JPH08258298A - Recording method and apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To obtain a recording method and apparatus capable of corresponding to the respective recordings of two or more kinds of mutually different images by selectively performing one of or all of two or more kinds of recordings different in transfer quantity corresponding to heating energy by one kind of a recording apparatus. CONSTITUTION: A recording mode of a video image and a recording mode of a character or the like are selected by a selection circuit 219. The data stored in a memory 217 is taken out as corresponding recording data by the command of a CPU 218 to be supplied to a head controller 211 and a mechanical controller 212 and these controllers are controlled by the CPU 218 to send a control pulse signal and a head driving control signal to a printing head 70 at every dot and the driving control signal of a drive roller 205 to a paper feed mechanism 210. As a result, recording is executed.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a recording method and a recording device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, in image recording of video cameras, televisions, computer graphics and the like, there is an increasing need for colorization of hard copy as well as recording of mono color. In response to this, various types of printers have been developed and deployed in various fields.

Among these recording methods, an ink sheet coated with an ink layer in which a high-concentration transfer dye is dispersed in a suitable binder resin, and a dyeing resin that receives the transferred dye are coated. The heat-sensitive recording head located on the ink sheet applies heat according to the image information, and the heat-sensitive recording head located on the ink sheet applies heat according to the image information. There is a method of thermal transfer.

The so-called thermal transfer system, which obtains a full-color image by repeating the above-mentioned operation for each of the image signals decomposed into yellow, magenta, and cyan, which are the three primary colors of subtractive color mixture, is compact and easy to maintain. Therefore, it is attracting attention as an excellent technology that has an immediacy and obtains a high-quality image comparable to a silver salt color photograph.

FIG. 24 is a schematic front view of the main part of such a thermal transfer type printer. According to this printer, a thermal recording head (hereinafter referred to as a thermal head) 1 and a platen roller 3 face each other, and an ink sheet 4 having an ink layer 4a provided on a base film 4b between them,
The recording paper (transferred material) 5 having the dyeing resin layer (dye receiving layer) 5a provided on the paper 5b is sandwiched and pressed against the thermal head 1 by the platen roller 3.

Then, the ink (transfer dye) in the ink layer 4a selectively heated by the thermal head 1 is transferred to the dyeing resin layer 5a of the transfer-receiving member 5 in a dot shape, and thermal transfer recording is performed. In such thermal transfer recording, generally, a line system in which a long thermal head is arranged orthogonally to the recording paper traveling direction and fixed and a serial system in which the thermal head reciprocates in a direction orthogonal to the recording paper traveling direction. Has been adopted.

By the way, the applicant of the present invention has been able to reduce the waste and the transfer energy, and to make the printer small and lightweight while taking advantage of the above-mentioned thermal transfer recording system.
A non-contact type dye vaporization type laser beam printer as shown in 25 has already been proposed.

According to this recording method, a heat-fusible dye layer
A recording head (printing paper) 50 having a recording head (for example, a serial type printer head) 40 having 22 in the vaporizing section 17 and a receiving layer 50a for receiving the vaporized (or sublimated) dye 32.
A minute gap 17a in the range of 1 μm to 1 mm is provided between and.

Then, by irradiating the laser beam L, the liquefied dye stored in the dye storing portion 37 of the vaporizing portion 17 of the recording head 40.
22 is selectively heated to near its boiling point to be vaporized, the vaporized dye 32 is caused to fly in the void 17a, and transferred from the vaporization hole 23 onto the photographic printing paper 50 which is a recording medium to obtain continuous gradation. Get the image you have. This operation is the three primary colors of subtractive color, yellow,
Full colorization can be achieved by repeating each of the image signals decomposed into magenta and cyan.

In this recording method, the photographic printing paper 50 is opposed to the recording head 40, for example, on the upper side, and the laser light emitted from the laser 18 and condensed by the lens 19 is near the upper surface of the vaporizing section 17. It is advisable to irradiate L to cause the vaporized dye 32 to fly or move upward.

In this case, the transfer dye is emptied by the heating means.
In order to move 17a, in addition to the vaporization phenomenon, it is often seen when irradiated with a high-power laser, and the bonds of dye molecules are efficiently cut and the energy is used to etch at a very high rate. Phenomena and the phenomenon that gas energy generated by boiling or explosion is used to etch at a very high rate can also be used (a transfer mechanism other than such a vaporization mechanism is referred to as ablation: hereinafter the same).

Further, a head base having a laser beam transmitting property.
The dye reservoir 15 is provided on the head 14, and the liquefied dye 22 is housed between the head 13 and the lid 13 fixed on the head base 14.
The liquefied dye 22 is supplied to the vaporizer 17 via 27. in this case,
In order to improve the efficiency of supplying the dye to the vaporizing section 17 and the vaporizing efficiency, to prevent the dye from escaping due to a decrease in the surface tension of the dye caused by heat generation, and to continuously supply and hold the dye by utilizing the capillary phenomenon. Further, a bead aggregate 20 composed of small beads 21 is provided in the vaporization section 17.

A protective plate (not shown) is fixed on the lid 13 in order to hold the gap 17a and guide the photographic printing paper 50 moving in the X direction (the direction perpendicular to the paper surface). A heater for maintaining the liquefied state of the dye may be embedded in the protective plate. Here, the heater 26 is arranged in the dye containing portion (the passage 27).

The solid powder heat-meltable dye 42 in the solid dye storage tank 41 is supplied from a supply port 43 by a check valve 44,
It is heated to the melting point by the heater 26 and melted (liquefied). The liquefied dye 22 is supplied at a constant rate to the upper surface of the bead aggregate 20 of the vaporization section 17 at a high rate by the capillary phenomenon of the bead aggregate 20.

The entire printer including this printer head is, for example, for full color as shown in FIG.
Yellow, magenta, and cyan dye reservoirs 15Y, 15M,
15C is provided on each common base 14 to form each dye supply section or supply head section 37Y, 37M, 37C, and from there, 12 to 24 dots of each color dye are formed in rows to form a vaporization section 17Y. , 17M, 17C.

For each vaporizing part, a large number of condenser lenses 19 are provided for each laser beam emitted from a multi-laser array 30 in which 12 to 24 corresponding lasers (particularly semiconductor laser chips) 18 are arranged in an array. The light is condensed by the microlens array 31 in which is arranged (36 is a mirror for guiding the laser light L in the perpendicular direction).

As the condenser lens, the illustrated lens system may be used, but a single large-diameter condenser lens 38 indicated by an imaginary line may be used. The lens 38 is formed so that the refraction path changes so that the light emission position corresponds to the vaporization parts 17C, 17M, and 17Y described above according to the light incident position.
The multi-laser array 30 is driven and controlled by the control IC 34 provided on the substrate 33, and the heat sink 35 is also provided.
Is designed to allow sufficient heat dissipation.

In the case of mono-color printing, as shown in FIG. 27, a one-dimensional laser array 30 is produced, and each laser element can be operated independently and in parallel. Printing speeds of more than one time can be obtained (for example, 24 times speed is obtained by using a laser array with 24 beams).

Each of the printer heads described above accommodates as many liquefied dyes 22 as the number of recording dots corresponding to the number of recording dots in the dye accommodating portion 37, and the laser 18 also has an array having light emitting points corresponding to the number of recording dots. It is arranged in a shape.
Even with the above thermal transfer printer that does not rely on the laser 18,
The heating units of the thermal head 1 are also arranged in a dot pattern.

As described above, according to this dye vaporization type laser beam printer, regarding the dye consumed for recording, only the lost portion is voluntarily or forcibly in the molten state from the dye reservoir to the vaporization part. By pouring, or
It can be continuously applied onto an appropriate substrate, and the substrate can be continuously supplied to the vaporizing unit by moving to the transfer unit. This is possible because the dye contains little binder resin. Therefore, since the vaporizing section involved in recording can be repeatedly used many times, the ink sheet is disposable only once in the above-mentioned thermal transfer method, which is advantageous in terms of resource saving and environmental protection.

Further, since it is a vaporization type or an ablation type, recording can be carried out without contact between the dye layer and the recording medium (printing paper), so that it can be seen in the above-mentioned thermal transfer system at the time of the second and subsequent printing. The reverse transfer of the dyes and the color mixture do not occur, and the heating portion is only the head including the vaporizing portion, and the power consumption is remarkably reduced as compared with the above-mentioned thermal transfer method. At the same time, the printer can be made smaller and lighter because a small volume dye reservoir is used for supplying the dye instead of the above-described ink sheet.

