JP2017087445A - Image formation device and image formation method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image formation device in which photo-curing ink droplets are uniformly cured so as to form a thick image of high picture quality.SOLUTION: An image formation device includes discharge means 33a which discharges a photo-curing ink droplet onto a recording medium 102, detecting means 29 which detects presence of hitting of an ink droplet against the recording medium, control means 20a which issues an instruction signal which instructs radiation of curing light when the detection means detects hitting of an ink droplet, and light radiation means 33bu which radiates the curing light to the ink droplet upon receiving the instruction signal.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus and an image forming method.

Various proposals have been made regarding image formation using a UV (Ultra Violet) ink jet printer (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
The invention described in Patent Document 1 includes a first ink head including at least one ink head unit, and a second ink head including at least one ink head unit. The light irradiation means is positioned between the first ink head and the second ink head, and the first ink head and the second ink head are arranged in the ink jet printer.

  However, in the invention described in Patent Document 1, the flight time from the recording head to the light irradiation means is long, and the ink and ink mix before being cured. For this reason, the image quality of beading is poor.

As shown in FIG. 16, it takes a time of several hundreds msec from the time when the ink droplet 100 made of UV ink has landed on the recording medium 102 until the ink is irradiated with UV. As time passes after the ink droplet 100 has landed on the recording medium 102, the dot height decreases and the dot diameter increases. The greater the wetting and spreading of the ink droplet 100, the higher the gloss, and the lower the wetting and spreading, the lower the gloss.Therefore, a slight deviation in the timing between the ejection of the ink droplet 102 and UV irradiation causes uneven gloss, resulting in image quality. Sometimes got worse.
FIG. 16 is an explanatory diagram of ink wetting and spreading.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to obtain a high-quality image.

  In order to solve the above problems, the invention described in claim 1 includes an ejection unit that ejects a photocurable ink droplet onto a recording medium, and a detection unit that detects whether the ink droplet has landed on the recording medium. A control unit that issues an instruction signal for instructing irradiation of curing light when the detection unit detects the landing of the ink droplet, and a light irradiation unit for irradiating the ink droplet with curing light when the instruction signal is received. It is characterized by that.

  According to the present invention, a high-quality image can be obtained.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating an example of an image forming system 1. FIG. (A) is an example of a hardware block diagram of the image forming system 1 shown in FIG. 1, (b) is an explanatory view of the first drive unit shown in (a), and (c) is It is explanatory drawing of the 2nd drive part shown to (a). FIG. 3 is an example of a functional block diagram of the image forming apparatus 20-1 shown in FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a first embodiment of an apparatus configuration using a sensor that detects landing of an ink droplet 100. FIG. (A) is another example of a hardware block diagram of the image forming apparatus 20-2 used in the image forming system 1 shown in FIG. 1, and (b) is a first drive unit shown in (a). (C) is explanatory drawing of the 3rd drive part shown to (a). FIG. 6 is an example of a functional block diagram of the image forming apparatus 20-2 shown in FIG. (A) is another example of the hardware block diagram of the image forming system 1 shown in FIG. 1, (b) is an explanatory diagram of the first drive unit shown in (a), and (c). These are the external appearance perspective views of the stage 40-2 shown to (a). It is an example of a functional block diagram of the image forming apparatus 20-3 shown in FIG. (A) is a figure which shows Example 2 of the apparatus structure using an impact detection sensor, (b) is an example of the top view of the stage 40-2 shown to (a). (A) is an example of a hardware block diagram of the image forming apparatus 20-4, (b) is an explanatory diagram of the first drive unit shown in (a), and (c) is (a). It is explanatory drawing of the 4th drive part shown in FIG. It is an example of a functional block diagram of the image forming apparatus 20-4 shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows Example 3 of the apparatus structure using the sensor for landing detection. (A) is an example of a hardware block diagram of the image forming apparatus 20-5, (b) is an explanatory diagram of the first drive unit shown in (a), and (c) is (a). It is explanatory drawing of the 4th drive part shown in FIG. It is an example of a functional block diagram of the image forming apparatus 20-5 shown in FIG. It is a modification of Example 3 shown in FIG. It is explanatory drawing of the wetting spread of ink.

<Overview>
The image forming apparatus includes a sensor as a detecting unit that detects the landing of the photocurable ink droplet on the recording medium. When the sensor detects the landing of the ink droplet on the recording medium, the control unit detects the landing of the ink droplet. Is turned on to irradiate the ink droplets with curing light. As a result, the ink droplets are instantly cured and the wetting and spreading are suppressed, and a high-quality and thick image can be obtained. Examples of the recording medium include a conductive film.

