JP2011230367A - Liquid supply structure and liquid ejection head using that structure - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a liquid supply structure which can prevent adhesion of bubbles to the inner wall of individual liquid chambers effectively in a liquid ejection head having a plurality of individual liquid chambers forming a liquid path communicating with the liquid discharge port, and a common liquid chamber communicating with the plurality of individual liquid chambers commonly and supplying liquid.SOLUTION: A filter is provided between a plurality of individual liquid chambers and a common liquid chamber, and assuming the maximum dimension of an opening provided in the filter is R, protrusions and recesses where the difference of height Ry between the highest portion and the lowest portion is √2 R/2 or more are formed repeatedly at a spatial frequency f of R or more and √2 R or less along the flow direction of ink which flows in response to the discharge in the inner wall of the individual liquid chambers into which liquid is supplied from the common liquid chamber through the filter.

Description

  The present invention relates to a liquid supply structure and a liquid discharge head using the structure, and is suitably applied to, for example, an ink jet recording head that discharges ink and an ink supply unit that supplies ink to the ink jet recording head.

  When liquid (hereinafter also referred to as ink) is supplied to a liquid discharge head, for example, a recording head used in an ink jet recording apparatus, in a state where bubbles are mixed, and the bubbles stay, ink discharge from the recording head is disabled. It becomes stable and the discharge amount fluctuates. There are various causes for the bubbles to be mixed in or staying depending on the structure of the recording head and the ink supply system.

  In recent years, there has been a demand for higher speed recording in an ink jet recording apparatus, and as a result, a recording head in which a large number of ejection openings are arranged has been used. That is, by increasing the number of ejection ports in the arrangement direction in this way, a wider recording width is ensured. As a structure of a recording head in which a large number of discharge ports are arranged in this manner, generally, a plurality of individual liquids that have discharge ports at one end and also serve as pressure chambers that act to discharge ink from the discharge ports. A chamber is formed. The plurality of individual liquid chambers are provided with a common liquid chamber for supplying ink to the individual liquid chambers at the other end opposite to the one end where the discharge ports are provided. Further, a filter is installed on the upstream side of the common liquid chamber in the ink supply direction so that foreign matter does not enter the individual liquid chamber from the common liquid chamber as the ink is supplied.

  In such a structure, air bubbles are mixed into the individual liquid chambers through the common liquid chamber because the gas such as air originally contained when the ink is filled into the recording head passes from the tank to the supply member such as a tube. Further, it often results from passing through the filter and flowing into the common liquid chamber side. If air bubbles mixed in this way flow into the individual liquid chamber from the common liquid chamber and stay on it by adhering to the inner wall or foaming, the discharge pressure will not be transmitted accurately, causing fluctuations in the discharge amount or discharge. It becomes unstable.

  Therefore, in order to prevent the inflow of bubbles from the common liquid chamber to the individual liquid chamber, it is conceivable to apply a technique as described in Patent Document 1. Patent Document 1 discloses an ink tank that has a main ink chamber and a sub ink chamber, and the sub ink chamber is divided into a bubble reservoir portion and an ink reservoir portion by a partition plate. Further, the partition plate is provided with an ink introduction hole for introducing ink from the bubble reservoir to the ink reservoir, and an uneven surface is formed on the surface of the sub ink chamber facing the bubble reservoir. . In the ink tank having such a structure, the air bubbles that have entered the bubble reservoir from the main ink chamber are captured by the uneven surface, and the captured air bubbles are combined and enlarged to be separated from the ink liquid surface and discharged. It is stated that it will be easier.

  However, in the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1, a physicochemical mechanism in which bubbles are connected and enlarged is not clarified, and a question remains in realizing a sufficient discharge function of bubbles. That is, even if the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1 is adopted in the structure on the common liquid chamber side, there is no guarantee that bubbles can be effectively prevented from flowing into the individual liquid chambers. In particular, if the inflowing bubbles adhere to the inner wall surface of the individual liquid chamber on the common liquid chamber side, the flow of ink in the vicinity thereof is hindered, resulting in defective ink supply to the individual liquid chamber, and fluctuations in the discharge amount and discharges. There is concern about becoming unstable.

