JPH01182067A - Recording device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent the breakdown of an electrode drive circuit by an overcurrent by forming ink through application of a specified energy to liquid ink and controlling an applied energy value by using an energy application drive means so that said value is limited to a level below a specified value. CONSTITUTION:A patterned voltage, e.g., +15V is applied to transported ink 2 on an energy application position where the ink 2 comes into contact with a recording head 5, in accordance with a pixel signal from a recording head 5 controlled by a control system. As a result, an electric current runs to an ink transport roller 1 from an electrode element 5d through the ink 2, and the cross-linking structure of the ink 2 changes by electrochemical reaction in the ink. Subsequently, the ink 2 selectively becomes viscous to form an ink image 2a. Further, if a head electrode comes into contact with the ink transport roller 1 due to defective coating, etc., during energization, an overcurrent does not run.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] 〈Industry〉Second field of use〉 The present invention relates to a recording device capable of recording at low cost.

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

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 formed 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 present applicant has developed a method in which fluid ink is transported in layers by an ink transport means, and a predetermined amount of energy is applied to this ink. proposed a recording device that selectively applies an ink image with an image pattern of tackiness (=J), and transfers this ink image to a recording medium (Japanese Patent Application No. 1986-175). No. 91, etc.)D 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 is transferred to the recording medium. can be used repeatedly.

The present invention further develops the recording device, and includes:
The present invention provides a recording device capable of preventing excessive energy application from energy application means.

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 the fluid ink onto the ink transport means; and a coating means disposed downstream of the coating means in the direction in which the ink is transported by the ink transport means, and a coating means for supplying the fluid ink onto the ink transport means; an energy application means for selectively applying energy to the ink; 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; The present invention is characterized in that it is provided with an energy application drive means for limiting applied energy.

<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 corresponding to the image signal to the ink. Predetermined recording is performed by transferring it to a recording medium.

In addition, in the event that excessive energy is applied from the energy application means, the energy application drive means limits the applied energy value to a predetermined value or less, thereby preventing the energy application means from being destroyed. It is.

<Embodiment> Next, an embodiment of a recording apparatus to which the means described in "2" is applied will be described with reference to the drawings.

] [ff1iR A cross-sectional explanatory view of a recording device according to the first iR example, and a second item is a perspective explanatory view thereof.

First, to explain the general structure of the whole, an ink transfer roller 1 serving as an ink transfer means is housed in an ink reservoir 3.
i! It is provided so as to be rotatable in the six directions of arrows (counterclockwise direction) while transporting the L-dynamic ink 2.

The ink 2 has a fluid film-forming property, and usually has no tackiness substantially, but has the property of becoming tackiness when a predetermined energy such as electric energy is applied. Therefore, when the ink transfer roller l rotates,
The coating means 4 coats the surface of the ink transfer roller 1 with the ink 2 at a constant thickness, and the ink 2 is transferred as the I-roller 1 rotates.

The ink 2 formed in a certain layer on the surface of the ink transfer roller 1 is applied electrical energy or the like in an image pattern by an energy applying means 5 controlled by a control system.
−1 is given, and this energy (l given gives adhesiveness (=
An ink image 2a given by I is formed. This ink image 2
a is in contact with the intermediate transfer roller 6, which is an intermediate transfer medium rotating in the direction of arrow B (clockwise direction) in FIG.
transferred to the surface of

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, plus deck sheet, etc., hereinafter referred to as r recording paper j) 8 that is conveyed between the intermediate transfer rollers 6 and the recording medium 8 that is conveyed between the intermediate transfer rollers 6. It is discharged in the direction of the arrow (to the right in FIG. 1) by 9a and 9b.

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.

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

First, the ink transfer roller 1 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 has an outer diameter of about 40 mm.
It is formed into a cylindrical shape, and is configured to be driven and rotatable in the direction of arrow A at a - constant speed.

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 to use an ink 2 that 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 adhesion J mentioned here 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 if the whole ink is messed up or not.

