JPH10119263A - Ink jet head - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce variations in swelling of an adhesive and a thickness of an adhesive layer by reducing residual stress coused by bonding by a method wherein a liquid chamber component forming a pressure liquid chamber pressurized by an actuator element is partially bonded to a support component supporting the liquid chamber component. SOLUTION: An adhesive 36 is linearly applied onto a joined surface 13a to a diaphragm of a frame component 13. Then, the diaphragm of a liquid chamber unit is bonded onto the frame component. By bonding partly the frame component 13 being the support component on an actuator side to the diaphragm being the liquid chamber component on the liquid chamber unit side, a bonded area between a part corresponding to a common liquid chamber of the diaphragm and the frame component 13 is decreased. The residual stress can be reduced thereby, and dispersion in swelling out of the adhesive and a thickness of an adhesive layer can be reduced. Then, a highly reliable ink jet head can be obtained.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ink jet head, and more particularly to an ink jet head having a plurality of pressurized liquid chambers pressurized by a plurality of actuator elements and a nozzle communicating with each of the pressurized liquid chambers.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An ink jet recording apparatus has almost no vibration and noise during recording, and is particularly easy to colorize.
In addition to a printer that outputs data from a digital processing device such as a computer, it is also used for facsimile machines, copiers, and the like. An ink jet head used in such an ink jet recording apparatus drives an actuator element such as a piezoelectric element or a heating resistor in accordance with a recording signal to pressurize ink in a pressurized liquid chamber and eject ink droplets from nozzles. And performs image recording on a recording medium.

As a conventional ink jet head, as described in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H6-115071, a plurality of piezoelectric elements are joined and arranged in a row on a substrate, and are positioned around the piezoelectric elements. The ink common flow path member forming the ink common flow path is joined, the diaphragm is joined to the ink common flow path member, the partition member is joined to the diaphragm, and the nozzle plate is joined to the partition member. There is a type in which a liquid chamber (pressurized liquid chamber) which is pressurized by a piezoelectric element via a vibration plate is formed by the vibration plate, the partition member, and the nozzle plate.

Further, as described in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-142324, a plurality of piezoelectric elements are joined on a substrate in a plurality of rows, and a frame member located around the piezoelectric elements is joined. Liquid chamber partition member that forms a pressurized liquid chamber that is pressurized by a piezoelectric element through the diaphragm section and a common liquid chamber that supplies ink to the liquid chamber on a diaphragm having an actuator unit, and a diaphragm having a diaphragm section And a liquid chamber unit in which a nozzle plate having a nozzle formed on the liquid chamber partition member is further laminated.

[0005]

By the way, in the ink jet head, the drive energy is sufficiently transmitted to the pressurized liquid chamber by the actuator element, and the partition wall separating the plurality of pressurized liquid chambers. It is necessary to prevent the drive energy from being transmitted to the part. Therefore, as the member on the liquid chamber side to be joined to the member on the actuator element side, a member that forms a joint part in which the pressurized liquid chamber part and the partition part are not continuous with each other, It is necessary to use a diaphragm having a sufficient elastic body or elastic shape (diaphragm portion) such as a diaphragm.

[0006] In this case, in order to increase the rigidity of the head, it is preferable to join all the adherable parts other than the joint around the pressurized liquid chamber. Therefore, in the former ink jet head described above, the substrate and the ink common flow path forming member, and the ink common flow path member and the vibration plate are respectively entirely bonded. The member and the diaphragm are entirely joined.

However, there has been a demand for higher recording speeds and higher recording densities, so that the ink droplet ejection frequency has increased and the number of nozzles has increased. The common liquid chamber (common ink flow path) has been increased in size to supply sufficient ink. In this case, when the plane area of the common liquid chamber occupies about half of the plane area of the liquid chamber unit, as before, the entire surface of the common ink flow path member and the diaphragm forming the liquid chamber are solid-joined. In addition, the residual stress after joining increases, the adhesive protrudes and penetrates into the actuator element side, the variation in the thickness of the adhesive layer increases, and the cost increases due to the increase in the size of parts, which causes inconveniences. .

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and has as its object to reduce the residual stress due to bonding, facilitate the control of the amount of adhesive applied, and improve the reliability of the head.

