JPS60155218A - Recording liquid for use in ink jet recording - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:The titled recording liquid excellent in recordability, storage stability, etc., prepared by adding a recording agent and additives to a liquid medium and having specified physical properties. CONSTITUTION:A recording liquid prepared by mixing 100pts.wt. liquid medium (e.g., alcohol, hydrocarbon solvent or ketone solvent) with about 0.1-10pts.wt. recording agent (e.g., dye or pigment of a particle diameter of about 0.00001- 30mu) and additives (e.g., wetting agent, surface tention modifier, viscosity modifier and infrared absorbing heat generator) and having a specific heat of 0.1- 4J/gh, a coefficient of thermal expansion of 0.1X10<-3>-1.8X10<-3>deg<-1>, and a thermal conductivity of 0.1X10<-3>-50X10<-3>W/cm.deg.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a recording method and apparatus, and particularly to a recording method and apparatus for recording by flying a recording medium.

Non-impact recording methods have recently attracted attention because the noise generated during recording is so small that it can be ignored. Among them, high-speed recording is possible,
Moreover, the so-called inkjet recording method, which allows recording on plain paper without the need for special fixing treatment, is an extremely powerful recording method, and various methods have been devised, improved, and commercialized. Some have been developed, and efforts are still being made to put them into practical use.

In this inkjet recording method, recording is performed by causing a stream of droplets of a recording medium called ink to fly and adhere to a recording member, and the method of generating droplets of the recording medium is There are several types of methods depending on the control method used to control the flight direction of the generated recording medium droplets.

First, the first method is the one disclosed in USP 3060429 (Tele type method), for example,
A device that generates recording medium droplets using electrostatic attraction, controls the generated recording medium droplets according to a recording signal with an electric field, and selectively attaches the recording medium droplets to the recording member to perform recording. It is.

More specifically, an electric field is applied between the nozzle and the accelerating electrode, uniformly charged recording medium droplets are ejected from the nozzle, and the ejected recording medium droplets are subjected to an electric field according to a recording signal. A recording member that flies between x and y deflection electrodes that are configured to be controllable, and selectively records droplets by changing the intensity of the electric field.
; is used for recording.

The second method is, for example, USP3596275.

The method disclosed in USP3298030 etc. (Swe
et method), in which droplets of a recording medium with a controlled amount of charge are generated by a continuous vibration generation method, and a uniform electric field is applied to the generated droplets with a controlled amount of charge. Recording is performed on a recording member by flying between deflection electrodes.

Specifically, a charging electrode configured to apply a recording signal is placed in front of the orifice of a nozzle, which is a part of the recording head to which the piezo vibrating element is attached, at a predetermined distance apart. By applying an electric signal of a constant frequency to the piezo vibrating element, the piezo vibrating element is mechanically vibrated, and a droplet of the recording medium can be ejected from the orifice.

At this time, charges are electrostatically induced in the recording medium droplet discharged by the charging electrode, and the droplet is charged by an amount corresponding to the recording signal. When a droplet of a recording medium with a controlled amount of charge flies between deflection electrodes to which a constant electric field is uniformly applied, it is deflected according to the amount of charge applied, and the droplet carries the recording signal. only can be deposited on the recording member.

The third method is, for example, the method disclosed in USP 3,416,153 (Hertz method), in which an electric field is applied between a nozzle and a ring-shaped charging electrode, and small droplets of the recording medium are generated and atomized by a continuous vibration generation method. This is a method for recording data. That is, in this method, the atomization state of droplets is controlled by modulating the electric field intensity applied between the nozzle and the charging electrode in accordance with the recording signal, and the gradation of the recorded image is produced.

The fourth method is, for example, the method disclosed in US Pat. No. 3,747,120 (Stemme method), and this method is fundamentally different in principle from the above three methods.

That is, in all three methods, the droplets of the recording medium ejected from the nozzle are electrically controlled while they are in flight.
In contrast to recording by selectively depositing droplets carrying a recording signal onto a recording member, the Stemme method records by ejecting and flying droplets of the recording medium from an orifice according to the recording signal. It is something.

The Stemme method applies an electrical recording signal to a piezoelectric vibrating element attached to a recording head that has an orifice for ejecting a recording medium, and converts this electrical recording signal into mechanical vibration of the piezoelectric vibrating element. According to the mechanical vibration, small droplets of the recording medium are ejected from the orifice and attached to the recording member, thereby performing recording.

Each of these four conventional methods has its own advantages, but there are also problems that can be solved with the other method.

That is, in the first to third methods, the direct energy for generating droplets on the recording medium is electrical energy, and the deflection control of the droplets is also electric field control.

Therefore, although the first method is simple in structure, it requires high voltage to generate droplets.

Since it is difficult to create a multi-nozzle recording head, it is not suitable for high-speed recording.

The second method allows the recording head to have multiple nozzles and is suitable for high-speed recording, but is complicated in structure.

Further, there are other problems such as advanced and difficult electrical control of the recording medium droplets and the tendency for satellite dots to form on the recording member.

The third method has the advantage of being able to record images with excellent gradation by atomizing small droplets of the recording medium, but on the other hand, it is difficult to control the atomization state and fog occurs in the recorded image. Furthermore, there are other problems such as difficulty in forming a multi-nozzle recording head and unsuitability for high-speed recording.

The fourth method has relatively many advantages compared to the first to third methods. That is, the configuration is simple, and since the recording medium is ejected from the nozzle on demand to perform recording, images can be recorded in the small droplets that are ejected and fly, as in the first to third methods. There is no need to collect droplets that are not needed in the process, and there is no need to use a conductive recording medium as in the first and second methods, so there is a greater degree of freedom in terms of the material of the recording medium. It has the great advantage of being large. On the other hand, on the other hand, it is difficult to make the recording head multi-nozzle because there are problems in processing the recording head, and it is extremely difficult to miniaturize the piezo vibrating element having the desired resonance number. Furthermore, since the recording medium droplets are ejected and ejected using mechanical energy such as the mechanical vibration of the piezo vibrating element, it has the disadvantage that it is not suitable for high-speed recording.

As described above, the conventional method has advantages and disadvantages in terms of structure, high-speed recording, multi-nozzle H head, generation of satellite dots, and fogging of recorded images.
There was a restriction that it could only be applied to applications that took advantage of its advantages.

Therefore, in view of the above points, the present invention is a novel method that is structurally simple, facilitates multi-nozzle design, enables high-speed recording, eliminates the generation of satellite dots, and provides clear recorded images without fogging. The main purpose is to provide a recording method and device for it.

According to the present invention, thermal energy is applied to the recording medium present in a nozzle having an orifice for ejecting small droplets of the recording medium in a predetermined direction, and the small droplets of the recording medium are ejected and flying from the orifice. A recording method characterized in that recording is performed using a method of recording, and a device that embodies this recording method are provided.

Also provided is a recording method in which the thermal energy is thermal energy supplied to a thermal converting body and converted and generated by the thermal converting body, and a device for realizing this recording.

It further comprises a nozzle having an orifice through which droplets of recording medium are ejected in a predetermined direction, means for feeding recording medium into the nozzle, and means for generating heat conversion energy; There is also provided a recording apparatus that performs recording by ejecting and flying droplets of the recording medium from the orifice by the action of thermal energy generated by the conversion of the thermal conversion energy.

λmitate 11 The outline of the present invention will be explained with reference to FIG.

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the basic principle of the present invention.

