JP2019155668A - Liquid discharge device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a liquid discharge device capable of reducing nozzle jamming of a liquid discharge head, and reducing infiltration of a liquid to a discharge object.SOLUTION: A coating stage roll 24 with heating mechanism is arranged right under a liquid discharge head 34, a discharge object 500 before discharge of an ink is heated, for starting evaporation of a solvent of the ink impacted on the discharge object 500 in an early stage, thereby quickly enhancing viscosity of the ink impacted on the discharge object 500. In addition, the ink before being discharged by the liquid discharge head 34 is cooled to prescribed temperature or lower temperature by a fan, for preventing nozzle jamming due to dryness of the ink.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a liquid ejection apparatus.

  2. Description of the Related Art There is known a liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects a liquid such as ink from a liquid ejecting head onto an ejected object and forms an image or the like by drying.

  Many heat-generating parts such as motors and heaters are used in the liquid discharge apparatus, and the temperature of the entire apparatus or some of the parts tends to increase too much. In particular, when the temperature of the liquid discharge head rises, the liquid in the vicinity of the nozzles in the liquid discharge head may dry out and nozzle clogging may occur. Therefore, in order to reduce nozzle clogging, it has been proposed to provide a fan that prevents the temperature of the liquid in the liquid discharge head from rising.

  On the other hand, there is a problem that the liquid discharged onto the discharge target soaks into the discharge target, and it is necessary to take measures together with nozzle clogging.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above, and an object of the present invention is to provide a liquid ejection apparatus capable of reducing nozzle clogging of a liquid ejection head and reducing the penetration of liquid into an ejection target. To do.

  The present liquid discharge apparatus is required to have a liquid discharge head that discharges liquid to a discharge target, a cooling unit that cools the liquid before discharge, and a heating unit that heats the discharge target.

  According to the disclosed technology, it is possible to provide a liquid ejection apparatus capable of reducing nozzle clogging in a liquid ejection head and reducing liquid penetration into an ejection target.

1 is a side view illustrating a schematic configuration of a liquid ejection apparatus according to a first embodiment. 3 is a partial plan view illustrating the vicinity of a carriage of the liquid ejection device according to the first embodiment. FIG. FIG. 3 is an example of a hardware block diagram illustrating a main control mechanism of the liquid ejection apparatus according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is an example of a functional block diagram of a CPU of the liquid ejection apparatus according to the first embodiment. It is an example of the flowchart regarding liquid discharge. 6 is a side view illustrating a schematic configuration of a liquid ejection apparatus according to a first modification of the first embodiment. FIG. FIG. 10 is a partial plan view illustrating the vicinity of a carriage of a liquid ejection device according to a second modification of the first embodiment. 10 is a side view illustrating a schematic configuration in the vicinity of a liquid discharge head of a liquid discharge apparatus according to Modification 3 of the first embodiment. FIG. It is a schematic diagram which illustrates the discharge target object provided with the porous body. It is a schematic diagram which illustrates the structure which formed the functional layer on the porous body using the conventional liquid discharge apparatus. It is a schematic diagram which illustrates the structure which formed the functional layer using the liquid discharge apparatus 1 on the porous body.

  Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description may be omitted.

<First Embodiment>
FIG. 1 is a side view illustrating a schematic configuration of the liquid ejection apparatus according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a partial plan view illustrating the vicinity of the carriage of the liquid ejection device according to the first embodiment.

  Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the liquid ejection apparatus 1 includes a supply unit 12 for supplying an ejection target object 500 loaded on the ejection target object stacking unit 11 of the supply tray 10. The supply unit 12 is opposed to the half-moon roller (supply roller) 121 that separates and feeds the discharge target objects 500 from the discharge target object stacking unit 11 one by one, and the separation pad 122 made of a material having a large friction coefficient. The separation pad 122 is urged toward the supply roller 121 side.

  Although various objects can be considered as the discharge target 500 as described later, in the present embodiment, the case where the discharge target 500 is a recording medium such as paper will be described as an example. In this embodiment, an example in which ink is used as the liquid to be discharged and an image is formed on the discharge target object 500 will be described.

  The liquid discharge apparatus 1 includes a guide member 13 that guides the discharge target object 500, a counter roller 14, and a transport guide member in order to send the discharge target object 500 supplied from the supply unit 12 to the lower side of the liquid discharge head 34. 15 and a pressing member 17 having a tip pressurizing roller 16. Further, the liquid ejection apparatus 1 includes a conveyance belt 18 that is a conveyance unit for electrostatically attracting the fed discharge target object 500 and conveying it at a position facing the liquid ejection head 34.

  The conveyance belt 18 is an endless belt, and is configured to wrap around the conveyance roller 19 and the tension roller 20 and to circulate in the belt conveyance direction (sub-scanning direction). The transport belt 18 is made of, for example, a surface layer to be a discharge target adsorbing surface formed of a resin material having a thickness of about 40 μm that is not subjected to resistance control, for example, ETFE pure material, and a resistance material made of carbon that is the same material as the surface layer. And a controlled back layer (medium resistance layer, ground layer).

  The liquid discharge apparatus 1 includes a charging roller 21 that is a charging unit for charging the surface of the transport belt 18. The charging roller 21 is disposed so as to come into contact with the surface layer of the conveyor belt 18 and rotate following the rotation of the conveyor belt 18, and applies a predetermined pressure to both ends of the shaft. The transport roller 19 also serves as an earth roller, and is in contact with the middle resistance layer (back layer) of the transport belt 18 and is grounded.

