JPS61291161A - Recorder - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent clogging, enable high-speed recording and prevent the trailing end of a recording material from being contaminated with an ink, by a system wherein the spacing between a recording material supporting surface of a recording material feeding mechanism displaced concurrently with passage of the recording material and a heating element is slowly reduced through a shock-absorbing mechanism. CONSTITUTION:The force for pressing a recording paper 8 against a recording part guide 31 is transmitted through a belt-pressing/retracting means 43b, and a belt guide plate 27 as the second floating part is pushed upward relatively to a casing part of an attraction feeding mechanism part 43a as the first floating part through a high viscosity fluid shock absorber 29 against a belt guide plate pressing spring 26, by a reactional force exerted on the plate 27 from the guide 31. Therefore, even when the trailing end of the paper 8 is passed through an edge part of the guide 341, the downward movement is decelerated by the shock-absorbing effect of the shock absorber 29. Accordingly, the trailing end of the paper 8 can be passed through the heating element 3 while the recording surface of the paper 8 approaches the surface of a film 2.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Technical Field of the Invention] The present invention relates to a novel Infusiera 1-type recording device that can be applied to printers, facsimile machines, and the like.

(Technical front of the defense and its problems) Various non-invacuum recording methods have been proposed so far, such as electrostatic method, thermal paper heating method, thermal transfer method, electrophotographic method, and inkjet method.

Under these circumstances, Infusiera 1~ method has been developed to reduce noise,
It is easy to reduce power, downsize, and have multiple colors, and
Since it is an excellent recording method with various advantages such as low-cost components, various developments are underway.

Examples of the Infusiera 1~ method include a pressure element method, a static pressure acceleration method, and a Bubble Jet [~ method. However, with the conventional Infusiera system, ink is ejected from the tip of the nozzle. However, because the problem of nozzle clogging has not been completely solved, it has not been widely used. In addition, it also has the disadvantage that the recording speed is slow because it is difficult to arrange a large number of nozzles closely together and it is difficult to record simultaneously on multiple drives.

[Purpose of explanation]

The present invention has been made based on the above circumstances, and its purpose is to create a completely new interjet method that does not use a fixed nozzle, which is free from clogging and capable of high-speed recording. This is intended to prevent ink stains on the trailing edge of a recording material and to provide a +18 recording device.

(Summary of the Invention) In order to achieve ten objects, the present invention fills a recording medium having a large number of small holes or four parts with recording ink, and the small holes or four parts filled with ink are placed on the surface of a heating cord. By selectively heating the heating element when reaching the recording medium, the ink in the small holes or recesses is ejected onto the recording material by the pressure of the generated bubbles, thereby recording on the recording material. 16, the recording material transport 1 is floatingly supported with respect to the heating element, and holds and transports the recording surface of the recording material (A) with a certain gap relative to the heating element. By providing a loose mechanism that buffers the movement of the recording material supporting surface, the displacement 1] of the recording material transporting mechanism and the heating element is reduced as the recording material 14 passes. The gap is slowly narrowed through the buffer mechanism, and the rear end of the recording material leaves the universal member and loses support, passes through the heating cable end part, and is connected to the heating element and the recording surface. The recording member and the recording medium are prevented from coming into contact with each other.

[Embodiments of the invention] Hereinafter, the present invention will be explained with reference to an illustrated embodiment.

Figure 1 is an explanatory diagram of the recording principle. In the figure, 1 is a thermal bed, a recording medium made of metal, organic material, etc., in which many small holes (orifices) 2a with a diameter of 21110 to 20 (1tt m) are formed. A film is used as a medium, 3 is a heating element placed in the head portion of the thermal head 1, 4 is recording ink (simply referred to as ink), 5 is a small hole filled with ink, and 6 is an ejected ink. Ink droplet 7 indicates a small hole from which the ink droplet was ejected.

When the film 2 is transferred in the direction of the arrow, the small holes 2a of the film 2 pass through the ink reservoir where the ink 4 is stored.
is filled with ink 4. Next, when the small holes 5 filled with the ink 4 reach the thermal head 1 on which the heating cables 3 are arranged, a voltage is selectively applied to the heating cables 3. Rapid heating.

Then, air bubbles (
Recording is performed by ejecting ink droplets 6 due to the pressure of bubbles.

FIG. 2 is a schematic vertical side view showing the recording apparatus of the present invention, and 8 in the figure is recording paper □ as a recording material, and this recording M8 is a paper feed cassette attached to the main body housing 134 of the apparatus. A large number of sheets of recording paper 8 are stored in the 49 at once, and the lower surface of the ejection side (1 pusher is 33... When the paper feed force cellar 1 to 719 is mounted on the main body casing 134 of the apparatus, the rubber moulder 47 attached to the tip thereof is in contact with the main body 13 of the apparatus.
It is magnetically attracted to a plate 48 provided on the 4th side and fixed to the main body housing 134 of the apparatus.

The shaft 139 to which the first feed roller 9 is attached is set to 0N by the paper feed solenoid 51 as shown in FIG.
- It is configured to interlock with the paper conveyance motor 57I via the paper feed spring clutch 63, which is turned OFF, and the gears 56 and 55. Then, the paper feed solenoid 51 is energized in response to a recording command from the image/data processing unit H133 (see FIG. 15) connected to the device, and the paper feed spring clutch 63 is turned ON. The movement of the paper feed motor 54 is transmitted to the shaft 139 via the gears 55, 56 and the paper feed spring clutch 63, and the uppermost recording M is in contact with the first feed draw 9.
8 is being fed.

-〇- Also, the paper feed cassette 49 is fed through the first feed roller 9.
The recording paper 8 taken out from the paper moves up -1- along the first paper feed guide 4'l, and then passes through a pair of feed rollers 10.10 arranged in the transport direction and rolling into contact with each other, and then sent to the first paper feed guide 4'l. ,
The paper is fed between the second paper feed guides 44 and 45, and is fed until the leading end hits the contact portion between the suction conveyance belt 15 of the recording material conveyance mechanism 43 and the stopped registration roller 11 that rolls into contact with the suction conveyance belt 15. Wait in state.

This device is capable of feeding paper from the manual paper feed tray 17 in addition to feeding paper from the paper feed cassette 49, and can load thick paper, etc. The recording sheets 8 are sequentially taken out one by one starting from the lowest end by the action of the second feed roller 19 and the separation roller 18, and then the recording sheets 8 are taken out one by one starting from the bottom end, and the sheets are taken out one by one by the suction conveyance belt 15 in the same way as in the case of sheet feeding from the sheet feeding force rollers 1 to 49. and the stopped Regis 1 that connects to this
~I-R] It is fed until the tip hits the contact part with 1, and waits in this state.

The registration roller 11 is interlocked with the paper conveyance motor 54 (see FIG. 3) through a clutch section (not shown), and is rotated by the (IN) operation of the clutch section. The registration roller 11 starts and stops rotating at the leading edge of the recording paper 8 or at the first
The conduction of the first photosensor 22 is reduced by blocking the light from the 1ED21.
It is determined that after a certain period of time has elapsed after the FF is turned on, the leading edge of the recording paper 8 hits the rolling contact portion of the registration roller 11 and an appropriate slack is generated.