JP 2003-326731 A

  Therefore, the present invention provides a liquid supply structure that can effectively prevent stagnation in the individual liquid chamber even if bubbles flow into the individual liquid chamber, thereby improving the ink supply property to the individual liquid chamber, As a result, it aims at enabling it to stabilize discharge amount and discharge operation.

To this end, the present invention provides a plurality of individual liquid chambers that form liquid passages that communicate with liquid discharge ports, a common liquid chamber that communicates with the plurality of individual liquid chambers and supplies the liquid, and the individual liquid chambers. A liquid supply structure applied to the individual liquid chamber of the liquid discharge head comprising a filter provided in a communication portion between the liquid chamber and the common liquid chamber,
When the maximum dimension of the opening provided in the filter is R, the liquid flows in the inner wall of the individual liquid chamber to which the liquid is supplied from the common liquid chamber via the filter along with the discharge. Are provided with an uneven portion where the unevenness is repeated under the condition that the difference in height Ry between the highest and lowest portions is √2 · R / 2 or more with a spatial frequency f greater than or equal to R and less than or equal to √2 · R. It is characterized by.

  The present invention also resides in a liquid discharge head having the above-described liquid supply structure.

  According to the present invention, even if bubbles flow into the individual liquid chamber, it is possible to provide a liquid supply structure that can effectively prevent stagnation in the individual liquid chamber, thereby improving the ink supply property to the individual liquid chamber, and thus The discharge amount and the discharge operation can be stabilized.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a schematic configuration example of ink supply and a circulation system of an ink jet recording apparatus to which the present invention is applicable. It is typical sectional drawing which shows the communication part vicinity of a common liquid chamber and an individual liquid chamber for demonstrating one Embodiment of this invention. It is typical sectional drawing which shows the communication part vicinity of a common liquid chamber and an individual liquid chamber for demonstrating other embodiment of this invention. FIG. 10 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the vicinity of a communication portion between a common liquid chamber and individual liquid chambers for explaining still another embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
In the following, a liquid ejecting apparatus in the form of an ink jet recording head (hereinafter also simply referred to as a recording head) that ejects liquid ink will be exemplified. However, the “liquid” of the present invention is applied to a recording medium to form an image, a pattern, a pattern, or the like, process the recording medium, or process an ink (for example, the color in the ink applied to the recording medium). It represents a liquid that can be subjected to coagulation or insolubilization of the agent. Further, the “applying” of the liquid does not include only the case where the purpose is to form significant information such as characters and figures. In other words, regardless of whether it is significant involuntary, or whether it is manifested so that it can be perceived by human eyes, a wide range of images, patterns, patterns, etc. are formed on the medium, or the medium is processed. The case where it is performed shall also be expressed. Furthermore, the “medium” to be given is not only paper used in general recording equipment, but also widely accepts liquids such as cloth, plastic film, metal plate, glass, ceramics, wood, leather, etc. It also represents anything. That is, the present invention can also be applied to a liquid discharge head and a liquid discharge device used for forming a color filter, an electrode wiring, and the like on a substrate such as glass or plastic.

1. Configuration Example of Liquid Discharge Device Next, an embodiment of a liquid discharge device to which the present invention can be applied will be described. The liquid ejecting apparatus described here is an ink jet recording apparatus that performs recording by ejecting ink onto a recording medium.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a schematic configuration example of an ink supply and circulation system of an ink jet recording apparatus. In FIG. 4, reference numeral 31 denotes a recording head that performs recording by ejecting ink from an ejection port to a recording medium (not shown) conveyed by a recording medium conveying mechanism (not shown). A main tank 32 serves as a supply source of ink to be supplied to the recording head 31, and these are connected via a negative pressure unit 33 interposed in the middle of a flow path connecting the two. If necessary, ink in the main tank 32 is supplied to the recording head 31 via the negative pressure unit 33, and ink in the recording head 31 is collected by the negative pressure unit 33. The negative pressure unit 33 is basically balanced with the holding force of the meniscus formed on the nozzles of the recording head 31, and is sufficient to prevent ink leakage from the ink discharging portion, and the ink discharging operation of the recording head can be performed. It has a function to generate an appropriate negative pressure within the possible range. The ink stored in the main tank 32 is transferred to the negative pressure unit 33, temporarily stored, and then supplied to the recording head 31. Ink supply from the main tank 32 to the negative pressure unit 33 and ink supply from the negative pressure unit 33 to the recording head 31 are performed through a supply tube 35 having flexibility.

