JPH1024579A - Liquid discharge head, head cartridge, and liquid discharge device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a liquid discharge head which displays high discharge efficiency and powerful discharge force by lessening resistance to be received from liquid when a movable member is displaced so that the movable member functions more effectively, at the time of a generated bubble acting upon the movable member. SOLUTION: A heating element 2 for generating a bubble in liquid flowing through a liquid flow path 10 by heating the liquid is provided on an element substrate 1. In addition, a movable member 31 is installed facing the heating element 2. The movable member 31 has a free end 32 on the discharge aperture 18 side and is displaced in a direction in which the movable member 31 becomes remote from the heating element 2 by pressure generated by the bubble, and is returned to its home position by the shrinking of the bubble. The movable member 31 becomes narrower gradually in width from an opposite face to the heating element 2 toward a face on the reverse side. Thus the movable member 31 is less resistive to the liquid when the former is displaced.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a liquid ejection head for ejecting a desired liquid by generating bubbles caused by applying thermal energy to the liquid, a head cartridge using the liquid ejection head, and a liquid ejection apparatus.

In particular, the present invention relates to a liquid discharge head having a movable member that is displaced by utilizing the generation of bubbles, a head cartridge using the liquid discharge head, and a liquid discharge device.

The present invention also relates to paper, yarn, fiber, fabric, leather,
Printer, copier, facsimile with communication system, word processor with printer unit, etc. that record on recording media such as metal, plastic, glass, wood, ceramics, etc. This is an invention applicable to an industrial recording apparatus.

In the present invention, "recording" means not only giving an image having a meaning such as a character or a figure to a recording medium, but also giving an image having no meaning such as a pattern. Is also meant.

[0005]

2. Description of the Related Art By giving energy such as heat to ink, a state change accompanied by a steep volume change (formation of bubbles) is caused in the ink, and the ink is ejected from an ejection port by an action force based on this state change. An ink jet recording method in which an image is formed by attaching the ink onto a recording medium, that is, a so-called bubble jet recording method, is conventionally known. As disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,723,129 and the like, a recording apparatus using this bubble jet recording method includes a discharge port for discharging ink and an ink flow path communicating with the discharge port. And an electrothermal converter as an energy generating means for discharging ink arranged in the ink flow path.

According to such a recording method, a high-quality image can be recorded at a high speed and with low noise, and in a head performing this recording method, ejection ports for ejecting ink are arranged at a high density. Therefore, it has many advantages that a high-resolution recorded image and a color image can be easily obtained with a small device. For this reason, this bubble jet recording method has recently been used in many office devices such as printers, copiers, and facsimile machines, and has been used in industrial systems such as textile printing devices.

As the bubble jet technology is used for products in various fields, the following various requirements have been increasing in recent years.

[0008] For example, as a study on a demand for improvement in energy efficiency, optimization of a heating element such as adjusting the thickness of a protective film is mentioned. This method is effective in improving the propagation efficiency of generated heat to the liquid.

In addition, in order to obtain a high quality image, a driving condition for providing a liquid discharging method or the like which can discharge ink at a high speed and perform good ink discharging based on stable bubble generation has been proposed. From the viewpoint of high-speed printing, there has also been proposed a print head having an improved flow path shape in order to obtain a liquid discharge head having a high filling (refilling) speed of the discharged liquid into the liquid flow path.

[0010] Of these flow path shapes, FIG.
(A) and (b) are disclosed in JP-A-63-199997.
No. 2, for example. The flow path structure and the head manufacturing method described in this publication are based on the back wave (pressure in the direction opposite to the direction toward the discharge port, that is, the pressure in the liquid chamber 12) generated by the generation of bubbles. It is an invention which pays attention to. This back wave is known as loss energy because it is not energy directed toward the ejection direction.

In the invention shown in FIGS. 42 (a) and (b), the heating element 2 is farther away from the bubble generation region, and
Disclosed is the valve 5 located on the opposite side of the heating element 2 from the discharge port 18.

In FIG. 42 (b), the valve 5 has an initial position as if it is attached to the ceiling of the liquid flow path 10 by a manufacturing method using a plate material or the like. It is disclosed as hanging into the road 10.
The present invention is disclosed as suppressing the energy loss by controlling a part of the back wave by the valve 5.

However, in this configuration, as will be understood from consideration of the case where bubbles are generated inside the liquid flow path 10 holding the liquid to be discharged, suppression of a part of the back wave by the valve 5 does not It turns out that it is not practical for discharge.

Originally, the back wave itself is not directly related to the ejection as described above. At the time when this back wave is generated in the liquid flow path 10, as shown in FIG. 42A, the pressure of the air bubbles that is directly related to the discharge is already in a state where the liquid can be discharged from the liquid flow path 10. Therefore, it is clear that even if only a part of the back wave is suppressed, the ejection is not greatly affected.

On the other hand, in the bubble jet recording method, since heating is repeated while the heating element is in contact with the ink, deposits are generated on the surface of the heating element due to scorching of the ink. In some cases, the generation of bubbles causes the generation of bubbles to be unstable, making it difficult to discharge ink satisfactorily. Further, even in the case where the liquid to be discharged is a liquid which is easily deteriorated by heat or a liquid in which foaming is difficult to be sufficiently obtained, a method for discharging the liquid to be discharged without changing the quality is desired. .

From such a viewpoint, the liquid (foaming liquid) which generates bubbles by heat and the liquid (ejection liquid) to be ejected are made different liquids, and the ejection liquid is ejected by transmitting the pressure by foaming to the ejection liquid. The method is described in JP-A-61-69467, JP-A-55-81172, U.S. Pat.
No. 0,259, and the like. In these publications, the ink, which is the ejection liquid, and the foaming liquid are completely separated by a flexible film such as silicon rubber so that the ejection liquid does not come into direct contact with the heating element, and the pressure due to the foaming of the foaming liquid is controlled. The configuration is such that the liquid is transmitted to the discharge liquid by deformation of the flexible film.
Such a configuration achieves prevention of deposits on the surface of the heating element, improvement in the degree of freedom in selecting the liquid to be discharged, and the like.

However, as described above, in the head having a structure in which the ejection liquid and the foaming liquid are completely separated, the pressure at the time of foaming is transmitted to the ejection liquid by expansion and contraction of the flexible film. Is considerably absorbed by the flexible membrane. Further, since the amount of deformation of the flexible film is not so large, the effect of separating the ejection liquid and the foaming liquid can be obtained, but there is a possibility that the energy efficiency and the ejection force are reduced.

[0018]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is based on the fundamental discharge characteristics of a conventional system in which a bubble (particularly a bubble accompanying film boiling) is formed in a liquid flow path to discharge a liquid. The main background issue is to raise the level to a level that cannot be predicted in the past, from a viewpoint that could not be considered in the past.

Some of the inventors went back to the principle of droplet discharge and conducted intensive research to provide a novel droplet discharge method utilizing bubbles which could not be obtained conventionally and a head and the like used therefor. . At this time, the first technology analysis starting from the operation of the movable member in the liquid flow path, which is to analyze the principle of the mechanism of the movable member in the flow path, and the second technology starting from the principle of discharging droplets by bubbles The analysis, and further, the third analysis starting from the bubble formation region of the heating element for forming bubbles is performed.

Based on these analyses, the arrangement of the fulcrum and the free end of the movable member is determined to be such that the free end is located on the discharge port side, that is, on the downstream side, and the movable member faces the heating element or the bubble generation area. This has led to the establishment of a completely new technology for actively controlling air bubbles.

Next, it has been found that considering the energy that the bubble itself gives to the ejection amount, consideration of the growth component on the downstream side of the bubble is the largest factor that can significantly improve the ejection characteristics. That is, it has been found that the efficient conversion of the growth component on the downstream side of the bubble in the ejection direction leads to the improvement of the ejection efficiency and the ejection speed. From this,
The inventors have reached a very high technical level as compared with the conventional state of the art in which the growth component on the downstream side of the bubble is positively moved to the free end side of the movable member.

Further, a heat generating area for forming bubbles,
For example, a structural element such as a movable member or a liquid flow path that is involved in the growth of the downstream side of the bubble, such as the area center on the surface that controls foaming, downstream from the center line passing through the area center in the liquid flow direction of the electrothermal converter. It has been found that it is also preferable to take into account the above.

On the other hand, it has been found that the refill speed can be greatly improved by considering the arrangement of the movable member and the structure of the liquid supply path.

Some of the inventors and the present applicant have applied for the knowledge obtained through such research and for the principle of liquid ejection that is excellent from a comprehensive viewpoint. On the premise of the invention, a better idea has been reached.

The present inventors have recognized that the aim is to make more effective use of the above-described ejection principle, pay attention to the shape of the movable member, and improve the ejection efficiency and ejection force by improving the shape. That is to achieve.

The main objects of the present invention are as follows.
The first object is to reduce the resistance received from the liquid when the movable member is displaced so that the movable member functions more effectively when the generated bubbles act on the movable member.
An object of the present invention is to provide a liquid discharge head or the like that can obtain higher discharge efficiency and discharge force.

According to a second object of the present invention, in addition to the first object, it is possible to significantly reduce the heat storage in the liquid on the heating element while improving the ejection efficiency and the discharging force, and to improve the discharge efficiency. An object of the present invention is to provide a liquid discharge head or the like that can discharge a good liquid by reducing residual bubbles.

A third object of the present invention is to further suppress the inertial force acting in the direction opposite to the liquid supply direction due to the back wave and to reduce the amount of meniscus retreat by the valve function of the movable member. It is another object of the present invention to provide a liquid discharge head or the like in which the refill frequency is increased and the printing speed and the like are improved.

A fourth object of the present invention is to reduce the amount of deposits on the heating element and to widen the range of use of the liquid for discharge, and to provide a liquid discharge head and the like having sufficiently high discharge efficiency and discharge power. Is to provide.

A fifth object of the present invention is to provide a liquid discharge head and the like which can increase the degree of freedom in selecting a liquid to be discharged.

A sixth object of the present invention is to provide an inexpensive head and apparatus which are easy to manufacture by configuring a liquid introduction path for supplying a plurality of liquids with a small number of parts.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a liquid discharge head, a device, and the like that are reduced in size.

[0032]

A typical requirement of the present invention to achieve the above object is as follows.

A discharge port for discharging the liquid, a liquid flow path communicating with the discharge port, a bubble generation area for generating bubbles in the liquid in the liquid flow path, and a bubble generation area in the liquid flow path. A movable member that is displaced by the pressure based on the generation of bubbles in the bubble generation region, guides the pressure toward the discharge port side, and returns to the original position by the negative pressure due to the contraction of the bubbles. The movable member has a resistance to the liquid in the flow path when the movable member is displaced, which is smaller than a resistance when the movable member returns to the original position.

Alternatively, a second liquid having a discharge port for discharging a liquid, a first liquid flow path communicating with the discharge port, and a bubble generation region for generating bubbles in the liquid by applying heat to the liquid. A flow path, disposed between the first liquid flow path and the bubble generation area, and displaced to the first liquid flow path side by a pressure based on the generation of bubbles in the bubble generation area to reduce the pressure. A movable member that guides to the discharge port side and returns to the original position by a negative pressure due to the contraction of bubbles, wherein the movable member has a resistance to liquid in the first liquid flow path when displaced,
Liquid ejection head smaller than the resistance when returning to the original position.

Alternatively, a plurality of discharge ports for discharging liquid, a plurality of grooves for forming a plurality of first liquid flow paths directly communicating with the respective discharge ports, A grooved member integrally having a recess forming a first common liquid chamber for supplying a liquid to one liquid flow path, and a plurality of members for generating bubbles in the liquid by applying heat to the liquid. An element substrate on which a heating element is disposed, and a part of a wall of a second liquid flow path corresponding to the heating element, which is disposed between the grooved member and the element substrate; A movable member that is displaced to the first liquid flow path side by a pressure based on the generation of the bubble to guide the pressure to the discharge port side, and returns to the original position by the negative pressure due to the contraction of the bubble at a position facing the The movable member is displaced when the movable member is displaced. Resistance to liquid in the liquid flow path is,
Liquid ejection head smaller than the resistance when returning to the original position.

Alternatively, a head cartridge having the above-described liquid discharge head and a liquid container for holding a liquid supplied to the liquid discharge head.

Alternatively, there is provided a liquid discharge apparatus including the above-described liquid discharge head and drive signal supply means for supplying a drive signal for discharging liquid from the liquid discharge head.

Alternatively, there is provided a liquid discharge apparatus comprising the above-described liquid discharge head, and a recording medium transport means for transporting a recording medium which receives liquid discharged from the liquid discharge head.

In a typical embodiment of the present invention, the movable member is displaced by the action of the bubble generated in the bubble generating region. At this time, the movable member receives the resistance of the liquid in the liquid flow path. The resistance of the liquid is reduced by forming the movable member as described above. As a result, the movable member is easily displaced, and the ejection efficiency and the ejection force are further improved.

In addition, according to the liquid ejection head and the like of the present invention based on an extremely novel ejection principle as described above, a synergistic effect between the generated bubbles and the movable member displaced by the bubbles can be obtained. Since the liquid in the vicinity can be discharged efficiently, the discharge efficiency can be improved as compared with a conventional bubble jet type liquid discharge head or the like. For example, in the most preferred embodiment of the present invention, a dramatic improvement in the discharge efficiency of twice or more could be achieved.

According to a further characteristic configuration of the present invention,
Even if it is left for a long time at low temperature or low humidity, it is possible to prevent non-discharging, and even if it becomes non-discharging, it is possible to immediately return to a normal state by performing a slight recovery process such as preliminary discharge and suction recovery There is also an advantage that you can return.

More specifically, even under a long-term storage condition in which most of the conventional bubble jet type heads having 64 discharge ports become non-discharge, about half or less of the discharge ports are defective in the head of the present invention. It just becomes. In addition, when these heads are recovered by preliminary ejection, it is necessary to perform thousands of preliminary ejections with the conventional head for each ejection port,
In the present invention, it was sufficient to perform the recovery with about 100 preliminary ejections. This means that the recovery time can be shortened, the loss of liquid due to recovery can be reduced, and the running cost can be significantly reduced.

In particular, according to the configuration of the present invention having improved refill characteristics, responsiveness at the time of continuous ejection, stable growth of bubbles, and stabilization of liquid droplets are achieved, and high-speed recording by high-speed liquid ejection and high image quality are achieved. Recording could be enabled.

