Thermal transfer system

Abstract

To prevent an adhesive layer from detaching from a card by causing the card to abut on a guide plate.SOLUTION: A thermal transfer system 10 includes one side guide plate 31 and the other side guide plate 32. A card 14 disposed between the one side guide plate 31 and the other side guide plate 32 is held between a return transportation roller 33 and a return pinch roller 34 and takes a posture of descending from a side of the one side guide plate 31 toward a side of the other side guide plate 32.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a thermal transfer system for thermally transferring an ink layer onto a transfer medium such as a card.

Background Art

[0002] Generally, in an ID card, image information such as a face photo of the card owner and character information such as the address, name, date of birth, etc. of the card owner are printed on the card. For example, in Patent Document 1, an ID card manufacturing apparatus has been proposed that includes a plurality of printing units and manufactures an ID card from image information and character information associated with each other by an ID number.

[0003] Also, as an ID card manufacturing apparatus, a thermal transfer system for thermally transferring a transfer layer onto a card is known. Such a thermal transfer system includes a platen roller and a heating body including a heating head that sandwiches an ink ribbon and a card between the platen roller and transfers the ink layer of the ink ribbon onto the card.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] In a thermal transfer system, a card is conveyed through a conveyance path to a heating body, and the ink layer of an ink ribbon is thermally transferred to the card by this heating body. The card usually has a pair of PET base materials and an adhesive layer that adheres each PET base material. While the card is being conveyed to the heating body, both sides in the width direction of the card are restricted by a pair of guide plates. However, during the conveyance of the card, the side edges of the card may be rubbed by the guide plates, and the adhesive layer of the card may be peeled off from the card, and debris of the adhesive layer may adhere to the conveyance path.

[0006] When debris of the adhesive layer adheres to the conveyance path in this way, the debris of the adhesive becomes a conveyance resistance against the card on the conveyance path, and a conveyance jam of the card may occur on the conveyance path.

[0007] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of such points, and an object thereof is to provide a thermal transfer system capable of preventing a conveyance jam of a card when conveying the card to a heating body.

Means for Solving the Problem

[0008] In a thermal transfer system that uses an ink ribbon having a support layer and an ink layer, has a pair of base materials and an adhesive layer between the pair of base materials, and transfers the ink of the ink layer to a transfer object conveyed in a conveyance direction, a one-side guide plate that restricts one side in the width direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction of the transfer object, the other-side guide plate that restricts the other side in the width direction of the transfer object, a conveyance roller provided near the one-side guide plate for conveying the transfer object, and a pinch roller that sandwiches the transfer object between the conveyance roller, and the transfer object is floated upward by the conveyance roller and the pinch roller, and the transfer object is lowered from one side in the width direction toward the other side in the width direction.

[0009] The present disclosure is a thermal transfer system in which the cross-sectional shapes of the conveyance roller and the pinch roller both have a tapered shape, and when the transfer object is sandwiched, the transfer object is lowered from one side in the width direction of the transfer object toward the other side in the width direction.

[0010] The present disclosure relates to a thermal transfer system in which the cross-sectional shapes of the conveying roller and the pinch roller both have a rectangular shape, and a pressing roller for pressing the transfer target downward is provided near the other guide plate.

[0011] The present disclosure relates to a thermal transfer system in which a conveyance path for restricting the downward movement of the transfer target is provided between the one guide plate and the other guide plate.

[0012] The present disclosure relates to a thermal transfer system in which the conveying roller includes a feed conveying roller and a return conveying roller, and the pinch roller includes a feed pinch roller corresponding to the feed conveying roller and a return pinch roller corresponding to the return conveying roller.

[0013] The present disclosure relates to a thermal transfer system in which a heating body for transferring the ink layer to the transfer target and a platen roller for sandwiching the transfer target between the heating body are provided on the downstream side in the conveyance direction of the return conveying roller and the return pinch roller.

[0014] The present disclosure relates to a thermal transfer system in which the return conveying roller and the heating body are movable in the vertical direction, and when the heating body contacts the transfer target, the return conveying roller moves away from the transfer target.

Advantages of the Invention

[0015] According to the present disclosure, the transfer target can be lowered from one side in the width direction toward the other side in the width direction. As a result, the transfer target contacts the pair of guide plates in an inclined state, so that the adhesive layer of the transfer target rubs against the pair of guide plates, and the adhesive layer is not peeled off from the transfer target.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0016]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5A

Figure 5B

Figure 5C

Figure 6A

Figure 6B

Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

Figure 10

Figure 11

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0017] <First Embodiment> Hereinafter, the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 8.

[0018] As shown in Fig. 1, the thermal transfer system 10 uses an ink ribbon 13 including at least a support layer 13a and an ink layer 13b shown in Fig. 8 to heat and transfer the ink of the ink layer 13b to a card (also referred to as a transfer object) 14 to produce an ID card. Such a thermal transfer system 10 includes a feeding unit 25 that feeds out the ink ribbon 13 in the direction indicated by arrow R1, a transfer device 18A disposed on the downstream side in the conveyance direction of the ink ribbon 13 of the feeding unit 25, and a winding unit 26 disposed on the downstream side in the conveyance direction of the transfer device 18A that winds up the transferred ink ribbon 13 in the direction indicated by arrow R2. As shown in Fig. 1, the ink ribbon 13 is guided from the feeding unit 25 to the transfer device 18A by a guide roller 16 and wound up by the winding unit 26 after passing through a peeling roller 17 from the transfer device 18A.