Further, since this recording system utilizes vaporization or sublimation of the dye, it is not necessary to heat the dye receiving layer of the recording medium as in the above-mentioned thermal transfer system, and the ink sheet and the recording medium are not recorded. It is not necessary to press the body against the body with high pressure, and this is also advantageous in reducing the size and weight of the printer. Since the dye layer in the vaporized portion and the recording medium do not come into contact with each other, heat fusion cannot occur between them, and recording is possible even if the compatibility between the dye and the receiving layer resin is small. Therefore, the range of design and selection of the dye and the resin for the receiving layer is remarkably expanded.

Further, the semiconductor laser 18 is basically used as a light source as a heat energy supply source for vaporizing (or sublimating) the dye, but the semiconductor laser has a high conversion efficiency from electric power to light. Since the dye has excellent directivity and light collecting property, the heat energy transfer efficiency of the dye is also very high. Therefore, the total energy utilization efficiency is markedly higher than that of the conventional method (thermal transfer by the above-mentioned thermal head or ink jet), which is advantageous in downsizing and power saving.

Further, in the conventional ink jet type color printer, it is difficult to express gradation, but since the semiconductor laser can easily control the output power, the pulse width and the like, the above recording method can easily express multi gradation. realizable. That is,
An electric image created by a color video camera or the like can be converted into a dye transfer corresponding to an image signal by a semiconductor laser to form a full-color image having at least 128 gradations per color, which is comparable to silver halide photography. it can.

The head 40, which is a transfer member suitable for the dye vaporization type recording method, has the property of sufficiently withstanding the amount of heat instantaneously applied at the time of transfer, and spontaneously due to the capillary phenomenon to the vaporization part (transfer part). It is preferable to have a structure (20 in FIG. 25) having a large surface area for supplying a liquid dye and capable of firmly holding the dye during transfer.
Further, by providing an appropriate heat retaining device, it becomes possible to use a dye or a dye mixture having a melting point of room temperature or higher.

A transfer dye suitable for this recording method is
It has an appropriate vaporization rate or ablation rate, and shows a fluid state at 200 ° C or lower in a single or mixed state,
Any dye may be used as long as it has necessary and sufficient heat resistance. Specific examples thereof include disperse dyes, oil-soluble dyes, basic dyes and acid dyes. In particular, when the ablation mechanism is superior to the vaporization mechanism, a dye having a large molecular weight and a low vaporization rate, such as a direct dye,
Even carbon black and pigments can be transferred. Even for a dye having a melting point of room temperature or higher, the melting point is lowered by mixing the dyes with each other or by mixing the dye and a volatile low molecular weight substance.

Further, the photographic printing paper suitable for this recording method has a proper compatibility with the transfer dye, easily accepts the transfer dye, accelerates the original color development of the dye, and fixes the dye. Any photographic paper can be used. For example, for the disperse dye, a paper having a surface coated with a polyester resin, a polyvinyl chloride resin, an acetate resin, or the like, which has good compatibility with the disperse dye, is preferable. The fixing of the dye transferred onto the printing paper may be performed by heating the transferred image so that the transferred dye on the surface penetrates into the image receiving layer.

The heating means of the dye transfer system is roughly classified into a method using a thermal head, a material that absorbs laser light and a wavelength range including the wavelength range of the laser light, and converts light energy into heat energy (photothermal conversion). A method of combining a body (not shown) and laser light can be mentioned.

When a laser beam is used, the resolution is remarkably improved, and by increasing the laser beam density in the optical system, it becomes possible to perform intensive heating, and the ultimate temperature is increased. As a result, the thermal efficiency is improved. There is a feature called.
Particularly, by using the multi-laser, the time for transferring one screen is significantly shortened.

However, the photothermal converter must be sufficiently heat resistant in order to continuously absorb the laser light of light energy. Therefore, as the photothermal converter used in this system, a thin film type light absorber such as a metal thin film that exhibits absorption matching the emission wavelength of a laser, or a two-layer film of a metal thin film and a ceramic thin film having a high dielectric constant is directly transferred. In addition to being provided on the part, heat resistance such as fine particle type light absorbers such as carbon black and metal fine particles, organic dyes such as phthalocyanine dyes, naphthalocyanine dyes, cyanine dyes, anthraquinone dyes or organometallic dyes A dye or pigment having excellent properties may be used by uniformly dispersing it in a transfer dye.

[0031]

Further, the applicant of the present invention has proposed another sublimation type color video printer, which does not require an ink sheet and a thermal head, and which saves power, is small in size, and is low in cost. , Japanese Patent Application No. 4-300587, Japanese Patent Application No. 5-1124
No. 1 and Japanese Patent Application No. 5-12106.

A similar structure of this printer will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 28 to 32 (however, the portions common to the head of FIG. 25 are denoted by common reference numerals), and the head portion 60 serves as a disperse dye. Dye tank 41 containing solid powder sublimation dye 42
And a wear-resistant protective layer made of high-strength material located underneath
61, a spacer 62 located in the center, and a head base 63 located on the upper side. Fig. 29
28 is shown upside down from FIG. 28.

Further, a liquefied dye supply path 64 for heating and liquefying the solid powder sublimation dye 42 in the dye storage tank 41 to guide it.
A plurality of liquefied disperse dyes supplied from the liquefied dye supply passage 64 are arranged at predetermined intervals along the liquefied dye supply passage 64.
On each vaporization section 17 for vaporizing 22 by the heat of vaporization, a vaporization heating element 65 provided below the liquid surface of the dye 22 in this vaporization section, a heat insulating material (block) 66 for supporting it, and on the heating element 65 And a group of trabecular bodies 80 which are porous structures for holding and supplying the dye 22. Electrodes 65A and 65B of heating elements are provided on both side surfaces of the heat insulating material 66, and are taken out through a structure not shown (however, an insulating structure with the heater 68 is not shown).

The protective layer 61 has a function of preventing dirt, dust, dust, foreign matter, etc. from entering the vaporization holes 23 of each vaporization section 17 when it comes into contact with the photographic printing paper 50 with a light pressure. It is formed of a metal-based or glass-based material such as tantalum, which has good thermal conductivity and excellent heat resistance and wear resistance. In addition, the protective layer 61
In this case, a plurality of square columnar holes 61a which become a part of the vaporization holes 23 of each vaporization part 17 are formed by fine processing such as an etching technique.

The spacer 62 is made of, for example, a glass-based or ceramic-based resin, a polyethylene-based resin, a metal-based resin such as tantalum, etc., and the melting temperature of the liquefied disperse dye 22 is adjusted and the protective layer 61 is adjusted depending on the material, thickness and combination thereof. It has a function of adjusting the temperature of the dye receiving layer 50a of the photographic printing paper 50 by the heat transfer of.

The photographic printing paper 50 is actually composed of a cellulosic resin or the like, and comprises a dye receiving layer 50a which absorbs disperse dyes, and a base material 50b. The base material 50b is formed by laminating a polypropylene layer having high heat resistance and good non-hygroscopicity, a base paper, and another polypropylene layer for balancing the polypropylene layer and preventing the photographic printing paper 50 from warping. The structure may be different, and a light absorption layer (which can be omitted) may be provided.

As shown in FIG. 28, FIG. 29, and FIG. 31, the spacer 62 is formed with a plurality of square columnar holes 62a each of which is a part of the vaporizing hole 23 of each vaporizing portion 17, and the dye Storage tank 41 (41Y for yellow, 41M for magenta, 41 for cyan
Each vaporizing portion 17 extends from the C) side to the other end side of the head base 63.
A plurality of slots (dye supply paths) 64 communicating with the vaporization holes 23 are formed.

Further, a dye solution stopping layer 67 is provided between the protective layer 61 and the spacer 62. This dye liquid stop layer 67
Is a liquefied disperse dye formed of a fluorine-based or silicon-based resin material that is heat resistant and chemically stable.
Is prevented from leaking to the outside through the wall surface of the protective layer 61 and adhering to the dye receiving layer 50a of the photographic printing paper 50.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 28, 29 and 30, the liquid stop layer 67 is formed with a plurality of square columnar holes 67a which become a part of the vaporization holes 23 of each vaporization section 17. There is. The protective layer 61, the dye solution stopping layer 67, and the spacer 62 are adhered to each other with a heat-resistant adhesive.