[0009]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an ink jet head comprising: a pressurized liquid chamber pressurized by a plurality of actuator elements; and a nozzle communicating with the pressurized liquid chamber. And a liquid chamber member that forms the pressurized liquid chamber and a support member that supports the liquid chamber member are partially joined. The liquid chamber member is a member that forms at least a part of the pressurized liquid chamber.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the inkjet head of the first aspect, the liquid chamber member and the support member are formed by joining at least a portion corresponding to the periphery of the plurality of actuator elements over substantially the entire circumference. did.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the inkjet head of the first or second aspect, an adhesive is partially applied to a joining surface of the liquid chamber member and / or the support member to partially join the two. The configuration was as follows.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the ink jet head according to any one of the first to third aspects, a lightening portion is formed on a joint surface side of the support member and partially joined to the liquid chamber member. The configuration was adopted.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the ink jet head according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, a lightening portion is formed on a joining surface side of the liquid chamber member and partially joined to the supporting member. The configuration was adopted.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the ink jet head according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, wherein an annular hollow portion is formed on the joint surface side of the liquid chamber member to partially overlap the support member. The structure was joined.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided the ink jet head according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, wherein an air vent is provided on at least one of the joining surfaces of the liquid chamber member and the support member. .

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the ink jet head according to any one of the first to seventh aspects, a bonding agent layer for bonding the liquid chamber member and the supporting member contains a gap adjusting agent. And

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an ink jet head according to any one of the first to eighth aspects, wherein the ink jet head has a plurality of pressurized liquid chambers, nozzles, and a common supply of ink to the pressurized liquid chamber. A liquid chamber unit having a liquid chamber, an actuator unit having a plurality of electromechanical transducers, a substrate, and a frame member are provided, and a diaphragm of the liquid chamber unit and a frame member of the actuator unit are joined.

[0018]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a main part in a direction orthogonal to a channel direction of an inkjet head to which the present invention is applied, FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a main part of the head in a channel direction, and FIG. is there.

This ink jet head includes an actuator unit 1 and a liquid chamber unit 2. The actuator unit 1 has a plurality of laminated piezoelectric elements 12 bonded and arranged in two rows on an insulating substrate 11 made of ceramic, glass epoxy resin, or the like, and a plurality of piezoelectric elements 12 in each row. A frame member 13 having two holes 14 and 15 formed so as to surround the periphery is joined and arranged. The plurality of piezoelectric elements 12 in each row of the actuator unit 1 alternately form a driving unit 17 for applying a driving waveform and a non-driving unit 18 for not applying a driving waveform in the channel direction (see FIG. 3).

The piezoelectric element 12 has a thickness of 10 to 50.
A zirconate titanate (PZT) 21 having a thickness of 1 μm / layer and an internal electrode 22 made of silver / palladium (AgPd) having a thickness of several micrometers / layer are alternately laminated. The driving voltage can be reduced by forming the piezoelectric element as a laminated type having a thickness of 10 to 50 μm / 1 layer, and for example, an electric field strength of 1000 V / mm can be obtained with a pulse voltage of 10 to 50 V. In addition, the electromechanical conversion element including the piezoelectric element used as the actuator element is not limited to the above.

The internal electrode 22 of the piezoelectric element 12
Are alternately taken out to the end faces to form end face electrodes.
A common electrode pattern 23 and an individual (selection) electrode pattern 24 are formed on the piezoelectric element 1, and the common electrode pattern 23 and the individual electrode pattern 24 are
PCB board having a head driving IC and the like (not shown) via FPC cables 25 and 25 electrically connected to the end face electrodes 2 via a conductive adhesive or the like and connected to the common electrode pattern 23 and the individual electrode patterns 24. By applying a drive waveform to the drive unit 17, displacement in elongation in the stacking direction is generated. The common electrode pattern 23 is also formed in the groove 26 formed in the center of the frame member 13 so that the pattern is not completely divided by the slit groove 27.

The liquid chamber unit 2 includes a diaphragm 28 made of a metal or resin thin film, photosensitive resin layers 29 and 30 made of a two-layered photoresist film constituting a liquid chamber partition member, and a nozzle 31. And a nozzle plate 32 made of a metal, a resin, or the like, are sequentially laminated and heat-sealed. The nozzles 31 communicate with each other through these members, and a pressurized liquid chamber 33 that is pressurized by the drive unit 17 via the vibration plate 28, and common liquid chambers 34 and 34 located on both sides of the pressurized liquid chamber 33. And an ink supply path 3 serving as a fluid resistance part for supplying ink from the common liquid chamber 34 to the pressurized liquid chamber 33
5, 35 are formed.

