. 6, in this embodiment, a plurality of second temperature sensors 68 are arranged, and the plurality of second temperature sensors 68 are lined up in the width direction of the foil film F. The second temperature sensor 68 is arranged in contact with the heating roller 61. The second temperature sensor 68 is arranged closer to the heating roller 61 than the first temperature sensor 66, and detects the temperature of the heating roller 61. The second temperature sensor 68 is for detecting the temperature of the heating roller 61 and controlling the temperature of the heating roller 61.

[0068] The first temperature sensor 66 and the second temperature sensor 68 are made of thermistors whose resistance value decreases as the temperature rises. As shown in FIG. 7(a), the first temperature sensor 66 and the first resistor 66R constitute a resistive voltage divider circuit. As shown in FIG. 7(b), the second temperature sensor 68 and the second resistor 68R constitute a resistive voltage divider circuit. In this embodiment, the resistance value R1 of the first resistor 66R is greater than the resistance value R2 of the second resistor 68R. Between the input voltage VDD3 and the ground GND, the first temperature sensor 66 is located closer to the input voltage VDD3 than the first resistor 66R. Between the input voltage VDD3 and the ground GND, the second temperature sensor 68 is located closer to the input voltage VDD3 than the second resistor 68R.

[0069] Fig. 7(c) is a graph showing the relationship between temperature and the voltage value Vthm output by the first temperature sensor 66 and the second temperature sensor 68. When converting the voltage value Vthm of the first temperature sensor 66 to temperature T1, the control unit 100 performs the conversion by referring to a table showing the relationship between the voltage value Vthm and temperature T1 according to the graph of Fig. 7(c).

[0070] The control unit 100 obtains the potential between the first temperature sensor 66 and the first resistor 66R as a voltage value Vthm of the first temperature sensor 66. The control unit 100 converts the voltage value Vthm obtained from the first temperature sensor 66 into a temperature T1. The control unit 100 acquires the potential between the second temperature sensor 68 and the second resistor 68R as a voltage value Vthm of the second temperature sensor 68. The control unit 100 converts the voltage value Vthm acquired from the second temperature sensor 68 into a temperature T2.

[0071] At 0° C., the voltage value Vthm of the first temperature sensor 66 is a different value from the voltage value Vthm of the second temperature sensor 68. In this embodiment, at each temperature, for example, 0° C., 100° C., 200° C., and 300° C., the voltage value Vthm of the first temperature sensor 66 is greater than the voltage value Vthm of the second temperature sensor 68.

[0072] Moreover, in the range from 0° C. to 1° C., the slope of the graph for the first temperature sensor 66 is greater than the slope of the graph for the second temperature sensor 68. In other words, the difference between the voltage value Vthm of the first temperature sensor 66 at 0° C. and the voltage value Vthm of the first temperature sensor 66 at 1° C. is greater than the difference between the voltage value Vthm of the second temperature sensor 68 at 0° C. and the voltage value Vthm of the second temperature sensor 68 at 1° C. On the other hand, at fixing temperatures (130 to 170° C., for example), the slope of the graph for the second temperature sensor 68 is greater than the slope of the graph for the first temperature sensor 66.

[0073] Moreover, the voltage value Vthm of the first temperature sensor 66 at 0° C. is 0.1 V or more. On the other hand, the voltage value Vthm of the second temperature sensor 68 at 0° C. is less than 0.1V.

[0074] Next, the control of the lock mechanism 8 by the control unit 100 will be described.

[0075] After the foil transfer apparatus 1 is powered on, the control unit 100 repeatedly executes the cover locking / unlocking process and the sensor failure determination while the power is on.

[0076] As the cover lock / unlock process, when the temperature T1 indicated by the voltage value Vthm of the first temperature sensor 66 is equal to or higher than a first threshold, the control unit 100 controls the lock mechanism 8 to lock the cover 22. The first threshold is, for example, 85°C.

[0077] As a cover lock / unlock process, when the temperature T1 indicated by the voltage value Vthm of the first temperature sensor 66 is less than a second threshold value that is smaller than the first threshold value, the control unit 100 controls the lock mechanism 8 to unlock the cover 22. As an example, the second threshold value is 75°C. The difference between the first threshold value and the second threshold value is preferably 5 to 15°C.

[0078] While the cover 22 is open, the control unit 100 does not lock the cover 22, regardless of the temperature T1 of the first temperature sensor 66. The control unit 100 determines whether the cover 22 is in the closed position or the open position using a cover sensor (not shown), and does not lock the cover 22 when the cover 22 is in the open position, regardless of the temperature T1 of the first temperature sensor 66.