  The ink jet recording apparatus is provided with a recovery mechanism in order to recover or maintain the discharge performance that affects the discharge amount of the recording head 31 and the ink landing accuracy on the recording medium in a good state. The recovery mechanism applies a negative pressure by the pump 37 with the cap 36 placed on the ejection port forming surface of the recording head 31 and sucks ink from the ejection port, thereby eliminating clogging of the liquid path or the ejection port. To do.

  A switching valve 38 is arranged in the middle of the ink flow path from the cap 36 to the pump 37, and a circulation tube 39 is branched from this to the negative pressure unit 33. Then, by switching the switching valve 38, the sucked ink can be transferred to the negative pressure unit 33 through the circulation tube 39. By using such a circulation system, ink can be reused, and ink use efficiency can be increased. The recording head 31 and the negative pressure unit 33 are connected via a fluid transfer tube 43, and a pump 41 is disposed in the middle of the tube. By driving the pump 41, the ink in the recording head 31 can be returned to the negative pressure unit 33 through the fluid transfer tube 43.

  In the recording head 31, filters 44 and 42 having a large number of openings are arranged at the connection portion of the supply tube 35 and the connection portion of the transfer tube 43, respectively. Here, the filter 42 is arranged to prevent dust from entering the negative pressure unit 33 when the ink is transferred from the recording head 31 to the negative pressure unit 33, and the opening diameter of the filter 42 is the transfer tube. It is made smaller than the inner diameter of 43. On the other hand, the filter 44 is arranged to prevent dust from entering the recording head 31 due to ink supply from the negative pressure unit 33 to the recording head 31, and the opening diameter thereof is the liquid in the individual liquid chamber. It is made smaller than the inner diameter of the passage or the discharge port.

  The recording head 31 includes a plate 132 that forms a plurality of ejection ports on a surface facing the recording medium, an individual liquid chamber portion 31a that includes an individual liquid chamber that forms a liquid path that communicates with each ejection port, and an individual liquid. And a common liquid chamber 31b for supplying ink in common communication with the chamber. The individual liquid chamber also serves as a pressure generating chamber in which an element (not shown) that generates pressure for ejecting ink from the ejection port is provided.

2. Embodiment of Ink Supply Structure Next, an embodiment of the individual liquid chamber of the recording head 31 to which the liquid supply structure of the present invention is applied will be described.

  FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the communication portion between the common liquid chamber 31b and one individual liquid chamber 110 constituting the individual liquid chamber portion 31a. As shown in FIG. 2, a filter 13 is provided at a communication portion between the common liquid chamber 31 b and the individual liquid chamber 110 to remove foreign matters such as dust. For this reason, if there is an air reservoir above the filter 13, that is, on the common liquid chamber side with respect to the liquid flow direction, bubbles 14 are generated through the filter 13 along with the inflow of ink in the direction indicated by the arrow A. It enters the chamber 110 and flows together with the ink.

  In the present embodiment, the inner wall surface of the individual liquid chamber 110 has a convex portion, that is, a ridge portion 11 and a concave portion, that is, along the ink flow direction B toward the discharge port (in parallel with the flow direction of the liquid accompanying the discharge operation). The valley portion 12 has an uneven portion 16 having a triangular cross section that repeats at a predetermined spatial frequency. The concavo-convex portion 16 may be directly processed on the inner wall surface of the individual liquid chamber using a mold, or may be formed as a separate structure using the mold and bonded to the inner wall of the individual liquid chamber. It may be a thing.

  Here, various types of filters 13 can be considered as shown in the drawing, but it is assumed that an opening having a shape and size that does not hinder the flow is formed anyway. The diameter of the bubble formed by passing through the filter 13 is defined by the maximum dimension of the opening formed in the filter 13, and the maximum dimension is the diameter (opening diameter) if the opening is circular, and may be elliptical. If it is a long diameter, if it is a triangle, it will be the longest side, if it is a rectangle, it will be the length of the diagonal. The present invention defines the spatial frequency and the height of the convex portion (that is, the depth of the concave portion) where the bubble is difficult to adhere, based on the maximum dimension of the filter opening that defines the size of the bubble. In the following description, it is assumed that a filter in which a large number of circular openings having substantially constant maximum dimensions are formed is used as the filter. Therefore, the spatial frequency of the concavo-convex portion is defined based on the diameter (opening diameter) R. However, if the opening shape is non-circular, the maximum dimension of the opening may be replaced with the opening diameter R. Further, if there is a distribution in the size of the opening, it can be based on the vicinity of the center of the distribution or an average size.