The vibration plate 28 is bonded to the piezoelectric element 12 and the frame member 13 positioned or ground on the same plane with an adhesive 36. The bonding between the vibration plate 28 and the frame member 13 is described below. It will be described in detail. In addition, diaphragm 2
Reference numeral 8 denotes a diaphragm portion 38 serving as a displacement portion, a beam 39 joined to the non-driving portion 18 of the piezoelectric element 12, and a frame member 1
The diaphragm 38 is formed of an island-shaped convex portion 41 bonded to the driving portion 17 of the piezoelectric element 12 and a thickness 3 to 3 formed around the convex portion 41.
The thinnest part (diaphragm area) 42 of about 10 μm
And a relief region 43 formed at both ends of the thinnest portion 42 orthogonal to the channel direction. The vibration plate 28 is a liquid chamber member forming a part of a partition wall such as the pressurized liquid chamber 33.

The nozzle plate 32 has a large number of nozzles 31 which are fine holes for causing ink droplets to fly, and the diameter of the nozzles 31 is about 25 to 35 μm on the ink droplet outlet side. . The nozzle plate 32 uses, for example, a Ni (nickel) metal plate manufactured by an electroforming method, but may use Si or another metal material.

The quality of the nozzle plate 32 determines the shape and flight characteristics of the ink and has a great influence on the image quality. To obtain higher quality image quality, a uniform surface treatment is indispensable. Therefore, a water-repellent surface treatment film 43 is formed on the ink ejection side surface. The water-repellent surface treatment film 43 is, for example, PTFE-Ni eutectoid plating, electrodeposition coating of fluororesin, vapor-deposited fluororesin (for example, pitch fluoride), silicon-based resin,
Selection is made according to the physical properties of the ink, such as baking after the application of a fluorine resin solvent.

Further, ink supply holes 44, 45 and 46 are formed in the substrate 11, the frame member 15 and the vibration plate 28 for supplying ink to the common liquid chamber 34 from the outside. Ink is supplied through an ink supply pipe 47 connected to the ink supply pipe 44.

In this ink jet, by applying a drive waveform (pulse voltage of 10 to 50 V) to the drive unit 17 in accordance with a recording signal, a displacement in the laminating direction occurs in the drive unit 17 and the diaphragm of the diaphragm 28 is formed. The pressure in the pressurized liquid chamber 33 increases through the section 38, and ink droplets are ejected from the nozzle 31. At this time, an ink flow also occurs in the direction of the ink supply path 35 leading from the pressurized liquid chamber 33 to the common liquid chamber 34. However, the cross-sectional area of the ink supply path 35 is reduced so that it functions as a fluid resistance part. The flow of ink toward the common liquid chamber 34 is reduced, thereby preventing a drop in ink ejection efficiency.

Then, with the end of the ink droplet ejection, the ink pressure in the pressurized liquid chamber is reduced, and a negative pressure is generated in the pressurized liquid chamber 33 due to the inertia of the ink flow and the discharge process of the drive pulse. Move to the filling process. At this time, the ink supplied from the ink tank flows into the common liquid chamber 34 and is filled from the common liquid chamber 34 into the pressurized liquid chamber 33 via the ink supply path 35. Then, the vibration of the ink meniscus surface at the outlet of the nozzle 31 is attenuated, and when the state returns to a steady state to some extent, the operation shifts to the next ink droplet ejection operation.

The manufacturing process of this ink jet head will be briefly described.
After processing and assembling the liquid chamber unit 2 separately, the adhesive 3
6, the two units 1 and 2 are manufactured by adhesive bonding.

That is, the assembling process of the actuator unit 1 is as follows. Each electrode pattern is roughly formed in advance on the substrate 11 by rough patterning, and the stacked piezoelectric elements to be the plurality of piezoelectric elements 12 are joined on the substrate 11 using a two-row positioning jig. Then, the end face electrodes of the multilayer piezoelectric element and the respective electrode patterns on the substrate 11 are electrically connected with a conductive adhesive.

The lamination type piezoelectric element is subjected to slit processing by a dicing saw on which a diamond grindstone is set, and divided into piezoelectric elements 12 of, for example, about 100 μm / pitch. At this time, the slit groove 27 extends to a part of the substrate 11.
, The individual piezoelectric elements 12 are completely independent, and the individual electrode patterns are also divided for each piezoelectric element 12 to form each individual electrode pattern 24. An insulating frame member 13 is joined to the substrate 11. The FPC cables 25 are heated and pressure-bonded to the common electrode pattern 23 and the individual electrode patterns 24 of the substrate 11.

