JP2017124606A - Liquid discharge head and liquid discharge device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a liquid discharge head that can reduce a distance between recording element substrates adjacent to each other.SOLUTION: In the liquid discharge head are arranged parallelly a plurality of support members 30 that support recording element substrates 10 comprising discharge ports for discharging liquid, where on each support member 30 is arranged the recording element substrate 10. In a direction in which the support members 30 are arranged parallely, end parts 412 of the recording element substrates 10 protrude outward more than end parts 413 of the support members 30 that support the recording element substrates 10.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 24

Description

  The present invention relates to a liquid discharge head and a liquid discharge apparatus that discharge liquid.

Liquid ejection devices such as inkjet printers are not only used for household printing, but also for business printing such as business printing and retail photo printing, and industrial printing such as electronic circuit drawing and panel display manufacturing. Also used. In such a liquid ejecting apparatus, high-speed printing is strongly required particularly in the field of business printing. As a technology that enables high-speed printing, a line-type head in which the width of the liquid discharge head that discharges the liquid is made longer than the width of the recording medium and more liquid discharge ports are arranged than in the past can be considered. Yes.
As a technique for lengthening the liquid discharge head, a technique in which a plurality of recording element substrates having discharge ports are arranged in the length direction of the liquid discharge head has been proposed.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-133867 discloses a technique for arranging recording element substrates in a line in the longitudinal direction of a liquid discharge head.
In Patent Document 2, a plurality of ejection modules each having a recording element substrate and a support member that supports the recording element substrate are prepared, and each of the plurality of ejection modules is individually mounted on a support plate in a detachable state. A method is described. In this method, even if a failure occurs in a specific discharge module, only the discharge module in which the failure has occurred can be replaced.

Japanese Patent No. 4495762 Japanese Patent No. 4824795

Using the techniques described in Patent Documents 1 and 2, when the ejection modules are arranged in a row in a state where they can be individually removed, the distance between the recording element substrates adjacent to each other is determined by the processing accuracy of the support member and the mounting alignment accuracy. Because it is low, it is limited by these precisions. For this reason, the distance between adjacent recording element substrates may not be sufficiently shortened.
If the distance between the recording element substrates is long, the displacement width in the scanning direction of the ejection port array provided in each recording element substrate becomes large in the adjacent portion of the recording element substrates adjacent to each other, or provided in each recording element substrate. The interval in the longitudinal direction of the discharge port array may be extended. For this reason, unevenness or the like may occur at positions corresponding to adjacent portions between the recording element substrates in the recorded image.

  SUMMARY An advantage of some aspects of the invention is that it provides a liquid discharge head and a liquid discharge apparatus that can reduce the distance between recording element substrates adjacent to each other.

The liquid discharge head according to the present invention is
First and second recording element substrates comprising recording elements that generate energy used to eject liquid;
First and second support members for supporting the first and second recording element substrates, respectively;
A flow path member in which the first and second support members are juxtaposed,
An end of the first recording element substrate on the second recording element substrate side protrudes from the end of the first support member on the second support member side toward the second recording element substrate. And

  According to the present invention, in the direction in which the support members are arranged side by side, the end portion of the recording element substrate protrudes outside the end portion of the support member that supports the recording element substrate. For this reason, the distance between the recording element substrates adjacent to each other can be defined by the processing accuracy and mounting position alignment accuracy of the recording element substrate. Therefore, the distance between the recording element substrates adjacent to each other can be reduced.

It is a figure which shows schematic structure of the liquid discharge apparatus which concerns on the application example 1 of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows the 1st circulation path which concerns on the application example 1 of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows the 2nd circulation path which concerns on the application example 1 of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows schematic structure of the liquid discharge head which concerns on the application example 1 of this invention. It is a disassembled perspective view of the liquid discharge head which concerns on the application example 1 of this invention. It is a surface view of the flow path member which concerns on the application example 1 of this invention. It is an expansion perspective view of the flow path in the flow path member which concerns on the application example 1 of this invention. It is the figure which showed the cross section in the EE line | wire of FIG. It is a schematic diagram which shows the discharge module which concerns on the application example 1 of this invention. 6 is a plan view of a recording element substrate according to an application example 1 of the invention. FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the cross section of the recording element board | substrate and cover member in the BB line in Fig.10 (a). FIG. 6 is a plan view illustrating a partially enlarged adjacent portion of a recording element substrate according to an application example 1 of the invention. It is a perspective view which shows schematic structure of the liquid discharge head which concerns on the application example 2 of this invention. FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective view of a liquid ejection head according to an application example 2 of the present invention. It is a surface view of the flow path member which concerns on the application example 2 of this invention. FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a liquid connection relationship between a recording element substrate and a flow path member according to Application Example 2 of the present invention. It is the figure which showed the cross section in the FF line | wire of FIG. It is a schematic diagram which shows the discharge module which concerns on the application example 2 of this invention. It is a top view of the recording element board | substrate which concerns on the application example 2 of this invention. It is a figure which shows schematic structure of the liquid discharge apparatus which concerns on the application example 2 of this invention. 1 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a liquid ejection head according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a top view of the liquid ejection head according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a deviation of the ejection port array of the liquid ejection head according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a side view of adjacent portions between recording element substrates according to the first embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the effect of the liquid discharge head which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows schematic structure of the liquid discharge head which concerns on the 4th Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 6 is a schematic view of recording element substrates adjacent to each other according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. 10 is a flowchart for explaining a manufacturing process of a liquid discharge head according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, each application example and each embodiment example of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. However, the following description does not limit the scope of the present invention. In the liquid discharge heads of the following embodiments, a thermal method in which bubbles are generated by heat generating elements and liquid is discharged is employed, but a piezo method or other liquid discharge methods may be employed. The liquid discharge head of the present invention for discharging a liquid such as ink and the liquid discharge apparatus equipped with the liquid discharge head can be applied to apparatuses such as a printer, a copying machine, a facsimile having a communication system, and a word processor having a printer unit. is there. Furthermore, the present invention can be applied to an industrial recording apparatus combined with various processing apparatuses. For example, it can be used for applications such as biochip fabrication, electronic circuit printing, and semiconductor substrate fabrication.
In the liquid ejection devices of the following embodiments, a form in which a liquid such as ink is circulated between the tank and the liquid ejection head is employed, but other forms may be employed. For example, the liquid ejection device provides two tanks on the upstream side and downstream side of the liquid ejection head without circulating the liquid, and flows the liquid in the pressure chamber by flowing the liquid from one tank to the other tank. It is also possible to use a form.
In each of the following embodiments, a so-called line type (page wide type) liquid discharge head having a length corresponding to the width of the recording medium is employed as the liquid discharge head. However, a so-called serial type liquid discharge head for performing recording while scanning the recording medium may be employed. As a serial type liquid discharge head, for example, there is one in which recording element substrates for black ink and color ink are mounted one by one, but not limited to this example. The serial type liquid discharge head may be, for example, a head shorter than the width of the recording medium in which several recording element substrates are arranged so that the discharge ports overlap in the discharge port array direction.

(Application example 1)
(Description of inkjet recording apparatus)
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a liquid ejection apparatus according to an application example 1, which is one of the configurations to which the present invention can be applied. The liquid discharge apparatus shown in FIG. 1 is an ink jet recording apparatus 1000 (hereinafter also referred to as a recording apparatus) that performs recording by discharging ink as a liquid. The recording apparatus 1000 includes a transport unit 1 that transports the recording medium 2 and a line-type liquid ejection head 3 that is arranged substantially orthogonal to the transport direction of the recording medium 2. Alternatively, it is a line type recording apparatus that performs continuous recording in one pass while intermittently conveying. The recording medium 2 may be cut paper or continuous roll paper. The liquid discharge head 3 can perform full color printing using CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow, black) ink as a liquid. Further, as will be described later, the liquid discharge head 3 is fluidly connected to liquid supply means, which is a supply path for supplying liquid to the liquid discharge head, a main tank, and a buffer tank (see FIG. 2). The liquid ejection head 3 is electrically connected to an electrical control unit that transmits electric power and logic signals to the liquid ejection head 3. The liquid path and the electric signal path in the liquid discharge head 3 will be described later.

