JPH0240513B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ink recording method and an ink recording apparatus that utilize the electroosmosis phenomenon of liquid ink to a dielectric material.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present inventor has made several proposals regarding recording methods and devices based on the above principles.

One of them is an image recording device proposed in Japanese Patent Application No. 113887/1987. This image recording device uses a recording head that electropenetrates liquid ink through a dielectric material in response to a signal voltage to form ink bumps. This is a recording method and apparatus in which the ink bulges are caused to fly and adhere to a recording medium such as paper using Coulomb force. This is a recording method and apparatus that uses electroosmosis to directly transfer and adhere ink raised on a recording head to a recording sheet to record and reproduce an ink image corresponding to a signal voltage.

Problems to be Solved by the Invention However, the recording apparatus described in Japanese Patent Application No. 113887/1987 requires a high voltage in order to generate Coulomb force that causes the ink to fly. Therefore, the recording device becomes complicated and expensive.

Furthermore, in the recording device described in Japanese Patent Application No. 130408/1980, since the recording head is brought into direct contact with the recording medium,
The recording head wears out due to friction with the recording medium, shortening its lifespan. Furthermore, since the raised ink is directly transferred to the recording medium by contact with the recording head, the ink is likely to diffuse into the recording medium due to capillary action, resulting in a decrease in resolution.

In view of this, it is an object of the present invention to provide a recording method and a recording apparatus that can record an ink image with good contrast and high resolution without abrasion of the head with a simple configuration that does not require the generation of high voltage. purpose.

Means for Solving the Problems The present invention provides an ink control transfer member having a pair of electrodes separated by a dielectric and each having at least a portion of the conductive portion exposed on the surface, in contact with liquid ink. , the amount of ink adhering to at least one of the electrodes at this wet edge, and further to the dielectric, is determined by determining the amount of ink adhering to at least one of the electrodes at this wet edge, and furthermore, to the dielectric, by controlling the amount of liquid ink that flows through the dielectric in response to a signal voltage applied between the electrodes. The control is performed by electroosmosis, and the wetted edge portion is moved to two-dimensionally control the amount of ink adhering to the surface of the ink control transfer body in response to the signal voltage. An ink recording method and an ink recording apparatus, characterized in that adhered ink is held on the surface of the ink control transfer body, transferred to the recording body, and an ink image corresponding to an applied signal voltage is recorded and reproduced on the recording body. It is in.

Here, liquid ink refers to a colored body in which dyes and pigments are dissolved or suspended in a liquid material together with necessary surfactants, charge control agents, binder materials, etc., and its form may be a solution or a colloid. , is defined as a fluid coloring material, whether in suspension form or not.

Electroosmosis is an electrokinetic phenomenon in which an interfacial electric double layer is created when a solid dielectric material and a liquid material are brought into contact, and the liquid material moves relative to the solid dielectric material in response to an applied voltage. It is a general term, and the solid dielectric material can be either non-porous or porous.

Function The present invention brings the ink control transfer body into contact with liquid ink to form a wetted edge, and applies a signal voltage between electrodes to control the amount of ink adhesion by electroosmosis, further forming a wetted edge. By moving the ink, transferring the attached ink to the recording medium, and performing recording, it is possible to record an ink image with good contrast and high resolution with a simple configuration.

Example Aspects of the invention will be described in detail with reference to Examples.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a perspective cross-sectional structure and a power supply system of an embodiment of an ink recording method and apparatus according to the present invention.

In the figure, 100 is an ink container which is an ink supply device, 200 is liquid ink, 300 is an ink control transfer body, 400 is a pressure roller, 500 is a recording sheet which is a recording medium such as paper on which ink is to be recorded, and 60
0 is the signal voltage source.

The ink control transfer body 300 is a cylindrical or cylindrical rotating body, and the liquid ink 200 is coated on the surface of the ink control transfer body 300.
a dielectric material 310 that electroosmoses the dielectric material 3;
10, and has an auxiliary electrode 320 that applies signal voltages V _B and V' _B from the signal voltage source 600 to the dielectric 310, and a transfer electrode 330, and has an auxiliary electrode 320 that is isolated by The ink is partially immersed to form a wetted edge 210 against the ink surface 201.

This wetted edge 210 is located on the ink control transfer body 3
The surface of the ink control transfer body 300 is relatively moved by means in the direction of the arrow in the figure 00.

The materials of the dielectric 310 and the liquid ink 200 are determined in consideration of the electroosmotic property of the liquid ink 200 with respect to the dielectric 310.