Therefore, when the ink layer formed on the surface of the ink transfer roller 1 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 in the case of Kel-like ink, the solvent is held in a crosslinked structure (except for a small amount of solvent), so that the ink is not transferred to the intermediate transfer "1q--ra6."

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 corresponding to 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 that it has 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 has a diameter of 25 mm and a thickness of 2
A sample I11 is given a sinusoidal strain T at an angular velocity of 1 rad/sec in the direction of the arrow shown (slip direction), and the stress σ and phase shift δ are detected to determine the complex tensile strength G*
When calculating G*-σ/γ3G'+iG" -I O- G': Storage modulus G": Loss modulus Difference between storage modulus G' and loss modulus G"C,"/ The value of G' is approximately 0.
Those having a value of 1 to 10 are preferably used.

In the complex modulus of elasticity, the value of G''/G' is 0.1
If the value of G″/G′ exceeds 10, the behavior as a plastic body will be insufficient, resulting in insufficient ink coating on the ink transfer roller 1, and if the value of G″/G′ exceeds 10, the behavior as an elastic body will be insufficient. This is because elastic recovery between the energy applying means 5 and the intermediate transfer roller 6 becomes 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.

(Hereinafter, blank spaces) Component A was uniformly dissolved while heating 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 arranged 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 constructed by rotatably providing a stainless steel coating roller 4 having an outer diameter of about 30 mm, and rotating it in the direction of arrow E (clockwise direction) in FIG. The surface of the ink transfer roller 1 is coated with ink 2.

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. About 0.1 to 5 fins, more preferably about 0.5 to 5 fins at opposing ink transfer locations.
It is preferably about 3 mm.

In this embodiment, the circumferential speed of the ink transfer roller 1 is 20/sec, and the circumferential speed of the coating roller 4 is 24+u+.
The ink layer having a layer thickness t of about 1.2 mm was formed on the surface of the ink transfer roller 1 by setting the gap between the two rollers to 1.0 mm.

Next, the energy application means 5 will be explained. Although it may be possible to selectively apply thermal energy using a conventional thermal head, in this embodiment, from the point of view of energy efficiency, the recording head 5 is composed of a large number of electrodes. It is configured to apply electrical energy using the

As shown in FIG. 4, the recording head 5 has a structure in which a plurality of electrodes 5b made of a metal such as copper are arranged in a row 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 (the electrode tip exposed from the insulating film) is provided at the tip. part) 5 d. As shown in FIG. 1, the energy efficiency of the recording head 5 is determined by energizing the individual electrodes 5b in accordance with the image signal transmitted from the control system via the flexible signal cable 5e, thereby making contact with the electrode 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, in the recording head 5, the base portion of the recording head 5 is attached so as to be able to swing around a shaft 11a, and the head tip portion is moved in the direction of arrow F, that is, ink by the pressing spring llb. The transfer 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, and penetrates into the viscoelastic ink layer by a depth d. The biasing force f may be appropriately set depending on the viscoelastic characteristics of the ink 2 used, the thickness of the ink layer, the recording speed, the current supply conditions, etc., but if the penetration amount is about 0=1 mm, more preferably about 0= It is preferable to set the thickness to 0.5 mm in order to further enhance the energizing effect.

In this embodiment, the number of electrodes 5b is 1728, and the number of electrodes 5b is 2 in the longitudinal direction.
Press the 1cm recording head 5 with the spring 11. 30 by b
g/cm (30X 21 = 630g)
The penetration ff1d into the ink layer is 0.05 to 0.1 m.
It is set to be m.

A drive circuit for controlling the amount of current applied to the ink 2 by the recording head 5 is constructed as shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 6, the electrodes 5b of the recording head 5 are energized via the electrode drive circuit 15 based on data from the shift register 12.

The shift register 12 sequentially shifts the serial recording data using a transfer pulse and transfers it to the register corresponding to the number of the 1728 electrodes 5b, holds the data for the time required to record one line, and transfers the data for each electrode. selectively drives the electrode drive circuit 15 of.

