JP2023004129A - Liquid discharge head and liquid discharge device - Google Patents

Abstract

To suppress a risk that a liquid is attached onto a discharge port surface of an element substrate of a liquid discharge head at the time of wiping.SOLUTION: A liquid discharge device has: a liquid discharge head including a substrate provided with a discharge port surface for discharging a liquid, an electric wiring board electrically connected to the substrate, and a support member provided with a support surface for supporting the electric wiring board, and a wiping member for wiping the discharge port surface. The support surface is positioned at a gap between the discharge port surface and the support surface on the upstream side of the discharge port surface in a relative movement direction to the discharge port surface of the wiping member at the time of wiping, and the electric wiring board has a part which overhangs from the support surface and covers at least a part of the gap.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a liquid ejection head and a liquid ejection apparatus for ejecting liquid.

A liquid ejection apparatus (inkjet recording apparatus) is equipped with a liquid ejection head (recording head) for ejecting liquid. On the liquid ejection head, paper dust from recording paper or the like and dust floating in the air adhere to the liquid ejection head, and droplets ejected from the ejection openings of the liquid ejection head rebound and adhere to the liquid ejection head. These deposits may interfere with stable liquid ejection. Therefore, in order to remove these deposits, the liquid ejection apparatus is provided with means for cleaning the ejection port surface of the liquid ejection head. For example, wiping is performed to remove dust and droplets adhering to the ejection port surface by wiping the ejection port surface with a blade made of an elastic material such as rubber. Patent Document 1 describes a wiping method for removing dust and droplets adhering to the ejection port surface of a liquid ejection head.

JP-A-07-017045

If the liquid remains in the gaps on the side surfaces of the element substrate of the liquid ejection head, the liquid may be wiped out by wiping and adhere to the ejection port surface.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to suppress the risk of liquid adhering to the ejection port surface of an element substrate of a liquid ejection head during wiping.

A liquid ejecting apparatus of the present invention comprises a substrate provided with an ejection port surface for ejecting liquid, an electric wiring substrate electrically connected to the substrate, and a supporting member provided with a supporting surface for supporting the electric wiring substrate. and a wiping member that moves relatively to the ejection port surface and wipes the ejection port surface, wherein the support surface is configured to be the support surface during the wiping. The wiping member is positioned upstream of the ejection port surface with a gap therebetween in the direction of relative movement of the wiping member with respect to the ejection port surface, and the electric wiring board extends from the support surface. It is characterized by having a portion that overhangs and covers at least part of the gap.

According to the present invention, it is possible to suppress the risk of liquid adhering to the ejection opening surface of the element substrate of the liquid ejection head during wiping.

1 is a diagram showing an inkjet print head of a first embodiment; FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an inkjet recording head; FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining wiping of the inkjet print head of the first embodiment; FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining wiping of an inkjet recording head of a comparative example; It is a figure which shows the manufacturing process of an electric wiring board. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an inkjet print head according to a second embodiment; FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an inkjet print head according to a third embodiment; It is a figure which shows the modification of 3rd Embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an inkjet print head according to a fourth embodiment; It is a figure which shows an inkjet recording device.

Embodiments to which the present invention can be applied will be described in detail below.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 shows an inkjet recording head 1 as a liquid ejection head of this embodiment. FIG. 1(a) is a plan view seen from the ejection port side, and FIG. 1(b) is a cross section taken along line II of FIG. 1(a). 2A is a perspective view showing the ink jet print head 1 of this embodiment, and FIG. 2B is a perspective view showing the print element substrate 3. FIG.

As shown in FIG. 2, the inkjet recording head 1 has a recording element substrate 3 , an electric wiring board 4 , and a housing 2 that accommodates ink (liquid) to be supplied to the recording element substrate 3 . Energy generating elements 36 for generating energy for ejecting ink from the ejection ports 31 are formed on the recording element substrate 3 at a predetermined pitch. One or more liquid supply ports 34 for supplying the liquid from the housing 2 to the ejection ports 31 are formed in the recording element substrate 3 . The electric wiring board 4 has wiring for supplying electric power to the recording element board 3 . The housing 2 also serves as a supporting member that supports the recording element substrate 3 and the electric wiring substrate 4 .