By doing this, the tip inclination (skew) of the recording M8 is corrected, and the tip of the recording paper 8 is reliably pushed into the rolling contact portion of the registration rollers 11, and the registration rollers 11 and the recording paper 8 are moved by the suction conveyance belt 15. It ensures a good bite.

Note that a paper waste removal brush 50 for removing paper waste adhering to the peripheral surface of the registration roller 11 is in contact with M to prevent the recording surface of the recording paper 8 from becoming dirty.

The recording material m feed 1 4! 43 includes the first and 20th rollers 12.14, these rows 512.
14, the suction conveyance belt 15 and the air suction dyno] to 30 are incorporated into a unit, and the suction conveyance mechanism section 43a is a first floating section, and the suction IJO conveyance mechanism section 43a is the first floating section. It has a belt guide plate 27 as a second floating part incorporated in the bell mill guide plate 2.
By avoiding displacement of 7, the suction conveyor belt 15 can be pressed toward or retreated from the recording section guide 31 side.
t/evacuation means 43b.

The belt pressing/retracting means 4'3b has the following configuration. That is, the belt guide plate 27 serving as the second floating part is housed in a state in which one end is rotatably supported in the air suction duct 30 and the other end is always urged downward by the belt guide plate pressing spring 26. Then, the suction conveyor belt 15 is pressed against the recording section guide 31. Further, an adsorption member 141 is attached to the back surface of the pressing plate 27 in a state facing the electromagnetic coil 28, and when the electromagnetic coil 28 is excited, the pressing plate 27 is attached to the pressing spring 26. It is designed to be displaced against the force.

In addition, the suction/conveyance mechanism section 43a as the first floating section is operated by the roller pressing spring 25 held by the tenth roller 12, and the bell/guide plate 27 as the second floating section.
is elastically supported by a pressing spring 26, and can be displaced by that amount when thick recording paper 8 is fed.

In addition, the impact of the belt guide plate 27 as the second floating part is
It is designed to be damped by a high viscosity fluid damper 29 as a slow IIi mechanism.

The recording material conveying mechanism 43, which is composed of a suction/conveying mechanism section 43a and a belt pressing/retracting means 43b, and is provided floatingly with respect to the heating element 3, is a 10th-'
It has a structure that allows it to rotate freely around the 12 axis.
It can be rotated in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 2 to open the recording paper conveyance path.

With the start of rotation of the registration roller 11, the leading edge of the recording paper 8 is moved to the registration roller 11 and the suction conveyance mechanism section 4.
It is caught between the suction conveyor belts 15 and 9 of 3a,
t8 is clamped with appropriate pressure by the urging force of the roller pressing spring 25. and Regis] - roller 11 noise 10th - clamping conveyance force of roller 12 and suction conveyance bells 1 to 1
It is conveyed by the suction conveyance force of 5.

At this time, the recording paper 8 is pressed from the bell 1 to the pressing means 71.
3b, it is pressed against the recording section guide 31 and is conveyed while rubbing against the recording section guide 31.

The recording section guide 31 is fixed with reference to the II-maru head 1, and the rubbing surface of the recording section guide 31 is maintained at a constant interval from the heating cords 3.... Then, the recording surface (lower surface) of the °C1 recording paper 8 is heated by the heating element 3 disposed in the head section of the thermal head 1...
The surface of the film 20 that moves while adhering to the small gap between the
For example, it is configured to be able to move while always maintaining 0.2ttvn.

In fact, according to the performance test of the example, the gap between the surface of the film 2 and the recording surface was 0.000 mm in order to maintain a resolution of 8 lines/an. ' It was confirmed that it must be between 1 and 0.3rntn.

However, if the gap is set to 0.1 tnm or less, when the ink 4 permeates into the recording paper 8 at /υ, this portion will expand and the recording surface will come into contact with the surface of the film 20, and the recording surface will be covered with ink 4. It was also confirmed that there is a danger of it getting dirty. Therefore, in this embodiment, the arm portion of the recording section guide 31 is pressed against the recording section guide fixing reference protrusion 135 (see FIG. 6) of the thermal bed 1, and the gap is set to 0.2±0.0.
We strictly manage it to keep it at #5.

When the leading edge of the recording paper 8 advances further, it is nipped and transported between the 20th roller 14 of the suction transport mechanism section 713a and the paper ejection roller 13. At this time, the recording surface of the recording paper 8 is supported in a dotted manner by the needle roller portion 104 of the paper ejection roller 13, and reference roller portions 105 and 106 are in rolling contact with the suction conveyance belt 15 at both ends. Since the paper is transported without being subjected to excessive pressure, the undried recorded image is not disturbed. (See FIG. 7) Furthermore, the recording paper 8 moves forward, and its rear end passes through the rolling contact portion of the registration roller 11 and the tenth roller 12. At this time, while receiving the full load of the recording material transport mechanism 43 on the rear end of the recording paper 8, the recording section guide 31 is
This will result in an increase of 11%. In other words, the basic conveyance force of the recording paper 8 is only the suction conveyance force of the suction belt 15, and since the recording paper 8 is conveyed even though it is subjected to a large frictional force, the conveyance is accompanied by uncertainty.

However, in this embodiment, the force that presses the recording paper 8 against the recording section guide 31 is transmitted through the bell I/pressing/retreating means 43b, and the bell 1 as the second floating section - the guide plate 27
Due to the reaction force from the recording unit guide 31 to the belt guide plate 27, the casing part of the suction conveyance mechanism part 43a as the first floating part is passed through the high viscosity fluid buffer 29 while resisting the belt guide plate pressing spring 26. is pushed upwards relative to.

In this way, after the trailing edge of the recording paper 8 has passed, the registration rollers 11 and the suction conveyance bells 1 to 15, which have been temporarily separated, come into rolling contact again, and therefore the pressure applied to the recording paper 8 is reduced. The total load of the bell 1 to the guide plate 27 and the biasing force of the belt guide plate pressing spring 26 (2) realize smooth conveyance of the recording paper 8.

Furthermore, the recording paper 8 moves forward, and when the trailing edge of the recording paper 8 passes the edge portion of the recording section guide 38 on the thermal head 1 side, the bell] and the guide plate 27 receive no reaction force from anywhere, and the belt guide plate 27 receives no reaction force from anywhere. 27 total load and belt guide plate pressing spring 2
It will be pushed down by a force of 6.

Therefore, as soon as the rear end of the recording paper 8 passes the edge portion of the recording unit kite 31 serving as a guide member, the surface of the film 20 and the recording surface of the recording paper 8 come into contact with each other, and the recording paper 8
There is a problem that the rear end of the printer is stained with ink 4.

