JPS63290771A - Recorder - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To reduce running cost and prevent ghost or the like from being generated, by forming an ink part energized in one direction and then an ink part energized in the opposite direction, by an energy-applying means. CONSTITUTION:Of an ink transferred by a print-transferring roll 1, undeveloped ink 2a' is again brought to a part for contact with an intermediate transfer roll 6 before recovering a crosslinked structure when the rotating speed of the roll 1 is high, resulting in that the ink 2a' is developed as ghost. To avoid this, at the time of energizing a recording electrode 5, an electric current is once passed in one direction and then immediately passed in the opposite direction by applying a voltage, whereby pH of an image part is greatly changed, and a non-image part 2c with pH greatly changed in the opposite direction is formed subsequent to a part 2b with the crosslinked structure broken. Therefore, the ink 2a' is again contained into an ink container 3, and its restoration is speedily performed. Thus, generation of ghost or the like is prevented, and trailing of an image is prevented from being caused by rubbing by the electrode 5 of the image part in which the viscosity of the ink is lowered.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] <Industrial application field> The present invention relates to a recording device capable of recording at low cost.

<Prior art> Today, various types of information processing recording methods have been developed that can record on plain paper, such as impact printers, electrophotography, laser beam printers, and thermal transfer printers. ing.

Among these, thermal transfer type recording devices are widely used because they have low noise and can be miniaturized. This recording method uses an ink ribbon made by coating hot-melt ink on a base sheet, heats the ink ribbon in an image pattern with a recording head, and transfers the molten ink to recording paper. This method has the advantage that a relatively small-sized device is used and the cost of the device can be reduced.

<Problems to be Solved by the Invention> However, in the conventional thermal transfer method described above, when manufacturing an ink ribbon, it is necessary to apply heat-melting ink onto a heat-resistant base sheet in a complicated process. Furthermore, this ink ribbon is used only once for recording and has to be disposed of, which poses problems such as high running costs.

<Means for Solving the Problems> Therefore, as a means for solving the above problems, the present applicant has developed a method in which fluid ink is transferred in the form of a film using an ink transfer means, and a predetermined amount of energy is applied to this ink. A recording apparatus was proposed that selectively applies pressure to form an ink image imparted with tackiness in an image pattern and transfers this ink image onto a recording medium (Japanese Patent Application No. 175191/1982).

According to this recording device, unlike the conventional thermal transfer method (there is no need to use an ink ribbon, only the ink that forms an ink image is transferred to the recording medium, and the ink that does not form an ink image is repeatedly used). It is something that can be done.

An object of the present invention is to further develop the recording apparatus described above, and to provide a recording apparatus that can reduce running costs, prevent the occurrence of ghosts, etc., and obtain high-quality transferred images. It's about doing.

For this purpose, the means according to the embodiments described below is a recording device capable of transferring fluid ink to a recording medium in response to selective application of energy, and includes an ink transporting means for transporting the fluid ink. , energy applying means for selectively applying electrical energy to the ink transferred by the ink transporting means, and energy applying means for transferring the ink, the transfer characteristics of which have changed in accordance with the selective application of the electrical energy, to a recording medium. The apparatus is characterized in that an ink part energized in one direction by the energy applying means is followed by an ink part energized in the opposite direction.

Effect> According to the above means, an ink image with changed transfer characteristics is formed by transporting the fluid ink by the ink transport means and applying electric energy to the ink according to an image signal, and the ink image is Predetermined recording is performed by transferring the image to the recording medium.

Furthermore, when applying electric energy to the ink, an ink portion energized in one direction is followed by an ink portion energized in the opposite direction, thereby reducing ink that has not been transferred to the recording medium. It is intended to be used repeatedly and promoted.

<Example> Next, an example of a recording apparatus to which the above means is applied will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional explanatory diagram of the recording device according to the first embodiment, and FIG.
The figure is a perspective explanatory view thereof.

First, to explain the general structure of the whole, an ink transfer roll 1 serving as an ink transfer means is arranged in an ink container 3 containing fluid ink 2 so that a part of it is submerged in the ink 2 (in addition, In FIG. 1, the ink transfer roll 1 appears to be buried in the ink 2 because the recording operation is in progress), and the ink 2 in the container 3 is moved in the direction of arrow A (clockwise). It is rotatably provided.

The ink 2 has fluid film-forming properties and is substantially non-adhesive under normal conditions, but becomes adhesive when electrical energy is applied. Therefore, the ink transfer roll 1 When the ink is rotated, the layer thickness regulating means 4 transfers the ink to the surface of the ink transfer roll l with a constant layer thickness.

Electrical energy is applied to the ink 2 formed in a certain layer on the surface of the ink transport roll 1 in an image pattern by an energy application means 5 controlled by a control means (not shown), and this application of energy imparts tackiness. An ink image 2a is formed. This ink image 2
A comes into contact with an intermediate transfer roll 6, which is an intermediate transfer medium, rotating in the direction of arrow B (counterclockwise) and is transferred onto the surface of the roll 6. On the other hand, the ink 2 that has not been transferred to the intermediate transfer roll 6 is stored again in the ink container 3 as the ink transfer roll 1 rotates, and is used again.