  The conveyance belt 18 rotates the conveyance roller 19 by a sub-scanning motor, and rotates in the right direction in FIG. 1 and the downward direction in FIG. 2 (belt conveyance direction indicated by an arrow). The movement direction of the transport belt 18 is the sub-scanning direction of the carriage 33 and is orthogonal to the main scanning direction of the carriage 33.

  The liquid discharge apparatus 1 includes a discharge unit 22 for discharging a discharge target object 500 having a predetermined structure formed by ink discharged from the liquid discharge head 34 in accordance with image information. The discharge unit 22 includes a separation claw 221 for separating the discharge target object 500 from the transport belt 18, a discharge roller 222, and a discharge roller 223. A discharge tray 23 is provided below the discharge roller 222.

  Between the conveying roller 19 and the tension roller 20, a coating stage roll 24 with a heating mechanism, a drying unit 25, and a press roll 26 with a heating mechanism are sequentially arranged in the sub-scanning direction.

  The coating stage roll 24 with a heating mechanism, which is a heating unit, is disposed immediately below the liquid discharge head 34. In other words, the coating stage roll 24 with a heating mechanism is disposed at a position facing the liquid ejection head 34 via the transport belt 18.

  The coating stage roll 24 with a heating mechanism heats the discharge target 500 that is transported on the transport belt 18 by, for example, a built-in heater 241. By heating the discharge target object 500, the evaporation of the ink solvent that has landed on the discharge target object 500 can be started at an early stage. A temperature sensor 242 for detecting the temperature of the coating stage roll 24 with a heating mechanism is disposed in the vicinity of the coating stage roll 24 with a heating mechanism. Based on the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 242, the temperature of the coating stage roll 24 with a heating mechanism can be controlled within a predetermined range.

  A pair of drying units 25 for drying the ink ejected on the ejection target 500 can be disposed downstream of the liquid ejection head 34 in the sub-scanning direction in which the ejection target 500 is conveyed. The pair of drying units 25 are disposed at positions facing each other with the conveyance belt 18 interposed therebetween, for example. The pair of drying units 25 can heat and dry the ink ejected on the ejection target object 500 conveyed on the conveyor belt 18 by, for example, infrared rays or warm air.

  For example, when the ink contains a solvent that easily volatilizes and a solvent that does not easily volatilize, the discharge target 500 is heated by the coating stage roll 24 with a heating mechanism to evaporate the easily volatilized solvent, thereby increasing the viscosity of the ink. In addition, it is possible to make it difficult for ink to penetrate into the ejection target object 500. Thereafter, the solvent that does not volatilize in the drying unit 25 can be evaporated and completely dried.

  As described above, by heating the coating stage roll 24 with the heating mechanism and the drying unit 25, it is possible to dry the ink by evaporating the solvent of the ink ejected from the liquid ejection head 34 onto the ejection target object 500. However, when the solvent of the ink discharged from the liquid discharge head 34 onto the discharge target object 500 can be evaporated only by the coating stage roll 24 with the heating mechanism, the drying unit 25 may not be disposed. .

  A pair of press rolls 26 with a heating mechanism, which is a heating mechanism additional pressure unit that pressurizes the dried ink while heating, is disposed downstream of the liquid discharge head 34 in the sub-scanning direction in which the discharge target 500 is conveyed. it can. A pair of press rolls 26 with a heating mechanism is arrange | positioned in the position which mutually opposes via the conveyance belt 18, for example.

  The press roll 26 with a heating mechanism, for example, is sandwiched between the press rolls 26 with a heating mechanism facing each other while heating the dried ink on the discharge target object 500 conveyed on the conveyance belt 18 by a built-in heater 261. Then, the ink dried on the discharge target object 500 is pressurized. Thereby, the thickness variation of the ink dried on the discharge target object 500 can be reduced. However, what is necessary is just to arrange | position the press roll 26 with a heating mechanism as needed. For example, when the accuracy of the ink thickness is not important, the press roll 26 with a heating mechanism may not be disposed.

  A duplex unit 27 is detachably mounted on the back surface of the liquid ejection apparatus 1. The duplex unit 27 takes in the discharge target object 500 returned by the reverse rotation of the transport belt 18, reverses it, and supplies it again between the counter roller 14 and the transport belt 18. The upper surface of the duplex unit 27 is a manual feed tray 28.

  As shown in FIG. 2, side plates 311 and 312 constituting the frame 31 are disposed on the left and right side surfaces of the liquid ejection apparatus 1 in the vicinity of the carriage 33. A guide rod 32 is horizontally mounted on the side plates 311 and 312. The carriage 33 is held by a guide rod 32 so as to be slidable in the main scanning direction. The carriage 33 is moved and scanned in the carriage main scanning direction indicated by the arrow in FIG. 2 via the timing belt by the main scanning motor.

  A liquid discharge head 34 is mounted on the carriage 33 with the discharge direction facing downward (the direction of the transport belt 18). In the liquid ejection head 34, for example, nozzle rows composed of a plurality of nozzles that eject ink are arranged in the sub-scanning direction orthogonal to the main scanning direction.

  As the liquid ejection heads 34, for example, four inkjet heads that eject ink droplets of each color of yellow (Y), cyan (C), magenta (M), and black (K) are arranged along the main scanning direction. Can do.

  As the liquid discharge head 34, a liquid discharge head 34 having pressure generating means for generating pressure for discharging ink can be used. Specifically, for example, a piezoelectric actuator such as a piezoelectric element, a thermal actuator that uses a phase change caused by film boiling of a liquid using an electrothermal transducer such as a heating resistor, and a shape memory alloy that uses a metal phase change caused by a temperature change Examples thereof include an actuator and an electrostatic actuator using an electrostatic force.