[0019] On the other hand, the card 14 is conveyed along the conveyance direction L through a conveyance path 11 to the transfer device 18A and discharged outward through a discharge path 12 from the transfer device 18A. Note that the direction opposite to the conveyance direction L is the return direction.

[0020] Next, the transfer device 18A will be described. As shown in Fig. 1, the transfer device 18A has a rubber platen roller 19 that supports the card 14 and a heating body 18 provided to face the platen roller 19 with the ink ribbon 13 and the card 14 interposed therebetween. As shown in Fig. 1, the heating body 18 is provided on the support layer 13a side of the ink ribbon 13. Then, the card 14 and the ink ribbon 13 are nipped (clamped) by the heating body 18 and the platen roller 19, and the ink layer 13b of the ink ribbon 13 is heated by the heating body 18. Thereby, the ink of the ink layer 13b of the ink ribbon 13 is transferred to the card (transfer object) 14.

[0021] The transfer device 18A will be further described. As described above, the transfer device 18A has a rubber platen roller 19 and a heating body 18. Among these, the heating body 18 has a heating head 18a including a ceramic substrate and a metal plate 20 disposed on the ink ribbon 13 side of the heating head 18a. The ceramic substrate constituting the heating head 18a has a surface roughness (arithmetic mean roughness Ra) of 0.1 to 0.3 μm and a surface friction coefficient of 0.4 to 0.8.

[0022] On the other hand, the metal plate 20 has a thickness of 0.3 to 0.5 mm and has a metal plate body 20a that contacts the ink ribbon 13 and a support plate 20b connected to the metal plate body 20a, and as a whole, it forms an L-shaped cross section (see FIG. 1). Further, an extension plate 20c extending upward is provided at the tip of the metal plate body 20a of the metal plate 20.

[0023] The metal plate 20 is made of copper or aluminum, and as a whole, it is made of a thin plate and has excellent thermal conductivity. Therefore, the heat from the heating head 18a can be smoothly transmitted to the ink ribbon 13 side through the metal plate 20.

[0024] Also, the metal plate 20 is subjected to a buff polishing treatment in advance, and its surface roughness (arithmetic mean roughness) is 0.004 to 0.02 μm.

[0025] Next, with reference to FIG. 8, the configuration of the ink ribbon 13 having the support layer 13a and the ink layer 13b will be described.

[0026] In the present invention, since heat is applied to the support layer (base material) 13a during thermal transfer, it is preferably a material having mechanical strength such that there is no problem in handling even in a heated state. Examples of such materials for the support layer include polyethylene terephthalate (PET) film, 1,4-polycyclohexylene dimethylene terephthalate film, polyethylene naphthalate film, polyphenylene sulfide film, polystyrene film, polypropylene film, polysulfone film, aramid film, polycarbonate film, polyvinyl alcohol film, cellulose derivatives such as cellophane and cellulose acetate, polyethylene film, polyvinyl chloride film, nylon film, polyimide film, ionomer film, and the like. Further, the thickness of the support layer is preferably 2 μm or more and 20 μm or less, and more preferably 4 μm or more and 10 μm or less.

[0027] The ink layer 13b can contain various inks. However, the thermal transfer system according to the present embodiment transfers the ink of the ink layer 13b onto the surface of the card 14 to mainly form a face image 14A on the card 14 (see FIG. 5C). For this reason, the ink layer 13b of the ink ribbon 13 contains various inks of M, Y, and C.

[0028] As described above, the card 14 is conveyed through the conveyance path 11 to the heating body 18 of the transfer device 18A, and the ink of the ink layer 13b of the ink ribbon 13 is transferred onto the card 14 by this heating body 18.

[0029] In the present embodiment, the card 14 has a pair of base materials 14a and 14c made of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and an adhesive layer 14b that joins the pair of base materials 14a and 14c together (see FIG. 7). Among these, when the adhesive layer 14b of the card 14 is rubbed from the outside, it peels off from the card 14 and easily accumulates as adhesive residue on the conveyance path 11. When the adhesive residue accumulates on the conveyance path 11, it causes a conveyance jam of the card.

[0030] The thermal transfer system 10 according to the present embodiment has a structure that prevents the adhesive layer 14b of the card 14 from being rubbed as follows.

[0031] That is, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 5C, on both sides in the width direction L1 orthogonal to the conveyance direction L of the card 14 in the conveyance path 11, a first guide plate 31 and a second guide plate 32 are provided.

[0032] Among these, the first guide plate 31 regulates one side in the width direction L1 orthogonal to the conveyance direction L of the card 14. The first guide plate 31 is fixedly provided on one side of the conveyance path 11.

[0033] The second guide plate 32 regulates the other side in the width direction L1 orthogonal to the conveyance direction L of the card 14. The second guide plate 32 is made of a spring material and elastically presses the other side of the card 14 toward the first guide plate 31 side.

