JP2013107408A - Liquid discharge head and inkjet recorder - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable a pressure chamber, a flow passage and the like to be densely arranged on a substrate of a recording head so as to improve a refilling frequency.SOLUTION: Power supply to heater wiring 10a and heater to drive circuit wiring 10b for a heater 9 arranged on the right side of a supply opening 24 can be made with the use of a beam 20 separating each supply opening. The plurality of supply openings for supplying the flow passage and the pressure chamber with ink are also provided, and the plurality of supply openings are separated with the beam. Hence, structures for discharge such as discharge openings can be arranged on both sides of each supply opening, and necessary and sufficient size and arrangement of each heater and the like are achieved regardless of its arrangement even if the structures for the discharge are arranged comparatively densely. Also, since wiring for connecting the heater with the power supply wiring and the drive circuit is made around the beam that becomes a bulkhead of the supply opening, the wiring with the efficient use of arrangement of the plurality of supply openings is allowed.

Description

  The present invention relates to a liquid discharge head such as a print head that discharges ink and an ink jet recording apparatus. More specifically, the present invention relates to a configuration of a flow path for supplying liquid to individual chambers in which discharge energy generating elements are arranged and drives the elements. It is related with the wiring for doing.

  Conventionally, as a recording head, two rows of heaters as energy generating elements are arranged on the substrate, and ink is supplied to each pressure chamber in which the heaters are arranged between the heater rows along the rows. Is known in which one supply port is formed through the substrate.

  FIG. 1A is a perspective view showing the main part of such a conventional recording head in a partial cross section, and FIG. 1B is a diagram excluding the orifice plate 502 shown in FIG. It is the same figure shown. As shown in FIG. 1A, the substrate 503 is provided with a plurality of heaters 509, a drive circuit 509b for driving the heaters 509, and a logic circuit 509c for determining on / off of ejection by the drive circuit. Further, by forming the orifice plate 502 on the substrate 503, the discharge port 506, the pressure chamber 508 (FIG. 1B) and the flow path 507 (FIG. 1B) corresponding to each heater 509 are formed. It is formed. In this manner, two heater rows (pressure chamber and flow path rows) are provided on the substrate, and the ink supply port 505 is a hole that penetrates one substrate along the heater row between the heater rows. Formed as. Thus, the ink supplied from the ink tank through the supply port 505 is supplied to the individual flow paths 507 and pressure chambers 508 arranged on both sides of the supply port in accordance with the ink ejection operation.

  FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a substrate provided with six units of the heater (and discharge port) arrangement shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B as one unit. One unit of the above arrangement corresponds to one type of ink. FIG. 2 shows six types of ink, for example, cyan, magenta, yellow, light cyan with a light color density, light magenta with a low color density, and black. 2 shows a substrate configuration of a recording head that discharges each ink. As shown in FIG. 2, two power supply electrodes 510 are provided so as to sandwich a supply port 505 in which heater rows are arranged on both sides. In addition, the drive circuit 509b is provided on both sides of the supply port 505 in the same manner as the power supply wiring. That is, these two power supply electrodes 510 that receive power from the outside via the electrodes 511 supply power for driving the heater array on the same side to the supply port 505, and the drive circuit 509b The heater row on the same side with respect to 505 is driven.

  FIG. 3A is a plan view showing an example of the configuration of the discharge port (heater), the pressure chamber, and the flow path of the conventional recording head described above, and FIG. 3B is a plan view of FIG. It is sectional drawing in alignment with the AA 'line | wire in FIG. Further, FIG. 3C is a plan view in which a drive circuit, a power supply wiring, and a heater are further added to the configuration shown in FIG. 3A, and FIG. 3D is an enlarged view of a broken line region shown in FIG. FIG. In the recording head configured as shown in these drawings, a part of the space formed between the substrate 503 and the orifice plate 502 functions as the common liquid chamber 504. The liquid supply port 505 communicates with the common liquid chamber 504, and individual flow paths 507 extend so as to communicate with the common liquid chamber 504, and the end of each liquid flow path 507 opposite to the common liquid chamber 504. Is formed with a pressure chamber 508. A discharge port 506 is formed in the orifice plate 502 so as to communicate with the pressure chamber 508. A heater 509 is disposed at a position corresponding to the discharge port 506. The ink supplied to the common liquid chamber 504 via the liquid supply port 505 is supplied to the corresponding pressure chamber 508 via each flow path 507, and thermal energy is supplied to the ink by the heater 509 in the pressure chamber 508. Based on this, ink is ejected from the ejection port 506.