Further, the electrode drive circuit 15 is connected to each electrode 5b, respectively. In its configuration, a resistor R1 is connected between the output terminal of the shift register 12 and the base of the transistor Tr, and a resistor R2 is connected between the collector of the transistor Tr and the base of the output transistor Trz. Furthermore, power supply ■. A Zener diode D2 is connected between the base of the output transistor Tr2 and the output transistor Tr2, a resistor R3 is connected between the power source 9 and the emitter of the output transistor Tr2, and an electrode 5b is connected to the collector of the transistor Tr.

When the output of I'H4 is output from the output terminal of the shift register 12, the electrode drive circuit 15 operates to drive the transistors Tr,
is ONL, the hess voltage of the output transistor Tr2 is the potential ■2 minutes regulated by the Zener diode D2, and the power supply voltage ■. As a result, the output transistor T
r2 is ONL, and current flows from the electrode 5b to the ink transfer roller 1 via the ink layer. Since the current value I at this time is regulated by the Zener diode D2,
The current value 1”-(VZ VIIE) made constant by the resistor R3 and the base-emitter voltage ■I]F
/ R, l.

Therefore, even if the electrode 5b comes into direct contact with the ink transfer roller 1 due to defective ink coating on the ink transfer roller 1, the current value (2) flowing from the output transistor Tr2 is the constant current value, No excessive current will flow.

With this, even if the electrode 5+) comes into contact with the ink transport roller 1, there is no risk of the output transistor T r 2 being destroyed, and the electrode drive circuit 15 is protected. In this embodiment, the current value (2) is set to be approximately 100 μA.

Here, when recording is performed by energizing the ink layer coated on the ink transfer roller 1 from the rad 5 to the recording, the amount of current applied is determined by, for example, polyvinyl alcohol being crosslinked with borate ions as the crosslinking structure material of the ink 2. When using an ink, the amount of current required to cause an electrochemical change in the ink 2 may be sufficient. The amount of current applied is about 1/10 of the amount of current applied when heat energy is applied by a thermal held in thermal transfer, etc. By applying a low energy, the ink 2 becomes sticky.

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 intermediate transfer roller 6 is a stainless steel cylindrical member with an outer diameter of 301. The surface of the ink transfer roller 1 and approximately 1.0~
It is arranged above the ink transport roller 1 with a distance of 1.2 mm, contacts the ink layer coated on the ink transport 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 plated 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 to make the surface smoother than that 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, it is a metal support. Second, the transfer roller 7 made of nitrile rubber or silicone rubber or the like is pressed into contact with the intermediate transfer roller 6 with a pressing force of about 0.1 to 5 kgf/cm using springs or the like (not shown). With the rotation of the intermediate transfer roller 6, the recording paper 8 is driven to rotate in the direction of the arrow C, and the recording paper 8 is conveyed in the direction of the arrow C by cooperation with the intermediate transfer roller 6, and the recording paper 8 is formed on the intermediate transfer roller 6. It is configured to transfer the ink image 2a onto the recording paper 8.

In FIG. 1, reference numerals 9a, 9b, 9c, and 9d are conveyance ports which convey the recording paper 8 in accordance with the recording operation. Reference numeral 13 denotes a registration sensor consisting of a light emitting element 13a and a light receiving element 13b, which detects the recording paper 8 being conveyed. Further, reference numeral 14 denotes a cleaning means provided so as to contact the surface of the intermediate transfer roller 6 with felt or the like on the downstream side in the rotational direction of the intermediate transfer roller 6 than the pressure contact position of the transfer roller 7. This is to remove the remaining ink from the intermediate transfer roller 6 when the remaining ink is generated during transfer onto the paper 8 .

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

As shown in FIG. 7, 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), and a driver 28 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 29 are input. Further, the control unit 20 controls motor ON/OFF for driving each motor 23 to 2G via an interface 21.
A signal and a picture image 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. 8.