(Explanation of the first circulation path)
A circulation path for circulating the liquid, which is applied to the recording apparatus of this application example, will be described. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a first circulation path which is one form of the circulation path applied to the recording apparatus of this application example. In FIG. 2, the liquid discharge head 3 is fluidly connected to a first circulation pump (high pressure side) 1001, a first circulation pump (low pressure side) 1002, a buffer tank 1003, and the like. Further, in FIG. 2, only a path through which one color of the CMYK ink flows is shown for the sake of simplicity, but in reality, the circulation path for four colors includes the liquid ejection head 3 and the recording. It is provided in the apparatus 1000 main body.
A buffer tank 1003 used as a sub tank is connected to the main tank 1006. The buffer tank 1003 has an air communication port (not shown) that communicates the inside and the outside of the tank, and can discharge bubbles in the ink to the outside. The buffer tank 1003 is further connected to the refill pump 1005. The replenishment pump 1005 transfers the consumed ink from the main tank 1006 to the buffer tank 1003 when the liquid is discharged from the discharge port of the liquid discharge head 3 by the operation of discharging or discharging the liquid. To do. Examples of the operation for discharging or discharging the liquid include a recording operation and a suction recovery operation.
The two first circulation pumps 1001 and 1002 have a function of drawing a liquid from the liquid connection part 111 of the liquid discharge head 3 and flowing it to the buffer tank 1003. As the first circulation pump, a positive displacement pump having a quantitative liquid feeding capacity is preferable. Specific examples of the first circulation pump include a tube pump, a gear pump, a diaphragm pump, and a syringe pump. For example, a general constant flow valve or a relief valve is arranged at the pump outlet to ensure a constant flow rate. It may be in the form of When the liquid discharge head 3 is driven, a fixed amount of liquid flows through the common supply channel 211 and the common recovery channel 212 by the first circulation pump (high pressure side) 1001 and the first circulation pump (low pressure side) 1002, respectively. It is preferable that the flow rate of the liquid be set to a level that does not affect the temperature difference between the recording element substrates 10 in the liquid discharge head 3 so as to affect the image quality of the recorded image. However, if an excessively large flow rate is set, the negative pressure difference between the recording element substrates 10 becomes too large due to the pressure loss of the flow path in the liquid ejection unit 300, and density unevenness occurs in the image. For this reason, it is preferable to set the flow rate in consideration of the temperature difference and the negative pressure difference between the recording element substrates 10.
The negative pressure control unit 230 is provided on a path between the second circulation pump 1004 and the liquid discharge unit 300. Even when the flow rate in the circulation path varies due to the difference in recording duty (Duty), the negative pressure control unit 230 has a constant range centered on a desired pressure that is preset downstream of the negative pressure control unit 230. Operate to keep in. The downstream side of the negative pressure control unit 230 is a side closer to the liquid discharge unit 300 than the negative pressure control unit 230. The negative pressure control unit 230 includes two pressure adjustment mechanisms in which different control pressures are set. The two pressure adjusting mechanisms are not particularly limited as long as the pressure downstream of itself can be controlled with a fluctuation within a certain range centered on a desired set pressure. As the pressure adjustment mechanism, for example, a so-called “decompression regulator” can be employed. When a pressure reducing regulator is used as the pressure adjusting mechanism, it is preferable to pressurize the upstream side of the negative pressure control unit 230 via the liquid supply unit 220 by the second circulation pump 1004 as shown in FIG. In this case, since the influence of the water head pressure on the liquid discharge head 3 of the buffer tank 1003 can be suppressed, the degree of freedom of the layout of the buffer tank 1003 in the recording apparatus 1000 can be expanded. The second circulation pump 1004 may be any pump that has a head pressure higher than a certain pressure in the range of the ink circulation flow rate used when the liquid discharge head 3 is driven, and a turbo pump, a positive displacement pump, or the like can be used. Specifically, a diaphragm pump or the like is applicable as the second circulation pump 1004. Further, instead of the second circulation pump 1004, for example, a water head tank arranged so as to have a predetermined water head difference with respect to the negative pressure control unit 230 can be applied.
Of the two pressure adjustment mechanisms, the relatively high pressure setting mechanism and the relatively low pressure setting mechanism are common to the common supply channel 211 in the liquid discharge unit 300 via the liquid supply unit 220. Each is connected to a recovery channel 212. The mechanism on the relatively high pressure setting side is indicated by H in FIG. 2, and the mechanism on the relatively low pressure setting side is indicated by L in FIG. The liquid ejection unit 300 is provided with a common supply channel 211, a common recovery channel 212, and an individual supply channel 213a and an individual recovery channel 213b that communicate with each recording element substrate. The individual flow paths 213 (individual supply flow paths 213a and individual recovery flow paths 213b) communicate with the common supply flow paths 211 and the common recovery flow paths 212. Therefore, a flow (arrow in FIG. 2) in which a part of the liquid flowing through the common supply channel 211 passes from the common supply channel 211 to the common recovery channel 212 through the internal channel of the recording element substrate 10. Occur. This is because the pressure adjustment mechanism H on the high pressure setting side is connected to the common supply flow path 211, and the pressure adjustment mechanism L on the low pressure setting side is connected to the common recovery flow path 212. This is because a differential pressure is generated between the common supply channel 211 and the common recovery channel 212).
As described above, in the liquid discharge unit 300, a flow is generated in which a part of the liquid passes through each recording element substrate 10 while the liquid passes through each of the common supply flow path 211 and the common recovery flow path 212. . Therefore, the heat generated in each recording element substrate 10 can be discharged to the outside of the recording element substrate 10 with the liquid flowing through the common supply channel 211 and the common recovery channel 212. In addition, with this configuration, when recording is performed by the liquid ejection head 3, it is possible to cause a liquid flow even at ejection ports and pressure chambers where recording is not performed. Can suppress viscosity. Further, the thickened liquid and the foreign matter in the liquid can be discharged to the common recovery channel 212. For this reason, the liquid discharge head 3 of this application example can perform high-speed and high-quality recording.

(Explanation of second circulation path)
FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a second circulation path different from the first circulation path described above, among the circulation paths applied to the recording apparatus of this application example. The main difference between the second circulation path and the first circulation path is that the two pressure adjustment mechanisms constituting the negative pressure control unit 230 both control the pressure upstream of the negative pressure control unit 230. It is. In other words, both of these two pressure adjustment mechanisms are mechanisms that control this pressure by fluctuation within a certain range centered on a desired set pressure (a mechanism having the same action as a so-called “back pressure regulator”). is there. Another difference is that the second circulation pump 1004 acts as a negative pressure source for reducing the pressure on the downstream side of the negative pressure control unit 230. Still another difference is that the first circulation pump (high pressure side) 1001 and the first circulation pump (low pressure side) 1002 are arranged upstream of the liquid discharge head, and the negative pressure control unit 230 is arranged downstream of the liquid discharge head. It is that.
In the second circulation path, even if the flow rate in the circulation path fluctuates due to the difference in the recording duty (Duty), the negative pressure control unit 230 focuses the pressure fluctuation on its upstream side around the preset desired pressure. It operates to maintain within a certain range. The upstream side of the negative pressure control unit 230 is the liquid discharge unit 300 side relative to the negative pressure control unit 230. As shown in FIG. 3, it is preferable that the second circulation pump 1004 pressurizes the downstream side of the negative pressure control unit 230 via the liquid supply unit 220. In this case, since the influence of the water head pressure of the buffer tank 1003 on the liquid ejection head 3 can be suppressed, the degree of freedom of the layout of the buffer tank 1003 in the recording apparatus 1000 can be expanded. Instead of the second circulation pump 1004, for example, a water head tank arranged so as to have a predetermined water head difference with respect to the negative pressure control unit 230 can be applied.
As shown in FIG. 3, the negative pressure control unit 230 includes two pressure adjustment mechanisms in which different control pressures are set, as in the first circulation path. Of the two negative pressure adjustment mechanisms, the high pressure setting side (H) mechanism and the low pressure setting side (L) mechanism are connected to the common supply flow path 211 in the liquid discharge unit 300 via the liquid supply unit 220. Each is connected to a common recovery channel 212. The pressure of the common supply channel 211 is relatively higher than the pressure of the common recovery channel 212 by the two negative pressure adjusting mechanisms. For this reason, a part of the liquid flowing in the common supply channel 211 is generated to flow from the common supply channel 211 to the common recovery channel 212 via the individual channels 213 and the internal channels of each recording element substrate 10. (Arrow in FIG. 3). Thus, in the second circulation path, a liquid flow similar to that in the first circulation path can be created in the liquid discharge unit 300, and there are two advantages different from the first circulation path.
The first advantage is that dust and foreign matter generated from the negative pressure control unit 230 flow into the liquid discharge head 3 because the negative pressure control unit 230 is disposed downstream of the liquid discharge head 3 in the second circulation path. There is little concern to do. The second advantage is that the maximum value of the flow rate that needs to be supplied from the buffer tank 1003 to the liquid ejection head 3 is smaller in the second circulation path than in the first circulation path. The reason is as follows.
In the common supply flow path 211 and the common recovery flow path 212, which are necessary for setting the temperature difference between the recording element substrates 10 in the liquid discharge unit 300 within a desired range at the time of recording standby when liquid is not discharged. The minimum value of the total value of the flow rates is defined as the minimum circulating flow rate A. Also, let F be the discharge flow rate at the time of full discharge that discharges ink from all the discharge ports of the liquid discharge unit 300.
In the case of the first circulation path (in the case of FIG. 2), the set flow rates of the first circulation pump (high pressure side) 1001 and the first circulation pump (low pressure side) 1002 are equal to the minimum circulation flow rate A. The required liquid supply amount to the liquid discharge head 3 is A + F. For this reason, the maximum value of the necessary supply flow rate in the first circulation path is A + F.
On the other hand, in the case of the second circulation path (in the case of FIG. 3), the liquid supply amount to the liquid discharge head 3 required during recording standby is equal to the minimum circulation flow rate A, and the liquid discharge head 3 required for full discharge is supplied. The supply amount is equal to the discharge flow rate F. For this reason, the total value of the set flow rates of the first circulation pump (high pressure side) 1001 and the first circulation pump (low pressure side) 1002 is the larger of A and F. Therefore, the maximum value of the necessary supply flow rate in the second circulation path is the larger of A and F.
Therefore, when using the liquid discharge unit 300 having the same configuration, the maximum value (A or F) of the necessary supply flow rate in the second circulation path is greater than the maximum value (A + F) of the necessary supply flow rate in the first circulation path. Be sure to get smaller. For this reason, in the case of a 2nd circulation path, the freedom degree of the applicable circulation pump increases. Therefore, for example, a low-cost circulation pump with a simple configuration can be used, or the load on a cooler (not shown) installed in the main body side path can be reduced, and the cost of the recording apparatus main body can be reduced. There is an advantage. This advantage is particularly noticeable with a line-type head having a relatively large value of A or F, and becomes more prominent as the length in the longitudinal direction is longer among the line-type heads.
On the other hand, however, the first circulation path is more advantageous than the second circulation path. For example, in the second circulation path, the flow rate that flows through the liquid ejection unit 300 during recording standby is maximum, so that the lower the recording duty, the higher the negative pressure is applied to each ejection port. For this reason, in particular, the flow width of the common supply flow path 211 and the common recovery flow path 212 (length in the direction perpendicular to the liquid flow direction) is reduced to reduce the head width (length in the short direction of the liquid discharge head). Is reduced, a high negative pressure is applied to the discharge port in a low-duty image in which unevenness is easily visible. For this reason, there is a possibility that the influence of the satellite droplet is increased. On the other hand, in the case of the first circulation path, since a high negative pressure is applied to the discharge port at the time of forming a high duty image, it is difficult to visually recognize even if satellite droplets are generated. For this reason, there is an advantage that the influence on the image is small.
Selecting a preferred one of the first circulation path and the second circulation path according to the specifications of the liquid discharge head and the recording apparatus main body (discharge flow rate F, minimum circulation flow rate A, flow path resistance in the head, and the like). Can do.