Inside the nozzle 1, a suitable pressurizing means such as a pump is used to
The recording medium 3 is supplied to which a pressure P is applied to such an extent that it cannot be ejected from the orifice 2 by itself. now,
When the recording medium 3a located within the nozzle 1 at a distance from the orifice 2 is subjected to the action of thermal energy, the recording medium 3a undergoes a rapid state change, and the recording medium 3a is present within the width range of the nozzle l depending on the amount of energy applied. Part or all of the recording medium 3b is ejected from the orifice 2, flies in the direction of the recording member 4, and adheres to a predetermined position on the recording member 4. The size of the droplet 5 of the recording medium ejected from the orifice 2 and flying is determined by the amount of thermal energy applied and the width 6 of the portion 3a of the recording medium present in the nozzle 2 that is affected by the thermal energy.
The size of the print, the inner diameter d of the nozzle 2, the distance ml from the position of the orifice 2 to the position where thermal energy is applied, the pressure P applied to the recording medium, the specific heat, thermal conductivity, and coefficient of thermal expansion of the recording medium, etc. Dependent. Therefore, by changing one or more of these factors, the size of the droplet 5 can be easily controlled, and the droplet diameter and spot diameter can be adjusted as desired. It is possible to record on the recording member 4 using the same method. In particular, being able to arbitrarily change the distance means that the position of application of thermal energy can be changed as desired during recording, without changing the amount of applied thermal energy per unit time. In both cases, the size of the recording medium droplet 5 ejected from the orifice 2 can be arbitrarily controlled during recording, and a recorded image with gradation can be easily obtained.

In the present invention, the thermal energy applied to the recording medium 3 in the nozzle 1 may be applied continuously over time, or may be applied discontinuously by turning ON and OFF in pulses. .

When acting in a pulsed manner, the frequency, amplitude, and pulse width can be easily selected and changed as desired, so the size of the droplet and the droplet generated per unit time can be easily controlled. The number of drops can be controlled very easily.

When thermal energy is applied to the recording medium 3 in a temporally discontinuous manner, the applied thermal energy can carry recorded information.

In this case, since thermal energy is applied to the recording medium 3 in accordance with the recording information signal, each of the droplets 5 ejected and flying from the orifice 2 carries recording information, and therefore all of them are transferred to the recording member 3. Attach to.

When thermal energy is applied discontinuously to the recording medium 3 without carrying recorded information, it is preferable to act discontinuously at a certain frequency.

In this case, the frequency is determined as desired by taking into account the type of recording medium used and its physical properties, the form of the nozzle, the volume of the recording medium in the nozzle, the recording medium feeding speed into the nozzle, the orifice diameter, the recording speed, etc. The decision shall be made as appropriate.
Usually 1-1000KHz, preferably 50-500KHz
It is desirable that this is done.

When thermal energy is applied continuously over time,
Droplet size and number of droplets generated per unit time N
o is the amount of thermal energy acting per unit time, the pressure P applied to the recording medium in the nozzle 1, the specific heat of the recording medium,
The present inventors have confirmed that the thermal expansion coefficient and thermal conductivity mainly depend on the energy required for the droplet to fly out from the orifice 2. Therefore, by controlling the amount of thermal energy and/or pressure P acting per unit time, the size of the droplet and the number of droplets N
o can be controlled.

In the present invention, the thermal energy that acts on the recording medium 3 is generated by supplying thermal conversion energy to a thermal conversion body. As thermal conversion energy, any energy that can be converted into thermal energy can be used, but
Generally, electrical energy and electromagnetic energy are preferred because of their ease of supply, transmission, control, etc. As electromagnetic wave energy, laser, maser-1
Energy such as infrared rays, ultraviolet rays, visible light, high frequency waves, and electron beams can be mentioned. In particular, laser energy is preferred because of its advantages such as high heat conversion efficiency, easy transmission, supply and control, and the ability to miniaturize the device.

In the case where electric energy is used as heat conversion energy in the present invention, the heat conversion body may be provided in direct contact with the nozzle l, or a material with high heat conduction efficiency may be interposed between the heat conversion bodies. Nozzle 1 may be provided, and in any case, nozzle 1
Thermal energy generated from the heat converter provided in the recording medium 3 is transmitted to the recording medium 3 and acts on it.

Furthermore, in the case where electric energy is used, at least the portion of the nozzle 1 on which the electric energy acts may itself be constructed of a heat converter.

When electromagnetic wave energy is employed as the heat conversion energy, the heat conversion body may be the recording medium 3 itself, or may be attached to the nozzle l.

For example, if the recording medium 3 contains an electromagnetic wave energy absorbing heating substance, the recording medium 3 will directly absorb the electromagnetic wave energy and generate heat, causing a change in state and causing small droplets of the recording medium to be ejected from the nozzle. Alternatively, for example, if an electromagnetic wave energy absorbing heating layer is provided on the external surface of the nozzle 1, the layer absorbs electromagnetic wave energy and generates heat, and the generated thermal energy is recorded via the nozzle 1. medium 3
As a result, the state of the recording medium 3 changes, and a droplet can be ejected out of the nozzle l.

As the recording member 4 used in the present invention, all those commonly used in the technical field of the present invention are effective.

Examples of such recording materials include paper, plastic sheets, metal sheets, and sheets laminated with these materials. Among these, paper is preferred from the viewpoint of recording performance, cost, and handling. It is said that Examples of such paper include plain paper, high-quality paper, lightweight coated paper, coated paper, art paper, and the like.

Some typical examples of embodiments of the present invention will be explained with reference to the drawings.

(1) Figure 2 shows the use of electrical energy for thermal conversion energy and recording media on-demand (recording
An explanatory diagram for schematically illustrating an example of a preferred embodiment in the case of recording on a medium-on-demand basis is shown.

In FIG. 2, the recording head 6 has a configuration in which an electrothermal transducer 8, such as a so-called thermal head, is attached to a predetermined position of a nozzle 7.

A liquid recording medium 11 is supplied into the nozzle 7 from a recording medium supply section 9 by a pump 10 to which a predetermined pressure is applied.

The valve 12 is provided to adjust the flow rate of the recording medium 11 or to block the flow of the recording medium 11 toward the nozzle 7 side.

In the embodiment of FIG. 2, the electrothermal converter 8 is the nozzle 7.
It is attached to the outer wall of the nozzle 7 at a predetermined distance from the tip of the nozzle 7, but in order to achieve this degree of close contact even more effectively, it is attached to the nozzle 7 with a medium having good thermal conductivity interposed therebetween. It's okay.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the electrothermal converter 8 is shown as being fixedly attached to the nozzle 7, but it may be attached to the nozzle 7 in a movable position on the nozzle 7, or If another electrothermal converter is installed at a different position, the size of the droplets of the recording medium 11 ejected from the nozzle 7 can be adjusted appropriately by moving the heat generating position as desired. It becomes possible to control.

To specifically explain the recording method of the embodiment having the configuration shown in FIG.
The signal processing means 14 converts the recorded information signal into an ON-OFF pulse signal, and applies the pulse signal to the electrothermal transducer 8.

When the pulse signal converted according to the recording information signal is applied to the electrothermal transducer 7, the electrothermal transducer 8 instantaneously generates heat, and this generated thermal energy is used for recording near the electrothermal transducer 8. Acts on medium 11. The recording medium 11 subjected to the action of thermal energy undergoes an instantaneous state change, and the state M
Due to this change, the recording medium 11 is ejected from the orifice 15 of the nozzle 7 in the form of small droplets 13 and attached to the recording member 16 .

The size of the droplet 13 ejected from the orifice 15 at this time is determined by the diameter of the orifice 15, the location of the electrothermal converter 8, the amount of recording medium present in the nozzle 7, the physical properties of the recording medium, and the pulse. Depends on the signal size.

When the small print medium W413 is ejected from the orifice 15 of the nozzle 7, the print medium supply unit 9 supplies an amount of print medium corresponding to the ejected small droplet into the nozzle 7. At this time, the time for supplying the recording medium needs to be shorter than the time between ON and OFF of the applied pulse signal.

Thermal energy generated by the electrothermal converter 8 is transferred to the recording medium 11 , causing a state change in the recording medium near the electrothermal converter 8 , and the tip of the nozzle 7 is moved from the position of the electrothermal converter 8 to the recording medium 11 . When a part or all of the recording medium on the side is ejected, the recording medium is instantly replenished from the recording medium supply section 9, and the vicinity of the electrothermal transducer 8 sends the next pulse signal to the electrothermal transducer 8. The process continues in the direction of returning to the original thermal steady state until .

