JP2692983B2 - INKJET HEAD, INKJET CARTRIDGE HAVING THE HEAD, AND INKJET RECORDING DEVICE HAVING THE CARTRIDGE - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an inkjet head, and more particularly to an inkjet head used in a liquid jet recording apparatus in which recording is performed by droplets ejected from an ejection port.

The present invention also relates to an inkjet cartridge integrally provided with an ink tank for supplying ink to the inkjet head.

Further, the present invention relates to an inkjet recording apparatus that achieves desired recording by using an inkjet cartridge integrally provided with an inkjet head and an ink tank.

[Conventional technology]

Conventionally, as this type of liquid ejecting recording apparatus, a piezoelectric element is deformed to generate a pressure change in a liquid flow path to eject fine liquid droplets, or a heating element is arranged in an ink path to generate heat. Various types of devices have been proposed, in which the energy generated by the heat generation is used to generate bubbles and thereby eject liquid droplets from the ejection port.

Among these, the recording head related to the method of ejecting the recording liquid (ink) by using thermal energy has a high density of ink ejection ports for ejecting recording liquid droplets to form flying liquid droplets. The ability to record with high resolution because it can be arrayed, the overall compactness of the recording head is easy, and the recent advances in technology in the semiconductor field and the remarkable improvement in reliability of ICs The advantages of technology and micro processing technology can be fully utilized, and it is easy to make it long and flat (two-dimensional). It has been especially noticed as having high productivity and low manufacturing cost.

FIGS. 8A, 8B, and 8C schematically show an example of a conventional inkjet head.

In these figures, 1 is a first substrate made of Si or the like, and an electrothermal converter (not shown) as a discharge energy generating element and a group of wiring portions thereof are provided on the upper surface thereof. 2
Is a second substrate made of glass, metal, resin, or the like. The second substrate 2 is connected to the ink introduction port 2a by cutting or etching, the groove 4b for forming the ink path 4 by being joined to the first substrate, the ink path wall 4a, and the common area communicating with the ink path 4. The ink chamber 5 is formed.

Then, as shown in FIG. 3A, the first and second substrates are adhered and fixed to each other with the adhesive 10, and the inkjet head is assembled as shown in FIG.

[Problems to be solved by the invention]

By the way, when the first substrate 1 and the second substrate 2 are bonded by the adhesive 10 as described above, the first substrate 1 and the second substrate 2 are inclined with respect to each other as shown in FIG. 8C. High-precision molding without deviation is required.

However, when the inclination of the ink path wall 4a formed on the second substrate 2 in the arrangement direction and the inclination of the wall portion 5a at the rear end of the common ink chamber 5 are different, the joint surface with the first substrate cannot be balanced. I will end up. In this case, the first substrate and the second substrate become unbalanced due to rattling, and the first substrate 1 is attached to the ink path wall 4a.
A gap region is formed that is lifted from the joint surface with. In this case, the ink wraps around the gap, or the pressure of the bubbles generated during the ink ejection escapes from the gap, impairing the ejection energy of the ink droplet, resulting in a decrease in print quality.

On the other hand, the thickness of the adhesive 10 sealed in the gap between the first substrate and the second substrate may be uneven, ink may leak from a part of the recording head, and the electric circuit inside the device may be contaminated. This also causes problems such as malfunction of the electric circuit and deterioration of printing quality due to the malfunction.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to solve the above problems and to provide an inexpensive inkjet head with excellent printing quality and high reliability.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an ink jet cartridge integrally provided with a head and an ink tank having the above-mentioned excellent specifications.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an ink jet recording apparatus equipped with an ink jet cartridge integrally including a head having the above-mentioned excellent characteristics and an ink tank.

[Means for solving the problem]

In order to achieve such an object, there has been proposed a first substrate provided with an ejection energy generating element used for ejecting ink from an ink ejection port, and the ejection by joining the substrate with the first substrate. A second substrate having an ink path corresponding to each of the energy generating elements and a wall portion for forming a common ink chamber communicating with the ink path; and the second substrate forming a first ink path. Wall and the first
A second wall portion forming the common ink chamber having a predetermined step with respect to the wall portion, and the first substrate of the second wall portion rearward with respect to the ink ejection direction of the common ink chamber. A protruding member is provided on a part of the joint surface with the second wall portion, and the second wall portion is in contact with the first substrate only by the protruding member.

[Operation] According to the present invention, in the assembly process of the inkjet head, the projecting member disposed on a part of the joint surface of the second wall portion, which is rearward with respect to the ink ejection direction of the common ink chamber, with the first substrate. With this, since the levelness of the ink path can be maintained, the adhesion between the first wall portion, which is the ink path wall, and the first substrate is increased, and the ink droplet ejection performance is improved.

Further, since it is not necessary to use an adhesive when joining the first substrate and the second substrate, it is possible to eliminate the inconvenience such as clogging of the ink passage due to the protrusion of the adhesive.

