EP0936070A2 - Méthode d'éjection de liquide et tête d'éjection de liquide - Google Patents

Méthode d'éjection de liquide et tête d'éjection de liquide Download PDF

Info

Publication number
EP0936070A2
EP0936070A2 EP99300925A EP99300925A EP0936070A2 EP 0936070 A2 EP0936070 A2 EP 0936070A2 EP 99300925 A EP99300925 A EP 99300925A EP 99300925 A EP99300925 A EP 99300925A EP 0936070 A2 EP0936070 A2 EP 0936070A2
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
liquid
ejection
head
bubble
electrothermal transducer
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Withdrawn
Application number
EP99300925A
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
Other versions
EP0936070A3 (fr
Inventor
Masayoshi Tachihara
Yasuyuki Tamura
Shuichi Murakami
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Canon Inc
Original Assignee
Canon Inc
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Canon Inc filed Critical Canon Inc
Publication of EP0936070A2 publication Critical patent/EP0936070A2/fr
Publication of EP0936070A3 publication Critical patent/EP0936070A3/fr
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

Links

Images

Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
    • B41J—TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS
    • B41J2/00—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed
    • B41J2/005—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed characterised by bringing liquid or particles selectively into contact with a printing material
    • B41J2/01—Ink jet
    • B41J2/015—Ink jet characterised by the jet generation process
    • B41J2/04—Ink jet characterised by the jet generation process generating single droplets or particles on demand
    • B41J2/045—Ink jet characterised by the jet generation process generating single droplets or particles on demand by pressure, e.g. electromechanical transducers
    • B41J2/05—Ink jet characterised by the jet generation process generating single droplets or particles on demand by pressure, e.g. electromechanical transducers produced by the application of heat
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
    • B41J—TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS
    • B41J2/00—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed
    • B41J2/005—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed characterised by bringing liquid or particles selectively into contact with a printing material
    • B41J2/01—Ink jet
    • B41J2/135—Nozzles
    • B41J2/14—Structure thereof only for on-demand ink jet heads
    • B41J2/14016—Structure of bubble jet print heads
    • B41J2/14024—Assembling head parts
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
    • B41J—TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS
    • B41J2/00—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed
    • B41J2/005—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed characterised by bringing liquid or particles selectively into contact with a printing material
    • B41J2/01—Ink jet
    • B41J2/135—Nozzles
    • B41J2/14—Structure thereof only for on-demand ink jet heads
    • B41J2/14016—Structure of bubble jet print heads
    • B41J2/14032—Structure of the pressure chamber
    • B41J2/1404—Geometrical characteristics
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
    • B41J—TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS
    • B41J2/00—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed
    • B41J2/005—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed characterised by bringing liquid or particles selectively into contact with a printing material
    • B41J2/01—Ink jet
    • B41J2/135—Nozzles
    • B41J2/14—Structure thereof only for on-demand ink jet heads
    • B41J2/14016—Structure of bubble jet print heads
    • B41J2002/14169—Bubble vented to the ambience
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
    • B41J—TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS
    • B41J2/00—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed
    • B41J2/005—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed characterised by bringing liquid or particles selectively into contact with a printing material
    • B41J2/01—Ink jet
    • B41J2/135—Nozzles
    • B41J2/14—Structure thereof only for on-demand ink jet heads
    • B41J2002/14387—Front shooter

