JPWO2006011311A1 - Composite image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

A composite type image that is compatible with both dedicated recording media such as digital paper where visible images appear by electric discharge and plain paper, and is excellent in practicality, versatility, and space saving, and can save paper resources and save resources. An object is to provide a forming apparatus. (A) A discharge part having a discharge electrode and a heating means having a heat generating part for heating the discharge electrode, and generating a discharge by controlling the temperature of each discharge electrode to which a discharge control voltage is applied A heating discharge type printing unit having a heating discharge type print head for controlling, and recording on a recording medium on which a visible image appears by discharge from the heating discharge type print head; and (b) a visible image carrier. And a visible image type printing unit that forms a visible image on a printing medium of the type.

Description

The present invention is provided with a heating / discharging type printing unit provided with a heating / discharging type print head that forms an image by irradiating and emitting light ions, and a visible image type printing unit that forms a visible image on various printing media. The present invention relates to a composite image forming apparatus.

In recent years, an ion irradiation method, which is an electrostatic latent image forming method different from the electrophotographic method, has been developed (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
The electrophotographic method is a two-step process of uniform charging + exposure, and the electrostatic charge image is formed on the photoreceptor as an electrostatic latent image carrier by releasing the charge of the exposed part on the uniformly charged photoreceptor. On the other hand, in the ion irradiation method, in an atmosphere where ions can be generated (such as in the air), electrostatic charging is performed only by selective charging (electrostatic latent image formation charging) by irradiation of ions generated by discharge from the discharge electrode. Since formation of an electrostatic latent image can be completed on a latent image carrier (which is not necessarily a photosensitive member as long as it is an insulator), no exposure optical system such as a polygon mirror is required, and it is simpler. This is an electrostatic latent image forming method.
An application of an electrostatic latent image forming method using an ion irradiation method, which is one form of such a heating and discharging method, is a static image in which a visible image appears inside due to the action of the electric charge of the electrostatic latent image formed on the surface. Since an electrostatic latent image can be directly formed on an electro-development type recording medium by ion irradiation, it can be written in a non-contact manner on an electrostatic development type recording medium generally called a digital paper. Is an optimal image forming apparatus that can be considered at present (for example, see FIG. 4 of Patent Document 1).
Incidentally, as a digital paper at the present time, a minute ball is color-coded into two colors (for example, black and white), and a twist ball system that displays an arbitrary color by rotating the ball according to the difference in electrical characteristics of each color, a minute ball An electrophoretic system that mixes two colors (for example, black and white) of fine powder and floats and displays only one color depending on the electrical characteristics of the fine powder of each color, and opens and closes the liquid crystal shutter of the liquid crystal plate or micro liquid crystal block There is a liquid crystal system that displays the background color of the part where the shutter is opened.

In the current general business process, the printing medium used in the image forming apparatus (various printers) is plain paper with a low unit price. There are some of them that are shredded immediately and then discarded. Considering this situation, use low-priced plain paper for documents that are printed and stored for a long period of time, and erase and re-use the contents for documents that are disposed of immediately after being read. If possible digital paper is used, paper resources can be saved.
In the following, when referring to plain paper compared to a dedicated recording medium such as digital paper, it is referred to as plain paper in a broad sense, and plain paper used in a broad sense is the original plain paper or surface. Is defined as a visible image carrier type printing medium such as thermal paper subjected to heat treatment.
JP 2003-326756 A

  However, since the image forming apparatus disclosed in (Patent Document 1) is a dedicated machine in which the usable print medium is limited to a dedicated recording medium such as expensive digital paper whose unit price is several hundreds of yen, recording is performed on plain paper. Cannot be performed, and has a problem of lack of versatility. Even if you are trying to introduce digital paper to save paper resources, you must purchase and install it separately from existing image forming devices, which necessitates the use of multiple devices separately and is complicated to handle. At the same time, there was a problem of lack of space saving.

  The present invention solves the above-mentioned conventional problems, and can be used for both dedicated recording media such as digital paper on which a visible image appears by discharge and plain paper, and is excellent in practicality, versatility, and space saving. It is an object of the present invention to provide a composite image forming apparatus that can save paper resources and is excellent in resource saving.

In order to solve the above problems, the composite image forming apparatus of the present invention has the following configuration.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a composite image forming apparatus comprising: (a) a discharge part having a discharge electrode; and heating means having a heat generating part for heating the discharge electrode, wherein the discharge control voltage is For a recording medium having a heat discharge type print head that controls the generation of discharge by controlling the temperature of each applied discharge electrode, and a visible image appears by the discharge from the heat discharge type print head And a heat discharge type printing unit that performs recording, and (b) a visible image type printing unit that forms a visible image on a visible image carrier type printing medium. .
This configuration has the following effects.
(1) Since the heating / discharging type printing unit equipped with the heating / discharging type printing head is provided, recording can be performed on a dedicated recording medium such as digital paper in which a visible image appears due to the action of electric discharge.
(2) Since it is equipped with a heat-discharge type printing unit and a visible image type printing unit, both a dedicated recording medium such as digital paper and a printing medium of a visible image carrier type such as plain paper with a single device It is compatible with and has excellent versatility and practicality.
(3) Equipped with a heat-discharge-type printing unit compatible with dedicated recording media and a visible image-type printing unit compatible with plain paper. Thus, printing can be performed on a special recording medium, and a normal document (a document stored for a long period of time) can be printed on plain paper, thereby saving paper resources.
(4) In a heat-discharge type print head, a discharge electrode to which a discharge control voltage (a voltage range in which discharge does not occur only when applied because of low voltage but occurs when heated) is applied by a heating means. By controlling the heating, thermoelectrons are emitted from the heated discharge electrode and discharge and light emission occur, and the amount of ions generated can be controlled in an atmosphere where ions can be generated. Recording can be performed on a dedicated recording medium such as the above.
(5) Since the ion generation amount and light emission intensity of the heat discharge type print head can be controlled by heating control, the area gradation on the recording medium is facilitated, and the image quality in the heat discharge type print unit can be improved. .

Here, the discharge part of the heat discharge type print head has a ladder shape in which one end of a plurality of discharge electrodes divided into comb teeth is connected by a common electrode, or both ends of a plurality of discharge electrodes are connected by a common electrode. Can be formed. By providing a common electrode in the vicinity of the discharge electrode, the discharge electrode's heat dissipation area is increased and the heat capacity is increased, so that the cooling effect of the discharge electrode and the response to heating stop are improved, and the resistance value is always stable. Since a voltage can be applied, the stability of discharge can be further improved.
In particular, when the width of the common electrode is wider than the width of the discharge electrode, the cooling effect of the discharge electrode that is temporarily heated to 200 to 300 ° C. can be improved and the heat can be prevented. It is possible to quickly stop the discharge in response to this, shorten the discharge time interval, and switch the presence or absence of the discharge in a short time. In addition, the resistance value of the common electrode can be reduced, and the potential difference generated between the discharge electrodes connected by the common electrode can be suppressed as much as possible. Excellent stability.
Further, a conductive material layer may be formed on at least the surface of the common electrode in the discharge part. Thereby, the resistance value of the common electrode can be further reduced, the potential difference generated between the respective discharge electrodes can be surely reduced, and the discharge stability is excellent. The conductive material layer only needs to have conductivity superior to that of the discharge part, and can be easily formed by screen printing of silver paste or silver plating. By increasing the thickness of the conductive material layer, the resistance value of the common electrode can be reduced, and the discharge stability can be improved.

When the discharge electrode is formed in a comb shape, the shape of the discharge electrode can be formed in a substantially rectangular shape, a trapezoidal shape, a semicircular shape, or a combination thereof. Further, the peripheral length of the periphery of the discharge electrode can be increased by dividing a part of the discharge electrode with a slit or the like or by forming an uneven portion on the peripheral edge. Since the discharge electrode has a large amount of discharge from the periphery of the edge, it is possible to increase the amount of discharge from the discharge electrode by increasing the circumference of the periphery of the edge, and to increase the amount of irradiated ions and the emission intensity. The discharge control device is excellent in energy saving and efficiency. In addition, since the voltage applied to the discharge electrode can be set small, the discharge electrode is also excellent in long life.
Instead of dividing the end portion of the discharge electrode or forming the concavo-convex portion at the peripheral portion, the discharge hole portion may be formed corresponding to the heating position of the heating element. Thereby, discharge can be generated from the periphery of the edge of the discharge hole portion, and the same effect as dividing the end portion of the discharge electrode can be obtained. The shape of the discharge hole portion can be formed in various shapes such as a substantially circular shape, a substantially elliptical shape, a polygon such as a quadrangle and a hexagon, and a star shape. Further, the number and size of the discharge hole portions per heating place can be appropriately selected and combined.

As the discharge electrode, a metal such as gold, silver, copper, or aluminum formed by vapor deposition, sputtering, printing, etc., and then etched to form a pattern is suitably used. In addition, a conductive material such as carbon may be used.
Since it is possible to control the generation of discharge by applying a discharge control voltage to the discharge electrode and heating, it is possible to easily generate a discharge selectively from any discharge electrode by selecting the heating location by the heating means. it can.
The thickness when the discharge electrode is formed of aluminum is preferably 0.1 μm to 100 μm. As the discharge electrode becomes thinner than 0.1 μm, it tends to be affected by wear, and the life of the discharge electrode tends to be shortened. As the discharge electrode becomes thicker than 100 μm, the heat capacity increases and the response to heating on / off decreases. There is a tendency to become easy and neither is preferable.

The discharge electrodes of the discharge unit can be arranged in a plurality of rows in a unit of a plurality of discharge electrodes formed at the same basic pitch. By arranging in a staggered manner so as to interpolate between the basic pitches, the minimum pitch between the discharge electrodes can be made narrower than the basic pitch, and the overall resolution can be improved. Since the basic pitch between the discharge electrodes in each column can be formed widely, processing is easy, the mass productivity is excellent, and the yield can be improved.
When a common electrode for connecting a plurality of discharge electrodes is provided, the common electrode may be independent for each column arranged in parallel, or may be common to a plurality of columns.
Further, when the entire row of discharge electrodes formed at the basic pitch is inclined, the pitch in the arrangement direction of the discharge electrodes projected on the horizontal plane (the pitch at the time of image formation) may be made narrower than the basic pitch. In addition, the resolution can be improved by mounting with high density without being restricted in processing.

When an induction electrode is provided that is separated from the discharge electrode and insulated from the discharge electrode, the gap between the discharge electrode and the induction electrode is always kept constant, so a voltage must be applied between the discharge electrode and the induction electrode. Thus, it is possible to efficiently generate a discharge. In addition, by covering the induction electrode with the induction electrode insulating film, the induction electrode can be reliably insulated and the occurrence of a short circuit can be prevented. As a material for the induction electrode insulating film, glass, ceramic, mica, synthetic resin, or the like can be preferably used, and can be formed by screen printing, vapor deposition, sputtering, or the like.
A ground electrode portion or a positive voltage for applying an electric field between the discharge electrode of the heat discharge type print head and the recording medium is applied to the back side of the recording medium on which recording is performed by irradiating ions with the heat discharge type print head. It is preferable to provide a positive voltage application unit. By providing the ground electrode portion, it is possible to irradiate ions from the discharge electrode of the heat discharge type print head toward the recording medium regardless of the presence or absence of the induction electrode. In addition, when irradiating negative ions, by providing a positive voltage application unit, a positive voltage can be applied to the recording medium side, and similar effects can be obtained. As a result, the unit dots in the heat-discharge type printing unit of the composite image forming apparatus can be miniaturized, the irradiation position accuracy can be improved, and high-definition recording can be performed.
In addition, when the induction electrode is not provided, the formation process of the induction electrode can be omitted, the productivity is excellent, and the discharge control device can be miniaturized and mounted with high density. The resolution can be increased.

Of the discharge part, the vicinity of the heating position by the heat generating part of the heating means becomes the discharge generation part, but it is preferable to cover the discharge part except for the discharge generation part. When the discharge part has a common electrode and a discharge electrode, the coating film is covered over the common electrode and over the discharge electrode excluding the discharge generation part. By forming the coating film excluding the discharge generation portion of the discharge electrode, a step can be formed between the surface of the discharge generation portion and the surface of the coating film. As a result, the gap between the discharge electrode and the recording medium or the like disposed opposite to the discharge electrode can be kept constant, so that the discharge from the discharge electrode can be stabilized. In addition, it is possible to prevent the recording medium from contacting the discharge generating portion of the discharge electrode.
More specifically, the coating film has an opening formed in a substantially circular shape, a substantially elliptical shape, a substantially rectangular shape, or the like in a discharge generating portion of the discharge portion (near the heating position by the heat generating portion of the heating means). The opening may be formed independently for each of the plurality of discharge generating portions, or may be formed in a long hole shape so as to extend over the plurality of discharge generating portions.
The coating film is formed of an insulator, and a material such as glass, a synthetic resin such as aramid or polyimide, a ceramic such as SiO _2, or mica is preferably used. The coating film can be formed by screen printing, vapor deposition, sputtering, or the like.
In addition, when an uneven | corrugated | grooved part is formed in the surface of a coating film, the surface distance of a coating film can be extended and surface resistance can be increased. For this reason, since it is possible to prevent leakage of electricity from the discharge generation portion of the discharge electrode to the surroundings, the adverse effect on the driver IC of the heating means does not occur, and the stability of discharge control can be improved. Moreover, since there is no leakage, the applied voltage applied to the discharge electrode does not decrease, and the discharge is stable and efficient.

According to the heat-discharge type printing unit, it is possible to form an image by oxidation-reduction reaction in addition to the formation of the electrostatic latent image. Moreover, according to the light emission of discharge, recording can also be performed on digital paper or the like using a photochromic compound that forms an image with ultraviolet rays or visible rays.
In the heat-discharge type printing unit, an image can be formed on a recording medium that has been initialized in advance and has the print contents erased. In the case of a recording medium in which a visible image appears due to the action of electric discharge, a charging roller, a charging brush, or the like is provided as a restoring device so that the surface of the recording medium is uniformly charged inside the apparatus to initialize the recording medium. And rewriting to the recording medium can be repeated.
Instead of providing a restorer, unnecessary recording can be erased by applying an electric charge having a polarity opposite to that at the time of image formation to a recording medium on which an image is formed from a heat-discharge type print head.

The visible image type printing unit may be any type capable of forming a visible image on a visible image carrier type printing medium such as glossy paper or an OHP sheet in addition to plain paper. It can be combined with various types of printing units such as a conventional ink jet type, thermal head type, and electrophotographic type. Note that even if a heat discharge type print head is used as a print head, a visible image is formed on a visible image carrier type print medium by an electrostatic latent image forming method (for example, claims of Patent Document 1). 4) is included in the electrophotographic printing section.
Further, the conveyance path and the paper feeding unit of the heat discharge type printing unit and the visible image type printing unit may be provided separately corresponding to each printing unit, or may be shared. When the conveyance path is shared, the apparatus can be reduced in size and excellent in space saving. In addition, when the paper feeding unit is provided separately, a dedicated recording medium used in the heat discharge type printing unit and a printing medium used in the visible image type printing unit are not erroneously used and excellent in reliability.

The heating part of the heating means may be any one that can selectively heat a plurality of discharge electrodes, may be heated in close contact with the discharge electrodes, or may be heated separately from the discharge electrodes.
When the heating means includes a heat generating part insulating film that is covered with the heat generating part and is in close contact with the discharge electrode, the heat generating part of the heating means can be formed in close contact with the discharge electrode through the heat generating part insulating film. And discharge part can be handled as one body, and it is easy to handle and assemble. In addition, by covering the heat generating part insulating film with the heat generating part of the heating means, the heat generating part can be closely attached to the discharge electrode, and the heat generated by the heat generating part can be efficiently transmitted to the discharge electrode. Excellent.

As a heating means having a heat generating part that is heated in close contact with the discharge electrode, the same configuration as that of a thermal print head used in a conventional thermal facsimile can be suitably used. Specifically, the heat generation of the heating element is controlled by a driver IC electrically connected to the heating unit having the heating element. For example, one that selectively heats an arbitrary portion of one heating element disposed across a plurality of discharge electrodes or a plurality of heating elements that are individually disposed corresponding to a plurality of discharge electrodes are selectively used. Some generate heat.
By electrically connecting the heating elements with electrodes formed in a comb-like or matrix pattern, a portion corresponding to an arbitrary discharge electrode in one heating element or a plurality corresponding to individual discharge electrodes Any of the heating elements can be selectively energized to generate heat.
As the heating element, TaSiO ₂ , RuO ₂ or the like is preferably used.
A heat-generating part insulating film is formed to protect and insulate the heating element and the electrodes connected to the heating element. As the material of the heat generating portion insulating film, a material having high thermal conductivity capable of efficiently transmitting heat of the heat generating element to the discharge electrode is preferable, and SiAl, SiO ₂ , SiC, lead glass, mica, etc. are preferably used. The heat generating portion insulating film is formed by screen printing, vapor deposition, sputtering, or the like.

  When the heat generating portion insulating film is formed of glass, the film thickness is suitably 2 μm to 50 μm, preferably 4 μm to 40 μm. As the thickness of the heat generating part insulating film becomes thinner than 4 μm, the insulating property tends to decrease, and as it becomes thicker than 40 μm, it is necessary to increase the applied voltage applied to the discharge electrode and the amount of heat generated by the heating element. Tends to decrease. Also, heat diffusion tends to occur, and the resolution tends to decrease. In particular, as the thickness of the heat generating part insulating film becomes thinner than 2 μm, the surface of the heating element and the electrode connected to the heating element cannot be reliably covered, and pinholes are likely to be generated and reliability tends to be lacking. As the thickness becomes thicker than 50 μm, the stability of discharge tends to be lowered and the mass productivity tends to be lacking. By setting the film thickness of the heat generating part insulating film to 2 μm to 50 μm, preferably 4 μm to 40 μm, both the insulation and the thermal conductivity can be harmonized and both are excellent and the discharge stability is excellent. In particular, even if pinholes occur during each application, the possibility of pinholes overlapping can be reduced by forming the heat-generating part insulating film by repeatedly applying the coating in multiple times. In addition, the heat generating part can be insulated, so that the reliability is excellent.

When the above-mentioned induction electrode is formed on the heat generating portion insulating film by being horizontally spaced (offset) from the end (edge) on the heat generating portion side of the discharge electrode, instead of forming the discharge electrode on the heat generating portion insulating film. Alternatively, the induction electrode insulating film covering the induction electrode may be extended to the heat generating portion insulating film, and the discharge electrode may be formed thereon. In addition, the induction electrode can be formed by being laminated on the discharge electrode via an induction electrode insulating film.
A head substrate is formed by forming a discharge part and a heating part of a heating means on a hard substrate such as ceramic. A head IC is electrically connected to a driver IC for controlling heat generation. It is a control device. Since the heating means includes a driver IC that selectively energizes the heating element to control the heat generation of the heating element, the heating of the heating element can be controlled at a low voltage, and the voltage applied to the discharge electrode itself Can be reduced, and the heat discharge type print head can be reduced in size and extended in life. Further, it is excellent in mass productivity and reliability as a composite image forming apparatus.

The driver IC is wire-bonded to the lead pattern extending from the heat generating portion with a gold wire, and the connecting portion is sealed with an IC protective resin such as an epoxy resin. The print head is obtained by disposing a printed wiring board having a connector for electrically connecting to the outside together with a discharge control device on a heat sink formed of a material such as aluminum. Since the heat generated in the heat generating part can be quickly absorbed by the heat radiating plate and radiated from the heat radiating plate, the heat generating part can be rapidly cooled. For this reason, the responsiveness of the discharge stop corresponding to a heating stop can be improved. In addition, the driver IC can be protected from heat and has excellent reliability. When irregularities are formed on the surface of the heat sink by grooves or the like, the surface area of the heat sink can be increased, and the efficiency of heat dissipation can be improved.
An IC cover may be provided on the surface of the driver IC to protect the driver IC. Thereby, it is possible to reliably prevent the driver IC and the recording medium from coming into contact with each other, and the reliability is excellent.

In addition to forming the discharge electrode on the same plane as the substrate on which the driver IC is disposed, the end surface portion of the substrate that is substantially orthogonal to the surface of the substrate on which the driver IC is disposed, and a substantially bowl-shaped protrusion protruding on the surface of the substrate And the edge of the substrate that forms a substantially obtuse angle with the surface of the substrate.
When the discharge electrode arrangement method is an end face type in which the discharge electrode is arranged on the end face portion of the substrate on which the driver IC is arranged, the driver IC and the discharge electrode form a substantially right angle so that the recording medium interferes with the driver IC. Therefore, it can be conveyed in a straight line, and is suitable for a horizontal printer. Note that the substrate may be formed in a substantially L shape, a substantially rectangular shape, or the like by bending the end surface portion of the substrate toward the surface side of the substrate.
When the discharge electrode arrangement method is an edge type in which the discharge electrode is arranged on the edge of the substrate on which the driver IC is arranged, the discharge electrode is arranged on the edge of the substrate chamfered in an inclined manner so that the driver IC The discharge electrode forms an obtuse angle, and an effect similar to that of the end face type can be obtained without being bulky in the height direction.
When the discharge electrode is of a raised type in which the discharge electrode is arranged on the raised surface of the raised portion formed on the surface of the substrate on which the driver IC is arranged, the raised portion near the top of the raised portion or on the opposite side of the driver IC By disposing the discharge electrode on the surface, the same effect as that of the end face type or the edge type can be obtained without being bulky in the height direction.

When the heat generating part is arranged away from the discharge electrode, the discharge part and the heating means can be manufactured and assembled separately, so that the manufacturing yield can be improved and it is easy when a problem occurs. It is possible to disassemble the battery, and it is possible to easily repair or replace a worn electrode (discharge part). In addition, since the heat generating part and the discharge electrode are spaced apart to ensure insulation, there is no need to form a heat generating part insulating film or the like for insulating the heat generating part and the discharge electrode, thereby reducing the number of manufacturing steps. Can be mass-produced.
In a heating means having a heat generating part that heats away from the discharge electrode, a method of irradiating laser light, a method of irradiating infrared rays, or the like can be suitably used as the heat generating part.

A second aspect of the present invention is the composite image forming apparatus according to the first aspect, wherein the visible image type printing unit is an ink jet type printing unit.
With this configuration, in addition to the operation of the first aspect, the following operation is provided.
(1) Since the visible image type printing unit is an ink jet type printing unit, monochrome printing and color printing can be performed corresponding to various printing media such as glossy paper and OHP sheet in addition to plain paper.
Here, as an ink jet type printing unit, a conventional thermal energy is used to generate bubbles in a solution (ink), and a solution is discharged based on the generation of bubbles. A method of discharging a solution is preferably used.