Other effects of the present invention will be understood from the description of each embodiment.

The terms “upstream” and “downstream” used in the description of the present invention refer to the flow direction of a liquid from a liquid supply source to a discharge port through a bubble generation region (or a movable member).
Alternatively, it is expressed as an expression regarding this structural direction.

The “downstream side” of the bubble itself is as follows:
It mainly represents a portion on the ejection port side of a bubble which is considered to directly act on ejection of a droplet. More specifically, with respect to the center of the bubble, the downstream side with respect to the flow direction and the structural direction,
Alternatively, it means bubbles generated in a region downstream of the area center of the heating element.

The term “substantially sealed” used in the description of the present invention refers to a state in which bubbles do not slip through gaps (slits) around the movable member before the movable member is displaced when the bubbles grow. Means

In the broad sense, the term "separation wall" as used in the present invention means a wall (which may include a movable member) interposed so as to separate a bubble generation region from a region directly communicating with a discharge port. In a narrow sense, it means that the flow path including the bubble generation area is separated from the liquid flow path that directly communicates with the discharge port, and mixing of the liquid in each area is prevented.

[0049]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

(Embodiment 1) Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

First, in this embodiment, a liquid for discharging
An example in which the discharge force and the discharge efficiency are improved by controlling the direction of pressure propagation based on bubbles and the direction of growth of bubbles will be described.

FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of such a liquid discharge head of the present embodiment cut in the liquid flow direction, and FIG. 2 is a partially broken perspective view of the liquid discharge head. FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the liquid discharge head of the present embodiment as viewed from the discharge port direction.

In the liquid discharge head of this embodiment, a heating element 2 (4 in this embodiment) for applying thermal energy to the liquid is used as a discharge energy generating element for discharging the liquid.
(A heating resistor having a shape of 0 μm × 105 μm)
The liquid flow path 10 is arranged on the element substrate 1 in correspondence with the heating element 2. The liquid flow path 10 is the discharge port 1
8 and a common liquid chamber 13 for supplying liquid to the plurality of liquid flow paths 10.
The amount of liquid corresponding to the liquid discharged from the
Receive from 3.

A flat movable member 31 made of an elastic material such as metal is cantilevered on the element substrate 1 of the liquid flow path 10 so as to face the heating element 2 described above. It is provided in a beam shape. The movable member 31 has a substantially flat surface facing the heating element 2 and is parallel to the surface of the heating element 2. Further, the width of the movable member 31 gradually decreases from the surface facing the heating element 2 to the surface on the opposite side. One end of the movable member 31 is fixed to a base (supporting member) 34 formed by patterning a photosensitive resin or the like on the wall of the liquid flow path 10 or the element substrate. Thus, the movable member 31 is held and forms a fulcrum (fulcrum portion) 33.

The movable member 31 has a fulcrum 33 on the upstream side of a large flow flowing from the common liquid chamber 13 through the movable member 31 to the discharge port 18 by the liquid discharging operation, and is provided on the downstream side with respect to the fulcrum 33. The heating element 2 is disposed at a position facing the heating element 2 at a distance of about 15 μm from the heating element 2 so as to cover the heating element 2 so as to have a free end (free end portion) 32. The space between the heating element 2 and the movable member 31 is the bubble generation area 11. Note that the types, shapes, and arrangements of the heating element 2 and the movable member 31 are not limited thereto, and may be any shape and arrangement that can control the growth of bubbles and the propagation of pressure as described later.

The movable member 31 is generated by causing the heating element 2 to generate heat.
Heat is applied to the liquid in the bubble generation region 11 between the heater and the heating element 2 to generate bubbles 40 in the liquid based on the film boiling phenomenon as described in US Pat. No. 4,723,129. Bubble 4
The pressure based on the generation of 0 and the air bubble 40 act on the movable member 31 preferentially, and the movable member 31 is arranged around the fulcrum 33 on the discharge port 18 side as shown in FIG. 1 (b), (c) or FIG. It is displaced so as to open greatly. Depending on the displacement or the displaced state of the movable member 31, the propagation of the pressure based on the generation of the bubble 40 and the growth of the bubble itself are guided to the ejection port 18 side.

Here, one of the basic ejection principles of the present invention will be described. One of the most important principles of the present invention is
The movable member 31 arranged so as to face the bubble 40 is displaced from the first position in the steady state to the second position, which is a position after the displacement, based on the pressure of the bubble 40 or the bubble itself,
The displaceable movable member 31 guides the pressure caused by the generation of the bubble 40 and the bubble itself to the downstream side where the discharge port 18 is arranged.

This principle will be described in more detail by comparing FIG. 4 schematically showing a conventional liquid flow path structure without using a movable member with FIG. 5 of the present invention. Here, the propagation direction of the pressure toward the discharge port is VA, and the propagation direction of the pressure toward the upstream side is VB.
As shown.

In the conventional head as shown in FIG. 4, there is no structure for regulating the direction of pressure propagation by the generated air bubbles 40. Therefore, the pressure propagation direction of the bubble 40 is V1 to
As in V8, it was perpendicular to the surface of the bubble and was oriented in various directions. Among them, VA which has the most influence on liquid ejection
A component having a pressure propagation direction in the direction is a component of pressure propagation in a portion closer to the discharge port than V1 to V4, that is, a position almost half of the bubble 40, and directly contributes to discharge efficiency, discharge force, discharge speed, and the like. Is an important part to do. V1 is the ejection direction V
Since it is closest to the direction of A, it works efficiently. Conversely, V4 has a relatively small direction component toward VA.

On the other hand, in the case of the present invention shown in FIG. 5, the movable member 31 shifts the pressure propagation directions V1 to V4 of the bubbles directed in various directions as shown in FIG. (To the discharge port side) to convert the pressure into the VA propagation direction, whereby the pressure of the bubbles 40 directly and efficiently contributes to the discharge. Then, the growth direction itself of the bubble 40 is also guided in the downstream direction similarly to the pressure propagation directions V1 to V4, and grows more downstream than upstream. Thus, the growth direction itself of the bubble 40 is controlled by the movable member 31 and the bubble 40
By controlling the pressure propagation direction, it is possible to achieve a fundamental improvement in ejection efficiency, ejection force, ejection speed, and the like.

Next, returning to FIG. 1, the discharge operation of the liquid discharge head of this embodiment will be described in detail.

FIG. 1A shows a state before energy such as electric energy is applied to the heating element 2.
Is a state before generating heat. The important thing here is that
The movable member 31 is provided at a position facing at least a downstream portion of the bubble 40 generated by the heat generation of the heating element 2. In other words, at least the area center 3 of the heating element 2 (FIG. 1) on the liquid flow path structure so that the downstream side of the bubble 40 acts on the movable member 31.
The movable member 31 is disposed to a position further downstream (downstream from a line orthogonal to the length direction of the liquid flow path 10 through the area center 3 of the heating element 2).

FIG. 1B shows that the heating element 2 generates heat when electric energy or the like is applied to the heating element 2, and the generated heat heats a part of the liquid filling the bubble generation region 11, thereby causing film boiling. This is a state in which accompanying air bubbles 40 are generated.

At this time, the movable member 31 is displaced from the first position to the second position by the pressure based on the generation of the bubble 40 so as to guide the pressure propagation direction of the bubble 40 toward the discharge port. What is important here is that, as described above, the free end 32 of the movable member 31 is disposed on the downstream side (discharge port side), and the fulcrum 33 is disposed on the upstream side (the common liquid chamber 13 side). That is, at least a part of the movable member 31 faces the downstream portion of the heating element 2, that is, the downstream portion of the bubble 40.

FIG. 1C shows a state in which the bubbles 40 have further grown, but the movable member 31 is further displaced in accordance with the pressure caused by the generation of the bubbles 40. The generated bubble 40 grows greatly from the upstream to the downstream, and grows greatly beyond the first position (dotted line position) of the movable member 31. As described above, the movable member 31 is displaced in accordance with the growth of the bubble 40, so that the pressure propagation direction of the bubble 40 and the direction in which the volume is easily moved, that is, the growth direction of the bubble 40 to the free end side, It is considered that the fact that the ink can be uniformly directed also increases the ejection efficiency. The movable member 31 hardly hinders the transmission of the bubbles 40 and the bubbling pressure toward the discharge port, and efficiently controls the pressure propagation direction and the bubble growth direction according to the magnitude of the propagating pressure. can do.

Further, as described above, since the width of the movable member 31 gradually decreases from the surface facing the heating element 2 to the surface on the opposite side, the movable member 31 is pressed by the pressure generated by the bubbles 40. When the movable member 31 is displaced, the movable member 31 becomes less likely to receive the resistance of the liquid existing in the liquid flow path 10 and is displaced even at a low pressure. Therefore, the pressure component of the bubble 40 consumed for the displacement of the movable member 31 is minimized, and most of the remaining pressure component grows in the direction of the discharge port 18.

On the other hand, the surface of the movable member 31 facing the heating element 2 is substantially flat and parallel to the surface of the heating element 2, so that the movable member 31 is easily subjected to pressure due to the generation of the bubbles 40. This also causes the movable member 31 to be displaced efficiently. Other structures that are easily affected by the pressure based on the generation of the air bubbles 40 include, for example, a plain finish on the surface of the movable member 31 facing the heating element 2, formation of irregularities, or At least a portion facing the heating element 2 has a substantially concave shape.
For example, it is possible to cover the side surface of the zero.

FIG. 1D shows a state in which the bubble 40 contracts and disappears due to a decrease in the pressure inside the bubble after the above-mentioned film boiling.

The movable member 31 that has been displaced to the second position
Is quickly returned to the initial position (first position) in FIG. 1A by the negative pressure due to the contraction of the bubble 40 and the restoring force due to the spring property of the movable member itself. In addition, at the time of defoaming, in order to supplement the shrinkage volume of the bubbles 40 in the bubble generation region 11,
Upstream (B) to compensate for volume fraction of the discharged liquid, i.e. as in the common liquid chamber from the flow side V _D1, V _D2, also flows into the liquid as Vc flow from the discharge port 18 side Come out.

As described above, the movable member 31 accompanying the generation of the bubble 40
The above operation and the liquid discharging operation have been described. Hereinafter, liquid refilling in the liquid discharging head of the present invention will be described in detail.

The liquid supply mechanism in the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to FIG.

When the bubble 40 enters the defoaming process after passing through the state of the maximum volume after the state shown in FIG. 1C, a liquid having a volume that makes up the defoamed volume is discharged into the bubble generation region 11 through the liquid flow path 10. The liquid flows from the outlet 18 side and the common liquid chamber side 13 of the supply path 12.
In the conventional liquid flow path structure having no movable member 31,
The amount of liquid flowing into the defoaming position from the discharge port 18 side and the amount of liquid flowing from the common liquid chamber 13 are determined by the magnitude of the flow resistance between the portion closer to the discharge port 18 and the portion closer to the common liquid chamber 13 than the bubble generation region 11. Due to. (This is based on the flow path resistance and the inertia of the liquid.)

For this reason, when the flow resistance on the side close to the discharge port 18 is small, a lot of liquid flows from the discharge port 18 side to the defoaming position, and the retreat amount of the meniscus M increases. In particular, as the flow resistance on the side close to the discharge port 18 is reduced to increase the discharge efficiency in order to increase the discharge efficiency, the meniscus M retreats at the time of defoaming increases, the refill time becomes longer, and high-speed printing is performed. Was hampered.

On the other hand, in this embodiment, since the movable member 31 is provided, when the volume W of the bubble is W1 on the upper side of the first position of the movable member 31 and W2 is on the bubble generation region 11 side, the volume W of the bubble is reduced. When the movable member 31 returns to the original position at the time of foaming, the meniscus M stops retreating, and the liquid supply for the remaining W2 volume is mainly performed by the liquid supply from the flow VD2 of the supply path 12. Thereby, while the amount corresponding to about half of the volume of the bubble 40 has conventionally been the retreat amount of the meniscus M, it has become possible to suppress the meniscus retreat amount to be less than about half of W1. .

Further, the supply of the liquid for the volume of W2 is forcibly performed mainly from the upstream side (VD2) of the supply path 12 along the surface of the movable member 31 on the side of the heating element 2 using the pressure at the time of defoaming. Faster refilling was achieved.

A characteristic feature of the present embodiment is that when refilling is performed using the pressure at the time of defoaming with the conventional head, the vibration of the meniscus becomes large and the image quality is deteriorated. In the high-speed refill, the movable member 31 suppresses the flow of the liquid on the discharge port 18 side between the area of the liquid flow path 10 on the discharge port 18 side and the bubble generation area 11, so that the vibration of the meniscus M is extremely reduced. That is what you can do.

As described above, the present invention achieves stable ejection and high-speed repetition by achieving a high-speed refill by forcibly refilling the bubble generation region 11 through the supply path 12 and suppressing the meniscus retreat and vibration described above. When used in the field of ejection and printing, improvement in image quality and high-speed printing can be realized.

The configuration of the present invention further has the following effective functions. That is, the propagation of the pressure due to the generation of the bubble 40 to the upstream side (back wave) is suppressed. Of the bubbles 40 generated on the heating element 2, most of the pressure caused by the bubbles 40 on the common liquid chamber 13 side (upstream side) is a force (back wave) for pushing back the liquid toward the upstream side. This back wave causes the pressure on the upstream side, the amount of liquid movement due thereto, and the inertia force accompanying the liquid movement, which reduces the refill of the liquid into the liquid flow path 10 and hinders high-speed driving. Was. In the present invention,
First, the refill supply property is further improved by suppressing these effects on the upstream side by the movable member 31.

Next, further characteristic structures and effects of this embodiment will be described below.

The supply passage 12 of this embodiment has an inner wall upstream of the heating element 2 and connected to the heating element 2 substantially flat (the heating element surface is not greatly reduced). In such a case,
The supply of the liquid to the bubble generation region 11 and the surface of the heating element 2 is performed along the surface of the movable member 31 on the side close to the bubble generation region 11 like _VD2 . Therefore, stagnation of the liquid on the surface of the heating element 2 is suppressed, and deposition of gas dissolved in the liquid and so-called residual air bubbles that cannot be defoamed are easily removed. The heat storage does not become too high. Therefore, more stable generation of bubbles can be repeated at high speed. In the present embodiment, the supply path 12 having a substantially flat inner wall has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and any supply path having a gentle inner wall that is smoothly connected to the heating element surface may be used. Any shape that does not cause stagnation of the liquid on the heating element 2 or large turbulence in the supply of the liquid may be used.

