JP2007160541A - Inkjet recording head and inkjet recording apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To shorten an arrangement interval between recording medium carrying means such as a roller, provided on the upstream and downstream sides of a recording area, by reducing the ejection-port-arrangement-direction (recording-medium-carrying-direction) dimensions of a recording head while maintaining the performance of capping by a cap member. <P>SOLUTION: The abutment of the cap member is received by a cap retainer member which is provided along the outer periphery of the side surface of the recording head. This reduces the ejection-port-arrangement-direction dimension of the recording head while maintaining the capping performance, and shortens the arrangement interval between the recording-medium carrying means. The cap retainer member is set in a position to recede from the position of the abutment, so that interference with the recording-medium carrying means is avoided, and so that the arrangement interval between the carrying means is minimized. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an ink jet recording head and an ink jet recording apparatus using the same. In addition to a general printing apparatus, the present invention is an apparatus such as a copying machine, a facsimile having a communication system, a word processor having a printing unit, and an industrial recording apparatus combined with various processing apparatuses. Can be applied.

  A typical ink ejection method in an ink jet recording apparatus (hereinafter also simply referred to as a recording apparatus) is to eject a small amount of ink, for example, as a droplet from a fine ejection port according to the action of energy, and attach it to a recording medium. It is for recording. Among ink jet recording heads that employ this method (hereinafter also simply referred to as recording heads), for example, those that use thermal energy as energy used to eject ink are placed in the liquid path inside the ejection port. It has an electrothermal conversion element. By applying an electric pulse as a recording signal to the electrothermal conversion element, thermal energy is applied to the ink, and the bubble pressure of bubbling (boiling) caused by the phase change of the ink is used for ink ejection.

  Such a recording head has a recording element substrate on which an electrothermal conversion element and an ink discharge port are mounted, and an electric wiring substrate for receiving an electric signal from the recording apparatus main body and transmitting the electric signal to the recording element substrate. is doing. The connection between the recording element substrate and the electric wiring substrate applied to the recording head is disclosed in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2.

  FIG. 8A is a schematic plan view of a connecting portion between a recording element substrate and an electric wiring substrate as described in these patent documents, and FIG. 8B is a schematic cross-sectional view. As shown in these drawings, the recording element substrate 100 is configured by joining a circuit substrate 101 and an orifice plate 104. The circuit board 101 includes a plurality of electrothermal conversion elements, a control circuit for selectively driving the electrothermal conversion elements in accordance with a drive signal, and electrode wiring that forms a required electrical wiring section for these elements (all of which are incompatible). And is electrically connected to the outside via the electrode terminal 107. The orifice plate 104 has a discharge port 105 corresponding to the electrothermal conversion element on the surface side thereof, and is bonded to the circuit board 101 to thereby discharge the discharge port 105 from the ink supply port 106 provided through the circuit board 101. Define an ink flow path to The circuit board 101 is supported on the support member 102 by an adhesive 210. The support member 210 has a flow path 109 that receives ink from an ink supply source (not shown) and guides it to the ink supply port 106 of the circuit board 101.

  The electrode terminal 107 of the circuit board 101 is electrically connected to the lead terminal 108 of the electric wiring board 103 by metal-bonding by ILB (Inner Lead Bonding) or thermocompression bonding using anisotropic conductive bonding. Thereby, a control signal and driving power can be supplied from the recording apparatus main body to the circuit board 101.

  These connecting portions are covered with a sealing material 110. In addition to protecting from ink, from the wiping operation performed to remove ink droplets, paper dust, and other dusts on the surface (discharge port forming surface) of the orifice plate 104 provided with the discharge ports. This is to protect the environment. Further, the support member 210 is formed of a material having a thermal conductivity equivalent to that of the circuit board 101, such as alumina, so that the ink ejection performance does not deteriorate due to the temperature rise of the circuit board 101.

  By the way, as a recording medium transport mechanism of an ink jet recording apparatus, there is a system that transports a recording medium while being wound around a platen roller facing a discharge port forming surface of a recording head, as described in Patent Document 3. . Further, as described in Patent Document 4, in the recording medium conveyance direction, the recording medium is divided by a pair of rollers (paper feed rollers) on the upstream side and a pair of rollers (paper discharge rollers) on the downstream side of the recording area by the recording head. There is a method of nipping and conveying the recording medium while regulating the recording medium flat in the recording area. In recent years, the nozzle arrangement range has become wider with the increase in the number of nozzles of the recording head, so the recording medium is regulated by the curved surface of the platen roller, and the distance to the recording medium changes depending on the position of the nozzle. This method is almost no longer used. Therefore, at present, the latter transport method is becoming mainstream.

  FIGS. 9A and 9B are schematic views showing two examples of the configuration of the recording head including the recording element substrate 100 and the electric wiring substrate 103. The recording element substrate 100 shown in FIG. This corresponds to a plan view viewed from the discharge port 105 side.

  FIG. 9A shows, for example, each recording element substrate 100 provided corresponding to three different colors of ink (for example, yellow (Y), magenta (M), and cyan (C)) in the opening 103 </ b> A of the electric wiring substrate 103. The recording heads arranged side by side are shown. This ink jet recording head is scanned in the left-right direction in the figure, and recording is performed by ejecting ink during the scanning process. Each recording element substrate 100 has ejection openings 105 arranged in a direction different from the scanning direction, that is, for example, in the vertical direction of the drawing, which is a conveyance direction of a recording medium (not shown). In each recording element substrate 100, electrode terminals (not shown in the figure) are provided only along two opposing short sides in the direction intersecting the extension line in the ejection port array direction.

