JPH10175295A - Ink-jet printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent using ink from receiving whatever any restriction by providing an ink passage communicated with each ink-jet nozzle, a gas encapsulation chamber encapsulated with gas, a laser beam passage for introducing laser beam into each gas encapsulation chamber and a laser beam-introducing means and ejecting ink droplets by elastic deformation of elastic film material. SOLUTION: A plurality of ink passages 41b, which are communicated with a plurality of ink-jet nozzles 41a arranged side by side at every fine interval and receive supply of ink 5 for recording, are formed in a first sheet 41 of the underside. A plurality of gas encapsulation chambers 43 and a laser beam passage 46 are formed in correspondence with the halfway parts of the ink passages 41b in a second sheet 42 of the upside. An elastically deformable elastic film material 47 is sandwiched between the first and second sheets 41, 42. Laser beam L is introduced into the gas encapsulation chambers 43 through the laser beam passage 66. Gas 44 encapsulated into the gas encapsulation chambers 63 is heated and expanded. The elastic film material 47 is elastically deformed on the ink passages 41b side by gas pressure thereof and ink droplets 5a are injected.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a sealing device provided with an elastic film material corresponding to a laser beam to be scanned, corresponding to ink passages communicating with a plurality of ink jet nozzles arranged at minute intervals. Into the gas-filled chamber,
The present invention relates to an ink jet printer which heats and expands a gas sealed in a gas sealing chamber, elastically deforms an elastic film material toward an ink passage by the gas pressure, and ejects a minute amount of ink from a nozzle.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as an ink jet printer which ejects a small amount of ink droplets from an ink jet nozzle communicating with an ink passage to which ink is supplied from an ink supply source, an on-demand type which can be miniaturized and capable of high-speed recording. In particular, those adopting a pressure control method or a heat control method (bubble jet method) are widely used. In a pressure control type ink jet printer, a piezoelectric element such as a piezo element is provided in an ink chamber formed at the tip of an ink passage, and the piezoelectric element is driven by a drive pulse based on image data, thereby deforming the piezoelectric element. Pressure is generated in the ink chamber, and a minute amount of ink is ejected from the nozzle by the pressure.

On the other hand, a thermal control type ink jet printer is provided with a heating resistor at the tip of an ink passage, and drives the heating resistor with a drive pulse based on image data so that ink in the ink passage is partially instantaneously. By heating, a minute amount of ink is ejected from a nozzle at a gas pressure generated by the boiling phenomenon. That is, when these pressure control method and heat control method are adopted, a piezoelectric element and a heating resistance element are required corresponding to each of a plurality of ink passages communicating with a plurality of ink jet nozzles. A plurality of electrodes for supplying power to the piezoelectric elements and the heating resistance elements will be provided in the same number as the number of these elements, which complicates the configuration of the recording mechanism and the drive control of the plurality of elements, increases the cost, and increases the resolution. There is a problem that it becomes difficult.

When a recording head of the pressure control type or the thermal control type is provided on a carriage and the carriage is reciprocated in the recording direction, the recording head can be reduced in size, but the carriage and its driving mechanism are required. Therefore, there is a problem that the recording mechanism becomes large, the structure becomes complicated, and the manufacturing cost becomes high. Further, since recording is performed while the carriage is reciprocatingly driven, for example, compared to a page printer such as a laser printer,
There is a problem that the recording speed and the recording accuracy are reduced.

Therefore, recently, there has been proposed an ink jet printer in which a laser beam to be scanned is directly irradiated on ink in a plurality of ink passages without providing a piezoelectric element or a heating resistor element to eject a minute amount of ink. Have been.

For example, Japanese Patent Publication No. 34788/1990 discloses that a laser beam generated by a laser beam generator is supplied to an ink passage provided in a nozzle row member of a high-density multi-orifice recording head disposed horizontally. By irradiating the thermal converter from above through the thermal action section provided in the section, the thermal transducer absorbs the laser beam and generates heat, and the heat causes a sharp change in the state of the ink in the thermal action section (gasification). (2) describes a liquid ejection recording method in which a minute amount of ink is ejected from an ejection orifice with an acting force based on the above method.

Furthermore, Japanese Patent Publication No. 4-6548 discloses that a laser beam generated by a laser beam generator is applied to the tip of a plurality of ink conduits formed on a liquid droplet ejecting member disposed horizontally. There is described a liquid ejection recording apparatus in which ink irradiated with laser light is instantaneously heated and gasified by further irradiation, and a minute amount of ink is ejected from an ejection orifice by the gas pressure.