A third aspect of the present invention is the composite image forming apparatus according to the first aspect, wherein the visible image type printing unit is a thermal head type printing unit.
With this configuration, in addition to the operation of the first aspect, the following operation is provided.
(1) Since the visible image type printing unit is a thermal head type printing unit, printing can be performed corresponding to heat-sensitive plain paper or ink film.
Here, the thermal head type print unit is a thermal type that prints on conventional thermal paper that develops color by heating, or a melt type that melts the ink of the ink film and transfers it to the paper, and sublimates the ink to adhere to the paper A thermal transfer type such as a sublimation type is preferably used.

A fourth aspect of the present invention is the composite image forming apparatus according to the first aspect, wherein the visible image type printing unit is an electrophotographic printing unit.
With this configuration, in addition to the operation of the first aspect, the following operation is provided.
(1) Since the visible image type printing unit is an electrophotographic printing unit, printing can be performed corresponding to plain paper.
Here, as an electrophotographic printing unit, a conventional laser beam is used to attach toner to a photosensitive member, which is transferred to paper with heat and pressure, and printed (LED). For example, a toner that adheres toner to a photosensitive member and transfers the toner to paper with heat and pressure for printing is preferably used.

A fifth aspect of the present invention is the composite image forming apparatus according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, wherein the image reading unit is provided.
With this configuration, in addition to the operation of any one of claims 1 to 4, the following operation is provided.
(1) When it becomes necessary to store the content printed on a dedicated recording medium such as digital paper in the heating / discharge type printing unit for a long period of time, the printed content can be read by the image reading unit. Can be reprinted by the visible image type printing unit, the printed content can be easily transferred to plain paper and stored, and a dedicated recording medium such as digital paper can be reused.
(2) When printing a document or image read by the image reading unit, the test image is printed on a dedicated recording medium that can be rewritten by the heating / discharging type printing unit, and then the visible image type printing is performed. Since printing can be performed on plain paper at the part, printing errors can be prevented and resource saving is excellent.
(3) Documents and images read by the image reading unit can be printed on a dedicated recording medium rewritable by the heat-discharge type printing unit, and can be posted or circulated, so that documents and the like can be printed on a short-term basis. It is not necessary to use plain paper for safe storage and is excellent in resource saving.

  Here, as the image reading unit, a reduction optical type or a contact sensor type scanner is preferably used. When the document reading (scanning) function by the image reading unit and the printing (printing) function by the heat discharge type printing unit and the visible image type printing unit are operated independently, the document read by the image reading unit Even during printing on either the heating discharge type printing unit or visible image type printing unit, documents and images to be printed on the other printing unit can be processed in parallel at the same time. And the processing capability can be improved.

A sixth aspect of the present invention is the composite image forming apparatus according to the fifth aspect of the present invention, and has a configuration including a facsimile unit that transmits and receives facsimile information.
With this configuration, in addition to the operation of the fifth aspect, the following operation is provided.
(1) Facsimile information received by the facsimile unit can be confirmed once by printing it on a dedicated recording medium such as digital paper by the heating and discharging type printing unit. Since the image reading unit can read the document on the recording medium and the visible image type printing unit can reprint it on plain paper, the advantage of the rewritable recording medium can be actively utilized and the facsimile can be used effectively. It is possible to reduce printing costs and save paper resources.

As described above, according to the composite image forming apparatus of the present invention, the following advantageous effects can be obtained.
According to invention of Claim 1, it has the following effects.
(1) By providing a heat-discharge type printing unit and a visible image type printing unit, one device can handle both dedicated recording media such as digital paper and plain paper, and is excellent in versatility and practicality. A composite image forming apparatus can be provided.
(2) Depending on the length of the storage period of the document to be printed, there are two types of print sections: a heat discharge type print section corresponding to a dedicated recording medium and a visible image type print section corresponding to plain paper. It is possible to print a short-term storage document on a rewritable recording medium with a heat-discharge type printing unit, and a long-term storage document on a plain paper with a visible image type printing unit, so that a dedicated recording medium can be used repeatedly. It is possible to provide a composite image forming apparatus that can be used and can save paper resources and has excellent resource saving properties.
(3) In a heat-discharge type print head, heating control is performed on a discharge electrode to which a discharge control voltage is applied (which means a voltage range in which discharge does not occur but is generated by heating). As a result, thermoelectrons are emitted from the heated discharge electrode and discharge and light emission occur, and the amount of ions generated can be controlled in an atmosphere where ions can be generated. It is possible to provide a composite image forming apparatus excellent in energy saving that can perform recording on a recording medium.
(4) The ion generation amount and light emission intensity of the heat discharge type print head can be easily controlled by heating control, so that the area gradation on the recording medium can be easily performed, and the image quality in the heat discharge type print unit can be improved. It is possible to provide a composite image forming apparatus with high quality and excellent reliability that can be improved.

According to invention of Claim 2, in addition to the effect of Claim 1, it has the following effects.
(1) In addition to printing on a dedicated recording medium by the heat-discharge type printing unit, the inkjet type printing unit performs monochrome and color printing corresponding to various printing media such as plain paper, glossy paper, and OHP sheet. Therefore, it is possible to provide a composite image forming apparatus with excellent versatility.

According to invention of Claim 3, in addition to the effect of Claim 1, it has the following effects.
(1) In addition to printing on a dedicated recording medium using a heat-discharge type printing unit, the thermal head type printing unit can be used for printing on ordinary heat-sensitive plain paper or ink film. An image forming apparatus can be provided.

According to invention of Claim 4, in addition to the effect of Claim 1, it has the following effects.
(1) In addition to printing on a dedicated recording medium by the heat-discharge type printing unit, a composite type image formation excellent in practicality and versatility that can be printed on plain paper by the electrophotographic printing unit. An apparatus can be provided.

According to invention of Claim 5, in addition to the effect of any one of Claims 1 thru | or 4, it has the following effects.
(1) The contents printed on a dedicated recording medium such as digital paper can be read by the image reading unit and reprinted by the visible image type printing unit, so the printed content can be easily transferred to plain paper and stored. In addition, it is possible to provide a composite image forming apparatus that can reuse a recording medium and has excellent practicality and functionality.
(2) A test print is performed on a dedicated recording medium rewritable in the heating / discharge type printing unit, and the document or image read by the image reading unit is confirmed, and then the plain image is printed on the visible image type printing unit. It is possible to provide a composite image forming apparatus that can perform printing and is excellent in resource saving that can prevent printing errors.
(3) By printing a document or image read by the image reading unit on a dedicated recording medium that can be rewritten by the heating / discharge type printing unit, a document that is stored for short-term use and used for posting or circulation Therefore, it is possible to provide a composite image forming apparatus that is excellent in resource-saving and does not require printing.

According to invention of Claim 6, in addition to the effect of Claim 5, it has the following effects.
(1) Facsimile information received by the facsimile unit can be confirmed once by printing it on a dedicated recording medium such as digital paper by the heating and discharging type printing unit. Since the image reading unit can read the document on the recording medium and the visible image type printing unit can reprint it on plain paper, the advantage of the rewritable recording medium can be actively utilized and the facsimile can be used effectively. Therefore, it is possible to provide a composite image forming apparatus excellent in resource saving and functionality that can reduce printing costs and save paper resources.

1 is a configuration diagram of a composite image forming apparatus in Embodiment 1. FIG. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating a main part of a configuration of a heat discharge type printing unit of the composite image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment. (A) Schematic side view showing the heat discharge type print head of the heat discharge type printing unit of the composite type image forming apparatus in Embodiment 1 (b) The heat discharge type print unit of the composite type image forming apparatus in Embodiment 1 It is a principal part model perspective view which shows a heating discharge type print head. 4 is a plan development view of a main part of a head substrate of a heat discharge type print head of a heat discharge type print unit of the composite image forming apparatus according to Embodiment 1. FIG. (A) AA sectional view taken on line AA in FIG. 4 (b) A sectional view taken on line B-B in FIG. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of a main part of a head substrate of a heat discharge type print head of a heat discharge type print unit of the composite image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment. 2 is a configuration diagram of a discharge control device of a heat discharge type print head of a heat discharge type print unit of the composite image forming apparatus in Embodiment 1. FIG. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a heating part forming step of a head substrate of a heat discharge type print head of a heat discharge type print part of the composite type image forming apparatus in the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a discharge part forming step of a head substrate of a heat discharge type print head of a heat discharge type print part of the composite type image forming apparatus in the first embodiment. (A) Main part plane development view showing a first modification of the head substrate of the heat discharge type print head of the heat discharge type print unit of the composite type image forming apparatus in Embodiment 1 (b) FIG. It is CC sectional view taken on the line. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a second modification of the head substrate of the heat discharge type print head of the heat discharge type print unit of the composite image forming apparatus in the first embodiment. (A) Main part plane development view showing a third modification of the head substrate of the heat discharge type print head of the heat discharge type print unit of the composite type image forming apparatus in Embodiment 1 (b) FIG. It is DD sectional view taken on the line. It is a figure which shows the ion irradiation method of the heat discharge type | mold print head of the heat discharge type | mold printing part of the composite type image forming apparatus in Embodiment 1 of this invention. 3 is a configuration diagram of a composite image forming apparatus in Embodiment 2. FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram of a composite image forming apparatus in Embodiment 3. FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1, 1a, 1b Composite type image forming apparatus 2 Heating discharge type printing part 3 Heating discharge type print head 4 Visible image type printing part 5 Restorer 10 Heat sink 11 Substrate 11a End surface part 12 Head substrate 13 Discharge part 13a Discharge electrode 13b Common electrode 14 Driver IC
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 15 Discharge control apparatus 16 Printed wiring board 17 Connector 18 IC cover 18a High voltage board 19 Heating common conductor pattern 19a Heating comb-tooth electrode 19b Heating common electrode 20 Heating individual electrode 20a Bonding pad 21 Heating part 21a Heating element 21b Heating part Insulating film 22 Discharge generating part 23 Heating means 25 Coating film 25a Opening part 25b Uneven part 26 Induction electrode 27 Induction electrode insulating film 35 Image reading part 36 Facsimile part 40 Recording medium 40a Medium substrate surface 40b Ground electrode part 41 Plain paper

(Embodiment 1)
A composite image forming apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a composite image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment.
In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a composite image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention, reference numeral 2 denotes a heat discharge type print head 3, and digital paper or the like in which a visible image appears by discharge of the heat discharge type print head 3. The heating and discharging type printing unit 4 of the composite type image forming apparatus 1 that performs recording on the dedicated recording medium 40 forms a visible image on plain paper 41 as a visible image carrier type printing medium. 2 is a visible image type printing unit of the composite image forming apparatus 1.
As the visible image type printing unit 4, various types of printing units such as a conventional ink jet type, thermal head type, and electrophotographic type are used. Since these printing sections are already in widespread use and the structure is well known, detailed description thereof is omitted. Note that even if the heat discharge type print head 3 is used as a print head, a visible image is formed on a visible image carrier type print medium by an electrostatic latent image forming method (for example, claim of Patent Document 1). Item 4) is included in the electrophotographic printing section.
The plain paper 41 when compared with a dedicated recording medium 40 such as digital paper is a printing medium of a visible image carrier type such as original plain paper or heat-sensitive paper whose surface is heat-treated. .
Original plain paper is used in an ink jet type printing unit or electrophotographic type printing unit, and thermal paper whose surface is heat-treated is used in a thermal head type printing unit.

Next, a heating / discharging type printing unit equipped with a heating / discharging type print head will be described.
FIG. 2 is a main part schematic diagram showing the configuration of the heat-discharge type printing unit of the composite image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment.
In FIG. 2, reference numeral 5 denotes a restorer of the heating / discharging type printing unit 2 for uniformly charging the medium substrate surface 40a when the recording medium 40 is a recording medium in which a visible image appears due to the action of electric charges due to discharge. This is a ground electrode portion that is disposed on the back side of the recording medium 40 and applies an electric field between the heat-discharge type print head 3 and the recording medium 40.
As the restoring device 5, a charging roller, a charging brush, or the like is preferably used.
Instead of providing the restoring device 5, it is also possible to erase the unnecessary recording by applying an electric charge having a polarity opposite to that at the time of image formation from the heating and discharging type print head 3, and to rewrite the recording medium 40 repeatedly.
Further, a ground electrode roller may be provided instead of the flat ground electrode portion 40b.

The operation of the heat-discharge type printing unit configured as described above will be described.
The heating / discharging type print head 3 can irradiate either positive or negative ions during discharge depending on the polarity of the applied voltage. Here, a case where negative ion irradiation is performed will be described.
When irradiating negative ions from the heat discharge type print head 3, the restorer 5 charges the medium substrate surface 40 a of the recording medium 40 to positive polarity having a reverse polarity to the ions irradiated from the heat discharge type print head 3.
Next, by irradiating the medium substrate surface 40a of the recording medium 40 with negative ions from the heat-discharge type print head 3, a visible image appears inside the recording medium 40 due to the action of negative charges. The visible image that appears inside the recording medium 40 is retained unless a large potential difference occurs.
The thickness of the recording medium 40 is approximately 0.2 mm, and when printing by the heat-discharge type print head 3, it may be in a curved state instead of a flat state as shown in FIG. In order not to deteriorate the durability performance, it is preferable to perform printing in a flat state.
2 is merely an example of the heat-discharge type printing unit 2, and the present invention is not limited to this.

In the office processing using the composite image forming apparatus 1 as shown in FIG. 1, a document that needs to be stored for a long time is printed on plain paper 41 by the visible image type printing unit 4 and stored. Documents to be disposed of in a short period of time are printed on the recording medium 40 by the heat-discharge type printing unit 2, and when the printed document is used up, the recording medium 40 is made blank by a restoration process and the printed contents are erased. Can be used repeatedly. When the composite image forming apparatus 1 is used, forest protection is necessary if the recording medium 40 and the plain paper 41 are properly used according to the purpose of the document, and the reusable recording medium 40 is frequently used. It can also contribute to saving paper resources.
According to the heating and discharging type printing unit 2, it is possible to form an image by oxidation-reduction reaction in addition to the formation of an electrostatic latent image. Moreover, according to the light emission of discharge, recording can also be performed on digital paper or the like using a photochromic compound that forms an image with ultraviolet rays or visible rays.
In FIG. 1, a conveyance path for the recording medium 40 with respect to the heating / discharge type printing unit 2 and a conveyance path for the plain paper 41 with respect to the visible image type printing unit 4 are provided separately, but these conveyance paths are common. Can be used. Further, the conveyance direction is relative, and the heating discharge type printing unit 2 and the visible image type printing unit 4 may be fixed and the recording medium 40 and the plain paper 41 may be conveyed, or the heating discharge type printing unit. 2 or the visible image type printing unit 4 may be moved.

Next, details of the heat-discharge type print head 5 will be described.
FIG. 3A is a schematic side view showing a heat discharge type print head of the heat discharge type printing unit of the composite type image forming apparatus in the first embodiment, and FIG. 3B is a composite type image in the first embodiment. It is a principal part model perspective view which shows the heat discharge type | mold print head of the heat discharge type | mold printing part of a forming apparatus.
In FIG. 3, 10 is a heat radiating plate of the heat discharge type print head 3 formed of a material such as aluminum, and 12 is a heat radiating plate and a heat radiating portion 13 which are described later laminated on a substrate 11 such as ceramic. The head substrate of the heat-discharge type print head 3, 13 a is a plurality of discharge electrodes of the discharge unit 13 formed in a comb shape, 13 b is a common electrode of the discharge unit 13 connecting one end of the discharge electrode 13 a, and 15 is the head substrate. 12 is a discharge control device for the heat discharge type print head 3 provided with a driver IC 14, 16 is a printed wiring board provided on the heat sink 10 with a connector 17 for electrical connection to the outside, 18 is a driver IC 14 and An IC cover 18a, which is provided to protect the printed wiring board 16, is disposed on the back surface of the IC cover 18, and is connected to the common electrode 13b of the discharge unit 13 by electric wiring (not shown). A voltage board for supplying a high voltage to the discharge electrode 13a is.

Next, details of the structure of the head substrate will be described.
4 is a plan development view of a main part of the head substrate of the heat discharge type print head of the heat discharge type print unit of the composite image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment, and FIG. 5 (a) is a line AA in FIG. 5B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB in FIG. 4, and FIG. 6 is a heat discharge type of the heat discharge type printing unit of the composite image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of a main part of a head substrate of a print head.
4 to 6, reference numeral 19 denotes a heat generating common conductor pattern formed on the upper surface of the substrate 11 connected to the plurality of heat generating comb-tooth electrodes 19a, and 19b denotes heat generated on the upper surface of the heat generating common conductor pattern 19. Common electrode, 20 is a heating individual electrode formed on the upper surface of the substrate 11 alternately with the heating comb electrode 19a, 20a is a bonding pad formed at the end of the heating individual electrode 20, and 21 is a discharge control device. 15 is a heat generating element of the heat generating part 21 formed and electrically connected to the upper part of the heat generating comb-tooth electrode 19a and the heat generating individual electrode 20, and 21b is a heat generating common electrode 19b and a heat generating individual electrode 20. A heat generating portion insulating film 22 covered on the upper surface of the substrate 11 except for the end portion of the electrode 11 is a discharge generating portion of the discharge electrode 13a that generates a discharge when heated by the heat generating element 21a.
The above-described discharge part 13 is insulated from the heat generating element 21a by the heat generating part insulating film 21b, and a plurality of discharge electrodes 13a are formed to face the heat generating element 21a corresponding to the positions of the individual electrodes 20 for heat generation.

Next, the configuration of the discharge control device will be described in detail.
FIG. 7 is a configuration diagram of the discharge control device of the heat discharge type print head of the heat discharge type printing unit of the composite image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment.
In FIG. 7, the head substrate 12 has a discharge part 13 and a heat generation part 21. The heating means 23 controls the heat generation of the heat generating element 21a of the heat generating part 21 by the driver IC 14 electrically connected to the heat generating part 21. The heating discharge type discharge control device 15 controls the discharge from the discharge electrode 13a by controlling the heating of the discharge part 13 by the heating means 23.
In addition, by disposing the heat radiating plate 10 on the head substrate 12, the heat generated in the heat generating portion 21 can be quickly absorbed by the heat radiating plate 10 and radiated from the heat radiating plate 10. Thereby, rapid cooling of the heat generating part 21 is enabled, and the responsiveness with respect to a heating stop is improved. Further, the driver IC 14 and the like can be protected from heat and excellent in reliability. When irregularities are formed on the surface of the heat radiating plate 10 by grooves or the like, the surface area of the heat radiating plate 10 can be increased, and the efficiency of heat radiation can be improved.
Further, when the discharge electrode 13a and the heat generating part 21 are separated from each other, a method of irradiating laser light, a method of irradiating infrared rays, or the like can be applied as the heat generating part 21.

Next, a method for manufacturing the head substrate will be described in detail.
FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a heating portion forming process of the head substrate of the heat discharge type print head of the heat discharge type print unit of the composite type image forming apparatus in the first embodiment, and FIG. 9 is a composite type in the first embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows the discharge part formation process of the head board | substrate of the heat discharge type | mold print head of the heat discharge type | mold print part of an image forming apparatus.
First, the heating part forming step will be described.
In FIG. 8, after a conductor such as a gold paste is printed on the surface of a substrate 11 formed of a ceramic or the like into a long plate shape, a plurality of heating comb electrodes 19a connected by a heating common conductor pattern 19 by etching. And the individual electrode 20 for heat_generation | fever is formed. Thereafter, a belt-like heating element 21 a is formed by printing TaSiO ₂ , RuO ₂ or the like on the heating comb-tooth electrode 19 a and the heating individual electrode 20. Further, the heat generating common electrode 19b is formed on the upper surface of the heat generating common conductor pattern 19 by printing silver paste or the like.

Bonding pads 20 a were formed at the ends of the individual heating electrodes 20. Thereby, connection with the driver IC 14 by wire bonding can be easily performed.
The heating unit 23 preferably has the same configuration as a thermal print head used in a conventional thermal facsimile. In this case, the manufacturing process of the existing thermal print head can be followed, and the discharge control device 15 can be manufactured at low cost by using the manufacturing device.
In the present embodiment, the heating element 21a of the heating part 21 is formed in a band shape, the heating comb-tooth electrodes 19a and the heating individual electrodes 20 are alternately arranged, and one heating individual electrode 20 at each center and By energizing between the heat generating comb electrodes 19a on both sides, an arbitrary portion of the heat generating element 21a corresponding to the position of the discharge generating portion 22 of each discharge electrode 13a is selectively heated, and the discharge electrode 13a is However, the present invention is not limited to this, and any structure that can selectively heat the discharge generating portion 22 of each discharge electrode 13a may be used.

Next, the discharge part forming process will be described.
In FIG. 9, the heat generating portion insulating film 21b is formed by printing an insulator such as glass, ceramic, mica, or synthetic resin on the surface of the substrate 11 except for the end portions of the heat generating common electrode 19b and the heat generating individual electrode 20. Form. The heat generating part insulating film 21b may be any film that can protect and insulate the heat generating common electrode 19b, the heat generating individual electrode 20, the heat generating element 21a, etc., but can efficiently transfer the heat of the heat generating element 21a to the discharge electrode 13a. High thermal conductivity materials such as SiAl, SiO ₂ , SiC, polyimide, and aramid are preferable.
The optimum film thickness of the heat generating part insulating film 21b depends on the material, but when it is made of glass, it is formed to 4 μm to 40 μm. As the film thickness of the heat generating part insulating film 21b becomes thinner than 4 μm, the insulating property tends to decrease, and as it becomes thicker than 40 μm, it is necessary to increase the applied voltage applied to the discharge part 13 and the heat generation amount of the heat generating element 21a. This is because it has been found that there is a tendency that the energy saving property tends to be lowered. By setting the film thickness of the heat generating portion insulating film 21b to 4 μm to 40 μm, the insulation and thermal conductivity can be harmonized and both are good and the discharge stability is excellent.