  As shown in FIGS. 3C and 3D, for each heater row on both sides of the supply port 505, a power supply-heater wiring 510a, a heater 509, and a drive circuit 509b connecting the power supply wiring 510 and the heater 509 are provided. A heater-driving circuit wiring 510b is provided for each heater.

  4A to 4D are diagrams showing other conventional examples of the recording head. The difference from the recording head shown in FIGS. 3A to 3D is that the arrangement density of the ejection ports is increased. Is related to the example. That is, the discharge ports (and corresponding heaters, pressure chambers, etc.) are arranged in a staggered manner to increase the discharge port arrangement density. Thereby, it is possible to suppress an increase in the size of the recording head, particularly the substrate, and there are advantages such as suppressing the manufacturing cost of the recording head.

  As shown in FIGS. 4A to 4D, in the substrate 503, a pair of unit rows of heaters 509, pressure chambers 508, and flow paths 507 are provided on both sides of the supply port 505. The unit in each of the two rows constitutes a row in which every other distance from the supply port 505 is long and short. As a result, the same number of units can be arranged at a higher density along the longitudinal direction of the supply port 505 than in a single row, and the number of units arranged on the same size substrate can be increased. Is possible. In this case, the circuit scale of the drive circuit 509b and the logic circuit (not shown) is increased by the number of the increased discharge ports, but the exclusive area is the supply port, heater, drive circuit, not shown in FIG. Compared with the case where two columns of logic circuits are arranged, the size can be reduced. That is, since the arrangement area for the two locations of the supply ports required when arranged individually may be almost one, the substrate area can be reduced. Further, by arranging the units such as the discharge ports in a staggered manner, the thickness of the partition walls 512 partitioning the flow paths can be sufficiently secured as compared with a case where the units are simply arranged in a line along the longitudinal direction of the supply ports 505. As a result, the reliability of the recording head is not reduced.

  In the configuration of the discharge port (heater), pressure chamber, and flow path, the power supply-heater wiring 510a and the heater-drive circuit wiring 510b each have two types of arrangement lengths.

JP 2006-159893 A

  As described above, by arranging the discharge ports in a staggered arrangement, the arrangement density of units such as the discharge ports can be increased. However, in this staggered arrangement, in the row of the discharge ports 506a on the side close to the supply port 505, the pressure on the side far from the supply port 505 between the pressure chamber 508a of the discharge port 506a and the adjacent pressure chamber 508a. A flow path 507b for the chamber 508b is disposed. For this reason, the pressure chamber 508a and the discharge port 506a on the near side have restrictions on the volume and area that can be secured for them, and as a result, the characteristics such as the discharge amount that can be designed are limited. For example, as shown in FIGS. 4C and 4D, the area of the heater and the pressure chamber in which the heater is disposed may be smaller than those on the far side.

  On the other hand, the flow path 507b for the pressure chamber 508b on the far side is formed between the arrangements of the pressure chambers 508a on the near side, so that it is difficult to ensure a wide width of the flow path and the pressure chamber 508b. It is necessary to lengthen the length of the flow path according to the size. Due to the restrictions on the width and length of the flow path, the time for refilling ink (hereinafter also referred to as refill) after ejection from the ejection port 506b on the far side tends to be long, and the ejection cycle is shortened. It becomes difficult to increase the discharge frequency.

  The various restrictions described above are caused by an arrangement configuration in which the same type of ink is divided into two discharge ports (and related heaters, etc.) by one supply port 505. That is, since the supply port 505 supplies ink to a plurality of discharge ports on both sides thereof, the supply port 505 extends relatively long along the discharge port array, and a large amount of ink corresponding to the plurality of discharge ports. Will have a relatively large area to supply. As a result, particularly when the arrangement density of the discharge ports is increased, the place or area where the heater, the pressure chamber, or the flow path is arranged is limited, and various restrictions as described above occur. In this case, in addition to the above-described pressure chambers and flow paths, the arrangement of wirings formed on the substrate may be similarly restricted.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a liquid discharge head and an ink jet recording apparatus that can arrange pressure chambers and flow paths at a high density without being subject to the above-described various restrictions on a substrate, thereby enabling an increase in refill frequency. It is to be.

  To this end, the present invention provides a liquid discharge head for discharging liquid, and a plurality of supply ports for supplying the same type of liquid to a pressure chamber that communicates with the discharge port and is provided with a discharge energy generating element. A beam portion for separating the plurality of supply ports from each other and a wiring provided in the beam portion and used for driving the ejection energy generating element are provided.