Further, the supply of the liquid to the bubble generation region 11 is performed through the side (slit 35) of the movable member 31 by V _D1.
Some are done from. However, as shown in FIG. 1, a large movable member 31 is used to cover the entire bubble generating region 11 (cover the heating element surface) in order to more effectively guide the pressure at the time of bubble generation to the discharge port 18. There by returning to the first position, if the form as the flow resistance of the liquid between the region near the discharge port 18 of the bubble generating area 11 and liquid flow path 10 is large, the bubble generation region from the foregoing V _D1 The flow of liquid towards 11 is obstructed. However, in the head structure of the present invention, the flow _VD2 for supplying the liquid to the bubble generation region 11 has a very high liquid supply performance, and the movable member 31 covers the bubble generation region 11 with the movable member 31. Even if a structure is required to improve the discharge efficiency, the liquid supply performance is not reduced.

The positions of the free end 32 and the fulcrum 33 of the movable member 31 are such that the free end 32 is relatively downstream from the fulcrum 33 as shown in FIG. With such a configuration, functions and effects such as guiding the pressure propagation direction and growth direction of bubbles to the ejection port 18 side during foaming described above can be efficiently realized. Further, this positional relationship achieves not only a function and an effect on discharge, but also an effect that the flow resistance to the liquid flowing through the liquid flow path 10 can be reduced and the refill can be performed at a high speed even when the liquid is supplied. As shown in FIG. 6, when the meniscus M retracted by the discharge returns to the discharge port 18 by the capillary force or when the liquid is supplied to the defoaming, the flow flowing in the liquid flow path 10 is performed. This is because the free end and the fulcrum 33 are arranged so as not to go against S1, S2 and S3.

Supplementally, in FIG. 1 of this embodiment, as described above, the free end 32 of the movable member 31 has the area center 3 (heating element 3) that divides the heating element 2 into an upstream area and a downstream area. 2 so as to face a position downstream of a line passing through the area center (center) of the liquid flow path 10 and orthogonal to the length direction of the liquid flow path 10).
Extending to As a result, the movable member 31 receives a pressure or a bubble that greatly contributes to the discharge of the liquid generated downstream of the area center position 3 of the heating element 2, and the pressure and the bubble can be guided to the discharge port 18 side. Efficiency and discharge power can be fundamentally improved.

Further, many effects are obtained by utilizing the upstream side of the bubble.

Further, in the structure of the present embodiment, the fact that the free end 32 of the movable member 31 makes an instantaneous mechanical displacement is also considered to contribute effectively to the ejection of the liquid.

(Embodiment 2) FIG. 7 is a schematic sectional view of a liquid ejection head according to a second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG.
FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the liquid discharge head shown in FIG.

In the present embodiment, the upright portion 31a extending toward the heating element 2 is integrally provided at both ends in the width direction of the movable member 31 similar to the first embodiment. The upright portion 31a is located outside the bubble generation region 11 in the width direction of the movable member 31, and the side of the bubbles generated in the bubble generation region 11 is covered with the upright portion 31a.

As a result, when the movable member 31 is displaced, the resistance of the liquid existing in the liquid flow path 10 is reduced as in the first embodiment, and also the escape of the foaming pressure to the side is prevented. The foaming pressure is more effectively used for the displacement of the movable member 31. Further, the pressure release in the direction other than the discharge port accompanying the displacement of the movable member 31 can be suppressed, and the bubbling pressure can be more effectively directed to the discharge port 18, so that the pressure of the bubbles contributes to the discharge more efficiently. be able to.

(Embodiment 3) FIG. 9 is a schematic sectional view of a liquid ejection head according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

In this embodiment, the same movable member 3 as in the first embodiment is used.
1 is used, but the thickness of the fulcrum 33
From the free end 32 to the free end 32. Thereby, the liquid flow path 10 when the movable member 31 is displaced
Further, since the resistance due to the liquid existing in the nozzles can be further reduced, and the displacement of the free end 32 can be increased, the bubbles can be more positively grown toward the discharge ports.

(Embodiment 4) FIG. 10 shows a fourth embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 10, A indicates a state in which the movable member 31 is displaced (bubbles are not shown), B indicates a state in which the movable member 31 is in the initial position (first position), and in the state of B, It is assumed that the bubble generation region 11 is substantially sealed with respect to the discharge port 18. (Although not shown here, there is a flow path wall between A and B to separate the flow path from the flow path.) The movable member 31 in FIG. 10 has the same shape as that of the first embodiment. Further, two bases 34 are provided on the side portions, and the liquid supply path 12 is provided therebetween. Thus, liquid can be supplied along the surface of the movable member 31 on the side of the heating element 2 and from the liquid supply path having a surface that is substantially flat or smoothly connected to the surface of the heating element 2.

Here, at the initial position (first position) of the movable member 31, the movable member 31 is close to or in close contact with the heating element downstream wall 36 and the heating element side wall 37 disposed downstream and laterally of the heating element 2. It is substantially sealed on the discharge port 18 side of the bubble generation region 11. Therefore, the pressure of the bubbles at the time of foaming, particularly the pressure on the downstream side of the bubbles, is not released and the movable member 31
Can be concentrated on the free end 32 side.

Further, at the time of defoaming, the movable member 31 returns to the first position, and the liquid is supplied to the heating element 2 at the time of defoaming since the discharge port 18 side of the bubble generation region 11 is substantially closed.
Various effects described in the previous embodiment, such as suppression of meniscus retraction, can be obtained. In addition, the same function and effect as in the previous embodiment can be obtained in the effect regarding refill.

In the present embodiment, FIGS.
As described above, the base 34 for supporting and fixing the movable member 31 is provided upstream of the heating element 2 and has a width smaller than that of the liquid flow path 10 to supply the liquid to the supply path 12 as described above. Is going. Further, the shape of the base 34 is not limited to this, and any shape can be used as long as the refill can be performed smoothly.

In this embodiment, the distance between the movable member 31 and the heating element 2 is set to about 15 μm. However, any distance may be used as long as the pressure based on the generation of bubbles is sufficiently transmitted to the movable member 31.

(Embodiment 5) FIG. 11 shows one of the basic concepts of the present invention, which is Embodiment 5 of the present invention. FIG. 11 shows the bubble generation region 11 in one liquid flow path 10, the bubble generated therein, and the positional relationship between the bubble and the movable member 31. The liquid discharge method and the refill method using the liquid discharge head according to the present invention will be described in more detail. This is an example that is easy to understand.

In many of the above-described embodiments, the pressure of the generated bubbles is concentrated on the free end 32 of the movable member 31 so that the movement of the bubbles is simultaneously performed with the steep movement of the movable member 31.
Achieving concentration on the 8 side has been achieved. On the contrary,
In this embodiment, the downstream side of the bubble, which is the bubble discharge port 18 side which directly acts on the droplet discharge, is regulated by the free end 32 of the movable member 31 while giving the degree of freedom of the generated bubble.

In terms of structure, FIG. 11 is different from FIG. 2 (Embodiment 1) in that the convex as a barrier located at the downstream end of the bubble generation region provided on the element substrate 1 in FIG. The portion (hatched portion in FIG. 1) is not provided in this embodiment. In other words, the free end region and both side end regions of the movable member 31 open the bubble generation region 11 without substantially closing the discharge port region. Other shapes and the like of the movable member 31 are the same as those in the first embodiment.

In the present embodiment, a direct effect is exerted on the ejection of the droplet of the bubble.
Bubble growth at the downstream end is allowed
The pressure component is effectively used for discharge
I have. Additionally at least above this downstream part
Pressure (V in FIG. 4)₁, V_Two, V _ThreeOf the movable member 31
The free end portion of
In the embodiment described above, the discharge efficiency is
Also improves. This embodiment is different from the above embodiment in that
The responsiveness to the driving of the heating element 2 is excellent.

This embodiment has an advantage in manufacturing because it is simple in structure.

The fulcrum of the movable member 31 of this embodiment is fixed to one base 34 having a small width with respect to the surface of the movable member 31. Therefore, the liquid is supplied to the bubble generation region 11 at the time of defoaming through both sides of the base 34 (see arrows in the figure). The base 34 may have any structure as long as it can secure supply.

In the case of the present embodiment, the refilling during supply of the liquid is controlled by the presence of the movable member 31 so that the flow of bubbles into the bubble generation region 11 from above is controlled due to the defoaming of bubbles. It is superior to the bubble generation structure of only the body. Of course, this can also reduce the amount of meniscus retraction.

As a modification of this embodiment, it is preferable that only the both ends (one or both sides) of the movable member 31 with respect to the free end 32 be substantially sealed with respect to the bubble generation region 11. Can be According to this configuration,
Since the pressure toward the side of the movable member 31 can also be used by changing the growth of the discharge port side end of the bubble described above, the discharge efficiency is further improved.

(Embodiment 6) An embodiment in which the ejection force of the liquid due to the mechanical displacement described above is further improved will be described in this embodiment. FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of such a head structure.
In FIG. 12, the movable member 3 is moved so that the position of the free end 32 of the movable member 31 is located further downstream of the heating element 2.
1 shows an embodiment in which 1 extends. Thereby, the displacement speed of the movable member 31 at the free end position can be increased, and the generation of the ejection force due to the displacement of the movable member 31 can be further improved. Other shapes and the like of the movable member 31 are the same as those in the first embodiment.

Since the free end 32 is closer to the discharge port 18 side than in the previous embodiment, the growth of the bubbles 40 can be concentrated on a more stable directional component, so that more excellent discharge can be performed. it can.

The movable member 31 is displaced at the displacement speed R1 in accordance with the bubble growth speed at the pressure center of the bubble 40, but the free end 3 is located farther from the fulcrum 33 than this position.
2 is displaced at a higher speed R2. As a result, the free end 32 is mechanically acted on the liquid at a high speed to cause the liquid to move, thereby increasing the discharge efficiency.

(Embodiment 7) FIGS. 13 (a), (b),
(C) shows Example 7 of the present invention.

The structure of this embodiment is different from that of the previous embodiment in that the region directly communicating with the discharge port 18 does not have a flow passage shape communicating with the liquid chamber side, and the structure can be simplified.

All the liquid supply is performed only from the supply path 12 along the surface of the movable member 31 on the bubble generation area side.
Shape of movable member 31, discharge port 1 of free end 32 or fulcrum 33
The positional relationship with respect to 8 and the configuration facing the heating element 2 are the same as in the previous embodiment.

This embodiment realizes the above-mentioned effects such as the discharge efficiency and the liquid supply property. In particular, almost all the liquid supply is performed by suppressing the meniscus retreat and utilizing the pressure at the time of defoaming. Forcible refilling is performed using the pressure at the time of defoaming.

FIG. 13 (a) shows a state in which the liquid is foamed by the heating element 2, and FIG. 13 (b) shows a state in which the foaming is contracting. And the liquid supply by S3 is performed.

FIG. 13C shows a state in which the meniscus slightly retreats when the movable member 31 returns to the initial position, and is refilled by the capillary force near the discharge port 18 after defoaming.

(Eighth Embodiment) Hereinafter, an eighth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

In this embodiment, the principle of the main liquid ejection is the same as in the previous embodiment. However, in this embodiment, the liquid flow path is made to have a multi-flow path structure, and the bubbles are formed by applying heat. The liquid (foaming liquid) to be discharged and the liquid to be mainly discharged (discharged liquid) can be separated.

FIG. 14 is a schematic sectional view of the liquid discharge head of the present embodiment in the flow direction, and FIG. 15 is a partially cutaway perspective view of the liquid discharge head.

In the liquid discharge head of this embodiment, a second liquid flow path 16 for bubbling is provided on the element substrate 1 on which the heating element 2 for applying thermal energy for generating bubbles in the liquid is provided. The first for the discharge liquid directly communicating with the discharge port 18 above
A liquid flow path 14 is provided. The upstream side of the first liquid flow path 14 communicates with a first common liquid chamber 15 for supplying a discharge liquid to the plurality of first liquid flow paths 14, and the upstream side of the second liquid flow path 16 is The plurality of second liquid flow paths 16 communicate with a second common liquid chamber 17 for supplying a foaming liquid.

A separation wall 30 made of an elastic material such as a metal is provided between the first liquid flow path 14 and the second liquid flow path 16.
Are arranged to separate the first liquid flow path 14 and the second liquid flow path 16. In the case where the foaming liquid and the discharge liquid are liquids that should not be mixed as much as possible, this separation wall 30
It is better to separate the flow of the liquid between the first liquid flow path 14 and the second liquid flow path 16 as much as possible, but if there is no problem even if the foaming liquid and the discharge liquid are mixed to some extent, The wall 30 does not have to have the function of complete separation.

The separation wall 30 located in the projection space above the heating element 2 in the plane direction (hereinafter referred to as a discharge pressure generation area; the area A in FIG. 14 and the bubble generation area 11 in B in FIG. Thereby, the discharge port 18 side (downstream side of the liquid flow) is a free end 32, and the cantilever-shaped movable member 31 in which the fulcrum 33 is located on the common liquid chamber (15, 17) side. Since the movable member 31 is disposed so as to face the bubble generation region 11 (B), the movable member 31 operates so as to open toward the discharge port 18 side of the first liquid flow path 14 due to the bubbling of the bubbling liquid ( Arrow direction in the figure). Also in FIG. 15, a second heating element is provided on the element substrate 1 on which a heating resistor as a heating element 2 and a wiring electrode 5 for applying an electric signal to the heating resistor are arranged.
The separation wall 30 is disposed via a space that forms a liquid flow path.

The relationship between the arrangement of the fulcrum 33 and the free end 32 of the movable member 31 and the arrangement with the heating element 2 is the same as in the previous embodiment. Further, as in the previous embodiment, the cross-sectional shape of the movable member 31 in the width direction also has a shape in which the width gradually decreases from the surface facing the heating element 2 to the surface on the opposite side. When the movable member 31 is displaced,
The resistance to the liquid in the first liquid flow path 14 is reduced.

Although the structure of the liquid supply passage 12 and the heating element 2 has been described in the previous embodiment, the structure of the second liquid flow path 16 and the heating element 2 is the same in the present embodiment. doing.