As shown in FIG. 1, the inkjet print head 1 of this embodiment has a gap 5 between the print element substrate 3 and the support surface 21 of the housing 2 that supports the electric wiring substrate 4 . The electric wiring board 4 has a portion 49 that protrudes from the support surface 21 and covers the gap 5 . The portion 49 of the electric wiring board 4 is provided so as to cover the gap 5 on the upstream side in the wiping direction (arrow A direction) of the blade 81 as the wiping member. In this embodiment, the electric wiring board 4 does not cover the gap 5 on the downstream side in the wiping direction. Note that the electric wiring board 4 may be configured to have a portion 49 that covers at least a portion of the gap 5 on the upstream side in the wiping direction. The gap 5 on the downstream side may or may not be covered with the electric wiring board 4 .

Here, a problem that occurs when wiping the ink jet recording head will be described. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining wiping of an inkjet print head of a comparative example. 4(a1) to (e1) are plan views for explaining wiping. 4(a2) to (e2) are IV-IV cross sections of FIGS. 4(a1) to (e1), respectively. FIGS. 4(a3) to (e3) are views showing enlarged regions C in FIGS. 4(a2) to (e2), respectively. The ink ejected from the inkjet recording head 1 rebounds and adheres to the ejection opening surface 35 of the recording element substrate 3, or the gap 5 between the recording element substrate 3 and the support surface 21 of the housing 2 that supports the electric wiring substrate 4. sometimes enter When the ink 7 increases, the ink 7 may accumulate in the gap 5. - 特許庁

The blade 81 moves relative to the ejection port surface 35 in the direction of arrow A in FIG. 4 to wipe the ejection port surface 35 of the recording element substrate 3 . First, as shown in FIGS. 4(a1) and 4(a2), the blade 81 moves relatively in the direction of the ejection port surface 35 of the recording element substrate 3 (in the direction of arrow A) while being in close contact with the upper surface of the electric wiring substrate 4. . Then, as shown in FIGS. 4B3 and 4C3, the blade 81 enters the gap 5, and the ink 7 adheres to the tip of the blade 81 due to the meniscus force and is held. After that, the ink 7 adhering to the tip of the blade 81 is scraped onto the ejection port surface 35 of the recording element substrate 3 (FIG. 4(d3)), and the ink 7 may remain on the ejection port surface 35. There is (Fig. 4(e3)). If the ink 7 remains on the ejection port surface 35 after wiping, there is a possibility that the direction of ink ejection may be shifted when ink is ejected for image formation, or ink may not be ejected. may affect image formation.

Next, wiping in this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIGS. 3(a1) to 3(f1) are plan views for explaining wiping. FIGS. 3(a2) to 3(f2) are the III-III cross sections of FIGS. 3(a1) to 3(f1), respectively. FIGS. 3(a3) to 3(c3) are enlarged views showing the regions B in FIGS. 3(a2) to 3(c2), respectively.

As described above, the electric wiring board 4 of the inkjet recording head 1 of the present embodiment has the portion 49 that protrudes from the supporting surface 21 and covers the gap 5 (FIGS. 3(a2) and (a3)). In this embodiment, since the gap 5 where the ink 7 tends to accumulate is covered with the electric wiring board 4, the ink is less likely to accumulate in the gap 5 than in the inkjet recording head of the comparative example. However, the ink 7 may enter the gap 5 from a portion not covered by the electric wiring board 4 .

Wiping is performed on such an inkjet recording head 1 . First, as shown in FIGS. 3(a1) and 3(a2), the blade 81 is moved in the direction of the ejection port surface 35 of the recording element substrate 3 (in the direction of arrow A) while being in close contact with the upper surface of the electric wiring substrate 4. It moves relative to the ejection port surface 35 . Next, as shown in FIGS. 3(b1) to 3(b3), the blade 81 advances over the portion 49 of the electrical wiring board 4. As shown in FIG. At this time, if the base material of the electric wiring board 4 is made of a material such as resin, the electric wiring board 4 may bend under the load of the blade 81 and come into contact with the recording element substrate 3 . After that, the blade 81 descends the step between the electric wiring board 4 and the recording element substrate 3 and advances onto the ejection port surface 35 of the recording element substrate 3 (FIGS. 3(c1) to (c3)). It moves on the ejection port surface 35 ((d1) to (d3)). In this embodiment, since the downstream gap 5 is not covered with the electric wiring board 4, the blade 81 enters the downstream gap 5 in the wiping direction (FIGS. 3(e1) and (e2)). After that, the blade 81 moves on the upper surface of the electric wiring board 4 (FIGS. 3(f1) and (f2)).

