JPH11151807A - Ink jet printer and ink jet recording method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To carry out high quality image recording relative to various kinds of recording media by conducting recording through spouting of ink from the ink jet nozzle of a recording head on a recording medium, and heating and drying spouted ink in use of heating means. SOLUTION: When paper (recording medium) 11 is transported between a platen roller 12 and a head 16, a head 16 reciprocated along a guide rail 15 is subjected to major scanning operation, each color of ink 17 supplied from a ink cartridge 20 to the head 16 is spouted on the recording medium 11. In addition, the paper 11 is subjected to auxiliary scanning operation through rotation of the platen roller 12. In this instance, the paper 11 is preheated by electromagnetic wave from heating means 23 to have ink 17 applied on the preheated parts, thus allowing Ink 17 applied to be heated and dried instantaneously through heat from the paper 11. This can avoid an ink receptor layer on the surface of the paper 11 from being needed, as a result, recording can be done without causing run.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ink jet printer for ejecting ink from an ink jet nozzle to perform recording on a recording medium and an ink jet recording method.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a main part of a conventional ink jet printer disclosed in, for example, JP-A-4-193542. In the figure, 1 is a paper (not shown)
, A guide rail parallel to the roller 1, a head 3 for reciprocating in the main scanning direction along the guide rail 2, and a head for ejecting four colors of ink onto a sheet. The head 3 is provided with an ink jet nozzle (not shown) for ejecting each color ink.

[0003] Reference numeral 4 denotes a pulse motor for controlling the position of the head 3 in the main scanning direction, 5 denotes an ink cartridge for accommodating ink supplied to the head 3 for each color, and 6 denotes a space between the ink cartridge 5 and the head 3. There are a plurality of valves provided to limit the amount of ink ejected.

Next, the operation will be described. When the sheet is conveyed between the roller 1 and the head 3, the pulse motor 4
, The main scanning of the head 3 is performed, and the ink of each color supplied from the ink cartridge 5 to the head 3 is ejected onto the paper. Further, the sheet is conveyed by the rotation of the roller 1, whereby the sub-scan is performed, and the color ink jet recording is performed on the entire sheet.

[0005]

In the conventional ink jet printer configured as described above, it is necessary to provide an ink receiving layer for absorbing ink on a recording medium. There is compatibility with the base material to coat uniformly with surface accuracy, and printing with stable image quality cannot be performed on the base material that cannot coat the ink receiving layer uniformly, and there is a limit to the material of the base material of the recording medium. Was. In addition, there is a possibility that image quality may be degraded due to bleeding generated when the ink is absorbed by the ink receiving layer.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and provides an ink jet printer and an ink jet recording method capable of performing high-quality recording on various recording media. The purpose is to:

[0007]

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an ink jet printer having a head having an ink jet nozzle for jetting ink on a recording medium, and a heating device for heating and drying the ink jetted on the recording medium. Means.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, a recording medium is preheated by a heating unit before the ink is ejected, and the ink is heated via the recording medium.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided an ink jet printer wherein the heating means is mounted on a common head with the ink jet nozzle.

An ink jet printer according to a fourth aspect of the present invention uses a heating means for heating a recording medium by irradiating an electromagnetic wave.

An ink jet printer according to a fifth aspect of the present invention uses a heat roller in contact with a recording medium as heating means.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the ink jet recording method, after the recording medium is preheated by the heating means, ink is ejected from the ink jet nozzle to the preheated portion of the recording medium, and the ink is dried by the heat from the recording medium. It is to let.

[0013]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Embodiment 1 FIG. FIG. 1 is a sectional view of an ink jet printer according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a main part of FIG. In the figure, 11 is a recording medium such as flexible paper or film, 12 is a platen roller for transporting the recording medium 11, and 13 and 14 are platen rollers 1 respectively.
The first and second guide rollers are provided in parallel with the second roller 2 and extend the recording medium 11 along the outer periphery of the platen roller 12 and apply tension to the recording medium 11.

Reference numeral 15 denotes a guide rail parallel to the platen roller 11, and reference numeral 16 denotes a reciprocally movable main scan direction along the guide rail 15, and inks 17 of four colors (yellow, magenta, cyan, and black) are recorded on a recording medium. The head 16 ejects the ink 1 of each color.
An inkjet nozzle (not shown) for ejecting the nozzle 7 is provided. The head 16 is driven and controlled by a pulse motor (not shown) via a pulley 18 and a belt 19.

Reference numeral 20 denotes an ink 17 supplied to the head 16.
Cartridge 21 is provided between the ink cartridge 20 and the head 16, and a plurality of valves 21 are provided between the ink cartridge 20 and the head 16 to limit the ejection amount of the ink 17. A head control 22 controls the ejection amount of the ink 17 of each color. Department.

