JP2010069732A - Ion flow recording head - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To propose an ion flow recording head which can suppress the disorder and greasing of an image and form a clear image. <P>SOLUTION: In a heating discharge type ion flow recording head, a spacer 32 which is in contact with the surface of a recording medium 5 to form an ion emission cavity 38 between itself and the recording medium 5 is provided protrusively from the surface of a discharge electrode 30 so that the spacer may be insulated from the discharge electrode 30 and electrodes 23 and 24 for generating heat and may not be interposed between the discharge electrode 30 and electrodes 23 and 24 for generating heat and a counter electrode 3. Alternatively, in an airspace heating type ion flow recording head, a spacer 72 which is in contact with the surface of a recording medium 5 to form a limited airspace 70 between itself and the recording medium 5 is provided protrusively from the surface of an insulating layer 66 so that the spacer is insulated from electrodes 63 and 64 for generating heat and is not interposed between the electrodes 63 and 64 for generating heat and a counter electrode 3. Both of the above structures can suppress the disorder and greasing of an image and form a clear image. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an ion flow recording head applied to an image forming apparatus for writing on a recording medium such as electronic paper capable of repeatedly writing and erasing an image by the action of electric charges.

  In a state where a predetermined discharge control voltage is applied to the discharge electrode (a voltage in a voltage range in which discharge does not occur but heating occurs when the discharge electrode is heated) is applied to the heated portion of the discharge electrode. There is known a heat-discharge type ion flow recording head that controls the generation of ions by controlling the presence or absence of heating (for example, see Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2). Such a heat-discharge type ion flow recording head does not require control of the voltage applied to the discharge electrode, and a low-voltage-resistant driver IC such as 5 V drive used for heating control of the discharge electrode by a heating element is used to control the ion. Since the generation can be controlled, there is an advantage that the cost can be reduced and the size can be reduced.

  Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H10-228561 discloses a method for driving a heat discharge type ion flow recording head. That is, a potential difference corresponding to the discharge control voltage is set between the discharge electrode of the ion flow recording head and the counter electrode formed on, or in contact with, or close to the back surface of the electrostatic latent image recording medium. Then, an electric field is formed, and each heated portion of the discharge electrode is selectively heated by a heating means equipped with a heating element, thereby generating a discharge between the discharge electrode and the counter electrode arranged to face each other. Further, the ions discharged from the heated portion of the discharge electrode by the electric field are moved to the recording surface (surface) of the recording medium, thereby applying an electric charge to form an image.

  On the other hand, the inventors of the present invention, in Patent Document 3, by heating control of the heated portion of the insulating layer, heat the limited air space between the heated portion and the electrostatic latent image type recording medium, Ions are generated in the limited air region, and a voltage is applied to a counter electrode disposed on the back side of the recording medium to attract the ions to the surface of the recording medium (hereinafter referred to as air region heating type). Ion flow recording head). That is, by applying a positive voltage to the counter electrode and selectively controlling the heat generation of a plurality of heating elements disposed on the back side of the insulating layer, each heated portion of the insulating layer is heated, and the heated portion The limited air space between the recording medium and the recording medium is heated to generate ions. The ions are attracted to the surface of the recording medium by the electric field generated by the counter electrode, so that an electric charge is applied to form an image.

As a recording medium on which a desired image is formed by an image forming apparatus having such an ion flow recording head, for example, a sheet-shaped electronic paper such as a twist ball method or a microcapsule electrophoresis method is also used. Here, for example, in a microcapsule electrophoretic electronic paper, charged particles of a predetermined color are dispersed in a fluid solvent having fluidity at room temperature and filled in the microcapsule. It is the structure formed by disperse | distributing uniformly between a material and a coating layer. By applying a charge to the front or back surface of the electronic paper, charged particles that can move within the microcapsule are attracted (or repelled) to the charge. Thereby, an image is formed on the surface by the charged particles moved to the surface side of the electronic paper. Since the fluid solvent also has a predetermined viscosity, when the charge application is stopped, the image is recorded and held.
WO2005087496 JP 2008-114429 A Japanese Patent Application No. 2008-22505

  By the way, when an image is formed on a microcapsule electrophoretic electronic paper (recording medium) by the image forming apparatus provided with the above-described heat discharge type ion flow recording head, ions generated by the discharge from the discharge electrode are detected. By moving to the surface of the electronic paper, charged particles in the microcapsule are attracted to the charge, and an image is formed on the surface of the electronic paper. Specifically, a positive voltage is applied to the counter electrode to generate an electric field, and negative ions generated by discharge move to the surface of the electronic paper, and charged particles having a positive charge in the microcapsules of the electronic paper are An image is formed with a predetermined color of the charged particles by being attracted to negative ions.

  Here, the heat discharge type ion flow recording head requires the discharge electrode to be in non-contact with the recording medium, and suppresses image distortion by maintaining a stable distance between the discharge electrode and the recording medium. Thus, a clear image can be drawn. Therefore, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses a configuration including a coating film that covers a discharge electrode and has an opening that exposes a heated portion. The coating film is made of an insulating material, and the distance between the recording medium and the discharge electrode can be kept constant by bringing the coating film into contact with the recording medium. However, even in such a configuration, since there is a limit to the sharpness of the image, further improvement of the sharpness is required.

  In addition, the problem that a region different from a desired image is colored on the surface of a recording medium (hereinafter referred to as “background stain”) is a problem that has been sought after in the past. Suppression is required. For this reason, even in the above-described heat-discharge type ion flow recording head, there is a demand for an effect that suppresses the occurrence of background contamination.

  On the other hand, the above-described problem similarly occurs even in the above-described air-zone heating type ion flow recording head.

  The present invention proposes an ion flow recording head which is of a discharge heating type and an air zone heating type and can obtain a high-definition image and can suppress scumming.

  The first invention of the present invention comprises a discharge electrode disposed on the front surface side of the insulating layer, a heating element disposed on the back surface side of the insulating layer, and the back surface side of the insulating layer, A heating electrode for heating the heating element, and the discharge electrode does not generate discharge when applied only between the discharge electrode and a counter electrode arranged to face the discharge electrode. A heating discharge type of controlling the generation of ions generated by this discharge by causing a potential difference to generate discharge by heating and selectively heating each heated portion of the discharge electrode by the heating element. In the ion flow recording head, the discharge electrode and the heat generating electrode are insulated from the discharge electrode and the heat generating electrode and the counter electrode so as not to be interposed between the discharge electrode and the counter electrode. Recording medium arranged in In contact with the surface of those is an ion flow recording head is characterized in that it comprises a spacer to form an ion radiation gap between said recording medium.

  Here, the spacer may be formed of an insulating material or a conductive material. Even in the case of a spacer made of a conductive material, since it is insulated from the discharge electrode and the heat generating electrode, an electrical action is prevented from being generated from these electrodes to the spacer.