For example, when the dielectric 310 is a glass material such as soda glass or borosilicate glass, or a plastic material such as cellulose acetate, the liquid ink that exhibits good electroosmotic properties in the direction of the negative electrode with respect to the dielectric 310 is γ - Macrolex Blue-FR (Beyer A mixture of Macrolex Blue PR (manufactured by Bayer) for blue ink, Fat Yellow 3G (manufactured by Bayer) for yellow, and Oil Red 5303 for red. (manufactured by Arimoto Kagaku Co., Ltd.) and other dyes (oil dye) and pigments at a weight ratio of 1 to 4%.
Contaminated to a certain degree, it becomes oil-soluble.

Although the liquid ink 200 can be a water-based ink, it is more advantageous to use an oil-soluble ink because electrolysis tends to occur easily.

Note that, contrary to the above example, an organic solvent such as phenyltriethoxysilane or tetrahexyl silicate may be used instead of the liquid material in the above example to configure the liquid ink 200 that electroosmoses in the direction of the positive electrode. .

The dielectric 310 can also be formed into a columnar shape as shown in the figure or a cylindrical shape.

On this surface, an auxiliary electrode 320, a transfer electrode 330
can be deposited and etched into the desired shape. This auxiliary electrode 320
A signal voltage is applied between the auxiliary electrode 320 and the transfer electrode 300, and electroosmosis of the liquid ink 200 through the dielectric 310 causes the auxiliary electrode 320 and the transfer electrode 3 to
30, at least one of the dielectrics 310, i.e., the wetted edge 2 of the surface of the ink control transfer body 300;
The amount of ink adhesion in step 10 is controlled. In this case, the surface of the auxiliary electrode 320 is made ink repellent so as to substantially repel the liquid ink 200 used.
That is, it can be configured to be substantially oil-repellent (or water-repellent when the liquid ink 200 is an aqueous ink) with respect to the above-mentioned oil-based ink. On the other hand, the surface of the transfer electrode 330 is coated with the liquid ink 2 used.
The liquid ink 200 can be configured to be ink-philic, that is, to be substantially lipophilic to the oil-based ink of the above example (hydrophilic if the liquid ink 200 is water-based) so as to be well wetted by the liquid ink 200.

For example, lipophilic (water-repellent) conductors include copper and brass; oil-repellent (hydrophilic) conductors include:
There are chromium, nickel, zinc, etc. In addition to the above-mentioned oil-repellent conductors, there are transparent conductive films made of tin oxide, indium oxide, and solid solutions thereof.As insulating materials that are both oil- and water-repellent, for example, fluorine-based polymers are Spill prevention coating agent dissolved in a solvent-based solvent (e.g. Fluorado FC manufactured by 3M)
721 etc.).

The ink control transfer body 300 uses a column or cylindrical body made of borosilicate glass or cellulose acetate as the dielectric body 310, and has the above-mentioned ink-repellent conductor as an auxiliary electrode 320 on its surface.
It is preferable that the conductive portions are arranged at a rate of 3 to 8 lines/mm, and the width of the conductive portion is selected to be appropriately narrow, for example, about 50 to 25 μm, depending on the transfer electrode 330. In this case,
The auxiliary electrode 320 can be made of an ink-philic dielectric material as described above, or the surface of the auxiliary electrode 320 may be coated with a water-repellent and oil-repellent spill-preventing coating agent as described above, and the auxiliary electrode 320 portion is It can also be configured to be substantially ink repellent.

On the other hand, the transfer electrode 330 has an ink-philic conductor as described above and is attached to the middle of the auxiliary electrode 320, and the width of the conductive part is determined by considering the arrangement interval of the auxiliary electrode 320. , for example 130~
about 50 μm, therefore the above electrodes 320, 33
For example, the gap between the dielectric material 310 that separates the
It is desirable that the width of the conductive portion of the auxiliary electrode 320 is substantially narrower than the width of the transfer electrode 330 for controlling the amount of ink adhesion as in this example. Such selection is a preferred configuration for increasing the ink density during ink transfer recording.

Thus, as shown in the figure, the auxiliary electrodes 320 are commonly connected to the signal voltage source 600, and the on voltage V _B and the off voltage are selectively applied to the transfer electrodes 330 from the signal voltage source 600 via the brush electrodes 610 as signal voltages. Apply V′ _B. The operation will be described below by taking as an example the case where the liquid ink 200 is an oil-based ink that electro-osmoses in the direction of the negative electrode as described above.

In the figure, when the ink control transfer body 300 is rotated as shown, the liquid ink 200 adheres to the surface in contact with the liquid ink 200 in the ink container 100, but the part where the ink surface 201 and the surface of the transfer body 300 contact is the so-called wet edge 210
form.

At this wetted edge portion 210, the auxiliary electrode 3
20 is repelled by the liquid ink 200 due to its ink repellency and is difficult to adhere to. However, the transfer electrode 330
The liquid ink 200 is effectively adhered to the top due to its ink-philic property.

