JPH10329354A - Recorder - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To achieve high integration of a recording head, high quality, high speed printing, plural-sheet printing, reduction of power consumption, miniaturization, lightening, reduction of cost and long durability. SOLUTION: There is provided a recorder that records an image pattern on a recording medium 7 such that ink 5 is transferred to an intermediate transferring body 3, then the ink 5 is transferred to the recording medium 7 from the intermediate transferring body 3. The recorder comprises a recording means that allows the surface of the intermediate transferring body 3 to have a hydrophilic property or a hydrophobic property, a coating means that selectively coats the ink 5 on either the hydrophilic surface or hydrophobic surface of the intermediate transferring body 3 and a recording means that allows the intermediate transferring body 3 to contact recording medium 7, an erasing means that returns the hydrophilic surface or hydrophobic surface to the original surface. The reversible change between the hydrophilic and hydrophobic surfaces is controlled by changing a wavelength of a light emitted on the surface. The emission of light is executed by means of a deformable mirror array 11.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a recording apparatus for transferring ink to a recording medium, and more particularly, to selectively transferring ink on an intermediate transfer medium and transferring the transferred ink to the recording medium. The present invention relates to a recording device for fixing.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a well-known document of the prior art relating to the present invention, there is "Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-147209". this is,
A molten ink droplet of hot melt ink ejected from a nozzle of a heating device and an ejection head made of a piezoelectric ceramic is ejected and jetted onto an intermediate transfer body, and the cooled ink on the intermediate transfer body is reheated and melted and transferred to recording paper. It is a recording device.

[0003] As another known document related to the prior art relating to the present invention, there is Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-330930.
This is a surface treatment method that applies a discharge treatment such as corona treatment and plasma treatment to improve the printability and adhesiveness of the polymer film, imparts high hydrophilicity to the film surface, and prevents the decrease in hydrophilicity over time. is there.

[0004]

However, the recording system having an intermediate transfer member according to the prior art has the following problems. That is, since the head is formed by processing piezoelectric ceramics, the degree of integration of the head is low and it is not suitable for high-speed printing. Because recording is performed by the inkjet head,
Clogging of the ink is inevitable, the head needs to be replaced, and the running cost increases. Since the hot melt ink is used, the power consumption for melting the ink increases, and the preparation time for printing increases. Since the intermediate transfer member does not have a memory function, it is disadvantageous for printing a plurality of sheets. There was a problem that.

[0005]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, an image pattern is recorded on an intermediate transfer member on a drum.
Ink is selectively applied onto the intermediate transfer body according to the image pattern, and the ink is transferred onto the recording body by contacting the ink application unit and the recording body,
After the completion of the ink transfer, in the recording apparatus in which the image pattern erasing process is performed, the means for performing the image pattern recording process includes a light irradiation head, and the intermediate transfer body is selectively operated by the light irradiation head. It is characterized by being made of a material that changes into either a hydrophilic region or a hydrophobic region.

Further, the recording apparatus according to the present invention is characterized in that the intermediate transfer member is made of 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate and poly (4-phenylazoacrylanilide).

Further, in the recording apparatus according to the first aspect,
The light irradiation head has a deformable mirror. The deformable mirror has a bimetallic cantilever structure. The beam structure is formed by laminating two types of materials having different linear expansion coefficients on a substrate. It is characterized by being driven by.

Further, in the recording apparatus according to the first aspect,
The light irradiation head has a deformable mirror, and the deformable mirror has an elastic member and a piezoelectric member laminated on a substrate, and the piezoelectric member has an upper electrode and a lower electrode formed on both surfaces thereof. It has a cantilever structure and is driven by an electric field.

Further, in the recording apparatus according to the first aspect,
The light irradiation head has a deformable mirror, and the deformable mirror has a cantilever structure in which an elastic member and an insulating member are stacked on a substrate, and is driven by static electricity.

[0010]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail.

[First Embodiment] FIG. 1 shows the configuration of a recording apparatus according to the present invention. Hereinafter, each configuration will be described.

The recording apparatus 1 has a drum 2, and has an intermediate transfer member 3 on the surface of the drum 2. The intermediate transfer member 3 usually has a hydrophobic property, but has a property that it changes to hydrophilic when irradiated with ultraviolet light, and recovers again when irradiated with visible light. Ink supply device 4
Is filled with ink 5. As the ink 5, for example, a water-soluble ink mainly containing diethylene glycol monobutyl ether and a pigment is used.

