Printer System

Abstract

To provide a printer system which can be manufactured more easily by assembling multiple modules easily.SOLUTION: A printer system 1 includes multiple modules 10, 30, 20 which are connected to each other. Each of the modules 10, 30, 20 includes: a housing 11, 31, 21; and a connection body 15, 35, 25. An insertion hole 16, 36, 26 is provided at one of the housing 11, 31, 21 and the connection body 15, 35, 25. The other is provided with an insertion pin 13, 33, 23.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a printer system that can be easily and simply assembled by combining a plurality of modules.

Background Art

[0002] As a sublimation printer, a printer system formed by combining a plurality of modules is known.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, conventionally, a printer system that can be easily and simply assembled with a plurality of modules and whose structure can be simplified has not been developed.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of such points, and an object thereof is to provide a printer system having a simple structure and capable of being easily and simply assembled.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The present disclosure relates to a printer system including three or more modules arranged continuously and connected to each other. The upstream module has a printing paper supply function for supplying printing paper, the downstream module has a printing paper winding function for winding up the printing paper, and other modules include a printer module for performing printing on the printing paper. Each module has a housing and, on one surface of the housing, a connecting body provided to protrude from this surface and smaller than the housing. An insertion hole is formed in one of the outer surface of the connecting body and the other surface of the housing facing the one surface, and an insertion pin to be inserted into the insertion hole of the adjacent module is provided on the other surface.

[0007] The present disclosure relates to a printer system in which a running area of the printing paper is formed in a region other than the connecting body among the housings of the respective modules.

[0008] The present disclosure relates to a printer system in which the height of the connecting body of each module is 1 / 4 to 1 / 2 of the height of the housing.

[0009] The present disclosure relates to a printer system in which the width of the connecting body of each module is the same as the width of the housing.

[0010] The present disclosure relates to a printer system in which a guiding path for the printing paper is provided in the running area between the housings.

[0011] The present disclosure relates to a printer system in which a plurality of the other modules are installed, located on the downstream side of the printer module, and include a cover sheet attaching module for attaching a cover sheet to the printing paper.

[0012] The present disclosure relates to a printer system in which a plurality of the printer modules are installed.

[0013] The present disclosure relates to a printer system in which a plurality of the insertion pins and the insertion holes of each module are provided side by side in the horizontal direction.

[0014] The present disclosure relates to a printer system in which openings through which the printing paper passes are formed on one surface and the other surface of the housing of each module.

[0015] The present disclosure relates to a printer system in which a first contact is provided on one of the outer surface of the connecting body and the other surface of the housing, and a second contact that can be electrically connected to the first contact of an adjacent module is provided on the other.

Advantages of the Invention

[0016] As described above, according to the present disclosure, a printer system that can be easily assembled and whose overall structure can be simplified by combining a plurality of modules can be obtained.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0017]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

Figure 10

Figure 11

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0018] <First Embodiment> Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0019] FIGS. 1 to 5 are diagrams showing a first embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0020] First, the printer system 1 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5.

[0021] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, the printer system 1 includes three modules 10, 30, and 20 that are arranged continuously and connected to each other. Among these, the upstream module 10 is a printing paper supply module 10 having a printing paper supply function for supplying a roll-shaped printing paper W, and the downstream module 20 is a printing paper winding module 20 having a function of winding up the printed printing paper W.

[0022] Also, a printer module 30 for printing on the printing paper W is installed between the printing paper supply module 10 and the printing paper winding module 20.

[0023] Among these, the printing paper supply module 10 has a housing 11 and a printing paper supply unit 17 built in the housing 11. The printing paper W supplied from the printing paper supply unit 17 is guided by a guide roller 18a and a nip roller 18b and sent to the printer module 30 through an opening 12b on the other surface 11b described later.

[0024] The printing paper winding module 20 also includes a housing 21 and a printing paper winding unit 27 built into the housing 21. The printed paper W printed by the printer module 30 enters through the opening 22a on one surface 21a described later, and this printed paper W is guided by the nip roller 28a and the guide roller 28b and wound by the printing paper winding unit 27.

[0025] Furthermore, the printer module 30 includes a housing 31, an ink ribbon supply unit 37 provided in the housing 31 for supplying the ink ribbon 39, and an ink ribbon winding unit 38 provided in the housing 31 for winding the ink ribbon 39. Also provided in the housing 31 are a thermal head 90 and a platen roller 91 that sandwich the printing paper W and the ink ribbon 39 to print on the printing paper W.

[0026] Also provided in the housing 31 are a nip roller 92a and a guide roller 92b for guiding the printing paper W sent from the printing paper supply module 10 toward the thermal head 90. Further, the printed paper W printed by the thermal head 90 is discharged to the printing paper winding module 20 side through the opening 32b provided on the other surface 31b of the housing 31 via the nip roller 93a and the nip roller 93b.

[0027] Furthermore, on one surface 31a of the housing 31 of the printer module 30, a guide path 95 for guiding the printing paper W sent from the printing paper supply module 10 is provided (see FIGS. 2 and 3).

[0028] Furthermore, in the housing 31, guide paths 95 for guiding the printing paper W are also provided between the nip roller 92a and the guide roller 92b, between the guide roller 92b and the platen roller 91, and between the nip roller 93a and the nip roller 93b.

[0029] These guide paths 95 are supported in the housing 31 by a support mechanism (not shown).

[0030] By the way, the ink ribbon 39 supplied from the ink ribbon supply unit 37 built in the printer module 30 includes three colors of yellow, magenta, and cyan, and an overcoat layer, and it is possible to print the three colors of yellow, magenta, and cyan and the OP layer on the printing paper W only with the ink ribbon 39.

[0031] Next, the structures of the printing paper supply module 10, the printer module 30, and the printing paper take-up module 20 will be further described.

[0032] The printing paper supply module 10 has a rectangular parallelepiped housing 11 as described above, and a rectangular parallelepiped connecting body 15 provided to protrude from one surface 11a of the housing 11. Further, on one of the outer surface 15a of the connecting body 15 and the other surface 11b facing the one surface 11a, for example, two insertion holes 16 are formed side by side in the horizontal direction on the outer surface 15a of the connecting body 15, and on the other side, for example, two insertion pins 13 to be inserted into insertion holes 36 provided in a connecting body 35, which will be described later, of the printer module 30 adjacent to the other surface 11b are provided side by side in the horizontal direction.

[0033] The printing paper take-up module 20 has a rectangular parallelepiped housing 21 as described above, and a rectangular parallelepiped connecting body 25 provided to protrude from one surface 21a of the housing 21. Further, on one of the outer surface 25a of the connecting body 25 and the other surface 21b facing the one surface 21a, for example, two insertion holes 26 are formed side by side in the horizontal direction on the outer surface 25a of the connecting body 25, and on the other side, for example, two insertion pins 23 are provided side by side in the horizontal direction.

[0034] The printer module 30 also has a rectangular parallelepiped housing 31 as described above, and a rectangular parallelepiped connecting body 35 provided to protrude from one surface 31a of the housing 31. Further, on one of the outer surface 35a of the connecting body 35 and the other surface 35b facing the one surface 31a, for example, two insertion holes 36 are formed side by side in the horizontal direction on the outer surface 35a of the connecting body 35, and on the other side, for example, two insertion pins 33 to be inserted into the insertion holes 26 provided in the connecting body 25 of the printing paper take-up module 20 adjacent to the other surface 31b are provided side by side in the horizontal direction.

[0035] In the present embodiment, the housing 11 of the printing paper supply module 10 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape and is larger than the similarly rectangular parallelepiped connecting body 15. Further, the connecting body 15 has substantially the same width as the housing 11, and its height is about 1 / 4 to 1 / 2 of the height of the housing 11. Here, the widths of the connecting body 15 and the housing 11 refer to the widths along the direction orthogonal to the running direction of the printing paper W.

[0036] The housing 21 of the printing paper take-up module 20 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape and is larger than the similarly rectangular parallelepiped connecting body 25. Further, the connecting body 25 has substantially the same width as the housing 21, and its height is about 1 / 4 to 1 / 2 of the height of the housing 21. Here, the widths of the connecting body 25 and the housing 21 refer to the widths along the direction orthogonal to the running direction of the printing paper W.

[0037] The housing 31 of the printer module 30 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape and is larger than the similarly rectangular parallelepiped connecting body 35. Further, the connecting body 35 has substantially the same width as the housing 31, and its height is about 1 / 4 to 1 / 2 of the height of the housing 31. Here, the widths of the connecting body 35 and the housing 31 refer to the widths along the direction orthogonal to the running direction of the printing paper W.

