JP2670456B2 - INKJET HEAD, INKJET CARTRIDGE HAVING THE HEAD, AND INKJET RECORDING DEVICE HAVING THE CARTRIDGE - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an ink jet head in which an ink path is formed by joining a first substrate and a second substrate.

The present invention also relates to an ink jet head cartridge in which an ink jet head that receives a recording signal and ejects ink and an ink tank that supplies ink to the head are integrally formed.

Furthermore, the present invention relates to an ink jet recording apparatus that is equipped with an ink jet cartridge and performs desired recording.

[Conventional technology]

In the ink jet recording method, desired recording is performed by ejecting ink droplets from fine ejection ports provided in a recording head and landing the ink droplets on recording paper during recording.

FIG. 10 is a schematic perspective view schematically showing a part of the ink jet head used in the above-mentioned ink jet recording system.

In FIG. 10, 1 is a plurality of ink ejection pressure generating means,
For example, it is a substrate on which an electrothermal conversion element (not shown) is arranged. Indicated at 2 are a plurality of ink ejection ports 9, a groove portion 7a which is an ink passage 7 communicating with the ink ejection ports 9, a wall portion 7a which is an ink passage wall, and a common liquid chamber 8 which supplies ink to the ink passages 7 are integrated. It is a grooved top plate made by. Reference numeral 3 is an Al support member for constructing and configuring each component. Reference numeral 4 is a spring plate-shaped member that is a means for mechanically pressure-bonding the substrate 1 and the grooved top plate 2 to form the ink path 7.

The plate member 4 made of spring has a substantially U-shape, and sandwiches the substrate 1 and the grooved top plate 2 from above and below in the joining direction to press and join them. At this time, the plate member 4 made of spring applies a pressing force to the upper surface of the grooved top plate 2 in a state of surface contact with the upper surface, and joins the substrate 1 and the grooved top plate 2 with the pressing force. doing. As described above, it has been conventionally performed to press and join the two members by the surface pressure contact force using the flat area of the plate member made of spring.

[Problems to be solved by the invention]

However, when the grooved top plate 2 is pressed using the planar area of the substantially U-shaped spring plate member 4 as described above, stress concentrates on the bent portions 4a and 4b of the spring plate member 4. Therefore, the pressing force may not be uniformly applied to the entire contact plane between the grooved top plate 2 and the spring plate-shaped member 4, and the pressing force in the central region may be reduced.

When the pressing force on the contact surface between the grooved top plate 2 and the spring plate-shaped member 4 is uneven as described above, the plurality of ink paths 7 formed by joining the substrate 1 and the grooved top plate 2 together. Among them, adjacent ink paths have a gap between them and the substrate 1. As a result, the ejection pressure generated on the substrate 1 is dispersed to the adjacent ink passages 7, the ink ejection speed becomes unstable when recording is performed, and the ink droplets may be twisted.
When a recording signal is applied, ink may be ejected from an adjacent ejection port other than the ejection port through which the ink should be ejected, which may lead to print quality deterioration such as print disturbance.

Further, in the above-mentioned conventional example, since the grooved top plate is made of resin, when pressing and joining by surface pressure, it becomes difficult to press the grooved top plate very close to the discharge port with a uniform pressing force due to warping or deformation. was there.

Furthermore, the accuracy of the pressing surface tends to vary depending on the quality of the plate member made of spring, and it may be difficult to uniformly press the vicinity of the discharge port.

The present invention is intended to solve these problems, and as described above, the uniformity and reliability of the pressing force when the substrate 1 and the grooved top plate 2 are pressed and joined by the spring plate member 4. It is an object of the present invention to provide an ink jet recording head capable of ensuring and compensating for the quality and achieving high quality recording.

Further, an ink tank for supplying ink to the recording head having the above-mentioned excellent characteristics is integrally provided,
It is an object of the present invention to provide a replaceable ink jet head cartridge for a recording device.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an ink jet recording head in which recording is performed by mounting an ink jet cartridge which uses the recording head having the above-mentioned excellent characteristics.

[Means for Solving the Problems] As a result of intensive studies to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present inventors have found that a uniform pressing force can be obtained by using linear pressure, and We have come to the knowledge that it is possible to ensure the certainty of joining with the grooved top plate 2.

The present invention has been achieved based on the above-mentioned findings, and an ink ejection port through which ink is ejected, an ink path communicating with the ink ejection port, and an ink is ejected at a predetermined portion of the ink path. A discharge pressure generating element used for that purpose, a first base and a second base that form the ink path by bonding, and a pressing member that press-bonds the first base and the second base. In inkjet recording head,
The pressing member has a linear pressure generating portion that generates a linear pressure, and the linear pressure generating portion presses the ink passage forming region formed by joining the first base body and the second base body. It is characterized by being present.

Further, a first substrate having an ink ejection pressure generating element used for ejecting ink from the ink ejection port and an ink path communicating with the ink ejection port are formed by being joined to the first substrate. In an inkjet head including a second base having an uneven portion and a leaf spring member used for mechanically joining the first base and the second base, a side surface portion of the leaf spring member is provided. The first base body and the first base body are curved by causing a linear pressure to be generated by the curved side end portion and pressing the ink passage forming region formed by joining the first base body and the second base body. It is characterized in that the two bases are pressed against each other.