The ink image 2a transferred to the intermediate transfer roll 6 is transferred to a transfer roll 7 serving as a transfer means, which is provided in pressure contact with the intermediate transfer roll 6 and rotatable in the direction of arrow C (clockwise);
The recording medium conveyed between the intermediate transfer rolls 6 (for example,
The recording paper 8 on which the predetermined image has been recorded is discharged in the direction of the arrow (to the left in FIG. 1) by a pair of discharge rolls 9a and 9b. .

Next, the configuration of each part of the recording apparatus will be explained in detail.

First, the ink transfer roll 1 is made of a material that can transfer fluid ink 2, which will be described later, by forming a layer on its surface.
In this embodiment, a conductor made of metal such as stainless steel, aluminum, or iron is formed into a cylindrical shape,
It is constructed so that it can be driven and rotated in the direction of arrow A at a constant speed.

The surface of the ink transport roll 1 made of the above-mentioned material may be a smooth surface, but it is suitable for transporting the fluid ink 2.

It is preferable that the surface be appropriately roughened in order to further improve the supporting property.

Next, the fluid ink 2 transported by the ink transport roll 1 will be explained. This ink 2 has a fluid film forming property that flows under the application of a certain external force and forms an ink film. Specifically, as the ink transport roll 1 rotates, an ink layer is formed on the surface of the roll 1 and is transported. Further, it is preferable that the ink 2 has a property of being able to restore its adhesiveness over time after being cut by an external force. That is, it is preferable that the ink lumps have a property such that when they come into contact with each other, the interface disappears and they become one piece.

The ink 2 having the above-mentioned properties is an ink having a gel state in a broad sense in which the solvent is held by a cross-linked structure substance, or a relatively high viscosity (preferably 5000 cps or more) solvent containing particles (preferably a particle size of o, i~100μm,
More desirably, an ink having a sludge state obtained by dispersing 1 to 20 μm of the ink is preferably used. Inks having properties of both gel-like inks and sludge-like inks are more preferably used. Specific examples of this ink 2 include Japanese Patent Application No. 61-175191 or No. 62-3690 previously filed by the applicant.
Inks described in No. 4 and the like are preferred.

Such ink 2 has fluid film-forming properties, but has a property of being substantially sticky, and becomes sticky when electrical energy is applied. Furthermore, here, r
Adhesiveness 1 refers to selective adhesion, and means that when ink 2 is brought into contact with an object such as the intermediate transfer roll 6, a part of ink 2 separates from the entire ink and adheres to the object.
It doesn't matter whether the entire ink is sticky or not.

Therefore, when the ink layer formed on the surface of the ink transport roll 1 is in a state where no energy is applied, even if the ink 2 comes into contact with another medium, for example, the intermediate transfer roll 6, the ink layer is not applied to the intermediate transfer roll 6. is not substantially transferred. This is because in gel ink, the solvent is held in a crosslinked structure (except for a small amount of solvent), so the ink is not transferred to the intermediate transfer roll 6, and the ink is in a sludge state. If so, it is considered that the particles are arranged closely at the interface, making it difficult for the solvent bones in the ink to come into contact with the intermediate transfer roll 6, and thus not being transferred to the intermediate transfer roll 6.

On the other hand, when electrical energy is applied to the gel-like ink or sludge-like ink, the crosslinked structure of the gel-like ink and the particle arrangement state of the sludge-like ink change, resulting in changes in these properties. It is thought that adhesiveness is imparted to the fluid ink according to the application of energy.

Furthermore, when the ink 2 is coated on the ink transfer roll l, it has properties as a moldable body, and conversely, after being applied with energy by the energy applying means 5 and reaching the intermediate transfer roll 6, it has an elastic property. It is preferable that the material has properties as a body.

Therefore, the ink 2 of this embodiment preferably has a certain degree of viscoelasticity (complex elasticity having an elastic ring and a viscous term).

The range of viscoelasticity is shown in FIG. 3(A), for example.

As shown in (B), the ink 2 is a sample with a diameter of 25mm and a thickness of 2mm, and a sine flux T with an angular velocity of 1 rad/sec is applied to it in the direction of the arrow shown (slip direction), and the stress σ and When the phase shift δ is detected and the complex elastic modulus G* is calculated, G* quasi σ/Tmi c'+tc "G'; Storage modulus G1: Loss elastic modulus Storage elastic modulus G' and loss elastic modulus G The value of the ratio C''/G' is approximately 0.1
-10 is preferably used.

In the complex modulus of elasticity, the value of G'/G' is 0.
When it is less than 1, the behavior as a plastic body is insufficient,
If the ink coating on the ink transfer roll 1 becomes insufficient and the value of G"/G' exceeds 10,
This is because the behavior as an elastic body is insufficient, and elastic recovery from the energy application means 5 to the intermediate transfer roll 6 becomes insufficient. .