Now, as shown in the figure, when a positive on-voltage V _B is applied to the auxiliary electrode 320 as a signal voltage,
The liquid ink 200 deposited on the dielectric 310 and the transfer electrode 330 at this wetted edge 210
moves from the transfer electrode 330 side, which is a positive electrode, to the auxiliary electrode 320 side, which is a negative electrode, as illustrated by the arrow in the figure, due to electroosmosis through the surface of the dielectric 310. This moved liquid ink 200 is
It concentrates around the auxiliary electrode 320, but due to its ink repellency, it cannot remain on this auxiliary electrode 320, and it is exposed to the ink container 10 through the wetted edge 210.
Reflux into 0. Therefore, the transfer electrode 330 at the wetted edge 210 to which the on-voltage V _B is applied
The amount of liquid ink 200 adhered to the surface of the dielectric 310, that is, substantially the surface of the ink control transfer body 300, is determined by the amplitude of the on-voltage V _B applied, and
When V _B is pulsed, it is controlled to decrease in proportion to the product of amplitude and pulse width, and when these are large enough,
Adhesion of liquid ink 200 cannot occur.

On the other hand, as illustrated in the figure, in the wetted edge portion 210 where a negative on-voltage V _B ' is applied to the auxiliary electrode 320 as a signal voltage, the auxiliary electrode 320 side, which is a positive electrode, is placed on the transfer electrode 330, which is a negative electrode. The liquid ink 200 electroosmoses through the dielectric 310, and the amount of the ink 220 attached to the surface of the ink control transfer body 300 increases and is controlled to increase.

In this way, the ink control transfer body 3 is synchronized with the application of the off voltage V _B and the on voltage V' _B as signal voltages.
00, the wet edge 210 is relatively moved and scanned on the surface of the ink control transfer body 300, and the amount of attached ink 220 is controlled to decrease or increase depending on the signal voltages V _B and V' _B. will be done.

However, as the ink control transfer body 300 rotates, the ink 220 adhering to the surface of the transfer electrode 330 and furthermore the dielectric 310 may flow, deviate, or spread along the surface of the transfer body 300 due to its viscosity and gravity.

To prevent this, the arrangement spacing is approximately the same as that of the auxiliary electrode 320, for example, 3 to 8 electrodes/mm, and the width is 25 to 50 μm.
The insulating ink repellent agent 34, such as the above-mentioned fluorine-based polymer, is arranged in parallel grids as shown in the figure.
Apply 0. In this case, as shown in the figure, the ink repellent agent 340 can be further spread and applied to the surface of the dielectric 310.

In this way, the mesh 350 (indicated by diagonal lines) forming an independent part surrounded by the adjacent ink-repellent agent bands 340 and the adjacent ink-repellent auxiliary electrodes 320 forms one pixel, and this independent part (If the ink repellent agent 340 is applied to the surface of the dielectric 310, it is limited to the surface of the transfer electrode 330.)
When in contact with the wetted edge 210, the amount of deposited ink 220 is controlled in relation to V _B and V _B ', and the rotation of the ink control transfer body 300 causes the wetted edge 21
0, due to the ink repellency of the surroundings, the above-mentioned outflow, deviation, and diffusion are confined within the mesh 350 forming the independent part, and no outflow or diffusion to other meshes can occur. Therefore, even if V _B and V _B ' are applied, the electroosmosis of the adhered ink 220 is limited to the inside of the mesh 350, and the amount of the adhered ink 220 within the mesh 350, that is, on the surface of the transfer body 300, is limited to the wetting edge. It is determined by V _B and V _B ' at the end portion 210, and once it leaves that point, it becomes impossible to control it.

In this way, by rotating the ink control transfer body 300, the amount of ink 220 deposited within the mesh 350 forming the independent portion is fixed line-sequentially according to the signal voltages V _B and V _B ', and the ink is The amount of ink adhering to the surface of the control transfer body 300 is two-dimensionally controlled. This controlled adhesion ink 220 is transferred to the recording sheet 500 via the pressure roller 400, and an ink image is recorded and reproduced by this transfer ink 230 in accordance with the signal voltage applied to the surface of the recording sheet 500. .

Normally, the maximum amplitude of the off-voltage V _B is about 2 V per 1 μm of the distance between the auxiliary electrode 320 and the transfer electrode 330, that is, the width of the intervening dielectric 310, due to the dielectric strength of the liquid ink 200 used. is appropriate, and the maximum voltage is low, a few hundred volts. In this voltage range, amplitude modulation, pulse width modulation, and pulse width amplitude modulation can be performed to perform not only on/off recording but also halftone recording.

