JP2003118096A - Ink ejection control method and recorder implementing the method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an ink ejection control method for producing a recorded matter independent from humidity, and a recorder for implementing that method. SOLUTION: The method for controlling ejection of ink from a recording head onto a recording material comprises (1) a step for detecting the humidity, (2) a step for selecting a control mode preset between the humidity and the characteristics of at least one of the recording material and ink, and (3) a step for controlling ink ejection according to a signal based on the detected humidity in the preset control mode.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for controlling ink ejection and a recording apparatus for carrying out the method, and more particularly to a method for controlling an ink ejection amount or the number of ink ejections according to humidity. And a recording device for carrying out the method.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An ink jet recording system uses mechanical energy from a piezoelectric element or the like or heat energy from a heating element to apply ejection energy to a liquid, particularly ink, to eject small ink droplets from a recording head. This is a method in which dots are formed by adhering onto a recording material to perform recording. Since such a recording method has features such as sharpness of recorded image, quietness of sound of a driving device, and easy colorization, its widespread use has been increasing in recent years.

Utilizing such a recording system (including characters)
As a recording medium for forming an image and performing recording, in addition to plain paper, dedicated paper having an ink receiving layer on the recording surface side (front surface side) is known. In recent years, it has been desired to form a clear full-color image with higher resolution on such a recording medium. Due to recent technological development, in order to realize high image quality, an ink jet recording medium as a recording medium is required to have a high image quality as high as that of a silver halide photograph.

As described above, the ink jet recording medium as a special paper generally has an ink receiving layer. The ink receiving layer has a pigment and a resin such as polyvinyl alcohol. As the pigment, a porous type is often used, which has a property of being excellent in quick-drying when a liquid such as ink is attached.

When ink is printed on a recording material having a porous type ink receiving layer, especially when the humidity is high, the ink attached to the recording material tends to bleed. It is speculated that this is because the water content of the ink receiving layer of the recording material depends on the surrounding humidity, and the amount of ink absorbed by the ink receiving layer is relatively reduced in an environment with high humidity. Conversely, when the humidity is low, the ink absorption of the ink receiving layer is improved, and the ink penetrates deeply,
The image density becomes low.

As described above, there is a problem that the humidity in the vicinity of the recording material changes depending on the setting environment of the apparatus and the image quality changes.

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above circumstances, the present invention provides an ink ejection method for obtaining a recorded matter that does not depend on humidity when ejecting ink to a recording material having a porous type ink receiving layer. It is an object of the present invention to provide a control method and a recording device for performing the method.

[0008]

The above-mentioned object is a method of controlling ink ejection in which ink is ejected from a recording head onto a recording material, and (1) a detection step of detecting humidity,
(2) a step of selecting a preset control mode between at least one characteristic of the recording material and the ink and humidity, and (3) ink ejection according to a signal based on the detected humidity in the control mode. And an ink ejection control method including a control step of controlling the amount.

Further, the above object is a method of controlling ink ejection for ejecting ink from a recording head onto a recording material, which comprises (1) a detection step of detecting humidity, and (2) the recording material and the recording material. Selecting a preset control mode between at least one characteristic of the ink and humidity; (3)
In the control mode, a control step of controlling the number of ink ejections according to a signal based on the detected humidity is achieved.

According to a preferred aspect of the present invention, in the control method, the control step controls ink ejection by controlling a deflection amount of a piezoelectric element provided in the recording head. To do.

According to a preferred aspect of the present invention, in the control method, the control step controls ink ejection by controlling the number of pulses of an ejection voltage to a piezoelectric element arranged in the recording head. It is characterized by doing.

According to a preferred aspect of the present invention, in the control method, the humidity is a humidity in the vicinity of the recording material.

According to a preferred aspect of the present invention, in the control method, in the control step, when the humidity is higher than a predetermined reference value, the ink ejection amount is smaller than the ink ejection amount at the reference value. It is characterized by controlling as follows.

According to a preferred aspect of the present invention, in the control method, in the control step, when the humidity is higher than a predetermined reference value, the number of ink ejections is higher than the number of ink ejections at the reference value. It is characterized by controlling so as to reduce the number.

