JPH1052920A - Electrostatic type ink jet recording device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To realize high quality recording by a method wherein a means for turning both the adjacent discharging electrodes of an arbitrary discharging electrode discharging coloring material particles into a non-grounded floating state, an application means of voltage, which causes no discharging of coloring material particles, to the discharging electrodes outside both the adjacent discharging electrodes and the like are provided. SOLUTION: A controlling part 114 decides voltage signals given to a discharging electrode (A) 105 to discharge a coloring material particles, discharging electrodes (B) 116, which locate at both the sides of the discharging electrode (A) and through which no particle is discharged, and discharging electrodes (C) 117, which locate outside the discharging electrodes (B) 116, so as to send out the decided voltage signals to a discharging electrode voltage controlling part 115. Upon the receipt of the voltage signals, the discharging electrode voltage controlling part applies a voltage Vp to the discharging electrode (A) 105 for the period of time T and voltages Vc to the discharging electrodes (C) 117 for the period of time T and turns the discharging electrodes (B) 116 int a non-grounded floating state.

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, and more particularly to a driving method of an electrostatic ink jet recording apparatus for controlling coloring material particles in a pigment ink by an electrophoretic phenomenon.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIGS. 4 and 7 show an electrostatic ink jet recording apparatus utilizing an electrophoretic phenomenon and a conventional technique.
This will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 4 is a distribution diagram of color material particles in the vicinity of an ejection electrode (A) described later, FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing an external configuration of the inkjet recording device, FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of the inkjet recording device, FIG. 9 is a diagram showing waveforms of voltages applied to the electrophoresis electrode and the ejection electrode.

As shown in FIG. 7, an electrostatic ink jet recording apparatus utilizing the electrophoretic phenomenon is a pigment-based ink 21.
0, an electrophoresis electrode 103 for concentrating the color material particles 317 (shown in FIG. 4) in the pigment ink 210 on the ink ejection port 102 by an electrophoresis phenomenon, A plurality of ejection electrodes 205 for ejecting the coloring material particles 317 concentrated at the outlet 102 and causing them to fly onto the recording medium 104, and a counter electrode 109 arranged on the back surface of the recording medium 104 opposite to the ejection electrode 205. It is configured.

[0004] The ink ejection port 102 is connected to each ejection electrode 205.
The meniscus of the pigment-based ink 210 convex at the tip of
cus) 316 is formed for each discharge electrode 205 by a flow path wall 208. In the ink chamber 101, an ink supply port 206 and an ink discharge port 207 are connected to an ink tank by a tube (both are not shown). The configuration is such that the pigment-based ink 210 in 101 is forcibly circulated.

Next, the operation of the conventional electrostatic ink jet recording apparatus will be described. This method utilizes an electrophoretic phenomenon in which, when an electric field is applied to a pigment-based ink containing charged coloring material particles, the coloring material particles move in one direction under the electric field. That is, when a constant voltage V1 is applied to the electrophoretic electrode 103 as shown in the upper part of FIG. 9 and an electric field is applied to the ink chamber 101 filled with the pigment ink 210, the pigment ink 2
When the color material particles 317 in 10 move to the ink discharge port 102 and the color material particles 317 move to the ink discharge port 102, a meniscus 316 as shown in FIG.

Therefore, when a pulse-like discharge voltage of voltage V2 and time T2 as shown in the lower part of FIG. 9 is applied to the discharge electrode 205 for discharging the color material particles 317, the discharge electrode 20
5 and the counter electrode 109,
The coloring material particles 317 move and concentrate on the tip of the discharge electrode 205. Further, the electrostatic force causes the pigment ink 210
At a timing synchronized with the pulse-like ejection voltage, the coloring material particles 317 become fine flying particle groups 111 as shown in FIG. It flies and adheres on the recording medium 104. Such an operation is repeated at a desired position on the recording medium 104 to form an image on the recording medium 104. As shown in FIG. 8, the discharge electrodes other than the discharge electrode 205 that discharges the color material particles 317 are grounded without applying a voltage, and have a voltage of 0V.

[0007]

The conventional electrostatic ink jet recording apparatus operates and operates as described above. However, since the voltage is applied only to the discharge electrode for performing the discharge,
The recording quality is degraded due to a phenomenon that the toner particles are not ejected, dusty toner particles are ejected due to insufficient ejection, and toner particles are ejected from ejection electrodes that do not perform ejection operation on both sides. There is fear.