  Therefore, in the electrical wiring substrate 103, the electrode leads that are the ends of the wiring protrude from the sides of the opening 103A (the upper side and the lower side of the opening 103A in the drawing) facing the short sides of the three recording element substrates 100, and serve as electrode terminals. Connected. The electric wiring board 103 is bent at one of the outer peripheral sides (for example, the lower side of the drawing) and extends in a direction orthogonal to the drawing, and the end of the extending portion is electrically controlled from the recording apparatus main body. Contact portions are provided for receiving signals and drive power. Therefore, in the plane of the electrical wiring substrate 103 shown in the figure, the wiring has a portion that wraps around at least one of the upper side and the lower side of the opening 103A (for example, a wrap-around portion 103s toward the upper side of the opening 103A). . Therefore, in such a configuration, the dimension of the recording head in the vertical direction (ejection port array direction) in the illustrated plane is larger than the long side dimension of the recording element substrate 100 by at least the wraparound portion 103s.

  Here, in an ink jet recording apparatus, a cap member that covers a discharge port forming surface is usually provided in order to prevent ink from solidifying by drying near the discharge port when not in use. Such a cap member is a recovery process (suction recovery) for sucking and removing bubbles, contaminants, etc. in the nozzle together with ink by applying a negative pressure in the cap while being in close contact with the ejection port forming surface. It is also used when performing. In the conventional recording apparatus, a single cap member is formed so as to cover the entire discharge port forming surfaces of a plurality of recording element substrates as shown in FIG. 9A, or the discharge ports are formed for each recording element substrate. Each of the cap members is configured to cover the surface. However, in any case, in order to obtain the capping effect by the cap member, the cap member is brought into close contact with a flat surface having a uniform flat surface or a smooth continuous surface. Therefore, conventionally, the wiring wrap-around part 103s is also used as a flat receiving surface of the cap member.

  FIG. 9B shows that the recording element substrate 100Co provided integrally corresponding to the three color inks as described above and the recording element substrate 100K provided corresponding to the black (K) ink are electrically connected. In this configuration, the openings 103Co and 103K of the wiring board 103W are arranged. The configuration of the connecting portion between the recording element substrate 100 and the electrical wiring substrate 103W is the same as described above. The configuration of such an ink jet recording head is disclosed in, for example, Patent Document 5.

  Here, in the recording element substrate 100K for black ink, discharge ports 105K having relatively large diameters are arranged in order to increase the discharge amount. On the other hand, in the recording element substrate 100Co for color (Y, M, C) ink, discharge ports 105Y, 105M, and 105C having relatively small diameters are arranged in order to reduce the discharge amount, and the recording element substrate 100K is the recording element substrate. The vertical dimension in the figure is larger than 100Co. Accordingly, the vertical dimension of the recording head in the illustrated plane is determined by the amount of the wraparound portion 103s with respect to the recording element substrate 100K in addition to the configuration of the recording element substrate. Even in such a configuration, the wraparound portion 103s is used as a flat receiving surface of the cap member.

Japanese Patent Publication No. 8-25272 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-44418 JP-A-4-69264 JP 2001-341918 A JP 2002-103637 A

  However, the above-described ink jet recording head as shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B or a recording apparatus using the same has the following problems that reduce the recording quality.

  9A and 9B, the dimensions of the recording head in the ejection opening array direction (recording medium transport direction) are the systems in which the recording medium is transported while being regulated flat by the paper feed roller and the paper discharge roller. In this case, the arrangement of the paper feed roller and the paper discharge roller is affected.

  Recently, in order to increase the recording speed, the arrangement range of the ejection openings has been increased, and the dimension of the recording head in the ejection opening arrangement direction (recording medium conveyance direction) has increased accordingly. Further, in the configuration shown in FIG. 9B having the recording element substrate 100K in which the discharge ports 105K having relatively large diameters are arranged in addition to the recording element substrate 100Co for color ink, the recording medium of the recording head is used. The dimension in the transport direction is further increased. In particular, in the configuration shown in FIG. 9B, the recording medium transport direction is such that the black ink recording element substrate 100K and the color ink recording element substrate 100Co have a difference in ink ejection time to prevent bleeding on the recording medium. It is shifted and arranged. Therefore, the dimension must be obtained by adding the shift amount 103s2.

  As described above, in a situation where the dimensions of the recording head in the ejection opening arrangement direction (recording medium conveyance direction) are increasing, the roller arrangement interval tends to increase accordingly. When the roller arrangement interval is large, the restriction of the recording medium in the area where recording is performed by the recording head becomes insufficient. Therefore, in order to avoid contact between the recording medium and the ejection port formation surface of the recording head, the recording medium and the recording It is necessary to increase the distance between the head and the ejection port forming surface. Since this interval affects the landing accuracy of the ejected ink droplets, it is preferable that the interval between the recording medium and the ejection port forming surface of the recording head is not widened in order to suppress a decrease in recording quality. In other words, it is preferable to appropriately restrict the recording medium by setting the interval between the paper feeding roller and the paper discharging roller as small as possible.