  The structure of the inner wall surface of the individual liquid chamber 110 will be described in detail. When the opening diameter of the filter 13 is R (μm), one period f (μm) is a peak with a spatial frequency of R or more and √2 · R or less. 11 and troughs 12 are periodically repeated. In other words, the pitch between the centers of adjacent peaks (or valleys) is not less than R and not more than √2 · R. Further, the maximum height of the peak portion 11 (maximum depth of the valley portion 12), that is, the height difference Ry between the highest portion and the lowest portion is √2 · R / 2 or more.

  As long as the above-described period or spatial frequency and the maximum height or the maximum depth are satisfied, the convex portions and the concave portion shapes and dimensions formed on the inner wall surface can be appropriately determined. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, the protrusion 21 and the recess 22 may have a concave-convex shape with a rectangular cross section that repeats at a predetermined spatial frequency along the liquid flow direction (that is, parallel to the flow direction). . As for the mold for obtaining the inner surface shape as shown in FIG. 3, the width of the blade is selected so that a desired groove shape can be processed using a surface grinder so that the desired spatial frequency and maximum height are obtained. It is possible to perform machining by performing NC control of the surface grinder. However, you may process with the machining center which attached the end mill.

  Furthermore, the convex portion and the concave portion may be trapezoidal in cross section, and not only those having the same shape or size repeatedly formed along the flow direction of the liquid, but also irregularities having different shapes or sizes. Two or more uneven portions may be provided. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, there are provided two types of non-similar triangular convex portions and concave portions having different height differences (Ry1, Ry2) and spatial frequencies (f1, f2) between the highest portion and the lowest portion. It may be. In addition, the convex part and the concave part are not only those that continuously extend in a bowl shape in a direction perpendicular to the flow direction of the liquid (that is, a direction perpendicular to the drawing), but also a cylindrical shape, a conical shape, a truncated cone shape, It may be formed by a prismatic, pyramidal or truncated pyramid shaped projection.

  In addition, in FIGS. 2 to 4, a configuration in which the concavo-convex portion 16 is provided on the inner wall surface of the individual liquid chamber 110 in the vicinity of the communication portion with the supply liquid chamber, that is, on the portion facing the filter 13 in the ink inflow direction A. Illustrated. However, if the inconvenience of bubbles adhering to the inner wall or foaming can be effectively prevented, the portion and range of the inner wall of the individual liquid chamber 110 in which the uneven portion 16 is provided can be determined as appropriate. 2 to 4, the inflow direction A of the liquid from the common liquid chamber and the flow direction B of the liquid in the individual liquid chamber accompanying the discharge operation are depicted as substantially perpendicular to each other. However, the relationship between these directions is not limited to that shown in the drawing, and it is needless to say that the concavo-convex portion can be formed in a necessary portion so as to be adapted thereto.

  If the uneven portion is formed under the above conditions, as will be apparent from the verification results described later, no stagnation occurs in the individual liquid chamber 110, and as a result, the amount of ink discharged from the liquid discharge head and It becomes possible to contribute to stabilization of the discharge operation. In this sense, the present invention is completely different from the configuration disclosed in Patent Document 1.

  The individual liquid chamber 110 having the inner wall surface structure as described above can be formed using a mold. This mold is processed by a machining center to which an end mill corresponding to the shape of the inner wall surface of the individual liquid chamber 110 is attached. At the time of die machining, machining can be performed by NC controlling the machining center so that the above-described spatial frequency and maximum height can be obtained.

  In addition, as described above, the convex portion and the concave portion are not limited to a bowl shape having a triangular cross section, but in any case, whether or not the mold surface has a desired shape is optically determined. It is possible to evaluate using a three-dimensional shape measuring machine using a technique or a stylus type measuring machine. Then, the spatial frequency analysis of the periodic structure can be performed from the measured roughness curve data. As the frequency analysis, a power spectrum analysis method using a fast Fourier transform (FFT) or a correlation function analysis method can be used. The maximum height Ry (μm) is determined based on the definition of JIS B 0601-1994.