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a liquid ejecting method and a liquid ejecting head which are used for ejecting droplets of liquid such as ink toward various recording media, such as paper, for the purpose of recording.
  • a liquid ejecting method for ejecting extremely small droplets of liquid at an extremely high frequency and also, a liquid ejecting head, that is, a recording head, which comprises a plurality of liquid paths arranged at a high density to realize high resolution.
  • liquid ejecting methods are so-called bubble jet type liquid ejecting methods. According to these methods, bubbles are rapidly grown in liquid, and the pressure generated by the bubble grown is used to eject droplets of liquid from liquid ejection orifices. These methods are high in liquid ejection response, and therefore, are excellent for high speed recording and high density recording.
  • liquid ejection methods which allow a bubble generated on a heat generating member to open to the atmosphere at the edge of an ejection orifice.
  • Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No 10940/1992, 10941/1992, 10742/1992, and the like are well known.
  • ejection frequency the frequency at which liquid droplets are ejected from each ejection orifice per unit of time.
  • the ejection frequency must be at least 7 kHz.
  • Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 16365/1993 discloses a technology regarding the state of a liquid droplet at the time of ejection, and the condition for allowing a bubble to become connected to the atmosphere.
  • Figure 5 is a section of a liquid ejection orifice, and a liquid path leading to the orifice, which depicts the above described phenomenon.
  • a bubble becomes connected to the atmosphere and a droplet of recording liquid 501 is ejected, an ejection orifice is plugged with recording liquid 501.
  • recording liquid 501 there also remains recording liquid 501 in the ink supply path.
  • the object of the present invention is to provide a reliable liquid ejection method, that is, a liquid ejecting method which does not suddenly fail to eject liquid, i.e., a liquid ejecting method which makes high speed recording possible with the use of a bubble jet type liquid ejecting head, in particular, so-called side shooter type liquid ejecting head in which ejection orifices for ejecting extremely small liquid droplets at a high frequency are disposed at a high density, directly facing heat generating members one for one, and in which a bubble is allowed to become connected to the atmosphere.
  • the gist of the present invention for accomplishing the above-described object of the present invention is as follows.
  • the liquid ejecting method in accordance with the present invention uses a liquid ejecting head which comprises a plurality of electrothermal transducers capable of generating a sufficient amount of thermal energy for generating bubbles in liquid, a plurality of ejection orifices disposed directly facing the electrothermal transducers one for one, and a plurality of liquid paths.
  • the ejection orifices are aligned at a density of no less than 300 per 25.4 mm, and are connected to the liquid paths one for one.
  • This liquid ejecting method is characterized in that bubbles generated by the thermal energy generated by an electrothermal transducer eject droplets of liquid with a volume of no more than 15x10 -15 m 3 , one for one, at a frequency of no less than 7 kHz, and open to the atmosphere as they eject the liquid while their internal pressure is below the atmospheric pressure, and that the height of the liquid path in the liquid ejecting head is no less than 6 pm, and the distance between the top and bottom openings of the ejection orifice is no more than half the minimum distance across the ejection orifice through the center of the orifice.
  • the liquid ejecting head in accordance with the present invention comprises a plurality of electrothermal transducers capable of generating thermal energy for generating bubbles in liquid, a plurality of ejection orifices disposed directly facing the electrothermal transducers one for one, and a plurality of liquid paths.
  • the ejection orifices and liquid paths are aligned at a density of no less than 300 per 25.4 mm.
  • driving signals are applied at a frequency of no less than 7 kHz.
  • This liquid ejecting head is characterized in that bubbles are generated in the liquid paths, and eject droplets of liquid with a volume of no more than 15x10 -15 m 3 , one for one, opening to the atmosphere as they eject the liquid while their internal pressure is below the atmospheric pressure, and that the height of the liquid path is no less than 6 pm, and the distance between the top and bottom openings of the ejection orifice is no more than half the minimum distance across the ejection orifice through the center of the orifice.
  • the liquid ejecting method in accordance with the present invention uses a liquid ejecting head which comprises a plurality of electrothermal transducers capable of generating a sufficient amount of thermal energy for generating bubbles in liquid, a plurality of ejection orifices disposed directly facing the electrothermal transducers one for one, and a plurality of liquid paths.
  • the ejection orifices are aligned at a density of no less than 300 per 25.4 mm, and are connected to the liquid paths one for one.
  • the bubbles generated by the thermal energy generated by an electrothermal transducer eject droplets of liquid with a volume of no more than 15x10 -15 m 3 , one for one, at a frequency of no less than 7 kHz, and open to the atmosphere as they eject the liquid while their internal pressure is below the atmospheric pressure.
  • This liquid ejecting method is characterized in that it comprises a process in which the liquid which remains within the ejection orifice after the bubble opens to the atmosphere, remains in connection to the liquid in the liquid path which retracts away from the ejection orifice, and a process in which the liquid remaining in the ejection orifice joins with the liquid in the liquid path, and refills the ejection orifice.
  • the ejection orifices in a side shooter type liquid ejecting head in which bubbles open to the atmosphere are not plugged with recording liquid. Consequently, the appearance of the unwanted white lines during recording, for which the sudden ejection failure of some of the ejection orifices is responsible, is reliably prevented, making it possible to reliably print high quality images at a high speed.
  • Figure 1 is an external perspective view of a liquid ejecting head to which the liquid ejecting method in accordance with the present invention can be applied, and depicts the general structure of the head.
  • Figure 1 (b) is a section of the liquid ejecting head in Figure 1, (a), at a line A-A, and depicts the general structure of the head.
  • Figure 2 (a) is a vertical section of the essential portions, that is, one of the ejection orifices and one of the liquid paths, of the liquid ejecting head in Figure 1.
  • Figure 2 (b) is a top view of the essential portion of the liquid ejecting head illustrated in Figure 2, (a).
  • Figure 3 (a) - (g) are sections of the essential portions of the liquid ejecting head to which the liquid ejecting method in accordance with the present invention is applicable, and depict the operational steps of the head.
  • Figure 4 is a partially broken perspective view of an example of a liquid ejecting apparatus compatible with a liquid ejecting head to which the liquid ejecting method in accordance with the present invention is applicable, and depicts the general structure thereof.
  • Figure 5 is an enlarged section of the essential portion of a liquid ejection head in accordance with the present invention, and depicts the problem which is solved by the present invention.
  • Figure 6 is a section of a liquid ejecting recording head in accordance with the present invention, and depicts the vertically tapered shape of the ejection orifice.
