JPH0872232A - Ink jet recording apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To develop excellent water resistance even on plain paper and to prevent the generation of a blur between colors at the time of color recording by providing a head emitting color ink to perform printing, a head emitting a treatment soln. insolubilizing the color ink and a treatment soln. tank. CONSTITUTION: A recording head and a color ink tank 9 supplying color ink to the recording head are mounted on a carriage 6. A supply port for a treatment soln. insolubilizing color ink is provided to the side surface of the recording head in parallel to an ink supply port and connected to a treatment soln. tank 60 through a supply tube 50. The supply tube 50 has length sufficient not to obstruct the operation of the carriage 6 at the time of recording. The treatment soln. tank 60 is arranged in a main body 40 separate from the carriage 6.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ink jet recording apparatus capable of obtaining a high quality image on a recording material, and more specifically, a dye etc. in the ink is recorded on the recording material prior to ink ejection. The present invention relates to an inkjet recording device that ejects an insolubilizing liquid. Here,
The recording includes the application of ink (printing) to all the ink supports to which ink is applied, such as cloth, thread, paper, sheet material, and the like, and the present invention covers paper, cloth, non-woven fabric, OHP paper, and the like. The present invention can be applied to all devices using recording materials, and specific applicable devices include office equipment such as printers, copying machines, and facsimiles, mass production equipment, and the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Ink jet recording methods are widely used in printers, copying machines and the like because of their advantages such as low noise, low running cost, easy downsizing of apparatus and easy colorization.

According to such an ink jet recording method, it is also possible to obtain an image on a recording material called so-called plain paper. However, since the water resistance of the image is insufficient, it is not possible to achieve both a high-density image with no feathering and a high-quality image with no intercolor bleeding, especially when a color image is obtained. , The color image quality was remarkably deteriorated.

In order to improve the water resistance of an image, an ink in which a coloring material contained in the ink has water resistance has been put into practical use in recent years. However, even with such an ink, its water resistance is still insufficient, and since it is an ink that is difficult to dissolve in water after drying in principle, the nozzles of the recording head are easily clogged, and it is necessary to prevent this. There are drawbacks such as complicating the structure of the recording device.

Further, JP-A-56-84992 discloses that
A method of previously coating a material for fixing a dye on a recording paper as a recording material is disclosed. However, according to this method, it is necessary to use a specific recording paper, and in order to apply the material for fixing the dye in advance, it is inevitable that the apparatus becomes large in size and the cost is increased. However, it is difficult to stably apply the fixing material with a predetermined film thickness.

Further, JP-A-64-63185 discloses that
A technique is disclosed in which a colorless ink (treatment liquid) that insolubilizes a dye is attached to a recording paper by an inkjet recording head. In this way, the solution that insolubilizes the dye (treatment liquid)
When ejecting with an inkjet recording head,
There is a drawback that the image is deteriorated by applying the treatment liquid to the recording paper which is already coated with the ink receiving layer on the base material such as P sheet or so-called coated paper.

There is also known a recording apparatus having a structure in which a recording head and an ink tank can be placed on a carriage and only the ink tank can be replaced because of the advantages of downsizing of the apparatus and low running cost.

However, in the recording apparatus having such a structure, when the ink tank for the processing liquid is placed on the carriage, there are the following problems.

1) In the case of an ink tank for a small-capacity processing liquid, the replacement frequency becomes high and the operability deteriorates.

2) In an ink tank for a large volume of treatment liquid, the carriage becomes large and the recording apparatus also becomes large.

3) Further, in order to sufficiently satisfy the water resistance of the image and obtain a high-quality image, the treatment liquid must be printed, and a large amount of treatment liquid is required for the operator. A response was needed.

[0012]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The object of the present invention is to show water resistance superior to conventional ones even on plain paper, and
To provide an ink jet recording apparatus that achieves high-quality and highly reliable image recording that does not cause bleeding between colors during feathering or color recording, downsizing the apparatus without compromising operability, and achieving both high reliability. It is in.

[0013]

In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 1 makes a color ink ejected to print on a recording material, and a color ink is insolubilized. An ink jet recording apparatus having a recording means including a second ink jet head for ejecting the treatment liquid to a recording material is characterized by having a dedicated tank for supplying the treatment liquid.

Here, the invention of claim 2 is the same as claim 1.
In the inkjet recording apparatus described above, the capacity of the treatment liquid tank may be equal to or more than the total capacity of the color-forming ink tank.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the ink jet recording apparatus according to the second aspect, the recording means is on a carriage that reciprocates in either a direction parallel to one side of the recording material or a direction intersecting the side. The processing liquid tank may be mounted on a part other than the carriage in the apparatus.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the ink jet recording apparatus according to the third aspect, a means for detecting the remaining amount of the processing liquid in the processing liquid tank may be provided.