[0034] In the conveyance path 11 for conveying the card 14, a reverse conveyance roller 33 and a feed conveyance roller 35 are provided in sequence toward the upstream side in the conveyance direction L of the transfer device 18A. Among these, the reverse conveyance roller 33 is driven by a DC motor and returns the card 14 sent from the conveyance path 11 to the transfer device 18A to the upstream side of the conveyance path 11. The feed conveyance roller 35 is driven by a DC motor and sends the card 14 through the conveyance path 11 toward the transfer device 18A side.

[0035] That is, the transfer device 18A transfers the ink of the ink layer 13b of the ink ribbon 13 to the card 14 to mainly form a face image 14A on the card 14. In this case, the card 14 onto which the ink has been transferred by the transfer device 18A is once returned to the upstream side in the conveyance direction L of the conveyance path 11, that is, in the reverse direction, and then is sent again to the transfer device 18A along the conveyance direction L. And while the card 14 is being sent and returned in this way, inks of Y, M, and C are transferred to the card 14.

[0036] In the present embodiment, above the return conveyance roller 33, a return pinch roller 34 is provided which sandwiches the card 14 between itself and the return conveyance roller 33 and returns the card 14 to the upstream side in the conveyance direction L of the conveyance path 11 (see FIGS. 2 and 3).

[0037] As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the return conveyance roller 33 is rotationally driven by a drive shaft 33a provided on one side guide plate 31. Further, the return pinch roller 34 is rotatably supported by a support shaft 34a provided on the one side guide plate 31.

[0038] As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the drive shaft 33a of the return conveyance roller 33 is movable in the vertical direction. On the other hand, the support shaft 34a of the return pinch roller 34 does not move in the vertical direction.

[0039] Also, above the feed conveyance roller 35, a feed pinch roller 36 is provided which sandwiches the card 14 between itself and the feed conveyance roller 35 and sends the card 14 along the conveyance direction L through the conveyance path 11 to the side of the transfer device 18A (see FIG. 4).

[0040] As shown in FIG. 4, the feed conveyance roller 35 is rotationally driven by a drive shaft 35a provided on the one side guide plate 31. Also, the feed pinch roller 36 is shown to be rotatable by a support shaft 36a provided on the one side guide plate 31. In FIG. 4, the drive shaft 35a of the feed conveyance roller 35 and the support shaft 36a of the feed pinch roller 36 do not move in the vertical direction.

[0041] Incidentally, as shown in FIGS. 5A to 5C, the return conveyance roller 33 and the return pinch roller 34, and the feed conveyance roller 35 and the feed pinch roller 36 are all provided in the vicinity of the one side guide plate 31.

[0042] Between the return conveyance roller 33 and the return pinch roller 34, and the feed conveyance roller 35 and the feed pinch roller 36, a pair of pressing rollers 41, 42 are provided to press the card 14 from above and restrict the upward movement of the card 14. The pair of pressing rollers 41, 42 are both provided on the other guide plate 32. In this case, the pressing roller 41 is rotatably supported by a support portion 41a, and the pressing roller 42 is rotatably supported by a support portion 42a.

[0043] As described above, both of the pair of pressing rollers 41, 42 restrict the upward movement of the card 14, and the conveyance path 11 restricts the downward movement of the card 14. Therefore, when conveying the card 14 along the conveyance path 11, the card 14 does not necessarily need to contact the pressing rollers 41, 42 or the conveyance path 11.

[0044] Next, the outer shapes of the return conveyance roller 33 and the return pinch roller 34 will be described. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, both the return conveyance roller 33 and the return pinch roller 34 have a tapered cross-sectional shape. In this case, the return conveyance roller 33 has a tapered shape that tapers toward the tip side, and the return pinch roller 34 has a tapered shape that tapers toward the base end side.

[0045] Therefore, when the card 14 is sandwiched between the return conveyance roller 33 and the return pinch roller 34, the card 14 can be lifted from the conveyance path 11, and the card 14 can be lowered from one side (the one guide plate 31 side) in the width direction L1 toward the other side (the other guide plate 32 side).

[0046] Similarly, as shown in FIG. 4, both the feed conveyance roller 35 and the feed pinch roller 36 have a tapered cross-sectional shape. In this case, the feed conveyance roller 35 has a tapered shape that tapers toward the tip side, and the feed pinch roller 36 has a tapered shape that tapers toward the base end side.

[0047] Therefore, when the card 14 is clamped by the feed conveyor roller 35 and the feed pinch roller 36, the card 14 can be lifted from the transport path 11, and the card 14 can be lowered from one side in the width direction (the side of the one guide plate 31) to the other side (the side of the other guide plate 32).

[0048] Also, as shown in FIGS. 5A to 5C, a guide path 50a extending along the transport direction L is provided substantially at the center in the width direction L1 of the transport path 11, and a transport claw 50 is provided along this guide path 50a.

[0049] The transport claw 50 is driven by a pulse motor and engages with the rear end of the card 14 (the right end in FIGS. 5A to 5C) to transport the card 14.