Further, a first substrate having an ink ejection pressure generating element used for ejecting ink from the ink ejection port, an orifice plate in which the ink ejection port is formed, and the orifice plate and the outer periphery are integrally provided. A second base body integrally provided with a front plate member, a portion of which protrudes to the outside, and a concavo-convex portion forming an ink path communicating with the ink ejection port by being joined to the first base body; In an inkjet head provided with a leaf spring member used for mechanically joining a base body and the second base body, an outer surface of a curved portion of the leaf spring member whose end portion is curved, and the second portion.
In a state where the side surface of the front plate member that protrudes to the outside of the substrate opposite to the ink ejection direction is in contact, a linear pressure is generated by the end portion of the leaf spring member to cause the first substrate and the second substrate. It is characterized in that the first base body and the second base body are brought into pressure contact with each other by pressing the ink passage forming region constituted by the above-mentioned joining.

[Action]

According to the inventions of claims 1, 2, and 4, when the substrate and the grooved top plate are joined, the grooved top plate contact pressing surface of the plate spring plate-like member that generates mechanical pressure is not flat. With the linear shape, the pressing force can be concentrated, and the upper surface region of the grooved top plate corresponding to the ink passage forming region near the ink ejection port can be pressed with a substantially uniform pressing force.

[Embodiment] FIGS. 2 to 6 show preferred ink jet units IJU, ink jet heads IJH, ink tanks IT, and ink jet cartridges I to which the present invention is applied or applied.
FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram for explaining each of the JC, the ink jet recording apparatus main body IJRA, and the carriage HC, and the relationship between them. Hereinafter, the configuration of each unit will be described with reference to these drawings.

As can be seen from the perspective view of FIG. 3, the ink cartridge IJC in this example has a large ink storage ratio, and the tip of the ink jet unit IJU is slightly higher than the front surface of the ink tank IT. It has a protruding shape. The ink jet cartridge IJC is fixedly supported by the carriage HC (Fig. 5) mounted on the ink jet recording apparatus main body IJRA by the positioning means and electrical contacts described later, and is removable from the carriage HC. It is a disposable type. FIGS. 2 to 6 show configurations to which a number of new technologies achieved in the stage of establishment of the present invention are applied. I will do it.

(I) Description of the configuration of the ink jet unit IJU The ink jet unit IJU is a bubble jet type unit that performs recording using an electrothermal converter that generates thermal energy for causing film boiling to occur in ink according to an electric signal. It is.

In FIG. 2, reference numeral 100 denotes a structure in which a plurality of electrothermal transducers (discharge heaters) arranged on a Si substrate and electric wires such as Al for supplying power thereto are formed by a film forming technique. It is a heater board. Reference numeral 200 denotes a wiring board for the heater board 100, a wiring corresponding to the wiring of the heater board 100 (for example, connected by wire bonding), and a pad 201 located at an end of the wiring and receiving an electric signal from the main unit. have.

1300 is a grooved top plate provided with a partition for dividing a plurality of ink flow paths, a common liquid chamber for storing ink for supplying ink to each ink flow path, and the like.
And an orifice plate 400 having a plurality of ejection ports corresponding to each ink flow path. Polysulfone is preferred as these integral molding materials, but other molding resin materials may be used.

Reference numeral 300 denotes a support made of, for example, metal which supports the back surface of the wiring board 200 in a plane, and serves as a bottom plate of the ink jet unit.
Reference numeral 500 denotes a presser spring, which is M-shaped and presses the common liquid chamber with a light pressure at the center of the M-shape, and concentrates a part of the liquid path, preferably an area near the discharge port, with a linear pressure at the front drooping part 501. Press. By pressing the heater board 100 and the top plate 1300, the feet of the springs are engaged with the back side of the support body 300 through the holes 3121 of the support body 300, so that they are engaged with each other in a state where they are sandwiched. The heater board 100 and the top plate 1300 are pressure-bonded to each other by the concentrated biasing force of the spring 500 and its front slant portion 501. The support 300 is provided with two positioning protrusions 1012 of the ink tank IT and positioning and heat fusion holding protrusions 1800, 180.
In addition to the positioning holes 312, 1900, and 2000 that engage with 1, the positioning projection 25 for the carriage HC of the device main body IJRA
00,2600 on the back side. In addition, the support 300 is provided with an ink supply pipe 22 for supplying ink from the ink tank.
It also has a hole 320 that allows 00 (described below) to penetrate. The attachment of the wiring board 200 to the support 300 is performed by sticking with an adhesive or the like. The recesses 2400, 2400 of the support 300 are provided near the positioning protrusions 2500, 2600, respectively, and the three sides of the periphery are parallel in the assembled ink jet cartridge IJC (Fig. 3). It is located at an extension point of the head end region formed by a plurality of grooves 3000, 3001 so that unnecessary matters such as dust and ink do not reach the protrusions 2500, 2600. This parallel groove 3000 is formed.
As can be seen in FIG. 5, the lid member 800 forms the outer wall of the ink cartridge IJC and forms a space for accommodating the ink jet unit IJU with the ink tank. Further, in the ink supply member 600 in which the parallel groove 3001 is formed, the ink conduit 1600 which is continuous with the above-described ink supply pipe 2200 is formed as a cantilever with the supply pipe 2200 side fixed, and the ink conduit 1600 is fixed to the fixed side of the ink conduit. Supply pipe 2200
The sealing pin 602 is inserted to secure the capillarity with the. Reference numeral 601 is a packing for connecting and sealing the ink tank IT and the supply pipe 2200, and 700 is a filter provided at the end of the supply pipe on the tank side.