  Further, when light ink with a large amount of water suitable for photographic printing, which has been widely used recently, is used, the recording medium such as paper may be wavy due to absorption of a large amount of water. In order to avoid the contact between the recording medium and the ejection port forming surface of the recording head due to this undulation, if the gap between the recording medium and the ejection port forming surface of the recording head is widened, the same problem of deterioration in recording quality as above occurs. . Accordingly, in this case as well, it is desired that the arrangement of the paper feed roller and the paper discharge roller be as small as possible so that the recording medium is properly regulated.

  In order to make the arrangement interval of the paper feed roller and the paper discharge roller as small as possible, it is effective to suppress the increase in the dimension of the recording head in the ejection port arrangement direction (recording medium conveyance direction) as much as possible. For this purpose, it is conceivable to make the wiring wrap-around portion 103s as small as possible by taking appropriate measures. However, the wiring wrap-around portion 103s is also used as a flat receiving surface of the cap member, and there is a possibility that the receiving portion of the cap member becomes small and a capping defect may occur. I could not.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems and make it possible to reduce the size of the recording head in the ejection port arrangement direction (recording medium conveyance direction) while maintaining capping performance. Another object of the present invention is to make it possible to reduce the interval between the recording medium conveying means such as rollers provided upstream and downstream of the recording area. According to the present invention, the recording medium can be preferably regulated in the recording area, so that the recording quality is not deteriorated.

Therefore, the present invention is an inkjet recording head having a surface on which a plurality of ejection openings for ejecting ink to a recording medium are arranged, and a side surface extending in the back direction of the surface,
Between the position where the contact of the cap member is received and the position retracted from the position provided along the outer periphery of the side surface so as to be able to contact the cap member of the recording apparatus for capping the surface A cap receiving member supported movably is provided, and the cap receiving member is in close contact with the outer periphery of the side surface at least at the contact position.

Further, the present invention is an ink jet recording apparatus that performs recording using the above ink jet recording head,
Means for scanning the recording head in a direction different from the arrangement direction of the ejection ports;
A cap member capable of contacting the cap receiving member;
Means for moving the cap receiving member to the contact position;
It is characterized by comprising.

  According to the present invention, the contact of the cap member of the recording apparatus is received by the cap receiving member provided along the outer periphery of the side surface of the recording head. The dimension of can be made small. In addition, the arrangement interval of the recording medium conveying means such as rollers provided on the upstream side and the downstream side of the recording area can be reduced and the recording medium can be preferably regulated in the recording area, so that the recording quality does not deteriorate. Furthermore, by setting the cap receiving member at a position retracted from the contact position, it is possible to avoid interference with the recording medium conveying means, thereby minimizing the arrangement interval of the conveying means. .

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view showing an example of an ink jet recording apparatus to which the present invention can be applied. This recording apparatus has a carriage 1102 on which the recording head 1000 is positioned and mounted so as to be replaceable. The carriage 1102 is provided with an electrical connection unit for transmitting a drive signal or the like via an external signal connection terminal on the recording head 1000.

  The carriage 1102 is supported so as to reciprocate in the A direction and the B direction along a guide shaft 1103 that extends in the main scanning direction and is installed in the apparatus main body. The carriage 1102 is driven by a main scanning motor (carriage motor) 1104 via transmission mechanisms such as a motor pulley 1105, a driven pulley 1106, and a timing belt 1107, and its position and movement are controlled. The carriage 1102 is provided with a home position sensor 1130. When the home position sensor 1130 on the carriage 1102 passes the position of the shielding plate 1136, the position that becomes the home position is detected.

  A recording medium P such as paper or a plastic thin plate is separated and fed one by one from an auto sheet feeder (ASF) 1132 when a paper feed motor 1135 rotates a pickup roller 1131 via a gear. Further, the recording medium P is opposed to the ejection port forming surface of the recording head 1000 by a later-described paper feed roller and paper discharge roller (not shown in FIG. 1) driven by a transport motor 1134 via a gear ( The recording area is conveyed (sub-scanned). The determination as to whether or not the recording medium P has been fed and the determination of the leading edge position of the recording medium at the time of feeding are performed when the recording medium P passes the paper end sensor 1133.

  The recording medium P is supported by a paper feed roller and a paper discharge roller so as to form a flat recording surface in the recording area. In this case, the 1000 mounted on the carriage 1102 is held such that the discharge port forming surface protrudes downward from the carriage 1102 and is parallel to the recording medium P, and the recording area is main-scanned.

  The recording head 1000 is mounted on the carriage 1102 so that the arrangement direction of the ejection ports in each ejection unit is a direction intersecting the main scanning direction of the carriage 1102 (for example, the sub scanning direction). In the main scanning process, recording is performed by ejecting ink from these ejection port arrays.

  The recording head 1000 includes a recording element substrate (to be described later), an electrical wiring substrate, and a portion that detachably holds a plurality of ink tanks according to the number of colors of ink used by the recording apparatus. In the figure, the ink tanks 1160Y, 1160M, and 1160C that store the respective color inks are illustrated corresponding to the yellow, magenta, and cyan ink colors. In the following, when the color is not specified, the ink tank is referred to by reference numeral 1160.