Note that the size of the sample and the method of applying distortion are values that are considered appropriate for the recording apparatus.

Next, the layer thickness regulating means 4 is disposed upstream of the energy applying means 5 with respect to the rotational direction of the ink transport roll 1, and is configured to coat the surface of the ink transport roll 1 with the ink 2 at a constant thickness. It is something. In this embodiment, the layer thickness regulating means 4 is composed of a blade member as shown in FIG.
It is placed approximately 0.3 to 3 meters away from the surface of the

The thickness of the ink layer formed on the surface of the ink transfer roll 1 is controlled by the blade member 4, and the thickness of the ink layer formed on the surface of the ink transfer roll 1 is controlled by the thickness of the ink layer formed on the surface of the ink transfer roll 1 due to the balance effect peculiar to the viscoelastic body. It is usually slightly larger than the interval between At this time, it is desirable that the distance between the blade member 4 and the ink transport roll 1 be set slightly smaller than the thickness of the ink layer to be set.

The layer thickness of the fluid ink 2 formed on the surface of the ink transfer roll 1 depends on the fluidity or viscosity of the ink 2, the material or roughness of the surface of the ink transfer roll 1, or the rotational speed of the roll 1. It is preferable that the ink transfer position at the ink transfer position where the ink transfer roll 1 faces the intermediate transfer roll 6 is about 0.1 to 5 degrees, more preferably about 0.5 to 3 degrees, although it varies depending on the situation.

If the layer thickness of this ink 2 is less than 0.1 fin, it will be difficult to form a uniform ink layer on the ink transfer roll 1, and if the layer thickness exceeds 500, the surface layer of the ink layer will be uniformly distributed around the circumference. It becomes difficult to convey the ink 2 while maintaining the speed.
Furthermore, it becomes difficult to apply electricity from the energy application means 5 to the ink transfer roll 1 via the ink 2.

Next, the energy applying means 5 will be explained. In this embodiment, the recording electrode 5 is used to apply electrical energy.

As shown in FIG. 4, the recording electrode 5 has a structure in which a plurality of electrode elements 5b made of metal such as copper are arranged in a row on a base 5a made of glass epoxy, alumina, glass, etc. An insulating film 5C made of polyimide or the like is provided on a portion of the element 5b other than the tip, that is, a portion other than the portion that contacts the ink 2, and the ink transfer roll 1 is grounded with a ground 10. l and electrode element 5b
The configuration is such that electricity can be applied through the ink 2 between the two.

The portion of the electrode element 5b exposed from the insulating film 5c is preferably plated with gold, platinum, rhodium, or the like, and from the viewpoint of durability, platinum plating is more preferable.

When the recording electrode 5 is arranged, it is preferable to arrange it so that the electrode element 5b is slightly immersed in the ink layer formed on the ink transport roll l, as shown in FIG. 1, and the amount of immersion is 0. ~1 crane, more preferably about 0.
Set to 1-0.5M.

By slightly immersing it in the ink layer in this way, the energizing effect can be further enhanced. In addition, as mentioned above, the electrode element 5
Even if ink 2 is immersed in the ink layer, it recovers elastically because ink 2 has viscoelasticity.

Further, when the electrode element 5b is immersed in the ink layer as described above, the end surface of the substrate 5a and the electrode element 5b in FIG.
It is preferable that the level difference with the end face of the electrode is in the range of about θ to 100n.If possible, it is desirable that both the end faces have no level difference and are configured on the same surface.This means that if the level difference is large, the electrode This is because there is a risk that the ink image 2a formed by the energization from the element 5b will be rubbed and destroyed by the end face of the base Fi 5a, causing disturbances in the recorded image.

As shown in FIG. 5, the drive circuit for the recording electrode 5 applies a signal from a pulse generator 5d+ via a CMOS analog switch 5e+, and subsequently applies a signal from a pulse generator 5dz to a CMOS analog switch 5.
e, and the switch 5e1
．． By sequentially turning ON 5e and 5e, a unidirectional current (voltage) pulse is applied from the power source (1), and then a reverse direction current (voltage) pulse is applied from the power source v8.

For example, when using guar gum crosslinked with borate ions as the crosslinked structure material of the ink 2, the amount of current applied to the recording electrode 5 is the amount required to destroy this crosslinked structure and cause an electrochemical change. Therefore, the amount of electricity required to transfer electrons to and from the crosslinking agent, which is added in a small amount of several hundred pp- to the ink 2, is sufficient. It is sufficient to apply a low energy of about 1/10 compared to the amount of current applied, and this energy application makes the ink 2 sticky.

Next, the intermediate transfer roll 6 is used to transfer the ink image 2a which has been given adhesiveness by applying the energy, and has a cylindrical member that is approximately 0.1 in contact with the surface of the ink transfer roll l. It is arranged above the ink transport roll 1 with an interval of ~3 m, contacts the ink layer formed on the ink transport roll 1, and is configured to be rotatable in the direction of arrow B by a driving means.