According to a preferred aspect of the present invention, in the control method, in the control step, when the humidity is lower than a predetermined reference value, the ink ejection amount is made larger than the ink ejection amount at the reference value. It is characterized by controlling as follows.

According to a preferred aspect of the present invention, in the control method, in the control step, when the humidity is lower than a predetermined reference value, the number of ink ejections is smaller than the number of ink ejections at the reference value. It is characterized by controlling to increase.

According to a preferred aspect of the present invention, in the control method, the recording material is provided with an ink receiving layer containing a porous pigment.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, in the control method, the porous pigment is selected from the group consisting of synthetic amorphous silica, colloidal silica, fumed silica, alumina, colloidal alumina, pseudoboehmite and boehmite. It is characterized by being done.

Further, the above object is a recording apparatus for ejecting ink from a recording head onto a recording material, wherein (1) the humidity detecting means and (2) the recording material and the ink are previously set. Recording means for recording the set control mode,
(3) A recording device including a control unit that selects a control mode of the recording unit, determines an ink ejection amount from the detected humidity and the control mode, and controls the ink ejection from the recording head. It

Further, the above-mentioned object is a recording apparatus for ejecting ink from a recording head onto a recording material, comprising (1)
Humidity detecting means; (2) recording means for recording a control mode preset between the recording material and the ink; and (3) detected humidity by selecting a control mode of the recording means. And a control unit that determines the number of ink ejections from the control mode and controls the ink ejection from the recording head.

According to a preferred aspect of the present invention, in the recording apparatus, the control means controls the deflection amount of the piezoelectric element arranged in the recording head so as to control the ink ejection amount. To do.

According to a preferred aspect of the present invention, in the recording apparatus, the control means controls the number of pulses of an ejection voltage to a piezoelectric element provided in the recording head so as to control the number of ink ejections. It is characterized by controlling.

According to a preferred aspect of the present invention, in the recording apparatus, the humidity detecting means detects humidity in the vicinity of the recording material.

According to a preferred aspect of the present invention, in the recording apparatus, the controller ejects an ink ejection amount less than an ink ejection amount at the reference value when the humidity is higher than a predetermined reference value. It is characterized in that it is controlled to

According to a preferred aspect of the present invention, in the recording apparatus, the controller controls the number of ink ejections to be higher than the number of ink ejections at the reference value when the humidity is higher than a predetermined reference value. It is characterized by controlling so as to discharge a small amount.

According to a preferred aspect of the present invention, in the recording apparatus, the control means ejects an ink ejection amount larger than the ink ejection amount at the reference value when the humidity is lower than a predetermined reference value. It is characterized in that it is controlled to

According to a preferred aspect of the present invention, in the recording apparatus, the controller ejects more ink when the humidity is lower than a predetermined reference value. It is characterized in that it is controlled to

According to a preferred aspect of the present invention, in the recording apparatus, the recording material is provided with an ink receiving layer containing a porous pigment.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, in the recording apparatus, the porous pigment is selected from the group consisting of synthetic amorphous silica, colloidal silica, fumed silica, alumina, colloidal alumina, pseudoboehmite and boehmite. It is characterized by being done.

The term "ink ejection amount" used in the present invention means the amount of liquid droplets ejected from one nozzle. The term “number of ink ejections” used in the present invention refers to the number of liquid droplets ejected from one nozzle with a constant ejection amount per dot.

[0031]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a recording apparatus 100 for ejecting ink to which the present invention is applicable. As a specific example of this recording apparatus, there is an inkjet recording apparatus or the like. In the recording apparatus 100, the recording material 102 inserted in the tray 101 is conveyed in the direction of arrow A shown in FIG. 1 by a feed roller (not shown). In the recordable area of the recording material 102, the schematically illustrated recording head 105
It moves in the direction of arrow B. A platen (200 in FIG. 2) is provided below the recording material 102 in the recordable area.