Numeral 23 is mounted on the head 16 and the ink 17
Heating means for irradiating the recording medium 11 with electromagnetic waves upstream of the ejection position of the recording medium 11 to preheat the recording medium 11;
An electromagnetic wave shield provided between the heating means 6 and the heating means 23, and the electromagnetic wave shield 24 is formed of a grounded conductive plate. An electromagnetic wave shield 25 is provided near the head 16 and the platen roller 12.

Next, the operation will be described. When the sheet is conveyed between the platen roller 12 and the head 16, the head 16 is reciprocated along the guide rail 15, so that the main scanning of the head 16 is performed and the head 16 is supplied from the ink cartridge 20 to the head 16. The ink 17 of each color is ejected onto the recording medium 11. Further, the recording medium 11
The sheet is conveyed by the rotation of the platen roller 12, whereby the sub-scan is performed, and color printing on the entire recording medium 11 becomes possible.

The recording medium 11 is preheated to a predetermined temperature by an electromagnetic wave from the heating means 23, and ink 17 is applied to the preheated portion. For this reason, the applied ink 17 is immediately heated and dried by the heat from the recording medium 11.

According to such an ink jet printer, the ink 17 can be immediately dried and adhered on the recording medium 11 without providing an ink receiving layer. In addition, since the ink 17 is dried immediately, no bleeding occurs, and therefore, high-quality recording without recording unevenness can be performed on various recording media 11 without providing an ink receiving layer.

Further, since the ink 17 is heated from the side in contact with the recording medium 11 via the recording medium 11, bleeding of the ink 17 can be more reliably prevented, and the image quality can be further improved. Furthermore, since the heating means 23 is mounted on the head 16, the heating means 23 can be downsized.

In the above example, the ink 17 is heated via the recording medium 11, but the ink 17 may be heated directly.

Further, in the above example, the heating means 23 for heating the recording medium 11 by irradiating an electromagnetic wave is shown. However, the present invention is not limited to this.
A device that emits ultrasonic waves or a device that uses a heating wire may be used. However, when heat from the heating means is directly transmitted to the head, it is necessary to provide a heat shield between the heating means and the head or to provide a cooling means for the head.

Embodiment 2 FIG. Next, FIG. 3 is a sectional view of an ink jet printer according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a main part of FIG. In this example, the head 16
No heating means is mounted on the apparatus, and a heat roller 31 serving as a heating means is used as a platen roller. Also, head 1
A heat shield 32 is arranged near the heat roller 6 and the heat roller 31. The illustration of the internal structure of the heat roller 31 is omitted.

In such an ink jet printer,
As in the first embodiment, the main scanning and the sub-scanning of the head 16 are performed, and color printing is performed on the recording medium 11.
At this time, since the recording medium 11 is heated to a predetermined temperature by the heat roller 31, the ink 17 jetted onto the recording medium 11 is immediately dried by the heat from the recording medium 11. Therefore, high-quality printing without uneven printing can be performed on various printing media 11 without bleeding and without providing an ink receiving layer.

In the above example, the heat roller is used as a platen roller. However, the guide roller 13 located upstream of the head 16 may be used as a heat roller, or both the platen roller and the guide roller 13 may be heated. Rollers can also be used.

Embodiment 3 FIG. Next, FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a main part of an ink jet printer according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention. In the figure, 40 is a base, 41 is a flat recording medium such as a metal plate fixed on the base 40, 42 is a guide rail extending in the width direction of the recording medium 41, and 43 is a main rail along the guide rail 42. The head is provided so as to reciprocate in the scanning direction and ejects four color inks to the recording medium 41. The head 43 is provided with an ink jet nozzle (not shown) for ejecting each color ink. Further, the position of the head 43 is controlled by being driven by a pulse motor (not shown) via a pulley 44 and a belt 45.

Reference numeral 46 denotes a head unit having a guide rail 42, a head 43, a pulley 44, a belt 45, a pulse motor, and the like. The head unit 46 can be moved in the sub-scanning direction (the direction of the arrow in the figure). Has become. 4
Reference numerals 7 and 48 denote rollers mounted on the head unit 46 and rolling on the recording medium 41 with the movement of the head unit 46. A roller 47 located on the upstream side in the sub-scanning direction is provided with heat as heating means. Rollers are used.

