JPS63290773A - Recorder - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To further enhance ink transfer properties and image quality, by setting the gap between an energy-applying means and an ink-transferring means to be equal to or slightly smaller than the gap between the ink-transferring means and a transfer medium. CONSTITUTION:The positional relationships of an ink-transferring roll 1, a recording electrode 5 and an intermediate transfer roll 6 are preferably so set that the gap d1 between the surface of the roll 1 and the electrode 5 is equal to or slightly smaller than the gap d2 between the surface of the roll 1 and the surface of the roll 6 at a position for transferring an ink image 2a. Since a fluid ink 2 is viscoelastic, it shows an increasing strain while a constant pulsed stress is applied thereto, but shows elastic recovery the moment the stress is removed. Therefore, where the pulsed stress is regarded as a stress exerted when the electrode 5 makes contact with an ink layer, the thickness of the ink layer at the time of a maximum strain corresponds to the gap d1 between the roll 1 and the electrode 5. The ink layer achieve elastic recovery while being brought to a position for making contact with the roll 6.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION <Industrial Application Field> The present invention relates to a recording device that can record on a transfer medium at low cost using fluid ink.

<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. It has advantages such as low noise, relatively small device size, and low device cost.

<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, there is no need to use an ink ribbon as in the conventional thermal transfer method, and only the ink that forms an ink image is transferred to the recording medium, and the ink that does not form an ink image can be repeatedly used. This is something that can be done.

An object of the present invention is to further develop the above-mentioned recording device, and by clarifying the appropriate arrangement of the energy application means with respect to the ink transport means, it is possible to further improve ink transfer performance and image quality. The purpose is to provide a recording device.

For this purpose, the means according to the embodiment described below is a recording device that can transfer fluid ink to a transfer medium in response to selective application of energy, and includes an ink transport means for transporting the fluid ink. , an energy application means for selectively applying energy to the ink transferred by the ink transport means, and a means for transferring the ink, the transfer characteristics of which have changed in response to the selective application of the energy, to a transfer medium. The apparatus is characterized in that the distance between the energy application means and the ink transport means is equal to or smaller than the distance between the ink transport means and the transfer medium.

Effects> According to the above means, an ink image with changed transfer characteristics is formed by transporting the fluid ink by the ink transporting means and applying energy to the ink according to an image signal. A predetermined image is recorded by transferring it to a transfer medium.

Further, when the fluid ink has viscoelasticity, the ink layer recovers elastically after contacting the energy application means and becomes thicker than the distance between the ink transport means and the energy application means (in this case, the ink transport means By setting the distance between the ink transfer means and the transfer medium to be larger than the distance between the ink transfer means and the energy application means, the ink layer does not stagnate at the contact position with the transfer medium, and the transferability of the ink to the transfer medium is stabilized.

<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 configuration of the whole, an ink transfer roll l 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, as will be described later, but has the property of becoming adhesive when a predetermined energy, such as electrical energy, is applied. Therefore, when the ink transport roll 1 rotates, the layer thickness regulating means 4 causes the ink transport roll 1 to rotate.
is transferred in the direction of arrow A with a constant layer thickness on the surface.

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 applying means 5 controlled by a control means (not shown), and this energy application causes it to become sticky. A colored ink image 2a is formed. This sticky ink image 2a comes into contact with an intermediate transfer roll 6 serving as a 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 re-accommodated in the ink container 3 as the ink transfer roll 1 rotates.

The ink image 2a transferred to the intermediate transfer roll 6 is transferred between the intermediate transfer roll 6 and a transfer roll 7, which serves as a transfer means and is provided in pressure contact with the intermediate transfer roll 6 and is rotatable in the direction of arrow C (clockwise). The recording paper 8 on which a predetermined image has been recorded is transferred onto a recording medium (for example, plain paper, plastic sheet, etc., hereinafter referred to as "recording paper 1") 8 that is conveyed during direction (to the left in Figure 1).

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

The ink transfer roll 1 is made of a material that can transfer fluid ink 2, which will be described later, by forming a film on its surface. The body is formed into a cylindrical shape, and is configured to be driven and rotated at a constant speed in the direction of arrow A by a drive means (not shown).