[0008]

As described above, in the liquid jet recording method described in Japanese Patent Publication No. 34788/1990 and in the liquid jet recording apparatus described in Japanese Patent Publication No. 4648/1994, laser light is generated. Since the laser light generated by the vessel is irradiated on the ink in the ink passage to instantaneously heat the ink to about 300 ° C., and a small amount of ink is ejected by a gas generated by the boiling phenomenon. There is a possibility that the quality of the ink material may be deteriorated by the heating, and therefore, the usable ink material is limited under the constraint that the material is not deteriorated by the heating, and the selection of the ink material is restricted. , There is a problem. In addition, the laser light generator generates powerful laser light required to provide heat input for heating the ink to about 300 ° C., which causes a problem that the laser light generator becomes large and the cost increases. is there.

Further, since the laser light is irradiated onto the ink conduit from above, an extra space is required for a path for introducing the laser light, and it is difficult to reduce the size of the recording head. In particular, when the recording head unit is configured by laminating a plurality of recording heads for color recording, there is a problem that the recording head unit becomes large. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide an ink jet printer which is not restricted in the ink material to be used, can reduce the size of a laser light generating means for generating laser light and a recording head, and is advantageous in manufacturing cost. .

[0010]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an ink jet printer having a plurality of ink jet nozzles arranged in a plane at minute intervals, the ink jet printer being connected to each ink jet nozzle and receiving an ink from an ink supply source. Laser light is introduced into the ink passages for supplying ink, a gas filling chamber formed adjacently with an elastic film material elastically deformable in the middle of each ink passage and filled with gas, and a gas filling chamber. And a laser light introducing means for scanning the laser light generated by the laser light generating means and introducing the laser light into a plurality of laser light paths, and heats and expands the gas in the gas filling chamber by the laser light. Then, the elastic film material is elastically deformed toward the ink passage to eject ink droplets from the ink jet nozzle.

Here, the gas sealed in each gas sealing chamber is not limited to air, but may be any of an inert gas such as nitrogen gas, various inorganic gases, inorganic compound gases, organic compound gases, and the like. Or a mixed gas obtained by mixing these various gases.

Ink is supplied from an ink supply source to ink passages communicating with a plurality of ink jet nozzles arranged in a plane at minute intervals, and an elastically deformable portion is provided in the middle of each ink passage. Gas filling chambers filled with gas are formed adjacent to each other with an elastic film material interposed therebetween, and a laser light path for introducing laser light is provided in each gas filling chamber. When the laser light generated by the generating means is scanned and introduced into a plurality of laser light passages, the gas in the gas filling chamber is heated and expanded by the laser light, and the elastic film material is elastically deformed toward the ink passage, and the ink is discharged. The ink in the passage is ejected from the inkjet nozzle as ink droplets.

Here, since the ejection of the ink droplets is also due to the elastic deformation of the elastic film material, various ink materials can be used without any restrictions on the ink used. Further, the laser light generated by the laser light generating means may have a strength enough to heat and expand the gas in the gas filled chamber, and the output of the laser light may be reduced depending on the size of the gas filled chamber, the heating efficiency, and the type of gas. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the size and cost of the laser beam generating means.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the inkjet nozzle and the ink passage connected to the inkjet nozzle are linearly formed in the same sectional shape. In this case, since the ink jet nozzle and the ink passage connected thereto are formed linearly with the same cross-sectional shape, the ink in the ink passage can be jetted smoothly and easily from the ink jet nozzle without any resistance. And the ink passage can be easily formed integrally by etching or the like. In addition, the same operation as the first aspect is achieved.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the inkjet printer according to the first or second aspect, the plurality of gas-filled chambers are formed in a glass plate. In this case, a plurality of gas-filled chambers can be provided in an integrated sheet-like glass plate to be compact and formed in a thin sheet shape, and the plurality of gas-filled chambers can be easily formed by etching or the like. The heat radiation effect after heating can be enhanced. In addition, the same operation as the first or second aspect is achieved.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the ink jet printer according to the first or second aspect, at least a part of each of the laser light paths is made of glass fiber. In this case, since at least a part of each laser light path is a glass fiber, the laser light introduced into the laser light path is not diffused or attenuated by the glass fiber, and the efficiency is increased through the laser light path. It can be well introduced into the gas filling chamber. Others
The same operation as the first or second aspect is achieved.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the ink jet printer according to the first or second aspect of the present invention, wherein a reflection coating for reflecting laser light is formed on an inner surface of each of the gas filling chambers that does not face the laser light path. Things. In this case, the laser light introduced into the gas-filled chamber via the laser light path is reliably reflected into the gas-filled chamber by the plurality of reflective coatings, so that the gas heating efficiency can be increased. In addition, the same operation as the first or second aspect is achieved.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the invention of the fifth aspect, the inner surface of each of the gas-filled chambers facing the laser light path receives the laser light reflected from the gas-filled chamber into the gas-filled chamber. It is formed in a shape to reflect. In this case, even when the laser light introduced into the gas filling chamber through the laser light path is reflected by the inner surface not facing the laser light path and heads toward the inner surface facing the laser light path, the gas is formed depending on the shape of the inner surface. Since the light is forcibly reflected into the sealing chamber, the gas heating efficiency can be increased. In addition, the same operation as the fifth aspect is achieved.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the ink jet printer according to the first or second aspect, most of the gas in each of the gas filling chambers is sealed in a state where the gas is sealed in a number of opaque capsules which can be elastically deformed. It is. Here, as these many capsules, for example, those made of synthetic resin which is excellent in heat resistance and is colored black are desirable. In this case, the laser light introduced into the gas filling chamber is absorbed by a large number of opaque capsules, so that the gas sealed inside the capsule is efficiently heated and expanded to increase the elastic deformation of the elastic film material. Can be done. In addition, claim 1 or 2
It has the same function as.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect of the invention, the end faces of the plurality of laser light paths on the laser light incident side are formed such that the laser light is incident substantially orthogonally. is there. In this case, the laser light to be scanned is incident on the laser light incident side end faces of the plurality of laser light paths substantially orthogonally, so that reflection of the laser light on the end faces can be prevented, The efficiency of introducing laser light into the laser light path can be improved. In addition, the same operation as the first or second aspect is achieved.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect of the invention, the laser beam introducing means includes a plurality of laser beams corresponding to a plurality of inkjet nozzles for ejecting ink droplets at each scan of the laser beam. The laser light is introduced only into the light path. In this case, the laser beam introducing means causes each scan of the laser beam to be performed based on the image data only in a plurality of laser beam paths corresponding to a plurality of inkjet nozzles for ejecting ink droplets based on image data. Laser light can be introduced. In addition, the same operation as the first or second aspect is achieved.

