JPH01168463A - Recorder - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent a ghost or the like from occurring, by a method wherein in the case that an ink image is not completely transferred to a medium to be recorded, the ink image remaining on an intermediate transfer medium is removed by a cleaning means contact with the intermediate transfer medium. CONSTITUTION:A cleaning means 14 is so constructed that cleaning agent 15 comes in contact with a surface of an intermediate transfer roller 6 on the downstream side of a transfer position in the rotation direction of the intermediate transfer roller 6, and is composed of a rotatable cleaning agent transfer roller 14a and a rotatable cleaning agent coating roller 14b. A surface of the cleaning agent transfer roller 14 is preferably coarsened in order to raise the conveyance and carrying property of the cleaning agent 15. Further, when an ink image 2a'' is removed by bringing the cleaning agent 15 into contact with the intermediate transfer roller 6, a peripheral speed of the cleaning agent transfer roller 14a is preferably so set as to be made equal to or slightly slower than a peripheral speed of the intermediate transfer roller 6.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] <Industrial application field> The present invention relates to a recording device capable of recording at low cost.

<Prior art> Today, various types of information processing recording methods have been developed that can record on plain paper, such as impact printers, electrophotography, laser beam printers, and thermal transfer printers. ing.

Among these, thermal transfer type recording devices are widely used because they have low noise and can be miniaturized. This recording method uses an ink ribbon made by coating hot-melt ink on a base sheet, heats the ink ribbon in an image pattern with a recording head, and transfers the molten ink to recording paper. This method has the advantage that a relatively small-sized device is used and the cost of the device can be reduced.

<Problems to be Solved by the Invention> However, in the conventional thermal transfer method described above, when manufacturing an ink ribbon, it is necessary to apply heat-melting ink onto a heat-resistant base sheet in a complicated process. Furthermore, this ink ribbon is used only once for recording and has to be disposed of, which poses problems such as high running costs.

Means for Solving the Problems> Therefore, as a means for solving the above problems, the applicant has developed a method in which fluid ink is transferred in the form of a film using an ink transfer means, and a predetermined amount of energy is applied to this ink. A recording apparatus has been proposed that selectively applies pressure to form an ink image imparted with tackiness in an image pattern, and transfers this ink image onto a recording medium (Japanese Patent Application No. 175191/1984, etc.).

According to this recording device, there is no need to use an ink ribbon as in the conventional thermal transfer method, and only the ink that forms an ink image is transferred to the recording medium, and the ink that does not form an ink image can be repeatedly used. This is something that can be done.

The present invention further develops the recording device, and includes:
It is an object of the present invention to provide a recording device capable of recording a clear image without ghosts on a recording medium by removing residual ink after transfer.

For this purpose, the means according to the embodiments described below is a recording apparatus capable of transferring fluid ink to a recording medium in response to selective application of energy, and includes an ink transporting means for transporting the fluid ink. a coating means for supplying ink onto the ink transport means, and a coating means disposed downstream of the coating means in the direction of ink transport by the ink transport means, which applies energy to the ink transported by the ink transport means. energy applying means for selectively applying the energy; a transfer means for transferring the ink, the transfer characteristics of which have changed in response to the selective application of the energy, to a recording medium via an intermediate transfer medium; The present invention is characterized in that a cleaning means is provided for contacting the intermediate transfer medium and removing ink remaining on the intermediate transfer medium.

<Operation> According to the above means, an ink image with changed transfer characteristics is formed by transporting the fluid ink by the ink transporting means and applying energy to the ink according to an image signal. Predetermined recording is performed by transferring to a recording medium via an intermediate transfer medium.

Furthermore, if the ink image is not completely transferred from the intermediate transfer medium to the recording medium, the ink image remaining on the intermediate transfer medium is removed by the cleaning means in contact with the intermediate transfer medium, causing ghosts and the like. is prevented.

<Example> Next, an example of a recording apparatus to which the above means is applied will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional explanatory diagram of the recording device according to the first embodiment, and FIG.
The figure is a perspective explanatory view thereof.