  • Figure 1 (a) is an external perspective view of a liquid ejecting head to which the liquid ejecting method in accordance with the present invention can be applied, and depicts the general structure of the head.
  • Figure 1 (b) is a section of the liquid ejecting head in Figure 1, (a), at a line A-A, and depicts the general structure of the head.
  • a referential code 2 designates a substrate formed of Si, on which electrothermal elements as heaters, and ejection orifices, have been formed by a thin film technology. The electrothermal elements and ejection orifices will be described later in detail.
  • a plurality of ejection orifices 4 are aligned in two parallel lines, so that the ejection orifices 4 in one line are displaced by half a pitch from the ejection orifices 4 in the other lines, in the line direction, like footprints of a bird, as shown in Figure 1, (a).
  • the element substrate 2 is fixed to a portion of an L-shaped supporting member 102 with glue.
  • a wiring substrate 104 Also fixed to the supporting member 102 is a wiring substrate 104, the wiring on which is electrically connected to the wiring on the element substrate 2 by bonding.
  • the supporting member 104 is formed of aluminum in view of processability.
  • a referential character 103 designates a molded member, into which the supporting member 102 is partially inserted to be supported by the molded member 103.
  • the molded member 103 comprises a liquid supply path 107, through which liquid (for example, ink) is supplied from a liquid storing portion (unillustrated) to the ejection orifices with which the aforementioned element substrate 2 is provided.
  • the molded member 103 functions as a member which plays a role in removably installing the entirety of a liquid ejecting head in accordance with the present invention into a liquid ejecting apparatus, and removably fixing it to the liquid ejecting apparatus.
  • the liquid ejecting apparatus will be described later in detail.
  • the element substrate 2 comprises a connective path 105, which penetrates through the element substrate 2, and through which the liquid supplied through the liquid supply path 107 of the molded member 103 is supplied to the ejection orifices.
  • the connective path 105 is connected to liquid paths leading to ejection orifices, one for one, and also functions as a common liquid chamber.
  • Figure 2 (a) is a vertical section of the essential portions, that is, the ejection orifice and the liquid path, of the liquid ejecting head in Figure 1.
  • Figure 2 (b) is a top view of the essential portion of the liquid ejecting head illustrated in Figure 2, (a).
  • the liquid ejecting head in accordance with the present invention is provided with rectangular electrothermal elements as heaters 1, which are disposed at predetermined locations, one for one, on the element substrate 2. Above the heaters 1, an orifice plate 3 is disposed. The orifice plate 3 is provided with rectangular ejection orifices 4, which directly face the center portions of the heaters 1, one for one.
  • the size of the opening of the ejection orifice 4 is designated by a referential code So as can be seen in Figure 2, (b).
  • Referential characters 41 and 42 designate the top and bottom "surfaces" of the ejection orifice 4. In this embodiment, the top and bottom "surfaces" are imaginary surfaces: the imaginary surfaces formed by extending the top and bottom surfaces of the orifice across the top and bottom openings of the ejection orifice 4.
  • the gap between the heater 1 and the orifice plate 3 equals the height Tn of the liquid path 5, and is determined by the height of a liquid path wall 6.
  • the ejection orifices 4 which are in connection to the liquid paths 5 one for one are aligned in a plurality of parallel lines perpendicular to the direction X.
  • the plurality of liquid paths 5 are connected to the connective path 105, in Figure 1, (b), which also functions as a common liquid chamber.
  • the thickness of the orifice path 3, which equals the distance between the imaginary top and bottom surfaces 41 and 42 of the ejection orifice, is designated by a referential character To.
  • Figure 3 (a) - (g) are sections of the essential portions of the liquid ejecting head to which the liquid ejecting method in accordance with the present invention is applicable. They depict the operational steps of the head.
  • a meniscus 11 is at the top end of the ejection orifice.
  • driving voltage is applied to the heater 1.
  • the heater 1 is desired to be driven with the use of short pulses so that the meniscus is prevented from being excessively retracted by the excessive bubble growth.
  • the duration of the electrical pulse applied to the heater 1 to eject liquid is desired to be no more than 3.5 ⁇ sec. This is due to the following reason. If the pulse duration is greater than 3.5 ⁇ sec., bubble growth becomes excessive, which makes the location of the meniscus after the liquid ejection excessively far from the ejection orifice. As a result, refilling time becomes longer, which makes the liquid ejecting head unsuitable for high speed recording.
  • the duration of the pre-pulse that is, the pulse applied prior to the application of the main pulse for recording liquid ejection
  • the duration between the pre-pulse and the main pulse is desired to be no more than 2.0 ⁇ sec. If the duration of the pre-pulse exceeds 1.5 ⁇ sec, and/or the interval between the pre-pulse and the main pulse exceeds 2.0 ⁇ m, bubble growth becomes excessive, which in turn causes the meniscus to retract by a greater distance. The greater retraction of the meniscus makes it impossible for the liquid ejection head to eject liquid at a high frequency; in other words, it makes the objects of the present invention impossible to accomplish.
  • the proper driving voltage value for accomplishing the objects of the present invention is 1.1 to 1.3 times the threshold voltage Vth for liquid ejection. If the driving voltage is no more than 1.1 times the threshold voltage Vth, liquid ejection velocity is excessively low, causing liquid droplets to be ejected off the predetermined course, provided that bubbles are generated and liquid droplets are ejected. Also, liquid ejection becomes instable at a high frequency. On the contrary, if the driving voltage value is no less than 1.3 times the threshold voltage Vth, bubble length becomes excessive, causing the meniscus to retract by a greater distance, which in turn prolongs refilling time, and/or excessively increases liquid ejection velocity, increasing the amount of the splash which occurs as a liquid droplet hits the recording medium. Thus, the aforementioned driving voltage range is one of the desirable conditions for the present invention.
  • the internal pressure of the bubble 301 remains below the atmospheric pressure until the bubble 301 becomes connected to the atmosphere. If the bubble 301 becomes connected to the atmosphere while the internal pressure of the bubble 301 is equal to, or above, the atmospheric pressure, the instable liquid adjacent to the ejection orifice 4 is caused to splash at the time of the connection between the bubble 301 and the atmosphere. Further, there is no force which works to pull the instable liquid back into the liquid path, and therefore, the instable liquid adjacent to the ejection orifice 4 cannot be prevented from splashing.
  • the volume by which liquid is ejected as the liquid droplet 12 is determined by the ejection orifice size or the like of a liquid ejecting head used for liquid ejection.
  • the volume of the liquid droplet 12 is made to be no more than 15x10 -15 m 3 .
  • the heater size means Sh 1/2 , in which Sh stands for the size of the heating surface of the heater.