(Description of liquid discharge head configuration)
The configuration of the liquid ejection head 3 according to Application Example 1 will be described. 4A and 4B are perspective views of the liquid ejection head 3 according to this application example. The liquid ejection head 3 is a line type liquid ejection head in which 15 recording element substrates 10 that can eject inks of four colors of CMYK are linearly arranged (arranged inline) with one recording element substrate 10. As shown in FIG. 4A, the liquid ejection head 3 includes a signal input terminal 91 and a power supply terminal 92 that are electrically connected to each recording element substrate 10 via the flexible wiring board 40 and the electric wiring board 90. With. The signal input terminal 91 and the power supply terminal 92 are electrically connected to a control unit (not shown) of the printing apparatus 1000, and supply a logic signal and power necessary for ejection to the printing element substrate 10, respectively. By consolidating the wiring by the electric circuit in the electric wiring board 90, the number of signal input terminals 91 and power supply terminals 92 can be reduced as compared with the number of recording element boards 10. As a result, the number of electrical connection portions that need to be attached and detached when the liquid discharge head 3 is assembled or the liquid discharge head 3 is replaced can be reduced. As shown in FIG. 4B, the liquid connection portions 111 provided at both ends of the liquid ejection head 3 are connected to the liquid supply system of the recording apparatus 1000. As a result, CMYK four color inks are supplied from the supply system of the recording apparatus 1000 to the liquid discharge head 3, and ink that has passed through the liquid discharge head 3 is collected into the supply system of the recording apparatus 1000. As described above, the ink of each color can be circulated through the path of the recording apparatus 1000 and the path of the liquid discharge head 3.
FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of each component or unit constituting the liquid discharge head 3. In FIG. 5, the liquid discharge unit 300, the liquid supply unit 220, and the electric wiring board 90 are attached to the housing 80. The liquid supply unit 220 is provided with a liquid connection part 111 (FIG. 3), and the liquid supply unit 220 communicates with each opening of the liquid connection part 111 in order to remove foreign substances in the supplied liquid. A filter 221 (FIGS. 2 and 3) for each color is provided. The two liquid supply units 220 are each provided with filters 221 for two colors. The liquid that has passed through the filter 221 is supplied to the negative pressure control unit 230 disposed on the liquid supply unit 220 corresponding to each color. The negative pressure control unit 230 is a unit composed of a pressure adjusting valve for each color, and the inside of the supply system of the recording apparatus 1000 (liquid ejection head) generated by the fluctuation of the liquid flow rate by a valve, a spring member, or the like provided therein. 3) the pressure loss change in the upstream supply system) is greatly attenuated. Thereby, it is possible to stabilize the negative pressure change on the downstream side (liquid ejection unit 300 side) from the pressure control unit within a certain range. As described with reference to FIG. 2, the negative pressure control unit 230 for each color has two pressure regulating valves for each color, which are set to different control pressures. Of the two pressure regulating valves, the high pressure side communicates with the common supply channel 211 in the liquid discharge unit 300 through the liquid supply unit 220, and the low pressure side has a common recovery in the liquid discharge unit 300 through the liquid supply unit 220. It communicates with the channel 212.
The casing 80 includes a liquid discharge unit support part 81 and an electric wiring board support part 82, supports the liquid discharge unit 300 and the electric wiring board 90, and ensures the rigidity of the liquid discharge head 3. The electric wiring board support part 82 is a member for supporting the electric wiring board 90 and is fixed to the liquid discharge unit support part 81 by screws. The liquid discharge unit support portion 81 has a function of correcting the warp and deformation of the liquid discharge unit 300 and ensuring the relative positional accuracy of the plurality of recording element substrates 10, thereby suppressing streaks and unevenness in the recorded image. To do. Therefore, it is preferable that the liquid discharge unit support portion 81 has sufficient rigidity, and the material is preferably a metal material such as SUS (stainless steel) or aluminum, or a ceramic such as alumina. The liquid discharge unit support portion 81 is provided with openings 83 and 84 into which the joint rubber 100 is inserted. The liquid supplied from the liquid supply unit 220 is guided to the third flow path member 70 constituting the liquid discharge unit 300 through the joint rubber 100.
The liquid discharge unit 300 includes a plurality of discharge modules 200 and flow path members 210, and a cover member 130 is attached to the surface of the liquid discharge unit 300 on the recording medium side. Here, the cover member 130 is a member having a frame-like surface provided with a long opening 131 as shown in FIG. 5. From the opening 131, the recording element substrate 10 included in the discharge module 200 and the sealing member 130 are sealed. The stopper part 110 (FIG. 9) is exposed. The frame portion around the opening 131 functions as a contact surface of a cap member that caps the liquid ejection head 3 during recording standby. For this reason, a closed space is formed at the time of capping by applying an adhesive, a sealing material, a filler, or the like along the periphery of the opening 131 and filling the irregularities and gaps on the discharge port surface of the liquid discharge unit 300. It is preferable to do so.

Next, the configuration of the flow path member 210 included in the liquid discharge unit 300 will be described. As shown in FIG. 5, the flow path member 210 is a laminate of the first flow path member 50, the second flow path member 60, and the third flow path member 70. The flow path member 210 distributes the liquid supplied from the liquid supply unit 220 to each discharge module 200, and returns the liquid circulated from the discharge module 200 to the liquid supply unit 220. The flow path member 210 is fixed to the liquid discharge unit support portion 81 with screws, and thereby warpage and deformation of the flow path member 210 are suppressed.
FIGS. 6A to 6F are views showing the front and back surfaces of each flow path member of the first to third flow path members. 6A shows the surface of the first flow path member 50 on the side where the discharge module 200 is mounted, and FIG. 6F shows the liquid discharge unit support portion 81 of the third flow path member 70. The surface on the abutting side is shown. The first flow path member 50 and the second flow path member 60 are joined so that the contact surfaces shown in FIG. 6B and FIG. 6C are opposed to each other. The third flow path member is joined so that the contact surfaces shown in FIGS. 6D and 6E face each other. When the second flow path member 60 and the third flow path member 70 are joined to each other, the common flow path grooves 62 and 71 formed in the second flow path member 60 and the third flow path member 70, respectively, Eight common flow paths extending in the longitudinal direction are formed. As a result, a set of the common supply channel 211 and the common recovery channel 212 is formed in the channel member 210 for each color (FIG. 7). The communication port 72 of the third flow path member 70 communicates with each hole of the joint rubber 100 and is in fluid communication with the liquid supply unit 220. A plurality of communication ports 61 are formed in the bottom surface of the common flow channel 62 of the second flow channel member 60 and communicate with one end of the individual flow channel 52 of the first flow channel member 50. A communication port 51 is formed at the other end of the individual flow channel 52 of the first flow channel member 50, and is in fluid communication with the plurality of discharge modules 200 via the communication port 51. The individual flow channel 52 enables the flow channels to be concentrated on the center side of the flow channel member.
The first to third flow path members 50 to 70 are preferably formed of a material having corrosion resistance against a liquid and having a low linear expansion coefficient. As a material of the first to third flow path members 50 to 70, for example, a composite material (aluminum, LCP (liquid crystal polymer), PPS (polyphenyl sulfide) or PSF (polysulfone)) as a base material and an inorganic filler added ( Resin material) is preferred. Examples of the inorganic filler include silica fine particles and fibers. As a method of forming the flow path member 210, three flow path members may be laminated and bonded to each other. When a resin composite resin material is selected as a material, a joining method by welding may be used.