Since the ink supply unit 600 is molded, it is not only inexpensive, has high positional accuracy, but also eliminates the deterioration in manufacturing accuracy. The pressure contact state with respect to the ink receiving port 1500 can be stabilized. In this example, a more complete communication state can be reliably obtained only by pouring the sealing adhesive from the ink supply member side under the pressure contact state. The fixing of the ink supply member 600 to the support 300 is performed by fixing the ink supply member 60 to the holes 1901 and 1902 of the support 300.
This is easily performed by projecting a back surface side pin (not shown) through the holes 1901 and 1902 of the support body 300, and heat-sealing the part projecting to the back surface side of the support body 300. Incidentally, the slightly protruding region of the heat-fused back surface portion is accommodated in a recess (not shown) in the side wall surface of the ink jet unit IJU mounting surface of the ink tank IT, so that the positioning surface of the unit IJT can be accurately obtained. .

(Ii) Ink tank IT configuration description The ink tank is sealed after inserting the cartridge body 1000, the ink absorber 900, and the ink absorber 900 from the side of the cartridge body 1000 opposite to the unit IJU mounting surface. And a lid member 1100 for stopping.

Reference numeral 900 denotes an absorber for impregnating the ink, which is arranged in the cartridge body 1000. 1200 is the above parts 100
A supply port for supplying ink to a unit IJU consisting of ~ 600, and by injecting ink from the supply port 1200 in a step before the unit is arranged in the portion 1010 of the cartridge body 1000, the absorber 900 It is also an inlet for impregnating the ink.

In this example, the portions that can supply ink are the air communication port and this supply port, but the rib 2300 in the main body 1000 and the lid member for performing good ink supply from the ink absorber.
Since the air presence region in the tank formed by the partial ribs 2500 and 2400 of 1100 is continuously formed from the atmosphere communication port 1401 side and formed over the corner area farthest from the ink supply port 1200, It is important that ink is supplied to the absorber relatively well and uniformly from the supply port 1200 side. This method is extremely effective in practice. The rib 1000 has four ribs parallel to the carriage moving direction on the rear surface of the main body 1000 of the ink tank to prevent the absorber from sticking to the rear surface.
Also, the partial ribs 2400, 2500 are similarly provided on the inner surface of the lid member 1100 which is on the extension corresponding to the rib 1000, but unlike the rib 1000, they are in a divided state and the presence of air The space is larger than the former. In addition, partial rib
2500 and 2400 are distributed on a surface that is less than half of the total area of the cover member 1000. With these ribs, the ink in the corner area farthest from the tank supply port 1200 of the ink absorber could be more stably guided to the supply port 1200 side by capillary force. Reference numeral 1401 denotes an atmosphere communication port provided in the lid member for communicating the inside of the cartridge with the atmosphere. 1400
Is a liquid repellent agent disposed inside the air communication port 1401 and prevents ink leakage from the air communication port 1400.

The above-described arrangement of the ribs is particularly effective because the ink storage space of the above-described ink tank IT has a rectangular shape and has long sides on the side surfaces, but has a long side in the moving direction of the carriage. Case or cube, cover member 11
By providing a rib on the whole of 00, the ink absorber
Ink supply from 900 can be stabilized. The rectangular parallelepiped shape is suitable for storing ink in the limited space as much as possible, but in order to use the stored ink for recording without waste, as described above, the corner area is It is important to provide ribs that can perform the above-mentioned action in two adjacent two-sided areas. Further, the inner ribs of the ink tank IT in this embodiment are arranged with a substantially uniform distribution in the thickness direction of the rectangular parallelepiped ink absorber. This configuration is important because it can make the atmospheric pressure distribution uniform and almost eliminate the remaining amount of ink with respect to the ink consumption of the entire absorber. Further, if the technical idea on the arrangement of the ribs is described in detail, the position where the ink supply port 1200 of the ink tank is projected on the upper surface of the rectangular parallelepiped is centered.
When an arc having a long side as a radius is drawn, the rib is arranged on a surface outside the arc so that an atmospheric pressure state is given to the absorber located outside the arc at an early stage. It is important to: In this case, the atmosphere communication port of the tank is not limited to this example as long as the atmosphere can be introduced into the rib arrangement area.