First, to explain the general configuration of the whole, an ink transfer roller 1 serving as an ink transfer means is provided so as to be rotatable in the direction of the arrow (counterclockwise rotation direction) while transferring the fluid ink 2 contained in the ink reservoir 3. It is being

The ink 2 has fluid film-forming properties, and is substantially non-tacky under normal conditions, but becomes sticky when a predetermined energy, for example, electrical energy, etc. is applied. Therefore, when the ink transfer roller 1 rotates, the coating means 4 coats the surface of the ink transfer roller 1 with ink 2 to a constant thickness, and the ink 2 is transferred as the ink transfer roller 1 rotates.

The ink 2 formed in a certain layer on the surface of the ink transfer roller 1 is applied with electrical energy or the like in an image pattern by an energy application means 5 controlled by a control system, and this application of energy imparts tackiness to the ink 2. An ink image 2a is formed. This ink image 2a comes into contact with an intermediate transfer roller 6, which is an intermediate transfer medium, rotating in the direction of arrow B (clockwise direction) in FIG. 1, and is transferred onto the surface of the roller 6.

The ink image 2a transferred to the intermediate transfer roller 6 is transferred to a transfer roller 7 constituting a transfer means provided in pressure contact with the intermediate transfer roller 6 and rotatable in the direction of arrow C (counterclockwise direction) in FIG. The recording paper 8 on which a predetermined image has been recorded is transferred to a recording medium (for example, plain paper, plastic sheet, etc., hereinafter referred to as r recording paper j) 8 that is conveyed between intermediate transfer rollers 6 and conveyed between a pair of conveying rollers 9a. ~9d, and is conveyed in a U-turn and discharged in the direction of the arrow (to the left in FIG. 1).

On the other hand, the ink 2 that has not been transferred to the intermediate transfer roller 6 is stored again in the ink reservoir 3 as the ink transfer roller 1 rotates and is used again.

Further, the remaining ink image 2a'' that has not been transferred from the intermediate transfer roller 6 to the recording paper 8 comes into contact with the cleaning agent 15 coated on the surface of the cleaning agent transfer roller 14a constituting the cleaning means 14, and the remaining ink image 2a'' is transferred to the intermediate transfer roller 6. removed from above.

Next, the configuration of each part of the recording apparatus will be explained in detail.

First, the ink transfer roller l is made of a material that can transfer fluid ink 2, which will be described later, by forming a layer on its surface.
In this embodiment, a conductive member made of metal such as stainless steel, aluminum, or iron is formed into a cylindrical shape with an outer diameter of approximately 40 mm, and is configured to be rotatable at a constant speed in the direction of arrow A. ing.

The surface of the ink transport roller 1 made of the above-mentioned material may be a smooth surface for transporting the fluid ink 2.

It is preferable that the surface be appropriately roughened in order to further improve the supporting property.

Next, the fluid ink 2 transferred by the ink transfer roller 1 will be explained. This ink 2 has a fluid film forming property in which it flows under the application of a certain external force and forms an ink film. As the ink transfer roller 1 rotates, an ink layer is formed on the surface of the roller 1 and is transferred.

Further, it is preferable that the ink 2 has a property of being able to restore its adhesiveness over time after being cut by an external force. That is, it is preferable that the ink lumps have a property such that when they come into contact with each other, the interface disappears and they become one piece.

The ink 2 having the above-mentioned properties is an ink having a gel state in a broad sense in which the solvent is retained by a cross-linked structure substance, for example, Japanese Patent Application No. 175191/1988, which the applicant previously filed.
The inks described in No. 62-131586 or the like are preferred.

Such ink 2 has fluid film-forming properties, but has a property of being substantially sticky, and becomes sticky when electrical energy or the like is applied thereto. Note that the "adhesiveness j" herein refers to selective adhesion, and when the ink 2 is brought into contact with an object such as the intermediate transfer roller 6, a part of the ink 2 separates from the entire ink and adheres to the object. It doesn't matter whether the ink is sticky or not.