In this embodiment, even if the ink 7 enters the gap 5 on the upstream side in the wiping direction, the gap 5 is covered with the portion 49 of the electric wiring board 4, so the blade 81 does not enter the gap 5 on the upstream side. The possibility of scraping the ink 7 can be suppressed. Further, it is possible to reduce the possibility that the blade 81 leaves the ink 7 on the ejection port surface 35 .

In this embodiment, the electric wiring board 4 does not cover the gap 5 on the downstream side in the wiping direction. If the electric wiring board 4 protrudes from the support surface 21 of the housing 2 so as to cover the gap 5 on the downstream side, the portion of the electric wiring board 4 that covers the gap 5 on the downstream side may be turned over due to the movement of the blade 81. have a nature. When the ink 7 is accumulated in the gap 5 on the downstream side, even if the blade 81 scrapes out the ink 7, since the ejection port surface 35 is located on the upstream side in the wiping direction, the scraped-out ink 7 does not reach the ejection port. The possibility of adhering to surface 35 is low. Therefore, it is preferable that the gap 5 on the downstream side is not covered with the electric wiring board 4 as in the present embodiment.

Further, even if the electric wiring board 4 is provided with a portion other than the portion 49 projecting from the support surface 21 of the housing 2 so as to cover the gap 5 on the downstream side, the projection of the portion 49 on the upstream side Preferably the length is greater than the overhang length of the downstream portion. As a result, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of curling of the electric wiring board 4 on the downstream side.

In this embodiment, a gap 5 is provided between the side surface of the recording element substrate 3 and the support surface 21. Filling the gap 5 with a sealant can prevent the ink 7 from accumulating. . However, since such a configuration requires a large amount of sealant, the stress applied to the recording element substrate 3 increases when the sealant cures and shrinks in the manufacturing process. In order to prevent the recording element substrate 3 from cracking due to this stress, the recording element substrate 3 is required to have a certain degree of high rigidity. Therefore, especially when the rigidity of the recording element substrate 3 is low (for example, when the aspect ratio, which is the ratio of the vertical dimension to the horizontal dimension, is high), the configuration of the present embodiment in which the gap 5 is not filled with the sealant is preferred. It is valid.

Next, an example of a method for manufacturing the electric wiring board 4 of this embodiment will be described. 5A to 5C are diagrams showing the steps of manufacturing the electric wiring board 4 in order. 5(a1) to (e1) are views of the electric wiring board 4 viewed from the surface side of the base material 41, and FIGS. 5(a3) to 5(e3) are views of the electric wiring board 4 as seen from the back side of the base material 41. FIG.

First, as shown in FIGS. 5(a1) and 5(a3), a portion to be the device hole 48 is punched out of the resin base material 41 with a die or the like. At this time, the base material 41 is punched out so as to cover the gap 5 (area indicated by the dotted line) provided on the upstream side of the wiping of the recording element substrate 3 . Next, as shown in FIGS. 5(b1) to 5(b3), a copper foil 42 serving as electrical wiring is bonded to the substrate 41 using an adhesive or the like (not shown). Then, as shown in FIGS. 5(c1) to 5(c3), the copper foil 42 to be the electrical wiring is patterned to form the wiring. Next, as shown in FIGS. 5(d1) to 5(d3), a resin film 45 is bonded to the exposed portions of the copper foil 42 excluding the inner leads 43 and outer leads 44 serving as electrical connections. Further, as shown in FIGS. 5(e1) to 5(e3), Au plating 47 is applied to the exposed copper portions of the inner leads 43 and the outer leads 44 via Ni plating (adhesion improving layer).

The electric wiring board 4 manufactured in this manner is electrically connected to the recording element board 3, and the ink jet recording head 1 is manufactured. In this embodiment, the electric wiring board 4 incorporated as the inkjet recording head 1 is provided so that the portion 49 covering the gap 5 extends to the root portion 431 of the inner lead 43 (FIG. 5(e1)). Further, as shown in FIG. 1B, the portion 49 extends to cover the end portion of the recording element substrate 3 and is shaped so as not to cover the ejection port 31 of the recording element substrate 3 .

(Second embodiment)
This embodiment differs from the above embodiment in the shape of the portion of the electric wiring board 4 that covers the gap 5 between the recording element substrate 3 and the housing 2 . FIG. 6 is a plan view of the ink jet recording head 1 of the present embodiment as viewed from the ejection port surface 35 side. The portion of the electric wiring board 4 that covers the gap 5 should have a shape that can suppress the blade 81 from entering the gap 5 when the blade 81 moves from the electric wiring board 4 to the recording element substrate 3 in the wiping operation. For example, it is not limited to the embodiment described above.