  • the relative pressure P of the recording liquid is: in which r1 stands for 1/2 of the minimum distance across the meniscus formed in the ejection orifice, through the center of the meniscus, as seen from above; r2 stands for the radius corresponding to the curvature of the meniscus (curvature of the section of the meniscus, at a plane which is parallel to a liquid path, and contains the center of the meniscus); and ⁇ stands for the surface tension of the recording liquid.
  • the ejection orifice is less likely to be plugged with the recording liquid when P > 0, because even if recording liquid is present adjacent to the imaginary top surface of the ejection orifice, this liquid is more difficult to pull into the ejection orifice when P > 0.
  • r1 is proportional to ejection orifice diameter ( So 1/2 ), and the value of r2 is proportional to the thickness To.
  • the inventors of the present invention tested various liquid ejecting heads produced in consideration of the structural requirements which prevents the aforementioned phenomenon that an ejection orifice is plugged with recording liquid, that is, the requirement regarding the minimum distance across the horizontal cross section of the ejection orifice through the center of the cross section, and the orifice plate thickness.
  • the ratio at which the aforementioned phenomenon occurs is extremely low.
  • the ratio at which the aforementioned phenomenon occurs is extremely high, that is, high enough to create problems in terms of practical usage.
  • the minimum distance across the horizontal section of the ejection orifice through the center of the section can be defined as the diameter of the virtually circular horizontal section of the ejection orifice.
  • the horizontal section of the ejection orifice is square, it can be defined as the length of one of the four sides; if rectangular, it can be defined as the length of the shorter side; if oval, it can be defined as the length of its shortest diameter; and if the vertical section of an ejection orifice, parallel to the ejecting direction, has a tapered shape, it can be defined as the minimum distance across the ejection orifice through the center of the ejection orifice.
  • Refilling time is determined by (1) the maximum amount of meniscus retraction, (2) capillary force as the force for driving the liquid for refilling, and (3) viscous resistance of the liquid path during refilling.
  • the duration of a driving pulse is set to be no more than 3.5 ⁇ sec.
  • the capillary force (2) is the force which drives ink during refilling, and therefore, generally speaking, it is desired to be as large as possible.
  • the surface tension of recording liquid is desired to be as high as possible, preferably, no less than 0.025 N/m.
  • the viscous resistance of a liquid path (3) is desired to be as small as possible.
  • the capillary force (2) and the viscous resistance (3) of a liquid path must be set so that the meniscus vibration does not become excessively large after the completion of refilling.
  • the height Tn of the liquid path must be 6 ⁇ m or less; 6 ⁇ m ⁇ Tn. If 6 ⁇ m ⁇ Tn, that is, if the height of the liquid path is excessively reduced, the viscous resistance of the liquid path excessively increases, prolonging refilling time, and therefore, the liquid ejecting head cannot be driven at high frequency.
  • the viscosity of the recording liquid is desired to be no more than 5x10 -2 N/s.
  • the velocity at which liquid droplets are ejected is desired to be no less than 10 m/sec and no more than 30 m/sec, preferably, no less than 10 m/sec and no more than 20 m/sec. If the velocity at which liquid droplets are ejected is less than 10 m/sec, liquid droplets are likely to miss the intended spots on the recording medium, which is possible to reduce print quality. If the ejection velocity exceeds 30 m/sec, the ejected liquid droplets are likely to splash and form mist as they hit the recording medium.
  • the orifice plate needs to have a certain amount of thickness. More specifically, the thickness of the orifice plate needs to be no less than 4 ⁇ m.
  • a liquid ejecting head in accordance with the above described embodiments of the present invention can be mounted in a liquid ejecting apparatus, for example, the one illustrated in Figure 4, to practice the liquid ejecting method in accordance with the present invention.
  • a referential character 200 designates a carriage on which the aforementioned liquid ejecting head is removably mounted.
  • four liquid ejecting heads are employed to accommodate inks of different colors, and are mounted on the carriage 200, along with an ink container 201Y for yellow ink, an ink container 202M for magenta ink, an ink container 201C for cyan ink, and an ink container 201B for black ink.
  • the carriage 200 is supported by a guide shaft 203, and is enabled to shuttle along the guide shaft 202, by an endless belt 204 driven forward or backward by a motor 203.
  • the endless belt is wrapped around pulleys 205 and 206.
  • a sheet of recording paper P as recording medium is intermittently conveyed in the direction indicated by an arrow mark B, which is perpendicular to the direction A.
  • the recording paper P is held by being pinched by the upper pair of rollers 207 and 208, and the bottom pair of rollers 209 and 210, being thereby given a certain amount of tension so that it remains flat while being conveyed.
  • the roller units are driven by a driving section 211.
  • the apparatus may be structured so that the roller units are driven by the aforementioned motor.
  • the carriage 200 stops at the home position at the beginning of each printing operation, and also as necessary. At the home position, capping members 212 for capping the four heads one for one are located. The capping members 212 are connected to vacuuming means, which prevents ejection orifices from being clogged, by vacuuming the ejection orifices.
  • the ejection orifices were aligned in two parallel lines, the ejection orifices in one line being displaced in the line direction half a pitch from the ejection orifices in other line, as shown in Figure 1, (a) and (b). More specifically, in each line, the ejection orifices are disposed at a pitch of 300 dpi, and the ejection orifices in one line are displaced by 25.4 mm in line direction, from ejection orifices in the other line. In other words, the ejection orifices are arranged like the footprints of a bird.
  • the ejection orifice density in the direction perpendicular to the primary scanning direction of the head became 600 dpi (600 ejection orifices per 25.4 mm).
  • the minimum distance across the horizontal section of the ejection orifice through the center of the section was 22 ⁇ m, and the ejection orifices were shaped so that their horizontal sections became square.
  • the length of the effective bubble generating region in the liquid flow direction was 26 ⁇ m, and the distance from the center of the effective bubble generating region to the edge of the effective bubble generating region, on the liquid supply source side, was 13 ⁇ m.
  • the height Tn of the liquid flow path was made to be 12 ⁇ m and 6 ⁇ m, respectively, and the thickness To of the orifice plate was made to be 9 ⁇ m and 11 ⁇ m, respectively. Further, across the surface of each heater, a 0.6 ⁇ m thick electrically insulative film (SiO 2 ) and a 0.3 ⁇ m thick passivation film (Ta) were formed.
  • the ink with the following composition was used: TiO glycol 15 % Glycerin 5 % Urine 5 % Isopropyl alcohol 4 % Water remainder
  • the ink had a viscosity of 1.8x10 -2 , a surface tension of 0.038 N/m, and a density of 1040 kg/m 3 .
  • the liquid ejecting head (recording head) structured as described above was driven at 7 kHz with the use of a power source which could apply a voltage Vop of 12 V to the heater.
  • the duration of the driving pulse was set to be 1.9 ⁇ sec.
  • the minimum voltage Vth (threshold voltage) necessary for the ink to be ejected was 9.9 V. Therefore, Vop/Vth was 1.21.
  • the performance, or characteristic, regarding various aspects of this head, which was realized when the head was driven under the above described condition, is given in Table 1.