That is, as shown in FIG.
7, a voltage is applied only to the discharge electrode (A) 105 to be discharged, and the other discharge electrodes (B) not performing discharge
When the electrode 116 is grounded, an electric field is generated from the discharge electrode (A) 105 to the discharge electrode (B) 116 in the direction shown by the arrow in the drawing, and the coloring material particles 317 move to the discharge electrode (B) 116 by this electric field. As a result, the discharge from the discharge electrode (A) cannot be performed sufficiently.

In order to reduce the intensity of the electric field generated in the direction from the discharge electrode (A) 105 to the discharge electrode (B) 116 located on both sides of the discharge electrode (A) 105, the discharge electrodes (B) 11 on both sides
It is conceivable to apply a voltage close to the voltage applied to the discharge electrode (A) 105 to the discharge electrode 6. However, in this case, the color material particles 317 are discharged from the discharge electrode (B) 116 or the discharge electrode ( A) Flying particles 11 ejected from 105
There was a problem that the flight direction of 1 was bent.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve such a problem, and it is intended to prevent a phenomenon that color material particles move away from a discharge electrode which performs discharge, and to discharge color material particles from a discharge electrode which does not perform discharge. It is an object of the present invention to provide an electrostatic ink jet recording apparatus capable of preventing high-quality recording operation.

[0011]

In the electrostatic ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention, the color material particles in the ink are concentrated on the ink discharge port by an electrophoretic phenomenon, and a voltage is applied to any of a plurality of discharge electrodes. In the electrostatic ink jet recording apparatus that performs recording by flying the color material particles by doing, means for setting the discharge electrodes on both sides of any discharge electrode for discharging the color material particles to a non-ground floating state, Means for applying a voltage to the discharge electrode outside the discharge electrode to such an extent that the discharge of the color material particles does not occur, and applying the color to any discharge electrode that discharges the color material particles when the color material particles fly. Means for applying a voltage for discharging the material particles, and inducing a voltage to such an extent that the color material particles are not discharged on both adjacent discharge electrodes in the non-ground floating state.

Means for bringing a plurality of discharge electrodes adjacent to an arbitrary discharge electrode for discharging the color material particles into a non-ground floating state; and providing a color material particle to a discharge electrode further outside the plurality of adjacent discharge electrodes. Means for applying a voltage that does not cause the discharge of the color material particles, and applying a voltage for discharging the color material particles to any discharge electrode that discharges the color material particles when flying the color material particles; It is characterized in that a means is provided for inducing a voltage to such an extent that the color material particles do not discharge to each of a plurality of discharge electrodes on both sides in the ground floating state.

That is, in the electrostatic ink jet recording apparatus of the present invention, the color material particles move under the influence of the electric field shown in FIG. 10 by setting the discharge electrodes on both sides of the discharge electrode for discharging to the non-ground floating state. Although it is configured to avoid the phenomenon,
In this state, a high voltage is induced in the discharge electrodes on both sides, and discharge is generated from the discharge electrodes on both sides. Therefore, a low voltage is applied to the outer discharge electrodes on both sides to lower the voltage induced on the discharge electrodes on both sides, so that discharge is not generated from the discharge electrodes on both sides.

[0014]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an embodiment of the ink jet recording apparatus of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a waveform of a voltage applied to the ejection electrode (A) 105, the ejection electrode (B) 116, and the ejection electrode (C) 117 shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a potential distribution diagram of the tip of the discharge electrode (A) 105, the discharge electrode (B) 116, and the discharge electrode (C) 117, and FIG. FIG. 5 is a distribution diagram of the coloring material particles 317, FIG. 5 is a distribution diagram of the coloring material particles 317 in the vicinity of the ejection electrode (C) 117 of the present invention, and FIG.
FIG. 14 is a distribution diagram of color material particles 317 near 16;

Next, the operation will be described. The voltage of the constant voltage V1 shown in FIG.
Ink chamber 1 filled with the pigment ink 210 shown in FIG.
01, the color material particles 317 in the pigment-based ink 210 move to the ink discharge port 102, and when the color material particles 317 move to the ink discharge port 102, the meniscus 31
6 results.