[0038] Furthermore, openings 12a and 12b through which the printing paper W passes are provided above the connecting body 15 on one surface 11a and the other surface 11b of the housing 11 of the printing paper supply module 10, a first contact 81a is provided on the other surface 11b of the housing 11, and a second contact 81b is provided on the outer surface 15a of the connecting body 15.

[0039] Also, on one surface 21a and the other surface 21b of the housing 21 of the printing paper take-up module 20, openings 22a and 22b through which the printing paper W passes are provided above the connecting body 25, respectively. On the other surface 21b of the housing 21, a first contact 81a is provided, and on the outer surface 25a of the connecting body 25, a second contact 81b electrically connected to the first contact 81a of the adjacent printer module 30 is provided.

[0040] Furthermore, on one surface 31a and the other surface 31b of the housing 31 of the printer module 30, openings 32a and 32b through which the printing paper W passes are provided above the connecting body 35, respectively. On the other surface 31b of the housing 31, a first contact 81a is provided. On the outer surface 35a of the connecting body 35, a second contact 81b electrically connected to the first contact 81a of the adjacent printing paper supply module 10 is provided.

[0041] By the way, it is preferable that the housing 11 and the connecting body 15 of the printing paper supply module 10, the housing 21 and the connecting body 25 of the printing paper take-up module 20, and the housing 31 and the connecting body 35 of the printer module 30 all have the same outer shape and the same structure. In this way, by using the housings and the connecting bodies having the same outer shape and the same structure, and arranging the internal structures corresponding to each module in the housing, each module 10, 20, 30 can be easily manufactured.

[0042] Next, the operation of the present embodiment having such a configuration will be described.

[0043] First, as shown in FIG. 4, a printing paper supply module 10, a printing paper take-up module 20, and a printer module 30 are prepared.

[0044] In FIG. 4, the printing paper supply unit 17 has not yet been arranged inside the housing 11 of the printing paper supply module 10, and the printing paper winding unit 27 has not yet been arranged inside the housing 21 of the printing paper winding module 20 either.

[0045] Next, as shown in FIG. 5, the other surface 11b of the housing 11 of the printing paper supply module 10 is joined to the outer surface 35a of the connector 35 of the printer module 30. At this time, the insertion pin 13 provided on the housing 11 of the printing paper supply module 10 is inserted into the insertion hole 36 provided on the connector 35 of the printer module 30.

[0046] Also, the first contact 81a provided on the housing 11 of the printing paper supply module 10 is electrically connected to the second contact 81b provided on the connector 35 of the printer module 30, and the information on the connection between the first contact 81a and the second contact 81b is sent to the external control circuit 9.

[0047] In this way, the housing 11 of the printing paper supply module 10 and the connector 35 of the printer module 30 can be accurately positioned and joined.

[0048] Similarly, the other surface 31b of the housing 31 of the printer module 30 is joined to the outer surface 25a of the connector 25 of the printing paper winding module 20. At this time, the insertion pin 33 provided on the housing 31 of the printer module 30 is inserted into the insertion hole 26 provided on the connector 25 of the printing paper winding module 20.

[0049] Also, the first contact 81a provided on the housing 31 of the printer module 30 is electrically connected to the second contact 81b provided on the connector 25 of the printing paper winding module 20, and the information on the connection between the first contact 81a and the second contact 81b is sent to the external control circuit 9.

[0050] In this way, the housing 31 of the printer module 30 and the connector 25 of the printing paper winding module 20 can be accurately positioned and joined.

[0051] After that, a printing paper supply unit 17 is installed in the housing 11 of the printing paper supply module 10, and a printing paper take-up unit 27 is installed in the housing 21 of the printing paper take-up module 20. In this way, the printer system 1 is obtained (see FIG. 5).

[0052] Next, as shown in FIG. 1, printing paper W is supplied from the printing paper supply unit 17 disposed in the housing 11 of the printing paper supply module 10. The printing paper W passes through the guide roller 18a and the nip roller 18b in the housing 11, is discharged from the opening 12b of the housing 11, is guided to the guide path 95 of the printer module 30, and enters the housing 31 of the printer module 30 from the opening 32a.

[0053] The printing paper W sent into the housing 31 of the printer module 30 sequentially passes through the nip roller 92a, the guide roller 92b, and the guide path 95 and is sent between the thermal head 90 and the platen roller 91.

[0054] Similarly, the ink ribbon 39 is sent from the ink ribbon supply unit 37 between the thermal head 90 and the platen roller 91. In this case, the ink ribbon 39 has each color of yellow, magenta, cyan, and an overcoat layer.

[0055] Then, between the thermal head 90 and the platen roller 91, the printing paper W and the ink ribbon 39 are clamped, and the ink ribbon 39 is heated and pressed against the printing paper W by the thermal head 90. In this way, by the thermal head 90, each color of yellow, magenta, and cyan provided on the ink ribbon 39 is thermally transferred to the printing paper W in a sublimation method, and further, the overcoat layer is thermally transferred onto the printing paper W onto which each color has been thermally transferred, and printing is performed.

[0056] By heating and pressing the ink ribbon 39 with the thermal head 90 in this way, each color of yellow, magenta, and cyan and the overcoat layer are thermally transferred onto the upper surface of the printing paper W, and printing is performed.

[0057] In this way, the printing paper W printed on the upper surface by the thermal head 90 is sent out of the housing 31 of the printer module 30 through the nip roller 93a, the nip roller 93b, and the guide path 95 from the opening 32b.

[0058] After that, the printing paper W sent out from the housing 31 of the printer module 30 enters the housing 21 through the opening 22a from the guide path 95 provided in the housing 21 of the printing paper take-up module 20.

[0059] Next, inside the housing 21 of the printing paper take-up module 20, the printing paper W sequentially passes through the nip roller 28a and the guide roller 28b and is wound around the printing paper take-up portion 27.

[0060] As described above, according to this embodiment, the other surface 11b of the housing 11 of the printing paper supply module 10 and the outer surface 35a of the connecting body 35 of the printer module 30 are joined, and the insertion pin 13 provided on the housing 11 is inserted into the insertion hole 36 provided on the connecting body 35. Thus, the printing paper supply module 10 and the printer module 30 can be assembled easily and accurately.

[0061] Also, the other surface 31b of the housing 31 of the printer module 30 and the outer surface 25a of the connecting body 25 of the printing paper take-up module 20 are joined, and the insertion pin 33 provided on the housing 31 is inserted into the insertion hole 26 provided on the connecting body 25. Thus, the printer module 30 and the printing paper take-up module 20 can be assembled easily and accurately.

[0062] Furthermore, between the housings 11, 31, 21 of the respective modules 10, 30, 20, connecting bodies 35, 25 smaller than the housings 11, 31, 21 were interposed, and the height of the connecting bodies 15, 35, 25 was kept lower than that of the housings 11, 31, 21. Also, the openings 12a, 12b, 32a, 32b, 22a, 22b of the housings 11, 31, 21 were arranged above the connecting bodies 15, 35, 25. As a result, between the housings 11, 31, 21, the upper region of the connecting bodies 35, 25 can be used as a running region for the printing paper W. Also, by making the widths of the housings 11, 31, 21 the same as the widths of the connecting bodies 15, 35, 25, the width of the entire printer system 10 in the direction orthogonal to the running direction of the printing paper W can be made uniform.

[0063] <Second Embodiment> Next, a second embodiment according to the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0064] FIGS. 6 to 9 are diagrams showing a second embodiment according to the present disclosure.

[0065] In the second embodiment shown in FIGS. 6 to 9, a YMC printer module 30A, a special color printer module 40, and an OP layer printer module 50 are arranged between a printing paper supply module 10 and a printing paper take-up module 20, and other configurations are substantially the same as those of the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 5.

[0066] In the second embodiment shown in FIGS. 6 to 9, the same parts as those in the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 5 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed descriptions thereof are omitted.

[0067] First, the printer system 1 according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 to 9.

[0068] As shown in FIGS. 6 to 9, the printer system 1 includes five modules 10, 30A, 40, 50, and 20 that are arranged continuously and connected to each other. Among these, the upstream module 10 is a printing paper supply module 10 having a printing paper supply function for supplying roll-shaped printing paper W, and the downstream module 20 is a printing paper take-up module 20 having a function of taking up the printed printing paper W.

[0069] Also, between the printing paper supply module 10 and the printing paper take-up module 20, a YMC printer module 30A, a special color printer module 40, and an OP layer printer module 50 for printing on the printing paper W are installed.

[0070] Among these, the printing paper supply module 10 has a housing 11 and a printing paper supply unit 17 built in the housing 11. The printing paper W supplied from the printing paper supply unit 17 is guided by a guide roller 18a and a nip roller 18b and sent to the YMC printer module 30A through an opening 12b on the other surface 11b described later.

