JP2006224315A - Liquid jetting head - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a liquid jetting head in which connection strain between a flow path forming substrate and a nozzle plate is relaxed. <P>SOLUTION: The liquid jetting head is equipped with: the flow path forming substrate 11 in which a flow path space containing a pressure generating room 19 is formed; a nozzle plate 10 which is laminated on one face of the flow path forming substrate 11 and is formed with a nozzle opening 15 jetting an ink in the pressure generating room 19; and a vibration plate 12 which is laminated on the other face of the flow path forming substrate 11 and seals the flow path space containing the pressure generating room 19. The liquid jetting head is characterized in that: a plurality of substrate through-holes 32 are linearly provided in a region 31A where the flow path space is not formed pinched by the flow path space forming regions 30 in the flow path forming substrate 11; a plurality of plate through-holes 33 are linearly provided in a region corresponding to the region 31A where the flow path space is not formed on the nozzle plate 10, and the substrate through-holes 32 and the plate through-holes 33 are arranged alternately in lines by a plane view; and the substrate through-hole 32 and the plate through-hole 33 adjoining each other by a plane view are not communicated with each other. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a liquid ejecting head that ejects liquid supplied from a liquid cartridge or the like as droplets, and more particularly to a liquid ejecting head that can reduce distortion of a flow path unit.

  In an ink jet recording apparatus, which is a typical example of a liquid ejecting apparatus, an ink jet recording head (liquid ejecting apparatus) having pressure generating means for pressurizing a pressure generating chamber and a nozzle opening for ejecting pressurized ink as ink droplets. Head) is mounted on a carriage.

  A so-called multi-nozzle ink jet recording head in which a plurality of nozzle openings are arranged on a single substrate includes a nozzle plate having a plurality of nozzle openings and a flow path that divides a pressure generation chamber and an ink supply flow path. A forming substrate and an elastic plate that seals the other surface are laminated and bonded, and is configured to generate pressure in the pressure generation chamber by the deformation stress of the elastic plate by the piezoelectric vibrator to eject ink droplets. Yes.

  In order to improve the recording density of the recording head, a plurality of nozzle opening rows are formed on one substrate at as narrow intervals as possible to reduce the pitch of the nozzle openings. For this reason, in an ink jet recording head in which the nozzle openings are arranged opposite to each other to reduce the arrangement pitch of the nozzle openings, stress is easily concentrated on the area where the two rows of pressure generating chambers face each other. There is a risk of fatigue on the substrate.

Therefore, as shown in Patent Document 1 below, a slit is formed in a region where the two rows of pressure generation chambers of the flow path forming substrate are opposed to reduce the rigidity of the region where the pressure generation chambers of the flow channel forming substrate are opposed. Has been done.
JP-A-10-166582

  However, while the flow path forming substrate is mainly formed from a Si single crystal substrate, the nozzle plate is generally formed from a stainless steel plate, a resin material, or the like. Often composed of different combinations. Then, the flow path forming substrate and the nozzle plate are bonded by an adhesive, but are cooled after being held and held at a high temperature in a state where the adhesive is applied and bonded. At this time, since the elongation rate at the time of high-temperature bonding differs between the nozzle plate and the flow path forming substrate, strain remains between the members after cooling. The actual situation is that the bonding strain generated in this way cannot be effectively suppressed only by forming a slit in the flow path forming substrate.

  Recently, there is a tendency to increase the number of nozzle rows in one print head in order to improve the printing speed. Depending on the type of ink used, there are four or six rows, and in some cases, more nozzle rows. The formed recording head has also appeared. In such a large recording head, a plurality of sets in which two rows of pressure generating chambers are arranged to face each other are arranged side by side. In such a recording head, the flow path forming substrate has a large area of a non-flow path forming area (that is, an adhesive surface) other than the area where the flow path such as the pressure generating chamber is formed, and the above-described bonding strain is generated. The result is even more conducive.

  When such a bonding strain increases, the reliability of adhesion is lowered, the defect rate due to peeling increases, resulting in a decrease in yield, and a result that the accuracy and reliability of the product are greatly reduced.

  SUMMARY An advantage of some aspects of the invention is that it provides a liquid ejecting head in which joint distortion between a flow path forming substrate and a nozzle plate is reduced.