The surface of the ink transfer roll 1 made of the above-mentioned material may be a smooth surface, but in order to further improve the transferability of the fluid ink 2, it is preferably appropriately roughened.

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 10 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 may be an ink having a gel state in a broad sense in which the solvent is held by a cross-linked structure substance, or particles (preferably having a particle size of 0.5 cps) in a relatively high viscosity (preferably 5000 cps or more) solvent. An ink having a sludge state obtained by dispersing 1 to 100 n, more preferably 1 to 20 n) is preferably used. Inks having properties of both gel-like inks and sludge-like inks are more preferably used. This specific example of Ink 2 and the ink are preferred.

Such an ink 2 has fluid film-forming properties, but is substantially sticky and becomes sticky when a predetermined energy (for example, electrical energy, thermal energy, etc.) is applied. have a property. Note that the adhesion 1 here refers to selective adhesion, and when the ink 2 is brought into contact with an object such as the intermediate transfer roll 6, a part of the ink 2 separates from the entire ink and forms an object. means to adhere to
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 it is thought that the ink is not transferred to the intermediate transfer roll 6. In addition, in the case of ink in a sludge state, it is thought that because the particles are arranged closely at the interface, it becomes difficult for the solvent bones in the ink to come into contact with the intermediate transfer roll 6, and the particles are not transferred to the intermediate transfer roll 6.

On the other hand, when energy is applied to the gel-like ink or sludge-like ink, the crosslinking structure of the gel-like ink and the particle arrangement state of the sludge-like ink change, resulting in It is thought that adhesiveness is imparted to the fluid ink in accordance with the application of energy.

Furthermore, when the ink 2 is coated on the ink transfer roll 1, it has properties as a plastic body, and conversely, after it is applied with energy by the energy application means 5, it becomes an elastic body between when it is applied to the intermediate transfer roll 6. It is preferable to have the following properties.

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), a sample of ink 2 with a diameter of 25 m and a thickness of 2 cranes is given a normal position T with an angular velocity of 1 rad/sec in the direction of the arrow shown (slip direction), and its stress σ and phase are If the deviation δ is detected and the complex modulus of elasticity is 0, then G = σ/ 7 = G' + i G'G': Storage modulus G': Loss modulus Storage modulus G' and loss elasticity It is preferable to use a material whose ratio G"/G' to the ratio G1 is about 0.1-10.

In the complex modulus of elasticity, if the G'/G' is less than 0.1, the behavior as a plastic body will be insufficient, and the ink coating on the ink transfer roll 1 will be insufficient, and the G'/G' will be less than 0.1. This is because if '/G' exceeds 10, the behavior as an elastic body will be insufficient, and elastic recovery between the energy applying means 5 and the intermediate transfer roll 6 will be 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 separated from the surface by about 0.5 to 3 fi.

The layer thickness is regulated 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. is slightly larger than the interval between. Therefore, it is desirable that the interval be set slightly smaller than the thickness of the ink layer.

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. At the ink transfer position where the ink transfer roll 1 faces the intermediate transfer roll 6, it is about 0.1 to 5fi, more preferably 0.5 to 3fi, although it varies depending on the situation.
Preferably, it is about m-.

If the layer thickness of this ink 2 is less than 00 lfi, it will be difficult to form a uniform ink layer on the ink transfer roll 1, and if the layer thickness exceeds 500 lfi, it will be difficult to form a uniform ink layer on the ink transfer roll 1, while maintaining the surface layer of the ink layer at a uniform peripheral speed. , it becomes difficult to transfer the ink 2, and the energy applying element becomes difficult.

This makes it difficult to apply electricity to the ink transfer roll 1 from the stage 5 via the ink 2.

Next, the energy application means 5 will be explained. Although it may be possible to apply thermal energy using a conventional thermal head, in this embodiment, from the point of view of energy efficiency, a recording electrode 5 is used to apply electrical energy. I am trying to apply it.

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. 1 and electrode element 5b
It is configured such that electricity can be applied through the ink 2 between the
The portion of the electrode element 5b exposed from the insulating skin 115c 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 slightly penetrates into the ink layer formed on the ink transport roll l, as shown in FIG. The amount of penetration is about 0 to 1, more preferably about 0.1
Set to ~0.5N. By slightly penetrating the ink layer in this way, the energizing effect can be further enhanced. Incidentally, even if the electrode element 5b is penetrated into the ink layer as described above,
Since ink 2 has viscoelasticity, there is no problem.