However, in this embodiment, this problem is solved by the measures described below. First, since the belt guide plate 27 as the second floating part has already been pushed up to one side through the high viscosity fluid buffer 29 as described above, the recording paper 8
Even when the rear end passes the edge portion of the recording section guide 31, the downward movement is caused to slowly descend due to the buffering effect of the high viscosity fluid buffer 29. Once the recording surface of the recording sheet 8 approaches the surface of the fill lx2, the trailing edge of the recording sheet 8 can pass through the heating element 3.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the leading edge or the trailing edge of the recording paper 8 has folds or curve numbers, and in order to prevent the recording material 18 from coming into contact with the surface of the film 2, the leading edge or the trailing edge of the recording paper 8 is ±6 t at each end across the heating element 3...
During the ri period, the electric current 11i ml 281 is excited 1M so as to move away from the surface of the film 20, so that the entire internal root 27 of the bell i-type as a second floating part is attracted in the -F direction.

In this way, the M8 for recording does not come into contact with the film 2 and get dirty, and it passes through the arrangement part of the roller 13 while maintaining an extremely small gap 41, and leaves the recording paper on the paper output tray with a clean record. The paper will be ejected to 16-F.

Also, when the paper is ejected, the trailing edge of the recording paper 8 is at the 21st E.
The tip of D23 is blocked and the rising signal of the second photosensor 24 is detected to ensure that the recording paper 8 has been ejected.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, the ink container 64
The supply of ink to the film cartridge 40 from the recording medium tube 1 to the cartridge 40, and the supply of ink from the ink supply section of the film 11 cartridge 40 to the film 2 will be described.

The film cartridge 4o and the ink container 64 are separable. The ink 4 is stored in an ink container 64, and this ink container 64 is used for the film cars 1 to 4.
The ink container attachment o is screwed into the part 65 and fixed.

At this time, the transparent ink supply tube 7 of the ink container 64
1 pushes up the valves 68 of the film car 1 to ridge 40 that are in close contact with the ink container attachment seal 73 against the biasing force of the car 1 to ridge valve part 69.

On the other hand, the film cartridge pushes up the ink container opening/closing rod 70 in the F direction, so that the valve 67 of the ink container 67'I is pushed up by the valve spring 66.
The ink 4 in the ink container 64 is caused to flow out. The ink 4 that has flowed out of the ink container 64 flows out until the obliquely cut tip of the transparent ink supply tube 71 is filled, and the ink 4 flows out from the ink container 64 until it fills the obliquely cut end of the transparent ink supply tube 71.
A fine ink supply path 72 formed at the bottom of the container portion 77 of the film car 1 to the cartridge 4o through a small hole opened around the valve 68 and an ink supply conduction path 94;
93 (see Figure 6).

The ink 4 further permeates into the ink supply members 37 and 39 made of flute, and passes through the ink supply members 37 and 39 to the film 2.
The ink 4 is applied to the film 2, thus filling the small holes 2 of the film 2.
The ink 4 is filled in the ink 4, and is used as recording ink droplets 6 by the movement of the film 2 and the rapid heating of the heating elements 3, which create bubbles in the ink 4.

In this way, when the ink 4 is consumed and the level of the ink 4 falls below the diagonally cut portion at the tip of the transparent ink supply tube 71, air is sucked in from the air suction passage 74 provided in the ink supply section of the film cartridge 40. ,
This air flows into the ink container B64 through the diagonally cut portion of the transparent ink supply tube 71, causing new ink 4 to flow out.

By the way, the air suction passage 74 is located at the upper part of the ink supply section, and the air volume within the ink supply section is made as small as possible as can be seen from FIGS. 2 and 3. First surplus ink scraping members 41 and 90 made of elastic rubber, and second surplus ink scraping member 4
2, 89 allows air to enter and exit the ink supply section only when the small holes 2a of the film 2 pass through the first and second surplus ink scraping members 41, 90, 42, 89. Therefore, replenishment of the ink 4 from the ink container 64 to the ink supply section is only possible when the film 2 is being moved, and it is not possible to replenish the ink 4 from the ink container 64 described above when the film 2 is being moved. It is prohibited to do so.

Therefore, the problem of ink 4 being excessively supplied to the film car 1-ridge 4o, leaking from the film car mill ridge 40, and scattering can be prevented.

=18- Furthermore, since the ink 4 is supplied to the film 2 through the ink supply section 37.79 made of felt as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the liquid inside the ink supply section is Since the ink 4 is captured by the force of surface tension between #AH, it is easy to prevent the ink 4 from leaking out of the film cartridge 40. Become.

Next, the operation for removing the ink container 64 from the ink container mounting section 65 of the film cartridge 40 will be described.

When the ink 4 in the ink container 64 is consumed by the above-described replenishment of the ink 4, the level of the ink 4 further decreases and reaches the transparent ink supply tube 71. At this time, the light from the ink detection LDE 75 begins to pass through and the ink detection small sensor 76 begins to be turned on.

The state where there is no ink in the ink container 64 is detected by detecting the tr-F difference of this signal.

Based on the ink-out detection signal, the device displays a message on the display portion of the device or the display portion of the image/data processing device 133 connected to the device, as described later, if the legal head 1 If ink 4 is present, a message is displayed indicating that the ink container 64 is missing, that is, replacing the ink container 64 is supported.

The ink container 64 is replaced in step 1), but in this embodiment, the removal procedure and the operations of the valve 67 of the ink container 64 and the valves 68 of the film car 1 to ridge 40 are completely opposite to those in the case of rR attachment. becomes.

That is, valve 6 of film car 1 to ridge 11IO
B has one arm, and the number of ink containers is 690 force from car 1 to ridge valve spring? J+-1 part is in close contact with the lower surface of the seal 73,
The ink 4 in the film car 1 to the ridge 40 can be prevented from leaking and scattering to the outside from the ink container mounting section 65.

By the way, in this embodiment, the ink containers 671 each have a capacity of 100
Except for the ink supply tube 71 described above in CC (J is an opaque container considering the weather resistance of ink 4, and with normal recording density, it is 2,000 yen on sheet 1 to A4 size recording paper).
~5000 sheets can be recorded, while film cartridge 4
0 is approximately 100,000 sheets per film due to problems such as paper dust, paper dust, and clogging due to dry ink in the small 7L2a of film 2.
A4.1III requires replacement after about 3 years. For this reason, the film cartridge 40 and the ink container 64 are separable, and the structure is such that leakage and evaporation of the ink 4 can be easily prevented 11 for each container.

The attachment of the film cars 1 to 40 to the recording apparatus will now be described.

In this device, 4)--The round head 1 is the main body N body 134.
The film car 1-ridge 40 is fixed to the fourth
The container located at the film exposed portion 86 of the cartridge 4.0 shown in FIG. 5(b) and FIG.
It is now possible to do Sera 1 to 34.

That is, in FIG. 3, when the film cartridge first support part 60 is inserted into the main body housing 134 and the film cartridge second support part 61 provided at the other end is pushed down, the cartridge 1-ridge fixing spring 62 moves to the right, the head of the fixing spring 62 falls into the recess of the film cartridge second support part 61, and the film cartridge 40
is now fixed.

As described above, since the container portion of the film cartridge 40 has a window shape, the film cartridge 40 has a structure that has sufficient strength against the film force.