According to a fifth aspect of the invention, in the ink jet recording apparatus according to the third aspect, a sub tank having a smaller capacity than the processing liquid tank may be mounted on the carriage.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the ink jet recording apparatus according to the fifth aspect, a pump that operates by utilizing the force generated by the movement of the carriage is supplied to the processing liquid from the processing liquid tank to the sub tank. You may use.

The invention according to claim 7 is the invention according to claim 4 or 5.
In the inkjet recording apparatus described in the item [1], the treatment liquid tank may include an absorber for containing waste ink.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the ink jet recording apparatus according to the seventh aspect, a waste liquid tank different from the processing liquid tank is included, and the processing liquid tank is a waste ink of a coloring ink or a waste liquid of the processing liquid. The waste liquid tank may have an absorber that accommodates either one, and the waste liquid tank may have an absorber that accommodates the other.

According to a ninth aspect of the invention, in the ink jet recording apparatus according to any one of the first to eighth aspects,
The treatment liquid may include a low molecular component and a high molecular component of a cationic substance, and the ink may include an anionic dye.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the ink jet recording apparatus according to any one of the first to eighth aspects, the treatment liquid contains a cationic substance having a low molecular component and a high molecular component, and the ink is It may contain at least an anionic compound and a pigment.

The invention according to claim 11 is the invention according to claims 1 to 10.
In the inkjet recording apparatus described in any one of (1) to (4), the recording means has an electrothermal converter that generates heat energy for film boiling of the ink, as an element that generates energy used for ejecting ink. You may.

[0024]

In the present invention, a colorless or light-colored liquid (treatment liquid) containing a compound that insolubilizes the dye in the ink is ejected onto the recording material in advance according to the image information, and then one or more color inks are ejected. An ink jet recording apparatus for ejecting a recording liquid onto a recording material according to image information, and having a tank dedicated to the treatment liquid, the tank capacity is equal to or larger than the color-forming ink tank capacity, and the treatment liquid tank is The recording apparatus has high reliability because it is provided inside the apparatus main body and the operator can easily recognize the necessity of tank replacement of the processing liquid.

[0025]

Embodiments of the ink jet recording apparatus of the present invention will be specifically described below with reference to the drawings.

(Embodiment 1) FIGS. 1 to 4 show a first embodiment of the ink jet recording apparatus of the present invention.
3 is a schematic perspective view showing a configuration of a recording unit, FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing configurations of a carriage, a recording head and an ink tank that can be mounted on the carriage, and FIG.
FIG. 4 is a schematic front view showing a recording unit and a processing liquid supply system, and FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view showing a configuration of a main part in this embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 2, a recording head 8 and a color ink tank 9 for supplying coloring ink to the recording head 8 can be mounted on the carriage 6. Carriage 6
Is a carriage base 201 on which the recording head 8 and the color ink tank 9 are mounted, and a head lever 20 which holds the recording head 8 mounted on the carriage base 201.
2 and 2.

A connector 8022 for receiving a signal for driving the recording head is provided on the upper surface of the recording head 8.
The connector 8022 is electrically connected to the connector 6022 provided on the carriage 6 side when the recording head 8 is mounted on the carriage 6. Further, the recording head 8 has four ink supply ports 8030 for each color ink that supplies ink from the color ink tank 9 (from the left in FIG. 2, yellow 8030Y and magenta 80).
30M, Cyan 8030C and Black 8030B
k) and ink is supplied from there to each nozzle of the head through the flow path in the head. The color ink tank 9 is positioned and mounted on the carriage 6 corresponding to the ink supply port 8030 of the head.

A supply port 8030S for the processing liquid for insolubilizing the color inks is provided on the side surface of the recording head 8 along with the ink supply port 8030, and the processing liquid tank 60 is provided via the supply tube 50. It is connected to the.
The supply tube 50 has a sufficient length so as not to hinder the operation of the carriage 6 during recording. The treatment liquid tank 60 containing the treatment liquid is installed in the main body 40 not on the carriage 6 as shown in FIG.

In order to obtain high print quality, the number of treatment liquid dots equal to the number of ink dots ejected on the recording material is required. Therefore, in the color ink jet recording apparatus, the treatment liquid is four times as much as that of each ink tank. is necessary. For example, if each ink tank has an ink capacity of 10 cc, the size of the ink tank containing the processing liquid is a size capable of containing 40 cc of the processing liquid. When the color ink tank runs out of ink, new color ink can be supplied by replacing only the color ink tank 9.