The material constituting the surface of the intermediate transfer roll 6 is as follows:
Although it is possible to use a material similar to the material forming the surface of the ink transfer roll 1, the surface of the intermediate transfer roll 6 may be plated with chrome plating or the like, or made of silicone resin, fluororesin, polyethylene resin, etc. It is preferable to improve the smoothness, stain resistance, or ease of cleaning by coating the intermediate transfer roll 6 with the surface with the ink transfer roll
It is preferable to make the surface smoother than that of the surface.

Furthermore, at the ink transfer position where the sticky ink image 2a is transferred to the intermediate transfer roll 6, an appropriate shearing force is applied to the layer of ink 2 sandwiched between the intermediate transfer roll 6 and the ink transport roll 1. Therefore, it is preferable that the circumferential speed of the intermediate transfer roll 6 is set to be equal to or smaller than the circumferential speed of the surface layer of the ink layer on the ink transport roll l. Depending on the characteristics of the non-adhesive ink, the circumferential speed of the intermediate transfer roll 6 may be set to be approximately equal to or slightly greater than the circumferential speed of the surface layer of the ink layer, taking into account the elastic deformation of the ink. Also good.

Next, the transfer roll 7 constitutes a transfer means for transferring the ink image 2a transferred and formed on the intermediate transfer roll 6 to the recording paper 8, and has a metal shaft made of nitrile rubber or silicone rubber. A transfer roll 7 formed into a cylindrical shape is connected to an intermediate transfer roll 6 by a spring or the like (not shown).
is pressed with a pressing force of about 0.1 to 5 ktf/am, rotates in the direction of arrow C as the intermediate transfer roll 6 rotates,
The recording paper 8 is conveyed in the direction of the arrow by cooperation with the intermediate transfer roll 6, and the ink image 2a formed on the intermediate transfer roll 6 is transferred onto the recording paper 8.

Note that if a slight amount of transfer remains during the transfer of the ink image 2a to the recording paper 8 due to the environment of the apparatus during recording, the material of the ink 2, etc., the transfer roll 7 may be removed as shown in FIG. A cleaning means 11 may be provided downstream of the pressure contact position in the rotational direction of the intermediate transfer roll 6 and in contact with the circumferential surface of the roll 6, and the cleaning means 11 may remove the ink remaining after transfer.

Here, the control mechanism of the recording apparatus will be explained.

As shown in the block diagram of FIG. 6, the ink transfer roll 1 and intermediate transfer roll 6 are driven by respective relays 13a and 14.
Motor 13b is turned on and off with a.

14b and independently via rotation drive systems 13c and 14c, and the transfer roll 7 is driven by the intermediate transfer roll 6 to rotate. The rotational speed of the motors 13b and 14b can be manually set independently by variable speed units 13d and 14d.

Further, the signal given to the recording electrode 5 is a power source V, , V.

This output is connected in parallel (wired OR) to the recording electrode 5 via CMOS analog switches 5et and 5el. The analog switch 5e++56
1 is controlled by a ring counter 5r synchronized with a pulse generator 5d.

In the example of Fig. 6, the output of the ring counter 5f is "When IJ (switch 5e, ON, switch 5e, 0FF) output"
2, and when the output is r2J (switch 5 e r O
F F1 switch 5ezON) output V.

And when the output is r31 (switch 5e1゜5e
Both outputs are 0FF) and the output is 0.

Incidentally, each of the above elements is controlled by a manual switch box 15.

The operation of the control mechanism is as shown in the flowchart of FIG. 7, when relays 13a and 14a are turned on (step 1.2).
Then, the ink transfer roll 1 and the intermediate transfer roll 6 rotate, and the pulse generator 5d is turned on (step 3) to drive the recording electrode 5 and feed the recording paper 8 (step 4) to perform predetermined recording. . When recording is completed, the pulse generator 5d is turned off (step 5), the recording paper 8 is ejected (step 6), and the relays 13a and 14a are turned off (step 7.8) to complete the recording operation.

To explain this more specifically, when the ink transfer roll 1 is rotated in the direction of arrow A, the fluid ink 2 is formed in a layer on the surface of the ink transfer roll 1 by the blade member 4, and as the ink transfer roll l rotates, will be transported along with it.

The transferred ink 2 is applied with a patterned voltage according to an image signal from the recording electrode 5 controlled by a control means at an energy application position where the ink 2 contacts the recording electrode 5. Accordingly, the current flows through the electrode element 5b.
The ink flows from the ink 2 to the ink transport roll l, and, for example, the crosslinking structure in the ink 2 changes due to an electrochemical reaction, thereby imparting selective tackiness to the ink 2.

The selectively tackified ink 2 is further transported in the direction of arrow A from the contact portion of the recording electrode 5, and reaches the transfer position where the intermediate transfer roll 6 contacts the layer made of this ink 2, and is then transferred to the transfer position as described above. Based on the tackiness, the ink image 2a is transferred and developed onto the intermediate transfer roll 6 rotating in the direction of arrow B, and the ink image 2a is transferred onto the surface of the roll 6.

