JPH0453975A - Recording device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To improve resolution without deteriorating recording quality by allowing electrostatic force generated by impressing a driving voltage based on recording information to directly act on a recording agent held on a sheet material without interposing a recording paper in between. CONSTITUTION:Plural recording electrodes 2 on which the driving voltage in accordance with the recording information is impressed from a driving control circuit 1 and a grounded counter electrode 3 which forms an electric field for recording with the electrode 2 are distributed and arranged on the carrying path of the recording paper P in a state where the recording paper P is put between them. The sheet material 4 for carrying the recording agent which constitutes a recording agent carrying mechanism T is positioned between the electrode 2 and the paper P. Then, it is not by attracting toner in a state where the recording paper, etc., is interposed in between but by pushing the toner out in a state where the electrostatic force from the electrode 2 provided close to the sheet material 4 directly acts on the toner that filled-up toner is separated from holding holes 4a of the sheet material 4 in order to perform recording in the recording part. Thus, the resolution is improved without deteriorating the recording quality.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to a recording device that records characters and images on recording paper according to recorded information, and more specifically, the present invention relates to a recording device that records characters and images on recording paper according to recorded information, and more specifically, uses charged colored fine particles, so-called toner, as a recording agent. The present invention relates to an electrostatic printing type recording device that performs electrostatic recording.

[Conventional technology]

Conventionally, in this type of recording device, a recording paper is provided so as to be movable through a portion facing a drum-shaped toner carrier that rotates at a predetermined speed, and pixels are placed on the back of the recording paper at a location opposite to the toner carrier. Recording is performed by providing a unit recording electrode and selectively applying a high voltage of opposite polarity to the toner to the recording electrode based on recording information to attract and adhere the toner from the toner carrier onto the recording paper. [Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, the conventional recording device described above has the following problems.

In other words, the structure for separating the toner from the toner carrier in order to cause the toner to adhere to the recording paper is to apply an electric field to the charged toner from the recording electrode located on the back side of the recording paper. In order to ensure that the toner leaves the toner carrier and adheres to the recording paper,
Considering that the electric field is weakened by the presence of recording paper, it is necessary to apply a fairly high voltage to the recording electrode.

In this case, so-called crosstalk is likely to occur, in which the influence of the electric field generated when a high voltage is applied to one recording electrode also spreads to portions corresponding to adjacent recording electrodes. Therefore, in order to obtain high-quality recording, the interval between recording electrodes cannot be made very small, and there is a problem in that it is difficult to improve the resolution of recording.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide an electrostatic printing type recording apparatus that can improve resolution without deteriorating recording quality.

[Means to solve the problem]

The characteristic configuration of the recording apparatus according to the present invention is that a sheet material provided with a plurality of holding holes for holding a recording agent made of charged colored fine particles is driven across a recording agent filling section and a recording section facing a recording paper. a recording agent conveying mechanism is provided, and in the recording section, a recording electrode for each pixel is provided on the opposite side of the sheet material from the recording paper, and an opposing mechanism is provided for forming an electric field for recording between the recording electrode and the recording electrode. An electrode is provided on the opposite side of the recording paper from the sheet material, and a driving means is provided for applying a driving voltage to the recording electrode according to recording information.

[For production]

That is, by applying a driving voltage to the recording electrode based on the upper recording direction by the driving means, the recording material in the holding hole of the sheet material can be attached onto the recording paper using electrostatic force. Since the recording electrode is located on the opposite side of the sheet material from the recording paper, it can be placed close to the sheet material and the electrostatic force for recording can be applied to the recording electrode without the recording paper intervening. It is possible to act directly on the recording agent so as to make the recording agent jump out. Therefore, even if the driving voltage for recording is not very large, the recording agent can be reliably ejected from the holding hole and attached to the recording paper.

〔Example〕

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail based on the drawings.

As shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of recording electrodes are provided on the conveyance path of the recording paper (P), sandwiching the recording paper (P), and to which a drive voltage is applied according to the recording information from the drive control circuit (1). (2)
and a grounded counter electrode (3) that forms a recording electric field between the recording electrodes (2) and the recording paper (P). In between, a sheet material (
4) to configure the recording device.

The recording material transport mechanism (T) transports the sheet material (4) in the form of an endless belt between a recording section facing the recording paper (P) and a hopper (5) serving as a recording material filling section, using a pair of transport rollers. The drive according to (6) and (7) is used for circular driving. The sheet material (4) is made of an insulating resin or a thin metal film coated with a resin, and has a large number of holding holes (4a) for holding the recording material as shown in FIG. It is formed. In addition, sheet material (4
) is [several 10 μm to several 100 μm], and the diameter of the holding hole (4a) is also [several 10 μm to several 100 μm].