In this embodiment, since the color ink tank 9 in the carriage 6 is composed of a semi-transparent container, the remaining amount of ink can be easily confirmed visually. Further, since the treatment liquid is stored in the main body 40, a sufficiently large space can be taken and the treatment liquid can be stably supplied. Further, as shown in FIG. 3, by providing a detection means 70 such as a pressure sensor in the middle of the supply tube 50,
It is also possible to easily notify the user that the processing liquid in the processing liquid tank 60 is exhausted. The supply tube 50, the processing liquid tank 60, and the detection means 70 constitute a processing liquid supply system.

A guide shaft 4 and a support shaft 103 for slidably supporting the carriage 6 are provided on both side walls of the chassis 1 having a substantially U-shape. The driving force of the carriage 6 which reciprocates on both of these shafts in the main scanning direction is applied to the carriage motor 10 via the driving belt 10.
Given from 4.

Further, a recording material (not shown) such as paper is nipped and conveyed by a platen roller 2 and a pinch roller 3 as shown in FIG. 1, and the recording material is conveyed onto a platen 16. At this time, the recording head portion (not shown) of the head mounted on the carriage 6 projects downward from the carriage 6, and the ejection port forming surface of the recording head portion is covered by the platen 16
It is arranged so as to face the upper recording material in parallel.

In this embodiment, the recovery system unit 15 is shown in FIG.
And it is arrange | positioned at the home position side on the right side facing FIG. When the carriage 6 is at the home position, it is joined to the recording head section to cap it,
It is possible to prevent the ejection failure caused by the ink in the ejection port of the recording head evaporating and the viscosity increasing and sticking.

In the unlikely event that the recording head 8 has a defective discharge, the suction cap 13 and the recording head are joined to each other and a suction recovery processing mechanism for generating a negative pressure by a pump unit (not shown) causes a defective discharge. Can be resolved.

Further, the ink and the processing liquid discharged from the pump are collected in the waste ink tank 401.

In the above embodiment, the capacity of the treatment liquid tank 60 is set to be four times the capacity of the color ink tanks, but this is a guideline and does not necessarily have to be four times, and may be four times or more. If the space inside the body allows, it is more desirable to have a capacity of four times or more because the frequency of exchanging the processing liquid decreases.

(Embodiment 2) FIGS. 5 and 6 show the second embodiment of the ink jet recording apparatus of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view showing a configuration of a carriage and a recording head and an ink tank that can be mounted on the carriage, and FIG. 6 is a schematic front view showing a recording unit and a processing liquid supply system. Among the constituent elements of this embodiment, the same constituent elements as those of the previous embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals,
The description of that part is omitted.

The feature of this embodiment resides in that, in addition to the processing liquid tank 60 as a main tank, a processing liquid sub-tank 9S is mounted on the carriage 6 side by side with the color ink tank 9. The ink supply port 8030S of the recording head 8 is inserted into the sub tank 9S, and the sub tank 9S is connected to the treatment liquid tank 60 via the supply tube 50. Therefore, the processing liquid in the processing liquid tank 60 is temporarily stored in the sub tank 9S through the supply tube 50, and then supplied to the recording head 8 from there.

When the remaining amount of ink in the large-capacity processing liquid tank 60 becomes small, the ink capacity in the sub-tank 9S on the carriage 6 begins to decrease. Therefore, if the sub-tank 9S is a transparent container, the large-capacity processing liquid tank 60 is replaced. The timing can be easily determined. Further, since the remaining amounts of the color ink and the processing liquid can be checked at the same position on the carriage, the user himself can more surely judge the replacement timing of the large-capacity processing liquid tank 60 for the processing liquid.

FIG. 7 is a side sectional view showing the recording head 8 and the color ink tank 9 mounted on the carriage 6 in this embodiment.

The color ink tank 9 has two chambers inside, and has an absorber 902 disposed in the front chamber and a raw ink 903 accommodated in the rear chamber as viewed from the supply port 9011. This is a so-called half-life type ink tank. When the ink tank 9 is attached to the recording head 8, the ink supply unit 803 of the recording head 8 crushes a part of the absorber 902 of the ink tank unit 9 to press the ink tank unit 9 in the direction of arrow I. Carriage base 2
The stopper 2015a of No. 01 prevents the movement in the direction of arrow I and is fixed on the carriage base 201. Ink 90 absorbed in the absorber 902
3 is supplied to the inkjet recording head via the ink supply unit 803.