Furthermore, since the mounting is as described above, the film cartridge 40 can be easily attached and detached, and the ink container 64 can be easily attached and detached.
It can be easily attached and detached even if it is still attached. In other words, it is now possible to easily change 40 colors of ink. Furthermore, when the FILEM cartridge 400 is attached or removed, the recording member 43 rotates as shown by the arrow in FIG. The upper part is wide open and can be used to remove paper jams in the recording section and paper waste on film 2.
The film cars 1 to 40 can be easily replaced.

Note that when the film cartridge 40 is removed, in order to prevent the ink 4 remaining in the film car 1 to the cartridge 40 from leaking or evaporating,
~As shown in FIG. 5, the cartridge 40 is equipped with a cartridge lid 85, which rotates as shown by the arrow to cover the exposed film portion 86, and the protrusion of the lid 85. The part is the first surplus ink scraping member 41.901 of the film cartridge 40 and the second surplus ink scraping member 4.
2.89 to tightly seal the film cartridge 40.

In addition, the ink absorbing members 34 and 35 shown in FIG. 2 are designed to allow excess ink 4 accumulated in the -1 part of the thermal head 1 to flow down through the wall surface of the thermal head 1 when the film cartridge 40 is attached or detached, as described above. However, in this embodiment, the ink absorbing members 34 and 35 that are in contact with the thermal head 1 are attached to the lower part of the 41-maru head 1, so that one of the ink absorbing members 34 and 35 is attached to the lower part of the 41-maru head 1, and there is no possibility that the ink will fall and scatter. This prevents the above problem from occurring by absorbing the ink 4 that occurs.

Now, let's move on to the operation of film 2 when it is driven.

4(a) is a side view of the drive #1 part of the film moving mechanism as a recording medium moving mechanism, and FIG. 4(b) is a plan view of the same part.The film 2 is a recording medium moving mechanism. According to the clockwise rotation and counterclockwise rotation of the film drive motor 52 as a drive motor, as seen from the film drive motor tooth width 58 side as a recording medium drive motor gear, the fourth
In figure (a), it moves upward and downward, respectively.

When the film drive motor gear 58 rotates clockwise, the film drive gear 78 rotates clockwise as viewed from the side of FIG. 4(a).

Drive shaft 8 for moving the film as a drive shaft for moving the recording medium
Since one end of the left-handed spring 84 fitted to the drive shaft 87 is engaged with the recess of the gear 78, clockwise rotation of the gear 78 is a direction in which the left-handed spring 84 is further wound around the film moving drive shaft 87. The power of the gear 78 is transmitted to the film moving drive shaft 87.

At this time, the film drive gear 59 as a recording medium drive gear also rotates clockwise, but the right-handed spring 83 fitted on the drive shaft for moving the recording medium and the drive shaft 88 for moving the film at 1. It acts in a direction to relatively loosen the drive shaft 88. However, in the case of the embodiment, since the drive shaft 88 and the right-handed spring 83 rotate in the same direction, a substantial slip between the drive shaft 88 and the right-handed spring 83 occurs.

By the way, when attaching and detaching the film cartridge 40, the film drive gear 59, 78 is connected to the motor gear 5.
8, there is a risk that the interlocking film 2 will remain loose or remain under too much tension. However, regarding the latter, with the tK configuration as in this embodiment, the drive shaft 88 and the right-handed spring 83 slip, and this excessively strong tension can be alleviated.

Further, as shown in the perspective view of the moving mechanism of the embodiment in FIG. 6, the film cartridge 40 is provided with a film tension mechanism 142 as a recording medium tension mechanism on the side opposite to the drive shafts 87 and 88 for film movement. Therefore, there is no loosening of the film 2, and the film 2 can be formed while rubbing against the tip heating element 3 of the thermal head 1 with appropriate pressure. A ladder wheel 100 is fixed to one end of the drive shaft 87 for film movement by a bin 101, and an outer-wound torsion spring 95, one end of which is engaged with a hesion spring fixing portion 96, is fixed to one end of the drive shaft 88. The other end of the torsion spring 95 engages with the 11!1 portion 98 of the ladder wheel 97, and the ladder wheel 97 is connected to the ladder wheel 100 via a ladder chain 99.

By the way, when the ladder chain 99 is hooked up to the ladder wheels 97, 100, the recording medium winding is carried out via the torsion spring 95.
direction, the recording medium is wound on the shaft, and the film winding is on the shaft 3.
8 is a torsion spring 95 to bias it in the direction h1.
It is designed to be installed by properly twisting it in advance. Therefore, an appropriate tension can be applied to the film 2 according to the torsional force, that is, the torque, of the torsion spring 95.

In this way, when the film cartridge 40 is attached to the apparatus, the problem of the film 2 coming loose is eliminated, and the film 2 always slides in close contact with the tip of the thermal head 1 with appropriate pressure.

Next, referring to FIG. 4<a), drive gear 58 is
The case where the rotation is counterclockwise when viewed from the mounting plate side of No. 8 will be explained.

At this time, the drive gear 59 rotates counterclockwise, and the right-handed spring 83 acts to become entangled with the film drive shaft 88. Thus, in this case, the film 2 is directed downwardly, and thus the clockwise direction of the film drive motor 52,
According to the counterclockwise rotation, the film 2 can be reciprocated and covered, and the Ishinomaki spring 83 and the outer winding spring l
871 and the film tension mechanism 142 prevent the film 2 from loosening when the film cartridge 40 is attached or removed, and also prevent the film 2 from becoming loose due to excessive tension.
[Ya] No damage to one member of Nermal Head 1 J: It's like a sea urchin.

In any case, the film 2 is reciprocated by the operation of the film drive motor 52 described above, and the multi-hole portion 92 of the film 2 is filled with ink 4 and sent to the ++n heating element 3 . . . of the normal head 1. It is now possible to record.

Further, the film 2 is kited by guide means consisting of side kites of the film 2, which are shown at 102 and 103 in FIGS. 6 and 9, located at both ends of the legal head 1, thereby preventing the film 2 from shifting laterally. It's getting wet.

By the way, by knowing where the multi-hole portion 92 of the film 2 described above is located, at the start of recording, the starting position of the multi-hole portion 92 in the moving direction of the film 2 is at the location of the heating element 3. You need to be able to start recording when you arrive. In this embodiment, FIG. 4(a),
As shown in (b), a film position indexing board 80 as a recording medium position indexing board is attached to the drive shaft of the film drive motor 52, and the starting position of the multi-hole portion 92 of the film 2 is determined on this indexing board 80. Film first position detection slit 81 as the recording medium first position detection slit 1 shown in FIG.
A thin second position detection slit 1-82 is provided as a recording medium second position detection slit, and the position of the film 2 is detected by a film position detector 79.

When the film drive motor 52 rotates, the film position detection device 79 senses the sensing pulse and the eldest pulse from the similar slit and the slit of the Surin I. By comparing with a clock pulse of a constant period, it is determined at the rear end of the long slit of the slit 81 in the time cutting direction that the slit 81 is a slit for detecting the first position of the film, and the single optical pulse of the slit 82 is detected. The film position detector 79 detects this and determines that this is the slit for detecting the second film position. In this way, the film drive motor 52 detects the film first position detection slit 81 and stops.