  Here, the image forming apparatus forms an image forming object 100a (see FIG. 7) as a base of a thick image in which the ink droplets 100 are three-dimensionally cured on a recording medium. The thickness of 100a is not on the order of several centimeters as in a 3D image, but on the order of several tens of μm.

<Overall configuration>
FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating an example of an image forming system 1.
Hereinafter, common symbols are used for similar members.
The image forming system 1 includes an image processing apparatus (also referred to as a host computer) 10 and an image forming apparatus 20. The image processing apparatus 10 and the image forming apparatus 20 (20-1 to 20-5) are communicably connected.
The image forming apparatus 20 includes a sensor 29, a carriage 33 as a recording unit, a stage 40-1 (or stage 40-2), a UV lamp 33bu (or LED33be, LD33bl), and a drive unit 250. Inkjet recording apparatus. As a material of the stage 40-1 (40-2), a transparent member (for example, acrylic or quartz glass) that transmits ultraviolet rays or infrared rays is used.

  The carriage 33 as a recording unit is an ink jet type carriage having a plurality of heads (recording heads) 33a provided with a plurality of nozzles, and ejects ink droplets 100 as droplets from the nozzles of the recording head 33a. To form dots on the recording medium 102.

Here, examples of the ink droplet 100 include a general radical polymerization type UV ink, but are not limited thereto.
The nozzles are provided on the surface of the carriage 33 serving as a recording unit that faces the stage 40-1 (40-2).

  The stage 40-1 (40-2) is a member that has the sensor 29 over the entire upper surface and holds the recording medium 102 horizontally. The drive unit 250 includes a carriage 33, a stage 40-1 (40-2), and a UV lamp 33bu as a light irradiation means, in a vertical direction (in the direction of arrow Z in FIG. 1) and a main scanning direction perpendicular to the vertical direction Z. It is a mechanism that moves relative to X and the sub-scanning direction Y perpendicular to the vertical direction Z and the main scanning direction X. LED33be or LD33bl may be used instead of the UV lamp 33bu.

  In the present embodiment, the plane composed of the main scanning direction (X direction and -X direction) and the sub-scanning direction (Y direction and -Y direction) is the surface facing the carriage 33 in the stage 40-1 (40-2). It corresponds to the XY plane along.

  The drive unit 250 includes any one of the second drive unit 232, the third drive unit 240, and the fourth drive unit 234 in addition to the first drive unit 230.

  The carriage 33 and the UV lamp 33bu and the stage 40-1 (40-2) may be configured to move relatively in the vertical direction Z, the main scanning direction X, and the sub-scanning direction Y.

That is, when the light irradiation means 57 (see FIG. 3) is the UV lamp 33bu, the image forming apparatus 20 has the first driving unit as the driving unit 250 in a state where the horizontal movement of the stage 40-1 is stopped. 230 and the second drive unit 232, or the third drive unit 240 may be provided to move the stage 40-1 in the horizontal direction.
When the light irradiation unit 57 is the LED 33be, the image forming apparatus 20 only needs to have the first driving unit 230 as the driving unit 250 in a state where the horizontal movement of the stage 40-2 is stopped.
When the light irradiation unit 57 is the LD33bl, the image forming apparatus 20 includes the first driving unit 230 and the fourth driving unit 234 as the driving unit 250 in a state where the horizontal movement of the stage 40-1 is stopped. Alternatively, only the third drive unit 240 is required to move the stage 40-1.

<Hardware configuration 1>
FIG. 2A is an example of a hardware block diagram of the image forming system 1 shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 2B is an explanatory diagram of the first drive unit shown in FIG. FIG. 2C is an explanatory diagram of the second driving unit shown in FIG.
Although FIG. 2A shows a case where both the first drive unit 230 and the second drive unit 232 are provided, the present invention is not limited thereto. 2B and 2C, the guide rod is omitted.

  An image forming system 1 shown in FIG. 2A includes an image processing apparatus 10 and an image forming apparatus 20-1. The image processing apparatus 10 includes a printer driver 11 for operating the image forming apparatus 20. The image forming apparatus 20-1 includes a control unit 20a, a head unit 20b, a UV lamp traveling unit 20d, a stage 40-1, a light emitting unit 20g, and a head traveling unit 20c.

  The control unit 20a includes a host I / F 21, a CPU 22, a ROM 23-1, a RAM 24, an NVRAM 25, an operation panel 26, an ASIC 27, an I / O 28, and a sensor 29.