When the recording head 6 is a single nozzle as shown in the figure, the recording scanning method is based on the moving direction of the recording head 6 and the recording member 16.
The moving direction of the recording member 16 is perpendicular to the plane of the recording member 16, so that recording can be performed on the entire area of the recording member 16. Furthermore, as will be described later, the recording speed can be further improved by using multiple nozzles in the recording head 6, or by arranging the nozzles in the recording head 6 in series by the width required for recording on the recording member 16 With this configuration, there is no need to record while moving the recording head 6.

As the electrothermal converter 8, most converters can be effectively used as long as they convert electrical energy into thermal energy, and a so-called thermal head, which is normally used in the field of thermosensitive recording, is particularly preferably used. be done.

Such an electrothermal converter is of a type that only generates heat when energized, but in order to more effectively turn on and off the action of thermal energy on the recording medium according to the recorded information signal, there is a certain type of electrothermal converter. When current is passed in one direction, heat is generated, and when current is passed in the opposite direction, heat is absorbed.
It is preferable to use an electrothermal transducer of the type that exhibits a low tier effect.

Such electrothermal converters include, for example, a junction element of Bi and sb, (Bi-5b)2Te3 and B12(Te・5e
)3 bonded body elements, etc.

Furthermore, it is also effective to use a combination of a thermal head and a Peltier element as the electrothermal converter.

(2) FIG. 3 shows a schematic illustration of another preferred embodiment of the present invention.

The recording head 17 shown in FIG. 3 also has a structure in which an electrothermal converter 19 is attached to a nozzle 18, as in the case shown in FIG. It has an orifice of a predetermined diameter for this purpose.

The recording head 17 and the recording medium supply section 22 are connected by a recording medium transport pipe with a pump 23 interposed therebetween.
A recording medium 21 to which a desired pressure is applied by a pump 23 is supplied into the recording medium 6 .

The electrothermal transducer 19 is connected to a current voltage source 25 in order to generate heat so that the droplets 24 of the recording medium are constantly ejected from the orifice 20 at predetermined time intervals. It is connected.

A nozzle 18 is provided between the recording head 17 and the recording member 26.
A charging electrode 28 is provided at a minute interval from the front surface of the orifice 20 to charge the recording medium droplet 27 ejected from the orifice 20, and a deflector is used to deflect the flight direction of the charged droplet 27 according to the amount of charge. The electrode 30 is arranged so that its center coincides with the axis passing through the center of the nozzle 18, and a gutter 31 for collecting droplets 29 of the recording medium unnecessary for recording is connected to the deflection electrode 30 and the recording member 26. It is installed at a predetermined position between. The recording medium collected by the gutter 31 is returned to the recording medium supply section 22 through a filter 32 to be reused.

The filter 32 is provided to remove impurities mixed in the recording medium collected by the gutter 31 that have an adverse effect on the recording (such as clogging of the nozzle 18).

A signal processing means 33 is connected to the charging electrode 28 for processing the input recording information signal and applying the output signal to the charging electrode 28.

Now, a signal voltage according to the recording information signal is applied between the recording medium 21 and the charging electrode 28 in the nozzle 18, and a current is applied to the electrothermal transducer 19 continuously or discontinuously at regular time intervals. When the flow generates thermal energy, a recording medium droplet having an amount of charge corresponding to the recording information signal is drawn into the orifice 20.
When it is ejected and flies between the charged electrodes 28 in the direction of the recording member 26 and passes between the deflection electrodes 30, it is deflected by the electric field created between the deflection electrodes 30 by the high voltage power supply 34 according to the amount of charge. Accordingly, only the small droplets of the recording medium required for recording adhere to the recording member 26, and recording is performed.

By adjusting the timing of ejecting the droplet 27 from the orifice 20 and the timing of applying the signal voltage to the charging electrode 28, the droplet of the recording medium that adheres to the recording member 26 can be a droplet carrying an electric charge. It is also possible to
Alternatively, the droplet may be a droplet that does not carry an electric charge.

When using droplets that do not carry an electric charge as droplets used for recording, the ejection direction of the droplets should be in the direction of gravity;
The means required for each recording are preferably arranged in a convenient manner for that purpose.

(3) FIG. 4 shows a schematic illustration of yet another preferred embodiment of the present invention.

The embodiment of the embodiment shown in FIG. 4 is different from the embodiment shown in FIG. 2 except that laser light energy, which is a type of electromagnetic wave energy, is used as thermal conversion energy, and there is a difference in the configuration for this purpose. It is fundamentally the same.

A laser beam generated by a laser oscillator 40 is inputted to an optical modulator driving circuit 42 in an optical modulator 41, and pulse-modulated according to a recording information signal that is electrically processed and output.

The pulse-modulated laser beam passes through a scanner 43 and is focused by a condensing lens 44 on one of the elements constituting the recording head 35.
The laser beam is focused on a predetermined position of the nozzle 36, and heats the portion of the nozzle 36 that is irradiated with the laser beam, or/and directly heats the recording medium 45 inside the nozzle 36.

When laser light is focused on the wall of the nozzle 36 to heat it, and the thermal energy at this time is applied to the recording medium 44 inside the nozzle 35 to cause a state change, the laser light irradiation part of the nozzle 36 should be □ The nozzle 36 may be made of a material that efficiently absorbs laser light and generates heat, or may be provided by coating or wrapping such a material on the outer surface of the nozzle 36.

A specific example of such a case is to apply an infrared absorbing exothermic agent such as carbon black to the laser beam irradiation part of the nozzle 36 together with a suitable resin binder.

A notable feature of the embodiment shown in FIG.
By arbitrarily changing the irradiation and irradiation position of the laser beam by 3, small droplets 4 of the recording medium are ejected from the nozzle 36.
The size of the recording member 39 can be controlled.
It is possible to arbitrarily adjust the density of the image formed.

Another feature is that the droplets 46 of the recording medium are ejected from the orifice 37 in accordance with the recording information signal and are deposited on the recording member 39 without being charged.
This means that even if 9 is charged due to transport, it will not be affected by it at all. This feature is similar to that of the embodiment shown in FIG.

Furthermore, since laser light energy, which is a type of electromagnetic wave energy, can be applied as thermal conversion energy to the nozzle 36 and/or the recording medium 45 without contact, the structure of the recording head 35 can be extremely simplified and the cost can be reduced. Therefore, especially when the recording head 35 has multiple nozzles, this advantage can be maximized.

When using this multi-nozzle recording head, a complicated electrical circuit is provided for each nozzle of the recording head. Simply by irradiating each of the many nozzles lined up with a laser beam, the recording medium in each nozzle is Since thermal energy can be applied, it is extremely advantageous from the point of view of the recording head.

As the optical modulator 41, many of the optical modulators generally used in the laser recording field can be used, but in the case of high-speed recording, an acousto-optic optical modulator (AO) is particularly suitable for high-speed recording.
M), an electro-optic modulator (EOM) is effective, and these include an external optical modulation method in which the modulator is placed outside the laser resonator, and an internal modulation method in which the modulator is placed inside the laser resonator. can be applied to both formulas.

There are two types of scanner 43: mechanical and electronic, and each type is selected depending on the recording speed.

Mechanical scanners include galvanometers, electrostrictive devices,
There are those in which a magnetostrictive element is linked to a mirror, and those in which a mirror (rotating polygon mirror), lens, or hologram is linked to a high-speed motor.The former is suitable for low-speed recording, and the latter is suitable for high-speed recording.

Electronic scanners include acousto-optic devices, electro-optic devices,
Examples include optical IC devices.

(4) FIG. 5 shows a schematic illustration of yet another preferred embodiment of the present invention.

The embodiment of FIG. 5 uses laser light energy, which is a type of electromagnetic wave energy, as shown in the embodiment of FIG. 4, instead of the electrical energy of the embodiment of FIG. 3, as thermal conversion energy. Other than this structural difference, the wood quality is the same as that of the embodiment shown in Fig. 3, but compared to the embodiment shown in Fig. 3, the wood structure shown in Fig. It has the advantages as described in the embodiment.