  • a printing operation was carried out, in which a plurality of A3 size sheets or recording paper were continuously fed.
  • the minimum cross distance D of an ejection orifice through the center of the orifice was 22 ⁇ m, which was no less than twice the orifice plate thickness To which equaled the distance between the imaginary top and bottom surfaces of the ejection orifice.
  • the performance was such that printing could be carried out across the entire surface of an A3 sheet of recording paper or more, without an interruption, which exceeded a performance level above which there would be no problem in practical usage. In other words, the head was reliable.
  • the head was fast enough in ink ejection velocity to deal with a situation in which ink viscosity had increased while the head was left unused. More specifically, the head could desirably deal with ink, the viscosity of which was as high as 5x10 -2 N/m.
  • ink viscosity increased beyond 10x10 -2 N/m, that is, when the ink viscosity was excessively high, ink ejection velocity dropped below 10 m/sec. As a result, ink droplets missed intended spots on recording medium.
  • the surface tension of ink is desired to be as high as possible.
  • the surface tension of the ink must be determined in consideration of how an ink droplet behaves as it hits recording medium, in addition to the ink ejection velocity.
  • the surface tension of ink is desired to be no less than 30x10 -2 N/m, and there is no restriction regarding the upper limit as long as the ink can be desirably ejected by a bubble. If the surface tension of the ink is less than 30x10 -2 N/m, the capillary force generated by the ink is not high enough to serve as the force for driving the ink for refilling. Therefore, refilling time is long, and long refilling time makes it impossible for the head to be driven at a high frequency, which is a problem.
  • the refilling time was 75 ⁇ sec, counting from the beginning of the liquid ejection pulse application.
  • the meniscus vibration thereafter was at an undetectable level, and had virtually no effect upon printing quality.
  • the heater protection film was rendered thin, and the pulse duration was set short. Consequently, the amount of bubble growth was relatively small. In other words, the refilling time was reduced by reducing the amount of meniscus retraction, instead of increasing refilling speed.
  • the protective layer for the heater 1 was formed of SiO 2 (0.6 ⁇ m thick), and passivation film (0.3 ⁇ m thick) was formed of Ta. These films are desired to be as thin as possible, provided that heater durability is reasonably long. Reducing the thickness of the protective layer makes it possible to reduce the overall amount of the thermal energy conducted from a heater to the ink between the beginning of the pulse application and the beginning of bubble growth. Therefore, reducing the thickness of the protective layer reduces the amount of bubble growth after bubble generation, reducing consequently the amount of meniscus retraction.
  • the protective layer is formed of SiO 2 or SiN, its thickness is desired to be no more than 1 ⁇ m. Obviously, if extremely non-corrosive platinum or the like material is used as heater material, the protective layer may be eliminated.
  • the volume by which ink is ejected per ejection is generally determined by the geometric aspects of the heater, liquid path, and ejection orifice. In other words, there is a wide range in the amount of bubble growth, in which the volume by which ink is ejected per ejection is not affected by the reduction in bubble growth.
  • the liquid ejecting heads employed in Comparative Examples 1 - 4 are the same as those employed in Embodiments 1 and 2, except that in these comparative examples, the height of the liquid path was varied from the those in Embodiments 1 and 2. In other words, in Embodiments 1 and 2, the height Tn of the liquid path was 12 ⁇ m and 6 ⁇ m, whereas in Comparative Examples 1 - 4, it was 6 ⁇ m, 4 ⁇ m, 6 ⁇ m and 5.5 ⁇ m, correspondingly.
  • the thickness To of the orifice plate was 12 ⁇ m, 9 ⁇ m, 11 ⁇ m, and 11 ⁇ m, correspondingly, and the minimum distance across the opening of each ejection orifice through the center of the orifice was less than twice the orifice plate thickness To.
  • the ejection orifices were aligned in two parallel lines as shown in Figure 1, (a) and (b). More specifically, in each line, the ejection orifices were disposed at a pitch of 600 dpi, and the ejection orifices in one line were displaced by half a pitch, in line direction, from ejection orifices in the other line. In other words, the ejection orifices were arranged like the footprints of a bird. Consequently, the ejection orifice density in the direction perpendicular to the primary scanning direction of the head became 1200 dpi.
  • the size Sh of the heating surface of each heater was 576 ⁇ m 2 (24 ⁇ m x 24 ⁇ m).
  • Embodiments 3 - 5 the same ink as the one employed in Embodiments 1 and 2 was employed.
  • the height Tn of each liquid path it was made to be 12 ⁇ m in Embodiments 3 and 4, and 6 ⁇ m in Embodiment 5.
  • the thickness To of the orifice plate it was made to be 7 ⁇ m in Embodiment 3, and 6 ⁇ m in Embodiment 4.
  • the size So of each ejection orifice was made to be 200 ⁇ m 2 , 314 ⁇ m 2 , 227 ⁇ m 2 , 202 ⁇ m 2 (14.2 ⁇ m square), 324 ⁇ m 2 , and 324 ⁇ m 2 , correspondingly.
  • the size Sh of the heating surface of each heater was made to be the same as that for Embodiments 3 - 5, which was 570 ⁇ m 2 (24 ⁇ m x 24 ⁇ m).
  • the height Tn of each liquid path in Comparative Examples 5 - 10 was made to be 12 ⁇ m, 4 ⁇ m, 8 ⁇ m, 12 ⁇ m, 6 ⁇ m and 5.0 ⁇ m, correspondingly, and the thickness To of each orifice plate was made to be 9 ⁇ m, 11 ⁇ m, 9 ⁇ m, 9 ⁇ m, and 9.5 ⁇ m, and 9 ⁇ m, correspondingly.
  • the sheet resistance of the heater was 53 ohm.
  • the liquid ejecting head (recording head) structured as described above was driven at 10 kHz with the use of a power source which could apply a voltage Vop of 9.0 V to the heater.
  • the duration of each driving pulse was set to be 2.7 ⁇ sec.
  • the minimum voltage Vth (threshold voltage) necessary for the ink to be ejected was 7.2 V. Therefore, Vop/Vth was 1.25.
  • the performance, or characteristic, regarding various aspects of this head, which was realized when the head was driven under the above described condition (9 V/2.7 ⁇ sec), and the number of consecutive recording sheets (A3 sheets of recording paper) through the printing of which ink was normally ejected, are given in Table 2.
  • D/To paiding attention to D/To, in Embodiments 3 - 5, D/To was no less than 2, whereas in Comparative Examples 5 - 9, it was no more than 2. Further, in Comparative Examples 5 - 9, the number of the consecutive recording sheets, through the printing of which ink was normally ejected, was small, and also, the unwanted while lines for which ejection failure is responsible were conspicuous. Thus, D/To is desired to be no less than 2. In Comparative Example 10, D/To was 2.0, and the frequency of sudden ejection failure was relatively small. However, in this Comparative Example 10, the height Tn of each liquid path was 5.0 ⁇ m, which was rather low.
  • Embodiment 4 and Comparative Example 8 the opening of each ejection orifice was square, which was different from the shapes of the openings in other embodiments and comparative examples, in which they were in the form of a true circle. Even in Comparative Example 6 in which the shape of the opening of the ejection orifice was truly circular, the sudden ejection failure occurred just as in the other heads, the openings of the ejection orifices of which were truly circular. In Embodiment 4, D/To was 2.5, which was desirable since it was greater than 2. Even though the opening of the ejection orifice was square, the sudden ejection failure did not occur. In consideration of the deformation caused by the pressure generated by bubbles, the thickness To of the orifice plate is desired to be no less than 4 ⁇ m.