On the other hand, the off-voltage V _B ' is also modulated in the same manner as described above, and the amount of deposited ink 220 can be controlled to increase. In this case, an excessive voltage V _B ' is applied, and in order to avoid disturbance of the liquid ink 200 due to electroosmosis at the wetted edge 210, for example, about 1/10 of the maximum amplitude of V _B
It is possible to stabilize the operation by setting a constant voltage with a certain amplitude to a level that promotes natural adhesion of the liquid ink 200 due to wetting on the wetted edge portion 210.

In this case, if the ink adhesion at the wetted edge portion 210 is sufficient, the amplitude of the on-voltage V _B ' can be set to zero, thereby simplifying the circuit configuration of the signal voltage source 600.

In addition, in order to perform stable and good recording, V _B ,
It is desirable to rotate the transfer body 300 in synchronization with the signal voltage so that V _B ' is applied at a timing when the mesh 350 forming the independent portion is correctly positioned at the wetted edge portion 210.

However, if a sufficiently large on-voltage V _B is always applied so that there is no adhered ink 220 within the mesh 350 forming the independent portion, and an off-voltage V _B ' is applied only when recording is required. , clear ink images can be recorded without much consideration of the above-mentioned synchronization. Note that the transfer electrode 330 is replaced by the auxiliary electrode 32.
If the dielectric material 310 is made thin like 0 and made substantially ink repellent, the amount of ink adhering to the surface of the dielectric material 310 can be controlled to be reduced by applying a signal voltage regardless of polarity, and ink recording can be performed easily as well. .

Further, in this example, an auxiliary electrode 320, a transfer electrode 330, and an ink repellent agent 340 are provided on the cylinder and the cylindrical dielectric material.
were installed to configure the ink control transfer body 300, but the auxiliary electrode 320, the transfer electrode 330, the dielectric body 3
10 is a disk or donut-shaped plate each having a predetermined thickness, and a plurality of these plates can be bonded together to form a cylindrical or cylindrical ink control transfer body 300.

Particularly when the ink control transfer body 300 is formed in a cylindrical shape in this manner, power can be supplied to the auxiliary electrode 320 and the transfer electrode 330 from inside the cylinder using a brush electrode.

As explained above, according to the embodiment shown in FIG.
Since the image is transferred in contact with the recording sheet 500, there is no need to generate Coulomb force. Therefore, the device becomes simple.

Further, since the ink control roller 300 contacts the recording sheet 500 by rotating the ink control roller 300, the friction with the recording sheet 500 is small. Therefore, the wear of the ink roller 300 is reduced, and its lifespan is extended. Furthermore, since only the necessary amount of ink is placed on the ink control roller, the liquid ink 200 is placed on the recording sheet 500.
There is also little extra diffusion into the image, and a decrease in resolution can also be suppressed.

FIG. 2 is a perspective partial sectional view of another embodiment of the ink recording method and apparatus according to the present invention.

This embodiment is for improving the ink recording density in FIG. 1, and shows an example of a plate-shaped ink control transfer body.

The dielectric 310 is plate-shaped, and an ink-repellent auxiliary electrode 3 is disposed on its surface, as shown in FIG.
20, an ink-friendly transfer electrode 330 and an ink-repellent agent 340 are installed.

In this embodiment, in order to improve the ink density when recording with ink on the recording sheet 500, the transfer electrodes 330 in each mesh 350 have a depth of 10 mm.
A dot-shaped depression 360 of about 40 μm is provided.
The recessed portion 360 may penetrate through the transfer electrode 330 and penetrate into the dielectric 310, or the conductive portion of the transfer electrode 330 may be adhered to the wall surface of the recessed portion 360 by plating, vapor deposition, or the like. Note that the insulating ink repellent agent 340 can also be applied to the entire surface except for the depressed portion 360. The auxiliary electrode 320 and the transfer electrode 330 are each connected to the signal voltage source 600, and the transfer electrode 33 is connected to the auxiliary electrode 320.
A signal voltage is selectively applied to each of the zeros.

To explain the operation using an example in which the liquid ink 200 electroosmoses in the direction of the negative electrode as in FIG. 1, the liquid ink 2 in the ink container 100
00, the liquid ink 20 is applied to the surface of the ink control transfer body 300 including the depressed portion 360.
0 is attached. In the wetted edge portion 210, within the mesh 350 forming an independent portion having the transfer electrode 330 to which a sufficiently large positive on-voltage V _B is applied to the auxiliary electrode 320, the dielectric 310 and the transfer electrode 3
The liquid ink 200 adhering to each surface of the dielectric 30 and further inside the recessed portion 360 moves toward the auxiliary electrode 320 by electroosmosis to the dielectric 310, and due to its ink repellency, is transferred to the ink container 100 via the wetted edge 210. On the other hand, in the transfer electrode 330 at zero voltage (ON voltage V _B ' in this example), the above-mentioned electroosmosis does not occur, and the ink 22 adhered within the mesh 350 forming the depressed portion 360 and the independent portion.
The ink 220 moves upward as the pressure rollers 400, 400' rotate as indicated by the arrows, and the ink 220 adheres to the surface of the ink control transfer body 300 in accordance with the signal voltage.
It is possible to form a two-dimensional distribution of

The controlled deposition ink 220 is applied to the auxiliary electrode 32
0 and the ink repellency of the ink repellent agent 340 prevents outflow and diffusion.