Here, CPU is an abbreviation for Central Processing Unit, and I / F is an abbreviation for Inter Face. ROM is an abbreviation for Read Only Memory, and RAM is an abbreviation for Random Access Memory. ASIC is an abbreviation for Application Specific Integrated Circuit. NVRAM is Non-Volatile Random Access Memory.
The head unit 20b includes a drive waveform generation unit 30, a head driver 31, and a carriage 33. The carriage 33 has a recording head 33a.

  The head travel unit 20c includes an X direction motor control unit 34c, an X direction motor 35c, a Y direction motor control unit 36c, a Y direction motor 37c, a Z direction motor control unit 38c, a Z direction motor 39c, and ball screws 35w, 37w, and 39v. Have.

In this configuration, since the stage 40-1 has stopped moving in the horizontal direction, there is no stage traveling unit, and the UV lamp 33bu as the light irradiating means is traveled.
The UV lamp traveling unit 20d includes an X direction motor control unit 340d, an X direction motor 350d, a Y direction motor control unit 360d, a Y direction motor 370d, a Z direction motor control unit 380d, a Z direction motor 390d, and ball screws 350w, 370w, and 390w. Have

  The first drive unit 230 (see FIG. 1) as the first moving means includes, for example, an X direction motor 35c, a Y direction motor 37c, a Z direction motor 39c, a ball screw 35w, 37w, and 39v as shown in FIG. Have The first drive unit 230 has a function of moving the carriage 33 up and down in the vertical direction Z and moving the carriage 33 in parallel in the main scanning direction X and the sub-scanning direction Y.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 2C, the second drive unit 240 as the second moving means includes an X-direction motor 350d, a Y-direction motor 370d, a Z-direction motor 390d, and ball screws 350w, 370w, and 390w. The second drive unit 240 has a function of moving the stage 40-1 up and down in the vertical direction Z and moving it parallel in the main scanning direction X and the sub-scanning direction Y. The second drive unit 240 is moved in parallel or moved up and down so as to follow the nozzles of the carriage 33 via the recording medium (for example, conductive film) 102.

  The total movement distance of the carriage 33 and the UV lamp 33bu in the Z direction is the thickness of the recording medium 102, the landing of the ink droplet 100 on the cured ink droplet 100, the thickness due to repeated curing, and the recording medium. Any height of 102 can be set. For example, the total moving distance is about the sum of the thickness (several mm) of the recording medium 102, the thickness (several tens μm) of repeated landing and curing, and the settable height (several tens of centimeters), that is, several It should be about 10 cm.

The image processing apparatus 10 has a function of controlling the operation of the image forming apparatus 20-1 by the printer driver 11.
The host I / F 21 has a function of connecting the image processing apparatus 10 and the image forming apparatus 20-1.
The CPU 22 is an element having a function of performing overall control of the image forming apparatus 20-1, and includes, for example, a microprocessor.

The ROM 23-1 is an element having a function of storing a control program for the image forming apparatus 20-1, for example, a mask ROM.
The RAM 24 is an element having a function of temporarily storing a control program read from the ROM 23-1, and examples thereof include a flash memory.
The NVRAM 25 is also called a non-volatile ram, and is an element having a backup function in which stored data is not lost even when the power is turned off.

The operation panel 26 is a device having a power switch, a numeric keypad, a start key, and a display element. The operation panel 26 may be a touch panel.
The ASIC 27 is an application specific integrated circuit, and has a function for operating the image forming system.
The I / O 28 has a function of bridging a signal between the sensor 29 and the control unit 20a, and can make the timing from the detection of the ink droplet 100 to the irradiation of the curing light constant.

  The sensor 29 is an element having a function of detecting the presence or absence of the ink droplet 100 on the recording medium 102 placed on the stage 40-1. Examples of the sensor 29 include a capacitance sensor, but the present invention is not limited to this, and even if the surface of the ink droplet 100 can be detected, the surface acoustic wave method or the resistance film method may be used. Other methods may be used.

The drive waveform generation unit 30 has a function of generating a signal for driving the recording head 33a.
The head driver 31 is a circuit having a function of driving the recording head 33a by a signal from the drive waveform generation unit 30 to eject the ink droplet 100.
The recording head 33a is a device having a function of emitting a photocurable ink droplet 100 to the recording medium 102 placed on the stage 40-1 by a signal from the head driver 31.

  The light emitting unit 20g includes a light source driving unit 32b and a UV lamp 33bu. The light source driving unit 32b is a circuit for lighting the UV lamp 33bu, and has a function of driving the UV lamp 33bu to emit light when the sensor 29 detects the landing of the ink droplet 100.