  In this configuration, the protruding end of the spacer contacts the surface of the recording medium, so that the discharge electrode (each heated portion) does not contact the recording medium, and the discharge electrode (each heated portion) and the recording are recorded. The ion emission gap formed between the surface of the medium and the medium is stably maintained at a constant interval. In this ion radiation gap, ions are generated by the discharge of the discharge electrode, and the ions move to the surface of the recording medium. And since an ion radiation space | gap is formed stably, since the movement of the said ion is stabilized, a clear image can be drawn stably. Further, the spacer is disposed so as not to be interposed between the discharge electrode and the heating electrode and the counter electrode. This is because the spacer is arranged so as not to be interposed between the discharge electrode and the heating electrode and the recording medium. By arranging the spacer in this way, image disturbance and recording medium It is possible to suppress the occurrence of background stains on the surface and to form a generally clear image.

  Here, the cause of the above-described operation and effect by disposing the spacer so as not to be interposed between the discharge electrode and the heating electrode and the counter electrode will be considered. When a voltage is applied to the counter electrode when discharging ions from the discharge electrode, an electric field is generated according to the potential difference between the counter electrode and the discharge electrode as described above. Furthermore, since a voltage is also applied to the heat generating electrode in order to heat the heat generating element that heats the discharge electrode, an electric field is generated according to the potential difference between the heat generating electrode and the counter electrode. On the other hand, since the electric field generates a discharge from the discharge electrode and ions generated by the discharge move to the surface of the recording medium, the above-described microcapsule electrophoresis type or twist ball type electronic paper (recording medium) is used. First, charged particles in the electronic paper are moved by the ions to form an image. By the way, for example, in the configuration of the above-described conventional Patent Document 1, a coating layer made of an insulating material is interposed between the discharge electrode and the heating electrode, and the coating layer is in contact with the recording medium. is doing. In this case, since a certain potential difference is generated between the discharge electrode (or the heating electrode) and the counter electrode, the coating layer and the recording medium are disposed between the discharge electrode (or the heating electrode) and the counter electrode. The electric field is weakened in the covering layer (dielectric) in the region where the covering layer (dielectric material) is interposed, but the electric field is strengthened by the weakened portion at the portion of the recording medium in contact with the covering layer. For this reason, it is considered that the electric field is strong at the portion of the recording medium where the coating layer abuts, and accordingly, the above-mentioned charged particles easily move and soiling occurs.

  Further, the electric field between the discharge electrode and the heating electrode and the counter electrode is strong between the counter electrode, the discharge electrode and the heating electrode, and tends to become weaker as the distance increases. Therefore, in the configuration of the above-described conventional Patent Document 1, since the coating layer is interposed between the discharge electrode and the heating electrode and the counter electrode and is in contact with the recording medium, the coating layer includes In addition, electric charges easily move and accumulate through the recording medium according to a relatively strong electric field between the discharge electrode and the heating electrode. It is considered that the charged particles of the recording medium (electronic paper) easily move due to the charges accumulated in the coating layer, and accordingly, the sharpness of the image is limited. Furthermore, it may be a concern that soiling may occur due to a similar phenomenon.

  On the other hand, in the configuration of the present invention, the spacer is arranged so as not to be interposed between the discharge electrode and the heating electrode and the counter electrode, so that the spacer is made of an insulating material (dielectric). Even in this case, a substantially uniform electric field can be generated between the discharge electrode and the heating electrode and the counter electrode. Since the spacer is separated from the discharge electrode and the heating electrode as described above, the electric field generated between the spacer and the counter electrode is the electric field between the discharge electrode, the heating electrode and the counter electrode. It is weak enough. For this reason, the electric field in the recording medium is weak at the portion of the recording medium where the spacer made of an insulating material contacts, and the movement of the charged particles hardly occurs. In addition, since the electric field acting on the spacer is sufficiently weaker than the electric field between the discharge electrode and the heating electrode and the counter electrode, it is difficult for the electric charge to move to the spacer through the recording medium. In the case of a spacer made of the above, it is difficult for charges to accumulate in the spacer. Further, in the case of a spacer made of a conductive material, since the electric field acting on the spacer is weak, active movement of charges inside the spacer is suppressed. From the above, when using a recording medium made of electronic paper such as a microcapsule electrophoresis method, it is considered that the movement of the charged particles can be sufficiently suppressed at the contact portion of the spacer in the recording medium. It is done. Therefore, with the configuration of the present invention, it is excellent in the effect of suppressing the disturbance of the image and the occurrence of background stains, and it is possible to relatively easily and stably form an image with high overall sharpness.

  In the above-described heat discharge type ion flow recording head, a configuration is proposed in which spacers are disposed on both sides of the discharge electrode along the discharge electrode.

  In such a configuration, the spacers disposed on both sides of the discharge electrode can more stably maintain the distance between each heated portion existing between them and the surface of the recording medium. That is, the action of stably holding the ion emission gaps at a constant interval is high. Therefore, it is possible to more appropriately produce the effect of the present invention, in which the above-described high-definition image is stably formed.

  In the above-described heating discharge type ion flow recording head, the spacer is 5 μm or more and 3 mm outward from either one of the discharge electrode or the heating electrode located on the outermost side. A configuration is proposed that is arranged with the following separation distance.

  Here, when the spacer is disposed only on one side of the discharge electrode, it is disposed at a distance from one side edge located on the outermost side, and is disposed on both sides of the discharge electrode. In the case of being provided, they are arranged at a distance from one side end located on the outermost side on both sides. When disposed on both sides, the side ends located on the outermost sides may be separated from the side end of the discharge electrode and the side end of the heating electrode, respectively, and the separation distance from each spacer is As long as the distance is within the range, it may be the same on both sides or different.

  As described above, since the electric field generated between the discharge electrode and the heating electrode and the counter electrode becomes weaker as the distance from each electrode increases, the distance from the discharge electrode or the heating electrode increases as in this configuration. Since the spacer is disposed, the spacer is disposed at a position where the electric field is sufficiently weak. For this reason, since a sufficiently weak electric field acts on the portion of the recording medium where the spacer abuts, the action of suppressing the movement of charged particles due to the electric field is further enhanced. Furthermore, since the electric field acting on the spacer is sufficiently weak, the effect of suppressing the movement of the charge to the spacer via the recording medium is further improved. Further, the effect of suppressing the active movement of electric charge is further improved in the spacer made of a conductive material. Accordingly, the charged particles of the electronic paper described above are difficult to move by the spacer in contact with the recording medium, suppress the image disturbance, suppress the background stain, and more appropriately produce the effect of being able to form high definition and images. obtain.

  If the separation distance is smaller than 5 μm, the effect of the electric field is relatively strong, and the effect that charges are difficult to accumulate in the spacer is reduced. On the other hand, if the separation distance is larger than 3 mm, the distance between the spacer and each heated portion is increased, and thus the effect of keeping each heated portion and the recording medium stably at a constant interval is reduced. Here, in the case where the recording medium is composed of hard glass or the like, the surface has high smoothness and hardly bends during transportation. Therefore, by setting the above-mentioned separation distance to 3 mm or less, The effects described above are achieved. On the other hand, in the case where the recording medium is composed of a resin having flexibility (hereinafter referred to as a flexible resin), it is easy to bend at the time of conveyance. Therefore, by setting the above-mentioned separation distance to 1 mm or less, The above effects are more appropriately exhibited. For this reason, the separation distance is preferably 5 μm or more and 1 mm or less in consideration of a recording medium made of a flexible resin.