The recording material used in the present invention is preferably a recording material having an ink receiving layer on a paper or film as a base material from the viewpoint of image quality. In particular, a film having no ink absorbability as a base material, glass, or a recording material in which an ink receiving layer is formed on a resin-coated paper is effective from the viewpoint of image quality.

The ink receiving layer is composed of a pigment and a binder resin. As the pigment, an inorganic pigment is preferable, and one or more pigments insoluble or hardly soluble in water can be used in order to obtain high ink absorbency and high coloring density. Specifically, those which are porous and have a low refractive index are preferable, and examples thereof include synthetic amorphous silica, colloidal silica, fumed silica, alumina, colloidal alumina, pseudo-boehmite and boehmite.

The binder resin contained in the ink receiving layer may be a cationic resin or a water-soluble resin in order to obtain ink absorbency and fixing strength. Specific examples of such a cationic resin include polyethyleneimine salt, dimethylamine epihalohydrin condensate, polyvinylamine salt, polydimethylaminoethyl methacrylate quaternary salt, polydiallyldimethylammonium salt, salt of diallylamine acrylamide copolymer,
There are quaternary ammonium salts of polystyrene and the like. Specific examples of such water-soluble resin include polyvinyl alcohol, vinyl acetate, oxidized starch, etherified starch, carboxymethyl cellulose, cellulose derivatives such as hydroxyethyl cellulose, casein, gelatin, soybean protein, carboxyl modified polyvinyl alcohol, silyl modified polyvinyl alcohol, There are water-soluble resins such as water-soluble acrylic polymers.

The ink used in the present invention is preferably combined with another ink to form a color image. According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, it is preferable to combine the black ink and another color ink (for example, yellow ink, magenta ink, cyan ink).

In carrying out the present invention, the ink used is not limited to a specific ink, and a dye ink or a pigment ink in which a pigment is dispersed can be used.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an embodiment of the recording apparatus according to the present invention. The recording apparatus 100 includes a recording material 10
To convey recording paper, OHP film, etc., which is 2,
A carriage 220 that reciprocates in the direction of arrow D on a guide shaft 210 is provided along a platen 200 that is a recording material conveying unit that rotates in the direction of arrow C. Book carriage 22
0, a recording head 250 that ejects ink, a recording head 250a that ejects black ink near the platen 200, and a recording head 2 that ejects color inks.
50b and 50b are mounted respectively. The recording head 25
0, a black ink tank 260a is arranged on the recording head 250a, and a color ink tank 260b is arranged on the recording head 250b. Ink is supplied from each tank to the recording head 250a or 25.
0b is supplied.

A signal is supplied to the recording heads 250a and 250b from a signal cable 270, and in accordance with this signal, ink is ejected from the recording heads 250a and 250b through a nozzle (not shown). The suitability of the discharged ink is determined by the recording material 10 on the platen 200.
2 (for example, a coated paper having an ink receiving layer) to form an image.

FIG. 3 shows a schematic sectional view of a part of the recording apparatus according to the present invention shown in FIG. An ink tank 2 having a lid 320 on the top thereof, which communicates with a recording head 250a provided on the carriage 220 via a filter chamber 300.
The ink impregnated in 60a is supplied to the recording head 250a.

The recording head 250 used in the present invention is
It is preferable to utilize an electromechanical conversion element that converts electrical energy into mechanical energy. In this element, the crystal structure is distorted by the application of a voltage, and ejection energy is applied to the ink to cause a small droplet of the ink to be ejected from the recording head 250.
2 is ejected in a dot shape.

FIG. 4 shows a recording head 2 used in the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a piezoelectric element forming a part of 50. As shown in FIG. 4, in the piezoelectric element 350, the vibration plate 430 is laminated on the pressure chamber substrate 420 having the nozzle plate 410 having the nozzle holes 400 through which ink passes, and the lower electrode 460 is formed on the main plate 430. The piezoelectric thin film 450 and the upper electrode 440 are sequentially stacked.