On the other hand, the assembling process of the liquid chamber unit 2 is as follows. A first photosensitive resin layer 29 is provided on the flat surface of the diaphragm 28.
A dry film resist (DFR) is laminated. The DFR is exposed to ultraviolet light using a mask corresponding to the liquid chamber pattern and developed to form a liquid chamber pattern of the first photosensitive resin layer 29.

A dry film resist (DFR) to be the second photosensitive resin layer 30 is laminated on the nozzle plate 32. The DFR is exposed to ultraviolet light using a mask corresponding to the liquid chamber pattern and developed to form a liquid chamber pattern of the second photosensitive resin layer 30. The number of layers of the DFR can be arbitrarily selected, and a liquid chamber having a complicated structure can be formed. The first photosensitive resin layer 29 of the diaphragm 28 and the second photosensitive resin layer 30 of the nozzle plate 32 are joined together.
This joining is performed by applying pressure and heat using a positioning jig. Actually, the steps (1) to (4) are performed using a plate having a head area for a plurality of heads.

The frame member 13 and the piezoelectric element 12 serving as the non-driving portion 18 of the actuator unit 1 thus completed are joined to the base portion 40 of the diaphragm 32 serving as the liquid chamber member of the liquid chamber unit 2. The two units 1 and 2 are joined and assembled.

The joining of the actuator unit 1 and the liquid chamber unit 2 will be described. First, the conventional assembling process will be described with reference to FIG. 4. An adhesive 36 is applied to almost the entire surface of the upper surface of the frame member 13 of the actuator unit 1 except for the peripheral portion. The diaphragm 32 is aligned and joined. As the bonding step, a method of applying an adhesive to the actuator unit 1 by a screen printing method and bonding the same, a method of applying an adhesive to the actuator unit by a transfer method and bonding the same, and a method of transferring the liquid unit to the liquid chamber unit are selected. There is a method in which an adhesive is applied and adhesively bonded, and a method in which a thin adhesive film is entirely formed on the liquid chamber unit, and the liquid adhesive is bonded to the actuator.

When the entire units are joined together as described above,
It is important to control the amount of adhesive applied. In this case, if the application amount is too large, the adhesive may infiltrate into the adjacent piezoelectric element portion and the like, and the function as an actuator may be deteriorated.If the application amount is insufficient, a variation may occur in a joining portion due to component tolerance, Further, the joint reliability is reduced due to insufficient joint strength. On the other hand, in the present invention, as described above, the diaphragm as the liquid chamber member on the liquid chamber unit side and the frame member as the support member on the actuator unit side supporting the diaphragm are partially joined. Prevent the occurrence of any inconvenience.

Therefore, a specific embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 5 is a plan view illustrating an adhesive application pattern on the surface of a frame member according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a plan view illustrating an adhesive application pattern on the surface of a frame member according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG.

In these examples, the adhesive 36 is applied linearly on the joint surface 13a of the frame member 13 with the diaphragm 28 (first embodiment in FIG. 5) or in an island shape (FIG. 6). The vibration plate 28 of the liquid chamber unit 2 is joined to the frame member 13. In this case, the application area of the adhesive 36 is preferably set to a minimum amount that can obtain a stable bonding strength. Further, a gap adjusting agent is added to the adhesive in order to control the direction in which the adhesive protrudes and the thickness of the adhesive after bonding. As the gap adjuster, for example, those having a uniform particle size such as silica, alumina, and boron nitride are suitable.

As described above, the frame member, which is the support member on the actuator unit side, and the diaphragm, which is the liquid chamber member on the liquid chamber unit side, are partially joined to correspond to the common liquid chamber 34 of the diaphragm 28. In addition to reducing the bonding area between the portion to be bonded and the frame member 13, the residual stress can be reduced, the protrusion of the adhesive and the variation in the thickness of the adhesive layer are reduced, and a highly reliable inkjet head can be obtained. It is also possible to reduce costs by reducing the amount of adhesive used.

Next, FIG. 7 is a plan view illustrating an adhesive application pattern on the surface of a frame member according to a third embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the joining surface 1 of the frame member 13 is
3a, an adhesive 36 is applied to the outer peripheral portion and the peripheral portions of the holes 14 and 15.
Is applied. In this way, the adhesive is partially applied,
In addition, the hole 1 which is the closest to the plurality of piezoelectric elements 12
By joining at the peripheral portions of 4 and 15, it is possible to prevent a decrease in ink ejection efficiency.