  On the other hand, in the second invention of the present invention, a plurality of heating elements for selectively heating each heated portion of the insulating layer and a heating electrode for heating each heating element are provided on the back side of the insulating layer. An air flow heating type ion flow recording that controls the generation of ions in the limited air region by heating the limited air region on the surface of the heated region by selective heating of each heated region by each heating element In the head, the insulating layer is protruded from the insulating layer so as not to be interposed between the heating electrode and the opposing electrode facing each heated portion of the insulating layer. An ion flow recording head comprising a spacer that contacts a surface of a recording medium disposed therebetween to form a limited air space with the recording medium.

  Here, the spacer may be made of either an insulating material or a conductive material. Even in the case of a spacer made of a conductive material, since it is insulated from the heating electrode, no electrical action is generated from the heating electrode.

  In such a configuration, the projecting end of the spacer is in contact with the surface of the recording medium, so that the insulating layer and the surface of the recording medium are kept at a constant interval and ions are generated under each heated portion. Is held stably. Thereby, ions can be stably generated in a limited air space, and the movement of the ions to the surface of the recording medium is stable, so that a clear image can be stably drawn. Further, since the spacer is disposed so as not to be interposed between the discharge electrode and the heating electrode and the counter electrode, it is possible to prevent image disturbance and to suppress the occurrence of background stains, and as a result, a high-definition image as a whole. Can be formed.

  Even in this configuration, a relatively strong electric field is generated substantially uniformly between the heating electrode and the counter electrode, as in the above-described heating discharge type configuration. Therefore, the electric field acting on the portion of the recording medium where the spacer abuts is also sufficiently weak. In addition, since the electric field acting on the spacer is sufficiently weak, in the case of a spacer made of an insulating material, it is difficult for charges to accumulate via the recording medium, and in the case of a spacer made of a conductive material, the charge is actively transferred. Can be suppressed. As a result, it is considered that the movement of the charged particles constituting the recording medium can be suppressed when the recording medium made of electronic paper such as microcapsule electrophoresis is used at the contact portion of the spacer in the recording medium. . Therefore, even with this configuration, it is possible to form an image with excellent effects of suppressing image disturbance and occurrence of background stains and with relatively high clarity and stability.

  In the above-described air-zone heating type ion flow recording head, the spacer is configured such that the spacers are respectively arranged on both sides along the arrangement direction in which a plurality of heating elements are arranged. Proposed.

  In such a configuration, each spacer disposed on both sides of the plurality of heating elements is located on both sides of each heated portion of the insulating layer, so that each spacer contacts the surface of the recording medium. As a result, each heated portion and the surface of the recording medium can be more stably maintained at regular intervals, and the action of further maintaining the limited airspace is improved. For this reason, the above-described operational effect of stably forming the above-described high-definition image can be more appropriately generated.

  In the above-described air-zone heating type ion flow recording head, the spacer is disposed with a distance of 5 μm or more and 3 mm or less outward from the side end of the heating electrode. Proposed. Here, when the spacers are disposed on both sides of the heating electrode, the distances between the spacers on both sides may be the same or different as long as they are within the range of the distances.

  In such a configuration, the spacer is disposed at a distance from the heating electrode, and the spacer is disposed at a position where the electric field generated between the heating electrode and the counter electrode is sufficiently weak. . Therefore, since the electric field applied to the contact portion of the recording medium is sufficiently weak and the electric field applied to the spacer is sufficiently weak, the action of suppressing the movement of charges to the spacer through the recording medium is further enhanced. improves. Therefore, as in the case of the heating discharge type described above, the charged particles of the electronic paper described above are difficult to move by the spacers in contact with the recording medium, and the image disturbance is suppressed and the background contamination is suppressed. The effect that it can be formed can be more appropriately produced.

  If the separation distance is smaller than 5 μm, the effect of the electric field is relatively strong, and the effect that charges are difficult to accumulate in the spacer is reduced. On the other hand, if the separation distance is larger than 3 mm, the distance between the spacer and each heated part is increased, and therefore the effect of keeping the distance between each heated part and the recording medium stable is reduced. Even in this configuration, the separation distance is preferably 5 μm or more and 1 mm or less in consideration of the case where the recording medium is made of a flexible resin, as in the case of the heat discharge type described above. is there.

  A configuration is proposed in which the spacer is made of an insulating resin material in the above-described heating / discharge type ion flow recording head.

  In such a configuration, as described above, it is possible to form a high-definition image by suppressing the disturbance of the image and the soiling due to the effect that the charge is not easily accumulated in the spacer made of the insulating material. Properly achieve the effects. Further, since the spacer is made of a resin material, the spacer is relatively light and the operability of the ion flow recording head is improved, so that the stability of image formation is improved. Furthermore, when the spacer contacts the surface of the recording medium, the effect of suppressing the surface of the recording medium from being damaged is high. As this insulating resin material, a fluorine-based resin material can be preferably used.

  A configuration is proposed in which the spacer is made of a conductive metal material in the above-described heating / discharge type ion flow recording head.

  In such a configuration, as described above, it is possible to form a high-definition image by suppressing the disturbance of the image and the background dirt by the action of suppressing the active movement of the charge by the spacer made of the conductive material. The effects of the present invention are appropriately achieved. Further, since the spacer is made of a metal material, it has high durability, and image formation can be performed stably over a relatively long period of time. Here, as the conductive metal material, a metal material such as aluminum, stainless steel, or nickel chrome can be suitably used.

  In the heat-discharge type ion flow recording head according to the present invention, as described above, the spacer that contacts the surface of the recording medium and forms an ion radiation gap between the recording medium, the discharge electrode, and the heat generation Since it is projected from the discharge electrode so that it is insulated from the discharge electrode and not interposed between the discharge electrode and the heating electrode and the counter electrode, the twist ball method, the microcapsule electrophoresis method, etc. Even when this electronic paper is used as a recording medium, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of image disturbance and background staining and to form a clear image. This is considered to be because the ion radiation gap can be stably held at a constant interval by the spacer, and the movement of the charged particles can be suppressed even at the contact portion of the spacer with the recording medium. Here, in the latter effect, since the spacer does not intervene between the discharge electrode and the heating electrode and the counter electrode, the electric field acting between the spacer and the counter electrode is reduced. This is considered to be because the movement of the charged particles can be suppressed at the portion of the recording medium where the spacer abuts because it is sufficiently weaker than the electric field between the electrode and the counter electrode. Further, since the electric field acting on the spacer is sufficiently weak, it is difficult for the electric charge to move to the spacer via the recording medium. Therefore, it is considered that the movement of the charged particles can be suppressed at the portion where the spacer abuts.

  In the above-described heating discharge type ion flow recording head, when the spacers are disposed on both sides of the discharge electrodes along the discharge electrodes, the spacers are formed between the spacers. Therefore, the above-described operational effects of the present invention can be more appropriately generated.