[0071] Also, the printing paper take-up module 20 has a housing 21 and a printing paper take-up unit 27 built in the housing 21. The printing paper W printed by the YMC printer module 30A, the special color printer module 40, and the OP layer printer module 50 enters through an opening 22a on one surface 21a described later, and this printing paper W is guided by a nip roller 28a and a guide roller 28b and taken up by the printing paper take-up unit 27.

[0072] Furthermore, the YMC printer module 30A has a housing 31, an ink ribbon supply unit 37A provided in the housing 31 for supplying an ink ribbon 39A, and an ink ribbon take-up unit 38A provided in the housing 31 for taking up the ink ribbon 39A. Also, in the housing 31, a thermal head 90 and a platen roller 91 for sandwiching the printing paper W and the ink ribbon 39A and printing on the printing paper W are provided.

[0073] In addition, in the housing 31, a nip roller 92a and a guide roller 92b for guiding the printing paper W sent from the printing paper supply module 10 toward the thermal head 90 are provided. Further, the printing paper W printed by the thermal head 90 is discharged to the special printer module 40 side through the nip rollers 93a and 93b and via the opening 32b provided in the other surface 31b of the housing 31.

[0074] Furthermore, in the housing 31 of the YMC printer module 30A, a guide path 95 for guiding the printing paper W sent from the printing paper supply module 10 is provided on one surface 31a of the housing 31 (see FIG. 6).

[0075] In addition, in the housing 31, guide paths 95 for guiding the printing paper W are also provided between the nip roller 92a and the guide roller 92b, between the guide roller 92b and the platen roller 91, and between the nip rollers 93a and 93b.

[0076] These guide paths 95 are supported in the housing 31 by a support mechanism (not shown).

[0077] By the way, the ink ribbon 39A supplied from the ink ribbon supply unit 37A built in the YMC printer module 30A includes three colors: yellow (Y), magenta (M), and cyan (C).

[0078] Furthermore, the special printer module 40 includes a housing 41, an ink ribbon supply unit 47 provided in the housing 41 for supplying the ink ribbon 49, and an ink ribbon take-up unit 48 provided in the housing 41 for taking up the ink ribbon 49. Also, in the housing 41, a thermal head 90 and a platen roller 91 for sandwiching the printing paper W and the ink ribbon 49 and performing printing on the printing paper W are provided.

[0079] Inside the housing 41, there are also provided a nip roller 92a and a guide roller 92b for guiding the printing paper W sent from the YMC printer module 30A toward the thermal head 90. Further, the printing paper W printed by the thermal head 90 is discharged toward the OP layer printer module 50 side through the nip rollers 93a and 93b and via the opening 42b provided on the other surface 41b of the housing 41.

[0080] Furthermore, on one surface 41a of the housing 41 of the special printer module 40, a guide path 95 for guiding the printing paper W sent from the YMC printer module 30A is provided (see FIG. 6).

[0081] Inside the housing 41, guide paths 95 for guiding the printing paper W are also provided between the nip roller 92a and the guide roller 92b, between the guide roller 92b and the platen roller 91, and between the nip rollers 93a and 93b.

[0082] These guide paths 95 are supported inside the housing 41 by a support mechanism (not shown).

[0083] By the way, the ink ribbon 49 supplied from the ink ribbon supply unit 47 built into the special printer module 40 includes features other than yellow, magenta, and cyan.

[0084] Furthermore, the OP layer printer module 50 includes a housing 51, an ink ribbon supply unit 57 provided inside the housing 51 for supplying the ink ribbon 59, and an ink ribbon take-up unit 58 provided inside the housing 51 for taking up the ink ribbon 59. Also, inside the housing 51, there are provided a thermal head 90 and a platen roller 91 for sandwiching the printing paper W and the ink ribbon 59 and performing printing on the printing paper W.

[0085] Also, inside the housing 51, there are provided a nip roller 92a and a guide roller 92b for guiding the printing paper W sent from the special printer module 40 toward the thermal head 90. Further, the printing paper W printed by the thermal head 90 is discharged toward the printing paper winding module 20 side through the nip rollers 93a and 93b and via the opening 52b provided on the other surface 51b of the housing 51.

[0086] Furthermore, on one surface 51a of the housing 51 of the OP layer printer module 50, a guide path 95 for guiding the printing paper W sent from the special printer module 40 is provided (see Fig. 6).

[0087] Moreover, inside the housing 51, guide paths 95 for guiding the printing paper W are also provided between the nip roller 92a and the guide roller 92b, between the guide roller 92b and the platen roller 91, and between the nip rollers 93a and 93b.

[0088] These guide paths 95 are supported inside the housing 51 by a support mechanism (not shown).

[0089] By the way, the ink ribbon 59 supplied from the ink ribbon supply unit 57 built into the OP layer printer module 50 includes an overcoat layer (OP layer).

[0090] Next, the structures of the printing paper supply module 10, the YMC printer module 30A, the special printer module 40, the OP layer printer module 50, and the printing paper winding module 20 will be further described.

[0091] The printing paper supply module 10 has a rectangular parallelepiped-shaped housing 11 as described above, and a rectangular parallelepiped-shaped connecting body 15 provided so as to protrude from one surface 11a of the housing 11. Further, on one of the outer surface 15a of the connecting body 15 and the other surface 11b facing the one surface 11a, for example, two insertion holes 16 are formed side by side in the horizontal direction on the outer surface 15a of the connecting body 15, and on the other, for example, two insertion pins 13 to be inserted into insertion holes 36 provided in a connecting body 35 of a YMC printer module 30A adjacent to the other surface 11b are provided side by side in the horizontal direction.

[0092] The printing paper take-up module 20 has a rectangular parallelepiped-shaped housing 21 as described above, and a rectangular parallelepiped-shaped connecting body 25 provided so as to protrude from one surface 21a of the housing 21. Further, on one of the outer surface 25a of the connecting body 25 and the other surface 21b facing the one surface 21a, for example, two insertion holes 26 are formed side by side in the horizontal direction on the outer surface 25a of the connecting body 25, and on the other, for example, two insertion pins 23 are provided side by side in the horizontal direction on the other surface 21b.

[0093] The YMC printer module 30A has a rectangular parallelepiped-shaped housing 31 as described above, and a rectangular parallelepiped-shaped connecting body 35 provided so as to protrude from one surface 31a of the housing 31. Further, on one of the outer surface 35a of the connecting body 35 and the other surface 35b facing the one surface 31a, for example, two insertion holes 36 are formed side by side in the horizontal direction on the outer surface 35a of the connecting body 35, and on the other, for example, two insertion pins 33 to be inserted into insertion holes 46 provided in a connecting body 45 of a special printer module 40 adjacent to the other surface 31b are provided side by side in the horizontal direction.

[0094] Further, the special printer module 40 has a rectangular parallelepiped housing 41 as described above, and a rectangular parallelepiped connecting body 45 provided so as to protrude from one surface 41a of the housing 41. Further, on one of the outer surface 45a of the connecting body 45 and the other surface 41b facing the one surface 41a, for example, two insertion holes 46 are formed side by side in the horizontal direction on the outer surface 45a of the connecting body 45, and on the other side, for example, insertion pins 43 to be inserted into the insertion holes 56 provided in the connecting body 55 of the OP layer printer module 50 adjacent to the other surface 41b are provided side by side in the horizontal direction.

[0095] Further, the OP layer printer module 50 has a rectangular parallelepiped housing 51 as described above, and a rectangular parallelepiped connecting body 55 provided so as to protrude from one surface 51a of the housing 51. Further, on one of the outer surface 55a of the connecting body 55 and the other surface 51b facing the one surface 51a, for example, two insertion holes 56 are formed side by side in the horizontal direction on the outer surface 55a of the connecting body 55, and on the other side, for example, insertion pins 53 to be inserted into the insertion holes 26 provided in the connecting body 25 of the printing paper take-up module 20 adjacent to the other surface 51b are provided side by side in the horizontal direction.

[0096] In the present embodiment, the housing 11 of the printing paper supply module 10 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape and is larger than the similarly rectangular parallelepiped connecting body 15. Further, the connecting body 15 has substantially the same width as the housing 11, and its height is about 1 / 4 to 1 / 2 of the height of the housing 11. Here, the widths of the connecting body 15 and the housing 11 refer to the widths along the direction orthogonal to the running direction of the printing paper W.

[0097] The housing 21 of the printing paper take-up module 20 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape and is larger than the similarly rectangular parallelepiped connecting body 25. Further, the connecting body 25 has substantially the same width as the housing 21, and its height is about 1 / 4 to 1 / 2 of the height of the housing 21. Here, the widths of the connecting body 25 and the housing 21 refer to the widths along the direction orthogonal to the running direction of the printing paper W.