[0050] In the present embodiment, when the card 14 is clamped between the feed conveyor roller 35 and the feed pinch roller 36 and the card 14 is sent along the transport path 11 toward the transfer device 18A side, the feed conveyor roller 35 and the feed pinch roller 36 send the card 14 toward the transfer device 18A side at a high speed of, for example, 300 to 400 mm / s.

[0051] In this case, as described above, the card 14 is clamped between the feed conveyor roller 35 and the feed pinch roller 36 and is sent in a state of descending from the one guide plate 31 to the other guide plate 32.

[0052] Thereafter, the card 14 is transferred from the feed conveyor roller 35 and the feed pinch roller 36 to the transport claw 50, and the card 14 passes through the transfer device 18A while being clamped between the heating element 18 of the transfer device 18A and the platen roller 19. When the card 14 passes through the transfer device 18A while being clamped by the heating element 18 and the platen roller 19, the ink of the ink layer 13b of the ink ribbon 13 is transferred to the card 14.

[0053] While the card 14 passes through the transfer device 18A and the ink of the ink layer 13b of the ink ribbon 13 is transferred to the card 14, the card 14 is transported by the transport claw 50 and passes through the transfer device 18A at a low speed of, for example, 5 mm / s.

[0054] After the transfer is performed on the card 14 by the transfer device 18A, the card 14 is clamped by the return conveyance roller 33 and the return pinch roller 34 and is once returned upstream (in the return direction) along the conveyance path 11 in the conveyance direction.

[0055] When the card 14 is thus returned upstream along the conveyance path 11 by the return conveyance roller 33 and the return pinch roller 34 in the conveyance direction L, the card 14 is clamped between the return conveyance roller 33 and the return pinch roller 34 and is returned in a state of descending from the one-side guide plate 31 toward the other-side guide plate 32. At the same time, the card 14 is returned upstream from the transfer device 18A at a high speed of, for example, 300 to 400 mm / s, similarly to when the card 14 is sent toward the transfer device 18A side.

[0056] Note that each component of the thermal transfer system 10, for example, the transfer device 18A, the feeding unit 25, the winding unit 26, the return conveyance roller 33, and the feed conveyance roller 35 is driven and controlled by the control unit 10A.

[0057] Also, in the conveyance path 11, a heater unit 15 for heating the card 14 from below is provided upstream of the transfer device 18A in the conveyance direction, so that the card 14 can be heated and the ink of the ink layer 13b of the ink ribbon 13 can be smoothly transferred onto the card 14.

[0058] Next, the operation of the thermal transfer system 10 according to the present embodiment having such a configuration will be described.

[0059] First, the card 14 is sent toward the thermal transfer system 10 along the conveyance path. At this time, the control unit 10A drives the feed conveyance roller 35 to convey the card 14 toward the transfer device 18A and pre-heats the card 14 by the heater unit 15. On the other hand, the control unit 10A drives the winding unit 26 to convey the ink ribbon 13 from the feeding unit 25 toward the transfer device 18A.

[0060] At this time, a tension is applied to the ink ribbon 13 by a brake mechanism built into the sending unit 25.

[0061] During this period, the card 14 is clamped between the feed transport roller 35 and the feed pinch roller 36, and the card 14 is sent toward the transfer device 18A side along the transport path 11 (see Fig. 4). In this case, the feed transport roller 35 and the feed pinch roller 36 send the card 14 toward the transfer device 18A side at a high speed of, for example, 300 to 400 mm / s.

[0062] As shown in Fig. 4, the card 14 is clamped between the feed transport roller 35 and the feed pinch roller 36, and is sent in a state of descending from one guide plate 31 to the other guide plate 32.

[0063] In Fig. 4, one side in the width direction L1 of the card 14 is regulated by the one guide plate 31, and the other side of the card 14 is regulated by the other guide plate 32. Then, the card 14 is pressed against the one guide plate 31 side by the other guide plate 32 made of a spring material.

[0064] At this time, the pressing roller 42 regulates the upward movement of the card 14, and the transport path 11 regulates the downward movement of the card 14.

[0065] As described above, since the card 14 descends from one side to the other side in the width direction L1 between the one guide plate 31 and the other guide plate 32, both end faces in the width direction L1 of the card 14 form a gap x between the one guide plate 31 and the other guide plate 32 (see Figs. 6A and 6B). By forming the gap x between both end faces in the width direction L1 of the card 14 and the one guide plate 31 and the other guide plate 32, in particular, the adhesive layer 14b of the card 14 does not rub against the one guide plate 31 or the other guide plate 32.

[0066] As a result, the adhesive layer 14b of the card 14 is not rubbed against the one guide plate 31 or the other guide plate 32 and the adhesive layer 14b does not peel off from the card 14, and no accumulation of adhesive debris occurs on the transport path 11 to cause a conveyance jam of the card 14.

[0067] In FIGS. 6A and 6B, when the card 14 descends from the one-side guide plate 31 toward the other-side guide plate 32, if the card 14 is inclined, for example, by 3°, a gap x of up to 0.04 mm is formed between both end faces of the card 14 and the one-side guide plate 31 and the other-side guide plate 32. Also, if the card 14 is inclined, for example, by 5°, a gap x of up to 0.07 mm is formed between both end faces of the card 14 and the one-side guide plate 31 and the other-side guide plate 32.