Next, the connection relation of each flow path in the flow path member 210 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 7 is an enlarged view of a part of the flow path in the flow path member 210 formed by joining the first to third flow path members from the surface side on which the discharge module 200 of the first flow path member 50 is mounted. FIG. The flow path member 210 has a common supply flow path 211 (211a, 211b, 211c, 211d) and a common recovery flow path 212 (212a, 212b, 212c, 212d) extending in the longitudinal direction of the liquid ejection head 3 for each color. Is provided. A plurality of individual supply channels (213 a, 213 b, 213 c, and 213 d) formed by the individual channel grooves 52 are connected to the common supply channel 211 of each color via the communication port 61. In addition, a plurality of individual recovery channels (214a, 214b, 214c, 214d) formed by the individual channel grooves 52 are connected to the common recovery channel 212 of each color via the communication port 61. With such a flow path configuration, the liquid can be concentrated from each common supply flow path 211 via the individual supply flow path 213 to the recording element substrate 10 located at the center of the flow path member. Further, the liquid can be recovered from the recording element substrate 10 to each common recovery channel 212 via the individual recovery channel 214.
FIG. 8 is a view showing a cross section taken along line EE of FIG. As shown in this figure, each individual recovery flow path 214 a and 214 c communicates with the discharge module 200 via the communication port 51. Although only the individual recovery channels 214a and 214c are shown in FIG. 8, the individual supply channel 213 and the discharge module 200 communicate with each other in another cross section as shown in FIG. The support member 30 and the recording element substrate 10 included in each discharge module 200 have a flow path for supplying the liquid from the first flow path member 50 to the recording element 15 (FIG. 10) provided on the recording element substrate 10. Is formed. Further, the support member 30 and the recording element substrate 10 included in each discharge module 200 have a flow path for collecting (circulating) part or all of the liquid supplied to the recording element 15 to the first flow path member 50. Is formed. Here, the common supply channel 211 of each color is connected to the corresponding negative pressure control unit 230 (high pressure side) via the liquid supply unit 220, and the common recovery channel 212 is connected to the negative pressure control unit 230 (low pressure). Side) and the liquid supply unit 220. By this negative pressure control unit 230, a differential pressure (pressure difference) is generated between the common supply channel 211 and the common recovery channel 212. For this reason, in the liquid ejection head 3 of this application example in which the flow paths are connected as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the common supply flow path 211 to the individual supply flow paths 213a to the recording element substrates 10 to 10 are individually used for each color. A flow that flows in order from the recovery channel 213b to the common recovery channel 212 is generated.

(Description of discharge module)
FIG. 9A is a perspective view of one discharge module 200, and FIG. 9B is an exploded view thereof. As a manufacturing method of the discharge module 200, first, the recording element substrate 10 and the flexible wiring substrate 40 are bonded onto the support member 30 provided with the liquid communication port 31 in advance. Then, the terminals 16 on the recording element substrate 10 and the terminals 41 on the flexible wiring substrate 40 are electrically connected by wire bonding, and then the wire bonding portion (electrical connection portion) is covered with the sealing material portion 110. Seal. A terminal 42 of the flexible wiring board 40 opposite to the recording element substrate 10 is electrically connected to a connection terminal 93 (see FIG. 5) of the electric wiring board 90. The support member 30 is a support member that supports the recording element substrate 10 and a flow path member that fluidly communicates the recording element substrate 10 and the flow path member 210 with each other. Those that can be bonded to the recording element substrate with high reliability are preferable. As a material of the support member 30, for example, alumina or a resin material is preferable.

(Description of structure of recording element substrate)
The configuration of the recording element substrate 10 in this application example will be described. 10A is a plan view of the surface of the recording element substrate 10 on the side where the discharge ports 13 are formed, and FIG. 10B is an enlarged view of a portion indicated by A in FIG. FIG.10 (c) is a top view of the back surface of Fig.10 (a).
As shown in FIG. 10A, the discharge port forming member 12 of the recording element substrate 10 is formed with four rows of discharge port rows corresponding to the respective ink colors. Hereinafter, the direction in which the discharge port array in which the plurality of discharge ports 13 are arranged is referred to as “discharge port array direction”.
As shown in FIG. 10B, recording elements 15 that are heat generating elements for foaming the liquid with thermal energy are arranged at positions corresponding to the respective ejection ports 13. In the present invention, the recording element is not limited to a heat generating element, and various elements that generate energy used for discharging a liquid, such as a piezoelectric element, can be applied. A partition 22 defines a pressure chamber 23 having the recording element 15 therein. The recording element 15 is electrically connected to the terminal 16 in FIG. 10A by electrical wiring (not shown) provided on the recording element substrate 10. The recording element 15 generates heat based on a pulse signal input from the control circuit of the recording apparatus 1000 via the electric wiring board 90 (FIG. 5) and the flexible wiring board 40 (FIG. 9), and boiles the liquid. Liquid is discharged from the discharge port 13 by the force of foaming due to boiling. As shown in FIG. 10B, along each discharge port array, a liquid supply path 18 extends on one side, and a liquid recovery path 19 extends on the other side. The liquid supply path 18 and the liquid recovery path 19 are flow paths extending in the direction of the discharge port array provided in the recording element substrate 10 and communicate with the discharge port 13 through the supply port 17a and the recovery port 17b, respectively. The supply port 17 a is used for supplying liquid to the pressure chamber 23, and the recovery port 17 b is used for recovering liquid from the pressure chamber 23. The liquid in the pressure chamber 23 is circulated to the outside through the supply port 17a and the recovery port 17b.
As shown in FIG. 10C and FIG. 11 described later, a sheet-like lid member 20 is laminated on the back surface of the recording element substrate 10 on which the discharge port 13 is formed. A plurality of openings 21 communicating with a liquid supply path 18 and a liquid recovery path 19 described later are provided. In this application example, three openings 21 are provided in the lid member 20 for one liquid supply path 18 and two openings 21 for one liquid recovery path 19. As shown in FIG. 10B, each opening 21 of the lid member 20 communicates with a plurality of communication ports 51 shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 11, the lid member 20 has a function as a lid that forms part of the walls of the liquid supply path 18 and the liquid recovery path 19 formed in the substrate 11 of the recording element substrate 10. The lid member 20 preferably has sufficient corrosion resistance to the liquid, and high accuracy is required for the opening shape and the opening position of the opening 21 from the viewpoint of preventing color mixing. For this reason, it is preferable to use a photosensitive resin material or a silicon plate as the material of the lid member 20 and provide the opening 21 by a photolithography process. As described above, the lid member 20 converts the pitch of the flow path by the opening 21. In consideration of the pressure loss, the lid member 20 is preferably thin and is preferably formed of a film-like member.

Next, the flow of liquid in the recording element substrate 10 will be described. FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing a cross section of the recording element substrate 10 and the lid member 20 along the line BB in FIG. The recording element substrate 10 includes a substrate 11 formed of Si and a discharge port forming member 12 formed of a photosensitive resin, and a lid member 20 is bonded to the back surface of the substrate 11. A recording element 15 is formed on one surface side of the substrate 11 (FIG. 10), and grooves constituting a liquid supply path 18 and a liquid recovery path 19 extending along the ejection port array are formed on the back surface side thereof. Is formed. The liquid supply path 18 and the liquid recovery path 19 formed by the substrate 11 and the lid member 20 are connected to the common supply path 211 and the common recovery path 212 in the flow path member 210, respectively. A differential pressure is generated between the liquid recovery passageway 19 and the liquid recovery passageway 19. When recording is performed by discharging liquid from the plurality of discharge ports 13 of the liquid discharge head 3, the liquid in the liquid supply path 18 is supplied to the supply ports at the discharge ports 13 that are not discharging due to the differential pressure. It flows to the liquid recovery path 19 via 17a, the pressure chamber 23, and the recovery port 17b. This flow of liquid (flow indicated by arrow C in FIG. 10) causes the thickened ink, bubbles, foreign matters, and the like generated by evaporation from the discharge port 13 to be discharged in the discharge port 13 and the pressure chamber 23 where discharge is not performed. Recovery to the recovery path 19 is possible. Further, it is possible to suppress the thickening of the ink in the ejection port 13 and the pressure chamber 23. The liquid recovered in the liquid recovery path 19 passes through the opening 21 of the lid member 20 and the liquid communication port 31 of the support member 30 (see FIG. 9b). Recovery is performed in the order of the recovery flow path 212. Finally, the liquid is recovered to the supply path of the recording apparatus 1000.
That is, the liquid supplied from the recording apparatus 1000 main body to the liquid ejection head 3 flows in the following order, and is supplied and recovered. First, the liquid flows into the liquid ejection head 3 from the liquid connection portion 111 of the liquid supply unit 220. Then, the liquid flows in the joint rubber 100, the communication port 72 and the common flow channel 71 provided in the third flow channel member, the common flow channel 62 and the communication port 61 provided in the second flow channel member, the first flow. The individual channel grooves 52 and the communication ports 51 provided in the path member are supplied in this order. Thereafter, the liquid is supplied to the pressure chamber 23 through the liquid communication port 31 provided in the support member 30, the opening 21 provided in the lid member, the liquid supply path 18 provided in the substrate 11 and the supply port 17 a in this order. The Of the liquid supplied to the pressure chamber 23, the liquid that has not been discharged from the discharge port 13 is collected in the recovery port 17 b and the liquid recovery path 19 provided in the substrate 11, the opening 21 provided in the lid member, and the support member 30. It flows through the provided liquid communication port 31 in order. Further, the liquid is provided in the communication port 51 and the individual flow channel 52 provided in the first flow channel member, the communication port 61 and the common flow channel 62 provided in the second flow channel member, and the third flow channel member 70. The common channel groove 71, the communication port 72, and the joint rubber 100 are sequentially flowed. Then, the liquid flows from the liquid connection part 111 provided in the liquid supply unit to the outside of the liquid discharge head 3. In the first circulation path shown in FIG. 2, the liquid flowing in from the liquid connection portion 111 is supplied to the joint rubber 100 after passing through the negative pressure control unit 230. In the second circulation path shown in FIG. 3, the liquid recovered from the pressure chamber 23 passes through the joint rubber 100 and then flows from the liquid connection portion 111 to the outside of the liquid discharge head via the negative pressure control unit 230. To do.
Further, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, not all of the liquid flowing in from one end of the common supply channel 211 of the liquid discharge unit 300 is supplied to the pressure chamber 23 via the individual supply channel 213a. . Some liquid flows from the other end of the common supply channel 211 to the liquid supply unit 220 without flowing into the individual supply channel 213a. In this way, by providing a path that flows without passing through the recording element substrate 10, even in the recording element substrate 10 having a fine flow path with a large flow resistance as in the present application example, the liquid circulation flow is provided. Can be suppressed. As described above, in the liquid discharge head 3 according to this application example, since the viscosity increase of the liquid in the vicinity of the pressure chamber 23 and the discharge port 13 can be suppressed, the deflection and non-discharge of the discharge can be suppressed. be able to.