As shown in FIG. 6A, the portion 490 of the electric wiring board 4 covering the gap 5 may have a rounded tip, and the portion 491 of the electric wiring board 4 covering the gap 5 as shown in FIG. The tip may be triangular. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 6C, a portion 492 of the electric wiring board 4 covering the gap 5 may be positioned at the center of the gap 5 in the Y direction (direction intersecting the wiping direction). Further, as shown in FIG. 6(d), a shape in which a plurality of portions 493 of the electric wiring board 4 covering the gap 5 are provided in the Y direction may be employed.

(Third Embodiment)
FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the inkjet recording head 1 of this embodiment. 7(a1) to (a3) show the state before bonding the cover film 45 of the electric wiring board 4 of the present embodiment. 7(a1) is a view of the substrate 41 viewed from the surface side, FIG. 7(a2) is a cross section taken along the line VIIA-VIIA of FIG. 7(a3), and FIG. It is the figure seen from the back side of the material 41. FIG. 7B1 and 7B2 are views showing the inkjet recording head 1 during wiping operation, FIG. 7B1 being a plan view seen from the ejection port surface 35 side, and FIG. 7B2. is the VIIB-VIIB section of FIG. 7(b1).

During wiping, if the load of the blade 81 causes the portion 49 of the electric wiring board 4 to bend greatly, the blade 81 may enter the gap 5 . In particular, when the hardness of the blade 81 is high or when the hardness of the base material 41 of the electric wiring board 4 is low, the pressing load of the blade 81 increases, increasing the possibility of the blade 81 penetrating.

Therefore, in this embodiment, the wiring pattern shape of the copper foil 42 is changed in the portion 49 of the electric wiring board 4 in order to increase the rigidity of the portion 49 of the electric wiring board 4 . As shown in FIG. 7(a3), the width W of the wiring pattern 421 of the copper foil 42 arranged inside the portion 49 of the electric wiring board 4 covering the gap 5 is increased. As shown in FIG. 7B2, the wiring pattern 421 is provided so as to straddle the surface of the recording element substrate 3 and the support surface 21 of the housing 2 when viewed from the direction orthogonal to the ejection port surface 35. ing. This makes it possible to increase the rigidity of the portion 49 of the electric wiring board 4 that covers the gap 5 .

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a modification of the inkjet recording head 1 during the wiping operation of this embodiment. FIG. 8(a) is a plan view seen from the ejection port surface 35 side, and FIG. 8(b) is a cross section taken along line VIII-VIII of FIG. 8(a). In the case where the actual wiring as shown in FIG. 7 cannot be made thick due to wiring design reasons, etc., as shown in FIG. The wiring pattern 423 may be formed from the copper foil 42 . The wiring pattern 423 is provided so as to straddle the surface of the recording element substrate 3 and the support surface 21 of the housing 2, thereby increasing the rigidity of the portion 49 of the electric wiring substrate 4 covering the gap 5. becomes.

(Fourth embodiment)
FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the inkjet print head 1 during the wiping operation of this embodiment. 9(a) is a plan view seen from the ejection port surface 35 side, FIG. 9(b) is a cross section taken along line IX-IX of FIG. 9(a), and FIG. 9(c) is FIG. 9(b). 2 is an enlarged view showing the inside of a region D of .

In the above-described embodiment, the portion 49 of the electric wiring board 4 located above the gap 5 is shaped so as to extend from the support surface 21 to a position over the surface of the recording element substrate 3 . However, in this embodiment, the portion 494 of the electric wiring board 4 does not reach the surface of the recording element substrate 3 in the wiping direction of the blade 81, and this portion 494 covers a part of the gap 5 in the wiping direction. It has become.

For example, if variations occur in the punching of the base material 41 in the manufacturing process of the electric wiring board 4, the portion 491 of the electric wiring board 4 may not reach the recording element substrate 3 as in this embodiment.