  In the vicinity of the home position, a cap member 50 made of an elastic member such as rubber for capping the ejection port forming surface of the recording head is provided so as to be movable up and down. The cap member 50 is connected to a suction recovery means (not shown) for forcibly sucking ink from the discharge port to prevent clogging of the discharge port. Further, the preliminary discharge process can be performed by making the discharge port forming surface face each other in a state of being separated from the cap member 50. Furthermore, a wiping member for wiping the discharge port forming surface can be provided in the vicinity of the cap member 50.

  FIG. 2A is a configuration example of a recording head suitable for application to the ink jet recording apparatus, and shows a state viewed from the discharge port forming surface side. FIG. 2B is a schematic side sectional view seen from the direction B of FIGS. 1 and 2A, and shows a state during recording. FIG. 2C is also a schematic side cross-sectional view showing a state in which the recording head is capped.

  In these drawings, the same reference numerals are assigned to corresponding portions that perform the same functions as those in FIGS. 8A and 8B and FIGS. 9A and 9B. In addition, a pair of rollers is arranged on the upstream side and the downstream side of the recording area, and the recording medium P is sandwiched between the roller pairs. In FIG. Of these, only one roller above the recording surface of the recording medium P is shown. The same applies to the second to sixth embodiments described later.

  In FIG. 2A, a recording element substrate 100 that is integrally provided corresponding to three different colors of ink (for example, yellow (Y), magenta (M), and cyan (C)) is attached to a support member 102. A recording head 1000 is shown. On the orifice plate 104 of the recording element substrate 100, discharge ports 105Y, 105M, and 105C for these color inks are arranged.

  On the other hand, the circuit board 101 of the recording element substrate 100 is provided with an electrode 150 penetrating from the front surface (the surface on which the orifice plate 104 is attached) to the back surface side, as shown in FIG. The support member 102 is also provided with a through electrode 152 from the front surface to the back surface. Then, after these electrodes are connected via the bumps 151, the recording element substrate 100 and the support member 102 are bonded and fixed by the underfill adhesive 210. The through electrode 150 on the surface side of the circuit board 101 is hermetically sealed with the orifice plate 104 so that a short circuit due to contact with ink is prevented.

  The support member 102 has a flow path 109 for each color ink and is connected to the ink supply port 106 for each color ink on the recording element substrate 100, while being connected to the ink introduction path 123 of the ink introduction member 120 coupled to the ink tank 1160. Communicate.

  An electrical wiring substrate 103 having an ink communication path 103 ′ for connecting the flow path 109 of the support member 102 and the ink introduction path 123 is bonded to the ink introduction member 120. The wiring pattern (not shown) is connected to the upper end portion of the through electrode 152 of the support member 102. After the connection, the support member 102 is bonded to both the liquid introduction member 120 and the electric wiring board 103 by the underfill adhesive 211, and the ink communication path 103 ′ and the ink introduction path 123 are sealed. ing.

  In order to explain the flow of ink, the ink supply of the circuit board 101 from the ink introduction path 123 provided with the filter 120f at the end on the ink tank 1160 side, through the ink communication path 103 ′ and the ink flow path 109 of the support member 102. Ink is supplied to the opening 106. This ink fills up to each ejection port 105 through an ink flow path formed by joining the circuit board 101 and the orifice plate 104. FIG. 2B is a schematic cross-sectional view corresponding to one of the three colors, but the same applies to the flow of other colors.

  In FIG. 2B, the recording head 1000 moves between the paper feed roller 201 and the paper discharge roller 202 in a direction (scanning direction) orthogonal to the drawing. In that process, by driving an electrothermal conversion element (not shown) according to image data, ink can be ejected vertically downward from each color ejection port 105Y, 105M and 105C. The recording medium P is regulated so that the recording surface is flat by the paper supply roller 201 and the paper discharge roller 202, and recording is performed when the ejected ink is landed. When one recording scan is completed, the recording medium P is conveyed by a predetermined amount by the paper supply roller 201 and the paper discharge roller 202.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, electrical connection to the electrical wiring substrate 103 bonded to the ink introduction member 120 is performed via the through electrode 150 provided on the circuit board 101 and the through electrode 152 provided on the support member 102. To be done. That is, there is no electrical wiring substrate 103 or wiring wrap around the recording element substrate 100. Accordingly, it is possible to reduce the dimension of the surface of the recording head facing the recording medium P in the ejection port array direction (recording medium transport direction) and to be substantially equal to the dimension of the recording element substrate 100 in that direction. Accordingly, the arrangement interval between the upstream roller and the downstream roller in the recording area can be reduced, and the recording medium can be preferably regulated in the recording area. As a result, the gap between the ejection port forming surface and the recording medium P can be made closer, so that it is possible to prevent the recording quality from deteriorating.

  However, by adopting the above-described configuration, it becomes impossible to secure a receiving portion of the cap member around the discharge port forming surface. Therefore, in this embodiment, the following characteristic configuration is adopted.