[0079] The control unit 100 locks the cover 22 while the foil transfer for transferring the foil onto the sheet S is being performed, and does not unlock the cover 22 regardless of the temperature T1 of the first temperature sensor 66.

[0080] As the sensor failure determination, the control unit 100 always determines whether the first temperature sensor 66 has failed at predetermined time intervals while the power supply of the foil transfer device 1 is on. Specifically, the control unit 100 determines whether the first temperature sensor 66 has failed before, during, or after foil transfer is performed to transfer foil to a sheet after the foil transfer device 1 is turned on.

[0081] In this embodiment, the control unit 100 converts the voltage value Vthm of the first temperature sensor 66 to a temperature T1, and determines whether the first temperature sensor 66 has failed based on the converted temperature T1. The control unit 100 determines that the first temperature sensor 66 has failed when the temperature T1 converted from the voltage value Vthm of the first temperature sensor 66 is −25° C. or lower.

[0082] Then, the control unit 100 determines that the first temperature sensor 66 has failed if the state in which the voltage value Vthm of the first temperature sensor 66 is outside the predetermined range continues for a predetermined time. In this embodiment, the control unit 100 determines that the first temperature sensor 66 has failed if the state in which the temperature T1 converted based on the voltage value Vthm of the first temperature sensor 66 is -25°C or lower continues for three seconds or more. In other words, even if the control unit 100 determines that the temperature T1 is -25°C or lower, if the state in which the temperature is -25°C or lower does not continue for three seconds or more, the control unit 100 does not determine that the first temperature sensor 66 has failed.

[0083] If the control unit 100 determines that the first temperature sensor 66 has failed, it stops controlling the locking mechanism 8 based on the voltage value Vthm of the first temperature sensor 66, and controls the locking mechanism 8 based on the voltage value Vthm of the second temperature sensor 68.

[0084] Next, an example of a cover lock process executed by the control unit 100 during standby when the foil transfer process is not being executed will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS.

[0085] As shown in FIG. 8, when the control unit 100 determines that the power supply of the foil transfer device 1 is turned on (S1, Yes), the control unit 100 executes a cover lock / unlock process (S2).

[0086] As shown in FIG. 9, in the cover lock / unlock process, the control unit 100 determines whether the cover 22 is locked (S20).

[0087] In step S20, when it is determined that the cover 22 is locked (S20, Yes), the control unit 100 determines whether the first temperature sensor 66 is malfunctioning (S21).

[0088] In step S21, when the control unit 100 determines that the first temperature sensor 66 is broken (S21, Yes), it acquires the temperature T2 based on the second temperature sensor 68 (S22), and determines whether the acquired temperature T2 is smaller than a fourth threshold (T2<fourth threshold?) (S23). Note that the fourth threshold is a value larger than the second threshold.

[0089] In step S23, if the control unit 100 determines that the temperature T2 is lower than the fourth threshold value (S23, Yes), it determines that the cover 22 may be opened, releases the cover lock (S24), and ends the cover lock / unlock process.

[0090] In step S23, if control unit 100 does not determine that temperature T2 is lower than the fourth threshold value (S23, No), it determines that cover 22 should not be opened, does not release the cover lock, and ends the cover lock / unlock process.

[0091] On the other hand, in step S21, if the control unit 100 does not determine that the first temperature sensor 66 is faulty (S21, No), it acquires the temperature T1 based on the first temperature sensor 66 (S25) and determines whether the acquired temperature T1 is smaller than the second threshold value (T1<second threshold value?) (S26).

[0092] In step S26, if the control unit 100 determines that the temperature T1 is lower than the second threshold value (S26, Yes), it determines that the cover 22 may be opened, releases the cover lock (S27), and ends the cover lock / unlock process.

[0093] In step S26, if control unit 100 does not determine that temperature T1 is lower than the second threshold value (S26, No), it determines that cover 22 should not be opened, does not release the cover lock, and ends the cover lock / unlock process.

[0094] In step S20, when the control unit 100 has not determined that the cover 22 is locked (S20, No), the control unit 100 determines whether the first temperature sensor 66 is malfunctioning (S31).

[0095] In step S31, when the control unit 100 determines that the first temperature sensor 66 is broken (S31, Yes), it acquires the temperature T2 based on the second temperature sensor 68 (S32), and determines whether the acquired temperature T2 is equal to or greater than the third threshold (T2≧third threshold?) (S33). The third threshold is a value greater than the fourth threshold. The third threshold is also a value greater than the first threshold.