These controlled deposition ink 220
The recording sheet 500 is pressed by the pressure roller 400.
The ink image can be recorded and reproduced according to the signal voltage.

In the example shown in FIG. 1, the amount of adhering ink 220 is small in order to control ink adhesion on the surface of the flat mesh 350, and sometimes a sufficient ink concentration cannot be obtained. According to
Since this ink adhesion is utilized, the amount of ink adhesion 22 in the mesh 350 forming each independent part is
Since a sufficient amount of zero can be obtained, there is an advantage that high-density ink transfer can be performed.

Note that in this example, there is one depressed portion 360 within the mesh 350 forming each independent portion, but
The ink density can be further improved by providing a plurality of inks on the transfer electrode 330 portion, and furthermore, providing one or more on the surface of the dielectric 310.
Further, the transfer electrode 330 is made thin and ink repellent like the auxiliary electrode 320, and the dielectric 310 is provided with a depression similar to the above, and the amount of ink adhesion is controlled to be reduced by applying a signal voltage. It is also possible to perform ink recording.

After the ink 220 attached on the surface of the ink control transfer body 300 is transferred to the recording sheet 500 in this way,
The recording sheet 500 is separated from the surface of the ink control transfer body 300, and the transfer body 300 is returned to the ink container 10.
By immersing it in the liquid ink 200 within 0.0, a new ink image can be recorded in the same manner as described above.

In addition, also in this example, the auxiliary electrode 320, the transfer electrode 330, and the dielectric material 310 can each be shaped into short fences, and the ink control transfer body 300 can be formed by alternately bonding these.

As described above, according to the embodiment shown in FIG.
Including the features in FIG. 1 and further including the depressed portion 3
By forming 60, the recording density of the ink can be improved more than in the embodiment shown in FIG. For example, high-density, high-contrast ink transfer is possible.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the longitudinal cross-sectional structure and power supply system of still another embodiment of the ink recording method and apparatus according to the present invention.

In this embodiment, the transfer electrode 331 is made of donut-shaped thin disks, and a plurality of the disks are bonded to each other in a direction perpendicular to the drawing using an insulating adhesive and an insulating spacer, and are insulated. It consists of a cumulative body 332. Each of them is connected to a signal voltage source 600 via a brush electrode 611 (in this embodiment, one brush electrode is illustrated), and a signal voltage is selectively applied to each of the transfer electrodes 331. Ru.

The dielectric material 311 is uniformly and thinly applied to the entire surface of the cumulative body 332, and dot-like depressions with approximately the same opening diameter and approximately the same depth are formed in portions located on the outer peripheral surface of each of the transfer electrodes 331. The portions 361, that is, independent portions forming pixels, are regularly arranged. In addition, in order to simultaneously touch the wetted edge portion 211 and stabilize the operation, it is desirable that the recessed portions 361 be arranged in a straight line in the direction perpendicular to the drawing.

An auxiliary electrode 321 that is substantially ink repellent to the liquid ink 200 used is uniformly deposited on the surface of the dielectric 311, leaving the recessed portion 361. The auxiliary electrode 321 is a brush electrode 612
The signal voltage source 600 is connected to the signal voltage source 600 via.

Thus, the ink controlled transfer body 300 as described above
is immersed in the liquid ink 200 of the ink container 100 to form a wetted edge, but sometimes the ink surface 201 shakes due to the rotation of the ink control transfer body 300, and the wetted edge 210 is caused by this shaking. or the ink control transfer body 3
The liquid ink 200 may adhere excessively to the 00 surface, making the operation unstable.

Therefore, in this embodiment, the linear end of the edge forming body 700 such as a porous or non-porous thin plate or membrane is placed on the same surface as the ink surface 201 or slightly smaller than the ink surface 201. It may be brought into contact with the surface of the ink control transfer body 300 at a high position, or it may be placed close to it with an appropriate gap.
The other end of the edge forming body 700 is connected to the ink container 1
00 liquid ink 200.