In addition, in this embodiment, the ink jet cartridge
Flattening the rear surface of the IJC head minimizes the space required when assembled into the device, and minimizes the size of the device by adopting a configuration that maximizes the ink capacity. Not only that, it has an excellent configuration that can reduce the frequency of cartridge replacement. Then, using the rear part of the space for integrating the ink jet unit IJU, there is an air communication port 14 there.
A projecting portion for 01 is formed, and the inside of the projecting portion is hollowed out to form an atmospheric pressure supply space 1402 for the entire thickness of the absorber 900 described above. With such a configuration, an excellent cartridge not seen in the past can be provided. Note that the atmospheric pressure supply space 1402 is a space much larger than the conventional one, and since the air communication port 1401 is located above, even if the ink comes off the absorber due to some abnormality, this atmospheric pressure supply space 1402 does not need to be large. The air pressure supply space 1402 can temporarily hold the ink and can reliably collect the ink in the absorber, so that an excellent cartridge without waste can be provided.

The structure of the mounting surface of the unit IJU of the ink tank IT is shown in FIG. Orifice plate
Let L ₁ be a straight line that passes through almost the center of the projecting opening of 400 and is parallel to the mounting reference plane of the bottom surface of the tank IT or the surface of the carriage, and two positioning protrusions that engage with the holes 312 of the support 300. 1012 lies on this straight line L ₁ . The height of the protrusion 1012 is slightly lower than the thickness of the support 300, and the support 300 is positioned. This is on the extension of the straight line L ₁ in the drawing is located pawl 2100 engagement surface 4002 of the 90 ° angle of the positioning hook 4001 of the carriage is engaged, the acting force of the positioning relative to the carriage is the straight line L ₁ And is configured to operate in a plane region parallel to the reference plane. As will be described later with reference to FIG. 5, these relationships are effective because the positioning accuracy of only the ink tank is the same as the positioning accuracy of the head ejection port.

Also, fixing holes 1900,
The protrusions 1800 and 1801 of the ink tank corresponding to 2000 are longer than the protrusions 1012 described above, and are used for fixing the support 300 to the side surface by heat-fusing the portion protruding through the support 300. It is. When a straight line passing through the projection 1800 is perpendicular to the line L ₁ of the above L _3, a straight line passing through the projection 1801 and L _2, a straight line
Since on L ₃ is substantially the center of the supply opening 1200 is located, and the effect of stabilizing the state of bonding between the supply pipe 2200 and a mouth 1200 of the supply unit, a load of even by dropping or impact to these coupling state This is a preferable configuration because it is possible to reduce the amount of light. Also, the straight lines L ₂ and L
₃ does not match, and there are protrusions 1800 and 1801 around the protrusion 1012 on the discharge port side of the head IJH.
This has the effect of reinforcing the positioning with respect to the tank.
Incidentally, the curve indicated by L ₄ represents a outer wall position when mounting of the ink supply member 600. Since the projections 1800 and 1801 are along the curve L _4, which give the position accuracy and sufficient strength against the weight of the distal configuration of the head IJH. Reference numeral 2700 denotes a tip of the ink tank IT, which is inserted into a hole of the front plate 4000 of the carriage and provided for an abnormal time when the displacement of the ink tank becomes extremely bad. Reference numeral 2101 denotes a retainer for the carriage, which is provided for a bar (not shown) of the carriage HC.The cartridge IJC enters below the bar at a position where the cartridge IJC is pivotally mounted as described later, and is unnecessarily detached from the positioning position. This is a protection member for maintaining the mounted state even when a force acts in the upward direction.

After the ink tank IT is installed with the unit IJU, the lid 8
By covering with 00, the unit IJU is enclosed except for the lower opening. However, as an ink jet cartridge IJC, the lower opening for mounting on the carriage HC is close to the carriage HC, so it is practically four-way. It forms an enclosed space. Therefore, the heat generated from the head IJH in the surrounding space is effective as a heat retaining space in this space, but the temperature rises slightly for long-term continuous use. For this reason, in this example, a slit 1700 with a width smaller than this space is provided on the upper surface of the cartridge IJC to help the heat dissipation of the support, and the temperature distribution of the entire unit IJU is uniform while preventing the temperature rise. Was made independent of the environment.

When assembled as an ink jet cartridge IJC, ink is supplied from the inside of the cartridge into the supply tank 600 through the supply port 1200, the hole 320 provided in the support 300, and the introduction port provided on the inside and back side of the supply tank 600. After passing through the inside, supply pipe and top plate from the outlet
It flows into the common liquid chamber through 400 ink inlets 1500. A packing such as silicone rubber or butyl rubber is arranged at the connecting portion for ink communication in the above, and sealing is performed by this and an ink supply path is secured.

In the present embodiment, the top plate 1300 is made of a resin such as polysulfone excellent in ink resistance, polyether sulfone, polyphenylene oxide, and polypropylene,
Together with the orifice plate part 400, they are integrally molded in a mold.

As described above, the integrally molded component is an ink supply member 600,
Top plate and orifice plate integrated, ink tank body 1000
As a result, not only the assembling accuracy becomes high, but also it is extremely effective in improving the quality of mass production. Also, since the number of parts can be reduced as compared with the conventional case, excellent desired characteristics can be surely exhibited.

Further, in the embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the ink supply member 600 has the upper surface 603 of the slit 17 of the ink tank IT in the assembled shape.
3, a slit S is formed as shown in FIG.
Head side end 401 of the thin plate member to which the lower lid 800 is bonded
Slit similar to slit S above (not shown)
Is formed. The slits between the ink tank IT and the ink supply member 600 substantially perform the function of further promoting the heat radiation of the slit 1700, and
Even if there is unnecessary pressure applied to IT, it is supplied directly to
In other words, it prevents the effect on the inkjet unit IJT.