A light irradiation head 6 having a deformable mirror array 11 and an erasing device 8 are installed at positions separated from the intermediate transfer member 3 by a certain gap.

The recording medium 7 is in contact with the intermediate transfer body 3,
Paper can be fed by the platen 10. The fixing device 9 is installed at a position separated from the recording medium 6 by a certain gap. Next, the operation of the recording apparatus having the above-described configuration will be described.

The light irradiation head 6 selectively irradiates the surface of the intermediate transfer member 3 with ultraviolet rays according to the shape of the image pattern. Then, the property of the region irradiated with the ultraviolet rays changes to hydrophilic.

The ink 5 is applied to the rotating intermediate transfer member 3 by a squeegee or a hygroscopic member constituting the ink supply device 4. At this time, the ink 5 is applied only to the surface of the hydrophilic region 12. That is, the ink 5 is selectively applied onto the intermediate transfer member 3 in accordance with the pattern irradiated with ultraviolet rays.

Ink 5 applied on intermediate transfer body 3
Is in contact with the recording medium 7, the platen 10 is pressurized, and the ink 5 is transferred to the recording medium 7. The ink transferred to the recording medium 7 is cured by a fixing device 9 including a heater and the like.

Next, the intermediate transfer member 3 is irradiated with visible light by the erasing device 8. By this processing, the hydrophilic region 12 on the intermediate processing body 3 is restored to hydrophobicity.

Here, the material of the intermediate transfer member 3 will be described in detail. The material of the intermediate transfer member 3 is a polymer material,
In the case of a copolymer of hydroxyethyl methacrylate and poly (4-phenylazoacrylanilide), the contact angle (cos θ) with water is generally 0, whereas it is 0.2 when irradiated with ultraviolet light. And change to hydrophilic. Further irradiation with visible light restores the hydrophobicity with a contact angle of almost 0 again. A method of forming the intermediate transfer member 3 on the drum 2 is as follows.
It can be prepared by coating the monomer of the polymer material on the drum 2 and polymerizing it, or by winding a sheet of the polymer material around the drum 2.

Next, the light irradiation head 6 will be described in detail.

FIG. 2 shows the overall structure of the light irradiation head 6. Ultraviolet rays are radiated by an ultraviolet irradiation device 20 composed of a mercury lamp or the like constituting the light irradiation head 6, condensed by a convex lens 21, and dispersed by an optical fiber 22 in the longitudinal direction of the intermediate transfer body 3. The intensity of the reflected light is changed by irradiating the deformable mirror array 11 with the angle of the mirror. The reflected ultraviolet light passes through the slit array 23 and is collected by the convex lens array 24. When the deformation angle of the mirror is large, the reflected light is large and the intermediate transfer member 3 becomes hydrophilic. When the mirror is not deformed, the reflected light is zero and the intermediate transfer body 3 becomes hydrophobic. Since the control of the light amount can be controlled by the cantilever deformable mirror and the slit, it is possible to write the hydrophilic region 13 of the fine pattern. When irradiating visible light, a head having the same configuration as the light irradiation head 6 may be used by using a visible light irradiation device such as a tungsten lamp instead of the ultraviolet irradiation device 20 including a mercury lamp or the like. .

FIG. 3 shows a configuration in which the deformable mirror array 11 is composed of a bimetallic cantilever 30 and is driven by heat. The bimetal cantilever has a laminated structure of two kinds of materials having different linear expansion coefficients on a substrate 31, and the substrate side is made of a material 32 having a large linear expansion coefficient such as nickel.
(A linear expansion coefficient α of nickel = 13.4 × 10 ⁻⁶ ), and a material 33 having a small linear expansion coefficient such as quartz glass (α of silica glass = 4.6 × 10 ⁻⁶ ) is laminated thereon. . As a combination of materials, the ratio of the coefficient of linear expansion is preferably 2 or more. When a current is passed through nickel, the bimetal generates heat due to Joule heat, and the tip deforms to the opposite side of the substrate. When the current is zero, the stress is adjusted so that the cantilever is parallel to the substrate. The stress can be adjusted by the film forming conditions of the material. When nickel is deposited by electrolytic plating, the current density is set to 20 mA / cm ² so that the stress is reduced to zero. When quartz glass is formed by a sputtering method, the gas pressure of argon is set to 8 mT so that the stress becomes zero.
At orr, a film is formed with the power set to 1 kW. When the current is zero, the intensity of the reflected light passing through the slit is zero, and the intensity increases as the current increases.