Next, a plurality of discharge electrodes 13a facing the heat generating individual electrodes 20 of the heating means 23 and a common electrode 13b connecting them are formed on the heat generating portion insulating film 21b. For forming the discharge electrode 13a and the common electrode 13b, a metal such as gold, silver, copper, or aluminum formed by vapor deposition, sputtering, or printing, and then etched to form a pattern is preferably used. In addition, a conductive material such as carbon may be used.
Although the discharge electrode 13a is formed in a substantially rectangular shape in the present embodiment, it can be formed in a trapezoidal shape, a shell shape, a semicircular shape, or a combination thereof. Further, since the discharge generating portion 22 of the discharge electrode 13a has a large amount of discharge from the periphery of the edge, a plurality of uneven portions may be formed on the outer peripheral edge of the discharge electrode 13a so that the peripheral length of the periphery of the edge is increased. Thereby, the amount of discharge from the discharge generating part 22 can be increased, the amount of ions to be irradiated can be increased, and the energy saving and efficiency of the discharge control device 15 are excellent. Moreover, since the voltage applied to the discharge electrode 13a can be set small, the long life of the discharge electrode 13a is also excellent.

Next, a modified example of the head substrate will be described.
FIG. 10A is a main-part plan development view showing a first modification of the head substrate of the heat-discharge type print head of the heat-discharge type print unit of the composite image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment. FIG. 10B is a sectional view taken along the line CC in FIG.
In FIG. 10, the first modification of the head substrate is different from the first embodiment in that the head substrate 12a has a coating film 25 covered on the surface of the discharge part 13, and the coating film 25 is The point is that a substantially circular opening 25a is provided at a position corresponding to the discharge generating portion 22 (near the position of the heating element 21a) of each discharge electrode 13a. The covering film 25 was formed of the same insulator as the heat generating portion insulating film 21b described above. Instead of forming a plurality of independent openings 25a, a long hole-like opening extending over the plurality of discharge electrodes 13a may be formed.
Since a step can be formed between the surface of the discharge generation part 22 of the discharge electrode 13a and the surface of the coating film 25, the gap between the discharge generation part 22 of the discharge electrode 13a and the recording medium 40 arranged to face the discharge electrode 13a. Can be kept constant, the contact between the discharge electrode 21a and the recording medium 40 can be prevented, and the discharge from the discharge generator 22 can be stabilized.

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing a second modification of the head substrate of the heat discharge type print head of the heat discharge type printing unit of the composite type image forming apparatus in the first embodiment.
The second modification of the head substrate is different from the first modification in that an uneven portion 25b is formed on the surface of the coating film 25 of the head substrate 12b.
Thereby, the surface distance of the coating film 25 can be extended and the surface resistance can be increased, and leakage from the discharge generation part 22 of the discharge electrode 13a to the surroundings can be easily prevented.

FIG. 12A is a main part plan development view showing a third modification of the head substrate of the heat discharge type print head of the heat discharge type print unit of the composite image forming apparatus in the first embodiment. FIG. 12B is a cross-sectional view taken along line D-D in FIG.
The third modification of the head substrate is different from that of the first embodiment in that the induction electrode 26 is spaced apart from the end of the discharge electrode 13a of the head substrate 12c on the heating element 21a side in the horizontal direction on the heating portion insulating film 21b. And an induction electrode insulating film 27 covering the induction electrode 26 is formed between the heat generating portion insulating film 21b and the discharge portion 13.
The induction electrode insulating film 27 is formed by screen printing, vapor deposition, sputtering, or the like using glass, ceramic, mica, resin, or the like as a material.
The induction electrode 26 was formed in a strip shape on the heat generating portion insulating film 21b and grounded. The discharge is generated so as to be pulled by the induction electrode 26. By grounding the ground electrode portion 40b of the recording medium 40, ions are irradiated toward the recording medium 40 in the same manner as when the induction electrode 26 is not provided.
The induction electrode insulating film 27 may be covered only on the induction electrode 26 and the discharge part 13 may be formed on the heat generating part insulating film 21b, or the discharge part 13 formed on the heat generating part insulating film 21b may be formed. The induction electrode 26 may be formed on the common electrode 13b or the like via the induction electrode insulating film 27.
As a result, the gap between the discharge electrode 13a and the induction electrode 26 of the discharge unit 13 can always be kept constant, and by applying a voltage between the discharge electrode 13a and the induction electrode 26, a discharge can be generated efficiently. it can.

A method for driving the heat-discharge type print head formed as described above will be described.
FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an ion irradiation method of the heat discharge type print head of the heat discharge type print unit of the composite type image forming apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.
Various combinations of the AC voltage and the DC voltage applied to the discharge electrode 13a (common electrode 13b) of the discharge unit 13 are conceivable. In the present embodiment, the discharge electrode 13a of the discharge unit 13 is, for example, AC550Vpp ( A voltage of −700 V was superimposed and applied to the triangular wave (1 kHz) with a DC bias. The voltage is applied to the discharge electrode 13a from the high voltage substrate 18a (see FIG. 3) connected to the common electrode 13b of the discharge unit 13.
The voltage of AC550Vpp was superimposed in order to obtain discharge stability. The heating element 21a was heated at a low voltage of 24V, and the driver IC 14 used as a switch for generating heat from the heating element 21a was a 5V drive compatible with low withstand voltage.

The discharge generating portion 22 of the discharge electrode 13a is simply applied to the discharge electrode 13a of the discharge portion 13 by applying a voltage equal to or lower than the discharge control voltage (a voltage range in which discharge does not occur but only discharge occurs when heated). No discharge from. As described with reference to FIG. 7, the heating electrode 21 is controlled by the driver IC 14, and the discharge electrode 13 a is selectively heated (200 to 300 ° C.) by the heating element 21 a, thereby selectively heating the discharge electrode 13 a. Thermoelectrons are emitted from the discharge generator 22 at an applied voltage in the range of the discharge control voltage, and discharge occurs as shown by arrows in FIGS. 5 and 10 to 12. When discharge occurs, ions are generated in an atmosphere where ions can be generated, and the ions are irradiated toward the recording medium 40 as shown in FIG. The recording medium 40 can form an electrostatic latent image or an image by oxidation-reduction reaction depending on the type.
When only an AC voltage is applied to the discharge electrode 13a, positive and negative ions are generated. To select only negative ions, a negative DC voltage is superimposed on the AC voltage, and only positive ions are selected to be AC voltage. Is superimposed with a positive DC voltage.

3 is characterized in that the discharge generating portion 22 of the discharge electrode 13a is located on the end surface portion 11a of the substrate 11 on which the driver IC 14 is disposed. Even when the heat-discharge type print head 3 is arranged so that the surface of the discharge electrode 13 a is substantially parallel to the recording medium 40, the recording medium 40 does not interfere with the driver IC 14 or the IC cover 18. Further, the heat-discharge type print heads 3 can be arranged densely, and can be suitably used particularly when performing colorization in the composite image forming apparatus 1.
Further, when the heating discharge type print head 3 is scanned to form an image, the heating discharge type print head 3 and the high voltage substrate 18a can be moved together, so that it is difficult to apply a load to the electric wiring and the conduction failure. Generation can be reduced.
In the present embodiment, the substrate 11 is formed in a flat plate shape. However, the substrate 11 is formed in a substantially L shape or a square shape by bending the end surface portion 11a of the substrate 11 to the surface side of the substrate 11 or the like. Also good. As an arrangement method of the discharge electrode 13a, an edge type in which the discharge electrode 13a is arranged at the edge of the substrate 11 on which the driver IC 14 is arranged may be used. Since the discharge electrode 13a is disposed on the edge of the substrate 11 that is chamfered in an inclined manner, the manufacturing is easy and the productivity is excellent, and the driver IC 14 and the discharge electrode 13a form an obtuse angle, so that the end surface is not bulky in the height direction. The same effect as the mold can be obtained.

Since the composite image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment is configured as described above, it has the following operations.
(1) Since the heat-discharge type printing unit 2 is provided, recording can be performed on a dedicated recording medium 40 such as digital paper on which a visible image appears due to the action of discharge.
(2) Since the heat discharge type printing unit 2 and the visible image type printing unit 4 are provided, a single image recording medium 40 such as digital paper and a visible image carrier type such as plain paper 41 can be used. It is compatible with both printing media and has excellent versatility and practicality.
(3) Since the two types of printing sections, the heat discharge type printing section 2 corresponding to the dedicated recording medium 40 and the visible image type printing section 4 corresponding to the plain paper 41, are installed, the user can change the switch ( A document of a type that does not need to be saved can be printed on a dedicated reusable recording medium 40 by switching it (not shown) or by selecting from a personal computer and printing it on an ordinary document (long Documents stored for a period of time) can be printed on plain paper 41 and paper resources can be saved.
(4) In the heating and discharging type print head 3, the heating means 23 heats the discharge electrode 13a to which a discharge control voltage (which means a voltage range in which discharge does not occur but is generated by heating) is applied. By controlling, thermoelectrons are emitted from the heated discharge electrode 13a, discharge and light emission occur, and the amount of ions generated can be controlled in an atmosphere where ions can be generated. Recording can be performed on a dedicated recording medium 40 such as the above.
(5) Since the amount of ions generated and the light emission intensity associated with the discharge from the heating / discharge type print head 3 can be controlled by the heating control, the area gradation on the recording medium 40 becomes easy, and the image in the heating / discharge type printing unit 2 is obtained. Quality can be improved.
(6) Since the heating means 23 includes the heat generating part 21 having the heat generating element 21a and the driver IC 14 that controls the heat generation of the heat generating element 21a, the heat generating element 21a that generates heat by controlling the heat generation of the heat generating element 21a at a low voltage The corresponding discharge electrode 13a can be heated.
(7) Since the heat generating portion 21 of the heating means 23 is in close contact with the discharge electrode 13a through the heat generating portion insulating film 21b, the heating means 23 and the discharge portion 13 can be handled integrally, and handling and assembly workability are possible. Excellent.
(8) Since the heat generating part insulating film 21b is covered with the heat generating part 21 of the heating means 23, the heat generating part 21 can be brought into close contact with the discharge electrode 13a, and heat generated by the heat generating element 21a can be efficiently transmitted to the discharge electrode 13a. And is highly efficient.
(9) When the visible image type printing unit 4 is an ink jet type printing unit, monochrome printing and color printing can be performed in correspondence with various printing media such as glossy paper and OHP sheet in addition to plain paper.
(10) When the visible image type printing unit 4 is a thermal head type printing unit, printing can be performed corresponding to heat-sensitive plain paper or ink film.
(11) When the visible image type printing unit 4 is an electrophotographic printing unit, printing can be performed corresponding to plain paper.
(12) Since it has the heating means 23, it can be made to discharge by always applying a discharge control voltage to the discharge part 13, and providing the low heat generation temperature of the heat generating body 21a to the discharge electrode 13a, and is excellent in energy saving.
(13) Since the heat radiating plate 10 is disposed on the head substrate 12 (12a, 12b, 12c), the heat generated in the heat generating portion 21 can be quickly absorbed by the heat radiating plate 10 and radiated from the heat radiating plate 10. In addition, the heat generating portion 21 can be rapidly cooled to improve the response to the heating stop, and the driver IC 14 and the like can be protected from heat, and the reliability is excellent.
(14) By covering the surface of the driver IC 14 with the IC cover 18, it is possible to reliably prevent the driver IC 14 and the recording medium 40 from contacting each other, thereby protecting the driver IC 14 and having excellent reliability.
(15) By disposing the discharge electrode 13a on the end surface portion 11a of the substrate 11 on which the driver IC 14 is disposed, the driver IC 14 and the discharge electrode 13a are disposed substantially orthogonally, so that the recording medium 40 is placed on the substrate 11 Without interfering with the protruding driver IC 14 and the like, the degree of freedom of arrangement of the heat-discharge type print head 3 can be increased, and versatility can be improved.
(16) Since the driver IC 14 and the discharge electrode 13a are the end face type heat discharge type print head 3 arranged substantially orthogonally, the recording medium 40 that should not be bent like a digital paper is conveyed linearly. And can be suitably used for a horizontal printer.
(17) Since the discharge electrode 13a is disposed on the end surface portion 11a of the substrate 11, the width of the portion facing the recording medium 40 is narrow, and the discharge electrode 13a can be disposed without being bulky in the horizontal direction, and is excellent in space saving.
(18) By having the high voltage substrate 18a electrically connected to the discharge unit 13, the electrical wiring for applying the discharge control voltage can be shortened, and the reliability can be improved. In particular, when an image is formed by scanning the heat-discharge type print head 3, the heat-discharge type print head 3 and the high-voltage board 18a can be moved together, so that it is difficult for a load to be applied to the electric wiring, resulting in poor conduction. Generation can be reduced.
(19) The high-voltage board 18a can be handled integrally with the heat-discharge type print head 3, and since it is not necessary to handle the electrical wiring, it can be easily incorporated into the composite type image forming apparatus 1 and has excellent mass productivity.
(20) Since the restoring device 5 that uniformly charges the medium substrate surface 40a of the recording medium 40 is provided, the recording medium 40 in which a visible image appears due to the action of electric charges due to discharge can be initialized, and unnecessary recording is performed. And rewriting to the recording medium 40 can be repeated.

(Embodiment 2)
A composite image forming apparatus according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 14 is a configuration diagram of the composite image forming apparatus according to the second embodiment.
In FIG. 14, the composite image forming apparatus 1a according to the second embodiment of the present invention differs from the first embodiment in that an image reading unit 35 is provided.
In the composite type image forming apparatus 1a according to the second embodiment, the printing paper is properly used depending on the length of the storage period of the document to be printed, and the document for short-term storage is stored in the heating / discharge type printing unit 2 for a dedicated recording medium 40 such as digital paper. The long-term storage document is basically printed on the plain paper 41 by the visible image type printing unit 4. However, even a document printed on the recording medium 40 for the purpose of short-term storage may occasionally need long-term storage. At that time, the document printed on the recording medium 40 is read by the image reading unit 35, and the read data is sent to the visible image type printing unit 4 and printed on the plain paper 41 by the visible image type printing unit 4. Can do. That is, the document is copied by the image reading unit 35 and the document is transferred from the dedicated recording medium 40 to the plain paper 41. Of course, copying from the recording medium 40 to the recording medium 40 or from the plain paper 41 to the plain paper 41 is also possible.
When the original reading (scanning) function by the image reading unit 35 and the printing (printing) function by the heating / discharging type printing unit 2 and the visible image type printing unit 4 are operated independently, the image reading unit Even when the document read in 35 is being printed by either the heat-discharge type printing unit 2 or the visible image type printing unit 4, the document or image to be printed by the other printing unit is simultaneously arranged in parallel. The waiting time can be shortened and the processing capability can be improved.

Since the composite image forming apparatus of the second embodiment is configured as described above, it has the following action in addition to the first embodiment.
(1) When it becomes necessary to store the contents printed on the dedicated recording medium 40 such as digital paper in the heating / discharge type printing unit 2 for a long period of time, the image reading unit 35 can read the printed contents. The read data can be reprinted by the visible image type printing unit 4, the printed content can be easily transferred to the plain paper 41 and stored, and a dedicated recording medium 40 such as digital paper can be reused. it can.
(2) When printing a document or image read by the image reading unit 35, a test print is performed on a dedicated recording medium 40 that is rewritable by the heating / discharging type printing unit 2 for confirmation. Since the image-type printing unit 4 can print on the plain paper 41, printing errors can be prevented and resource saving is excellent.
(3) Documents and images read by the image reading unit 35 can be printed on a dedicated recording medium 40 that can be rewritten by the heating / discharge type printing unit 2 and can be posted or circulated. Therefore, it is not necessary to use the plain paper 41 for short-term storage of the paper, which is excellent in resource saving.

(Embodiment 3)
A composite image forming apparatus according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 15 is a configuration diagram of the composite image forming apparatus according to the third embodiment.
In FIG. 15, the composite image forming apparatus 1b according to the third embodiment of the present invention is different from the second embodiment in that it includes a facsimile unit 36 that is connected to an outside line and transmits / receives facsimile information.
In the composite image forming apparatus 1b according to the third embodiment, the facsimile data received by the facsimile unit 36 is sent to the heating / discharge type printing unit 2 and printed on a dedicated recording medium 40 such as digital paper by the heating / discharge type printing head 3. can do. Of course, it is possible to send the facsimile data received by the facsimile unit 36 to the visible image type printing unit 4 and print it on the plain paper 41.
A facsimile document printed on a dedicated recording medium 40 can be printed on plain paper 41 by the visible image type printing unit 4 if it is determined that the document needs to be stored for a long period of time. If it is determined that the recording medium 40 is not suitable, it can be reused as a rewritable facsimile paper by placing the recording medium 40 on which the document is printed on the paper feeding section of the facsimile paper.

Since the composite image forming apparatus of the third embodiment is configured as described above, it has the following operation in addition to the first or second embodiment.
(1) The facsimile information received by the facsimile unit 36 can be temporarily printed on the recording medium 40 such as digital paper by the heating / discharge type printing unit 2 and confirmed, and it is necessary to store it for a long period of time depending on the printed contents. If there is, the document on the recording medium 40 can be read by the image reading unit 35, and can be reprinted on the plain paper 41 by the visible image type printing unit 4, so that the advantages of the rewritable recording medium 40 are actively utilized. As a result, the printing cost in the facsimile unit 36 can be reduced and paper resources can be saved.

  The present invention is compatible with both a dedicated recording medium such as digital paper and a plain paper in which a visible image appears by the action of electric discharge, and is excellent in practicality, versatility, and space saving, and can save paper resources. It is possible to provide a composite type image forming apparatus having excellent properties, and to promote the use of dedicated recording media such as digital paper, thereby greatly contributing to the protection of forests.

[0024]
0 (b) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line CC of FIG. 10 (a).
In FIG. 10, the first modification of the head substrate is different from the first embodiment in that the head substrate 12a has a coating film 25 covered on the surface of the discharge part 13, and the coating film 25 is The point is that a substantially circular opening 25a is provided at a position corresponding to the discharge generating portion 22 (near the position of the heating element 21a) of each discharge electrode 13a. The covering film 25 was formed of the same insulator as the heat generating portion insulating film 21b described above. Instead of forming a plurality of independent openings 25a, a long hole-like opening extending over the plurality of discharge electrodes 13a may be formed.
Since a step can be formed between the surface of the discharge generation part 22 of the discharge electrode 13a and the surface of the coating film 25, the gap between the discharge generation part 22 of the discharge electrode 13a and the recording medium 40 disposed oppositely. Can be kept constant, the contact between the discharge electrode 13a and the recording medium 40 can be prevented, and the discharge from the discharge generator 22 can be stabilized.
[0048]
FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing a second modification of the head substrate of the heat discharge type print head of the heat discharge type printing unit of the composite type image forming apparatus in the first embodiment.
The second modification of the head substrate is different from the first modification in that an uneven portion 25b is formed on the surface of the coating film 25 of the head substrate 12b.
Thereby, the surface distance of the coating film 25 can be extended and the surface resistance can be increased, and leakage from the discharge generation part 22 of the discharge electrode 13a to the surroundings can be easily prevented.
[0049]
FIG. 12A is a main part plan development view showing a third modification of the head substrate of the heat discharge type print head of the heat discharge type print unit of the composite image forming apparatus in the first embodiment. FIG. 12B is a cross-sectional view taken along line D-D in FIG.
The third modification of the head substrate is different from that of the first embodiment in that the induction electrode 26 is spaced apart from the end of the discharge electrode 13a of the head substrate 12c on the heating element 21a side in the horizontal direction on the heating portion insulating film 21b. And an induction electrode insulating film 27 covering the induction electrode 26 is formed between the heat generating portion insulating film 21b and the discharge portion 13.
The induction electrode insulating film 27 is formed by screen printing, vapor deposition, sputtering, or the like using glass, ceramic, mica, resin, or the like as a material.
The induction electrode 26 was formed in a strip shape on the heat generating portion insulating film 21b and grounded. The discharge is generated so as to be pulled by the induction electrode 26, but the ground electrode portion 40 b of the recording medium 40 is grounded, whereby the discharge is generated.

[0003]
The composite image forming apparatus according to claim 1 of the present invention includes: (a) a discharge portion having a substrate, a discharge electrode formed on the substrate, and a common electrode connected to one end of the discharge electrode; Heating means having a heat generating part formed on the substrate for heating the discharge electrode, and controlling the generation of discharge by controlling the temperature of each discharge electrode to which a discharge control voltage is applied. A heat discharge type print unit having a heat discharge type print head, and recording on a recording medium on which a visible image appears by discharge from the heat discharge type print head; and (b) a visible image carrier type A visible image type printing unit that forms a visible image on a printing medium, and the discharge electrode in the heating and discharging type print head of the heating and discharging type printing unit is heated by the heating unit. Having a discharge generating part for generating discharge; The arrangement surface of the discharge generating portion of the discharge electrode and the arrangement surface of the driver IC that controls the heat generation of the heat generating portion are not on the same plane, and the arrangement surface of the common electrode of the discharge portion, and the discharge electrode The arrangement surface of the discharge generator is not on the same plane.
This configuration has the following effects.
(1) Since the heating / discharging type printing unit equipped with the heating / discharging type printing head is provided, recording can be performed on a dedicated recording medium such as digital paper in which a visible image appears due to the action of electric discharge.
(2) Since it is equipped with a heat-discharge type printing unit and a visible image type printing unit, both a dedicated recording medium such as digital paper and a printing medium of a visible image carrier type such as plain paper with a single device It is compatible with and has excellent versatility and practicality.
(3) Equipped with a heat-discharge-type printing unit compatible with dedicated recording media and a visible image-type printing unit compatible with plain paper. Thus, printing can be performed on a special recording medium, and a normal document (a document stored for a long period of time) can be printed on plain paper, thereby saving paper resources.
(4) In a heat-discharge type print head, a discharge electrode to which a discharge control voltage (a voltage range in which discharge does not occur only when applied because of low voltage but occurs when heated) is applied by a heating means. By controlling the heating, thermoelectrons are emitted from the heated discharge electrode and discharge and light emission occur, and the amount of ions generated can be controlled in an atmosphere where ions can be generated. Recording can be performed on a dedicated recording medium such as the above.
(5) Since the ion generation amount and light emission intensity of the heat discharge type print head can be controlled by heating control, the area gradation on the recording medium is facilitated, and the image quality in the heat discharge type print unit can be improved. .
(6) Even when the heat-discharge type print head is arranged so that the surface of the discharge electrode is substantially parallel to the recording medium, the recording medium does not interfere with the driver IC or IC cover. Further, the heat-discharge type print head can be arranged densely, and can be suitably used particularly when performing colorization in a composite type image forming apparatus.
(7) The substrate may be formed in an approximately L shape or a square shape by bending the end surface portion of the substrate toward the surface side of the substrate.
[0007]
Here, the discharge part of the heat discharge type print head has a plurality of discharge electrodes divided into comb teeth.

