JP2015189201A - Flow path member, liquid discharge head and liquid discharge device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a flow path member which allows negative pressure to be easily and effectively released by reducing volume of a flow path to be cancelled while releasing the negative pressure.SOLUTION: A flow path member 5, which is used for a liquid discharge head 3, comprises: means 161 for adjusting pressure in flow paths provided at middles of flow paths between self-sealing units 4 as negative pressure generating means and a discharge part; and flow-path opening/closing means 165 provided at middles between the self-sealing units and the means for adjusting pressure in flow paths. The means for adjusting pressure in flow paths comprise: first recessed parts 158 that are communicated with the flow-path opening/closing means and the discharge part and store ink; second recessed parts 159 that are communicated with first fluid supply sources, store ink, and oppose to the first recessed parts; and first flexible members 160 that seal the first recessed parts and the second recessed parts between the first recessed parts and the second recessed parts. Fluid supplied from the first fluid supply sources deforms the first flexible members and changes the volume of parts partitioned by the first recessed parts and the first flexible members so as to adjust pressure in the flow paths in a state where the flow paths are closed by the flow path opening/closing means.

Description

  The present invention relates to a flow path member, a liquid discharge head, and a liquid discharge apparatus, and in particular, to a case where a flow path opening / closing means and a flow path pressure adjusting means are provided in a liquid flow path of a liquid discharge head from a liquid supply source. It is useful.

  A typical example of a liquid discharge head that discharges droplets is an ink jet recording head that discharges ink droplets. As the ink jet recording head, for example, a head main body that ejects ink droplets from nozzle openings and a head main body are fixed, and ink is supplied from an ink cartridge that stores ink, and ink from the ink cartridge is discharged. And a flow path member that is supplied to the head body. In this type of ink jet recording head, the back pressure in the head (reservoir or pressure chamber) is normally maintained at a negative pressure in order to manage the meniscus position at a position corresponding to continuous ejection. However, there is a possibility that bubbles near the nozzle opening may be drawn into the nozzle opening due to the negative pressure during wiping. If air bubbles are drawn into the nozzle opening, nozzle clogging may occur.

  Therefore, it is necessary to release the negative pressure when necessary during wiping. For this reason, an eccentric cam as a pressurizing mechanism is provided beside the flow path between the negative pressure generating means (differential pressure valve) and the head, and the inside of the head is pressurized by the pressurizing mechanism via the eccentric cam during wiping. Has been proposed (see Patent Document 1). In addition, there is a configuration in which a bypass flow path for pressurization supply is provided and pressurization by a pressurization pump is performed directly in the head (see Patent Document 2).

JP 2013-161827 A JP 2011-161844 A

  However, since Patent Document 1 changes the volume of the flow path by the contact of the eccentric cam with the tube, for example, when the number of nozzles increases, for example, when the number of nozzles increases, the required volume changes. It is hard to cause. On the other hand, when trying to obtain a large volume change by thickening the tube, the flow rate is lowered by the amount of the thickening of the tube, and the exhaustability is deteriorated.

  In Patent Document 2, it is difficult to finely adjust the amount of liquid to be supplied, and a lot of fluid may be wasted.

  Such a problem exists not only in a flow path member used for a liquid jet head such as an ink jet recording head but also in a flow path member used in a device other than the liquid jet head.

  In view of the circumstances as described above, it is an object of the present invention to provide a flow path member, a liquid discharge head, and a liquid discharge apparatus that can effectively and accurately control the volume of a flow path.

[Aspect 1] An aspect of the present invention that solves the above problem is a flow path member used in a liquid discharge head including a discharge portion that discharges a liquid through a nozzle opening by driving of a drive element, and the discharge portion includes: Communicating with negative pressure generating means for maintaining the negative pressure of the discharge section, the flow path member is in the middle of the flow path between the negative pressure generation means and the discharge section, and changes the volume of the flow path. A pressure adjusting means for adjusting the pressure in the flow path, and a flow opening / closing means for opening and closing the flow path in the middle of the flow path between the negative pressure generating means and the pressure adjusting means in the flow path. In addition, the flow path pressure adjusting means communicates with the flow path opening / closing means and the discharge section to store a liquid, and communicates with a first fluid supply source for fluid flow. A second recess that stores and faces the first recess; the first recess and the second recess; A first flexible member interposed between the first concave portion and the second concave portion, and in a state where the flow path is closed by the flow path opening and closing means, The flexible member is deformed by the fluid supplied from the fluid supply source, and the volume of the portion defined by the first recess and the first flexible member is changed to adjust the pressure in the flow path. It is in the flow path member characterized by this.
According to this aspect, the negative pressure can be released by the flow path pressure adjusting means. By closing the channel with the channel opening / closing means before releasing the negative pressure, the channel volume to be released can be reduced, so that the negative pressure can be released effectively. In other words, during wiping, in order to prevent bubbles near the nozzle opening from being drawn into the nozzle opening due to the negative pressure in the head and causing nozzle clogging, the negative pressure in the head is released and applied during wiping. Although the pressure (releasing the negative pressure) is applied, in this embodiment, the pressure (releasing the negative pressure) can be applied after closing the flow path upstream of the flow path pressure adjusting means. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the liquid from flowing back to the upstream side to the negative pressure generating means due to the pressurization by the pressure adjusting means in the flow path and reducing the effect of the pressurization.

  Alternatively, in order to forcibly discharge ink from the nozzle opening, even if the inside of the head is pressurized by the pressure adjusting means in the flow path, the flow path upstream of the pressure adjusting means in the flow path is closed. Is more effective for the same reason as described above.

  Here, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, the pressure receiving area of the flexible member can be increased by the configuration in which the concave portion is sealed with the flexible member as compared with the case where the pressure is applied by the contact of the eccentric cam. Easy to adjust pressure. If the tube is made thicker and the volume change is increased as in the case of Patent Document 1, the flow velocity is lowered by the amount of the thicker tube, and the air exhausting property is deteriorated.

  Further, as described in Patent Document 2, when a bypass flow path for pressurization supply is provided and pressurization by a pressurization pump is performed directly in the head, it is difficult to finely adjust the amount of liquid to be supplied, For this reason, there is a problem that a large amount of liquid may be discharged.

  The fluid supplied from the first fluid supply source may be air, liquid (hydraulic pressure), or the like. In the case of a liquid, even if the barrier property of the flexible membrane is poor, moisture evaporation due to permeation from the flexible membrane can be reduced.

  [Aspect 2] Here, in the flow path member according to Aspect 1, it is desirable that the pressure adjusting means in the flow path adjusts the pressure in the first recess by the air supplied from the first fluid supply source. . This is because the flow path member can be reduced in size by driving with air, and there is no fear of liquid leakage as compared with the case of driving with liquid.

  [Aspect 3] In the flow path member according to Aspect 1 or Aspect 2, it is desirable that the liquid outlet from the first recess of the pressure adjusting means in the flow path is on the upper side in the vertical direction. This is because since there is an outlet on the upper side in the vertical direction, even if air bubbles enter the first recess, the air bubbles accumulate on the upper side in the vertical direction due to buoyancy, and are thus easily discharged from the outlet.

  [Aspect 4] In the flow path member according to aspects 1 to 3, the pressure adjusting means in the flow path further includes first urging means for urging the first flexible member from the first concave portion side to the second concave portion side. It is desirable to have. This is because the pressure fluctuation during printing can be suppressed and further the pressure loss can be prevented from increasing.

  [Aspect 5] In the flow path member according to aspects 1 to 4, the liquid discharge head further includes a second fluid supply source that supplies a fluid that drives the flow path opening / closing means, and the flow path opening / closing means includes the It is desirable to open and close the flow path with the fluid supplied from the second fluid supply source. This is because the flow path opening / closing means can be driven and controlled independently of the flow path pressure adjusting means, and a series of negative pressure release operations can be performed smoothly and appropriately.

  [Aspect 6] In the flow path member according to aspects 1 to 5, the flow path opening / closing means communicates with the negative pressure generating means and communicates with the pressure adjusting means in the flow path to store the liquid. And a fourth recess that communicates with the second fluid supply source to store the fluid and is opposed to the third recess, and is interposed between the third recess and the fourth recess, A second flexible member that seals the third concave portion and the fourth concave portion, and the flow path opening / closing means is configured to supply the second flexible member by the fluid supplied from the second fluid supply source. It is preferable to open and close the flow path by deforming. The third concave portion and the fourth concave portion are sealed with the second flexible member, and the third concave portion functions as an ink chamber as a part of the flow path, and the fourth concave portion functions as an air chamber, and to the fourth concave portion. This is because the flow path can be easily opened and closed by deforming the second flexible member by supplying the air.

  [Aspect 7] In the flow path member according to aspect 6, it is preferable that the second flexible member opens the flow path when no fluid is supplied from the second fluid supply source. This is because the flow path can be opened if the atmosphere is opened, and troubles such as ink not being supplied during printing can be prevented.

  [Aspect 8] In the flow path member according to aspects 6 to 7, the flow path opening / closing means further biases the second flexible member from the third concave portion side to the fourth concave portion side. It is desirable to have This is because it is possible to prevent inconveniences such as the ink not being supplied to the head body during printing, for example, by reliably opening the flow path.

  [Aspect 9] In the flow path member according to aspects 5 to 8, the second fluid supply source supplies a pressurized fluid when closing the flow path by the flow path opening / closing means, and the flow path opening / closing means It is desirable to supply a decompressed fluid when opening the flow path. This is to smoothly perform the negative pressure releasing operation performed in cooperation with the pressure adjusting means in the flow path.

  [Aspect 10] In the flow path member according to aspects 1 to 9, the negative pressure generating means includes a flexible member that can be displaced in accordance with the discharge of the liquid from the discharge section, and the flow path opening and closing means includes When the pressure in the flow path is adjusted by the pressure adjustment means in the flow path, the negative pressure generating means can be adjusted by adjusting the pressure by the pressure adjustment means in the flow path by closing the flow path. It is desirable to prevent the flexible member from being displaced. This is because the pressure in the flow path can be adjusted effectively regardless of the compliance by the flexible member of the negative pressure generating means.