With the mold manufactured and evaluated as described above, the concavo-convex portion 16 can be formed using an engineering plastic material having good moldability and workability. The inner wall surface of the individual liquid chamber 110 in which the concavo-convex portion 16 is directly molded or joined has the concavo-convex portion having the spatial frequency f and the maximum height Ry in a direction parallel to the flow direction of the liquid or the bubbles 14. It will be a thing. That is, for example, in the case of FIG. 2, the opening in the diameter R than √2 · R following the spatial frequency f, the maximum height (maximum depth) Ry is √2 · R _44/2 or more ridges 11 and valleys of the filter 13 The part 12 is formed repeatedly.

  The engineering plastic material that forms the concavo-convex portion 16 includes polyacetal (POM), polyetheretherketone (PEEK), polyetherketone (PEK), urea resin, ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer resin (having no hydrophobic group on the surface) EVOH), nylon (NY), polybutylene terephthalate (PBT) and the like can be used favorably. A general-purpose plastic such as polyethylene (PE) can also be used. Engineering plastics that do not have hydrophobic groups on the surface have hydrophobic interactions with surfactants that are contained in liquids such as ink and are oriented on the surface of the bubbles or bubbles when bubbles or bubbles touch the surface. Therefore, bubbles and foams are difficult to adhere chemically. Engineering plastics that do not have a hydrophobic group on the surface do not have a hydrophobic interaction with surfactants that are contained in liquids such as ink and are oriented on the surface of the bubbles or bubbles when bubbles or bubbles touch the surface. Therefore, bubbles and foam are difficult to adhere chemically.

  Bubbles existing in the ink flowing into the individual liquid chamber 110 flow together with the ink without adhering to the inner wall of the individual liquid chamber 110 due to the physicochemical action of the uneven portion 16 and the forming material thereof. As described above, the diameter of bubbles formed by passing through the filter 13 is defined by the maximum size of the opening formed in the filter 13. Therefore, the bubbles are smoothly discharged together with the ink along with the ink ejection operation and the recovery operation without closing the individual liquid chamber 110 or causing the staying to disturb the ink supply performance.

3. Example In order to verify the effect of the present invention, a recording head having the following individual liquid chambers was produced and tested. At this time, the concavo-convex portion 16 was formed as a separate structure and bonded to the inner surface of the individual liquid chamber 110 using an adhesive. The common liquid chamber 31b joined to the individual liquid chamber portion 31a is formed of a transparent material so that the inside of the individual liquid chamber 110 can be observed. It was made possible to evaluate the discharge property and the inflow of bubbles into the individual liquid chamber 31. The recording head 31 has 300 discharge ports or individual liquid chambers 110 arranged therein. Further, after the ink is filled in all the individual liquid chambers, the liquid droplets are discharged, and the discharge state of the liquid droplets from the discharge ports is determined. Observed.

  In order to verify the effect when the present invention is applied to the individual liquid chamber 110 shown in FIG. 2, the combination of one period f (μm) of the spatial frequency of the concavo-convex part and the maximum height Ry (μm) is different. Produced various types of prototypes. Then, for each, the state of bubble attachment to the inner wall surface and the state of bubble introduction into the individual liquid chamber were observed. In any prototype, the filter 13 shown in FIG. 2 is a filter having a substantially uniform opening with an opening diameter of 15 μm.

  Specifically, the combination conditions of one period f of the spatial frequency of the concavo-convex portion 16 and the maximum height Ry are as shown in Table 1. In other words, one period f of the spatial frequency is varied by 5 μm within a range of 5 to 30 μm, and the maximum height Ry is varied by 5 μm within a range of 5 to 40 μm. Furthermore, although the uneven | corrugated | grooved part 16 in any prototype was shape | molded using the metal mold | die, the surface (surface which forms the uneven | corrugated | grooved part 16) of the metal mold | die used was processed using the machining center which attached the end mill. The material used was polyacetal (POM).