  An ink jet recording apparatus that performs recording using a recording head for discharging ink, wherein the recording head applies the same type of ink to a pressure chamber that communicates with an ejection port and is provided with an ejection energy generating element. A plurality of supply ports for supplying, a beam portion for separating the plurality of supply ports from each other, and wiring used for driving the ejection energy generating element provided in the beam portion. It is characterized by that.

  According to the above configuration, in the liquid ejection head, pressure chambers, flow paths, and the like can be arranged at high density on the substrate, and the refill frequency can be improved. At the same time, for example, wiring for driving the ejection energy generating element can be distributed to the beam portion serving as the partition of the supply port, and wiring that efficiently uses the arrangement of the plurality of supply ports becomes possible.

(A) is a perspective view showing a main section of such a conventional recording head in a partial cross section, and (b) is a similar view except for the orifice plate 502 shown in FIG. 1 (a). It is. It is a top view which shows the board | substrate which provided the arrangement | sequence of the heater (and discharge port) shown to FIG. 1 (a) and (b) as 1 unit, and provided it with 6 units. (A) is a top view which shows an example of a structure of the discharge port (heater), a pressure chamber, and a flow path of the conventional recording head, (b) is the AA 'line in Fig.3 (a). FIG. 3C is a plan view in which a drive circuit, a power supply wiring, and a heater are further added to the configuration shown in FIG. 3A, and FIG. 3D is an enlarged view of a broken line area shown in FIG. (A)-(d) is a figure which shows the other conventional example of a recording head. 1 is a perspective view showing an ink jet recording apparatus using an ink jet recording head according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure showing the appearance of a head cartridge including a recording head used in the ink jet recording apparatus according to the embodiment. It is a figure which shows the external appearance of the said recording head. (A) is the formation of the recording head according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the orifice plate formed with ejection openings, the drive circuit 9 for driving the heater, and the logic circuit for selecting the drive circuit. It is a perspective view which shows a board | substrate, (b) is a perspective view which shows the inside of a recording head by making the upper part of an office plate shown in FIG. 9A is a plan view showing the arrangement of the ejection ports, pressure chambers, flow paths, and ink supply ports of the recording head shown in FIG. 8, and FIG. 9B is a line AA ′ in FIG. It is sectional drawing which follows, (c) is a top view which shows the state which added the drive circuit, the power supply wiring, and the heater to the arrangement structure shown to Fig.9 (a), (d) is FIG.9 (c). It is an enlarged view of the broken-line area | region shown. (A) is a top view which shows arrangement | positioning of the ejection port, a pressure chamber, a flow path, and a supply port in the recording head of 2nd embodiment of this invention, (b) is AA in Fig.10 (a). FIG. 10C is a cross-sectional view taken along a line, FIG. 10C is a plan view showing a configuration in which a drive circuit, a power supply wiring, and a heater are added to the configuration shown in FIG. 10A, and FIG. It is an enlarged view of a partial region shown in FIG. (A)-(d) is a figure which concerns on 3rd embodiment of this invention, and is a figure similar to FIG. 10 (a)-(d) which concerns on 2nd embodiment. (A)-(d) is a figure which concerns on 4th embodiment of this invention, and is a figure similar to FIG. 11 (a)-(d) which concerns on 3rd embodiment. (A)-(d) is a figure which concerns on 5th embodiment of this invention, and is a figure similar to FIG. 12 (a)-(d) which concerns on 4th embodiment. (A)-(d) is a figure which concerns on 6th embodiment of this invention, and is a figure similar to FIG. 13 (a)-(d) which concerns on 5th embodiment. (A)-(d) is a figure which concerns on 7th embodiment of this invention, and is a figure similar to FIG. 13 (a)-(d) which concerns on 5th embodiment. (A)-(d) is a figure which concerns on 8th embodiment of this invention, and is a figure similar to FIG. 14 (a)-(d) which concerns on 6th embodiment. It is a figure explaining the modification of 8th embodiment of this invention.

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

  FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing an ink jet recording apparatus using the ink jet recording head according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a view showing an appearance of a head cartridge including a recording head used in the ink jet recording apparatus. Further, FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the appearance of the recording head. The chassis 110 of the ink jet recording apparatus according to the present embodiment is composed of a plurality of plate-like metal members having a predetermined rigidity, and forms the skeleton of the ink jet recording apparatus. The chassis 110 includes a medium feeding unit 111 that feeds a sheet-like recording medium (not shown) to the recording unit, and guides the recording medium fed from the medium feeding unit 111 to a desired recording position. A medium transport unit 113 that guides the recording medium from the position to the medium discharge unit 112 is provided. Further, a recording unit that performs a predetermined recording operation on the recording medium conveyed to the recording position, and a head recovery unit 114 that performs recovery processing on the recording unit are provided.