  A driver IC is mounted on the liquid ejection head 34 and connected to the control board 35 via a harness (flexible printed cable or the like) 36.

  In addition, a sub tank 37 that supplies liquid to the liquid discharge head 34 is mounted on the carriage 33. Liquid is replenished and supplied to the sub tank 37 from a cartridge 40 that is detachably attached to the cartridge loading section 39 via an ink supply tube 38. The cartridge 40 includes, for example, cartridges 40k, 40c, 40m, and 40y for each color of yellow (Y), cyan (C), magenta (M), and black (K). The cartridge loading section 39 is provided with a supply pump unit 41 for feeding ink in the cartridge 40, and the ink supply tube 38 is held by the rear plate 313 constituting the frame 31 in the middle of turning. It is held by the member 42.

  When the temperature inside the apparatus rises during printing or standby, the start and stop of the fan 101 disposed in the frame 31 on the back side of the apparatus near the control board 35 or the like is controlled to control the liquid discharge head 34 or the entire apparatus. The temperature can be lowered.

  Further, by controlling the start and stop of the fan 100 arranged in the vicinity of the cartridge loading unit 39, the liquid before being supplied to the liquid discharge head 34 can be cooled. In this case, the liquid cooled by the fan 100 is supplied to the liquid discharge head 34 and discharged at a predetermined timing.

  A temperature sensor 43 can be attached to the liquid discharge head 34. In this case, the temperature of the liquid discharge head 34 detected by the temperature sensor 43 is compared with a preset upper limit temperature, and the fan 100 as a cooling unit is activated when the liquid discharge head 34 exceeds the upper limit temperature. Can be controlled. Further, the fan 100 can be controlled to stop when the temperature of the liquid discharge head 34 falls below a preset lower limit temperature.

  However, the fan 100 may always be operated without attaching a temperature sensor to the liquid ejection head 34. In this case, it is only necessary to select the fan 100 having a cooling capacity such that the liquid discharge head 34 does not always exceed the upper limit temperature.

  In one non-printing area in the scanning direction of the carriage 33, a maintenance / recovery mechanism 44 including a recovery means for maintaining and recovering the state of the nozzles of the liquid ejection head 34 is disposed. The maintenance / recovery mechanism 44 discharges a thickened recording liquid, a cap member 45 for capping each nozzle surface of the liquid ejection head 34, a wiper blade 46 which is a blade member for wiping (cleaning) the nozzle surface. Therefore, an empty discharge receiver 47 for receiving droplets when performing empty discharge for discharging droplets that do not contribute to recording is provided. Here, the cap member 45a is a suction and moisture retention cap, and the other cap members 45b to 45d are moisture retention caps.

  The waste liquid of the recording liquid generated by the maintenance and recovery operation by the maintenance and recovery mechanism 44, the ink discharged to the cap member 45, the ink attached to the wiper blade 46 and removed by the wiper cleaner, or the ink discharged to the idle ejection receiver 47 Is discharged and stored in a waste liquid tank.

  In the other non-printing area in the scanning direction of the carriage 33, an empty discharge receiver for receiving droplets when performing an empty discharge for discharging droplets that do not contribute to recording in order to discharge a recording liquid thickened during recording or the like. 48 and the idle discharge receptacle 48 is provided with openings 49 corresponding to the nozzle rows of the liquid discharge head 34.

  A communication circuit unit (interface) such as a USB for transmitting / receiving data to / from the host is provided on the rear side inside the main body of the liquid ejecting apparatus 1 and constitutes a control unit that controls the liquid ejecting apparatus 1. A control circuit board is provided.

  In the liquid discharge apparatus 1 configured as described above, the discharge target objects 500 are separately supplied one by one from the supply tray 10, and the discharge target objects 500 supplied substantially vertically upward are guided by the guide member 13, and are conveyed. 18 and the counter roller 14 are sandwiched and conveyed, and the leading end is guided by the conveying guide member 15 and pressed against the conveying belt 18 by the leading end pressure roller 16 to change the conveying direction by approximately 90 °.

  At this time, a positive voltage and a negative output are alternately repeated from the AC bias supply unit to the charging roller 21 by the control circuit, that is, an alternating voltage is applied, and a charging voltage pattern in which the conveying belt 18 alternates, that is, In the sub-scanning direction, which is the circumferential direction, plus and minus are alternately charged in a band shape with a predetermined width. When the discharge target object 500 is fed onto the conveyance belt 18 charged alternately with plus and minus, the discharge target object 500 is attracted to the conveyance belt 18, and the discharge target object 500 is sub-scanned by the circular movement of the conveyance belt 18. Conveyed in the direction.

  Therefore, the ejection target object 500 is stopped, and ink is ejected from the liquid ejection head 34 according to the image signal while moving the carriage 33 by one line, thereby recording one line on the ejection target object 500. When the recording for one line is completed, the next line is recorded after the ejection target object 500 is conveyed for one line. By receiving a recording end signal or a signal that the rear end of the discharge target 500 has reached the recording area, the recording operation is ended and the discharge target 500 is discharged to the discharge tray 23.

  During printing (recording) standby, the carriage 33 is moved to the maintenance / recovery mechanism 44 side, and the liquid ejection head 34 is capped by the cap member 45 to keep the nozzles moist, thereby preventing ejection failure due to ink drying. . In addition, with the cap member 45 capping the liquid discharge head 34, a part of the recording liquid is sucked from the nozzle by a suction pump (referred to as "nozzle suction" or "head suction"), and the thickened recording liquid or bubbles are removed. Perform recovery action to eject. In addition, an idle ejection operation for ejecting ink not related to the recording is performed before the start of recording or during the recording. Thereby, the stable ejection performance of the liquid ejection head 34 is maintained.