  In each prototype, the state of adhesion of bubbles generated through the filter 13 to the inner wall was observed. The observation results are shown in Table 1. The evaluation criteria are ◎ when bubbles are hardly observed on the inner wall surface, ○ when bubbles are attached less than 15% in the observation region, and when bubbles are attached between 15% and less than 30%. △, and the case of 30% or more of bubbles attached was marked with ×.

  From Table 1 above, it was found that in the prototype in which one period f of the spatial frequency was 15 to 20 μm and the maximum height Ry was 15 μm or more, the adhesion of bubbles was hardly observed, and the bubble adhesion prevention performance was good. In addition, when all 300 individual liquid chambers 110 were filled with ink and a discharge operation was performed, normal discharge of liquid droplets was observed from all of the discharge ports.

  In addition, in a prototype with one spatial frequency period f of 5 to 15 μm and maximum height Ry of 5 μm or more, many bubbles are observed to be observed, and bubbles are combined and foamed over time. It was done. Furthermore, even in a prototype with one spatial frequency period f of 25 μm or more and a maximum height Ry of 5 μm or more, a large number of bubbles are observed, and as time passes, the bubbles are observed to join and form bubbles. It was. When a discharge operation was performed on a prototype in which bubbles were confirmed to adhere as described above, a decrease in discharge amount or non-discharge was observed at 70 to 80 of the 300 discharge ports.

4). Other As an element that generates pressure for discharging ink from the outlet, for example, heat is generated in response to energization, bubbles are generated by boiling the ink, and ink is discharged from the discharge port by the pressure accompanying the growth of the bubbles. It can be set as the heat generating element to be made. Further, the piezoelectric element can be configured to change the nozzle internal volume by being displaced or deformed in accordance with the application of the voltage, and to discharge ink from the discharge port by the pressure change accompanying the change. These are suitable for a so-called on-demand ink jet recording apparatus that determines whether ink can be ejected according to data to be ejected or recording data. However, the present invention can also be applied to a continuous type liquid discharge type ink jet recording apparatus. This method always pressurizes the ink, pushes it out from the discharge port, and further applies appropriate vibration to create a state in which the liquid is regularly ejected as droplets from the nozzle. It has the function to sort out.

  Further, in the above example, the present invention is applied to a recording head (liquid ejection head) applied to an ink jet recording apparatus having a configuration in which the ink in the recording head 31 is collected by the negative pressure unit 33 through the ink discharge port 116. Explained the case. However, it goes without saying that the present invention can also be applied to a recording head applied to an ink jet recording apparatus that does not have such a recovery path.

10 Liquid supply part 11, 21 Mountain part (convex part)
12, 22 Valley (concave)
13 Filter 14 Air bubble 31 Recording head 31a Individual liquid chamber 31b Common liquid chamber 110 Individual liquid chamber

Claims (6)

A plurality of individual liquid chambers that form liquid passages that communicate with liquid discharge ports; a common liquid chamber that communicates with the plurality of individual liquid chambers and supplies the liquid; and the individual liquid chambers and the common liquid chamber A liquid supply structure applied to the individual liquid chamber of the liquid discharge head comprising a filter provided in a communicating portion with
When the maximum dimension of the opening provided in the filter is R, the liquid flows in the inner wall of the individual liquid chamber to which the liquid is supplied from the common liquid chamber via the filter along with the discharge. Are provided with an uneven portion where the unevenness is repeated under the condition that the difference in height Ry between the highest and lowest portions is √2 · R / 2 or more with a spatial frequency f greater than or equal to R and less than or equal to √2 · R. A liquid supply structure characterized by comprising:   The liquid supply structure according to claim 1, wherein the concavo-convex portion has two or more types of the concavo-convex that satisfy the condition.   The liquid supply structure according to claim 1, wherein the uneven portion is formed of a material having no hydrophobic group on the surface.   4. The material having no hydrophobic group is any one of polyacetal, polyether ether ketone, polyether ketone, ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer resin, nylon, polybutylene terephthalate, and urea resin. The liquid supply structure as described.   5. A liquid discharge head comprising the liquid supply structure according to claim 1.   The liquid discharge head according to claim 5, wherein the individual liquid chamber also serves as a pressure generation chamber in which an element for generating pressure used for discharging the liquid is provided.

Images