In addition, as described above (when the electrode element 5b is inserted into the ink layer), the end surface of the substrate 5a and the electrode element 5b in FIG.
It is preferable that the level difference between the end face and the end face is in the range of about 0 to 100 U, and if possible, it is desirable that the both end faces have no level difference and are formed on the same surface. This is due to the ink image 2 formed by energization from the electrode element 5b when the step difference is large.
This is because there is a risk that the portion a may be rubbed and broken by the end surface of the substrate 5a, resulting in smearing on the recorded image.

Also, the angle θ formed between the recording electrode 5 and the normal line of the ink transport roll 1
is 0° on the upstream side in the transport direction of ink 2, and θ<90
It is preferable to arrange the ink layer so that the angle θ is 0°, which tends to cause uneven coating of the ink 2, and when θ>90°, the contact between the ink layer and the electrode element 5b tends to be insufficient. It is from.

For example, when using polyvinyl alcohol cross-linked with borate ions as the cross-linked structure material of the ink 2, the amount of current applied to the recording type i5 is such that the cross-linked structure is destroyed to cause an electrochemical change. The required amount of current is sufficient. Therefore, the amount required to transfer electrons to and from the crosslinking agent added in a small amount to the ink 2 is sufficient, and this is sufficient when applying heat input energy with a thermal head in thermal transfer, etc. It is sufficient to apply a low energy of about 1/1O compared to the amount of current applied, and this energy application makes the ink 2 sticky.

Next, the intermediate transfer roll 6 is to which the adhesive ink image 2a is transferred due to the application of the energy, and the cylindrical member contacts the surface of the ink transfer roll 1 by about 0.
It is arranged above the ink transport roll 1 with an interval of 1 to 3 squares, is in contact with 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 (not shown). There is.

The material constituting the surface of the intermediate transfer roll 60 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.

Further, the adhesive ink image 2a is transferred to the intermediate transfer roll 6.
At the ink transfer position where the ink 2 is transferred to the intermediate transfer roll 6 and the ink transport roll 1, the ink 2 is
It is also desirable to apply an appropriate shearing force to the layer. Therefore, the circumferential speed of the intermediate transfer roll 6 is equal to or smaller than the circumferential speed of the surface layer of the ink layer on the ink transport roll 1. 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 the circumferential speed of the surface layer of the ink layer or less, taking into consideration the elastic deformation of the ink. You may set it slightly larger than .

Here, the positional relationship between the ink transport roll 1, the recording electrode 5, and the intermediate transfer roll 6 is as follows:
The distance dl between the surface and the recording electrode 5 is made equal to the distance dt between the surface of the ink transport roll 1 and the surface of the intermediate transfer roll 6 at the position where the ink image 2a is transferred, or is made smaller than the distance d. It is preferable to set (d+≦dX).

The reason for this is that since the fluid ink 2 has viscoelasticity, a certain pulse stress (stress=A
, time-T), the time response of the distortion is the fifth
As shown in the figure, the strain increases while stress is applied, and elastic recovery occurs when the stress is removed. Therefore, when the pulse stress is defined as the stress when the recording electrode 5 contacts the ink layer, the thickness of the ink layer at the time of maximum strain corresponds to the distance d between the ink transport roll l and the recording electrode 5. Since this ink layer elastically recovers while passing through the recording electrode 5 and reaching the contact position with the intermediate transfer roll 6, the distance d between the ink transport roll l and the intermediate transfer roll 6 is the distance d+
It is preferable to make it the same as or larger than .

To explain this more specifically, when measuring the viscoelasticity of the ink 2, the angular velocity ω of the sinusoidal strain shown in FIG. and from this, for example, G'-G as shown in Figure 6.
1 curve is obtained.

Further, the storage elastic modulus G' and the loss elastic modulus G# can be expressed as follows when a four-element model, which is common in the field of rheology, is used as shown in FIG.

・・・・・・・・・・・・(2) v3 G IG t C,,,C*: Elastic modulus η8. η: viscosity coefficient and the measured G'-G' convex curve (1).

Parameters α, β, and τ are determined from many G'-G' convex curves obtained by Simieresidine using (2).