  • the liquid ejecting head was activated so that each sheet of recording paper was "solidly” covered with ink, and the results were evaluated. Being “solidly” covered means that the printable area of each sheet of recording paper is covered 100 % by ink dots.
  • a plurality of A3 size (JIS) sheets of recording paper were consecutively fed. What was important as a criterion for evaluating the liquid ejecting heads was whether or not a liquid ejecting head could normally eject ink to solidly cover the entirety of at least one of consecutively fed sheets of recording paper, with ink.
  • the present invention offers practical solutions, in terms of liquid ejecting head structure and liquid ejecting method, to the problems which occur when ink droplets with a volume of no more than 15x10 -15 m 3 are ejected from such a liquid ejecting head that allows bubbles to become connected to the atmosphere.
  • the present invention brings forth excellent results when applied to an ink jet based recording head and an ink jet based recording apparatus, in particular, those which are equipped with means (for example, electrothermal transducer, laser beam emitting element, and the like) for generating thermal energy as the energy used for ejecting ink, and change the state of ink with the use of the thermal energy. This is due to the fact that according to such an ink jet system, recording can be made at a high density to produce highly precise images.
  • means for example, electrothermal transducer, laser beam emitting element, and the like
  • each electrothermal transducer is disposed so that it faces a sheet or a liquid path in which liquid (ink) is held.
  • At least one signal which is capable of generating a large enough amount of thermal energy to suddenly increase liquid temperature to a point at which the so-called film boiling is triggered in the liquid, on the surface of the electrothermal transducer, is applied to the electrothermal transducer in accordance with recording data.
  • bubbles are formed in the liquid (ink) by driving signals one for one.
  • the driving signal is preferred to be in the form of a pulse, because the driving signal in the form of a pulse cause a bubble to instantly and properly grow and contact, in other words, head response is excellent when the driving signal is in the form of a pulse.
  • a driving signal such as the driving signal in the form of a pulse which is disclosed in U.S. Patent Nos. 4,463,359 and 4,345,262 is suitable. Further, if the condition regarding the rate of temperature increase at the heat releasing surface of an electrothermal transducer, which is recorded in the specification of U.S. Patent No. 4,313,124 is employed, printing quality can be further improved.
  • the present invention is compatible with not only the recording head structure disclosed in each of the specifications of the aforementioned patents, in which ejection orifices, liquid path (right angle liquid path), and electrothermal transducers are arranged as described above, but also recording heads such as the recording head structure disclosed in the specifications of U.S. Patent Nos. 4,558,333 and 4,459,600, according to which the heat releasing surface of an electrothermal transducer is located at the bend of a liquid path.
  • the present invention is also effective when applied to the recording head structure disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No.
  • the present invention improves a recording head, such as those described above, in terms of reliability and efficiency, regardless of its configuration.
  • a full-line type recording head that is, a recording head, the length of which equals the maximum recording range of a recording apparatus, that is, the width of the image recordable area of the largest piece of recording medium which can be accommodated by a recording apparatus.
  • a full-line recording head may be constituted of a combination of a plurality of recording heads, the combined length of which equals the length of the full-line recording head, or may be formed as a single piece of a long recording head.
  • the present invention is also effectively applicable to the aforementioned serial type recording head, which may be in the form of a fixed type recording head, a chip type recording head, or a cartridge type recording head.
  • a fixed type recording head is such a head that is fixed to the main assembly of a recording apparatus.
  • a chip type recording head is an exchangeable type head, which is removably installable in the main assembly of a recording apparatus. As it is installed in the main assembly of a recording apparatus, it is electrically connected to the main assembly, and is provided with ink.
  • a cartridge type recording head is such a head that integrally comprises an ink container.
  • Providing a recording head with an ejection performance restoring means, a means for ejecting liquid prior to recording ejection, and the like means is desirable since it assures the effectiveness of the present invention. More specifically, these means are a means for capping a recording head, a means for cleaning a recording head, a means for applying positive or negative pressure to a recording head, a means for heating a recording head or ink prior to recording ejection, and a means for ejecting ink prior to recording ejection.
  • a means for heating a recording head or ink prior to recording ejection may employ an electrothermal transducer for recording ejection, an electrothermal transducer different from the one for recording ejection, or a combination of both.
  • the number of recording heads mounted in a recording apparatus may be only one as it is in the case of a recording apparatus which prints only in the monochromatic mode, or may be plural as it is in the case of a recording apparatus which uses a plurality of inks to print images different in color or density.
  • the present invention is very effectively applicable to not only a recording apparatus equipped with only a single recording head for the main printing mode, or black mode, but also a recording apparatus equipped with a plurality of recording heads, being integral with each other or separate, for printing in a plurality of recording modes, for example, a multi-color mode, a full color mode accomplishable by color mixture, and the like mode inclusive of the monochromatic mode.
  • ink was described as ink in liquid form.
  • the present invention is compatible with such ink that remains solid at or below the normal room temperature and liquefies above the normal room temperature.
  • ink temperature is controlled so that it remains within a range from no less than 30 °C to no more than 70 °C.
  • the ink to be used with a recording head in accordance with the present invention may be such ink that liquefies at the time of recording signal application. Using the "solid" ink offers additional benefits.
  • the excessive temperature increase which will be caused by the excessive energy, can be prevented by using the excessive energy to change the state of ink from solid state to liquid state.
  • Ink which remains solid when left alone, and liquefies as heat is applied to it may be employed to prevent ink evaporation.
  • the present invention is compatible with any of the inks of the above described types, for example, the solid ink which is liquefied only by the thermal energy generated by a recording signal, and is ejected in liquid form, but begins to solidify the moment it reaches recording medium.
  • the solid ink which is liquefied only by the thermal energy generated by a recording signal, and is ejected in liquid form, but begins to solidify the moment it reaches recording medium.
  • an ink jet type recording apparatus in accordance with the present invention can be used as an image output terminal for an information processing device such as a computer, a copying apparatus combined with a reader or the like, a facsimile machine provided with both sending and receiving functions, or the like.