[0068] Note that as shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, the one-side guide plate 31 and the other-side guide plate 32 are arranged in the vertical direction.

[0069] Thereafter, the card 14 is transferred from the feed conveyance roller 35 and the feed pinch roller 36 to the transfer claw 50 (see FIG. 5A). At this time, the heating body 18 of the transfer device 18A descends, and the feed conveyance roller 35 also descends to the standby position. Thereafter, the card 14 is conveyed by the transfer claw 50 and passes through the transfer device 18A while being sandwiched between the heating body 18 of the transfer device 18A and the platen roller 19 (see FIG. 5B). When the card 14 passes through the transfer device 18A while being sandwiched between the heating body 18 and the platen roller 19, the ink of the ink layer 13b of the ink ribbon 13 is transferred onto the card 14. During this time, the card 14 is separated from the feed conveyance roller 35 and the feed pinch roller 36 and is sandwiched between the heating body 18 and the platen roller 19, so the card 14 maintains a horizontal posture (see FIG. 3).

[0070] While the card 14 passes through the transfer device 18A and the ink of the ink layer 13b of the ink ribbon 13 is transferred onto the card 14, the return conveyance roller 33 descends to take the standby position. Also, the card 14 is conveyed by the transfer claw 50 and passes through the transfer device 18A at a low speed of, for example, 25 mm / s.

[0071] After the transfer device 18A performs transfer on the card 14, the heating element 18 of the transfer device 18 rises, and the return conveyance roller 33 rises from the standby position, and the card 14 is delivered from the conveyance claw 50 to the return conveyance roller 33 and the return pinch roller 34. Then, the card 14 is sandwiched between the return conveyance roller 33 and the return pinch roller 34 and is once returned upstream along the conveyance path 11 (FIG. 5C).

[0072] When the card 14 is thus returned upstream along the conveyance path 11 by the return conveyance roller 33 and the return pinch roller 34, the card 14 is sandwiched between the return conveyance roller 33 and the return pinch roller 34 and is returned in a state of descending from the one-side guide plate 31 toward the other-side guide plate 32. At the same time, the card 14 is returned upstream from the transfer device 18A at a high speed of, for example, 300 to 400 mm / s, in the same manner as when the card 14 is sent toward the transfer device 18A side.

[0073] In FIGS. 5A to 5C, one side in the width direction L1 of the card 14 is regulated by the one-side guide plate 31, and the other side of the card 14 is regulated by the other-side guide plate 32. And the card 14 is pressed toward the one-side guide plate 31 by the other-side guide plate 32 made of a spring material.

[0074] At this time, the pressing roller 41 regulates the upward movement of the card 14, and the conveyance path 11 regulates the downward movement of the card 14.

[0075] As described above, since the card 14 descends from one side to the other side in the width direction L1 between the one-side guide plate 31 and the other-side guide plate 32, both end faces in the width direction L1 of the card 14 form a gap x between the one-side guide plate 31 and the other-side guide plate 32 (see FIGS. 6A and 6B). In order to form the gap x between both end faces in the width direction L1 of the card 14 and the one-side guide plate 31 and the other-side guide plate 32, in particular, the adhesive layer 14b of the card 14 does not rub against the one-side guide plate 31 or the other-side guide plate 32.

[0076] As a result, the adhesive layer 14b of the card 14 is not rubbed against the one-side guide plate 31 or the other-side guide plate 32, and the adhesive layer 14b does not peel off from the card 14, and adhesive scraps do not accumulate on the conveyance path 11 to cause conveyance jamming of the card 14.

[0077] In this way, the card 14 is sandwiched between the return conveyance roller 33 and the return pinch roller 34 and returned upstream (to the return side) along the conveyance path 11 in the conveyance direction L. After that, the rear end of the card 14 engages with the conveyance claw 50 again, and the card 14 is sent again to the transfer device 18A side along the conveyance direction L by the conveyance claw 50. Then, the ink of the ink layer 13b of the ink ribbon 13 is transferred to the card 14 again by the transfer device 18A. Such operations are repeated, and the face image 14A is formed on the card 14 (see FIG. 5C).

[0078] As described above, according to the present embodiment, when the card 14 is sent from the upstream side to the transfer device 18A side by the feed conveyance roller 35 and the feed pinch roller 36, and when the card 14 is returned from the transfer device 18A to the upstream side by the return conveyance roller 33 and the return pinch roller 34, in either case, the card 14 is conveyed at a high speed of, for example, 300 to 400 mm / s. However, during this time, since the card 14 descends from the one-side guide plate 31 side toward the other-side guide plate 32 side, a gap x can be formed between both end faces of the card 14 and the one-side guide plate 31 and the other-side guide plate 32. For this reason, during the conveyance of the card 14, the entire surfaces of both end faces of the card 14 do not come into contact with the one-side guide plate 31 and the other-side guide plate 32.

[0079] As a result, the adhesive layer 14b of the card 14 is not rubbed against the one-side guide plate 31 or the other-side guide plate 32, and the adhesive layer 14b does not peel off, and adhesive scraps do not accumulate on the conveyance path 11 to cause conveyance jamming of the card 14 either.