In any case, the above-described configuration of the present embodiment is a configuration that has not existed in the past, and each has an effective effect alone, and also has an organic configuration due to the complex requirements of each component. ing.

(Iii) Attaching explanation of ink cartridge IJC to carriage HC In FIG. 5, reference numeral 5000 denotes a platen roller, which guides the recording medium P upward from below the sheet. The carriage HC moves along the platen roller 3000. The front plate 4000 (2 mm in thickness) located on the front side of the ink cartridge IJC and the pad of the wiring board 200 of the cartridge IJC are provided on the front platen side of the carriage. Pad 2011 corresponding to 201
Sheet having a flexible pad 4005 and a rubber pad sheet 4007 for generating an elastic force for pressing the pad against each pad 2011 from the back side thereof.
4003 and a positioning hook 4001 for fixing the ink cartridge IJC to the recording position. The front plate 4000 has two positioning projections 4010 corresponding to the positioning projections 2500 and 2600 of the cartridge support 300, respectively.
Receive a vertical force towards. For this reason, the reinforcing rib has a plurality of ribs (not shown) on the platen roller side of the front plate that are oriented in the direction of the vertical force. The ribs are slightly (approximately than the front position L ₅ of Katoritsuji IJC when mounted
(Approximately 0.1 mm) A head protection projection protruding toward the platen roller is also formed. Support plate for electrical connection 4003
Has a plurality of reinforcing ribs 4004 not in the direction of the ribs but in the vertical direction, and the proportion of protrusion from the platen side toward the hook 4001 side is reduced. This also serves to incline the position when the cart ledge is attached as shown in the figure. In addition, the support plate 4003 stabilizes the electrical contact state, so that the two positioning projecting surfaces 4010 act on the cartridge in the opposite direction to the acting direction on the cartridge. The protruding surface 40
10, two pad contact areas are formed between them, and the amount of deformation of the boss of the boss rubber sheet 4007 corresponding to the pad 2011 is uniquely defined. When these positioning surfaces are fixed at positions where the cartridge IJC can record, they come into contact with the surface of the wiring board 300. In this example, since the are distributed so as to be symmetrical with respect to the line L ₁ which further the pads 201 of the wiring board 300 described above,
Pads by equalizing the amount of deformation of each button on rubber sheet 4007
The contact pressure of 2011 and 201 is more stabilized. Pad of this example
The distribution of 201 is upper, lower two rows and vertical two rows.

The hook 4001 has a long hole that engages with the fixed shaft 4009, and after rotating counterclockwise from the position shown in the drawing using the moving space of the long hole, moves leftward along the platen roller 5000. By moving, the inkjet cartridge IJC is positioned with respect to the carriage HC. Although the hook 4001 can be moved in any manner, a configuration in which the hook 4001 can be moved by a lever or the like is preferable. In any case, when the hook 4001 rotates, the cartridge IJC moves to the platen roller side and the positioning protrusions 2500 and 2600 move to positions where the positioning protrusions 2500 and 2600 can contact the positioning surface 4010 of the front plate, and the hook 4001 moves to the left. The 90 ° hook surface 4002 is in close contact with the 90 ° surface of the pawl 2100 of the cartridge IJC, and the cartridge IJC is swung in the horizontal plane around the contact area of the mating surfaces 2500 and 4010 to finally make the pad 201, 20.
Contact between 11 begins. And hook 4001 is in the predetermined position,
That is, when held in a fixed position, the pads 201 and 2011 are in perfect contact with each other, the positioning surfaces 2500 and 4010 are in perfect contact with each other, the 90-degree surface 4002 is in contact with the 90-degree surface of the claw, and the wiring board 300.
And surface contact with the positioning surface 4006 are simultaneously formed, and the holding of the cartridge IJC to the carriage is completed.

(Iv) Schematic description of apparatus main body FIG. 6 shows an ink jet recording apparatus to which the present invention is applied.
In the schematic diagram of IJRA, the carriage HC that engages with the spiral groove 5004 of the lead screw 5005 that rotates via the driving force transmission gears 50111 and 5009 in conjunction with the forward / reverse rotation of the drive motor 5013.
Has a pin (not shown) and is reciprocated in the directions of arrows a and b. Reference numeral 5002 denotes a paper pressing plate, which presses the paper against the platen 5000 in the carriage movement direction. Reference numerals 5007 and 5008 denote home position detecting means for confirming the presence of the carriage lever 5006 in this region by photocouplers and switching the rotation direction of the motor 5013. Reference numeral 5016 denotes a member for supporting a cap member 5022 for capping the front surface of the recording head. Reference numeral 5015 denotes suction means for sucking the inside of the cap, and recovering the suction of the recording head through the opening 5023 in the cap. 50
Numeral 17 denotes a cleaning blade, and numeral 5019 denotes a member which enables the blade to move in the front-rear direction. These members are supported by a main body support plate 5018. Needless to say, a known cleaning blade other than this form cannot be applied to this example. Reference numeral 5012 denotes a lever for starting suction for recovery of suction, which moves with the movement of the cam 5020 that engages with the carriage, and controls the movement of the drive force from the drive motor by a known transmission means such as clutch switching. Is done.