  The recording unit includes a carriage 116 that is supported so as to be able to scan and move along the carriage shaft 115, and a head cartridge 118 that is detachably mounted on the carriage 116 by operating a head set lever 117.

  The carriage 116 on which the head cartridge 118 is mounted is provided with a carriage cover 120 for positioning the recording head 119 of the head cartridge 118 at a predetermined mounting position on the carriage 116. Furthermore, the carriage 116 is provided with the above-described head set lever 117 that engages with the tank holder 121 of the recording head 119 and presses the recording head 119 to position it at a predetermined mounting position.

  One end of a contact flexible recording cable (hereinafter also referred to as a contact FPC) 122 is connected to another engaging portion of the carriage 116 with respect to the recording head 119. A contact portion (not shown) formed at one end portion of the contact FPC 122 and a contact portion 123 provided on the recording head 119 are in electrical contact with each other to exchange various information for recording and to supply power to the recording head 119. Supply etc. can be performed.

  The head cartridge 118 of this embodiment includes an ink tank 124 that stores ink, and a recording head 119 that discharges ink supplied from the ink tank 124 from an ejection port according to recording data. The recording head 119 is provided with an array of heaters and the like corresponding to the discharge ports on the substrate and wiring for the heaters, as will be described in the following embodiments. The recording head 119 employs a so-called cartridge system that is detachably mounted on the carriage 116.

  In this embodiment, black (Bk), light cyan (c), light magenta (m), cyan (C), magenta (M), and yellow (Y The six ink tanks 124 in which each color ink is independent can be used. Each ink tank 124 is provided with an elastically deformable detachable lever 126 that can be locked to the head card ridge 118. Then, by operating the detaching lever 125, the recording head 119 can be detached as shown in FIG.

(Embodiment 1)
The recording head according to the first embodiment of the present invention is provided with a plurality of ink supply ports for each of the Bk, c, m, C, M, and Y inks, each of which has two heaters and a pressure. The present invention relates to a configuration in which chambers are provided correspondingly.

  FIG. 8A shows the formation of the orifice plate 3 in which the discharge ports 7 are formed, the drive circuit 9b for driving the heater 9, and the logic circuit 9c for selecting the drive circuit, which constitute the recording head according to the present embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows the board | substrate 2 made. The configuration shown in the drawing is provided for each of the Bk, c, m, C, M, and Y inks. That is, as shown in FIG. 2, a configuration relating to one unit of one of the six units of the array of heaters (and discharge ports) corresponding to the six colors of ink is shown. FIG. 8B is a perspective view showing the inside of the recording head with the upper portion of the office plate 3 shown in FIG. This figure shows a structure in which ink is introduced from the supply port 24 into the pressure chamber 14 via the flow path 17. As shown in these drawings, the substrate 2 and the orifice plate 3 are bonded to each other, whereby the flow path 7 and the pressure chamber 14 communicating with the ink supply port 24 are formed in a part of the space between them.

  FIG. 9A is a plan view showing the arrangement of the ejection ports, pressure chambers, flow paths, and ink supply ports of the recording head shown in FIG. 8, and FIG. It is sectional drawing which follows an A 'line. The discharge port 7 indicated by a circle in FIG. 9A is actually formed in the orifice plate 3 and is not formed on the substrate 2, but is shown to show the positional relationship with the pressure chamber or the like. Has been. The same applies to the other drawings shown below. Further, FIG. 9C is a plan view showing a state in which a drive circuit, a power supply wiring, and a heater are further added to the arrangement configuration shown in FIG. 9A, and FIG. 9D is a plan view of FIG. It is an enlarged view of the broken-line area | region shown.

  9A and 9B, the recording head of this embodiment is provided with a plurality of ink supply ports 24. In FIG. The plurality of supply ports 24 form two supply port rows, and adjacent supply ports 24 in each row are separated by a beam portion 20. Further, pressure chambers 14 are provided on both sides of each supply port 24. Thus, basically, ink is supplied from one supply port 24 to the pressure chambers 14 on both sides thereof, that is, a total of two pressure chambers 14. Each pressure chamber 14 is provided with a heater 9 as a discharge energy generating element, and a discharge port 7 is provided at a position of an orifice plate corresponding to the heater. The plurality of supply ports 24 are formed so as to penetrate the substrate 2 in the thickness direction, and at least the substrate 2 is configured as an independent hole without communicating with each other. Each supply port 24 communicates with the common liquid chamber 5. In addition, a flow path 17 extends to both sides of the common liquid chamber 5, and a pressure chamber 14 communicates with an end of each flow path 17 opposite to the common liquid chamber 5.