Using the parameters determined as above, ink 2
When the time response of the strain is calculated using the Laplace transform when a pulse stress as shown in FIG. 5 is applied to the When 0 0≦tsTO・・・・・・・・・・・・(3) When T<t・・・・・・・・・・・・(4) When t−■・・・・・・(5) In FIG. 5, doo corresponds to the case where the time t is sufficiently large, that is, the case of the above equation (5). Therefore, the distance dt between the ink transfer roll 1 and the intermediate transfer roll 6 is d.
If it is not smaller than (2), the intermediate transfer roll 6 will not come into contact with the ink layer. From this, the distance d8 is d,≦d,
(Preferably within the range of doo.

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. etc. are formed into a cylindrical shape. This transfer roll 7 is pressed against the intermediate transfer roll 6 by a spring or the like (not shown) with a pressing force of about 0.1 to 5 kgf/am, and 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.

In addition, 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 may be removed as shown in FIG. A cleaning means 11 is provided on the downstream side in the rotational direction of the intermediate transfer roll 6 from the pressure contact position 7 and in contact with the circumferential surface of the roll 6, and the means 11 removes the remaining ink from the intermediate transfer roll 6. You may also do this.

The drive system of the recording apparatus configured as described above is shown in FIG. 8(A).
, is configured as shown in (B), and the rotational force of the motor 12 is applied to the pulley 12a1 of the motor shaft and the ink transfer roll 1.
The signal is transmitted to a pulley 12b attached to the shaft of the timing belt 12c via a timing belt 12c. Further, the rotational force of the motor 13 is transmitted to the intermediate transfer roll 6 from the motor shaft boot 3a to the pulley 13b attached to the shaft of the intermediate transfer roll 6 via the timing belt 13c, and the transfer roll 7 It follows the rotation of the roll 6.

Next, the operation when using the recording apparatus configured as described above will be explained.

When each member is driven as shown in the timing chart of FIG. 9 and the ink transfer roll 1 is rotated in the direction of the arrow,
The fluid ink 2 is formed in a layer on the surface of the ink transfer roll 1 by the blade member 4, and is transferred as the ink transfer roll 1 rotates.

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 (not shown) at an energy application position where the ink 2 contacts the recording electrode 5. In response to this, a current flows from the electric bridge element 5b to the ink transfer roll 1 via the ink 2, and for example, the crosslinking structure in the ink 2 changes due to an electrochemical reaction, causing the ink 2 to have selective adhesive properties. will be granted.

The selectively sticky ink 2 is further transferred in the direction of arrow A from the contact portion of the recording electrode 5, and at this time, as shown in FIG. position and comes into contact with the roll 6. Due to this contact, the ink imparted with tackiness is transferred and developed on the intermediate transfer roll 6 rotating in the direction of arrow B, and
An ink image 2a is formed on the surface.

The ink image 2a formed on this 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 9 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, among the ink 2 transferred by the ink transfer roll 1, the ink in the portion to which no energy is applied is transported in the direction of arrow A without being transferred to the intermediate transfer roll 6, and is affected by gravity etc. based on its non-adhesive property. The ink is separated from the intermediate transfer roll 6 and re-accommodated in the ink container 3 so that it can be used again.

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. It becomes possible to record on plain paper etc. without waste. Furthermore, since the ink using the crosslinked structure has elasticity, it can significantly reduce image distortion at the area where energy is applied, and it does not require chemical coloring, so it cannot be used for generally known electrochemical recording. This method enables recording with superior image stability and durability compared to the electrolytic recording method, which uses color development based on an oxidation-reduction reaction caused by energization.

Further, the conductivity of the ink 2 is imparted by ionic conduction, and a wide range of ionic substances (many solutions are transparent) can be used as electrolytes for this purpose.

Therefore, it is possible to easily obtain ink of any color tone using dyes and pigments.

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

(1) Ink transport means In the above-mentioned embodiment, an example was shown in which a cylindrical ink transport roll 1 was used as the ink transport means, but a belt or sheet-like ink transport member may also be used as the ink transport means. You may also use

This belt or sheet-like ink transport member may be fed out from one side and wound up from the other.
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-mentioned embodiment, an example was shown in which the layer thickness regulating means was constituted by a blade member.
As shown in the figure, the layer thickness regulating means may be constructed by arranging the ink transfer roll 1 and a rotating roll 14 at a constant interval. In FIG.
This is a member for forming b.