The head base 63 is formed as thin as possible, for example, glass, ceramics or the like having a high melting point, no thermoformability, and low thermal conductivity. Further, as shown in FIG. 28, on the dye storage tank 41 side of the head base 63,
A supply port (connection hole) 43 communicating with each liquefied dye supply path 64 is formed.

Further, each liquefied dye supply path of the head base 63
A plate-shaped heater (heating element) 68 is attached to the surface on the 64 side up to the inside of each dye bath 41. The heater 68 is made of, for example, carbon or a silicon compound, and is heated to 50 ° C.
It has a function of liquefying the disperse dye 42 in the form of a solid powder by generating heat of ˜300 ° C. and keeping the temperature in the liquefied state.

As shown in FIG. 28, one end of the heater 68 is bent vertically upward and inserted into each dye storage tank 41, and the other end is connected to each liquefied dye supply path. It extends to the terminal end side of 64. Further, as shown in FIG. 32, the heater 68 is arranged on the entire surface of the head base 63 so that the spacer 62 and the protective layer 61 can be kept warm to heat the dye receiving layer 50a of the printing paper 50.

The above printer head shown in FIGS. 28 to 32.
According to 60, in addition to having the features described in the printer head 40 shown in FIGS. 25 to 27, it has the following advantages when compared with this printer head 40.

First, since the heating of the dye for vaporization in each vaporization section 17 is performed not by using the laser light L but by the heat generation of the heating element 65 provided in each vaporization section, an expensive semiconductor laser ( In particular, it is possible to use a low-cost heating element instead of multiple laser arrays that are provided in parallel), and the vaporization efficiency directly uses the heat generated by the heater without depending on the electro-optical conversion efficiency of the laser. , The efficiency as a whole is improved.

However, the present inventor
As a result of examining 70, it was found that the following points to be improved remain.

There are two types of images to be recorded: images such as photographs and paintings, and documents such as characters. The former is a gradation (soft) image, and the latter is a mono-color (mostly black and white) high contrast (hard) image. The density of one pixel of the recorded image is proportional to the dye adhesion amount within a certain density range, and this dye adhesion amount is proportional to the recording time for one pixel. FIG. 33 (a) is a graph showing the change in the recording density depending on the dye adhesion amount for one pixel when recording the former image, and FIG. 33 (b) is a similar graph when recording the latter image.

The gradation of the image is represented by the tangent of the inclination angle (α ₁ or α ₂ ) of the straight line portion of the curve in FIG. 33, and this value is called gamma (γ). When recording a soft image, γ ₁ is tan α ₁ , and when recording a hard image, γ ₂ is tan α ₂ . Then, α ₁ <α ₂ , and therefore γ ₁ <γ ₂ . As can be seen from FIG. 33, when a soft image is recorded, it takes a longer time to record than when a hard image is recorded (the recording speed becomes slower).

By the way, the above-mentioned printer heads including the conventional printer head are roughly classified into those for recording a hard-tone image and those for recording a soft-tone image. At most, it can only correct the recording density as a whole. Therefore, a printer equipped with such a printer head is also roughly classified into one for recording a hard-tone image and one for recording a soft-tone image. is not.

Therefore, when it is necessary to record a gradational image such as a photograph or a painting and a high-contrast image such as a document or a table (for example, a word processor or computer graphic). , It is necessary to prepare two printers which are different in gamma and adapted to each image. This increases the area occupied by the printer and increases the equipment cost.

Further, when a gradational image such as a photograph or a painting is recorded in a predetermined area and an image with strong contrast such as characters is recorded in another area, or in the predetermined position of the former image. When the latter image is overlaid and recorded, the first recording is performed using the first printer, and the second recording sheet on which the first image is recorded is separated from the second recording medium different from the first printer. Two recordings must be done, using the printer to record the second image.

As described above, when an attempt is made to record one composite image by using two different printers for two kinds of images,
Due to the limitation of the accuracy of the printer, the positional relationship between the two types of images is not accurate, and the positional deviation occurs, which makes it difficult to obtain a good quality composite image.

Further, since it is necessary to prepare two printers, the operator has to go back and forth between the two printers, and the operation is troublesome.

[0053]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a recording method and a recording apparatus capable of coping with recording of a plurality of types of images different from each other. I am trying.

[0054]

According to the present invention, at least one of a plurality of types of recording having different transfer amounts corresponding to heating energy when recording is performed by transferring a recording material to a recording medium by heating, or The present invention relates to a recording method for selectively performing all by one type of recording device.

In the present invention, it is desirable that the heating energy for recording with a high contrast be larger than the heating energy for recording with gradation.

In the above, it is desirable to control the contrast and gradation by controlling the heating energy.

In the above, heating energy is generated as pulses by the recording material heating means, recording with high contrast is performed by increasing pulse voltage, and recording requiring gradation is performed by modulating the number of pulses. it can.

In the above, the contrast and gradation can be controlled by the number of pulses.

Further, in the above, a pulse for performing recording with a large contrast and a pulse for performing recording requiring gradation are applied to the recording material heating means in separate or common sequences. Is desirable.

Further, in the present invention, the recording material container is
It is desirable to perform recording while moving relative to the recording medium facing the recording material accommodation portion.

Further, in the present invention, when the number of pulses per pixel is reduced, the relative movement of the recording material container is accelerated, and when the number of pulses per pixel is changed, the relative movement of the recording material container is changed. It is desirable to slow down the movement.

Furthermore, in the present invention, the recording material can be heated by applying a voltage to the heating element.

Instead of the above, the recording material can be heated by irradiating laser light.

The present invention also provides a recording apparatus having a control means for selectively performing at least one or all of a plurality of types of recording having different amounts of recording material transfer corresponding to heating energy.

In the above description, it is desirable to include a recording material accommodating portion and a driving means for moving the recording material accommodating portion relative to the recording medium facing the recording material accommodating portion.

In the above description, it is desirable that the control means be constructed so as to control the relative movement speed of the recording material container in accordance with the gradation of the image to be recorded.

Further, in the present invention, a storage section for storing an input for performing recording with a large contrast and a storage section for storing an input for performing recording requiring gradation, respectively; central processing for controlling this storage section. It is desirable to have a unit; a controller that is controlled by the central processing unit based on the storage information of the storage unit; and a drive unit that is drive-controlled by the controller.

Further, in the present invention, it is desirable that the recording portion is constructed as a recording material flying structure so that the liquid recording material can fly to the recording medium to perform recording.

Further, in the present invention, it is advantageous in manufacturing the apparatus that the recording material flying structure is integrally provided on the recording material supply structure portion.

Further, in the present invention, the recording material flying structure may be attached to the inside of the recording material accommodating portion.

In the present invention, it is desirable that the heating element for heating the liquid recording material to fly is provided in the recording material flying structure.

In the present invention, the liquid recording material of the recording material flying structure may be heated by a heating beam to fly.

Further, in the present invention, it is desirable that the recording material flying structure is constructed so as to supply and hold the liquid recording material to the opening side by the capillary phenomenon.

Further, in the present invention, it is desirable that the recording material flying structure is provided with a porous structure which causes a capillary phenomenon.

Further, in the present invention, it is desirable that the porous structure is formed of an aggregate of small pillars.

Further, in the present invention, it is desirable that the liquid recording material is vaporized or ablated so as to fly to a recording medium which is arranged so as to face the liquid recording material in a non-contact state.

[0077]

EXAMPLES The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to Examples, but it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the following Examples.

First, the main part of the printer head will be described. 13 is a bottom view of the printer head (XIII-XI in FIG. 14).
FIG. 14 is a sectional view taken along line XIV-XIV in FIG.

The liquefied dye 22 is supplied from the dye supply path 84 to the vaporizing section 77 via the dye introducing port 84 '. Dye supply path 84
The dye inlet port 84 'is formed in the spacer 82.

In the dye vaporization section 77 of the printer head 70, the thickness of the SiO 2 film is 20 μm or less, for example, 6 to 15 μm.
_The dye containing portion 87 is formed in a concave shape on the insulating plate 73 composed of _two layers, and the width and the diameter of the insulating plate 73 by the fine processing are formed in the containing portion.
10 μm or less (eg 1-2 μm), spacing 20 μm or less (eg 1-2 μm), height 20 μm or less (eg 6-m
15 μm) A group of fine small columnar small columns 80 are vaporized structures.
It is provided as part of 101.

The small pillars 80 are provided at a height from the bottom surface of the accommodating portion 87 to the upper surface thereof, and have minute voids 92 between the small pillars. As a porous structure. The void 92 holds the liquefied dye 22 in the accommodating portion 87 by its capillary action, and at the same time, raises a sufficient amount of the liquefied dye 22 necessary for time-series operation of one dot of the printer (vaporization surface or liquid surface). To supply to.

The group of the small pillars 80 is divided into left and right two groups, and a heating element 75 having a thickness of, for example, 1 μm is locally formed on the bottom surface of the dye accommodating portion 87 in the middle area between the small pillars. Are provided in a rectangular shape. Therefore, the heating element 75 is a pillar.
It is provided in a separate area from the area 80. The heating element 75 is arranged at the following position.

That is, in the vaporization structure 101, the heating element 75
Is provided on the upper surface 82C of the narrow protruding portion 82B formed by partially protruding the surface 82A of the spacer 82 as the base material. Therefore, it is provided at the level of the intermediate height h between the columnar body 80 and the spacer surface 82A. The protruding portion 82B is integral with the spacer 82, and a pair of electrodes 94 and 95 of the heating element 75 are provided at the same height level h as the upper surface 82C thereof.

The heating element 75 is a silicon compound such as carbon or polysilicon, and a pair of aluminum electrodes 94 and 95 are provided on both sides thereof.

From the head controller 211, the electrodes 94-95 are
A signal voltage based on the image signal is applied by matrix driving in the meantime, and by energization by this, 50 to 50
Exothermic heat of 500 ° C. is generated, and this heat efficiently heats and vaporizes the liquefied dye 22. Further, since the spacer 82 made of quartz glass is integrally provided under the insulating plate 73, the spacer 82 acts as a heat insulating material, and the heat generated by the heating element 75 is efficiently used for heating the dye.

A supply passage 84 for the liquefied dye 22 is provided in the spacer 82.
Is formed, and this serves as the dye inlet port 84 ′ and the dye containing portion 87.
It has an opening on the bottom of. Therefore, the liquefied dye 22 is continuously introduced into the dye containing portion 87 through the passage 84 and the introduction port 84 ′ and is supplied to the vaporization structure 101.

On the spacer 82, a group of small pillars 80, which is a porous structure, and a heating element 75 are provided separately from each other (in addition, there is a spacer 82 that also functions as a heat insulating material in the base). Therefore, the heat generated from the heating element 75 does not substantially escape to the porous structure (heat dissipation or heat release to the surroundings does not occur), and the surface of the heating element 75 is above it. Dyes due to the absence of porous structures
It will be used directly for heating 22 and will be fully utilized. As a result, the heating efficiency of the heating element 75 with respect to the dye 22 can be increased, and the vaporization efficiency thereof can be increased to improve the recording performance.

Further, when the heating element 75 is not operated and is not heated, the heat of the dye 22 can be released to the surroundings through the porous structure, so that the dye 22 can be effectively cooled.

Since the porous structure (group of small pillars 80) is separated from the heating element 75, even if they are arranged adjacent to each other, thermal stress due to heating is applied to the porous structure. Substantially no addition, no damage occurs, and reliability can be improved. In addition, the occupied area or amount of the porous structure is reduced, and its processing and the like becomes easier.

Since the above-mentioned porous structure is composed of a group of trabecular bodies 80, the escape of the dye 22 is suppressed by the capillary action between the trabecular bodies and the dye 22 is effectively retained in the vaporized region. In addition, it is possible to supply heat in a fixed amount, to efficiently transfer heat, and to improve vaporization or ablation efficiency.
High-quality recording can be obtained with a constant vaporization or ablation amount by the constant supply of 22.

Since the heating element 75 is provided on the surface of the spacer 82 (bottom surface of the dye accommodating portion 87), the heating element 75 is recessed from the porous structure (group of small pillars 80). The recessed portion (stepped portion) 110, that is, the heating element 75
The dye 22 from the inlet 84 'can be smoothly supplied to the top. Therefore, even if there is only one inlet 84 ', the dye
Sufficient supply of 22. If, as in the case shown in FIG. 29, the pillars 80 are uniformly provided on the heating element 75, it becomes difficult to supply the dye 22 from one side.
As shown in FIG. 29, it is necessary to supply the heat from the four sides, or to provide two or more dye introducing ports and supply grooves.

Further, the dye 22 can be smoothly supplied to the stepped portion 110 and easily held therein, and depending on the pattern of the stepped portion (for example, the periphery thereof is surrounded by the pillars 80). In addition, the dye can be retained more sufficiently and its escape can be sufficiently prevented.

Further, when the heating element 75 is not in operation and is not heated, the heat of the dye 22 can be released to the surroundings through the porous structure, so that the dye can be effectively cooled.

Further, as described above, since the heating element 75 is provided on the protruding portion 82B of the spacer 82, the heat generated from the heating element is transferred only through the narrow protruding portion 82B. The area transmitted to the spacer 82 side is small. When the heating element is provided directly on the surface of the spacer 82, the heat of the heating element is transferred not only to the side of the spacer 82 (which acts as a heat insulating material) but also in the lateral direction. The amount of heat transferred to the spacer 82 side is reduced because of the interposition of the protruding portion 82B.

As a result, the above-described function and effect due to the heating element 75 being provided separately from the columnar body 80 (that is, there is no heat radiation through the columnar body 80, and the heat of the columnar body 80 is not generated). It is of course possible to suppress the dynamic stress and to facilitate the processing of the small pillar body 80 and reduce the amount thereof, but in addition to this, by suppressing the heat transfer by the above-mentioned protruding portion 82B,
The heating efficiency by the heating element 75 can be further improved.

Moreover, the heating element 75 has the upper surface 82 of the protruding portion 82B.
Since it is provided in C and is present near the liquid surface of the dye 22, the heat of the heating element 75 efficiently heats the liquid surface region that directly influences the vaporization of the dye, thereby further increasing the vaporization efficiency of the dye 22. Can be improved. That is, it becomes possible to fully utilize the surface of the heating element 75 (the surface that generates heat).

Further, since there is a step portion 110 between the projecting portion 82B and the trabecular body 80, the dye 22 is provided here.
Since the dye can be effectively held and supplied, and the dye can be supplied to the step portion 110 from one direction, only one introduction port 84 'is required and its position is not so limited.

In this embodiment, the width w of the heating element 75 (width of the protruding portion 82B) and its height h may be variously selected, but in view of the above heating efficiency, (2/3) h ≧ w ≧
It is preferable that the relationship of (1/3) h is satisfied. For example, h = 6 μm and w = 3 μm. The height of the pillars 80 is 20 μm or less, the diameter is 10 μm or less, and the gap 92 is 20 μm or less.
It may be μm or less.

In the printer head 70 of the present embodiment, the insulating plate 73 is integrated on the spacer 82, so that this integrated structure is thinner than the case where the insulating plate 73 or the spacer 82 is independent. It is thick and has high mechanical strength.

Therefore, the mechanical strength when processing the dye containing portion 87, the columnar body 80, the dye passage 84, etc. is sufficient, and the handling, the workability and the reliability are ensured without cracking or breaking. Furthermore, the yield and cost performance can be improved. Furthermore, due to this integrated structure,
It has sufficient heat resistance against repeated application of the pulse voltage to the heating element 75 (which will be described later).

Further, the columnar body 80 and the dye accommodating portion 87 can be formed by patterning the insulating plate 73 on the spacer 82, and can be left as it is after this patterning to form the vaporization structure 101. It is not necessary to fix them individually, and only the alignment at the time of patterning is required, so that the trabecular body 80 and the dye accommodating portion 87, and further the introduction port 84 '.
Can be easily and highly accurately aligned, and the recording characteristics can be improved.

Further, since the spacer 82 is further joined and fixed to the bottom plate 102 made of a quartz glass plate, this bottom plate 102 acts as a reinforcing member, and the mechanical strength of the head becomes further sufficient. However, the bottom plate 102 does not necessarily have to be provided, and a dye storage tank (not shown) may be directly attached to the upper surface of the spacer 82.

The electrodes 94 and 95 are provided on the upper surface of the spacer 82 together with the heating element 75. On the upper surface including the electrodes 84 and 85, a dye solution stopping layer 97 made of fluorine-based or silicon-based resin is provided. The liquefied dye 22 is prevented from leaking upward. Further, a protective layer 91 made of tantalum, glass, or the like, which is the same as the protective layer 61 described above, is provided on the liquid stop layer 97. Each layer 91, 97 has a vaporization opening 91a, 97a.
Are formed.

The dye vaporizer 77 having the above-mentioned structure is
Although one dot is shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, in the head 70, a plurality of dots are actually provided for each color (yellow Y, magenta M, cyan C) for full color as in FIGS. 28 to 32. Will be placed.

When color printing the photographic printing paper 50,
Heat is generated by the heating element 75 according to the image signal. Due to this heat of vaporization, the dye in each vaporization portion is vaporized and the holes 91 of the protective layer 91 are
It is transferred to the receiving layer 50a of the photographic printing paper 50 in the order of Y, M, and C through the sheet a.

The printer head 70 according to this embodiment is shown in FIG.
Similar to the head 60 shown in (4), it is of a thermal transfer system that heats the dye 22 to fly to the printing paper 50 through the gap,
It has the features of miniaturization, ease of maintenance, immediacy, high-quality images, and high gradation described above. Although illustration of the heater for liquefying the dye and the heat retention (heater 68 in FIG. 28) and the like is omitted, it may be adopted in the same manner as described in FIG.

Although the small columns 80 and the layers 73, 82 and 102 are made of glass, they can be made of other materials. For example, a polymer material such as polyimide, a ceramic material, a silicon material, a metal material, or a combination thereof can be used. Polymer materials can be used in printer heads
Since the structure is such that 70 is not pressed against the photographic printing paper 50, it is because a large pressure is not applied, and the heat dissipation is small when the heat generating element 75 is activated, and the thermal insulation is good.

Next, an outline of printer drive control, which is a particularly noteworthy item in this embodiment, will be described.

FIG. 1 shows a printer 20 including a printer head 70.
0 and a control unit 220 for drive control are schematically shown.

First, the printer head 70 prints one line on the platen roller 203 while scanning (forwarding) the photographic paper 50 in the Y direction, and when the printing for one line is completed, One line is fed by the paper feeding mechanism 210 composed of the driving roller 204 and the driven roller 205, and at the same time, the printer head 70 returns to the original position, and then the recording for the next one line is performed. By repeating this, recording is performed on one sheet of printing paper.

In such recording, the printer head
The head controller 21 controls the heating operation, forward movement, and backward movement of 70.
Controlled by 1. The heating operation of the printer head 70 is performed by a pulse signal supplied for each dot. The mechanical controller 212 controls the feeding of the photographic printing paper 50 in the X direction.

The control unit 220 including the head controller 211 and the mechanical controller 212 is constructed as follows.

A video circuit is connected to the video image information input terminal 213.
215 is connected, and the A / D converter 216 is connected to the video circuit 215. A memory 217 is connected to the A / D converter 216, and the memory 217 is connected to the character information input terminal 214 and the head controller 211. The video image information input terminal 213 and the character information input terminal 214 are connected to each other via a selection circuit 219, and the selection circuit 219 selects either video image information or character information.

The memory 217 includes a central processing unit 218 (C
Abbreviated as PU. ), Connected to the selection circuit 219, C
The PU 218 is a selection circuit 219, a video circuit 215, an A / D converter 216, a head controller 211 and a mechanical controller.
Connected to the 212 and the selection circuit 219 is the mechanical controller.
Connected to 212. And the video circuit 215, A / D
Converter 216, CPU 218 and head controller 211
Are connected to each other.

The control unit 220 and the printer 200 are connected as follows. The head controller 211 and the printer head 70 are connected by the flexible harness 206. Then, the mechanical controller 212 and the paper feed mechanism 210 are connected by the flexible harness 207.

The printer 200 performs recording under the control of the control unit 220. Next, an outline of printer control by the control unit 220 will be described.

When recording a video image, the control unit 220
Video image information is input to the video circuit 215 of the A / D converter.
It is input to 216, converted into a digital signal here, and stored in the memory 217. When recording a document or a word, character information is input as a digital signal to the memory 217 of the control unit 220, and this information is stored in the memory 217.

The selection circuit 219 selects a mode for recording a video image and recording a character or the like. This selection is made manually by the operator, but it goes without saying that it may be automated. The contents of the mode selection circuit are not shown.

Information stored in the memory 217 is stored in the CPU
According to the instruction of 218, it is taken out as corresponding recording information, which is supplied to the head controller 211 and the mechanical controller 212, and these controllers are controlled by the CPU 218.
While being controlled by, the control pulse signal for each dot and the head drive control signal are sent to the printer head 70, and the drive control signal for the drive roller 205 is sent to the paper feed mechanism 210. As a result, recording is performed as described above.

Recording per pixel (1 dot) is performed by driving the heating means (for example, the heating element 75 in FIGS. 13 and 14 described above) by a pulse signal. FIG. 2 shows the relationship between the number of pulses per pixel and the recording density, and the curve a is for recording an image (a soft image with gradation) (γ = tan α
(Α is the inclination angle) is small. ), The curve b shows the case where a character (a hard image having no gradation) is recorded (γ is large). The matters indicated by these curves are as described above.

When an image (soft-tone image) is recorded, the voltage is applied with the number of pulses corresponding to the density of the target pixel as indicated by the curve a. When printing a character (a hard image), the voltage applied to the printer head is increased and the number of pulses is reduced as shown by curve b (for example, once).

Therefore, in character recording, since the number of pulses is small, the scanning speed of the printer head in the X direction can be made faster than that at the time of image recording (the number of pulses is large), and the recording speed becomes faster. FIG. 3 shows the number of pulses (uniquely corresponding to the recording time) and the applied voltage (uniquely recorded) for each of the image recording (the same figure (a)) and the character recording (the same figure (b)). (Corresponding to concentration).

Further, FIG. 4 shows the relationship between the number of pulses, the applied voltage ((b) in the figure) and the recording density ((a) in the figure) for each pixel.

According to the recording as described above, one printer is used, the image is recorded as shown in FIG. 3A based on the specification of the curve a in FIG. 2, and the character is recorded. Since the recording is performed as shown in FIG. 3B based on the specification of the curve b in FIG. 2, the characters can be recorded quickly. That is, in the case of recording an image, the number of pulses per pixel is changed according to the recording density. Therefore, the scanning speed is slowed, and in the case of recording a character, the number of pulses per pixel is small (one time). Therefore, the scanning speed is increased.

For scanning the printer head in the Y direction,
There is a method in which the head moves intermittently and recording is performed in a dot shape while the head is stationary. This scanning is called step feed.
On the other hand, there is a method in which the printer head continuously moves at a constant speed, and recording is performed in dots during this movement. This scanning is called linear feeding.

FIG. 5 is a schematic front view of dots recorded by step feed. The attached dye 2 is vertically overlapped on one pixel by the number of pulses, and the density is increased in proportion to the number of overlaps.

FIG. 6 shows dots recorded by linear feeding. FIG. 6A is a schematic front view similar to FIG. Then, as shown in a plan view in FIG. 6B, one pixel is formed by arranging the number of pulses so that the dots of the attached dye 2 partially overlap each other in the head scanning direction.
As shown in FIG. 6C, the density of one pixel is light at both ends and dark at the center, and the density is generally high in proportion to the number of pulses. The diameter of the attached dye 2 per pulse is about 80 μm in both FIGS.

In recording an image, instead of changing the density of one pixel by changing the number of pulses, the number of pulses can be fixed and a voltage corresponding to the recording density can be applied to the heating element. . FIG. 7 is a graph similar to FIG. 3A, showing an example of such a case. The number of pulses per pixel is set to 3 times in the example of FIG. 7, but may be set to 1 or a fixed number of fixed times. In this way,
The recording speed of an image can be increased by reducing the number of pulses per pixel.

The above example is an example in which either image recording or document recording is selected. In addition to this, for example,
An image can be recorded on the upper half of a piece of photographic paper and a document can be recorded on the lower half to form a composite image, or a composite image can be recorded by superimposing short sentences or words on the image. .

In such a case, as described above, one printer is used, recording is performed based on the specification of the curve a in FIG. 2 in the image area, and the specification of the curve b in the figure is used in the character area. It suffices to switch to and record. Especially in the latter case,
Since a single printer is used, the image portion and the character portion do not shift, the positional relationship between both portions is maintained accurately, and a good composite image can be recorded. Needless to say, the character portion is recorded quickly.

As described above, if an attempt is made to record a composite image as described above using a printer having the specifications shown in FIG. 33A, the number of pulses in the character area is increased and the same as in the image area. Since the recording will be performed, the total recording time must be long. Also, FIG. 33 (a),
If two such printers having different specifications shown in FIG. 2B are used to record the above-described composite image, the image portion and the character portion are misaligned due to the limitation of the accuracy of the printer, and the quality is high. No composite image can be obtained.

When the recording method of FIG. 3 is adopted to record a composite image or a composite image composed of an image and characters on one sheet of photographic paper, as shown in FIG. ), The image is recorded, and in the character area, the character is recorded as shown in FIG.

When the recording method shown in FIG. 7 is used to record the same composite image or composite image as described above on one sheet of photographic paper, the image area as shown in FIG. Is recorded, and the character is recorded in the character area as shown in FIG.

In each of the above examples, the composite image and the composite image are recorded according to the two types of specifications of the curve a and the curve b shown in FIG. 2, but in addition to this, the curve a is also recorded. Both the image and the character can be recorded only by the specifications of. FIG. 10 shows the relationship between the head scanning and the pulse voltage as described above. FIG. 10A is a graph for recording an image and FIG. 10B is a graph similar to FIG. 3 for recording a character. In this example, when recording characters, the number of pulses per pixel is a fixed number which is the largest. Therefore, although the character recording has the same recording speed as the image recording, the structure of the control unit is simplified.

In this example, the image portion is recorded softly and the character portion is recorded hardly.
It is possible to obtain a composite image composed of an image and characters by recording once. Because the scanning speed of the head is constant,
This is because the character portion can be processed assuming that it has the highest density. FIG. 11 is a graph showing the relationship between the head scan and the pulse voltage in such combined image recording.

It is also possible to obtain a composite image and a composite image by recording the image and the character on two sheets of paper separately for one sheet of photographic paper. This facilitates the manual scanning of the selection circuit by the operator.

Further, in addition to the specifications of the curve a and the curve b of FIG. 2, two kinds of specifications (curves p and q) having an intermediate gamma between the two are set, and the specifications of other numbers ( In this example, recording can be performed based on four types of specifications. Figure
12 is a graph similar to FIG. 2 showing the gamma set in this way.

In this example, the image recording can be performed with the gamma specifications corresponding to the respective gradations according to the gradations required at different levels, thereby increasing the recording speed. This is because the larger the gamma, the smaller the number of pulses per pixel can be.

The printer head may have various structures other than the structures shown in FIGS. 13 and 14.

In the printer head of FIG. 15, the heating element 75 is formed directly on the surface of the spacer 82. Others are shown in Fig. 13,
It is similar to the printer head of FIG. In this example, the heat energy emitted from the heating element 75 to the spacer 82 is larger than that in the examples of FIGS. 13 and 14, but the manufacturing process of the printer head is simplified. This is because the step of forming the protrusion (82B in FIG. 13) for forming the heating element on the spacer becomes unnecessary.

The printer head of FIG. 16 is different from the example of FIG. 13 in that the heating elements 75 are formed in a meandering pattern, and the pillars 80 are provided between and around this pattern.
The other parts are similarly configured.

Therefore, even in this example, since the heating element 75 and the columnar body 80 are provided separately from each other, the configuration shown in FIG.
The same effects as those of the example of 14 are obtained, and since the heating element 75 has a meandering shape, the heating region for the dye can be expanded and uniform heating can be performed.

The next printer head is shown in FIGS. 13, 14 and 15 as shown in FIG. 17 which is a bottom view similar to FIG. 13 and FIG. 18 which is a sectional view taken along line XVIII-XVIII in FIG. Compared with the example, a heating element 75 having a vaporizing hole 75a is provided in a bridge shape above the small column 80 in the dye containing portion 87, and the other configurations are the same.

That is, the heating element 75 is provided on the upper surface of the columnar body 80 with the electrodes.
Since 94 and 95 are formed on the upper surface of the insulating plate 73, the columnar body 80 as a porous structure is provided below the heating element 75 (at a position deeper than this). Therefore, the heating element 75 is in contact with the surface of the liquefied dye 22 in the surface area of the liquefied dye 22 in the housing portion 87, or at least partially immersed below this surface, but the latter state is vaporized and It can be said that it is desirable in terms of supply efficiency.

In this case, the heating element 75 has a gap between the small pillars 80.
A large number of vaporization holes 75a are formed in the area where 92 does not exist, and in addition to the capillary action of the voids 92 of the trabecular body 80, the vaporization holes 75a are formed.
Since the capillary action of is also exhibited, the dye can be effectively retained and supplied, and further heated and vaporized.

The next example relates to a printer of the heating type by laser light irradiation, and as shown in FIGS. 19 and 20, as compared with the examples shown in FIGS.
Are different from each other in that they are directly provided on the spacer 82 and that heating is performed by the laser light L from the laser 18 without disposing a heating element, and the other configurations are the same.

That is, the spacer 82 is provided with the dye supply passage 84 and the introduction port 84 ', and the dye containing portion 87 is provided on the upper surface thereof.
And the pillars 80 are formed. In this structure as well, the spacers 82 themselves are thickened, and the mechanical strength is increased.

Therefore, the mechanical strength when processing the dye containing portion 87, the columnar body 80, the dye passage 84, etc. is sufficient, and the handling, the workability and the reliability are ensured without cracking or breaking. Furthermore, the yield and cost performance can be improved.

Further, since the columnar body 80 and the dye accommodating portion 87 can be formed by patterning the spacer 82, only the alignment at the time of patterning is required, so that the columnar body 80 and the dye accommodating portion 87, and further the inlet 84 '. Can be easily and highly accurately aligned, and the recording characteristics can be improved.

Further, since the spacer 82 is further joined and fixed to the bottom plate 102 made of a quartz glass plate, this bottom plate 102 acts as a reinforcing material, and the mechanical strength of the head becomes further sufficient.

Unlike the printer heads described above, the next printer head has a vaporizing section structure similar to the vaporizing section structure described above with reference to FIGS. 28 to 32. That is, as shown in FIG. 21, the vaporization structural body 101 is attached together with the heat insulating material block 66 in the plurality of square columnar holes 62a which become a part of the vaporization portion. With such a structure, the vaporization structure heating element 75
It has sufficient heat resistance against repeated application of a pulse voltage.

This printer head 70, as shown in FIG. 21, is different from the example shown in FIG. 29 in that the vaporization section 17 is composed of a heat insulating material 66 and a heating element 75 (and a group of small pillars 80). The structure 101 is similar in that it is formed, but basically the difference is that the group of the small pillars 80 is provided separately from the heating element 75.

That is, the heating element 75 is locally provided in a rectangular shape from one end to the other end on the upper surface 66A of the heat insulating material block 66, and the group of small pillars 80 generates heat on both sides of the heating element 75. It is provided separately from the body 75.

With this structure, as in the first example described above, the heat of the heating element 75 does not escape through the small pillars 80 and can be efficiently used for heating.
The dye can be sufficiently vaporized and supplied by the holding and supplying efficiency of the dye by the capillary action of the group of the small pillars 80 and the holding effect of the dye at the step portion 110 on the heating element 75.

Moreover, since the heat of the heating element 75 is not directly transmitted to the pillars 80, the pillars 80 are not damaged by thermal stress.

The small column 80 and the heating element 75 may have the same size, interval, thickness, etc. as those described in the first embodiment. Further, in the head 70 of this embodiment, the electrodes 94A and 95A of the heating element 75 extend from the side surface of the heat insulating material 66 to the peripheral region thereof, and the wiring metals 94B and 95B are provided on the electrodes 94A and 95A. These wiring metals are connected to the head controller 221.

Further, the heat insulating material block 66 is fixed to the base 63 provided with the dye liquefying heater 68 by the adhesive agent 111. The spacer 62 on which the dye containing portion 17 is formed is the adhesive 11
It is fixed on the base 63 by means of 2, but the vaporization structure 101 is placed in the dye containing portion 17. The point that the liquid stop layer 67 and the protective layer 61 are provided on the spacer 62 is the same as described in FIG.

The small column 80 and the layers 62 and 63 are made of glass, but can be made of other materials. For example, polymer materials such as polyimide, ceramics, silicon,
It can also be formed of a metal-based material or a combination thereof. The reason why the polymer material can be used is that the printer head 70 is not pressed against the photographic printing paper 50, so that it does not receive a large pressure.
The heat dissipation is small at the time of operation of 75, and the thermal insulation is good.

Further, according to the printer head 70 of this example, the heating element 75 in the vaporization structure portion 101 partially projects the surface 66A of the heat insulating material block 66 serving as the base material and has a narrow protruding portion 66B. Is provided on the upper surface 66C, and is therefore provided at an intermediate height level between the columnar body 80 and the heat insulating material surface 66A. The protruding portion 66B is integral with the heat insulating material 66, and the pair of electrodes 94 and 95 of the heating element 75 are provided at the same level as the upper surface 66C thereof.

As described above, since the heating element 75 is provided on the protruding portion 66B of the heat insulating material 66, the heat generated from the heating element is transferred only through the narrow protruding portion 66B, so that the heat is insulated. The area transmitted to the material 66 side is small.

As a result, the above-described function and effect due to the heating element 75 being provided separately from the small pillar body 80 (that is, there is no heat radiation through the small pillar body 80, and the heat of the small pillar body 80 is not generated). Of course, the mechanical stress of the small pillars 80 can be easily processed, and the amount thereof can be reduced. However, in addition to this, by suppressing the heat transfer by the above-mentioned protruding portion 66B,
The heating efficiency by the heating element 75 can be further improved.

Moreover, the heating element 75 is provided on the upper surface 66 of the protruding portion 66B.
Since it is provided in C and is present near the liquid surface of the dye 22, the heat of the heating element 75 efficiently heats the liquid surface region that directly influences the vaporization of the dye, thereby further increasing the vaporization efficiency of the dye 22. Can be improved. That is, it becomes possible to fully utilize the surface of the heating element 75 (the surface that generates heat).

Further, since the step portion 110 is present between the projecting portion 66B and the small column 80, the dye 22 is provided here.
Since the dye can be effectively held and supplied, and the dye can be supplied to the step portion 110 from one direction, only one introduction path 64a is required and its position is not so restricted.

In addition, the action and effect due to the capillary action of the group of the small columns 80 can be obtained in the same manner as in the above-mentioned embodiments.

In this example, the width (width of the protruding portion 66B) w of the heating element 75 and the height h thereof may be variously selected, but in view of the above heating efficiency, (2/3) h ≧ w ≧ (1
/ 3) It is preferable that the relationship h is satisfied. For example, h
= 6 μm and w = 3 μm. The height of the pillars 80 may be 20 μm or less, the diameter may be 10 μm or less, and the gap 92 may be 20 μm or less.

In this example, although not shown,
As in the case shown in FIG. 15, the heating element 75 may be directly provided on the surface 66A of the cross-section material block (without providing the protruding portion 66B), and in the same manner as shown in FIG. It may be provided.

As shown in FIG. 22, the color video printer 200 having each printer head 70 according to each of the above-described examples feeds paper in the vertical direction (X direction), and moves the head in the horizontal direction (Y direction) orthogonal to the X direction. Printing is performed by (direction) scanning, and the paper feed in the vertical direction and the head scan in the horizontal direction are alternately performed.

In this printer 200, the printer head 70 including the head portions Y, M, and C of each color is a serial type head, and the head feed shaft 201 including a feed screw mechanism.
The head support shaft 202 allows the print paper 50 to reciprocate in the head feed direction Y which is orthogonal to the paper feed direction X.

On the upper side of the printer head 70, a head receiving roller (platen roller) 203 that supports the photographic printing paper 50 so as to sandwich it is rotatably provided. The photographic printing paper 50 is sandwiched between the paper feed drive roller 204 and the driven roller 205 and moved in the paper feed direction X. The printer head 70 is a flexible harness.
It is connected to the head controller (211 in FIG. 1) via 206. The paper feed drive roller 204 is connected to the mechanical controller of FIG. 1 via the flexible harness 207 of FIG.
It is connected to 212.

When the printing of one line is completed, the printing paper 50 is fed by one line by the paper feed drive roller 203 which also serves as a head support. Printing is started sequentially for each color, but after 3 dots, printing is performed simultaneously. In addition, a plurality of first heating elements
If there are 75, run them alternately and select the heating element 75
Is used for printing, while the non-printing heating element 75 can control the temperature by utilizing the residual heat to liquefy the dye and keep it warm.

FIG. 23 shows a color video printer 200 having a head 70 of a line type, in which head portions Y, M and C of respective colors are arranged side by side in the width direction of the printing paper 50. .

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the above embodiments can be further modified based on the technical idea of the present invention.

For example, the structure of the control means may be the structure provided with an appropriate function in addition to the structure of the control section 220 illustrated in FIG.

In serial recording, an image (or a character) may be recorded when the printer head moves forward, and a character (or an image) may be recorded when the printer head moves backward. Is shortened.

Further, it is also possible to arrange two (or more) printers in series to form a single recording device, and to successively record the respective printers with different gradation levels.

The shape, material, size, etc. of the above-mentioned heating element (heater) 75 may be various or in combination, and the poly-Si layer and the metal wiring may be used together or appropriately. An insulating film such as SiN or SiO ₂ may be attached to form the protective film. The base material may be formed of a high heat conductive material such as aluminum or ceramics, and the thermal characteristics of the head may be adjusted by the heating element 75, the heat insulating material, and the base material.

Further, the porous structure to be formed in the vaporization part is
Not limited to the above, for example, in the case of a pillar, its height,
The plane or sectional shape, density, etc. may be changed, and
The formation location is also applicable as long as it is required to form a fine pattern or be porous, or to increase the surface area. In addition to the columnar body, the porous structure may be a wall-shaped body, a bead aggregate shown in FIG. 25, a fibrous body, or the like.

Further, not only the dye vaporization type transfer system but also the transfer system by ablation described above is possible, and in any case, the dye or recording material is transferred by flying.

Further, the number of recording material storage portions for storing the recording material (dye) and the number of dots, and the corresponding number of heating elements and vaporization portions may be variously changed, and the arrangement shape and size thereof may be changed. It is not limited to the above.

Further, the structure and shape of the head and the printer, including the dye containing portion and the dye supply passage, may be an appropriate structure and shape other than those described above, and the material of each part constituting the head may be any other suitable material. Materials may be used. With respect to the recording dyes, full-color recording can be performed with three colors of magenta, yellow, and cyan (further, black is added), and two-color printing, one-color monocolor, or monochrome recording can be performed.

A heating element and a laser may be combined to heat the dye. In this case, vaporization can be satisfactorily realized even if the power of each heating means is reduced.

Further, as in the above-mentioned example, the solid dye is once made into a liquid and vaporized to perform recording, or the solid dye is heated by laser light to directly vaporize (that is, sublimate) to perform recording. In addition, a liquefied dye (liquid at room temperature) can be stored in the dye reservoir. In the printer described above, the laser beam may be irradiated from above the head to perform recording on the recording paper located below the head, or the recording may be performed in the opposite direction (from bottom to top). The same applies when the heating element 75 is used.

The present invention can also be applied to recording using a thermal head.

Further, according to the present invention, a recording liquid containing a recording material and a substance (that is, a carrier) that dissolves or disperses the recording material and expands in volume by heating is supplied, and the state of the recording liquid is changed by heating. Change to create droplets,
It can also be applied to an ink jet system in which the liquid droplets are transferred to a recording medium arranged opposite to the recording head.

[0185]

According to the recording method of the present invention, at least one or all of plural kinds of recordings having different transfer amounts of the recording material to the recording medium corresponding to the heating energy are selectively selected by one recording device. In addition, since the recording apparatus according to the present invention has the control means for performing the above selection, the following effects can be obtained.

Recording can be performed under the recording conditions (the suitable amount of recording material transferred to the recording medium) suitable for each of the plurality of types of recording described above, and one type of recording apparatus corresponding to any of these plurality of types of recording. Good recording can be made only with this. Further, since one type of recording device is used, unlike the case where the recording device is individually used for each of a plurality of types of recording, the area occupied by the recording device is small and the facility cost is reduced.

Furthermore, it is possible to carry out recording in which a plurality of types of recording described above are mixed on one recording medium. In this case, by using one type of recording device, positional deviation due to the accuracy of the recording device is prevented, the positional relationship between the recorded images is accurately maintained, and good recording results are obtained.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a main part of a recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a graph showing the relationship between the number of pulses of voltage application to the heating element per pixel and the recording density (gamma 2 level).

FIG. 3 is a graph showing the relationship between the recording time and the voltage applied to the heating element.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing an attached dye for one pixel on a printing paper in a printer head scan of the same step feeding.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing an attached dye for one pixel on a printing paper in a printer head scan of the same linear feed.

FIG. 6 is a graph showing the relationship between the scan of the printer head and the voltage applied to the heating element.

FIG. 7 is a graph showing the relationship between the pixel density and the voltage applied to the heating element when the same gamma is set to three levels.

8 is a graph showing the relationship between the scanning of the printer head and the voltage applied to the heating element in the recording of the composite image obtained by the recording method of FIG.

9 is a graph showing the relationship between the scanning of the printer head and the voltage applied to the heating element in the recording of the composite image obtained by the recording method of FIG.

FIG. 10 is a graph showing the relationship between the pixel density and the applied voltage when the applied voltage to the heating element is constant.

11 is a graph showing the relationship between the scanning of the printer head and the voltage applied to the heating element in the recording of the composite image obtained by the recording method of FIG.

FIG. 12 is a graph similar to FIG. 2 when the same gamma is set to 4 levels.

FIG. 13 is a bottom view of the main part of the printer head.

14 is a sectional view taken along line XIV-XIV in FIG. 13.

FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view of a main part of the other printer head.

FIG. 16 is a bottom view of the main part of the other printer head.

FIG. 17 is a bottom view of the main part of still another printer head.

18 is a sectional view taken along line XVIII-XVIII in FIG.

FIG. 19 is a bottom view of a main part of still another printer head.

20 is a sectional view taken along line XX-XX of FIG. 19.

FIG. 21 is a sectional perspective view of a main part of still another printer head.

FIG. 22 is a schematic perspective view of a printer having a printer head according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 23 is a schematic perspective view of another printer having the printer head.

FIG. 24 is a front view of a main part of a printer using a conventional thermal recording head.

FIG. 25 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a printer devised before the completion of the present invention.

FIG. 26 is an exploded perspective view of a head of the printer.

FIG. 27 is an exploded perspective view of a head of the other printer.

FIG. 28 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a printer filed before the invention of the present invention.

FIG. 29 is an enlarged cross-sectional perspective view of a main part of the head of the printer.

FIG. 30 is a perspective view of a part of the head of the printer.

FIG. 31 is a perspective view of another part of the head of the printer.

32 is a partially enlarged view of FIG. 31.

FIG. 33 is a graph showing the relationship between the dye adhesion amount (time) per pixel and the recording density.

[Explanation of symbols]

 2 ... Adhesive dye 18 ... Semiconductor laser 22 ... Liquefied dye 32 ... Vaporized dye 50 ... Printing paper 62, 82 ... Spacer 62a ... Dye storage part (hole) 64, 84・ ・ ・ Dye supply paths 64a, 84 '・ ・ ・ Dye inlet 66 ・ ・ ・ Insulation 70 ・ ・ ・ Printer head 73 ・ ・ ・ Insulation plate 75 ・ ・ ・ Heating element 77 ・ ・ ・ Vaporization section 80 ・ ・ ・Small pillar 91 ・ ・ ・ Protective layer 92 ・ ・ ・ Voids 94, 95 ・ ・ ・ Electrode 101 ・ ・ ・ Vaporized structure 200 ・ ・ ・ Printer 210 ・ ・ ・ Paper feed mechanism 211 ・ ・ ・ Head controller 212 ・ ・ ・Mechanical controller 220 ・ ・ ・ Control unit L ・ ・ ・ Laser light

Claims (31)

[Claims] 1. When recording a recording material by transferring the recording material to a recording medium by heating, at least one or all of a plurality of recordings having different transfer amounts corresponding to heating energy are recorded by one recording device. Recording method to perform selectively. 2. The recording method according to claim 1, wherein the heating energy for recording with high contrast is set higher than the heating energy for recording with gradation. 3. The recording method according to claim 2, wherein contrast and gradation are controlled by controlling heating energy. 4. The recording material heating means generates heating energy as pulses, the pulse voltage is increased to perform recording with high contrast, and the number of pulses is modulated to perform recording requiring gradation. The recording method described in 3. 5. The recording method according to claim 4, wherein contrast and gradation are controlled by the number of pulses. 6. A pulse for performing recording with high contrast and a pulse for performing recording requiring gradation are applied to the recording material heating means in separate or common sequences. Recording method described in. 7. The recording method according to claim 1, wherein the recording is performed while moving the recording material container relative to a recording medium facing the recording material container. 8. The relative movement of the recording material accommodation section is increased when the number of pulses per pixel is decreased, and the relative movement of the recording material accommodation section is decreased when the number of pulses per pixel is changed. The recording method according to claim 4. 9. The recording method according to claim 1, wherein a voltage is applied to the heating element to heat the recording material. 10. The recording material is heated by irradiating with a laser beam,
The recording method according to claim 1. 11. A recording apparatus having a control means for selectively performing at least one or all of a plurality of types of recording having different amounts of recording material transfer corresponding to heating energy. 12. The control means is configured so that the heating energy for recording with high contrast is larger than the heating energy for recording with gradation. The described recording device. 13. The recording apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the control unit is configured to control contrast and gradation by controlling heating energy. 14. The recording material heating means generates heating energy as a pulse to increase the pulse voltage to perform recording with high contrast, and to modulate the number of pulses to perform recording requiring gradation. 14. The recording device according to claim 13, wherein a control means is configured. 15. The recording apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the control unit is configured to control the contrast and gradation by the number of pulses. 16. A control for applying a pulse for recording with high contrast and a pulse for recording with gradation required to the recording material heating means in separate or common sequences. 15. A recording device according to claim 14, wherein the means are constructed. 17. The relative movement of the recording material accommodation unit is increased when the number of pulses per pixel is reduced, and the relative movement of the recording material accommodation unit is decreased when the number of pulses per pixel is changed. 15. The recording apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the control means is configured as described above. 18. The recording apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the recording material heating means is a heating element, and a voltage is applied to the heating element to heat the recording material. 19. The recording apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the recording material heating unit is a laser, and the recording material is heated by irradiating the laser light from the laser. 20. The recording material container according to claim 11, further comprising: a recording material container; and a driving unit that relatively moves the recording material container with respect to a recording medium facing the recording material container. Recording device. 21. The recording apparatus according to claim 20, wherein the control unit is configured to control a relative movement speed of the recording material accommodation unit according to a gradation of an image to be recorded. 22. A storage unit for respectively storing an input for performing recording with a high contrast; an input for performing recording for which gradation is required; a central processing unit for controlling this storage unit; 21. The recording apparatus according to claim 20, further comprising: a controller controlled by the central processing unit based on stored information in a storage section; and drive means driven and controlled by the controller. 23. A recording material flying structure for flying a liquid recording material to a recording medium to perform recording is provided in a recording portion.
The recording device according to claim 11. 24. The recording apparatus according to claim 23, wherein the recording material flying structure is integrally provided on the recording material supply structure portion. 25. The recording apparatus according to claim 23, wherein the recording material flying structure is mounted in the recording material accommodation portion. 26. The recording material flying structure is provided with a heating element for heating and flying the liquid recording material.
The recording device described in 23. 27. The recording apparatus according to claim 23, wherein the liquid recording material of the recording material flying structure is heated by a heating beam to fly. 28. The recording apparatus according to claim 23, further comprising a recording material flying structure that supplies and holds the liquid recording material to the opening side by a capillary phenomenon. 29. The recording apparatus according to claim 28, wherein the recording material flying structure is provided with a porous structure that causes a capillary phenomenon. 30. The recording device according to claim 29, wherein the porous structure is formed by an assembly of pillars. 31. The recording apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the liquid recording material is vaporized or ablated so as to fly to a recording medium facing the liquid recording material in a non-contact state.