[0011]
When it occurs, it can be easily disassembled, and repair or replacement of a worn electrode (discharge part) can be easily performed. In addition, since the heat generating part and the discharge electrode are spaced apart to ensure insulation, there is no need to form a heat generating part insulating film or the like for insulating the heat generating part and the discharge electrode, thereby reducing the number of manufacturing steps. Can be mass-produced.
In a heating means having a heat generating part that heats away from the discharge electrode, a method of irradiating laser light, a method of irradiating infrared rays, or the like can be suitably used as the heat generating part.
A second aspect of the present invention is the composite image forming apparatus according to the first aspect, wherein an arrangement of the discharge generation portion of the discharge electrode is such that the discharge of the discharge electrode is generated on an end surface portion of the substrate. An end face type in which a discharge part of the discharge electrode of the discharge electrode is arranged on an edge of the substrate that is chamfered in an inclined shape, and the discharge electrode on a raised surface of a raised part formed on the surface of the substrate. The discharge generating part is configured to be any one of the raised types in which the discharge generating part is disposed.
With this configuration, in addition to the operation of the first aspect, the following operation is provided.
(1) When the arrangement method of the discharge generation part of the discharge electrode is an end face type in which the discharge generation part of the discharge electrode is arranged on the end face part of the substrate on which the driver IC is arranged, the driver IC and the discharge electrode are substantially perpendicular to each other. By doing so, the recording medium can be conveyed linearly without interfering with the driver IC, and can be suitably used for a horizontal printer.
(2) By disposing the discharge generation portion of the discharge electrode on the end surface portion of the substrate on which the driver IC is disposed, the driver IC and the discharge electrode are disposed substantially orthogonally, so that the recording medium protrudes on the substrate. Without interfering with the driver IC or the like, it is possible to increase the degree of freedom of arrangement of the heat-discharge type print head and improve versatility.
(3) Since the discharge generating portion of the discharge electrode is disposed on the end surface portion of the substrate, the width of the portion facing the recording medium is narrow, and the portion can be disposed without being bulky in the horizontal direction, and is excellent in space saving.
(4) When the arrangement of the discharge generation part of the discharge electrode is an edge type in which the discharge electrode is arranged on the edge of the substrate on which the driver IC is arranged, the discharge electrode is arranged on the edge of the substrate chamfered in an inclined manner. By disposing, the driver IC and the discharge electrode form an obtuse angle, and the same effect as that of the end face type can be obtained without being bulky in the height direction.
(5) When the arrangement method of the discharge generation part of the discharge electrode is a raised type in which the discharge generation part of the discharge electrode is arranged on the raised surface of the raised part formed on the surface of the substrate on which the driver IC is arranged By disposing the discharge generating portion of the discharge electrode in the vicinity of the top portion or on the raised surface on the opposite side of the driver IC, the same action as that of the end face type or edge type can be obtained without being bulky in the height direction.
(6) When the arrangement method of the discharge generation part of the discharge electrode is the edge type, the discharge generation part of the discharge electrode is arranged on the edge of the substrate chamfered in an inclined manner, so that the manufacturing is easy and the productivity is excellent.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a composite image forming apparatus comprising: (a) a discharge portion having a substrate, a discharge electrode formed on the substrate, and a common electrode connected to one end of the discharge electrode; Heating means having a heat generating part formed on the substrate for heating the discharge electrode, and controlling the generation of discharge by controlling the temperature of each discharge electrode to which a discharge control voltage is applied. A heat discharge type print unit having a heat discharge type print head, and recording on a recording medium on which a visible image appears by discharge from the heat discharge type print head; and (b) a visible image carrier type A visible image type printing unit that forms a visible image on a printing medium, and in the heating / discharging type print head of the heating / discharging type printing unit, the heating / discharging type printing head of the heating / discharging type printing unit In the discharge electrode, the heat generation A discharge generating part that generates a discharge by being heated at the same, and the arrangement surface of the discharge generating part of the discharge electrode and the arrangement surface of the driver IC that controls the heat generation of the heat generating part are not on the same plane, In addition, the driver IC is arranged on the substrate.
This configuration has the same effect as that of the first aspect.
The invention according to claim 4 is the composite type image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the discharge generation portion of the discharge electrode is arranged on an end surface portion of the substrate. An end face type in which a portion is arranged, an edge type in which the discharge generating part of the discharge electrode is arranged on an edge chamfered in an inclined shape of the substrate, and the discharge on a raised surface of a raised part formed on the surface of the front substrate It has the structure which is any one of the protruding types which arrange | position the said discharge generation part of an electrode.
This configuration has the same effect as that of the second aspect.
A fifth aspect of the present invention is the composite image forming apparatus according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, wherein the heat discharge type print head of the heat discharge type print unit includes the substrate. A head substrate on which the heat generating portion and the discharge portion are formed is arranged on a heat radiating plate.
With this configuration, in addition to the operation of any one of claims 1 to 4, the following operation is provided.
(1) By disposing the heat sink on the head substrate, the heat generated in the heat generating part can be quickly absorbed into the heat sink and dissipated from the heat sink. Responsiveness can be improved, and the driver IC can be protected from heat, resulting in excellent reliability.
Here, when unevenness is formed on the surface of the heat sink by grooves or the like, the surface area of the heat sink can be increased, and the efficiency of heat dissipation can be improved.
[0022]
A sixth aspect of the present invention is the composite image forming apparatus according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, wherein the visible image type printing unit is an ink jet type printing unit. ing.
With this configuration, in addition to the operation of any one of claims 1 to 5, the following operation is provided.
(1) Since the visible image type printing unit is an ink jet type printing unit, monochrome printing and color printing can be performed corresponding to various printing media such as glossy paper and OHP sheet in addition to plain paper.
Here, as an ink jet type printing unit, a conventional thermal energy is used to generate bubbles in a solution (ink), and a solution is discharged based on the generation of bubbles. A method of discharging a solution is preferably used.
[0023]
A seventh aspect of the present invention is the composite image forming apparatus according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, wherein the visible image type printing unit is a thermal head type printing unit. is doing.
With this configuration, in addition to the operation of any one of claims 1 to 5, the following operation is provided.
(1) Since the visible image type printing unit is a thermal head type printing unit, printing can be performed corresponding to heat-sensitive plain paper or ink film.
Here, the thermal head type print unit is a thermal type that prints on conventional thermal paper that develops color by heating, or a melt type that melts the ink of the ink film and transfers it to the paper, and sublimates the ink to adhere to the paper A thermal transfer type such as a sublimation type is preferably used.
[0024]
The invention according to an eighth aspect is the composite image forming apparatus according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, wherein the visible image type printing unit is an electrophotographic printing unit. is doing.
With this configuration, in addition to the operation of any one of claims 1 to 5, the following operation is provided.
(1) Since the visible image type printing unit is an electrophotographic printing unit, printing is performed for plain paper.

[0012]
It can be performed.
Here, as an electrophotographic printing unit, a conventional laser beam is used to attach toner to a photosensitive member, which is transferred to paper with heat and pressure, and printed (LED). For example, a toner that adheres toner to a photosensitive member and transfers the toner to paper with heat and pressure for printing is preferably used.
[0025]
A ninth aspect of the present invention is the composite image forming apparatus according to any one of the first to eighth aspects, wherein the composite image forming apparatus includes an image reading unit.
With this configuration, in addition to the operation of any one of claims 1 to 8, the following operation is provided.
(1) When it becomes necessary to store the content printed on a dedicated recording medium such as digital paper in the heating / discharge type printing unit for a long period of time, the printed content can be read by the image reading unit. Can be reprinted by the visible image type printing unit, the printed content can be easily transferred to plain paper and stored, and a dedicated recording medium such as digital paper can be reused.
(2) When printing a document or image read by the image reading unit, the test image is printed on a dedicated recording medium that can be rewritten by the heating / discharging type printing unit, and then the visible image type printing is performed. Since printing can be performed on plain paper at the part, printing errors can be prevented and resource saving is excellent.
(3) Documents and images read by the image reading unit can be printed on a dedicated recording medium rewritable by the heat-discharge type printing unit, and can be posted or circulated, so that documents and the like can be printed on a short-term basis. It is not necessary to use plain paper for safe storage and is excellent in resource saving.
[0026]
Here, as the image reading unit, a reduction optical type or a contact sensor type scanner is preferably used. When the document reading (scanning) function by the image reading unit and the printing (printing) function by the heat-discharge type printing unit and the visible image type printing unit are operated independently, the document read by the image reading unit Even when one of the heating discharge type printing unit or visible image type printing unit is printing, the document or image to be printed on the other printing unit can be processed in parallel at the same time. And the processing capability can be improved.

[0013]
[0027]
A tenth aspect of the present invention is the composite image forming apparatus according to the ninth aspect of the present invention, comprising a facsimile unit that transmits and receives facsimile information.
With this configuration, in addition to the operation of the ninth aspect, the following operation is provided.
(1) Facsimile information received by the facsimile unit can be confirmed once by printing it on a dedicated recording medium such as digital paper by the heating and discharging type printing unit. Since the image reading unit can read the document on the recording medium and the visible image type printing unit can reprint it on plain paper, the advantage of the rewritable recording medium can be actively utilized and the facsimile can be used effectively. It is possible to reduce printing costs and save paper resources.
【The invention's effect】
[0028]
As described above, according to the composite image forming apparatus of the present invention, the following advantageous effects can be obtained.
According to invention of Claim 1, it has the following effects.
(1) By providing a heat-discharge type printing unit and a visible image type printing unit, one device can handle both dedicated recording media such as digital paper and plain paper, and is excellent in versatility and practicality. A composite image forming apparatus can be provided.
(2) Depending on the length of the storage period of the document to be printed, there are two types of print sections: a heat discharge type print section corresponding to a dedicated recording medium and a visible image type print section corresponding to plain paper. It is possible to print a short-term storage document on a rewritable recording medium with a heat-discharge type printing unit, and a long-term storage document on a plain paper with a visible image type printing unit, so that a dedicated recording medium can be used repeatedly. It is possible to provide a composite image forming apparatus that can be used and can save paper resources and has excellent resource saving properties.
(3) In a heat-discharge type print head, heating control is performed on a discharge electrode to which a discharge control voltage is applied (which means a voltage range in which discharge does not occur but is generated by heating). As a result, thermoelectrons are emitted from the heated discharge electrode and discharge and light emission occur, and the amount of ions generated can be controlled in an atmosphere where ions can be generated. It is possible to provide a composite image forming apparatus excellent in energy saving that can perform recording on a recording medium.

[0014]
(4) The ion generation amount and light emission intensity of the heat discharge type print head can be easily controlled by heating control, so that the area gradation on the recording medium can be easily performed, and the image quality in the heat discharge type print unit can be improved. It is possible to provide a composite image forming apparatus with high quality and excellent reliability that can be improved.
(5) Even when the heat-discharge type print head is arranged so that the surface of the discharge electrode is substantially parallel to the recording medium, the recording medium does not interfere with the driver IC or IC cover. Further, the heat-discharge type print head can be arranged densely, and can be suitably used particularly when performing colorization in a composite type image forming apparatus.
According to invention of Claim 2, in addition to the effect of Claim 1, it has the following effects.
(1) When the arrangement method of the discharge generation part of the discharge electrode is an end face type in which the discharge generation part of the discharge electrode is arranged on the end face part of the substrate on which the driver IC is arranged, the driver IC and the discharge electrode are substantially perpendicular to each other. By doing so, the recording medium can be conveyed linearly without interfering with the driver IC, and can be suitably used for a horizontal printer.
(2) Since the driver IC and the discharge generation portion of the discharge electrode are disposed substantially orthogonally by disposing the discharge generation portion of the discharge electrode on the end surface portion of the substrate on which the driver IC is disposed, the recording medium is the substrate Without interfering with the driver IC or the like protruding upward, the degree of freedom of arrangement of the heat discharge type print head can be increased, and versatility can be improved.
(3) Since the discharge generating portion of the discharge electrode is disposed on the end surface portion of the substrate, the width of the portion facing the recording medium is narrow, and the portion can be disposed without being bulky in the horizontal direction, and is excellent in space saving.
(4) When the arrangement method of the discharge generation portion of the discharge electrode is an edge type in which the discharge generation portion of the discharge electrode is arranged at the edge portion of the substrate on which the driver IC is arranged, the edge portion of the substrate chamfered in an inclined manner By disposing the discharge generation portion of the discharge electrode in the driver electrode and the discharge generation portion of the discharge electrode have an obtuse angle, the same effect as the end face type can be obtained without being bulky in the height direction.
(5) When the arrangement method of the discharge generation part of the discharge electrode is a raised type in which the discharge generation part of the discharge electrode is arranged on the raised surface of the raised part formed on the surface of the substrate on which the driver IC is arranged By disposing the discharge generating portion of the discharge electrode in the vicinity of the top portion or on the raised surface on the opposite side of the driver IC, the same action as that of the end face type or edge type can be obtained without being bulky in the height direction.
(6) When the arrangement method of the discharge generation part of the discharge electrode is the edge type, the discharge generation part of the discharge electrode is arranged on the edge of the substrate chamfered in an inclined manner, so that the manufacturing is easy and the productivity is excellent.
According to invention of Claim 3, it has an effect similar to Claim 1.
According to invention of Claim 4, it has an effect similar to Claim 2.
According to invention of Claim 5, in addition to the effect similar to any one of Claims 1 thru | or 4, it has the following effects.
(1) By disposing the heat sink on the head substrate, the heat generated in the heat generating part can be quickly absorbed into the heat sink and dissipated from the heat sink. Responsiveness can be improved, and the driver IC can be protected from heat, resulting in excellent reliability.
[0029]
According to invention of Claim 6, in addition to the effect of any one of Claims 1 thru | or 5, it has the following effects.
(1) In addition to printing on a dedicated recording medium by the heat-discharge type printing unit, the inkjet type printing unit performs monochrome and color printing corresponding to various printing media such as plain paper, glossy paper, and OHP sheet. Therefore, it is possible to provide a composite image forming apparatus with excellent versatility.
[0030]
According to invention of Claim 7, in addition to the effect of any one of Claims 1 thru | or 5, it has the following effects.
(1) In addition to printing on a dedicated recording medium using a heat-discharge type printing unit, the thermal head type printing unit can be used for printing on ordinary heat-sensitive plain paper or ink film. An image forming apparatus can be provided.
[0031]
According to invention of Claim 8, in addition to the effect of any one of Claims 1 thru | or 5, it has the following effects.
(1) In addition to printing on a dedicated recording medium by the heat-discharge type printing unit, a composite type image formation excellent in practicality and versatility that can be printed on plain paper by the electrophotographic printing unit. An apparatus can be provided.
[0032]
According to invention of Claim 9, in addition to the effect of any one of Claims 1 thru | or 8, it has the following effects.
(1) The contents printed on a dedicated recording medium such as digital paper can be read by the image reading unit and reprinted by the visible image type printing unit, so the printed content can be easily transferred to plain paper and stored. In addition, it is possible to provide a composite image forming apparatus that can reuse a recording medium and has excellent practicality and functionality.
(2) A test image is printed on a special recording medium that can be rewritten in the heating / discharge type printing unit after the document or image read by the image reading unit is confirmed, and then visible image type printing is performed.

[0015]
Thus, it is possible to provide a composite image forming apparatus that can print on plain paper at the portion and is excellent in resource saving, which can prevent printing errors.
(3) By printing a document or image read by the image reading unit on a dedicated recording medium that can be rewritten by the heating / discharge type printing unit, a document that is stored for short-term use and used for posting or circulation Therefore, it is possible to provide a composite image forming apparatus that is excellent in resource-saving and does not require printing.
[0033]
According to the invention described in claim 10, in addition to the effect of claim 9, the following effect is obtained.
(1) Facsimile information received by the facsimile unit can be confirmed once by printing it on a dedicated recording medium such as digital paper by the heating and discharging type printing unit. Since the image reading unit can read the document on the recording medium and the visible image type printing unit can reprint it on plain paper, the advantage of the rewritable recording medium can be actively utilized and the facsimile can be used effectively. Therefore, it is possible to provide a composite image forming apparatus excellent in resource saving and functionality that can reduce printing costs and save paper resources.
[Brief description of the drawings]
[0034]
FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a composite image forming apparatus according to a first embodiment.
FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a main part showing the configuration of a heat-discharge type printing unit of the composite image forming apparatus in Embodiment 1.
[FIG. 3] (a) Schematic side view showing a heat discharge type print head of a heat discharge type print unit of the composite type image forming apparatus in Embodiment 1. (b) Heat discharge of the composite type image forming apparatus in Embodiment 1. It is a principal part model perspective view which shows the heat discharge type | mold print head of a type | mold printing part.
FIG. 4 is a plan development view of a main part of a head substrate of a heat discharge type print head of a heat discharge type print unit of the composite image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment.
[FIG. 5] (a) AA sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 4 (b) A sectional view taken along line B-B in FIG.
FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of the main part of the head substrate of the heat discharge type print head of the heat discharge type print unit of the composite image forming apparatus in the first embodiment.
[FIG. 7] Heating discharge of heating discharge type printing unit of composite type image forming apparatus in embodiment 1

[0024]
0 (b) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line CC of FIG. 10 (a).
In FIG. 10, the first modification of the head substrate is different from the first embodiment in that the head substrate 12 a has a coating film 26 covered on the surface of the discharge unit 13, and the coating film 25 is The point is that a substantially circular opening 25a is provided at a position corresponding to the discharge generating portion 22 (near the position of the heating element 21a) of each discharge electrode 13a. The covering film 25 was formed of the same insulator as the heat generating portion insulating film 21b described above. Instead of forming a plurality of independent openings 25a, a long hole-like opening extending over the plurality of discharge electrodes 13a may be formed.
Since a step can be formed between the surface of the discharge generation part 22 of the discharge electrode 13a and the surface of the coating film 25, the gap between the discharge generation part 22 of the discharge electrode 13a and the recording medium 40 disposed oppositely. Can be kept constant, the contact between the discharge electrode 13a and the recording medium 40 can be prevented, and the discharge from the discharge generator 22 can be stabilized.
[0048]
FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing a second modification of the head substrate of the heat discharge type print head of the heat discharge type printing unit of the composite type image forming apparatus in the first embodiment.
The second modification of the head substrate is different from the first modification in that an uneven portion 25b is formed on the surface of the coating film 25 of the head substrate 12b.
Thereby, the surface distance of the coating film 25 can be extended and the surface resistance can be increased, and leakage from the discharge generation part 22 of the discharge electrode 13a to the surroundings can be easily prevented.
[0049]
FIG. 12A is a main part plan development view showing a third modification of the head substrate of the heat discharge type print head of the heat discharge type print unit of the composite image forming apparatus in the first embodiment. FIG. 12B is a cross-sectional view taken along line D-D in FIG.
The third modification of the head substrate is different from that of the first embodiment in that the induction electrode 26 is spaced apart from the end of the discharge electrode 13a of the head substrate 12c on the heating element 21a side in the horizontal direction on the heating portion insulating film 21b. And an induction electrode insulating film 27 covering the induction electrode 26 is formed between the heat generating portion insulating film 21b and the discharge portion 13.
The induction electrode insulating film 27 is formed by screen printing, vapor deposition, sputtering, or the like using glass, ceramic, mica, resin, or the like as a material.
The induction electrode 26 was formed in a strip shape on the heat generating portion insulating film 21b and grounded. The discharge is generated so as to be pulled by the induction electrode 26, but the ground electrode portion 40 b of the recording medium 40 is grounded, whereby the discharge is generated.

[0028]
It can be carried out.
(12) Since it has the heating means 23, it can be made to discharge by always applying a discharge control voltage to the discharge part 13, and providing the low heat generation temperature of the heat generating body 21a to the discharge electrode 13a, and is excellent in energy saving.
(13) Since the heat radiating plate 10 is disposed on the head substrate 12 (12a, 12b, 12c), the heat generated in the heat generating portion 21 can be quickly absorbed by the heat radiating plate 10 and radiated from the heat radiating plate 10. In addition, the heat generating portion 21 can be rapidly cooled to improve the response to the heating stop, and the driver IC 14 and the like can be protected from heat, and the reliability is excellent.
(14) By covering the surface of the driver IC 14 with the IC cover 18, it is possible to reliably prevent the driver IC 14 and the recording medium 40 from contacting each other, thereby protecting the driver IC 14 and having excellent reliability.
(15) By disposing the discharge generation part 22 of the discharge electrode 13a on the end face part 11a of the substrate 11 on which the driver IC 14 is disposed, the driver IC 14 and the discharge generation part 22 of the discharge electrode 13a are disposed substantially orthogonally. Therefore, the recording medium 40 does not interfere with the driver IC 14 or the like protruding on the substrate 11, the degree of freedom of arrangement of the heating / discharging print head 3 can be increased, and versatility can be improved.
(16) Since the driver IC 14 and the discharge generating portion 22 of the discharge electrode 13a are the end face type heat discharge type print head 3 arranged substantially orthogonally, it is better not to bend like a digital paper or the like. Can be conveyed in a straight line and can be suitably used for a horizontal printer.
(17) Since the discharge generating portion 22 of the discharge electrode 13a is disposed on the end surface portion 11a of the substrate 11, the width of the portion facing the recording medium 40 is narrow and can be disposed without being bulky in the horizontal direction. Excellent space.
(18) By having the high voltage substrate 18a electrically connected to the discharge unit 13, the electrical wiring for applying the discharge control voltage can be shortened, and the reliability can be improved. In particular, when an image is formed by scanning the heat-discharge type print head 3, the heat-discharge type print head 3 and the high-voltage board 18a can be moved together, so that it is difficult for a load to be applied to the electric wiring, resulting in poor conduction. Generation can be reduced.
(19) The high-voltage board 18a can be handled integrally with the heat-discharge type print head 3, and since it is not necessary to handle electrical wiring, it can be easily incorporated into the composite type image forming apparatus 1 and has excellent mass productivity.