[Aspect 11] Another aspect of the present invention is a liquid discharge head including the discharge section and the flow path member according to aspects 1 to 10.
According to this aspect, it is possible to provide a liquid discharge head that exhibits the many excellent actions and effects of the above-described flow path member.

  [Aspect 12] Another aspect of the invention resides in a liquid discharge apparatus including the negative pressure generating means and the liquid discharge head according to aspect 11. According to this aspect, inconvenience at the time of releasing negative pressure can be solved.

[Aspect 13] According to another aspect of the present invention, a liquid discharge head including a discharge portion that discharges liquid through a nozzle opening by driving of a drive element, and the discharge portion are communicated to maintain a negative pressure in the discharge portion. Negative pressure generating means that is in the middle of the flow path between the negative pressure generating means and the discharge section, and adjusts the pressure in the flow path by changing the volume of the flow path. And a channel opening / closing means that opens and closes the channel and is located in the middle of the flow path between the negative pressure generating means and the pressure adjusting means in the flow path. A flexible member that is displaceable in accordance with the discharge of the liquid, and the flow path opening / closing means is configured to change the flow path when the pressure in the flow path is adjusted by the pressure adjustment means in the flow path. By closing, the pressure of the negative pressure generating means can be adjusted by adjusting the pressure by the pressure adjusting means in the flow path. Member in the liquid ejecting apparatus characterized by is prevented from displacement.
According to this aspect, the negative pressure can be released by the flow path pressure adjusting means. By closing the flow path by the flow path opening / closing means before releasing the negative pressure, it is possible to reduce the volume fluctuation of the flow path by the pressure adjusting means in the flow path being absorbed by the flexible member of the negative pressure generating means. Can be effectively released and pressurized.

  [Aspect 14] In the liquid ejection apparatus according to aspect 13, it is desirable that a flow path resistance from the flow path opening / closing means to the negative pressure generating means is smaller than a flow path resistance from the flow path opening / closing means to the nozzle opening. . According to this aspect, even if the flow path is closed by the flow path opening / closing means, the liquid can be prevented from flowing from the nozzle opening.

  [Aspect 15] In the liquid ejection device according to Aspect 13 or Aspect 14, the pressure adjusting means in the flow path communicates with the flow path opening / closing means and the discharge section and stores a liquid, and a first fluid A fluid is stored in communication with a supply source, and is interposed between the first recess and the second recess, the second recess facing the first recess, and the first recess and the second recess. It is desirable to provide the 1st flexible member which seals a crevice. According to this aspect, the concave portion is sealed with the flexible member, so that the pressure receiving area of the flexible member can be provided large, and the pressure can be easily adjusted.

  [Aspect 16] In the liquid discharge apparatus according to aspect 15, the pressure adjusting means in the flow path further includes first urging means for urging the first flexible member from the first concave portion side to the second concave portion side. desirable. According to this aspect, pressure fluctuation during printing can be suppressed, and pressure loss can be prevented from increasing.

  [Aspect 17] In the liquid ejection device according to Aspects 13 to 16, the flow path opening / closing means communicates with the negative pressure generating means and communicates with the internal pressure adjusting means to store the liquid. And a fourth recess that communicates with the second fluid supply source to store the fluid and is opposed to the third recess, and is interposed between the third recess and the fourth recess, It is desirable to include a second flexible member that seals the third recess and the fourth recess. According to this aspect, since the concave portion is sealed with the flexible member, the pressure receiving area of the flexible member can be increased, and the flow path can be easily opened and closed.

  [Aspect 18] In the liquid ejection apparatus according to Aspect 17, the flow path opening / closing means further includes second urging means for urging the second flexible member from the third recess side to the fourth recess side. Is desirable. This is because according to this aspect, it is possible to prevent inconveniences such as, for example, ink not being supplied to the head body during printing by reliably opening the flow path.

  [Aspect 19] In the liquid discharge apparatus according to aspects 12 to 18, the liquid discharge apparatus further includes a suction means for sucking liquid from the nozzle opening communicating with the discharge section, and the flow path opening / closing means includes A first mode in which the flow path is closed while suction is being performed by the suction means; a second mode in which the flow path is switched from a closed state to an open state; and the flow path is opened. It is desirable to have a control means for sequentially performing the third mode in the selected state. When the liquid is sucked from the nozzle opening by the suction means, various suctions can be performed by the flow path opening / closing means.

  [Aspect 20] In the liquid discharge apparatus according to aspects 12 to 19, the liquid discharge apparatus is further in the middle of the flow path between the pressure adjusting means in the flow path and the discharge section, and collects foreign matter in the liquid. It is desirable to provide a collecting means for the purpose. This is because nozzle clogging due to foreign matter in the ink can be removed and the print quality can be improved.

1 is a schematic perspective view showing a recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a liquid discharge head according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a schematic block diagram which extracts and shows a self-sealing unit. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the flow-path member which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the head main body which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is the upper side figure and back view of a flow-path board | substrate. It is the upper side figure and back view of a flow-path board | substrate. It is the upper side figure and back view of a flow-path board | substrate. It is the upper side figure and back view of a flow-path board | substrate. It is the upper side figure and back view of a flow-path board | substrate. It is the top view and back view which show a 1st flexible member. It is the top view and back view which show a 2nd flexible member.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
A: Liquid Ejecting Apparatus A liquid ejecting apparatus according to this embodiment is an ink jet recording apparatus, and includes an ink jet recording head as a liquid ejecting head. And it is what is called a line-type recording apparatus which performs printing by conveying recording sheets, such as paper which is a to-be-ejected medium, without moving a liquid discharge head.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 1 (a schematic perspective view showing a recording apparatus according to the present embodiment), an ink jet recording apparatus 100 (hereinafter also referred to as a recording apparatus 100) is disposed in the apparatus main body 2. An ink jet recording head unit 1 (hereinafter also referred to as a liquid discharge head unit 1), a conveying means for conveying a recording sheet S that is a recording medium such as paper, and a reverse side opposite to the printing surface of the recording sheet S. Control of the operation of each part of the recording apparatus 100, a supporting member 9 to be supported, a pair of rails 11A and 11B fixed to the floor surface of the apparatus main body 2, the cleaning means 14 disposed on the floor surface of the apparatus main body 2. And a control device 17 for performing the above. These will be described in detail later.

  In the present embodiment, the conveyance direction of the recording sheet S is referred to as a first direction X. A direction perpendicular to the first direction X in the in-plane direction in which the nozzle openings of the liquid ejection head 3 are opened is referred to as a second direction Y. Furthermore, a direction orthogonal to the first direction X and the second direction Y is referred to as a third direction Z. In the third direction Z, the liquid discharge head 3 side with respect to the recording sheet S is the Z1 side, and the opposite side is the Z2 side.

(A-1-1) Liquid Discharge Head Unit A liquid discharge head unit 1 according to this embodiment is a liquid in which a plurality of ink jet recording heads 3 (hereinafter also referred to as liquid discharge heads 3) are arranged on a base plate 10 in parallel. This is an assembly of the ejection heads 3.

(A-1-2) Liquid discharge head The liquid discharge head 3 according to the present embodiment corresponds to the four colors CMYK and the self-sealing units 4 and 4 to which two colors of ink are supplied, respectively. The flow path member 5 in which four types of flow paths are formed is combined with the head main body 6 to form one unit, and in the present embodiment, this is four in the second direction Y on the base plate 10. It is installed side by side. That is, the liquid ejection head 3 is sandwiched between the two self-sealing units 4 and 4 that are negative pressure generating means and the self-sealing units 4 and 4 from both sides, and is supplied from the self-sealing units 4 and 4. A flow path member 5 that supplies ink to the head main body 6 and a head main body 6 that discharges ink supplied via the flow path member 5 to the print surface of the recording sheet S as ink droplets are provided.

  In this embodiment, the liquid discharge head 3 is disposed on the base plate 10 so as to be inclined with respect to the first direction X. Therefore, the arrangement direction of the liquid ejection head 3 inclined with respect to the first direction X is the fourth direction Xa, and the direction orthogonal to this and inclined with the same amount with respect to the second direction Y is the fifth direction Xa. The direction Ya is referred to. Both are directions on the XY plane.

(A-1-2-1) Head body The head body 6, which will be described in detail later, forms a liquid flow path including a plurality of pressure generation chambers communicating with the nozzles, and causes pressure fluctuations in the ink in the pressure generation chamber. A discharge unit 6A (see FIG. 5; the same applies hereinafter) provided with a pressure generating means composed of a piezoelectric element or the like to be generated, and a filter means 6B (see FIG. 5; the same applies hereinafter) that removes foreign matters of ink supplied to the discharge unit 6A. And have. The head body 6 is disposed on the base plate 10 so as to protrude downward from the lower surface of the base plate 10.

(A-1-2-2) Self-sealing unit The self-sealing unit 4 is described in detail later, and the opening of the concave portion provided on the side surface intersecting the nozzle forming surface of the head body 6 is sealed with a film. It has a liquid channel. Then, a valve body is disposed in the middle of the liquid flow path, and normally, the valve body is energized so as to close the liquid flow path, and the negative pressure in the pressure generating chamber is greater than or equal to a predetermined value as the ink is discharged. In this case, the valve body pressed by the film displaced by the negative pressure opens the liquid flow path. Thus, if a negative pressure of a predetermined value or more is generated in the ejection part 6A of the head body 6 as the ink is ejected, the film presses the valve body, and the valve body is released by this pressing force, so that the ink flows into the liquid channel. The ink flows into the head body 6 and flows.