  In order to solve the above problems, a liquid jet head according to the present invention includes a flow path forming substrate in which a flow path space including a pressure generating chamber is formed, and a liquid that is stacked on one surface of the flow path forming substrate. A nozzle plate in which nozzle openings for injection are formed; and a sealing plate that is laminated on the other surface of the flow path forming substrate and seals the flow path space including the pressure generating chamber. A plurality of substrate through holes are arranged in a non-flow channel space forming region sandwiched between the channel space forming regions, and a plurality of plate through holes are arranged in a region corresponding to the flow channel space non-forming region of the nozzle plate. The substrate through-holes and the plate through-holes are alternately arranged in a plan view to form a row, and the substrate through-holes and the plate through-holes adjacent in a plan view are not in communication with each other. .

  That is, according to the present invention, a plurality of substrate through holes are arranged in a flow passage space non-forming region sandwiched between flow passage space forming regions in the flow passage forming substrate, and the flow passage space non-forming region of the nozzle plate is formed. A plurality of plate through holes are arranged in a region corresponding to. Thus, in the flow path space non-formation region, the substrate through holes are arranged in the flow path forming substrate, and the plate through holes are arranged in the nozzle plate. Where there is a hole, the flow path forming substrate and the nozzle plate are not in direct contact with each other, so that the bonding is not performed. Therefore, even if there is a difference in linear expansion coefficient between the flow path forming substrate and the nozzle plate, the bonding strain can be relieved greatly due to the existence of a substantially non-adhesive region where adhesion is hardly performed. For this reason, it is possible to improve the reliability of bonding, reduce the defect rate due to peeling, increase the yield, and greatly improve the accuracy and reliability of the product.

  The substrate through holes and the plate through holes are alternately arranged in a plan view to form a row. For this reason, in the region where the substrate through-hole and the plate through-hole are arranged in a row, a row-like substantially non-adhesion region is formed, and the presence of this row-like substantially non-adhesion region greatly reduces the bonding strain. be able to.

  Further, since the substrate through hole and the plate through hole which are adjacent in plan view are not in communication with each other, the liquid adhering to the nozzle surface contaminates the recording surface by entering the substrate through hole through the plate through hole. , Etc. are prevented.

  In the present invention, when the substrate through hole and the plate through hole are arranged in a row along the direction in which the nozzle openings are arranged, a flow path space such as a pressure generating chamber along the direction in which the nozzle openings are arranged. The formation area is provided, and the area sandwiched between the flow path space formation areas has a wide area where the nozzle plate and the flow path formation substrate are in close contact with each other. By providing a substantially non-adhesive region in the form of a joint, joint strain can be relieved greatly. In this case, when the row of the substrate through hole and the plate through hole is formed in a region where two rows of pressure generation chambers face each other, the stress concentration in this region is greatly reduced, and the flow path forming substrate You can prevent fatigue.

  In the present invention, when the row formed by the substrate through hole and the plate through hole is provided from one end of the nozzle plate or the flow path forming substrate to the other end, one end of the nozzle plate or the flow path forming substrate. A substantially non-adhesive region in a row is formed from the other end portion to the other end portion, and the presence of this region can greatly relieve the bonding strain.

  In the present invention, when the nozzle plate has notches at both ends of the row formed by the plate through-holes, the nozzle plate has a substantially non-adhesive shape extending from the notch at one end of the nozzle plate to the notch at the other end. A region is formed, and the presence of this region can greatly relieve the joint strain.

  In the present invention, in the above flow path forming substrate, when notches are formed at both ends of the row formed by the substrate through holes, a row is formed from the notch at one end of the flow path forming substrate to the notch at the other end. The non-adhesive region is formed, and the presence of this region can greatly reduce the bonding strain.

  In the present invention, the substrate through hole and the plate through hole are each square, and the flow path forming substrate and the nozzle plate are disposed between one side of the square of the substrate through hole and the plate through hole adjacent in plan view. When overlapping, the non-communication between the substrate through hole and the plate through hole adjacent to each other in the overlapped portion is ensured, and the overlapped portion exhibits a linear shape and the bonding area becomes larger than necessary. Therefore, the effect of relaxing the joint strain is not hindered.

  In the present invention, when the flow path forming substrate is made of a silicon substrate and the nozzle plate is made of a stainless steel plate, the silicon substrate and the stainless steel plate have different linear expansion coefficients, so that the effect of alleviating the bonding strain is reduced. Is remarkable and effective.

  Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a peripheral structure of a recording apparatus using an ink jet recording head to which a liquid ejecting head according to the invention is applied. This apparatus is equipped with a carriage 3 on which an ink cartridge 2 as a liquid supply source is mounted and a recording head 1 for ejecting ink droplets is attached to the lower surface.