These capping, cleaning and suction recovery
When the carriage comes to the home position side area, it is configured so that the desired processing can be performed at the corresponding position by the action of the lead screw 5005, but if the desired operation is performed at a known timing, Either can be applied to this example. Each of the configurations described above is an excellent invention when viewed alone or in combination, and shows preferred configuration examples for the present invention.

In order to describe in detail the present invention which is technically related to the above-mentioned FIGS. 2 to 6, the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the drawings. 1 (a) and 1 (b) are an exploded perspective view and a sectional view schematically showing a part of the ink jet recording head of the present invention. Reference numeral 1 denotes a substrate having a plurality of discharge pressure generating members, in this example, an electrothermal converting element, which is made of Si.
Reference numeral 2 has a large number of ink ejection ports 9, a large number of ink passages 7, a groove portion 7a that becomes an ink passage, a wall portion 7b that becomes an ink passage wall, and a common ink chamber 8 that stores ink for sending ink to each ink passage. The grooved top plate 2 is made of a resin molded product. Reference numeral 3 is an Al plate serving as a supporting member for constructing each part to form a head, and 4 is an ink passage 7 and a common ink chamber 8
It is a plate-shaped member made of spring that mechanically press-bonds the substrate 1 and the grooved top plate 2 to form the plate, and is made of, for example, phosphor bronze, stainless steel for spring, FRP or the like. Reference numeral 5 denotes an adhesive for temporarily fixing the substrate 1 and the grooved top plate 2, which is a photo-curing adhesive.

As shown in FIGS. 1 (a) and 1 (b), the plate member 4 made of a spring joins the flat portion 4c substantially parallel to the upper surface of the grooved top plate 2 to the substrate 1 and the grooved top plate 2. It has a substantially U-shape having a side surface portion 4d along the surface side, and the side surface portion 4d further includes a support plate 3
An arm portion 4e is provided to engage with the spring plate member 4 to apply a pressing force to the plate member 4. Further, a plate member 4 made of spring
Is provided with a linear pressure generating portion 6 that extends from the flat surface portion 4c and is bent toward the upper surface side of the grooved top plate 2. The linear pressure generating unit 6 press-bonds the substrate 1 and the grooved top plate 2 by the linear pressure, whereby the stress of the press is concentrated, and a uniform pressing force is obtained, so that reliable and highly reliable bonding is performed. .

In the embodiment, phosphor bronze is used as the plate member 4 made of spring, and a force of 1 kg is generated with a plate thickness of 0.15 mm.
However, as described above, the spring-made plate-shaped member 4 that has been conventionally used presses the grooved top plate 2 from above by using the surface thereof, and therefore, in the vicinity of the ejection port or the ink path region where reliable joining is required. The stress was not concentrated, and the pressing force was distributed over the entire upper surface of the grooved top plate 2. Moreover, it was difficult to apply a uniform force to the ink passage wall 7b forming the ink passage 7. However, in the present embodiment, the linear pressure generating portion 6 is provided on the plate member 4 made of spring, and the width is 0.15 and the ink passage forming region or the vicinity of the ejection port is uniformly pressed over substantially the entire width direction where the ejection port is formed. Therefore, it is possible to surely suppress the gap generated between the adjacent ink paths 7. As a result, the instability of ejection, which has been a problem in the past, could be eliminated without fail.

Note that, in FIG. 7, the linear pressure generating portion 6 is once bent above the grooved top plate 2 and then bent downward again to form a substantially V shape.

With such a configuration, the linear pressure generating portion 6 itself is provided with a spring property, the control of the pressing force can be made easier, and further uniform pressing force can be achieved.

Further, according to the present invention, as shown in FIG. 8, the groove plate 12b integrally formed on the outer periphery of the orifice plate 12b having the ink discharge port and the orifice plate 12 is provided.
The present invention is also suitably applied to a recording head formed by using a grooved top plate 12 of a type including the outside of the substrate and the grooved top plate 12 and the front plate member 12a protruding to the outside of the joined substrate 1. be able to.

In this case, the outer surface of the linear pressure generating portion 6 of the plate member 4 made of spring and the outer surface of the front plate portion 12a opposite to the ink ejection direction are provided so as to be in contact with each other. By doing so, the force in the direction in which the linear pressure generating portion 6 is pressed downwards can be pressed by the side surface of the front plate portion 12a, and the pressing force can be suppressed. Are effectively directed downwards to achieve a uniform pressure bond.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 8, the ink ejection port 9
While the length from the tip of the ink to the boundary area between the ink passage and the common liquid chamber is 0.4 mm, the linear pressure generating portion 6 presses the portion 0.3 mm from the tip of the ink discharge port 9. It is configured.

The position where the linear pressure generating portion 6 presses is not limited to this example, and it is preferable to press at least the ink path region formed by joining the substrate 1 and the attached top plates 2 and 12. For this reason, it is preferable to press a region closer to the ejection port side, and most preferably to press the ejection port formation region.