(A-1-2-3) Distribution unit The distribution unit 18 is placed on the upper surface of the liquid discharge head 3 of each unit and extends in the second direction Y, and the liquid discharge head 3 of each unit is self-sealed. Ink for each color from the ink cartridge or the like is distributed to the unit 4, and the pressure adjusting valve (not shown in FIG. 1) and the channel opening / closing valve (not shown in FIG. 1) of the channel member 5. The air for drive control is distributed to the flow path members 5 respectively. Here, the dimension (height) in the third direction of the self-sealing unit 4 and the dimension (height) in the third direction of the flow path member 5 are configured to be the same. As a result, the distribution unit 18 that functions as a distribution flow path for ink and air can be easily installed on the liquid ejection head 3 of each unit. More specifically, the self-sealing unit 4 and the flow path member 5 are connected to a common distribution unit 18, and this connection applies a protrusion (convex needle) provided on the lower surface of the distribution unit 18 to a negative pressure. This is performed by inserting the self-sealing unit 4 and the flow path member 5 that are generating means into respective holes (concave insertion holes) provided on the upper surfaces thereof. The distribution unit 18 is provided with a groove along the second direction Y on a planar substrate, and the groove is sealed with a film, whereby a flow path having a distribution function to the liquid ejection head 3 of each unit. It is said. Therefore, the top surfaces of the self-sealing unit 4 and the flow path member 5 are aligned in the height direction, which is the third direction Z, in order to match with the grooves provided along the plane of the distribution unit 18. It should be noted that when the protrusions of the distribution unit 18 are inserted into the self-sealing unit 4 and the holes on the upper surface of the flow path member 5, The length is divided into long and short.

(A-1-2-4) Channel member The channel member 5 will be described in detail later, but the stacked channel substrates 101, 102, 103, 104, 105, the first flexible member 160, and the second It is formed by the flexible member 164 and functions as the flow path pressure adjusting means 161 and the flow path opening / closing means 165.
The in-channel pressure adjusting means 161 is in the middle of the liquid channel between the self-sealing unit 4 and the head body 6, and adjusts the pressure in the liquid channel by changing the volume of the liquid channel.
The flow path opening / closing means 165 is in the middle of the liquid flow path between the self-sealing unit 4 and the flow path pressure adjusting means 161, and opens and closes the liquid flow path.

(A-2) Conveying means The conveying means moves the recording sheet S relative to the liquid ejection head 3 in the first direction. The transport unit includes, for example, a first transport roller 7 provided on both sides of the liquid discharge head 3 in the first direction X, which is the transport direction of the recording sheet S, and a second transport roller 8. The recording sheet S is transported upstream and downstream in the first direction X of the liquid discharge head unit 1 by the first transport roller 7 and the second transport roller 8. The conveying means for conveying the recording sheet S is not limited to the conveying rollers 7 and 8, and may be a belt, a drum, or the like.

(A-3) Support Member The support member 9 supports the recording sheet S at a position facing the liquid ejection head unit 1. For example, the support member 9 has a rectangular cross section provided between the first transport roller 7 and the second transport roller 8 so as to face the liquid discharge head 3, particularly the nozzle surface of the head body 6. The recording sheet S conveyed by the first conveyance roller 7 and the second conveyance roller 8 is supported at a position facing the liquid ejection head unit 1.

  The support member 9 may be provided with a suction unit that sucks the conveyed recording sheet S on the support member 9. Examples of the suction means include a device that sucks and sucks the recording sheet S and a device that electrostatically sucks the recording sheet S by electrostatic force.

  In the recording apparatus 100, the recording sheet S is transported by the first transport roller 7, and printing is performed on the recording sheet S supported on the support member 9 by each liquid ejection head 3. The printed recording sheet S is conveyed by the second conveyance roller 8.

(A-4) A pair of rails The pair of rails 11A, 11B are extended in the second direction Y, and the floor of the apparatus main body 2 via the support members 12A, 12B, 12C and the support members 13A, 13B, 13C. It is fixed to the surface. The rails 11A and 11B are rod-shaped members having a C-shaped receiving section. Both ends of the base plate 10 in the first direction X are inserted into the receiving portion. Thus, the base plate 10 is supported between the rails 11A and 11B and can move along the second direction Y. As a result, the liquid discharge head unit 1 is movable in the second direction along the rails 11A and 11B while being disposed on the base plate 10. That is, in the 2nd direction Y, while moving from the base end part side which is the one end side of rail 11A, 11B to the front end side which is the other side, it also moves to the other side.

(A-5) Cleaning means Cleaning for cleaning a nozzle surface (not shown) of the head main body 6 on the floor surface of the apparatus main body 2 between the rails 11A and 11B in the middle of the rails 11A and 11B. Means 14 are provided. The cleaning means 14 in this embodiment has a wiping means 15 and a suction means 16.
The wiping means 15 has a wiping blade for wiping the nozzle surface, which is a droplet discharge surface, and the tip of the wiping blade is moved to the nozzle surface by moving the liquid discharge head unit 1 along the second direction Y at a predetermined timing. And a wiping operation for wiping the nozzle surface is performed.

  The suction means 16 is disposed on the floor surface of the apparatus main body 2 adjacent to the wiping means 15 in the second direction Y, and is moved by moving the liquid discharge head unit 1 along the second direction Y at a predetermined timing. A suction operation for forcibly discharging ink or the like from the nozzle opening is performed by covering the nozzle surface with the cap member and sucking the inside of the cap member by applying a negative pressure. Here, the head main body 6 that performs wiping and suction is sequentially positioned above the wiping means 15 and the suction means 16 in the third direction Z as the base plate 10 moves along the Y direction, and performs a predetermined operation. Executed.

(A-6) Control Device The control device 17 controls the operation of each part of the recording apparatus 100. The base plate 10 is moved to a predetermined position together with the ink droplet ejection control and the recording sheet S transport control in the liquid ejection head 3. The cleaning operation is controlled at a predetermined timing accompanied by the movement of.

B: Liquid Discharge Head FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view schematically showing the liquid discharge head according to the embodiment of the present invention.
As shown in the figure, the liquid discharge head 3 according to the present embodiment includes two self-sealing units 4 and 4, a flow path member 5, and a head body 6 which are negative pressure generating means. The self-sealing units 4 and 4 are disposed on both sides of the flow path member 5 in the fifth direction Ya. As will be described later in detail, the self-sealing units 4 and 4 are supplied with four colors of CMYK inks through two ink supply ports 126 and 127, respectively. In FIG. 2, the ink supply port 127 is not shown because it overlaps the ink supply port 126. The ink supply ports 126 and (127) are supplied with ink of any color of CMYK from ink storage means such as an ink cartridge.

(B-1-1) Structure of pressure adjusting means in flow path The flow path member 5 is formed by laminating five flow path substrates 101, 102, 103, 104, and 105. Here, a first recess 158 is formed on the Z2 side surface (hereinafter referred to as the lower surface) of the flow path substrate 104 in the third direction Z, and the Z1 side surface (hereinafter referred to as the upper surface) of the flow path substrate 105. A second recess 159 is formed opposite to the first recess 158. A first flexible member 160 made of rubber, for example, is interposed between the first recess 158 and the second recess 159. As a result, the first recess 158 and the second recess 159 are two chambers sealed by the first flexible member 160. Thus, the volume of the first recess 158 can be adjusted by the amount of displacement of the first flexible member 160 in the third direction Z. The air flow path 172 that opens to the upper surface of the flow path substrate 101 passes through the flow path substrates 101, 102, 103, 104 and reaches the upper surface of the flow path substrate 105. A horizontal flow path 172A communicating with the second concave portion 159 is formed on the upper surface of the flow path substrate 105, and this leads to the second concave portion 159 from the air supply port 170 provided on the upper surface of the flow path substrate 101. The air flow path 172 is communicated. Therefore, the amount of displacement of the first flexible member 160 can be adjusted by adjusting the amount of air supplied from an air supply source (not shown) as a first fluid supply source via the air supply port 170. As will be described later, the first recess 158 communicates with the ink flow path. That is, the first recess 158, the second recess 159, and the first flexible member 160 change the volume of the ink channel to form the in-channel pressure adjusting means 161 that adjusts the pressure in the ink channel. Here, although not shown in the drawing, a spring that applies a biasing force from the first recess 158 toward the second recess 159 is disposed in the first recess 158.

  Three remaining first concave portions 158 and second concave portions 159 having the same configuration are formed on the lower surface of the flow path substrate 104 and the upper surface of the flow path substrate 105, and the first flexible member 160 is further formed in the first concave portions 158. And the second recess 159. That is, a total of four in-channel pressure adjusting means 161 corresponding to each color of CMYK are arranged in a distributed manner on the Xa-Ya plane formed on the lower surface of the channel substrate 104 and the upper surface of the channel substrate 105. . Air is supplied to each of the second recesses 159 including the remaining three through a horizontal flow path 172A that branches in the horizontal direction at the lower end of the air flow path 172, and the same function is exhibited. The first recess 158 communicates with the ink flow path, the second recess 159 communicates with the air flow path, and the first flexible member 160 seals them. The first recess 158 is also referred to as a first recess (ink chamber) 158, and the second recess 159 as an air chamber is also referred to as a second recess (air chamber) 159.

(B-1-2) Structure of Channel Opening / Closing Means On the other hand, a third recess 162 is formed on the upper surface of the channel substrate 103, and a third surface facing the third recess 162 on the lower surface of the channel substrate 102. Four recesses 163 are formed. A second flexible member 164 made of rubber, for example, is interposed between the third recess 162 and the fourth recess 163. As a result, the third concave portion 162 and the fourth concave portion 163 are two chambers sealed with the second flexible member 164. Thus, the flow path can be closed or opened by the displacement of the second flexible member 164 in the third direction Z. The air flow path 171 opening on the upper surface of the flow path substrate 101 passes through the flow path substrate 101 and reaches the upper surface of the flow path substrate 102. A horizontal flow path 171A is formed on the upper surface of the flow path substrate 102, and the air flow path 171 communicates with the fourth recess 163 via the horizontal flow path 171A. As a result, the air flow path 171 from the air supply port 169 provided on the upper surface of the flow path substrate 101 to the fourth recess 163 communicates. Therefore, by supplying air from an air supply source (not shown) as a second fluid supply source via the air supply port 169, the second flexible member 164 is displaced to open and close the flow path. As will be described later, the first recess 158 communicates with the ink flow path. That is, the third recess 162, the fourth recess 163, and the second flexible member 164 form a channel opening / closing means 165 that opens and closes the ink channel.