The ink tank 9 is a carriage base 201.
The guide portion 2015b having a quarter-circular cross section is slidably mounted on the recording head 8 smoothly. To remove the ink tank 9, the handle 9015 is pushed up in the direction of the arrow J to easily attach and detach. Waste ink from the ink supply unit 803 of the recording head unit 8 and the supply port 9011 of the ink tank 9 is sent to the lower side of the main body 4 or the like through the waste ink unit 2016 of the carriage base 201.

(Embodiment 3) FIGS. 8, 9 and 10 show
FIG. 8 shows a third embodiment of the ink jet recording apparatus of the present invention. FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view showing the configuration of a carriage, a recording head and an ink tank that can be mounted on the carriage, and FIGS. FIG. 10 is a schematic front view showing the recording unit and the processing liquid supply system, FIG. 9 shows a state before the processing liquid tank and the sub tank are connected, and FIG. 10 shows a connection state between the processing liquid tank and the sub tank. Of the constituent elements of this embodiment, those that are the same as the constituent elements of the previous embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted.

In the first and second embodiments, the ink is supplied from the processing liquid tank 60 for the processing liquid in the main body through the tube 50. The characteristic of the present embodiment is that
Normally, the sub-tank 9SS on the carriage 6 is separated and independent from the treatment liquid tank 600, and the treatment liquid tank 600 is directly supplied to the sub tank 9SS without a tube only when the treatment liquid needs to be supplied.

As shown in FIG. 8, the sub tank 9SS is
The color ink tanks 9 are arranged side by side and mounted on the carriage 6. A processing liquid receiving port 90S for directly receiving the processing liquid from the processing liquid tank 600 is formed on the side surface of the sub tank 9SS on the home position side, and the processing liquid receiving port 90S is provided to prevent leakage of the processing liquid in the sub tank 9SS. A sealing member 91S made of silicon for prevention is inserted.

On the other hand, the large-capacity processing liquid tank 600 is fixed to one end of the guide shaft 4 on the side beyond the home position. An ink supply port 601 for supplying the processing liquid into the sub tank 9SS is provided on the side surface of the processing liquid tank 600 on the carriage 6 side, and a needle-shaped ink supply pipe 602 is provided inside the ink supply port 601. It is provided.

In FIGS. 9 and 10, the home position is on the right side in the carriage scanning direction. As shown in FIG. 9, during printing or while waiting for the home position, the sub tank 9SS on the carriage 6 and the large capacity processing liquid tank 60
0 does not join. When the processing liquid in the sub-tank 9SS is reduced and it becomes necessary to supply the processing liquid from the large-capacity processing liquid tank 600 to the sub-tank 9SS on the carriage 6, as shown in FIG. Move the carriage 6 to the right (direction of arrow A)
0S and the supply port 601 are joined together to form a silicon member 91S.
The ink supply pipe 602 is penetrated through. At the same time, suction C is performed by the recovery system unit 15 so that the sub-tank 9SS has a negative pressure, so that the treatment liquid in the treatment liquid tank 600 flows in the direction of arrow B and is supplied to the sub-tank 9SS.

In the above embodiment, the negative pressure generated by the suction by the recovery system unit 15 was used to supply the processing liquid in the processing liquid tank 600 to the sub tank 9SS. However, as shown in FIGS. A pump 613 that pressurizes the inside of the processing liquid tank 600 using the driving force in a specific direction.
Can be provided. This pressurizing pump 613 is provided on the side surface of the processing liquid tank 600, and as shown in FIG.
13, the carriage 6 presses the bellows of the pressurizing pump 613 to press the bellows of the pressurizing pump 613 in a state where the inlet 90S and the inlet 601 are joined to each other as shown in FIG. Pressurize the inside, carriage 6
The treatment liquid can be supplied by flowing as shown by an arrow B to the upper sub tank 9SS.

(Embodiment 4) FIG. 13 is a schematic front view showing the constitution of a treatment liquid supply system and a waste ink treatment system in a fourth embodiment of an ink jet recording apparatus of the present invention.