Landscapes

  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Geometry (AREA)
  • Particle Formation And Scattering Control In Inkjet Printers (AREA)
  • Ink Jet (AREA)
EP99300925A 1998-02-10 1999-02-09 Méthode d'éjection de liquide et tête d'éjection de liquide Withdrawn EP0936070A3 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (4)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
JP2887998 1998-02-10
JP2887998 1998-02-10
JP2883599 1999-02-05
JP11028835A JPH11291500A (ja) 1998-02-10 1999-02-05 液体吐出方法および液体吐出ヘッド

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0936070A2 true EP0936070A2 (fr) 1999-08-18
EP0936070A3 EP0936070A3 (fr) 2000-05-17

Family

ID=26366980

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP99300925A Withdrawn EP0936070A3 (fr) 1998-02-10 1999-02-09 Méthode d'éjection de liquide et tête d'éjection de liquide

Country Status (6)

Country Link
EP (1) EP0936070A3 (fr)
JP (1) JPH11291500A (fr)
KR (1) KR100320689B1 (fr)
CN (2) CN1120087C (fr)
AU (1) AU1637799A (fr)
CA (1) CA2261375C (fr)

Cited By (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP1078760A2 (fr) * 1999-08-24 2001-02-28 Canon Kabushiki Kaisha Tête d'impression et appareil d'impression à jet d'encre
EP1092544A3 (fr) * 1999-10-12 2001-10-04 Canon Kabushiki Kaisha Appareil d'impression à jet d'encre, méthode d'impression à jet d'encre et tête d'impression à jet d'encre
WO2001076877A1 (fr) 2000-04-10 2001-10-18 Olivetti Tecnost S.P.A. Tete d'impression monolithique possedant plusieurs canaux de distribution d'encre et procede de fabrication correspondant
WO2008021477A2 (fr) * 2006-08-15 2008-02-21 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. Système et méthode de création d'un jet d'encre picofluidique
EP3192655A1 (fr) * 2016-01-08 2017-07-19 Canon Kabushiki Kaisha Carte d'élément d'enregistrement et tête de rejet de liquide
CN107009742A (zh) * 2016-01-08 2017-08-04 佳能株式会社 记录元件板和液体排出头

Families Citing this family (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
CN101274515B (zh) * 2007-03-29 2013-04-24 研能科技股份有限公司 单色喷墨头结构
CN103171287A (zh) * 2007-03-29 2013-06-26 研能科技股份有限公司 单色喷墨头结构
CN109823049B (zh) * 2018-12-26 2019-12-24 华中科技大学 一种喷印液滴的多目标喷射频率控制方法及设备

Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4723129A (en) 1977-10-03 1988-02-02 Canon Kabushiki Kaisha Bubble jet recording method and apparatus in which a heating element generates bubbles in a liquid flow path to project droplets
JPH0410742A (ja) 1990-04-27 1992-01-14 Nippon Telegr & Teleph Corp <Ntt> 遠隔会議装置
JPH0410940A (ja) 1990-04-27 1992-01-16 Canon Inc 液体噴射方法および該方法を用いた記録装置
JPH0410941A (ja) 1990-04-27 1992-01-16 Canon Inc 液滴噴射方法及び該方法を用いた記録装置
JPH0516365A (ja) 1991-07-10 1993-01-26 Canon Inc 気泡を外気に連通させて記録を行う記録方法及びその記録装置

Family Cites Families (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
ES2073614T3 (es) * 1990-04-27 1995-08-16 Canon Kk Metodo y aparato de impresion.
DE19505465A1 (de) * 1994-02-18 1995-08-24 Hitachi Koki Kk Thermischer Tintenstrahldrucker
JP3957851B2 (ja) * 1997-12-26 2007-08-15 キヤノン株式会社 液体吐出方法

Patent Citations (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4723129A (en) 1977-10-03 1988-02-02 Canon Kabushiki Kaisha Bubble jet recording method and apparatus in which a heating element generates bubbles in a liquid flow path to project droplets
US4740796A (en) 1977-10-03 1988-04-26 Canon Kabushiki Kaisha Bubble jet recording method and apparatus in which a heating element generates bubbles in multiple liquid flow paths to project droplets
JPH0410742A (ja) 1990-04-27 1992-01-14 Nippon Telegr & Teleph Corp <Ntt> 遠隔会議装置
JPH0410940A (ja) 1990-04-27 1992-01-16 Canon Inc 液体噴射方法および該方法を用いた記録装置
JPH0410941A (ja) 1990-04-27 1992-01-16 Canon Inc 液滴噴射方法及び該方法を用いた記録装置
JPH0516365A (ja) 1991-07-10 1993-01-26 Canon Inc 気泡を外気に連通させて記録を行う記録方法及びその記録装置