Thus, due to the presence of edge former 700,
Ink container 100 on the surface of the ink control transfer body 300
Excessive liquid ink 200 adhering therein is removed by the doctor blade effect at the end of the edge forming member 700, and uniformity is achieved.

The width of the transfer electrode 331 determines the resolution of ink recording. Therefore, in order to normally perform recording at a rate of about 3 to 8 lines/mm, the accumulation body 332 is formed with an arrangement of transfer electrodes 331 corresponding to this density.
The conductive width of the transfer electrode 331 is determined by using an ink-friendly conductor of about 300 to 100 μm, and using an insulating spacer such as a polyester film as necessary.
Cumulatively bond with an insulating adhesive such as α-cyanomethacrylate. Note that if the dielectric 311 is ink-philic, the transfer electrode 331 can be configured to be ink-repellent.

For the liquid ink 200 explained in FIG. For example, the thickness is about 10 to 40 μm, and the depressed part 3
The depth of 61 is such that the surface of the transfer electrode 331 is exposed, or the depression 361 is deep enough to expose the surface of the transfer electrode 331.
It can also be formed so that the surface digs into the inside, for example, about 10 to 40 μm.

Preferably, one recessed portion 361 is provided per unit width of the transfer electrode 331, or if this width is wide, a plurality of recessed portions 361 may be located.

The auxiliary electrode 321 can be formed by depositing the above-mentioned ink-repellent dielectric material by vapor deposition or plating, and then etching it together with the dielectric material 311 using a known photo-etching method to form the depressed portion 361. Alternatively, the recessed portion 361 may be etched from the surface of the dielectric 311, and then a graphite conductive paint or further an ink repellent may be selectively applied to the surface of the dielectric 311, leaving the recessed portion 361. can.

Thus, for example, when using the liquid ink 200 penetrating toward the negative electrode described above, the edge former 700
Due to the doctor blade effect, the ink surface 20
A wetted edge 211 that is not affected by the vibrations of the transfer electrode 331 is formed at the end of the edge forming body 700.
When the on-voltage V _B is applied to the dielectric wall 312 in the depression 361 , the adhered ink 220 electropenetrates to the auxiliary electrode 321 , that is, to the edge forming body 700 side, and is transmitted through this to the inside of the ink container 100 . The ink 220 adhered within the depressed portion 361 is reduced. On the other hand, when an off-voltage V _B ' is applied to the transfer electrode 331, electroosmosis occurs in the opposite direction to the above, the ink reflux is blocked, and the depression 3
61 is filled with adhered ink 220.

These controlled deposits of ink 220 are transferred to the recording sheet 500 as the ink control transfer body 300 rotates, but due to the substantial ink repellency of the auxiliary electrode 321, once it leaves the wet edge 211, it is transferred to the recording sheet 500. Adhesive ink 22 from each depression 361
The spread and deviation of 0 is prevented. Therefore, ink transfer 230 corresponding to the signal voltages V _B and V _B ' is obtained on the recording sheet 500.

The edge forming member 700 may be flexible or inflexible, but from the viewpoint of preventing damage to the surface of the transfer member 300, it may be a film made of cellulose acetate, polyester, etc., or a porous film such as a microporous membrane filter. A flexible material such as a solid body is preferable.A non-flexible material such as a glass plate or a plastic plate with a sharp tip is preferable from the point of view of the doctor blade effect, but sometimes the surface of the ink control transfer body 300 In this case, it can be provided slightly away from the surface of the ink control transfer body 300.

In this way, the liquid ink 2 in the ink container 100
Edge forming body 700 impregnated with 00 and adhered to
forms a stable wetted edge 211, but the edge former 70 is directly supplied from an external ink supply device.
Even if the liquid ink is impregnated and adhered to the liquid ink, a wet edge portion 211 is formed in the same way, and stable operation can be achieved. In such a case, it is not necessary to immerse the ink control transfer body 300 in the present example in the liquid ink 200 of the ink container 100, and the above-described ink supply device newly installed therein can be used instead.

Note that the above-described edge forming body 700 and the installation of an external ink supply device can be similarly applied to the embodiments shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

In this embodiment shown in FIG. 3, since the auxiliary electrode 321, the dielectric 311, and the transfer electrode 331 are accumulated, the arrangement density of the transfer electrode 331 is different from that shown in FIGS.
Unlike the figure, it is much denser, and the depression 36
1, it is possible to perform ink recording with further improved resolution and contrast.

The operation has been explained above using liquid ink that is electroosmotic toward the negative electrode as an example. However, in the case of liquid ink that is electroosmotic toward the positive electrode, the polarity of the signal voltage can be reversed to that described above, and the operation can be performed in the same way. Can be done.

