JP2012091078A - Spray device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a spray device capable of easily carrying out color change.SOLUTION: The spray device comprises a piezoelectric element 2 and a metallic horn 1. In the device, an ink ribbon 4 is movably arranged in the tip of the metallic horn as an ink supply means. The ink ribbon is constituted so as to individually hold each of inks with a plurality of colors. Then, the piezoelectric element generates ultrasonic vibration, and the ink of the ink ribbon is flied and recorded on a recording paper 5, as an object to be deposited with the ink, by the ultrasonic wave generated from the tip of the metallic horn.

Description

  The present invention uses an ultrasonic vibrator composed of a metal horn and a piezoelectric element, and atomizes and injects ink impregnated in an ink ribbon provided in the vicinity of the metal horn by ultrasonic waves generated from the tip of the metal horn. For example, the present invention relates to a spray device capable of coating an object to be coated such as recording paper.

  Conventionally, an air gun has been used as a spray device used for airbrush drawing. With this air gun, drawing is performed as an air brush by flying paint from the tip of the air gun (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  A spray device using an ultrasonic atomization technique is also known. In this spray device, the coating material is applied by spraying the coating material from the spray nozzle by an ultrasonic atomizing mechanism (see, for example, Patent Document 2).

  A spray device using an ultrasonic atomizer is also known. Such a spray device has an ultrasonic atomizer having a horn to which an ultrasonic vibrator is fixed, and sucks and atomizes the liquid in the container with a sponge or the like to fly from the tip of the horn (for example, (See Patent Document 3 etc.).

JP-A-8-001071 JP-A-8-215616 JP-A-5-212330

  However, the above-described conventionally known spray devices have the following problems.

  For example, in the spray devices shown in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2, an air gun, an injection nozzle, and the like are used, and the air gun and the injection nozzle require a compressor for flying paint, ink, and the like. This causes problems such as an increase in the size of the device and noise.

  In addition, in the apparatuses according to Patent Documents 1 and 2, when changing the color, a problem of color mixing occurs unless ink in the cup and nozzle is removed and washed. Furthermore, although a plurality of air guns may be prepared for color change, it is necessary to prepare a plurality of air guns, which causes an increase in cost.

  Even in the spray device using an ultrasonic atomizer as in Patent Document 3, there is a problem that only a single color operation can be performed as in the conventional example described above, and water absorption due to contamination of the water absorption sheet due to a sponge or the like. It has a defect such as a defect. Furthermore, the use of such a water-absorbing sheet makes it difficult to change the color, and at the same time, there is a possibility that a problem of ink drying and fixing may occur on the water-absorbing sheet.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object thereof is to obtain a spray device capable of causing ink or the like to fly in a required state and easily changing the color with a simple structure. And

  To meet such an object, the spray device according to the present invention (the invention according to claim 1) is a spray device composed of a piezoelectric element and a metal horn, and the ink supply means can be moved to the tip of the metal horn. It is arranged in such a manner that the ink held by the ink supply means is caused to fly by ultrasonic waves generated from the tip of the metal horn.

  The spray device according to the present invention (invention according to claim 2) is characterized in that, in claim 1, the ink supply means is constituted by an ink ribbon.

  The spray device according to the present invention (the invention described in claim 3) is characterized in that, in claim 2, the ink ribbon as the ink supply means is configured to individually hold a plurality of colors of ink. .

  As described above, according to the spray device according to the present invention, since the ink is ejected from the ink supply means by the ultrasonic vibration using the piezoelectric element and the metal horn, the structure is simple. Nevertheless, by changing the color of the ink in the ink supply means, it is possible to provide a spray-type device that can easily and reliably change the color.

  According to such an apparatus of the present invention, even if the ink in the ink ribbon as the ink supply means is fixed, a new ink layer can be used, and the operation is not interrupted.

  Further, it is not necessary to clean the cups, nozzles, etc. for color change, which was necessary for color change with a conventional spray gun. Furthermore, since the compressor required for the spray gun method is not required, the apparatus can be downsized and the noise of the apparatus can be reduced.

  Further, it has various excellent effects that color change can be easily performed, which is impossible with the conventional ultrasonic spray using a water-absorbing sheet such as sponge.

It is a schematic sectional drawing which shows one Embodiment of the spray apparatus which concerns on this invention, and shows the whole schematic structure typically. It is the schematic for demonstrating the structure of an ink ribbon in the spray apparatus of FIG. It is the schematic for demonstrating another structure of the color change in the ink ribbon used in the spray apparatus of FIG. It is the schematic for demonstrating the detailed structure of the ink ribbon impregnated with the ink used in the spray apparatus of FIG.

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of a spray device according to the present invention.
In this figure, in the present embodiment, the spray device uses ultrasonic vibration, and the ink of the required color is ejected from the ink ribbon 4 impregnated with the paint as the ink supply means by the ultrasonic vibration. This recording pattern can be created on, for example, the recording paper 5 as an ink adhesion target.

  More specifically, this spray device includes an ultrasonic vibrator. This ultrasonic transducer is composed of a piezoelectric body 2 and a metal horn 1.