<Functional block configuration 1>
FIG. 3 is an example of a functional block diagram of the image forming apparatus 20-1 shown in FIG.
The image forming apparatus 20-1 includes an input / output unit 50, an operation display unit 51, a storage unit 52, a head moving unit 53-1, a light irradiation unit moving unit 540-1, an ejection unit 55, a detection unit 56, and a light irradiation unit 57. -1 and control means 58.

  The input / output means 50 has a function of exchanging data with an external device, and is realized by the host I / F 21 shown in FIG. The operation display means 51 has an operation function and a display function for a user to perform an image forming operation, and is realized by the operation panel 26 shown in FIG. The storage means 52 has a function of storing a control program, image data, and character data, and storage and reading of the control program is realized by the ROM 23-1 and the RAM 24 shown in FIG. 2, and image data and character data are realized by the NVRAM 25. Is realized.

  The head moving means 53-1 has a function of translating the recording head 33a in the horizontal direction or the vertical direction, and is an X direction motor 35c, a Y direction motor 37c, and a Z direction, which are the first drive unit 230 shown in FIG. This is realized by the motor 39c and the ball screws 35w, 37w, 39v.

The light irradiation means moving means 540-1 has a function of moving the light irradiation means 57-1 and includes the second drive unit 2400, the X direction motor 350c, the Y direction motor 370c, the Z direction motor 390c shown in FIG. And realized by ball screws 350w, 370w, 390w.
The carriage 33 and the UV lamp 33bu move so that the trajectory of the ink droplets ejected from the recording head 33a and the optical axis of the UV lamp 33bu coincide.

  The ejection means 55 has a function of ejecting the photocurable ink droplet 100 onto the recording medium 102, and is realized by the drive waveform generation unit 30, the head driver 31, and the recording head 33a shown in FIG. The detecting means 56 has a function of issuing an instruction signal instructing irradiation of curing light when the landing of the ink droplet 100 on the recording medium 102 is detected, and is realized by the sensor 29 shown in FIG.

  The light irradiation unit 57-1 has a function of irradiating the ink droplet 100 landed on the recording medium 102 with curing light when receiving the instruction signal, and is realized by the light source driving unit 32b and the UV lamp 33bu shown in FIG. . The control unit 58 controls the image forming apparatus 20-1 as a whole, and has a function of issuing an instruction signal instructing irradiation of curing light when detecting the landing of the ink droplet 100 on the recording medium 102 from the detection unit 56, This is realized by the CPU 22, the ROM 23-1, and the RAM 24 shown in FIG.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the first embodiment of the apparatus configuration using the sensor that detects the landing of the ink droplet 100.

  A sensor 29 is disposed on the upper surface of the stage 40-1 so as to cover the stage 40-1, so that the landing of the ink droplet 100 can be detected. The sensor 29 detects that the capacitance changes due to the landing of the ink droplet 100.

  Here, although there is a possibility that the electrons of the ink droplet 100 are blown by the irradiation of the ultraviolet ray 101, since the ultraviolet ray 101 is irradiated after detecting the moment of landing, there is no problem even if the charge is eliminated.

  When the ink droplet 100 is ejected from the recording head 33a toward the recording medium 102 on the stage 40-1, the sensor 29 detects the landing of the ink droplet 100 and sends a detection signal to the CPU 22. The CPU 22 issues an instruction signal for instructing irradiation of the curing light to the UV lamp 33bu. The UV lamp 33bu is turned on to irradiate the ink droplet 100 with ultraviolet rays 101. The ink droplet 100 is cured by the irradiation of the ultraviolet rays 101, and an image forming object 100a is formed.

The recording head 33a and the UV lamp 33bu are horizontally moved so that the trajectory of the ink droplet 100 and the optical axis of the UV lamp 33bu coincide with each other, and if necessary, the image is formed on the recording medium 102 by moving in the vertical direction. A thick image is formed by the object 100a.
Even in such an embodiment, a high-quality image can be obtained.

<Hardware configuration 2>
FIG. 5 (a) is another example of a hardware block diagram of the image forming apparatus 20-2 used in the image forming system 1 shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 5 (b) is shown in FIG. 5 (a). FIG. 5C is an explanatory diagram of the third driving unit shown in FIG. 5A.