Further, the auxiliary electrode, dielectric material, and transfer electrode are not limited to the above description, and each can be configured to have ink repellency or ink affinity as necessary, and an ink repellent agent may also be required. It can be removed and configured as required.

In addition, in this explanation, the signal voltage is selectively applied to the transfer electrode with the auxiliary electrode as a reference, but the transfer electrode is used as a reference, and if necessary, the auxiliary electrode may be divided into multiple parts, such as in the case of FIG. 3. , a signal voltage may be selectively applied to the auxiliary electrodes.

Alternatively, instead of liquid ink, an electro-osmotic non-colored or colorless liquid material is used to similarly transfer onto the recording medium, and then dyes are added to the transfer liquid material.
Even if a colored body such as a pigment is attached or dissolved to color or develop color, or even if a color-forming substance is applied to the recording medium and the color is developed by transferring the above-mentioned liquid material, it is not possible to produce a substance with shading. Ink recording is possible.

Further, a plurality of devices according to the present invention are arranged,
By using liquid inks of cyan, magenta, yellow, black, etc., a color printing machine can be constructed that can replace conventional gravure printing.

Note that the various configurations and descriptions described above can be implemented in combination as appropriate.

Effects of the Invention As described above, the present invention is based on the principle of controlling transfer ink using electroosmosis at the wet edge of liquid ink, and has the following excellent effects.

Since the place where the ink is stored and the image receptor can be made non-contact, background smear does not occur. Therefore, areas other than the recording section will not get wet with other liquids.

Since electroosmosis is used to control the ink itself rather than the charged particles contained in the ink, the amount of transferred ink can be continuously varied by applying a signal voltage.

Electroosmosis is an interfacial phenomenon between the ink and the dielectric and does not require the ink to be electrically charged.

Since the ink itself moves, there is no resistance associated with movement within the liquid as there is with charged particles, so the recording speed is fast.

Ink consumption is uniform, and only coloring material is not consumed.

The other electrode may be placed on a plate or film-like dielectric. Further, it is not necessary to arrange a highly insulating material all around the recording electrode, and there may be a gap. Therefore, manufacturing is easy.

Transfer of the ink to the image receptor is easily achieved by pressing the ink transfer body against a recording surface (such as image receiving paper). Therefore, there is no need to generate a high electric field to impregnate the paper with ink.

Color recording is easy because each coloring material can be used in a transparent liquid material.

Ink wetting can be selectively controlled on each microscopic surface constituting the entire surface of the ink transfer body in response to a signal voltage.