[0096] In step S33, if the control unit 100 determines that the temperature T2 is equal to or higher than the third threshold value (S33, Yes), it determines that the cover 22 should not be opened, locks the cover 22 (S34), and ends the cover lock / unlock process.

[0097] In step S33, if control unit 100 does not determine that temperature T2 is equal to or higher than the third threshold value (S33, No), it determines that cover 22 may be opened, does not lock the cover, and ends the cover lock / unlock process.

[0098] On the other hand, in step S31, if the control unit 100 does not determine that the first temperature sensor 66 is faulty (S31, No), it acquires a temperature T1 based on the first temperature sensor 66 (S35) and determines whether the acquired temperature T1 is greater than or equal to the first threshold value (T1≧first threshold value?) (S36).

[0099] In step S36, if the control unit 100 determines that the temperature T1 is equal to or higher than the first threshold value (S36, Yes), it determines that the cover 22 should not be opened, locks the cover 22 (S37), and ends the cover lock / unlock process.

[0100] In step S36, if the control unit 100 does not determine that the temperature T1 is equal to or higher than the first threshold value (S36, No), it determines that the cover 22 may be opened and ends the cover lock / unlock process without locking the cover 22.

[0101] As shown in FIG. 8, after performing the cover lock / unlock process (S2), the control unit 100 determines whether or not foil transfer is to be performed (S3).

[0102] In step S3, if the control unit 100 does not determine that foil transfer is to be performed (S3, No), the control unit 100 returns to step S2 and executes the cover lock / unlock process (S2) again. That is, the control unit 100 repeatedly executes the cover lock / unlock process (S2) while the power is on.

[0103] In step S3, if the control unit 100 determines that foil transfer is to be performed (S3, Yes), it determines whether the cover 22 is locked (S4), and if it does not determine that the cover 22 is locked (S4, No), it locks the cover 22 (S5), and if it determines that the cover 22 is locked (S4, Yes), it performs the foil transfer operation without locking the cover 22 (S6).

[0104] After step S6, the control unit 100 continues the foil transfer operation (S6) until the foil transfer operation is completed, and if it is determined that the foil transfer operation is completed (S7, Yes), the control unit 100 proceeds to step S2.

[0105] The control unit 100 repeatedly executes the sensor failure determination while the power supply of the foil transfer device 1 is on. As shown in Fig. 10, the control unit 100 waits for a predetermined time for the sensor failure determination (S50) and acquires the temperature T1 based on the first temperature sensor 66 (S51).

[0106] After step S51, the control unit 100 determines whether the acquired temperature T1 is −25° C. or less (T1≦−25° C.?) (S52). If the control unit 100 does not determine that the acquired temperature T1 is −25° C. or less (S52, No), it determines that the first temperature sensor 66 is not broken and returns to step S50.

[0107] On the other hand, if the control unit 100 determines that the acquired temperature T1 is −25° C. or lower (Yes in S52), it assumes that the first temperature sensor 66 may have failed and starts measuring the abnormal temperature duration t (S53).

[0108] After step S53, the control unit 100 waits for a predetermined time (S54), acquires the temperature T1 again based on the first temperature sensor 66 (S55), and determines whether the reacquired temperature T1 is below -25°C (T1≦-25°C?) (S56).

[0109] In step S56, when the control unit 100 determines that the temperature T1 acquired again is not equal to or lower than −25° C. (S56, No), it ends the measurement of the temperature abnormality duration t (S59) and returns to step S50.

[0110] In step S56, if the control unit 100 determines that the temperature T1 acquired again is -25°C or lower (S56, Yes), it determines whether the temperature abnormality duration t is 3 seconds or more (S57). If the control unit 100 does not determine that the temperature abnormality duration t is 3 seconds or more (S57, No), it returns to step S54, and if it determines that the temperature abnormality duration t is 3 seconds or more (S57, Yes), it determines that the first temperature sensor 66 has failed (S58) and ends the sensor failure determination.

[0111] According to the configuration described above, the following effects can be obtained in this embodiment.

[0112] In the conventional foil transfer device 1, it was not possible to determine whether the temperature sensor had failed. Therefore, when the temperature sensor failed, it was not possible to perform control in response to the failure. However, the control unit 100 of the present embodiment can determine whether the first temperature sensor 66 has failed based on the voltage value Vthm of the first temperature sensor 66, and therefore can perform control in response to the failure.