On the other hand, the pressing area of the linear pressure generating portion 6 of the spring plate member 4 may be formed to have a width such that the formation area of the ink passage communicating with the ink ejection port is pressed over the entire width as shown in FIG. Most preferred.

By the way, in the case of the spring-made plate-shaped member 4 used in the present invention, the bent portions 4a and 4b are bent upward to have a spring property, so that the bent state is important.
That is, if the degree of bending of the bent portions 4a and 4b is too gentle, the spring property decreases, and uniform and reliable pressing cannot be achieved. If too sharp, the spring property is too strong and the grooved top plate 2
When the degree of bending is further increased, the plastic deformation is caused and the elasticity is lost.

Also, the size of the recording head used is very compact in order to achieve miniaturization. In consideration of the degree of curvature of the bent portions 4a and 4b and the size of the recording head, it is necessary to set the area pressed by the linear pressure generating section 6 to the entire width of the discharge port forming area or more, so that a stable pressing state is obtained. It can be difficult to keep. Therefore,
It is preferable that the linear pressure generating portion 6 presses the entire width of the discharge port forming area or an area inside the entire width and an area where an optimum pressing force is obtained.

The flat surface 4c substantially parallel to the upper surface of the grooved top plate 2 of the spring plate member 4 used in this embodiment is in contact with or not in contact with the grooved top plate 2 and is substantially grooved. The force for pressing the upper surface of the top plate 2 is not generated.

The present invention provides an excellent effect particularly in a recording head and a recording apparatus of a bubble jet system among the ink jet recording systems.

Regarding the representative configuration and principle, it is preferable to use the basic principle disclosed in, for example, US Pat. Nos. 4,723,129 and 4,740,796. This method can be applied to both the so-called on-demand type and the continuous type. In particular, in the case of the on-demand type, it is arranged corresponding to the sheet or the liquid path holding the liquid (ink). By applying at least one drive signal corresponding to the recording information and providing a rapid temperature rise exceeding nucleate boiling to the electrothermal transducer, heat energy is generated in the electrothermal transducer, and the recording head is driven. This is effective because the film can be boiled on the heat acting surface, so that bubbles in the liquid (ink) can be formed one by one corresponding to the drive signal. The liquid (ink) is ejected through the ejection opening by the growth and contraction of the bubble to form at least one droplet. When the drive signal is formed into a pulse shape, the growth and shrinkage of the bubble are performed immediately and appropriately, so that the ejection of a liquid (ink) having particularly excellent responsiveness can be achieved, which is more preferable. As the pulse-shaped drive signal, those described in US Pat. Nos. 4,463,359 and 4,434,262 are suitable. Further, if the conditions described in US Pat. No. 4,313,124 relating to the invention relating to the temperature rise rate of the heat acting surface are adopted, more excellent recording can be performed.

As a configuration of the recording head, in addition to the combination configuration (a linear liquid flow path or a right-angled liquid flow path) of a discharge port, a liquid path, and an electrothermal converter as disclosed in each of the above-mentioned specifications, a heat acting section A configuration using U.S. Pat. No. 4,558,333 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,459,600, which disclose a configuration in which the is bent, is also included in the present invention. In addition, JP-A-59-123670 discloses a configuration in which a common slit is used as a discharge portion of an electrothermal converter for a plurality of electrothermal converters.
The present invention is also effective as a configuration based on Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 138461/1984, which discloses a configuration in which an opening for absorbing a pressure wave of thermal energy corresponds to a discharge portion.

Further, as a full-line type recording head having a length corresponding to the width of the maximum recording medium that can be recorded by the recording apparatus, the length can be reduced by a combination of a plurality of recording heads as disclosed in the above specification. Either a configuration that satisfies the above or a configuration as a single recording head that is integrally formed may be used, but the present invention can more effectively exert the above-described effects.

In addition, a replaceable chip-type recording head that can be electrically connected to the apparatus main body and supplied with ink from the apparatus main body by being attached to the apparatus main body, or provided integrally with the recording head itself The present invention is also effective when a cartridge type recording head is used.

It is preferable to add recovery means for the printhead, preliminary auxiliary means, and the like, which are provided as components of the printing apparatus of the present invention, since the effects of the present invention can be further stabilized. Specific examples thereof include capping means, cleaning means, pressurizing or suctioning means, an electrothermal converter or a heating element other than this, or a preheating means for the recording head, for the recording head, It is also effective to perform stable recording by performing a preliminary discharge mode in which discharge is performed separately from recording.

Further, the printing mode of the printing apparatus is not limited to the printing mode of only the mainstream color such as black, but may be a printing head integrally formed or a combination of a plurality of printing heads. The present invention is extremely effective for an apparatus having at least one of the full colors.

〔The invention's effect〕

According to the inventions of claims 1, 2, and 4, when joining the substrate and the grooved top plate, the grooved top plate contact pressing surface of the spring plate-shaped member that generates a mechanical pressing force is not flat. , By using a linear shape, it is possible to concentrate the pressing force, and to press the grooved top plate upper surface area corresponding to the ink path forming area near the ink ejection port with a substantially uniform pressing force, and the adjacent ink paths Since the ink path walls between the two are completely in close contact with the substrate, the discharge pressure does not escape to the adjacent flow path, stable discharge of ink droplets can be obtained, and stable and good print quality can always be obtained. An ink jet recording head can be provided.