  In the above-described heating discharge type ion flow recording head, the spacer is 5 μm or more and 3 mm or less outward from either side end of the discharge electrode or heating electrode located on the outermost side. In the case of a configuration that is disposed with a separation distance of, it is possible to stably and reliably weaken the action on the spacer by the electric field generated between the discharge electrode and the heating electrode and the counter electrode, The above-described operational effects of the present invention can be achieved more appropriately.

  On the other hand, in the air-zone heating type ion flow recording head according to the present invention, as described above, the spacer that contacts the surface of the recording medium and forms a limited air space with the recording medium is provided with a heating electrode. It is formed by projecting outward from the insulating layer so as not to intervene between the heating electrode and the counter electrode, so that electronic paper such as a twist ball method or microcapsule electrophoresis method is recorded. Even when it is used as a medium, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of image disturbance and background staining and to form a high-definition image. This is considered to be because the limited airspace can be stably held at regular intervals by the spacer, and the movement of the charged particles can be suppressed even at the contact portion of the spacer with the recording medium. Here, in the latter operation, the electric field acting between the spacer and the counter electrode is changed to the electric field between the discharge electrode and the heating electrode and the counter electrode, as in the above-described heating discharge type configuration. This is considered to be because the movement of the charged particles can be suppressed at the portion of the recording medium where the spacer abuts because it is sufficiently weak. Further, since the electric field acting on the spacer is sufficiently weak, it is difficult for the electric charge to move to the spacer via the recording medium. Therefore, it is considered that the movement of the charged particles can be suppressed at the portion where the spacer abuts.

  In the above-described air-zone heating type ion flow recording head, the spacers are arranged on both sides along the arrangement direction in which a plurality of heating elements are arranged. In this case, the limited airspace can be more stably maintained at a constant interval, so that the effects of the present invention can be more appropriately generated.

  In the case of the above-described air-zone heating type ion flow recording head, the spacer is arranged with a distance of 5 μm or more and 3 mm or less outward from the side edge of the heating electrode. Since the action on the spacer due to the electric field generated between the heating electrode and the counter electrode can be weakened stably and surely, the above-described action and effect of the present invention can be achieved more appropriately.

  When the spacer is made of an insulating resin material in the above-described heating / discharge type ion flow recording head, it is difficult to accumulate charges in the spacer. The effects of the present invention are appropriately exhibited. Further, since the spacer is relatively light, the operability of the ion flow recording head is improved, the stability of image formation is improved, and the surface of the recording medium is damaged by the contact of the spacer with the surface of the recording medium. The effect of suppressing this is high.

  Alternatively, in the case of the above-described heating / discharge-type or air-space-type ion flow recording head, in which the spacer is made of a conductive metal material, active movement of charges is suppressed by the spacer. By the effect | action of doing, there exists an effect | action effect of this invention mentioned above appropriately. Furthermore, since the spacer is made of a metal material, it has high durability and can perform stable image formation over a relatively long period of time.

  A heat-discharge type ion flow recording head (Example 1) and an air-zone heating type ion flow recording head (Example 2) according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  FIG. 1 shows an image forming apparatus 1 provided with a heat discharge type ion flow recording head 11. The image forming apparatus 1 includes the ion flow recording head 11 disposed on the front surface side of a recording medium 5 made of electronic paper capable of repeatedly writing and erasing images by the action of electric charges, and the rear surface side of the recording medium 5. The counter electrode 3 is provided. In the first embodiment, the ion flow recording head 11 is arranged so that the head tip portion faces the counter electrode 3, and the surface of the recording medium 5 faces the end surface of the head tip portion. This is an end face type configuration.

  The counter electrode 3 is composed of an electrode roller and is pivotally supported so as to be free to rotate so as to face the ion flow recording head 11. The image forming apparatus 1 also includes a transport device (not shown) that transports the recording medium 5. As this transport device, one having a conventionally used configuration can be applied, and details thereof are omitted.

  As the recording medium 5 described above, a sheet-shaped electronic paper such as a twisting ball method or a microcapsule electrophoresis method can be suitably used. In Example 1, microcapsule electrophoresis type electronic paper is used. In this electronic paper (recording medium) 5, as shown in FIG. 5, a recording layer 42 in which a plurality of microcapsules 45 are uniformly dispersed is arranged on a sheet-like substrate 41, and further covers the recording layer 42. Thus, the coating layer 43 is provided. Here, in the microcapsules 45 of the recording layer 42, charged particles 46 colored in a predetermined color are dispersed and included in a colorless fluid solvent 47. The fluid solvent 47 has fluidity at room temperature, allows the charged particles 46 to move, and also has a predetermined viscosity, so that free movement of the charged particles 46 is suppressed. That is, when a strong electric field acts to some extent, the charged particles 46 can move according to the electric field. However, if the electric field is weak, the charged particles 46 do not move. In addition, as such a microcapsule electrophoresis type electronic paper, conventionally known ones can be applied, and therefore, further details are omitted.

Next, the heat discharge type ion flow recording head 11 according to the main part of the present invention will be described.
As shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the ion flow recording head 11 includes an aluminum heat radiating plate 12 having a substantially U-shaped projecting end 13 projecting downward, and the heat radiating plate 12. And a flexible head substrate 14 disposed so as to cover the protruding end 13. The head substrate 14 is bent so as to follow the protruding end 13 and is attached to the protruding end 13, and a plurality of electron-emitting electrodes 30 a constituting the discharge electrode 30 are disposed at the end.

  The discharge electrode 30 is coupled to a plurality of narrow band-shaped electron emission electrodes 30a arranged in a ladder shape along the longitudinal direction of the protruding end 13 and both ends of each electron emission electrode 30a. It is comprised by the wide strip | belt-shaped common electrodes 30b and 30b (refer FIG. 3). As will be described later, ions are irradiated from each electron emission electrode 30a under a predetermined condition.

  Further, an IC cover 19 is mounted above the head substrate 14, and a thin plate-like printed circuit board 18 is interposed between the IC cover 19 and the heat radiating plate 12. With this configuration, the printed circuit board 18 is protected by the IC cover 19. Further, a connector 18 a connected to an external control device (not shown) is attached to the upper end portion of the printed circuit board 18 so as to be positioned immediately above the heat radiating plate 2.

  A driver IC 16 is mounted on the head substrate 14 in an IC cover 19. The driver IC 16 controls heat generation of a heat generating element 25 described later, and applies a voltage to the heat generating common electrode 23 and the heat generating individual electrode 24 connected to the heat generating element 25 (see FIG. 3).

The above-described head substrate 14 will be described with reference to FIGS.
The head substrate 14 includes a thin plate-like flexible substrate 20. The flexible substrate 20 is formed of a thin film resin such as polyimide, aramid, or polyetherimide having heat resistance and insulating properties. On the upper surface of the flexible substrate 20, a plurality of narrow heating comb electrodes 23a arranged in parallel at regular intervals, and a wide U-shaped electrode 23b to which the base ends of the respective heating comb electrodes 23a are connected. The heat-generating common electrode 23 provided is disposed. Furthermore, between the heat generating comb-tooth electrodes 23a, a strip-shaped individual electrode for heat generation 24 is arranged in parallel with the heat generating comb-tooth electrodes 23a. That is, on the flexible substrate 20, the heat generating comb-tooth electrodes 23a and the heat generating individual electrodes 24 are alternately arranged. The heat generating comb-tooth electrode 23a, the U-shaped electrode 23b, and the heat generating individual electrode 24 may be formed by etching after printing a conductor such as gold paste on the surface of the flexible substrate 20. Here, the pitch width between the adjacent comb electrodes 23a for heat generation is a region constituting one pixel (one dot). The heat generating individual electrode 24 and the heat generating common electrode 23 constitute a heat generating electrode according to the present invention.