At this time, the non-perforated portion 91 of the film 2 (see FIG. 12)
Covering the exposed film portion 86 of the film cartridge 40, the multi-hole portion 92 covers the first and second portions of the film cartridge 40.
The second surplus ink scraping member 89,90 is housed in the ink supply section below. For this reason, the film cartridge 40 is held by the non-perforated portion 91 of the film 2, so that the film cartridge 40 is sealed from the outside air.

Therefore, the film car (~ ink 4 in ridge 40
This is to prevent the problem that the ink 40 evaporates and the ink 40 becomes sticky, reducing the speed at which the ink 40 ejects from the small holes 2a of the film 2, or that the viscosity is high and does not eject, which adversely affects the recording. It has become.

Now, when recording, the actual device receives a recording command from the connected image/character data processing device 133 (see FIG. 15), drives the first feed roller 9, and records the recording paper 8. Before sending the film 1.2 to the section, the film 1.2 is moved for a certain period of time, that is, for a preset number of pulses, by rotating the IJ film drive motor 52 counterclockwise as shown by the arrow in FIG. 4(a). , the end of the multi-hole portion 92 in the advancing direction is located at the heating element 3, and the recording paper 8
Film 2 is released in synchronization with the leading edge of recording paper 8 in anticipation of the arrival of
move. At this time, the moving speed of the film 2 is 1 to the moving speed of the recording M8 40 prttr , 1/sec.
The speed of No. 2 is 20 m/sec.

In fact, even when the speed of the recording paper 8 is varied between 10 and 1 ('') O〃m+/sec, the relative relationship between the film 2 and the recording paper 8 is It was found that regardless of whether the target moves in the same direction or in the opposite direction, as long as the moving speed of film 2 is V/4 or higher, the surface Dl,0 (black solid, coverage 75%) will be 1 step higher. .

The pattern of this experiment is shown in FIG. Therefore, the movement width of the film 2 can be made shorter than the recording length (recording direction) of the recording paper 8, and therefore the multi-hole portion 92 of the film 2
The zero area could be made small, and the production of the film 2 could be made easier. That is, if the area of the multi-hole portion 920 is large, it is difficult to make the diameter of the small hole 2a (25-30 μm) uniform over the entire area, and therefore, there is a problem that the diameter of the small hole 2a becomes smaller near the periphery, for example. This causes uneven recording density. In this embodiment, since the area can be reduced, such problems can be prevented.

Now, as the film 2 moves in this manner, the rear ends of the multi-hole portion 92 on the side of the first and second surplus ink scraping members 89 and 90 reach the portion of the heating element 3. At this time, the film position detector 79 detects the second film position detection slit 82. Of course, in order for the positions of each part of the film 2 and the relative positions of the first and second position detection slits 81 and 82 of the film information indexing board 80 to have the above-mentioned relationship, it is necessary to - When the ridge 40 is initially set, the film 2 is used as the first and second surplus ink scraping members 8
It is necessary that the film be wound on the 9.90 side, and the film drive motor 52 is set so that the film position detector 79 is connected to the slit of the first film position detection slit 81, and the similar slit among the slits 1 to 1 pair. It is necessary that the position of the robot is detected and stopped.

This embodiment assumes this.

Now, when the recording sheets 8 are continuously fed and even-numbered recording sheets 8 are recorded, the first one of the multi-hole portion 92,
After the film 2 is wound up until the end on the side of the second surplus ink scraping member 89 and 90 reaches the film winding shaft 38 and the ink 4 is supplied, the film 2 is moved in the opposite direction to the moving direction of the film 2 described above. After waiting for a certain period of time for the terminal end to reach the heating element 3 . . . , recording is performed in synchronization with the leading end of the recording M8.

In addition, in continuous recording, when recording on odd-numbered recording sheets 8, the first and second surplus ink scraping members 41
．． The end of the multi-hole portion 92 on the 42 side is the film winding shaft 36
After the ink 4 is supplied to the heating element 3.
. . , and moves the fill 2 in synchronization with the leading edge of the recording paper 8.

Since recording is continued by such reciprocating movement of the film 2, continuous recording is possible even if the film is not endless.

Now, next, the first and second surplus ink scraping members 41.
90 and 42.89 are arranged such that the contact positions with the film 2 are staggered as shown in FIG. It is located above 9o. The necessity of this arrangement will be explained with reference to the first and second surplus ink scraping members 41 and 42.

First, for film 2, when winding the film, the axis 36.38 is υ−
Unless it is arranged so that it reaches the top of the round head 1 and moves downward, it is impossible to place the recording portion in the convex space and convey the recording paper 8 close to the heating element 3 while maintaining a tight gap. .

Therefore, if the first surplus ink scraping member 41.90 is positioned below the thermal head 1 side with respect to the film 2, the second surplus ink scraping member 42.89 , and the area of the film exposed portion 86 of the film cartridge 40 of the film 2 can be reduced.

Therefore, the film cartridge 40 can be formed compactly. The effect of scraping off excess ink during movement of the film 2 is as follows.

First, the case where the film 2 moves in the direction of arrow G in FIG. 6 will be described. The film 2 supplied with ink 4 by the ink supply member 39 moves toward the soil, and the first surplus ink scraping member 41 scrapes the surplus ink from the film 2. However, during recording, since the multi-hole portion 92 passes through the excess ink scraping member 41, the excess ink 4 moves by a certain amount to the side opposite to the thermal head 1 through the multi-hole portion 92.

Furthermore, the ink 4 that has moved to the opposite side is captured by the second surplus ink scraping member 42 and moves to the thermal head 1 side again. In this way, when the film 2 moves in the G direction and the multi-hole portion 92 of the film 2 passes the first and second surplus ink scraping members 41, 42, the film 2 has only the small holes 2a... Not film 2
Sufficient flame ink 4 is applied and replenished over the entire surface.

Therefore, as mentioned above, this makes it possible to reduce the film speed to 1/4 of the speed of the recording tape 8.

Now, let's consider a case in which the multi-hole portion 92 moves downward through the first and second surplus ink scraping members 41 and 42.

In this case, the recording side surface of the film 2 is first scraped off by the second surplus ink scraping member 42.

Therefore, the excess ink 4 adhering to the surface of the film 2 is scraped off, and the dust and paper dust adhering to the film 2 are also scraped off. In this way, the surplus ink scraping section IL'12
The ink 4 accumulated at the tip of the film 2 is transferred to the multi-hole portion 9 of the film 2.
The ink is moved toward the thermal head 1 through the small holes 2a .

This scraped and accumulated surplus ink 4 is returned to the small holes 2 of the multi-hole portion 92 on the opposite side of the thermal head 1.
Move through a... In this way, the surplus ink 4 during recording is removed from the ink 4 of the film cartridge 40.
is collected in the supply section.