A control unit 114 shown in FIG. 1 responds to print data and a print control signal input from a computer or the like via an input interface 113 to control color material particles 317.
Electrode (A) 105 for discharging the liquid and the discharge electrode (A)
Discharge electrodes (B) that do not perform discharge and are located on both sides of 105
A voltage signal to be applied to the discharge electrode (C) 117 and the discharge electrode (C) 117 outside thereof is determined, and the discharge electrode voltage control unit 115
This voltage signal is sent to When detecting the signal from the control unit 114, the discharge electrode voltage control unit 115
As shown in FIG. 7, a voltage Vp and a voltage of time T are applied to the discharge electrode (A) 105, a voltage Vc and a voltage of time T are applied to the discharge electrode (C) 117, and the discharge electrode (B) 116 is not grounded. Floating state.

The discharge electrode (A) 105 for discharging the color material particles 317 moves and concentrates on the front end thereof while the voltage Vp shown in FIG. 2 is applied. A uniform meniscus 316 as shown in FIG. 4 is formed in which the toner particles are held at a high concentration. Similarly, the discharge electrode (C) 117 that does not discharge the color material particles 317 applies the voltage Vc.
Since the coloring material particles 317 move and concentrate at the tip, a uniform meniscus 31 as shown in FIG.
6 are formed.

However, the voltage Vp applied to the ejection electrode (A) 105 and the voltage Vc applied to the ejection electrode (C) 117 are set so that Vp> Vc as shown in FIG. C) The tip of 117 is the discharge electrode (A)
Since the amount of movement of the coloring material particles 317 is smaller and the density thereof is low compared to the tip of the discharge electrode 105, the discharge electrode (C)
The toner particles contained in the meniscus 316 at the tip of the 117 become smaller. Further, the discharge electrode (A) 105 for discharging the color material particles 317 to which the voltage Vp is applied.
The discharge electrode (B) 116 that does not perform discharge and is interposed between the discharge electrode (C) 117 that does not perform discharge and to which the voltage Vc is applied is in a non-ground floating state as illustrated in FIG. As shown in FIG. 3, from the relationship of Vp> Vc described above, the electric field affected the ejection electrode (A) 105 to which the voltage Vp was applied toward the ejection electrode (C) 117 to which the voltage Vc was applied. By the way, the voltage Vz is just balanced, and the voltage Vz is induced.

An ejection electrode (B) 11 which does not perform ejection.
In the meniscus 316 of FIG. 6, while the voltage Vz shown in FIG. 2 is being induced, the coloring material particles 317 move and concentrate at the tip, so that the uniform meniscus 316 as shown in FIG. Is done. However, the voltage of each of the above-mentioned ejection electrode (A) 105, ejection electrode (B) 116 which does not perform ejection, and ejection electrode (C) 117 is Vp> V.
Since z> Vc, the amount and density of the movement of the color material particles 317 are intermediate between the ejection electrode (A) and the ejection electrode (C).

As shown in FIG. 2, the discharge electrode (A) 1
05, a voltage Vp and a voltage of time T are applied to the discharge electrode (C) 11.
7, a voltage Vc and a time T are applied to the discharge electrode (B) 116.
Is set to a non-ground floating state so that the discharge electrode (B) 1
16 is in an ungrounded floating state, the balance is exactly balanced by the influence of the electric field shown by the arrow in FIG. 10, and the coloring material particles 317 are discharged by the electric field by the electric field as in the conventional device. A) From 105, ejection electrode (B) 1
The phenomenon of moving toward 16 does not occur. Therefore, the coloring material particles 317 overcome the surface tension and viscous force of the pigment-based ink 210 by the electrostatic force only from the tip of the discharge electrode (A) 105, and the minute flying particles 111 are synchronized with the time T. And fly and adhere to the recording medium 104. The color material particles 317 are appropriately replenished from the ink tank as described above, and such an operation is repeated to form an image on the recording medium 104.

That is, in the electrostatic ink jet recording apparatus of the present embodiment, the electrodes adjacent to the electrode for discharging are set in a non-ground floating state so as to be not affected by the electric field as shown by the arrow in FIG. However, with this configuration, the voltage of the electrode on both sides becomes the same as the voltage of the electrode that performs ejection, and ejection occurs from the electrode on both sides. Therefore, a configuration is adopted in which a low voltage Vc is applied to the electrode outside the electrodes on both sides,
In this configuration, the voltage induced on both sides is set to a voltage Vz at which no ejection occurs. In the above-described embodiment, each of the two adjacent electrodes in the non-ground floating state is one, but two or more electrodes may be provided.