  In the present embodiment, the dimension of the support member 102 that directly supports the recording element substrate 100 or the circuit board 101 in the discharge port array direction is set to be equal to or smaller than the dimension of the recording element substrate 100 in the direction. A cap receiving member 180 that can be in close contact with the cap member 50 is provided along the outer peripheral side surface of the support member 102 (that is, a surface in a direction parallel to the ink ejection direction). The cap receiving member 180 has an elastic sealing property and is supported by the cap receiving support member 181 so as to be in close contact with the support member 102 and to be movable (slidable) in parallel with the ink discharge direction.

  In the state at the time of recording shown in FIG. 2B, the cap receiving support member 181 is urged by a spring (not shown) or the like in a direction in which the cap receiving member 180 moves away from the orifice plate 104 and is provided on the ink introduction member 120. The cap receiving member 180 is brought into contact with the stopper 182. In this state, a gap 183 for inserting a cap receiving movement lever 184 described later is formed between the electric wiring substrate 103 bonded to the ink introducing member 120 and the cap receiving support member 181. . In this state, the size and shape of the cap receiving member 180 and the cap receiving support member 181 are determined so that the cap receiving member 180 and the cap receiving support member 181 do not interfere with the paper feed roller 201 and the paper discharge roller 202. ing. Therefore, the scanning of the recording head 1000 and the recording medium conveyance operation are not affected.

  Next, the capping state during non-recording shown in FIG. 2C will be described in detail.

  In the present embodiment, as described above, there is no space for receiving the cap member 50 around the discharge port forming surface, and the size of the support member 102 in the discharge port array direction is set to be equal to or smaller than the size of the recording element substrate 100 in the direction. It is. And the cap receiving member 180 is provided along the outer peripheral side surface of the supporting member 102, and it comprises so that the cap member 50 may be received by this member.

  When capping is necessary, the recording head is located at a position facing the cap member 50 provided outside the recording area (for example, in the vicinity of the home position in FIG. 1) that does not interfere with the paper feed roller 201 and the paper discharge roller 202 of the ink jet recording apparatus. Move 1000. At this time, the cap receiving movement lever 184 provided in the recording apparatus is inserted into the gap 183 between the electric wiring substrate 103 bonded to the ink introducing member 120 and the cap receiving support member 181. The cap receiver moving lever 184 moves the cap receiver support member 181 or the cap receiver member 180 in a direction approaching the orifice plate 104 against the urging force of the urging means such as the spring. Next, as shown in FIG. 2C, the cap member 50 is raised by a capping mechanism (not shown) and is brought into close contact with the cap receiving support member 181.

  Here, the ridge 102C where the side surfaces of the support member 102 intersect is rounded as shown in FIG. 2A, and the cap receiving member 180 is shown in FIG. 2B. A flexible seal portion 180L is provided. For this reason, the cap receiving member 180 and the support member 102 are reliably sealed. In addition, a rib 51 is provided on the entire periphery of the tip of the cap member 50 and is in close contact with the cap receiving member 180 over the entire periphery. Therefore, the space surrounded by the cap member 50 and the cap receiving member 180 is reliably sealed against the outside air.

  Therefore, by performing capping when the recording apparatus or the recording head is not used, it is possible to reliably prevent the ink in the vicinity of the ejection port from solidifying due to drying. Further, by applying a negative pressure to the cap inner space, a recovery process (suction recovery) for sucking and removing bubbles, contaminants, and the like in the nozzle together with the ink can be reliably performed.

  The mechanism including the cap receiving movement lever 184 for moving the cap receiving member 180 can be appropriately configured. For example, when the recording head 1000 is moved to a position facing the cap member 50, the cap receiving movement lever 184 may enter the gap 183 and be pressed downward. Alternatively, in the process of moving the recording head 1000 to a position facing the cap member 50, the cap receiver is inserted into the gap 183, and the cap receiver is a member having an inclined surface that guides the cap receiver support member 181 to the position shown in FIG. The moving lever 184 may be configured. In any case, a biasing force such as a spring that biases the cap receiving support member 181 or the cap receiving support member 181 to a contact position with the stopper 182 (FIG. 2B) and a contact force of the cap member 50 are used. Any configuration that can withstand is acceptable.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the arrangement interval between the paper feed roller 201 and the paper discharge roller 202 can be as close as possible to the size of the discharge port arrangement range, so that it is possible to prevent deterioration in recording quality, Secure capping performance can be secured.

(Second Embodiment)
FIG. 3 shows a recording head according to the second embodiment of the present invention, as viewed from the ejection port forming surface side.

  In the first embodiment, the support member 102 has a substantially quadrangular prism shape, and the ridge 102C where the side surfaces intersect each other has a rounded shape. In contrast, in the present embodiment, the support member 202 having a substantially elliptical cross section, that is, a shape having a semi-cylindrical portion 202R at each end in a direction (scanning direction) orthogonal to the recording medium conveyance direction is provided. ing. Thereby, the sealing performance with the cap receiving member 280 disposed on the outer peripheral side surface is further improved. In addition, the sliding movement at the time of movement of the cap receiving member 280 between the rising position at the time of recording (retracted position that does not interfere with the upstream roller and the downstream roller) and the lowered position (position at which the contact of the cap member 50 is received). The dynamic resistance can be suppressed, and the durability of the recording head is improved.