The piezoelectric thin film 450 is made of lead titanate (PbTi).
O_Three), Lead zirconate (PbZrO _Three) Titanium zirconate
Lead acid (Pb (Zr, Ti) O_Three), Lead lanthanum titanate
((Pb, La) TiO_Three), Niobium magnesiumate
Lead acid (Pb (Mg, Nb) O3), zirconate titanate
Lead lanthanum ((Pb, La) (Zr, Ti) O_Three),or
Is magnesium zirconium niobate lead titanate (Pb
(Zr, Ti) (Mg, Nb) O_Three) Etc.
preferable.

Next, a method of controlling ink ejection according to humidity and a recording apparatus for carrying out the method, which are features of the present invention, will be described.

The humidity targeted by the present invention is the humidity in the atmosphere and in the vicinity of the recording apparatus 100 or the recording material 102. This humidity is detected by a humidity detecting means installed in the recording apparatus, for example, a humidity sensor. The humidity detecting means may be provided in the recording device or in the room where the recording device is installed.

FIG. 5 is a functional block diagram showing the structure of the recording apparatus according to the present invention. As shown in FIG. 2, the recording head 250 used in the present invention connects the operation of the head 250 to the control means 510 via a signal cable 270.

The control unit 510 includes an ink ejection parameter setting unit 530, a selection unit 540, a recording unit 550 having a humidity / ink ejection amount table or a humidity / ink ejection number table, and a drive control unit 560. It is mainly composed of The ink ejection parameters include the ink ejection amount, the number of ink ejections, and the like, as described later.

The drive control unit 560 is provided with the signal cable 2
The drive controller 560 controls the operation of the recording head 250 through main scanning and sub-scanning directions, which will be described later, and the lower electrode 4 of the piezoelectric element 350.
The voltage is controlled between 60 and the upper electrode 440.

The control means 510 receives a signal based on the humidity detected by the humidity detection means 520 described above. Then, the humidity / ink ejection amount table or the humidity / ink ejection number table registered in advance in the recording means is selected as the ink ejection control mode from the characteristics of the recording material and ink to be used, and detected. The ink ejection parameter setting unit 530 determines the ink ejection amount or the number of ink ejections based on the humidity.

FIG. 6 shows the relationship between the humidity and the ink ejection amount in one embodiment of the present invention.

For example, in the case of special paper for ink jet recording (PM photo paper <gloss>) manufactured by Seiko Epson,
At 23 ° C., the relationship between the humidity and the relative ink ejection amount is displayed when the ink ejection amount when the humidity is 60% is set to 100%. That is, when the reference humidity is 60%, when the ink ejection amount is 100%, the ink ejection amount is reduced when the humidity is higher than the reference humidity, and conversely, when the ink ejection amount is lower than the reference humidity. Increase the amount. This relationship is based on the type of ink (dye ink or pigment ink) or the type of the ink receiving layer of the recording material, and the relationship between the humidity and the ink ejection amount can be controlled. The increase / decrease from the standard discharge amount depends on the temperature and the properties of the ink and the ink receiving layer of the recording material, so that for each temperature and the ink receiving layer and ink, a constant image density that does not depend on humidity is obtained. It is preferable that an appropriate amount of the ink ejection amount is obtained and registered in the recording unit 550.

FIG. 7 shows an example of a control mode preset between the humidity and at least one characteristic of the ink receiving layer and the ink constituting the recording material based on the above relationship.

6 and 7, the ink ejection amount is changed for each humidity. For example, when the humidity is 40% or less, the relative value of the ink ejection amount is 120% and the humidity is 40%.
It is 100% when it is -60%, and 8 when it is 60% or more.
It is also possible to adopt a control mode of 0%.

Although FIG. 6 and FIG. 7 have been described with respect to the relationship between humidity and ink ejection amount, by controlling the number of ink ejections instead of the ink ejection amount, a constant image density independent of humidity can be obtained. As described above, an appropriate value of the number of ink ejections can be obtained and registered in the recording unit. In this case, if the vertical axis of FIG. 6 is regarded as the number of ink ejections instead of the ink ejection amount, the object of the present invention can be achieved. When controlling the number of ink ejections, stable ink ejection is realized because the amount of ink ejected once is constant.