  9A, the discharge ports 7 on both sides of each supply port of the left supply port row in the row of the two supply ports 24 are in the direction along the supply port row. Arranged at the same position. Further, the discharge ports 7 on both sides of each supply port of the right supply port array are also arranged at the same position in the above-described direction. The discharge port arrays corresponding to the left and right supply ports arranged in this way are arranged so as to be shifted from each other by a half pitch of the discharge port arrangement pitch. As described above, the recording head according to the present embodiment is provided with four ejection port arrays for one color ink, and the scanning of the recording head is performed in a direction orthogonal to the direction along the ejection port array. As a result, the two sets of ejection port arrays are arranged with a half-pitch shift, so that the recording resolution in the direction orthogonal to the scanning direction can be doubled the ejection port array pitch. In addition, for example, ink can be ejected from the ejection ports at the same position in the ejection port array direction to the same pixel, and dots can be formed in the pixel with a maximum of two ink droplets. Alternatively, for each of the two ejection port arrays corresponding to the left and right supply ports, the left ejection port array in the figure may be used for scanning in a certain direction, and the right ejection port array may be used for scanning in the reverse direction. .

  9C and 9D, each heater 9 includes a power supply-heater wiring 10a connecting the power supply wiring 10 and a heater-driving circuit wiring 10b connecting the heater 9 and the drive circuit 11. Is connected. For each supply port 24, the lower beam portion 20 is provided with a part of the power supply-heater wiring 10 a and the heater-drive circuit wiring 10 b for the heater 9 arranged on the right side of the supply port 24. . In this way, the wiring for the right heater can be spun using the beam portion 20 that separates the individual supply ports 24.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, a plurality of supply ports for supplying ink to the flow path and the pressure chamber are provided, and the plurality of supply ports are separated by the beam portion. Thereby, structures relating to discharge, such as a flow path, a pressure chamber, a heater, and a discharge port, can be arranged on both sides of each supply port. As a result, even when the structure related to the discharge is arranged at a relatively high density, the respective flow paths, pressure chambers, heaters, and the like can be made into a necessary and sufficient size and arrangement without being restricted by the arrangement. . Specifically, the arrangement of the conventional example shown in FIG. 4C and the present embodiment shown in FIG. 9C is configured in a region having the same area. As can be seen from these figures, it is possible to arrange the heaters with substantially the same number of heaters, that is, with the same arrangement density in the region of the same area. In this case, in the present embodiment, by providing a plurality of small supply ports as compared with the conventional case, it is possible to use a place where a flow path, a pressure chamber, a heater, and the like can be disposed without waste. As a result, the area where the flow path, the pressure chamber, the heater, etc. are arranged can be made sufficiently large without being restricted by these arrangements, thereby enabling a recording head capable of improving the refill frequency. Can be obtained.

  In addition, the wiring connecting the heater, the power supply wiring, and the drive circuit can be arranged without being restricted by the above arrangement, and the beam section serving as the partition of the supply opening is circulated, so that the plurality of supply openings Wiring using the layout efficiently becomes possible.

  When the heaters and discharge ports are arranged at high density, the circuit scale of the drive circuit 9b and the logic circuit 9c increases accordingly, but the exclusive area is a column composed of another supply port, heater, drive circuit, and logic circuit. Can be made smaller compared to the case of arranging them individually. That is, by providing two arrangement units shown in FIG. 3, the area of the substrate can be reduced compared to the case where the number of ejection ports is equivalent to one arrangement unit shown in FIG. Since only one arrangement area for two supply ports required when arranging two rows individually is required, the area of the substrate can be reduced. Further, by laying out the driving circuit and the logic circuit in an array, the driving circuit and the logic circuit can be reduced as compared with the case where they are arranged in different columns. This is because an efficient layout is possible by arranging the elements constituting the drive circuit and the logic circuit in an array. As a specific example, consider the case where a MOS transistor is used as the drive circuit. The drain electrode of the MOS transistor is connected to the power supply potential via the heater, while the source electrode is connected to the ground potential. As for the drain electrode, it is necessary to dispose an electrode independently for each individual heater. On the other hand, the source electrode can be a common electrode between adjacent MOS transistors. By using a common electrode between the adjacent MOS transistors, the installation area can be reduced as compared with a case where the installation areas are individually arranged. Similarly, when the logic circuits are arranged, when the source electrodes are shared between the adjacent logic circuits and the power supply wiring for supplying the power supply potential to the logic circuits can be shared, the logic circuits are arranged in different columns. In comparison, an increase in the substrate size can be suppressed.