[0098] The housing 31 of the YMC printer module 30A is in the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped and is larger than the similarly rectangular parallelepiped-shaped connecting body 35. Also, the connecting body 35 has substantially the same width as the housing 31, and its height is about 1 / 4 to 1 / 2 of the height of the housing 31. Here, the widths of the connecting body 35 and the housing 31 refer to the widths along the direction orthogonal to the running direction of the printing paper W.

[0099] Also, the housing 41 of the special printer module 40 is in the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped and is larger than the similarly rectangular parallelepiped-shaped connecting body 45. Also, the connecting body 45 has substantially the same width as the housing 41, and its height is about 1 / 4 to 1 / 2 of the height of the housing 41. Here, the widths of the connecting body 45 and the housing 41 refer to the widths along the direction orthogonal to the running direction of the printing paper W.

[0100] Also, the housing 51 of the OP layer printer module 50 is in the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped and is larger than the similarly rectangular parallelepiped-shaped connecting body 55. Also, the connecting body 55 has substantially the same width as the housing 51, and its height is about 1 / 4 to 1 / 2 of the height of the housing 51. Here, the widths of the connecting body 55 and the housing 51 refer to the widths along the direction orthogonal to the running direction of the printing paper W.

[0101] Furthermore, openings 12a and 12b through which the printing paper W passes are provided above the connecting body 15 on one surface 11a and the other surface 11b of the housing 11 of the printing paper supply module 10. A first contact 81a is provided on the other surface 11b of the housing 11, and a second contact 81b is provided on the outer surface 15a of the connecting body 15.

[0102] Also, openings 22a and 22b through which the printing paper W passes are provided above the connecting body 25 on one surface 21a and the other surface 21b of the housing 21 of the printing paper winding module 20. A first contact 81a is provided on the other surface 21b of the housing 21, and a second contact 81b that is electrically connected to the first contact 81a of the adjacent OP layer printer module 50 is provided on the outer surface 25a of the connecting body 25.

[0103] Furthermore, on one side and the other side 31b of the housing 31 of the YMC printer module 30A, openings 32a and 32b through which the printing paper W passes are provided above the connecting body 35, respectively, and a first contact 81a is provided on the other side 31b of the housing 31. On the outer surface 35a of the connecting body 35, a second contact 81b that is electrically connected to the first contact 81a of the adjacent printing paper supply module is provided.

[0104] Furthermore, on one side 41a and the other side 41b of the housing 41 of the special printer module 40, openings 42a and 42b through which the printing paper W passes are provided above the connecting body 45, respectively, and a first contact 81a is provided on the other side 41b of the housing 41. On the outer surface 45a of the connecting body 45, a second contact 81b that is electrically connected to the first contact 81a of the adjacent YMC printer module 30A is provided.

[0105] Furthermore, on one side 51a and the other side 51b of the housing 51 of the OP layer printer module 50, openings 52a and 52b through which the printing paper W passes are provided above the connecting body 55, respectively, and a first contact 81a is provided on the other side 51b of the housing 51. On the outer surface 55a of the connecting body 55, a second contact 81b that is electrically connected to the first contact 81a of the adjacent special printer module 40 is provided.

[0106] Incidentally, it is preferable that the housing 11 and the connecting body 15 of the printing paper supply module 10, the housing 21 and the connecting body 25 of the printing paper take-up module 20, the housing 31 and the connecting body 35 of the YMC printer module 30A, the housing 41 and the connecting body 45 of the special printer module 40, and the housing 51 and the connecting body 55 of the OP layer printer module 50 all have the same outer shape and the same structure. In this way, by having the housing 11 and the connecting body 15 of the printing paper supply module 10, the housing 21 and the connecting body 25 of the printing paper take-up module 20, the housing 31 and the connecting body 35 of the YMC printer module 30A, the housing 41 and the connecting body 45 of the special printer module 40, and the housing 51 and the connecting body 55 of the OP layer printer module 50 have the same outer shape and the same structure, the same outer shape and the same structure of the housing and the connecting body are used, and the internal structures corresponding to each module are arranged in the housing, so that each module 10, 20, 30A, 40, 50 can be easily manufactured.

[0107] Next, the operation of the present embodiment having such a configuration will be described.

[0108] First, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, a printing paper supply module 10, a printing paper take-up module 20, a YMC printer module 30A, a special printer module 40, an OP layer printer module 50, and a printer module 30 are prepared.

[0109] In FIGS. 7 and 8, a printing paper supply unit 17 is not yet arranged in the housing 11 of the printing paper supply module 10, and a printing paper take-up unit 27 is not yet arranged in the housing 21 of the printing paper take-up module 20.

[0110] Next, as shown in FIG. 9, the other surface 11b of the housing 11 of the printing paper supply module 10 and the outer surface 35a of the connecting body 35 of the YMC printer module 30A are joined. At this time, the insertion pin 13 provided on the housing 11 of the printing paper supply module 10 is inserted into the insertion hole 36 provided on the connecting body 35 of the YMC printer module 30A.

[0111] Also, a first contact point 81a provided on the housing 11 of the printing paper supply module 10 is electrically connected to a second contact point 81b provided on the connecting body 35 of the YMC printer module 30A, and the information obtained by the connection of the first contact point 81a and the second contact point 81b is sent to an external control circuit 9.

[0112] In this way, the housing 11 of the printing paper supply module 10 and the connecting body 35 of the YMC printer module 30A can be accurately positioned and joined.

[0113] Similarly, the YMC printer module 30A and the special feature printer module 40 are joined, and the special feature printer module 40 and the OP layer printer module 50 are joined.

[0114] Finally, the other surface 51b of the housing 51 of the OP layer printer module 50 and the outer surface 25a of the connecting body 25 of the printing paper winding module 20 are joined. At this time, an insertion pin 53 provided on the housing 51 of the OP layer printer module 50 is inserted into an insertion hole 26 provided on the connecting body 25 of the printing paper winding module 20.

[0115] Also, a first contact point 81a provided on the housing 51 of the OP layer printer module 50 is electrically connected to a second contact point 81b provided on the housing 21 of the printing paper winding module 20, and the information obtained by the connection of the first contact point 81a and the second contact point 81b is sent to an external control circuit 9.

[0116] In this way, the housing 51 of the OP layer printer module 50 and the connecting body 25 of the printing paper winding module 20 can be accurately positioned and joined.

[0117] Thereafter, a printing paper supply unit 17 is installed in the housing 11 of the printing paper supply module 10, and a printing paper winding unit 27 is installed in the housing 21 of the printing paper winding module 20, and in this way, the printer system 1 is obtained (see FIG. 9).

[0118] Next, as shown in FIG. 6, printing paper W is supplied from a printing paper supply unit 17 disposed within a housing 11 of a printing paper supply module 10. The printing paper W passes through guide rollers 18a and nip rollers 18b within the housing 11, is discharged from an opening 12b of the housing 11, is guided to a guide path 95 of a YMC printer module 30A, and enters the housing 31 of the YMC printer module 30A from an opening 32a.

[0119] The printing paper W sent into the housing 31 of the YMC printer module 30A sequentially passes through nip rollers 92a, guide rollers 92b, and a guide path 95 and is sent between a thermal head 90 and a platen roller 91.

[0120] Similarly, an ink ribbon 39A is sent from an ink ribbon supply unit 37A between the thermal head 90 and the platen roller 91. In this case, the ink ribbon 39A has each color of yellow, magenta, and cyan.

[0121] Then, between the thermal head 90 and the platen roller 91, the printing paper W and the ink ribbon 39A are clamped, and the ink ribbon 39 is heated and pressed against the printing paper W by the thermal head 90. In this way, by the thermal head 90, each color of yellow, magenta, and cyan provided on the ink ribbon 39A is thermally transferred to the printing paper W in a sublimation method.

[0122] Next, the printing paper W is discharged from the housing 31 of the YMC printer module 30A through an opening 32b, is guided to the guide path 95, and enters the housing 41 of a special color printer module 40 from an opening 42a.

[0123] The printing paper W sent into the housing 41 of the special color printer module 40 sequentially passes through nip rollers 92a, guide rollers 92b, and a guide path 95 and is sent between the thermal head 90 and the platen roller 91.

[0124] Similarly, the ink ribbon 49 is sent from the ink ribbon supply unit 47 between the thermal head 90 and the platen roller 91. In this case, the ink ribbon 49 has features other than YMC.