[0003]
The composite image forming apparatus according to claim 1 of the present invention includes: (a) a discharge portion having a substrate, a discharge electrode formed on the substrate, and a common electrode connected to one end of the discharge electrode; Heating means having a heat generating part formed on the substrate for heating the discharge electrode, and controlling the generation of discharge by controlling the temperature of each discharge electrode to which a discharge control voltage is applied. A heat discharge type print unit having a heat discharge type print head, and recording on a recording medium on which a visible image appears by discharge from the heat discharge type print head; and (b) a visible image carrier type A visible image type printing unit that forms a visible image on a printing medium, and the discharge electrode in the heating and discharging type print head of the heating and discharging type printing unit is heated by the heating unit. Having a discharge generating part for generating discharge; The arrangement surface of the discharge generating portion of the discharge electrode and the arrangement surface of the driver IC that controls the heat generation of the heat generating portion are not on the same plane, and the arrangement surface of the common electrode of the discharge portion, and the discharge electrode The arrangement surface of the discharge generator is not on the same plane.
This configuration has the following effects.
(1) Since the heating / discharging type printing unit equipped with the heating / discharging type printing head is provided, recording can be performed on a dedicated recording medium such as digital paper in which a visible image appears due to the action of electric discharge.
(2) Since it is equipped with a heat-discharge type printing unit and a visible image type printing unit, both a dedicated recording medium such as digital paper and a printing medium of a visible image carrier type such as plain paper with a single device It is compatible with and has excellent versatility and practicality.
(3) Equipped with a heat-discharge-type printing unit compatible with dedicated recording media and a visible image-type printing unit compatible with plain paper. Thus, printing can be performed on a special recording medium, and a normal document (a document stored for a long period of time) can be printed on plain paper, thereby saving paper resources.
(4) In a heat-discharge type print head, a discharge electrode to which a discharge control voltage (a voltage range in which discharge does not occur only when applied because of low voltage but occurs when heated) is applied by a heating means. By controlling the heating, thermoelectrons are emitted from the heated discharge electrode and discharge and light emission occur, and the amount of ions generated can be controlled in an atmosphere where ions can be generated. Recording can be performed on a dedicated recording medium such as the above.
(5) Since the ion generation amount and light emission intensity of the heat discharge type print head can be controlled by heating control, the area gradation on the recording medium is facilitated, and the image quality in the heat discharge type print unit can be improved. .
(6) Even when the heat-discharge type print head is arranged so that the surface of the discharge electrode is substantially parallel to the recording medium, the recording medium does not interfere with the driver IC or IC cover. Further, the heat-discharge type print head can be arranged densely, and can be suitably used particularly when performing colorization in a composite type image forming apparatus.
(7) The substrate may be formed in an approximately L shape or a square shape by bending the end surface portion of the substrate toward the surface side of the substrate.
[0007]
Here, the discharge part of the heat discharge type print head has a plurality of discharge electrodes divided into comb teeth.

[0011]
When it occurs, it can be easily disassembled, and repair or replacement of a worn electrode (discharge part) can be easily performed. In addition, since the heat generating part and the discharge electrode are spaced apart to ensure insulation, there is no need to form a heat generating part insulating film or the like for insulating the heat generating part and the discharge electrode, thereby reducing the number of manufacturing steps. Can be mass-produced.
In a heating means having a heat generating part that heats away from the discharge electrode, a method of irradiating laser light, a method of irradiating infrared rays, or the like can be suitably used as the heat generating part.
A second aspect of the present invention is the composite image forming apparatus according to the first aspect, wherein an arrangement of the discharge generation portion of the discharge electrode is such that the discharge of the discharge electrode is generated on an end surface portion of the substrate. An end face type in which a discharge part of the discharge electrode of the discharge electrode is arranged on an edge of the substrate that is chamfered in an inclined shape, and the discharge electrode on a raised surface of a raised part formed on the surface of the substrate. The discharge generating part is configured to be any one of the raised types in which the discharge generating part is disposed.
With this configuration, in addition to the operation of the first aspect, the following operation is provided.
(1) When the arrangement method of the discharge generation part of the discharge electrode is an end face type in which the discharge generation part of the discharge electrode is arranged on the end face part of the substrate on which the driver IC is arranged, the driver IC and the discharge electrode are substantially perpendicular to each other. By doing so, the recording medium can be conveyed linearly without interfering with the driver IC, and can be suitably used for a horizontal printer.
(2) By disposing the discharge generation portion of the discharge electrode on the end surface portion of the substrate on which the driver IC is disposed, the driver IC and the discharge electrode are disposed substantially orthogonally, so that the recording medium protrudes on the substrate. Without interfering with the driver IC or the like, it is possible to increase the degree of freedom of arrangement of the heat-discharge type print head and improve versatility.
(3) Since the discharge generating portion of the discharge electrode is disposed on the end surface portion of the substrate, the width of the portion facing the recording medium is narrow, and the portion can be disposed without being bulky in the horizontal direction, and is excellent in space saving.
(4) When the arrangement of the discharge generation part of the discharge electrode is an edge type in which the discharge electrode is arranged on the edge of the substrate on which the driver IC is arranged, the discharge electrode is arranged on the edge of the substrate chamfered in an inclined manner. By disposing, the driver IC and the discharge electrode form an obtuse angle, and the same effect as that of the end face type can be obtained without being bulky in the height direction.
(5) When the arrangement method of the discharge generation part of the discharge electrode is a raised type in which the discharge generation part of the discharge electrode is arranged on the raised surface of the raised part formed on the surface of the substrate on which the driver IC is arranged By disposing the discharge generating portion of the discharge electrode in the vicinity of the top portion or on the raised surface on the opposite side of the driver IC, the same action as that of the end face type or edge type can be obtained without being bulky in the height direction.
(6) When the arrangement method of the discharge generation part of the discharge electrode is the edge type, the discharge generation part of the discharge electrode is arranged on the edge of the substrate chamfered in an inclined manner, so that the manufacturing is easy and the productivity is excellent.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a composite image forming apparatus comprising: (a) a discharge portion having a substrate, a discharge electrode formed on the substrate, and a common electrode connected to one end of the discharge electrode; Heating means having a heat generating part formed on the substrate for heating the discharge electrode, and controlling the generation of discharge by controlling the temperature of each discharge electrode to which a discharge control voltage is applied. A heat discharge type print unit having a heat discharge type print head, and recording on a recording medium on which a visible image appears by discharge from the heat discharge type print head; and (b) a visible image carrier type A visible image type printing unit that forms a visible image on a printing medium, and in the heating / discharging type print head of the heating / discharging type printing unit, the heating / discharging type printing head of the heating / discharging type printing unit In the discharge electrode, the heat generation A discharge generating part that generates a discharge by being heated at the same, and the arrangement surface of the discharge generating part of the discharge electrode and the arrangement surface of the driver IC that controls the heat generation of the heat generating part are not on the same plane, In addition, the driver IC is arranged on the substrate.
This configuration has the same effect as that of the first aspect.
The invention according to claim 4 is the composite type image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the discharge generating portion of the discharge electrode is arranged at the end surface portion of the substrate with the discharge of the front discharge electrode. An end face type in which the generation part is arranged, an edge type in which the discharge generation part of the discharge electrode is arranged on an edge chamfered in the inclined shape of the substrate, and the discharge on the raised surface of the raised part formed on the surface of the substrate It has the structure which is any one of the protruding types which arrange | position the said discharge generation part of an electrode.
This configuration has the same effect as that of the second aspect.
A fifth aspect of the present invention is the composite image forming apparatus according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, wherein the heat discharge type print head of the heat discharge type print unit includes the substrate. A head substrate on which the heat generating portion and the discharge portion are formed is arranged on a heat radiating plate.
With this configuration, in addition to the operation of any one of claims 1 to 4, the following operation is provided.
(1) By disposing the heat sink on the head substrate, the heat generated in the heat generating part can be quickly absorbed into the heat sink and dissipated from the heat sink. Responsiveness can be improved, and the driver IC can be protected from heat, resulting in excellent reliability.
Here, when unevenness is formed on the surface of the heat sink by grooves or the like, the surface area of the heat sink can be increased, and the efficiency of heat dissipation can be improved.
[0022]
A sixth aspect of the present invention is the composite image forming apparatus according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, wherein the visible image type printing unit is an ink jet type printing unit. ing.
With this configuration, in addition to the operation of any one of claims 1 to 5, the following operation is provided.
(1) Since the visible image type printing unit is an ink jet type printing unit, monochrome printing and color printing can be performed corresponding to various printing media such as glossy paper and OHP sheet in addition to plain paper.
Here, as an ink jet type printing unit, a conventional thermal energy is used to generate bubbles in a solution (ink), and a solution is discharged based on the generation of bubbles. A method of discharging a solution is preferably used.
[0023]
A seventh aspect of the present invention is the composite image forming apparatus according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, wherein the visible image type printing unit is a thermal head type printing unit. is doing.
With this configuration, in addition to the operation of any one of claims 1 to 5, the following operation is provided.
(1) Since the visible image type printing unit is a thermal head type printing unit, printing can be performed corresponding to heat-sensitive plain paper or ink film.
Here, the thermal head type print unit is a thermal type that prints on conventional thermal paper that develops color by heating, or a melt type that melts the ink of the ink film and transfers it to the paper, and sublimates the ink to adhere to the paper A thermal transfer type such as a sublimation type is preferably used.
[0024]
The invention according to an eighth aspect is the composite image forming apparatus according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, wherein the visible image type printing unit is an electrophotographic printing unit. is doing.
With this configuration, in addition to the operation of any one of claims 1 to 5, the following operation is provided.
(1) Since the visible image type printing unit is an electrophotographic printing unit, printing is performed for plain paper.

[0012]
It can be performed.
Here, as an electrophotographic printing unit, a conventional laser beam is used to attach toner to a photosensitive member, which is transferred to paper with heat and pressure, and printed (LED). For example, a toner that adheres toner to a photosensitive member and transfers the toner to paper with heat and pressure for printing is preferably used.
[0025]
A ninth aspect of the present invention is the composite image forming apparatus according to any one of the first to eighth aspects, wherein the composite image forming apparatus includes an image reading unit.
With this configuration, in addition to the operation of any one of claims 1 to 8, the following operation is provided.
(1) When it becomes necessary to store the content printed on a dedicated recording medium such as digital paper in the heating / discharge type printing unit for a long period of time, the printed content can be read by the image reading unit. Can be reprinted by the visible image type printing unit, the printed content can be easily transferred to plain paper and stored, and a dedicated recording medium such as digital paper can be reused.
(2) When printing a document or image read by the image reading unit, the test image is printed on a dedicated recording medium that can be rewritten by the heating / discharging type printing unit, and then the visible image type printing is performed. Since printing can be performed on plain paper at the part, printing errors can be prevented and resource saving is excellent.
(3) Documents and images read by the image reading unit can be printed on a dedicated recording medium rewritable by the heat-discharge type printing unit, and can be posted or circulated, so that documents and the like can be printed on a short-term basis. It is not necessary to use plain paper for safe storage and is excellent in resource saving.
[0026]
Here, as the image reading unit, a reduction optical type or a contact sensor type scanner is preferably used. When the document reading (scanning) function by the image reading unit and the printing (printing) function by the heat-discharge type printing unit and the visible image type printing unit are operated independently, the document read by the image reading unit Even when one of the heating discharge type printing unit or visible image type printing unit is printing, the document or image to be printed on the other printing unit can be processed in parallel at the same time. And the processing capability can be improved.

[0013]
[0027]
A tenth aspect of the present invention is the composite image forming apparatus according to the ninth aspect of the present invention, comprising a facsimile unit that transmits and receives facsimile information.
With this configuration, in addition to the operation of the ninth aspect, the following operation is provided.
(1) Facsimile information received by the facsimile unit can be confirmed once by printing it on a dedicated recording medium such as digital paper by the heating and discharging type printing unit. Since the image reading unit can read the document on the recording medium and the visible image type printing unit can reprint it on plain paper, the advantage of the rewritable recording medium can be actively utilized and the facsimile can be used effectively. It is possible to reduce printing costs and save paper resources.
【The invention's effect】
[0028]
As described above, according to the composite image forming apparatus of the present invention, the following advantageous effects can be obtained.
According to invention of Claim 1, it has the following effects.
(1) By providing a heat-discharge type printing unit and a visible image type printing unit, one device can handle both dedicated recording media such as digital paper and plain paper, and is excellent in versatility and practicality. A composite image forming apparatus can be provided.
(2) Depending on the length of the storage period of the document to be printed, there are two types of print sections: a heat discharge type print section corresponding to a dedicated recording medium and a visible image type print section corresponding to plain paper. It is possible to print a short-term storage document on a rewritable recording medium with a heat-discharge type printing unit, and a long-term storage document on a plain paper with a visible image type printing unit, so that a dedicated recording medium can be used repeatedly. It is possible to provide a composite image forming apparatus that can be used and can save paper resources and has excellent resource saving properties.
(3) In a heat-discharge type print head, heating control is performed on a discharge electrode to which a discharge control voltage is applied (which means a voltage range in which discharge does not occur but is generated by heating). As a result, thermoelectrons are emitted from the heated discharge electrode and discharge and light emission occur, and the amount of ions generated can be controlled in an atmosphere where ions can be generated. It is possible to provide a composite image forming apparatus excellent in energy saving that can perform recording on a recording medium.

[0014]
(4) The ion generation amount and light emission intensity of the heat discharge type print head can be easily controlled by heating control, so that the area gradation on the recording medium can be easily performed, and the image quality in the heat discharge type print unit can be improved. It is possible to provide a composite image forming apparatus with high quality and excellent reliability that can be improved.
(5) Even when the heat-discharge type print head is arranged so that the surface of the discharge electrode is substantially parallel to the recording medium, the recording medium does not interfere with the driver IC or IC cover. Further, the heat-discharge type print head can be arranged densely, and can be suitably used particularly when performing colorization in a composite type image forming apparatus.
According to invention of Claim 2, in addition to the effect of Claim 1, it has the following effects.
(1) When the arrangement method of the discharge generation part of the discharge electrode is an end face type in which the discharge generation part of the discharge electrode is arranged on the end face part of the substrate on which the driver IC is arranged, the driver IC and the discharge electrode are substantially perpendicular to each other. By doing so, the recording medium can be conveyed linearly without interfering with the driver IC, and can be suitably used for a horizontal printer.
(2) Since the driver IC and the discharge generation portion of the discharge electrode are disposed substantially orthogonally by disposing the discharge generation portion of the discharge electrode on the end surface portion of the substrate on which the driver IC is disposed, the recording medium is the substrate Without interfering with the driver IC or the like protruding upward, the degree of freedom of arrangement of the heat discharge type print head can be increased, and versatility can be improved.
(3) Since the discharge generating portion of the discharge electrode is disposed on the end surface portion of the substrate, the width of the portion facing the recording medium is narrow, and the portion can be disposed without being bulky in the horizontal direction, and is excellent in space saving.
(4) When the arrangement method of the discharge generation portion of the discharge electrode is an edge type in which the discharge generation portion of the discharge electrode is arranged at the edge portion of the substrate on which the driver IC is arranged, the edge portion of the substrate chamfered in an inclined manner By disposing the discharge generation portion of the discharge electrode in the driver electrode and the discharge generation portion of the discharge electrode have an obtuse angle, the same effect as the end face type can be obtained without being bulky in the height direction.
(5) When the arrangement method of the discharge generation part of the discharge electrode is a raised type in which the discharge generation part of the discharge electrode is arranged on the raised surface of the raised part formed on the surface of the substrate on which the driver IC is arranged By disposing the discharge generating portion of the discharge electrode in the vicinity of the top portion or on the raised surface on the opposite side of the driver IC, the same action as that of the end face type or edge type can be obtained without being bulky in the height direction.
(6) When the arrangement method of the discharge generation part of the discharge electrode is the edge type, the discharge generation part of the discharge electrode is arranged on the edge of the substrate chamfered in an inclined manner, so that the manufacturing is easy and the productivity is excellent.
According to invention of Claim 3, it has an effect similar to Claim 1.
According to invention of Claim 4, it has an effect similar to Claim 2.
According to invention of Claim 5, in addition to the effect similar to any one of Claims 1 thru | or 4, it has the following effects.
(1) By disposing the heat sink on the head substrate, the heat generated in the heat generating part can be quickly absorbed into the heat sink and dissipated from the heat sink. Responsiveness can be improved, and the driver IC can be protected from heat, resulting in excellent reliability.
[0029]
According to invention of Claim 6, in addition to the effect of any one of Claims 1 thru | or 5, it has the following effects.
(1) In addition to printing on a dedicated recording medium by the heat-discharge type printing unit, the inkjet type printing unit performs monochrome and color printing corresponding to various printing media such as plain paper, glossy paper, and OHP sheet. Therefore, it is possible to provide a composite image forming apparatus with excellent versatility.
[0030]
According to invention of Claim 7, in addition to the effect of any one of Claims 1 thru | or 5, it has the following effects.
(1) In addition to printing on a dedicated recording medium using a heat-discharge type printing unit, the thermal head type printing unit can be used for printing on ordinary heat-sensitive plain paper or ink film. An image forming apparatus can be provided.
[0031]
According to invention of Claim 8, in addition to the effect of any one of Claims 1 thru | or 5, it has the following effects.
(1) In addition to printing on a dedicated recording medium by the heat-discharge type printing unit, a composite type image formation excellent in practicality and versatility that can be printed on plain paper by the electrophotographic printing unit. An apparatus can be provided.
[0032]
According to invention of Claim 9, in addition to the effect of any one of Claims 1 thru | or 8, it has the following effects.
(1) The contents printed on a dedicated recording medium such as digital paper can be read by the image reading unit and reprinted by the visible image type printing unit, so the printed content can be easily transferred to plain paper and stored. In addition, it is possible to provide a composite image forming apparatus that can reuse a recording medium and has excellent practicality and functionality.
(2) A test image is printed on a special recording medium that can be rewritten in the heating / discharge type printing unit after the document or image read by the image reading unit is confirmed, and then visible image type printing is performed.

[0015]
Thus, it is possible to provide a composite image forming apparatus that can print on plain paper at the portion and is excellent in resource saving, which can prevent printing errors.
(3) By printing a document or image read by the image reading unit on a dedicated recording medium that can be rewritten by the heating / discharge type printing unit, a document that is stored for short-term use and used for posting or circulation Therefore, it is possible to provide a composite image forming apparatus that is excellent in resource-saving and does not require printing.
[0033]
According to the invention described in claim 10, in addition to the effect of claim 9, the following effect is obtained.
(1) Facsimile information received by the facsimile unit can be confirmed once by printing it on a dedicated recording medium such as digital paper by the heating and discharging type printing unit. Since the image reading unit can read the document on the recording medium and the visible image type printing unit can reprint it on plain paper, the advantage of the rewritable recording medium can be actively utilized and the facsimile can be used effectively. Therefore, it is possible to provide a composite image forming apparatus excellent in resource saving and functionality that can reduce printing costs and save paper resources.
[Brief description of the drawings]
[0034]
FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a composite image forming apparatus according to a first embodiment.
FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a main part showing the configuration of a heat-discharge type printing unit of the composite image forming apparatus in Embodiment 1.
[FIG. 3] (a) Schematic side view showing a heat discharge type print head of a heat discharge type print unit of the composite type image forming apparatus in Embodiment 1. (b) Heat discharge of the composite type image forming apparatus in Embodiment 1. It is a principal part model perspective view which shows the heat discharge type | mold print head of a type | mold printing part.
FIG. 4 is a plan development view of a main part of a head substrate of a heat discharge type print head of a heat discharge type print unit of the composite image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment.
[FIG. 5] (a) AA sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 4 (b) A sectional view taken along line B-B in FIG.
FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of the main part of the head substrate of the heat discharge type print head of the heat discharge type print unit of the composite image forming apparatus in the first embodiment.
[FIG. 7] Heating discharge of heating discharge type printing unit of composite type image forming apparatus in embodiment 1

[0028]
It can be carried out.
(12) Since it has the heating means 23, it can be made to discharge by always applying a discharge control voltage to the discharge part 13, and providing the low heat generation temperature of the heat generating body 21a to the discharge electrode 13a, and is excellent in energy saving.
(13) Since the heat radiating plate 10 is disposed on the head substrate 12 (12a, 12b, 12c), the heat generated in the heat generating portion 21 can be quickly absorbed by the heat radiating plate 10 and radiated from the heat radiating plate 10. In addition, the heat generating portion 21 can be rapidly cooled to improve the response to the heating stop, and the driver IC 14 and the like can be protected from heat, and the reliability is excellent.
(14) By covering the surface of the driver IC 14 with the IC cover 18, it is possible to reliably prevent the driver IC 14 and the recording medium 40 from contacting each other, thereby protecting the driver IC 14 and having excellent reliability.
(15) By disposing the discharge generation part 22 of the discharge electrode 13a on the end face part 11a of the substrate 11 on which the driver IC 14 is disposed, the driver IC 14 and the discharge generation part 22 of the discharge electrode 13a are disposed substantially orthogonally. Therefore, the recording medium 40 does not interfere with the driver IC 14 or the like protruding on the substrate 11, the degree of freedom of arrangement of the heating / discharging print head 3 can be increased, and versatility can be improved.
(16) Since the driver IC 14 and the discharge generating portion 22 of the discharge electrode 13a are the end face type heat discharge type print head 3 arranged substantially orthogonally, it is better not to bend like a digital paper or the like. Can be conveyed in a straight line and can be suitably used for a horizontal printer.
(17) Since the discharge generating portion 22 of the discharge electrode 13a is disposed on the end surface portion 11a of the substrate 11, the width of the portion facing the recording medium 40 is narrow and can be disposed without being bulky in the horizontal direction. Excellent space.
(18) By having the high voltage substrate 18a electrically connected to the discharge unit 13, the electrical wiring for applying the discharge control voltage can be shortened, and the reliability can be improved. In particular, when an image is formed by scanning the heat-discharge type print head 3, the heat-discharge type print head 3 and the high-voltage board 18a can be moved together, so that it is difficult for a load to be applied to the electric wiring, resulting in poor conduction. Generation can be reduced.
(19) The high-voltage board 18a can be handled integrally with the heat-discharge type print head 3, and since it is not necessary to handle electrical wiring, it can be easily incorporated into the composite type image forming apparatus 1 and has excellent mass productivity.

  The present invention is provided with a heating / discharging type printing unit provided with a heating / discharging type print head that forms an image by irradiating and emitting light ions, and a visible image type printing unit that forms a visible image on various printing media. The present invention relates to a composite image forming apparatus.