  FIG. 3 is an example of a hardware block diagram illustrating a main control mechanism of the liquid ejection apparatus according to the first embodiment. For example, the control unit 600 is disposed on the control board 35. The control unit 600 includes a CPU 602 that controls the liquid ejection apparatus 1 as a whole, a ROM 603 that stores programs executed by the CPU 602 and other fixed data, a RAM 604 that temporarily stores data related to the ejection target 500, and a power source for the apparatus. NVRAM 605 which is a non-volatile memory for holding data while image data is shut off, image processing for performing various signal processing and rearrangement on image data, and other input / output signals for controlling the entire apparatus ASIC 606.

  The control unit 600 includes a host I / F 601 for transmitting and receiving data and signals to and from the host side (data transmission side), a head drive unit 608 for driving and controlling the liquid ejection head 34, and a main scanning motor 615. A main scanning motor driving unit 609 for driving, a sub-scanning motor driving unit 610 for driving a sub-scanning motor 616 for rotating the conveyor belt 18, and a fan motor driving unit 611 for driving a fan motor 617 The stage roll driving unit 612 for driving the coating stage roll 24 with a heating mechanism, the drying unit driving unit 613 for driving the drying unit 25, and the press roll driving unit 614 for driving the press roll 26 with a heating mechanism. And an I / O 607 for inputting detection signals from various sensors 618. The control unit 600 is connected with an operation panel 619 for inputting and displaying information necessary for the apparatus.

  The control unit 600 receives print data or the like from the host side of an information processing apparatus such as a personal computer, an image reading apparatus such as an image scanner, an imaging apparatus such as a digital camera, or the like via a cable or a network at the host I / F 601. .

  Then, the CPU 602 reads and analyzes data in the reception buffer included in the host I / F 601, performs necessary processing (data rearrangement processing, etc.) in the ASIC 606, and transfers the data to the head driving unit 608. The generation of dot pattern data for ejecting ink may be performed by storing data in the ROM 603, for example, or the host side printer driver develops the data into bitmap data and transfers it to this apparatus. Anyway.

  When the head driving unit 608 receives image data (dot pattern data) corresponding to one row of the liquid discharge head 34, the head drive unit 608 sends the dot pattern data for one row to the liquid discharge head 34 in synchronization with the clock signal. The data is sent as serial data, and a latch signal is sent to the liquid discharge head 34 at a predetermined timing.

  The head drive unit 608 includes a ROM (can be configured by the ROM 603) storing pattern data of a drive waveform (drive signal), and a D / A for D / A converting the drive waveform data read from the ROM. A drive waveform generation circuit including a waveform generation circuit including a converter and an amplifier is included.

  FIG. 4 is an example of a functional block diagram of the CPU of the liquid ejection apparatus according to the first embodiment, and shows a portion related to liquid ejection. As illustrated in FIG. 4, the CPU 602 includes a stage roll control unit 6021, a fan motor control unit 6022, and a liquid discharge control unit 6023 as functional blocks.

  FIG. 5 is an example of a flowchart regarding liquid ejection. As shown in FIG. 5, when ejecting ink onto the ejection target 500, first, in step S100, the stage roll control means 6021 transmits a drive command to the stage roll drive unit 612, and coating with a heating mechanism is performed. The stage roll 24 is driven and the heater 241 is energized and heated.

  Next, in step S101, the stage roll control means 6021 monitors the value of the temperature sensor 242, and determines whether or not the value of the temperature sensor 242 is within a predetermined range. In step S101, when the stage roll control means 6021 determines that the value of the temperature sensor 242 is not within the predetermined range (in the case of No), the determination in step S101 is repeated at a predetermined timing.

  In step S102, when the stage roll control unit 6021 determines that the value of the temperature sensor 242 is within the predetermined range (in the case of Yes), the process proceeds to step S102. In step S102, the fan motor control means 6022 transmits a drive command to the fan motor drive unit 611, drives the fan motor 617, and operates (rotates) the fan 100.

  Next, in step S103, the fan motor control unit 6022 monitors the value of the temperature sensor 43 and determines whether or not the value of the temperature sensor 43 is equal to or less than a predetermined value. In step S103, if the fan motor control means 6022 determines that the value of the temperature sensor 43 is not less than or equal to the predetermined value (No), the determination in step S103 is repeated at a predetermined timing.

  In step S103, when the fan motor control unit 6022 determines that the value of the temperature sensor 43 is equal to or smaller than the predetermined value (in the case of Yes), the process proceeds to step S104. In step S <b> 104, the liquid ejection control unit 6023 instructs the head driving unit 608 to eject ink from the liquid ejection head 34. When the head driving unit 608 receives image data (dot pattern data) corresponding to one row of the liquid discharge head 34, the head drive unit 608 sends the dot pattern data for one row to the liquid discharge head 34 in synchronization with the clock signal. The data is sent as serial data, and a latch signal is sent to the liquid discharge head 34 at a predetermined timing. As a result, ink is ejected onto the ejection object 500.

  As described above, in the liquid ejection apparatus 1, the coating stage roll 24 with a heating mechanism is disposed directly below the liquid ejection head 34 to heat the ejection target object 500 before ink is ejected. As a result, it is possible to start evaporation of the ink solvent landed on the ejection target object 500 at an early stage, and the viscosity of the ink landed on the ejection target object 500 can be rapidly increased. As a result, it is possible to reduce the penetration of ink into the discharge target object 500, and it is possible to prevent the ink discharge target object 500, which is a recording medium such as paper, from being smeared with ink.