  Other configurations are the same as those in the first embodiment. That is, for example, the manner of electrical connection from the through electrode 150 to the electrical wiring board 203, the relationship between the stopper 182 and the cap receiving support member 181 and the configuration of the mechanism for moving in the vertical direction are described in the first embodiment. It can be similar to the form.

  As exemplified in the present embodiment and the first embodiment, the cap receiving member 180 is secured, and does not interfere with the upstream roller and the downstream roller and does not widen the arrangement interval thereof. Of course, the shape and dimensions of the support member can be determined as appropriate. A shape that can reduce the sliding resistance of the cap receiving member 180 is more preferable. That is, for example, the substantially oval shape of the support member as described in the present embodiment can be applied to the third to fifth embodiments.

(Third embodiment)
In the above-described two embodiments, the recording head having the recording element substrate 100 integrally provided corresponding to inks of three different colors (yellow (Y), magenta (M), and cyan (C)) is illustrated. However, with the demand for high-speed and high-definition recording, a large number of ejection openings are arranged in a long range with high density, and the flatness of the recording element substrate and the yield of circuit formation are improved. Alternatively, from the viewpoint of cost and the like, a substrate is often provided for each color ink. This embodiment corresponds to this.

  FIG. 4 shows a recording head in which the recording element substrates 300Y, 300M, and 300C provided corresponding to yellow (Y), magenta (M), and cyan (C) are juxtaposed on the support member 302. The recording element substrates 300Y, 300M, and 300C have an array of ejection ports 305Y, 305M, and 305C on the orifice plates 304Y, 304M, and 304C, respectively, and each include a through electrode 150. In particular, for the recording element substrate 300M, it is effective to make electrical connection with the electrical wiring substrate 103 by the through electrode 150 because of the relationship between the recording element substrates 300Y and 300C.

  Other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment.

(Fourth embodiment)
In FIG. 6, a recording element substrate 400Co provided integrally corresponding to three color inks and a recording element substrate 400K provided corresponding to black (K) ink are arranged on a support member 402. An embodiment corresponding to a recording head is shown. Here, the recording element substrate 400Co has an array of discharge ports 405Y, 405M, and 405C having relatively small diameters on the orifice plate 404Co. The recording element substrate 400K has an array of discharge ports 405K having relatively large diameters on the orifice plate 404K, and the vertical dimension in the drawing is larger than that of the recording element substrate 400Co. Further, the black ink recording element substrate 400K and the color ink recording element substrate 400Co are arranged so as to be shifted in the recording medium conveyance direction so as to cause a time difference in ink placement to prevent bleeding on the recording medium.

  The support member 402 is the same as the support member 102 of the first embodiment, and the ridge 402C where the side surfaces intersect is rounded. Other configurations are the same as those in the first embodiment. That is, the manner of electrical connection from the through electrode 150 to the electrical wiring substrate 403, the relationship between the cap receiving member 180 provided on the harmful peripheral side surface of the support member 402, the stopper 182 and the cap receiving support member 181, and the configuration of the moving mechanism These are the same as in the first embodiment.

  In the configuration having the recording element substrate 400K in which the discharge ports 105K having relatively large diameters are arranged in addition to the recording element substrate 400Co for color ink as in the present embodiment, the dimension of the recording head in the recording medium conveyance direction is small. It gets bigger. In particular, in the configuration shown in FIG. 5, the dimensions must include the amount of shift between the recording element substrates. However, in the present embodiment, unlike the configuration of FIG. 9B, there is no wiring wrap around the discharge port forming surface, and that portion is not a cap receiving surface. Accordingly, it is possible to appropriately regulate the recording medium by reducing the arrangement interval of the paper feed roller and the paper discharge roller accordingly.

  Note that the support member 402 of the present embodiment, the support member 102 of the first embodiment, and the support member 302 of the third embodiment are all substantially quadrangular prisms with rounded ridges, and therefore the outer dimensions thereof are If they are equal, components such as the cap receiving member 180 can be shared. Therefore, it is possible to share the components on the recording apparatus side such as the cap member 50 and the cap receiving member moving mechanism, and the ink jet recording apparatus can be provided at a low price regardless of which recording head is applied. .

(Fifth embodiment)
FIG. 6 shows a fifth embodiment of the present invention. This embodiment basically has the same configuration as that of the first embodiment, but the shape of the support member is different in the following points. That is, the support member 502 of the present embodiment has a shape in which the cross-sectional area is gradually reduced from the support surface of the recording element substrate 102 toward the bonding surface with the electric wiring substrate 103. That is, the support member 502 has a tapered outer peripheral side surface that expands in the ink ejection direction.

  In this embodiment, when the cap receiver support member 181 is moved toward the lowered position (position where the cap member 50 is abutted, corresponding to FIG. 2C), the outer peripheral side surface of the support member 502 and the cap receiver member are moved. The 180 seal portions 180L are in close contact with each other for sealing. On the other hand, when the cap receiver support member 181 is moved toward the raised position (position during recording, corresponding to FIG. 2B), the seal portion 180L of the cap receiver member 180 and the outer peripheral side surface of the support member 502 are moved. The close contact state is released. For this reason, it becomes possible to eliminate or suppress the sliding resistance when returning to the raised position. Further, it is possible to prevent a malfunction in the movement of the cap receiving member 180 due to the adhered matter of ink that tends to adhere to the seal portion 180L.