The ink image 2a transferred onto the intermediate transfer roll 6 is
The ink is conveyed as the roll 6 rotates, and is transferred onto the recording paper 8 by pressure contact with the recording paper 8 conveyed to the ink image transfer position. The recording paper 8 on which the ink image 2a has been transferred and recorded is discharged in the direction indicated by the arrow, but if the ink image 2a is not sufficiently fixed, the recording paper 8 is discharged downstream from the ink image transfer position, for example. A known fixing means such as heating or pressure may be provided.

On the other hand, of the ink 2 transferred by the ink transfer roll 1, the ink in the part to which no energy is applied and the part 2a' of the ink to which energy is applied on the surface of the ink are transferred to the intermediate transfer roll 6. The ink is conveyed in the six directions of the arrows without being moved, and is again accommodated in the ink container 3.

As described above, if the transfer development is not complete, the undeveloped ink, ie, the ink 2a' remaining after development, returns to a non-adhesive fluid state due to recovery of the crosslinked structure by the interphase.

However, since this continuous phase phenomenon requires some time, when the recording speed is high, that is, when the ink transport roll
When the rotational speed of is high, the ink 2a' remaining after development reaches the contact area with the intermediate transfer roll 6 again as the ink transfer roll l rotates before it recovers its crosslinked structure, and is transferred as a ghost to the intermediate transfer roll 6. It is conceivable that the image will be developed as 6.

In this embodiment, as described above, when the recording electrode 5 is energized according to the image signal, immediately after passing the current from one direction, a voltage is applied in the opposite direction to cause the current to flow. As shown in FIG. 8, following a portion 2b in which the pH of the image area has changed significantly and the crosslinked structure has been destroyed, a non-image area 2c in which the pH has changed significantly in the opposite direction is formed. Therefore, when the ink 2a' is again accommodated in the ink container 3 as the ink transfer roll rotates 10 times and is stirred on the wall surface of the container 3, the interphase due to pH ion diffusion is quickly performed. Therefore, even when the recording speed is high, the crosslinked structure of the ink 2a' is reliably restored and the initial fluid ink without tackiness is restored before the ink 2a' is carried on the ink transport roll 1 again. Occurrence is prevented. Furthermore, as described above (when energized, the image area whose viscosity has decreased is transferred to the recording electrode 5).
This also prevents the development of trailing images caused by rubbing.

In addition, in the above-mentioned energization, when the current value of the unidirectional pulse is 1F%, the energization time is Lv, the current value of the reverse direction pulse is 1, and the energization time is tII, the unidirectional energization charge amount Qy=1
y-ty and the amount of electrical charge Q in the opposite direction.

-111, is preferably approximately equal, and more specifically, it is desirable to have 0.8QF<Qmaro<1.2QF.In this way, the pH relationship becomes more It is done efficiently.

As mentioned above, in the recording apparatus of this embodiment, predetermined recording is performed by imparting tackiness to the fluid ink 2 through the electrochemical action caused by electricity supply, so that the ink can be used with small electrical energy. Furthermore, since the ink using the crosslinked structure has elasticity, it can greatly reduce image distortion at the area where energy is applied, and also prevent chemical coloring. Since this is not necessary, it is possible to record images with superior stability and durability compared to the electrochemical recording method known in 1-a, that is, the electrolytic recording method that develops color based on an oxidation-reduction reaction caused by the application of electricity.

Furthermore, the conductivity of ink 2 is imparted by ionic conduction, and since a wide range of ionic substances (many solutions are transparent) can be used as electrolytes for this purpose, ink of any color can be obtained by using dyes and pigments, etc. This can be done easily.

<Other Embodiments> Next, other embodiments of each part of the above-mentioned embodiment will be described.

(1) Ink Transfer Means In the above embodiment, the cylindrical ink transfer roll 1 was used as the ink transfer means, but a belt or sheet-like transfer member may also be used as the ink transfer means. This belt or sheet-like ink transport member may be fed out from one end and wound up from the other end, but it is preferable to use it repeatedly by making an endless motion.

Further, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the ink transport roll 1 was made of a conductive material, but as will be described later, if the roll l is not part of a current-carrying circuit, it is not necessary to make it of a conductive material, but resin, etc. It may be composed of an insulator.

(2) Fluid ink In the above embodiments, tackiness was imparted by applying energy, and an ink image was formed using the ink to which tackiness was imparted, but the ink portions to which no energy was applied Alternatively, the ink may be made to have adhesive properties, and an ink image may be formed using the ink in the areas to which no energy is applied.

(3) Layer thickness regulating means In the above embodiment, the layer thickness regulating means was constituted by a blade member, but instead of the blade member, the ink transport roll 1
The layer thickness regulating means may be configured by arranging rotating rolls spaced apart from each other at a constant interval. According to the findings of the present inventors, in this method of coating ink using a rotating roll and regulating the layer thickness,
When the ink transport roll 1 was at high speed (eg, circumferential speed of 50 m/s or more), the thickness of the coated ink layer was sometimes smaller than the distance between the rotating roll and the ink transport roll l. In this case, it is desirable to set the interval to be slightly larger than the thickness of the coating ink layer.