In FIG. 5, reference numeral 47 denotes a recording head, which is composed of a nozzle 48 having an orifice 49 for ejecting a recording medium 50. A recording medium 50 to which a predetermined pressure is applied by a pump 52 is supplied from a recording medium supply section 51 into the recording head 47 .

By applying thermal energy to the recording medium 50.

In order to eject and fly the droplet 53 from the orifice 49, the laser beam output from the laser oscillator 54 is modulated into pulsed light of a desired frequency by an optical modulator 55, and then modulated by a scanner 56 and a condensing lens 57. This is accomplished by irradiating the recording head 47 so as to focus the light on a predetermined position.

In the embodiment of FIG. 5, a light modulator 55 and a scanner 56
However, the condensing lens 57 is not necessarily required, and the laser beam output from the laser oscillator 54 may be directly irradiated onto a predetermined position of the recording head 47. As the laser oscillator 54, either continuous oscillation or pulse oscillation can be used.

A droplet 53 ejected from the orifice 49 due to a change in the state of the recording medium 50 due to the thermal action of the laser beam is charged by a charging electrode 58 in accordance with the recording information signal.

The amount of charge on the droplet 53 at this time can be determined by processing the recording information signal by the signal processing means 59.
It is determined according to the signal output from the charging electrode 58 and supplied to the charging electrode 58. When the droplets that have passed between the charging electrodes 58 pass between the deflection electrodes 60, they are deflected according to the amount of charge by the electric field applied between the deflection electrodes 60 by the high voltage power source 61.

In FIG. 5, the droplets deflected between the deflection electrodes 60 are deposited on the recording member 63, and the droplets that are not deflected collide with the gutter 62 and are collected for reuse. Ru.

The recording medium captured by the gutter 62 is transferred to the cancer carrier 64
Impurities are removed from the recording medium and the recording medium is collected again by the recording medium supply section 51.

11 Dish 1 The characteristics required of the recording medium used in the present invention include chemical and physical stability similar to those of recording media used in ordinary recording methods, as well as responsiveness and fidelity. , it has excellent threading ability, it does not harden at the orifice of the nozzle, it can flow through the nozzle at a speed commensurate with the recording speed, and it is quickly fixed on the recording member after recording.
The recording density is sufficient, the shelf life is good, and so on.

As the recording medium employed in the present invention, any medium that satisfies the above-mentioned characteristics can be effectively used.

As such a recording medium, many of the recording media commonly used in the recording field related to the present invention are effective.

These recording media are composed of a liquid medium, a recording agent that forms a recorded image, and additives that are added as necessary to obtain desired characteristics. Classified by gender.

Liquid media are broadly classified into aqueous media and non-aqueous media.

In the present invention, many commonly known non-aqueous media can be suitably used.

Specific examples of such non-aqueous media include methyl alcohol, ethyl alcohol, n-propyl alcohol, and isopropyl alcohol.

n-butyl alcohol, 5ec-butyl alcohol, t
Furkyl alcohols with carbon fi 1 to 10 such as ert-butyl alcohol, isobutyl alcohol, pentyl alcohol, hexyl alcohol, heptyl alcohol, octyl alcohol, nonyl alcohol, decyl alcohol; for example, hexane, octane, cyclopentane, benzene, toluene, quidylol For example, halogenated hydrocarbon solvents such as carbon tetrachloride, trichloroethylene, tetrachloroethane, and dichlorobenzene; For example, ethers such as ethyl ether, butyl ether, ethylene glycol diethyl ether, and ethylene glycol monoethyl ether Solvent; for example, a ketone solvent such as acetone, methyl ethyl ketone, methyl propyl ketone, methyl amyl ketone, cyclohexanone;
Ethyl formate, methyl acetate, propyl acetate,
Examples include ester solvents such as phenylacetate and ethylene glycol monoethyl ether acetate; alcohol solvents such as diacetone alcohol; petroleum hydrocarbon solvents and the like.

These enumerated liquid media are appropriately selected and used so as to satisfy the compatibility with the recording agent and additives used and the above-mentioned characteristics as a recording medium. Two or more types may be mixed and used as appropriate within the range in which a recording medium having the characteristics can be prepared. Further, within the above conditions, these non-aqueous media and water may be mixed and used.

Among the above-mentioned liquid media, water or water/alcohol-based liquid media are preferred in consideration of pollution, ease of availability, ease of preparation, and the like.

As a recording agent, in order to prevent sedimentation and agglomeration in the nozzle or recording medium supply tank due to long-term storage, and furthermore, clogging of the transport pipe and nozzle, the relationship with the liquid medium and additives should be maintained. Must be used selectively. From this point of view, in the present invention, it is preferable to use a recording agent that is soluble in a liquid medium, but even a recording agent that is dispersible or poorly soluble in a liquid medium may be dispersed in the liquid medium. It can be used if the particle size of the recording agent is made sufficiently small.

The recording agent that can be used in the present invention is appropriately selected depending on the recording member to suit the recording conditions thereof, and many conventionally known dyes and pigments are effective. .

Dyes that can be effectively used in the present invention are those that can satisfy the above-mentioned characteristics of the prepared recording medium, and examples of dyes that are preferably used include direct dyes as water-soluble dyes, Basic dyes, acid dyes, soluble vat dyes, acidic mordant dyes, mordant dyes, sulfur dyes as water-insoluble dyes, vat dyes, alcoholic dyes, oil-soluble dyes, disperse dyes, etc., as well as thren dyes. , naphthol dye, reactive dye, chromium dye, 1
;2 type complex salt dye, l:l type complex salt dye, azoic dye,
Cationic dyes, etc.

Specifically, for example, Resolin Lil Blue PRL, Resolin Yellow PGG, Resolin Pink PRR, Resolin Green PB (manufactured by Buyer), Sumikaron Blue 5-BG, Sumikaron Red E-EBL, Sumikaron Yellow E-4GL. , Sumikaron Brilliant Blue 5-
BL (manufactured by Sumitomo Chemical), Diamond X Yellow BG
-5E, Diamond Thread BN-3E (manufactured by Mitsubishi Chemical), Kayalon Polyester Light Flavin 4GL,
Kayalon Polyester Blue 3R=SF, Kayalon Polyester Yellow YL-SE, Kaya Set Turquis Blue 776, Kaya Set Yellow 902, Kaya Set Red 026, Prodion Red) (-2B, Prodion Blue H-3R (Japanese) (made by Kayaku), Revafix Golden Yellow P-R, Revafix Pril Red P
-B, Revafix Sprill Orange P-GR (hereinafter "-")
Buyer), Sumifix Yellow GR5, Sumifix Red B, Sumifix Pril Red BS,
Sumifix Pril Blue RB, Direct Black 40 (manufactured by Sumitomo Chemical), Diamond Mirror Brown 3G,
Diamirror 5 Yellow G, Diamirror Blue 3R,
Diamirror Prill Blue B, Diamirror Prill Red BB (manufactured by Mitsubishi Kasei), Remazol Red B, Remazol Blue 3R, Remazol Yellow GNL, Remazol Prill Green 6B (manufactured by Hoechst), Cibacron Prill Yellow, Cibakuron Pril Red 4GE
(Made by Geigy), Indigo, GuiRect Deep Black E*Ex, Guiamine Black B) (,
Congo Red, Serious Black, Orange II.

Amido Black IOB, Orange RO, Methanil Yellow, Pictoria Scarlet, Nigrosine, Diamond Black PBB (manufactured by Ege), Diacit Blue 3G, Diacito Fast Green GW, Diacito Milling Navy Blue R1 Indanthrene, ( (manufactured by Mitsubishi Kasei), Zapon dye (manufactured by BASF)
, Orazole dye (manufactured by CIBA), Lanasin dye (manufactured by Mitsubishi Kasei), Guacryl Orange RL-E, Guacryl Brilliant Blue 2B-E, Diacryl Turquis Blue BG-E (manufactured by Mitsubishi Kasei), etc. can be preferably used.