When the recording start signal is input using the recording start switch, etc. (
31), each motor 23 to 26 is driven to rotate the ink transfer roller 1, coating roller 4, intermediate transfer roller 6, and conveyance roller 9a to 9d in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 1, respectively;
An ink layer is coated on the ink transport roller 1, and the recording paper 8 is transported (32 to S5).

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 (S6, S7).

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 formation, 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 (S8 and S9).

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, a patterned voltage corresponding to the image signal, +15V in this embodiment, is applied from the recording head 5 controlled by the control system, and in response, current is applied 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. Note that, during this energization, even if the head electrode and the ink transfer roller 1 come into contact due to defective coating or the like, an excessive current will not flow as described above.

The selectively adhesive ink image 2a is further transported in the direction of arrow A from the contact portion of the recording head 5, and when this ink image 2a comes into contact with 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 portion of the ink to which no energy is applied and the portion 2a' 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 direction of the arrow A without being stopped, 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.

One page is recorded by the above process (SIO), and if there is a next page to be recorded, the process returns to step 6 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 is transferred to the recording paper 8, the driving of each motor 23 to 26 is stopped (811 to
S]3).

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 does not require chemical coloring, the image is more stable than the generally known electrochemical recording method, that is, the electrolytic recording method that develops color based on the oxidation-reduction reaction caused by electricity. It can record with excellent durability 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 can be easily obtained.

Furthermore, even if the electrode 5b of the recording head 5 and the ink transport roller 1 come into direct contact during recording, an excessive current will not flow, making it possible to protect the recording spatula 5 at low cost.

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

(1) Ink transport means In the first embodiment described above, an example was shown in which a cylindrical ink transport roller 1 was used as the ink transport means, but a belt or sheet-like transport may also be used as the ink transport means. You may use a member. This heald or sheet-like ink transport member may be fed out from one side and wound up from the other, but by making it move endlessly,
It is preferable to use it repeatedly.

Further, in the first embodiment described above, the ink transfer roller l was made of a conductive material, but as will be described later, if the roller 1 is not part of an energizing circuit, it is not necessary to make it of a conductive material. It may also be made of an insulator such as resin.

(2) Fluid ink In the first embodiment described above, tackiness is imparted by applying energy, and the tackiness is (((The applied ink was used to form an ink image. It is also possible to make the ink portions where the ink was not present sticky and form an ink image using the ink in the portions where the energy is applied.

(3) Coating means In the first 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-shaped one described above, and for example, a plate or the like may be used.

(4) Energy application means In the first embodiment described above, when the ink 2 is energized, the ink transfer roller 1 is energized from the recording pad 5 through the ink 2. 5
A current may also be passed between the terminals b.

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, it is necessary to A fast alternating signal may be applied.

=27- 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.

In addition, when electricity is applied to ink to generate heat, conventionally the ink contains conductive powder (mostly black) to give it conductivity (Japanese Patent Publication No. 59-40627). In most cases, the ink is limited to black, but since the ink 2 according to this embodiment is imparted with conductivity through ionic conduction as described above, an ink of any color can be used.

(5) Energy application drive section In the first embodiment described above, the constant voltage drive circuit was constructed by the Zener diode D2, but as shown in FIG. 9, a resistor R6 is connected in place of the Zener diode D2, and an output transistor A current limiting resistor R5 is installed at the output terminal of Trz.
may be connected in series. In this way, the electrode 5b
The collector current of the output transistor T r 2 when it is in direct contact with the ink transfer roller 1 . is approximately Vo/Rs
becomes. Therefore, by setting the current limiting resistor R3 so that the current IC is equal to or less than the maximum rating of the output transistor Trz, it is possible to prevent the output transistor Trz from being destroyed.

In the configuration shown in FIG. 9, if the value of the current limiting resistor R3 is made small so that the limiting current value becomes approximately 100 times larger than the current value during normal recording, the normal The voltage drop due to the current limiting resistor R5 during recording is the power supply voltage ■. It is negligible compared to .

