JPS63290775A - Recorder - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent the generation of ghost or the like and obtain a transterred image with high image quality, by providing an an ink-transferring means, an energy-applying means for selective application of energy to an ink, and a transferring means by which the ink changed in transfer characteristics accord ing to the application is transferred onto a recording medium. CONSTITUTION:An ink 2 layered on the surface of an ink-transferring roll 1 is supplied with electrical energy in an image pattern by an energy-applying means 5 controlled by a controlling means, whereby a viscous ink image 2a is formed, and is brought into contact with an intermediate transfer roll 6, to be transferred onto the surface of the roll 6. The ink image 2a thus trans ferred is then transferred onto a recording medium 9 fed between a transfer roll 8 and the roll 6. On the other hand, the ink 2 left untransferred is again contained into an ink container 2, is stirred by a stirring roll 7, and is reused. Recording electrodes 5 comprises an array of electrode elements 5b, on which an insulating film 5c is provided, and electric currents are passed through the ink 2 between the roll 1 and the electrode elements 5b.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION <Industrial Application Field> The present invention relates to a recording device that can record on a recording 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. This has advantages such as low noise, relatively small size of the device, 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, unlike the conventional thermal transfer method (there is no need to use an ink ribbon, only the ink that has formed an ink image is transferred to the recording medium, and the ink that does not form an ink image can be repeatedly used). It is something that can be done.

An object of the present invention is to provide a recording device which is a further development of the recording device described above, and which can reduce running costs, prevent the occurrence of ghosts, etc., and obtain high-quality transferred images. There is a particular thing.

For this purpose, the means according to the embodiments described below is a recording apparatus 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. and an energy applying means for selectively applying energy to the ink transferred by the ink transporting means, and for transferring the ink whose transfer characteristics have changed in accordance with the selective application of the energy to a recording medium. The apparatus is characterized by comprising a transfer means, and an agitation means for agitating the ink that is not transferred to the recording medium by the transfer means.

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 recording medium.

Further, the ink that has not been transferred is stirred by the stirring means, so that the ink becomes the initial state again and can be used repeatedly.

<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 normally does not have tackiness as described below, but has the property of tackiness when a predetermined energy, for example, electric energy, etc. is applied. When the ink transfer roll 1 rotates, the ink 2 is transferred in the direction of arrow A to the surface of the ink transfer roll 1 with a constant layer thickness by the layer thickness regulating means 4.

Electric 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 the ink to become sticky. An applied ink image 2a is formed. This sticky ink image 2a 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 hole 6. On the other hand, the ink 2 that has not been transferred to the intermediate transfer roll 6 is transferred to the ink transfer roll l.
As the ink rotates, it is re-accommodated in the ink container 3, stirred by the stirring roll 7 constituting the stirring means, and used again.

The ink image 2a transferred to the intermediate transfer roll 6 is transferred between the intermediate transfer roll 6 and a transfer roll 8, 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 9 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 "r recording paper 1") 9 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 rotatable in the direction of arrow A at a constant speed by a driving means.

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 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 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. 1~100μm1
More desirably, an ink having a sludge state in which 1 to 20 n) is dispersed is preferably used. Inks having properties of both gel-like inks and sludge-like inks are more preferably used. This ink 2
Specific examples and inks are preferred.

Although such ink 2 has fluid film-forming properties, it does not substantially have tackiness, and when a predetermined energy (for example, electrical energy, thermal energy, etc.) is applied, tackiness is imparted to it. It has the following characteristics. 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 adheres to the object. It doesn't matter whether the ink is sticky or not.

Therefore, when the ink layer formed on the surface of the ink transfer roll l 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 l, it has properties as a plastic body, and conversely, after it is energized by the energy application means 5 and reaches the intermediate transfer roll 6, it has the property of being a plastic body. It is preferable that the material has properties as a body.

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

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

As shown in (B), ink 2 has a diameter of 25 mm and a thickness of 2
This is a sample of the song, and it is shown in the arrow direction (slip direction).
When a sinusoidal strain T with an angular velocity of 1 rad/sec is applied to , and six complex moduli of elasticity are obtained by detecting the stress σ and phase shift δ, G = σ/TmiG'+IC;'G': Storage modulus G': Loss modulus The ratio G"/G' between the storage modulus Gτ and the loss modulus G# is approximately 0.1.
~lO is preferably used.