〔Example〕

2 to 6 are preferred ink jet unit IJU, ink jet head IJH, ink tank IT, ink jet cartridge I in which the present invention is implemented or applied.
FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram for explaining each of the JC, the inkjet recording apparatus main body IJRA, and the carriage HC and their respective relationships. 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 jet 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 inkjet cartridge IJC is fixedly supported by positioning means and electrical contacts of a carriage HC (FIG. 5) described later mounted on the inkjet recording apparatus main body IJRA, and is detachably attached to 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) Inkjet unit IJU configuration description The inkjet unit IJU is a bubble jet type unit that performs recording using an electrothermal converter that generates thermal energy for causing film boiling to ink in response to an electric signal. is there.

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 metal support that supports the back surface of the wiring board 200 on a flat surface, 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 with the foot portions of the holding springs passing through the holes 3121 of the support body 300 and engaging with the back surface side of the support body 300, the two are engaged with each other in a state where they are sandwiched. The heater board 100 and the top plate 1300 are pressed and fixed by the concentrated biasing force of the spring 500 and the front drooping portion 501. Further, the support 300 is provided with two positioning protrusions 1012 of the ink tank IT and positioning and heat fusion holding protrusions 1800, 1801.
In addition to the positioning holes 312, 1900, and 2000, the positioning protrusions 25 for the carriage HC of the apparatus main body IJRA are provided.
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 in the vicinity of the positioning projections 2500, 2600, respectively. In the assembled inkjet cartridge IJC (FIG. 3), three sides of the periphery are parallel grooves 3000. , 3001 are located at an extension point of the head tip region formed by a plurality of heads, so that unnecessary substances such as dust and ink do not reach the projections 2500 and 2600. This parallel groove 3000 is formed. As shown in FIG. 5, the lid member 800 forms the outer wall of the ink jet cartridge IJC and forms a space for accommodating the ink jet unit IJU with the ink tank. Further, the ink supply member 600 in which the parallel groove 3001 is formed forms an ink conduit 1600 continuous with the above-described ink supply tube 2200 as a cantilever with the supply tube 2200 side fixed, and the ink supply tube 2200 is fixed to the fixed side of the ink conduit. Supply pipe
A sealing pin 602 for ensuring a capillary phenomenon with 2200 is inserted. Reference numeral 601 denotes a packing for sealing the ink tank IT and the supply pipe 2200, and 700 denotes a filter provided at the tank side end of the supply pipe.

Since the ink supply member 600 is molded, it is not only inexpensive, has high positional accuracy, and does not eliminate the deterioration in manufacturing accuracy, but also cantilever the conduit 1600 during mass production by the cantilever conduit 1600. Ink 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 can be easily performed by making a back side pin (not shown) of No. 0 penetrate and project through the holes 1901 and 1902 of the support body 300 and heat-fusing a portion of the support body 300 protruding to the back side. The slightly protruding area of the heat-sealed rear part is the ink tank IT
Since the ink jet unit IJU is housed in a recess (not shown) on the side wall surface of the ink jet unit IJU, the positioning surface of the unit IJU can be obtained accurately.

(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, and is arranged in the cartridge main 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 movement direction on the rear surface of the main body 1000 of the ink tank to prevent the absorber from adhering 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. A rectangular parallelepiped shape is suitable for storing ink in a limited space as much as possible, but in order to use this stored ink for recording without waste, as described above, It is important to provide a rib capable of performing the above-mentioned operation in the two surface regions which are close to each other. 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
Through the approximate center of the projection port 400, when L ₁ and a straight line parallel to the mounting reference plane of the surface of the bottom or carriage of the tank IT, the two engaging in the hole 312 of the support 300 positioned protrusion 1012 are on the 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.
These relationships are effective because the positioning accuracy of only the ink tank is equivalent to 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, a straight line L ₂ ,
L ₃ is Izu match, since the projections 1012 projecting around 1800 and 1801 of the discharge port side of the head IJH is present, further head I
It produces the reinforcing effect of JH positioning for 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 the 00, the unit IJU is surrounded except for the lower opening. However, as the inkjet cartridge IJC, the lower opening for mounting on the carriage HC is close to the carriage HC. It forms a surrounding space. Therefore, the head IJH in this enclosed space
Although the heat generated from this is effective as a heat retaining space in this space, 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 inkjet cartridge IJC, ink is supplied from the inside of the cartridge to the supply port 1200, the support
After being supplied into the supply tank 600 through the hole 320 provided in the 300 and the introduction port provided on the inside and back side of the supply tank 600, and passing through the inside thereof, an appropriate supply pipe and
It flows into the common liquid chamber via the ink inlet 1500 of 0. A packing made of, for example, silicon rubber or butyl rubber is provided at the connection portion for ink communication described above, whereby sealing is performed to secure an ink supply path.