The ink jet printer of claim 10 is
3. A sheet-like first sheet according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of ink jet nozzles and said plurality of ink passages are arranged side by side in a width direction of a recording medium orthogonal to a recording medium conveyance direction, and a plurality of gas fillings. A sheet-like second sheet in which a chamber and a plurality of laser light paths are arranged side by side in the width direction of the recording medium, and are sandwiched between the first and second sheets and adhered to both sheets to form an elastic film material A line head including an intermediate film material is provided.

In this case, a first sheet in which a plurality of ink-jet nozzles and a plurality of ink passages are arranged in a row in the width direction of the recording medium, a plurality of gas-filled chambers, and a plurality of laser light passages. Since the intermediate film material constituting the elastic film material is sandwiched between the second sheet and the second sheet incorporated in a line in the width direction of the recording medium, the line film is formed on the line head. The head can be miniaturized into a sheet shape. In addition, the same operation as the first or second aspect is achieved.

An ink jet printer according to claim 11 is
11. The color image recording apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising a line head unit in which at least three line heads to which at least three color inks for recording a color image are supplied are integrated in a stacked manner. It is configured to be possible. As described above, a line head unit in which at least three line heads are integrated in a stacked manner is provided, and at least three color inks of cyan, magenta, and yellow are supplied to each line head. A color image can be recorded. For example, a line head unit including four line heads is provided, and ink of each color of cyan, magenta, yellow, and black is supplied to each line head, so that four color images can be recorded. When a line head unit including five or more line heads is provided, a color image of five or more colors can be recorded. In addition, the same operation as that of the tenth aspect is achieved.

[0025]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The present embodiment is a case where the present invention is applied to a monochromatic inkjet printer that ejects recording ink from a plurality of inkjet nozzles and records on a recording sheet. The inkjet printer 1 has a paper feed mechanism 10 for feeding paper P (recording medium) stored in a paper feed cassette 11 and a paper P
Transport mechanism 20 for transporting laser light, and laser light scanner mechanism 30
(Corresponding to a laser beam introducing means) and the fed paper P
A recording line head 40 for recording an image is provided, and the inkjet printer 1 is configured to be thin.

The paper feed mechanism 10 will be described with reference to FIG. 1. A paper feed cassette 11 containing a plurality of sheets P of a predetermined size (for example, A4 size) is attached to and detached from the inside of the main body case 2 from behind. A paper feed roller 14 is mounted so as to be rotatable and rotatably supported by the main body case 2 so as to correspond to the front end of the paper feed cassette 11. In a substantially front half portion of the inside of the paper feed cassette 11, a paper feed table 12 whose rear end is swingably supported is disposed.
The front end of the sheet 2 is urged upward by a compression coil spring 13, and a plurality of sheets P are accommodated in the sheet cassette 11 so as to be placed on the sheet table 12. That is, since the front ends of the plurality of sheets P are always pressed by the paper feed roller 14, the rotation of the paper feed roller 14 in the predetermined rotation direction
The paper P is fed one by one.