On the other hand, the non-perforated portion 91 of the film 2 moves in the F direction, that is, downwardly toward the first and second surplus ink scraping members 4.
The state when passing 1.42 will be described. At this time, the surface of the film 2 opposite to the thermal head 1 has already been cleaned by the second surplus ink scraping member 89, so the second
There is no need to scrape off ink using the surplus ink scraping member 42.

However, 11 pieces of paper dust and dirt accumulate at the tip of the second surplus ink scraping means 42.

On the other hand, since the film on the thermal head 1 side has also been cleaned by the first surplus ink scraping member 90,
There is also almost no need for ink scraping by the first surplus ink scraping member 41.

In this way, the non-perforated portion 91 of the film 2 is exposed to the film car I.
- By covering the film exposed portion 86 as the recording medium exposed portion of the ridge 7IO, the exposed portion of the film 2 is cleaned, and there is no risk of getting your hands dirty when attaching or removing the film cartridge 40.

Furthermore, since the lengths M and N (see FIG. 12) of the non-hole portion 91 in the moving direction are longer than the film exposure width F (see FIG. 6) of the film cartridge 40, etc., the first surplus ink scraper removing member 41.90, second surplus ink removing member 4
It is possible to prevent air from entering and exiting through a gap of 2.89 mm.

Therefore, the evaporation of the ink 4 can be prevented by 1F, and the viscosity of the ink 4 can be prevented from changing, so that the quality of recording and printing can be maintained constant.

Next, the film 2 is hoovered (to remove paper waste adhering to the film 2).

As mentioned above, the paper scraps and dust accumulated on the tip of the second surplus ink scraping member 42 move the film 2 in the G direction (then they remain attached to the film 2 and move together with the film 2, causing thermal damage). The film 2 reaches the heating element 3 at the top of the head 1. At this time, the film 2 is transferred to the thermal head 1.
The suction belt 15 is moved back and forth several times with the heating element 3 in between, and at the same time the suction fan 53 shown in FIG.
Paper scraps and dirt on the filter 12 described above are sucked into the air suction guide 57 through the suction port 107.

In this way, paper dust and dirt attached to the film 2 can be removed.
This can prevent the small holes 2a of No. 2 from becoming clogged with paper powder and dirt.

In this embodiment, the paper waste removal T-culm is carried out after a certain period of time after a series of continuous recording is completed, so that the problem of reducing the recording speed does not occur.

In addition, as described above, since the paper waste removal process is performed on the non-porous portion 91 of the film 2, the ink 4 on the film surface is cleaned, so that the ink 4, etc. is sucked into the air suction guide 57. It is also possible to prevent problems such as the ink 4 getting stuck on the suction bell h15.

Here, the movement of the film 2 when a series of recording operations is completed is described.

After a series of recording operations is completed, the film 2 is moved for a certain period of time at a speed slower than the moving speed during recording.

This is because the ink 4 dries up from the heating element 3 of the thermal head 1 before the series of recording operations is completed.
This is done in order to prevent this from happening. Thereafter, the above-described paper residue removal step is continued for a certain period of time, and then the film cartridge 4 is
The exposed film portion 86 is covered.

By the way, the first surplus ink scraping member 41.90 is made of an elastic member, and its edge toward the thermal head 1 is located on the lower surface of the film 2 (in close contact with the J-mark head 1, The ink 4 flowing down through the wall surface of the film 2 can be collected into the ink supply section of the film cartridge 40 through the small holes 2a of the multi-hole portion 92 of the film 2. Take members 41.90 and 42.89
is made of a non-breathable material that prevents air and ink 4 from entering and exiting the film car ridge 40.

Next, the relationship between the diameter of the small holes 2a of the film 2 and the pitch between the small holes 28 will be explained with reference to FIG.

Arrow I in the figure indicates the moving direction of the film 2, and a line connecting the centers of the small holes 2a is an equilateral triangle with one side perpendicular to the arrow I. In the figure, 1-1 and 2 are the dimensions of the heating element 3, which are 1100 f1 to 125 ttm, respectively. The diameter of the small hole 2a in the figure is 25't in the example.
t m, the distance P between the centers of the small holes 2a is 45 t, t m, and the minimum distance between the small holes 2a is 20 am. According to experiments, using the above-mentioned No. 2 and assuming that the maximum distance between adjacent small holes 28 is P] ≧2P, V≧2P
Satisfying the relational expression of 10 and achieving a resolution of 8 as in the example.
In the case of book/1 run, 4l-1S is the diameter of small hole 2a r)h<D=15~35t1m,
In order to obtain good print quality, it was necessary to set P within the range of P=40 to 50 μm.

Special considerations are required to achieve good print quality and improve thermal efficiency during recording, regardless of the shape of the heating element 3.

FIG. 14 shows the cross-sectional shape of the heating element.

Here, the heating element 3 and the electrical conductor 108.121 are A
It is covered with a thin wear-resistant insulating film 136 such as n203. Now, a voltage is applied to the heating element 3 and it is rapidly heated.
Bubbles are generated, and due to this pressure, the ink 4 in the small hole 2a filled with ink 4 is rapidly ejected and recorded. The recording ink is ejected by applying the pulse with a pulse width of 10/l'Sec to perform recording. Nowadays, the energy consumed is about 2'l('
)Oera/element.

This energy is almost constant when the thickness of the gap 124 between the heating element and the film 2 is between Tnon and 3 μml, but as the thickness increases to 10 f1 m or more, the ejection force decreases and the printing quality deteriorates. come. It was also found that as T becomes smaller by 3 μm, the ink energy consumption per heating element 3 increases by 21,001 mm, indicating that the smaller T is, the more energy is required. Therefore, in this embodiment, T
,=3μ7n. In the figure, 122 indicates a glass gelase layer.

Next, the following improvements have been made in terms of the durability of the heating element 3.

That is, as proposed in Japanese Patent Application No. 59-11851, the heating element (heating resistor) is made of ruthenium oxide as a main component, and M (M is Ca).

A metal oxide thin film containing at least one oxide selected from 3r1Ba, pb, 3i, and TR in an M/RIJ (atomic ratio) of 0.6 to 2 is used.

By using a metal oxide thin film in this way, there is no need to take into account changes in resistance due to oxidation, as was the case in the past, and it becomes possible to apply large amounts of power and reach high temperatures.
It also increases stability for long-term use. In addition, since this metal oxide thin film has a relatively high sheet resistance,
A relatively small current is required to obtain a high heat generation density. Therefore, as in the conventional case, the current flowing through the conductor connected to the heat generating resistor is reduced, and the heat generated from this portion can be reduced. Therefore, so-called print blurring that occurs during printing can be reduced. Furthermore, since such a thin film has a positive resistance temperature coefficient, it can improve the drawbacks of SnO2-based materials, and has the advantage of being able to apply a large amount of power from the initial stage, and being suitable for increasing speed.

Next, the structure of the thermal head will be described based on FIG. 11.

The structure of the heating cord 3 has been described in FIG. 14, but in this embodiment, the heating element 3 and the electrical conductors 108, 121 are formed on a polyimide film 123 of about 157 m, which is made of metal made of aluminum. support body 13
The structure is such that it is adhesively fixed to 7. It is estimated from the calculation of consumption energy distribution that most of the energy (more than 70%) is consumed by pulsed heating of the heating element 3.
This means that the polyimide film 123, film, etc. are accumulated instead of being used for ejecting the ink 4. In addition, 119 is a driver of 11-maru head 1,
120 is a protective cover.