In recent years, an ion irradiation method, which is an electrostatic latent image forming method different from the electrophotographic method, has been developed (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
The electrophotographic method is a two-step process of uniform charging + exposure, and the electrostatic charge image is formed on the photoreceptor as an electrostatic latent image carrier by releasing the charge of the exposed part on the uniformly charged photoreceptor. On the other hand, in the ion irradiation method, in an atmosphere where ions can be generated (such as in the air), electrostatic charging is performed only by selective charging (electrostatic latent image formation charging) by irradiation of ions generated by discharge from the discharge electrode. Since formation of an electrostatic latent image can be completed on a latent image carrier (which is not necessarily a photosensitive member as long as it is an insulator), no exposure optical system such as a polygon mirror is required, and it is simpler. This is an electrostatic latent image forming method.
An application of an electrostatic latent image forming method using an ion irradiation method, which is one form of such a heating and discharging method, is a static image in which a visible image appears inside due to the action of the electric charge of the electrostatic latent image formed on the surface. Since an electrostatic latent image can be directly formed on an electro-development type recording medium by ion irradiation, it can be written in a non-contact manner on an electrostatic development type recording medium generally called a digital paper. Is an optimal image forming apparatus that can be considered at present (for example, see FIG. 4 of Patent Document 1).
Incidentally, as a digital paper at the present time, a minute ball is color-coded into two colors (for example, black and white), and a twist ball system that displays an arbitrary color by rotating the ball according to the difference in electrical characteristics of each color, a minute ball An electrophoretic system that mixes two colors (for example, black and white) of fine powder and floats and displays only one color depending on the electrical characteristics of the fine powder of each color, and opens and closes the liquid crystal shutter of the liquid crystal plate or micro liquid crystal block There is a liquid crystal system that displays the background color of the part where the shutter is opened.

In the current general business process, the printing medium used in the image forming apparatus (various printers) is plain paper with a low unit price. There are some of them that are shredded immediately and then discarded. Considering this situation, use low-priced plain paper for documents that are printed and stored for a long period of time, and erase and re-use the contents for documents that are disposed of immediately after being read. If possible digital paper is used, paper resources can be saved.
In the following, when referring to plain paper compared to a dedicated recording medium such as digital paper, it is referred to as plain paper in a broad sense, and plain paper used in a broad sense is the original plain paper or surface. Is defined as a visible image carrier type printing medium such as thermal paper subjected to heat treatment.
JP 2003-326756 A

  However, since the image forming apparatus disclosed in (Patent Document 1) is a dedicated machine in which the usable print medium is limited to a dedicated recording medium such as expensive digital paper whose unit price is several hundreds of yen, recording is performed on plain paper. Cannot be performed, and has a problem of lack of versatility. Even if you are trying to introduce digital paper to save paper resources, you must purchase and install it separately from existing image forming devices, which necessitates the use of multiple devices separately and is complicated to handle. At the same time, there was a problem of lack of space saving.

  The present invention solves the above-mentioned conventional problems, and can be used for both dedicated recording media such as digital paper on which a visible image appears by discharge and plain paper, and is excellent in practicality, versatility, and space saving. It is an object of the present invention to provide a composite image forming apparatus that can save paper resources and is excellent in resource saving.

In order to solve the above problems, the composite image forming apparatus of the present invention has the following configuration.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a composite image forming apparatus comprising: (a) a substrate ; a heat generating part having a heating element formed on the substrate; and a driver IC for controlling the heat generation of the heating element. A heating unit; a discharge unit having a discharge electrode disposed on the substrate corresponding to the heating element; and a common electrode connected to one end of the discharge electrode , the heating unit and the discharge A discharge control device having a heat discharge type with an insulated portion mounted thereon, the discharge electrode including a discharge generation unit that generates a discharge when heated by the heating element, and the arrangement of the discharge generation unit of the discharge electrode An end surface type in which the discharge generating portion of the discharge electrode is disposed on an end surface portion of the substrate, an edge type in which the discharge generating portion of the discharge electrode is disposed on an inclined chamfered edge of the substrate, Raised surface of the raised portion formed on the surface of the substrate Heating said is either one of a ridge type placing the discharge electrode has a heat discharge type print head, for recording on a recording medium on which a visible image appears by the discharge from the heating discharge type print head a discharge type printing unit has a configuration and a, a visible image type print unit to form a visible image with respect to the print medium (b) a visible image carrier scheme.
This configuration has the following effects.
(1) Since the heating / discharging type printing unit equipped with the heating / discharging type printing head is provided, recording can be performed on a dedicated recording medium such as digital paper in which a visible image appears due to the action of electric discharge.
(2) Since it is equipped with a heat-discharge type printing unit and a visible image type printing unit, both a dedicated recording medium such as digital paper and a printing medium of a visible image carrier type such as plain paper with a single device It is compatible with and has excellent versatility and practicality.
(3) Equipped with a heat-discharge-type printing unit compatible with dedicated recording media and a visible image-type printing unit compatible with plain paper. Thus, printing can be performed on a special recording medium, and a normal document (a document stored for a long period of time) can be printed on plain paper, thereby saving paper resources.
(4) In a heat-discharge type print head, a discharge electrode to which a discharge control voltage (a voltage range in which discharge does not occur only when applied because of low voltage but occurs when heated) is applied by a heating means. By controlling the heating, thermoelectrons are emitted from the heated discharge electrode and discharge and light emission occur, and the amount of ions generated can be controlled in an atmosphere where ions can be generated. Recording can be performed on a dedicated recording medium such as the above.
(5) Since the ion generation amount and light emission intensity of the heat discharge type print head can be controlled by heating control, the area gradation on the recording medium is facilitated, and the image quality in the heat discharge type print unit can be improved. .
(6) Heat-discharge type print heads can be arranged densely, and can be suitably used particularly when colorization is performed in a composite image forming apparatus.
(7) Since the discharge generating portion of the discharge electrode is disposed on the end surface portion of the substrate, the width of the portion facing the recording medium is narrow, and it can be disposed without being bulky in the horizontal direction, and is excellent in space saving. Further, the degree of freedom of arrangement of the heat discharge type print head can be increased, and versatility can be improved.
(8) When the arrangement of the discharge generation part of the discharge electrode is an edge type in which the discharge generation part of the discharge electrode is arranged at the edge of the substrate, the discharge of the discharge electrode is generated at the edge of the chamfered substrate By arranging the portion, the same action as that of the end face type can be obtained without being bulky in the height direction.
(9) When the arrangement of the discharge generation part of the discharge electrode is a bulge type in which the discharge generation part of the discharge electrode is arranged on the raised surface of the raised part formed on the surface of the substrate, the discharge electrode is located near the top of the ridge. By arranging the discharge generating portion, it is possible to obtain the same effect as that of the end face type or the edge type without being bulky in the height direction.
(10) When the arrangement of the discharge generation part of the discharge electrode is an edge type, since the discharge generation part of the discharge electrode is arranged at the edge of the substrate chamfered in an inclined manner, the manufacturing is easy and the productivity is excellent.

Here, the discharge part of the heat discharge type print head has a ladder shape in which one end of a plurality of discharge electrodes divided into comb teeth is connected by a common electrode, or both ends of a plurality of discharge electrodes are connected by a common electrode. Can be formed. By providing a common electrode in the vicinity of the discharge electrode, the discharge electrode's heat dissipation area is increased and the heat capacity is increased, so that the cooling effect of the discharge electrode and the response to heating stop are improved, and the resistance value is always stable. Since a voltage can be applied, the stability of discharge can be further improved.
In particular, when the width of the common electrode is wider than the width of the discharge electrode, the cooling effect of the discharge electrode that is temporarily heated to 200 to 300 ° C. can be improved and the heat can be prevented. It is possible to quickly stop the discharge in response to this, shorten the discharge time interval, and switch the presence or absence of the discharge in a short time. In addition, the resistance value of the common electrode can be reduced, and the potential difference generated between the discharge electrodes connected by the common electrode can be suppressed as much as possible. Excellent stability.
Further, a conductive material layer may be formed on at least the surface of the common electrode in the discharge part. Thereby, the resistance value of the common electrode can be further reduced, the potential difference generated between the respective discharge electrodes can be surely reduced, and the discharge stability is excellent. The conductive material layer only needs to have conductivity superior to that of the discharge part, and can be easily formed by screen printing of silver paste or silver plating. By increasing the thickness of the conductive material layer, the resistance value of the common electrode can be reduced, and the discharge stability can be improved.

When the discharge electrode is formed in a comb shape, the shape of the discharge electrode can be formed in a substantially rectangular shape, a trapezoidal shape, a semicircular shape, or a combination thereof. Further, the peripheral length of the periphery of the discharge electrode can be increased by dividing a part of the discharge electrode with a slit or the like or by forming an uneven portion on the peripheral edge. Since the discharge electrode has a large amount of discharge from the periphery of the edge, it is possible to increase the amount of discharge from the discharge electrode by increasing the circumference of the periphery of the edge, and to increase the amount of irradiated ions and the emission intensity. The discharge control device is excellent in energy saving and efficiency. In addition, since the voltage applied to the discharge electrode can be set small, the discharge electrode is also excellent in long life.
Instead of dividing the end portion of the discharge electrode or forming the concavo-convex portion at the peripheral portion, the discharge hole portion may be formed corresponding to the heating position of the heating element. Thereby, discharge can be generated from the periphery of the edge of the discharge hole portion, and the same effect as dividing the end portion of the discharge electrode can be obtained. The shape of the discharge hole portion can be formed in various shapes such as a substantially circular shape, a substantially elliptical shape, a polygon such as a quadrangle and a hexagon, and a star shape. Further, the number and size of the discharge hole portions per heating place can be appropriately selected and combined.

As the discharge electrode, a metal such as gold, silver, copper, or aluminum formed by vapor deposition, sputtering, printing, etc., and then etched to form a pattern is suitably used. In addition, a conductive material such as carbon may be used.
Since it is possible to control the generation of discharge by applying a discharge control voltage to the discharge electrode and heating, it is possible to easily generate a discharge selectively from any discharge electrode by selecting the heating location by the heating means. it can.
The thickness when the discharge electrode is formed of aluminum is preferably 0.1 μm to 100 μm. As the discharge electrode becomes thinner than 0.1 μm, it tends to be affected by wear, and the life of the discharge electrode tends to be shortened. As the discharge electrode becomes thicker than 100 μm, the heat capacity increases and the response to heating on / off decreases. There is a tendency to become easy and neither is preferable.

The discharge electrodes of the discharge unit can be arranged in a plurality of rows in a unit of a plurality of discharge electrodes formed at the same basic pitch. By arranging in a staggered manner so as to interpolate between the basic pitches, the minimum pitch between the discharge electrodes can be made narrower than the basic pitch, and the overall resolution can be improved. Since the basic pitch between the discharge electrodes in each column can be formed widely, processing is easy, the mass productivity is excellent, and the yield can be improved.
When a common electrode for connecting a plurality of discharge electrodes is provided, the common electrode may be independent for each column arranged in parallel, or may be common to a plurality of columns.
Further, when the entire row of discharge electrodes formed at the basic pitch is inclined, the pitch in the arrangement direction of the discharge electrodes projected on the horizontal plane (the pitch at the time of image formation) may be made narrower than the basic pitch. In addition, the resolution can be improved by mounting with high density without being restricted in processing.

When an induction electrode is provided that is separated from the discharge electrode and insulated from the discharge electrode, the gap between the discharge electrode and the induction electrode is always kept constant, so a voltage must be applied between the discharge electrode and the induction electrode. Thus, it is possible to efficiently generate a discharge. In addition, by covering the induction electrode with the induction electrode insulating film, the induction electrode can be reliably insulated and the occurrence of a short circuit can be prevented. As a material for the induction electrode insulating film, glass, ceramic, mica, synthetic resin, or the like can be preferably used, and can be formed by screen printing, vapor deposition, sputtering, or the like.
A ground electrode portion or a positive voltage for applying an electric field between the discharge electrode of the heat discharge type print head and the recording medium is applied to the back side of the recording medium on which recording is performed by irradiating ions with the heat discharge type print head. It is preferable to provide a positive voltage application unit. By providing the ground electrode portion, it is possible to irradiate ions from the discharge electrode of the heat discharge type print head toward the recording medium regardless of the presence or absence of the induction electrode. In addition, when irradiating negative ions, by providing a positive voltage application unit, a positive voltage can be applied to the recording medium side, and similar effects can be obtained. As a result, the unit dots in the heat-discharge type printing unit of the composite image forming apparatus can be miniaturized, the irradiation position accuracy can be improved, and high-definition recording can be performed.
In addition, when the induction electrode is not provided, the formation process of the induction electrode can be omitted, the productivity is excellent, and the discharge control device can be miniaturized and mounted with high density. The resolution can be increased.

Of the discharge part, the vicinity of the heating position by the heat generating part of the heating means becomes the discharge generation part, but it is preferable to cover the discharge part except for the discharge generation part. When the discharge part has a common electrode and a discharge electrode, the coating film is covered over the common electrode and over the discharge electrode excluding the discharge generation part. By forming the coating film excluding the discharge generation portion of the discharge electrode, a step can be formed between the surface of the discharge generation portion and the surface of the coating film. As a result, the gap between the discharge electrode and the recording medium or the like disposed opposite to the discharge electrode can be kept constant, so that the discharge from the discharge electrode can be stabilized. In addition, it is possible to prevent the recording medium from contacting the discharge generating portion of the discharge electrode.
More specifically, the coating film has an opening formed in a substantially circular shape, a substantially elliptical shape, a substantially rectangular shape, or the like in a discharge generating portion of the discharge portion (near the heating position by the heat generating portion of the heating means). The opening may be formed independently for each of the plurality of discharge generating portions, or may be formed in a long hole shape so as to extend over the plurality of discharge generating portions.
The coating film is formed of an insulator, and a material such as glass, a synthetic resin such as aramid or polyimide, a ceramic such as SiO _2, or mica is preferably used. The coating film can be formed by screen printing, vapor deposition, sputtering, or the like.
In addition, when an uneven | corrugated | grooved part is formed in the surface of a coating film, the surface distance of a coating film can be extended and surface resistance can be increased. For this reason, since it is possible to prevent leakage of electricity from the discharge generation portion of the discharge electrode to the surroundings, the adverse effect on the driver IC of the heating means does not occur, and the stability of discharge control can be improved. Moreover, since there is no leakage, the applied voltage applied to the discharge electrode does not decrease, and the discharge is stable and efficient.

According to the heat-discharge type printing unit, it is possible to form an image by oxidation-reduction reaction in addition to the formation of the electrostatic latent image. Moreover, according to the light emission of discharge, recording can also be performed on digital paper or the like using a photochromic compound that forms an image with ultraviolet rays or visible rays.
In the heat-discharge type printing unit, an image can be formed on a recording medium that has been initialized in advance and has the print contents erased. In the case of a recording medium in which a visible image appears due to the action of electric discharge, a charging roller, a charging brush, or the like is provided as a restoring device so that the surface of the recording medium is uniformly charged inside the apparatus to initialize the recording medium. And rewriting to the recording medium can be repeated.
Instead of providing a restorer, unnecessary recording can be erased by applying an electric charge having a polarity opposite to that at the time of image formation to a recording medium on which an image is formed from a heat-discharge type print head.

The visible image type printing unit may be any type capable of forming a visible image on a visible image carrier type printing medium such as glossy paper or an OHP sheet in addition to plain paper. It can be combined with various types of printing units such as a conventional ink jet type, thermal head type, and electrophotographic type. Note that even if a heat discharge type print head is used as a print head, a visible image is formed on a visible image carrier type print medium by an electrostatic latent image forming method (for example, claims of Patent Document 1). 4) is included in the electrophotographic printing section.
Further, the conveyance path and the paper feeding unit of the heat discharge type printing unit and the visible image type printing unit may be provided separately corresponding to each printing unit, or may be shared. When the conveyance path is shared, the apparatus can be reduced in size and excellent in space saving. In addition, when the paper feeding unit is provided separately, a dedicated recording medium used in the heat discharge type printing unit and a printing medium used in the visible image type printing unit are not erroneously used and excellent in reliability.

The heating part of the heating means may be any one that can selectively heat a plurality of discharge electrodes, may be heated in close contact with the discharge electrodes, or may be heated separately from the discharge electrodes.
When the heating means includes a heat generating part insulating film that is covered with the heat generating part and is in close contact with the discharge electrode, the heat generating part of the heating means can be formed in close contact with the discharge electrode through the heat generating part insulating film. And discharge part can be handled as one body, and it is easy to handle and assemble. In addition, by covering the heat generating part insulating film with the heat generating part of the heating means, the heat generating part can be closely attached to the discharge electrode, and the heat generated by the heat generating part can be efficiently transmitted to the discharge electrode. Excellent.

As a heating means having a heat generating part that is heated in close contact with the discharge electrode, the same configuration as that of a thermal print head used in a conventional thermal facsimile can be suitably used. Specifically, the heat generation of the heating element is controlled by a driver IC electrically connected to the heating unit having the heating element. For example, one that selectively heats an arbitrary portion of one heating element disposed across a plurality of discharge electrodes or a plurality of heating elements that are individually disposed corresponding to a plurality of discharge electrodes are selectively used. Some generate heat.
By electrically connecting the heating elements with electrodes formed in a comb-like or matrix pattern, a portion corresponding to an arbitrary discharge electrode in one heating element or a plurality corresponding to individual discharge electrodes Any of the heating elements can be selectively energized to generate heat.
As the heating element, TaSiO ₂ , RuO ₂ or the like is preferably used.
A heat-generating part insulating film is formed to protect and insulate the heating element and the electrodes connected to the heating element. As the material of the heat generating portion insulating film, a material having high thermal conductivity capable of efficiently transmitting heat of the heat generating element to the discharge electrode is preferable, and SiAl, SiO ₂ , SiC, lead glass, mica, etc. are preferably used. The heat generating portion insulating film is formed by screen printing, vapor deposition, sputtering, or the like.

  When the heat generating portion insulating film is formed of glass, the film thickness is suitably 2 μm to 50 μm, preferably 4 μm to 40 μm. As the thickness of the heat generating part insulating film becomes thinner than 4 μm, the insulating property tends to decrease, and as it becomes thicker than 40 μm, it is necessary to increase the applied voltage applied to the discharge electrode and the amount of heat generated by the heating element. Tends to decrease. Also, heat diffusion tends to occur, and the resolution tends to decrease. In particular, as the thickness of the heat generating part insulating film becomes thinner than 2 μm, the surface of the heating element and the electrode connected to the heating element cannot be reliably covered, and pinholes are likely to be generated and reliability tends to be lacking. As the thickness becomes thicker than 50 μm, the stability of discharge tends to be lowered and the mass productivity tends to be lacking. By setting the film thickness of the heat generating part insulating film to 2 μm to 50 μm, preferably 4 μm to 40 μm, both the insulation and the thermal conductivity can be harmonized and both are excellent and the discharge stability is excellent. In particular, even if pinholes occur during each application, the possibility of pinholes overlapping can be reduced by forming the heat-generating part insulating film by repeatedly applying the coating in multiple times. In addition, the heat generating part can be insulated, so that the reliability is excellent.

When the above-mentioned induction electrode is formed on the heat generating portion insulating film by being horizontally spaced (offset) from the end (edge) on the heat generating portion side of the discharge electrode, instead of forming the discharge electrode on the heat generating portion insulating film. Alternatively, the induction electrode insulating film covering the induction electrode may be extended to the heat generating portion insulating film, and the discharge electrode may be formed thereon. In addition, the induction electrode can be formed by being laminated on the discharge electrode via an induction electrode insulating film.
A head substrate is formed by forming a discharge part and a heating part of a heating means on a hard substrate such as ceramic. A head IC is electrically connected to a driver IC for controlling heat generation. It is a control device. Since the heating means includes a driver IC that selectively energizes the heating element to control the heat generation of the heating element, the heating of the heating element can be controlled at a low voltage, and the voltage applied to the discharge electrode itself Can be reduced, and the heat discharge type print head can be reduced in size and extended in life. Further, it is excellent in mass productivity and reliability as a composite image forming apparatus.

The driver IC is wire-bonded to the lead pattern extending from the heat generating portion with a gold wire, and the connecting portion is sealed with an IC protective resin such as an epoxy resin. The print head is obtained by disposing a printed wiring board having a connector for electrically connecting to the outside together with a discharge control device on a heat sink formed of a material such as aluminum. Since the heat generated in the heat generating part can be quickly absorbed by the heat radiating plate and radiated from the heat radiating plate, the heat generating part can be rapidly cooled. For this reason, the responsiveness of the discharge stop corresponding to a heating stop can be improved. In addition, the driver IC can be protected from heat and has excellent reliability.
An IC cover may be provided on the surface of the driver IC to protect the driver IC. Thereby, it is possible to reliably prevent the driver IC and the recording medium from coming into contact with each other, and the reliability is excellent.

When the heat generating part is arranged away from the discharge electrode, the discharge part and the heating means can be manufactured and assembled separately, so that the manufacturing yield can be improved and it is easy when a problem occurs. It is possible to disassemble the battery, and it is possible to easily repair or replace a worn electrode (discharge part). In addition, since the heat generating part and the discharge electrode are spaced apart to ensure insulation, there is no need to form a heat generating part insulating film or the like for insulating the heat generating part and the discharge electrode, thereby reducing the number of manufacturing steps. Can be mass-produced.
In a heating means having a heat generating part that heats away from the discharge electrode, a method of irradiating laser light, a method of irradiating infrared rays, or the like can be suitably used as the heat generating part.

According to a second aspect of the invention, a composite type image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein in the heating discharge type print head heating discharge type printing unit, the discharge portion and the heating portion to the substrate The formed head substrate has a configuration arranged on the heat sink.
With this configuration, in addition to the operation of the first aspect , the following operation is provided.
(1) By disposing the heat sink on the head substrate, the heat generated in the heat generating part can be quickly absorbed into the heat sink and dissipated from the heat sink. Responsiveness can be improved, and the driver IC can be protected from heat, resulting in excellent reliability.
Here, when unevenness is formed on the surface of the heat sink by grooves or the like, the surface area of the heat sink can be increased, and the efficiency of heat dissipation can be improved.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided the composite image forming apparatus according to the first or second aspect, wherein the driver IC is arranged on the substrate in the heat discharge type print head of the heat discharge type print unit. It has a configuration that is provided.
With this configuration, in addition to the same operation as that of the first or second aspect, the following operation is provided.
(1) Even when the heat discharge type print head is arranged so that the surface of the discharge electrode is substantially parallel to the recording medium, the recording medium does not interfere with the driver IC or IC cover.
(2) The recording medium can be conveyed linearly without interfering with the driver IC, and can be suitably used for a horizontal printer.