The image forming apparatus 20-2 shown in FIG. 5 differs from the image forming apparatus 20-1 shown in FIG. 2 in that the horizontal movement of the light irradiation means and the discharge means is stopped and the stage 40-1 is run. It is a point to make.
The image forming apparatus 20-2 includes a control unit 20a, a head unit 20b, a head traveling unit 20c, a stage 40-1, a light emitting unit 20h, and a stage traveling unit 20e.

Since the control unit 20a is the same as the block diagram shown in FIG. 2, the description thereof is omitted, but the control program of the image forming apparatus 20-2 is stored in the ROM 23-2.
The head unit 20b includes a drive waveform generation unit 30, a head driver 31, and a carriage 33.
The light emitting unit 20g includes a light source driving unit 32a and a UV lamp 33bu. The light source driving unit 32a and the UV lamp 33bu are fixed so that the optical axis of the UV lamp 33bu and the trajectory of the ink droplets ejected from the recording head 33a coincide with each other. For example, as shown in FIG. It is arranged directly below the stage 40-1 of the lifting mechanism.

The head traveling unit 20c includes a Z direction motor control unit 38c, a Z direction motor 39c, and a ball screw 39v. This is because the image forming object 100a formed on the recording medium 102 is raised when the film thickness is increased or when the recording medium 102 is replaced.
The stage traveling unit 20e includes an X direction motor control unit 34d, an X direction motor 35d, a Y direction motor control unit 36d, a Y direction motor 37d, a Z direction motor control unit 38d, and a Z direction motor 39d. The stage 40-1 is movable in the X direction, the Y direction, and the Z direction by the stage traveling unit 20e.

<Function block configuration 2>
FIG. 6 is an example of a functional block diagram of the image forming apparatus 20-2 shown in FIG.
The functional block diagram shown in FIG. 6 is different from the functional block diagram shown in FIG.

The image forming apparatus 20-2 includes an input / output unit 50, an operation display unit 51, a storage unit 52, a head moving unit 53-2, a discharge unit 55, a detection unit 56, a light irradiation unit 57-1, and a control unit 58. .
The head moving unit 53-2 is a unit having a function of moving the carriage 33 up and down, and is realized by the Z direction motor control unit 38d, the Z direction motor 39c, and the ball screw 39v shown in FIG.

The stage moving means 54 has a function of moving the stage 40-1 in the horizontal and vertical directions. The stage moving means 54 includes an X direction motor control unit 34d, an X direction motor 35d, a Y direction motor control unit 36d, a Y direction motor 37d, a Z direction motor control unit 38d, a Z direction motor 39d, and a ball screw 35w shown in FIG. , 37w, 39w.
Such an image forming apparatus 20-2 can obtain the same effects as the image forming apparatus 20-1.

<Hardware configuration 3>
FIG. 7A is another example of the hardware block diagram of the image forming system 1 shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 7B is an explanatory diagram of the first drive unit shown in FIG. FIG. 7C is an external perspective view of the stage 40-2 shown in FIG.

  The image forming apparatus 20-3 shown in FIG. 7 differs from the image forming apparatus 20-1 shown in FIG. 2 in the transparent stage 40-2 in which the horizontal movement is stopped instead of the UV lamp 33bu. This is a point using a large number of LEDs 33be arranged two-dimensionally.

The image forming apparatus 20-3 includes a control unit 20a, a head unit 20b, a head traveling unit 20c, a light emitting unit 20h, and a stage 40-2.
The stage 40-2 is not a movable type but a fixed type stage. In the stage 40-2, for example, m × n (m and n are natural numbers: many) LEDs 33be in m rows and n columns are built in a two-dimensional arrangement so that the light emitting surfaces face upward. . Each LED 33be is controlled by the control means 58 (FIG. 8) so as to emit light corresponding to the position and the number of ink droplets 100 landed by the light source driving unit 320b. The control program in this case is stored in the ROM 23-3.
By using the LED33be, it is not necessary to move the stage 40-2, and the configuration is simplified correspondingly.

<Function block configuration 3>
FIG. 8 is an example of a functional block diagram of the image forming apparatus 20-3 shown in FIG.
The difference between the functional block diagram shown in FIG. 8 and the functional block diagram shown in FIG. 3 is that the stage moving means 54 is not provided and the light irradiating means 57-2 is provided.

The image forming apparatus 20-3 includes an input / output unit 50, an operation display unit 51, a storage unit 52, a head moving unit 53-1, an ejection unit 55, a detection unit 56, a light irradiation unit 57-2, and a control unit 58. .
The light irradiation means 57-2 has a function of irradiating curing light from one of the LED 33be arranged two-dimensionally on the ink droplet 100 landed on the recording medium 102 on the stage 40-2. The light source shown in FIG. This is realized by the driving unit 320b and m × n LEDs 33be.
In such an image forming apparatus 20-3, the same effect as that of the image forming apparatus 20-1 can be obtained.