  Further, the clearance between the liquid discharge head 34 and the discharge target 500 is usually about 1 mm. That is, the distance between the coating stage roll 24 with the heating mechanism and the liquid discharge head 34 is not so far. Therefore, when the coating stage roll 24 with a heating mechanism heats the discharge target object 500, the liquid ejection head 34 disposed opposite to the coating stage roll 24 with a heating mechanism is also heated. When the liquid discharge head 34 is heated, the ink may dry and nozzle clogging may occur. However, in the liquid discharge apparatus 1, the ink before being discharged by the liquid discharge head 34 is lowered to a predetermined temperature or less by the fan 100. Since cooling is performed, the risk of ink drying and nozzle clogging can be reduced.

<Variation 1 of the first embodiment>
Modification 1 of the first embodiment shows an example in which the arrangement of fans for cooling ink is different from that of the first embodiment. In the first modification of the first embodiment, the description of the same components as those of the already described embodiments may be omitted.

  FIG. 6 is a side view illustrating the schematic configuration of the liquid ejection apparatus according to Modification 1 of the first embodiment. Referring to FIG. 6, the liquid ejecting apparatus 1 </ b> A is different from the liquid ejecting apparatus 1 (see FIG. 1 and the like) in that a fan 102 is provided instead of the fan 100. However, the fan 102 may be provided in addition to the fan 100.

  The fan 102 serving as a cooling unit can be disposed at a position where the ink supplied to the liquid ejection head 34 can be cooled. In the example of FIG. 6, the fan 102 is disposed above the carriage 33, but may be disposed on the side of the carriage 33 or the like. Since the carriage 33 moves in the main scanning direction, the fan 102 is preferably arranged so that it can be cooled regardless of the position of the carriage 33 within the moving range.

  As in the first embodiment, the cartridge loading unit 39 may be cooled by the fan 100, and the cooled liquid may be supplied to the liquid discharge head 34 via the sub tank 37, or a modification of the first embodiment. As in Example 1, the liquid supplied to the liquid discharge head 34 may be directly cooled by the fan 102. Alternatively, the fan 100 and the fan 102 may be used in combination.

<Modification 2 of the first embodiment>
In the second modification of the first embodiment, an example in which a unit other than a fan is used as a cooling unit for cooling ink will be described. In the second modification of the first embodiment, the description of the same components as those of the already described embodiment may be omitted.

  FIG. 7 is a partial plan view illustrating the vicinity of the carriage of the liquid ejection apparatus according to the second modification of the first embodiment. Referring to FIG. 7, the liquid ejection apparatus 1 </ b> B is different from the liquid ejection apparatus 1 (see FIG. 1 and the like) in that a Peltier element 200 is provided instead of the fan 100. The Peltier element 200 is disposed at a position where the cartridge loading unit 39 can be directly cooled. In the example of FIG. 7, the Peltier element 200 is disposed on the side of the cartridge loading unit 39, but may be disposed above or below the cartridge loading unit 39.

  The Peltier element 200 is connected to, for example, the control board 35 via a wire or the like, and can be controlled to a predetermined temperature by the control board 35. A heat sink may be disposed on the heat dissipation surface of the Peltier element 200.

  Thus, the cooling unit that cools the ink ejected from the liquid ejection head 34 is not limited to a fan, and may be a Peltier element or the like.

<Modification 3 of the first embodiment>
In the third modification of the first embodiment, an example in which a discharge target is conveyed by a roll-to-roll method is shown. Note that in the third modification of the first embodiment, the description of the same components as those of the already described embodiments may be omitted.

  FIG. 8 is a side view illustrating a schematic configuration in the vicinity of the liquid discharge head of the liquid discharge apparatus according to Modification 3 of the first embodiment.

  Referring to FIG. 8, the liquid ejection apparatus 1 </ b> C is different from the liquid ejection apparatus 1 (see FIG. 1 and the like) in that it includes an unwinding roller 51, transport rollers 52 and 53, and a winding roller 54. The liquid ejection apparatus 1C does not have the conveyance belt 18.

  In the liquid ejection apparatus 1 </ b> C, a web-like ejection object 510 is stretched between the unwinding roller 51 and the winding roller 54. By rotating the unwinding roller 51 (unwinding portion) and the winding roller 54 (winding portion), the discharge target object 510 fed from the unwinding roller 51 is conveyed in the sub-scanning direction and is fed to the winding roller 54. It is wound up. The ejection target 510 is a recording medium such as continuous paper, but is not limited thereto.

  In this way, instead of the structure having the transport belt 18, a structure having the unwinding roller 51 and the take-up roller 54 for transporting the web-like discharge target object 510 in a roll-to-roll manner may be adopted. Productivity can be improved by using a roll-to-roll system.

<Second Embodiment>
In the first embodiment and the first to third modifications thereof, an example is shown in which a recording medium such as paper is used as the discharge target, ink is used as the liquid to be discharged, and an image is formed on the discharge target. In the second embodiment, an example in which a resin precursor is discharged as a liquid to a discharge target including a porous body will be described. In the second embodiment, description of the same components as those of the already described embodiments may be omitted.

  FIG. 9 is a schematic view illustrating a discharge object including a porous body. FIG. 10 is a schematic view illustrating a structure in which a functional layer is formed on a porous body using a conventional liquid ejection device. FIG. 11 is a schematic view illustrating a structure in which a functional layer is formed on the porous body using the liquid ejection device 1. The functional layer formed on the porous body is not particularly limited as long as it has a predetermined function. For example, an insulating layer containing a resin as a main component can be used.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the discharge target 520 is a porous body 522 formed on the base 521. The porous body 522 has, for example, a structure in which a large number of granular materials are stacked in multiple layers.

