# US 7,607,773 B2 · Inkjet recording apparatus > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 7,607,773 B2 - Document ID: US7607773B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 11/044,087 - Filed: 2005-01-28 - Published: 2005-08-25 - Granted: 2009-10-27 - Earliest claimed: 2004-01-30 - Assignees: FUJIFILM Corporation - Inventors: Kanji Nagashima - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US7607773B2 ## CPC - B41J 11/00212: {Controlling the irradiation means, e.g. image-based controlling of the irradiation zone or control of the duration or intensity of the irradiation} - B41J 11/00214: {using UV radiation} - B41J 11/00216: {using infrared [IR] radiation or microwaves} - B41M 7/0081: {using electromagnetic radiation or waves, e.g. ultraviolet radiation, electron beams} - B41J: TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS - B41M: PRINTING, DUPLICATING, MARKING, OR COPYING PROCESSES; COLOUR PRINTING, (correction of typographical errors B41J; processes for applying transfer pictures or the like B44C1/16; fluid media for correction of typographical errors by coating C09D10/00; printing textiles D06P) ## Abstract The inkjet recording apparatus comprises: a head which ejects ink droplets of light-curable ink to a print medium to form an image on the print medium; a light irradiating device which is located at a downstream side of the head, and irradiates light from a light source onto the ink droplets immediately after the ink droplets have been deposited on the print medium; and a control device which controls the light irradiating device in such a manner that luminous energy irradiated onto a region of the print medium where bleeding of the ink droplets would be conspicuous is greater than luminous energy irradiated onto another region of the print medium. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An inkjet recording apparatus, comprising: a head which ejects ink droplets of light-curable ink to a print medium to form an image on the print medium; a light irradiating device which irradiates light from a light source onto the ink droplets immediately after the ink droplets have been deposited on the print medium; and a control device which controls the light irradiating device in such a manner that luminous energy irradiated onto a region of the print medium where bleeding of the ink droplets would be conspicuous is greater than luminous energy irradiated onto another region of the print medium, wherein the region of the print medium where the bleeding of the ink droplets would be conspicuous is at least one of an edge of a solid print region in the image, an edge of a line region in the image, an isolated dot in the image, a region of high contrast in the image, and a region of large color variation in the image, and a region of high contrast in the image, and a region of large color variation in the image are determined by multiplying two-dimensional image data by an edge detection matrix. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The inkjet recording apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the luminous energy irradiated onto the region of the print medium including the ink droplets where bleeding of the ink droplets would be conspicuous is greater than the luminous energy irradiated onto the another region of the print medium including the ink droplets where bleeding of the ink droplets would be inconspicuous. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The inkjet recording apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein: the light irradiating device includes a scanning device which scans the print medium in a width direction of the print medium with the light having a prescribed beam width; and the control device controls the light irradiating device to irradiate constant luminous energy, and controls the scanning device in such a manner that a scanning speed with respect to the region of the print medium where the bleeding of the ink would be conspicuous is slower than a scanning speed with respect to the other region of the print medium. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The inkjet recording apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein: the light irradiating device includes a scanning device which two-dimensionally scans the print medium in a width direction and a conveyance direction of the print medium with the light having a prescribed beam width; and the control device controls the light irradiating device to irradiate constant luminous energy, and controls the scanning device in such a manner that a scanning speed with respect to the region of the print medium where the bleeding of the ink would be conspicuous is slower than a scanning speed with respect to the other region of the print medium. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The inkjet recording apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein: the light irradiating device includes a scanning device which two-dimensionally scans the print medium in a width direction and a conveyance direction of the print medium with the light having a prescribed beam width; and the control device controls the light irradiating device to irradiate constant luminous energy, and controls the scanning device in such a manner that the region of the print medium where the bleeding of the ink would be conspicuous is scanned a plurality of times. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The inkjet recording apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein: the light irradiating device includes a scanning device which two-dimensionally scans the print medium in a width direction and a conveyance direction of the print medium with the light having a prescribed beam width; and the control device controls a scanning speed of the scanning device to be constant, and controls the light source of the light irradiating device in such a manner that the luminous energy irradiated onto the region of the print medium where the bleeding of the ink would be conspicuous is increased. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The inkjet recording apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the light irradiating device includes a scanning device, including: the light source which emits the light; an optical system including a scanning mirror, the optical system concentrating the light emitted by the light source onto the print medium through the scanning mirror; and a mirror turning device which turns the scanning mirror. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The inkjet recording apparatus as defined in claim 7, wherein: the head is a line type head having a length corresponding to a maximum width of the print medium; and the light irradiating device comprises a plurality of the scanning devices arranged in a longitudinal direction of the line type head. ### Claim 9 (depends on 7) The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising a print determination device, including: a branching device which is disposed in an optical path between the light source and the scanning mirror, and causes reflected light which is reflected at a focal point of the optical system on the print medium and returns back through the optical system to branch off; an optical sensor which measures the reflected light branched off by the branching device and outputs a measurement signal; and a judging device which judges whether the ink droplet presents on the print medium or not according to the measurement signal obtained from the optical sensor. ### Claim 10 (depends on 7) The inkjet recording apparatus as defined in claim 7, wherein the optical system further includes a collimator lens to convert light emitted from the light source into parallel light, a cylindrical lens to concentrate parallel light in one direction, and a condenser mirror to concentrate light from the scanning mirror onto the print medium. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The inkjet recording apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the light irradiating device is integrally arranged on the head. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The inkjet recording apparatus as defined in claim 1, further comprising a light irradiating device located at a downstream side of the head. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The inkjet recording apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the head is a line type head or a shuttle type head. ### Claim 14 An inkjet recording apparatus, comprising: a head which ejects ink droplets of light-curable ink to a print medium to form an image on the print medium; a light irradiating device which irradiates light from a light source onto the ink droplets immediately after the ink droplets have been deposited on the print medium; and a control device which controls the light irradiating device in such a manner that luminous energy irradiated onto a region of the print medium where bleeding of the ink droplets would be conspicuous is greater than luminous energy irradiated onto another region of the print medium, wherein the region of the print medium where the bleeding of the ink droplets would be conspicuous is at least one of an edge of a solid print region in the image, an edge of a line region in the image, an isolated dot in the image, a region of high contrast in the image, and a region of large color variation in the image, and a region of high contrast in the image, and a region of large color variation in the image are determined by calculating values for concentration difference and color difference between adjacent pixels of image data, to obtain regions corresponding to large absolute values. ### Claim 15 An inkjet recording method, comprising: ejecting ink droplets of light-curable ink to a print medium to form an image on the print medium; irradiating light from a light source onto the ink droplets immediately after the ink droplets have been deposited on the print medium; and controlling the irradiating step so that luminous energy irradiated onto a region of the print medium including the ink droplets where bleeding of the ink droplets would be conspicuous is greater than luminous energy irradiated onto another region of the print medium including the ink droplets where bleeding of the ink droplets would be inconspicuous, wherein the region of the print medium where the bleeding of the ink droplets would be conspicuous is at least one of an edge of a solid print region in the image, an edge of a line region in the image, an isolated dot in the image, a region of high contrast in the image, and a region of large color variation in the image, and a region of high contrast in the image, and a region of large color variation in the image are determined by multiplying two-dimensional image data by an edge detection matrix. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The inkjet recording method as defined in claim 15, wherein: the irradiating step scans the print medium in a width direction of the print medium with the light having a prescribed beam width; and the controlling step controls the irradiating step so that constant luminous energy is irradiated, and a scanning speed with respect to the region of the print medium where the bleeding of the ink would be conspicuous is slower than a scanning speed with respect to the other region of the print medium. ### Claim 17 (depends on 15) The inkjet recording method as defined in claim 15, wherein: the irradiating step is performed two-dimensionally on the print medium in a width direction and a conveyance direction of the print medium; and the controlling step controls the irradiating step so that constant luminous energy is irradiated, and a scanning speed with respect to the region of the print medium where the bleeding of the ink would be conspicuous is slower than a scanning speed with respect to the other region of the print medium. ### Claim 18 (depends on 15) The inkjet recording method as defined in claim 15, wherein: the irradiating step two-dimensionally scans the print medium in a width direction and a conveyance direction of the print medium with the light having a prescribed beam width; and the controlling step controls the irradiating step so that constant luminous energy is irradiated and the region of the print medium where the bleeding of the ink would be conspicuous is scanned a plurality of times.