(Description of positional relationship between recording element substrates)
FIG. 12 is a plan view showing a partially enlarged adjacent portion between the recording element substrates 10 in the discharge modules adjacent to each other. As shown in FIG. 10, in this application example, a recording element substrate 10 having a substantially parallelogram shape is used. As shown in FIG. 12, the ejection port arrays 14a to 14d in which the ejection ports 13 in each recording element substrate 10 are arranged are arranged so as to be inclined at a certain angle with respect to the conveyance direction of the recording medium. As a result, at least one ejection port overlaps in the conveyance direction of the recording medium in the ejection rows in the adjacent portions of the recording element substrates 10.
In FIG. 12, the two discharge ports on the line D overlap each other. With such an arrangement, even if the position of the recording element substrate 10 is slightly deviated from a predetermined position, the black streaks and white spots of the recorded image are made inconspicuous by driving control of the overlapping discharge ports. it can. A plurality of recording element substrates 10 may be arranged in a straight line (inline) instead of a staggered arrangement. Even in this case, the configuration shown in FIG. 12 can suppress an increase in the length of the liquid ejection head 3 in the conveyance direction of the recording medium, and can suppress black streaks and white spots at the connecting portion between the recording element substrates 10. it can. In this application example, the main plane of the recording element substrate 10 has a parallelogram shape. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the present invention is applicable even when the recording element substrate 10 having a rectangular shape, trapezoidal shape, or other shape is used. The configuration can be preferably applied.

(Application example 2)
The configurations of the recording apparatus 1000 and the liquid discharge head 3 according to Application Example 2 of the present invention will be described. In the following description, only parts different from Application Example 1 will be mainly described, and description of parts similar to Application Example 2 may be omitted.
(Description of inkjet recording apparatus)
FIG. 20 is a diagram showing an ink jet recording apparatus according to Application Example 2 of the present invention. The recording apparatus 1000 of Application Example 2 is different from Application Example 1 in that full-color recording is performed on the recording medium 2 by arranging four monochromatic liquid ejection heads 3 corresponding to CMYK inks in parallel. In Application Example 1, the number of discharge port arrays that can be used per color is one, whereas in this application example, the number of discharge port arrays that can be used per color is 20 (see FIG. 19 (a)). For this reason, it is possible to perform very high-speed recording by appropriately recording the recording data to a plurality of ejection port arrays. Furthermore, even if there is a discharge port that fails to discharge, reliability can be achieved by interpolating discharge from the discharge ports in the other rows that are at positions corresponding to the transport direction of the recording medium with respect to the discharge port. Since it improves, it is suitable for commercial printing. Similar to Application Example 1, a supply system of the recording apparatus 1000, a buffer tank 1003, and a main tank 1006 (FIG. 2) are fluidly connected to each liquid ejection head 3. Each liquid discharge head 3 is electrically connected to an electric control unit that transmits power and a discharge control signal to the liquid discharge head 3.
(Explanation of circulation route)
As the liquid circulation path between the recording apparatus 1000 and the liquid ejection head 3, both the first and second circulation paths shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 can be used as in the first application example.
(Description of liquid discharge head structure)
The structure of the liquid discharge head 3 according to Application Example 2 of the present invention will be described. 13A and 13B are perspective views of the liquid discharge head 3 according to this application example. The liquid discharge head 3 is an inkjet line-type recording head that includes 16 recording element substrates 10 that are linearly arranged in the longitudinal direction of the liquid discharge head 3 and that can record even one color of liquid. The liquid ejection head 3 includes a liquid connection part 111, a signal input terminal 91, and a power supply terminal 92 as in Application Example 1. However, since the liquid ejection head 3 of this application example has more ejection port arrays than the application example 1, the signal input terminal 91 and the power supply terminal 92 are arranged on both sides of the liquid ejection head 3. This is to reduce voltage drop and signal transmission delay that occur in the wiring portion provided on the recording element substrate 10.
FIG. 14 is an exploded perspective view of the liquid discharge head 3, in which each component or unit constituting the liquid discharge head 3 is divided and displayed for each function. The role of each unit and member and the order of liquid distribution in the liquid discharge head are basically the same as in Application Example 1, but the function of ensuring the rigidity of the liquid discharge head is different. In the application example 1, the liquid discharge head rigidity is ensured mainly by the liquid discharge unit support portion 81. However, in the liquid discharge head of the application example 2, the liquid discharge head is provided by the second flow path member 60 included in the liquid discharge unit 300. The rigidity is guaranteed. The liquid discharge unit support portion 81 in this application example is connected to both ends of the second flow path member 60, and the liquid discharge unit 300 is mechanically coupled to the carriage of the recording apparatus 1000, so that the liquid discharge head 3 Perform positioning. The liquid supply unit 220 including the negative pressure control unit 230 and the electric wiring board 90 are coupled to the liquid discharge unit support portion 81. Each of the two liquid supply units 220 includes a filter (not shown). The two negative pressure control units 230 are set so as to control pressures with different negative pressures, that is, negative pressures having relatively different heights. Further, when the negative pressure control unit 230 on the high pressure side and the low pressure side is installed at both ends of the liquid discharge head 3 as shown in this figure, the common supply flow path 211 extending in the longitudinal direction of the liquid discharge head 3 and The liquid flows in the common recovery channel 212 face each other. In this case, heat exchange is promoted between the common supply channel 211 and the common recovery channel 212, and a temperature difference between the two common channels is reduced. For this reason, there is an advantage that a temperature difference in each of the recording element substrates 10 provided in a plurality along the common flow path hardly occurs, and recording unevenness due to the temperature difference hardly occurs.
Next, details of the flow path member 210 of the liquid discharge unit 300 will be described. As shown in FIG. 14, the flow path member 210 is a laminate of the first flow path member 50 and the second flow path member 60, and distributes the liquid supplied from the liquid supply unit 220 to each discharge module 200. The flow path member 210 functions as a flow path member for returning the liquid circulating from the discharge module 200 to the liquid supply unit 220. The second flow path member 60 of the flow path member 210 is a flow path member in which a common supply flow path 211 and a common recovery flow path 212 are formed, and has a function of mainly responsible for the rigidity of the liquid ejection head 3. Have. For this reason, as a material of the 2nd flow path member 60, what has sufficient corrosion resistance with respect to a liquid and high mechanical strength is preferable. Specifically, as the material of the second flow path member 60, SUS, Ti, alumina, or the like is preferable.
15A shows a surface of the first flow path member 50 on the side where the discharge module 200 is mounted, and FIG. 15B is in contact with the second flow path member 60 which is the back surface thereof. This shows the surface on the side. Unlike the application example 1, the first flow path member 50 in the application example 2 is formed by arranging a plurality of members corresponding to the respective discharge modules 200 adjacent to each other. When composed of such a plurality of members, the length of the liquid discharge head can be accommodated by arranging these members. For this reason, for example, the liquid ejection head 3 having a relatively long scale corresponding to the B2 size or longer. Particularly preferred. As shown in FIG. 15A, the communication port 51 of the first flow path member 50 is in fluid communication with the discharge module 200. As shown in FIG. 15B, the individual communication of the first flow path member 50 is performed. The port 53 is in fluid communication with the communication port 61 of the second flow path member 60. FIG. 15C shows a surface of the second flow path member 60 on the side in contact with the first flow path member 50, and FIG. 15D shows a cross section of the central portion in the thickness direction of the second flow path member 60. FIG. 15E shows the surface of the second flow path member 60 on the side in contact with the liquid supply unit 220. The functions of the flow path and the communication port of the second flow path member 60 are the same as the flow path and the communication path for one color in Application Example 1. One of the common flow channel grooves 71 of the second flow channel member 60 is a common supply flow channel 211 shown in FIG. 16 and the other is a common recovery flow channel 212, respectively, along the longitudinal direction of the liquid ejection head 3. Liquid is supplied from one end side to the other end side. In this application example, unlike the application example 1, the longitudinal directions of the liquids in the common supply channel 211 and the common recovery channel 212 are opposite to each other.
FIG. 16 is a perspective view showing a liquid connection relationship between the recording element substrate 10 and the flow path member 210. As shown in FIG. 16, a pair of a common supply channel 211 and a common recovery channel 212 extending in the longitudinal direction of the liquid ejection head 3 are provided in the channel member 210. The communication port 61 of the second flow path member 60 is connected in alignment with the individual communication port 53 of each first flow path member 50, and is connected to the common supply flow path from the communication port 72 of the second flow path member 60. A liquid supply path that communicates with the communication port 51 of the first flow path member 50 via 211 is formed. Similarly, a liquid supply path that communicates from the communication port 72 of the second flow channel member 60 to the communication port 51 of the first flow channel member 50 via the common recovery flow channel 212 is also formed.
FIG. 17 is a view showing a cross section taken along line FF of FIG. As shown in this figure, the common supply flow path is connected to the discharge module 200 via the communication port 61, the individual communication port 53, and the communication port 51. Although not shown in FIG. 17, it is apparent with reference to FIG. 16 that in another cross section, the individual recovery flow path is connected to the discharge module 200 through a similar path. As in Application Example 1, each ejection module 200 and the recording element substrate 10 are formed with a flow path communicating with each ejection port 13, and a part or all of the supplied liquid pauses the ejection operation. The discharge port 13 (pressure chamber 23) is passed through and can be circulated. Similarly to Application Example 1, the common supply flow path 211 is connected to the negative pressure control unit 230 (high pressure side) via the liquid supply unit 220, and the common recovery flow path 212 is negative pressure controlled via the liquid supply unit 220. It is connected to the unit 230 (low pressure side). For this reason, due to the differential pressure between the common supply channel 211 and the common recovery channel 212, the common recovery channel 212 passes from the common supply channel 211 through the discharge port 13 (pressure chamber 23) of the recording element substrate 10. A flow that flows to