FIG. 9A is a diagram illustrating a second embodiment of the apparatus configuration using the landing detection sensor, and FIG. 9B is an example of a plan view of the stage 40-2 illustrated in FIG. 9A. is there.
The difference between the second embodiment and the first embodiment is that an LED 33bl is used as a number of light emitting elements instead of the UV lamp 33bu.
A sensor 29 is arranged on the upper surface of the stage 40-2 so as to cover the entire surface. The stage 40-2 includes a rectangular plate-shaped transparent member 40a and a large number of LEDs 33be that are two-dimensionally incorporated in the transparent member 40a. The light source driving unit 320b has a function of driving only the LED 33be close to the landing position of the ink droplet 100 detected by the sensor 29 to emit light.

When the ink droplet 100 is ejected from the recording head 33a toward the stage 40-2, the ink droplet 100 is cured by being irradiated with the ultraviolet ray 101 from the LED 33be positioned almost directly below the ink droplet 100. An image formed product 100a is formed. By moving the recording head 33a or the stage 40-2 horizontally, a thick image composed of the image forming object 100a is formed on the recording medium 102.
Even in such an embodiment, a high-quality thick image can be obtained on the recording medium 102.

<Hardware configuration 4>
FIG. 10A is an example of a hardware block diagram of the image forming apparatus 20-4, and FIG. 10B is an explanatory diagram of the first driving unit shown in FIG. (C) is explanatory drawing of the 4th drive part shown to Fig.10 (a).

  The image forming apparatus 20-4 shown in FIG. 10 differs from the image forming apparatus 20-1 shown in FIG. 2 in that the optical axis is recorded on the extended surface of the recording medium in which the light irradiation means is arranged horizontally. It is installed along the medium so as to intersect with the ink droplet, and the ejection unit and the light irradiation unit are moved in parallel.

The image forming apparatus 20-4 includes a control unit 20a, a head unit 20b, a head traveling unit 20c, a stage 40-1, a light emitting unit 20i, and an LD traveling unit 20j.
The head travel unit 20c includes an X direction motor control unit 34c, an X direction motor 35c, a Y direction motor control unit 36c, a Y direction motor 37c, a Z direction motor control unit 38c, a Z direction motor 39c, and ball screws 35w, 37w, and 39v. Have.
The LD traveling unit 20j includes a Y direction motor control unit 361d, a Y direction motor 371d, and a ball screw 371w, and moves in the Y direction.
The light emitting unit 20i includes an LD 33bl and a light source driving unit 322c, and emits ultraviolet laser light as curing light from the LD 33bl in the X direction.
The LD traveling unit 20j includes a Y direction motor control unit 361d, a Y direction motor 371d, and a ball screw 371w.
The LD 33bl is a laser beam in the X direction so as to intersect with the ink droplet 100 ejected from the recording head 33a of the carriage 33 and landing on the recording medium 102 while moving in the Y direction along the stage 40-1 by the LD traveling unit 20j. Irradiate.
A program for controlling the operation of the image forming apparatus 20-4 is stored in the ROM 23-4.

<Function block configuration 4>
FIG. 11 is an example of a functional block diagram of the image forming apparatus 20-4 shown in FIG.
The difference between the functional block diagram shown in FIG. 11 and the functional block diagram shown in FIG. 3 is the configuration of the light irradiation means 540-4 and the light irradiation means 57-3.

  The image forming apparatus 20-4 includes an input / output unit 50, an operation display unit 51, a storage unit 52, a head moving unit 53-1, a light irradiation unit moving unit 540-4, a discharge unit 55, a detection unit 56, and a light irradiation unit 57. -3 and control means 58.

  The light irradiation means moving means 540-4 is realized by the Y direction motor control unit 361d, the Y direction motor 371d, and the ball screw 371w shown in FIG.

  The head moving means 53-1 has a function of moving the recording head 33a, and is an X direction motor 35c, a Y direction motor 37c, a Z direction motor 39c, and a ball screw 35w, which are the first drive unit 230 shown in FIG. Realized by 37w, 39v.

  Even in such an embodiment, a high-quality thick image can be obtained on the recording medium 102.

FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating a third embodiment of the device configuration using the landing detection sensor.
The difference between the third embodiment and the first embodiment is that LD33bl is used as the light irradiation means.
That is, the LD 33bl as the light irradiating means is disposed on the extended surface of the recording medium 102, and the ultraviolet light 101 is irradiated along the surface of the recording medium 102.
The trajectory of the ink droplet 100 of the recording head 33a and the optical axis of the LD33bl are moved on the XY plane, or the movement of the recording head 33a and the LD33bl in the horizontal direction is stopped, and the stage 40-1 is moved. It moves on the XY plane.
Even in such an embodiment, a high-quality image can be obtained on the recording medium 102.

<Hardware configuration 5>
FIG. 13A is an example of a hardware block diagram of the image forming apparatus 20-5, and FIG. 13B is an explanatory diagram of the first drive unit shown in FIG. (C) is explanatory drawing of the 4th drive part shown to Fig.13 (a).

  The image forming apparatus 20-5 shown in FIG. 13 differs from the image forming apparatus 20-4 shown in FIG. 10 in that the horizontal movement is stopped so that the laser beam is emitted from the LD 33bl in the X direction, The stage 40-1 is translated horizontally or vertically.

The image forming apparatus 20-5 includes a control unit 20a, a head unit 20b, a head traveling unit 20c, a stage 40-1, and a light emitting unit 20h.
The head traveling unit 20c includes a Z direction motor control unit 38c, a Z direction motor 39c, and a ball screw 39v.
The light emitting unit 20h includes a light source driving unit 32c and an LD 33bl. The trajectory of the ink droplet 100 from the recording head 33a and the optical axis of the LD 33bl are set to be orthogonal to each other on the surface of the recording medium 102.
A program for controlling the operation of the image forming apparatus 20-5 is stored in the ROM 23-5.

<Function block configuration 5>
FIG. 14 is an example of a functional block diagram of the image forming apparatus 20-5 shown in FIG.
The image forming apparatus 20-5 shown in FIG. 14 is different from the image forming apparatus 20-4 shown in FIG. 11 in that the light irradiation means moving means 540-4 is not provided and the stage moving means 54 is provided.

  The image forming apparatus 20-5 includes an input / output unit 50, an operation display unit 51, a storage unit 52, a head moving unit 53-2, an ejection unit 55, a detection unit 56, a light irradiation unit 57-3, and a control unit 58. .

  Even in such an embodiment, a high-quality image can be obtained.

<Modification>
FIG. 15 is a modification of the third embodiment shown in FIG.
The difference between the modification shown in FIG. 15 and the third embodiment shown in FIG. 12 is that the LD 33bl, the recording head 33a, and the stage 40-1 are moved relative to each other on the image forming object 100a. The point is that a new ink droplet 100 is ejected and the curing light is irradiated from the LD 33bl.
That is, by using the apparatus configuration shown in FIG. 12, the recording head 33a and LD33bl are raised in the Z direction, or the stage 40-1 is lowered in the direction opposite to the Z direction to form an image forming object 100a of the ink droplet 100. An image-formed object composed of new ink droplets 100 is formed on the substrate.
With this configuration, a high-quality thick image can be formed on the recording medium 102.

<Effect>
1. It is possible to achieve both high-quality image formation without beading and high adhesion between the ink and the recording medium.
2. Since the dot diameter can be made smaller than the conventional technology, high image quality is possible.
3. When the ink layer is inserted with a film, conventionally, the UV ink that comes into contact with the film to be covered after printing becomes the main cured surface, and the adhesion can be increased. This is because ultraviolet rays are irradiated from the back side of the recording medium, so that the ink deep layer portion is cured, and the surface layer can realize a temporarily cured state.
Generally, it is known that temporary curing is easier to adhere to a recording medium than main curing. Therefore, since the surface in contact with the film to be covered after printing becomes a temporarily cured surface, the adhesion is improved as compared with the conventional method.

  Unlike the prior art, the recording medium can be eroded and cured by a method of curing at the moment of landing, so that both high-quality image formation without beading and high adhesion between the ink and the substrate can be achieved. Moreover, as an incidental effect, since it can be cured at the moment of landing, the dot diameter can be made smaller than in the prior art, so that high image quality can be achieved.

<Program>
The image forming apparatus according to the present invention described above is realized by a program that causes a computer to execute processing. As an example, the case where the function of the present invention is realized by a program will be described below.

For example,
In the computer of the image forming apparatus,
A procedure in which the ejection means ejects photocurable ink droplets onto a recording medium;
A procedure in which the detecting means detects whether or not the ink droplet has landed on the recording medium;
A procedure in which the control means issues an instruction signal instructing irradiation of the curing light when the detection means detects the landing of the ink droplet;
A procedure for irradiating the ink droplet with curing light when the light irradiation means receives the instruction signal;
A program for executing

  Such a program may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium.