  A case is considered in which a functional layer 523 is formed on a discharge target 520 by applying a liquid using a conventional liquid discharge apparatus (without the coating stage roll 24 with a heating mechanism) and drying the liquid. Since the conventional liquid ejecting apparatus does not include a mechanism for evaporating the solvent at an early stage, the liquid is dried while part of the liquid is infiltrated into the porous body 522 until the liquid is dried. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 10, part of the functional layer 523 exists inside the porous body 522.

  On the other hand, in the structure in which the functional layer 523 is formed using the liquid ejection apparatus 1, the solvent contained in the liquid ejected on the porous body 522 of the ejection target 520 is applied to the coating stage roll 24 with a heating mechanism. Since the liquid is heated and evaporated at an early stage and the viscosity of the liquid becomes high, the liquid is less likely to penetrate into the discharge target 500. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 11, the functional layer 523 does not exist at all inside the porous body 522, or the amount of the functional layer 523 present inside the porous body 522 is larger than the conventional (example of FIG. 10). It is greatly reduced.

  In addition, when the liquid discharge head 34 disposed opposite to the coating stage roll 24 with the heating mechanism is heated by the coating stage roll 24 with the heating mechanism, the liquid to be discharged may be dried and clogging of the nozzle may occur. However, in the liquid ejecting apparatus 1, the liquid ejecting head 34 is cooled to a predetermined temperature or less by the fan 100, so that the possibility that the liquid dries and nozzle clogging occurs can be reduced.

  The above effects are the same when the liquid ejection device 1A, 1B, or 1C is used instead of the liquid ejection device 1.

  In addition, when forming the functional layer 523 on the porous body 522 of the discharge target object 520, the liquid discharge head 34 (refer FIGS. 1-3) forms the functional layer 523 on the porous body 522, for example. Therefore, it is possible to provide one inkjet head that discharges the liquid for the purpose.

  For example, a metal electrode base is used as the base 521, the porous body 522 is an electrode mixture layer containing an active material, and the functional layer 523 is a porous insulating layer, whereby an electrode for a storage element is formed. be able to. Materials and the like in the case where a porous insulating layer is formed as the functional layer 523 in the electrode for the power storage element will be described below.

  In the case where the functional layer 523 is an insulating layer, the functional layer 523 can be formed using a resin as a main component. Here, having the resin as a main component means that the resin occupies 50% by mass or more of all the substances constituting the porous insulating layer.

  In the case of forming an insulating layer containing a resin as a main component, a liquid that is a resin precursor solution may be discharged onto the porous body 522 and dried. In this case, it is preferable to control the temperature range at the time of heating with the coating stage roll 24 with a heating mechanism to about 60-120 degreeC from a viewpoint of permeation prevention.

  The resin for forming the functional layer 523 is not particularly limited and may be any resin as long as it can form a crosslinkable structure by heating. For example, acrylate resin, methacrylate resin, urethane acrylate resin, vinyl Examples include ester resins, unsaturated polyesters, epoxy resins, oxetane resins, vinyl ethers, and resins utilizing ene-thiol reactions. Among these, acrylate resins, methacrylate resins, urethane acrylate resins, and vinyl ester resins that can easily form structures using radical polymerization are preferred from the viewpoint of productivity because of their high reactivity.

  The resin can be obtained by preparing a mixture of a polymerizable monomer and a compound that generates a radical or an acid by heat as a function capable of being cured by heat. In addition, in order to form the functional layer 523 by polymerization-induced phase separation, an ink in which a porogen is mixed in advance with the above mixture may be prepared.

  As the radical polymerization type monomer, for example, an acrylic compound as disclosed in JP-A No. 08-82925 is preferably used as the monomer. For example, double terpene having an unsaturated bond such as myrcene, carene, osymene, pinene, limonene, camphene, terpinolene, tricyclene, terpinene, fenchen, ferrandlene, silvestrene, sabinene, dipentene, bornene, isopulegol, carvone, etc. An ester compound in which the bond is epoxidized and acrylic acid or methacrylic acid is added may be mentioned.

  Or citronellol, pinocamphetol, geraniol, fentil alcohol, nerol, borneol, linalool, menthol, terpineol, twill alcohol, citronellal, yonon, iron, cinerol, citral, pinol, cyclocitral, carbomenton, ascaridol, safranal Terpene-derived alcohols such as, piperitol, menthene monool, dihydrocarbon, carveol, sclareol, manol, hinokiol, ferruginol, totarol, sugiol, farnesol, patchoulial alcohol, nerolidol, carotol, casinool, lanseol, eudesmol, phytol, etc. Acrylic acid or methacrylic acid ester compounds, citronellolic acid, hinokic acid, santal , Menton, carbotanaseton, ferrandral, pimelitenone, perillaldehyde, thuyon, caron, dageton, camphor, bisabolen, santalen, gingiveberen, caryophyllene, curcumen, cedrene, kazinene, longifolene, sesquibenien, cedrol, guayol, keso glycol, , Cyperone, elemophyllone, zerumbone, camphorene, podocarprene, mylene, phyllocladene, totalene, ketomanoyl oxide, manoyl oxide, abietic acid, pimaric acid, neoabietic acid, levopimaric acid, iso-d-pimalic acid, agatendicarboxylic acid, Rubenic acid, carotenoid, perarialdehyde, piperitone, ascaridol, pimene, fenken, sesquiterpenes, diterpenes, triterpenes Acrylate or methacrylate compound having a skeleton equal to the ester side chain.

