JPS63125344A - Recording apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To perform printing imparting extremely high printing density, by pressing the upper surface of a nozzle film body by a spacer member and filling the space between the nozzle film body and a thermal head body with ink to supply said ink. CONSTITUTION:A thermal head body 4 having a large number of thermal head elements 3 is provided so as to be contacted with the under surface of a nozzle film body 1 and a wall-shaped ink holding part is formed to the upper surface of said film body 1 so as to be capable of holding the ink 10 from an ink supply means 9. The ink 10 is stored in a fully-filled state and automatically replenished from the ink supply means 9 when the quantity of the ink 10 is reduced. Further, a spacer member 12 having elasticity is arranged so as to be abutted against the upper surface of the nozzle film body 1. The ink 10 flows even into the ink holding recessed part 13 formed inside the spacer member 12 through a nozzle orifice 2 and also fills the space between the inner surface of the spacer member 12 and the nozzle film body 1.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION a. Field of Industrial Application The present invention relates to a recording device, and in particular, it prints using ink ejected from a large number of nozzle holes formed in a nozzle film body, and dramatically increases the print density. Concerning a completely new configuration to improve performance.

b. Prior Art Conventional on-demand inkjet printers are generally configured so that one nozzle corresponds to one input signal, so when one input pulse is received, the corresponding nozzle One ink dot pops out and printing is performed.

Furthermore, the configuration disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 60-71260 is a configuration (shown in FIG. 6) in which a plurality of unspecified nozzle holes correspond to one human input signal.

That is, in the configuration shown in FIG. 6, the code ! 1 is a nozzle film body having a large number of nozzle holes 2 and configured in an endless ring shape. This nozzle film body 1 has a thermal head body 4 having a large number of thermal dot elements 3 and a guide The guide pulley 4a is rotatably stretched between pulleys 4a, and the guide pulley 4a is immersed in an ink holding portion 6 in which ink 5 is stored. Therefore, the ink 5 ejected from the nozzle hole 2 is printed on the recording paper P.

Problems to be solved by the C0 invention Since conventional recording devices were configured as described above,
There were various problems as follows.

(1) In the above-mentioned inkjet printer, one nozzle corresponds to one pulse, so if the nozzle becomes clogged, printing becomes impossible.The inkjet printers currently in common use do not have this problem. Not resolved.

(2) The configuration of the above-mentioned Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 60-71260 has a configuration in which a large number of nozzle holes correspond to the l pulse in order to solve this problem. Since the diameter is small, there is a practical problem in that sufficient print density cannot be obtained just by ejecting ink dots corresponding to the heat generating dots. Therefore, if the contact angle of the nozzle film body is made small (about 2 to 6 degrees) in order to increase this density, the ink dots will scatter more and clear printing will not be possible. Furthermore, when the nozzle hole is made larger, the density improves, but the resolution (8 dots/mm) decreases, which poses a practical problem.

(3) As a means to solve the above-mentioned problems,
The same place on the recording paper was printed twice (double-stamped), but the printing speed was halved, and
Compared to one shot, the resolution was lower and the life of the thermal head body was halved.

(4) Another fundamentally important problem with this system is that the flight distance of the ink dots is as small as about 0.2 mm, so the recording paper and the nozzle film come into contact, causing ink stains. Furthermore, since the nozzle film is rotated endlessly or moved back and forth over a large distance, the nozzle film body is subject to severe wear and tear, and print quality quickly deteriorates, making it difficult to obtain reliability as a product. Furthermore, as the nozzle film moves, ink spills onto the surface of the nozzle film and stains the recording paper, so the reality is that there is no prospect of commercialization.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and in particular, it suppresses the upper surface of the nozzle film body with a spacer member, and fills and supplies ink between the nozzle film body and the thermal head body. By doing so, a recording device that can perform printing with extremely high printing density (for example, in the case of black, pure black printing) is obtained by ejecting a larger number of ink dots than the nozzle holes of the nozzle film body (multi-dot phenomenon). This is the purpose.