  A power supply device 3 such as a high frequency power source is connected to the piezoelectric body 2 to supply a necessary high frequency voltage to the piezoelectric body 2. A switch (not shown) is connected to the power supply device 3 and is configured such that a high-frequency voltage is turned on and off in the piezoelectric body 2 according to an instruction from an operator.

  Here, the piezoelectric body 2 is a bolted Langevin type or the like. The metal horn 1 is made of aluminum or the like.

  An ink ribbon 4 serving as a movable ink supply means is disposed at the tip of the metal horn 1 so as to be in contact therewith. The ink ribbon 4 is configured such that winding devices are arranged at both ends, and the ink ribbon 4 moves according to the contents of recording. Here, the ink ribbon 4 has substantially the same configuration as an ink ribbon used in an impact printer, and a cloth or the like is used as a base material, and the base material is impregnated with ink.

  When spraying is started by an operator's instruction, a high-frequency voltage is applied to the piezoelectric body 2 from the power supply device 3 by a switch (not shown), and ultrasonic waves are generated from the metal horn 1 connected to the piezoelectric body 2. The ultrasonic wave generated by the piezoelectric body 2 propagates through the metal horn 1 and generates a radiation pressure at the tip of the metal horn 1.

  Since the ink ribbon 4 impregnated with ink as a paint is disposed near the tip of the metal horn 1, the ink in the ink ribbon 4 is atomized by the vibration of the ultrasonic wave and atomized by the radiation pressure. The discharged ink is discharged from the ink ribbon 4, and the ink can fly and spray operation can be performed.

  In this embodiment, the recording paper 5 which is an example of the member to be coated is shown to have ink flying and recording is performed. However, such an ink adhesion target is not limited to the recording paper 5 described above. You may change according to a use.

FIG. 2 shows the configuration of the ink ribbon 4 as the ink supply means, which will be described in detail below.
That is, the ink ribbon 4 has a configuration in which a winding device is mounted at both ends. The base material of the ink ribbon is made of cloth or the like and has a structure in which ink is impregnated.

  The ink ribbon 4 is configured to hold inks of three colors of M (magenta), C (cyan), and Y (yellow). In this embodiment, there are three colors, M, C, and Y, but the number of colors is not limited. For example, there is a case where BK (black) is used in addition to M, C, Y, and the like may be appropriately set as necessary.

  The base material of the ink ribbon 4 is made of cloth or the like, and the cloth or the like is impregnated with ink. The winding devices at both ends have a sealed structure so that the ink does not dry.

  When the power supply device 3 such as a high frequency power supply is turned on by an operator's instruction and a radiation pressure is generated at the tip of the metal horn 1, the ink on the ink ribbon 4 is atomized by the vibration of the ultrasonic wave. It flies in the direction of the recording paper 5 that is the object of ink adhesion.

  When it is desired to obtain different colors, as shown in FIG. 2, the ink ribbon 4 is continuously arranged with portions impregnated with different color inks within a predetermined length range, so that the necessary color portions are made of metal. The ink ribbon 4 is moved so as to contact the tip of the horn 1. By this operation, different colors can be spray-coated with a simple configuration.

  Even when the same color is continuously used, if the ink of the color being used is insufficient, the ink ribbon 4 is moved so that the same color of ink is newly arranged on the metal horn 1. .

  By disposing the ink ribbon 4 that can be moved by the winding device at the tip of the metal horn 1 in this way, it is possible to obtain a spray device that allows easy color change operation.

  That is, in the case of the spray gun system which is a conventional spray device, it is necessary to discharge the ink inside the cup and clean the ink inside the cup and the nozzle when changing colors, and the workability is very bad. In the spray device according to the present invention, it is possible to obtain a spray device that can be changed in color with a simple configuration.

  Furthermore, in the present invention, since ultrasonic waves are used as means for atomizing (atomizing) ink, nozzles are not used, so there is no concern about nozzle clogging. In the present invention, since the compressor is not used, the apparatus can be reduced in size.

  In addition, according to the present invention, since the ink ribbon 4 is movable, even if a part of the ink ribbon 4 is fixed due to some trouble and the ink flying is impossible, the ink ribbon 4 is moved and new ink is moved. Since the ribbon can be supplied to the tip of the metal horn 1, there is no possibility of causing problems such as the problem of dry adhesion of ink that has occurred by using the water-absorbing sheet as in Patent Document 3 described above.

  Here, the piezoelectric body 2 used in the present invention is driven at 85 Khz, generates ultrasonic vibration, and is connected to the metal horn 1. In this case, the spray particle size is around 30 μm. Further, the required particle size can be adjusted by changing the resonance frequency of the piezoelectric body 2.

  The ink ribbon 4 as the ink supply means has a predetermined length of a portion impregnated with Y (yellow) ink, a portion impregnated with M (magenta) ink, and a portion impregnated with C (cyan) ink. It is provided and has a structure of being wound up as a ribbon. Accordingly, the color is changed by controlling the winding amount of the ribbon 4 in accordance with the change of the color.