That is, in order to efficiently fly ink droplets, it is necessary to efficiently transmit the displacement of the piezoelectric element to the pressurized liquid chamber. At this time, the displacement portion (diaphragm) of the diaphragm receiving the displacement of the piezoelectric element If there is a non-joined part on the outer periphery of the part), the shape of the pressurized liquid chamber will not be controlled, which will cause a reduction in the ink ejection volume, a drop in the ink droplet flying speed, and an unstable ejection during high-frequency driving. Become. On the other hand, by joining the periphery of the diaphragm of the vibration plate which receives the displacement of the piezoelectric element as in the present embodiment, the shape of the pressurized liquid chamber is managed, and the ink ejection efficiency can be maintained.

Next, FIG. 8 is a plan view for explaining an adhesive application pattern on the surface of a frame member according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 9 is a cross-section along the line AA in FIG. In this embodiment, grooves 51 to 53, which are lightening portions in the channel direction, are formed in the joint surface 13a of the frame member 13 so that the joint surface 13a is partially joined to the diaphragm 28. Further, an air vent groove 56 is formed to allow these grooves 51 to 53 to communicate with the atmosphere at the time of joining.

Here, the frame member 13 can be formed by resin molding, and PPS (polyphenylene sulfide), PES (polyether sulfone), PC
For the purpose of adjusting hardness and heat shrinkage, engineering plastics such as (polycarbonate) and general-purpose resins added with fillers such as carbon, silica and glass can be used.

Further, as the shape of the grooves (lightening portions) 51 to 53, it is desirable that the peripheral portion of the joint surface 13a on the side of the holes 14 and 15 corresponding to the plurality of piezoelectric elements 2 be a joint region. It is preferable to have the above-described air vent groove 56 so that a closed space cannot be formed when the chamber units 2 are joined. The air vent groove 56 is not always necessary when using a room-temperature curing adhesive, but becomes necessary when using a heat-curing adhesive because of shortening of the process, cost reduction, and material selectivity.

As described above, by forming the lightening portion on the joint surface side of the frame member and making the joint surface itself a partial joint surface, the accuracy of forming parts can be improved, and material cost can be reduced.
The weight can be reduced and the printing characteristics can be improved, and the method of applying the adhesive does not require highly accurate alignment. In other words, partial bonding can be performed even when the entire surface of the bonding surface is coated with the adhesive.

Next, FIG. 10 is a plan view of a diaphragm on the joining surface side for explaining a fifth embodiment of the present invention. In this example,
In the portion corresponding to the common liquid chamber 34 on the joint surface 28a of the vibration plate 28, the thin layer portions 55 to 5
7, so that the joint surface 28a is partially joined to the joint surface 13a of the frame member 13. In this case, as described above, the adhesive is applied to the entire bonding surface 13a of the frame member 13, and the pressure bonding with the vibration plate 28 can be performed, and the high-precision partial bonding can be performed.

Here, the diaphragm 28 has a diaphragm 38
As described above, in order to selectively transmit the displacement of the piezoelectric element 12 to the pressurized liquid chamber 33, a multilayer structure having a plurality of thickness portions is provided. Since this multilayer structure can be formed by patterning electroforming two or more times, the thin layer portions 55 to 57 can be easily formed by applying patterning to the common liquid chamber forming portion together with the diaphragm portion 38. Since the accuracy of this patterning is on the order of submicrons, it is possible to form a component with extremely high precision.

As described above, by providing the thin layer portion by lightening on the diaphragm side and performing partial bonding, the adhesive application step can be simplified, the overall weight of the head is reduced, and the cost is reduced due to a reduction in material costs. Can be achieved.

Next, FIG. 11 is a plan view of the diaphragm on the joining surface side for explaining a sixth embodiment of the present invention. In this example,
In the same manner as in the fifth embodiment, thin layers 55 to 57 are formed in the channel direction at portions corresponding to the common liquid chamber 34 on the joint surface 28a of the diaphragm 28 to form a lightened portion and the joint surface 28a is formed by the frame member 13. And the air vent groove 5 communicating with the thin layer portions 55-57.
9 are formed. The air vent groove 59 communicates with the holes 14 and 15 of the frame member 13 when joined to the frame member 13.