In the first embodiment, the waste ink treatment was performed in the waste liquid tank 401 in which the main body 40 shown in FIG. 4 is filled with a porous absorber, but the feature of the present embodiment is shown in FIG. As shown, a porous absorber 80 is provided in a part of the treatment liquid tank 60.
Is stored and absorbs waste ink.
Of course, a partition is provided in the treatment liquid tank 60, and the treatment liquid storage side and the waste ink storage side are completely separated. The waste ink here may be either a color ink or a treatment liquid. However, when the absorber 80 absorbs the waste ink of the color ink, by storing the waste liquid of the treatment liquid in the waste liquid tank on the main body 40 side, It is possible to sufficiently secure the storage amount or the absorption amount of the waste ink.

The treatment liquid for insolubilizing the dye of the ink, which is preferably used in each of the above embodiments, can be obtained as follows, for example. That is, after mixing and dissolving the following components, a membrane filter with a pore size of 0.22 μm (trade name: Fluoropore filter, manufactured by Sumitomo Electric Industries)
After pressure filtration at, the pH is adjusted to 4.8 with NaOH, and the treatment liquid Al can be obtained.

[Component of Al] Low molecular component of cationic compound Stearyl trimethylammonium chloride 2.0 parts (trade name; Electrostopper QE, manufactured by Kao) Polymer component of cationic compound Polyamine sulfone (average molecular weight: 5000) 3 0.0 parts (trade name; PAS-92, manufactured by Nitto Boseki Co., Ltd.) Thiodiglycol 10 parts Water balance Also, the following can be mentioned as preferable examples of the ink which is insolubilized by mixing with the treatment liquid.

That is, the following components are mixed, and further filtered under pressure with a membrane filter (trade name: chloropore filter, manufactured by Sumitomo Electric Co., Ltd.) having a pore size of 0.22 μm, and the yellow, magenta, cyan, and black inks Y are used.
1, M1, C1, K1 can be obtained.

Y1 C. I. Direct Yellow 142 2 parts Thiodiglycol 10 parts Acetylenol EH 0.05 parts Water balance M1 Dye I. Acid Red-289; C1 dye having the same composition as Y1 except that 2.5 parts was used. I. Acid Blue 9; Same composition as Y1 except that 2.5 parts was used. I. Food Black 2; Same composition as Y1 except that 3 parts were replaced. In the mixing of the treatment liquid and the ink shown above,
In the present invention, the treatment liquid and the ink are mixed on the recording material or at the position where the ink has penetrated into the recording material, and as a result, the low molecular weight of the cationic substances contained in the treatment liquid as the first step of the reaction. The component and the water-soluble dye having an anionic group used in the ink associate with each other by ionic interaction, and instantaneously separate from the solution phase.

Next, in the second step of the reaction, the above-mentioned association of the dye with the low-molecular weight cationic substance is adsorbed by the polymer component contained in the treatment liquid, so that the aggregation of the dye produced by the association occurs. The size of the aggregate is further increased, making it difficult for the aggregate to enter the gaps between the fibers of the recording material, and as a result, only the liquid portion that has undergone solid-liquid separation penetrates into the recording paper, achieving both print quality and fixability. To be done. At the same time, since the aggregate formed by the low molecular weight component of the cationic substance, the anionic dye and the cationic substance generated by the mechanism as described above has a high viscosity and does not move with the movement of the liquid medium, Even if adjacent ink dots are formed of different color inks as in image formation, they do not mix with each other and bleeding does not occur. Further, the above-mentioned aggregates are essentially water-insoluble, and the water resistance of the formed image is perfect. Further, it also has the effect of improving the light fastness of the image formed by the shielding effect of the polymer.

In carrying out the present invention, it is not necessary to use a cationic polymer substance having a large molecular weight or a polyvalent metal salt as in the prior art, or even if it is necessary to use the present invention, Since it is only necessary to supplementarily use it to further improve the effect, the amount used can be minimized. As a result, the reduction of the color developability of the dye, which is a problem when trying to obtain the water resistance effect using the conventional cationic polymer substance or polyvalent metal salt, is eliminated. Can be listed as the effect of.

The recording material used for carrying out the present invention is not particularly limited, and so-called plain paper such as conventionally used copy paper and bond paper can be preferably used. Of course, coated paper and OHP specially made for inkjet printing
A transparent film for use can also be preferably used, and general high-quality paper and glossy paper can also be preferably used.

In carrying out the present invention, the ink to be used is not limited to the dye ink in particular, and a pigment ink in which a pigment is dispersed may be used, and the treatment liquid to be used is one which causes the pigment to aggregate. Can be used. The following may be mentioned as an example of the pigment ink that causes aggregation by mixing with the above-mentioned treatment liquid A1. That is, as described below, it is possible to obtain yellow, magenta, cyan, and black color inks Y2, M2, C2, and K2 each containing a pigment and an anionic compound.