In this way, if the A4 vertical feed line printer has a resolution of 8 lines/m and a recording speed of 40 m/V as in the embodiment, for example when performing high coverage printing such as graphic printing, 4jf-maru head 1. The maximum value of the total energy consumption is about 120 W, of which about 107 W is accumulated in the polyimide film 123 and the film.

Such heat accumulation raises the temperature of the film 2 and the ink 4 to near the boiling point of the ink 4, and therefore, the situation in which the ink 4 is ejected changes depending on whether there is heat accumulation or not. In other words, the thermal history of recording causes a problem in that the density of the recorded image becomes uneven.

Thus, in this embodiment, the heating element 3 is placed on the electrical conductor 108.12 on the polyimide film 123 with a thickness of about 15 μm.
1 is bonded to the metal support 137 made of aluminum, so that the heat energy generated and accumulated by the heating cord 3 is quickly transmitted and diffused to the metal support 137.

Since the abutting support is made of metal, the thermal energy diffused into the metal support 137 conducts heat very quickly and acts to cool the heating cord 3 portion. thus,
The heating cycle of the heating element 3 can be shortened, and the recording speed can be increased by one point.

Next, the structure of the ink presence/absence detection elements 109 and 112 of the thermal head 1 will be described according to FIGS. 9 and 10(a) and (b). In this embodiment, there are exposed conductor parts 110 and 111 of the ink presence/absence detection element, which have electrical conductors abutted against each other at both ends of the thermal head 1.
0. ．． 111 has no abrasion resistant/insulating film 136 and comes into direct contact with the ink 4.

Incidentally, the electrical conductivity of the ink is 10°3S/CIl+, and if a voltage is applied, a small amount of current can flow.

This state is shown in FIG. 10(a). When the switch SW is connected to the conductor portion 110 and 111 of the dew 46, 0N- is applied.
OFFL,, when a voltage pulse is sent, also (), Fig. 10 (
If the ink 4 is at the top of the thermal head 1 as shown in a), when the switch SW is turned on, the voltage at point Q temporarily decreases because a current flows between the exposed conductor portions 110 and 111. This signal is increased to detect the presence of ink. Ink 4 as shown in Figure 10(b)
When there is no current, no current flows even if the switch SW operates as described above, so the voltage drop as described above does not occur.

With this, it is possible to detect that there is no ink 4, and it is possible to prohibit the recording operation. As described above, in this embodiment, ink presence detection elements 109 and 112 are further attached to both ends of the row of heating elements 3... of the thermal head 1, so that when there is no ink 4, the heating elements 3... It is possible to eliminate the problem of damaging the heating element 3 by heating and dry cooking.

In other words, even if there is ink 4 at one end of the heating element row 3 and no ink 4 at the other end, the presence or absence of ink can be detected by the ANI') of the signals from the ink presence detection elements 109 and 112. Since the ink is detected, it is possible to detect when there is no ink.

In this embodiment, as described above, the thermal head 1 is provided with ink presence/absence detection elements 109 and 112, and the ink container 64 is also provided with replenishment ink presence/absence detection means consisting of an ink detection L Er 175 and an ink detection photosensor 76. This is what we have set up.

As described above, these ink presence/absence detection means each have their own roles, and at the same time, as described below, they can cause the recording apparatus of this embodiment to perform various operations depending on the combination of their respective states. I can do it.

First, in this embodiment, if a voltage is constantly applied to the ink presence/absence detection means 109 and 112 of the thermal head 1 described above,
There is a problem in that the ink 4 is electrolyzed and gases such as hydrogen and oxygen are generated and corrode the exposed conductor parts 110.111. Therefore, before the recording operation, the exposed conductor parts 110. A voltage is applied to 111 to detect the presence or absence of ink.

Furthermore, by doing this, after the start of the recording operation, for example, after feeding the recording paper 8, the recording operation is stopped for a while during recording, and after a while, that is, the ink 4 reaches the thermal head 1. Furthermore, when restarting the recording operation, the problem of the accurate position of the recording paper being shifted due to the inertia of the feed roller etc. can be prevented in advance.

Further, in this embodiment, when the absence of ink is detected by the ink presence/absence detection operation of the thermal head 1, the film drive motor 52 is driven to move the film 2 for a certain period of time. After the reciprocating operation, the ink presence/absence detection operation of the thermal head 1 described above is performed again to detect the presence or absence of ink.

Therefore, even if the ink 4 evaporates and disappears from the heating element array 3 of the thermal head 1 due to a temporary stop, the inside of the film cartridge 40 can be reached by restarting the ink presence/absence detection operation described above. It can also detect if there is no ink 4, and it can also detect whether there is a new film cartridge 40.
It is also possible to check whether the ink 4 has just reached the ink supply member 37, 39 in the film cartridge 40 from the ink container 64. In this way, when the lack of ink in the thermal head 1 is detected, a status display regarding the lack of ink is displayed on the display section of the image, character, data, etc. processing device 133 to which the recording device is connected, and the operator is informed. It is designed to give instructions on how to deal with it.

Incidentally, the ink presence/absence detection operation of the thermal head 1, the ink presence/absence detection signal, the replenishment ink presence/absence detection signal of the ink container 64, and the operation of the recording apparatus are closely related. In fact, in this embodiment, the recording material, that is, the recording paper 8, is fed toward the heating element 3 only when the detection signal of the presence of ink in the thermal head 1 and the detection signal of the presence of ink in the ink container 64 are generated at the same time. I try to do that. This can prevent the risk of running out of ink 4 during recording and having to interrupt the recording operation.

Further, as described above, when the detection signal indicating that there is no ink in the thermal head 1 and the detection signal that there is replenishment ink in the ink container 64 are generated at the same time, the film drive motor 52, the film movement drive shaft 87, 88, etc. By operating the film moving mechanism, it is possible to cut off the ink 4 from reaching the heating element 3 of the thermal head 1.

At this time, the moving speed of the film is 20 m during normal recording.
/V, but it is operated at a slower speed, 5 m/V in the example. This prevents the abrasion-resistant insulating film of the electrical conductor 108, 121 from being damaged by the thermal head 1 and the film 2 in the absence of the ink 4.

In this way, the film moving mechanism is operated to move the film 2 back and forth until the ink-absence detection signal of the thermal head 1 changes to an ink-present signal.

Then, the image or character or data processing device 13 described above
The display section 3 displays ``11 status'' to notify that ink 4 is being supplied to the 1J-maru head 1.

