Ink jet recording device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9636912-B2
Application number	US-201314780320-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 19, 2013
Priority date	Mar 28, 2013
Publication date	May 2, 2017
Grant date	May 2, 2017

Abstract

Under a condition in which bowed printing occurs, a horizontal shift is suppressed to improve print quality. Following a program stored in a ROM 12 , an MPU 10 generates video data for charging print particles according to print contents data stored in a RAM 11 . Based on the print contents data, the MPU 10 detects a letter to be printed last, and when the letter to be printed last is printed to end a print operation, generates video data so that based on the video data, a non-print charge voltage driving non-print particles to an extent that they do not fly over a gutter 25 is applied to non-print particles. The number of the non-print particles subjected to the non-print charge voltage is determined by the MPU 10 , based on the distance from a print head 2 to a print subject 30 , a letter height preset value, etc. A character signal generating circuit 18 generates the non-print charge voltage, based on the video data, and applies the generated the non-print charge voltage to a charging electrode 22.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An ink jet recording device comprising:
a print head including:
a nozzle that excites ink to jet it in a form of ink particles;
a charging electrode that charges the ink particles;
a deflector electrode that generates an electric field by which the charged ink particles are deflected; and
a gutter that captures and reclaims an ink particle not used for printing; and

a printing control unit that controls a voltage applied to the charging electrode, wherein
the printing control unit causes the charging electrode to apply a charge voltage to a print particle that is an ink particle to be landed on a print subject, and to apply a non-print charge voltage to a non-print particle that is an ink particle not to be landed on the print subject, the non-print charge voltage being a charge voltage driving the non-print particle to an extent that it does not fly over the gutter and having a polarity identical to that of the print particle to be landed on the print subject, so that bowed printing during high-speed printing is suppressed, and
when the charge voltage is applied consecutively to two or more of the print particles, the printing control unit applies the non-print charge voltage to the non-print particle being present between the print particle subjected to the charge voltage last among the two or more of print particles and a print particle to be subjected to the charge voltage next.

2. The ink jet recording device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the printing control unit applies the non-print charge voltage to all of the non-print particles during execution of printing.

3. The ink jet recording device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the printing control unit includes:
a data storage unit that stores therein print contents data indicative of data of print contents to be printed out;
a control unit that, according to the print contents data stored in the data storage unit, generates charge data for applying the charge voltage to the print particle and applying the non-print charge voltage to the non-print particle; and
a charge voltage generator that, based on the charge data, generates the charge voltage or non-print charge voltage and that supplies the generated charge voltage or non-print charge voltage to the charging electrode,
wherein, based on the print contents data, the control unit generates the charge data so that the number of the non-print particles subjected to the non-print charge voltage is changed.

4. The ink jet recording device according to claim 3 ,
wherein print contents data stored in the data storage unit includes distance information indicative of a distance from the print head to the print subject, letter height information indicative of a height of a letter to be printed, and print speed information indicative of a speed with which the print subject moves, and
wherein the control unit changes the number of the non-print particles, based on the distance information, the letter height information, and the print speed information.

5. The ink jet recording device according to claim 3 ,
wherein print contents data stored in the data storage unit includes information of the number of non-print particles, the information indicating the number of the non-print particles that can be set arbitrarily, and
wherein the control unit changes the number of the non-print particles according to the information of the number of non-print particles.

6. The ink jet recording device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the printing control unit applies the non-print charge voltage to the non-print particle right after end of all printings on the print subject.

7. The ink jet recording device according to claim 6 ,
wherein the printing control unit includes:
a data storage unit that stores therein print contents data indicative of data of print contents to be printed out;
a control unit that, according to the print contents data stored in the data storage unit, generates charge data for applying the charge voltage to the print particle and applying the non-print charge voltage to the non-print particle; and
a charge voltage generator that, based on the charge data, generates the charge voltage or non-print charge voltage and that supplies the generated charge voltage or non-print charge voltage to the charging electrode,
wherein, based on the print contents data, the control unit changes the number of the non-print particles subjected to the non-print charge voltage for each end of printing on the print subject.

8. The ink jet recording device according to claim 7 ,
wherein print contents data stored in the data storage unit includes distance information indicative of a distance from the print head to the print subject, letter height information indicative of a height of a letter to be printed, and print speed information indicative of a speed with which the print subject moves, and
wherein the control unit changes the number of the non-print particles, based on the distance information, the letter height information, and the print speed information.

9. The ink jet recording device according to claim 7 ,
wherein print contents data stored in the data storage unit includes information of the number of non-print particles, the information indicating the number of the non-print particles that can be set arbitrarily, and
wherein the control unit changes the number of the non-print particles according to the information of the number of non-print particles.

10. The ink jet recording device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the printing control unit controls the print head so as to provide an amount of a charge voltage applied to the start-side print particle to be the minimum, to gradually increase an amount of application of the charge voltage, and to provide an amount of the charge voltage applied to the end-side print particle to be the maximum.

11. The ink jet recording device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the printing control unit controls the print head so as to provide an amount of a charge voltage applied to the start-side print particle to be the maximum, to gradually decrease an amount of application of the charge voltage, and to provide an amount of the charge voltage applied to the end-side print particle to be the minimum.

Assignees

• Hitachi Industry Equipment Systems Co Ltd

Inventors

• Takagishi Tsuneaki
• Harada Nobuhiro
• Kato Manabu
• Kawano Takashi
• Ikegawa Masato

Classifications

• B41J2002/1853

  ink collectors for continuous Inkjet printers, e.g. gutters, mist suction means · CPC title

• B41J2/09

  Deflection means · CPC title

• B41J2/06 Primary

  by electric or magnetic field · CPC title

• B41J2/08

  charge-control type · CPC title

• B41J2/075 Primary

  for many-valued deflection · CPC title