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 transport roll 1 will be insufficient, and the G' This is because when /G' exceeds 10, the behavior as an elastic body becomes 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 cranes apart from the surface of the

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 to set the distance between the blade member 4 and the ink transport roll l to be slightly smaller than the thickness of the ink layer to be set.

Further, 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 rotation speed of the roll 1. Although it varies depending on the situation, it is preferable that at the ink transfer position where the ink transport roll 1 faces the intermediate transfer roll 6, the distance is about 0.1 to 5 tsuru, more preferably about 0.5 to 3 tsuru.

If the layer thickness of this ink 2 is less than Q, l+m, it will be difficult to form a uniform ink layer on the ink transfer roll 1, and if the layer thickness exceeds 5,000 m, the surface layer of the ink layer will be moved at a uniform circumferential speed. However, it becomes difficult to transport the ink 2, and it also becomes difficult to energize the ink transfer roll 1 from the energy application means 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 other than the tip portion of the element 5b, that is, a portion other than the portion that contacts the ink 2, and the ink transfer roll l is grounded with a ground 11 and the roll is 1 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 slightly penetrates into the ink layer formed on the ink transport roll 1, as shown in FIG. 0 to 1 min, more preferably about 0.1
Set to ~0.5mm. By slightly penetrating the ink layer in this way, the energizing effect can be further enhanced.

Incidentally, even if the electrode element 5b penetrates into the ink layer as described above, there is no problem because the ink 2 has viscoelasticity.

In addition, as described above (in the case where the electrode element 5b is inserted into the ink layer), the end surface a of the substrate 5a and the electrode element 5 in FIG.
It is preferable that the level difference between the end faces of b is in the range of about θ to 100 μl, and if possible, there is no level difference on both end faces,
It is desirable to configure them on the same plane. This is because if the step difference is large, the ink image 2a formed by energization from the electrode element 5b will be rubbed and destroyed by the end surface of the substrate 5a, and there is a risk that the recorded image will be smeared.

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. The amount of current applied is sufficient. Therefore, the amount necessary to transfer electrons to and from the crosslinking agent, which is added in a small amount of about several hundred pp- to ink 2, is sufficient, and the amount of current applied when applying thermal energy with a thermal head in thermal transfer etc. is sufficient. In comparison, it is sufficient to apply a low energy of about 1/10, 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 cm, 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 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 surface of the intermediate transfer roll 60 with , ink transfer roll 1
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 l,
It is also desirable to apply an appropriate shearing force to the layer. 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 transfer roll 1. In some cases, the circumferential speed of the intermediate transfer roll 6 may be set to be approximately equal to or slightly larger than the circumferential speed of the surface layer of the ink layer, taking into account the elastic deformation of the ink.

Next, the stirring means 7 will be explained. In this embodiment, the stirring roll 7 is disposed downstream of the contact position between the ink 2 and the intermediate transfer roll 6 in the rotational direction of the ink transfer roll l. A stirring means is constructed by providing a roll 7 rotatable in the direction of arrow E (counterclockwise) in FIG. This stirring means is configured to stir the ink 2 whose cross-linked structure has been destroyed by applying the energy, for example, which has not been transferred to the intermediate transfer roll 6, to speed up the recovery of the cross-linked structure due to the continuous phase, and to make the ink 2 sticky again. This is to return the fluid ink 2 to a fluid ink 2 that does not have any.

Energy is applied by the recording electrode 5, and the ink image 2a, which has become sticky due to the destruction of the crosslinked structure of the ink 2, is transferred to the intermediate transfer roll 6 and developed, but this transfer development is not completed completely. If not, the undeveloped ink, ie, the ink 2 remaining after development, returns to a fluid state without tackiness 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 rotation speed of the ink transport roll 1 is high, the ink 2 remaining after development may not recover its crosslinked structure. Then, as the ink transport roll l rotates, the ink may come into contact with the intermediate transfer roll 6 again and be developed as a ghost on the intermediate transfer roll 6.

At this time, when the ink 2 is stirred by the stirring roll 7 which rotates in the opposite direction to the rotational direction of the ink transport roll as described above, the ions in the ink are diffused and the continuous phase is promoted. The pH difference between the energy-applied area and the ink is reduced by the interphase, and the ink quickly returns to its initial fluid ink without tackiness.