Black ink K2 Anionic polymer P-1 (styrene-methacrylic acid-ethyl acrylate, acid value 400, weight average molecular weight 6,0
00, an aqueous solution with a solid content of 20%, a neutralizing agent: potassium hydroxide) was used as a dispersant, and the following materials were charged into a batch type vertical sand mill (made by AIMEX) and 1 mm diameter glass beads were filled as a medium. The dispersion treatment was performed for 3 hours while cooling with water. The viscosity after dispersion was 9 cps and the pH was 10.0. This dispersion was centrifuged to remove coarse particles, to prepare a carbon black dispersion having a weight average particle diameter of 100 nm.

(Composition of carbon black dispersion) -P-1 aqueous solution (solid content 20%) 40 parts-Carbon black Mogul L (manufactured by Cablack) 24 parts-Glycerin 15 parts-Ethylene glycol monobutyl ether 0.5 parts- Isopropyl alcohol 3 parts water 135 parts Next, the dispersion obtained above was sufficiently dispersed to obtain a black ink K2 for ink jet containing a pigment. The solid content of the final preparation was about 10%.

Yellow ink Y2 Anionic polymer P-2 (styrene-acrylic acid-methyl methacrylate, acid value 280, weight average molecular weight 1
1,000%, an aqueous solution with a solid content of 20%, a neutralizing agent: diethanolamine) was used as a dispersant, and the following materials were used to carry out a dispersion treatment in the same manner as in the production of the black ink K2. A 103 nm yellow color dispersion was prepared.

(Composition of yellow dispersion) P-2 aqueous solution (solid content 20%) 35 parts C.I. I. Pigment Yellow 180 24 parts (Novapalm Yellow PH-G, manufactured by Hoechst) -Triethylene glycol 10 parts-Diethylene glycol 10 parts-Ethylene glycol monobutyl ether 1.0 part-Isopropyl alcohol 0.5 parts-Water 135 parts Obtained as above The yellow dispersion was sufficiently diffused to obtain an inkjet yellow ink Y2 containing a pigment. The solid content of the final preparation was about 10%.

Cyan Ink C2 Using the anionic polymer P-1 used in the preparation of the black ink K2 as a dispersant, the following materials were used to carry out the same dispersion treatment as in the case of the carbon black dispersion described above. Then, a cyan color dispersion having a weight average particle diameter of 120 nm was produced.

(Composition of cyan color dispersion) P-1 aqueous solution (solid content 20%) 30 parts C.I. I. Pigment Blue 15: 3 24 parts (Fast Gemble-FGF, Dainippon Ink and Chemicals) ・ Glycerin 15 parts ・ Diethylene glycol-monobutyl ether 0.5 parts ・ Isopropyl alcohol 3 parts ・ Water 135 parts Cyan color obtained above The dispersion was sufficiently stirred to obtain a pigment-containing cyan ink C2 for inkjet. The solid content of the final preparation was about 9.6%.

Magenta Ink M2 Using the anionic polymer P-1 used in the preparation of the black ink K2 as a dispersant, and using the following materials, the same dispersion treatment as in the case of the carbon black dispersion described above. Then, a magenta color dispersion having a weight average particle diameter of 115 nm was produced.

(Composition of magenta color dispersion) P-1 aqueous solution (solid content 20%) 20 parts C.I. I. Pigment Red 122 (Dainippon Ink and Chemicals Inc.) 24 parts-Glycerin 15 parts-Isopropyl alcohol 3 parts-Water 135 parts Magenta ink for ink jet containing a pigment by sufficiently diffusing the magenta color dispersion obtained above. M2
I got The solid content of the final preparation was about 9.2%.

(Others) The present invention is provided with a means (for example, an electrothermal converter or a laser beam) for generating heat energy as energy used for ejecting ink, particularly in the ink jet recording system. The present invention brings about excellent effects in a recording head and a recording apparatus of the type in which the state of ink is changed by the heat energy. This is because such a system can achieve high density recording and high definition recording.