  The carriage 3 is connected to a stepping motor 5 via a timing belt 4 and is guided by a guide bar 6 to reciprocate in the paper width direction of the recording paper 7. Further, the recording head 1 is attached to the carriage 3 on the surface (the lower surface in this example) facing the recording paper 7. Then, ink is supplied from the ink cartridge 2 to the recording head 1 and ink droplets are ejected onto the upper surface of the recording paper 7 while moving the carriage 3 so that images and characters are printed on the recording paper 7 in a dot matrix. Yes.

  In the figure, reference numeral 8 denotes a capping device 8 which is provided in a non-printing area within the movement range of the carriage 3 and prevents the nozzle openings from being dried as much as possible by sealing the nozzle openings of the recording head 1 during a printing pause. Further, the capping device 8 forcibly sucks ink from the nozzle opening by applying a negative pressure in the cap with a suction pump in a state where the nozzle opening is sealed, so as to recover clogging of the nozzle opening. It has become. Reference numeral 9 denotes a wiping device 9 for wiping the nozzle surface of the head body after the suction.

  2 to 5 are views showing the recording head 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of the recording head 1. FIG. 3B is a plan view of the flow path forming substrate 11 used in the recording head 1, and FIG. 4 is a flow path unit in which the nozzle plate 10 and the flow path forming substrate 11 are stacked. FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the recording head 1 includes a head case 16 in which a piezoelectric vibrator 14 serving as a pressure generating unit is accommodated, and a flow path unit fixed to the unit fixing surface of the head case 16 with an adhesive or the like. 26.

  The flow path unit 26 includes a flow path forming substrate 11 in which a flow path space including the pressure generating chamber 19 is formed, and a nozzle that is stacked on one surface of the flow path forming substrate 11 and ejects ink in the pressure generating chamber 19. The nozzle plate 10 in which the opening 15 is formed and the vibration plate (sealing plate) 12 that is laminated on the other surface of the flow path forming substrate 11 and seals the flow path space including the pressure generation chamber 19 are stacked. It is configured.

  As shown in FIG. 3A, the nozzle plate 10 is provided with a plurality of nozzle openings 15 to form a nozzle array 25. In this example, four nozzle arrays 25 are formed, and different types of ink are used. Is supposed to be injected. The nozzle plate 10 is formed from a stainless steel plate.

  As shown in FIG. 3B, the flow path forming substrate 11 is provided with a row of pressure generating chambers 19 communicating with the nozzle openings 15. A common ink storage chamber 17 that communicates with each pressure generation chamber 19 via the ink supply path 18 and stores ink to be supplied to each pressure generation chamber 19 is arranged along the row of the pressure generation chambers 19. It is formed to be arranged.

  The space that becomes the pressure generation chamber 19 and the ink storage chamber 17 is formed as a space penetrating up and down the flow path forming substrate 11, and the ink supply path 18 is a concave groove on both surfaces of the flow path forming substrate 11 in this example. It is formed as.

  The nozzle row 25 is provided in a direction perpendicular to the paper surface in FIG. In this example, four nozzle rows 25 are provided, and four rows of pressure generation chambers 19 are provided so as to correspond to the nozzle rows 25. One ink storage chamber 17 is provided corresponding to each row of pressure generation chambers 19. The flow path forming substrate 11 is formed by etching a Si single crystal substrate in this example.

  The diaphragm 12 is made of a polyphenylene sulfide film, and is formed by laminating island portions 13 made of stainless steel.

  The nozzle plate 10 is stacked on one surface of the flow path forming substrate 11, and the flow path unit 26 is configured by stacking the diaphragm 12 on the other surface so that the island portion 13 is disposed outside. An adhesive is applied to the flow path forming substrate 11, the nozzle plate 10, and the vibration plate 12, heated and held at a predetermined high temperature, and then cooled to room temperature, whereby the flow path unit 26 is formed.

  On the other hand, the head case 16 is formed by injection molding of a thermosetting resin or a thermoplastic resin, and the piezoelectric vibrator 14 is accommodated in the accommodating space 21 penetrating vertically so as to correspond to the pressure generating chambers 19. It is like that. The accommodating space 21 extends in the direction of the nozzle row 25 and is provided in four corresponding to the nozzle row 25. The piezoelectric vibrator 14 is a piezoelectric vibrator 14 in a longitudinal vibration mode, and the rear end side is fixed to the fixed plate 20.

  The front end surface of the piezoelectric vibrator 14 is fixed to the island portion 13 of the vibration plate 12 with the vibration plate 12 side of the flow path unit 26 bonded to the unit fixing surface of the head case 16 with an adhesive. The recording head 1 is configured by the fixing plate 20 being bonded and fixed to the head case 16.