Next, the deformable mirror array 11 described above
An elastic member 42 such as nickel formed on the substrate 41;
A piezoelectric member 43 such as PZT (lead zirconate titanate);
And lower electrodes 44 formed on both surfaces of the piezoelectric member 43.
FIG. 4 shows a structure including a cantilever 40 in which an upper electrode 45 and an upper electrode 45 are stacked and driven by an electric field. The piezoelectric member 43 is polarized toward the substrate in the thickness direction of the substrate. Piezoelectric member 4
When an electric field in the polarization direction is applied to the electrodes on both sides of the piezoelectric element 3, the length of the piezoelectric member 43 is reduced, so that the tip of the cantilever 40 is
Deform to the opposite side of. The stress is adjusted so that the cantilever 40 is parallel to the substrate when the electric field is zero. When the electric field is zero, the intensity of the reflected light passing through the slit is zero, and the intensity increases as the electric field increases.

Next, the above deformable mirror array 11
A cantilever 50 made of an elastic member 53 such as nickel and an insulating member 52 such as silicon dioxide formed on a substrate 51.
FIG. 5 shows an example of a structure which is made of static electricity and is driven by static electricity. When an electric field is applied to the electrode 53 formed on the cantilever (in this embodiment, nickel is used as an electrode because the elastic member is conductive nickel) and the electrode 54 formed on the substrate, the tip of the cantilever is caused by electrostatic force. Are deformed in the direction of the substrate. The stress is adjusted so that the cantilever is deformed to the opposite side of the substrate when the electric field is zero. The stress can be adjusted by the film forming conditions of the material. When nickel is deposited by electrolytic plating, the current density is set to 30 m so that the stress becomes an appropriate tensile stress.
A / cm ² is set to form a film. When the electric field is zero, the intensity of the reflected light passing through the slit is large, and the intensity is small as the electric field is large.

Next, the surface condition of the intermediate transfer member 3 in each processing process of the recording apparatus of the present invention will be described.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of the surface state of the intermediate transfer member 3 in each processing process of the so-called positive type recording apparatus described above. Normally, the hydrophobic intermediate transfer member 3 is irradiated with ultraviolet light by the light irradiation head 6 to record a hydrophilic image pattern (), apply a water-soluble ink 5 (), and transfer it to the recording member 7. (), The image pattern is erased by irradiating visible light with the erasing device 8, that is, the hydrophilic region is restored to hydrophobic (). Drum 2 without irradiating visible light with erasing device 8
Is rotated to transfer the ink 5 to the intermediate transfer body 3, it is possible to record a plurality of sheets of the same image pattern.

FIG. 7 shows an intermediate transfer member 3 which performs negative recording with visible light and erases with ultraviolet light, which is the reverse of the positive recording device shown in FIG. It is explanatory drawing of the surface state of.

As in the example shown in FIG. 6, the ink is water-soluble. On the contrary, the intermediate transfer member 3 is usually hydrophilic, and the light irradiation head 6 irradiates the intermediate transfer member 3 with visible light. The area where the image pattern is not recorded is made hydrophobic (), the water-soluble ink 5 is applied (), and transferred to the recording medium 7 (),
The image pattern is erased by irradiating ultraviolet light with the erasing device 8, that is, the hydrophobic area is restored to the hydrophilic state ().

When the drum 2 is rotated by the erasing device 8 without irradiating ultraviolet light to transfer the ink 5 to the intermediate transfer member 3, a plurality of recordings of the same image pattern can be performed.

By installing the recording device in a light-shielding box, stable recording is possible because the hydrophilic area 12 formed on the intermediate transfer member 3 does not change to hydrophobic by leaked light. Become.

[Second Embodiment] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a configuration and a recording principle of a recording apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention. The difference from the first embodiment is that the ink 5 is an oil-based ink 15.

As shown in FIG. 7 of the first embodiment, the intermediate transfer member 3 is usually hydrophilic, but changes to hydrophobic by irradiation with visible light, and returns to hydrophilic again when irradiated with ultraviolet light.

According to the image pattern, the surface of the intermediate transfer member 3 is irradiated with visible light by the light irradiation head 6. Then, the region irradiated with the visible light turns hydrophobic.