Next, the transport mechanism 20 is the same as that provided in an ordinary printer, and, in brief, is provided with a plurality of guide members 21 so as to form a transport path for the paper P, and The paper P
Are rotatably provided along the transport path, and the plurality of pairs of transport rollers 22 are synchronously driven by a drive motor (not shown), and the fed paper P is The sheet is conveyed to a discharge tray (not shown) immediately before a recording line head 40 described later.

Next, the laser beam scanner mechanism 30 disposed immediately above the paper feed cassette 11 will be described with reference to FIG.
A description will be given based on FIG. A scanner motor 32 is fixed below the rear end of the scanner case 31 which is substantially rectangular in a plan view. Inside the rear end of the scanner case 31, a flat surface fixed to the drive shaft of the scanner motor 32 is provided. A hexahedral mirror 33 of a hexagonal shape is provided so as to be rotatable in a horizontal plane.

Further, a part of a side portion of the scanner case 31 substantially in the middle in the front-rear direction is formed in a stepped shape, and a laser light generator 34 made of a semiconductor laser is mounted on the stepped outer peripheral wall 31a. A substrate 35 is attached, and a laser beam L generated by the laser beam generator 34 can be projected onto a hexahedral mirror 33 via a collimator lens 36 and a cylinder lens 37. And 6
A first F-θ lens 38 and a second F-θ lens 39 are provided in the scanner case 31 on the scanning side of the laser light L with respect to the planar mirror 33 in parallel at a predetermined distance from each other.
The laser beam L scanned by the planar mirror 33 is irradiated to the recording line head 40 through the first and second F-θ lenses 38 and 39. Here, the on / off of the beam of the laser light L output from the laser light generator 34 is controlled by a control device (not shown).

Next, the laser beam L generated by the laser beam generator 34 is converted into a scanning laser beam L scanned in a horizontal plane by the hexahedral mirror 33, and the ink droplet 5a is ejected from the ink jet nozzle 41a by the laser beam L. FIGS. 2 to 7 show a recording line head 40 for ejecting and recording.
It will be described based on. The line head 40 for recording is shown in FIG.
As shown in the figure, a sheet-like first sheet 41 made of a thin glass plate and horizontally disposed on the lower side, and a sheet-like first sheet 41 made of a thin glass plate and horizontally disposed on the upper side 2
A sheet 42 and a heat-resistant elastic film material 47 sandwiched between the first and second sheets 41, 42, as shown in FIG. Each is bonded to the elastic film material 47 as a thin sheet.

The first sheet 41 is formed in a substantially rectangular shape in a plan view, which is long in the width direction (left-right direction) of the sheet P.
At its front end, a plurality of ink jet nozzles 41a oriented in the front-rear direction are recessed in parallel at small intervals in the width direction of the paper P orthogonal to the transport direction of the paper P,
On the rear side of each ink jet nozzle 41a, an ink passage 41b having the same cross-sectional shape as the ink jet nozzle 41a is formed in the front-rear direction so as to communicate linearly.
Further, behind the plurality of ink passages 41b, a wide ink supply passage 41c for supplying black ink 5 from an ink tank (corresponding to an ink supply source) 4 to each of the ink passages 41b is provided in a horizontal direction. It is formed in the direction.

On the other hand, the second sheet 42 is provided at a height position where the laser light L to be scanned is irradiated, is long in the width direction of the paper P, and has a rear end portion where the laser light L is incident. As shown in FIGS. 3, 6, and 7, a plurality of gas seals having the same cross-sectional shape and a predetermined length as the ink passage 41b are provided in a substantially front end portion of a lower end portion thereof. The chambers 43 are recessed in parallel at minute intervals, and glass fibers 46 for introducing the laser beam L into the gas sealing chambers 43 are provided behind the respective gas sealing chambers 43. Are buried at a minute interval corresponding to the laser beam path 46 by the glass fiber 43.
Are formed.

Here, in each of the plurality of laser light paths 46, the incident side end surface 46a of the laser light L is
Are formed so as to be incident substantially orthogonally. That is, when the laser light L to be scanned is incident on the incident side end surfaces 46a of the plurality of laser light passages 46, the laser light L can be reliably introduced into the laser light passages 46 without being reflected on the end surfaces 46a. It has become. Next, the elastic film material 47
Has a heat resistance of, for example, polyimide, and a thickness of about 5
Consisting of an elastically deformable membrane member of up to 10 μm,
On the upper surface of the elastic film material 47 facing the gas sealing chamber 43, a reflective coating 45 on which metal such as nickel is deposited is formed.