  As the photopolymerization initiator, a photo radical generator can be used. For example, photoradical polymerization initiators such as Michler's ketone and benzophenone known by trade names Irgacure and Darocur, and more specific compounds include benzophenone and acetophenone derivatives such as α-hydroxy- or α-aminocetophenone, 4 -Aroyl-1,3-dioxolane, benzyl ketal, 2,2-diethoxyacetophenone, p-dimethylaminoacetophene, p-dimethylaminopropiophenone, benzophenone, 2-chlorobenzophenone, pp'-dichlorobenzophene, pp '-Bisdiethylaminobenzophenone, Michler's ketone, benzyl, benzoin, benzyldimethyl ketal, tetramethylthiuram monosulfide, thioxanthone, 2-chlorothioxanthone, 2-methylthioxanthone Azobisisobutyronitrile, benzoin peroxide, di-tert-butyl peroxide, 1-hydroxycyclohexyl phenyl ketone, 2-hydroxy-2-methyl-1-phenyl-1-one, 1- (4-isopropylphenyl) -2-hydroxy-2-methylpropan-1-one, methyl benzoyl formate, zoin isopropyl ether, benzoin methyl ether, benzoin ethyl ether, ben ether, benzoin isobutyl ether, benzoin n-butyl ether, benzoin n-propyl, etc. Benzoin alkyl ethers and esters, 1-hydroxy-cyclohexyl-phenyl-ketone, 2-benzyl-2-dimethylamino-1- (4-morpholinophenyl) -butanone-1, 1-hydroxy-silane Rohexyl-phenyl-ketone, 2,2-dimethoxy-1,2-diphenylethane-1-one, bis (η5-2,4-cyclopentadien-1-yl) -bis (2,6-difluoro-3- ( 1H-pyrrol-1-yl) -phenyl) titanium, bis (2,4,6-trimethylbenzoyl) -phenylphosphine oxide, 2-methyl-1 [4- (methylthio) phenyl] -2-morpholinopropane -1-one, 2-hydroxy-2-methyl-1-phenyl-propan-1-one (Darocur 1173), bis (2,6-dimethoxybenzoyl) -2,4,4-trimethyl-pentylphosphine oxide, 1- [4- (2-hydroxyethoxy) -phenyl] -2-hydroxy-2-methyl-1-propan-1-one monoacylphos Finoxide, bisacylphosphine oxide or titanocene, fluorescene, anthraquinone, thioxanthone or xanthone, lophine dimer, trihalomethyl compound or dihalomethyl compound, active ester compound, organoboron compound and the like are preferably used.

  Furthermore, a photocrosslinking radical generator such as a bisazide compound may be contained at the same time. When polymerization is performed only with heat, a normal thermal polymerization initiator such as A (AIBN) which is a normal photo radical generator can be used.

  On the other hand, even if a mixture is prepared with a photoacid generator that generates an acid by light irradiation and at least one monomer that is polymerized in the presence of the acid, a similar function can be achieved. When such liquid ink is irradiated with light, the photoacid generator generates an acid, and this acid functions as a catalyst for the crosslinking reaction of the polymerizable compound.

  The generated acid diffuses in the ink layer. In addition, the acid diffusion and the acid-catalyzed crosslinking reaction can be accelerated by heating, and this crosslinking reaction is not inhibited by the presence of oxygen, unlike radical polymerization. The obtained resin layer is excellent in adhesion as compared with the radical polymerization system.

  Polymerizable compounds that crosslink in the presence of acids include compounds having cyclic ether groups such as epoxy groups, oxetane groups, oxolane groups, acrylic or vinyl compounds having the above-mentioned substituents in the side chain, carbonate compounds, low Monomers having a vinyl bond capable of cationic polymerization such as melamine compounds of molecular weight, vinyl ethers and vinyl carbazoles, styrene derivatives, alpha-methyl styrene derivatives, vinyl alcohol esters including vinyl alcohol and acrylic, methacrylic ester compounds, etc. It is mentioned to use together.

  Examples of photoacid generators that generate an acid upon irradiation with light include onium salts, diazonium salts, quinonediazide compounds, organic halides, aromatic sulfonate compounds, bisulfone compounds, sulfonyl compounds, sulfonate compounds, sulfonium compounds, sulfamide compounds, Iodonium compounds, sulfonyldiazomethane compounds, and mixtures thereof can be used.

  Among them, it is desirable to use an onium salt as the photoacid generator. Usable onium salts include, for example, diazonium salts, phosphoniums having a counter ion of a fluoroborate anion, hexafluoroantimonate anion, hexafluoroarsenate anion, trifluoromethanesulfonate anion, paratoluenesulfonate anion, and paranitrotoluenesulfonate anion. Mention may be made of salts and sulfonium salts. The photoacid generator can also be a halogenated triazine compound.

  In some cases, the photoacid generator may further contain a sensitizing dye. Examples of the sensitizing dye include acridine compounds, benzoflavins, perylene, anthracene, and laser dyes.

  The porogen is mixed to form pores in the functional layer 523 after curing. The porogen is capable of dissolving the polymerizable monomer and the compound generating a radical or acid by heat, and in the process of polymerizing the polymerizable monomer and the compound generating a radical or acid by heat, phase separation. Any liquid substance capable of producing the above can be used.

  Examples of the porogen include ethylene glycols such as diethylene glycol monomethyl ether, ethylene glycol monobutyl ether and dipropylene glycol monomethyl ether, esters such as γ-butyrolactone and propylene carbonate, and amides such as NN dimethylacetamide.