(Embodiment 2)
In the second embodiment of the present invention, one supply port row is further arranged at the center of the two supply port rows shown in FIG. 9, and the pressure chamber adjacent to the supply port row is adjacent to the supply port row. The present invention relates to an arrangement configuration for receiving ink supply from both the supply port to be supplied and the supply port adjacent on the opposite side.

  FIG. 10A is a plan view showing the arrangement of ejection ports, pressure chambers, flow paths, and supply ports in the recording head of this embodiment, and FIG. 10B is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA ′ in FIG. It is sectional drawing along a line. Further, FIG. 10C is a plan view showing a configuration in which a drive circuit, a power supply wiring, and a heater are added to the configuration shown in FIG. 10A, and FIG. 10D is a partial view shown in FIG. FIG.

  In the first embodiment, four discharge port arrays are arranged for two supply port rows, whereas in this embodiment, four discharge port rows are arranged for three supply port rows. ing. Of the four discharge port arrays, two flow paths 17 communicate with the pressure chambers 14 corresponding to the respective discharge ports 7 from both sides. That is, ink is supplied from both of the supply ports adjacent to each other through the flow passages 17 on both sides of the two discharge port arrays on the inner side.

  In this embodiment, the pressure chamber 14 and the flow paths 17 on both sides thereof have a symmetrical shape. As a result, the discharge characteristics of the two discharge port arrays on the center side can be improved. That is, the heaters 9 are arranged so as to face the respective discharge ports 7 in the two discharge port arrays of the present embodiment. The adjacent supply ports 24 have the same distance from the edge of each ink supply port 24 to the edge of the ejection port 7 located closest to the supply port 24. That is, the flow path from the discharge port 7 to the supply port 24 is formed symmetrically around the discharge port 7.

  According to the recording head according to the second embodiment described above, the same effects as those of the first embodiment described above can be obtained, and the following specific effects can also be obtained.

  By disposing the supply port 24, ink is supplied from the two flow paths 17 on both sides of the pressure chamber 14, and bubble growth and contraction due to heat that can be generated by the heater 7 is symmetrical with respect to the discharge port. It can be. Specifically, when the heater 9 is energized, the electrical energy is converted into heat and the heater 9 generates heat. As a result, the ink positioned on the heater 9 within the pressure chamber 14 provided with the heater 9 undergoes film boiling, generating bubbles. The ink is pushed toward the discharge port 7 located above the heater 9 by the pressure when bubbles are generated inside the pressure chamber 14, and is discharged from the discharge port 7. Along with this discharge, ink is supplied from the supply port 24 to the pressure chamber 14 through the common liquid chamber 5. Here, supply ports 24 for supplying ink to the pressure chamber 14 via the common liquid chamber 5 are provided on both sides of the discharge port 7. Accordingly, the ink is supplied to the ejection port 7 from the supply ports 24 on both sides of the pressure chamber 14. As a result, the flow of ink supplied to the ejection port 7 is not biased only from one direction, and the ink is supplied to the ejection port 7 in a well-balanced manner. Further, in the present embodiment, the distance from each edge of the supply port 24 to the edge of the discharge port 7 (the portion projected onto the bottom of the pressure chamber) located closest to the supply port 24 is approximately equal. Is formed. And the flow path to the supply port 24 is formed symmetrically around the discharge port 7.

  In the above configuration, the ink is mainly supplied to the ejection port 7 through the flow paths on both sides, so that the refill frequency for the ejection port can be increased.

  Further, since the bubble growth and contraction can be made symmetrical with respect to the discharge port 7, the discharge direction can be stabilized in a certain direction. That is, conditions such as loss in the flow path from the supply port 24 to the pressure chamber 14 are the same without changing for each discharge port. Thereby, the flow conditions such as the flow rate and speed of the ink supplied to the ejection port 7 at the time of ejection, and the flow resistance of the ink to be pushed back when the bubble grows are substantially equal, and the growth of the bubble is biased. Is suppressed. Also, even when contracting, the bubbles are contracted in a balanced manner toward the center of the heater 9 without being biased. As a result, the tail of the ejected ink becomes relatively thick and straight, and the satellite formed by splitting the tail can be made large. Thereby, the flight direction of the satellite is also a direction along the discharge direction. At this time, since the flight directions of the plurality of satellites match, adjacent satellites merge to form a larger satellite. Further, the flight direction of the main droplet portion at this time is also along the ejection direction.

  As described above, the satellite becomes larger, so that the landing position of the satellite is less affected by the air current, and the density difference is less likely to occur during high-speed recording or recording with small droplets. Is less likely to occur. In addition, the satellite increases in proportion to the satellite reaching the recording medium, and the mist floating between the recording head and the recording medium is reduced.