Therefore, when the ink layer formed on the surface of the ink transfer roller l is not applied with energy, even if the ink 2 comes into contact with another medium, for example, the intermediate transfer roller 6, the ink layer is not applied to the intermediate transfer roller 6. is not substantially transferred. This is considered to be because the gel-like ink is not transferred to the intermediate transfer roller 6 because the solvent is held in a crosslinked structure (except for a small amount of the solvent).

On the other hand, when electric energy or the like is applied to the gel-like ink, it is thought that the crosslinked structure changes, thereby imparting tackiness in accordance with the energy application.

Further, when the ink 2 is coated on the ink transfer roller 1, it has properties as a plastic body, and conversely, after being applied with energy by the energy applying means 5, it becomes an elastic body between the time when it is applied to the intermediate transfer roller 6. It is preferable to have the following properties.

For this reason, the ink 2 of this embodiment preferably has a certain degree of viscoelasticity (complex elasticity having an elastic term and a viscous term).

The range of viscoelasticity is shown in FIG. 3(A), for example.

As shown in (B), ink 2 is coated with a diameter of 25 fins and a thickness of 2 cm.
■The sample is shown in the arrow direction (slip direction).
When a sine T with an angular velocity of 1 rad/sec is given to , and the stress σ and phase shift δ are detected to obtain G complex elastic moduli, Q*=σ/y=G'+iG'G': Storage Modulus of elasticity G': tJl Loss modulus A material having a ratio G'/G' between storage modulus G' and loss modulus G# of about 0.1 to 10 is preferably used.

In the complex modulus of elasticity, the value of G''/G' is 0.
When it is less than 1, the behavior as a plastic body is insufficient,
If the ink coating on the ink transfer roller 1 becomes insufficient and the value of G "/G" exceeds 10,
This is because the behavior as an elastic body is insufficient, and elastic recovery between the energy applying means 5 and the intermediate transfer roller 6 is insufficient.

The size of the sample and the method of applying distortion are values that are considered appropriate for the recording device.

In this example, the fluid ink 2 was composed of the following components.

Component A was uniformly dissolved while being heated to 80 to 90° C., and then component B was added and stirred to obtain gel-like ink 2.

Next, the coating means 4 is disposed upstream of the energy application means 5 in the rotational direction of the ink transport roller 1, and is for coating the surface of the ink transport roller 1 with the ink 2 in a constant thickness. It is. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, this coating means 4 is rotatably provided with a stainless steel coating roller 4 having an outer diameter of approximately 301 cm, and is rotated in the direction of arrow E (clockwise direction) in FIG. The ink 2 is coated on the surface of the ink transport roller 1 by means of the following steps.

Ink transport roller 1 by the coating roller 4
The layer thickness of the ink 2 formed on the surface of the ink 2 varies depending on the composition of the ink 2, the gap between the ink transfer roller 1 and the coating roller 4, the rotational speed of both, etc. At opposing ink transfer positions, about 0.1 to 5 mm, more preferably about 0.5 mm.
It is preferable that it is about 3■■.

In this embodiment, the circumferential speed of the ink transfer roller 1 is set to 20 m.
m/sec, and the peripheral speed of coating roller 4 is 24 am.
/sec, and the gap between them was set to 1.01, so that an ink layer having a layer weight of about 1.2 mm was formed on the surface of the ink transfer roller 1.

Next, we will explain the energy application means 5. Although it may be configured to selectively apply thermal energy to a conventional thermal device using a throat, in this embodiment, from the point of view of energy efficiency, a recording device consisting of a large number of electrodes is used. It is configured to apply electrical energy using the throat 5.

As shown in FIG. 4, the recording head 5 has a structure in which a plurality of electrodes 5b made of metal such as copper are arranged in a line on a base 5a made of an insulating material such as glass epoxy, alumina, or glass. , an insulating film 5C made of polyimide or the like is provided on a part other than the tip of the electrode 5b, that is, a part other than the part that contacts the ink 2, and an electrode element (exposed from the insulating film II) is provided on the tip. The tip of the electrode) 5d. As shown in FIG. 1, energy application by the recording head 5 is performed by energizing each electrode 5b in accordance with an image signal transmitted from the control system via a flexible signal cable 5e, thereby contacting the sovereign element 5d. Electric energy is applied to the layer of ink 2 by energizing the ink transfer roller l, which is grounded by a ground wire 10, through the layer of ink 2. Note that the electrode element 5
The portion d is preferably plated with gold, platinum, rhodium, or the like, and from the viewpoint of durability, platinum plating is more preferable.