This sheet material (4) is placed in a hopper (
5) It is configured to pass through the inside. Toner, which is a recording agent, is stored in the hopper (5). This toner is used as a developer in an electrophotographic recording device, and is charged by contact friction with the sheet material (4) as it passes through the sheet material (4).

The toner, which is a charged colored fine particle, is filled into the holding hole (4a) of the sheet material (4) passing through, and is filled with a pair of front and back filling thickness regulating blades (8) attached to the outlet of the hopper (5). , (9), the thickness is adjusted to a constant value. The blades (8) and (9) are made of silicone rubber, urethane rubber, or resin.

A metal plate or the like can be used.

The sheet material (4) coming out of the hopper (5) is conveyed to the recording section by the pair of conveyance rollers (6) and (7). In the recording section, the toner filled in the sheet material (4) in the area where the electric field from the recording electrode (2) to which the driving voltage based on the recording information is applied acts, is applied to the holding hole due to electrostatic repulsion. The recording paper (P) pops out from (4a).
adheres to the surface of The recording electrode (2) is a drive means, which is a large number of individual electrodes arranged in pixel units over a distance approximately equal to the width of the recording paper (P) along a direction perpendicular to the plane of the paper. From the drive control circuit (1),
The configuration is such that one line of recording along the width direction of the recording paper (P) can be performed by selectively applying a driving voltage based on recording information to each of the individual electrodes.

As mentioned above, the removal of the filled toner sheet material (4) from the holding hole (4a) for recording in the recording section is performed by drawing it with a recording paper or the like interposed between them. Since the recording electrode (2) placed close to the sheet material (4) is pushed out by directly applying an electrostatic force to the sheet material (4), filling can be done without applying a very high voltage. The toner can be reliably transferred from the sheet material (4) to the recording paper (P) for high-quality recording, and as a result, there is less risk of crosstalk and the resolution can be improved by reducing the distance between each individual electrode. It can be improved.

The recording paper (P) on which toner has adhered in the recording section is then heated under pressure by a fixing device (10) consisting of a pair of rollers (10a) and (10b), and the adhered toner is melted and fixed for recording. can get. On the other hand, the sheet material (4) after passing through the recording section is transported again by a pair of conveyance rollers (6) and (7).
) into the hopper (5) and is filled with toner again.

[Other Embodiments] Next, other embodiments of the present invention not mentioned in the previous embodiments will be listed.

<1> In the previous embodiment, the recording agent conveying mechanism was configured to drive the sheet material (4) in a circular manner across the recording agent filling section and the recording section. (4) may be configured to move back and forth between the recording material filling section and the recording section. In this case, the sheet material (
4) does not need to be in the shape of an endless belt.

<2> As the sheet material (4), insulating resin was used as an example in the previous embodiment, or cloth, fabric, net, etc. with mesh or weave as the holding holes (4a) may be used. It's okay.

<3> The color, components, etc. of the toner can be changed as appropriate.

The charging characteristics thereof need only be opposite to the polarity of the drive voltage applied to the recording electrode (2), and the polarity may be either positive or negative.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As described above, the recording device according to the present invention uses electrostatic force generated by application of a driving voltage based on recording information when recording electrostatically using charged colored fine particles as a recording agent. By acting directly on the recording agent held on the sheet material without intervening paper,
Since it is possible to perform good recording even if the driving voltage for recording is not very high, it reduces the influence of the electric field on adjacent recording electrodes caused by applying a driving voltage to one recording electrode, and as a result, , it becomes possible to arrange adjacent recording electrodes close to each other. Therefore, it has become possible to provide an electrostatic printing type recording device that can improve resolution without deteriorating recording quality.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

The drawings show an embodiment of the recording apparatus according to the present invention, with FIG. 1 being a schematic configuration diagram and FIG. 2 being a plan view of a sheet material. (1)... Drive means, (2)... Recording electrode, (3)... Counter electrode, (4)...
・Sheet material, (4a)...Retaining hole, (P)...
····Recording paper.

Claims (1)

[Claims] A recording material conveying mechanism is provided for moving and driving a sheet material having a plurality of holding holes for holding a recording material made of charged colored fine particles across a recording material filling section and a recording section facing the recording paper. In the recording section, a recording electrode for each pixel is provided on the opposite side of the sheet material from the recording paper, and a counter electrode for forming an electric field for recording between the recording electrode and the recording paper is provided on the sheet material of the recording paper. A recording device further comprising a driving means provided on the opposite side of the recording electrode for applying a driving voltage according to recording information to the recording electrode.