(Embodiment 3)
3rd embodiment of this invention adds the supply port row | line | column to those outer sides adjacent to the outermost discharge port row | line | column with respect to arrangement structure, such as the supply port of 2nd embodiment mentioned above. is there.

  FIGS. 11A to 11D are views similar to FIGS. 10A to 10D according to the second embodiment. In particular, as shown in FIG. 11A, the supply ports 24 are arranged on the left and right outer sides of the four discharge port rows of the discharge ports 7. Thereby, it can be set as a symmetrical channel structure about all the discharge outlets.

  In this way, by using symmetrical flow paths for all the ejection ports, it is possible to improve the refill frequency in the entire recording head, and it is possible to reduce satellites by reducing the flow path cross-sectional area described above. it can.

(Embodiment 4)
In the fourth embodiment of the present invention, the power supply-heater wiring 10a is made common to the two heaters 9 in the arrangement configuration such as the supply port of the third embodiment described above.

  12A to 12D are views similar to FIGS. 11A to 11D according to the third embodiment. In particular, as shown in FIG. 12 (a), the heaters 9 corresponding to two discharge ports respectively belonging to the first and second discharge port rows from the left and arranged in the horizontal direction in the drawing among the four discharge port rows. The power supply-heater wiring 10a is shared. Similarly, the power supply-heater wiring 10a for the heater 9 corresponding to each of the two discharge ports arranged in the horizontal direction in the figure belonging to the third and fourth discharge port columns from the left among the four discharge port arrays is also shared. The

  In this way, by sharing the wiring, the width of the region where the wiring on the beam portion 20 is provided can be reduced. As a result, the degree of freedom of design related to the width of the beam portion when wiring is provided in the beam portion 20 is increased. For example, the size of the substrate can be reduced by setting the width of the beam portion to the minimum necessary width.

(Embodiment 5)
The fifth embodiment of the present invention relates to a multi-layered wiring for the heater in the arrangement configuration such as the supply port of the above-described fourth embodiment.

  FIGS. 13A to 13D are views similar to FIGS. 12A to 12D according to the fourth embodiment. In particular, as shown in FIG. 13D, the power source-heater wiring 10a is provided in the upper layer portion of the substrate in the same manner as in the above embodiments. On the other hand, in each set of two heaters provided on both sides of the supply port 24, the heater-drive wiring 10c connecting the heater 9 and the drive circuit 9b far from the drive circuit 9b is provided inside the substrate. The heater-drive wiring 10b that connects the heater 9 and the drive circuit 9b closer to each other is provided in the upper layer portion of the substrate, as in the above embodiments. That is, in the present embodiment, the wiring connecting the power supply wiring 10 and the heater 9 and the wiring (part of the wiring) connecting the heater 9 and the drive circuit 9b are arranged in multiple layers on the substrate. In other words, the power supply-heater wiring 10a and the like are not necessarily the upper layer of the substrate, and two or more types of wirings may be arranged in multiple layers.

  In the present embodiment, since the wiring is multi-layered as described above, the electrical connection between the heater-driving circuit wiring 10c provided in the substrate and the wiring from the heater 9 in the vicinity of the farther heater 9 is performed. A through hole 11 for connection is provided. A partition wall 12 that separates the pressure chambers is provided above the position where the through hole 11 is provided on the substrate. As a result, a relatively steep stepped portion on the substrate caused by the formation of the through hole can be covered with the partition wall, and exposure of the stepped portion to the ink can be avoided. That is, such a steep stepped portion tends to have a low coverage of the protective film on the surface, and it is considered that long-term reliability cannot be ensured when exposed to ink. As a countermeasure, an additional manufacturing process such as adding a flattening process so as not to form a steep step or covering with a stronger protective film is required, which causes a cost increase. Such an adverse effect can be eliminated with the configuration.

  According to the fifth embodiment described above, as in the fourth embodiment, the width of the region where the wiring on the beam portion 20 is provided can be reduced. As a result, the degree of freedom of design related to the width of the beam portion when wiring is provided in the beam portion 20 is increased. For example, the size of the substrate can be reduced by setting the width of the beam portion to the minimum necessary width.

(Embodiment 6)
In the sixth embodiment of the present invention, in the configuration in which the wiring for the heater of the fifth embodiment described above is multilayered, through holes that connect the wirings to each other are separated from each supply port in the central supply port array. It is related with the form which provides and covers the beam part with a coating | coated wall.