These dyes are appropriately selected as desired and used after being dissolved or dispersed in the liquid medium used.

In the present invention, many inorganic pigments and organic pigments are used as pigments that can be effectively used. In particular, when infrared rays are used as heat conversion energy, pigments with high infrared absorption rate are used. Preferably used. Specific examples of such pigments include inorganic pigments such as cadmium sulfide, sulfur, selenium, zinc sulfide, cadmium sulfoselenide, yellow lead, zinc chromate, molybdenum red, Guinea red, etc.
Green, titanium white, zinc white, petal, chromium oxide green, red lead, cobalt oxide, barium titanate, titanium yellow, iron black, dark blue, litharge, cadmium red, silver sulfide, lead sulfate, barium sulfate, ultramarine, carbonic acid Calcium, magnesium carbonate, lead white, col<cito violet, cobalt blue, cobalt blue, meraldo green, carbon black, etc. are mentioned.

Most of the organic pigments are classified as dyes, which overlap with dyes in many cases, but specifically, the following are preferably used in the present invention.

a) Insoluble azo type (naphthol type) Brilliant Carmine BS, Lake Carmine FB, Brilliant Fast Scarlet, Lake Red 4R, Para Red, Permanent Red R, Fast Red FO
R, Lake Bordeaux 5B, Vermilion No. 1, Vermilion No. 2, Toluidine Maroon b) Insoluble azo type (anilide type) Diazo Yellow, Fast Yellow G, Fast Yellow 10G, Diazo Orange, Palkan Orange, Pyrazolone Red C ) Soluble Azo Lake Orange, Brilliant Carmine 3B, Brilliant Carmine 6B, Brilliant Scar Red G, Lake Red C, Lake Red D, Lake Red R, Watching Red, Lake Bordeaux IOB, Pom Maroon Shi, Pom Maroon M d) Phthalocyanine System Phthalocyanine Blue, Fast Sky Blue, Phthalocyanine Green e) Dyeing Lake System Yellow Lake, Eosin Lake, Rose Lake, Violet Lake, Blue Lake, Green Lake, Sepia Lake f) Mordant System Alizarin Lake, Madar Carmine g) Architectural System Industhrene Basic dye lake system, Fast Blue Lake (GGS) h) Basic dye lake system Rotamin Lake, Malachite Green Lake i) Acidic dye lake system Fast Sky Blue, Quinoline Yellow Lake, Quinacridone system, Dioxazine Prefecture The above liquid medium in the invention The quantitative relationship between the recording agent and the recording agent is based on conditions such as nozzle clogging, drying of the recording medium in the nozzle, smearing and drying speed when applied to the recording member, etc. It is desirable that the amount of the recording agent is usually 1 to 50 parts, preferably 3 to 30 parts, most preferably 5 to 10 parts.

If the recording medium is a dispersion system (a system in which the recording agent is dispersed in a liquid medium), the particle size of the dispersed recording agent depends on the type of recording agent, recording conditions, inner diameter of the nozzle, orifice system, and the size of the recording member. It is determined as appropriate depending on the type, etc., but if the particle size is too large, the recording agent particles may settle during storage, resulting in uneven density, clogging of the nozzle, or recording. This is undesirable because it may cause density unevenness in the image.

Taking these matters into consideration, in the present invention, the particle size of the recording agent when used as a dispersion recording medium is usually o, o.
o o i~30. , preferably 0.10001-20p
, the optimum range is preferably 0.0001 to 8 l.

Furthermore, it is preferable that the particle size distribution of the dispersed recording agent be as narrow as possible, usually D±3, preferably D±1.
．． 5JL (however, D represents the average particle size).

The recording medium used in the present invention is prepared by using a liquid medium and a recording agent as base constituents as described above, but in order to have the above-mentioned linear recording characteristics even more remarkable, various methods are used. Additives may be added.

Examples of such additives include viscosity modifiers, surface tension modifiers, PH modifiers, resistivity modifiers, wetting agents, infrared absorbing exothermic agents, and the like.

The viscosity modifier and surface tension modifier are mainly capable of flowing through the nozzle at a sufficient flow rate depending on the recording speed, and being able to prevent the recording medium from going around the orifice of the nozzle.
Bleeding when applied to recording material (spreading of spot diameter)
It is added to prevent such things.

As the viscosity modifier and the surface tension modifier, all known agents can be used as long as they are effective and do not adversely affect the liquid medium and recording material used.

Specifically, suitable examples of the viscosity modifier include polyvinyl alcohol, hydroxypropylcellulose, carboxymethylcellulose, hydroxyethylcellulose, methylcellulose, water-soluble acrylic resin, polyvinylpyrrolidone, gum arabic starch, and the like.

Surface tension modifiers preferably used in the present invention include anionic, cationic, and nonionic surfactants. Specifically, as anionic surfactants, polyethylene glycol ether sulfate, ester salts, etc. etc., poly-2-vinylpyridine derivatives, poly-4-
Nonionic examples such as vinylpyridine derivatives include polyoxyethylene alkyl ether, polyoxyethylene alkylphenyl ether, polyoxyethylene alkyl ester, polyoxyethylene rubitan monoalkyl ester, and bo-1-oxyethylene alkyl amine. In addition to these surfactants, jetanolamine,
Punobanolamine 1 Amino acids such as morpholinic acid, basic substances such as ammonium hydroxide, sodium hydroxide, N
Substituted pyrrolidones such as -methyl-2-pyrrolidone are also effectively used.

Two or more of these surface tension modifiers may be mixed as necessary to the extent that they do not adversely affect each other or other constituent components so that a recording medium having a desired value of surface tension is prepared. You can use it as well.

The amount of these surface tension modifiers to be added is appropriately determined depending on the type, other constituent components of the recording medium to be mixed, and desired recording characteristics, but for 1 part by weight of the recording medium, Usually 0,0001 to 0.1 parts by weight, preferably O,
It is desirable that the amount is 1 to 0.01 parts by weight.

pH adjusters are used at appropriate times to maintain a predetermined pH value in order to maintain the chemical stability of the prepared recording medium, for example, to prevent changes in physical properties due to long-term storage and to prevent sedimentation and aggregation of recording agents and other components. Appropriate amount is added.

The pH adjuster preferably used in the present invention includes:
Almost any pH can be used as long as it can control the pH value to a desired level without adversely affecting the recording medium to be mixed.

Specific examples of such pH adjusters include lower alkanolamines, monovalent hydroxides such as alkali metal hydroxides, and ammonium hydroxide.

These pm (adjusting agents) are added in the required amount so that the recording medium to be prepared has a desired pH value.When recording by charging recording medium droplets, the specific resistance of the recording medium is It acts as an important factor in its charging characteristics.In other words, in order for recording medium droplets to be charged so that good recording can be performed, the recording medium must be formulated so that the specific resistance value is usually 1O-3 to 1011 Ωcm. need to be done.

Therefore, in order to obtain a recording medium having such a specific resistance value, the specific resistance adjuster to be added in the required amount as desired is as follows:
Specific examples include inorganic salts such as ammonium chloride, sodium chloride, and potassium chloride, water-soluble amines such as triethanolamine, and quaternary ammonium salts.

In the case of recording that does not require charging of recording medium droplets, the specific resistance value of the recording medium may be arbitrary.

As the lubricant used in the present invention, many commonly known lubricants in the technical field related to the present invention are effective, but among these, thermally stable ones are particularly effective. Preferably used. Specific examples of such lubricants include polyalkylene glycols such as polyethylene glycol and polypropylene glycol;
Alkylene glycols containing 6 carbon atoms; lower alkyl ethyl of diethylene glycol such as ethylene glycol methyl ether, diethylene glycol methyl ether, diethylene glycol methyl ether, diethylene glycol ethyl ether; glycerin; such as methoxytriglycol, ethoxytriglycol, etc. Lower alkoxy triglycols; N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone oligomers; and the like.

These lubricants are added in the required amount as desired to satisfy the desired properties of the recording medium, but the amount added is usually 0.1% of the total weight of the recording medium. -1
0 wt%, preferably 0, 1-8 wt%, optimally 0
．． The content is preferably 2 to 7 wt%.