Therefore, the recording device 100 according to the present invention.
It is preferable that the recording unit 550 has a plurality of control modes based on at least one characteristic of the ink and the ink receiving layer. The user can also select a plurality of control modes.

FIG. 8 is a flow chart showing an embodiment for controlling the ink ejection amount of the present invention, but the object of the present invention can be achieved by controlling the number of ink ejections as described above. is there.

After the power is turned on, the humidity is detected in step S11. In this case, the humidity inside the recording apparatus 100 is preferable, and the humidity near the recording material is particularly preferable. Next, in step S12, a humidity / ink ejection amount table, that is, a control mode, which is preset according to at least one characteristic of the ink receiving layer and the ink, is selected. Then, in step S13, the ink ejection amount is determined from the humidity detection level, and the ejection signal according to the determined ink ejection amount is transmitted from the ink ejection parameter setting unit 530 of the control unit 510 to the control drive unit 560. (Process S1
4) controlling the voltage applied to the piezoelectric element 350 to control the amount of deflection of the piezoelectric thin film 450,
The recording material 102 is ejected with an ink ejection amount corresponding to the humidity.

When controlling the number of ink ejections, FIG.
Instead of the control of the ink discharge amount described in step S13,
It is possible to control the number of ink ejections by determining the number of ink ejections and transmitting an ejection signal related to the number of pulses of the ejection voltage to the piezoelectric element 350 in step S14.

Returning to FIG. 2, the control driving unit 560 that receives the ejection signal reciprocates the carriage 220 of the recording apparatus 100 in the main scanning direction indicated by the arrow D via the main scanning driving unit 570 to perform sub-scanning. The platen 200 is rotated in the sub-scanning direction C by a paper feed motor (not shown) via the drive unit 580 to convey the recording material 102, and the recording material 102 is conveyed over the recording material 102 via the recording head drive unit 590. Form color letters, images, etc.

The control means 510 according to the present invention may be realized in the recording device 100, a personal computer connected to the recording device 100, or both.

As a form of the recording apparatus according to the present invention, it is provided as an image output terminal of an information processing apparatus such as a computer integrally or separately, a copying apparatus combined with a reader or the like, and a transmission / reception function. It may take the form of a facsimile machine.

[0062]

As described above, according to the present invention,
It is possible to provide a method for controlling ink ejection and a recording apparatus for the same, which makes it possible to form a uniform and high-quality image by making the image density constant regardless of humidity.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a recording apparatus that ejects ink, to which the present invention is applicable.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an embodiment of a recording apparatus according to the present invention.

3 shows a sectional view of a part of the recording device according to the invention shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a schematic sectional view of a piezoelectric element forming a part of a recording head used in the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a functional block diagram showing a configuration of a recording device according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a relationship between humidity and relative ejection amount of ink in an embodiment according to the present invention.

FIG. 7 shows an example of a humidity / ink discharge amount table and the number of humidity / ink discharges in one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 shows a flow chart illustrating an embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of Codes] 100 ... Recording Device, 101 ... Tray, 102 ... Recording Material, 105, 250 ... Recording Head, 200 ... Platen,
210 ... Guide shaft, 220 ... Carriage, 260 ... Ink tank, 270 ... Signal cable, 300 ... Filter chamber, 350 ... Piezoelectric element, 400 ... Nozzle hole, 410 ... Nozzle plate, 420 ... Pressure chamber substrate, 430 ... Vibrating plate 440
... upper electrode, 450 ... piezoelectric thin film, 460 ... lower electrode,
Reference numeral 510 ... Control means, humidity detection means ... 520, 530 ... Ink ejection parameter setting section, 540 ... Selection means, 550
Recording unit, 560 Control drive unit, 570 Main scanning drive unit, 580 Sub scanning drive unit, 590 Recording head drive unit

Claims (22)