(Description of discharge module)
FIG. 18A shows a perspective view of one discharge module 200, and FIG. 18B shows an exploded view thereof. The difference from Application Example 1 is that a plurality of terminals 16 are arranged on both sides (each long side of the recording element substrate 10) along the plurality of ejection port array directions of the recording element substrate 10. Further, two flexible wiring boards 40 electrically connected to the terminals 16 are arranged on one recording element substrate 10. This is because the number of ejection port arrays provided on the recording element substrate 10 is 20, which is significantly larger than the 8 arrays of Application Example 1. That is, the object is to reduce the voltage drop and signal transmission delay that occur in the wiring portion in the recording element substrate 10 by shortening the maximum distance from the terminal 16 to the recording element 15 provided corresponding to the ejection port array. It is a thing. The liquid communication port 31 of the support member 30 is provided in the recording element substrate 10 and is opened so as to straddle all the ejection port arrays. Other points are the same as in Application Example 1.
(Description of structure of recording element substrate)
FIG. 19A is a schematic diagram of the surface of the recording element substrate 10 on which the ejection port 13 is provided, and FIG. 19C shows the back surface of the surface shown in FIG. It is a schematic diagram. FIG. 19B is a schematic diagram showing the surface of the recording element substrate 10 when the lid member 20 provided on the back side of the recording element substrate 10 is removed in FIG. As shown in FIG. 19B, the liquid supply path 18 and the liquid recovery path 19 are alternately provided on the back surface of the recording element substrate 10 along the discharge port array direction. Although the number of ejection port arrays is significantly increased as compared with Application Example 1, the essential difference from Application Example 1 is that the terminals 16 are located on both sides along the ejection port array direction of the recording element substrate as described above. It is arranged in. One set of the liquid supply path 18 and the liquid recovery path 19 is provided for each discharge port array, and the lid member 20 is provided with the opening 21 communicating with the liquid communication port 31 of the support member 30. The basic configuration is the same as in Application Example 1.

Below, the characteristic part of this invention is demonstrated using each embodiment.
(First embodiment)
FIG. 21 is a diagram illustrating the liquid discharge head according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Specifically, FIG. 21A is a perspective view of a liquid discharge head that discharges a liquid such as ink, and FIG. 21B is an exploded perspective view of the liquid discharge head.
The liquid ejection head 3 of this embodiment shown in FIG. 21 has a plurality of recording element substrates 10, a plurality of support members 30, and a flow path member 210. The recording element substrates 10 and the supporting members 30 are the same number. Each of the recording element substrates 10 is supported one by one on each of the support members 30, and the plurality of support members 30 are arranged side by side on one flow path member 210.
FIG. 22 is a top view of the liquid discharge head 3, and shows four examples in which the shape and arrangement of the recording element substrate 10 are different. In the example of FIG. 22A, the recording element substrates 10 having a parallelogram shape are arranged in a line. In addition, the parallelogram in this embodiment refers to the thing of the external shape where the angle | corner which an adjacent edge | side makes is not a right angle. Hereinafter, the direction in which the recording element substrates 10 are arranged in the liquid ejection head 3 is defined as a long direction 401, and the direction perpendicular to the long direction 401 in a plane parallel to the surface of the recording element substrate 10 is defined as a scanning direction 402.
In the example of FIG. 22B, the recording element substrates 10 in which the opposite sides of one set are parallel and the opposite sides of the other set each have a stepped shape are arranged in a line. In the example of FIG. 22C, the recording element substrates 10 having parallelogram shapes are arranged in a line as in the example of FIG. 22A, but the recording element substrates adjacent to each other are in the scanning direction 402. It is shifted to. In the example of FIG. 22D, rectangular recording element substrates 10 are arranged in a line.
In the example of FIGS. 22A to 22C, the recording element substrates 10 adjacent to each other overlap at least partially in both the longitudinal direction and the scanning direction. In the example of FIG. 22D, the recording element substrates 10 adjacent to each other overlap only in the longitudinal direction.
FIG. 23 is a diagram showing a deviation of the ejection port array of the liquid ejection head 3. FIG. 23A is an enlarged view of the adjacent portion between the recording element substrates 10 adjacent to each other in the example of FIG. 22A, and shows the displacement width 403 of the discharge port array in the corresponding discharge port array. As shown in FIG. 23A, the displacement of the ejection port array occurs in the adjacent portion of the recording element substrate 10, and the smaller the inter-element distance 404 between the recording element substrates 10 adjacent to each other, the smaller the ejection port. The column misalignment width 403 is reduced. For this reason, the smaller the element distance 404, the better. This is not limited to the example of FIG. 22A, and the recording element substrates 10 adjacent to each other are at least as shown in FIGS. 22B and 22C in both the longitudinal direction and the scanning direction. The same applies to the liquid discharge heads 3 that partially overlap.
FIG. 23B is an enlarged view of the adjacent portion between the recording element substrates 10 adjacent to each other in the example of FIG. In the example of FIG. 23B, the displacement of the discharge port array does not occur, but the smaller the element distance 404, the better, as in the target liquid discharge head shown in FIG. This is because the smaller the inter-element distance 404, the smaller the interval 405 between the ejection port arrays in the adjacent portion. Hereinafter, the liquid discharge head 3 in which at least a part of the recording element substrates 10 adjacent to each other in both the longitudinal direction and the scanning direction overlap as shown in FIG. 22A will be described as an example. This effect is also applied to the example of FIG.