Here, the discharge electrode is an end surface portion of the substrate that is substantially orthogonal to the surface of the substrate on which the driver IC is disposed, a substantially ridge-like protruding portion that protrudes from the surface of the substrate, an edge of the substrate that forms an obtuse angle with the surface of the substrate. It can arrange in a part etc.
When the discharge electrode arrangement method is an end face type in which the discharge electrode is arranged on the end face portion of the substrate on which the driver IC is arranged, the driver IC and the discharge electrode form a substantially right angle so that the recording medium interferes with the driver IC. Therefore, it can be conveyed in a straight line, and is suitable for a horizontal printer. Note that the substrate may be formed in a substantially L shape, a substantially rectangular shape, or the like by bending the end surface portion of the substrate toward the surface side of the substrate.
When the discharge electrode arrangement method is an edge type in which the discharge electrode is arranged on the edge of the substrate on which the driver IC is arranged, the discharge electrode is arranged on the edge of the substrate chamfered in an inclined manner so that the driver IC The discharge electrode forms an obtuse angle, and an effect similar to that of the end face type can be obtained without being bulky in the height direction.
When the discharge electrode is of a raised type in which the discharge electrode is arranged on the raised surface of the raised portion formed on the surface of the substrate on which the driver IC is arranged, the raised portion near the top of the raised portion or on the opposite side of the driver IC By disposing the discharge electrode on the surface, the same effect as that of the end face type or the edge type can be obtained without being bulky in the height direction.

A fourth aspect of the present invention is the composite image forming apparatus according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the visible image type printing unit is an ink jet type printing unit. ing.
With this configuration, in addition to the operation of any one of claims 1 to 3 , the following operation is provided.
(1) Since the visible image type printing unit is an ink jet type printing unit, monochrome printing and color printing can be performed corresponding to various printing media such as glossy paper and OHP sheet in addition to plain paper.
Here, as an ink jet type printing unit, a conventional thermal energy is used to generate bubbles in a solution (ink), and a solution is discharged based on the generation of bubbles. A method of discharging a solution is preferably used.

A fifth aspect of the present invention is the composite image forming apparatus according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the visible image type printing unit is a thermal head type printing unit. is doing.
With this configuration, in addition to the operation of any one of claims 1 to 3 , the following operation is provided.
(1) Since the visible image type printing unit is a thermal head type printing unit, printing can be performed corresponding to heat-sensitive plain paper or ink film.
Here, the thermal head type print unit is a thermal type that prints on conventional thermal paper that develops color by heating, or a melt type that melts the ink of the ink film and transfers it to the paper, and sublimates the ink to adhere to the paper A thermal transfer type such as a sublimation type is preferably used.

A sixth aspect of the present invention is the composite image forming apparatus according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the visible image type printing unit is an electrophotographic printing unit. is doing.
With this configuration, in addition to the operation of any one of claims 1 to 3 , the following operation is provided.
(1) Since the visible image type printing unit is an electrophotographic printing unit, printing can be performed corresponding to plain paper.
Here, as an electrophotographic printing unit, a conventional laser beam is used to attach toner to a photosensitive member, which is transferred to paper with heat and pressure, and printed (LED). For example, a toner that adheres toner to the photosensitive member and transfers it to paper with heat and pressure to perform printing is preferably used.

A seventh aspect of the present invention is the composite image forming apparatus according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, wherein the image reading unit is provided.
With this configuration, in addition to the operation of any one of claims 1 to 6 , the following operation is provided.
(1) When it becomes necessary to store the content printed on a dedicated recording medium such as digital paper in the heating / discharge type printing unit for a long period of time, the printed content can be read by the image reading unit. Can be reprinted by the visible image type printing unit, the printed content can be easily transferred to plain paper and stored, and a dedicated recording medium such as digital paper can be reused.
(2) When printing a document or image read by the image reading unit, the test image is printed on a dedicated recording medium that can be rewritten by the heating / discharging type printing unit, and then the visible image type printing is performed. Since printing can be performed on plain paper at the part, printing errors can be prevented and resource saving is excellent.
(3) Documents and images read by the image reading unit can be printed on a dedicated recording medium rewritable by the heat-discharge type printing unit, and can be posted or circulated, so that documents and the like can be printed on a short-term basis. It is not necessary to use plain paper for safe storage and is excellent in resource saving.

  Here, as the image reading unit, a reduction optical type or a contact sensor type scanner is preferably used. When the document reading (scanning) function by the image reading unit and the printing (printing) function by the heat discharge type printing unit and the visible image type printing unit are operated independently, the document read by the image reading unit Even during printing on either the heating discharge type printing unit or visible image type printing unit, documents and images to be printed on the other printing unit can be processed in parallel at the same time. And the processing capability can be improved.

An eighth aspect of the invention is a composite image forming apparatus according to the seventh aspect of the invention having a configuration including a facsimile unit that transmits and receives facsimile information.
With this configuration, in addition to the operation of the seventh aspect , the following operation is provided.
(1) Facsimile information received by the facsimile unit can be confirmed once by printing it on a dedicated recording medium such as digital paper by the heating and discharging type printing unit. Since the image reading unit can read the document on the recording medium and the visible image type printing unit can reprint it on plain paper, the advantage of the rewritable recording medium can be actively utilized and the facsimile can be used effectively. It is possible to reduce printing costs and save paper resources.

As described above, according to the composite image forming apparatus of the present invention, the following advantageous effects can be obtained.
According to invention of Claim 1, it has the following effects.
(1) By providing a heat-discharge type printing unit and a visible image type printing unit, one device can handle both dedicated recording media such as digital paper and plain paper, and is excellent in versatility and practicality. A composite image forming apparatus can be provided.
(2) Depending on the length of the storage period of the document to be printed, there are two types of print sections: a heat discharge type print section corresponding to a dedicated recording medium and a visible image type print section corresponding to plain paper. It is possible to print a short-term storage document on a rewritable recording medium with a heat-discharge type printing unit, and a long-term storage document on a plain paper with a visible image type printing unit, so that a dedicated recording medium can be used repeatedly. It is possible to provide a composite image forming apparatus that can be used and can save paper resources and has excellent resource saving properties.
(3) In a heat-discharge type print head, heating control is performed on a discharge electrode to which a discharge control voltage is applied (which means a voltage range in which discharge does not occur but is generated by heating). As a result, thermoelectrons are emitted from the heated discharge electrode and discharge and light emission occur, and the amount of ions generated can be controlled in an atmosphere where ions can be generated. It is possible to provide a composite image forming apparatus excellent in energy saving that can perform recording on a recording medium.
(4) The ion generation amount and light emission intensity of the heat discharge type print head can be easily controlled by heating control, so that the area gradation on the recording medium can be easily performed, and the image quality in the heat discharge type print unit can be improved. It is possible to provide a composite image forming apparatus with high quality and excellent reliability that can be improved.
(5) Heat discharge type print heads can be arranged densely, and can be suitably used particularly when colorization is performed in a composite image forming apparatus.
(6) Since the discharge electrode is disposed on the end surface portion of the substrate, the width of the portion facing the recording medium is narrow, and it can be disposed without being bulky in the horizontal direction, and is excellent in space saving. Further, the degree of freedom of arrangement of the heat discharge type print head can be increased, and versatility can be improved.
(7) When the arrangement method of the discharge generation part of the discharge electrode is an edge type in which the discharge generation part of the discharge electrode is arranged at the edge of the substrate, the discharge of the discharge electrode is generated at the edge of the substrate chamfered in an inclined manner By arranging the portion, the same action as that of the end face type can be obtained without being bulky in the height direction.
(8) When the arrangement of the discharge generation part of the discharge electrode is a bulge type in which the discharge generation part of the discharge electrode is arranged on the raised surface of the raised part formed on the surface of the substrate, the discharge electrode is near the top of the ridge. By arranging the discharge generating portion, it is possible to obtain the same effect as that of the end face type or the edge type without being bulky in the height direction.
(9) When the arrangement method of the discharge generation part of the discharge electrode is an edge type, the discharge generation part of the discharge electrode is arranged on the edge of the substrate chamfered in an inclined manner, so that the manufacturing is easy and the productivity is excellent.

According to invention of Claim 2 , in addition to the effect of Claim 1 , it has the following effects.
(1) By disposing the heat sink on the head substrate, the heat generated in the heat generating part can be quickly absorbed into the heat sink and dissipated from the heat sink. Responsiveness can be improved, and the driver IC can be protected from heat, resulting in excellent reliability.

According to invention of Claim 3, in addition to the effect similar to Claim 1 or 2, it has the following effects.
(1) Even when the heat discharge type print head is arranged so that the surface of the discharge electrode is substantially parallel to the recording medium, the recording medium does not interfere with the driver IC or IC cover.
(2) The recording medium can be conveyed linearly without interfering with the driver IC, and can be suitably used for a horizontal printer.

According to invention of Claim 4 , in addition to the effect of any one of Claims 1 thru | or 3 , it has the following effects.
(1) In addition to printing on a dedicated recording medium by the heat-discharge type printing unit, the inkjet type printing unit performs monochrome and color printing corresponding to various printing media such as plain paper, glossy paper, and OHP sheet. Therefore, it is possible to provide a composite image forming apparatus with excellent versatility.

According to invention of Claim 5 , in addition to the effect of any one of Claims 1 thru | or 3 , it has the following effects.
(1) In addition to printing on a dedicated recording medium using a heat-discharge type printing unit, the thermal head type printing unit can be used for printing on ordinary heat-sensitive plain paper or ink film. An image forming apparatus can be provided.

According to invention of Claim 6 , in addition to the effect of any one of Claims 1 thru | or 3 , it has the following effects.
(1) In addition to printing on a dedicated recording medium by the heat-discharge type printing unit, a composite type image formation excellent in practicality and versatility that can be printed on plain paper by the electrophotographic printing unit. An apparatus can be provided.

According to invention of Claim 7 , in addition to the effect of any one of Claims 1 thru | or 6 , it has the following effects.
(1) The contents printed on a dedicated recording medium such as digital paper can be read by the image reading unit and reprinted by the visible image type printing unit, so the printed content can be easily transferred to plain paper and stored. In addition, it is possible to provide a composite image forming apparatus that can reuse a recording medium and has excellent practicality and functionality.
(2) A test print is performed on a dedicated recording medium rewritable in the heating / discharge type printing unit, and the document or image read by the image reading unit is confirmed, and then the plain image is printed on the visible image type printing unit. It is possible to provide a composite image forming apparatus that can perform printing and is excellent in resource saving that can prevent printing errors.
(3) By printing a document or image read by the image reading unit on a dedicated recording medium that can be rewritten by the heating / discharge type printing unit, a document that is stored for short-term use and used for posting or circulation Therefore, it is possible to provide a composite image forming apparatus that is excellent in resource-saving and does not require printing.

According to invention of Claim 8 , in addition to the effect of Claim 7 , it has the following effects.
(1) Facsimile information received by the facsimile unit can be confirmed once by printing it on a dedicated recording medium such as digital paper by the heating and discharging type printing unit. Since the image reading unit can read the document on the recording medium and the visible image type printing unit can reprint it on plain paper, the advantage of the rewritable recording medium can be actively utilized and the facsimile can be used effectively. Therefore, it is possible to provide a composite image forming apparatus excellent in resource saving and functionality that can reduce printing costs and save paper resources.

(Embodiment 1)
A composite image forming apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a composite image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment.
In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a composite image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention, reference numeral 2 denotes a heat discharge type print head 3, and digital paper or the like in which a visible image appears by discharge of the heat discharge type print head 3. The heating and discharging type printing unit 4 of the composite type image forming apparatus 1 that performs recording on the dedicated recording medium 40 forms a visible image on plain paper 41 as a visible image carrier type printing medium. 2 is a visible image type printing unit of the composite image forming apparatus 1.
As the visible image type printing unit 4, various types of printing units such as a conventional ink jet type, thermal head type, and electrophotographic type are used. Since these printing sections are already in widespread use and the structure is well known, detailed description thereof is omitted. Note that even if the heat discharge type print head 3 is used as a print head, a visible image is formed on a visible image carrier type print medium by an electrostatic latent image forming method (for example, claim of Patent Document 1). Item 4) is included in the electrophotographic printing section.
The plain paper 41 when compared with a dedicated recording medium 40 such as digital paper is a printing medium of a visible image carrier type such as original plain paper or heat-sensitive paper whose surface is heat-treated. .
Original plain paper is used in an ink jet type printing unit or electrophotographic type printing unit, and thermal paper whose surface is heat-treated is used in a thermal head type printing unit.

Next, a heating / discharging type printing unit equipped with a heating / discharging type print head will be described.
FIG. 2 is a main part schematic diagram showing the configuration of the heat-discharge type printing unit of the composite image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment.
In FIG. 2, reference numeral 5 denotes a restorer of the heating / discharging type printing unit 2 for uniformly charging the medium substrate surface 40a when the recording medium 40 is a recording medium in which a visible image appears due to the action of electric charges due to discharge. This is a ground electrode portion that is disposed on the back side of the recording medium 40 and applies an electric field between the heat-discharge type print head 3 and the recording medium 40.
As the restoring device 5, a charging roller, a charging brush, or the like is preferably used.
Instead of providing the restoring device 5, it is also possible to erase the unnecessary recording by applying an electric charge having a polarity opposite to that at the time of image formation from the heating and discharging type print head 3, and to rewrite the recording medium 40 repeatedly.
Further, a ground electrode roller may be provided instead of the flat ground electrode portion 40b.

The operation of the heat-discharge type printing unit configured as described above will be described.
The heating / discharging type print head 3 can irradiate either positive or negative ions during discharge depending on the polarity of the applied voltage. Here, a case where negative ion irradiation is performed will be described.
When irradiating negative ions from the heat discharge type print head 3, the restorer 5 charges the medium substrate surface 40 a of the recording medium 40 to positive polarity having a reverse polarity to the ions irradiated from the heat discharge type print head 3.
Next, by irradiating the medium substrate surface 40a of the recording medium 40 with negative ions from the heat-discharge type print head 3, a visible image appears inside the recording medium 40 due to the action of negative charges. The visible image that appears inside the recording medium 40 is retained unless a large potential difference occurs.
The thickness of the recording medium 40 is approximately 0.2 mm, and when printing by the heat-discharge type print head 3, it may be in a curved state instead of a flat state as shown in FIG. In order not to deteriorate the durability performance, it is preferable to perform printing in a flat state.
2 is merely an example of the heat-discharge type printing unit 2, and the present invention is not limited to this.

In the office processing using the composite image forming apparatus 1 as shown in FIG. 1, a document that needs to be stored for a long time is printed on plain paper 41 by the visible image type printing unit 4 and stored. Documents to be disposed of in a short period of time are printed on the recording medium 40 by the heat-discharge type printing unit 2, and when the printed document is used up, the recording medium 40 is made blank by a restoration process and the printed contents are erased. Can be used repeatedly. When the composite image forming apparatus 1 is used, forest protection is necessary if the recording medium 40 and the plain paper 41 are properly used according to the purpose of the document, and the reusable recording medium 40 is frequently used. It can also contribute to saving paper resources.
According to the heating and discharging type printing unit 2, it is possible to form an image by oxidation-reduction reaction in addition to the formation of an electrostatic latent image. Moreover, according to the light emission of discharge, recording can also be performed on digital paper or the like using a photochromic compound that forms an image with ultraviolet rays or visible rays.
In FIG. 1, a conveyance path for the recording medium 40 with respect to the heating / discharge type printing unit 2 and a conveyance path for the plain paper 41 with respect to the visible image type printing unit 4 are provided separately, but these conveyance paths are common. Can be used. Further, the conveyance direction is relative, and the heating discharge type printing unit 2 and the visible image type printing unit 4 may be fixed and the recording medium 40 and the plain paper 41 may be conveyed, or the heating discharge type printing unit. 2 or the visible image type printing unit 4 may be moved.

Next, details of the heat-discharge type print head 5 will be described.
FIG. 3A is a schematic side view showing a heat discharge type print head of the heat discharge type printing unit of the composite type image forming apparatus in the first embodiment, and FIG. 3B is a composite type image in the first embodiment. It is a principal part model perspective view which shows the heat discharge type | mold print head of the heat discharge type | mold printing part of a forming apparatus.
In FIG. 3, 10 is a heat radiating plate of the heat discharge type print head 3 formed of a material such as aluminum, and 12 is a heat radiating plate and a heat radiating portion 13 which are described later laminated on a substrate 11 such as ceramic. The head substrate of the heat-discharge type print head 3, 13 a is a plurality of discharge electrodes of the discharge unit 13 formed in a comb shape, 13 b is a common electrode of the discharge unit 13 connecting one end of the discharge electrode 13 a, and 15 is the head substrate. 12 is a discharge control device for the heat discharge type print head 3 provided with a driver IC 14, 16 is a printed wiring board provided on the heat sink 10 with a connector 17 for electrical connection to the outside, 18 is a driver IC 14 and An IC cover 18a, which is provided to protect the printed wiring board 16, is disposed on the back surface of the IC cover 18, and is connected to the common electrode 13b of the discharge unit 13 by electric wiring (not shown). A voltage board for supplying a high voltage to the discharge electrode 13a is.

Next, details of the structure of the head substrate will be described.
4 is a plan development view of a main part of the head substrate of the heat discharge type print head of the heat discharge type print unit of the composite image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment, and FIG. 5 (a) is a line AA in FIG. 5B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB in FIG. 4, and FIG. 6 is a heat discharge type of the heat discharge type printing unit of the composite image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of a main part of a head substrate of a print head.
4 to 6, reference numeral 19 denotes a heat generating common conductor pattern formed on the upper surface of the substrate 11 connected to the plurality of heat generating comb-tooth electrodes 19a, and 19b denotes heat generated on the upper surface of the heat generating common conductor pattern 19. Common electrode, 20 is a heating individual electrode formed on the upper surface of the substrate 11 alternately with the heating comb electrode 19a, 20a is a bonding pad formed at the end of the heating individual electrode 20, and 21 is a discharge control device. 15 is a heat generating element of the heat generating part 21 formed and electrically connected to the upper part of the heat generating comb-tooth electrode 19a and the heat generating individual electrode 20, and 21b is a heat generating common electrode 19b and a heat generating individual electrode 20. A heat generating portion insulating film 22 covered on the upper surface of the substrate 11 except for the end portion of the electrode 11 is a discharge generating portion of the discharge electrode 13a that generates a discharge when heated by the heat generating element 21a.
The above-described discharge part 13 is insulated from the heat generating element 21a by the heat generating part insulating film 21b, and a plurality of discharge electrodes 13a are formed to face the heat generating element 21a corresponding to the positions of the individual electrodes 20 for heat generation.

Next, the configuration of the discharge control device will be described in detail.
FIG. 7 is a configuration diagram of the discharge control device of the heat discharge type print head of the heat discharge type printing unit of the composite image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment.
In FIG. 7, the head substrate 12 has a discharge part 13 and a heat generation part 21. The heating means 23 controls the heat generation of the heat generating element 21a of the heat generating part 21 by the driver IC 14 electrically connected to the heat generating part 21. The heating discharge type discharge control device 15 controls the discharge from the discharge electrode 13a by controlling the heating of the discharge part 13 by the heating means 23.
In addition, by disposing the heat radiating plate 10 on the head substrate 12, the heat generated in the heat generating portion 21 can be quickly absorbed by the heat radiating plate 10 and radiated from the heat radiating plate 10. Thereby, rapid cooling of the heat generating part 21 is enabled, and the responsiveness with respect to a heating stop is improved. Further, the driver IC 14 and the like can be protected from heat and excellent in reliability. When irregularities are formed on the surface of the heat radiating plate 10 by grooves or the like, the surface area of the heat radiating plate 10 can be increased, and the efficiency of heat radiation can be improved.
Further, when the discharge electrode 13a and the heat generating part 21 are separated from each other, a method of irradiating laser light, a method of irradiating infrared rays, or the like can be applied as the heat generating part 21.

Next, a method for manufacturing the head substrate will be described in detail.
FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a heating portion forming process of the head substrate of the heat discharge type print head of the heat discharge type print unit of the composite type image forming apparatus in the first embodiment, and FIG. 9 is a composite type in the first embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows the discharge part formation process of the head board | substrate of the heat discharge type | mold print head of the heat discharge type | mold print part of an image forming apparatus.
First, the heating part forming step will be described.
In FIG. 8, after a conductor such as a gold paste is printed on the surface of a substrate 11 formed of a ceramic or the like into a long plate shape, a plurality of heating comb electrodes 19a connected by a heating common conductor pattern 19 by etching. And the individual electrode 20 for heat_generation | fever is formed. Thereafter, a belt-like heating element 21 a is formed by printing TaSiO ₂ , RuO ₂ or the like on the heating comb-tooth electrode 19 a and the heating individual electrode 20. Further, the heat generating common electrode 19b is formed on the upper surface of the heat generating common conductor pattern 19 by printing silver paste or the like.

Bonding pads 20 a were formed at the ends of the individual heating electrodes 20. Thereby, connection with the driver IC 14 by wire bonding can be easily performed.
The heating unit 23 preferably has the same configuration as a thermal print head used in a conventional thermal facsimile. In this case, the manufacturing process of the existing thermal print head can be followed, and the discharge control device 15 can be manufactured at low cost by using the manufacturing device.
In the present embodiment, the heating element 21a of the heating part 21 is formed in a band shape, the heating comb-tooth electrodes 19a and the heating individual electrodes 20 are alternately arranged, and one heating individual electrode 20 at each center and By energizing between the heat generating comb electrodes 19a on both sides, an arbitrary portion of the heat generating element 21a corresponding to the position of the discharge generating portion 22 of each discharge electrode 13a is selectively heated, and the discharge electrode 13a is However, the present invention is not limited to this, and any structure that can selectively heat the discharge generating portion 22 of each discharge electrode 13a may be used.