In this way, as described above, the use of a heat-curable adhesive as the adhesive makes it possible to shorten the process, reduce the cost, and increase the material selectivity. This is necessary when a heat-curable adhesive is used for such reasons.

Next, FIG. 12 is a plan view showing a joint surface of a diaphragm for explaining a seventh embodiment of the present invention. In this example,
Planar annular thin layer portions 61 to 63 are formed at portions corresponding to the common liquid chamber 34 on the joint surface 28a of the diaphragm 28 to form lightening portions, and only the outer peripheral portions of the track-like thin layer portions 61 to 63 are formed. An adhesive is applied, that is, the thin layer portion 6 of the joining surface 28a is
The joining surfaces 28a are partially joined to the joining surface 13a of the frame member 13 in a state where the portions 28b to 28d located inside the 1 to 63 are not joined. The term "annular" is used to include all shapes such as an annular shape, an elliptical annular shape, and a rectangular annular shape.

As described above, by forming an annular lightened portion on the joining surface of the liquid chamber member and partially joining the liquid chamber member to the supporting member, the ink droplet ejection characteristics can be stabilized. That is, the vibration plate 28 itself is a very thin layer member of about 1 to 10 μm in order to efficiently transmit the displacement of the piezoelectric element to the pressurized liquid chamber as described above. If the thickness of the thin layer becomes large, the reliability in the process may be reduced due to handling errors or pinholes in the thin layer. Therefore, by forming the thin layer portion in an annular shape, it is possible to perform a partial joining while controlling the protrusion of the adhesive without increasing the area of the thin layer portion,
The ink droplet ejection characteristics of the head can be stabilized.

In the above embodiment, the ink jet head of the side shooter type which pressurizes the pressurized liquid chamber using the displacement of the laminated piezoelectric element in the direction d33 and discharges ink droplets in the direction of displacement of the piezoelectric element. I explained,
The present invention can be applied to a head using other electromechanical transducers, an edge shooter type head that ejects ink droplets in a direction perpendicular to the direction of displacement of the piezoelectric element, and the like. Further, a head having a structure in which a liquid chamber member forming at least a part of a liquid chamber such as a diaphragm is sequentially laminated on a support member and manufactured without forming the actuator unit and the liquid chamber unit separately as a unit. Can also be applied.

[0054]

As described above, according to the ink jet head of the first aspect, the liquid chamber member forming the pressurized liquid chamber pressurized by the actuator element and the support member supporting the liquid chamber member are formed. Partial bonding reduces residual stress due to bonding, protrudes adhesive, reduces variations in the thickness of the adhesive layer, and provides a highly reliable inkjet head. Cost can be reduced by reducing the amount.

According to the ink jet head of the second aspect, in the ink jet head of the first aspect, the liquid chamber member and the support member are configured to join at least portions corresponding to the periphery of the plurality of actuator elements over substantially the entire circumference. Accordingly, the rigidity of the pressurized liquid chamber is not impaired, the residual stress due to bonding is reduced, the ink droplet ejection characteristics are improved, and the reliability can be improved.

According to the ink jet head of the third aspect, in the ink jet head of the first or second aspect, an adhesive is partially applied to the joining surface of the liquid chamber member and / or the support member to partially apply the adhesive. Since the joining is performed, an ink jet head having high joining strength and high reliability can be obtained at low cost.

According to the ink jet head of the fourth aspect, in the ink jet head of any one of the first to third aspects, a lightening portion is formed on the joining surface side of the support member and partially joined to the liquid chamber member. With the configuration, the adhesive application step is simplified, and the weight and cost of the entire head can be reduced.

According to the ink jet head of the fifth aspect, in the ink jet head of any one of the first to fourth aspects, a lightening portion is formed on the joint surface side of the liquid chamber member and is partially joined to the support member. With the configuration, the adhesive application step is simplified, and the weight and cost of the entire head can be reduced.

According to the ink jet head of the sixth aspect, in the ink jet head according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, an annular lightened portion is formed on the joint surface side of the liquid chamber member to be partially joined. Therefore, it is possible to prevent ink leakage in the common liquid chamber, to secure rigidity of the common liquid chamber, and to improve the reliability of the head.

According to the ink jet head of the seventh aspect, in the ink jet head of any one of the first to sixth aspects, the air vent is provided with a groove on at least one of the joining surfaces of the liquid chamber member and the supporting member. Therefore, by using a heat-curable adhesive, the process can be shortened and the cost can be reduced.