  During the spraying operation, the ribbon 4 is wound little by little, and the ribbon is gradually moved so as not to reduce the ink discharge amount. Here, when the same color spraying operation continues even when the color boundary of the ribbon 4 comes, the ribbon is skipped (or rewound) to the next impregnated portion of the same color ink to spray the same color. The ribbon winding is controlled so that the work can be performed.

  Of course, the skipped (unused color) ink portion may be configured to be rewound later and used again when needed.

  When a color change is instructed during the operation of a predetermined color, the ribbon 4 may be wound / rewinded up to the next impregnated portion of the specified color, and the color change may be changed. The impregnated portion of the color that has been used halfway has already been used even in an incomplete usage and is not reused. This is because it is troublesome to search for the exact position of the used part and perform rewinding control.

  Therefore, the end of the ribbon 4 is marked so that the winding position for each color of the ribbon 4 can be accurately understood, and the side of the ribbon of each color is read by the sensor, It is controlled so that it can be understood accurately.

  For example, identification marks are provided at the start position and end position of Y color, the start position and end position of M color, and the start position and end position of C color. Further, the first portion, the second portion,... Of each color appearing on the ribbon 4 are controlled so as to count and identify the marks. For such control of the ribbon 4 such as color change, for example, a method conventionally used as ribbon control in a color thermal printer may be employed.

  According to the spray device having the above-described configuration, the ink can be ejected from the ink ribbon 4 which is the ink supply means by ultrasonic vibration using the piezoelectric element 2 and the metal horn 1. By simply changing colors, you can easily and reliably change colors.

  Further, with such a configuration, even if the ink in the ink ribbon 4 is fixed, a new ink layer can be used, so that there is an advantage that the spraying operation by ink flying is not interrupted.

FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining another method of switching the ink color of the ink ribbon.
In the figure, for example, when changing the color of three colors, the ink ribbon 4 is configured in such a manner that ribbons of three different colors are arranged side by side, and the position of the metal horn 1 slides to a position according to the designation of the color. By being configured in this way, the color can be freely changed.

  Of course, on the contrary, the color can be changed even in a configuration in which the position of the ink ribbon 4 is shifted relative to the metal horn 1 in the ribbon width direction.

  FIG. 4 is a view for explaining an ink impregnation type ink ribbon. In FIG. 4, the ink impregnation type ink ribbon 4 isolates a fibrous impregnation layer 4b impregnated with ink and its periphery. And a protective layer 4a.

  The ink ribbon 4 is covered with a protective layer 4b so that the ink liquid does not ooze onto the ribbon surface in a state where the ribbon is wound around a winding roll (not shown). Further, in order to isolate the impregnated layers 4a having different colors, the protective layers 4a made of the same material are separated from the adjacent impregnated layers 4b of different colors. Therefore, in the normal state of the ribbon 4, the ink is protected so that it does not mix or ooze out to the surface and adhere or become cloudy.

  Here, the thickness of the protective layer 4b on the surface is a very thin film of several microns to several tens of microns, and the liquid can be freely transmitted. However, for reasons described later, in the natural state, the liquid does not move in the protective layer.

  According to such an ink impregnated type ink ribbon 4, when an ultrasonic wave is generated from the tip of the metal horn 1 during the spraying operation, the ultrasonic wave passes through the protective layer 4a of the ink ribbon 4 and is contained in the impregnated layer 4b. In this case, the ink permeates the protective layer 4b, separates from the surface layer, and moves in the direction of the paint surface of the object to which ink is applied such as recording paper.

  Here, the protective layer 4b is formed of a fine fiber material, and since the water-repellent material is contained in the fibers constituting the protective layer 4b, the water-based ink is maintained in an isolated state.

  When the ink used is oily, an oil repellent material is contained in the fibers constituting the protective layer 4b, and in this case also, the ink can be isolated. However, when spraying, the ultrasonic wave generated from the tip of the metal horn 1 gives the force that the ultrasonic wave passes through the impregnation layer 4a through the protective layer 4b and flies to the ink liquid. Can be generated.

Needless to say, the present invention is not limited to the structure described in the above-described embodiment, and the shape, structure, and the like of each part constituting the spray device can be appropriately modified and changed.
For example, the case where the ink ribbon 4 is formed so that three colors, that is, yellow, magenta, and cyan supply units 4Y, 4M, and 4C are continuously arranged has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and appropriate colors are retained. Ink supply means may be used.

1 Metal Horn 2 Piezoelectric (Piezoelectric Element)
3 Power supply (high frequency power supply)
4 Ink ribbon (ink supply means)
4Y, 4M, 4C Yellow, magenta, cyan supply part 4a Protective layer 4b Ink impregnated layer 5 Recording paper (object to which ink is attached)

Claims (3)

In a spray device composed of a piezoelectric element and a metal horn,
An ink supply means is disposed in a movable state at the tip of the metal horn,
A spray apparatus characterized in that the ink held by the ink supply means is caused to fly by ultrasonic waves generated from the tip of the metal horn. The spray device according to claim 1.
The spray device, wherein the ink supply means is constituted by an ink ribbon. The spray device according to claim 2.
An ink ribbon as the ink supply means is configured to individually hold a plurality of colors of ink.

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