Hereinafter, the features of the present embodiment will be described in more detail.
FIG. 24 is a diagram illustrating a side surface of an adjacent portion between the recording element substrates 10 adjacent to each other. As shown in FIG. 24, in the gap portion 410 between the recording element substrates 10 adjacent to each other, the joint surface 411 between the recording element substrate 10 and the support member 30 extends from the end 412 of the recording element substrate 10 to the inside of the recording element substrate 10. I'm stuck in. In other words, the end portion 412 of the recording element substrate 10 is disposed so as to protrude outward from the end portion 413 of the support member 30, and the recording element substrate 10 adjacent to each other rather than the distance (interval) between the adjacent support members 30. The distance (interval) between is smaller.
The recording element substrate 10 includes a circuit or the like created by a wafer process (semiconductor process), and is made of, for example, silicon. For example, various types of etching and dicing are used for processing the outer shape of the recording element substrate 10. The support member 30 is created by machining or molding, and is formed of a metal such as resin or SUS, for example. In this case, the processing accuracy of the recording element substrate 10 is higher than the processing accuracy of the support member 30.
When the end of the recording element substrate 10 does not protrude outward from the end of the support member 30, the inter-element distance 404, which is the distance between the recording element substrates 10 adjacent to each other, is the processing accuracy of the support member 30 and the recording element. It is defined by the mounting alignment accuracy of the substrate 10. This is because the support members 30 may interfere with each other if the inter-element distance 404 is made smaller than the distance that can be achieved by the processing accuracy and mounting alignment accuracy of the support members 30.
On the other hand, when the end portion 412 of the recording element substrate 10 protrudes outside the end portion 413 of the support member 30 as in this embodiment, the inter-element distance 404 between the adjacent recording element substrates 10 is: It does not depend on the processing accuracy of the support member 30. The inter-element distance 404 is defined by the processing accuracy of the recording element substrate 10 and the mounting alignment accuracy of the recording element substrate 10. In this case, even if the processing accuracy of the support member 30 and the mounting position alignment accuracy of the recording element substrate 10 are low, if the end portion of the recording element substrate 10 protrudes from the end portion of the support member 30 beyond its tolerance, the support is supported. The members 30 do not interfere with each other. Therefore, if the liquid discharge head 3 is configured as follows, the distance between the recording element substrates 10 adjacent to each other can be reduced.
FIG. 25 is a diagram for explaining the effect of the liquid discharge head of this embodiment, and is a side view of adjacent portions between the recording element substrates 10 adjacent to each other in the liquid discharge head. Specifically, FIG. 25A shows a first comparative example, FIG. 25B shows a first example of this embodiment, and FIG. 25C shows a second comparative example. FIG. 25D shows a second example of this embodiment. FIGS. 25A and 25B are examples in which the support member 30 on which the recording element substrate 10 is mounted is disposed on the flow path member 210. FIGS. 25A and 25B are flow paths. In this example, the recording element substrate 10 is mounted on the support member 30 disposed on the member 210.
The processing accuracy of the support member 30 is ± 0.1 mm, the processing accuracy of the recording element substrate 10 is ± 0.01 mm, the mounting alignment accuracy of the support member 30 is ± 0.1 mm, and the mounting alignment accuracy of the recording element substrate 10 is ± Suppose that it is 0.01 mm.
As shown in FIGS. 25A and 25C, in the comparative example, the end portion of the recording element substrate 10 does not protrude outward from the end portion of the support member 30. In this case, the inter-member distance 406, which is the distance between the support members 30 adjacent to each other, is larger than 0.4 mm, which is twice the processing accuracy of the support member 30 added to the mounting alignment accuracy of the support member 30. Must be set. For this reason, the inter-element distance 404 is at least 0.4 mm.
In the first example of this embodiment shown in FIG. 25B, the inter-element distance 404 is 0.04 mm, which is twice the processing accuracy of the recording element substrate 10 added to the mounting alignment accuracy of the recording element substrate 10. It's okay. Therefore, in the first example of the present embodiment, the inter-element distance 404 can be reduced by 0.36 mm compared to the comparative example shown in FIG.
In the second example of this embodiment shown in FIG. 25D, the inter-element distance 404 is 0.22 mm, which is doubled by adding the mounting alignment accuracy of the support member 30 to the processing accuracy of the recording element substrate 10. Good. For this reason, in the first example of the present embodiment, the inter-element distance 404 can be reduced by 0.18 mm compared to the comparative example shown in FIG.
In the example of FIG. 25D, even if the mounting alignment accuracy of the recording element substrate 10 is low to some extent, the inter-element distance 404 can be further reduced by increasing the mounting alignment accuracy of the support member 30. For example, by setting the mounting alignment accuracy of the recording element substrate 10 to ± 0.1 mm and the mounting alignment accuracy of the support member 30 to ± 0.01 mm, the inter-element distance 404 can be set to 0.04 mm. In this case, the member mounting process requiring high accuracy may be performed only once.
As described above, the end portion 412 of the recording element substrate 10 projects outward from the end portion 413 of the support member 30, whereby the inter-element distance 404 can be reduced, and the adjacent portions of the recording element substrates 10 adjacent to each other can be reduced. The displacement width 403 of the discharge port array can be reduced. Therefore, the deviation width between the recording element substrates 10 in the scanning direction of the recording medium 2 in the adjacent portions of the recording element substrates 10 adjacent to each other is reduced regardless of the processing accuracy of the support member 30 and the mounting alignment accuracy of the support member 30. In addition, the displacement width 403 of the discharge port array can be reduced. As a result, it is possible to reduce inconveniences such as unevenness in the image corresponding to the adjacent portion, and to form a high-quality image.
In the present embodiment, the recording element substrate 10 and the support member 30 are placed on the first surface of the recording element substrate 10 where the ejection ports 13 are provided from the gap portion 410 between the recording element substrates 10 adjacent to each other. It is possible to prevent the adhesives to be joined together from creeping up. When an adhesive is used for joining the recording element substrate 10 and the support member 30, if the end of the recording element substrate 10 protrudes outside the end of the support member 30 as in the present embodiment, There are advantages. That is, even when the adhesive protrudes from the joint surface, the adhesive sticks out from the back surface of the end portion of the recording element substrate 10 that protrudes. .
It is desirable that the plurality of support members 30 be disposed on one flow path member 210. In this case, the support member 30 can be arranged with high accuracy in the longitudinal direction 401, and a high-quality image can be formed.
The length of the portion of the flow path member 210 where the recording element substrates 10 are arranged in parallel is preferably equal to or greater than the maximum width of the recording medium 2 that can be set in the recording apparatus 1000. In this case, it is possible to record the high-quality image in the entire width direction of the recording medium 2 while improving the image quality of the portion corresponding to the adjacent portion between the recording element substrates 10.
In the present embodiment, the recording element substrate 10 can be individually replaced. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration. For example, even if the recording element substrate 10 is not individually replaceable, the same effects as in the present embodiment can be obtained for the liquid discharge head 3 that has an advantage in processing the support member 30 individually. .
In the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 22A to 22D, the end surfaces of the recording element substrates 10 adjacent to each other with respect to the support member 30 protrude outward from the end portion of the support member 30. Any configuration is acceptable. As shown in FIG. 22, the recording element substrate can be stably supported by adopting a configuration in which the support member 30 protrudes outward from the recording element substrate 10 on the sides that are not adjacent to each other. Further, as shown in FIG. 9, the flexible wiring board 40 bonded to the recording element substrate 10 can be stably supported. As described above, it is preferable that the recording element substrate 10 protrudes outward from the support member 30 on the side where the recording element substrates 10 are adjacent to each other. In addition, it is preferable that the support member 30 protrudes outward from the recording element substrate 10 on the side where the recording element substrates 10 are not adjacent to each other (the side where the recording element substrate 10 is joined).
Here, the recording element substrates 10 adjacent to each other are referred to as first and second recording element substrates, and the support members 30 that respectively support the first and second recording element substrates are referred to as first and second support members. In this case, the flow path member 210 is provided with the first and second support members in parallel. Further, it is preferable that the end of the first recording element substrate on the second recording element substrate side protrudes toward the second recording element substrate side from the end of the first support member on the second support member side. In addition, it is preferable that the end of the second recording element substrate on the first recording element substrate side protrudes toward the first recording element substrate from the end of the second support member on the first support member side.
However, the present invention is not limited to the configuration shown in FIG. 22, and the present invention can also be applied to a configuration in which the end of the recording element substrate 10 protrudes from the support member 30 all around the recording element substrate 10.