Next, the transfer roll 8 constitutes a transfer means for transferring the ink image 2a transferred and formed on the intermediate transfer roll 6 to the recording paper 9, and has a metal shaft made of nitrile rubber or silicone rubber. A transfer roll 8 formed into a cylindrical shape is pressed against the intermediate transfer roll 6 with a pressing force of about 0.1 to 5 kgf/c11 by a spring or the like (not shown), and as the intermediate transfer roll 6 rotates, Rotate in the direction of arrow C,
The recording paper 9 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 9.

Note that if a slight amount of transfer remains during the transfer of the ink image 2a to the recording paper 9 due to the environment of the apparatus during recording, the material of the ink 2, etc., the transfer will be performed as shown in FIG. A cleaning means 12 is provided downstream in the rotational direction of the intermediate transfer roll 6 from the pressure contact position of the roll 8 and in contact with the circumferential surface of the roll 6, and the cleaning means 12 removes the remaining ink from the intermediate transfer roll 6. It may be removed.

The drive system of the recording apparatus configured as described above is shown in FIG. 5(A).
, is configured as shown in (B), and the rotational force of the motor 13 is applied to the pulley 13a of the motor shaft and the ink transfer roll l.
Boo'J13b, 13c attached to the shaft of.

Furthermore, a pulley 13d attached to the shaft of the stirring roll 7
are transmitted via the timing belt 13e, respectively. Further, the rotational force of the motor 14 is transmitted to the intermediate transfer roll 6 from the pulley 14a of the motor shaft to the boot IJ14b attached to the shaft of the intermediate transfer roll 6 via the timing belt 14c, and the transfer roll 8 roll 6
It is designed to follow the rotation of.

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. 6 and the ink transfer roll l 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 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 electrode element 5b to the ink transfer roll l via the ink 2, and for example, the crosslinking structure in the ink 2 changes due to an electrochemical reaction, and the ink 2 becomes selectively sticky. Granted.

The selectively sticky ink 2 is further conveyed in the direction of the arrow from the contact portion of the recording electrode 5 and reaches the transfer position where the intermediate transfer roll 6 comes into contact with the layer made of this ink 2. Based on the tackiness, the ink image 2a is transferred and developed on the intermediate transfer roll 6 rotating in the direction of arrow B, and the ink image 2a is transferred to the surface of the roll 6.

During this period, the ink image 2a transferred onto the transfer roll 6 is conveyed as the roll 6 rotates, comes into pressure contact with the recording paper 9 conveyed to the ink image transfer position, and is transferred onto the recording paper 9. . The recording paper 9 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 of the ink image transfer position of the recording paper 9 in the conveying direction. For example, 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 part of the ink to which no energy is applied and the part 2a' of the ink 2a to which energy is applied on the surface of the ink are transferred to the intermediate transfer roll 6. It is conveyed in the direction of arrow A without being transferred, and is stirred by the rotation of the stirring roll 7. As a result, the interphase of the ink whose cross-linked structure has been destroyed by the application of energy is promoted, and the cross-linked structure is recovered and made usable again before being transferred again by the inward transfer roll 1.

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 energy application area, and does not require chemical coloring, so it can be Compared to a conventional recording method, that is, an electrolytic recording method that uses color development based on an oxidation-reduction reaction caused by electricity, it is possible to record images with superior stability and durability.

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 transporting means In the above embodiment, a cylindrical ink transporting roll l was used as the ink transporting means, but a belt or sheet-like ink transporting member may also be used as the ink transporting 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 l was made of a conductive material, but if the roll 1 is not made into a part of the current-carrying circuit, as will be described later, 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 Tsuru/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 1. In this case, it is desirable to set the distance to be slightly thicker than the thickness of the coating ink layer.

Note that depending on the rotational speed of the ink transfer roll 1 and the viscoelasticity of the ink 2, the ink may be coated on the ink transfer roll 1 with a constant layer thickness, or the ink layer previously formed on the ink transfer roll 1 may disappear. In this case, in a configuration in which the ink transport roll l having an ink layer is replaced, the layer thickness regulating means 4 may not necessarily be provided.