In addition to being used alone, the above lubricants may be used in combination of two or more types provided that they do not adversely affect each other.

In the recording medium used in the present invention, the above-mentioned additives are added in necessary amounts as desired, and furthermore, the recording medium film has excellent formation properties and film strength when attached to a recording member. For example, alkyd resin, acrylic resin, acrylamide resin, polyvinyl alcohol,
A resin polymer such as polyvinylpyrrolidone may also be added.

In the present invention, when electromagnetic wave energy, particularly infrared rays, is used, it is desirable to add an infrared absorbing exothermic agent to the recording medium in order to make the action of the energy more effective. Most of the infrared absorbing exothermic agents are included in the above-mentioned recording materials, but dyes and pigments with high infrared absorbance are particularly preferred.Specifically, examples of dyes include water-soluble nigrosine, modified water-soluble nigrosine, alcohol-soluble nigrosine that can be made water-soluble, etc. Pigments include inorganic pigments such as carbon black, ultramarine, cadmium yellow, red iron, chrome yellow, and azo, triphenylmethane, quinoline, anthra, and quinone. Preferred examples include organic pigments such as pigments based on pigments, phthalocyanine pigments, and the like.

In the present invention, when adding the infrared absorbing exothermic agent separately from the recording agent, the amount of the infrared absorbing exothermic agent added is based on the total weight of the recording medium.
Usually 0.01-10wt%, preferably 0.1-5wt%
It is preferable to set it as %.

In particular, if it is insoluble in the liquid medium used, depending on the particle size when dispersed, there is a risk of sedimentation, aggregation, and nozzle clogging during storage or retention of the recording medium. It is desirable to use the minimum amount of pronation that is effective.

The recording medium used in the present invention uses specific heat, coefficient of thermal expansion, thermal conductivity, viscosity, surface tension, pH, and charged recording medium droplets to have the various recording properties described above. In the case of recording, the composition is adjusted so that characteristic values such as specific resistance fall within a specific range of conditions.

That is, these physical properties have important relationships with the stability of the stringing phenomenon, the responsiveness to thermal energy action, the fidelity, the image density, the chemical stability, the fluidity within the nozzle, etc. Therefore, in the present invention, it is necessary to pay sufficient attention to these matters when preparing the recording medium.

The above-mentioned physical properties of a recording medium that can be effectively used in the present invention are preferably as shown in Table 1 below. It is not necessary to satisfy the numerical conditions as shown, and it is sufficient that some of these physical properties take values that satisfy the conditions in Table 1, depending on the required recording characteristics. Regarding the specific heat, coefficient of thermal expansion, and thermal conductivity, it is necessary to specify the values shown in Table 1. Of course, it goes without saying that the more of the above-mentioned physical properties of the prepared recording medium that satisfy the values shown in Table 1, the better the recording will be.

6 and 7 show the most basic configuration of a recording head that can be used in the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a schematic configuration diagram for explaining one embodiment of the most basic recording head used when electrical energy is employed as thermal conversion energy.

The recording head 65 shown in FIG. 6 has a nozzle 67 having an orifice 66 from which droplets of recording medium are ejected, and an electrothermal transducer 68 provided on its outer surface.

The most common configuration of the electrothermal converter 68 is:

It is as follows. A heating resistor 7 is disposed on the outer surface of the nozzle wall 69.
0, and electrodes 71 and 72 for energizing are attached to both sides of the heating resistor 70, respectively. On the surface of the heating resistor 70 to which the electrodes 71 and 72 are attached, an oxidation-resistant layer 731 is usually provided to prevent the heating resistor 70 from being oxidized, and an abrasion-resistant layer 74 is provided to prevent the heating resistor 70 from being killed by mechanical rubbing or the like. It will be done.

The heating resistor 70 is made of a boron-containing compound such as ZrB2, Ta2N, W, Ni-Cr, 5n02, or Pd-A.
It consists of those whose main component is g, those whose main component is Ru, Sf diffused resistors, semiconductor PN combinations, etc.
These heating resistors are formed by, for example, vapor deposition, sputtering, or the like.

The oxidation-resistant layer 73 is made of, for example, 5i02, and is formed by a method such as sputtering.

The wear-resistant layer 74 is made of, for example, Ta205, and is also formed by a method such as sputtering.

When the electrothermal transducer 68 is fixedly installed in the nozzle 67 like the recording head 65 shown in FIG. You may also provide a body. Furthermore, by providing a large number of lead electrodes on the heating resistor 70, a necessary lead electrode is selected from among these lead electrodes and the heating resistor 70 is energized from it, thereby achieving an appropriate heating capacity. It is possible to change not only the area on which thermal energy is applied, but also the heat generation capacity.

Further, in FIG. 6, the electrothermal converter 68 is provided only on one side of the nozzle 67, but it may be provided on both sides, or may be provided over the entire area along the outer periphery of the nozzle 67. good.

The material constituting the nozzle 67 is an electrothermal converter 68.
Almost any type of material is preferably employed as long as it can be efficiently transmitted to the recording medium in the nozzle 67 without being irreversibly deformed by the thermal energy generated.

Typical examples of such materials include ceramics, glass, metals, heat-resistant plastics, and the like. In particular, glass is one of the suitable materials because it is easy to process and has appropriate heat resistance, thermal expansion coefficient, and thermal conductivity.

If the thermal expansion coefficient of the material constituting the nozzle 67 is relatively small, small droplets of the recording medium can be ejected effectively from the orifice 66.

Around the orifice 66 of the nozzle 67, especially the orifice 6
The outer surface around the nozzle 67 should be treated with water-repellent treatment if the recording medium is aqueous, or oil-repellent if the recording medium is non-aqueous, to prevent the recording medium from leaking and wrapping around the outside of the nozzle 67. It is better to treat it.

It is necessary to select and use various processing agents for such processing depending on the material of the nozzle and the type of recording medium, but most of the processing agents that are commercially available are usually effective. . Specifically, examples include FC-721 and FC-706 manufactured by 3M.

FIG. 7 is a schematic configuration diagram for explaining one embodiment of the most basic recording head used when electromagnetic wave energy is employed as thermal conversion energy.

The recording head 75 shown in FIG. 7 is provided with a heating element 77 that absorbs electromagnetic wave energy on the outer peripheral wall of the nozzle 76 to generate heat, and supplies the thermal energy to the recording medium inside the nozzle 76. . The heating element 77 generates heat by absorbing electromagnetic energy from the recording medium itself, and generates heat at the orifice 78.
This is provided when the state change is not sufficient to cause a recording medium droplet to fly and fly, or when there is little or no heat absorption.The recording medium itself absorbs electromagnetic energy and generates heat. It is not necessarily provided if the state changes sufficiently to cause the recording medium to be ejected from the orifice 78.

For example, when the heating element 77 uses infrared energy as the electromagnetic wave energy, the heating element 77 forms a coating film on a predetermined portion of the outer wall of the nozzle 76 when the heating element 77 has coating properties or adhesive properties. Alternatively, if the infrared absorbing exothermic agent alone does not have film properties or adhesive properties or is weak, it may be mixed and dispersed in a suitable binder that has film properties and adhesive properties and is heat resistant. It is sufficient to form a coating film.

Examples of the infrared absorbing exothermic agent used at this time include the infrared absorbing exothermic agents described above as additives for recording media, and examples of the binder include polytetrafluoroethylene, polyfluoroethylene propylene, and tetrafluoroethylene. Suitable examples include heat-resistant fluororesins such as orthoethylene, perfluoroalkoxy-substituted perfluorovinyl copolymers, and other heat-resistant synthetic resins.

The thickness of the heating element 77 is appropriately determined depending on the intensity of the electromagnetic wave energy employed, the heat generation efficiency of the formed heating element, the type of recording medium used, etc.
103. , preferably 10 to 500 IL.