  Also, liquid substances having a relatively large molecular weight such as methyl tetradecanoate, methyl decanoate, methyl myristate, and tetradecane tend to function as porogens. In particular, ethylene glycols are often high boiling. In the phase separation mechanism, the structure to be formed largely depends on the concentration of porogen. Therefore, if the liquid material is used, a stable porous insulating layer can be formed. Porogens may be used alone or in combination of two or more.

<Other variations of liquid ejection device>
The liquid ejection apparatus according to the present invention is an image forming apparatus that is an apparatus that ejects ink to form an image on paper, and a powder in which powder is formed in a layered manner to form a three-dimensional structure (three-dimensional structure). It includes a three-dimensional modeling apparatus (three-dimensional modeling apparatus) that discharges a modeling liquid onto the body layer.

  Further, the liquid ejecting apparatus is not limited to the one in which significant images such as characters and figures are visualized by the ejected liquid. For example, what forms a pattern etc. which does not have a meaning in itself, and what forms a three-dimensional image are also included.

  The discharge target of the liquid discharge apparatus is not particularly limited as long as the liquid can be attached thereto. “Attachable liquid” means a liquid to which liquid can adhere at least temporarily and adheres and adheres. Specific examples include recording media such as paper, recording paper, recording paper, film, and cloth, electronic components such as electronic substrates and piezoelectric elements, porous bodies, powder layers (powder layers), organ models, and test cells. Unless otherwise specifically limited, all media to which a liquid adheres are included.

  The material of the above-mentioned “material to which liquid can adhere” is not limited as long as liquid such as paper, thread, fiber, fabric, leather, metal, plastic, glass, wood, ceramics can be adhered even temporarily.

  “Liquid” also includes ink, resin precursor solutions, treatment liquids, DNA samples, resists, pattern materials, binders, modeling liquids, or solutions and dispersions containing amino acids, proteins, calcium, etc. It is.

  Further, the liquid discharge apparatus includes an apparatus in which the liquid discharge head and the discharge target object move relatively, but the present invention is not limited to this. Specific examples include a serial type apparatus that moves the liquid discharge head, a line type apparatus that does not move the liquid discharge head, and the like. The liquid ejection devices 1, 1A, 1B, and 1C are examples of serial type devices.

  In addition, as a liquid ejecting apparatus, a processing liquid coating apparatus that ejects a processing liquid onto a sheet in order to apply the processing liquid to the surface of the sheet for the purpose of modifying the surface of the sheet, or a raw material in the solution. There is an injection granulator for spraying a dispersed composition liquid through a nozzle to granulate raw material fine particles.

  Further, the terms “image formation”, “recording”, “printing”, “printing”, “printing”, “modeling”, etc. in the terms of the present application are all synonymous.

  The preferred embodiments and the like have been described in detail above, but the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and the like, and various modifications can be made to the above-described embodiments and the like without departing from the scope described in the claims. Variations and substitutions can be added.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1, 1A, 1B, 1C Liquid discharge apparatus 10 Supply tray 11 Discharge object stacking part 12 Supply part 13 Guide member 14 Counter roller 15 Conveyance guide member 16 Tip pressure roller 17 Pressing member 17
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 18 Conveying belt 19 Conveying roller 20 Tension roller 21 Charging roller 22 Discharging part 23 Discharging tray 24 Coating stage roll with heating mechanism 25 Drying part 26 Press roll with heating mechanism 27 Duplex unit 28 Manual feed tray 31 Frame 32 Guide rod 33 Carriage 34 Liquid Discharge head 35 Control board 36 Harness 37 Sub tank 38 Ink supply tube 39 Cartridge loading section 40, 40k, 40c, 40m, 40y Cartridge 41 Supply pump unit 42 Holding member 43 Temperature sensor 44 Maintenance recovery mechanism 45, 45a, 45b, 45c, 45d Cap member 46 Wiper blade 47, 48 Empty discharge receptacle 49 Opening 51 Unwinding roller 52, 53 Conveying roller 54 Winding roller 100, 101, 102 Fan 21 half-moon roller (feed roller)
122 Separation Pad 200 Peltier Element 221 Separation Claw 222 Discharge Roller 223 Discharge Roller 241, 261 Heater 242 Temperature Sensor
311, 312 Side plate 500, 510, 520 Discharge target 521 Base 522 Porous body 523 Functional layer

JP 2009-045801 A

Claims (8)

A liquid ejection head for ejecting liquid onto an ejection object;
A cooling section for cooling the liquid before discharge;
And a heating unit that heats the discharge target.   The liquid ejection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the heating unit is disposed immediately below the liquid ejection head. The cooling unit is disposed at a position where the liquid before being supplied to the liquid discharge head can be cooled,
The liquid ejection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the liquid cooled by the cooling unit is supplied to the liquid ejection head.   The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cooling unit is disposed at a position where the liquid supplied to the liquid ejecting head can be cooled.   The liquid discharge apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising an unwinding unit and a winding unit that convey the discharge target object in a roll-to-roll manner.   6. The drying unit for drying the liquid ejected on the ejection target is disposed downstream of the liquid ejection head in a direction in which the ejection target is transported. 6. Liquid discharge device.   7. The heating mechanism additional pressure unit configured to pressurize the dried liquid while heating is disposed downstream of the liquid discharge head in a direction in which the discharge target is conveyed. Liquid ejection device.   The liquid discharge apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the discharge target is a porous body, and the liquid is a resin precursor solution.

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