Means for Solving Problem d1 The recording apparatus according to the present invention includes a thermal head body having a large number of thermal dot elements and fixedly disposed;
a nozzle film body joined to the thermal dot element and having a large number of nozzle holes; a spacer member abutted on one surface of the nozzle film body; and a reciprocating drive for reciprocating the nozzle film body and the spacer member. and an ink supply means for supplying ink between the nozzle film body and the thermal head body.

81 Effect In the recording apparatus according to the present invention, the setting conditions (contact pressure, setting angle, etc.) of the spacer member and the nozzle film body are made suitable, and the space between the nozzle film body and the thermal head body is filled with ink. Due to the suction caused by the ejection of the first ink dot and the vibration of the nozzle film body, the remaining thermal energy of the thermal dot element causes the next ink that enters each nozzle hole to eject as ink dots.

Therefore, a multi-striking phenomenon is achieved in which the number of ink dots printed by multiple nozzle holes corresponding to one thermal dot element is approximately twice the number of ink dots, and the printing density becomes extremely high, compared to the conventional printing density. It is possible to print at high speeds with contrast that is so clear that it is impossible to print.

f. Embodiments Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the recording apparatus according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

1 to 5 are for showing the recording apparatus according to the present invention. First, in FIGS. 1 to 3, reference numeral 1 is
1 is a nozzle film body stretched movably in the direction of arrow A by a pair of pulleys 7 and 8, and a plurality of nozzle holes 2 are formed in this nozzle film body 1.

A thermal head body 4 having a large number of thermal dot elements 3 is provided in contact with the lower surface of this nozzle film body I, and ink 10 from an ink supply means 9 is provided on the upper surface of this thermal head body 4. A wall-shaped ink holding section 11 is formed to hold the ink l.
O is stored in a full state between the nozzle film body 1 and the upper surface of the thermal head body 4, and when the amount of ink decreases, it is automatically replenished from the ink supply means 9.

Further, an elastic spacer member 12 is disposed in contact with the upper surface of the nozzle film body l, and the ink lO is also contained in the ink holding recess 13 formed inside the spacer member 12. The space between the inner surface of the spacer member 12 and the nozzle film body 1 is also filled with ink lO to some extent. Therefore, due to its elasticity, this spacer member 12 allows the nozzle film body l
is pressed in the direction of arrow B, and the nozzle film body 1 and the thermal head body 4 are brought into close contact with each other with elasticity. Further, a recording paper P is arranged on this spacer member 12.

Furthermore, the configuration shown in FIG. 1 is configured as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, and the cassette walls 15 and 15a and the side plates 16 and 16a of the cassette case body 14 have
A pair of reciprocating shafts 17 are provided via springs 18 in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the cassette case body 14, and the reciprocating shafts 17 are slidably fitted into the cassette wall 15. 15a via a spring pin 19.

When the nozzle hole 2 of the surface nozzle film body l deteriorates,
By rotating each pulley 7 and 8, the nozzle film body 1 can be moved by a predetermined amount in the direction of arrow A.

Further, each reciprocating shaft 17 is provided with an eccentric cam 20, which serves as a reciprocating drive means, rotatably in the direction of arrow G. By rotating the eccentric cam 20, the reciprocating shaft 17 is rotated in the direction of arrow C. can be reciprocated with a predetermined stroke.

Therefore, during printing, the rotation of the eccentric cam 20 causes the left side portion of the cassette case body I4 (the portion including the spacer member 12, the cassette wall portion 15a1, the side plate 16a, and the pulley 7 shown in FIG. 2) to reciprocate. , the nozzle film body 1 and the spacer member 12 reciprocate on the upper surface of the thermal head body 4, and the ink 10 is constantly supplied to the lower part of the nozzle hole 2.

In addition, when the nozzle film body l is moved to replace the nozzle hole 2 due to deterioration, as shown in FIG. While being locked by the ratchet pawl 22,
The actuating rod 24 provided on the electromagnetic plunger 23 rotates the ratchet 21, thereby rotating the spring-biased pulley 8 in the direction of the arrow.
can be moved in the direction of arrow A.

In addition, the contact angle θ of the nozzle film body I in FIG.
It is set at about 2 to 6 degrees.

The recording apparatus according to the present invention is configured as described above, and its operation will be explained below.