Furthermore, depending on the rotational speed of the ink transport roll 1 and the viscoelasticity of the ink 2, there are cases where the ink can be coated with a constant layer thickness on the ink transport roll 1, or when there is no ink layer previously formed on the ink transport roll 1. In a configuration in which the ink transfer roll l having an ink layer is replaced when the ink layer is removed, the layer thickness regulating means 4 is not necessarily provided.
But it's okay.

(4) Energy application means In the embodiment described above, an example was shown in which the ink transport roll l was grounded, but a signal drive circuit is configured as shown in FIG.
The recording electrode 5 is used as a signal electrode 5g, the ink transport roll 1 is used as a counterpart electrode 5h, and a pulse generator 5d is provided for each of the electrodes 5g and 5h.

5d! A pulse signal may be applied by
By applying a bias to the counterpart electrode 5h in this manner, it is no longer necessary to apply both positive and negative signals to the recording electrode 5 as shown in FIG.

To briefly explain the operation of FIG. 9, when the pulse generator 5d is at a high level, the transistor element Q
, turns on and the element Q31 turns on, but no current flows through the base of the element Q□ and turns it off. Further, when the pulse generator 5d is at a low level, the elements Q and Q
s r is turned off, and a current flows through the base of the element Q a + via the resistor R11, turning it on. Furthermore, the element Qx + + Q for the pulse generator 5d8
The operation of t x r Q st is similar.

Therefore, when the pulse generator 5d is at low level, 5d
When z is high level, the resistor R311 element Q! is connected from the power supply ■r. 1. Diode D, signal electrode 5g, ink 2. A current flows through the path of the other electrode 5h and the element Q3z, and the pulse generator 5d is at a high level, 5d! When is at low level, the resistor R3! is connected from the power supply Vl. , element Q0. Diode D0. Counter electrode 5h, ink 2. Signal electrode 5g, element Q
Current flows through 31 paths.

In the configuration shown in FIG. 9, two pulse generators 5d+
, 5dz were used, but if a ring counter as shown in FIG. 6 is used, it can be operated with one pulse generator.

As another example of providing a counterpart electrode, as shown in FIG. 10, v DC biases corresponding to the signal pulse application time by the recording electrode 5 are applied to the ink transport roll 1 in the opposite direction to the current direction of the recording electrode 5. By doing so, it is possible to omit the drive circuit for the mating electrode 51.

In addition, when applying a DC bias voltage V as shown in FIG. ) is preferably set to a value that does not generate hydrogen gas or the like.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, when the ink 2 is energized, the ink transport roll l is energized from the recording electrode 5 through the ink 2.
In this case, the electrochemical change in the ink 2 due to the current flow will result in the formation of a particularly high pH area and a particularly low pH area adjacent to each other on the surface of the ink layer. Therefore, stirring within the ink container 3 is effective because it is sufficient to stir only the surface layer of the ink layer.

Further, as described above, when the recording electrode 5 is used as an anode, it is desirable to plate the electrode or use a noble metal electrode so that the anode metal is less likely to be eluted due to an electrochemical reaction. . In this case, for example, as shown in FIG. 11, a common electrode 5k may be formed at a constant interval from the signal electrode 5j, and the ink 2 may be energized using the common electrode 5k as an anode and the signal electrode 5j as a cathode.

In the above configuration, it is preferable from the viewpoint of manufacturing that the common electrode 5k is made of a noble metal pattern such as platinum, and the signal electrode 5j, which has a fine structure, is made of any metal.

Furthermore, the common electrode may be divided into a plurality of blocks, and in this case, in driving the signal electrode and the common electrode,
It is preferable to reduce the number of driving elements and the total amount of current by forming a matrix.

Furthermore, with the above configuration, a particularly low pH part and a particularly high pH part are simultaneously formed in the ink 2 by applying current in a single direction, which is particularly preferable in terms of simplifying the drive circuit.

(5) Intermediate transfer medium In the above-mentioned embodiment, the intermediate transfer roll 6 was used as the intermediate transfer medium, but like the ink transfer means, this also transfers a metal or plastic film in one direction even if it is not in the form of a roll. (Also, it may be used as an endless belt.)

Further, as shown in FIG. 12, the ink may be directly transferred from the ink transport roll 1 to the recording paper 8 without providing an intermediate transfer medium.

(6) Stirring means In the embodiment described above, when the ink 2 that has not been transferred to the intermediate transfer roll 6 is re-accommodated in the ink container 3, it is naturally stirred by the wall surface of the container 3, etc. As shown in FIG. 13, as the stirring means 12, a stirring roll is disposed downstream of the contact position between the ink image 2a and the intermediate transfer roll 6 in the rotational direction of the ink transport roll l, and the roll 12 is The ink 2 may be forcibly stirred by rotation.

This is preferable because the ink 2 can be phase linked more effectively.

Note that the stirring means may not be a rotating member (for example, it may be a simple stirring rod).