  14A to 14D are views similar to FIGS. 13A to 13D according to the fifth embodiment. As shown in FIG. 14 (d), the through-holes 11 for electrical connection between the heater-driving circuit wiring 10c provided in the substrate and the wiring from the heater 9 are arranged in five rows of supply port arrays ( 14 (a)) is provided in a beam part that separates the supply ports 24 in the central array. A covering wall 13 for covering the through hole 11 is formed at the upper part of the beam portion. As a result, the same effects as those of the fifth embodiment can be obtained, and in particular, the arrangement and size of the heater can be determined without being affected by the formation of the through hole. For example, a relatively large heater It is possible to arrange a pressure chamber.

(Embodiment 7)
The seventh embodiment of the present invention relates to a configuration in which one supply port is provided corresponding to two pressure chambers on one side of the pressure chamber in the arrangement configuration of the heater or the like of the fifth embodiment described above.

  FIGS. 15A to 15D are views similar to FIGS. 13A to 13D according to the fifth embodiment. In this embodiment, in particular, as shown in FIG. 15A, one supply port 24 corresponds to each of the two pressure chambers 14 (and the discharge port 7) on both sides thereof. Ink is supplied to the two pressure chambers.

  Further, by sharing the supply port for the pressure chamber as described above, among the partition walls of each pressure chamber, a partition path is separated by the supply port 24 so that the partition wall cannot be distorted. For this reason, as shown in FIGS. 15C and 15D in particular, every other beam portion 20 provided with wiring is provided and wiring related to two heaters is provided in one beam portion 20.

  According to the seventh embodiment described above, in addition to the effects obtained in the fifth embodiment, it is possible to provide a relatively large supply port, and ink supply performance can be improved.

(Embodiment 8)
The eighth embodiment of the present invention relates to a configuration in which supply ports are provided corresponding to two pressure chambers in the arrangement of the heater and the like of the sixth embodiment described above.

  FIGS. 16A to 16D are views similar to FIGS. 14A to 14D according to the sixth embodiment. In this embodiment, in particular, as shown in FIG. 16A, one supply port 24 corresponds to each of the two pressure chambers 14 (and the discharge port 7) on both sides thereof. Ink is supplied to the two pressure chambers. Further, by sharing the supply port for the pressure chamber as described above, among the partition walls of each pressure chamber, a partition path is separated by the supply port 24 so that the partition wall cannot be distorted. Therefore, in particular, as shown in FIGS. 16C and 16D, every other beam portion 20 is provided with wiring, and wiring for two heaters is provided in one beam portion 20. Further, by providing wiring for two heaters in one beam portion 20, two sets of through holes 11 corresponding to the two heaters 9 are provided in the same beam portion of the supply ports in the central supply port row.

  In the eighth embodiment described above, in addition to the effects obtained in the sixth embodiment, a relatively large supply port can be provided, and ink supply performance can be improved.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 17, by arranging the discharge ports 7A and 7B of the outer discharge port row and the partition walls 12A and 12B of the central discharge port row so as to be substantially in a straight line, the wiring is connected to the outer discharge port. It can also be provided below the corresponding heater. That is, wiring is provided in the path | route shown by the dashed-dotted lines 15A and 15B, and a part is provided in the lower layer of a heater. Thereby, it becomes possible to give a freedom degree with arrangement | positioning and size of a heater.

(Other embodiments)
In each of the above-described embodiments, the present invention has been described by taking a recording head that ejects ink as an example. However, the application of the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. For example, the present invention can also be applied to a liquid discharge head that discharges a liquid that causes agglomeration in a pigment that is a color material of ink. In the present specification, a head for ejecting such a liquid or the above-described ink is referred to as a liquid ejection head.

2 Substrate 3 Orifice plate 7 Discharge port 9 Heater 9b Drive circuit 10 Power supply wiring 10a Power supply-heater wiring 10b, 10c Heater-drive circuit wiring 11 Through hole 12 Partition 13 Covering wall 14 Pressure chamber 24 Supply port

Claims (2)

A liquid discharge head for discharging liquid,
A plurality of supply ports for supplying the same type of liquid to a pressure chamber provided with discharge energy generating elements in communication with the discharge ports;
A beam for separating the plurality of supply ports from each other;
Wiring used for driving the ejection energy generating element provided in the beam portion;
A liquid discharge head characterized by comprising: An inkjet recording apparatus that performs recording using a recording head for ejecting ink,
The recording head is
A plurality of supply ports for supplying the same type of ink to a pressure chamber provided with discharge energy generating elements in communication with the discharge ports;
A beam for separating the plurality of supply ports from each other;
Wiring used for driving the ejection energy generating element provided in the beam portion;
An ink jet recording apparatus comprising:

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