Further, the recording head 5 is biased toward the ink transport roller 1 by a biasing means 11 so that the electrode element 5d reliably contacts the ink layer on the ink transport roller 1. That is, as shown in FIG. 1, the recording head 5 is attached such that its base portion is swingable about a shaft 11a, and its tip portion is moved in the direction of arrow F, that is, ink transport, by a pressing spring llb. The roller is urged in one direction with a constant urging force. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5, the electrode element 5d contacts the ink layer 2 with a biasing force f,
In addition, it penetrates the ink layer having viscoelasticity by a depth d. The biasing force r is the ink 2 to be used.
It may be set as appropriate depending on the viscoelastic properties of the ink layer, the thickness of the ink layer, the recording speed, the current supply conditions, etc., but if the amount of penetration is O~
It is preferable to set it to about 11 W, more preferably about 0 to 0.5 W, in order to further enhance the current-carrying effect.

In this embodiment, the recording head 5 having a length of 21 cm in the longitudinal direction is heated to a pressure of 30 g/cII (30X21=6
30g), and the penetration ld into the ink layer is 0.05~
It is set to be 0.1 mm.

Further, when the recording head 5 is urged in the direction of the ink transport roller 1 as described above, if the ink transport roller 1 is not coated with the ink 2, the electrode element 5d may directly contact the ink transport roller l. The electrode element 5
If d is chipped or if electricity is applied during recording, the electrode element 5
It is conceivable that an excessive current flows directly from the ink transfer roller 1 to the ink transfer roller 1, resulting in welding of the electrode element 5d or destruction of the electrode drive circuit. Therefore, in order to eliminate the above-mentioned inconvenience, it is preferable to provide a regulating means for preventing the recording head 5 from coming into direct contact with the ink transport roller 1.

In this embodiment, a stopper pin 12 is provided as a regulating means, and when an ink layer is not formed on the ink transport roller l, the recording head 5 is biased by a spring Ilb.
contacts the stomper pin 12 to prevent the electrode element 5d from directly contacting the ink transfer roller l. Specifically, the stopper pin 12 is arranged so that when the recording head 5 comes into contact with the stopper pin 12, the gap S between the surface of the ink transfer roller 1 and the tip of the recording head 5 is about 0.5 mm. ing.

Here, to explain the amount of through TL when recording is performed with the recording head 5 that accurately contacts the ink layer coated on the ink transport roller l by the urging means 11 and the regulating means 12, for example, the crosslinked structure of the ink 2 When a material made of polyvinyl alcohol crosslinked with boric acid ions is used, the amount of current required to cause the electrochemical change in the ink 2 may be sufficient. The amount of current is
For example, in thermal transfer, etc., the ink 2 becomes sticky by applying a low energy of about 1/1O compared to the amount of current applied when thermal energy is applied by a thermal head.

Next, the intermediate transfer roller 6 is used to transfer the ink image 2a that has been given adhesiveness by applying the energy, and in this embodiment, the stainless steel cylindrical member with an outer diameter of 3011 is The surface of the ink transfer roller 1 and approximately 1.0
It is arranged above the ink transfer roller 1 with an interval of -1.2 m maintained, contacts the ink layer coated on the ink transfer roller 1, and is configured to be rotatable in the direction of arrow B by a driving means. .

The material constituting the surface of the intermediate transfer roller 6 is as follows:
Although it is possible to use a material similar to the material forming the surface of the ink transfer roller 1, the surface of the intermediate transfer roller 6 may be coated with chrome plating or the like, or made of silicone resin, fluororesin, polyethylene resin, etc. It is preferable to improve smoothness, stain resistance, or ease of cleaning by coating. Furthermore, in order to improve the transferability of the ink 2 at the ink transfer position, the surface of the intermediate transfer roller 6 is coated with the ink transfer roller 1.
It is preferable that the surface be smoother than the surface of the surface.