Cited By (17)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP1078760A2 (fr) * 1999-08-24 2001-02-28 Canon Kabushiki Kaisha Tête d'impression et appareil d'impression à jet d'encre
EP1078760A3 (fr) * 1999-08-24 2001-05-16 Canon Kabushiki Kaisha Tête d'impression et appareil d'impression à jet d'encre
US6557989B1 (en) 1999-08-24 2003-05-06 Canon Kabushiki Kaisha Print head and ink jet printing apparatus
US6752492B2 (en) 1999-08-24 2004-06-22 Canon Kabushiki Kaisha Print head and ink jet printing apparatus
EP1092544A3 (fr) * 1999-10-12 2001-10-04 Canon Kabushiki Kaisha Appareil d'impression à jet d'encre, méthode d'impression à jet d'encre et tête d'impression à jet d'encre
US6439696B1 (en) 1999-10-12 2002-08-27 Canon Kabushiki Kaisha Ink jet printing apparatus, ink jet printing method and ink jet print head with control of drive voltage and pulse width
WO2001076877A1 (fr) 2000-04-10 2001-10-18 Olivetti Tecnost S.P.A. Tete d'impression monolithique possedant plusieurs canaux de distribution d'encre et procede de fabrication correspondant
US20080043065A1 (en) * 2006-08-15 2008-02-21 Nielsen Jeffrey A System and method for creating a pico-fluidic inkject
WO2008021477A2 (fr) * 2006-08-15 2008-02-21 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. Système et méthode de création d'un jet d'encre picofluidique
WO2008021477A3 (fr) * 2006-08-15 2008-04-17 Hewlett Packard Development Co Système et méthode de création d'un jet d'encre picofluidique
TWI448391B (zh) * 2006-08-15 2014-08-11 Hewlett Packard Development Co 產生微微射流（Ｐｉｃｏ-Ｆｌｕｉｄｉｃ）噴墨之系統與方法
US9944074B2 (en) 2006-08-15 2018-04-17 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. System and method for creating a pico-fluidic inkjet
US10343398B2 (en) * 2006-08-15 2019-07-09 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. System and method for creating a pico-fluidic inkjet
EP3192655A1 (fr) * 2016-01-08 2017-07-19 Canon Kabushiki Kaisha Carte d'élément d'enregistrement et tête de rejet de liquide
CN107009742A (zh) * 2016-01-08 2017-08-04 佳能株式会社 记录元件板和液体排出头
US10293607B2 (en) 2016-01-08 2019-05-21 Canon Kabushiki Kaisha Recording element board and liquid discharge head
CN107009742B (zh) * 2016-01-08 2019-08-02 佳能株式会社 记录元件板和液体排出头

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
KR19990072572A (ko) 1999-09-27
KR100320689B1 (ko) 2002-01-19
CA2261375A1 (fr) 1999-08-10
CN1233561A (zh) 1999-11-03
EP0936070A3 (fr) 2000-05-17
AU1637799A (en) 1999-08-26
JPH11291500A (ja) 1999-10-26
CN1269643C (zh) 2006-08-16
CN1493457A (zh) 2004-05-05
CN1120087C (zh) 2003-09-03
CA2261375C (fr) 2003-08-26

Similar Documents

Publication Publication Date Title
EP0192428B1 (fr) Imprimante à jet d&#39;encre thermique avec éjection de gouttelettes produite par effondrement de bulles
US4317124A (en) Ink jet recording apparatus
US6270199B1 (en) Liquid ejecting head, liquid ejecting device and liquid ejecting method
US6350016B1 (en) Liquid ejecting method and liquid ejecting head
JP4146575B2 (ja) 印刷装置
KR100940128B1 (ko) 잉크젯 기록 방법
EP0631872B1 (fr) Tête à jet d&#39;encre, appareil à jet d&#39;encre et méthode pour activer l&#39;opération de remise en état de l&#39;appareil
EP0913259B1 (fr) Appareil pour générer des gouttes d&#39;encre de faible volume et de grande vitesse dans une imprimante à jet d&#39;encre
US6851779B2 (en) Liquid ejection method and liquid ejection head therefor
EP1287995B1 (fr) Tête à éjection de liquide et appareil de formation d&#39;images l&#39;utilisant
CA2261375C (fr) Methode d&#39;ejection de liquide et tete d&#39;ejection de liquide
JP2004001488A (ja) インクジェットヘッド
US6648451B2 (en) Ink jet recording apparatus and ink jet recording head
US6467882B2 (en) Liquid jet recording method and apparatus and recording head therefor
AU765958B2 (en) Liquid ejecting method and liquid ejecting head
JP2766035B2 (ja) インクジェット記録方法
JPH04235039A (ja) 記録ヘッド、記録ヘッドカートリッジ及びインクジェット記録装置
AU2002300225B9 (en) Liquid Ejecting Head, Liquid Ejecting Device and Liquid Ejecting Method
JPH10193649A (ja) インクジェットプリント方法および装置
JPH06198906A (ja) インクジェット記録装置
JPH05112008A (ja) インクジエツト記録装置
JP2000141713A (ja) インクジェット記録装置
JPH0464451A (ja) インクジェット記録装置
JPH07137293A (ja) インクジェットヘッドおよび記録方法ならびにインクジェット記録装置
JP2004090459A (ja) インクジェット記録装置

Legal Events

Date Code Title Description
PUAI Public reference made under article 153(3) epc to a published international application that has entered the european phase

Free format text: ORIGINAL CODE: 0009012

AK Designated contracting states

Kind code of ref document: A2

Designated state(s): DE ES FR GB IT NL

AX Request for extension of the european patent

Free format text: AL;LT;LV;MK;RO;SI

PUAL Search report despatched

Free format text: ORIGINAL CODE: 0009013

AK Designated contracting states

Kind code of ref document: A3

Designated state(s): AT BE CH CY DE DK ES FI FR GB GR IE IT LI LU MC NL PT SE

AX Request for extension of the european patent

Free format text: AL;LT;LV;MK;RO;SI

RIC1 Information provided on ipc code assigned before grant

Free format text: 7B 41J 2/14 A, 7B 41J 2/05 B

17P Request for examination filed

Effective date: 20001009

AKX Designation fees paid

Free format text: DE ES FR GB IT NL

17Q First examination report despatched

Effective date: 20031029

GRAP Despatch of communication of intention to grant a patent

Free format text: ORIGINAL CODE: EPIDOSNIGR1

STAA Information on the status of an ep patent application or granted ep patent

Free format text: STATUS: THE APPLICATION IS DEEMED TO BE WITHDRAWN

18D Application deemed to be withdrawn

Effective date: 20050301