(Second Embodiment)
26 and 27 are views showing a liquid discharge head according to the second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 26 is a schematic view of a liquid discharge head. Specifically, FIG. 26A is a perspective view of the liquid discharge head, and FIG. 26B is an exploded perspective view of the liquid discharge head. FIG. 27 is a schematic view of recording element substrates adjacent to each other. Specifically, FIG. 27A is a top view of the liquid ejection head, and FIG. 27B is a cross-sectional view taken along line CC in FIG. 27A.
As shown in FIGS. 26 and 27, the liquid discharge head of this embodiment is provided with a lid member 20 between the recording element substrate 10 and the support member 30 as compared with the liquid discharge head of the first embodiment. Is different. In the liquid discharge head of this embodiment, the back surface supply path 420 for supplying the liquid to the discharge port 13 is provided on the back surface of the recording element substrate 10, and the lid member 20 functions as a lid for the back surface supply path 420. To do. Further, a supply port 17 a for supplying liquid to the back surface supply path 420 is provided in the lid member 20. The supply port 17a communicates with a supply path provided in the support member 30, for example. The lid member 20 is formed of a resin film and is thinner than the support member 30. The thickness of the lid member 20 is preferably 1 mm or less, and more preferably 0.1 mm or less.
Further, in the liquid discharge head 3 according to the present embodiment, the discharge ports 13 are also arranged at locations protruding from the end of the support member 30 at the end of the recording element substrate 10. Since the back surface supply path 420 is covered with the lid member 20, the liquid can be supplied also to the ejection port 13 at a location protruding outward.
As in the first embodiment, the recording element substrates 10 adjacent to each other are used as the first and second recording element substrates, and the support members 30 that respectively support the first and second recording element substrates are the first and second recording element substrates. The second support member is used. In this case, the lid member 20 is formed on the surface of the first recording element substrate on the side of the first support member, the back surface supply path 420 that is a flow path for supplying liquid to the recording element, the first recording element substrate, It is provided between the first support member and covers the back surface supply path 420.
The lid member 20 that is the lid of the back surface supply path 420 is a member having a thickness smaller than that of the support member 30 so that the processing can be performed with processing accuracy equivalent to that of the recording element substrate 10. For example, the lid member 20 can be formed by processing a silicon substrate. In this case, the thickness of the lid member 20 can be 1 mm or less. For the processing of the silicon substrate, processing by lithography, processing by blade dicing for wafer processing, or laser processing can be used. In these cases, processing accuracy equivalent to the processing accuracy of the recording element substrate 10 can be obtained. The lid member 20 can be formed by processing a resin film. In this case, the thickness of the lid member 20 can be 0.1 mm or less. For the processing of the resin film, it is possible to use processing by lithography, processing by blade dicing for wafer processing, or laser processing as in the processing of the silicon substrate. In these cases, the processing accuracy of the recording element substrate 10 can be increased. Equivalent machining accuracy can be obtained. Further, it is desirable that the recording element substrate 10 and the lid member 20 are bonded to each other without using a liquid adhesive. In this case, it is possible to suppress the adhesive from entering the recording element substrate 10 and the supply path in the lid member 20.
In the present embodiment, the ejection ports 13 are also arranged at locations that protrude outward from the end portion 413 of the support member 30 in the recording element substrate 10. For this reason, in the present embodiment, the distance between the ejection ports 13 adjacent to each other between the adjacent recording element substrates 10 can be further shortened as compared with the first embodiment. Accordingly, it is possible to further reduce the deviation width of the ejection port array in the adjacent portion between the recording element substrates 10 adjacent to each other.
For example, as in the first embodiment, consider the case where the element distance 404 between adjacent recording element substrates 10 is 0.02 mm and the case where it is 0.2 mm. In these cases, the ejection port 13 is disposed at a position of 0.05 mm from the end of the recording element substrate 10. When the angle of the oblique side of the recording element substrate 10 is 45 degrees, the displacement width of the ejection port array is about 0.17 mm or about 0.42 mm. For this reason, it becomes possible to reduce significantly compared with 1st Embodiment.
As described above, in this embodiment, it does not depend on the processing accuracy of the support member 30 or the mounting alignment accuracy of the support member 30. Accordingly, it is possible to reduce the deviation width between the recording element substrates 10 in the scanning direction of the recording medium 2 in the adjacent portions of the recording element substrates 10 adjacent to each other, and to reduce the deviation width 403 of the ejection port array. As a result, defects such as unevenness in the joint image can be reduced, and high-quality image formation can be achieved.
Similarly to the first embodiment, the recording element substrate 10 and the support member 30 are placed on the first surface of the recording element substrate 10 where the ejection ports 13 are provided from the gap portion 410 between the recording element substrates 10. It is possible to prevent the adhesives to be joined together from creeping up.
In the first embodiment, similarly to the present embodiment, the ejection port 13 can be provided at a location protruding outside the end of the support member 30 in the recording element substrate 10. In this case, it is necessary to form a supply path for supplying the liquid to the discharge port 13 at the portion protruding outward on the surface on which the discharge port 13 is formed. However, in this case, the height of the supply path is several tens of μm at the maximum, whereas the height of the back surface supply path 420 as in the fourth embodiment can be several hundred μm. Therefore, in the fourth embodiment, it is easy to sufficiently supply the liquid to the ejection port 13 provided at a position protruding outside the end portion of the support member 30 in the recording element substrate 10, and adjacent to the recorded image. The portion corresponding to the part can be improved in image quality.
Further, the back surface on which the back surface supply path 420 is formed is a substantial back surface of the surface of the recording element substrate 10 on which the discharge ports 13 are formed. That is, when the recording element substrate 10 has a structure in which a plurality of substrates are stacked, the back surface is not the back surface of the surface on which the discharge ports 13 are formed, but the entire recording element substrate 10. This is the back surface of the surface on which the discharge port 13 is formed.
In addition, the distance between the adjacent recording element substrates 10 and the distance between the adjacent lid members 20 are equal in the example of FIG. 27, but the distance between the recording element substrates 10 is larger than the distance between the lid members 20. It may be short.

(Manufacturing process of the liquid discharge head in the second embodiment)
FIG. 28 is a flowchart for explaining a manufacturing process of the liquid ejection head according to the second embodiment.
First, an ejection port forming step for forming ejection ports 13 is performed on the recording element substrate 10 on which necessary circuits such as the recording element 15 for foaming the liquid are formed (step S501). At this time, the recording element substrate 10 is in a wafer state. Subsequently, a back surface supply path forming step for forming the back surface supply path 420 on the back surface of the recording element substrate 10 is performed (step S502). Further, a lid member forming step for forming the lid member 20 on the back surface of the recording element substrate 10 is performed (step S503). Thereafter, a cutting process is performed to process the outer shape of the recording element substrate 10 to change the recording element substrate 10 from a wafer state to a chip state (step S504). Thereafter, a bonding step is performed in which the recording element substrate 10 is bonded to the support member 30 so that the lid member 20 and the support member 30 face each other (step S505), and the support member 30 bonded to the recording element substrate 10 is connected to the flow path member 210. An arrangement step of arranging them side by side is performed (step S506).
As described above, the lid member 20 is formed on the back surface of the recording element substrate 10 by the lid member forming step (step S503) before the joining step (step S505), whereby the liquid ejection head of the second embodiment. Can be created. Therefore, regardless of the processing accuracy of the support member 30 and the mounting alignment accuracy of the support member 30, the shift width in the scanning direction of the recording element substrates 10 adjacent to each other can be reduced, and the shift width of the ejection port array can be reduced. it can. Therefore, it is possible to reduce problems such as unevenness that occur at locations corresponding to the adjacent portions of the recording element substrate 10 in the recorded image, and to form a high-quality image.
When the lid member 20 is formed of a silicon substrate, the lid member 20 formed of the silicon substrate in the wafer state can be bonded to the recording element substrate 10 in the wafer state. For this reason, it is possible to reduce the number of steps compared to bonding the lid member 20 to each of the recording element substrates 10 in the chip state.
Further, when the lid member 20 is formed of a resin film, the lid member 20 can be bonded by laminating the film-state resin on the recording element substrate 10 in the wafer state. For this reason, as in the case of being formed of a silicon substrate, the number of steps can be reduced compared to bonding the lid member 20 for each chip.
The manufacturing process described in this embodiment is merely an example, and the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the order of the discharge port forming step (step S501), the back surface supply path forming step (step S502), the lid member forming step (step S503), and the cutting step (step S504) is not limited to this embodiment. . There may be a lid member forming step (step S503) before the joining step (step S505).

  The liquid discharge head 3 and the recording apparatus 1000 described above can be applied to an apparatus such as a printer, a copying machine, a facsimile having a communication system, a word processor having a printer unit, and an industrial recording apparatus combined with various processing apparatuses. It is. For example, the liquid discharge head 3 and the recording apparatus 1000 can be used for applications such as biochip fabrication and electronic circuit printing.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 3 Liquid ejection head 10 Recording element board | substrate 11 Substrate 12 Ejection port formation member 13 Ejection port 18 Liquid supply path 19 Liquid recovery path 20 Lid member 30 Support member 211 Common supply flow path 212 Common collection flow path 412 End part 413 of recording element board | substrate End of support member

Claims (15)

First and second recording element substrates comprising recording elements that generate energy used to eject liquid;
First and second support members for supporting the first and second recording element substrates, respectively;
A flow path member in which the first and second support members are juxtaposed,
An end of the first recording element substrate on the second recording element substrate side protrudes from the end of the first support member on the second support member side toward the second recording element substrate. Liquid discharge head.   An end of the second recording element substrate on the first recording element substrate side protrudes from the end of the second support member on the first support member side toward the first recording element substrate. The liquid discharge head according to claim 1.   A liquid supply path for supplying a liquid to the recording element, which is formed on a surface of the first recording element substrate on the first support member side, and between the first recording element substrate and the first support member. The liquid discharge head according to claim 1, further comprising a lid member that is provided and forms a part of the liquid supply path.   The liquid discharge head according to claim 3, wherein the lid member is thinner than the support member.   The liquid discharge head according to claim 3, wherein the lid member is formed of a resin film.   The liquid discharge head according to claim 3, wherein the lid member has a thickness of 1 mm or less.   The first recording element substrate includes a discharge port forming member having a discharge port for discharging a liquid and a substrate having the recording element, and the recording surface of the substrate is provided on the back surface of the surface on which the recording element is provided. The liquid discharge head according to claim 1, further comprising a liquid supply path for supplying a liquid to the element and a liquid recovery path for recovering the liquid from the recording element.   8. The liquid discharge head according to claim 1, wherein an outer shape of each of the first and second recording element substrates is a parallelogram. The liquid discharge head is a page-wide liquid discharge head,
The channel member is provided with a common supply channel for supplying liquid to the first and second recording element substrates and a common recovery channel for recovering liquid from the first and second recording element substrates. The liquid discharge head according to claim 1, wherein the liquid discharge head is provided.   The end of the first recording element substrate adjacent to the end of the second recording element substrate does not protrude from the end of the first support member. The liquid discharge head according to claim 1. The first recording element substrate includes a discharge port forming member including a discharge port for discharging a liquid, and a substrate including the recording element.
11. The liquid ejection head according to claim 1, wherein the processing accuracy of the substrate of the first recording element substrate is higher than the processing accuracy of the first support member.   12. The liquid discharge head according to claim 1, wherein a discharge port for discharging a liquid is formed in the protruding portion of the first recording element substrate.   The liquid according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of recording element substrates including the first and second recording element substrates are linearly arranged on the flow path member. Discharge head.   The first recording element substrate includes a pressure chamber having the recording element therein, and the liquid in the pressure chamber is circulated between the pressure chamber and the outside. 2. A liquid discharge head according to item 1.   A liquid discharge apparatus comprising the liquid discharge head according to claim 1.

Images