With low voltage, there is less wear on the recording head, and the drop in resolution is improved, allowing ink images to be easily recorded with good contrast and high resolution.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a perspective partial cross-sectional structure and power supply system of one embodiment of the ink recording method and ink recording apparatus according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is another embodiment of the ink recording method and ink recording apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 3 is a perspective partial sectional view of an example and a diagram showing the power supply method.
FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a longitudinal cross-sectional structure and a power supply system of still another embodiment of the ink recording method and ink recording apparatus according to the present invention. 100... Ink container, 200... Liquid ink, 201... Ink surface, 210, 211...
Wet edge portion, 220... Adhesive ink, 230...
Transfer ink, 300...Ink control transfer body, 31
0,311...Dielectric, 320,321...Auxiliary electrode, 330,331...Transfer electrode, 332...
Cumulative body, 340... Ink repellent agent, 350... Mesh forming independent parts, 360, 361... Depression parts,
400... Pressure roller, 500... Recording sheet, 600... Signal voltage source, 610, 611, 6
12...Brush electrode, 700...Edge forming body, _VB , _VB '...Signal voltage.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. An ink control transfer member having a pair of electrodes separated by a dielectric material and each having at least a portion of the conductive portion exposed on the surface is brought into contact with liquid ink, and the wetted edge The amount of ink adhering to at least one of the electrodes in the section and further to the dielectric is determined by electroosmosis of the liquid ink through the dielectric in response to a signal voltage applied between the electrodes. At the same time, the wetted edge portion is moved to two-dimensionally control the amount of ink adhering to the surface of the ink control transfer body in accordance with the signal voltage, and the controlled adhering ink is An ink recording method characterized by holding an ink on the surface of an ink control transfer body, transferring it to a recording body, and recording and reproducing an ink image corresponding to an applied signal voltage on the recording body. 2. An ink control transfer body having an auxiliary electrode and a transfer electrode, each of which is separated by a dielectric and at least a portion of the conductive portion thereof is exposed on the surface, and an ink supply body that deposits liquid ink on the surface of the ink control transfer body. means for bringing the ink control transfer member into contact with the liquid ink to form a wetted edge; and applying a signal voltage between the auxiliary electrode and the transfer electrode to control the ink at the wetted edge. means for controlling the amount of ink adhering to the surface of the transfer member by electroosmosis of liquid ink through the dielectric; and controlling the controlled ink adhesion to the signal voltage to control the wetted edge. means for separating the adhered ink from the wetted edge by moving it; means for retaining the controlled adhered ink on the surface of the ink control transfer body by preventing the separated adhered ink from escaping or spreading; What is claimed is: 1. An ink recording apparatus comprising means for transferring the adhered ink onto a recording medium and recording and reproducing an ink image corresponding to an applied signal voltage on the recording medium. 3. The auxiliary electrodes and the transfer electrodes are separated from each other by a dielectric material and arranged alternately on one plane, and between these electrodes, at least the surface portion of the auxiliary electrode is arranged so as to substantially repel liquid ink. and intersects the auxiliary electrode and the transfer electrode at substantially equal intervals across the dielectric, the surface portions thereof being configured to substantially repel liquid ink; 3. The ink recording apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising an ink control transfer body having a flat, cylindrical, or cylindrical shape and having an independent portion on its surface to which liquid ink can substantially adhere. 4. A recessed portion for adhering and accommodating liquid ink is provided on a surface portion located in at least one of the independent portions between the transfer electrode and the dielectric exposed surface portion. Ink recording device. 5. The auxiliary electrodes and the transfer electrodes are separated from each other by a dielectric material and arranged alternately on one plane, and the liquid ink can be substantially adhered to the surface of the transfer electrodes at approximately equal intervals. A patent characterized in that the ink control transfer body is provided with a flat, cylindrical, or cylindrical ink control transfer body that forms an independent portion and the other ink control transfer body surface portion is configured to substantially repel liquid ink. An ink recording device according to claim 2. 6. The ink recording device according to claim 5, further comprising a recessed portion for adhering and accommodating liquid ink on a surface portion located at an independent portion of the transfer electrode. 7 An auxiliary electrode is located on one side of the dielectric,
On the other side, a single transfer electrode or a plurality of mutually insulated transfer electrodes are arranged and positioned to form a cumulative body, and the auxiliary electrode surface forming the outer surface of this cumulative body is substantially It is configured to repel liquid ink, and from the surface of this auxiliary electrode through the dielectric,
The surface of the transfer electrode on the dielectric side, or a flat plate that forms an independent recess that penetrates into the interior from this surface and allows liquid ink to adhere and accommodate therein;
The ink recording according to claim 2, characterized in that the ink recording member is provided with either a cylindrical or cylindrical ink control transfer body, and a signal voltage is selectively applied between the auxiliary electrode and the transfer electrode. Device. 8. The ink transfer body has a plurality of transfer electrodes arranged insulated from each other, and forms a wetted edge in a relationship that intersects with the direction in which the transfer electrodes extend, and in the direction in which the transfer electrodes extend, Claims 2, 3, 5, or 7 further comprising means for moving or rotating the ink-controlled transfer member and moving the wetted edge.
The ink recording device described in Section 1. 9 A patent characterized in that a portion of an ink control transfer body is immersed in liquid ink in an ink container, and a wet edge is formed by contact between the surface of the liquid ink and the surface of the ink control transfer body. An ink recording device according to claim 2. 10. Place the edge of an edge forming member consisting of a porous or non-porous plate or membrane adhering to or impregnated with liquid ink in close proximity to or in contact with the surface of the ink control transfer member to form a wet edge. 3. The ink recording apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the ink recording apparatus forms a part. 11 The signal voltage applied between the auxiliary electrode and the transfer electrode includes a polar on-voltage that causes the liquid ink to electro-penetrate from the transfer electrode side to the auxiliary electrode side via the dielectric, and this on-voltage causes the wetted edge to 3. The ink recording apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the amount of ink adhering to the surface of the ink control transfer body at the end portion is controlled to decrease toward the ink supply body side via the auxiliary electrode and the wetted edge portion. 12 The signal voltage applied between the auxiliary electrode and the transfer electrode includes a polar off-voltage that causes liquid ink to electro-osmote from the auxiliary electrode side to the transfer electrode side via the dielectric, and this off-voltage causes Ink control at the wet edge portion The amount of ink adhering to the surface of the transfer body is controlled to increase from the ink supply body side to the transfer electrode side via the auxiliary electrode and the dielectric body. The ink recording device described. 13 The signal voltage applied between the auxiliary electrode and the transfer electrode includes an on-voltage of a polarity that electro-osmoses liquid ink from the transfer electrode side to the auxiliary electrode side via a dielectric, and a polarity of an on-voltage opposite to this on-voltage. 3. The ink recording apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the ink recording apparatus includes an off-voltage, and the amplitude of the off-voltage is selected to be smaller than the maximum amplitude of the on-voltage.