Regarding its typical structure and principle, see, for example, US Pat. Nos. 4,723,129 and 4,740.
What is done using the basic principles disclosed in 796 is preferred. This method is a so-called on-demand type,
It can be applied to any of the continuous type, but especially in the case of the on-demand type, it can be applied to the sheet holding the liquid (ink) or the electrothermal converter arranged corresponding to the liquid path. By applying at least one drive signal corresponding to the recording information and giving a rapid temperature rise exceeding nucleate boiling, heat energy is generated in the electrothermal converter, and film boiling is caused on the heat acting surface of the recording head. Liquid (ink) corresponding to this drive signal in a one-to-one correspondence
It is effective because bubbles can be formed inside. The liquid (ink) is ejected through the ejection opening by the growth and contraction of the bubble to form at least one droplet. It is more preferable to make this drive signal into a pulse shape because bubbles can be immediately and appropriately grown and contracted, so that liquid (ink) ejection with excellent responsiveness can be achieved. As the pulse-shaped drive signal, those described in US Pat. Nos. 4,463,359 and 4,345,262 are suitable. If the conditions described in US Pat. No. 4,313,124 of the invention relating to the rate of temperature rise on the heat acting surface are adopted, more excellent recording can be performed.

As the constitution of the recording head, in addition to the combination constitution of the discharge port, the liquid passage, and the electrothermal converter (straight liquid passage or right-angled liquid passage) as disclosed in the above-mentioned respective specifications. US Pat. No. 4,558,333, US Pat. No. 4,558,333, which discloses a configuration in which a heat acting portion is arranged in a bending region.
The structure using the specification of No. 59600 is also included in the present invention. In addition, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 59-123670 discloses a configuration in which a common slit is used as a discharge portion of the electrothermal converter for a plurality of electrothermal converters, and an opening for absorbing a pressure wave of thermal energy is provided. The effect of the present invention is effective even if the configuration corresponding to the ejection portion is disclosed in JP-A-59-138461. That is, according to the present invention, recording can be surely and efficiently performed regardless of the form of the recording head.

Further, the present invention can be effectively applied to a full line type recording head having a length corresponding to the maximum width of a recording medium which can be recorded by the recording apparatus. Such a recording head may have a configuration that satisfies the length by a combination of a plurality of recording heads or a configuration as one recording head integrally formed.

In addition, even in the case of the serial type as in the above example, the recording head fixed to the main body of the apparatus, or the electrical connection to the main body of the apparatus or the ink from the main body of the apparatus by being attached to the main body of the apparatus. The present invention is also effective when a replaceable chip-type recording head that can be supplied or a cartridge-type recording head in which an ink tank is integrally provided in the recording head itself is used.

Further, as the constitution of the recording apparatus of the present invention, it is preferable to add ejection recovery means of the recording head, preliminary auxiliary means and the like because the effects of the present invention can be further stabilized. Specifically, heating is performed by using a capping unit, a cleaning unit, a pressure or suction unit for the recording head, an electrothermal converter or a heating element other than this, or a combination thereof. Examples thereof include a preliminary heating unit for performing the discharge and a preliminary discharge unit for performing discharge different from the recording.

Regarding the type and number of recording heads to be mounted, for example, only one is provided corresponding to a single color ink, or a plurality of inks having different recording colors and densities are supported. A plurality of pieces may be provided. That is, for example, the recording mode of the recording apparatus is not limited to the recording mode of only the mainstream color such as black, but it may be either the recording head is integrally formed or a plurality of combinations may be used. The present invention is also extremely effective for an apparatus provided with at least one of full-color recording modes by color mixing.

In addition, in the above-described embodiments of the present invention, the ink is described as a liquid, but an ink that solidifies at room temperature or lower and that softens or liquefies at room temperature may be used. Or, in the inkjet system, it is common to control the temperature of the ink itself within the range of 30 ° C. or higher and 70 ° C. or lower to control the temperature so that the viscosity of the ink is within the stable ejection range. Sometimes, a liquid ink may be used. In addition, the temperature rise due to thermal energy is positively prevented by using it as the energy of the state change from the solid state of the ink to the liquid state, or in order to prevent the evaporation of the ink, it is solidified and heated in the standing state. You may use the ink liquefied by. In any case, by applying heat energy such as ink that is liquefied by applying heat energy according to the recording signal and liquid ink is ejected or that begins to solidify when it reaches the recording medium. The present invention can be applied to the case where an ink having a property of being liquefied for the first time is used. In this case, the ink is
JP-A-54-56847 or JP-A-60-7
As described in Japanese Patent No. 1260, it may be configured to face the electrothermal converter in a state of being held as a liquid or a solid in the concave portion or the through hole of the porous sheet. In the present invention, the most effective one for each of the above-mentioned inks is to execute the above-mentioned film boiling method.

In addition, as a form of the ink jet recording apparatus of the present invention, besides the one used as an image output terminal of an information processing apparatus such as a computer, a copying apparatus combined with a reader or the like, and a facsimile apparatus having a transmitting / receiving function. It may be a form or the like.

