Ink jet printer

• US 20050099478A1
• Filed: 03/25/2004
• Published: 05/12/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/11/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fumiyoshi Iwase
• Original Assignee: Roland DG Corporation
• Inventors: Iwase, Fumiyoshi
• Granted Patent: US 7,232,212 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 347/102
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 11/00214 using UV radiation

Abstract

An ink jet head of an ink jet printer comprises an ink jet nozzle ejecting ultraviolet curing ink, a pair of ultraviolet LEDs provided on both sides of the ink jet nozzle in the moving direction for emitting ultraviolet light in order to cure the ultraviolet curing ink.

Claims

1. An ink jet printer forming an image using ultraviolet curing ink, comprising:

an ink jet head ejecting out the ultraviolet curing ink onto a predetermined sheet,

moving means for moving said ink jet head relatively to said sheet; and

an LED provided in the moving direction of said ink jet head and emitting ultraviolet light.

2. The ink jet printer according to claim 1, wherein said LED is provided also in the direction opposite to the moving direction of said ink jet head.

3. The ink jet printer according to claim 1, wherein said LED comprises a plurality of LED elements arranged in rows and columns, and

said plural LED elements comprise first-wavelength LED elements outputting first-wavelength ultraviolet, and second-wavelength LED elements outputting ultraviolet light whose wavelength is longer than said first wavelength.

4. The ink jet printer according to claim 1, wherein said LED comprises a plurality of first-wavelength LED elements and second-wavelength LED elements, and

said plural first-wavelength LED elements and second-wavelength LED elements are arranged alternately in said moving direction.

5. The ink jet printer according to claim 1, wherein said plural first-wavelength LED elements of said plural first-wavelength LED elements and second-wavelength LED elements are arranged close to the side of said ink jet head against said moving direction.

6. The ink jet printer according to claim 1, wherein said moving means moves said ink jet head in the main scanning direction which is a feeding direction of said sheet, and in the secondary scanning direction which intersects with said feeding direction of the sheet at right angles, and

said plural first-wavelength LED elements are arranged in the secondary direction of said ink jet head and said plural second-wavelength LED elements are arranged on the main scanning side of said ink jet head.

7. The ink jet printer according to claim 1, wherein said first-wavelength ranges from 250 nm to 300 nm, and said second-wavelength ranges from 300 to 370 nm.