  Three remaining recesses 162 and fourth recesses 163 having the same configuration are formed on the upper surface of the flow path substrate 103 and the lower surface of the flow path substrate 102, and the second flexible member 164 further includes the third recesses 162. And the fourth recess 163. That is, a total of four channel opening / closing means 165 corresponding to each color of CMYK are distributed and arranged in the center of the Xa-Ya plane formed by the upper surface of the channel substrate 103 and the lower surface of the channel substrate 102. Yes. Air is supplied to each of the fourth recesses 163, including the remaining three, via horizontal flow paths 171A that are formed between the lower surface of the flow path substrate 101 and the upper surface of the flow path substrate 102 and respectively branch in the horizontal direction. The same function is exhibited. Note that the third recess 162 communicates with the ink flow path, the fourth recess 163 communicates with the air flow path, and the second flexible member 164 seals them. The third recess 162 is also referred to as a third recess (ink chamber) 162, and the fourth recess 163 as an air chamber is also referred to as a fourth recess (air chamber) 163.

  In this embodiment, since the volume change amount for pressure adjustment can be increased as the displacement amount of the first or second flexible member 160, 164 increases, the volume of the first recess 158 is larger than the volume of the third recess 162. It is configured. Thus, the predetermined pressure adjustment by the flow path pressure adjusting means 161 can be easily performed with high accuracy.

(B-1-3) The flow path of the flow path member The ink supplied to the flow path member 5 from the one self-sealing unit 4 which is the negative pressure generating means is ejected from the head body 6 via the flow path member 5. To 6A.

  For this reason, the flow path member 5 is formed with flow paths 151, 152, and 153 as ink flow paths. The flow path 151 introduces ink supplied from one of the two self-sealing valves (not shown in FIG. 2) of the one self-sealing unit 4 into the third recess 162. That is, the channel 151 descends the channel substrate 103 from the lower surface of one self-sealing unit 4 along the third direction Z from Z1 to Z2, and the lower surface of the channel substrate 103 and the channel substrate 104 It extends horizontally from the upper surface along the fifth direction Ya from Ya1 to Ya2, and further rises from Z2 to Z1 along the third direction Z to open to the third recess 162. ing. The flow path 152 communicates the third recess 162 and the first recess 158 via the flow path substrate 103 and the flow path substrate 104. The flow path 153 rises from the first recess 158 toward the flow path substrate 104 along the third direction Z from Z2 to Z1 on the Ya1 side of the flow path 152 in the fifth direction Ya. Is horizontally extended along the fifth direction Ya from Ya2 to Ya1, and further penetrates the flow path substrates 104 and 105 and extends along the third direction Z1. Is lowered toward Z2 and communicated with the flow path of the head body 6. Note that a portion of the flow path 153 that extends horizontally between the lower surface of the flow path substrate 103 and the upper surface of the flow path substrate 104 and extends from Ya2 to Ya1 along the fifth direction Ya In the first direction X, a portion of the path 151 that extends horizontally between the lower surface of the flow path substrate 103 and the upper surface of the flow path substrate 104 along the fifth direction Ya from Ya1 to Ya2. Since they overlap, they are not shown.

(B-1-4) Functions of the pressure adjusting means and the flow opening / closing means in the flow path Thus, the flow path from the self-sealing unit 4 which is the negative pressure generating means to the discharge section 6A via the filter means 6B of the head body 6 151, 152, and 153 are formed, and the flow channel opening / closing means 165 is disposed between the flow channel 151 and the flow channel 152, and the pressure in the flow channel is adjusted between the flow channel 152 and the flow channel 153. The means 161 is arranged. That is, a flow path is formed downstream from the self-sealing unit 4 through the flow path opening / closing means 165 and the flow path pressure adjusting means 161 to reach the head main body 6. While adjusting with the internal pressure adjustment means 161, the flow path opening / closing means 165 opens and closes between the flow path internal pressure adjustment means 161 and the self-sealing unit 4. The flow paths 151, 152, and 153 are dispersed in the Xa-Ya plane of the flow path substrates 103, 104, and 105 so as to correspond to the respective colors as flow paths having the same configuration.

  According to the liquid discharge head 3, the following actions and effects are obtained. In this type of liquid discharge head 3, the back pressure in the head (reservoir or pressure chamber) is maintained at a negative pressure in order to manage the position of the meniscus so that it can support continuous discharge. In addition, bubbles near the nozzle opening may be drawn into the nozzle opening due to the negative pressure. If air bubbles are drawn into the nozzle opening, nozzle clogging may occur.

  Therefore, in order to release the negative pressure, the volume in the flow path is decreased and the pressure in the flow path is increased by the pressure adjusting means 161 in the flow path. At that time, if the entire volume in the flow path is larger than the volume fluctuation by the pressure adjusting means 161 in the flow path, pressurization in the flow path cannot be effectively performed against the volume fluctuation. Furthermore, if there is a compliance portion in the flow path, the compliance portion absorbs the volume fluctuation, and the pressurization due to the volume fluctuation of the pressure adjusting means 161 in the flow path cannot be effectively performed. In particular, when the self-sealing unit 4 is used as the negative pressure generating means, as will be described in detail later, since the films 112 and 113 as the flexible members are used, the flexible members become the compliance portions.

  Therefore, in order to effectively perform the pressurization, the flow path opening / closing means 165 is provided on the downstream side of the self-sealing unit 4 and upstream of the flow path pressure adjusting means 161, and the flow path pressure adjusting means 161 is provided. Prior to pressurization by the flow path, the flow path opening / closing means 165 closes the flow path.

  When releasing the pressurization to make the pressure negative, the flow path opening / closing means 165 is opened and then the volume is increased by the flow path pressure adjusting means 161. If the volume is first increased by the pressure adjusting means 161 in the flow path, bubbles may be drawn when the meniscus position is displaced in the drawing direction. On the other hand, if the flow path opening / closing means 165 is opened first, the ink can be supplied from the flow path opening / closing means 165 or upstream thereof even if the volume is increased by the flow path pressure adjusting means 161. As the meniscus position is pulled in, the possibility of bubbles being pulled in can be reduced.

(B-2) Structure of Self-Sealing Unit FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration diagram showing the self-sealing unit extracted, and FIG. 3A is a schematic configuration diagram viewed from the fifth direction Ya, FIG. ) Is a schematic configuration diagram viewed from the Z1 side with respect to the third direction Z, and FIG. 3C is a schematic configuration diagram viewed from the AA ′ cross section of FIG. As shown in these drawings, the self-sealing unit 4 is a substantially rectangular parallelepiped member, and the films 112 and 113 are attached to both sides of the side surface along the longitudinal direction of the main body 111 by heat welding or the like. is there. That is, the self-sealing unit 4 has two film surfaces that are film surfaces along the fourth direction Xa and that face each other in the fifth direction Ya.

  On the other hand, a concave portion (see FIG. 3C) is formed on one side (the left side in the drawing) of one surface of the main body 111 in the fifth direction Ya with respect to the fourth direction Xa. A similar recess (see FIG. 3C) is also formed on the other side (the right side in the drawing) of the other surface in the fourth direction Xa. Such a recess is a space sealed with the films 112 and 113. As a result, the films 112 and 113 are displaced in the fifth direction Ya due to a change in pressure in the space. That is, the diaphragm chambers 114 and 115 are formed by the films 112 and 113 and the recesses. On the opposite surface side of the diaphragm chambers 114 and 115, valve chambers 118 and 119 that are smaller than the recesses and are sealed with the films 113 and 112 are formed through the communication holes 116 and 117. .

  The other end of the shaft 122 that passes through the communication hole 116 is fixed to the valve body 120. One end of the shaft 122 is fixed to the film 112 via a pressure receiving plate or the like (not shown). That is, the valve body 120 is on the side opposite to the film 112 with respect to the communication hole 116. In this embodiment, the valve body 120 side with respect to the communication hole 116 is the Ya1 side with respect to the fifth direction Ya, and the film 112 side with respect to the communication hole 116 is the Ya2 side with respect to the fifth direction Ya. Further, the valve body 120 is pressed from the Ya1 side toward the Ya2 side by the spring 124. Due to the displacement of the film 112 and the bias of the spring 124, the valve body 120 opens or closes the communication hole 116. The spring 124 is fixed to the main body 111 via a spring receiver (not shown).

  Similarly, the other end of the shaft 123 passing through the communication hole 117 is fixed to the valve body 121. One end of the shaft 123 is fixed to the film 113 via a pressure receiving plate or the like (not shown). That is, the valve body 121 is on the side opposite to the film 113 with respect to the communication hole 117. The valve body 121 is pressed by the spring 125 from the Ya2 side toward the Ya1 side. The valve body 121 opens or closes the communication hole 117 by the displacement of the film 113 and the bias of the spring 125. The spring 125 is fixed to the main body 111 via a spring receiver (not shown). As described above, the valve body 120 and the valve body 121 adjacent in the fourth direction Xa are located on both sides of the fifth direction Ya with respect to the communication holes 116 and 117.

  Thus, when a negative pressure is applied to the diaphragm chambers 114 and 115, portions corresponding to the diaphragm chambers 114 and 115 of the films 112 and 113 are displaced along the fifth direction Ya due to atmospheric pressure or the like. As a result, the valve body 120 moves to the Ya1 side in FIG. 3C, and the valve body 121 moves to the Ya2 side in FIG. 3C to open the communication holes 116 and 117, respectively. Here, the diaphragm chambers 114 and 115 are configured such that the negative pressure inside the head body 6 acts when the head body 6 ejects ink through the nozzles.

  Thus, the self-sealing unit 4 in this embodiment forms the film 112, the concave portion forming the diaphragm chamber 114, the self-sealing valve I formed by the valve body 120, the shaft 122 and the spring 124, and the film 113, the diaphragm chamber 115. And a self-sealing valve II formed by a valve body 121, a shaft 123, and a spring 125. Here, the self-sealing valves I and II are arranged apart from each other in the fourth direction Xa. Thus, the shafts 122 and 123 of the valve bodies 120 and 121 are configured so as not to overlap in the third direction Z, and the size of the self-sealing unit 4 in the third direction Z is reduced.