Next, the operation of the liquid ejection head of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

In driving the head, the same aqueous ink was used as the discharge liquid supplied to the first liquid flow path 14 and the foaming liquid supplied to the second liquid flow path 16. The heat generated by the heating element 2 acts on the foaming liquid in the bubble generation region 11 of the second liquid flow path 16, so that the foaming liquid is described in US Pat. No. 4,723,129 as described in the previous embodiment. A bubble 40 is generated based on the film boiling phenomenon as described above.

In this embodiment, there is no escape of the foaming pressure from the three sides except for the upstream side of the bubble generation area 11, so that the pressure accompanying the bubble generation is applied to the movable member 31 provided to the discharge pressure generating section. The movable member 31 moves from the state shown in FIG. 16A to the state shown in FIG.
Is displaced to the first liquid flow path 14 side. This movable member 3
By the operation 1, the first liquid flow path 14 and the second liquid flow path 16 are largely communicated with each other, and the pressure based on the generation of the bubbles 40 is mainly in the direction of the discharge port side of the first liquid flow path 14 (A direction). Convey. The liquid is discharged from the discharge port by the propagation of the pressure and the mechanical displacement of the movable member 31 as described above.

Next, as the bubble 40 contracts, the movable member 31 returns to the position shown in FIG. 16A, and the first liquid flow path 14 discharges an amount of the discharged liquid corresponding to the amount of the discharged liquid. Supplied from upstream. Also in this embodiment, since the supply of the discharge liquid is in the direction in which the movable member 31 is closed, as in the above-described embodiment, the refill of the discharge liquid is not hindered by the movable member 31.

In this embodiment, the operation and effects of the main parts relating to the fact that the movable member 31 is easily displaced, the propagation of the foaming pressure accompanying the displacement of the movable member 31, the growth direction of the bubbles 40, the prevention of the back wave, etc. are described above. Is the same as Example 1 of
By adopting the two-channel configuration as in this embodiment, there are further advantages as follows.

That is, according to the configuration of the above embodiment,
The discharge liquid and the foaming liquid are separated from each other, and the discharge liquid can be discharged by the pressure generated by the foaming of the foaming liquid. For this reason, conventionally, even if it is a high-viscosity liquid such as polyethylene glycol, which has not been sufficiently foamed even when heat is applied and the discharge force is insufficient, the liquid is supplied to the first liquid flow path 14, By supplying a liquid (for example, a mixed liquid of ethanol: water = 4: 6 of about 1 to 2 cp of about 4: 6) or a liquid having a low boiling point to the second liquid flow path 16 as the foaming liquid, the liquid can be discharged well. it can.

Further, by selecting a liquid that does not generate deposits such as kogation on the surface of the heating element 2 even when it receives heat as the foaming liquid, foaming can be stabilized and good ejection can be performed.

Further, in the head structure of the present invention, since the effects described in the previous embodiment are also produced, it is possible to discharge a liquid such as a highly viscous liquid with a higher discharge efficiency and a higher discharge force.

Even in the case of a liquid weak to heating, this liquid is supplied to the first liquid flow path 14 as a discharge liquid, and a liquid that is hardly thermally degraded and generates foam in the second liquid flow path 16 is supplied. This makes it possible to discharge the liquid weak to heating without causing thermal harm, and with high discharge efficiency and high discharge force as described above.

(Other Embodiments) The embodiments of the main parts of the liquid discharge head and the liquid discharge method according to the present invention have been described above. Hereinafter, examples of embodiments which can be preferably applied to these embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. It will be described using FIG. However, in the following description, there is a case where either one of the above-described embodiment of the one-flow passage form and the embodiment of the two-flow passage form is described, but it is applicable to both embodiments unless otherwise specified. is there.

<The cross-sectional shape of the movable member in the width direction> In the above-described embodiment, the cross-sectional shape of the movable member in the width direction is shown in FIG.
The shape shown in FIG. 8 and the shape shown in FIG. 8 have been taken as examples, but various other modifications are also conceivable. Those examples are shown in FIG.

The movable member 3 shown in FIGS.
Numerals 1 are modifications of the movable member 31 shown in FIG. 3, respectively, in which the surface facing the heating element is a flat surface and the shape of the surface on the opposite side is changed. The movable members 31 shown in FIGS. 17 (e) to (h) correspond to FIGS. 17 (a) to (d), respectively.
The shape of the surface of the movable member 31 facing the heating element shown in FIG.
It has the same shape as the surface on the side opposite to the heating element, and has both ends in the width direction projecting toward the heating element side from the center. Thereby, the same effect as that of the movable member 31 shown in FIG. 8 is obtained. The movable member 31 shown in FIG.
This is a modification of the movable member 31 shown in FIG. 8 in which upright portions are further provided at both ends in the width direction of the movable member 31 shown in FIG.

<Ceiling Shape of Liquid Flow Path> FIG. 18 is a cross-sectional view in the flow direction of the liquid discharge head of the present invention.
A grooved member 50 provided with a groove for constituting 4 (or the liquid flow path 10 in FIG. 1) is provided on the separation wall 30. In the present embodiment, the height of the flow path ceiling near the position of the free end 32 of the movable member 31 is increased, so that the operation angle θ of the movable member 31 can be made larger. The operating range of the movable member 31 may be determined in consideration of the structure of the liquid flow path, the durability of the movable member 31, the bubbling force, and the like. Is considered desirable. As shown in FIG. 9, the movable member 31 moves from the fulcrum 33 toward the free end 32.
By gradually reducing the thickness of the movable member 31, the operation angle θ of the movable member 31 can be further increased.

Further, as shown in FIG.
By making the displacement height of the free end 32 of the movable member 31 higher than the diameter of the movable member 31, a more sufficient discharge force can be transmitted. Also, as shown in this figure, the free end 3 of the movable member 31
The fulcrum 33 of the movable member 31 from the height of the liquid flow path ceiling at two positions
Since the height of the liquid flow path ceiling at the position is smaller, the escape of the pressure wave to the upstream side due to the displacement of the movable member 31 can be more effectively prevented.

<Arrangement Relationship Between Second Liquid Flow Path and Movable Member> FIG. 19 is a view for explaining the arrangement relation between the movable member 31 and the second liquid flow path 16 described above. ) Is the separation wall 3
FIG. 2B is a view of the vicinity of the movable member 31 as viewed from above, and FIG. 3B is a view of the second liquid flow path 16 from which the separation wall 30 has been removed, as viewed from above. FIG. 3C is a diagram schematically showing the arrangement relationship between the movable member 6 and the second liquid flow path 16 by overlapping these elements. In each of the figures, the lower part of the drawing is the front side where the discharge ports are arranged.

In the present embodiment, the second liquid flow path 16 is located on the upstream side of the heating element 2 (the upstream side is the discharge port through the position of the heating element, the movable member, and the first flow path from the second common liquid chamber side). A chamber having a constricted portion 19 at the upstream side in a large flow toward the second liquid flow path 16 to prevent the pressure at the time of foaming from easily escaping to the upstream side of the second liquid flow path 16. (Foaming chamber) structure.

As in the conventional head, the flow path for bubbling and the flow path for discharging the liquid are the same, and a constricted portion is formed so that the pressure generated on the liquid chamber side from the heating element does not escape to the common liquid chamber side. In the case of the head provided with the above, it is necessary to adopt a configuration in which the cross-sectional area of the flow path in the constricted portion does not become so small in consideration of liquid refilling.

However, in the case of the present embodiment, most of the liquid to be discharged can be used as the discharge liquid in the first liquid flow path, and the foaming liquid in the second liquid flow path 16 provided with the heating element 2 is provided. The amount of foaming liquid in the bubble generation region of the second liquid flow path 16 may be small because the amount of foaming liquid can be reduced. Therefore, since the interval in the constricted portion 19 can be made extremely small as several μm to several tens of μm, it is possible to further suppress the pressure at the time of foaming generated in the second liquid flow path 16 from escaping to the surroundings, and to concentrate. It can be directed to the movable member 31 side. Since this pressure can be used as the discharge force via the movable member 31, higher discharge efficiency and discharge force can be achieved. However, the shape of the second liquid flow path 16 is not limited to the above-described structure, and may be any shape as long as the pressure accompanying the generation of bubbles can be effectively transmitted to the movable member 31 side.

The surface of the movable member 31 facing the heating element 2 is substantially flat. Further, as shown in FIG. 19C, the side of the movable member 31 is Which covers a part of the wall. As a result, the movable member 31
In the second liquid flow path 16 can be prevented. This can further enhance the separability between the ejection liquid and the foaming liquid described above. In addition, since the escape of bubbles from the slit 35 can be suppressed, the discharge pressure and the discharge efficiency can be further increased. Further, the effect of refilling from the upstream side by the pressure at the time of defoaming can be enhanced.

It should be noted that in FIGS. 16B and 18,
With the displacement of the movable member 31 toward the first liquid flow path 14, a part of the bubbles 40 generated in the bubble generation region 11 of the second liquid flow path 16 extends toward the first liquid flow path 14. However, by setting the height of the second liquid flow path 16 such that the bubble 40 extends, the ejection force can be further improved as compared with the case where the bubble 40 does not extend. In order for the bubbles 40 to extend to the first liquid flow path 14 in this manner, it is desirable that the height of the second liquid flow path 16 be lower than the height of the maximum bubble, and this height is set to several μm. It is desirable to set it to 30 μm. In this embodiment, the height is set to 15 μm.

<Movable Member and Separation Wall> FIG. 20 shows another planar shape of the movable member 31. Reference numeral 35 denotes a slit provided in the separation wall, and the movable member 31 is formed by the slit 35. I have. (A) is a rectangular shape, (b) is a shape where the fulcrum side is narrower and the movable member is easy to operate, and (c) is a shape where the fulcrum side is wider and the movable member is wider. 31 is a shape that improves the durability. As a shape with good operability and durability,
As shown in FIG. 19A, it is desirable that the width on the fulcrum side be narrowed in an arc shape. However, the shape of the movable member 31 does not enter the second liquid flow path 16 side and can be easily operated. Any shape may be used as long as the shape has excellent durability.

In the above embodiment, the plate-shaped movable member 3
1 and the separation wall having the movable member 31 were made of nickel having a thickness of 5 μm. However, the material of the movable member 31 and the separation wall is not resistant to the foaming liquid and the discharge liquid. Any material may be used as long as the movable member 31 has elasticity so that it can operate favorably, and can form slits and control its shape in the thickness direction.

As the material of the movable member 31, silver, nickel, gold, iron, titanium, aluminum,
Metals such as platinum, tantalum, stainless steel, phosphor bronze, and alloys thereof, or acrylonitrile, butadiene,
Resin having a nitrile group such as styrene, resin having an amide group such as polyamide, resin having a carboxyl group such as polycarbonate, resin having an aldehyde group such as polyacetal, resin having a sulfone group such as polysulfone, and other liquid crystal polymers. Resins and their compounds,
Metals such as gold, tungsten, tantalum, nickel, stainless steel, titanium, etc., which have high ink resistance, alloys of these, and those with ink resistance coated on the surface, resins having amide groups such as polyamide, polyacetal, etc. Resin having an aldehyde group, resin having a ketone group such as polyetheretherketone, resin having an imide group such as polyimide, resin having a hydroxyl group such as a phenol resin, resin having an ethyl group such as polyethylene, and alkyl such as polypropylene. Resin with groups,
A resin having an epoxy group such as an epoxy resin, a resin having an amino group such as a melamine resin, a resin having a methylol group such as a xylene resin and a compound thereof, and a ceramic such as silicon dioxide and a compound thereof are desirable.

Examples of the material of the separation wall 30 include polyethylene, polypropylene, polyamide, polyethylene terephthalate, melamine resin, phenol resin, epoxy resin, polybutadiene, polyurethane, polyetheretherketone, polyethersulfone, polyarylate, polyimide, polysulfone, Liquid crystal polymer (LC
P) and other resins having good heat resistance, solvent resistance, and moldability represented by engineering plastics in recent years, and compounds thereof, or metals, alloys such as silicon dioxide, silicon nitride, nickel, gold, and stainless steel; The compound,
Alternatively, those coated with titanium or gold on the surface are desirable.

The thickness of the separation wall 30 may be determined in consideration of the material and shape of the separation wall 30 from the viewpoint that the strength of the separation wall 30 can be achieved and the movable member 31 operates well. It is preferably about 0.5 μm to 10 μm.

The width of the slit 35 for forming the movable member 31 is 2 μm in the present embodiment. However, if the foaming liquid and the discharge liquid are different liquids and it is desired to prevent the mixture of the two liquids, the slit is used. The width may be set so as to form a meniscus between the two liquids, and the flow of each liquid may be suppressed. For example, when a liquid of about 2 cp (centipoise) is used as the foaming liquid and a liquid of 100 cp or more is used as the ejection liquid, the liquid mixture can be prevented even with a slit of about 5 μm, but it is preferably 3 μm or less. .

The movable member in the present invention has a thickness of the order of μm (t μm), and a movable member having a thickness of the order of cm is not intended. For a movable member having a thickness on the order of μm, a slit width (W
μm), it is desirable to consider the manufacturing variation to some extent.

The slit which gives the “substantially sealed state” of the present invention is more reliable if it is on the order of several μm.

As described above, when the functions are separated into the foaming liquid and the discharge liquid, the movable member becomes a substantial partitioning member. It can be seen that the foaming liquid mixes slightly with the discharge liquid when the movable member moves with the generation of bubbles. In consideration of the fact that an ejection liquid for forming an image generally has a colorant density of about 3% to 5% in the case of ink jet recording, this foaming liquid is in a range of 20% or less with respect to the ejection droplet. Does not cause a large change in concentration. Therefore, the present invention includes such a mixed liquid as a mixture of a foaming liquid and an ejected liquid such that the amount thereof is 20% or less of the ejected liquid droplets.

In the implementation of the above configuration example, even if the viscosity is changed, the mixing of the foaming liquid at the upper limit is 15%. With the foaming liquid of 5 cp or less, the mixing ratio depends on the driving frequency, but it is 10%. % As the upper limit.

In particular, as the viscosity of the discharged liquid is set to 20 cp or less, the mixed liquid can be reduced (for example, 5% or less).

Next, the positional relationship between the heating element and the movable member in the head will be described with reference to the drawings. However,
The shapes, dimensions, and numbers of the movable member and the heating element are not limited to the following. By the optimal arrangement of the heating element and the movable member, the pressure at the time of foaming by the heating element can be effectively used as the discharge pressure.