<Storage medium>
Here, examples of the storage medium include computer-readable storage media such as CD-ROM, flexible disk (FD), and CD-R, semiconductor memories such as flash memory, RAM, ROM, and FeRAM, and HDD.

  CD-ROM is an abbreviation for Compact Disc Read Only Memory. Flexible disk means Flexible Disk (FD). CD-R is an abbreviation for CD Recordable. FeRAM is an abbreviation for Ferroelectric RAM and means a ferroelectric memory. HDD is an abbreviation for Hard Disc Drive.

  The above-described embodiment shows an example of a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited thereto, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. is there. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the case where an ultraviolet curable ink is used as the photocurable ink has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a near infrared curable ink may be used. . In this case, it goes without saying that the curing light is near infrared.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image forming system 10 Image processing apparatus 11 Printer driver 20-1, 20-2, 20-3, 20-4, 20-5 Image forming apparatus 20a Control part 20b Head part 20c Head traveling part 20d UV lamp traveling part 20e Stage Traveling part 20g, 20h, 20i Light emitting part 20j LD traveling part 21 Host I / F
22 CPU
23-1, 23-2, 23-3, 23-3, 23-4, 23-5 ROM
24 RAM
25 NVRAM
26 Operation Panel 27 ASIC
28 I / O
29 Sensor 30 Drive waveform generation unit 31 Head driver 32a, 32b, 32c, 320b, 322c Light source drive unit 33 Carriage 33a Recording head 33bu UV lamp 33be LED
33bl LD
33c X direction motor control unit 34c, 34d, 340d X direction motor control unit 35c, 35d, 350d X direction motor 35w, 37w, 39v, 39w, 350w, 370w, 371w, 390w Ball screw 36c, 36d, 360d, 361d Y direction motor Control unit 37c, 37d, 370d Y direction motor 38c, 38d, 380d Z direction motor control unit 39c, 39d, 390d Z direction motor 40-1, 40-2 Stage 50 Input / output means 51 Operation display means 52 Storage means 53-1 53-2 Head moving means 54 Stage moving means 55 Discharge means 56 Detection means 57-1, 57-2, 57-3 Light irradiation means 58 Control means 100 Ink droplet 100a Image forming object 101 Ultraviolet light (curing light)
102 Recording medium 230 1st drive part 232, 2400 2nd drive part 234 4th drive part 240 3rd drive part 250 Drive part 540-1, 540-2 Light irradiation means moving means

JP 2005-342970 A

Claims (7)

Discharge means for discharging photocurable ink droplets onto a recording medium;
Detecting means for detecting whether or not the ink droplet has landed on the recording medium;
Control means for issuing an instruction signal instructing irradiation of curing light when the detection means detects the landing of the ink droplet;
A light irradiation means for irradiating the ink droplets with curing light when receiving the instruction signal;
An image forming apparatus comprising: First moving means for moving the ejection means in parallel or moving up and down along the recording medium disposed horizontally;
A second moving means for moving the light irradiation means in parallel or moving up and down facing the ejection means via the recording medium;
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit forms an image by moving the light irradiation unit in parallel or moving up and down so as to follow the ejection unit. A third moving means for moving the recording medium in parallel or moving up and down while holding the recording medium horizontally;
The control means stops the horizontal movement of the ejection means and the light irradiation means, and moves the recording medium by the third movement means to form an image by ejecting the ink droplets and irradiating the curing light. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: First moving means for moving the ejection means in parallel or moving up and down along the recording medium disposed horizontally;
The light irradiation means includes a plate-like transparent member that holds the recording medium horizontally, and a large number of light-emitting elements that are two-dimensionally incorporated in the transparent member,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls the light emitting element so that only the landed ink droplet emits light. First moving means for moving the ejection means in parallel or moving up and down along the recording medium disposed horizontally;
A fourth moving means for translating the light irradiation means on an extended surface of the recording medium arranged horizontally so that the optical axis intersects the ink droplets along the recording medium;
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: A third moving means for moving the recording medium in parallel or moving up and down while holding the recording medium horizontally;
On the extended surface of the recording medium in which the light irradiation means is horizontally disposed, the optical axis is installed so as to intersect the ink droplets along the recording medium,
2. An image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said recording medium is translated by said third moving means to form an image by ejecting said ink droplets and irradiating curing light.   An image forming method, comprising: irradiating a curing light to the ink droplet when the landing of a photocurable ink droplet on a recording medium is detected.

Images