  In the recording head 1 configured as described above, when the drive signal generated by the drive circuit 23 is input to the piezoelectric vibrator 14 via the flexible circuit board 22, the piezoelectric vibrator 14 is expanded and contracted in the longitudinal direction. The expansion and contraction of the piezoelectric vibrator 14 causes the island portion 13 of the diaphragm 12 to vibrate to change the pressure in the pressure generation chamber 19 so that the ink in the pressure generation chamber 19 is ejected as ink droplets from the nozzle openings 15. It has become. In FIG. 2, reference numeral 24 denotes an ink flow path 24 that supplies ink to the ink storage chamber 17.

  As shown in FIG. 3B, in the recording head 1 of the first embodiment, in the flow path forming substrate 11, one ink storage chamber 17, the pressure generating chamber 19 and the ink supply path 18 communicating with each other are mutually connected. One flow path block 30 is formed in communication, and this one flow path block 30 constitutes a flow path space forming region 30 of the present invention. In this example, the two flow path blocks 30 are arranged so that the pressure generating chambers 19 face each other to form two rows of pressure generating chambers 19 (corresponding to the nozzle row 25), and similarly, two rows of the pressure generating chambers 19 are arranged. Another set of two flow path blocks 30 constituting the row of pressure generating chambers 19 (corresponding to the nozzle row 25) is arranged, and the rows of pressure generating chambers 19 corresponding to the four nozzle rows 25 in total are arranged. Is formed.

  In the flow path forming substrate 11, flow path space non-forming areas 31A and 31B are formed in an area between two flow path blocks 30. That is, a channel space non-forming region 31B is formed between a pair of channel blocks 30 arranged so that the pressure generating chambers 19 face each other, and a pair of channel blocks (that is, adjacent to each other). A flow path space non-formation region 31B is also formed between the ink storage chambers 17).

  In the present invention, a substantially non-adhesive area where the nozzle plate 10 and the flow path forming substrate 11 are not bonded is formed in the flow path space non-formation areas 31A and 31B. In the first embodiment, the adjacent ink storage chambers 17 are adjacent to each other. A description will be given of a case where a substantially non-adhesive region is formed in the channel space non-forming region 31A.

  A plurality of the flow path forming substrates 11 penetrates the flow path forming substrate 11 in the thickness direction in the flow path space non-forming region 31A between the two flow path blocks 30 from the center of the four aligned flow path blocks 30. The substrate through holes 32 are arranged in a row. The substrate through holes 32 are each formed in a square (parallelogram) having the same size and are arranged in a line at equal intervals so that the sides of adjacent squares are aligned. Here, the flow path forming substrate 11 is formed by etching a silicon single crystal substrate, and the substrate through holes 32 are formed in a parallelogram shape as shown in the figure. In the present invention, the term “square” means to include the parallelogram as described above.

  The substrate through holes 32 are arranged in a row along the row direction of the nozzle rows 25, and the row formed by the substrate through holes 32 is provided from one end portion to the other end portion of the flow path forming substrate 11. Substrate through holes 32 are not formed at the column end portions of the rows formed by the substrate through holes 32, that is, at both ends of the flow path forming substrate 11, so that there are no through portions.

  As shown in FIG. 3A, the nozzle plate 10 includes a nozzle plate 10 in a region corresponding to the non-flow channel space forming region 31 </ b> A between the adjacent ink storage chambers 17 in the flow channel forming substrate 11. A plurality of plate through-holes 33 penetrating in the thickness direction are arranged in a row. The plate through-holes 33 are each formed in a quadrilateral (rectangular shape) of the same size and are arranged in a line at equal intervals so that one side of the adjacent quadrilateral is aligned.

  The plate through holes 33 are arranged in the row direction of the nozzle rows 25, and the rows formed by the plate through holes 33 are provided from one end portion to the other end portion of the nozzle plate 10. Cutouts 34 are formed at the row end portions of the row formed by the plate through holes 33, that is, at both ends of the nozzle plate 10. The notches 34 are set to have the same dimension in the column width direction as the plate through-holes 33, and the distance between the adjacent plate through-holes 33 is the same as the distance between the plate through-holes 33. Has been.