By applying energy such as heat to the ink, a state change accompanied by a steep volume change (generation of air bubbles) is caused in the ink, and the ink is ejected from the ejection port by an action force based on the state change. In the related art of an ink jet recording method for forming an image by attaching an image onto a recording medium, that is, a so-called bubble jet recording method, FIG.
As shown in FIG. 1, although the heating element area and the ink ejection amount are in a proportional relationship, it can be seen that there is a non-foaming effective region S that does not contribute to ink ejection. In addition, from the appearance of the kogation on the heating element, it can be seen that the non-foaming effective area S exists around the heating element. From these results, it is considered that the width of about 4 μm around the heating element is not involved in foaming.

Therefore, in order to effectively utilize the foaming pressure, it is effective to dispose the movable member such that the movable area of the movable member covers the area just above the effective foaming area at least about 4 μm from the periphery of the heating element. It can be said that it is a target. In the present embodiment, the effective foaming area is set at about 4 μm or more inside the periphery of the heating element. However, the present invention is not limited to this, depending on the type and forming method of the heating element.

FIG. 22 shows a movable member 31a ((a)) having a movable area having a different total area on a heating element 2 of 58 × 150 μm.
FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram viewed from above when the movable member 31b (FIG. 2B) is arranged.

The dimension of the movable member 31a is 53 × 145 μm.
m, which is smaller than the area of the heating element 2, but approximately the same as the effective foaming area of the heating element 2, and is arranged so as to cover the effective foaming area. On the other hand, the size of the movable member 31b is 53 × 220 μm, which is larger than the area of the heating element 2 (when the width is the same, the dimension between the fulcrum 33 and the movable tip is longer than the length of the heating element 2). It is arranged so as to cover the effective foaming area in the same manner as the member 31a. The durability and discharge efficiency of the two types of movable members 31a and 31b were measured. The measurement conditions are as follows.

Foaming liquid: 40% ethanol aqueous solution Ejection ink: Dye ink Voltage: 20.2 V Frequency: 3 kHz As a result of conducting an experiment under these measurement conditions, regarding the durability of the movable member, (a) the movable member 31a In the case of 1 × 10 ⁷ pulses, the fulcrum of the movable member 31a was damaged when 1 × 10 ⁷ pulses were applied. (B) The movable member 31b is 3 × 10 ⁸
No damage was seen when the pulse was applied. It was also confirmed that the kinetic energy based on the discharge amount and the discharge speed with respect to the input energy was improved by about 1.5 to 2.5 times.

From the above results, from the viewpoint of both durability and discharge efficiency, it is preferable that the movable member is provided so as to cover directly above the effective foaming area, and that the area of the movable member is larger than the area of the heating element. It turns out that it is excellent.

FIG. 23 shows the relationship between the distance from the edge of the heating element to the fulcrum of the movable member and the displacement of the movable member. FIG. 24 is a sectional view showing the positional relationship between the heating element 2 and the movable member 31 as viewed from the side. Heating element 2 is 40 ×
The one having a size of 105 μm was used. It can be seen that the greater the distance l from the edge of the heating element 2 to the fulcrum 33 of the movable member 31, the greater the displacement. Therefore, it is desirable to determine the optimal displacement amount and determine the position of the fulcrum 33 of the movable member 31 based on the required ink ejection amount, the ejection liquid flow path structure, and the shape of the heating element.

The fulcrum 33 of the movable member 31 is
In the case where the movable member 31 is located immediately above the effective foaming area, the foaming pressure is directly applied to the fulcrum 33 in addition to the stress caused by the displacement of the movable member 31, so that the durability of the movable member 31 is reduced. According to the experiment of the present inventor, in the case where the fulcrum 33 is provided just above the effective foaming area, the movable wall is damaged by about 1 × 10 ⁶ pulses, and the durability is reduced. ing. Therefore, by arranging the fulcrum 33 of the movable member 31 just above the effective foaming area of the heating element 2, the practicability increases even if the movable member 31 has a shape or material whose durability is not so high. However, even when the fulcrum 33 is located immediately above the effective foaming area, it can be used favorably by selecting its shape and material. With this configuration, a liquid ejection head having high ejection efficiency and excellent durability can be obtained.

<Element Substrate> The configuration of an element substrate provided with a heating element for applying heat to a liquid will be described below.

FIG. 25 is a longitudinal sectional view of the liquid discharge head of the present invention. FIG. 25A shows a head having a protective film (anti-cavitation layer) described later, and FIG. Not something.

On the element substrate 1, the second liquid flow path 16, the separation wall 3
0, a first liquid flow path 14, and a grooved member 50 provided with grooves forming the first liquid flow path 14.

The element substrate 1 has a base 107 made of silicon or the like.
A silicon oxide film or a silicon nitride film 106 for the purpose of insulation and heat storage is formed thereon, and hafnium boride (HfB ₂ ), tantalum nitride (TaN), tantalum aluminum ( An electric resistance layer 105 (having a thickness of 0.01 to 0.2 μm) such as TaAl) and a wiring electrode (having a thickness of 0.2 to 1.0 μm) such as aluminum are patterned as shown in FIG. These two wiring electrodes 10
4 applies a voltage to the electric resistance layer 105,
A current is passed through 05 to generate heat. On the electric resistance layer 105 between the wiring electrodes 104, a protective layer 103 such as silicon oxide or silicon nitride is formed in a thickness of 0.1 to 2.0 μm, and further thereon, a cavitation resistant layer 102 such as tantalum is formed.
(0.1 to 0.6 μm thick) is formed to protect the electric resistance layer 105 from various liquids such as ink.

In particular, the pressure and shock waves generated when bubbles are generated and defoamed are extremely strong, and the durability of a hard and brittle oxide film is significantly reduced.
Are used as the anti-cavitation layer 102.

A structure that does not require the above-described anti-cavitation layer 102 may be used depending on a combination of a liquid, a liquid flow path structure, and a resistance material. An example is shown in FIG.
Examples of the material of the electric resistance layer 105 that does not require such a cavitation-resistant layer include an iridium-tantalum-aluminum alloy.

As described above, the configuration of the heating element 2 in each of the above-described embodiments may include only the electric resistance layer (heating section) 105 between the wiring electrodes 104 described above, or may be a protection for protecting the electric resistance layer 105. It may include the layer 103.

In the present embodiment, the heating element 2 having a heating portion composed of the electric resistance layer 105 that generates heat in response to an electric signal is used. However, the present invention is not limited to this. What is necessary is just to generate enough bubbles in the foaming liquid. For example, a light-to-heat converter that generates heat by receiving light from a laser or the like, or a heat generator that has a heat generating unit that generates heat by receiving a high frequency may be used as the heat generating unit.

The above-mentioned element substrate 1 is provided with an electric resistance layer 105 constituting the above-mentioned heat generating portion and this electric resistance layer 105.
In addition to an electrothermal transducer composed of wiring electrodes 104 for supplying an electric signal to the device, functional elements such as a transistor, a diode, a latch, and a shift register for selectively driving the electrothermal transducer are integrated. It may be produced by a semiconductor manufacturing process.

In order to drive the heat generating portion of the electrothermal transducer provided on the element substrate 1 and discharge the liquid, the electric resistance layer 105 is connected to the electric resistance layer 105 via the wiring electrode 104 as shown in FIG. By applying a rectangular pulse as indicated by 26, the electric resistance layer 105 between the wiring electrodes 104 is heated rapidly. In the head of each of the above-described embodiments, the heating element is driven by applying a voltage of 24 V, a pulse width of 7 μsec, a current of 150 mA, and an electric signal at 6 kHz. Was discharged. However, the condition of the drive signal is not limited to this, and any drive signal can be used as long as it can appropriately foam the foaming liquid.

<Head Structure with Two Flow Paths> The liquid discharge that can satisfactorily separate and introduce different liquids into the first and second common liquid chambers, can reduce the number of parts, and can reduce the cost. An example of the structure of the head will be described.

FIG. 27 is a schematic diagram showing the structure of such a liquid ejection head. The same reference numerals are used for the same components as in the previous embodiment, and a detailed description is omitted here.

In this embodiment, the grooved member 50 is
The orifice plate 51 having the discharge port 18, the plurality of grooves forming the plurality of first liquid flow paths 14, and the plurality of first liquid flow paths 14 commonly communicate with each other. (A discharge liquid) and a concave portion forming a first common liquid chamber 15 for supplying the same.

The separating wall 3 is provided on the lower portion of the grooved member 50.
By joining 0, a plurality of first liquid flow paths 14 can be formed. Such a grooved member 50 is provided in the first liquid supply path 2 reaching the inside of the first common liquid chamber 15 from above.
It has 0. In addition, the grooved member 50 has a second liquid supply passage 21 that penetrates the separation wall 30 from above and reaches the second common liquid chamber 17.

The first liquid (discharge liquid) is indicated by an arrow C in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 27, the first liquid is supplied to the first common liquid chamber 15 and then to the first liquid flow path 14 through the first liquid supply path 20, and the second liquid (foaming liquid) is supplied as shown by an arrow D in FIG. Then, the liquid is supplied to the second common liquid chamber 17 and then to the second liquid flow path 16 via the second liquid supply path 21.

In this embodiment, the second liquid supply path 21
Is arranged in parallel with the first liquid supply passage 20, but is not limited to this, penetrates the separation wall 30 arranged outside the first common liquid chamber 15, and 17 may be arranged in any way as long as it is formed so as to communicate with 17.

Also, the thickness (diameter) of the second liquid supply path 21
Is determined in consideration of the supply amount of the second liquid.
The shape of the second liquid supply path 21 does not need to be round,
It may be rectangular or the like.

The second common liquid chamber 17 is provided with the grooved member 5.
0 can be formed by partitioning with a separation wall 30. As a forming method, as shown in an exploded perspective view of this embodiment shown in FIG. 28, a common liquid chamber frame 71 and a second liquid path wall 72 are formed on the element substrate 1 with a dry film, and the separation wall 30 is fixed. The second common liquid chamber 17 and the second liquid flow path 16 may be formed by bonding the combined body of the grooved member 50 and the separation wall 30 to the element substrate 1.

In the present embodiment, as described above, a heating element as a heating element for generating heat for generating bubbles due to film boiling with respect to a foaming liquid is formed on a support 70 formed of a metal such as aluminum. An element substrate 1 provided with a plurality of electrothermal conversion elements is provided.

On the element substrate 1, a plurality of grooves constituting the second liquid flow path 16 formed by the second liquid path wall 72 are provided.
A second common liquid chamber (common foaming liquid chamber) 17 that communicates with the plurality of foaming liquid channels and supplies the foaming liquid to each of the foaming liquid paths.
And the separation wall 30 provided with the movable wall 31 described above.

The grooved member 50 is joined to the separation wall 30 and communicates with the groove forming the discharge liquid flow path (first liquid flow path) 14 and the discharge liquid flow path. 1st common liquid chamber (common discharge liquid chamber) 15 for supplying discharge liquid to
And a first liquid supply path (discharge liquid supply path) 20 for supplying the discharge liquid to the first common liquid chamber 15.
And a second liquid supply path (foaming liquid supply path) 21 for supplying the foaming liquid to the second common liquid chamber 17. The second supply passage 21 is connected to a communication passage that communicates with the second common liquid chamber 17 through the separation wall 30 disposed outside the first common liquid chamber 15, and the discharge passage communicates with the second common liquid chamber 17 through the communication passage. The foaming liquid can be supplied to the second common liquid chamber 17 without mixing.

Element substrate 1, separation wall 30, grooved member 50
The movable member 31 is arranged corresponding to the heating element 2 of the element substrate 1, and the discharge liquid flow path 14 is arranged corresponding to the movable member 31. Further, in the present embodiment, an example in which one second liquid supply path 21 is arranged in the grooved member 50 has been described, but a plurality of second liquid supply paths 21 may be provided according to the supply amount. Furthermore, the flow path cross-sectional area of the first liquid supply path 20 and the second liquid supply path 21 may be determined in proportion to the supply amount. By optimizing the cross-sectional area of the flow path, it is possible to further reduce the size of the components constituting the grooved member 50 and the like.

As described above, according to this embodiment, the second liquid supply passage 21 for supplying the second liquid to the second liquid passage 16 is provided.
Since the first liquid supply path 20 that supplies the first liquid to the first liquid flow path 14 is formed of the same grooved member 50, the number of components can be reduced, and the number of parts can be reduced, and the cost can be reduced. .

The supply of the second liquid to the second common liquid chamber 17 communicating with the second liquid flow path 16 is performed by the second liquid flow in a direction penetrating the separation wall 30 for separating the first liquid and the second liquid. Road 16
In this structure, the separation wall 30, the grooved member 50, and the element substrate 1 need only be bonded once, which improves the ease of manufacturing, improves the bonding accuracy, and improves discharge. can do.

Since the second liquid penetrates through the separation wall 30 and is supplied to the second common liquid chamber 17, the second liquid flow path 16
In addition, since the supply of the second liquid is ensured and the supply amount can be sufficiently secured, stable ejection can be performed.

<Ejecting Liquid and Foaming Liquid> As described in the previous embodiment, in the present invention, the structure having the movable member as described above provides higher ejection force and ejection efficiency than the conventional liquid ejection head. The liquid can be discharged at high speed. In the present embodiment, when the same liquid is used for the foaming liquid and the discharge liquid, the deposit is not easily generated on the heating element by heating without being deteriorated by the heat applied from the heating element, and vaporized by heat. Various liquids can be used as long as they can change the reversible state of condensation and do not deteriorate the liquid flow path, the movable member, the separation wall, and the like.

Among such liquids, as a liquid (recording liquid) used for recording, an ink having a composition used in a conventional bubble jet apparatus can be used.

On the other hand, when the head having a two-flow channel structure of the present invention is used and the discharge liquid and the foaming liquid are different liquids, a liquid having the above-mentioned properties may be used as the foaming liquid. , Methanol, ethanol, n-propanol, isopropanol, n-hexane, n-heptane, n-octane, toluene, xylene, methylene dichloride, trichlene, Freon TF, Freon BF, ethyl ether, dioxane, cyclohexane, methyl acetate, acetic acid ethyl,
Examples include acetone, methyl ethyl ketone, water, and the like, and mixtures thereof.

As the discharge liquid, various liquids can be used irrespective of the presence or absence of bubbling properties and thermal properties. In addition, liquids having low foaming properties, liquids which are easily deteriorated or deteriorated by heat, high-viscosity liquids, and the like, which have been difficult to discharge conventionally, can be used.