On the heat generating comb-tooth electrode 23a and the heat generating individual electrode 24, a strip-shaped heat generating element 25 electrically connected thereto is disposed. The heat generating element 25 can be formed by printing TaSiO ₂ , RuO ₂ or the like on the top of the heat generating comb-tooth electrode 23 a and the heat generating individual electrode 24.

  An insulating layer 21 is covered on the flexible substrate 20 except for the end portions of the U-shaped electrode 23b and the individual heating electrode 24. The insulating layer 21 can be formed by printing a thin film resin such as polyimide, aramid, or polyetherimide having heat resistance and insulating properties.

  A ladder-like discharge electrode 30 is disposed on the insulating layer 21, and the discharge electrode 30 is insulated from the heating element 25 by the insulating layer 21. Here, as described above, the discharge electrode 30 is composed of a plurality of electron emission electrodes 30a and common electrodes 30b and 30b, and each electron emission electrode 30a is insulated from each heat generating individual electrode 24. The layers 21 and the heating elements 25 are disposed so as to face each other in the vertical position. Thereby, the site | part of each electron emission electrode 30a corresponding to the heat generating element 25 becomes each to-be-heated site | part 30c of the discharge electrode 30 concerning this invention.

  The discharge electrode 30 may be formed by etching after a metal such as gold, silver, copper, or aluminum is formed by vapor deposition, sputtering, printing, or plating. In the first embodiment, each electron emission electrode 30a of the discharge electrode 30 is set so that the pitch width between adjacent ones is one pixel (one dot). Specifically, the pitch width is set in the range of 50 μm to 250 μm.

  Further, as described above, the driver IC 16 that controls the heat generation of the heat generating element 25 is mounted on the flexible substrate 20. The driver IC 16 is sealed with an IC protecting resin such as an epoxy resin while being wire-bonded to the lead pattern extending from the U-shaped electrode 23b and the heating individual electrode 24 with a gold wire.

  The heat generating element 25 generates heat when the driver IC 16 transmits a predetermined signal and applies a voltage to the heat generating comb-tooth electrode 23a and the heat generating individual electrode 24 to energize it. That is, by applying a predetermined voltage between one heating individual electrode 24 and the heating comb electrodes 23a and 23a on both sides thereof, a heating element corresponding to these electrodes 24, 23a and 23a is applied. The 25 arbitrary parts are heated, and the arbitrary heated part 30c corresponding to the part is heated.

  The driver IC 16 is controlled by a control device (not shown) so as to selectively energize the individual heating electrodes 24 in accordance with predetermined image data, and accordingly, control for selectively heating each heated portion 30c of the discharge electrode 30. I do. The detailed control contents related to the image writing by the control device are not the main part of the present invention, and the description thereof will be omitted.

Further, an insulating protective layer 34 is covered on the discharge electrode 30 except for the heated portion 30c of each electron emission electrode 30a. In the present embodiment, the insulating protective layer 34 is provided with circular holes 34a at portions corresponding to the respective heated portions 30c so as to expose the respective heated portions 30c of the discharge electrode 30. Yes. The insulating protective layer 34 is made of an insulating material such as glass, a synthetic resin such as aramid or polyimide, a ceramic such as SiO _2, or mica, and is preferably used by a known method such as screen printing, vapor deposition, or sputtering. It is formed.

  In the ion flow recording head 11 provided with such a head substrate 14, flat spacers 32, 32 are provided on both sides of the heat sink 12 so as to protrude downward from the protruding end 13. Each is arranged along the direction. Each spacer 32, 32 has a lower end parallel to the protruding end 13 of the heat sink 12 and is provided over the longitudinal direction of the heat sink 12. That is, each spacer 32, 32 is disposed along the discharge electrode 30.

  The spacers 32 are not interposed between the electron emission electrodes 30 a of the discharge electrode 30 and the counter electrode 3. Similarly, the heat generating common electrode 23 and the heat generating individual electrode 24 are not interposed between the counter electrode 3. That is, the head substrate 14 exists between the spacers 32 on both sides. Then, each heated portion 30 c of the discharge electrode 30 of the head substrate 14 faces the counter electrode 3.

  In the first embodiment, the spacers 32 are bonded to the surface of the insulating protective layer 34 of the head substrate 14 on both the front and back sides of the heat radiating plate 12 and are in direct contact with the discharge electrode 30. Absent. For this reason, the spacers 32 are provided on both sides of the discharge electrode 30 with a separation distance of 5 μm to 250 μm. Here, since the discharge electrode 30 is disposed on the heat generating common electrode 23 and the heat generating individual electrode 24, the common electrodes 30b and 30b of the discharge electrode 30 are located on both sides as compared with these. To do. In other words, both side ends of the discharge electrode 30 constituted by the common electrodes 30b and 30b are located outward as compared to the side ends of the heat generating common electrode 23 and the heat generating individual electrode 24, respectively. In the first embodiment, since the spacers 32 are disposed on the surface of the insulating protective layer 34 by surface bonding, the thickness of the insulating protective layer 34 depends on the thickness of the discharge electrode 30. The separation distance is fixed. That is, by providing the insulating protective layer 34 according to the separation distance, the spacers 32 and 32 can be disposed relatively easily at desired positions.

  Further, the spacers 32 are provided at the protruding end 13 of the heat radiating plate 12 so as to protrude downward from 1 μm to 250 μm from the lowermost end of the insulating protective layer 34 of the head substrate 14. In the ion flow recording head 11, the lower ends of the spacers 32, 32 are brought into contact with the surface of the recording medium 5, so that a constant interval is provided between each heated portion 30 c of the discharge electrode 30 of the head substrate 14 and the recording medium 5. In the meantime, the ion radiation gap 38 according to the present invention is formed. In this ion radiation gap 38, as will be described later, ions radiated from each heated portion 30c of the discharge electrode 30 move to the surface of the recording medium 5 in accordance with the electric field between the counter electrode 3 and the discharge electrode 30. . Since the ion emission gaps 38 are held at regular intervals, the movement of the ions described above can be stabilized, and a clear image can be stably formed.

  The spacers 32, 32 in the first embodiment are made of a fluorine-based resin as an insulating resin material and are rectangular flat plates.

Next, an operation mode of the image forming apparatus 1 of the first embodiment will be described.
The recording medium 5 is transported by a transport device (not shown), and is inserted between the counter electrode 3 and the ion flow recording head 11 as shown in FIG. Here, the recording medium 5 is the above-described microcapsule electrophoretic electronic paper. In the first embodiment, the charged particles 46 in the microcapsule 45 are positively charged (FIG. 5). (See (A)).