That is, each of the plurality of recessed gas-filled chambers 43 is formed adjacently and sealed in the middle of the ink passage 41b with the elastic film material 47 interposed therebetween. Is filled with air at atmospheric pressure as a gas 44. Further, of the five inner surfaces of each of the gas filling chambers 43, a reflective coating 45 on which a metal such as nickel is deposited is formed on the inner surface not facing the laser light passage 46, respectively. As a result, the gas filling chamber 4 passes through the laser light path 46.
The laser light L introduced into 3 is surely reflected into the gas filling chamber 43 by the reflective coatings 45 on the plurality of inner surfaces and the reflective coating 45 of the elastic film material 47.

Next, the operation of the recording line head 40 will be described. The laser beam L generated by the laser beam generator 34 is selectively introduced into only the laser beam path 46 corresponding to the plurality of inkjet nozzles 41a for ejecting the ink droplets 5a by an on-demand method based on image data. The laser light L passes through lenses 36 and 37 and is output from the hexahedral mirror 3.
3 converts the laser light L into a scanning laser light L that is scanned in a horizontal plane, and further converts the laser light L into a first and second F-θ lens 3.
The light is irradiated to the recording line head 40 through 8, 39.

The laser beam L is not reflected by the end surface 46a of the laser beam path 46,
6 is surely introduced into the gas filling chamber 43. At this time, the laser light L introduced into the gas sealing chamber 43 is reflected a plurality of times without being emitted from the gas sealing chamber 43 to the outside by the reflective coating 45 on the inner surface thereof. The gas 44 efficiently absorbs the thermal energy of the laser beam L and expands by heating. As a result, as shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 6, the elastic film material 47 is elastically deformed toward the ink passage 41b, so that the ink 5 located at the tip end of the ink passage 41b is pressed forward, and The ink 5 is ejected from the inkjet nozzle 41a as an ink droplet 5a, and adheres to the paper P and is recorded.

By the way, after the ink droplet 5a is ejected, the gas filling chamber 4 is kept until the next scanning of the laser beam L.
3, the laser beam L is no longer introduced, and the heat generated by expanding the gas 44 is radiated efficiently and reliably by the second sheet 42 made of glass in a short time, and the elastic film material 47 contracts to its original flat state. become. That is, for each scan of the laser light L,
The gas 44 is sufficiently cooled to room temperature, and a continuous recording operation is possible.

For example, the first sheet 41 is a glass sheet having a thickness of about 60 μm, and has a height and a width of about 40 μm, respectively.
A large number (about 3500 corresponding to the width of the A4 size) of the inkjet nozzles 41a having a cross section of m and a large number of ink passages 41b communicating therewith are formed in a straight line. On the other hand, the second sheet 42 is formed of a glass plate having a thickness of about 150 μm, and each gas filled chamber 43 has a height of about 40 μm.
It has a width of about 40 μm and a length of about 4000 μm, and air at atmospheric pressure is sealed in each gas sealing chamber 43 as a gas. The elastic film material 47 has a thickness of about 5 having heat resistance.
μm elastically deformable polyimide.

The output intensity of the laser light L output from the laser light generator 34 is set to about 200 to 300 mW, and the introduction time of the laser light L introduced into each gas filling chamber 43 is set to the scanning time per dot. When the duty ratio of 50% is about 5 × 10 ^-6 sec, the heat input for heating the gas is about 30 × 10 ^-8 kcal, and the temperature of the gas is lower than room temperature. Thus, the gas pressure in the gas filling chamber 43 becomes about 1.5 kg / cm ² only by about 140 to 150 degrees. That is, the gas pressure causes the elastic film material 47 to move into the ink passage 41b.
Side will momentarily bend, the maximum amount of deflection is about (1.1
.About.1.5) × 10 ⁻⁵ mm, the ejection amount of the ink 5 at this time is about 10 × 10 ⁻⁷ mm ³ , and the ink amount of the ink droplet 5a
((4-7) × 10 ^-7 mm ³ ).

Here, the gas sealed in each gas sealing chamber 43 may be various gases such as an inert gas such as nitrogen gas, or a mixture of air and an inert gas. It may be a gas. On the other hand, the heat conduction coefficient k of glass is 1.72, the heat radiation time is the scanning time of one dot line (about 0.03 sec), and the heat transfer heat amount is about (10 to 15) × 10 ⁻⁶ from a predetermined arithmetic expression. kcal, the amount of heat input
(Approximately 30 × 10 ^-8 kcal).
After the ejection of a, the ink is sufficiently cooled to room temperature before the next ink ejection. Thereby, it is possible to perform image recording by continuously ejecting each scan.