Next, the discharge part forming process will be described.
In FIG. 9, the heat generating portion insulating film 21b is formed by printing an insulator such as glass, ceramic, mica, or synthetic resin on the surface of the substrate 11 except for the end portions of the heat generating common electrode 19b and the heat generating individual electrode 20. Form. The heat generating part insulating film 21b may be any film that can protect and insulate the heat generating common electrode 19b, the heat generating individual electrode 20, the heat generating element 21a, etc., but can efficiently transfer the heat of the heat generating element 21a to the discharge electrode 13a. High thermal conductivity materials such as SiAl, SiO ₂ , SiC, polyimide, and aramid are preferable.
The optimum film thickness of the heat generating part insulating film 21b depends on the material, but when it is made of glass, it is formed to 4 μm to 40 μm. As the film thickness of the heat generating part insulating film 21b becomes thinner than 4 μm, the insulating property tends to decrease, and as it becomes thicker than 40 μm, it is necessary to increase the applied voltage applied to the discharge part 13 and the heat generation amount of the heat generating element 21a. This is because it has been found that there is a tendency that the energy saving property tends to be lowered. By setting the film thickness of the heat generating portion insulating film 21b to 4 μm to 40 μm, the insulation and thermal conductivity can be harmonized and both are good and the discharge stability is excellent.

Next, a plurality of discharge electrodes 13a facing the heat generating individual electrodes 20 of the heating means 23 and a common electrode 13b connecting them are formed on the heat generating portion insulating film 21b. For forming the discharge electrode 13a and the common electrode 13b, a metal such as gold, silver, copper, or aluminum formed by vapor deposition, sputtering, or printing, and then etched to form a pattern is preferably used. In addition, a conductive material such as carbon may be used.
Although the discharge electrode 13a is formed in a substantially rectangular shape in the present embodiment, it can be formed in a trapezoidal shape, a shell shape, a semicircular shape, or a combination thereof. Further, since the discharge generating portion 22 of the discharge electrode 13a has a large amount of discharge from the periphery of the edge, a plurality of uneven portions may be formed on the outer peripheral edge of the discharge electrode 13a so that the peripheral length of the periphery of the edge is increased. Thereby, the amount of discharge from the discharge generating part 22 can be increased, the amount of ions to be irradiated can be increased, and the energy saving and efficiency of the discharge control device 15 are excellent. Moreover, since the voltage applied to the discharge electrode 13a can be set small, the long life of the discharge electrode 13a is also excellent.

Next, a modified example of the head substrate will be described.
FIG. 10A is a main-part plan development view showing a first modification of the head substrate of the heat-discharge type print head of the heat-discharge type print unit of the composite image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment. FIG. 10B is a sectional view taken along the line CC in FIG.
In FIG. 10, the first modification of the head substrate is different from the first embodiment in that the head substrate 12a has a coating film 25 covered on the surface of the discharge part 13, and the coating film 25 is The point is that a substantially circular opening 25a is provided at a position corresponding to the discharge generating portion 22 (near the position of the heating element 21a) of each discharge electrode 13a. The covering film 25 was formed of the same insulator as the heat generating portion insulating film 21b described above. Instead of forming a plurality of independent openings 25a, a long hole-like opening extending over the plurality of discharge electrodes 13a may be formed.
Since a step can be formed between the surface of the discharge generation part 22 of the discharge electrode 13a and the surface of the coating film 25, the gap between the discharge generation part 22 of the discharge electrode 13a and the recording medium 40 disposed oppositely. Can be kept constant, the contact between the discharge electrode 13a and the recording medium 40 can be prevented, and the discharge from the discharge generator 22 can be stabilized.

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing a second modification of the head substrate of the heat discharge type print head of the heat discharge type printing unit of the composite type image forming apparatus in the first embodiment.
The second modification of the head substrate is different from the first modification in that an uneven portion 25b is formed on the surface of the coating film 25 of the head substrate 12b.
Thereby, the surface distance of the coating film 25 can be extended and the surface resistance can be increased, and leakage from the discharge generation part 22 of the discharge electrode 13a to the surroundings can be easily prevented.

FIG. 12A is a main part plan development view showing a third modification of the head substrate of the heat discharge type print head of the heat discharge type print unit of the composite image forming apparatus in the first embodiment. FIG. 12B is a cross-sectional view taken along line D-D in FIG.
The third modification of the head substrate is different from that of the first embodiment in that the induction electrode 26 is spaced apart from the end of the discharge electrode 13a of the head substrate 12c on the heating element 21a side in the horizontal direction on the heating portion insulating film 21b. And an induction electrode insulating film 27 covering the induction electrode 26 is formed between the heat generating portion insulating film 21b and the discharge portion 13.
The induction electrode insulating film 27 is formed by screen printing, vapor deposition, sputtering, or the like using glass, ceramic, mica, resin, or the like as a material.
The induction electrode 26 was formed in a strip shape on the heat generating portion insulating film 21b and grounded. The discharge is generated so as to be pulled by the induction electrode 26. By grounding the ground electrode portion 40b of the recording medium 40, ions are irradiated toward the recording medium 40 in the same manner as when the induction electrode 26 is not provided.
The induction electrode insulating film 27 may be covered only on the induction electrode 26 and the discharge part 13 may be formed on the heat generating part insulating film 21b, or the discharge part 13 formed on the heat generating part insulating film 21b may be formed. The induction electrode 26 may be formed on the common electrode 13b or the like via the induction electrode insulating film 27.
As a result, the gap between the discharge electrode 13a and the induction electrode 26 of the discharge unit 13 can always be kept constant, and by applying a voltage between the discharge electrode 13a and the induction electrode 26, a discharge can be generated efficiently. it can.

A method for driving the heat-discharge type print head formed as described above will be described.
FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an ion irradiation method of the heat discharge type print head of the heat discharge type print unit of the composite type image forming apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.
Various combinations of the AC voltage and the DC voltage applied to the discharge electrode 13a (common electrode 13b) of the discharge unit 13 are conceivable. In the present embodiment, the discharge electrode 13a of the discharge unit 13 is, for example, AC550Vpp ( A voltage of −700 V was superimposed and applied to the triangular wave (1 kHz) with a DC bias. The voltage is applied to the discharge electrode 13a from the high voltage substrate 18a (see FIG. 3) connected to the common electrode 13b of the discharge unit 13.
The voltage of AC550Vpp was superimposed in order to obtain discharge stability. The heating element 21a was heated at a low voltage of 24V, and the driver IC 14 used as a switch for generating heat from the heating element 21a was a 5V drive compatible with low withstand voltage.

The discharge generating portion 22 of the discharge electrode 13a is simply applied to the discharge electrode 13a of the discharge portion 13 by applying a voltage equal to or lower than the discharge control voltage (a voltage range in which discharge does not occur but only discharge occurs when heated). No discharge from. As described with reference to FIG. 7, the heating electrode 21 is controlled by the driver IC 14, and the discharge electrode 13 a is selectively heated (200 to 300 ° C.) by the heating element 21 a, thereby selectively heating the discharge electrode 13 a. Thermoelectrons are emitted from the discharge generator 22 at an applied voltage in the range of the discharge control voltage, and discharge occurs as shown by arrows in FIGS. 5 and 10 to 12. When discharge occurs, ions are generated in an atmosphere where ions can be generated, and the ions are irradiated toward the recording medium 40 as shown in FIG. The recording medium 40 can form an electrostatic latent image or an image by oxidation-reduction reaction depending on the type.
When only an AC voltage is applied to the discharge electrode 13a, positive and negative ions are generated. To select only negative ions, a negative DC voltage is superimposed on the AC voltage, and only positive ions are selected to be AC voltage. Is superimposed with a positive DC voltage.

3 is characterized in that the discharge generating portion 22 of the discharge electrode 13a is located on the end surface portion 11a of the substrate 11 on which the driver IC 14 is disposed. Even when the heat-discharge type print head 3 is arranged so that the surface of the discharge electrode 13 a is substantially parallel to the recording medium 40, the recording medium 40 does not interfere with the driver IC 14 or the IC cover 18. Further, the heat-discharge type print heads 3 can be arranged densely, and can be suitably used particularly when performing colorization in the composite image forming apparatus 1.
Further, when the heating discharge type print head 3 is scanned to form an image, the heating discharge type print head 3 and the high voltage substrate 18a can be moved together, so that it is difficult to apply a load to the electric wiring and the conduction failure. Generation can be reduced.
In the present embodiment, the substrate 11 is formed in a flat plate shape. However, the substrate 11 is formed in a substantially L shape or a square shape by bending the end surface portion 11a of the substrate 11 to the surface side of the substrate 11 or the like. Also good. As an arrangement method of the discharge electrode 13a, an edge type in which the discharge electrode 13a is arranged at the edge of the substrate 11 on which the driver IC 14 is arranged may be used. Since the discharge electrode 13a is disposed on the edge of the substrate 11 that is chamfered in an inclined manner, the manufacturing is easy and the productivity is excellent, and the driver IC 14 and the discharge electrode 13a form an obtuse angle, so that the end surface is not bulky in the height direction. The same effect as the mold can be obtained.

Since the composite image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment is configured as described above, it has the following operations.
(1) Since the heat-discharge type printing unit 2 is provided, recording can be performed on a dedicated recording medium 40 such as digital paper on which a visible image appears due to the action of discharge.
(2) Since the heat discharge type printing unit 2 and the visible image type printing unit 4 are provided, a single image recording medium 40 such as digital paper and a visible image carrier type such as plain paper 41 can be used. It is compatible with both printing media and has excellent versatility and practicality.
(3) Since the two types of printing sections, the heat discharge type printing section 2 corresponding to the dedicated recording medium 40 and the visible image type printing section 4 corresponding to the plain paper 41, are installed, the user can change the switch ( A document of a type that does not need to be saved can be printed on a dedicated reusable recording medium 40 by switching it (not shown) or by selecting from a personal computer and printing it on an ordinary document (long Documents stored for a period of time) can be printed on plain paper 41 and paper resources can be saved.
(4) In the heating and discharging type print head 3, the heating means 23 heats the discharge electrode 13a to which a discharge control voltage (which means a voltage range in which discharge does not occur but is generated by heating) is applied. By controlling, thermoelectrons are emitted from the heated discharge electrode 13a, discharge and light emission occur, and the amount of ions generated can be controlled in an atmosphere where ions can be generated. Recording can be performed on a dedicated recording medium 40 such as the above.
(5) Since the amount of ions generated and the light emission intensity associated with the discharge from the heating / discharge type print head 3 can be controlled by the heating control, the area gradation on the recording medium 40 becomes easy, and the image in the heating / discharge type printing unit 2 is obtained. Quality can be improved.
(6) Since the heating means 23 includes the heat generating part 21 having the heat generating element 21a and the driver IC 14 that controls the heat generation of the heat generating element 21a, the heat generating element 21a that generates heat by controlling the heat generation of the heat generating element 21a at a low voltage The corresponding discharge electrode 13a can be heated.
(7) Since the heat generating portion 21 of the heating means 23 is in close contact with the discharge electrode 13a through the heat generating portion insulating film 21b, the heating means 23 and the discharge portion 13 can be handled integrally, and handling and assembly workability are possible. Excellent.
(8) Since the heat generating part insulating film 21b is covered with the heat generating part 21 of the heating means 23, the heat generating part 21 can be brought into close contact with the discharge electrode 13a, and heat generated by the heat generating element 21a can be efficiently transmitted to the discharge electrode 13a. And is highly efficient.
(9) When the visible image type printing unit 4 is an ink jet type printing unit, monochrome printing and color printing can be performed in correspondence with various printing media such as glossy paper and OHP sheet in addition to plain paper.
(10) When the visible image type printing unit 4 is a thermal head type printing unit, printing can be performed corresponding to heat-sensitive plain paper or ink film.
(11) When the visible image type printing unit 4 is an electrophotographic printing unit, printing can be performed corresponding to plain paper.
(12) Since it has the heating means 23, it can be made to discharge by always applying a discharge control voltage to the discharge part 13, and providing the low heat generation temperature of the heat generating body 21a to the discharge electrode 13a, and is excellent in energy saving.
(13) Since the heat radiating plate 10 is disposed on the head substrate 12 (12a, 12b, 12c), the heat generated in the heat generating portion 21 can be quickly absorbed by the heat radiating plate 10 and radiated from the heat radiating plate 10. In addition, the heat generating portion 21 can be rapidly cooled to improve the response to the heating stop, and the driver IC 14 and the like can be protected from heat, and the reliability is excellent.
(14) By covering the surface of the driver IC 14 with the IC cover 18, it is possible to reliably prevent the driver IC 14 and the recording medium 40 from contacting each other, thereby protecting the driver IC 14 and having excellent reliability.
(15) By disposing the discharge generation part 22 of the discharge electrode 13a on the end face part 11a of the substrate 11 on which the driver IC 14 is disposed, the driver IC 14 and the discharge generation part 22 of the discharge electrode 13a are disposed substantially orthogonally. Therefore, the recording medium 40 does not interfere with the driver IC 14 or the like protruding on the substrate 11, the degree of freedom of arrangement of the heating / discharging print head 3 can be increased, and versatility can be improved.
(16) Since the driver IC 14 and the discharge generating portion 22 of the discharge electrode 13a are the end face type heat discharge type print head 3 arranged substantially orthogonally, it is better not to bend like a digital paper or the like. Can be conveyed in a straight line and can be suitably used for a horizontal printer.
(17) Since the discharge generating portion 22 of the discharge electrode 13a is disposed on the end surface portion 11a of the substrate 11, the width of the portion facing the recording medium 40 is narrow and can be disposed without being bulky in the horizontal direction. Excellent space.
(18) By having the high voltage substrate 18a electrically connected to the discharge unit 13, the electrical wiring for applying the discharge control voltage can be shortened, and the reliability can be improved. In particular, when an image is formed by scanning the heat-discharge type print head 3, the heat-discharge type print head 3 and the high-voltage board 18a can be moved together, so that it is difficult for a load to be applied to the electric wiring, resulting in poor conduction. Generation can be reduced.
(19) The high-voltage board 18a can be handled integrally with the heat-discharge type print head 3, and since it is not necessary to handle the electrical wiring, it can be easily incorporated into the composite type image forming apparatus 1 and has excellent mass productivity.
(20) Since the restoring device 5 that uniformly charges the medium substrate surface 40a of the recording medium 40 is provided, the recording medium 40 in which a visible image appears due to the action of electric charges due to discharge can be initialized, and unnecessary recording is performed. And rewriting to the recording medium 40 can be repeated.

(Embodiment 2)
A composite image forming apparatus according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 14 is a configuration diagram of the composite image forming apparatus according to the second embodiment.
In FIG. 14, the composite image forming apparatus 1a according to the second embodiment of the present invention differs from the first embodiment in that an image reading unit 35 is provided.
In the composite type image forming apparatus 1a according to the second embodiment, the printing paper is properly used depending on the length of the storage period of the document to be printed, and the document for short-term storage is stored in the heating / discharge type printing unit 2 for a dedicated recording medium 40 such as digital paper. The long-term storage document is basically printed on the plain paper 41 by the visible image type printing unit 4. However, even a document printed on the recording medium 40 for the purpose of short-term storage may occasionally need long-term storage. At that time, the document printed on the recording medium 40 is read by the image reading unit 35, and the read data is sent to the visible image type printing unit 4 and printed on the plain paper 41 by the visible image type printing unit 4. Can do. That is, the document is copied by the image reading unit 35 and the document is transferred from the dedicated recording medium 40 to the plain paper 41. Of course, copying from the recording medium 40 to the recording medium 40 or from the plain paper 41 to the plain paper 41 is also possible.
When the original reading (scanning) function by the image reading unit 35 and the printing (printing) function by the heating / discharging type printing unit 2 and the visible image type printing unit 4 are operated independently, the image reading unit Even when the document read in 35 is being printed by either the heat-discharge type printing unit 2 or the visible image type printing unit 4, the document or image to be printed by the other printing unit is simultaneously arranged in parallel. The waiting time can be shortened and the processing capability can be improved.

Since the composite image forming apparatus of the second embodiment is configured as described above, it has the following action in addition to the first embodiment.
(1) When it becomes necessary to store the contents printed on the dedicated recording medium 40 such as digital paper in the heating / discharge type printing unit 2 for a long period of time, the image reading unit 35 can read the printed contents. The read data can be reprinted by the visible image type printing unit 4, the printed content can be easily transferred to the plain paper 41 and stored, and a dedicated recording medium 40 such as digital paper can be reused. it can.
(2) When printing a document or image read by the image reading unit 35, a test print is performed on a dedicated recording medium 40 that is rewritable by the heating / discharging type printing unit 2 for confirmation. Since the image-type printing unit 4 can print on the plain paper 41, printing errors can be prevented and resource saving is excellent.
(3) Documents and images read by the image reading unit 35 can be printed on a dedicated recording medium 40 that can be rewritten by the heating / discharge type printing unit 2 and can be posted or circulated. Therefore, it is not necessary to use the plain paper 41 for short-term storage of the paper, which is excellent in resource saving.

(Embodiment 3)
A composite image forming apparatus according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 15 is a configuration diagram of the composite image forming apparatus according to the third embodiment.
In FIG. 15, the composite image forming apparatus 1b according to the third embodiment of the present invention is different from the second embodiment in that it includes a facsimile unit 36 that is connected to an outside line and transmits / receives facsimile information.
In the composite image forming apparatus 1b according to the third embodiment, the facsimile data received by the facsimile unit 36 is sent to the heating / discharge type printing unit 2 and printed on a dedicated recording medium 40 such as digital paper by the heating / discharge type printing head 3. can do. Of course, it is possible to send the facsimile data received by the facsimile unit 36 to the visible image type printing unit 4 and print it on the plain paper 41.
A facsimile document printed on a dedicated recording medium 40 can be printed on plain paper 41 by the visible image type printing unit 4 if it is determined that the document needs to be stored for a long period of time. If it is determined that the recording medium 40 is not suitable, it can be reused as a rewritable facsimile paper by placing the recording medium 40 on which the document is printed on the paper feeding section of the facsimile paper.

Since the composite image forming apparatus of the third embodiment is configured as described above, it has the following operation in addition to the first or second embodiment.
(1) The facsimile information received by the facsimile unit 36 can be temporarily printed on the recording medium 40 such as digital paper by the heating / discharge type printing unit 2 and confirmed, and it is necessary to store it for a long period of time depending on the printed contents. If there is, the document on the recording medium 40 can be read by the image reading unit 35, and can be reprinted on the plain paper 41 by the visible image type printing unit 4, so that the advantages of the rewritable recording medium 40 are actively utilized. As a result, the printing cost in the facsimile unit 36 can be reduced and paper resources can be saved.

  The present invention is compatible with both a dedicated recording medium such as digital paper and a plain paper in which a visible image appears by the action of electric discharge, and is excellent in practicality, versatility, and space saving, and can save paper resources. It is possible to provide a composite type image forming apparatus having excellent properties, and to promote the use of dedicated recording media such as digital paper, thereby greatly contributing to the protection of forests.

1 is a configuration diagram of a composite image forming apparatus in Embodiment 1. FIG. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating a main part of a configuration of a heat discharge type printing unit of the composite image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment. (A) Schematic side view showing the heat discharge type print head of the heat discharge type printing unit of the composite type image forming apparatus in Embodiment 1 (b) The heat discharge type print unit of the composite type image forming apparatus in Embodiment 1 It is a principal part model perspective view which shows a heating discharge type print head. 4 is a plan development view of a main part of a head substrate of a heat discharge type print head of a heat discharge type print unit of the composite image forming apparatus according to Embodiment 1. FIG. (A) AA sectional view taken on line AA in FIG. 4 (b) A sectional view taken on line B-B in FIG. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of a main part of a head substrate of a heat discharge type print head of a heat discharge type print unit of the composite image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment. 2 is a configuration diagram of a discharge control device of a heat discharge type print head of a heat discharge type print unit of the composite image forming apparatus in Embodiment 1. FIG. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a heating part forming step of a head substrate of a heat discharge type print head of a heat discharge type print part of the composite type image forming apparatus in the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a discharge part forming step of a head substrate of a heat discharge type print head of a heat discharge type print part of the composite type image forming apparatus in the first embodiment. (A) Main part plane development view showing a first modification of the head substrate of the heat discharge type print head of the heat discharge type print unit of the composite type image forming apparatus in Embodiment 1 (b) FIG. It is CC sectional view taken on the line. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a second modification of the head substrate of the heat discharge type print head of the heat discharge type print unit of the composite image forming apparatus in the first embodiment. (A) Main part plane development view showing a third modification of the head substrate of the heat discharge type print head of the heat discharge type print unit of the composite type image forming apparatus in Embodiment 1 (b) FIG. It is DD sectional view taken on the line. It is a figure which shows the ion irradiation method of the heat discharge type | mold print head of the heat discharge type | mold printing part of the composite type image forming apparatus in Embodiment 1 of this invention. 3 is a configuration diagram of a composite image forming apparatus in Embodiment 2. FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram of a composite image forming apparatus in Embodiment 3. FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1, 1a, 1b Composite type image forming apparatus 2 Heating discharge type printing part 3 Heating discharge type print head 4 Visible image type printing part 5 Restorer 10 Heat sink 11 Substrate 11a End surface part 12 Head substrate 13 Discharge part 13a Discharge electrode 13b Common electrode 14 Driver IC
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 15 Discharge control apparatus 16 Printed wiring board 17 Connector 18 IC cover 18a High voltage board 19 Heating common conductor pattern 19a Heating comb-tooth electrode 19b Heating common electrode 20 Heating individual electrode 20a Bonding pad 21 Heating part 21a Heating element 21b Heating part Insulating film 22 Discharge generating part 23 Heating means 25 Coating film 25a Opening part 25b Uneven part 26 Induction electrode 27 Induction electrode insulating film 35 Image reading part 36 Facsimile part 40 Recording medium 40a Medium substrate surface 40b Ground electrode part 41 Plain paper

Claims (6)

  (A) a discharge part having a discharge electrode and a heating means having a heat generating part for heating the discharge electrode, and controlling the temperature of each of the discharge electrodes to which a discharge control voltage is applied for discharging A heat discharge type print head that controls the generation of heat, and a heat discharge type print unit that performs recording on a recording medium on which a visible image appears by discharge from the heat discharge type print head, and (b) visible A composite image forming apparatus comprising: a visible image type printing unit that forms a visible image on an image carrier type printing medium.   The composite image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the visible image type printing unit is an ink jet type printing unit.   The composite image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the visible image type printing unit is a thermal head type printing unit.   The composite image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the visible image type printing unit is an electrophotographic printing unit.   The composite image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising an image reading unit. 6. The composite image forming apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising a facsimile unit that transmits and receives facsimile information.

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