However, the properties of the discharged liquid are as follows:
Alternatively, it is desirable that the liquid is not a liquid that hinders ejection, foaming, operation of the movable member, or the like due to a reaction with the foaming liquid.

As the ejection liquid for recording, a high-viscosity ink or the like can be used. As other discharge liquids, liquids such as medicines and perfumes that are vulnerable to heat can be used.

In the present invention, recording was performed using an ink having the following composition as a recording liquid that can be used for both the ejection liquid and the foaming liquid. Therefore, the landing accuracy of the droplet was improved, and a very good recorded image could be obtained.

[0192]

[Outside 1]

In addition, recording was performed by discharging a liquid having the following composition in combination with the foaming liquid and the discharge liquid. As a result, more than ten cp that were difficult to eject with the conventional head
As a matter of course, even a liquid having a very high viscosity of 150 cp as well as a liquid having a high viscosity could be ejected favorably, and a high-quality recorded matter could be obtained.

[0194]

[Outside 2]

By the way, in the case of the liquid which has been conventionally difficult to be ejected as described above, since the ejection speed is low, the dispersion of the ejection direction is promoted, and the landing accuracy of the dots on the recording paper is poor. Discharge amount variation due to instability occurred, and as a result, it was difficult to obtain high-quality images. However, in the configuration of the above-described embodiment, the generation of bubbles can be sufficiently and stably performed by using the foaming liquid. As a result, it is possible to improve the landing accuracy of the droplets and stabilize the ink discharge amount, and it is possible to remarkably improve the quality of the recorded image.

<Manufacture of Movable Member> Next, an example of a manufacturing process of a movable member, which is the most significant feature of the present invention, will be described by selecting some of the various shapes shown in the above embodiments.

First, an example of a method of manufacturing the movable member 31 shown in FIG. 3 will be described with reference to FIGS.

(A) On the SUS substrate 1100, a thickness of 0.5
The μm resist 1101 is patterned. The width of the resist 1101 to be patterned is 12 μm when the width left as a slit is 3 μm and the resist has a thickness of 0.5 μm.

(B) The SUS substrate 1100 is electroplated to form a nickel layer 110 on the SUS substrate 1100.
2 is grown 5 μm. As the plating solution, a stress reducing agent (Zeolol, manufactured by World Metal Company), boric acid, a pit preventing agent (NP-APS, manufactured by World Metal Company), and nickel chloride were used for nickel sulfomate. As for the method of applying an electric field at the time of electrodeposition, an electrode was attached to the anode side, and a resist 1101 was patterned on the cathode side.
Attach US substrate 1100, set plating solution temperature to 50 ℃
And the current density was 5 A / cm ² .

When the nickel layer 1102 is grown under these conditions, the nickel layer 1102 also grows in a direction covering the resist 1101 in addition to the thickness direction from the point of time when the nickel layer 1102 grows 0.5 μm. When the total thickness becomes 5 μm, the nickel layer 1102 covers both sides of the resist 1101 by about 4.5 μm. As a result, a gap having a width of 3 μm is formed on the resist 1101 along the pattern of the resist 1101, and the radius of curvature of the nickel layer 1102 in the thickness direction at the gap is 4.5 μm.

(C) SUS substrate 110 after plating
0 to the nickel layer 1102,
The movable member 31 is peeled off from the USU substrate 1100, and has a shape whose width gradually decreases toward the upper side in the figure.

Here, a step which is a trace of the resist 1101 is formed on the lower surface of the movable member 31 in the figure, but since the height of the step is 0.5 μm, the lower surface of the movable member 31 is substantially It is a plane.

Next, the movable member 31 shown in FIG.
An example of the production method will be described with reference to FIGS.

(A) On the SUS substrate 1100, a thickness of 2.5
The μm resist 1101a is patterned. The width of the resist 1101a to be patterned is adjusted to the width left as a slit.

(B) The SUS substrate 1100 is electroplated to form a nickel layer 110 on the SUS substrate 1100.
2a is grown 2.5 μm. As the plating solution, a stress reducing agent (Zeolol, manufactured by World Metal Company), boric acid, a pit preventing agent (NP-APS, manufactured by World Metal Company), and nickel chloride were used for nickel sulfomate. As for the method of applying an electric field at the time of electrodeposition, an electrode is attached to the anode side and resists 1101a and 1101
A SUS substrate 1100 patterned with 1b was attached, the temperature of the plating solution was set to 50 ° C., and the current density was set to 5 A / c.
It was m ^2.

(C) The resist 1101b having a thickness of 2.5 μm is patterned again on the resist 1101a. The width of the resist 110b is larger than the width of the resist 1101a that is first patterned.

(D) Electroplating is again performed on the nickel layer 1102a, and the second nickel layer 1102 is formed.
b is grown 2.5 μm. The plating conditions are the same as when the first nickel layer 1102a was formed.

(E) After removing the resists 1101a and 1101b, ultrasonic vibration is applied to the SUS substrate 1100,
The portion of the first nickel layer 1102a is replaced with the SUS substrate 11
The movable member 31 having a two-stage shape is obtained by peeling from the layer 00.

Next, the movable member 31 shown in FIG.
An example of the manufacturing method will be described with reference to FIGS.

(A) 15 μm thick SUS substrate 1100
The m resist 1101 is patterned. At this time, the focus at the time of exposure is shifted so that the side surface of the patterned resist 1101 is inclined.

(B) The SUS substrate 1100 is electroplated to form a nickel layer 110 on the SUS substrate 1100.
2 is grown 5 μm. As the plating solution, a stress reducing agent (Zeolol, manufactured by World Metal Company), boric acid, a pit preventing agent (NP-APS, manufactured by World Metal Company), and nickel chloride were used for nickel sulfomate. As for the method of applying an electric field at the time of electrodeposition, an electrode was attached to the anode side, and a resist 1101 was patterned on the cathode side.
Attach US substrate 1100, set plating solution temperature to 50 ℃
And the current density was 5 A / cm ² .

(C) SU after plating as described above
Ultrasonic vibration is applied to the S substrate 1100 and the nickel layer 110
2 is peeled from the SUS substrate 1100. When this is turned upside down, a trapezoidal movable member 31 is obtained.

Next, the movable member 31 shown in FIG.
An example of the production method will be described with reference to FIGS.

(A) Resist 1 on SUS substrate 1100
101a is patterned.

(B) The SUS substrate 1100 on which the resist 1101 has been patterned is immersed in an etching solution (an aqueous solution of ferric chloride or cupric chloride) to form a resist 1101a.
Is etched by 5 μm. After that, the resist 1101a is peeled off.

(C) A resist 1101b is applied again on the entire etched surface of the SUS substrate 1100.

(D) Resist 110 applied in the above step
1b is patterned by exposure so that the resist 110b remains only at the bottom of the etched portion of the SUS substrate 1100.

(E) SUS substrate 110 as described above
0 as a base material, electroplating is performed on the SUS substrate 1100 to form a nickel layer 1102 on the SUS substrate 1100.
Is grown 5 μm. As the plating solution, a stress reducing agent (Zeolol, manufactured by World Metal Company), boric acid, a pit preventing agent (NP-APS, manufactured by World Metal Company), and nickel chloride were used for nickel sulfomate. As for the method of applying an electric field at the time of electrodeposition, an electrode is attached to the anode side, a SUS substrate 1100 on which a resist 1101b is already patterned is attached to the cathode side, and the temperature of the plating solution is set to 50.
° C and the current density was 5 A / cm ² .

(F) SU after plating as described above
Ultrasonic vibration is applied to the S substrate 1100 and the nickel layer 110
The portion 2 is peeled from the SUS substrate 1100 to obtain the movable member 31 having the upright portions integrally provided at both ends in the width direction.

<Manufacture of Liquid Discharge Head> Next, the process of manufacturing the liquid discharge head of the present invention will be described.

In the case of the liquid discharge head as shown in FIG. 2, a base 34 for providing the movable member 31 on the element substrate 1 is formed by patterning a dry film or the like. The movable member 31 formed as described above was bonded or fixed by welding. afterwards,
A grooved member having a plurality of grooves constituting each liquid flow path 10, a discharge port 18, and a concave part constituting a common liquid chamber 13 is joined to the element substrate 1 in a state where the grooves correspond to the movable member 31. Formed.

Next, as shown in FIG. 14 and FIG.
The manufacturing process of the liquid discharge head having the flow path configuration will be described.

In general, the second liquid flow path 1
6 is formed, a separation wall 30 having a movable member 31 is mounted thereon, and a grooved member 50 provided with a groove or the like constituting the first liquid flow path 14 is further mounted thereon.
Alternatively, after the wall of the second liquid flow path 16 was formed, the head was manufactured by joining the grooved member 50 on which the separation wall 30 was attached to the wall.

Further, a method for forming the second liquid flow path 16 will be described in detail.

FIGS. 33 (a) to 33 (e) are schematic sectional views for explaining an example of the method for manufacturing a liquid discharge head according to the present invention.

In this example, as shown in FIG. 2A, hafnium boride, tantalum nitride and the like are formed on an element substrate (silicon wafer) 1 using the same manufacturing apparatus as used in the semiconductor manufacturing process. After the element for electrothermal conversion having the heating element 2 was formed, the surface of the element substrate 1 was washed for the purpose of improving the adhesion to the photosensitive resin in the next step. Further, in order to improve the adhesiveness, after the surface of the element substrate 1 is surface-modified by ultraviolet-ozone or the like, for example, a silane coupling agent (A189, manufactured by Nippon Yunika) is diluted to 1% by weight with ethyl alcohol. This is achieved by spin-coating the modified liquid on the modified surface.

Next, a UV-sensitive resin film (manufactured by Tokyo Ohka Co., Ltd .: dry film Odile SY-318) DF is laminated on the element substrate 1 having been subjected to surface cleaning and having improved adhesion as shown in FIG. did.

Next, as shown in (c), a photomask PM is disposed on the dry film DF, and ultraviolet rays are applied to the portion of the dry film DF left as the second channel wall through the photomask PM. Irradiated. This exposure step is performed using MPA-600 manufactured by Canon Inc.
The exposure was performed at an exposure of 0 mJ / cm ² .

Next, as shown in (d), the dry film DF was developed with a developing solution (BMRC-3 manufactured by Tokyo Ohka Chemical Co., Ltd.) composed of a mixture of xylene and butyl cellosolve acetate, and the unexposed portion was developed. The portion that was dissolved, exposed and cured was formed as a wall portion of the second liquid flow path 16. Further, the residue remaining on the surface of the element substrate 1 is removed by treating it with an oxygen plasma ashing apparatus (MAS-800, manufactured by Alcantech) for about 90 seconds, and subsequently, at 150 ° C. for 2 hours, and further 100 mJ / cm ^{2 of} ultraviolet irradiation. The exposure was completely cured.

According to the above-described method, the second liquid flow path 16 can be uniformly formed with high accuracy on a plurality of heater boards (element substrates) divided and manufactured from the silicon substrate. The silicon substrate was cut and separated into respective heater boards 1 by a dicing machine (AWD-4000 manufactured by Tokyo Seimitsu) equipped with a diamond blade having a thickness of 0.05 mm. The separated heater board 1 was fixed on an aluminum base plate (support) 70 with an adhesive (SE4400, manufactured by Toray Industries, Inc.) (FIG. 36). Next, the printed circuit board 73 (FIG. 36) previously bonded on the aluminum base plate 70 and the heater board 1 are connected to each other with a diameter of 0.05 mm.
mm aluminum wire (not shown).

Next, as shown in FIG. 33 (e), the joined body of the grooved member 50 and the separating wall 30 was positioned and joined to the heater board 1 thus obtained, as shown in FIG. That is, the grooved member 50 having the separation wall 30 and the heater board 1 are positioned, and the pressing spring 78 (FIG.
6) After the engagement and fixation, the ink / foaming liquid supply member 80 (FIG. 36) is joined and fixed on the aluminum base plate 70, and between the aluminum wires, the grooved member 50, the heater board 1, and the ink / foaming liquid. A gap with the supply member 80 was sealed with a silicone sealant (TSE399, manufactured by Toshiba Silicone Co., Ltd.) to complete the process.

By forming the second liquid flow path 16 by the above-described manufacturing method, it is possible to obtain a high-precision flow path with no positional deviation with respect to each heating element 2 of each heater board 1. Especially,
By joining the grooved member 50 and the separation wall 30 in the previous step in advance, the positional accuracy of the first liquid flow path 14 and the movable member 31 can be improved.

[0233] These high-precision manufacturing techniques stabilize ejection and improve print quality. In addition, since it can be formed on a wafer at a time, a large amount can be manufactured at low cost.

In this example, an ultraviolet-curing dry film was used to form the second liquid flow path 16. However, a resin having an absorption band in the ultraviolet region, particularly around 248 nm, was used, and after lamination, curing was performed. Then, the resin can also be obtained by directly removing the resin in the portion to be the second liquid flow path 16 with an excimer laser.

FIGS. 34A to 34D are schematic sectional views for explaining another example of the method of manufacturing a liquid discharge head according to the present invention.

In this example, as shown in FIG.
A resist 101 having a thickness of 15 μm was patterned on the US substrate 1100 in the shape of the second liquid flow path.

Next, as shown in (b), the SUS substrate 1
SUS substrate 1100 by electroplating
A nickel layer 1102 was grown to a thickness of 15 μm thereon.
As the plating solution, a stress reducing agent (Zerool, manufactured by World Metal Co.), boric acid, a pit preventing agent (NP-APS, manufactured by World Metal Co.), and nickel chloride were used for nickel sulfamate. The method of applying an electric field during electrodeposition is
An electrode was attached to the anode side, an already patterned SUS substrate 1100 was attached to the cathode side, the temperature of the plating solution was set to 50 ° C., and the current density was set to 5 A / cm ² .

Next, as shown in (c), ultrasonic vibration is applied to the SUS substrate 1100 which has been plated as described above, and the nickel layer 1102 is peeled off from the SUS substrate 1100 to obtain a desired second layer. A liquid flow path was obtained.