Also, depending on the rotational speed of the ink transfer roll 1 and the viscoelasticity of the ink 2, the ink transfer roll l can be coated with a constant layer thickness of ink, or the ink layer previously formed on the ink transfer roll 1 is no longer present. Furthermore, in a configuration in which the ink transfer roll 1 having an ink layer is replaced, the layer thickness regulating means 4 may not necessarily be provided.

(4) Energy application means In the above-mentioned embodiment, when energizing the ink 2, the ink transport roll l was energized from the recording electrode 5 through the ink 2. A current may be passed between them.

Furthermore, when applying current to the recording electrode 5 in accordance with an image signal, immediately after applying a current from one direction, applying a voltage in the opposite direction to cause the current to flow, the P H of the image area becomes thicker (changes Immediately after the area where the crosslinked structure is destroyed, a non-image area is formed where the pH has changed significantly in the opposite direction.Therefore, even if the ink to which energy has been applied is not completely transferred to the intermediate transfer roll 6. Even if the ink 2 is stirred in the re-accommodated ink container 3, the phase linkage due to pH ion diffusion is performed more quickly, which is effective in preventing the generation of ghosts.

The recording electrode 5 is configured to be movable so that the distance d1 from the ink transport roll 1 can be adjusted depending on the thickness of the ink layer coated on the ink transport roll 1 or the viscoelasticity of the ink 2. It is preferable to do so (for example,
As described later, the recording electrode 5 is attached to a support having spring properties).

Although the energy applying means described above applies electrical energy, it may also apply thermal energy. In this case, a conventionally used thermal head may be used to apply Joule heat. However, if it is necessary to prevent electrochemical electrode reactions,
It is sufficient to apply an alternating signal that is sufficiently faster than the signal application period.

When forming an image by applying thermal energy as described above,
For example, by changing the fluid ink 2 from a gel state to a sol state by heating, the adhesion characteristics of the ink 2 to the intermediate transfer roll 6 can be changed.

In addition, when electricity is applied to ink to generate heat, conventionally the ink contains conductive powder (black) to give it conductivity (Japanese Patent Publication No. 59-40627). While the number of colors is limited to black, the ink 2 according to this embodiment is imparted with conductivity by ionic conduction as described above, so that it is possible to obtain an ink of any color tone.

(5) Intermediate transfer medium In the above-mentioned embodiment, a roll-shaped intermediate transfer roll 6 was used, but like the ink transport means, this also does not need to be roll-shaped to transport a metal or plastic film in one direction. Alternatively, it may be used as an endless belt.

Further, as shown in FIG. 11, the ink may be directly transferred from the ink transport roll 1 to the recording paper 8 without providing an intermediate transfer medium. In this case, since the recording paper 8 becomes the transfer medium, the distance dl between the ink transport roll 1 and the recording electrode 5
The relationship between the distance d2 between the recording paper 8 conveyed by the transfer roll 7 and the ink transport roll l is d,≦d! You can set it so that

(6) Cleaning means In the embodiment described above, 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, but the ink image 2a on the recording paper 8 was
When the image is completely transferred, it is not necessary to provide the cleaning means 11.

(7) Recording medium In the configuration in which the ink image 2a on the ink transport roll 1 is directly transferred to the recording medium without providing the intermediate transfer roll 6 as described above, when paper is used as the recording medium. It is preferable to use coated paper with a smooth surface coated so that the solvent of the ink 2 does not penetrate.Also, from the point of view of facilitating the selection of the material for the fluid ink 2, plastics such as polyester, Alternatively, a film made of metal such as aluminum is more preferably used in view 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 in using so-called plain paper as the recording medium, and there are no particular restrictions 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 Recording was performed as follows using the recording apparatus shown in the embodiment shown in FIG.

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

After uniformly mixing the A component while heating it to 70°C, a gel-like fluid ink was obtained by adding the B component and leaving the mixture at room temperature. At this time, P is removed using acid or alkali.
It is preferable to set it as H7-11.