As the nozzle material, if a heating element is provided, the sixth
As described in the case of the embodiment shown in the figure, a nozzle with appropriate thermal conductivity and coefficient of thermal expansion is used, and the thickness of the nozzle is also determined by the thermal energy generated in the recording medium directly under the area on which electromagnetic energy is applied. It is preferable to take measures such as making it thin so that almost all of the thermal energy is transferred.

A sectional view of a nozzle of yet another recording head used in the present invention is shown in FIG.

The recording head 79 in FIG. 8(a) is configured to have a plurality of hollow thin tubes 81 (for example, fiberglass tubes, etc.) in a nozzle 80, and a recording medium is supplied to each hollow thin tube 81. be done. The feature of this recording head 79 is that the size of the recording medium droplet ejected from the orifice of the nozzle 80 can be controlled according to the amount of thermal energy applied. It is possible to control the amount of thermal energy applied and obtain recorded images with excellent gradation.

In case of clogging, for example, if the amount of thermal energy 7 to be applied is small, the recording medium in some of the hollow tubes 81 in the nozzle 80 will be ejected from the orifice of the nozzle, but the amount of thermal energy to be applied is small. is large enough, nozzle 8
The recording medium in all the hollow thin tubes 81 within 0 is ejected to the outside of the nozzle.

In FIG. 8(a), the cross section of the nozzle 8o is round, but it is not limited to this; for example, it may be square, rectangular, or semicircular. good. In particular, when attaching a heat converter to the outer surface of the nozzle 80,
It is preferred that at least the outer surface of the nozzle to which the heat converter is attached be flat, since this makes it easier to attach the heat converter.

The recording head 82 shown in FIG. 8(b) is different from the recording head 79 shown in FIG. 8(a) in that a plurality of thin cylindrical rods 84 with internal parts are provided in the nozzle 83. . By configuring the recording head 82 in this way, it is possible to increase the mechanical strength, for example, when the nozzle 83 is made of a material that is relatively easy to break, such as glass.

In this recording head 82, a recording medium is supplied to a hollow portion 85 within a nozzle 83, and is ejected from the nozzle 83 under the action of thermal energy.

The recording head 86 shown in FIG. 8(C) is constructed by covering the open part of the groove of a member 87 processed into a concave shape by a processing method such as etching with a heat converter 88. By that.

Since the thermal energy generated by the heat converter can be applied directly to the recording medium, wastage of thermal energy can be reduced.

Note that the cross-sectional structure shown in FIG. 8(C) is sufficient as long as at least the portion of the recording head 86 where the heat converter 88 is provided is designed as such;
The overall structure does not have to have the cross-sectional structure illustrated.

That is, in the vicinity of the orifice of the nozzle of the recording head 86 from which the recording medium is ejected, the portion corresponding to the member 87 may have a mouth-shaped or zero-shaped shape instead of a concave shape.

In the present invention, as explained so far, the structure of the recording head, especially the configuration of the recording head that uses electromagnetic wave energy as thermal conversion energy, is extremely simple compared to conventional recording heads. Therefore, there is an advantage that the shapes of the recording head and its nozzles can be set in various ways, and the quality of the recorded image can be improved accordingly.

In particular, in the present invention, it is extremely easy to make the recording head multi-nozzle, and the structure itself is simple.
It has great advantages in processing and mass production.

FIG. 9 shows an example of a preferred embodiment of a multi-nozzle recording head.

(a) The figure shows the recording medium ejecting side of the recording head 89 (
(b) is a schematic side view of the recording head 89, and (c) is a schematic front view of the recording head 89.
FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view in the XY section of FIG.

The recording head 89 has a recording medium ejecting section with 15 nozzles arranged in 3 rows and 5 columns as shown in Figure (A), while in the XY section, as shown in Figure (C) Each nozzle is arranged in a row. A recording head with such a structure can perform recording without moving the recording head itself that much during recording, or without moving it at all by increasing the number of nozzles, and is extremely suitable for high-speed recording. .

Furthermore, a feature of this recording head is that by arranging each nozzle in a line in the XY section, it is easy to attach the heat converter 91 to each nozzle.

That is, when attaching a heat converter to each nozzle, if the portion of the recording head 89 to which the heat converter is attached has a structure as shown in FIG. Even if the structure is complicated and problems arise in processing, if the XY section of the recording head 89 has a structure in which each nozzle is arranged in a line as shown in FIG. Heat converter (AI, A2---B1---C1
----D 1---E t----) is extremely advantageous because it can be attached to each nozzle with the same technical degree as creating a single nozzle recording head. .

Further, there is also an advantage that there is not much difference in electrical wiring consideration when providing the heat converter 91 from a single nozzle recording head.

The arrangement of each nozzle of the recording head 89 shown in FIG. 9 is as follows:
Assuming that the recording medium ejection section side is as shown in the figure (&), in the xY section where the heat converter 91 is attached, the arrangement order of each nozzle is (a1a2a3b1b2b3CIC2C
3d1d2d3e1e2e3), but there is also a separate note (arbtctdtexa2b2c)
2d2e2a3b3C3d3e3). The arrangement order of each nozzle can be changed as appropriate according to each recording scanning method.

If the distance between each nozzle in the A heat insulator 92 may be provided between the nozzles and between each heat converter. In this way, only the thermal energy generated by the heat converter attached to each nozzle can act on each nozzle. As a result, a good recorded image without so-called fog can be obtained.

The arrangement of the nozzles on the recording medium ejection part side of the recording head 89 shown in FIG. 9 is such that the nozzles are arranged in rows and columns as shown in FIG. 9 (JL), but the arrangement is not limited to this. For example, they are arranged in a houndstooth pattern. Each line,
The structure may be appropriately designed as desired, such as by changing the number of nozzles in each row and arranging them.

FIG. 10 shows yet another preferred recording head for use in the present invention.

In FIG. 10, (a) is a perspective view schematically showing the configuration of the recording head 93, and (b) 4 is a schematic diagram showing a cross section of the recording head 93 at a portion indicated by dotted line X'Y'. FIG.

The recording head 93 shown in FIG.
A plurality of single nozzle recording heads each having a nozzle 94, a recording medium storage chamber 96 connected to the nozzle 94, an inflow path 97 for the recording medium to flow into the noise 94 side, and a heat converter 98 are arranged in a row. It has a multi-nozzle structure connected to. Heat conversion energy is applied independently to the thermal converting bodies of each single-nozzle recording head constituting the recording head 93, and small droplets of the recording medium are ejected from each orifice.

The feature of this recording head 93 is that it is provided with a recording medium accommodating chamber 96 and that the volume of the recording medium accommodating chamber 96 is relatively large compared to the volume of the nozzle 94. By providing 98,
The volume of the recording medium that changes state under the action of thermal energy is increased, and the responsiveness is improved.

In addition, when employing electromagnetic wave energy as heat conversion energy, the heat converter 98 is not necessarily attached, and for example, a laser beam or the like is irradiated from the back side of the recording medium storage chamber 96 to convert the inside of the recording medium storage chamber 96. It is also possible to cause a state change by applying thermal energy to the recording medium in the recording medium.

Example 1 Image recording was carried out using the apparatus schematically shown in FIG. In FIG. 11, the nozzle 99 is installed at its tip in contact with the heat generating part of the electrothermal converter 100, and at one end there is a pump for supplying the recording medium into the nozzle 99. 101 are connected. 102 is a pipe for transporting the recording medium from a recording medium storage tank (not shown) to the pump 101. Electrothermal converter 1
00, six heating elements (
At the bottom of the nozzle 99, a selective electrode 103 (not visible in the drawing) is independently attached to each heating element.
, A3, A4, A5, A6) and the common electrode 10
4 is connected. Reference numeral 105 is a rotatable drum on which a recording member is attached and rotated, and the scanning speed of the nozzle 99 and its rotation speed can be appropriately timed.

When recording images, the recording medium used was the product name BI.
ack17-1000 (A, B.

(manufactured by Dick), and the recording conditions are shown in Table 2.