  FIG. 4 is a plan view of the flow path unit 26 from which the vibration plate 12 has been removed, in which the flow path forming substrate 11 of FIG. 3B is stacked on the nozzle plate 10 of FIG. It is a top view of a body. The substrate through holes 32 of the flow path forming substrate 11 and the plate through holes 33 of the nozzle plate 10 are alternately arranged in the column direction in plan view with the nozzle plate 10 and the flow path forming substrate 11 being overlapped. . Further, both notches 34 of the nozzle plate 10 are arranged adjacent to the substrate through holes 32 at both ends in the row of the substrate through holes 32 of the flow path forming substrate 11.

  With such a configuration, from one end of the flow path unit 26, the cutout portion 34 of the nozzle plate 10, the substrate through hole 32 of the flow path forming substrate 11, and the plate through hole 33 are arranged. 33 are alternately arranged, and at the other end portion of the flow path unit 26, the substrate through holes 32 and the notches 34 are arranged in a row.

  That is, the square substrate through holes 32 and the plate through holes 33 are arranged at equal intervals, and the non-through portion between the substrate through holes 32 of the flow path forming substrate 11 and the plate through holes 33 of the nozzle plate 10 is formed. The plate through holes 33 of the nozzle plate 10 and the non-through portions between the substrate through holes 32 of the flow path forming substrate 11 are arranged so as to substantially overlap in a plan view.

  Similarly, both the notches 34 at the end of the nozzle plate 10 and the row end portions of the row formed by the substrate through holes 32, that is, the non-through portions formed at both ends of the flow path forming substrate 11 are substantially overlapped in plan view. The non-penetrating portion between the notch 34 and the adjacent plate through hole 33 and the substrate through hole 32 at the column end are arranged so as to substantially overlap in plan view.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the substrate through hole 32 and the plate through hole 33 that are adjacent in a plan view are such that one side of the square of the substrate through hole 32 and the square of the plate through hole 33 are slightly separated from each other in the plan view. The substrate through hole 32 and the plate through hole 33 adjacent to each other are not in communication with each other. In addition, the notch 34 at the end of the nozzle plate 10 and the substrate through hole 32 adjacent thereto are adjacent to each other so that each side of the rectangle of the notch 34 and the rectangle of the substrate through hole 32 is slightly separated from each other in plan view. Arranged and not communicating with each other.

  That is, the dimension Pn of the non-penetrating portion of the nozzle plate 10 that overlaps the substrate through hole 32 (rectangularly arranged at equal intervals) is larger than the one-side dimension Ok in the column direction of the rectangular substrate through holes 32 arranged at equal intervals. The pitch dimension of the plate through-hole 33) is set to be larger. Further, the dimension Pk of the non-penetrating portion of the flow path forming substrate 11 that overlaps the plate through-hole 33 is set to be equal to the one-side dimension On in the column direction of the square plate through-holes 33 arranged at equal intervals. The rectangular substrate through hole 32 is set to have a larger pitch dimension).

  Similarly, the dimension in the column direction of the non-penetrating part of the flow path forming substrate 11 overlapping the notch part 34 is set to be larger than the one side dimension in the column direction of the both notch parts 34 at the end of the nozzle plate 10. Has been. Furthermore, the dimension in the column direction of the non-penetrating portion of the nozzle plate 10 that overlaps the substrate through hole 32 is set to be larger than the one side dimension in the column direction of the substrate through hole 32 at the column end.

  As described above, the substrate through-holes 32 and the plate through-holes 33 each formed in a quadrangular shape are alternately arranged in a row, whereby the row region is formed in a belt-like substantially non-adhesive region having a predetermined width. Is done. That is, the substrate through-holes 32 and the plate through-holes 33 are alternately arranged in a line even when an adhesive is applied and laminated on the front surface of the adhesion surface of the nozzle plate 10 and the flow path forming substrate 11 and bonded together. In the arranged region, the non-penetrating portion of the nozzle plate 10 and the substrate through-hole 32 face each other, and the non-penetrating portion of the flow path forming substrate 11 and the plate through-hole 33 face each other. The nozzle plate 10 and the flow path forming substrate 11 are not bonded.

  In the recording head 1, the notch 34 and the plate through hole 33 are formed in the nozzle plate 10, and the notch 34 and the plate through hole 33 of the nozzle plate 10 are filled with a filler such as putty. Thus, a process for preventing ink from entering the notch 34 and the plate through hole 33 is performed.

  With the above configuration, the recording head 1 of the present invention is not bonded because the flow path forming substrate 11 and the nozzle plate 10 are not in direct contact where the substrate through hole 32 and the plate through hole 33 exist. Therefore, even if there is a difference in linear expansion coefficient between the flow path forming substrate 11 and the nozzle plate 10, the bonding distortion is greatly reduced due to the presence of a strip-like substantially non-adhesive region where adhesion is hardly performed. Can do. For this reason, it is possible to improve the reliability of bonding, reduce the defect rate due to peeling, increase the yield, and greatly improve the accuracy and reliability of the product.