  In the present embodiment, a support member having a shape in which the cross-sectional area is gradually reduced from the support surface of the recording element substrate 102 toward the bonding surface with the electric wiring substrate 103 is employed. However, the support member may have another shape as long as the sealing performance is secured at the position where the contact of the cap member 50 is received and the sliding resistance can be eliminated when moving to the recording position. For example, a flange-like protrusion is provided in a portion near the position where the cap member 50 is abutted, and the cap receiving member 180 rides on the portion so as to ensure sealing performance, while the other portions are slightly smaller. It may have a cross section.

  Further, for example, the shape of the support member as described in the present embodiment can be applied to the second to fourth embodiments.

(Sixth embodiment)
In the embodiments so far, the through electrode 150 is provided from the front surface side to the back surface side of the circuit board 101 of the recording element substrate, while the support member is provided with the through electrode 152 from the front surface to the back surface to connect these electrodes. Adopted. Furthermore, the upper end portion of the through electrode 152 and the electric wiring substrate 103 bonded to the ink introduction member 120 are connected to connect the driving power and the electric signal to the circuit substrate 101. With such a configuration, the size of the recording head in the ejection port arrangement direction on the same or substantially the same plane as the ejection port forming surface is reduced, and it contributes to the reduction of the arrangement interval between the upstream roller and the downstream roller. .

  On the other hand, this embodiment relates to the configuration of a recording head having a configuration in which the dimension in the ejection port array direction is small without using a through electrode.

  FIG. 7A shows the recording head of this embodiment, as viewed from the ejection port forming surface side. FIG. 7B is a schematic cross-sectional side view of the recording head as viewed from the T direction (recording medium conveyance direction, that is, the sub-scanning direction) in FIG.

  The recording element substrate 100 ′ according to the present embodiment has substantially the same configuration as the recording element substrate 100 according to the first embodiment. The recording element substrate 100 ′ is fixed to the first support member 602 </ b> A having a dimension substantially equal to the dimension of the recording element substrate 100 ′ with an adhesive 210. The first support member 602A is formed of a material having a thermal conductivity equivalent to that of the circuit board of the recording element substrate 100, such as alumina. An ink flow path 109 is provided inside the first support member 602A, and is fixed to an ink introduction member 120 having ink introduction paths 203Y, 203M, and 203C for yellow, magenta, and cyan by an adhesive 211A.

  The second support member 602B is provided with a through hole that defines a space for accommodating the first support member 602A. In the accommodated state, a gap in the direction (scanning direction) perpendicular to the T direction is formed between the first support member 602A and the second support member 602B. The space portion is a through hole penetrating the front and back surfaces of the support member 602, and the electric wiring substrate 603A connected to the recording element substrate 100 'is accommodated in a bent state. In the second support member 602B, the cap receiving member 180 closely slides on the outer peripheral side surface thereof.

  In FIG. 7A, for the sake of convenience, the dimension of the second support member 602B in this direction is drawn larger than the dimension of the recording element substrate 100 'in the ejection port arrangement direction. However, as shown in FIG. 7B, since the tip end portion of the ink flow path 109 is tapered in the first support member 602A, the dimension in the discharge port array direction is set to the recording element substrate 100 ′ in the direction. It is possible to make it below the dimension. That is, as in the above-described embodiment, the dimensions of the recording element substrate 100 ′ in the ejection port array direction can be made substantially the same. That is, the interval between the paper feed roller 201 and the paper discharge roller 202 can be minimized.

  Further, the electrical wiring board 603A is disposed in a gap existing in the scanning direction so as not to interfere with the paper feed roller 201 and the paper discharge roller 202. Accordingly, it is assumed that the recording element substrate 100 ′ is provided with electrode terminals (not shown) along the sides parallel to the ejection port arrangement direction. An appropriate method can be adopted for connection between the end portion of the electric wiring substrate 603A and the electrode terminal on the surface of the recording element substrate 100 '. For example, a wire bonding method using a gold wire, a thermocompression bonding method using an anisotropic conductive film (ACF), a TAB (Tape Automated Bonding) method with a flying lead, and the like may be adopted. . However, since it is necessary to seal the connecting portion with the sealing material 610, the portion protrudes from the discharge port forming surface. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the interval between the ejection port forming surface and the recording medium is determined in consideration of the protrusion. In that sense, in the first to fifth embodiments, since there is no such restriction, the interval can be made small, and since there is no protruding portion of the sealing material, there is no restriction on the wiping direction of the wiping member. May be preferred.

  The electric wiring substrate 603A bent with one end connected to the recording element substrate 100 'is inserted into the through hole of the second support member 602B together with the first support member 602A. The electric wiring board 603A is housed in the gap, and the other end is connected to the electric wiring board 503 bonded in a state facing the second support member 602B. An anisotropic conductive film (ACF) or the like can be used for this connection. Then, the recording head 100 is completed by using the sealing material 110A again and sealing and fixing the gap portion. In the present embodiment, the electric wiring board 603A and the electric wiring board 603 are configured as separate bodies, but may be formed as a long integrated member.

  As described above, also in this embodiment, the gap between the paper supply roller 201 as the upstream roller and the paper discharge roller 202 as the downstream roller can be minimized, and stable capping is possible. .