[0022]

As described above, in the electrostatic ink jet recording apparatus of the present invention, the discharge electrodes on both sides of the discharge electrode for discharging the color material particles are set in a non-ground floating state, and the color material particles are affected by the electric field. The color material from the two adjacent discharge electrodes is set to a non-ground floating state by applying a voltage to the outside of the two adjacent discharge electrodes to prevent discharge from occurring and applying a voltage that does not cause discharge to the electrodes outside the two adjacent discharge electrodes. The configuration is such that the ejection of particles can be prevented, and there is an effect that an apparatus capable of performing high-quality recording can be obtained.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing an embodiment of an ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing waveforms of voltages applied to a discharge electrode (A) 105, a discharge electrode (B) 116, and a discharge electrode (C) 117 shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 shows an ejection electrode (A) 105 and an ejection electrode (B) 116.
FIG. 7 is a potential distribution diagram at the tip of a discharge electrode (C) 117.

FIG. 4 is a distribution diagram of color material particles 317 in the vicinity of an ejection electrode (A) 105.

FIG. 5 is a distribution diagram of color material particles 317 near an ejection electrode (C) 117.

FIG. 6 is a distribution diagram of color material particles 317 in the vicinity of an ejection electrode (B) 116.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view illustrating an external configuration of an inkjet recording apparatus.

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of the ink jet recording apparatus.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing waveforms of voltages applied to an electrophoretic electrode and an ejection electrode.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the direction of an electric field near a conventional discharge electrode.

[Explanation of symbols]

 101 Ink chamber 102 Ink ejection port 103 Electrophoretic electrode 104 Recording medium 105 Discharge electrode (A) 109 Counter electrode 111 Flying particle group 113 Input interface 114 Control unit 115 Discharge electrode voltage control unit 116 Discharge electrode (B) 117 Discharge electrode (C) 205) ejection electrode 206 ink supply port 207 ink discharge port 208 channel wall 210 pigment-based ink 316 meniscus 317 coloring material particles

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Junichi Suetsugu 7546 Yasuda, Kashiwazaki-shi, Niigata Prefecture Niigata Nippon Electric Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Hitoshi Minemoto 7546 Yasuda, Kashiwazaki-shi, Niigata Niigata Nippon Electric Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Kazuo Shima 7546 Yasuda, Oji, Kashiwazaki, Niigata Prefecture Inside Niigata Nippon Electric Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Yoshihiro Hagiwara, 7546 Yasuda, Oji, Kashiwazaki, Niigata Niigata Nippon Electric Co., Ltd. 7546 Yasuda, Kashiwazaki-shi, Niigata Niigata Nippon Electric Co., Ltd.

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. An electrostatic device which concentrates color material particles in ink at an ink discharge port by an electrophoretic phenomenon and applies a voltage to one of a plurality of discharge electrodes to cause the color material particles to fly and record. In the ink jet recording apparatus, means for setting a discharge electrode adjacent to an arbitrary discharge electrode that discharges the color material particles to a non-ground floating state, discharge of the color material particle to a discharge electrode outside the discharge electrode adjacent to the both ends occurs. Means for applying a voltage to the extent that the color material particles do not fly, when flying the color material particles, applying a voltage for discharging the color material particles to any discharge electrode for discharging the color material particles, and the non-ground floating state Means for inducing a voltage to such an extent that the color material particles are not discharged to the adjacent discharge electrodes on both sides. 2. A means for bringing a plurality of discharge electrodes on both sides of an arbitrary discharge electrode for discharging the color material particles into a non-ground floating state, and a color material particle on a discharge electrode further outside the plural discharge electrodes on both sides. Means for applying a voltage that does not cause the discharge of the color material particles, and applying a voltage for discharging the color material particles to an arbitrary discharge electrode for discharging the color material particles when flying the color material particles. 2. The electrostatic ink jet recording according to claim 1, further comprising: means for inducing a voltage to such an extent that the color material particles are not discharged to each of a plurality of discharge electrodes on both sides in a ground floating state. apparatus.