[0113] Furthermore, the control unit 100 determines that the first temperature sensor 66 has failed when the voltage value Vthm of the first temperature sensor 66 is outside the predetermined range, or −25° C. or lower in this embodiment. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the control unit 100 determines that the first temperature sensor 66 has failed when the state in which the voltage value Vthm of the first temperature sensor 66 is outside the predetermined range continues for a predetermined time, or 3 seconds or more in this embodiment. Therefore, even if the control unit 100 determines that the voltage value Vthm of the first temperature sensor 66 is outside the predetermined range, the control unit 100 does not determine that the first temperature sensor 66 has failed unless the state outside the predetermined range continues for the predetermined time, and therefore it is possible to prevent the control unit 100 from erroneously determining that the first temperature sensor 66 has failed.

[0114] Furthermore, when the control unit 100 determines that the first temperature sensor 66 has failed, it controls the locking mechanism 8 based on the voltage value Vthm of the second temperature sensor 68. Therefore, even if the first temperature sensor 66 has failed, the control unit 100 can appropriately control the locking mechanism 8 based on the second temperature sensor 68. The second temperature sensor 68 is not provided for the occasion when the second temperature sensor 66 has failed, but is provided for the purpose of controlling the heating roller 61, so there is no need to provide an extra temperature sensor for dealing with a failure.

[0115] Furthermore, when the temperature T1 is equal to or higher than the first threshold, the control unit 100 controls the locking mechanism 8 to lock the cover 22, and when the temperature T1 is lower than a second threshold that is lower than the first threshold, the control unit 100 controls the locking mechanism 8 to unlock the cover 22. Therefore, by making the second threshold smaller than the first threshold, it is possible to prevent the cover 22 from being locked and unlocked repeatedly too frequently.

[0116] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, but can be used in various forms as exemplified below.

[0117] In the above embodiment, the first temperature sensor 66 is located between the input voltage VDD3 and ground GND, closer to the input voltage VDD3 than the first resistor 66R (see FIG. 7(a)). Also, the second temperature sensor 68 is located between the input voltage VDD3 and ground GND, closer to the input voltage VDD3 than the second resistor 68R (see FIG. 7(b)). However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration. For example, as shown in Fig. 11(a), the first temperature sensor 66 may be located closer to ground GND than the first resistor 66R between the input voltage VDD3 and ground GND. Also, as shown in Fig. 11(a), the second temperature sensor 68 may be located closer to ground GND than the second resistor 68R between the input voltage VDD3 and ground GND. In such a case, a graph showing the relationship between the temperature and the voltage value Vthm detected by the first temperature sensor 66 and the second temperature sensor 68 is as shown in Fig. 11(c).

[0118] In the embodiment, the control unit 100 converts the voltage value Vthm of the first temperature sensor 66 to the temperature T1 and determines whether the first temperature sensor 66 has failed based on the converted temperature T1, but the control unit 100 may be configured to determine whether the first temperature sensor 66 has failed based on the voltage value Vthm of the first temperature sensor 66 without converting the voltage value Vthm of the first temperature sensor 66 to the temperature T1. Specifically, the control unit 100 may determine that the first temperature sensor 66 has failed when the voltage value Vthm of the first temperature sensor 66 is outside a predetermined range, without converting the voltage value Vthm of the first temperature sensor 66 to a temperature. For example, in the first temperature sensor 66 in the form shown in FIG. 7(a), when the voltage value Vthm of the first temperature sensor 66 is less than 0.1V, the control unit 100 can determine that the first temperature sensor 66 has failed. For example, in the case of the first temperature sensor 66 shown in FIG. 11(a), when the voltage value Vthm of the first temperature sensor 66 is greater than 3.3V, the control unit 100 can determine that the first temperature sensor 66 has failed.

[0119] In the above embodiment, when the control unit 100 converts the voltage value Vthm of the first temperature sensor 66 to the temperature T1, the control unit 100 converts the voltage value Vthm of the first temperature sensor 66 by referring to a table according to the graph in FIG. 7(c). However, this is not limited to the above configuration, and the control unit 100 may convert the voltage value Vthm of the first temperature sensor 66 to the temperature T1 by using a formula according to the graph in FIG. 7(c).

[0120] In the above embodiment, the control unit 100 converted the voltage value Vthm of the first temperature sensor 66 to a temperature T1 and controlled the locking mechanism 8 based on the converted temperature T1. However, the control unit 100 may be configured to control the locking mechanism 8 based on the voltage value Vthm of the first temperature sensor 66.

[0121] The elements described in the above-mentioned embodiment and modified examples may be implemented in any combination. [Explanation of symbols]

[0122] 1 Foil transfer device 6 Heating Unit 8 Locking mechanism 21. Main unit 21A opening 22 Cover 61 Heating roller 62 Shutter 66 First temperature sensor 67 Sheet Metal 68 Second Temperature Sensor 81 Lock lever 100 Control section

Claims

1. A foil transfer device that overlays a sheet on a foil film containing a foil and transfers the foil to the sheet, A housing body having an opening; a cover movable between a closed position that closes the opening and an open position that opens the opening; a locking mechanism capable of locking the cover in the closed position; a heating member for heating the foil film and the sheet; a pressure member for sandwiching the foil film and the sheet between the pressure member and the heating member; A first temperature sensor; a second temperature sensor disposed closer to the heating member than the first temperature sensor and configured to detect a temperature of the heating member; A control unit, The control unit is determining whether the first temperature sensor has failed based on a voltage value of the first temperature sensor; controlling the lock mechanism based on a voltage value of the first temperature sensor; A foil transfer device characterized in that, when it is determined that the first temperature sensor has failed, control of the locking mechanism based on the voltage value of the first temperature sensor is stopped, and the locking mechanism is controlled based on the voltage value of the second temperature sensor.

2. The sheet-like film further includes a metal plate facing the heating member, the metal plate extending in the width direction of the foil film and located downstream of the heating member in the sheet conveying direction, 2. The foil transfer device according to claim 1, wherein the first temperature sensor is disposed on the metal plate.

3. the first temperature sensor is disposed in a non-contact manner with the heating member, 3. The foil transfer device according to claim 1, wherein the second temperature sensor is disposed in contact with the heating member.

4. The control unit is When a temperature indicated by a voltage value of the first temperature sensor is equal to or higher than a first threshold value, the locking mechanism is controlled to lock the cover; 4. The foil transfer device according to claim 1, further comprising: a locking mechanism that controls the cover to be unlocked when the temperature indicated by the voltage value of the first temperature sensor is less than a second threshold value that is lower than the first threshold value.

5. 5. The foil transfer device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit determines that the first temperature sensor has failed when a voltage value of the first temperature sensor is outside a predetermined range.

6. The control unit is 5. The foil transfer device according to claim 1, wherein the first temperature sensor is determined to have failed if the voltage value of the first temperature sensor remains outside a predetermined range for a predetermined period of time.

7. 7. The foil transfer device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit converts the voltage value of the first temperature sensor into a temperature and determines whether the first temperature sensor has failed based on the converted temperature.

8. 8. The foil transfer device according to claim 7, wherein the control unit converts the voltage value of the first temperature sensor into a temperature by referring to a table showing a relationship between a voltage value and a temperature.

9. The foil transfer device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the control unit determines whether the first temperature sensor has failed before performing foil transfer to transfer the foil to the sheet after the foil transfer device is turned on.

10. 10. The foil transfer device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit determines whether the first temperature sensor has failed during foil transfer for transferring the foil onto the sheet.

11. 11. The foil transfer device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit determines whether the first temperature sensor has failed after performing foil transfer to transfer the foil onto the sheet.

12. 12. The foil transfer device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit constantly determines whether the first temperature sensor has failed at every predetermined time while the foil transfer device is turned on.

13. The foil transfer device further includes a second temperature sensor disposed closer to the heating member than the first temperature sensor, 13. The foil transfer device according to claim 1, wherein at 0[deg.] C., the voltage value of the first temperature sensor is different from the voltage value of the second temperature sensor.

14. The foil transfer device further includes a second temperature sensor disposed closer to the heating member than the first temperature sensor, 14. The foil transfer device according to claim 1, wherein a difference between a voltage value of the first temperature sensor at 0°C and a voltage value of the first temperature sensor at 1°C is greater than a difference between a voltage value of the second temperature sensor at 0°C and a voltage value of the second temperature sensor at 1°C.

15. 15. The foil transfer device according to claim 1, wherein a voltage value of the first temperature sensor at 0[deg.] C. is 0.1 V or more.

16. The foil transfer device further includes a second temperature sensor disposed closer to the heating member than the first temperature sensor, the first temperature sensor and the second temperature sensor are thermistors whose resistance value decreases as the temperature increases, the first temperature sensor forms a resistor voltage divider circuit together with a first resistor; the second temperature sensor forms a resistor voltage divider circuit together with a second resistor; the control unit acquires a potential between the first temperature sensor and the first resistor as a voltage value of the first temperature sensor; 16. The foil transfer device according to claim 1, wherein the resistance value of the first resistor is greater than the resistance value of the second resistor.

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