In such an ink jet printer,
The main scanning of the head 43 is performed by reciprocating the head 43 along the guide rail 42, and ink of each color is ejected onto the recording medium 41. Also, the head unit 4
6 is moved in the longitudinal direction of the recording medium 41, whereby sub-scanning is performed, and color printing on the entire recording medium 11 becomes possible. Further, since the recording medium 41 is pressed by the rollers 47 and 48, the recording medium 41 is warped (distorted).
Is printed in a state where is corrected.

At this time, the recording medium 41 is preheated to a predetermined temperature by the roller 47, that is, the heat roller, and ink is applied to the preheated portion. Therefore, the applied ink is immediately heated and dried by the heat from the recording medium 41. Accordingly, it is possible to perform high-quality printing on various printing media 41 without uneven printing without causing bleeding and providing an ink receiving layer.

Embodiment 4 Next, FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a main part of an ink jet printer according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention. In this example, normal rollers are used as the rollers 48 and 49 for pressing the recording medium 41.
The heating means 23 similar to that of the first embodiment is mounted on the head 43. Thus, even when the heating means 23 is mounted on the head 43, the same effect as in the third embodiment can be obtained.

In the third and fourth embodiments, the flat recording medium 41 is shown, but a flexible sheet recording medium may be used. Embodiments 3 and 4
With respect to the fixed recording medium 41, the head unit 4
6, the sub-scanning may be performed by transporting the recording medium 41.

Further, in the first and fourth embodiments, the heating means 23 is mounted on the upstream side in the sub-scanning direction of the heads 16 and 43. However, if the recording media 11 and 41 can be heated to a predetermined temperature instantly. It may be mounted on the upstream side in the main scanning direction, and the ink can be applied to the recording media 11 and 41 immediately after the heating and dried effectively.

Further, in each of the above examples, a color printer is shown. However, the present invention is not limited to a color printer, and the present invention can be applied to a monochrome printer.

[0034]

As described above, the ink jet printer according to the first aspect of the present invention is provided with the heating means for heating and drying the ink jetted on the recording medium, so that the ink receiving layer can be provided without providing the ink receiving layer. High-quality recording can be performed by attaching ink to various recording media without bleeding.

In the ink jet printer according to the second aspect of the invention, the recording medium is preheated by the heating means before the ink is ejected, and the ink is heated via the recording medium. The ink is heated from the side in contact with the recording medium, whereby the bleeding of the ink can be more reliably prevented, and the image quality can be further improved.

In the ink jet printer according to the third aspect of the present invention, since the heating means is mounted on a common head with the ink jet nozzle, the heating means can be downsized.

In the ink jet printer according to the fourth aspect of the present invention, since the heating means for heating the recording medium by irradiating electromagnetic waves is used, the recording medium can be immediately heated to a predetermined temperature.

In the ink jet printer according to the fifth aspect of the present invention, since the heat roller in contact with the recording medium is used as the heating means, the recording medium can be heated to a predetermined temperature with a simple structure.

According to the ink jet recording method of the present invention, after the recording medium is preheated by the heating means, ink is ejected from the ink jet nozzle to the preheated portion of the recording medium, and the ink is dried by the heat from the recording medium. With this configuration, even if an ink receiving layer is not provided, ink can be attached to various recording media without bleeding, and high-quality recording can be performed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of an ink jet printer according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a main part of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of an ink jet printer according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a main part of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a main part of an inkjet printer according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a main part of an inkjet printer according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a main part of a conventional ink jet printer.

[Explanation of symbols]

11, 41 recording medium, 16, 43 head, 23 heating means, 31 heat roller (heating means), 47 roller (heating means).

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor: Shoji Tamura 2-3-2 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo Inside Mitsubishi Electric Corporation (72) Inventor Yoshiji Inaba 2-3-2, Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo Inside Mitsubishi Electric Corporation (72) Inventor Takamichi Rokka 2-3-2 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 2-3 Mitsubishi Electric Corporation

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. An ink jet printer comprising: a head having an ink jet nozzle for jetting ink on a recording medium; and a heating unit for heating and drying the ink jetted on the recording medium. 2. The ink jet printer according to claim 1, wherein the heating means preheats the recording medium before the ink is ejected, and heats the ink via the recording medium. 3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the heating means is mounted on a common head with the inkjet nozzle.
Or the inkjet printer according to claim 2. 4. The ink jet printer according to claim 1, wherein the heating means heats the recording medium by irradiating an electromagnetic wave. 5. The ink jet printer according to claim 1, wherein the heating means is a heat roller in contact with the recording medium. 6. After preheating the recording medium by heating means,
An ink jet recording method, comprising: ejecting ink from an ink jet nozzle to a preheated portion of the recording medium; and drying the ink by heat from the recording medium.