[0125] Then, between the thermal head 90 and the platen roller 91, the printing paper W and the ink ribbon 49 are clamped, and the ink ribbon 49 is heated and pressed against the printing paper W by the thermal head 90. In this way, the features provided on the ink ribbon 49 are thermally transferred to the printing paper W by the thermal head 90.

[0126] Next, the printing paper W is discharged from the housing 41 of the feature printer module 40 through the opening 42b, guided through the guide path 95, and enters the housing 51 of the OP layer printer module 50 through the opening 52a.

[0127] The printing paper W sent into the housing 51 of the OP layer printer module 50 passes through the nip roller 92a, the guide roller 92b, and the guide path 95 in sequence and is sent between the thermal head 90 and the platen roller 91.

[0128] Similarly, the ink ribbon 59 is sent from the ink ribbon supply unit 57 between the thermal head 90 and the platen roller 91. In this case, the ink ribbon 59 has an overcoat layer.

[0129] Then, between the thermal head 90 and the platen roller 91, the printing paper W and the ink ribbon 59 are clamped, and the ink ribbon 59 is heated and pressed against the printing paper W by the thermal head 90. In this way, the overcoat layer (OP layer) provided on the ink ribbon 59 is thermally transferred to the printing paper W by the thermal head 90.

[0130] In this way, the yellow, magenta, and cyan colors, the features, and the overcoat layer are thermally transferred and printed on the upper surface of the printing paper W.

[0131] In this way, the printing paper W printed on the upper surface by the thermal head 90 is sent out from the opening 52b to the outside of the housing 51 of the OP layer printer module 50 through the nip roller 93a, the nip roller 93b, and the guide path 95.

[0132] After that, the printing paper W sent out from the outside of the housing 51 of the OP layer printer module 50 enters the housing 21 through the guide path 95 provided in the housing 21 of the printing paper winding module 20 and through the opening 22a.

[0133] Next, inside the housing 21 of the printing paper winding module 20, the printing paper W sequentially passes through the nip roller 28a and the guide roller 28b and is wound around the printing paper winding portion 27.

[0134] As described above, according to the present embodiment, the other surface 11b of the housing 11 of the printing paper supply module 10 is joined to the outer surface 35a of the connecting body 35 of the YMC printer module 30A, and the insertion pin 13 provided on the housing 11 is inserted into the insertion hole 36 provided on the connecting body 35. By this, the printing paper supply module 10 and the YMC printer module 30A can be assembled easily and accurately.

[0135] Similarly, the YMC printer module 30A and the special color printer module 40 can be assembled easily and accurately, and the special color printer module 40 and the OP layer printer module 50 can be assembled easily and accurately.

[0136] Finally, the other surface 51b of the housing 51 of the OP layer printer module 50 is joined to the outer surface 25a of the connecting body 25 of the printing paper winding module 20, and the insertion pin 53 provided on the housing 51 is inserted into the insertion hole 26 provided on the connecting body 25. By this, the OP layer printer module 50 and the printing paper winding module 20 can be assembled easily and accurately.

[0137] Furthermore, between the housings 11, 31, 41, 51, 21 of each module 10, 30A, 40, 50, 20, connecting bodies 35, 45, 55, 25 smaller than the housings 11, 31, 41, 51, 21 are interposed, and the height of the connecting bodies 15, 35, 45, 55, 25 is kept lower than that of the housings 11, 31, 41, 51, 21. Also, the openings 12a, 12b, 32a, 32b, 42a, 42b, 52a, 52b, 22a, 22b of the housings 11, 31, 41, 51, 21 are arranged above the connecting bodies 15, 35, 45, 55, 25. As a result, between the housings 11, 31, 41, 51, 21, the upper region of the connecting bodies 35, 45, 55, 25 can be utilized as a running region for the printing paper W. Further, by making the widths of the housings 11, 31, 41, 51, 21 the same as the widths of the connecting bodies 15, 35, 45, 55, 25, the widths in the direction orthogonal to the running direction of the printing paper W can be made uniform for the entire printer system 10.

[0138] <Third Embodiment> Next, a third embodiment according to the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0139] FIGS. 10 and 11 are diagrams showing a third embodiment according to the present disclosure.

[0140] In the third embodiment shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, a first printer module 30B, a second printer module 30C, a third printer module 30D, a special printer module 40, an OP layer printer module 50, and a cover sheet attachment module 60 are arranged between a printing paper supply module 10 and a printing paper take-up module 20, and other configurations are substantially the same as those in the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 5 and the second embodiment shown in FIGS. 6 to 9.

[0141] In the third embodiment shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the same parts as those in the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 5 and the second embodiment shown in FIGS. 6 to 9 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed descriptions thereof are omitted. In the third embodiment shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the first printer module 30B prints in Y (yellow) color, the second printer module 30C prints in M (magenta) color, and the third printer module 30D prints in C (cyan) color.

[0142] Therefore, each of the YMC (yellow, magenta, cyan) colors can be printed on the printing paper W by the first printer module 30B, the second printer module 30C, and the third printer module 30D.

[0143] First, the printer system 1 according to the third embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 10 and 11.

[0144] As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the printer system 1 includes eight modules 10, 30B, 30C, 30D, 40, 50, 60, 20 that are arranged continuously and connected to each other. Among these, the upstream module 10 is a printing paper supply module 10 having a printing paper supply function for supplying the roll-shaped printing paper W, and the downstream module 20 is a printing paper winding module 20 having a function of winding up the printed printing paper W.

[0145] Also, between the printing paper supply module 10 and the printing paper winding module 20, there are provided a first printer module 30B, a second printer module 30C, a third printer module 30D, a special printer module 40, and an OP layer printer module 50 for printing on the printing paper W, and a cover sheet attaching module 60 for attaching a cover sheet to the printing paper W.

[0146] Among these, the printing paper supply module 10 has a housing 11 and a printing paper supply unit 17 built in the housing 11. The printing paper W supplied from the printing paper supply unit 17 is guided by a guide roller 18a and a nip roller 18b and sent to the first printer module 30B through an opening 12b on the other surface 11b described later.

[0147] In addition, the printing paper winding module 20 includes a housing 21 and a printing paper winding unit 27 built into the housing 21. The printing paper W with the cover sheet attached by the cover sheet attaching module 60 enters through the opening 22a on the one surface 21a described later, and this printing paper W is guided by the nip roller 28a and the guide roller 28b and wound by the printing paper winding unit 27.

[0148] Furthermore, the first printer module 30B, the second printer module 30C, and the third printer module 30D have substantially the same structure as each other, and include a housing 31, an ink ribbon supply unit 37B, 37C, 37D provided in the housing 31 for supplying the ink ribbons 39B, 39C, 39D, and an ink ribbon winding unit 38B, 38C, 38D provided in the housing 31 for winding the ink ribbons 39B, 39C, 39D. Also, in the housing 31, a thermal head 90 and a platen roller 91 for sandwiching the printing paper W and the ink ribbons 39B, 39C, 39D and performing printing on the printing paper W are provided.

[0149] Also, in each housing 31, a nip roller 92a and a guide roller 92b for guiding the printing paper W sent from the printing paper supply module 10 toward the thermal head 90 are provided. Further, the printing paper W printed by the thermal head 90 is discharged through the opening 32b provided on the other surface 31b of the housing 31 via the nip roller 93a and the nip roller 93b.

[0150] Furthermore, in each housing 31 of the first printer module 30B, the second printer module 30C, and the third printer module 30D, a guide path 95 for guiding the printing paper W is provided on the one surface 31a of the housing 31 (see FIG. 10).

[0151] Furthermore, in the housing 31, guide paths 95 for guiding the printing paper W are also provided between the nip roller 92a and the guide roller 92b, between the guide roller 92b and the platen roller 91, and between the nip roller 93a and the nip roller 93b.

[0152] These guide paths 95 are supported within the housing 31 by a support mechanism (not shown).

[0153] Incidentally, the ink ribbon 39B supplied from the ink ribbon supply unit 37B built into the first printer module 30B includes the color yellow.

[0154] Also, the ink ribbon 39C supplied from the ink ribbon supply unit 37C built into the second printer module 30C includes the color magenta.

[0155] Furthermore, the ink ribbon 39D supplied from the ink ribbon supply unit 37D built into the third printer module 30D includes the color cyan.

[0156] Furthermore, the special printer module 40 includes a housing 41, an ink ribbon supply unit 47 provided within the housing 41 for supplying the ink ribbon 49, and an ink ribbon take-up unit 48 provided within the housing 41 for taking up the ink ribbon 49. Also, within the housing 41, there are provided a thermal head 90 and a platen roller 91 that sandwich the printing paper W and the ink ribbon 49 to perform printing on the printing paper W.