The viscoelasticity of the ink was measured using a rheometer (Rheo@@tri).
The storage modulus G' and loss modulus G'' with respect to the angular velocity ω were measured under the conditions shown in FIG. 3 using RMS-800 manufactured by CS Corporation, and the values were shown in FIG. 12.

Next, as the ink transfer roll 1, a stainless steel roll with a diameter of 20 mm is used, and the surface is finished by sandblasting or thermal spraying to a surface roughness of about 100. An iron roll with a diameter of 20 m whose surface was plated with hard chrome was used, and the distance d3 between the ink transfer roll 1 and the intermediate transfer roll 6 was set to 2 squares.

Further, as the transfer roll 7, a roll having a silicone rubber layer of 4 mm thick on an iron roll with a diameter of 12 mm was used, and the intermediate transfer roll 6 was pressed with a pressing force of 1 kgf/cm. It rotated at a constant speed.

In the above configuration, the ink transfer roll 1 is rotated at approximately 36 rpm.
The intermediate transfer roll 6 was rotated in the direction of arrow A to form a layer of ink 2 on the roll 1, and the intermediate transfer roll 6 was rotated in the direction of arrow B at about 36 rps. At this time, when electrical energy was not applied to the layer of ink 2 from the recording electrode 5, a small amount of moisture was transferred onto the intermediate transfer roll 6, but the ink 2 was not substantially transferred to the intermediate transfer roll 6. There wasn't.

Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the surface of the ink layer is a recording electrode 5 in which only the tip part has an area of 800 u x 300 mm and the electrode element 5b is exposed from the insulating film 5c, and the electrode 5 is used as an anode. , the ink transfer roll 1 was scratched. Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the recording electrode 5 is attached to the ink container 3 via a silicone rubber 15, and the angle θ between the recording electrode 5 and the normal line of the ink transport roll 1 is set to 60°, so that the ink transport roll 1 and The results of recording while changing the distance d from the recording electrode 5 as shown below were as follows.

Although it is insufficient to set the distance d1 to OB as described above, the ink 2 comes into contact with the intermediate transfer roll 6 because
This is because the recording electrode 5 is pushed away by the transporting force of the ink 2, and d+ is no longer turned on.

Note that even when a normal thermal head is used instead of the recording electrode 5 and the viscosity of the fluid ink 2 is selectively lowered,
Images similar to those above were obtained.

Experiment 2 Fluid ink 2 was composed of the following components.

Fluid ink 2 was obtained using the above components in the same manner as in Experiment 1.

Here, colloidal silica is a viscoelasticity modifier, and if it is not added, the plasticity of the ink 2 will increase. In addition, the recording device used was a 10th recording device using a rotating roll 14 with a diameter of 40u+ in order to stabilize the coating of the ink 2.
The recording device shown in the figure was used.

When recording was carried out using the above recording apparatus while changing the relationship between the distances d+ and d2 in the same manner as in Experiment 1, the obtained images were similar to those in Experiment 1.

Further, the distance is set to d+=1.5 m+dz-2, and the angle θ of the mounting plate 5d (made of bonded steel plate with thickness t=1 m) of the recording electrode 5 is changed, so that the normal line of the ink transport roll 1 When recording was performed by changing the angle θ formed by the recording electrode 5 with respect to the angle θ, the images obtained were as follows.

Incidentally, when θ<Q@, unevenness was observed on the ink surface coated on the ink transport roll l, and when θ>90'', the contact between the ink 2 and the tip of the recording electrode 5 was insufficient.Furthermore, when the angle θ After examining the following, the best images were obtained around θ-50 to 60°.

Although the reason is not clear, in the vicinity of θ-50~60@, the distortion of the ink layer due to the stress on the ink layer by the recording electrode 5 matches the actual distortion, and the stress in Fig. 5 is compared in a rectangular manner. This is thought to be because the stress pulse becomes more precisely targeted.

Experiment 3 In the apparatus configuration of Experiment 2, the distance dt between the ink transfer roll 1 and the intermediate transfer roll 6 was 2.0 m, and the angle θ-60.
When the thickness t of the mounting plate 5d made of a bonded steel plate having spring properties was changed as ``'', the distance d1 between the ink transport roll 1 and the recording electrode 5 was changed from O to 0 when the thickness t was 3 m+i or more.
．． When the size is extremely small, the ink 2 stays at the recording electrode 5 because the mounting plate 5d has high rigidity.
As a result, the ink layer sometimes did not come into contact with the intermediate transfer roll 6.