(7) Cleaning means In the above-mentioned embodiment, an example was shown in which a cleaning means 11 was provided in order to remove the remaining ink transferred to the recording paper 8 from the intermediate transfer roll 6.
When the image is completely transferred, it is not necessary to provide the cleaning means 11.

(8) Recording medium As described above, when paper is used as the recording medium in a configuration in which the ink image 2a on the ink transport roll 1 is directly transferred to the recording medium, the intermediate transfer roll 6 is not provided. It is preferable to use coated paper with a smooth surface coated to prevent the solvent of ink 2 from penetrating.Also, from the point of view of facilitating the selection of the material for fluid ink 2, it is preferable to use plastic such as polyester. , or a film made of metal such as aluminum is more preferably used in terms of its surface characteristics.

In the configuration in which the intermediate transfer roll 6 is provided as in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, there is no problem even if so-called plain paper is used as the recording medium (there is no particular restriction on the paper quality.

Experimental Results> Next, the results of an experiment in which recording was performed using the recording device described above will be shown.

Experiment 1 Using the recording device shown in the example in Figure 1, the following
I recorded it as shown below.

First, fluid ink 2 was composed of the following components.

As above A, a gel with high water retention and an amorphous shape is obtained by mixing and heating the respective components. At this time, the pH is desirably adjusted to 7 to 11 by a suitable acid or alkali, and the gel is prepared by reducing the C of the mannose main chain of guar gum by borate ions.

This is thought to be due to crosslinking between the OH group at the Cis position of C1 and the OH group at the Cis position of C4 and Cs of the glass talk side chain.

By adding an acid such as hydrochloric acid or acetic acid to the above A, the pH can be adjusted.
By setting the value to 7 or less, the gel structure is easily destroyed and a viscous solution is obtained. After adding and mixing 50 parts by weight of 10n toner particles as B, the pH was again adjusted to about 8.
A sludge-like gel is obtained by doing this.

Next, as the ink transfer roll 1, a stainless steel roll with a diameter of 20 mm and a surface roughness of 1 s is used.
As the intermediate transfer roll 6, an iron roll having a diameter of 20 mm and whose surface was plated with hard chrome was used, and the distance between it and the ink transfer roll 1 was set to two fins.

Further, as the transfer roll 8, a roll having a silicone rubber layer of 4 mm thick on an iron roll with a diameter of 12 m was used, and the intermediate transfer roll 6 was pressed with a pressing force of 1 kgf/cm. rotated at a constant speed.

In the above configuration, the number of rotations of the intermediate transfer roll 6 is approximately 50.
rpm and rotates the ink transfer roll 1 at approximately 5Q.
When rotated at rpm, ink 2 is transferred to ink transfer roll 1.
While it was supported in a layer with a thickness of 2.5 cm on the surface of the intermediate transfer roll 6, nothing other than a small amount of moisture was transferred to the intermediate transfer roll 6 when no energy was applied.

Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the surface of the ink layer was prepared by using a recording electrode 5 having an electrode element 5b exposed only at the tip with an area of 100n x 100n, and using the recording electrode 5 as an anode and the ink transport roll 1 as an anode. When a 40V, 500μ pulse as shown in FIG. 14 was applied through the ink 2 as a cathode,
A current of about 2.5 mA flowed per one electrode element 5b, and 100.1+11×150 images were obtained at a 500-pitch. This is thought to be because the crosslinks of guar gum were destroyed by the energization.

Note that when Ion toner was used as the ink 20 particle component, the fixing properties were slightly insufficient as it was, so sufficient fixing properties were obtained by heating the image to 180° C. after transferring the image to the recording paper 8.

However, during the recording, a ghost image was observed at a position one rotation away from the ink transport roll 1.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 15, a signal pulse with a voltage VF-40V in one direction and a pulse width ty-0.5 is applied as an energization pulse, and immediately after that, a voltage VF in the opposite direction to the voltage vv is applied.
When a pulse with a pulse width tlw2m was applied at m=10V, no ghost images were generated at all.

Further, when recording a large number of sheets, there was almost no occurrence of unevenness in the viscosity of the ink depending on the image. This is because the pH is low due to the signal applied in the direction of the soil, and the crosslinked structure is formed (following the shifted sol-like part, a part with a high pH is formed.
This is believed to be because the ink 2 undergoes rapid phase communication only by stirring the surface. Also, the image at this time is 100nX 1
The tailing was also reduced to 20n.

Experiment 2 Using the same ink 2 as in Experiment 1, the pulse shown in FIG. 15 was applied as in Experiment 1 using the drive circuit shown in FIG. 9 as the energy application means 5, and the same effect as in Experiment 1 was obtained. I was able to get it.

Experiment 3 Using the same ink 2 as the actual M1, a signal pulse with voltages V and -v in one direction and a pulse width ty=m was applied by the drive circuit shown in FIG. 10 as the energy application means 5,
When DC biases V and -V were applied in accordance with the signal application time, no ghosts or the like occurred at all.