By the action of the eccentric cam 20, which is a reciprocating drive means, and the reciprocating shaft L7, the left side portion of the cassette case body I4 is moved by 0.1 to 1
．． When reciprocating in the direction of arrow C with a stroke of about 0 mm, the ink 10 being supplied onto the thermal head body 4 flows along the slight gap formed between the thermal head body 4 and the nozzle film body l. The ink is guided to the nozzle hole 2 by the pumping action of capillary action and vibration, and the required drive signal is supplied to the thermal dot element 3, the ink in the nozzle hole 2 is heated, and the ink is pumped outward by bubble pressure.
is ejected and printed on the recording paper P.

In this case, since the thermal head body 4 has a thermal dot element 3 with good heating characteristics, not only the nozzle hole 2 corresponding to the thermal dot element 3 but also
The ink 10 also ejects from the nozzle hole 2 closest to the surrounding area, and the ink lO that enters the nozzle hole 2 immediately after that is caused to flow into the thermal dot element 3 due to the suction caused by the ejection of the first ink dot and the vibration of the nozzle film body 1. The remaining sufficient thermal energy causes the particles to fly out, resulting in a multi-hitting phenomenon.

This multi-dot phenomenon, as shown in Fig. 5, is compared with the state of conventional printed dots (as shown in Fig. 7).
The state of multiple hits is clearly shown.

Since the ink dots fly out in random directions, the printing quality (8 dots/mm) can be maintained at a flying distance of about 0.2 mm.
The dot printing pattern shown in A does not clearly correspond to the pattern of the nozzle holes 2 shown in FIG.

This result has been confirmed by the present applicant as a result of observation under a microscope.

In addition, regarding each configuration in this embodiment, one example is shown and 1. The same effect can be obtained even when the configuration of each part is slightly changed, such as supplying ink from the ink holding recess I3, supplying ink from both sides of the thermal head body 4, or reciprocating the entire cassette case body 14. This goes without saying.

g8 Effects of the Invention Since the recording apparatus according to the invention is configured as described above, the following effects can be obtained.

(1) As the nozzle film body is pressed by the spacer member and ink is constantly supplied between the thermal head body and the nozzle film body, ■ one thermal dot element can be applied by applying a pulse drive signal. Since the phenomenon of multiple dots from the nozzle holes is obtained, and printing is performed using more ink dots than the number of nozzle holes, the print density can be dramatically improved.

(2) Since the space between the thermal head body and the nozzle film body is filled with ink, the supply of ink to the nozzle holes is instantaneous and extremely efficient, and the second ejection during multiple ejections. Ink can be supplied to each nozzle hole.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

1 to 5 are for showing the recording apparatus according to the present invention, and FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of the main parts, and FIGS. 2 and 3 are
The figures are a sectional view and a perspective view showing the overall configuration, Figure 4 is a pattern diagram of nozzle holes corresponding to the thermal dot element, and Figure 5 is a diagram of the dot printing pattern per thermal dot element after multiple dots are printed. FIG. 6 is a schematic sectional view showing a conventional configuration, and FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a dot printing pattern per thermal dot element according to the conventional configuration. 1 is a nozzle film body, 2 is a nozzle hole, 3 is a thermal dot element, 4 is a thermal head body, 9 is an ink supply means, and 10 is ink.

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) A thermal head body 4 having a large number of thermal dot elements 3 and fixedly disposed; a nozzle film body 1 joined to the thermal dot elements 3 and having a large number of nozzle holes 2; A spacer member 12 provided on one surface of the nozzle film body 1, a reciprocating drive means for reciprocating the nozzle film body 1 and the spacer member 12, and between the nozzle film body 1 and the thermal head body 4. and an ink supply means 9 for supplying ink 10 to the nozzle hole 2, and the ink 10 is supplied to fill the space between the thermal head body 4 and the nozzle film body 1, so that the ink 10 is supplied to the nozzle hole 2. A recording device characterized in that it is supplied within. (2), the spacer member 12 is made of an elastic material,
The recording device according to claim 1, wherein the recording device is in contact with the nozzle film body 1 with a spring property.