  On the upper surface on the Z1 side in the third direction Z of the main body 111, an ink supply port 126 for supplying ink to the self-sealing valve I side, and an ink supply port 127 for supplying ink to the self-sealing valve II side, Is formed and communicates with the internal flow path. Thus, the inflow ink F111 flowing into the self-sealing valve I side through the ink supply port 126 is supplied as the outflow ink F112 to the head main body 6 from the lower surface formed on the Z2 side of the main body 111, and through the ink supply port 127. Then, the inflow ink F121 flowing into the self-sealing valve II side is supplied to the head body 6 from the lower surface of the main body 111 as the outflow ink F122. More specifically, the ink supplied from the ink supply port 126 reaches the valve chamber 118. In this state, a negative pressure inside the head body 6 acts and a negative pressure exceeding a predetermined value acts on the diaphragm chamber 114. If the valve body 120 opens the communication hole 116 due to the displacement of the film 112, a communication hole is formed accordingly. Ink flows into the diaphragm chamber 114 through the passage 116, is introduced into the flow path 130 where the outlet portion 128 faces the diaphragm chamber 114, descends the back side of the main body 111, and discharges the lower surface of the main body 111 as the outflow ink F 112. It is supplied to the head body 6 through an outlet (not shown).

  On the other hand, the ink supplied from the ink supply port 127 reaches the valve chamber 119. In such a state, when negative pressure acts on the diaphragm chamber 115 and the valve body 121 opens the communication hole 117 due to the displacement of the film 113, ink flows into the diaphragm chamber 115 through the communication hole 117, and this diaphragm It is introduced into the flow path 131 where the outlet 129 faces the chamber 115, descends on the surface side of the main body 111, and is supplied to the head main body 6 through the discharge port (not shown) on the lower surface of the main body 111 as the outflow ink F122. .

  Further, in this embodiment, chamfered portions 132 and 133 are formed on both end surfaces of the main body 111 in the fourth direction Xa in FIG. 3, and an occupied space when a plurality of the self-sealing units 4 are arranged. Is devised to reduce as much as possible. That is, since the self-sealing unit 4 is arranged so that the film surfaces of the films 112 and 113 are along the fourth direction Xa, the outer shape of the self-sealing unit 4 viewed from the Z1 side with respect to the third direction Z is If the shape is rectangular, the dimension in the first direction X is increased. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 3B, by providing chamfered portions 132 and 133 in the self-sealing unit 4, the dimension in the first direction X is reduced.

  In addition, both of the flow paths 130 and 131 in the self-sealing valves I and II are disposed between the shafts 122 and 123 of the adjacent self-sealing valves I and II. As a result, the dimensions of the self-sealing unit 4 in the fourth direction Xa are compared with the case in which the flow paths 130 and 131 are disposed on both end surfaces in the fourth direction Xa of the main body 111 with respect to the shafts 122 and 123. Can be reduced. In addition, since both of the flow paths 130 and 131 are disposed between the shafts 122 and 123, the chamfered portions 132 and 133 are formed on the end surface of the main body 111 in the fourth direction Xa. The positions of 130 and 131 are not obstructed, and the space occupied when arranging a plurality of the self-sealing units 4 is devised so as to be reduced as much as possible.

  In addition, the self-sealing valves I and II in this embodiment are formed so that a part of the diaphragm chambers 114 and 115 overlap when seen through from the fifth direction Ya, as clearly shown in FIG. It is. Since the self-sealing valves I and II can be brought close to the central portion of the main body 111 in the fourth direction Xa by partially overlapping in this way, this also reduces the dimension in the fourth direction Xa. At the same time, the chamfered portions 132 and 133 can be easily formed.

  In such a self-sealing unit according to this embodiment, the ink supplied by pressure feeding from the distribution unit 18 is discharged toward the flow path member 5 through the diaphragm chambers 114 and 115 that exhibit the self-sealing valve function. The Thereby, even if the ink supplied from the ink supply source is pressurized, the inside of the head body 6 can be maintained at a negative pressure.

(B-3) Laminated Structure of Channel Member FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view showing the channel member according to the embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, the same parts as those in FIG.

  The channel member 5 is formed by stacking channel substrates 101 (see FIG. 2), 102 (see FIG. 2), 103, 104, and 105. However, since the flow path substrates 101 and 102 are accommodated in the housing 173, they are not shown. Air supply ports 169 and 170 are provided on the upper surface of the housing 173. The air supply ports 169 and 170 are connected to a distribution unit 18 (not shown) via bushings 178 and washers 179, respectively. Communicated. Although not shown, two self-sealing units 4 and 4 are disposed in contact with the side wall surfaces 173A and 173B of the housing 173. The housing 173 and the laminated flow path substrates 103 to 105 are firmly fastened and integrated by a plurality of fastening screws 174 and nuts 176 screwed to the respective fastening screws 174. This is due to the following reason. The uppermost member in the height direction of the in-channel pressure adjusting means 161 forms an air channel 172 communicating with the channel opening / closing means 165. Pressurized air is sent to the air flow path 172. Therefore, in order to maintain the strength of the air flow path 172 even when the pressurized air flows in the air flow path 172, the air is firmly fixed by the fastening screw 174 and the nut 176.

  On the other hand, the fastening screw 175 for fixing the uppermost member in the height direction of the flow path pressure adjusting means 161 is integrated with only the flow path substrates 103 to 105 together with the nut 177 screwed thereto. This is because the second flexible member 164 provided in the flow path opening / closing means 165 is in a position overlapping with the rubber.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the flow path substrates 101 to 105 have a laminated structure for the following reason. In the present embodiment, the pressure adjusting means 161 in the flow path easily changes the volume in the flow path. In this embodiment, the shape in the middle of the flow path is a room in which the pressure receiving area of the rubber that is the first flexible member 160 is widened. After changing the shape of the rubber, the posture of the rubber is displaced. In addition, as will be described later, since the rubber between the colors of CMYK is not a separate member but a single rubber, the pressure adjusting means 161 for each color of the color is arranged on the same plane. Therefore, there is less excess space in the Xa-Ya in-plane direction where the rubber is disposed. Therefore, the flow path pressure adjusting means 161 and the flow path opening / closing means 165 are laminated in different layers.

  For each color of CMYK, the stacking positions of the flow path pressure adjusting means 161 and the flow path opening / closing means 165 are the same between the colors, and the first flexible member 160 of the flow path pressure adjusting means 161 The rubber which is the second flexible member 164 of the channel opening / closing means 165 can be arranged on the same plane between colors. For this reason, the position where the reaction force is generated can be on the same plane, and the fixing of the flow path substrates 101 to 105 having a laminated structure can be further strengthened. Here, the second flexible member 164 for each color of CMYK may be a single rubber member. Such a structure is preferable from the viewpoint of sandwiching rubber.

  Further, since the stacking positions of the flow path pressure adjusting means 161 and the flow path opening / closing means 165 are the same, the ink flow path and the air flow path between the flow path pressure adjusting means 161 and the flow path opening / closing means 165 are also stacked by CMYK. The position can be the same. Therefore, the flow path substrates 103 to 105, which are laminated substrates for constituting each flow path, can also be a single member between CMYK.

  In this embodiment, the flow path opening / closing means 165 is laminated on the upstream side of the ink, and the flow path pressure adjusting means 161 is laminated on the downstream side. For this reason, the flow path substrates 103 to 105, which are the laminated substrates constituting the flow path opening / closing means 165 and the flow path pressure adjusting means 161, are arranged on the fourth recess (air chamber) 163 of the flow path opening / closing means 165 from the upstream side. The third recess (ink chamber) 162 of the flow path opening / closing means 165 → the first recess (ink chamber) 158 of the pressure adjustment means 161 in the flow path → the second recess (air chamber) 159 of the pressure adjustment means 161 in the flow path. They are stacked in order. By arranging the flow path substrates 103 and 104 for laminating ink in the sequential order from the top to the third layer and the fourth layer, the number of through holes and grooves for ink flow paths provided in the multilayer substrate is reduced. be able to. Note that the air for the channel opening / closing means 165 and the air for the in-channel pressure adjusting means 161 must be pressure controlled at different timings, as will be described later. It must be 172. Even if the laminated substrates for air are continuous in the second and third layers from the top, if the laminated substrates for the air flow path are sandwiched between them, the number of laminated substrates increases.

  Note that the volume of the latter of the third recess 162 that is the ink chamber of the flow path opening / closing means 165 and the first recess 158 that is the ink chamber of the pressure adjusting means 161 in the flow path is larger than the former volume. The flow path opening / closing means 165 only needs to be able to open and close the flow path, whereas the flow path pressure adjusting means 161 has a larger fluctuation range in order to adjust the pressure in the flow path by changing the flow path volume. This is because we want to have For this reason, the installation area of the flow path pressure adjusting means 161 is larger than the installation area of the flow path opening / closing means 165. Then, in order to reduce the size of the entire housing, the flow path opening / closing means 165 is a self-sealing which is a negative pressure generating means with respect to the layer provided with the flow path from the negative pressure generating means (self-sealing unit 4). On the unit 4 side, the flow path pressure adjusting means 161 is arranged on the opposite side. As a result, the channel opening / closing means 165 is disposed between the self-sealing units 4 in the Xa-Ya in-plane direction of the layer. In each of the in-channel pressure adjusting means 161 and the channel opening / closing means 165 in which the first and third recesses 158 and 162 that are ink chambers are sealed by rubber as the first and second flexible members, In the case of the volume, it means a volume in a state where the first and second flexible members 160 and 162 are not displaced.

  In addition, the flow path 153 from the pressure adjusting means 161 in the flow path needs to be brought to the four corners of the head unit in consideration of access to the relay board arranged on the XY plane at the downstream side. When viewed through in the stacking direction, the third recess 162, which is the ink chamber of the flow path opening / closing means 165, and the first recess 158, which is the ink chamber of the flow path pressure adjusting means 161, partially overlap each other. It has become the arrangement.

  In addition, the air supply source of the pressure adjusting means 161 in the flow path is common, but since the air flow path provided with through holes in the flow path substrates 101 to 104 is routed from the air supply port 170 in the stacking direction, the pressure in the flow path The air flow path of the adjusting means 161 branches at the lowest side in the stacking direction. Thereby, compared with the case where it branches on the uppermost side in the stacking direction, for example, the number of through-holes provided in the stacked substrate can be reduced, which contributes particularly to miniaturization in the XY direction.