(4) Energy application means In the embodiment described above, when energizing the ink 2, the ink transport roll 1 is energized from the recording electrode 5 through the ink 2. A current may be passed between them. In this case, the electrochemical change in the ink 2 due to energization occurs because a particularly high pH area and a particularly low pH area are adjacent to each other on the surface of the ink layer, so that the stirring by the stirring means is performed only on the surface layer of the ink layer. It is effective because it is sufficient.

Further, when electricity is applied between the recording electrode 5 and the ink transport roll 1 as in the above-mentioned embodiment, as shown in FIG. In particular, the lower portion 2c is formed relatively apart. In this case, when energizing the recording electrode 5 according to the image signal,
Immediately after applying a current from one direction, when applying a voltage in the opposite direction and causing a current to flow, as shown in Figure 7 (B), the pH of the image area changes greatly and the crosslinked structure is destroyed in the area. Immediately after 2d, non-image area 2e where the PH greatly changed in the opposite direction
is formed. Therefore, when the mixture is stirred by the stirring means, the phase linkage due to pH ion diffusion occurs more quickly, which is effective. Furthermore, such an energization method also prevents the development of trailing images that occurs when the recording bridge 5 rubs the image area where the viscosity has decreased.

Furthermore, although the energy applying means described above applies electrical energy, it may also apply thermal energy. In this case, it is sufficient to apply Joule heat using a conventionally used thermal head, but 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,
The development residue that has not been transferred to the intermediate transfer roll 6 is phase-linked by cooling and restores the crosslinked structure again, but the stirring means 7
When agitated, the sol-like ink remaining after development comes into good contact with other gel-like inks, and the recovery of the crosslinked structure is accelerated.

In addition, when electricity is applied to ink to generate heat, conventionally the ink contains conductive powder (mostly black) to give it conductivity (Japanese Patent Publication No. 59-40627). In most cases, the ink is limited to black, but since the ink 2 according to this embodiment is imparted with conductivity through ionic conduction as described above, it is possible to obtain an arbitrary color Φ ink.

(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 transport means, this is also roll-shaped (but it is not roll-shaped). Alternatively, it may be used as an endless belt.

Further, as shown in FIG. 8, the ink may be directly transferred from the ink transport roll 1 to the recording paper 9 without providing an intermediate transfer medium.

(6) Stirring means In the embodiment described above, the stirring roll 7 was rotated to stir the ink 2 transferred by the ink transfer roll 1, but as shown in FIG. (
(clockwise) to separate the entire ink layer on the ink transport roll 1 from the ink transport roll 1 and stir it.

Further, as shown in FIG. 10, two rolls 7a and 7b having spiral projections are combined and rotated to move the ink 2 along the spiral projections and stir it as shown by the arrow el+ef. If you do this, the stirring effect will be even higher.

In addition, in all of the above-mentioned embodiments, the stirring roll is rotated, but the roll does not need to be rotated, and therefore, the stirring means may be formed of a rod-shaped object instead of a roll-shaped one. Further, depending on the case, the wall surface of the ink container 3 may be used as a stirring means.

(7) Cleaning means In the above-mentioned embodiment, an example was shown in which a cleaning means 12 was provided to remove the remaining ink transferred to the recording paper 9 from the intermediate transfer roll 6, but the ink image 2a on the recording paper 9 was
When the image is completely transferred, it is not necessary to provide the cleaning means 12.

(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 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.

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, it is desirable to adjust the pH to 7 to 11 using an appropriate acid or alkali, and the gel is formed by borate ions, which connect the OH groups at the Cis positions of C8 and C3 of the mannose main chain of guar gum, and the C3 of the glass talk side chain. This is thought to be due to crosslinking of the OH group at the Cis position of C4.

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 the above B, the pH was again adjusted to 7-7.
11 to obtain a sludge-like gel.

Next, as the ink transfer roll 1, a stainless steel roll with a diameter of 20 mm and a surface roughness of IS is used.
An iron roll having a diameter of 200 and whose surface was plated with hard chrome was used as the intermediate transfer roll 6, and the distance from the ink transfer roll 1 was set to 2fl.

Further, as the transfer roll 8, a roll having a silicone rubber layer with a thickness of 41 mm on an iron roll with a diameter of 12 mm is used, and the intermediate transfer roll 6 is pressed with a pressing force of 1 kgf/cm. rotated at speed.