Further, according to the present invention, there is provided an ink jet recording head capable of ensuring and compensating for the uniformity and certainty of the pressing force when the substrate and the grooved top plate are pressed and joined by the plate member made of spring, and achieving high-quality recording. Can be provided.

Further, according to the present invention, there is provided an ink jet head cartridge which is integrally provided with an ink tank for supplying ink to the recording head having the above-mentioned excellent characteristics and which is replaceable with respect to the recording apparatus. be able to.

Furthermore, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide an ink jet recording head in which recording is performed by mounting an ink jet cartridge having the above-described excellent recording head.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1A is a schematic perspective view showing an example of an ink jet recording head according to the present invention, FIG. 1B is a sectional view of FIG. 1A, and FIG. 2 is an ink jet car according to the present invention. Fig. 3 is an exploded perspective view of an example of a cartridge, Fig. 3 is a schematic perspective view of an ink jet cartridge according to the present invention, and Fig. 4 is a schematic perspective view of an ink tank of the ink jet cartridge as viewed from the side on which the ink jet recording head is mounted. FIG. 5, FIG. 5 is a top view showing a state of being mounted on a carriage of the inkjet cartridge apparatus main body, FIG. 6 is a schematic perspective view showing an ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention, and FIG. FIG. 8 is a schematic perspective view showing another example of the plate ink jet recording head, FIG. 8 is a schematic perspective view showing still another example of the ink jet recording head according to the present invention, and FIG. Front view illustrating an example of a Kujietsuto recording head, FIG. 10 is a schematic perspective view showing a conventional Inkujietsuto recording head. 1 ... Substrate, 2, 12 ... Groove top plate, 3 ... Support member, 4 ...
... Spring plate member, 5 ... Temporary adhesive, 6 ... Linear pressure generating part, 7 ... Ink passage, 8 ... Common ink chamber, 9 ... Ink ejection port

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued Front Page (72) Inventor Takashi Oba 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc. (72) Inventor Jun Kawai 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Incorporated (72) Inventor Riki Abe 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc. (72) Inventor Hiroshi Sugitani 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc. ( 72) Inventor Nori Hattori 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc. (72) Inventor Masami Ikeda 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc. (72) Person Asao Saito 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc. (72) Inventor Kazuaki Masuda 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Ki Non-Incorporated (72) Inventor Akio Saito 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc. (72) Inventor Takeshi Orikasa 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc. (56) References JP-A 64-108050 (JP, A)

Claims (7)

(57) [Claims] 1. An ink ejection port for ejecting ink, an ink path communicating with the ink ejection port, an ejection pressure generating element used for ejecting ink to a predetermined portion of the ink path, and a joint. In the ink jet recording head including the first base and the second base that form the ink path, and the pressing member that press-bonds the first base and the second base, the pressing member applies a linear pressure. An ink jet having a linear pressure generating portion that generates the linear pressure, and the linear pressure generating portion presses the ink passage forming region formed by joining the first base and the second base. head. 2. A first substrate having an ink ejection pressure generating element used for ejecting ink from the ink ejection port, and an ink passage connected to the first substrate to communicate with the ink ejection port. And a leaf spring member used for mechanically joining the first base member and the second base member to each other. The side surface portion is curved, and linear pressure is generated by the curved side surface end portion to generate the linear pressure and the second base body.
An ink jet head characterized in that the first base and the second base are brought into pressure contact with each other by pressing the ink passage forming region formed by joining with the base. 3. A curved end portion of the leaf spring member is pressed so as to apply a linear pressure to a predetermined portion between an ink discharge port formation region that communicates with the ink passage and discharges ink. The inkjet head according to claim 2, wherein: 4. A first substrate having an ink ejection pressure generating element used for ejecting ink from an ink ejection port, an orifice plate in which the ink ejection port is formed, and an orifice plate and an outer periphery of the orifice plate. A second base body integrally provided with a front plate member that is provided at a portion of which protrudes to the outside, and a concavo-convex portion that forms an ink path communicating with the ink ejection port by being joined to the first base body; A leaf spring member used for mechanically joining the first substrate and the second substrate; and an ink jet head comprising: a curved portion outer surface of the leaf spring member having a curved end portion; In a state where the side surface of the front plate member that protrudes to the outside of the substrate opposite to the ink ejection direction is in contact, a linear pressure is generated by the end portion of the leaf spring member to cause the first substrate and the second substrate. An ink jet head characterized in that the first base body and the second base body are brought into pressure contact with each other by pressing the ink passage forming region constituted by the above-mentioned joining. 5. The ink jet head according to claim 1, wherein the ink ejection pressure generating element is an electrothermal converting element that generates thermal energy. 6. An ink jet cartridge, wherein the ink jet head according to claim 1 and an ink tank for supplying ink to the head are integrally formed. 7. An ink jet recording apparatus comprising: the ink jet cartridge according to claim 6; and a carriage which is mounted with the cartridge and is capable of scanning.