  The seal member 204 is sandwiched between the flow path substrate 103 and the flow path substrate 102 (not shown in FIG. 4), and the third recess 162 as an ink chamber and the fourth recess 163 as an air chamber (see FIG. 4). Is a member for sealing. The seal member 206 is sandwiched between the flow path substrate 105 and the flow path substrate 104 to seal the second recess 159 that is an air chamber and the first recess 158 that is an ink chamber (not shown in FIG. 4). The first flexible member 160 is formed of a flexible rubber member. The first flexible member 160 in this embodiment is integrally formed with four colors of CYMK.

  The first flexible member 160 is always biased toward the second recess 159 by a spring 203 that is a biasing means. As a result, normally, the volume of the first recess 158 (not shown in FIG. 4), that is, the volume of the flow path pressure adjusting means 161 is maximized.

  The ink supplied from the self-sealing unit 4 (see FIG. 2) flows from the four ink inlets 201 provided in the flow path substrate 103 and communicates with the flow path 151. That is, after descending from Z1 to Z2 along the third direction Z, after passing through the horizontal channel formed in the channel substrate 104, and then ascending from Z2 to Z1 along the third direction Z And reaches the third recess 162 of the flow path substrate 103 through the hole 162A. Furthermore, the first recess 158 (not shown in FIG. 4) formed on the back surface of the channel substrate 104 passes through the channel 152 through the hole 162B of the third recess 162. Thereafter, the liquid is supplied to the head main body 6 (not shown in FIG. 4) communicated via the bushing 207 through the flow path 153 provided in the flow path substrate 104.

(B-4) Head Main Body FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view showing the head main body 6 according to the embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the head body 6 is composed of a discharge portion 6A and filter means 6B, and is integrated by fixing the filter means 6B to the discharge portion 6A with screws 211. Further, the filter means 6B includes a filter portion 6B1 and a case portion 6B2. By connecting the flow path member 5 to the four ink inflow portions 208 corresponding to each color CMYK of the case section 6B2 via the bushing 207 shown in FIG. 2), and further connected to an ink supply source (not shown) such as an ink cartridge. The filter 209 is formed by knitting fine metal wires into a mesh shape, and traps and removes foreign matter in the ink by circulating the ink. The filter 209 is disposed in the opening 210 formed in the case 300 of the filter unit 6B1. As a result, the ink supplied from the flow path member 5 is supplied to the ejection unit 6A after the foreign matter is removed by the filter 209 for each color of CMYK.

  The ejection unit 6A ejects ink droplets through a nozzle opening (not shown) by driving a drive element such as a piezoelectric actuator. Therefore, for example, if the pressure change can be generated in the pressure generation chamber filled with ink by the pressure generation means, the pressure generation means is not particularly limited, but the piezoelectric actuators stacked in the third direction Z are not limited. It can be suitably applied. This type of piezoelectric actuator includes, for example, a thin film type formed by film formation and lithography, and a thick film type formed by a method such as attaching a green sheet. The piezoelectric actuator can be a longitudinal vibration type in which piezoelectric materials and electrode forming materials are alternately stacked and expanded and contracted in the axial direction. Furthermore, as a pressure generating means, a heat generating element is arranged in the pressure generating chamber, and a liquid droplet is discharged from the nozzle opening by a bubble generated by heat generation of the heat generating element, or static electricity is generated between the diaphragm and the electrode. A so-called electrostatic actuator that discharges ink droplets from the nozzle openings by deforming the diaphragm by electrostatic force can also be used.

(B-5) Characteristics and Shapes of Each Laminated Substrate and Each Elastic Member Surface views viewed from the Z1 side in the plan views of the respective flow path substrates 101 to 105 are shown in FIGS. 6 (a) to 10 (a). The back views seen from the side are shown as FIGS. 6 (b) to 10 (b), respectively. 11A is a top view showing the first flexible member, FIG. 11B is a back view thereof, FIG. 12A is a plan view showing the second flexible member, and FIG. FIG. The description of the liquid discharge head 3 according to the present embodiment will be continued by adding these drawings. In these drawings, the same parts as those in FIGS. 2 and 4 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted.

  The elastic member of the self-sealing unit 4 which is the negative pressure generating means in this embodiment is formed by the films 112 and 113, whereas the elastic member of the in-channel pressure adjusting means 161 and the channel opening / closing means 165 is the first elastic member. The first and second flexible members 160 and 164 are made of rubber. The reason is as follows. Comparing rubber and film as a flexible member, rubber needs to be firmly clamped with screws to fix it, whereas film only needs to be heat-sealed. The film is easier in terms of fixing the flexible member. Also, from the viewpoint of cost, the film is generally cheaper. However, in terms of the amount of displacement, although it depends on the shape of the rubber in particular, it is easy to obtain a larger rubber. The responsiveness required for the displacement also depends on the shape of the rubber, but the rubber is generally better. In the self-sealing unit 4 which is a negative pressure generating means, a large amount of displacement is not required, so a film is used in consideration of the sticking work and cost. As will be described later, the film is also preferable in that it absorbs the ink flow caused by the operation of the flow path opening / closing means 165. On the other hand, the pressure adjusting means 161 in the flow path and the flow path opening / closing means 165 are responses that are switching when wiping or the like is finished in order to shorten the time required for wiping or the like, which is the purpose. It is preferable that the property is good. Further, it is generally preferable that the amount of displacement is larger than that of the self-sealing unit 4 which is a negative pressure generating means. Therefore, rubber is used for the first and second flexible members 160 and 164.

  Further, in this embodiment, the negative pressure generating means is placed vertically, while the flow path pressure adjusting means 161 and the flow path opening / closing means 165 are placed horizontally. That is, for the self-sealing unit 4 as the negative pressure generating means, the self-sealing unit 4 is arranged so that the direction of displacement of the film as the flexible member is a direction perpendicular to the third direction Z. The pressure in the channel so that the displacement direction of the first flexible member 160 and the second flexible member 164 which are the flexible members of the channel pressure adjusting means 161 and the channel opening / closing means 165 becomes the third direction Z. An adjusting means 161 and a flow path opening / closing means 165 are arranged. The reason is as follows. In the case of vertical installation, there is a risk that bubbles may accumulate on the upper side due to buoyancy. If it is placed horizontally, the possibility that bubbles will accumulate can be reduced. In addition, although the entrance / exit of the flow path in the flow path opening / closing means 165 is below the laminated flow path substrate 103, there is no problem because it is placed horizontally. In addition, the self-sealing unit 4 that is preferably a flexible member having a large pressure-receiving area is preferably placed vertically without being placed horizontally, thereby achieving downsizing from the viewpoint of installation area and space. Yes. As a comparative example, for example, when the self-sealing unit 4 is placed horizontally, in order to secure the pressure receiving area, it is necessary to change the layers with the pressure adjusting means 161 in the flow path and the flow path opening / closing means 165 and stack them. However, in that case, the dimension in the stacking direction (vertical direction) becomes large. In addition, by sharing the layers from the self-sealing unit 4 to the channel opening / closing means 165 between the colors of CMYK, the dimension in the stacking direction is reduced and the number of parts is also reduced.

  Furthermore, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the self-sealing unit 4 is disposed on both sides of the flow path member 5, and the pressure adjusting means 161 in the flow path and the flow path opening / closing means 165 are connected to the flow path member 5. Although arranged in the central portion, the length of the flow path between the self-sealing units 4 and 4 and the flow path opening / closing means 165, the size required for the flow path, and the flow path opening / closing means 165 and the flow path The length of the channel between the internal pressure adjusting means 161 and the size required for routing the channel can be reduced. As a comparative example, for example, both the CMYK self-sealing units 4 and 4 are arranged on one side of the flow path member 5, and the CMYK flow path opening / closing means 165 and the pressure adjusting means 161 in the flow path are arranged on the other side. If it is provided, the flow path length becomes long, which is not preferable from the viewpoint of pressure loss and exhaustability. Further, the flow path that communicates one self-sealing unit 4 and the flow path member 5 and the flow path that communicates the other self-sealing unit 4 and the flow path member 5 are arranged in the first direction X. This is not preferable for reducing the size of the liquid discharge head 3 as a whole.

  In this embodiment, regarding the degree of pressurization by the pressure adjusting means 161 in the flow path and the buffer amount, the degree of pressurization by the pressure adjusting means 161 in the flow path is 1) the number of nozzle openings on the downstream side, 2) the degree of meniscus hemisphere, 3 ) It depends on the compliance function in the reservoir and the pressure chamber in the discharge part 6A. An example (although not necessarily limited) of the change amount of the flow path volume by the flow path pressure adjusting means 161 is larger than the reservoir volume of the discharge unit 6A. If it is this level, even if many nozzles are provided with respect to the reservoir | reserver, pressurization can be performed effectively.

  The displacement amount of the first flexible member 160 is specified by the distance between the wall surface of the first recess 158 that is an ink chamber facing the first flexible member 160 and the first flexible member 160. That is, when the first flexible member 160 is displaced and comes into contact with the wall surface of the corresponding first recess 158, the fluid is pressurized as the target value. This makes it easier to pressurize the first flexible member 160 to an unlimited extent as compared with the case where the first flexible member 160 is endlessly displaced, and can prevent the rubber from being broken by excessive pressurization. .

  In this embodiment, the flow path opening / closing means 165 closes the flow path before the flow path volume is changed by the flow path pressure adjusting means 161, but the flow path opening / closing means 165 has the third recessed portion 162 and the second possible opening. Since the flexible member 164 is used, the flow channel volume and the pressure in the flow channel can be changed also by the flow channel opening / closing means 165. Accordingly, for example, the meniscus pressure resistance and the compliance of the reservoir and the tension of the films 112 and 113 of the self-sealing unit 4 are appropriately set so that the ink does not flow from the nozzle openings. Specifically, the flow path resistance from the flow path opening / closing means 165 to the self-sealing unit 4 that is the negative pressure generating means is made smaller than the flow path resistance from the flow path opening / closing means 165 to the nozzle opening. Thereby, even if the flow path is closed by the flow path opening / closing means 165, it is possible to prevent ink from flowing from the nozzle openings.