On the other hand, a heater board provided with an electrothermal conversion element was formed on a silicon wafer using the same manufacturing apparatus as that for semiconductors. This wafer was separated into respective heater boards by a dicing machine in the same manner as in the previous embodiment. The heater board 1 was bonded to an aluminum base plate 70 to which a printed wiring board 73 was previously bonded, and electrical wiring was formed by connecting the printed wiring board 73 and aluminum wires (not shown). As shown in FIG. 34D, the second liquid flow path 16 obtained in the previous step was positioned and fixed on the heater board 1 in such a state. At the time of this fixing, in the subsequent step, as in the example described with reference to FIG. 33, the grooved member having the separation wall fixed thereto is engaged and adhered by the pressing spring, so that no positional displacement occurs when the grooved member is joined. It is enough if it is fixed to the extent.

In this example, an ultraviolet curing adhesive (manufactured by Grace Japan: Amicon UV-30) was used for the positioning and fixing.
0), and using an ultraviolet irradiation device, the exposure amount is 100
Fixation was completed in about 3 seconds at mJ / cm ² .

According to the manufacturing method of this example, the second liquid flow path 16 can be obtained with high accuracy without any displacement with respect to the heating element 2, and since the flow path wall is formed of nickel, It is possible to provide a highly reliable head that is resistant to alkaline liquids.

FIGS. 35A to 35D are schematic cross-sectional views for explaining still another example of the method of manufacturing a liquid discharge head according to the present invention.

In the present example, as shown in FIG.
Resist 1103 on both sides of 5 μm SUS substrate 1100
Was applied. Here, PMERP-AR900 manufactured by Tokyo Ohka was used as the resist 1103.

Thereafter, as shown in (b), exposure is performed using an exposure apparatus (MPA-600, manufactured by Canon Inc.) in accordance with the alignment holes 1100a of the SUS substrate 1100, and the second liquid flow path is set. Resist 1103 to be formed
Was removed. The exposure was performed at an exposure amount of 800 mJ / cm ² .

Next, as shown in (c), a SUS substrate 1100 on which resists 1103 on both sides are patterned
Was immersed in an etching solution (an aqueous solution of ferric chloride or cupric chloride) to etch a portion exposed from the resist 1103, and then the resist 1103 was peeled off.

Next, as shown in (d), the etched SUS substrate 1100 is positioned and fixed on the heater board 1 and the second liquid flow path 16
Was assembled.

According to the manufacturing method of this example, the second liquid flow path 16 can be obtained with high accuracy without displacement with respect to the heating element 2, and since the flow path is formed by SUS, acid or A highly reliable liquid ejection head that is strong against alkaline liquids can be provided.

As described above, according to the manufacturing method of this example, by disposing the wall of the second liquid flow path in advance on the element substrate, the heating element and the second liquid flow path can be precisely formed. Positioning becomes possible. In addition, since the second liquid flow path can be formed simultaneously on a large number of element substrates on the substrate before cutting and separation, a large amount of low-cost liquid discharge head can be provided.

In the liquid discharge head obtained by the manufacturing method of this embodiment, since the heating element and the second liquid flow path are positioned with high accuracy, the pressure of the bubbling caused by the heat generated by the electrothermal transducer can be reduced efficiently. It can be well received and has excellent discharge efficiency.

<Liquid Discharge Head Cartridge> Next, a liquid discharge head cartridge equipped with the liquid discharge head according to the above embodiment will be schematically described.

FIG. 36 is a schematic exploded perspective view of a liquid discharge head cartridge including the above-described liquid discharge head. The liquid discharge head cartridge is schematically composed mainly of a liquid discharge head section 200 and a liquid container 90. I have.

The liquid discharge head unit 200 includes the element substrate 1,
It comprises a separation wall 30, a grooved member 50, a pressing spring 78, a liquid supply member 80, an aluminum base plate (support) 70, and the like. As described above, the element substrate 1 is provided with a plurality of heating resistors for applying heat to the foaming liquid in a row, and a functional element for selectively driving the heating resistors. Are provided. A foaming liquid passage is formed between the element substrate 1 and the above-described separation wall 30 having a movable wall, and the foaming liquid flows. The separating wall 30 and the grooved member 5
A discharge flow path (not shown) through which the discharge liquid to be discharged flows is formed by joining with the discharge liquid.

The pressing spring 78 is a member for applying an urging force in the direction of the element substrate 1 to the grooved member 50, and the urging force acts on the element substrate 1, the separation wall 30, and the grooved member 50.
And the support 70 described later are satisfactorily integrated.

The support 70 is for supporting the element substrate 1 and the like. On the support 70, a printed wiring board 73 for connecting to the element substrate 1 and supplying an electric signal, and a device side. A contact pad 74 for exchanging an electric signal with the device by connecting to the device side is arranged.

The liquid container 90 includes the liquid discharge head 200
, And a discharge liquid such as ink and a foaming liquid for generating air bubbles are separately housed inside. Liquid container 9
0, the liquid discharge head unit 200 and the liquid container 90
Positioning section 9 for arranging a connection member for connection with the
4 and a fixed shaft 95 for fixing the connection member. The supply of the discharge liquid is supplied from the discharge liquid supply path 92 of the liquid container 90 to the discharge liquid supply path 81 of the liquid supply member 80 via the supply path 84 of the connection member, and the liquid supply paths 83, 79, and 20 of each member are provided. To the first common liquid chamber. Similarly, the foaming liquid is supplied from the foaming liquid supply path 93 of the liquid container 90 to the foaming liquid supply path 82 of the liquid supply member 80 via the supply path of the connecting member, and the liquid supply paths 84 and
The liquid is supplied to the second liquid chamber via 79 and 21.

In the above-described liquid discharge head cartridge, the supply form and the liquid container 90 that can supply even when the foaming liquid and the discharge liquid are different liquids have been described.
When the ejection liquid and the foaming liquid are the same, the supply path and the container of the foaming liquid and the ejection liquid need not be divided.

It should be noted that the liquid container 90 may be refilled with liquid after each liquid is consumed. For this purpose, it is desirable to provide a liquid inlet in the liquid container 90. Further, the liquid discharge head unit 200 and the liquid container 90 may be integrated or may be separable.

<Liquid Discharge Apparatus> FIG. 37 shows a schematic configuration of a liquid discharge apparatus equipped with the above-described liquid discharge head. In the present embodiment, an explanation will be given particularly using an ink ejection recording apparatus IJRA using ink as the ejection liquid. The carriage HC of the liquid ejection device is provided with a liquid container 9 for storing ink.
0 and the liquid ejection head unit 200 are mounted with a detachable head cartridge, and the width direction (arrows a and b) of the recording medium 150 such as recording paper conveyed by the recording medium conveying means.
Direction).

When a drive signal is supplied from a drive signal supply unit (not shown) to the liquid discharge unit on the carriage HC, the liquid discharge head unit 200 responds to the signal from the drive signal supply unit.
The recording liquid is discharged to 50.

In the liquid ejection apparatus of this embodiment, a motor 111 as a drive source for driving the recording medium transport means and the carriage HC, a gear 112 for transmitting power from the drive source to the carriage HC, 113, a carriage shaft 85, and the like. With this recording apparatus and the liquid ejection method performed by this recording apparatus, a recorded matter of a good image could be obtained by ejecting liquid to various recording media.

FIG. 38 is a block diagram of an entire apparatus for operating an ink discharge recording apparatus to which the liquid discharge head of the present invention is applied.

The printing apparatus receives print information from the host computer 300 as a control signal. The print information is temporarily stored in the input / output interface 301 inside the printing apparatus, and at the same time, is converted into data that can be processed in the recording apparatus.
It is input to the CPU 302 which also serves as a head drive signal supply unit. The CPU 302 processes data input to the CPU 302 using a peripheral unit such as the RAM 304 based on a control program stored in the ROM 303, and converts the data into print data (image data).

The CPU 302 creates drive data for driving the drive motor 306 for moving the recording paper and the head 200 in synchronization with the image data in order to record the image data at an appropriate position on the recording paper. . The image data and the motor drive data are stored in the head driver 3 respectively.
07, and transmitted to the head 200 and the drive motor 306 via the motor driver 305, and are driven at controlled timings to form images.

The recording medium which can be applied to the recording apparatus as described above and to which a liquid such as ink is applied includes plastics, cloth, aluminum, etc. used for various papers, OHP sheets, compact discs and decorative plates, etc. Metal materials such as copper and copper, leather materials such as cow skin, pig skin and artificial leather, wood materials such as wood and plywood, ceramic materials such as bamboo materials and tiles, and three-dimensional structures such as sponges can be used.

As the recording apparatus described above, various types of paper and O
A printer device for recording on an HP sheet or the like, a recording device for a plastic for recording on a plastic material such as a compact disc, a recording device for a metal for recording on a metal plate,
A recording device for leather for recording on leather, a recording device for wood for recording on wood, a recording device for ceramics for recording on ceramic materials, a recording device for recording on a three-dimensional network structure such as a sponge, and a cloth Also includes a textile printing device for performing recording on the paper.

As the discharge liquid used in these liquid discharge devices, a liquid suitable for each recording medium and recording conditions may be used.

<Recording System> Next, an example of an ink jet recording system in which recording is performed on a recording medium using the liquid discharge head of the present invention as a recording head will be described.

FIG. 39 is a schematic diagram for explaining the configuration of an ink jet recording system using the above-described liquid discharge head of the present invention. The liquid ejection head according to the present embodiment is a full line type head in which a plurality of ejection openings are arranged at intervals of 360 dpi in a length corresponding to the recordable width of the recording medium 150, and yellow (Y) and magenta (M). , Cyan (C), and black (Bk) are fixedly supported in parallel by a holder 202 at predetermined intervals in the X direction by a holder 202.

A signal is supplied to each of the heads 201a to 201d from a head driver 307 constituting drive signal supply means, and each of the heads 201a to 201d is driven based on this signal.

To the heads 201a to 201d, four color inks of Y, M, C, and Bk are supplied as inks from ink containers 204a to 204d, respectively. In addition,
Reference numeral 204e is a foaming liquid container in which a foaming liquid is stored,
Each of the heads 201a to 201
The configuration is such that a foaming liquid is supplied to d.

Below the heads 201a to 201d, there are provided head caps 203a to 203d in which an ink absorbing member such as sponge is disposed. By covering, the heads 201a to 201d can be maintained.

Reference numeral 206 denotes a transport belt which constitutes transport means for transporting various non-recording media as described in the above embodiments. The transport belt 206 is drawn around a predetermined path by various rollers, and is driven by a driving roller connected to a motor driver 305.

In the ink jet recording system of this embodiment, a pre-processing device 251 and a post-processing device 252 for performing various processes on the recording medium before and after recording are respectively provided upstream and downstream of the recording medium transport path. Provided.

The contents of the pre-processing and post-processing differ depending on the type of recording medium on which recording is performed and the type of ink. For example, for recording media such as metal, plastic, and ceramics, As a pretreatment, irradiation of ultraviolet rays and ozone is performed to activate the surface, thereby improving the adhesion of the ink. Further, in a recording medium such as plastic which easily generates static electricity, dust easily adheres to the surface due to the static electricity, and good recording may be hindered by the dust. For this reason, it is preferable to remove dust from the recording medium by removing static electricity from the recording medium using an ionizer device as a pretreatment.
Further, when a cloth is used as the recording medium, an alkaline substance,
A treatment for providing a substance selected from a water-soluble substance, a synthetic polymer, a water-soluble metal salt, urea, and thiourea may be performed as pretreatment. The pre-processing is not limited to these, and may be a process of setting the temperature of the recording medium to a temperature suitable for recording.

On the other hand, the post-processing includes a fixing process for promoting the fixing of the ink to the recording medium to which the ink has been applied by heat treatment, ultraviolet irradiation, or the like, or a cleaning process for applying the pre-treatment and remaining unreacted processing agent. And the like.

In this embodiment, the heads 201a to 201a
Although a full-line head has been described as 01d, the present invention is not limited to this, and a configuration in which the above-described small head is conveyed in the width direction of the recording medium to perform recording may be used.

<Head Kit> A head kit having the liquid ejection head of the present invention will be described below. FIG.
It is a schematic diagram showing such a head kit. The head kit 500 includes an ink ejection unit 5 for ejecting ink.
Head 510 of the present invention having
The ink container 520 is a liquid container that is inseparable or separable from zero, and an ink filling unit 530 holding ink for filling the ink container 520 with ink is contained in a kit container 501.

When the ink has been consumed, the insertion portion of the ink filling means 530 is inserted into the connection portion between the air communication port 521 of the ink container 520 and the head 510, or into a hole formed in the wall of the ink container 520. (Injection needle etc.) 531
May be inserted, and the ink in the ink filling means 530 may be filled into the ink container 520 through the insertion portion 531.

As described above, the head 510 of the present invention, the ink container 520, the ink filling means 530, and the like are contained in one kit container 501 to form a kit. The ink can be quickly and easily filled into the ink container 520, and the recording can be started quickly.

Although the head kit 500 of the present embodiment has been described as including the ink filling means 530, the head kit does not have the ink filling means and is of a separable type filled with ink. A configuration in which the ink container and the head are contained in the kit container 510 may be used.

In FIG. 40, the ink container 520
Only the ink filling means 530 for filling the ink is shown, but the foaming liquid filling means for filling the foaming liquid with the foaming liquid in addition to the ink container 520 is contained in a kit container. There may be.

The present invention is not limited to a so-called edge shooter type liquid discharge head having a discharge port at one end of the liquid flow path provided along the surface of the heating element as described above. The present invention is also applicable to a so-called side shooter type liquid discharge head having a discharge port 18 at a position facing the surface of the heating element 2 as shown at 41.

In the side shooter type liquid discharge head shown in FIG. 41, a bubble is formed on the element substrate 1 provided with a heating element 2 for applying heat energy for generating bubbles to the liquid for each discharge port 18. A second liquid flow path 16 for liquid is formed, and a discharge port 18 provided in the grooved member 50 thereon is formed.
The first liquid flow path 14 for the discharged liquid directly connected to the
The first liquid flow path 14 and the second liquid flow path 16 are similar to the above-described edge shooter type liquid discharge head in that they are separated by a separation wall 30 made of an elastic material such as metal. is there.