[0157] Also, within the housing 41, there are provided a nip roller 92a and a guide roller 92b for guiding the printing paper W sent from the third printer module 30D toward the thermal head 90 side. Further, the printing paper W printed by the thermal head 90 is discharged toward the OP layer printer module 50 side through an opening 42b provided on the other surface 41b of the housing 41 via the nip roller 93a and the nip roller 93b.

[0158] Furthermore, on one surface 41a of the housing 41 of the special printer module 40, there is provided a guide path 95 for guiding the printing paper W sent from the third printer module 30D (see FIG. 11).

[0159] Furthermore, inside the housing 41, guide paths 95 for guiding the printing paper W are also provided between the nip roller 92a and the guide roller 92b, between the guide roller 92b and the platen roller 91, and between the nip roller 93a and the nip roller 93b.

[0160] These guide paths 95 are supported inside the housing 41 by a support mechanism (not shown).

[0161] By the way, the ink ribbon 49 supplied from the ink ribbon supply unit 47 built in the special printer module 40 includes features other than yellow, magenta, and cyan.

[0162] Furthermore, the OP layer printer module 50 includes a housing 51, an ink ribbon supply unit 57 provided inside the housing 51 for supplying the ink ribbon 59, and an ink ribbon take-up unit 58 provided inside the housing 51 for taking up the ink ribbon 59. Also, inside the housing 51, a thermal head 90 and a platen roller 91 for sandwiching the printing paper W and the ink ribbon 59 and performing printing on the printing paper W are provided.

[0163] Also, inside the housing 51, nip rollers 92a and guide rollers 92b for guiding the printing paper W sent from the special printer module 40 toward the thermal head 90 are provided.

[0164] Furthermore, the printing paper W printed by the thermal head 90 is discharged to the cover sheet attachment module 60 side through the nip rollers 93a and 93b and through the opening 52b provided on the other surface 51b of the housing 51.

[0165] Furthermore, on one surface 51a of the housing 51 of the OP layer printer module 50, a guide path 95 for guiding the printing paper W sent from the special printer module 40 is provided (see FIGS. 10 and 11).

[0166] Further, inside the housing 51, guide paths 95 for guiding the printing paper W are also provided between the nip roller 92a and the guide roller 92b, between the guide roller 92b and the platen roller 91, and between the nip roller 93a and the nip roller 93b.

[0167] These guide paths 95 are supported inside the housing 51 by a support mechanism (not shown).

[0168] Incidentally, the ink ribbon 59 supplied from the ink ribbon supply unit 57 built into the OP layer printer module 50 includes an overcoat layer (OP layer).

[0169] The cover sheet attachment module 60 also includes a housing 61 and a cover sheet supply unit 67 provided inside the housing 61 for supplying the cover sheet 99 to the printing paper W.

[0170] The cover sheet 99 supplied from the cover sheet supply unit 67 is sandwiched between the heating plate 98 and the platen roller 91 together with the printing paper W. Then, the cover sheet 99 is heated while being pressed by the heating plate 98 and adheres to the printing paper W. The cover sheet 99 adhering to the printing paper W adheres to the printing paper W in a slightly adhesive state and functions as a protective sheet. And for example, when the printing paper W is used as a transfer sheet, it is peeled off from the printing paper W in a subsequent process and transferred to a transfer body (not shown). Note that inside the housing 61 of the cover sheet attachment module 60, there are arranged a nip roller 92a and a guide roller 92b for guiding the printing paper W sent from the OP layer printer module 50 toward the heating plate 98 and the platen roller 91 side, and a nip roller 93a and a nip roller 93b for guiding the printing paper W with the cover sheet 99 adhered thereto by the heating plate 98 and the platen roller 91.

[0171] The printing paper W with the cover sheet 99 adhered thereto by the heating plate 98 in this way is discharged to the printing paper winding module 20 side through the opening 62b provided on the other surface 61b of the housing 61 via the nip roller 93a and the nip roller 93b.

[0172] Furthermore, on one surface 61a of the housing 61 of the cover sheet attaching module 60, a guide path 95 for guiding the printing paper W sent from the OP layer printer module 50 is provided (see FIGS. 10 and 11).

[0173] Furthermore, in the housing 61, guide paths 95 for guiding the printing paper W are also provided between the nip roller 92a and the guide roller 92b, between the guide roller 92b and the platen roller 91, and between the nip roller 93a and the nip roller 93b.

[0174] These guide paths 95 are supported in the housing 61 by a support mechanism (not shown).

[0175] Next, the structures of the printing paper supply module 10, the first printer module 30B, the second printer module 30C, the third printer module 30D, the special feature printer module 40, the OP layer printer module 50, the cover sheet attaching module 60, and the printing paper winding module 20 will be further described.

[0176] The printing paper supply module 10 has a rectangular parallelepiped housing 11 as described above, and a rectangular parallelepiped connecting body 15 provided to protrude from one surface 11a of the housing 11. Further, on one of the outer surface 15a of the connecting body 15 and the other surface 11b facing the one surface 11a, for example, two insertion holes 16 are formed horizontally side by side on the outer surface 15a of the connecting body 15, and on the other, for example, two insertion pins 13 to be inserted into insertion holes 36 provided in a connecting body 35 (to be described later) of the first printer module 30B adjacent to the other surface 11b are provided horizontally side by side.

[0177] Further, the printing paper winding module 20 has a rectangular parallelepiped housing 21 as described above, and a rectangular parallelepiped connecting body 25 provided to protrude from one surface 21a of the housing 21. Further, on one of the outer surface 25a of the connecting body 25 and the other surface 21b facing the one surface 21a, for example, two insertion holes 26 are formed side by side in the horizontal direction on the outer surface 25a of the connecting body 25, and on the other, for example, two insertion pins 23 are provided side by side in the horizontal direction on the other surface 21b.

[0178] Further, the first printer module 30B, the second printer module 30C, and the third printer module 30D have substantially the same structure as each other, and each has a rectangular parallelepiped housing 31 and a rectangular parallelepiped connecting body 35 provided to protrude from one surface 31a of the housing 31. Further, on one of the outer surface 35a of the connecting body 35 and the other surface 35b facing the one surface 31a, for example, two insertion holes 36 are formed side by side in the horizontal direction on the outer surface 35a of the connecting body 35, and on the other, for example, two insertion pins 33 to be inserted into the insertion holes of the adjacent module on the other surface 31b are provided side by side in the horizontal direction.

[0179] Further, the special printer module 40 has a rectangular parallelepiped housing 41 as described above, and a rectangular parallelepiped connecting body 45 provided to protrude from one surface 41a of the housing 41. Further, on one of the outer surface 45a of the connecting body 45 and the other surface 41b facing the one surface 41a, for example, two insertion holes 46 are formed side by side in the horizontal direction on the outer surface 45a of the connecting body 45, and on the other, for example, two insertion pins 43 to be inserted into the insertion holes 56 provided in the connecting body 55 of the OP layer printer module 50 adjacent to the other surface 41b are provided side by side in the horizontal direction.

[0180] The OP layer printer module 50 also has a rectangular parallelepiped housing 51 and a rectangular parallelepiped connecting body 55 provided to protrude from one surface 51a of the housing 51. Further, on one of the outer surface 55a of the connecting body 55 and the other surface 51b facing the one surface 51a, for example, two insertion holes 56 are formed side by side in the horizontal direction on the outer surface 55a of the connecting body 55, and on the other, two insertion pins 53 to be inserted into insertion holes 66 provided in a connecting body 65 of a cover sheet attachment module 60 adjacent to the other surface 51b are provided side by side in the horizontal direction.

[0181] The cover sheet attachment module 60 also has a rectangular parallelepiped housing 61 and a rectangular parallelepiped connecting body 65 provided to protrude from one surface 61a of the housing 61. Further, on one of the outer surface 65a of the connecting body 65 and the other surface 61b facing the one surface 61a, for example, two insertion holes 66 are formed side by side in the horizontal direction on the outer surface 65a of the connecting body 65, and on the other, two insertion pins 63 to be inserted into insertion holes 26 provided in a connecting body 25 of a printing paper winding module 20 adjacent to the other surface 61b are provided side by side in the horizontal direction.

[0182] In this embodiment, the housing 11 of the printing paper supply module 10 is in the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped and is larger than the similarly rectangular parallelepiped connecting body 15. The connecting body 15 has substantially the same width as the housing 11, and its height is about 1 / 4 to 1 / 2 of the height of the housing 11. Here, the widths of the connecting body 15 and the housing 11 refer to the widths along the direction orthogonal to the traveling direction of the printing paper W.