As described above, the ink passage 41b communicated with each of the plurality of ink jet nozzles 41a arranged in a plane at minute intervals and the gas sealing chamber 43 for sealing the gas 44 are provided. A laser beam path 46 for introducing the laser beam L into the gas filling chamber 43 and a laser beam scanner mechanism 30 are provided.
Because of the elastic deformation of 7, the ink 5 to be used is not subject to any restrictions, and various ink materials can be used. Further, the laser light L generated by the laser light generator 34 may have a strength enough to heat and expand the gas 44 in the gas sealing chamber 43, depending on the size of the gas sealing chamber 43, the heating efficiency, and the type of the gas 44. Thus, the output of the laser light L can be reduced, and the laser light generator 34 can be reduced in size and cost.

Further, since the ink jet nozzle 41a and the ink passage 41b connected to the ink jet nozzle 41a are linearly formed with the same sectional shape, the ink 5 in the ink passage 41b is formed.
Can be smoothly and easily ejected from the ink jet nozzle 41a without any resistance, and the ink jet nozzle 41a and the ink passage 41b can be easily formed integrally by etching or the like. Also, since most of each laser light path 46 is made of glass fiber, the laser light L introduced into the laser light path 46 is
The glass fiber can be efficiently introduced into the gas filling chamber 43 through the laser light path 46 without being diffused or attenuated.

The inner surface of each gas filling chamber 43 that does not face the laser light passage 46 is formed with a reflective coating 45 for reflecting the laser light L. Laser light L introduced into chamber 43
Is formed by the plurality of reflective coatings 45 by the gas sealing chamber 43.
The gas 44 is surely reflected inward, and the heating efficiency of the gas 44 can be increased. Further, since the laser light incident side end faces 46a of the plurality of laser light paths 46 are formed so that the laser light L is incident substantially orthogonally, the scanned laser light L is applied to the plurality of end faces 46a. The incident light is almost orthogonal. Therefore, the reflection of the laser light L on the end surface 46a can be prevented, and the efficiency of introducing the laser light L into the laser light path 46 can be improved.

Further, a plurality of ink jet nozzles 41a
And a plurality of ink passages 41b are arranged side by side in the width direction of the paper P orthogonal to the transport direction of the paper P and incorporated.
A sheet-like second sheet 42 in which a sheet 41, a plurality of gas-filled chambers 43, and a plurality of laser light passages 46 are arranged side by side in the width direction of the paper P, and are sandwiched between the first and second sheets 41, 42. Then, the recording line head 40 is bonded to the two sheets 41 and 42 and includes the elastic film material 47, so that the recording line head 40 can be reduced in size to a thin plate.

Here, a modification of the above embodiment will be described. 1) Various gases such as an inorganic gas, an inorganic compound gas, and an organic compound gas can be used as the gas sealed in each gas sealing chamber 43. Various gases pressurized as described above may be filled. However, it is necessary to use a gas that absorbs the laser light L and does not emit laser light. 2) As shown in FIG. 8, most of the gas 44 in each gas sealing chamber 43 formed in the second sheet 42 is made of a thin film made of an elastically deformable synthetic resin and has a large number of external dimensions of about several microns. May be sealed in a state of being sealed in the black capsule 50 of this example.
Since the laser light L introduced into the capsule 50 is absorbed by the many capsules 50, the capsule 50 and the gas sealed therein can be efficiently heated and expanded, and the elastic deformation of the elastic film material 47 can be increased.

3) As shown in FIG.
3, an inner surface facing the laser light path 46 may be integrally formed with a protruding light guide portion 42b that projects forward. In this case, the introduced laser light L is Many capsules 50 can be directly irradiated by the light guide portion 42b, and the heat conversion efficiency of the laser light L can be improved. 4) Further, as shown in FIG. 10 and FIG. 11, of the inner surfaces of the respective gas sealing chambers 43, the inner surface facing the laser light passage 46 is formed based on the refractive index of glass or air.
The laser light L reflected from the inside may be formed in a shape that reflects the laser light L into the gas sealing chamber 42a. In this case, the laser light L introduced into the gas sealing chamber 43 through the laser light passage 46 is used. Even when the light is reflected by the inner surface not facing the laser light passage 46 and heads toward the inner surface facing the laser light passage 46, the light is forcibly reflected into the gas sealing chamber 43 by the shape of the inner surface. Can be increased.

5) Further, as shown in FIG. 12, the upper end surface of the inner surfaces of the respective gas filling chambers 43 may be formed so as to be inclined so as to become lower toward the front. In this case, The introduced laser light L can be bent obliquely downward to irradiate more capsules 50. 6) As shown in FIG. 13, for example, a line head unit 51 in which three line heads 40a to 40c to which inks of three colors of cyan, magenta, and yellow are supplied, respectively, is provided in a stacked manner. Each of the line heads 40A to 40C may be configured to perform a recording operation by three laser lights generated from each laser light generator. In this case, inks of three colors such as cyan, magenta, and yellow are used. A color image can be recorded on the paper P.

For example, a line head unit including four line heads is provided, and ink of each color of cyan, magenta, yellow, and black is supplied to each line head, so that four color images can be recorded. When a line head unit including five or more line heads is provided, a color image of five or more colors can be recorded.

[0049]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, in an ink jet printer having a plurality of ink jet nozzles arranged in a plane at minute intervals, an ink passage communicating with each ink jet nozzle and a gas are supplied. A gas-filled chamber to be filled, a laser light path for introducing laser light into each gas-filled chamber, and a laser light introducing means are provided. Injection of ink droplets is also due to elastic deformation of the elastic film material. There are no restrictions on the type of ink used, and various ink materials can be used. Further, the laser light generated by the laser light generating means may have a strength enough to heat and expand the gas in the gas filled chamber,
Depending on the size of the gas-filled chamber, the heating efficiency, and the type of gas, the output of laser light can be reduced, and the laser light generating means can be reduced in size and cost.

According to the ink jet printer of the second aspect, the same effect as that of the first aspect is obtained. However, since the ink jet nozzle and the ink passage connected thereto are formed in a straight line with the same cross-sectional shape, the ink passage is formed. Can be smoothly and easily ejected from the ink jet nozzle without any resistance, and the ink jet nozzle and the ink passage can be easily formed integrally by etching or the like.

According to the ink jet printer of the third aspect, the same effects as those of the first or second aspect can be obtained, but the plurality of gas-filled chambers are formed in an integrated sheet-like glass plate to make the printer compact and thin. It can be formed in a sheet shape, and a plurality of gas-filled chambers can be easily formed by etching or the like, and the heat radiation effect after heating can be enhanced. According to the ink jet printer of the fourth aspect, the same effect as the first or second aspect is obtained, but since at least a part of each of the laser light paths is made of glass fiber, the laser light introduced into the laser light path is The glass fiber can be efficiently introduced into the gas filling chamber via the laser light path without being diffused or attenuated.

According to the ink jet printer of the fifth aspect, the same effect as that of the first or second aspect is obtained, but the laser light is reflected on the inner surface of each of the gas filling chambers not facing the laser light path. Since the reflective coating was formed,
The laser light introduced into the gas-filled chamber via the laser light path is reliably reflected into the gas-filled chamber by the plurality of reflective coatings, thereby increasing the gas heating efficiency.

According to the ink jet printer of the sixth aspect, the same effect as that of the fifth aspect is obtained, but the inner surface of each of the gas-filled chambers facing the laser light path has a laser beam reflected from the gas-filled chamber. The laser light introduced into the gas-filled chamber via the laser light path is reflected by the inner surface that does not face the laser light path, and is formed on the inner surface that faces the laser light path. Even when heading, the gas is efficiently reflected into the gas filling chamber due to the shape of the inner surface, so that the gas heating efficiency can be increased.

According to the ink-jet printer of the seventh aspect, the same effect as in the first or second aspect is obtained, but most of the gas in each of the gas-filled chambers is sealed in a number of opaque capsules that can be elastically deformed. Since the laser light introduced into the gas filling chamber is absorbed by a large number of opaque capsules, the gas sealed inside the capsules is efficiently heated and expanded to elastically deform the elastic film material. Can be increased. According to the ink jet printer of the eighth aspect, the same effect as that of the first or second aspect is obtained,
Since the laser light incident side end faces of the plurality of laser light paths are formed so that the laser light is incident substantially orthogonally, the laser light to be scanned is moved relative to the laser light incident side end faces of the plurality of laser light paths. By being incident substantially orthogonally, it is possible to prevent reflection of laser light on the end face,
The efficiency of introducing laser light into the laser light path can be improved.

According to the ink jet printer of the ninth aspect, the same effect as in the first or second aspect can be obtained, but the laser beam introducing means is provided with a plurality of ink jet nozzles for ejecting ink droplets at each scanning of the laser beam. Is configured to introduce laser light only into a plurality of laser light paths corresponding to a plurality of laser light paths, so that at each scan of the laser light, a plurality of ink jets for ejecting ink droplets by an on-demand method based on image data. Laser light can be introduced only into a plurality of laser light paths corresponding to the nozzles.

According to the ink jet printer of the tenth aspect, the same effects as those of the first or second aspect are obtained, but the width of the recording medium perpendicular to the recording medium conveyance direction is defined by connecting the plurality of ink jet nozzles and the plurality of ink passages. A first sheet in which the plurality of gas-filled chambers and a plurality of laser light paths are arranged in the width direction of the recording medium; A line head including an intermediate film material sandwiched between and adhered to both sheets and forming an elastic film material, so that the first sheet and the second sheet form an intermediate film material forming the elastic film material. Are adhered in a sandwich shape to form a line head, and the line head can be reduced in size to a sheet.

According to the ink jet printer of the eleventh aspect, the same effect as that of the tenth aspect is obtained, but at least the three color inks of cyan, magenta and yellow for recording a color image are supplied. Since there is a line head unit in which at least three line heads are integrated in a stacked manner, a color image can be recorded using these three color inks.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional view of an ink jet printer.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a laser beam scanner mechanism and a recording line head.

FIG. 3 is an exploded partial perspective view of a recording line head.

FIG. 4 is a partial perspective view of a recording line head.

FIG. 5 is a front view of a vertical section taken along line AA of FIG. 2;

6 is a partial sectional side view taken along the line BB of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a partial plan view taken along the line CC of FIG. 5;

FIG. 8 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 7 according to a modified embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 7 according to a modified embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 7 according to a modified embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 7 according to a modified embodiment.

FIG. 12 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 6 according to a modified embodiment.

FIG. 13 is a partial perspective view of a line head unit in which three recording line heads are stacked.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Ink jet printer 4 Ink tank 5 Ink 5a Ink droplet 30 Laser light scanner mechanism 34 Laser light generator 40 Recording line head 41 First sheet 41a Ink jet nozzle 41b Ink passage 42 Second sheet 43 Gas sealing chamber 46 Laser light passage 44 Gas 45 Reflective coating 47 Elastic film material 50 Capsule 51 Line head unit L Laser beam

Claims (11)

[Claims] 1. An ink jet printer having a plurality of ink jet nozzles arranged in a plane at minute intervals, comprising: an ink passage communicating with each ink jet nozzle to supply ink from an ink supply source; A gas filling chamber formed adjacently with an elastic film material elastically deformable in the middle thereof and filled with gas, a laser light passage for introducing laser light into each gas filling chamber, and a laser light generating means And a laser light introducing means for scanning the laser light generated in the step and introducing the laser light into a plurality of laser light paths. The laser light heats and expands the gas in the gas filling chamber to elastically deform the elastic film material toward the ink path. An ink jet printer characterized in that ink droplets are ejected from an ink jet nozzle. 2. The ink-jet printer according to claim 1, wherein the ink-jet nozzle and the ink passage connected to the ink-jet nozzle are linearly formed with the same sectional shape. 3. The ink jet printer according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of gas filling chambers are formed in a glass plate. 4. The ink jet printer according to claim 1, wherein at least a part of each of the laser light paths is made of glass fiber. 5. The ink jet printer according to claim 1, wherein a reflection coating for reflecting laser light is formed on an inner surface of each of the gas filling chambers that does not face the laser light path. . 6. An inner surface of each of the gas-filled chambers facing the laser light path is formed in a shape for reflecting laser light reflected from the gas-filled chamber into the gas-filled chamber. Item 6. An inkjet printer according to item 5. 7. The majority of the gas in each of the gas-filled chambers is:
3. The ink-jet printer according to claim 1, wherein the ink-jet printer is sealed in a state where it is sealed in a number of opaque capsules capable of elastic deformation. 8. The ink jet printer according to claim 1, wherein the laser light incident side end faces of the plurality of laser light paths are formed so that the laser light is incident substantially orthogonally. 9. The laser light introducing means is configured to introduce laser light only into a plurality of laser light paths corresponding to a plurality of ink jet nozzles for ejecting ink droplets during each scanning of the laser light. The inkjet printer according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: 10. A sheet-like first sheet in which a plurality of ink jet nozzles and a plurality of ink passages are arranged and incorporated in a width direction of a recording medium orthogonal to a recording medium conveying direction, a plurality of gas sealing chambers and a plurality of gas filling chambers. A sheet-like second sheet in which laser light paths are arranged side by side in the width direction of the recording medium, and an intermediate film sandwiched between the first and second sheets and adhered to both sheets and constituting the elastic film material The ink jet printer according to claim 1, further comprising a line head including a material. 11. At least three inks of each color of at least three inks for recording a color image are supplied.
11. The ink jet printer according to claim 10, further comprising a line head unit in which the two line heads are integrated in a stacked state, and capable of recording a color image.