In the configuration in which energy is applied by the drive circuit shown in FIG. 10, as described above, the DC bias (8) is preferably at a voltage value that does not generate hydrogen gas or the like at the cathode. According to the experiment of ~2■,
More desirably, preferable results were obtained when the voltage value was set in the range of ~1.

<Effects of the Invention> As described above, the present invention has the following advantages:
There is no need for an ink sheet with a solid ink layer as in the past, and the recording is performed at extremely low running costs.

In addition, since the energy application is performed by electricity, it is possible to record with about 1/10 of the amount of electricity that is required for thermal transfer recording using a conventional thermal head, which reduces running costs in terms of energy consumption. I can do it.

Furthermore, when applying the energy, by applying a current pulse from one direction and then applying a current pulse from the opposite direction, it is possible to prevent ghost images and trailing from occurring on the recorded image, resulting in a recorded image with high image quality. This has effects such as being able to obtain the following.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory cross-sectional view of a recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is an explanatory perspective view thereof, and FIG. 3 (A). (B) is an explanatory diagram showing the method of measuring viscoelasticity, FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of the configuration of the recording electrode, FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of the drive configuration of the recording electrode, FIG. 6 is a block diagram of the control system, and FIG. The figure is a flowchart of the operation, Figure 8 is an explanatory diagram of the state of chemical change in ink due to energization, Figures 9 and 10 are explanatory diagrams of other embodiments of the energization configuration, and Figure 11 is another embodiment of the recording electrode. An illustration of an example,
FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram of an embodiment in which no intermediate transfer roll is provided;
Fig. 13 is an explanatory diagram of an embodiment provided with a stirring means, Fig. 14 is an explanatory diagram showing a signal application pulse that does not apply current in the reverse direction, and Fig. 15 is an explanatory diagram showing a signal application pulse that does not apply current in the reverse direction. FIG. 1 is an ink transport roll, 2 is ink, 2a is an ink image,
2b is a crosslinked structure destroyed portion, 2C is a non-image area, 3 is an ink container, 4 is a layer thickness regulating means, 5 is an energy application means, 5
a is a base, 5b is an electrode element, 5c is an insulating film, 5d+,
5dz is a pulse generator, 5e+, 5ez are switches, 5f is a ring counter, 5g is a signal electrode 1.5h,
5i is a partner electrode, 5j is a signal electrode, 5 is a common electrode, 6
is an intermediate transfer roll, 7 is a transfer roll, 8 is a recording paper, 9a
, 9b is a discharge roll pair, 10 is a ground, 11 is a cleaning means, 12 is a stirring means, 13a, 14a are relays, 13b, 14b are motors, 13c, 14 (
1 is a rotation transmission system, 13d and 14d are variable speed units, 1
5 is a switch box. Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 (A) (B) Figure 4 Figure 5 VF Figure 9 Figure 7 Figure 8 Figure 10 F Figure 12 Figure 13 Procedural amendment (voluntary) 1986 January 22nd: Kunio Ogawa, Commissioner of the Japan Patent Office 1, Indication of the case, Patent Application No. 1982-125969 2, Invention title recording device 3, Person making the amendment Relationship with the case Patent applicant name Title (100) Canon Stock Company 4, agent 〒1
05 Experiment 3 on page 38 of the specification, lines 1 to 14.
・Obtained. j is corrected as follows. Experiment 3 Using the same ink 2 as in Experiment 1 above, a signal pulse with a voltage VF = 40 V in one direction and a pulse width tr = 0.5 was applied using the drive circuit shown in Figure 1O as the energy application means 5. , DC bias V corresponding to the signal application time,
When a voltage of =2V was applied, no ghosts or the like occurred at all. In the configuration in which energy is applied by the drive circuit shown in FIG. 10, as described above, the DC bias (8) is preferably at a voltage value that does not generate hydrogen gas or the like at the cathode. According to experiments by researchers, 0.1-2
Favorable results were obtained when the voltage value was set in the range of (1), more preferably 0.3 to 1 (2). 1

Claims (5)

[Claims] (1) A recording device capable of transferring fluid ink to a recording medium in response to selective application of energy, comprising: an ink transport means for transporting the fluid ink; and an ink transport means for transporting the fluid ink. energy applying means for selectively applying electrical energy to the ink; and a transfer means for transferring the ink, the transfer characteristics of which have changed in accordance with the selective application of the energy, to a recording medium, A recording device characterized in that an ink portion energized in one direction by an application means is followed by an ink portion energized in the opposite direction. (2) The recording device according to claim 1, wherein the energy applying means has a signal applying electrode and a counterpart electrode, and applies a bias voltage to the counterpart electrode. (3) The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the energy applying means is configured to set the amount of charge due to energization in one direction to be approximately equal to the amount of charge due to energization in the opposite direction. (4) The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the ink to which energy is selectively applied by the energy applying means is transferred to a recording medium via an intermediate transfer medium. (5) The energy application means is constituted by a recording electrode having a plurality of electrode elements, and at least one of the electrode elements is a common electrode, and fluid ink is sent from the common electrode via the fluid ink according to an image signal. The recording device according to claim 1, wherein the other electrode elements are energized.