  Further, notches 34 are formed at both ends of the row formed by the plate through holes 33 in the nozzle plate 10, and the row formed by the substrate through holes 32 and the plate through holes 33 is formed on the nozzle plate 10 or the flow path forming substrate 11. By being provided from the notch 34 at one end to the notch 34 at the other end, a belt-like substantially non-adhesive region is formed from the notch 34 at one end of the nozzle plate to the notch 34 at the other end, and joint strain is greatly reduced. can do.

  Further, since the substrate through hole 32 and the plate through hole 33 form a line shape along the row direction of the nozzle row 25, the flow path of the pressure generating chamber 19 and the like along the row direction of the nozzle openings 15. The space forming region 30 is provided, and the region sandwiched between the flow channel space forming regions 30 has a larger area where the nozzle plate 10 and the flow channel forming substrate 11 are in close contact with each other. By providing a row of substantially non-adhesive regions, joint strain can be remarkably reduced.

  As described above, the bonding distortion of the flow path unit 26 is alleviated, the warpage of the flow path unit is small, and the planar accuracy is improved. Therefore, the warpage and distortion of the nozzle surface on which a large number of nozzle openings 15 are formed are greatly reduced. Since the planar accuracy is improved, the variation in the opening direction of the large number of nozzle openings 15 is greatly reduced, the variation in the flying direction of the ink droplets is reduced, and the dot recording accuracy is improved.

  Furthermore, since the joining accuracy and joining reliability between the flow path unit 26 and the head case 16 are greatly improved, the planar accuracy of the nozzle surface is further improved, and each piezoelectric vibrator 14 and the island portion 13 of the diaphragm 12 And the vibration characteristics of the diaphragm 12 when the piezoelectric vibrator 14 is expanded and contracted are reduced, the ink droplet ejection characteristics are less changed, and the stability and reliability of the product is improved. Greatly improved.

  Further, when the head case 16 is formed of an organic material such as resin and the flow path unit 26 is mainly composed of an inorganic material such as metal, the head case 16 is distorted due to swelling or the like in a humid environment. However, since the joining accuracy of the head case 16 and the flow path unit 26 is high, the degree of variation in the surface accuracy of the nozzle surface and the degree of variation in the discharge characteristics due to the distortion and deformation of the head case 16 are significantly greater than the conventional products. Less.

  In particular, these effects are conspicuous in a print head in which the number of nozzle rows is more than two and the size in the direction orthogonal to the nozzle rows is large.

  The substrate through-hole 32 and the plate through-hole 33 are each quadrangular, and the flow path forming substrate 11 and the nozzle plate are disposed between one side of the square of the substrate through-hole 32 and the plate through-hole 33 that are adjacent in plan view. Since the substrate through hole 32 and the plate through hole 33 adjacent to each other in plan view are not in communication with each other, the ink adhering to the nozzle surface reaches the substrate through hole 32 through the plate through hole 33. Inconveniences such as contamination of the recording surface due to intrusion are prevented.

  In addition, the non-communication between the substrate through hole 32 and the plate through hole 33 adjacent to each other in the overlapped portion is ensured, and the overlapped portion exhibits a linear shape so that the bonding area does not increase more than necessary, and the bonding strain The relaxation effect is not hindered.

  Furthermore, since the flow path forming substrate is composed of a silicon substrate and the nozzle plate is composed of a stainless steel plate, the linear expansion coefficient of the silicon substrate and the stainless steel plate is different, so the effect of reducing the joint strain is remarkable and effective. Is.

  Next, a second embodiment will be described.

  In the second embodiment, a substantially non-adhesive region is formed in the flow path space non-forming region 31A between the adjacent ink storage chambers 17 as in the first embodiment. In this embodiment, notch portions 34 are not formed at both end portions of the nozzle plate 10, and instead, notch portions 35 are formed at both end portions of the row formed by the substrate through holes 32 of the flow path forming substrate 11. It is. The rest is the same as in the first embodiment, and the description of the same parts is omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 6B, in the recording head 1 of the second embodiment, the flow path forming substrate 11 is located between two flow path blocks 30 from the center of the four flow path blocks 30 arranged side by side. A plurality of substrate through holes 32 penetrating the flow path forming substrate 11 in the thickness direction are arranged in the flow path space non-forming region 31A. Cutouts 35 are formed at the row end portions of the row formed by the substrate through holes 32, that is, at both ends of the flow path forming substrate 11. The two notches 35 are set to have the same dimension in the column width direction as the substrate through holes 32, and the distance between the adjacent substrate through holes 32 is the same as the distance between the substrate through holes 32. Has been.