  The counter electrode 3 is brought into contact with the back surface of the recording medium 5 conveyed by the conveying device, and the lower ends of the spacers 32 and 32 of the ion flow recording head 11 are brought into contact with the surface (recording surface) of the recording medium 5. Let Thereby, the recording medium 5 is partially sandwiched between the ion flow recording head 11 and the counter electrode 3. Here, the ion flow recording head 11 is arranged such that the parallel direction (longitudinal direction) of the electron emission electrode 30a of the discharge electrode 30 is orthogonal to the transport direction of the recording medium 5. The direction and the longitudinal direction of the counter electrode 3 are arranged in parallel. Further, since the counter electrode 3 is constituted by the electric roller that is pivotally supported so as to be able to rotate as described above, the recording medium 5 can be smoothly conveyed.

  Here, the counter electrode 3 is connected to an electrode on the high potential side of the discharge control voltage E, and the common electrode 30b of the discharge electrode 30 is grounded. Therefore, applying a voltage to the counter electrode 3 causes a potential difference corresponding to the discharge control voltage E between the counter electrode 3 and the discharge electrode 30.

  As described above, an electric field is formed by applying a voltage to the counter electrode 3 and setting a potential difference corresponding to the discharge control voltage E between the discharge electrode 30 of the ion flow recording head 11. The discharge control voltage E refers to a voltage in a voltage range in which discharge does not occur when only applied to the discharge electrode 30, but discharge occurs when heated. The discharge control voltage E is generated by superimposing a DC voltage on an AC voltage, and is applied to the counter electrode 3, whereby negative ions can be generated when the heated portion 30 c of the discharge electrode 30 is heated. The discharge control voltage E is set so that the charged particles 46 of the recording medium 5 cannot move only by the electric field generated between the discharge electrode 30 and the counter electrode 3, and the voltage applied to the counter electrode in accordance with this. Is set.

  In the electric field generated between the counter electrode 3 and the discharge electrode 30 by applying a voltage to the counter electrode 3 in this way, a positive voltage is applied to the counter electrode 3 in the first embodiment. The electric lines of force (schematically indicated by a two-dot chain line arrow in FIG. 5) are formed so as to go from the counter electrode 3 to the discharge electrode 30 in the thickness direction of the recording medium 5. Here, as will be described later, the electric lines of force from the counter electrode 3 toward the spacer 32 are sufficiently weaker than the electric lines of force between the counter electrode 3 and the discharge electrode 30 (and the heating electrode).

  With the electric field generated by the discharge control voltage E as described above, the heating element 25 is controlled by the driver IC 16. That is, a strobe voltage is applied to the heat generating element 25 through an arbitrary heat generating comb-tooth electrode 23a and a heat generating individual electrode 24, and the heat generating element 25 is caused to generate heat so that the heated portion 30c of the electron emission electrode 30a of the discharge electrode 30 is heated. Is selectively heated to a predetermined temperature (200 to 300 ° C.) to generate a discharge between the heated portion 30 c of the discharge electrode 30 and the counter electrode 3.

  The negative ions generated by the discharge from the heated portion 30c of the discharge electrode 30 are moved to the recording surface (front surface) of the recording medium 5 by the electric field formed between the heated portion 30c and the counter electrode 3. . Thereby, in the recording medium 5, as shown in FIG. 5B, the charged particles 46 in the microcapsule 45 are attracted and concentrated on the recording surface side in the microcapsule 45. The recording surface of the recording medium 5 is pseudo-colored due to the concentration of the charged particles 46 immediately below the heated portion 30 c of the discharge electrode 30.

  Here, between the spacers 32 and 32, as described above, the ion emission gaps 38 between the recording medium 5 and the heated portion 30 c of the discharge electrode 30 are held at regular intervals by the spacers 32 and 32. . Therefore, the negative ions generated by the discharge from each heated portion 30 c as described above can be stably moved to the recording surface of the recording medium 5. Thereby, a clear image can be stably formed. In the ion emission gap 38 between the spacers 32 and 32, the electric field is only generated in the range except under the heated portion 30c where negative ions are generated. 46 does not move.

  On the other hand, in the portion of the recording medium 5 where the spacers 32 and 32 are in contact, the charged particles 46 in the microcapsules 45 are maintained in a dispersed state. That is, since the spacers 32 and 32 in contact with the recording medium 5 are not interposed between the discharge electrode 30 and the heating electrode (the heating common electrode 23 and the heating individual electrode 24) and the counter electrode 3, The electric field acting between the spacers 32 and 32 and the counter electrode 3 due to the electric field between the electrodes is sufficiently weaker than the electric field between the electrodes, and accordingly, the spacers 32 and 32 are interposed via the recording medium 5. The electric lines of force going to are sufficiently weak. For this reason, even if the insulating spacers 32 and 32 are in contact with the recording medium 5, the movement of charges through the recording medium 5 to the spacers 32 and 32 is suppressed, and charges are accumulated in the spacers 32 and 32. Therefore, it is considered that the movement of the charged particles 46 in the recording medium 5 is suppressed at the portion where the spacers 32 and 32 abut.

  In contrast, the insulating protective layer 34 of the head substrate 14 exists between the discharge electrode 30, the heat generating common electrode 23 and the heat generating individual electrode 24, and the counter electrode 3. Due to the non-contact, the charged particles 46 of the recording medium 5 do not move even in the gaps under the insulating protective layer 34. As a result, the electric field between the discharge electrode 30 and the heating electrode (the heating common electrode 23 and the heating individual electrode 24) and the counter electrode 3 has substantially uniform strength. Therefore, as described above, the negative ions generated by the discharge can be stably moved to the surface of the recording medium 5.

  As described above, the recording surface of the recording medium 5 is colored in the region immediately below the heated portion 30c of the discharge electrode 30, and is not colored in the region other than immediately below the heated portion 30c. it can. Further, even if the spacers 32 are brought into contact with the surface of the recording medium 5, coloring associated therewith does not occur, so that a high-definition image can be formed without causing image distortion or background contamination.

  Thus, a desired image is formed by selectively heating each heated part 30c of the discharge electrode 30. After the image formation, the image is recorded and held unless an electric field capable of moving the charged particles 46 against the viscosity of the fluid solvent 47 of the microcapsule 45 acts.

  FIG. 6 illustrates an image forming apparatus 51 including an air-zone heating type ion flow recording head 61 according to the second embodiment. The image forming apparatus 51 has the same configuration as that of the image forming apparatus 1 of the first embodiment, except that an air space heating type ion flow recording head 61 is provided instead of the heating / discharge type ion flow recording head 11 (see FIG. 1). Therefore, the description thereof is omitted. The recording medium 5 is also made of microcapsule electrophoretic electronic paper as in the first embodiment.