[0077]

As described above, according to the present invention,
In an inkjet recording apparatus that forms an image by ejecting ink and treatment liquid onto a recording material, it has a tank dedicated to the treatment liquid, and the tank capacity is equal to or greater than the capacity of the coloring ink tank. Has in the main body of the apparatus, and by making it easy for the operator to know the necessity of tank replacement of the processing liquid,
It is possible to provide a highly reliable ink jet recording apparatus that can sufficiently secure the processing liquid necessary for improving the image quality.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing the configuration of a recording unit in a first embodiment of an inkjet recording apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing a configuration of a carriage, a recording head and an ink tank that can be mounted on the carriage in the embodiment shown in FIG.

3 is a schematic front view showing a recording unit and a treatment liquid supply system in the embodiment shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view showing a configuration of a main part in the embodiment shown in FIG.

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view showing the configuration of a carriage, a recording head and an ink tank that can be mounted on the carriage in the second embodiment of the ink jet recording apparatus of the present invention.

6 is a schematic front view showing a recording unit and a processing liquid supply system in the embodiment shown in FIG.

FIG. 7 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a positioning structure for the carriage and the head base of the recording head unit in the embodiment shown in FIG.

FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view showing a configuration of a carriage, a recording head mountable on the carriage, and an ink tank in a third embodiment of the inkjet recording apparatus of the present invention.

9 is a schematic front view showing a recording unit and a processing liquid supply system in the embodiment shown in FIG.

10 is a schematic front view showing a suction supply state of a treatment liquid recovery system in the embodiment shown in FIG.

11 is a schematic front view showing a modified example of the processing liquid supply system shown in FIG.

12 is a schematic front view showing a state where the processing liquid is supplied under pressure by the processing liquid supply system shown in FIG.

FIG. 13 is a schematic front view showing the configurations of a treatment liquid supply system and a waste ink treatment system in a fourth embodiment of the inkjet recording apparatus of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Chassis 2 Platen Roller 3 Pinch Roller 4 Guide Shaft 6 Carriage 7 Carriage Flexible Cable 8 Recording Head 9 Ink Tank 9S Sub-tank 9SS Sub-tank 10 Timing Belt 16 Platen 40 Main Body 50 Supply Tube 60 Treatment Liquid Tank 70 Detection Sensor 80 Absorber 90S Treatment Liquid Receiving port 91S Seal member 103 Support shaft 104 Carriage motor 110 Paper feed motor 201 Carriage base 202 Head lever 401 Waste liquid tank 600 Processing liquid tank 601 Supply port 602 Supply pipe

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁶ Identification code Office reference number FI technical display location B41J 2/18 2/185 B41J 3/04 102 Z 102 R

Claims (11)

[Claims] 1. A recording unit including a first inkjet head for ejecting a coloring ink to print on a recording material, and a second inkjet head for ejecting a treatment liquid for insolubilizing the coloring ink onto the recording material. An inkjet recording apparatus having: a tank for exclusive use of supplying the treatment liquid. 2. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the capacity of the treatment liquid tank is equal to or more than the total capacity of the color forming ink tank. 3. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the recording means is mounted on a carriage that reciprocates in either a direction parallel to one side of a recording material or a direction intersecting the recording medium, and An inkjet recording apparatus, wherein the treatment liquid tank is provided in a portion other than a carriage in the apparatus. 4. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising means for detecting a remaining amount of the processing liquid in the processing liquid tank. 5. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 3, wherein a sub tank having a smaller capacity than that of the processing liquid tank is mounted on the carriage. 6. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 5, wherein a pump that operates using a force generated by movement of the carriage is used to supply the processing liquid from the processing liquid tank to the sub tank. Inkjet recording device. 7. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the treatment liquid tank includes an absorber for containing waste ink. 8. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising a waste liquid tank different from the processing liquid tank, wherein the processing liquid tank contains either the waste ink of the coloring ink or the waste liquid of the processing liquid. An ink jet recording apparatus having an absorber and the waste liquid tank having an absorber for accommodating the other one. 9. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the treatment liquid contains a low molecular component and a high molecular component of a cationic substance, and the ink contains an anionic dye. An inkjet recording device characterized by the above. 10. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the treatment liquid contains a low molecular component and a high molecular component of a cationic substance, and the ink contains at least an anionic compound and a pigment. An ink jet recording apparatus comprising: 11. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the recording means is a device for generating energy used for ejecting ink, and heat for film boiling the ink. An ink jet recording apparatus having an electrothermal converter that generates energy.