[Claims] 1. A method of controlling ink ejection for ejecting ink from a recording head onto a recording material, comprising: (1) a detecting step of detecting humidity; and (2) at least one of the recording material and the ink. Selecting a preset control mode between one characteristic and humidity, and (3) controlling the ink ejection amount according to a signal based on the detected humidity in the control mode,
A method for controlling ink ejection, including: 2. A method of controlling ink ejection for ejecting ink from a recording head onto a recording material, comprising: (1) a detecting step of detecting humidity; and (2) at least one of the recording material and the ink. Ink ejection including a step of selecting a preset control mode between two characteristics and humidity, and (3) a control step of controlling the number of ink ejections according to a signal based on the detected humidity in the control mode. Control method. 3. The method for controlling ink ejection according to claim 1, wherein the control step controls ink ejection by controlling a deflection amount of a piezoelectric element provided in the recording head. 4. The ink ejection control method according to claim 2, wherein the control step controls the ink ejection by controlling the number of pulses of the ejection voltage to the piezoelectric element arranged in the recording head. . 5. The method for controlling ink ejection according to claim 1, wherein the humidity is humidity in the vicinity of the recording material. 6. The control process according to claim 1, wherein when the humidity is higher than a predetermined reference value, the ink discharge amount is controlled to be smaller than the ink discharge amount at the reference value. Ink ejection control method. 7. The control method according to claim 2, wherein when the humidity is higher than a predetermined reference value, the number of ink ejections is controlled to be smaller than the number of ink ejections in the reference value. A method for controlling ink ejection as described. 8. The control process according to claim 1, wherein when the humidity is lower than a predetermined reference value, the ink discharge amount is controlled to be larger than the ink discharge amount at the reference value. Ink ejection control method. 9. The method according to claim 2, wherein in the control step, when the humidity is lower than a predetermined reference value, the number of ink ejections is controlled to be larger than the number of ink ejections in the reference value. A method for controlling ink ejection as described. 10. The method for controlling ink ejection according to claim 1, wherein the recording material is provided with an ink receiving layer containing a porous pigment. 11. The porous pigment is synthetic amorphous silica,
The method for controlling ink ejection according to claim 10, wherein the method is selected from the group consisting of colloidal silica, fumed silica, alumina, colloidal alumina, pseudo-boehmite, and boehmite. 12. A recording apparatus for ejecting ink from a recording head onto a recording material, comprising: (1) humidity detecting means; and (2) preset control between the recording material and the ink. A recording unit that records the mode; and (3) a control unit that selects the control mode of the recording unit, determines the ink ejection amount from the detected humidity and the control mode, and controls the ink ejection from the recording head. ,
Recording device having a. 13. A recording device for ejecting ink from a recording head onto a recording material, comprising: (1) humidity detecting means; and (2) preset control between the recording material and the ink. (3) A control mode of the recording means is selected, and the number of ink ejections is determined from the detected humidity and the control mode.
A recording device, comprising: a control unit that controls ink ejection from the recording head. 14. The recording apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the control unit controls a deflection amount of a piezoelectric element provided in the recording head so as to control an ink ejection amount. 15. The recording apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the control unit controls the number of pulses of an ejection voltage to the piezoelectric element arranged in the recording head so as to control the number of ink ejections. 16. The recording apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the humidity detecting means detects humidity in the vicinity of the recording material. 17. The recording according to claim 12, wherein the control unit controls the ink ejection amount to be ejected less than the ink ejection amount at the reference value when the humidity is higher than a predetermined reference value. apparatus. 18. The control unit controls the number of ink ejections to be smaller than the number of ink ejections at the reference value when the humidity is higher than a predetermined reference value. Recording device. 19. The recording according to claim 12, wherein the control unit controls the ink ejection amount to eject more than the ink ejection amount at the reference value when the humidity is lower than a predetermined reference value. apparatus. 20. The recording according to claim 13, wherein the control unit controls the number of ink ejections to be greater than the number of ink ejections at the reference value when the humidity is lower than a predetermined reference value. apparatus. 21. The recording apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the recording material includes an ink receiving layer containing a porous pigment. 22. The porous pigment is synthetic amorphous silica,
The recording apparatus according to claim 21, which is selected from the group consisting of colloidal silica, fumed silica, alumina, colloidal alumina, pseudo-boehmite, and boehmite.