Next, the transfer roller 7 constitutes a transfer means for transferring the ink image 2a transferred and formed on the intermediate transfer roller 6 to the recording paper 8, and in this embodiment, the transfer roller 7 is formed on a metal shaft. A transfer roller 7 made of nitrile rubber, silicone rubber, etc. formed into a cylindrical shape is pressed against the intermediate transfer roller 6 with a pressing force of about 0.1 to 5 kgf/cm by a spring or the like (not shown). As the transfer roller 6 rotates, it rotates in the direction of the arrow C, and conveys the recording paper 8 in the direction of the arrow in cooperation with the intermediate transfer roller 6.
The ink image 2a formed on the intermediate transfer roller 6 is configured to be transferred onto the recording paper 8.

As shown in FIG. 1, the recording paper 8 is transported by conveying rollers 9a,
After the ink image 2a is transferred at the transfer position, the guide members 16a, 16b and the conveyance roller It is configured to be conveyed in a U-turn in the direction of the arrow by 9c and 9d.
Reference numeral 13 in FIG. 1 is a registration sensor consisting of a light emitting element 13a and a light receiving element 13b, which detects the recording paper 8 being conveyed.

Next, as shown in FIG. 1, the cleaning means 14 is configured such that a cleaning agent 15, which will be described later, comes into contact with the surface of the intermediate transfer roller 6 on the downstream side in the rotational direction of the intermediate transfer roller 6 from the transfer position. There is.

This cleaning means 14 is rotatable in the direction of arrow G (counterclockwise) in FIG.
The cleaning agent coating roller 14b is rotatable in the direction of arrow H (clockwise direction) to coat the surface of the cleaning agent 15 with the cleaning agent 15. That is,
By rotating the rollers 14a and 14b, the surface of the roller 14a is coated with a cleaning agent 15 at a constant thickness, and the layer of the cleaning agent 15 comes into contact with the intermediate transfer roller 6.

The material of the rollers 14a, 14)) is not particularly limited, but the cleaning agent transfer roller 14a
It is preferable that the surface of the cleaning agent 15 be appropriately roughened in order to further enhance the conveyance and support properties of the cleaning agent 15.

Further, when the cleaning agent 15 is brought into contact with the intermediate transfer roller 6 to remove the ink image 2a#, it is preferable to set the peripheral speed of the cleaning agent transfer roller 14a to be equal to or slightly slower than the peripheral speed of the intermediate transfer roller 6. .

The layer thickness of the cleaning agent 15 to be coated varies depending on the gap between the intermediate transfer roller 6 and the cleaning agent transfer roller 14a, the material of the cleaning agent 15, etc.
Approximately 0.5 at the cleaning agent contact position facing the
It is preferable to set the temperature to about 3 am.

In this embodiment, the cleaning agent transfer roller 14a
As the cleaning agent coating roller 14b, a stainless steel roller with an outer diameter of 25 mm is used.
A zero dragon stainless steel roller was used.

Further, the gap between the rollers 14a and 14b is set to 1.0 m, and the cleaning agent transfer roller 14a is moved at a circumferential speed of 20 m.
a/sec in the direction of arrow G, and the cleaning agent coating roller 14b is rotated in the direction of arrow H at a circumferential speed of 24 mm/sec to coat the surface of the roller 14a with NU 1.2.
11 was coated with cleaning agent 15. Furthermore, by setting the gap between the cleaning agent transfer roller 14a and the intermediate transfer roller 6 to 0.7-
The coated cleaning agent 15 is configured to reliably contact the intermediate transfer roller 6.

Here, the cleaning agent 15 will be explained. The fluid ink 2 described above may be used as it is, but when the ink 2 is used as the cleaning agent 15, an electrolyte such as potassium iodide, carbon black, etc. There is no need to incorporate colorants.

In this example, the cleaning agent 15 was composed of the following components.

(Hereinafter, blank space) After uniformly mixing the C component while heating it to 80 to 90° C., the D component was added and stirred to obtain a gel-like cleaning agent 15.