In this case, the recording electrode 5 is moved to maintain the distance d.

When it was set to 1 to 2 cranes, the ink 2 did not stay in the area of the recording electrode 5, and the ink layer came into contact with the intermediate transfer roll 6, resulting in a good image.

Furthermore, a similar experiment was conducted using fluid ink 2 consisting of the following components.

Water: 100 parts by weight Sodium borate (decahydrate): 0.05 parts by weight The fluid ink 2 made of the above components has a low viscosity and therefore has a weak force for pushing out the recording electrode 5. Therefore, the locking properties of the mounting plate 5d are It is not appropriate to set the thickness L to 2fi or less.

Here, when the ink layer thickness is set to 2, and the distance d between the ink transfer roll 1 and the recording electrode 5 is set to, for example, 0.5, the ink 2 should originally stay at the recording electrode. . However, if the mounting plate 5d has a spring property, the recording electrode 5 escapes due to the force of pushing out the ink 2, so that the gap is actually about 1.5 fi and the ink 2 does not stay. Therefore, if the recording electrode 5 is attached using a mounting plate 5d having spring properties, it is possible to prevent the ink 2 from stagnation even if the distance d is set to Ofi.

<Effects of the Invention> As described above, the present invention forms an ink image by applying a predetermined energy to fluid ink.
This eliminates the need for the conventional ink ribbon (having a solid ink layer), reduces running costs, and enables low-cost recording.

In addition, if energy is applied by energizing, it becomes possible to record with about 1/10 the amount of energization compared to thermal transfer recording using a conventional thermal head, which reduces running costs in terms of energy consumption. I can do it.

Furthermore, by arranging the ink transport means, the energy application means, and the transfer medium in a fixed positional relationship, it is possible to obtain better images.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

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 viscoelastic measurement method, Fig. 4 is an explanatory diagram of the configuration of the recording electrode, Fig. 5 is an explanatory diagram of the time response of strain to viscoelastic stress, and Fig. 6 is an explanatory diagram of the viscoelastic G An explanatory diagram of the '-G' curve. Figure 7 is an explanatory diagram of the frequency response of viscoelasticity.
Figures (A) and (B) are explanatory diagrams of the configuration of the drive system, Figure 9 is a drive timing chart, Figure 10 is an explanatory diagram of an embodiment in which the i-thickness regulating means is configured with a rotating member, and Figure 11 is an intermediate diagram. FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram of an embodiment in which no transfer roll is provided, and FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram of the storage modulus and loss modulus with respect to the angular velocity of viscoelasticity. 1 is an ink transport roll, 2 is ink, 2a is an ink image,
3 is an ink container, 4 is a layer thickness regulating means, 5 is an energy application means, 5a is a base body, 5b is an electrode element, 5C is an insulating film, 5d is a mounting plate, 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 ground, 11 is a cleaning means, 12 is a motor, 11! a, 12b is a pulley, 12c is a timing belt, 13 is a motor, 13a
. 13b is a pulley, 13c is a timing belt, 14 is a rotating roll, 14a is a member, and 14b is an ink reservoir.

Claims (4)

[Claims] (1) A recording device capable of transferring fluid ink to a transfer medium in response to selective application of energy, comprising an ink transporting means for transporting the fluid ink, and an ink transporting means for transporting the fluid ink. an energy applying means for selectively applying energy to the ink; and a means for transferring the ink, the transfer characteristics of which have changed in response to the selective application of the energy, to a transfer medium, the energy applying means and the ink transport means,
A recording device characterized in that the distance between the ink transport means and the transfer medium is equal to or smaller than the distance between the ink transport means and the transfer medium. (2) the tip of the energy application means is arranged so as to be in contact with the fluid ink transferred by the ink transfer means;
Further, the angle θ between the normal line of the ink transport means and the tip of the energy application means is in the range of 0°<θ<90° on the upstream side in the direction of transport of the fluid ink. Recording device according to scope 1. (3) The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the energy applying means is configured to be movable relative to the ink transporting means. (4) The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the ink to which energy is selectively applied by the energy applying means is transferred onto a transfer medium via an intermediate transfer medium.