Next, an oil-based ink 5 which is liquid at normal temperature and contains, for example, toluene, ethyl acetate, isopropyl alcohol and a pigment as main components is brought into contact with the intermediate transfer member 3.
Then, the ink 15 is applied to the hydrophobic area 16 irradiated with visible light.
Is applied, and recording according to the image pattern is performed.

Next, when the pattern of the ink 15 comes into contact with the recording medium 7, the platen 10
Is transferred to the recording medium 7. The ink transferred to the recording medium 7 is cured by a fixing device 9 including a heater and the like.

When the intermediate transfer member 3 is irradiated with ultraviolet light by the erasing device 8, the hydrophobic region 16 is restored to hydrophilic.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram of the surface state of the intermediate transfer member 3 in each processing process of the so-called positive recording apparatus described above. Normally, the hydrophilic intermediate transfer member 3 is selectively irradiated with visible light by the light irradiation head 6 to selectively record a hydrophobic image pattern (), and the oil-based ink 15 is applied (). Then, the image pattern is erased by irradiating ultraviolet light with the erasing device 8 (). Erasing device 8
The drum 2 is rotated without irradiating ultraviolet light with
When the ink 15 is transferred to the printer, a plurality of recordings of the same image pattern can be performed.

FIG. 10 shows a case where negative recording is performed by ultraviolet light and erased by visible light, contrary to the positive recording apparatus shown in FIG.
FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a surface state of an intermediate transfer body 3 in each processing process of a so-called negative recording apparatus.

As in the example shown in FIG. 9, the ink is oily. However, contrary to FIG. 9, the intermediate transfer member 3 is usually hydrophobic, and is irradiated with ultraviolet light by the light irradiation head 6 to form an image pattern. The area where no recording is made is made hydrophilic (), and the oil-based ink 15
Is applied (), transferred to the recording medium 7 (), and the erasing device 8 irradiates visible light to erase the image pattern (). When the ink 2 is transferred to the intermediate transfer body 3 by rotating the drum 2 without irradiating the visible light with the erasing device 8, the same image pattern can be recorded on a plurality of sheets.

[0040]

As is clear from the above, according to the present invention, after the ink is transferred to the intermediate transfer member, the ink is transferred from the intermediate transfer member to the recording member, and the image pattern is formed on the recording member. In a recording apparatus for recording, a recording unit that changes the surface of the intermediate transfer body to hydrophilic or hydrophobic according to the image pattern, and ink on either the hydrophilic or hydrophobic surface of the intermediate transfer body. Coating means for selectively applying, recording means for bringing the intermediate transfer body into contact with the recording medium, and erasing means for returning the hydrophilic or hydrophobic surface of the intermediate transfer body to the original hydrophobic or hydrophilic property; Therefore, it is possible to provide a recording apparatus capable of printing a plurality of sheets without clogging.

Further, it is possible to use a water-soluble ink as the ink.

Also, the recording means on the intermediate transfer member is a change from hydrophobic to hydrophilic, and the erasing means is from a change from hydrophilic to hydrophobic. Therefore, a recording apparatus capable of printing a plurality of sheets is provided. can do.

Also, since the recording means on the intermediate transfer member is a change from hydrophilic to hydrophobic and the erasing means is from a change from hydrophobic to hydrophilic, a recording apparatus capable of printing a plurality of sheets is provided. can do.

Further, oil ink can be used as the ink.

Also, the recording device for the intermediate transfer member is a change from hydrophilic to hydrophobic, and the erasing device is from a change from hydrophobic to hydrophilic. can do.

Further, a recording device capable of printing a plurality of sheets is provided because the recording means on the intermediate transfer member is a change from hydrophobic to hydrophilic and the erasing means is from a change from hydrophilic to hydrophobic. can do.

Further, since the reversible change of the hydrophilicity and the hydrophobicity is controlled by changing the wavelength of the irradiated light, the change is fast and reversible, the resolution is high, and it is suitable for high-speed printing.
A long-life recording device capable of printing a plurality of sheets can be provided.

Further, since the change of the intermediate transfer member from hydrophobic to hydrophilic is performed by irradiation with ultraviolet light, it is possible to provide a compact recording apparatus.

Further, since the change of the intermediate transfer member from hydrophilic to hydrophobic is performed by irradiation with visible light, a compact recording apparatus can be provided.

Further, since the recording apparatus is installed in a light-shielding box, the hydrophilic area formed on the intermediate transfer body does not change to hydrophobic by leakage light, so that stable recording is possible. is there.