[0080] When transferring the ink of the ink layer 13b of the ink ribbon 13 to the card 14 by the transfer device 18A, the card 14 is kept in a horizontal posture by the heating body 18 and the platen roller 19. However, when the card 14 is sent to the transfer device 18A and ink is transferred to the card 14, since the card 14 is conveyed at a low speed, even if both end faces of the card 14 contact the one-side guide plate 31 or the other-side guide plate 32, the adhesive layer 14b of the card 14 will not peel off from the card 14.

[0081] <Second Embodiment> Next, with reference to FIGS. 9 to 11, a second embodiment of the present disclosure will be described.

[0082] In the second embodiment shown in FIGS. 9 to 11, the outer shapes of the return conveyance roller 43 and the return pinch roller 44 are different from those of the feed conveyance roller 45 and the feed pinch roller 46, but other configurations are substantially the same as those of the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 8.

[0083] In the second embodiment shown in FIGS. 9 to 11, the same parts as those in the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 8 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed descriptions thereof are omitted.

[0084] In the conveyance path 11 for conveying the card 14, a return conveyance roller 43 and a feed conveyance roller 45 are sequentially provided toward the upstream side in the conveyance direction L of the transfer device 18A. Among these, the return conveyance roller 43 is driven by a DC motor and returns the card 14 sent from the conveyance path 11 to the transfer device 18A to the upstream side of the conveyance path 11. The feed conveyance roller 45 is driven by a DC motor and sends the card 14 through the conveyance path 11 to the transfer device 18A side.

[0085] In the present embodiment, above the return conveyance roller 43, a return pinch roller 44 is provided which sandwiches the card 14 between it and the return conveyance roller 43 and returns the card 14 to the upstream side in the conveyance direction L of the conveyance path 11 (see FIGS. 9 and 10).

[0086] As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the return conveyance roller 43 is rotationally driven by a drive shaft 43a provided on one side guide plate 31. The return pinch roller 44 is rotatably supported by a support shaft 44a provided on the one side guide plate 31 side.

[0087] As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the drive shaft 43a of the return conveyance roller 43 is movable in the vertical direction. On the other hand, the support shaft 44a of the return pinch roller 44 does not move in the vertical direction.

[0088] Also, above the feed conveyance roller 45, there is provided a feed pinch roller 46 that sandwiches the card 14 with the feed conveyance roller 45 and sends the card 14 along the conveyance path 11 in the conveyance direction L toward the transfer device 18A side (see FIG. 11).

[0089] As shown in FIG. 11, the feed conveyance roller 45 is rotationally driven by a drive shaft 45a provided on one side guide plate 31. The feed pinch roller 46 is shown as rotatable by a support shaft 46a provided on one side guide plate 31. In FIG. 11, the drive shaft 45a of the feed conveyance roller 45 and the support shaft 46a of the feed pinch roller 46 do not move in the vertical direction.

[0090] Incidentally, as shown in FIGS. 9 to 11, the return conveyance roller 43 and the return pinch roller 44, and the feed conveyance roller 45 and the feed pinch roller 46 are all provided in the vicinity of the one side guide plate 31.

[0091] And between the return conveyance roller 43 and the return pinch roller 44, and the feed conveyance roller 45 and the feed pinch roller 46, a pair of pressing rollers 41, 42 are provided to press the card 14 from above and regulate the upward movement of the card 14. The pair of pressing rollers 41, 42 are both provided in the vicinity of the other side guide plate 32. In this case, the pressing roller 41 is rotatably supported by a support portion 41a, and the pressing roller 42 is rotatably supported by a support portion 42a.

[0092] In this way, both of the pair of pressing rollers 41 and 42 restrict the upward movement of the card 14, and the conveyance path 11 restricts the downward movement of the card 14. Therefore, when the card 14 is conveyed along the conveyance path 11, the card 14 does not necessarily need to contact the pressing rollers 41 and 42 or the conveyance path 11.

[0093] Next, the outer shapes of the reverse conveyance roller 43 and the reverse pinch roller 44 will be described. As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, both the reverse conveyance roller 43 and the reverse pinch roller 44 have a rectangular cross-sectional shape. In this case, the reverse conveyance roller 43 is configured to have a larger diameter than the reverse pinch roller 44.

[0094] When the card 14 is sandwiched between the reverse conveyance roller 43 and the reverse pinch roller 44, the upper surface of the card 14 is further pressed by the pressing roller 41. By pressing the card 14 at three points by the reverse conveyance roller 43, the reverse pinch roller 44, and the pressing roller 41 in this way, the card 14 can be lifted from the conveyance path 11, and the card 14 can be lowered from one side (the one-side guide plate 31 side) in the width direction L1 toward the other side (the other-side guide plate 32 side).

[0095] Similarly, as shown in FIG. 11, both the feed conveyance roller 45 and the feed pinch roller 46 have a rectangular cross-sectional shape. In this case, the feed conveyance roller 35 is configured to have a larger diameter than the feed pinch roller 46.