In another embodiment, as shown in FIG. 10, the power source V.

A current limiting resistor R is connected between output 1 and the emitter of transistor Tr2.
8 may be connected to form a configuration. In this way, when the electrode 5b and the ink transport roller 1 come into direct contact during recording, the voltage drop due to the current limiting resistor R8 becomes large, and the output transistor Tr2 is substantially turned off. Therefore, if the maximum collector current of the output transistor Tr2 is IC, then the current limiting resistance value is R,
>VD/I.

You can set it to . In this case as well, as in the embodiment shown in FIG. 9, by setting the maximum collector current value 1c to be about 100 times larger than the current value during normal recording, the maximum collector current value 1c during normal recording can be reduced. The voltage drop due to the current resistance R3 can now be ignored.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 10, the number of current limiting resistors R5 can be smaller than the number of electrodes 5b.

That is, when the number of electrodes 5b is 1728, the shift register 12 is configured with, for example, 27 chips, which can control the output by dividing the output into 27 times per 64 bits. And power supply■
, 64 current-limiting resistors R5 are connected in parallel to the resistor R3, and the 64 drive circuits 15 of 1 chip that are output simultaneously are connected independently to the resistor R3, and the drive circuits 15 of the other 26 chips are also connected to the 64 Connect similarly to the current limiting resistor R3.

With the configuration as described above, the drive circuit 15 connected to one current limiting resistor R5 is 27 circuits for 27cl+ip, and since each circuit is driven in a time-division manner, only one of them is always in operation. Only the circuit is included. Therefore, drive circuit 1
5, whereas 64 current limiting resistors R5 are sufficient.

(6) Intermediate transfer medium In the first embodiment described above, 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 a roller-like one to transfer a metal or plastic film in one direction. Alternatively, it may be used by converting it into Endless Hell I-.

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.

Further, as shown in FIG. 11, the ink may be directly transferred from the ink transport roller 1 to the recording paper 8 without providing an intermediate transfer medium.

(7) Cleaning means In the first embodiment described above, an example was shown in which the cleaning means 14 was provided in order to remove the remaining ink transferred to the recording paper 8 from the intermediate transfer roller 6. If the image 2a is completely transferred, it is not necessarily necessary to provide the cleaning means 14.

(8) 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, in the event that excessive energy is applied from the energy application means, the applied energy value is limited to a predetermined value or less by the energy application drive means. It is possible to prevent damage to the electrode drive circuit due to

[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). (B) is an explanatory diagram showing the method of measuring viscoelasticity, FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of the structure of the recording head, FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of the state of contact between the energized recording head and the ink layer, and FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of the structure of the electrode drive circuit, FIG. 7 is a block diagram of the drive control system, and FIG.
The figure is a flowchart of the operation, the ninth and tenth figures are explanatory diagrams of other embodiments of the electrode driving section, and FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram of an embodiment in which no intermediate transfer roller is provided. 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
10 is a conveyance roller, 10 is a ground wire, 11 is an urging means, a shift register, 13 is a registration sensor, 13a is a light emitting element, 13b is a light receiving element, 14 is a cleaning means, 15
20 is an electrode drive circuit, 20 is a control unit, 20a is a CPU, 20
b is ROM. 20c is a RAM, 21 is an interface, 22 is an operation panel, 23 to 26 are motors, 27 and 28 are drivers, and 29 is an external device.

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 transport means for transporting the fluid ink onto the ink transport means. a coating means for supplying fluid ink; and a coating means disposed downstream of the coating means in the direction of ink transport by the ink transport means, for selectively applying energy to the ink transported by the ink transport means. an energy application means; a transfer means for transferring the ink whose transfer characteristics have changed in response to the selective application of the energy to a recording medium; and an energy application driving means for limiting the applied energy from the energy application means. A recording device comprising: (2) The energy application means is constituted by a recording head capable of energizing the ink, and the energy application drive means is constituted by current limiting means for limiting the amount of current applied to the ink. The recording device according to item 1.