Further, since the intermediate transfer member is made of a polymer material, the film can be formed on the drum by a simple method of coating the monomer of the polymer material on the drum and polymerizing it, or by forming a sheet of the polymer material on a drum. It is possible by wrapping around a drum. Therefore, the process can be made simple and at low cost.

Since the intermediate transfer member is composed of 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate and poly (4-phenylazoacrylanilide), the change from hydrophobic to hydrophilic or from hydrophilic to hydrophobic is remarkable. . Therefore, it is possible to provide a recording device with high resolution and high print quality.

Further, since the recording means is implemented by a light irradiation head, and the light irradiation head has a deformable mirror, it is possible to provide a recording apparatus having high resolution, high print quality, and low power consumption.

Further, the deformable mirror includes a cantilever having a mirror surface on a surface thereof, and a drive unit for driving the cantilever by heat, electric field, or static electricity to deform the mirror surface. Accordingly, a recording device with high resolution, high print quality, and low power consumption can be provided.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a recording apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing details of a light irradiation head of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a configuration and an operation principle of a deformable mirror of the recording apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a configuration and an operation principle of a deformable mirror of the recording apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a configuration and an operation principle of a deformable mirror of the recording apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a recording process of the recording apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a recording process of the recording apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a configuration and a recording principle of a recording apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram of a surface state of an intermediate transfer body 3 in each processing process of a positive recording apparatus in a second embodiment.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of a surface state of an intermediate transfer body 3 in each processing process of a negative recording apparatus in a second embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Recording device 2 Drum 3 Intermediate transfer body 4 Ink supply device 5 Water-soluble ink 6 Light irradiation head 7 Recording medium 8 Erasing device 9 Fixing device 10 Platen 11 Deformable mirror array 12 Hydrophilic area 13 Hydrophobic area 15 Oil ink 16 Hydrophobic area 17 Hydrophilic area 20 Ultraviolet irradiation device 21 Convex lens 22 Optical fiber 23 Slit array 24 Convex lens array 30 Cantilever 40 Cantilever 50 Cantilever

Claims (7)

[Claims] An image pattern is recorded on an intermediate transfer member on a drum, and ink is selectively applied to the intermediate transfer member in accordance with the image pattern. In this case, the ink transfer onto the recording medium is performed, and after the ink transfer is completed, in the recording apparatus in which the image pattern erasing process is performed, the means for performing the image pattern recording process includes a light irradiation head. And a recording device, wherein the intermediate transfer member is made of a material which is selectively transformed into a hydrophilic region or a hydrophobic region by irradiation light from the light irradiation head. 2. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the intermediate transfer member is made of 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate and poly (4-phenylazoacrylanilide). 3. An image pattern is recorded on an intermediate transfer member on a drum, ink is selectively applied on the intermediate transfer member according to the image pattern, and the ink application unit contacts the recording member. In this manner, the ink transfer onto the recording medium is performed, and after the ink transfer is completed, in the recording apparatus in which the image pattern is erased, the image pattern formation on the intermediate transfer body is performed by irradiation with ultraviolet light, 2. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the erasing process of the image pattern is performed by irradiation with visible light. 4. An image pattern is recorded on an intermediate transfer member on a drum, ink is selectively applied to the intermediate transfer member according to the image pattern, and the ink application unit contacts the recording member. In this manner, the ink transfer onto the recording medium is performed, and after the ink transfer is completed, in the recording apparatus in which the erasing process of the image pattern is performed, the image pattern formation on the intermediate transfer body is performed by irradiation with visible light, 2. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the erasing process of the image pattern is performed by irradiating ultraviolet light. 5. The light irradiation head has a deformable mirror, and the deformable mirror has a bimetallic cantilever structure, and the beam structure has a different linear expansion coefficient on a substrate.
2. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the materials are stacked and driven by heat. 6. The light irradiation head has a deformable mirror, and the deformable mirror has an elastic member and a piezoelectric member laminated on a substrate, and the piezoelectric member has an upper electrode and a lower electrode on both surfaces thereof. Is formed in a cantilever structure,
2. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the recording apparatus is driven by an electric field. 7. The light irradiation head has a deformable mirror, and the deformable mirror has a cantilever structure in which an elastic member and an insulating member are laminated on a substrate, and is driven by static electricity. 2. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: