Printing device, printing device control method and writing device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10894425-B2
Application number	US-201716301925-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 8, 2017
Priority date	May 18, 2016
Publication date	Jan 19, 2021
Grant date	Jan 19, 2021

Abstract

This printing device is provided with a first ink container that contains a first ink; a second ink container that contains a second ink; temperature adjusting units that adjust the temperature of the first ink contained in the first ink container and/or the temperature of the second ink contained in the second ink container; a nozzle that sprays the inks; and a control unit that controls the first temperature adjusting unit and the second temperature adjusting unit.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A printing device comprising:
a first ink container that contains a first ink;
a second ink container that contains a second ink;
a temperature adjusting unit that adjusts at least either temperature of the first ink contained in the first ink container or temperature of the second ink contained in the second ink container;
a nozzle that sprays an ink; and
a control unit that controls the temperature adjusting unit,
wherein the temperature adjusting unit has a cooling mechanism and a heating mechanism,
wherein the first ink and the second ink are inks that change in color reversibly as a result of temperature change, and have different color-development start temperatures and decoloration start temperatures, and
wherein, assuming that a decoloration start temperature of the first ink is T a1 , a color-development start temperature of the first ink is T d1 , a decoloration start temperature of the second ink is T a2 and a color-development start temperature of the second ink is T d2 , a relationship of T d1 <T d2 <T a1 <T a2 is satisfied.

2. The printing device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the temperature adjusting unit has:
a first temperature adjusting unit that adjusts temperature of the first ink contained in the first ink container; and
a second temperature adjusting unit that adjusts temperature of the second ink contained in the second ink container.

3. The printing device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the nozzle has a first nozzle that sprays the first ink and a second nozzle that sprays the second ink, and
the printing device further comprises:
a first ink supply path that supplies the first ink from the first ink container to the first nozzle; and
a second ink supply path that supplies the second ink from the second ink container to the second nozzle.

4. The printing device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a first heat insulating portion in which the first ink container and first temperature adjusting unit are arranged and which insulates from an outside; and
a second heat insulating portion in which the second ink container and second temperature adjusting unit are arranged and which insulates from an outside.

5. The printing device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the control unit:
controls a first temperature adjusting unit to adjust the temperature of the first ink to a temperature equal to or lower than T d1 , and thereafter adjusts the temperature to a temperature T 0 which is higher than T d2 and lower than T a1 ; and
controls a second temperature adjusting unit to adjust the temperature of the second ink to a temperature equal to or higher than T a2 , and thereafter adjusts the temperature to the temperature T 0 .

6. A printing device comprising:
a first ink container that contains a first ink;
a second ink container that contains a second ink;
a temperature adjusting unit that adjusts at least either temperature of the first ink contained in the first ink container or temperature of the second ink contained in the second ink container;
a nozzle that sprays an ink;
a control unit that controls the temperature adjusting unit,
wherein the temperature adjusting unit has a cooling mechanism and a heating mechanism, and
wherein the first ink and the second ink are inks that change in color reversibly as a result of temperature change, and have different color-development start temperatures and decoloration start temperatures;
an ink container;
a first ink supplementation path that supplies the first ink from the first ink container to the ink container;
a second ink supplementation path that supplies the second ink from the second ink container to the ink container; and
an ink supply path that supplies, from the ink container to the nozzle, a mixed ink in which the first ink and the second ink are mixed,
wherein the nozzle sprays the mixed ink in which the first ink and the second ink are mixed.

7. The printing device according to claim 6 , wherein the temperature adjusting unit adjusts at least either temperature of the first ink or temperature of the second ink before mixing of the first ink and the second ink.

8. The printing device according to claim 6 , further comprising an internal temperature adjusting unit that adjusts temperature of the ink container.

Assignees

• Hitachi Ltd

Inventors

• Aida Kohhei
• Tada Yasuhiko
• Sasaki Hiroshi
• Kawasaki Masahiro

Classifications

• B41J2/01

  Ink jet · CPC title

• B43K8/22 Primary

  with electrically or magnetically activated writing-points · CPC title

• B43K5/1818

  Mechanical feeding means, e.g. valves; Pumps · CPC title

• B41J2/04563

  detecting head temperature; Ink temperature · CPC title

• G01K11/12

  using changes in colour, translucency or reflectance · CPC title