By the way, when a detection signal indicating that there is ink in the thermal spatula 1-1 and a detection signal indicating that there is no refilling ink in the ink container 64 are generated at the same time, the display section of the recording device or the processing device 133 for processing images, text, data, etc. A display instructing ink replenishment is displayed, and the operator is instructed to replace the ink container 64 and refill with new ink 4. In this way, after the new ink container 64 is attached and the detection signal indicating that there is no refill ink in the ink container 64 changes to the detection signal that there is ink, the recording operation is continued for a certain period of time, that is, the heating element It is prohibited to transfer the recording paper 8 toward the direction 3. This ensures that sufficient ink 4 permeates the ink supply members 37 and 39 in the film cartridge 40, so that the same amount of ink 4 is always supplied to the film 2.

In addition, in this embodiment, the film cartridge 40 is set in the recording apparatus by the means for detecting that the detection signal indicating that there is no ink in the thermal head 1 and the detection signal that there is no replenishing ink in the ink container 64 are generated at the same time. It is detected that it is not. This pattern is shown in Figure 15.

In fact, in the above-mentioned state, when the film cartridge 40 is not set, and even when the film cartridge 40 is set, neither the thermal head 1 nor the ink container 6
4 also shows that there is no ink 4, but,
In either case, the operator is instructed to replenish ink in a major sense.

As a result, the thermal head 1 runs out of ink and the container 64 runs out of ink even if there is no means for detecting whether the film cartridge 400 is loaded into the recording apparatus. In most cases, this means that film cars 1 to 40 are not set. In this manner, in this embodiment, it is detected that the presence or absence of attachment or detachment of the film cartridge 40 is detected by detecting that the detection signals indicating that the thermal head 1 is out of ink and that the ink container 64 is out of replenishment ink are generated at the same time.

Next, the overall structure of the thermal head 1 will be described according to FIG. 11.

In the figure, 137 is a metal support made of aluminum comb, and the thermal head 1 has metal cooling members 114 and 115 on both sides of the metal support 137, and the temperature is detected on the surface of the metal cooling members 114 and 1150. It has elements 117 and 118. In the figure, reference numerals 113 and 116 indicate heating elements of the thermal head 1, which are arranged in parallel with and near the heating element 3.

In this embodiment, the heating elements 113 and 116 of the thermal head 1 are turned ON or OFF by the output signals of the temperature detection cables 117 and 118 in response to changes in the environment and the thermal history of the heating element 3.
1. The temperature is controlled so that the humidity at the top of the thermal head 1 is constant.

First, the metal cooling members 114 and 115 are in direct contact with the film 2, and can effectively cool down the temperature of the thermal head 1 due to an increase in outside temperature or thermal layer history, and can suppress evaporation of the ink 4. In addition, the thermal history at the top of the thermal head 1 is quickly conducted to the temperature detection element 1! , the temperature in the vicinity of the heating element 3 of the thermal head 1 can always be controlled to be constant.

Also, the metal cooling members 117 are provided on both sides of the heating element 3.
118 and heating element 113.11'6 of Tatami Nermal Head 1
, the ink 4 that is transported to the surface of the heating element 3 even when the film 2 moves back and forth, and the small holes 2a filled with ink are heated in advance before recording, and a voltage pulse is applied to the heating element 3. The aim is to reduce the amount of energy supplied by the

In FIG. 15, 119 is a thermal head driver, and 126 to 132 are drive circuit sections.

As explained above, according to the above embodiment, the bn thermal element 3
Recorded material conveyor #443 in the recording section by...
Since the gap between the supporting surface of the recording paper 8 and the heating element 3 is slowly narrowed through the high viscosity fluid buffer 29, the rear end of the recording sheet 118 is connected to the recording section guide. Heating element 3.
. . , the heating cord 3 .

Note that in the above description of the embodiment, the explanation was given for a film in which small holes were provided as a recording medium, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the same purpose can be achieved even with concave portions. Of course.

In addition, it goes without saying that the present invention can be modified in various ways without departing from the gist of the present invention.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As explained above, the present invention fills recording ink into a recording medium having a large number of small holes or four parts, and selects a heating element when the small holes or four parts filled with ink reach the surface of the heating element. The structure is configured such that recording is performed on the recording material by ejecting the ink in the small holes or recesses toward the recording material due to the pressure of the generated air bubbles. A Mrns structure is provided for buffering movement of a recording material support surface in a recording portion of a recording material conveying mechanism that is floatingly supported and holds and conveys a recording portion of the recording material with a certain gap relative to the heating element. Accordingly, the gap between the recording material support surface of the recording material transport am, which is displaced as the recording material passes, and the heating element is slowly narrowed via the pre-recording*ta#l, and the recording material Even if the rear end leaves the guide member and loses support and passes through the heating element portion, the heating element and the recording surface will not suddenly approach and the recording member and the recording medium will not come into contact with each other. This is what I did. Therefore, it is possible to provide a recording apparatus that is free from clogging, capable of high-speed recording, and capable of preventing ink stains on the trailing edge of the recording material.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

The drawings show one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of the recording principle, FIG. 2 is a schematic vertical side view, FIG. 3 is a schematic vertical front view, and FIG. 4(a) 4(b) is a plan view of the driving portion of the film moving mechanism, FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the film cartridge, and FIG.
The figure is a perspective view of the film moving mechanism and ink supply section.
The figure is a perspective view of the paper ejection []-R section, Figure 8 is a diagram showing the relationship between the diameter and pitch of small holes and the shape of the heating element, Figure 9 is a perspective view showing the ink presence/absence detection means of the thermal head, Figure 10 (
a) is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the ink presence/absence detection means when ink is present;
FIG. 10(b) is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the ink presence/absence detection means when there is no ink, FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of the 5-marhead,
Figure 2 is an explanatory diagram of the shape of the multi-hole and non-hole parts of the film, the first
Figure 3 is a diagram showing the relationship between film speed and recording density, Figure 14
The figure shows the structure near the heating element, and FIG. 15 is a schematic diagram of the electronic control circuit. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Thermal head, 2... Recording medium (film), 2a... Small hole, 3... Heating element, 4... Recording ink, 5... Small hole filled with ink. , 6... Ink droplet ejected, 7... Small hole from which the ink droplet was ejected, 8... Recording material (recording paper), 29... Buffer mechanism (high viscous fluid slowing device) , 31... Guide member (recording unit guide), 43... Recorded material conveyance mechanism, 43 a
First floating 8B (suction conveyance mechanism section), 43b... Belt pressing/retreating means. Applicant's agent Patent attorney Takehiko Suzu Figure 9 (a) (b) Figure 1o

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) By filling a recording medium with a large number of small holes or recesses with recording ink, and selectively heating the heating element when the small holes or recesses filled with ink reach the surface of the heating element. , a recording apparatus that performs recording on a recording material by ejecting ink in the small holes or recesses toward the recording material due to the pressure of generated bubbles, the recording surface of the recording material being heated by the heating element; A recording material conveying mechanism is supported in a floating manner with respect to the heating element, and the movement of a recording material supporting surface in a recording part of this recording material conveying mechanism is buffered. and a buffer mechanism for slowly narrowing the gap between the heating element and the recording material support surface of the recording material transport mechanism that is displaced as the recording material passes through the recording material. A recording device characterized by: (2) The recording device according to claim 1, wherein the shock absorbing mechanism comprises a high viscosity fluid shock absorber.