  As shown in FIG. 9B, a groove 166 radiated from the supply port 167 is provided on the upper surface of the first recess 158 which is an ink chamber of the flow path pressure adjusting means 161 in this embodiment. ing. This is because the first concave portion 158 which is an ink chamber of the pressure adjusting means 161 in the flow path has a circular cross section, and the ink flowing in from the supply port 167 at the center of the circle is at an arbitrary point on the arc from the center. This is because the gas flows out from the discharge port 168 arranged in the direction. That is, the first flexible member 160 that partitions the first concave portion 158 and the second concave portion 159 by pressurizing the flow path pressure adjusting means 161 to the second concave portion 159 that is an air chamber that is an ink chamber causes the ink chamber to When the first flexible member 160 is bent toward the first concave portion 158, the rubber serving as the first flexible member 160 may block the fluid supply port depending on the amount of bending of the first flexible member 160. In addition, choke suction (when sucking the inside of a sealed space provided by a cap to the nozzle opening surface and forcing ink to be ejected from the nozzle opening, the middle of the flow path is closed and negative pressure is applied. Also in the suction performed in order to save, rubber may block the supply port. Therefore, the supply port 167 on the ink chamber side of the pressure adjusting means 161 in the flow path is provided at the bottom of the groove 166 provided at the center of the circle, and the groove 166 is directed from the center of the circle to an arbitrary point on the arc. Even when the first flexible member 160 is bent, the groove 166 secures an ink path as an ink flow path and does not block the supply port 167 or the path from the supply port 167 to the discharge port 168. I am doing so.

  In consideration of air exhaustability in the first concave portion 158 that is an ink chamber, the direction in which the groove 166 extends is preferably not on a straight line from the supply port 167 to the discharge port 168. If it is not on a straight line, the direction in which ink flows in the first recess 158 changes due to the bending of the first flexible member 160, and the air bubbles staying in the first recess 158 before the flow changes are discharged due to the change in flow. It is because it becomes easy to be done.

  In particular, as shown in FIG. 4, the first flexible member 160 is urged from the first recess (ink chamber) 158 toward the second recess (air chamber) 159 in the flow path pressure adjusting means 161. When there is a spring 203, the first flexible member 160 in the flow path pressure adjusting means 161 is displaced toward the second recess (air chamber) 159 and displaced toward the first recess (ink chamber) 158. Each shape can be maintained. If a state of being displaced toward the first concave portion (ink chamber) 158 occurs during printing, the gap between the supply port 167 and the first flexible member 160 becomes narrow, and the pressure loss increases. Therefore, it is desirable to provide a spring 203 that biases from the first recess (ink chamber) 158 side toward the second recess (air chamber) 159 side so as not to cause such displacement during printing. When rubber is used as the first flexible member 160 in the pressure adjusting means 161 in the flow path, it is preferable to use bi-stable rubber in order to maintain the displaced state, and the second recess (air chamber) 159 is used. In a state where the side is opened to the atmosphere (default state), the posture recessed toward the second concave portion (air chamber) 159 can be maintained by the bias of the spring 203. Further, instead of or in addition to the bias of the spring 203, the second recess (air chamber) 159 side may be sucked. Thereby, the displacement of the 1st flexible member 160 during printing can be suppressed reliably.

  Further, in a state where the second recess (air chamber) 159 side is opened to the atmosphere (default state), the first flexible member 160 is recessed toward the second recess (air chamber) 159 side, and is further urged. It is preferable that the two concave portions (air chambers) 159 are in contact with corresponding side surfaces. Thereby, compared with the case where the 1st flexible member 160 is not contacting anywhere, the displacement of the 1st flexible member 160 during printing can be suppressed reliably.

  On the other hand, a spring for urging the second flexible member 164 in the flow path opening / closing means 165 is not provided. The reason is as follows. The in-channel pressure adjusting means 161 and the channel opening / closing means 165 are stacked and fixed by a common screw. At this time, if there is a spring in both the flow path pressure adjusting means 161 and the flow path opening / closing means 165, the assembly becomes difficult. Further, when rubber is used as the second flexible member 164 of the flow path opening / closing means 165, unlike the first flexible member 160 in the flow path pressure adjusting means 161, it is preferable to use film-like rubber ( (See FIG. 12). As a result, the displaced posture is not maintained, and the state in which the rubber of the second flexible member 164 in the flow path opening / closing means 165 blocks the ink flow in the flow path opening / closing means 165 is changed to the pressure in the flow path. Compared with that in the adjusting means 161, it can be made difficult to occur. Therefore, assembly is facilitated by not providing a spring for urging the second flexible member 164 in the flow path opening / closing means 165.

  In addition, when the flow path opening / closing means 165 and the flow path pressure adjusting means 161 are arranged on the same plane, there is no difficulty in assembling, so the second flexible member 164 in the flow path opening / closing means 165 is attached. A spring for biasing may be provided. Thereby, the displacement of the second flexible member 164 during printing can be suppressed. Further, instead of or together with the biasing of the spring, the fourth recess (air chamber) 163 side may be sucked.

  The first flexible member 160 in the flow path pressure adjusting means 161 needs to reduce the volume in the first recess 158 (ink chamber) when the negative pressure is released. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 11, the displacement amount is larger than that of the second flexible member 164 in the flow path opening / closing means 165. Specifically, the thickness on the arc side is made thinner than the thickness of the center part of the circle, and the thinned part is bent in the displacement direction so that the displacement amount is increased. In addition, since it is desired to switch the rubber posture in two stages, when it is desired to release the negative pressure and when it is not, the so-called bi-stable rubber is used so that the rubber posture can be switched stably.

  Note that the second flexible member 164 of the flow path opening / closing means 165 is not a so-called bi-stable rubber, but may be a film-like rubber as shown in FIG. In order to arrange the so-called bi-stable rubber, a larger installation area is required than the film-like rubber. However, if the second flexible member 164 of the channel opening / closing means 165 is a film-like rubber, The installation area required for the road opening / closing means 165 can be reduced. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the flow path substrate 102 is made smaller than the flow path substrate 103 in the fifth direction Ya, and the self-sealing units 4 are arranged on both sides of the flow path opening / closing means 165. I am doing so. That is, the self-sealing unit 4 is arranged in the same stacking position as at least one of the flow path substrates 102 and 103 forming the flow path opening / closing means 165 in the third direction Z. Thereby, the liquid discharge head 3 is reduced in size.

  With regard to the distribution of the air flow path, in this embodiment, the third recess 162 that is an ink chamber in the flow path opening / closing means 165 and the first recess 158 that is an ink chamber in the flow path pressure adjusting means 161 are the types of ink. It is necessary to provide for each (color). If not provided, on the premise that the timing of wiping with respect to the nozzle surface is switched for each type of ink, the inside of the third recess 162, which is the ink chamber in the flow path opening / closing means 165, and the pressure adjustment means 161 in the flow path An ink flow path switching mechanism that switches the type of ink that flows to the first recess 158, which is the ink chamber, is required. On the other hand, the third recess 162 in the flow path opening / closing means 165 and the first recess in the flow path pressure adjusting means 161 have the same air for displacing the first and second flexible members 160 and 164. It is not necessary to provide each ink type (color).

  Therefore, the third recess 162 in the flow channel opening / closing means 165 provided for each type of ink may be communicated by an air flow channel or may be a common air chamber. Similarly, the first recess 158 in the flow path pressure adjusting means 161 provided for each type of ink may be in communication or may be a common air chamber. However, when the common air chamber is used, the volume becomes large, so that the effect of pressurizing air is reduced with respect to the pressure receiving area of the flexible member. On the other hand, when an air chamber is provided for each type of ink, the volume of the air chamber is not too large, so the effect of pressurization does not become small.

  When the negative pressure is released, 1) the flow path is closed by the displacement of the second flexible member 164 in the flow path opening / closing means 165, and then 2) the second pressure in the flow path pressure adjusting means 161 is closed. 1 Since the flow path volume needs to be reduced by the displacement of the flexible member 160, the fourth recess 163 in the flow path opening / closing means 165 and the second recess 159 in the flow path pressure adjusting means 161 are connected to a common air chamber. It cannot be. Moreover, when communicating each other's air chamber, an air flow path switching mechanism is required.

  The operation of the channel opening / closing means 165 is performed by switching between pressurization and decompression of the fourth recess (air chamber) 163 in the channel opening / closing means 165. When the flow path of the third recess (ink chamber) 162 in the flow path opening / closing means 165 is closed, the pressure is applied. When releasing the blockage, open the atmosphere. In order to speed up the response of opening and closing the flow path, the blockage may be released by reducing the pressure in addition to (instead of) opening to the atmosphere.

  In addition, if the nozzle opening surface is capped (sealed) with a cap and the ink in the head is forcibly discharged by suctioning the inside of the sealed space by suction of a suction pump provided on the cap side, if you do not want to choke Reduce pressure. If you want to choke, pressurize. When suction is performed in the choked state, the negative pressure is accumulated in the head body 6 and bubbles stuck in the flow path upstream of the filter portion 6B1 of the filter means 6B provided downstream of the flow path opening / closing means 165 are removed. It can be discharged through a filter.

  Regarding the second flexible member 164 of the flow path opening / closing means 165, when the second flexible member 164 for each ink type is on the same plane, the second flexible member 164 for each ink type is a single unit. It can be a member. That is, it is sufficient that one flexible member has a size necessary for the number of types of ink. The same applies to the first flexible member 160 of the flow path pressure adjusting means 161. Further, an ink flow path supplied to the flow path opening / closing means 165 and the flow path pressure adjusting means 161 is also arranged on the plane on which the flexible member in the flow path opening / closing means 165 and the flow path pressure adjusting means 161 is provided. Has been. Since such an ink flow path and the flow path opening / closing means 165 and the pressure adjusting means 161 in the flow path are formed of the same member and these members are laminated, the ink flow path is formed on a plane on which the flexible member is provided. Divided. An O-ring may be used to seal the divided ink flow path, but the O-ring may be provided as a single member with the rubber in the flow path opening / closing means 165 and the flow path pressure adjusting means 161. .