  As shown in FIG. 6A, the nozzle plate 10 includes a nozzle plate 10 in a region corresponding to the channel space non-forming region 31 </ b> A between the adjacent ink storage chambers 17 in the channel forming substrate 11. A plurality of plate through-holes 33 penetrating in the thickness direction are arranged in a row. The plate through hole 33 is not formed in the row end portion of the row formed by the plate through hole 33, that is, both end portions of the nozzle plate 10, and there is no through portion.

  FIG. 7 is a plan view of the flow path unit 26 from which the vibration plate 12 has been removed, in which the flow path forming substrate 11 of FIG. 6B is stacked on the nozzle plate 10 of FIG. It is a top view of a body. In the row of plate through holes 33 of the nozzle plate 10, both cutout portions 35 of the flow path forming substrate 11 are disposed adjacent to the plate through holes 33 at both ends.

  With such a configuration, from one end portion of the flow path unit 26, the cutout portion 35 of the flow path forming substrate 11, the plate through hole 33 of the nozzle plate 10, and the substrate through hole 32 are arranged. 32 are alternately arranged, and at the other end portion of the flow path unit 26, the plate through holes 33 and the cutout portions 35 are arranged in a row.

  The two notches 35 of the flow path forming substrate 11 and the row end portions of the row formed by the plate through holes 33, that is, the non-penetrating portions formed at both ends of the nozzle plate 10 are arranged so as to substantially overlap in plan view. The non-penetrating portion between the notch 35 and the adjacent substrate through hole 32 and the plate through hole 33 at the row end are arranged so as to substantially overlap in plan view.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the notch 35 at the end of the flow path forming substrate 11 and the plate through hole 33 adjacent to the notch 35 have a rectangular shape of the notch 35 and a square of the plate through hole 33. They are arranged adjacent to each other so that they are not separated from each other. The dimension in the column direction of the non-penetrating portion of the nozzle plate 10 that overlaps the notch 35 is set to be larger than the dimension in the column direction of the notches 35 at both ends of the flow path forming substrate 11. ing. Furthermore, the dimension in the column direction of the non-penetrating portion of the flow path forming substrate 11 that overlaps the plate through hole 33 is set to be larger than the one side dimension in the column direction of the plate through hole 33 at the column end. .

  In the recording head 1, the plate through hole 33 is formed in the nozzle plate 10, and the plate through hole 33 of the nozzle plate 10 is filled with a filler such as putty so that ink enters the plate through hole 33. No processing is performed.

  In this embodiment, the flow path forming substrate 11 has notches 35 formed at both ends of the row formed by the substrate through holes 32, so that the notch 35 at one end of the flow path forming substrate 11 is notched at the other end. A band-like substantially non-adhesive region is formed over the portion 35, and the presence of this region can greatly relieve the bonding strain. Other than that, it is the same as each said Example, and there exists the same effect.

  Next, a third embodiment will be described.

  In the first and second embodiments, the flow path space non-forming region 31A between the adjacent ink storage chambers 17 is described as having a substantially non-adhesive region. However, the third embodiment is opposed to the first and second embodiments. A substantially non-adhesion region is formed in the flow path space non-formation region 31B between the pressure generation chambers 19.

  As shown in FIG. 9, a row of the substrate through holes 32 and the plate through holes 33 is formed in a region where the two pressure generating chambers 19 face each other. For this reason, in addition to the above effects, the stress concentration in this region can be greatly relaxed, and fatigue of the flow path forming substrate 11 can be prevented. Other than that, it is the same as each said Example, and there exists the same effect.

  In the above description, the first and second embodiments describe a substantially non-adhesive region formed in the flow path space non-forming region 31A between the adjacent ink storage chambers 17 and the third embodiment. The flow path space non-forming region 31B between the pressure generation chambers 19 facing each other has been described as having a substantially non-adhesive region, but the flow path space non-forming region 31A between the adjacent ink storage chambers 17; A substantially non-adhesion region can be formed in both of the flow path space non-formation regions 31B between the pressure generation chambers 19 facing each other. Also in this case, the same effect is obtained.