In order to prevent the blade 81 from entering the gap 5, the portion 49 of the electric wiring board 4 located above the gap 5 should be located at a position where it spans the surface of the recording element substrate 3 from the support surface 21, as in the above-described embodiment. It is preferable to have a shape that extends to the However, even with the configuration of this embodiment, it is possible to prevent the blade 81 from entering the gap 5 . In addition, even if the blade 81 enters the gap 5, the contact width with the ink 7 is suppressed compared to the configuration in which the electric wiring board 4 does not have a portion that covers the gap 5. The amount of adhering ink 7 is small, and the influence on ink ejection can be suppressed. In the configuration of this embodiment, from the viewpoint of suppressing penetration of the blade 81, the distance Ws from the tip of the portion 494 of the electric wiring board 4 to the end of the recording element substrate 3 is set to be equal to or less than the width Wb of the blade 81. is preferably

(Inkjet recording device)
FIG. 10 is a perspective view of an example of an inkjet recording apparatus 100 as a liquid ejection apparatus to which this embodiment can be applied. During recovery processing of the ejection port surface 35 of the inkjet recording head 1, the ejection port surface 35 is wiped using a blade 81 provided in the inkjet recording apparatus 100 to remove ink droplets and the like adhering to the ejection port surface 35. to clean. It should be noted that the discharge port surface 35 and the blade 81 may be relatively moved to clean the discharge port surface 35 with the blade 81, and at least one of the two may be moved. As used herein, the term "wiping direction" refers to the relative movement direction of the blade 81 with respect to the ejection port surface 35 during the wiping operation.

1 Inkjet recording head (liquid ejection head)
2 housing (support member)
3 recording element substrate 4 electric wiring substrate 5 gap 21 support surface 35 discharge port surface 49 portion 81 blade (wiping member)
100 inkjet recording device (liquid ejection device)

Claims (18)

A liquid ejection head comprising: a substrate provided with an ejection port surface for ejecting liquid; an electric wiring substrate electrically connected to the substrate; and a support member provided with a support surface for supporting the electric wiring substrate;
a wiping member that moves relative to the ejection port surface to wipe the ejection port surface;
In a liquid ejection device having
The support surface is positioned upstream of the ejection port surface with a gap therebetween in a direction in which the wiping member moves relative to the ejection port surface during wiping. ,
The liquid ejecting apparatus, wherein the electric wiring board has a portion that protrudes from the support surface and covers at least part of the gap. 2. The liquid ejection device according to claim 1, wherein said portion reaches an end of said ejection port surface. The support surface is positioned downstream of the ejection port surface in the movement direction with a gap different from the gap between the support surface and the ejection port surface,
3. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said electric wiring board does not cover said another gap. The support surface is positioned downstream of the ejection port surface in the movement direction with a gap different from the gap between the support surface and the ejection port surface,
The electric wiring board has a portion different from the portion that protrudes from the support surface and covers at least a part of the another gap,
3. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a length of protrusion of said portion from said support surface is longer than a length of protrusion of said another portion from said support surface. 5. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein wiring is provided inside said portion. 6. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said wiring straddles said support surface and said ejection port surface when viewed from a direction orthogonal to said ejection port surface. 7. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said wiring has a wider width at said portion. 8. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said electric wiring board has a plurality of said portions. The portion does not reach the end of the ejection port surface,
2. The liquid ejection device according to claim 1, wherein the distance between said portion and said end of said ejection port face is equal to or smaller than the width of said wiping member. 10. The liquid ejection device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the wiping member wipes the ejection port face through the portion. a substrate provided with an ejection port surface for ejecting liquid;
an electric wiring board electrically connected to the board;
a support member provided with a support surface for supporting the electric wiring board;
In a liquid ejection head comprising
The support surface has a gap between the support surface and the ejection port surface on the upstream side of the ejection port surface in a direction in which a wiping member that wipes the ejection port surface moves relative to the ejection port surface during wiping. is located across the
The liquid ejection head, wherein the electric wiring board has a portion that protrudes from the supporting surface and covers at least a part of the gap. 12. The liquid ejection head according to claim 11, wherein said portion reaches an end of said ejection port surface. The support surface is positioned downstream of the ejection port surface in the movement direction with a gap different from the gap between the support surface and the ejection port surface,
13. The liquid ejection head according to claim 11, wherein said electric wiring board does not cover said another gap. The support surface is positioned downstream of the ejection port surface in the movement direction with a gap different from the gap between the support surface and the ejection port surface,
The electric wiring board has a portion different from the portion that protrudes from the support surface and covers at least a part of the another gap,
13. The liquid ejection head according to claim 11, wherein a length of protrusion of said portion from said support surface is longer than a length of protrusion of said another portion from said support surface. 15. The liquid ejection head according to claim 11, wherein wiring is provided inside said portion. 16. The liquid ejection head according to claim 15, wherein the wiring straddles the support surface and the ejection port surface when viewed from a direction orthogonal to the ejection port surface. 17. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 15, wherein said wiring is widened at said portion. 18. The liquid ejection head according to any one of claims 11 to 17, wherein said electric wiring board has a plurality of said portions.

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