The cleaning agent 15 is non-adhesive to the intermediate transfer roller 6 and removes the ink image 2a' remaining on the intermediate transfer roller 6.
is something that has the property of being easy to adhere to.

Next, a control system for driving each member of the recording apparatus will be briefly explained.

As shown in FIG. 6, this control system includes a CPU 20a such as a microprocessor, a ROM 20b storing control programs and various data for the CPU 20a, and a CPU 20a such as a microprocessor.
A control unit 20, which is used as a work area for the PU 20a and includes a RAM 20c for temporarily storing various data, etc., an interface 21, an operation panel 22, each motor (an ink transfer roller drive motor 23, a coating roller drive motor 24, intermediate transfer roller drive motor 25, conveyance roller drive conveyance motor 2
6. Cleaning agent transfer roller drive motor 27, cleaning agent coating roller drive motor 28)
It consists of a driver 29 for driving the recording head, and a driver 30 for driving the recording head.

The control section 20 receives various information (for example, recording density, number of recording sheets,
(recorded size, etc.), and a signal from the registration sensor 13 and an image signal from the external device 31 are input. Further, the control unit 20 controls motor ON/OFF for driving each motor 23 to 28 via an interface 21.
A signal and an image signal are output, and each member is driven by the signal.

Next, the operation of recording using the recording apparatus having the above configuration will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 7.

When the recording start signal is input using the recording start switch, etc. (
S 1 ), each motor 23 to 28 drives the ink transfer roller l, coating roller 4, and intermediate transfer roller 6.
, transport rollers 9a to 9d, cleaning agent transport roller 1
4a, the cleaning agent coating roller 14b is rotated in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 1 to coat the ink layer on the ink transfer roller 1 and convey the recording paper 8 (32 to S7).

Next, when the leading edge of the recording paper 8 comes to the position of the registration sensor 13, the conveyance of the recording paper 8 is temporarily stopped (S8, S9).

Then, the recording head 5 is energized for recording according to the image signal to form an ink image 2a on the ink layer, and at the same time as the image is formed, the tip of the ink image 2a is transferred to the intermediate transfer roller 5.
When reaching the pressure contact area between the roller 6 and the transfer roller 7, move the recording paper 8 so that the leading edge of the recording paper 8 reaches the pressure contact area.
are synchronously conveyed, and the ink image 2a is transferred onto the recording paper 8 (310.5 ll).

One page is recorded by the above steps, and if there is a next page to be recorded, the process returns to step 8 to continue recording from the next page onwards. When the recording is completed, the operation of the recording head is stopped and the ink image is transferred to the recording paper. 8, the driving of each motor 23-26 is stopped (312-514).

To explain the recording process in more detail, when the coating roller 4 rotates in the direction of arrow E while the ink transport roller 1 rotates in the direction of arrow A, the fluid ink 2 forms a layer on the surface of the ink transport roller 1. coated,
The ink is transferred as the ink transfer roller 1 rotates.

The transferred ink 2 is transferred to the recording head 5.
At the energy application position in contact with the recording head 5 controlled by the control system, a patterned voltage according to the image signal, +15V in this embodiment, is applied, and in response, current flows from the electrode element 5d to the ink. The crosslinked structure of the ink 2 is changed by an electrochemical reaction in the ink 2, and an ink image 2a in which selective tackiness is imparted to the ink 2 is formed.

The selectively adhesive ink image 2a is further transported in the six directions of arrows from the contact portion of the recording head 5, and when this ink image 2a contacts the intermediate transfer roller 6, it moves in the direction of arrow B based on the adhesiveness described above. The ink is transferred and developed onto an intermediate transfer roller 6 that rotates in the direction, and an ink image 2a is formed on the surface of the roller 6.

The ink image 2a transferred onto the intermediate transfer roller 6 is
The ink image is conveyed as the roller 6 rotates, comes into pressure contact with the recording paper 8 conveyed to the ink image transfer position, and is transferred onto the recording paper 8. Furthermore, the recording paper 8 on which the ink image 2a has been transferred and recorded is discharged in the direction of the arrow. If the ink image 2a is not sufficiently fixed, a known fixing means such as heating or pressure may be provided on the downstream side of the ink image transfer position on the recording paper 8.