In the above configuration, the number of rotations of the intermediate transfer roll is approximately 50
rpm, and rotate the ink transfer roll 1 at about 60°C.
When rotated at rpm, ink 2 is transferred to ink transfer roll 1.
was formed in a layer with a thickness of 2.5 mm on the surface of the intermediate transfer roll 6, and when no energy was applied, nothing other than a small amount of moisture was transferred to the intermediate transfer roll 6.

Further, the surface of the ink layer was prepared by using a recording electrode 5 having an area of 100Q x 100n and an electrode element 5b exposed only at the tip, as shown in FIG. When a pulse of 40V and 500μ3 as shown in FIG. 11 was applied through the ink 2 as a cathode, a current of about 2.5mA flowed per electrode element 5b, and an image of 100n x 150M was formed at a 500-pitch. Obtained. This is thought to be because the crosslinks of guar gum were destroyed by the energization.

Note that when a 10p toner was used as the ink 20 particle component, the fixing performance was slightly insufficient as it was, so sufficient fixing performance was obtained by heating the image to 180° C. after transferring the image to the recording paper 9.

Furthermore, when the stirring roll 7 shown in FIG. 1 is removed during the recording, the ink transport roll 1 is placed at a position one rotation away from
A slight ghost image was observed.

However, when a stainless steel rod with a diameter of 5 mm was arranged as the stirring means 7, the generation of ghost images was considerably prevented. Furthermore, the stainless steel rod was rotated at 100 rpm in the direction of arrow E in Figure 1.
When the image was rotated, almost no ghost images were observed.

Experiment 2 In Experiment 1, when recording a large number of sheets, it was observed that the viscosity of the ink differed between areas with many consecutive images and areas with few images, and the image forming conditions were slightly distorted. At this time, as shown in Fig. 9, a stainless steel rod with a diameter of 16 mm was used as the stirring roll 7, and it was
When the ink was rotated in the direction, almost all of the ink on the ink transfer roll 1 was transferred onto the stirring roll 7, and as a result, the entire ink layer was sufficiently stirred, and the above phenomenon was prevented.

Further, a spiral stirring roll 7a as shown in FIG. 1O is provided.

When 7b was used, the stirring effect was further enhanced and a greater effect was obtained.

Experiment 3 In Experiment 1, when the energy application was changed from the pulse shown in Fig. 11 to the pulse shown in Fig. 12 and electricity was applied, unevenness in the viscosity of the ink depending on the image was observed when recording a large number of sheets as described above. rarely occurred.

This is because a sol-like part with a low pH and the crosslinked structure is destroyed is formed by applying a signal in one direction, and a part with a high pH is formed by applying a signal in one direction. This is thought to be because it was carried out quickly by only stirring the surface.

<Effects of the Invention> As described above, the present invention forms an ink image by applying a predetermined energy to fluid ink.
There is no need for an ink sheet having a solid ink layer as in the past, making it possible to perform recording at extremely low running costs.

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.

Further, by providing a stirring means, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of ghost images and trailing on the recorded image, and it is possible to obtain a recorded image of high quality.

[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 is (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, Figs. Timing chart, 7th
The figure is an explanatory diagram of the state of chemical change due to energization, Fig. 8 is an explanatory diagram of an embodiment without an intermediate transfer roll, and Figs. 9 and 10.
The figures are explanatory diagrams of other embodiments of the stirring means, Figure 11 and Figure 1.
FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing signal application pulses. l 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 substrate, 5b is an electrode element, 5C is an insulating film, 6 is an intermediate transfer roll, 7 is a stirring roll, 8 is a transfer roll, 9 is a Recording paper, 10a, lOb is a pair of ejection rolls, 11
is the ground, 12 is the cleaning means, 13 is the motor,
13a, 13b, 13c. 13d is a pulley, 13e is a timing belt, 14 is a motor, 14a and 14b are pulleys, and 14c is a timing belt.

Claims (4)

[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 energy to the ink; 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 apparatus comprising: stirring means for stirring the ink that is not transferred to the recording medium. (2) The recording device according to claim 1, wherein the stirring means is a rotating body. (3) The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the energy applying means applies electrical energy. (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 recording medium via an intermediate transfer medium.