  As exemplified in this embodiment, various configurations are possible in which the size of the recording head in the recording medium conveyance direction on the same or substantially the same surface as the ejection port forming surface is reduced. However, as in the first to first to fifth embodiments, the one using the through electrode can easily reduce the size of the recording head in the sub-scanning direction, and can simplify the overall configuration of the recording head. It can be said.

(Other)
The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various changes and modifications can be made. For example, in all the embodiments described above, the support member is configured separately from the liquid introduction member, but may be formed integrally in advance. In the above example, the recording head that detachably holds the ink tank is used, but both may be integrated. Further, it is needless to say that the type and number of ink color tones (including density) applied to the recording head can be determined as appropriate.

  In addition, in the above example, the recording head uses an electrothermal conversion element that generates thermal energy that causes film boiling in the ink as energy used to eject the ink. However, it goes without saying that the present invention can be effectively applied to any recording head that uses capping. For example, the present invention can be applied to an ink jet recording head and an apparatus having a configuration using a piezo element.

1 is a schematic plan view showing an example of an ink jet recording apparatus to which the present invention can be applied. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Fig. 1 is a recording head according to a first embodiment of the present invention, wherein (a) is a schematic plan view as viewed from the discharge port forming surface side, and (b) and (c) are states during recording, respectively. FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the recording head in a capping state. FIG. 6 is a schematic plan view illustrating a recording head according to a second embodiment of the present invention as viewed from the ejection port forming surface side. FIG. 6 is a schematic plan view showing a recording head according to a third embodiment of the present invention as viewed from the ejection port forming surface side. FIG. 9 is a schematic plan view illustrating a recording head according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention as viewed from the ejection port forming surface side. FIG. 9 is a schematic side sectional view of a recording head according to a fifth embodiment of the invention. FIG. 9A is a recording head according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention, where FIG. 9A is a schematic plan view showing the recording head viewed from the ejection port forming surface side, and FIG. It is sectional drawing. FIGS. 7A and 7B are a schematic plan view and a schematic cross-sectional view, respectively, of a connecting portion between a recording element substrate and an electric wiring substrate in a conventional recording head. (A) And (b) shows the two examples of the structure of the conventional recording head, and is the typical top view seen from the discharge outlet side.

Explanation of symbols

100, 100 ', 400Co, 400K Recording element substrate 101 Circuit substrate 102, 402, 602A, 602B Support member 103, 603, 603A Electrical wiring substrate 104, 304Y, 304M, 304C, 404K, 404Co Orifice plate 105, 105Y, 105M, 105C, 305Y, 305M, 305C, 405Y, 405M, 405C, 405K Discharge port 106 Ink supply port 109 Ink flow channel 110, 110A Sealant 120 Ink introduction member 120f Filter 201 Paper feed roller (upstream roller)
202 Paper discharge roller (downstream roller)
203Y, 203M, 203C Ink introduction path 210 Underfill adhesive 211, 211A Adhesive 1000 Recording head 1160 Ink tank

Claims (10)

An inkjet recording head having a surface on which a plurality of ejection openings for ejecting ink to a recording medium are arranged, and a side surface extending in the back direction of the surface,
Between the position where the contact of the cap member is received and the position retracted from the position provided along the outer periphery of the side surface so as to be able to contact the cap member of the recording apparatus for capping the surface An ink jet recording head comprising: a cap receiving member supported so as to be movable, wherein the cap receiving member is in close contact with the outer periphery of the side surface at least at the contact position.   2. The ink jet recording head according to claim 1, further comprising a biasing member that biases the cap receiving member toward the retracted position.   3. The ink jet recording head according to claim 1, wherein the retracted position is a position that does not interfere with a means for transporting the recording medium of the ink jet recording apparatus.   The ink jet recording head according to claim 1, wherein the side surface has a rounded outer periphery.   The inkjet recording head according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the side surface is tapered toward the surface.   The dimension of the surface of the recording head in the array direction of the discharge ports is substantially equal to the length of the range of the discharge port array in the direction. The inkjet recording head described.   The recording element substrate having the plurality of ejection openings and an element that generates energy used for ejecting ink from the ejection openings, and supporting the recording element substrate on a surface opposite to the surface and supplying ink. 6. A support member having a flow path for supply, wherein a side surface of the support member forms the side surface. Inkjet recording head.   An electrical wiring board that supplies an electrical signal for driving the element is disposed on a surface opposite to the surface of the support member that supports the recording element substrate, and the electrical wiring substrate and the recording element substrate are: The ink jet recording head according to claim 7, wherein the ink jet recording head is connected via an electrode penetrating the wiring board and the support member. An inkjet recording apparatus that performs recording using the inkjet recording head according to any one of claims 1 to 8,
Means for scanning the recording head in a direction different from the arrangement direction of the ejection ports;
A cap member capable of contacting the cap receiving member;
Means for moving the cap receiving member to the contact position;
An ink jet recording apparatus comprising:   In order to transport the recording medium in a direction orthogonal to the scanning direction, the recording medium includes transporting means disposed on the upstream side and the downstream side in the recording medium transporting direction across the scanning region, and the moving unit includes the ink jet recording. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the cap receiving member is allowed to move to the retracted position that does not interfere with the conveying unit in a state in which recording is performed using a head.

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