On the other hand, of the ink 2 transferred by the ink transfer roller 1, the ink in a portion to which no energy is applied and a portion 28' of the ink to which energy is applied on the surface of the ink are transferred to the intermediate transfer roller 6. The ink is conveyed in the six directions shown by the arrow without any movement, and is stored again in the ink reservoir 3 and reused.

Incidentally, even if the transfer development is not complete as described above, the undeveloped ink, that is, the ink 2a' remaining after development is stirred in the ink reservoir 3 and returns to a fluid ink without stickiness. Therefore, even if the ink 2 re-accommodated in the ink reservoir 3 is used repeatedly, ghosts and the like will not occur.

Further, when the ink image 2a is not completely transferred from the intermediate transfer roller 6 to the recording paper 8, the ink image 2a' remaining on the intermediate transfer roller 6 comes into contact with the cleaning agent 15 coated on the surface of the cleaning agent transfer roller 14a. , adheres to the cleaning agent 15 and transfers it to the intermediate transfer roller 6.
removed from Therefore, the recording paper 8 is not stained by the residual ink image 2a''.

As mentioned above, in the recording apparatus of this embodiment, predetermined recording is performed by imparting tackiness to the fluid ink 2 through the electrochemical action of energization. It becomes possible to record on plain paper etc. without waste.

In addition, since the ink using the crosslinked structure described in 1r■ does not require chemical coloring, it has a higher image quality than a generally known electrochemical recording method, that is, an electrolytic recording method that develops color based on an oxidation-reduction reaction caused by energization. It is possible to record with excellent stability and durability.

Furthermore, the conductivity of the ink 2 is imparted by ionic conduction, and since a wide range of ionic substances (the solution of which is transparent) can be used as an electrolyte for this purpose, ink of any color can be created using dyes and pigments. It is something that can be easily obtained.

Furthermore, the ink image 2a'' remaining on the intermediate transfer roller 6 is also removed.

Other Embodiments Next, other embodiments of each part in the above-mentioned embodiment will be described.

(+) Ink transporting means In the above-mentioned embodiment, the cylindrical ink transporting roller 1 was used as the ink transporting means, but a belt or sheet-like transporting member may also be used as the ink transporting means. May be used. This heald or sheet-like ink transport member may be fed out from one side and wound up from the other, but it is preferable to use it repeatedly by making it move endlessly.

Further, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the ink transport roller 1 was made of a conductive material, but as will be described later, when the roller l is not part of a current-carrying circuit, it is not necessary to make it of a conductive material, and resin, etc. It may be composed of an insulator.

(2) Fluid ink In the above embodiments, tackiness was imparted by applying energy, and an ink image was formed using the ink to which tackiness was imparted, but the ink portions to which no energy was applied Alternatively, the ink may be made to have adhesive properties, and an ink image may be formed using the ink in the areas to which no energy is applied.

(3) Coating means In the embodiment described above, the coating roller 4 was rotated in the direction of arrow E in FIG. 1, but the rotation direction may be set in the opposite direction. In this way, the thickness of the ink layer formed on the surface of the ink transport roller 1 can be made thinner than when rotating in the direction of arrow E.

Further, the coating means need not be limited to the roller-like type described above, and for example, a blade or the like may be used.

(4) Energy application means In the embodiment described above, when energizing the ink 2, the ink transfer roller 1 is energized from the recording head 5 through the ink 2. A current may be passed between them.

Furthermore, although the energy applying means described above applies electrical energy, it may also apply thermal energy. In this case, it is sufficient to apply Joule heat using a conventionally used thermal head, but if it is necessary to prevent electrochemical electrode reactions, the cycle is sufficiently fast compared to the signal application period. An alternating signal may be applied.