According to the ink jet head of claim 8, in the ink jet head of any one of claims 1 to 7, the bonding agent layer for bonding the liquid chamber member and the support member contains a gap adjusting agent. Because it was configured
It is easy to control the amount of the adhesive protruding, it is possible to suppress the adhesive from sneaking into unnecessary parts, and to stabilize the ink droplet ejection characteristics.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the inkjet head of any one of the first to eighth aspects, the inkjet head supplies ink to a plurality of pressurized liquid chambers, nozzles, and pressurized liquid chambers. A liquid chamber unit having a common liquid chamber, and an actuator unit having a plurality of electromechanical transducers, a substrate, and a frame member, and the diaphragm of the liquid chamber unit and the frame member of the actuator unit are joined. ,
The head quality can be improved, the yield can be improved, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of an essential part in a direction orthogonal to a channel direction, showing an example of an inkjet head to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view of a main part of the head in a channel direction.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the head.

FIG. 4 is a plan view illustrating an adhesive application pattern on a bonding surface of a conventional frame member.

FIG. 5 is a plan view illustrating an adhesive application pattern on a joint surface of a frame member according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a plan view illustrating an adhesive application pattern on a joint surface of a frame member according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a plan view illustrating an adhesive application pattern on a joint surface of a frame member according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a plan view illustrating an adhesive application pattern on a joint surface of a frame member according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line AA of FIG.

FIG. 10 is a plan view illustrating a joint surface shape of a diaphragm according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a plan view illustrating a shape of a joint surface of a diaphragm according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a plan view for explaining a joint surface shape of a diaphragm according to a seventh embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Actuator unit, 2 ... Liquid chamber unit, 11
... Substrate, 12 ... Piezoelectric element, 13 ... Frame member, 13a
... joining surfaces, 14, 15 ... holes, 28 ... diaphragms, 28a ...
Joining surface, 32: nozzle plate, 33: pressurized liquid chamber, 34
... Common liquid chamber, 36 ... Adhesive, 51-53 ... Groove, 55-55
57, 58: Thin layer portion.

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Mitsumi Fujii 1-3-6 Nakamagome, Ota-ku, Tokyo Inside Ricoh Co., Ltd. (72) Hideyuki Makita 1-3-6 Nakamagome, Ota-ku, Tokyo Ricoh Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Taeko Murai 1-3-6 Nakamagome, Ota-ku, Tokyo Inside Ricoh Co., Ltd. (72) Shinichi Tsunoda 1-3-6 Nakamagome, Ota-ku, Tokyo Ricoh Co., Ltd.

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. An ink jet head comprising: a pressurized liquid chamber pressurized by a plurality of actuator elements; and a nozzle communicating with each pressurized liquid chamber, a liquid chamber member forming the pressurized liquid chamber. An ink jet head, wherein a support member for supporting the liquid chamber member is partially joined. 2. The ink jet head according to claim 1, wherein the liquid chamber member and the support member are joined at least at portions corresponding to the periphery of the plurality of actuator elements over substantially the entire circumference. . 3. The ink jet head according to claim 1, wherein an adhesive is partially applied to a joint surface of the liquid chamber member and / or the support member, and both are partially joined. Inkjet head. 4. The ink jet head according to claim 1, wherein a lightening portion is formed on a joint surface side of the support member and is partially joined to the liquid chamber member. Ink jet head. 5. The ink jet head according to claim 1, wherein a lightening portion is formed on a joint surface side of the liquid chamber member and partially joined to the support member. Ink jet head. 6. The ink jet head according to claim 1, wherein an annular lightening portion is formed on a joint surface of the liquid chamber member and partially joined to the support member. Inkjet head. 7. The ink jet head according to claim 1, wherein an air vent groove is provided on at least one of the joining surfaces of the liquid chamber member and the support member. . 8. The ink jet head according to claim 1, wherein a gap adjusting agent is contained in a bonding agent layer that joins the liquid chamber member and the supporting member. Inkjet head. 9. The ink jet head according to claim 1, wherein the ink jet head has a plurality of pressurized liquid chambers, nozzles, and a common liquid chamber for supplying ink to the pressurized liquid chamber. An ink jet head comprising: a chamber unit; an actuator unit having a plurality of electromechanical transducers, a substrate, and a frame member, wherein the diaphragm of the liquid chamber unit and the frame member of the actuator unit are joined.