  The air-zone heating type ion flow recording head 61 is covered with a flexible head substrate 62 bent at the protruding end 13 of the heat radiating plate 12 in the same manner as the heating / discharge type ion flow recording head 11 of the first embodiment. . As shown in FIGS. 6 to 8, the head substrate 62 has a plurality of narrow heating comb teeth arranged on the upper surface of the flexible substrate 20 similar to that of the first embodiment at regular intervals along the longitudinal direction of the heat sink 12. A heating common electrode 63 including an electrode 63a and a wide U-shaped electrode 63b to which the base end of each heating comb electrode 63a is connected is disposed. Further, a thin band-like individual heating electrode 64 is arranged in a straight line with each heating comb electrode 63a at a predetermined interval from the tip of each heating comb electrode 63a. The heat generating common electrode 63 and the heat generating individual electrode 64 can be formed by printing a conductor such as a gold paste on the surface of the flexible substrate 20 and then etching it.

On each of the heat generating comb-tooth electrodes 63a and the heat generating individual electrodes 64, there are juxtaposed heating elements 65 that bridge and electrically connect the pair. In other words, the same number of heating elements 65 as the heating comb electrodes 63a or the heating individual electrodes 64 are arranged in alignment. The head substrate 62 is disposed on the heat radiating plate 12 so that the heat generating elements 65 are arranged on the protruding end 13 of the heat radiating plate 12 along the longitudinal direction thereof. Note that the width of the heating element 65 along the alignment direction is a region constituting one pixel (1 dot), and specifically, is appropriately set to 10 to 250 μm. The heating element 65 can be formed by printing TaSiO ₂ , RuO ₂ or the like on the heating comb electrode 63 a and the heating individual electrode 64.

  An insulating layer 66 is disposed on the flexible substrate 20 as in the first embodiment. In addition, a driver IC 16 is also provided to control the heat generation of each heat generating element 65. The driver IC 16 is controlled by a control device (not shown) and applies a predetermined voltage between the heat generating individual electrode 64 and the heat generating comb electrode 63a to energize the driver IC 16. The heating element 65 connecting the electrode 64 and the comb electrode 63a for heat generation generates heat. Due to the heat generated by the heat generating element 65, the heated portion 66a of the insulating layer 66 covering the heat generating element 65 is heated. Each portion of the insulating layer 21 that covers each heat generating element 65 is a heated portion 66 a that is heated by the heat generating element 65.

  In this manner, by applying a voltage between the arbitrary heat generating comb-tooth electrode 63a and the individual heat generating electrode 64, the arbitrary heat generating element 65 is heated, and the heated portion 66a corresponding to the heat generating element 65 is formed. Heat selectively. The heat generating common electrode 63 and the heat generating individual electrode 64 constitute the heat generating electrode according to the present invention.

  Furthermore, in such an ion flow recording head 61, as shown in FIG. 6, flat spacers 72, 72 are provided on both the front and back sides of the heat radiating plate 12 in the surface direction of the heat radiating plate 12 as in the first embodiment. They are arranged along each other. The spacers 72 and 72 are provided along the longitudinal direction of the heat sink 12 so that the lower ends thereof protrude downward from the insulating layer 66. The spacers 72 and 72 are surface-bonded to the surface of the insulating layer 66 and are not in direct contact with the heat generating common electrode 63 and the heat generating individual electrode 64, and from both ends of the electrodes 63 and 64. It is arranged outside. That is, the spacers 72 and 72 are not interposed between the heat generating common electrode 63 and the heat generating individual electrode 64 and the counter electrode 3. Each heated portion 66 a of the insulating layer 66 exists between the spacers 72 and 72, and the spacers 72 and 72 are arranged along the arrangement direction of the heat generating element 65.

  In the second embodiment, the spacers 72 and 72 are disposed so as to protrude from 1 μm to 250 μm from the lower end of the insulating layer 66, and the heating common electrode 63 and the heating individual electrode 64 are arranged. It is arranged outward with a separation distance of 5 μm to 250 μm. In the second embodiment, the spacers 72 and 72 are rectangular flat plates formed of a fluorine-based resin.

Next, an operation mode of the image forming apparatus 51 of the second embodiment will be described.
Similar to the first embodiment described above, the recording medium 5 made of microcapsule electrophoretic electronic paper is inserted between the counter electrode 3 and the ion flow recording head 61 and conveyed by a conveying device (not shown) as shown in FIG. To do. The counter electrode 3 is brought into contact with the back surface of the recording medium 5, and the lower ends of the spacers 72 and 72 of the ion flow recording head 61 are brought into contact with the surface (recording surface) of the recording medium 5. Here, the ion flow recording head 61 is arranged so that the juxtaposed direction of the heat generating elements 65 is orthogonal to the transport direction of the recording medium 5, and the counter electrode 3 has a longitudinal direction parallel to the juxtaposed direction. Are arranged to be.

  A predetermined positive voltage is applied to the counter electrode 3. Thereby, an electric field is generated between the counter electrode 3 and the insulating layer 66 of the ion flow recording head 61. In this state, the driver IC 16 controls the heat generating elements 65 to selectively generate heat. That is, a heating element connected to the heating individual electrode 64 and the heating comb electrode 63a by applying a voltage to the heating individual electrode 64 and the heating comb electrode 63a that is a pair thereof. By heating 65, an arbitrary heated portion 66a of the insulating layer 66 is selectively heated to a predetermined temperature (200 to 300 ° C.). As a result, as shown in FIG. 9A, the limited air region 70 under the heated portion 66a is heated between the heated portion 66a of the insulating layer 66 and the recording medium 5, and the air in the limited air region 70 is evacuated. Heat to generate positive ions and negative ions. Then, as shown in FIG. 9B, the negative ions move to the recording surface of the recording medium 5 by the electric field generated by the voltage application of the counter electrode 3.

  Even in the second embodiment, the voltage applied to the counter electrode 3 is set so that the charged particles 46 of the recording medium 5 do not move due to the electric field generated thereby.

  The negative ions moved to the recording surface of the recording medium 5 attract the charged particles 46 in the microcapsules 45 of the recording medium 5 and move to the recording surface side in the microcapsules 45 as shown in FIG. 9B. To do. As a result, an image is formed on the recording surface (front surface) of the recording medium 5. Here, the above-mentioned limited airspace 70 is stably maintained at a constant interval by the spacers 72, 72, and thus a clear image can be stably obtained.

  On the other hand, the spacers 72 and 72 are in contact with the surface of the recording medium 5, but, as in the first embodiment, the counter electrode 3, the heating electrode (the heating common electrode 23 and the heating individual electrode 24), Therefore, the electric field acting between the spacers 72, 72 and the counter electrode 3 due to the electric field between these electrodes is sufficiently weaker than the electric field between the electrodes. The electric lines of force (schematically indicated by the two-dot chain arrows in FIG. 9) directed to the spacers 72, 72 through the recording medium 5 are sufficiently weak. For this reason, it is difficult for the spacers 72 and 72 to accumulate electric charges via the recording medium 5, and the charged particles 46 cannot be attracted at the portion where the spacers 72 and 72 are in contact with each other, resulting in image disturbance or background contamination. Can be prevented.