When forming an image by applying thermal energy as described above,
The remaining developed material that has not been transferred to the intermediate transfer roller 6 is cooled to be linked to restore the crosslinked structure and become reusable. ' Also, when electricity is applied to ink to generate heat, conventionally the ink contains conductive powder (often black) to give it conductivity (Japanese Patent Publication No. 59-40627), so the color of the ink In most cases, the ink is limited to black, whereas the ink 2 according to this embodiment is imparted with conductivity by ionic conduction as described above, and therefore, an ink of any color can be used.

(5) Intermediate transfer medium In the above-mentioned embodiment, the intermediate transfer roller 6 was used as the intermediate transfer medium, but like the ink transfer means, this also does not need to be roller-shaped to transfer a metal or plastic film in one direction. Alternatively, it may be used as an endless belt.

Further, the intermediate transfer medium is not only disposed at a constant interval from the ink transport roller 1, but may also be configured to apply pressure to the ink 2 on the ink transport roller 1, for example.

(6) Cleaning means In the above embodiment, the cleaning agent transfer roller 14
A is coated with the cleaning agent 15 by the coating roller 14b.As shown in FIG.
4c may be used to coat the surface of the roller 14a with the cleaning agent 15.

(7) Recording medium Examples of the recording medium include so-called plain paper, coated paper, etc.
Alternatively, a film made of plastic such as polyester or metal such as aluminum may be used.

<Effects of the Invention> As described above, the present invention forms an ink image by applying a predetermined energy to fluid ink.
There is no need for an ink sheet having a solid ink layer as in the past, making it possible to perform recording at extremely low running costs. In addition, if energy is applied by energizing, it becomes possible to record with about 1/10 the amount of energization compared to thermal transfer recording using a conventional thermal head, which reduces running costs in terms of energy consumption. I can do it.

Furthermore, even if the ink image is not completely transferred from the intermediate transfer medium to the recording medium, the ink image remaining on the intermediate transfer medium is removed by the cleaning means that is in contact with the intermediate transfer medium, thereby causing ghosts and the like. is to be prevented.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory cross-sectional view of a recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is an explanatory perspective view thereof, and FIG. 3 (A). (TI) is an explanatory diagram showing a method for measuring viscoelasticity, FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of the configuration of the recording head, FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of the contact state between the energized recording head and the ink layer, and FIG. 6 7 is a block diagram of the drive control system, FIG. 7 is a flowchart of operation, and No. 8 is an explanatory diagram of an embodiment in which cleaning agent is coated with a blade member. 1 is an ink transport roller, 2 is ink, 2a is an ink image,
3 is an ink reservoir, 4 is a coating roller, 5 is a recording head, 5a is a substrate, 5b is an electrode, 5C is an insulating film, 5d is an electrode element, 5e is a signal cable, 6 is an intermediate transfer roller,
7 is a transfer roller, 8 is recording paper, 9a, 9b, 9c, 9d
1 is a conveyance roller, 10 is a ground wire, 11 is a biasing means, 12
13 is a stopper pin, 13 is a resist sensor, 13a is a light emitting element, 13b is a light receiving element, 14 is a cleaning means, 14a is a cleaning agent transfer roller, 14b is a cleaning agent coating roller, 14c is a blade member,
15 is a cleaning agent, 16a and 16b are guide members,
20 is a control unit, 20a is a CPU, 20b is a ROM, 20
c is RAM, 21 is an interface, 22 is an operation panel, 23 to 28 are motors, 29.30 is a driver,
31 is an external device. Figure 1 Figure 3 (A) (B) Figure 4 Figure 8 Q

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) A recording device capable of transferring fluid ink to a recording medium in response to selective application of energy, comprising an ink transport means for transporting the fluid ink, and an ink transfer means onto the ink transport means. coating means for supplying the ink, and energy applying means disposed downstream of the coating means in the direction in which the ink is transferred by the ink transfer means, and for selectively applying energy to the ink transferred by the ink transfer means. a transfer means for transferring the ink, the transfer characteristics of which have changed in response to the selective application of the energy, to a recording medium via an intermediate transfer medium; A recording device comprising: a cleaning means for removing ink remaining on a transfer medium. (2) The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning means has a fluid cleaning agent in a portion that contacts the intermediate transfer medium.