  In each of the above embodiments, the recording head 1 in which the nozzle plate 10 is made of stainless steel and the flow path forming substrate 11 is formed from a Si single crystal substrate has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. As long as the recording head has a combination of different materials for the nozzle plate 10 and different linear expansion coefficients, it can be applied in the same manner even if other materials are applied, and the same effects can be obtained.

  In each of the above-described embodiments, the recording head 1 including the piezoelectric vibrator 14 in the longitudinal vibration mode has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the present invention is applied to a recording head including the piezoelectric vibrator in the bending vibration mode. It is also possible to apply to a bubble jet (registered trademark) type recording head that generates bubbles by heating the liquid in the pressure generating chamber, instead of the piezoelectric vibrator as the pressure generating means.

  The present invention can be applied to a liquid ejecting apparatus, and a typical example thereof is an ink jet recording apparatus provided with an ink jet recording head for image recording. As other liquid ejecting apparatuses, for example, an apparatus having a color material ejecting head used for manufacturing a color filter such as a liquid crystal display, an electrode material (conductive paste) used for forming an electrode such as an organic EL display, a surface emitting display (FED), etc. ) An apparatus equipped with an ejection head, an apparatus equipped with a bioorganic matter ejection head used for biochip manufacturing, an apparatus equipped with a sample ejection head as a precision pipette, and the like.

1 is a perspective view illustrating an example of a recording apparatus to which a recording head of the present invention is applied. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a recording head of the present invention. It is a top view which shows the nozzle plate and flow-path formation board | substrate of 1st Example. It is a top view of the state which laminated | stacked the nozzle plate and flow-path formation board | substrate of 1st Example. It is AA sectional drawing of the said laminated body of 1st Example. It is a top view which shows the nozzle plate and flow-path formation board | substrate of 2nd Example. It is a top view of the state which laminated | stacked the nozzle plate and flow-path formation board | substrate of 2nd Example. It is AA sectional drawing of the said laminated body of 1st Example. It is a top view of the laminated body of the nozzle plate and flow-path formation board | substrate of 3rd Example.

Explanation of symbols

1 recording head, 2 ink cartridge, 3 carriage, 4 timing belt, 5 stepping motor, 6 guide bar, 7 recording paper, 8 capping device,
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 9 Wiping apparatus, 10 Nozzle plate, 11 Flow path formation board | substrate, 12 Diaphragm, 13 Island part, 14 Piezoelectric vibrator, 15 Nozzle opening, 16 Head case, 17 Ink storage chamber, 18 Ink supply path, 19 Pressure generation chamber, 20 fixed plate, 21 accommodating space, 22 flexible circuit board, 23 drive circuit, 24 ink flow path, 25 nozzle array, 26 flow path unit, 30 flow path block (flow path space forming area), 31A flow path space non-forming area , 31B Channel space non-formation region, 32 Substrate through hole, 33 Plate through hole, 34 Notch, 35 Notch

Claims (7)

A flow path forming substrate in which a flow path space including a pressure generating chamber is formed; a nozzle plate formed on one surface of the flow path forming substrate and having nozzle openings for ejecting liquid in the pressure generating chamber; and the flow path A sealing plate that is laminated on the other surface of the forming substrate and seals the flow path space including the pressure generation chamber;
In the flow path space non-formation region sandwiched between the flow channel space formation regions in the flow channel formation substrate, a plurality of substrate through holes are arranged in a row,
A plurality of plate through holes are arranged in a region corresponding to the flow path space non-forming region of the nozzle plate,
The substrate through holes and plate through holes are alternately arranged in a plan view to form a row,
A liquid ejecting head, wherein a substrate through hole and a plate through hole which are adjacent in a plan view are not in communication with each other.   The liquid ejecting head according to claim 1, wherein the substrate through hole and the plate through hole are arranged in a row along a direction in which the nozzle openings are arranged.   The liquid jet head according to claim 1, wherein the row formed by the substrate through hole and the plate through hole is provided from one end portion to the other end portion of the nozzle plate or the flow path forming substrate.   The liquid ejecting head according to claim 1, wherein the nozzle plate has notches formed at both ends of a row formed by the plate through holes.   The liquid ejecting head according to claim 1, wherein the flow path forming substrate has a notch formed at both ends of a row formed by the substrate through holes.   The substrate through hole and the plate through hole are each quadrangular, and the flow path forming substrate and the nozzle plate overlap each other between one side of the square of the substrate through hole and the plate through hole adjacent in plan view. The liquid jet head according to claim 1. The liquid ejecting head according to claim 1, wherein the flow path forming substrate is made of a silicon substrate, and the nozzle plate is made of a stainless steel plate.

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