  As described above, in the image forming apparatus 51 of the second embodiment as well, the limited airspace 70 is held between the head substrate 62 and the recording medium 5 at regular intervals by the spacers 72 and 72 as in the first embodiment. In addition, since it is possible to suppress the accumulation of electric charges in the spacers 72 and 72 that are in contact with the recording medium 5, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of image disturbance and background contamination. Therefore, when an image is formed on the recording medium 5 made of microcapsule electrophoretic electronic paper, a desired image can be formed with high definition as in the first embodiment.

  In Examples 1 and 2 described above, electronic paper in which a fluid medium is included in a microcapsule is used as a recording medium, but as another configuration, heat that is solid at room temperature and melts by heating. It is also possible to apply electronic paper having a configuration including a melting medium. The electronic paper (recording medium) has the same configuration as that of the above example except that it is a heat-meltable medium. When such a recording medium is used, it is assumed that the image forming apparatus has a heating device for heating the recording medium disposed immediately before the counter electrode and the ion recording head. That is, the recording medium is heated by a heating device to dissolve the heat-meltable medium in the microcapsules and move the charged particles so as to be transported between the counter electrode and the ion recording head. As a result, a desired image is formed on the recording surface of the recording medium as in the first and second embodiments. After the image formation, the recording medium is cooled, so that the heat-meltable medium is solidified so that the charged particles cannot move, and the image is recorded and held.

  In Example 1 described above, the ion flow recording head includes the insulating protective layer that adheres to the discharge electrode. However, a configuration without the insulating protective layer may be employed.

  In the first and second embodiments described above, the spacer is made of an insulating resin material, but may be made of a conductive metal material as another structure. Even in such a configuration, since the electric field acting on the spacer is sufficiently weak as described above, the movement of charges in the metal spacer can be suppressed. Therefore, the movement of the charged particles can be suppressed at the portion of the recording medium that is in contact with the spacer. In the case where the spacer is made of a conductive metal material, the insulating protective layer described above or a configuration for insulating the spacer and the discharge electrode is required in the first embodiment.

  In the first and second embodiments described above, the spacer is surface bonded to the insulating protective layer or insulating layer of the head substrate. However, as another configuration, each spacer is directly or indirectly arranged on the heat sink. You may make it install. For example, each spacer may be attached to the heat sink via a predetermined connecting member. As described above, the ion flow recording head according to the present invention is provided with various joining means including the adhesion in order to attach each spacer.

  Further, in the above-described first embodiment, the distance between the both ends of the discharge electrode and each spacer is set to 5 μm to 250 μm. In the second embodiment, the common electrode for heat generation and the heat generation are used. The separation distance between the individual electrode for use and each spacer is set to 5 μm to 250 μm, but each separation distance can be set to 5 μm to 3 mm. In addition, by setting this separation distance in the range of 5 μm to 1 mm, the above-described effects of the present invention can be more appropriately achieved.

  In the first and second embodiments, a voltage is applied to the counter electrode 3, but conversely, a voltage can be applied to the discharge electrode. Even in this configuration, the same operational effects as described above can be obtained.

  In Examples 1 and 2, the end face type ion flow recording head is configured such that the protruding end of the heat sink is opposed to the counter electrode. However, as another configuration, a head substrate is arranged on one side of the heat sink. It can also be applied to other types, such as a flat type provided so as to face the counter electrode. For example, in the flat type, a configuration in which spacers are erected on both sides of the head substrate can be employed. Moreover, as a spacer, it is also possible to apply as a block shape besides the flat plate shape as mentioned above.

  In this invention, it is not limited to the Example mentioned above, About another structure, it can change suitably within the range of the meaning of this invention. Even when a recording medium made of the above-described twisted ball type electronic paper is used, the same effects can be obtained.

1 is a schematic side view of an image forming apparatus 1 according to Embodiment 1. FIG. 2A is a schematic side view and FIG. 2B is a schematic external perspective view of an ion flow recording head 11 constituting the image forming apparatus 1 of Embodiment 1. FIG. 2 is a plan view of a head substrate 12 that constitutes an ion flow recording head 11. FIG. (A) is the sectional view on the AA line of FIG. 3, (B) is the sectional view on the BB line of FIG. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing an image forming mode of the recording medium 5 by the ion flow recording head 11. 6 is a schematic side view of an image forming apparatus 51 according to Embodiment 2. FIG. 2 is a plan view of a head substrate 62 that constitutes an ion flow recording head 61 of the image forming apparatus 51. FIG. (A) is CC sectional view taken on the line of FIG. 7, (B) is DD sectional view taken on the line of FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the image formation aspect of the recording medium 5 by the ion flow recording head 61. FIG.

Explanation of symbols

1, 51 Image forming apparatus 3 Counter electrode 11, 61 Ion flow recording head 21, 66 Insulating layer 23, 63 Heat generating common electrode (heat generating electrode)
24,64 Heating individual electrodes (heating electrodes)
25, 65 Heating element 30 Discharge electrodes 30c, 66a Heated part 38 Ion radiation gap 70 Limited airspace

Claims (8)

A discharge electrode disposed on the front surface side of the insulating layer, a heat generating element disposed on the back surface side of the insulating layer, and heat generation disposed on the back surface side of the insulating layer for heating the heat generating element Electrode for
Between the discharge electrode and the counter electrode disposed so as to face the discharge electrode, no electric discharge is generated only by application, and a potential difference is generated by generating the electric discharge by heating the discharge electrode, In a heating discharge type ion flow recording head that controls the generation of ions generated by this discharge by selectively heating each heated portion of the discharge electrode by a heating element,
A recording medium that is insulated from the discharge electrode and the heating electrode and protrudes outward from the discharge electrode so as not to be interposed between the discharge electrode and the heating electrode and the counter electrode, and is disposed between the counter electrode An ion flow recording head comprising a spacer that abuts on the surface of the recording medium to form an ion radiation gap with the recording medium.   2. The ion flow recording head according to claim 1, wherein the spacer is disposed on each side of the discharge electrode along the discharge electrode.   The spacer is disposed at a distance of 5 μm or more and 3 mm or less outward from either one of the discharge electrode or the heating electrode located at the outermost side on one side. The ion flow recording head according to claim 1, wherein the ion flow recording head is characterized in that: Provided on the back surface side of the insulating layer with a plurality of heating elements for selectively heating each heated portion of the insulating layer and heating electrodes for heating each heating element,
In the air flow heating type ion flow recording head for controlling the generation of ions in the limited air space by heating the limited air space on the surface of the heated region by selective heating of each heated region by each heating element,
It protrudes outward from the insulating layer so as not to be interposed between the heating electrode and the counter electrode facing each heated portion of the insulating layer, and is arranged between the counter electrode and the counter electrode. An ion flow recording head, comprising: a spacer that is in contact with the surface of the recording medium formed to form a limited air space with the recording medium.   5. The ion flow recording head according to claim 4, wherein the spacer is disposed on each side of the spacer along a direction in which the plurality of heating elements are arranged.   6. The ion flow recording head according to claim 4, wherein the spacer is disposed with a separation distance of 5 μm or more and 3 mm or less outward from the side end of the heating electrode.   The ion flow recording head according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the spacer is made of an insulating resin material.   The ion flow recording head according to claim 1, wherein the spacer is made of a conductive metal material.

Images