[0183] The housing 21 of the printing paper winding module 20 is in the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped and is larger than the similarly rectangular parallelepiped connecting body 25. The connecting body 25 has substantially the same width as the housing 21, and its height is about 1 / 4 to 1 / 2 of the height of the housing 21. Here, the widths of the connecting body 25 and the housing 21 refer to the widths along the direction orthogonal to the traveling direction of the printing paper W.

[0184] The housings 31 of the first printer module 30B, the second printer module 30C, and the third printer module 30D are rectangular parallelepipeds, and are larger than the similarly rectangular parallelepiped connecting body 35. Also, the connecting body 35 has substantially the same width as the housing 31, and its height is about 1 / 4 to 1 / 2 of the height of the housing 31. Here, the widths of the connecting body 35 and the housing 31 refer to the widths along the direction orthogonal to the running direction of the printing paper W.

[0185] Also, the housing 41 of the special printer module 40 is a rectangular parallelepiped, and is larger than the similarly rectangular parallelepiped connecting body 45. Also, the connecting body 45 has substantially the same width as the housing 41, and its height is about 1 / 4 to 1 / 2 of the height of the housing 41. Here, the widths of the connecting body 45 and the housing 41 refer to the widths along the direction orthogonal to the running direction of the printing paper W.

[0186] Also, the housing 51 of the OP layer printer module 50 is a rectangular parallelepiped, and is larger than the similarly rectangular parallelepiped connecting body 55. Also, the connecting body 55 has substantially the same width as the housing 51, and its height is about 1 / 4 to 1 / 2 of the height of the housing 51. Here, the widths of the connecting body 55 and the housing 51 refer to the widths along the direction orthogonal to the running direction of the printing paper W.

[0187] Also, the housing 61 of the cover sheet attaching module 60 is a rectangular parallelepiped, and is larger than the similarly rectangular parallelepiped connecting body 65. Also, the connecting body 65 has substantially the same width as the housing 61, and its height is about 1 / 4 to 1 / 2 of the height of the housing 61. Here, the widths of the connecting body 65 and the housing 61 refer to the widths along the direction orthogonal to the running direction of the printing paper W.

[0188] Furthermore, openings 12a and 12b through which the printing paper W passes are provided above the connecting body 15 on one surface 11a and the other surface 11b of the housing 11 of the printing paper supply module 10, a first contact 81a is provided on the other surface 11b of the housing 11, and a second contact 81b is provided on the outer surface 15a of the connecting body 15.

[0189] Also, openings 22a and 22b through which the printing paper W passes are respectively provided on one surface 21a and the other surface 21b of the housing 21 of the printing paper winding module 20 above the connecting body 25. A first contact 81a is provided on the other surface 21b of the housing 21, and a second contact 81b electrically connected to the first contact 81a of the adjacent cover sheet attaching module 60 is provided on the outer surface 25a of the connecting body 25.

[0190] Furthermore, openings 32a and 32b through which the printing paper W passes are respectively provided on one surface 31a and the other surface 31b of the housing 31 of the first printer module 30B, the second printer module 30C, and the third printer module 30D above the connecting body 35. A first contact 81a is provided on the other surface 31b of the housing 31. A second contact 81b electrically connected to the first contact 81a of the adjacent module is provided on the outer surface 35a of the connecting body 35.

[0191] Furthermore, openings 42a and 42b through which the printing paper W passes are respectively provided on one surface 41a and the other surface 41b of the housing 41 of the special printer module 40 above the connecting body 45. A first contact 81a is provided on the other surface 41b of the housing 41. A second contact 81b electrically connected to the first contact 81a of the adjacent third printer module 30D is provided on the outer surface 45a of the connecting body 45.

[0192] Furthermore, openings 52a and 52b through which the printing paper W passes are respectively provided on one surface 51a and the other surface 51b of the housing 51 of the OP layer printer module 50 above the connecting body 55. A first contact 81a is provided on the other surface 51b of the housing 51. A second contact 81b electrically connected to the first contact 81a of the adjacent special printer module 40 is provided on the outer surface 55a of the connecting body 55.

[0193] Further, openings 62a and 62b through which the printing paper W passes are provided above the connecting body 65 on one surface 61a and the other surface 61b of the housing 61 of the cover sheet attaching module 60, respectively, and a first contact 81a is provided on the other surface 61b of the housing 61. A second contact 81b electrically connected to the first contact 81a of the adjacent OP layer printer module 50 is provided on the outer surface 65a of the connecting body 65.

[0194] Incidentally, it is preferable that the housing 11 and the connecting body 15 of the printing paper supply module 10, the housing 21 and the connecting body 25 of the printing paper take-up module 20, the housing 31 and the connecting body 35 of the first printer module 30B, the second printer module 30C, and the third printer module 30D, the housing 41 and the connecting body 45 of the special printer module 40, the housing 51 and the connecting body 55 of the OP layer printer module 50, and the housing 61 and the connecting body 65 of the cover sheet attaching module 60 all have the same outer shape and the same structure. In this way, by using the housing and the connecting body having the same outer shape and the same structure and arranging the internal structure corresponding to each module in the housing, each module 10, 20, 30B, 30C, 30D, 40, 50, 60 can be easily manufactured.

[0195] Next, the operation of the present embodiment having such a configuration will be described.

[0196] First, as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, prepare a printing paper supply module 10, a printing paper take-up module 20, a first printer module 30B, a second printer module 30C, a third printer module 30D, a special printer module 40, an OP layer printer module 50, and a cover sheet attachment module 60.

[0197] Next, as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, join the other surface 11b of the housing 11 of the printing paper supply module 10 and the outer surface 35a of the connector 35 of the first printer module 30B. At this time, the insertion pin 13 provided on the housing 11 of the printing paper supply module 10 is inserted into the insertion hole 36 provided on the connector 35 of the first printer module 30B.

[0198] Also, the first contact 81a provided on the housing 11 of the printing paper supply module 10 is electrically connected to the second contact 81b provided on the housing 31 of the first printer module 30B, and the information obtained by connecting the first contact 81a and the second contact 81b is sent to an external control circuit 9.

[0199] In this way, the housing 11 of the printing paper supply module 10 and the connector 35 of the first printer module 30B can be accurately positioned and joined.

[0200] Similarly, the first printer module 30B, the second printer module 30C, the third printer module 30D, the special printer module 40, the OP layer printer module 50, and the cover sheet attachment module 60 are sequentially joined.

[0201] Finally, join the other surface 61b of the housing 61 of the cover sheet attachment module 60 and the outer surface 25a of the connector 25 of the printing paper take-up module 20. At this time, the insertion pin 63 provided on the housing 61 of the cover sheet attachment module 60 is inserted into the insertion hole 26 provided on the connector 25 of the printing paper take-up module 20.

[0202] Also, a first contact 81a provided on the housing 61 of the cover sheet attaching module 60 is electrically connected to a second contact provided on the housing 21 of the printing paper winding module 20, and information on the connection between the first contact 81a and the second contact 81b is sent to an external control circuit 9.

[0203] In this way, the housing 51 of the cover sheet attaching module 60 and the connecting body 25 of the printing paper winding module 20 can be accurately positioned and joined.

[0204] In this way, the printer system 1 is obtained (see FIGS. 10 and 11).

[0205] Next, as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, printing paper W is supplied from a printing paper supply unit 17 disposed within a housing 11 of a printing paper supply module 10. The printing paper W passes through guide rollers 18a and nip rollers 18b within the housing 11, is discharged from an opening 12b of the housing 11, is guided to a guide path 95 of the first printer module 30B, and enters the housing 31 of the first printer module 30B from an opening 32a.

[0206] The printing paper W sent into the housing 31 of the first printer module 30B sequentially passes through nip rollers 92a, guide rollers 92b, and the guide path 95 and is sent between a thermal head 90 and a platen roller 91.

[0207] Similarly, an ink ribbon 39B is sent from an ink ribbon supply unit 37B between the thermal head 90 and the platen roller 91. In this case, the ink ribbon 39B has a yellow color.

[0208] Then, between the thermal head 90 and the platen roller 91, the printing paper W and the ink ribbon 39B are clamped, and the ink ribbon 39 is heated and pressed against the printing paper W by the thermal head 90. In this way, the yellow color provided on the ink ribbon 39B is thermally transferred to the printing paper W in a sublimation method by the thermal head 90.

[0209] Thereafter, the printing paper W enters the second printer module 30C, and through the same process as the first printer module 30B, magenta color is printed on the printing paper W in the second printer module 30C.

[0210] Next, the printing paper W enters the third printer module 30D, and through the same process as the first printer module 30B, cyan color is printed on the printing paper W in the third printer module 30D.

