Recording apparatus and recording method

Abstract

In a recording apparatus, a recording medium is fixed to a recording medium fixing member. To record a desired image, the recording medium is exposed to light containing image/character data, while the recording medium is moved in the main scan direction, and a plurality of spots arrayed on the recording medium are moved in a direction orthogonal to the main scan direction. In the recording apparatus, first and second exposure operations are performed. In the first exposure operation, the recording medium is exposed to the light containing image/character data, while forming pixel groups or island patterns each consisting of a predetermined number of pixels consecutively arrayed on the recording medium in the main and sub-scan directions. In a second exposure operation and the subsequent ones, the pixels in an unexposed area other than the island patterns on the recording medium are successively exposed to the light.

1 - 15 . (canceled)  
     
     
         16 . An image recording method executed by a recording apparatus including a recording medium fixing member for fixing a recording medium formed by coupling together a toner layer of a transfer film as a heat mode sensitive material and an image receiving layer of a receiver film in a layering manner and having a plurality of spots arrayed on a surface thereof, and a recording head capable of irradiating for exposing the recording medium, the method comprising the steps of: 
 recording for recording a desired image on the recording medium by the recording head exposing the recording medium along image/character data with letting the recording medium relatively move in a main scan direction between the recording medium fixing member and the recording head as well as letting the spots relatively move in a sub-scan direction;    exposing for exposing pixels on the recording medium in the sub-scan direction by relatively moving the recording head from a position near the original point of the sub-scan to a position near the end of the sub-scan; and    dividing all the spots into “n” number of blocks;    wherein a first block of the divided spots is used for exposing pixels on the recording medium with thinning out a part of the pixels, from second to (n−1)th blocks of the divided spots are simultaneously used for gradually exposing pixels in unexposed part on the recording medium, nth block of the divided spots is also simultaneously used for exposing all the remaining pixels in the unexposed part, and at this time an array of pixels to be thinned out is directed to the downstream side in the sub-scan direction and to the upstream in the main scan direction,    wherein n is an optional positive integer of 2 or larger.    
     
     
         17 . An image recording apparatus comprising: 
 a recording medium fixing member for fixing a recording medium formed by coupling together a toner layer of a transfer film as a heat mode sensitive material and an image receiving layer of a receiver film in a layering manner and having a plurality of spots arrayed on a surface of the recording medium;    a recording head capable of irradiating for exposing the recording medium along image/character data in order to record a desired image on the recording medium, performing a first exposure operation by moving relative to the recording medium in a main scan direction simultaneously with moving of the plurality of spots in sub-scan direction, which is orthogonal to the main scan direction, and performing a second exposure operation by moving in the sub-scan direction; and    wherein all the spots are divided into “n” number of blocks, the pixels on the recording medium are thin-out exposed by using the first block of spots, and at the same time the pixels in an unexposed part on the recording medium is gradually exposed by using the 2nd to (n−1)th blocks, the remaining pixels in the unexposed part are all exposed by using the n-th block, and at this time, an array of pixels to be thinned out is directed to the downstream side in the sub-scan direction and to the upstream in the main scan direction.    
     
     
         18 . The image recording apparatus according to  claim 17 , 
 wherein the thin-out exposure operation is performed such that the line number of a line of those lines arrayed in the sub-scan direction of an exposed pixel of a row is the same as or the preceding or succeeding line number of a line of those lines arrayed in the sub-scan direction of an exposed pixel of the subsequent row.    
     
     
         19 . The image recording apparatus according to  claim 17 , 
 wherein a percentage of the thinned out lines at the exposure by said block of spots is 20% to 80% of the whole image/character data to be exposed.    
     
     
         20 . The image recording apparatus according to  claim 17 , 
 wherein at the exposure by the n-th block, a percentage of the image/character data other than that exposed by the 1st to (n−1)th blocks is 20% or higher of the whole image/character data to be exposed.    
     
     
         21 . An image recording method executed by a recording apparatus including a recording medium fixing member for fixing a recording medium formed by coupling together a toner layer of a transfer film as a heat mode sensitive material and an image receiving layer of a receiver film in a layering manner and having a plurality of spots arrayed on a surface thereof, and a recording head capable of irradiating for exposing the recording medium, the method comprising the steps of: 
 recording for recording a desired image on the recording medium by the recording head exposing the recording medium along image/character data with letting the recording medium relatively move in a main scan direction between the recording medium fixing member and the recording head as well as letting the spots relatively move in a sub-scan direction;    first exposing for exposing pixels on the recording medium in the sub-scan direction by relatively moving the recording head from a position near the original point of the sub-scan to a position near the end of the sub-scan;    second exposing for exposing pixels in unexposed area on the recording medium; and    repeating the step of second exposing;    wherein, in the step of first exposing, image/character data is exposed in a thin-out manner, and    wherein, in the steps of second exposing and repeating,    the pixels in the thinned-out, unexposed part are successively exposed.    
     
     
         22 . An image recording apparatus comprising: 
 a recording medium fixing member for fixing a recording medium formed by coupling together a toner layer of a transfer film as a heat mode sensitive material and an image receiving layer of a receiver film in a layering manner and having a plurality of spots arrayed on a surface of the recording medium;    a recording head capable of irradiating for recording a desired image on the recording medium by exposing along image/character data with moving relative to the recording medium in a main scan direction, at the same time the plurality of spots are moving in sub-scan direction orthogonal to the main scan direction, performing a first exposure operation for exposing pixels on the recording medium by moving in the sub-scan direction, performing a second exposing operation for exposing pixels of unexposed area on the recording medium, and repeating the second exposing operation; and    an exposure controller device controlling the recording head so that, in a first exposure operation, image/character data is exposed in a thin-out manner, and in a second exposure operation and the subsequent ones, the pixels in the thinned-out and unexposed part are successively exposed.    
     
     
         23 . The image recording device according to  claim 22 , 
 wherein in said first exposure operation, after said recording head reaches a position near the end of the sub-scan in the first exposure operation and returns to a position near the original point of the sub-scan, the pixels in said unexposed area not having been exposed in the preceding exposure operation are exposed R times, and    wherein R is a optional positive integer.    
     
     
         24 . The image recording apparatus according to  claim 22 , 
 wherein in said first exposure operation, after said recording head reaches said position near the end of the sub-scan in the first exposure operation, said recording head returns to said position near the original point of the sub-scan while exposing the pixels in said unexposed area not having been exposed in the preceding exposure operation.    
     
     
         25 . The image recording apparatus according to  claim 22 , 
 wherein at the R-th exposure by said recording head, said recording head may expose the remaining image/character data other than the image/character data having been exposed in said first to (R−1)th exposure operations.    
     
     
         26 . The image recording apparatus according to  claim 22 , 
 wherein at the first exposure, a percentage of thin-out exposing to the whole image/character data to be exposed is 20% to 80%.    
     
     
         27 . The image recording apparatus according to  claim 22 , 
 wherein at the R-th exposure operation, a percentage of said image/character data other than the image/character data having been exposed in said first to (R−1)th exposure operations, to the whole image/character data to be exposed is 20% or higher.    
     
     
         28 . The image recording apparatus according  claim 22 , 
 wherein an array of said pixels to be thinned out is directed to the downstream side in the sub-scan direction, and to the upstream side in the main scan direction.    
     
     
         29 . The image recording apparatus according to  claim 28 , 
 wherein the thin-out exposure operation is performed such that the line number of a line of those lines arrayed in the sub-scan direction of an exposed pixel of a row is the same as or the preceding or succeeding line number of a line of those lines arrayed in the sub-scan direction of an exposed pixel of the subsequent row.