[0096] When the card 14 is sandwiched between the feed conveyance roller 45 and the feed pinch roller 46, the upper surface of the card 14 is further pressed by the pressing roller 42. By pressing the card 14 at three points by the feed conveyance roller 45, the feed pinch roller 46, and the pressing roller 42 in this way, the card 14 can be lifted from the conveyance path 11, and the card 14 can be lowered from one side (the one-side guide plate 31 side) in the width direction toward the other side (the other-side guide plate 32 side).

[0097] Next, the operation of the present embodiment having such a configuration will be described.

[0098] First, the card 14 is sent toward the thermal transfer system 10 along the conveyance path 11. At this time, the control unit 10A drives the feed conveyance roller 35 to convey the card 14 toward the transfer device 18A, and pre-heats the card 14 by the heater unit 15. On the other hand, the control unit 10A drives the take-up unit 26 to convey the ink ribbon 13 from the delivery unit 25 toward the transfer device 18A.

[0099] At this time, a tension is applied to the ink ribbon 13 by a brake mechanism built in the delivery unit 25.

[0100] During this period, the card 14 is sandwiched between the feed conveyance roller 45 and the feed pinch roller 46, and is sent toward the transfer device 18A along the conveyance path 11 while being pressed downward by the pressing roller 42 (see FIG. 11). In this case, the feed conveyance roller 45 and the feed pinch roller 46 send the card 14 toward the transfer device 18A at a high speed of, for example, 300 to 400 mm / s.

[0101] As shown in FIG. 11, the card 14 is sandwiched between the feed conveyance roller 45 and the feed pinch roller 46, and is sent in a state of being pressed downward by the pressing roller 42 and descending from the one-side guide plate 31 toward the other-side guide plate 32.

[0102] In FIG. 11, one side in the width direction L1 of the card 14 is regulated by the one-side guide plate 31, and the other side of the card 14 is regulated by the other-side guide plate 32. Then, the card 14 is pressed against the one-side guide plate 31 side by the other-side guide plate 32 made of a spring material.

[0103] At this time, the conveyance path 11 regulates the downward movement of the card 14.

[0104] As described above, since the card 14 descends from one side to the other side in the width direction L1 between the one-side guide plate 31 and the other-side guide plate 32, gaps x are formed between both end faces of the card 14 in the width direction L1 and the one-side guide plate 31 and the other-side guide plate 32 (see FIGS. 6A and 6B). By forming the gaps x between both end faces of the card 14 in the width direction L1 and the one-side guide plate 31 and the other-side guide plate 32, in particular, the adhesive layer 14b of the card 14 does not rub against the one-side guide plate 31 or the other-side guide plate 32.

[0105] As a result, the adhesive layer 14b of the card 14 is not rubbed against the one-side guide plate 31 or the other-side guide plate 32, and the adhesive layer 14b does not peel off from the card 14, and no adhesive residue accumulates on the conveyance path 11 to cause a conveyance jam of the card 14.

[0106] Thereafter, the card 14 is transferred from the feed conveyance roller 45 and the feed pinch roller 46 to the conveyance claw 50 (see FIG. 5A). At this time, the heating body 18 of the transfer device 18A descends, and the feed conveyance roller 45 also descends to the standby position. Thereafter, the card 14 is conveyed by the conveyance claw 50 and passes through the transfer device 18A while being sandwiched between the heating body 18 of the transfer device 18A and the platen roller 19 (see FIG. 5B). When the card 14 passes through the transfer device 18A while being sandwiched between the heating body 18 and the platen roller 19, the ink of the ink layer 13b of the ink ribbon 13 is transferred to the card 14. During this time, the card 14 separates from the feed conveyance roller 45 and the feed pinch roller 46 and is sandwiched between the heating body 18 and the platen roller 19, so the card 14 maintains a horizontal posture (see FIG. 3).

[0107] While the card 14 passes through the transfer device 18A and the ink of the ink layer 13b of the ink ribbon 13 is transferred to the card 14, the return conveyance roller 43 descends to the standby position. The card 14 is conveyed by the conveyance claw 50 and passes through the transfer device 18A at a low speed of, for example, 25 mm / s.

[0108] After the transfer device 18A performs transfer on the card 14, the heating element 18 of the transfer device 18 rises, the return conveyance roller 43 rises from the standby position, and the card 14 is transferred from the conveyance claw 50 to the return conveyance roller 43 and the return pinch roller 44. Then, the card 14 is sandwiched between the return conveyance roller 43 and the return pinch roller 44 and is once returned upstream along the conveyance path 11 (FIG. 5C).

[0109] When the card 14 is returned upstream along the conveyance path 11 by the return conveyance roller 43 and the return pinch roller 44 in this way, the card 14 is sandwiched between the return conveyance roller 43 and the return pinch roller 44 and is pressed downward by the pressing roller 41, and is returned in a state of descending from the one-side guide plate 31 toward the other-side guide plate 32. At the same time, the card 14 is returned upstream from the transfer device 18A, for example, at a high speed of 300 to 400 mm / s in the same manner as when the card 14 is sent toward the transfer device 18A side (see FIGS. 9 and 10).

[0110] In FIGS. 9 and 10, one side in the width direction L1 of the card 14 is regulated by the one-side guide plate 31, and the other side of the card 14 is regulated by the other-side guide plate 32. Then, the card 14 is pressed against the one-side guide plate 31 side by the other-side guide plate 32 made of a spring material.