In the side shooter type liquid discharge head, a discharge port 18 is provided in a portion of the grooved member (orifice plate) 50 disposed on the first liquid flow path 14 immediately above the heating element 2. There is a feature in the point. A pair of movable members 31 each having a double door opening and having a width decreasing from a surface facing the heating element 2 to a surface on the opposite side thereof are provided on the separation wall 30 between the discharge port 18 and the heating element 2.
Is provided. Both movable members 31 are of a cantilever shape supported by a fulcrum 33, and both free ends 32 are slightly separated from each other by a slit 35 located immediately below a central portion of the discharge port 18 during non-discharge. And facing each other. At the time of ejection, both movable members 31 are opened to the first liquid flow path 14 side by foaming of the foaming liquid in the bubble generation region 11 and closed by contraction of the foaming liquid, as indicated by arrows in FIG. 41. In this region C, the discharge liquid is refilled from a discharge liquid tank (not shown) for storing the discharge liquid, and becomes in a dischargeable state, so that it can be prepared for the next bubbling of the foaming liquid.

[0285] The first liquid flow path 14
Along with the liquid flow path 14, it communicates with the discharge liquid tank via a first common liquid chamber 15, and the second liquid flow path 16, together with the second liquid flow path 16 of the other discharge port 18, communicates with the second common liquid chamber 16. A foaming liquid tank (not shown) for storing the foaming liquid is connected via the chamber 17.

In the side shooter type liquid discharge head having such a structure, the liquid is discharged at a high discharge efficiency and a high discharge pressure while improving the refill of the discharge liquid, almost in the same manner as the edge shooter type liquid discharge head. An excellent effect of being able to discharge can be obtained.

As for the manufacturing method, the grooved member 5
The liquid ejection head is substantially the same as the edge shooter type liquid ejection head except that the position of the ejection port 18 provided at 0 is different and the positions and structures of the common liquid chambers 15 and 17 are different. That is, the separation wall 30 having the movable member 31 and the second
The relationship with the flow path wall forming the liquid flow path 16 is the same in both cases.

Further, in each of the above-described embodiments, the example in which the resistance to the liquid when displacing is reduced by the shape of the movable member has been described. However, the contact angle of the liquid on the surface opposite to the surface facing the heating element is described. Can be performed on the movable member such that the surface of the movable member is smaller than that of the surface facing the heating element, so that the resistance to the liquid at the time of displacement can be reduced.

[0289]

As described above, a movable member having a reduced resistance to the liquid in the flow path when displacing is used, and the liquid is displaced toward the discharge port by displacing the movable member by the pressure based on the generation of bubbles. According to the liquid ejection head of the present invention, the movable member is easily displaced, and the ejection efficiency and the ejection force can be further improved. Furthermore, the movable member is more susceptible to the pressure component of the bubble by making the surface of the movable member facing the heating element a flat surface, or by forming both ends in the width direction so as to protrude toward the heating element side from the center. Alternatively, it becomes difficult to escape, and the pressure based on the generation of bubbles can be more effectively used for the displacement of the movable member.

Further, according to the characteristic structure of the present invention, it is possible to prevent non-discharge even if the device is left for a long time at a low temperature or low humidity. There is also an advantage that it is possible to immediately return to a normal state by performing a slight recovery process such as recovery. Along with this, the recovery time can be shortened, the loss of liquid due to the recovery can be reduced, and the running cost can be significantly reduced.

In particular, according to the configuration of the present invention having improved refill characteristics, responsiveness at the time of continuous ejection, stable growth of bubbles and stabilization of droplets are achieved, and high-speed recording by high-speed liquid ejection and high image quality are achieved. Recording could be enabled.

Further, by using a liquid that easily foams or a liquid that does not easily generate deposits (burns) on the heating element as the foaming liquid in the head having a two-passage structure, the degree of freedom in selecting the discharge liquid is increased. Liquids that were difficult to be discharged by the conventional bubble jet discharge method, such as high-viscosity liquids that became high and hardly foamed, and liquids that easily generate deposits on the heating element, could be discharged well.

Further, a liquid or the like which is weak to heat could be ejected without adversely affecting the liquid by heat.

Further, by using the liquid discharge head of the present invention as a liquid discharge recording head for recording, higher quality recording could be achieved.

Further, it was possible to provide a liquid discharge apparatus, a recording system, and the like in which the liquid discharge efficiency and the like were further improved by using the liquid discharge head of the present invention.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional view showing an example of a liquid ejection head of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a partially cutaway perspective view of the liquid ejection head shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a schematic sectional view of the liquid discharge head shown in FIG. 1 as viewed from a discharge port direction.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing pressure propagation from bubbles in a conventional head.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing pressure propagation from bubbles in the liquid ejection head of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram for explaining a flow of liquid in the liquid ejection head shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a schematic sectional view of a liquid ejection head according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

8 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the liquid discharge head shown in FIG. 7 as viewed from a discharge port direction.

FIG. 9 is a schematic sectional view of a liquid ejection head according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a partially cutaway perspective view of a liquid ejection head according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a partially cutaway perspective view of a liquid ejection head according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a sectional view of a liquid ejection head according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a schematic sectional view of a liquid ejection head according to a seventh embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a sectional view of a liquid discharge head (two flow paths) according to an eighth embodiment of the present invention.

15 is a partially cutaway perspective view of the liquid discharge head shown in FIG.

FIG. 16 is a view for explaining the operation of the movable member.

FIG. 17 is a sectional view showing various modified examples (a) to (i) of a movable member.

FIG. 18 is a view for explaining another example of the ceiling shape of the first liquid flow path.

FIG. 19 is a diagram for explaining an arrangement relationship between a second liquid flow path and a movable member.

FIG. 20 is a view for explaining another shape of the movable member.

FIG. 21 is a graph showing a relationship between a heating element area and an ink ejection amount.

FIG. 22 is a diagram illustrating an arrangement relationship between a movable member and a heating element.

FIG. 23 is a graph showing a relationship between a distance between an edge of a heating element and a fulcrum and a displacement amount of a movable member.

FIG. 24 is a diagram for explaining an arrangement relationship between a heating element and a movable member.

FIG. 25 is a longitudinal sectional view of the liquid ejection head of the present invention.

FIG. 26 is a schematic diagram showing the shape of a driving pulse.

FIG. 27 is a cross-sectional view for explaining a supply path of the liquid ejection head of the present invention.

FIG. 28 is an exploded perspective view of the head of the present invention.

FIG. 29 is a process chart for describing a method of manufacturing the movable member shown in FIG.

FIG. 30 is a process chart for explaining a method of manufacturing the movable member shown in FIG. 17 (c).

FIG. 31 is a process chart for describing a method of manufacturing the movable member shown in FIG. 17 (d).

FIG. 32 is a process chart for describing a method of manufacturing the movable member shown in FIG. 17 (h).

FIG. 33 is a process diagram for describing the method for manufacturing the liquid ejection head according to the present invention.

FIG. 34 is a process diagram for describing the method for manufacturing a liquid discharge head according to the present invention.

FIG. 35 is a process diagram for describing the method for manufacturing a liquid discharge head according to the present invention.

FIG. 36 is an exploded perspective view of a liquid ejection head cartridge.

FIG. 37 is a schematic configuration diagram of a liquid ejection device.

FIG. 38 is a device block diagram.

FIG. 39 is a diagram showing a liquid ejection recording system.

FIG. 40 is a schematic diagram of a head kit.

FIG. 41 is a sectional view of an example of a side shooter type liquid ejection head to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 42 is a view for explaining a liquid flow path structure of a conventional liquid discharge head.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Element substrate 2 Heating element 3 Center of area 10 Liquid flow path 11 Bubble generation area 12 Supply path 13 Common liquid chamber 14 First liquid flow path 15 First common liquid chamber 16 Second liquid flow path 17 Second common liquid chamber 18 Discharge Outlet 19 Narrowed part 20 First supply path 21 Second supply path 22 First liquid flow path wall 23 Second liquid flow path wall 24 Convex part 30 Separation wall 31 Movable member 31a Elevated surface part 32 Free end 33 Support point 34 Support member 35 Slit 36 Front wall of bubble generation area 37 Side wall of bubble generation area 40 Bubble 50 Grooved member 70 Support 78 Holding spring 80 Supply member

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Kiyomitsu Kudo 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Inside Canon Inc. (72) Inventor Hiroyuki Ishinaga 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo (72) Inventor Sadayuki Sugama 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc.

Claims (33)

[Claims] A discharge port for discharging a liquid; a liquid flow path communicating with the discharge port; a bubble generation region for generating bubbles in the liquid in the liquid flow path; and a bubble generation area in the liquid flow path. A movable member that is arranged facing the area, is displaced by pressure based on the generation of bubbles in the bubble generation area, guides the pressure to the discharge port side, and returns to the original position by negative pressure due to contraction of bubbles; A liquid ejection head, wherein the movable member has a smaller resistance to the liquid in the flow path when displaced than a resistance when the movable member returns to the original position. 2. A second liquid having a discharge port for discharging a liquid, a first liquid flow path communicating with the discharge port, and a bubble generation region for generating bubbles in the liquid by applying heat to the liquid. A flow path, disposed between the first liquid flow path and the bubble generation area, and displaced to the first liquid flow path side by a pressure based on the generation of bubbles in the bubble generation area to reduce the pressure. A movable member that guides to the discharge port side and returns to the original position by a negative pressure due to the contraction of bubbles; and the movable member has a resistance to liquid in the first liquid flow path when displaced. Liquid ejection head smaller than the resistance when returning to the original position. 3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the movable member is connected to the first liquid flow path and the second liquid flow path.
3. The liquid discharge head according to claim 2, wherein the liquid discharge head is configured as a part of a separation wall disposed between the liquid discharge head and the liquid flow path. 4. A first common liquid chamber for supplying a first liquid to a plurality of first liquid flow paths, and a second liquid for supplying a second liquid to a plurality of second liquid flow paths. 3. The liquid discharge head according to claim 2, wherein the second common liquid chamber is disposed. 5. A heating element is provided at a position facing the movable member, and a space between the movable member and the heating element is the bubble generation region. Liquid ejection head. 6. A plurality of discharge ports for discharging a liquid,
A plurality of grooves for forming a plurality of first liquid flow paths directly communicating with the respective discharge ports, and a first common liquid for supplying a liquid to the plurality of first liquid flow paths A grooved member integrally having a concave portion forming a chamber; an element substrate on which a plurality of heating elements for generating bubbles in the liquid by applying heat to the liquid; an grooved member and the element; A second liquid flow path corresponding to the heating element, and a part of the wall of the second liquid flow path corresponding to the heating element; A movable member that is displaced toward the liquid flow path side and guides the pressure toward the discharge port side, and returns to the original position by a negative pressure due to the contraction of bubbles. When the resistance to the liquid in the first liquid flow path returns to the original position Small liquid discharge head than the resistance. 7. The liquid ejection head according to claim 5, wherein the movable member is a plate-shaped member having a fulcrum and a free end located on the ejection port side with respect to the fulcrum. 8. The liquid ejection head according to claim 7, wherein the width of the movable member is reduced from a surface facing the heating element toward a surface opposite to the heating element. 9. The liquid discharge head according to claim 7, wherein a surface of the movable member facing the heating element is substantially flat. 10. The liquid discharge head according to claim 9, wherein a surface of the movable member facing the heating element is parallel to a surface of the heating element. 11. The liquid discharge head according to claim 7, wherein both ends of the movable member in the width direction protrude from the center toward the heating element. 12. The movable member has a thickness decreasing from the fulcrum toward the free end.
0. The liquid ejection head according to any one of 0. 13. The movable member according to claim 7, wherein the contact angle of the liquid on the surface opposite to the surface facing the heating element is smaller than the contact angle of the liquid on the surface facing the heating element. Liquid ejection head. 14. The liquid discharge head according to claim 5, wherein the bubble is a bubble generated by causing a film to boil in a liquid by heat generated by the heating element. 15. The liquid discharge head according to claim 14, wherein all effective foaming regions of the heating element face the movable member. 16. The liquid discharge head according to claim 14, wherein a total area of the movable member is larger than a total area of the heating element. 17. The liquid ejection head according to claim 7, wherein a fulcrum of the movable member is disposed at a position deviated from immediately above the heating element. 18. The liquid discharge head according to claim 7, wherein a free end of the movable member has a shape substantially orthogonal to a liquid flow path in which the heating element is arranged. 19. The liquid ejection apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the free end of the movable member is located on the downstream side of the flow of the liquid toward the ejection port in the liquid flow path from the area center of the heating element. head. 20. A first introduction path for introducing a liquid into the first common liquid chamber and a second introduction path for introducing a liquid into the second common liquid chamber in the grooved member. The liquid discharge head according to claim 6, comprising: 21. The liquid ejection head according to claim 20, wherein a plurality of the second introduction paths are provided in the grooved member. 22. The liquid discharge head according to claim 20, wherein a ratio of a sectional area of the first introduction path to a sectional area of the second introduction path is proportional to a supply amount of each liquid. 23. The liquid discharge head according to claim 20, wherein the second introduction path is an introduction path that supplies the liquid to the second common liquid chamber through the separation wall. 24. The liquid ejection head according to claim 5, wherein the heating element is an electrothermal converter having a heating resistor that generates heat by receiving an electric signal. 25. The liquid discharge head according to claim 24, wherein the electrothermal transducer has a protective film disposed on the heating resistor. 26. A wiring for transmitting an electric signal to the electrothermal transducer, and a functional element for selectively supplying an electric signal to the electrothermal transducer are arranged on the element substrate. 25. The liquid ejection head according to 24. 27. A head cartridge comprising the liquid ejection head according to claim 1, 2 or 6, and a liquid container for holding a liquid supplied to the liquid ejection head. 28. The liquid ejection head according to claim 3, wherein the first liquid is supplied to the first liquid flow path, and the second liquid is supplied to the first liquid flow path.
And a liquid container for holding the second liquid supplied to the liquid flow path. 29. A liquid ejection apparatus comprising: the liquid ejection head according to claim 1, 2, or 6; and a drive signal supply unit that supplies a drive signal for ejecting liquid from the liquid ejection head. 30. A liquid discharge apparatus comprising: the liquid discharge head according to claim 1, 2 or 6, and a recording medium transport unit that transports a recording medium that receives liquid discharged from the liquid discharge head. 31. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 29, wherein the recording is performed by ejecting ink from the liquid ejecting head and attaching the ink to a recording medium. 32. Color recording is performed by discharging recording liquids of a plurality of colors from the liquid discharge head and attaching the recording liquids of the plurality of colors to a recording medium.
A liquid ejection device according to claim 1. 33. The liquid discharge apparatus according to claim 29, wherein a plurality of the discharge ports are arranged over the entire width of a recordable area of the recording medium.