  In the above embodiment, the case where the self-sealing unit 4 is used as the negative pressure generating means has been described. However, in addition to this, the negative pressure may be generated by using the negative pressure in the cartridge. A water head pressure difference obtained by adjusting the position of the tank in which the main body 6 and the flow path communicated with respect to the head main body 6 may be used. In short, it is sufficient if the liquid flow path of the head body 6 can be configured to be a negative pressure.

  In the above embodiment, the liquid ejection device includes the pair of rails 11A and 11B and the cleaning unit 14. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the liquid ejection head unit 1 may be provided. The head main body 6 only needs to include a pressure generation chamber and pressure generation means for causing pressure fluctuation in the ink in the pressure generation chamber.

  Further, the flow path opening / closing means 165 adjusts the pressure in the flow path by displacing the second flexible member 164 to close or open the ink flow path of the third recess 162 in order to open and close the flow path. Although the volume fluctuation in the flow path by the means 161 is not absorbed on the upstream side of the flow path opening / closing means 165, it is not limited to this. That is, if the volume fluctuation in the flow path by the pressure adjusting means 161 in the flow path can be prevented from being absorbed upstream from the flow path opening / closing means 165, the liquid flow path cannot be completely closed by the opening / closing by the flow path opening / closing means 165. For example, it is only necessary to switch between a state in which the channel resistance between the in-channel pressure adjusting unit 161 and the negative pressure generating unit is small and a large state by opening / closing by the channel opening / closing unit 165. Thereby, pressure loss during printing can be reduced, and volume fluctuation in the flow path by the flow path pressure adjusting means 161 can be prevented from being absorbed upstream of the flow path opening / closing means 165. That is, the case where the flow path is closed by the flow path opening / closing means 165 includes not only the case where the flow path is completely closed, but also the case where the flow path resistance of the flow path is switched from a small state to a large state. The same applies to the case where the flow path opening / closing means 165 is used to reduce the overall volume in the flow path with respect to the volume fluctuation by the flow path pressure adjusting means 161.

  In the above embodiment, as the ink jet recording apparatus 100, a so-called line recording apparatus in which the liquid discharge head unit 1 is fixed to the apparatus main body 2 and printing is performed simply by transporting the recording sheet S is exemplified. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the liquid discharge head 3 is mounted on a carriage that moves in the direction crossing the first direction X, which is the conveyance direction of the recording sheet S, for example, the second direction Y, and the liquid discharge head 3 The present invention can also be applied to a so-called serial type recording apparatus that performs printing while moving the head 3 in a direction crossing the transport direction.

  Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the present invention has been described by exemplifying an ink jet recording head that ejects ink droplets. However, the present invention is widely intended for all liquid ejecting heads. Examples of the liquid ejecting head include a recording head used for an image recording apparatus such as a printer, a color material ejecting head used for manufacturing a color filter such as a liquid crystal display, an organic EL display, and an electrode formation such as an FED (field emission display). Electrode material ejecting heads used in manufacturing, bioorganic matter ejecting heads used in biochip production, and the like.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Liquid discharge head unit, 2 Apparatus main body, 3 Liquid discharge head, 4 Self-sealing unit, 5 Flow path member, 6 Head main body, 18 Distribution unit, 100 Recording apparatus, 101, 102, 103, 104, 105 Flow path board , 112, 113 film, 120, 121 valve body, 130, 131 flow path, 151, 152, 153 flow path, 158 first recess, 159 second recess, 160 first flexible member, 161 pressure control means in flow path 162 third recess, 163 fourth recess, 164 second flexible member, 165 channel opening / closing means, 171, 172 air channel

Claims (20)

A flow path member used in a liquid discharge head including a discharge unit that discharges liquid through a nozzle opening by driving a drive element,
The discharge part communicates with a negative pressure generating means for maintaining the negative pressure of the discharge part,
The flow path member is
In-channel pressure adjusting means for adjusting the pressure in the flow path by changing the volume of the flow path in the middle of the flow path between the negative pressure generating means and the discharge unit;
A flow path opening / closing means that is in the middle of the flow path between the negative pressure generating means and the pressure adjusting means in the flow path and opens and closes the flow path,
Further, the pressure adjusting means in the flow path communicates with the flow path opening / closing means and the discharge section to store the liquid, communicates with the first fluid supply source and stores the fluid, and A second recess facing the first recess, a first flexible member interposed between the first recess and the second recess and sealing the first recess and the second recess, With
The flexible member is deformed by the fluid supplied from the first fluid supply source in a state where the flow channel is closed by the flow channel opening / closing means, and the first concave portion and the first flexible member are partitioned. A flow path member characterized by adjusting a pressure in the flow path by changing a volume of a portion to be formed. In the flow path member according to claim 1,
The flow path member characterized in that the flow path pressure adjusting means adjusts the pressure in the first recess by the air supplied from the first fluid supply source. In the flow path member according to claim 1 or 2,
The flow path member, wherein the liquid outlet from the first recess of the pressure adjusting means in the flow path is on the upper side in the vertical direction. In the flow path member according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The flow path member characterized in that the pressure adjusting means in the flow path further includes first urging means for urging the first flexible member from the first concave portion side to the second concave portion side. In the flow path member according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The liquid discharge head further includes a second fluid supply source for supplying a fluid for driving the flow path opening / closing means.
The flow path member is characterized in that the flow path opening and closing means opens and closes the flow path with the fluid supplied from the second fluid supply source. In the flow path member according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The flow path opening / closing means communicates with the negative pressure generating means and communicates with the flow path pressure adjusting means to store the liquid;
A fourth recess that communicates with the second fluid supply source to store the fluid and is opposed to the third recess;
A second flexible member interposed between the third recess and the fourth recess and sealing the third recess and the fourth recess;
The channel member, wherein the channel opening / closing means opens and closes the channel by deforming the second flexible member with the fluid supplied from the second fluid supply source. In the flow path member according to claim 6,
The flow path member, wherein the second flexible member opens the flow path when no fluid is supplied from the second fluid supply source. In the flow path member according to claim 6 or 7,
The flow path opening / closing means further includes second urging means for urging the second flexible member from the third concave portion side to the fourth concave portion side. In the flow path member according to any one of claims 5 to 8,
The second fluid supply source supplies a pressurized fluid when the channel is closed by the channel opening / closing means, and supplies a decompressed fluid when the channel is opened by the channel opening / closing means. A flow path member characterized by the above. In the flow path member according to any one of claims 1 to 9,
The negative pressure generating means has a flexible member that can be displaced in accordance with the discharge of the liquid from the discharge portion,
The flow path opening / closing means closes the flow path when the pressure in the flow path is adjusted by the pressure adjustment means in the flow path, thereby adjusting the negative pressure by adjusting the pressure by the pressure adjustment means in the flow path. A flow path member characterized in that the flexible member of the pressure generating means is not displaced. A discharge part;
The flow path member according to any one of claims 1 to 10,
A liquid ejection head comprising: Negative pressure generating means;
A liquid ejection head according to claim 11;
A liquid ejection apparatus comprising: A liquid ejection head including an ejection unit that ejects liquid through a nozzle opening by driving a drive element;
Negative pressure generating means that communicates with the discharge section and maintains the negative pressure of the discharge section;
In-channel pressure adjusting means for adjusting the pressure in the flow path by changing the volume of the flow path in the middle of the flow path between the negative pressure generating means and the discharge unit;
A flow path opening / closing means that is in the middle of the flow path between the negative pressure generating means and the pressure adjusting means in the flow path, and that opens and closes the flow path,
The negative pressure generating means has a flexible member that can be displaced in accordance with the discharge of the liquid from the discharge portion,
The flow path opening / closing means closes the flow path when the pressure in the flow path is adjusted by the pressure adjustment means in the flow path, thereby adjusting the negative pressure by adjusting the pressure by the pressure adjustment means in the flow path. A liquid ejecting apparatus, wherein the flexible member of the pressure generating means is prevented from being displaced. The liquid ejection apparatus according to claim 13, wherein
A liquid ejection apparatus, wherein a flow path resistance from the flow path opening / closing means to the negative pressure generating means is smaller than a flow path resistance from the flow path opening / closing means to the nozzle opening. The liquid ejection apparatus according to claim 13 or 14,
The pressure adjusting means in the flow path is
A first recess for storing liquid in communication with the channel opening / closing means and the discharge section;
A second recess that communicates with the first fluid supply source to store fluid and is opposite to the first recess;
A first flexible member interposed between the first recess and the second recess to seal the first recess and the second recess;
A liquid ejection apparatus comprising: The liquid ejection apparatus according to claim 15, wherein
The in-flow path pressure adjusting means further includes first urging means for urging the first flexible member from the first recessed portion side to the second recessed portion side. The liquid discharge apparatus according to any one of claims 13 to 16,
The channel opening / closing means includes
A third recess that communicates with the negative pressure generating means and communicates with the pressure adjusting means in the flow path to store the liquid;
A fourth recess that communicates with the second fluid supply source to store the fluid and is opposed to the third recess;
A second flexible member interposed between the third recess and the fourth recess and sealing the third recess and the fourth recess;
A liquid ejection apparatus comprising: The liquid ejection apparatus according to claim 17, wherein
The liquid discharge apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the flow path opening / closing means further includes second urging means for urging the second flexible member from the third concave portion side to the fourth concave portion side. The liquid discharge apparatus according to any one of claims 12 to 18,
Furthermore, it comprises a suction means for sucking liquid from the nozzle opening communicating with the discharge unit,
The flow path opening / closing means includes a first mode in which the flow path is closed while suction is being performed by the suction means, and a second mode in which the flow path is switched from a closed state to an open state. A liquid ejecting apparatus comprising: control means for sequentially performing the third mode in a state where the flow path is opened. The liquid ejection apparatus according to any one of claims 12 to 19,
Furthermore, the liquid discharge apparatus is provided with a collecting means for collecting a foreign substance in the liquid, which is in the middle of the flow path between the pressure adjusting means in the flow path and the discharge section.

Images