Table 3 shows the spot diameters on the recording medium on the recording member obtained when image recording was performed by driving each heating element of the electrothermal transducer 100. From the results shown in Table 3, it was found that by changing the position where the thermal energy of the nozzle 99 is applied, the spot diameter of the recording medium formed on the recording member can be changed.

Next, the electrothermal converter 100 is driven so that a signal corresponding to the input signal is inputted to one of the six heating elements according to the input level of the recording information signal. When an image was recorded using this method, an image with extremely excellent gradation and clear image quality was obtained.

Table 2 Table 3 Example 2 Clear images were obtained when image recording was carried out using the printer device schematically shown in FIG. 12.

In FIG. 12, 10B is a recording head, which is composed of a nozzle 108 having an orifice for ejecting a recording medium, and an electrothermal converter 107 surrounding a part of the nozzle 108. There is. The recording head 106 is connected by a pipe joint 109 to a pump 110 for supplying the recording medium to the nozzle 108, and the recording medium is transported to the pump 11 in the direction of the arrow in the figure.

111 is a charging electrode for charging the small droplets of the recording medium ejected from the orifice of the nozzle 108 according to the recording information signal, and 112a and 112b are deflectors for deflecting the flying direction of the charged small droplets of the recording medium. It is an electrode. 113 is a gutter for collecting recording medium droplets unnecessary for recording, 11
4 is a recording member.

The recording medium used for image recording was Ca5io.
These are inks for C, J, and P, and the recording conditions are shown in Table 4.

Table 4 Example 3 The apparatus used in this example will be explained with reference to FIG.

FIG. 13 is a schematic perspective view for explaining the configuration of the device used in this example.

In the figure, a laser beam emitted by a laser oscillator 115 is guided to an entrance aperture of an acousto-optic modulator 116. At the modulator 116, the laser beam is transmitted to the modulator 1.
In accordance with the input of the recording information signal to 16, the intensity is modulated. The optical path of the modulated laser beam is refracted toward the beam expander 118 by the reflected light 117 and enters the beam expander 118 . The beam diameter of the modulated laser beam is expanded by the beam expander 118 while it remains a parallel beam. Next, the laser beam whose beam diameter has been expanded is incident on the polygon 119. The polygon 119 is attached to the rotating shaft of a hysteresis synchronous motor 120 and rotates at a constant speed. The laser beam swept horizontally by the polygon 119 is directed to the reflecting mirror 122 by the f-theta lens.
An image is formed at a predetermined position of each nozzle of the nozzle row 124 aligned at the tip of the multi-nozzle recording head 123 via the . As the laser beam forms an image on the nozzle array 124, the recording medium inside each nozzle is affected by thermal energy, and droplets of the recording medium are ejected from the orifices of the nozzles and recorded on the recording member 125. A recording medium is supplied to each nozzle of the recording head 123 via a transport pipe 126. The recording head 123 used in this embodiment had a nozzle array with a total length of 20 cm and a number of nozzles of 4/mm.

The orifice diameter was approximately 40μ. Other recording conditions are shown in Table 5, and the recording medium used is shown below.

Table 5 Recording medium: Encore soluble nigrosine dye (manufactured by Orient Chemical Co., Ltd., 5pir) to 4 parts by weight of ethylene glycol.
1 part by weight of it Black 5B) was added and mixed and dissolved. 60 parts by weight of this solution was poured into 94 parts by weight of water containing 0-IW% Dioshikin (trade name) and thoroughly stirred. The solution thus obtained was filtered twice using a Millipore filter with an average pore size of 10 IL to obtain an aqueous recording medium.

Example 4 In this example, image recording was performed using a multi-nozzle recording head 127 schematically shown in a partial perspective view in FIG.

Referring to FIG. 14, the recording head 127 has a large number of nozzles 128 each having an orifice for ejecting a recording medium arranged in parallel, and nozzle holding members 129, 130.
, 132, and a common recording medium supply chamber 134 is connected to each nozzle. A recording medium is supplied to the recording medium supply chamber 134 from the direction of the arrow in the figure through a transport pipe 135.

Now, FIG. 15 shows a partial sectional view taken along the dotted line X"Y" in FIG. 14.

An electrothermal converter 136 is attached to the surface of the nozzle 128 independently for each nozzle.

The electrothermal converter 136 has a heating element 1 on the surface of the nozzle 128.
37, electrodes 138 and 139 at both ends of the heating element 137, and a common lead electrode 14 common between each nozzle from the electrode 138.
0, the electrode 139 is composed of a selective lead electrode 141 and an oxidation-resistant film 142.

143.144 is electrical insulation sheet, 145.146
.

147 and 148 are rubber cushions for preventing mechanical damage to the nozzle 128.

Now, when a signal corresponding to recorded information is input to the electrothermal converter 136, the heating element 137 generates heat, and the recording medium 149 in the nozzle 128 changes state due to the action of the thermal energy, causing the nozzle 128 to change its state. Small droplet of recording medium from the orifice 15
0 is ejected and adheres to the recording member material 151, and recording is performed.

Table 6 shows the recording conditions in this example.

The recorded images obtained in the wood examples were also extremely clear and of good quality. The average spot diameter of the recorded image was about 601L.

Table 6 Examples 5 to 9 Images were recorded using the recording medium shown below (No. 5 to No. 9) using the recording device shown in FIG. 11, and the results were extremely good in all cases. A recorded image of good quality was obtained on plain paper.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic explanatory diagram for explaining the present invention in detail, FIGS. 2 to 5 are schematic explanatory diagrams for explaining preferred embodiments of the present invention, and FIGS. FIG. 7 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a typical example of a recording head used in the present invention, and FIGS. A schematic cross-sectional view of a nozzle of a recording head,
FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram showing one embodiment of a preferred multi-nozzle recording head used in the present invention, in which (a) is a front view, (b) is a side view, and (C) is a view in (b). FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing another preferred embodiment of a multi-nozzle recording head, in which (a) is a schematic perspective view, and (b) is a cross-sectional view of (a). 11 to 13 are schematic perspective views showing the configuration of the recording apparatus of the present invention used in this embodiment, and FIG. 1 is a partial perspective view showing the configuration of the recording head according to the present invention used in this embodiment;
FIG. 5 is an xy'' cross-sectional view of FIG. 14. 1-111 nozzle, 2-- orifice. 3-111 recording medium, 4--1 recording member. 5- --One small drop. 6.17, 35.47---Recording head. 8.19, 68.77.88, 91.98-One thermally variable specimen.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] (1) A liquid medium, and 1 to 5 parts by weight per 100 parts by weight of the liquid medium.
Contains 0 parts by weight of recording agent and additives, and has a specific heat of 0.1
~4. OJ/gk, coefficient of thermal expansion is 0. lX10'~1.
8X10-3dθg-1. Thermal conductivity is 0. I x 10
A recording liquid for inkjet recording, characterized in that it is adjusted to -3 to 50 x 10-3 W/cm-aθg. (2) The recording liquid for inkjet recording according to claim 1, wherein the recording agent is a dye. (6) The recording liquid for inkjet recording according to claim 1, wherein the recording agent is a pigment. (4) The recording liquid for inkjet recording according to claim 6, wherein the pigment has a particle size of 0.00001 to 30μ. (5) The additive may be added in a range of 0.1 to 0.1 to the total weight of the recording liquid.
Claim 1, which is a wetting agent containing 1Qwt%
A recording liquid for inkjet recording as described in . (6) The additive is 0.0 part by weight per 1 part by weight of the recording liquid.
2. The recording liquid for inkjet recording according to claim 1, wherein the recording liquid contains a surface tension adjusting agent in an amount of 0.001 to 0.1 part by weight. (7) The recording liquid for inkjet recording according to claim 1, wherein the additive is a viscosity modifier. (8) The recording liquid for inkjet recording according to claim 1, wherein the additive is an infrared absorbing exothermic agent. (9) The recording liquid for inkjet recording according to claim 8, wherein the boundary ttx bx absorption exothermic agent is contained in an amount of 0.01 to 10 wt% based on the total weight of the recording liquid.