[0111] At this time, the conveyance path 11 regulates the downward movement of the card 14.

[0112] As described above, since the card 14 descends from one side to the other side in the width direction L1 between the one-side guide plate 31 and the other-side guide plate 32, both end faces in the width direction L1 of the card 14 form a gap x between the one-side guide plate 31 and the other-side guide plate 32 (see FIGS. 6A and 6B). In order to form the gap x between both end faces in the width direction L1 of the card 14 and the one-side guide plate 31 and the other-side guide plate 32, in particular, the adhesive layer 14b of the card 14 does not rub against the one-side guide plate 31 or the other-side guide plate 32.

[0113] As a result, the adhesive layer 14b of the card 14 is not rubbed against the one-side guide plate 31 or the other-side guide plate 32, and the adhesive layer 14b is not peeled off from the card 14. Also, no adhesive residue accumulates on the conveyance path 11 to cause a conveyance jam of the card 14.

[0114] In this way, the card 14 is sandwiched between the return conveyance roller 43 and the return pinch roller 44, and is pressed downward by the pressing roller 41, and then returned (in the return direction) to the upstream side in the conveyance direction L along the conveyance path 11. Then, the rear end of the card 14 engages with the conveyance claw 50 again, and the card 14 is sent again to the transfer device 18A side along the conveyance direction L by the conveyance claw 50. Then, the ink of the ink layer 13b of the ink ribbon 13 is transferred to the card 14 again by the transfer device 18A. Such an operation is repeated, and the face image 14A is formed on the card 14 (see FIG. 5C).

[0115] As described above, according to the present embodiment, since the return conveyance roller 43 and the return pinch roller 44, and the feed conveyance roller 45 and the feed pinch roller 46 all have a rectangular cross-sectional shape, the return conveyance roller 43 and the return pinch roller 44, and the feed conveyance roller 45 and the feed pinch roller 46 can be easily and simply manufactured.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0116] 10 Thermal transfer system 10A Control unit 11 Conveyance path 12 Discharge path 13 Ink ribbon 13a Support layer 13b Ink layer 14 Card 14A Face image 15 Heater section 16 Guide roller 17 Separation roller 18 Heating body 18A Transfer device 18a Heating head 19 Platen roller 20 Metal plate 25 Delivery section 26 Take-up section 31 One-side guide plate 32 The other-side guide plate 33 Return conveyance roller 34 Return pinch roller 35 Feed conveyance roller 36 Feed pinch roller 41 Pressing roller 42 Pressing roller 43 Return conveyance roller 44 Return pinch roller 45 Feed conveyance roller 46 Feed pinch roller 50 Conveying claw

Claims

1. In a thermal transfer system that uses an ink ribbon having a support layer and an ink layer, and has a pair of base materials and an adhesive layer between the pair of base materials, and transfers the ink of the ink layer to a transfer body conveyed in a conveyance direction, a one-side guide plate that regulates one side in the width direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction of the transfer body; the other-side guide plate that regulates the other side in the width direction of the transfer body; a conveyance roller provided near the one-side guide plate for conveying the transfer body; and a pinch roller that sandwiches the transfer body between the conveyance roller, wherein the conveyance roller and the pinch roller float the transfer body upward, and lower the transfer body from one side in the width direction toward the other side in the width direction, and a cross-sectional shape of both the conveyance roller and the pinch roller has a rectangular shape, and a pressing roller for pressing the transfer body downward is provided near the other-side guide plate, the thermal transfer system.

2. In a thermal transfer system that uses an ink ribbon having a support layer and an ink layer, and has a pair of base materials and an adhesive layer between the pair of base materials, and transfers the ink of the ink layer to a transfer body conveyed in a conveyance direction, a one-side guide plate that regulates one side in the width direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction of the transfer body; the other-side guide plate that regulates the other side in the width direction of the transfer body; a conveyance roller provided near the one-side guide plate for conveying the transfer body; and a pinch roller that sandwiches the transfer body between the conveyance roller, wherein the conveyance roller and the pinch roller float the transfer body upward, and lower the transfer body from one side in the width direction toward the other side in the width direction, and a pressing roller for pressing the transfer body downward is provided near the other-side guide plate, the thermal transfer system.

3. The thermal transfer system according to any one of claims 1 or 2, wherein a conveyance path for regulating the movement of the transfer body below is provided between the one-side guide plate and the other-side guide plate.

4. The thermal transfer system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the conveyance roller has a feed conveyance roller and a return conveyance roller, and the pinch roller has a feed pinch roller corresponding to the feed conveyance roller and a return pinch roller corresponding to the return conveyance roller.

5. A thermal transfer system according to claim 4, wherein a heating body for transferring the ink layer to the transfer target is provided on the downstream side in the transport direction of the return transport roller and the return pinch roller, and a platen roller for sandwiching the transfer target between the heating body is provided.

6. The thermal transfer system according to claim 5, wherein the return transport roller and the heating body are movable in the vertical direction, and when the heating body contacts the transfer target, the return transport roller moves away from the transfer target.

Images