[0211] Next, the printing paper W is discharged from the housing 31 of the third printer module 30D through the opening 32b, guided to the guide path 95, and enters the housing 41 of the special printer module 40 from the opening 42a.

[0212] The printing paper W sent into the housing 41 of the special printer module 40 sequentially passes through the nip roller 92a, the guide roller 92b, and the guide path 95 and is sent between the thermal head 90 and the platen roller 91.

[0213] Similarly, the ink ribbon 49 is sent from the ink ribbon supply unit 47 between the thermal head 90 and the platen roller 91. In this case, the ink ribbon 49 has features other than YMC.

[0214] Then, between the thermal head 90 and the platen roller 91, the printing paper W and the ink ribbon 39 are clamped, and the ink ribbon 49 is heated and pressed against the printing paper W by the thermal head 90. In this way, the features provided on the ink ribbon 49 are thermally transferred to the printing paper W by the thermal head 90.

[0215] Next, the printing paper W is discharged from the housing 41 of the special printer module 40 through the opening 42b, guided to the guide path 95, and enters the housing 51 of the OP layer printer module 50 from the opening 52a.

[0216] The printing paper W sent into the housing 51 of the OP layer printer module 50 passes through the nip roller 92a, the guide roller 92b, and the guide path 95 in sequence and is sent between the thermal head 90 and the platen roller 91.

[0217] Similarly, the ink ribbon 59 is sent from the ink ribbon supply unit 57 between the thermal head 90 and the platen roller 91. In this case, the ink ribbon 59 has an overcoat layer.

[0218] Then, between the thermal head 90 and the platen roller 91, the printing paper W and the ink ribbon 59 are clamped, and the ink ribbon 59 is heated and pressed against the printing paper W by the thermal head 90. In this way, the overcoat layer (OP layer) provided on the ink ribbon 59 is thermally transferred to the printing paper W by the thermal head 90.

[0219] In this way, yellow, magenta, cyan colors, special features, and the overcoat layer are thermally transferred onto the upper surface of the printing paper W to perform printing.

[0220] Next, the printing paper W is discharged from the housing 51 of the OP layer printer module 50 through the opening 52b, passes through the guide path 95, and enters the housing 61 of the cover sheet attachment module 60 from the opening 62a. The printing paper W sent into the housing 61 of the cover sheet attachment module 60 is sent toward the heating plate 98 side. At the same time, the cover sheet 99 is supplied onto the printing paper W from the cover sheet supply unit 67, and the printing paper W and the cover sheet 99 are clamped between the heating plate 98 and the platen roller 91. Next, the cover sheet 99 is heated while being pressed by the heating plate 98 and adheres to the printing paper W.

[0221] The cover sheet 99 protects the printing paper W and is peeled off from the printing paper W in a subsequent process when the printing paper W is used as a transfer sheet. The printing paper W from which the cover sheet 99 has been peeled is transferred to a transfer body (not shown).

[0222] The printing paper W with the cover sheet 99 attached in this way is sent outward from the housing 61 of the cover sheet attaching module 60.

[0223] After that, the printing paper W sent outward from the housing 61 of the cover sheet attaching module 60 enters the housing 21 through the opening 20a from the guide path 95 provided in the housing 21 of the printing paper winding module 20.

[0224] Next, inside the housing 21 of the printing paper winding module 20, the printing paper W sequentially passes through the nip roller 28a and the guide roller 28b and is wound around the printing paper winding portion 27.

[0225] As described above, according to the present embodiment, the other surface 11b of the housing 11 of the printing paper supply module 10 is joined to the outer surface 35a of the connecting body 35 of the first printer module 30B, and the insertion pin 13 provided in the housing 11 is inserted into the insertion hole 36 provided in the connecting body 35. Thus, the printing paper supply module 10 and the first printer module 30B can be assembled easily and accurately.

[0226] Similarly, the second printer module 30C, the third printer module 30D, the special printer module 40, the OP layer printer module 50, and the cover sheet attaching module 60 can be sequentially assembled to the first printer module 30B easily and accurately.

[0227] Finally, the other surface 61b of the housing 61 of the cover sheet attaching module 60 is joined to the outer surface 25a of the connecting body 25 of the printing paper winding module 20, and the insertion pin 33 provided in the housing 61 is inserted into the insertion hole 26 provided in the connecting body 25. Thus, the cover sheet attaching module 60 and the printing paper winding module 20 can be assembled easily and accurately.

[0228] Furthermore, between the housings 11, 31, 41, 51, 61, 21 of the respective modules 10, 30, 40, 50, 60, 20, connectors 35, 45, 55, 65, 25 smaller than the housings 11, 31, 41, 51, 61, 21 are interposed, and the height of the connectors 15, 35, 45, 55, 65, 25 is kept lower than that of the housings 11, 31, 41, 51, 61, 21. Also, the openings 12a, 12b, 32a, 32b, 42a, 42b, 52a, 52b, 62a, 22a, 22b of the housings 11, 31, 41, 51, 61, 21 are arranged above the connectors 15, 35, 45, 55, 65, 25. As a result, between the housings 11, 31, 41, 51, 61, 21, the upper region of the connectors 35, 45, 55, 65, 25 can be used as a running area for the printing paper W. Also, by making the widths of the housings 11, 31, 41, 51, 61, 21 the same as the widths of the connectors 15, 35, 45, 65, 25, the width in the direction orthogonal to the running direction of the printing paper W can be made uniform for the entire printer system 10.

Explanation of Signs

[0229] 1 Printer System 9 Control Circuit 10 Printing Paper Supply Module 11 Housing 11a One Side 11b The Other Side 12a Opening 12b Opening 13 Insertion Pin 15 Connector 16 Insertion Hole 17 Printing Paper Supply Unit 18a Guide Roller 18b Nip Roller 20 Printing Paper Take-up Module 21 Housing 21a One Side 21b The Other Side 22a Opening 22b Opening 23 Insertion Pin 25 Connector 26 Insertion Hole 27 Printing Paper Take-up Unit 28a Nip roller 28b Guide roller 30 Printer module 30A YMC printer module 30B First printer module 30C Second printer module 30D Third printer module 31 Housing 31a One side 31b The other side 32a Opening 32b Opening 33 Insertion pin 35 Connector 36 Insertion hole 40 Feature printer module 41 Housing 41a One side 41b The other side 42a Opening 42b Opening 43 Insertion pin 45 Connector 46 Insertion hole 50 OP layer printer module 51 Housing 51a One side 51b The other side 52a Opening 52b Opening 53 Insertion pin 55 Connector 56 Insertion hole 60 Cover sheet attachment module 61 Housing 61a One side 61b The other side 62a Opening 62b Opening 63 Insertion pin 65 Connector 66 Insertion hole 90 Thermal head 91 Platen roller 92a Nip roller 92b Guide roller 93a Nip roller 93b Nip roller 95 guidance road

Claims

1. The system comprises three or more modules arranged in series and connected to one another; The upstream module has a function of supplying printing paper, the downstream module has a function of winding up the printing paper; The other modules include a plurality of printer modules for printing on the printing paper, Each module has a housing and a connector that is smaller than the housing and is provided on one side of the housing and protrudes from the one side. an insertion hole is formed in one of an outer surface of the connector and the other surface of the housing opposite to the one surface, and an insertion pin is provided on the other surface to be inserted into the insertion hole of an adjacent module; The housings of the printer modules are connected to each other via connectors smaller than the housings, and are spaced apart from each other; A printer system in which, between a pair of adjacent modules joined to each other, an outer surface of a housing of one module is joined to a connecting body of the other module.

2. 2. The printer system according to claim 1, wherein a running area for the printing paper is formed in an area between the housings of the modules other than the connecting body.

3. 3. The printer system according to claim 2, wherein the height of said connected body of each module is 1 / 4 to 1 / 2 the height of said housing.

4. 4. The printer system according to claim 2, wherein the width of said connected body of each module is the same as the width of said housing.

5. 3. The printer system according to claim 2, wherein a guide path for the printing paper is provided in the running area between the housings.

6. 6. The printer system according to claim 1, wherein said other modules are provided in a plurality of units, and include a cover sheet attachment module that is located downstream of said printer module and that applies a cover sheet to said printing paper.

7. 7. The printer system according to claim 1, wherein the insertion pins and the insertion holes of each module are provided in a plurality of positions aligned in a horizontal direction.

8. 8. The printer system according to claim 1, wherein an opening through which the printing paper passes is formed on the one surface and the other surface of the housing of each module.

9. 9. A printer system according to claim 1, wherein a first contact is provided on one of the outer surface of the connector and the other surface of the housing, and a second contact capable of being electrically connected to the first contact of an adjacent module is provided on the other.

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