In this example, the top plate 1300 is made of a resin such as polysulfone, polyethersulfone, polyphenylene oxide, or polypropylene having excellent ink resistance,
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) Mounting Instruction of Inkjet 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 carriage HC moves along the platen roller 3000, and a front plate 4000 (2 mm thick) located on the front side of the inkjet cartridge IJC on the front platen side of the carriage, and a pad 201 of the wiring board 200 of the cartridge IJC. Pad 2011 corresponding to
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 protrusions 4010 corresponding to the above-mentioned positioning protrusions 2500 and 2600 of the support member 300 of the carriage, and receives a vertical force toward the protrusions 4010 after mounting the cartridge. 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. This rib is slightly smaller than the front position L ₅ when the Cartridge IJC is attached (about 0.1
Also, a head protection protruding portion protruding toward the platen roller is formed. The support plate 4003 for electrical connection
A plurality of reinforcing ribs 4004 are provided not in the direction of the ribs but in the vertical direction, and the ratio of protrusion from the platen side toward the hook 4001 side is reduced. This also serves the function of tilting the position when the cartridge is mounted as shown in the figure. Further, in order to stabilize the electrical contact state, the support plate 4003 is provided with a positioning surface 4006 on the hook side for exerting an acting force on the cartridge in a direction opposite to the acting direction of the two projecting surfaces 4010 on the cartridge. Two corresponding to the protruding surface 4010 to form a pad contact area therebetween, and a padded rubber sheet 40 for pad 2011.
Uniquely defines the amount of deformation of the 07 button. 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, the line L ₁ which further pads 201 of the wiring board 300 described above
Are distributed so as to be symmetric with respect to each other.
The contact pressure of 01 is more stabilized. The distribution of the pads 201 in this example is two rows above and two rows below and two rows vertically.

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 while the positioning projections 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. While the 90 ° hook surface 4002 is in close contact with the 90 ° surface of the cartridge IJC claw 2100, the cartridge IJC is pivoted in the horizontal plane around the contact area between the positioning surfaces 2500 and 4010 and finally the pads 201 and 20.
Contact of 11 comrades begins. And hook 4001 is in the predetermined position,
That is, when held at the fixed position, the pads 201 and 2011 have a complete contact state, the positioning surfaces 2500 and 4010 have a complete contact, the 90-degree surface 4002 and the 90-degree surface of the claw have two contact surfaces, and 30
0 and the surface contact with the positioning surface 4006 are simultaneously formed, and the holding of the cartridge IJC with respect 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 outline view 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 and 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. It goes without saying that the blade is not limited to this form, and a well-known cleaning blade can be applied to this embodiment. 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 the present invention, which is technically related to FIGS. 2 to 6 described above, in detail, FIG.
This will be described with reference to (B), (C) and FIG.

1 (A) and 1 (B) show an inkjet head according to the present invention and a grooved top plate (second substrate) constituting the head.
It is a schematic perspective view which shows 2. In the grooved top plate 2 shown in FIG. 1 (A), a concave portion 4b for forming the ink passage 4 and the common ink chamber 5 and a first wall portion 4a for forming the ink passage,
A second wall portion 5a forming a common ink chamber is provided, and an orifice plate 7 having an ejection port 6 communicating with the ink passage 4 is integrally attached. Then, the projecting member 3 having a predetermined thickness on a part of the joint surface of the second wall portion 5a forming the common ink chamber 5 with the first substrate on the rear side in the ink ejection direction of the common ink chamber. Is provided and the second
The wall portion 5a contacts the first substrate only by this protruding member. The protruding member 3 is effective if it is provided in a predetermined region of the second wall portion 5a rearward with respect to the ink ejection direction of the common ink chamber 5, but the ink in the common ink chamber 5 is particularly effective. By providing in the central region of the second wall portion 5a rearward with respect to the ejection direction, a well-balanced bonding can be achieved when bonded to the substrate (first substrate) 1.

That is, since the linear stress of the first wall portion 4a of the ink path 4 is subjected to the joining stress at one point of the protruding member 3 of the second wall portion 5a rearward with respect to the ink ejection direction of the common ink chamber 5, In addition, there is no concern about inclination or displacement when the substrate 1 and the grooved top plate 2 are joined.

On the other hand, the first wall portion 4a of the ink path 4 of the grooved top plate 2 is configured to be thicker than the second wall portion 5a of the common ink chamber 5 by the thickness b, and is provided with a step. This step becomes a gap into which the adhesive enters when the substrate 1 and the grooved top plate 2 are joined.

Here, the protruding member 3 at the rear wall end 5a of the common ink chamber 5 has substantially the same thickness as the step b. For that reason,
As shown in FIGS. 1 (B) and (C), the adhesive provided on the outer peripheral portion of the joint surface between the substrate 1 and the grooved top plate 2 which has been difficult to enter so far is uniformly and evenly. Groove top plate 2
It becomes possible to enter the joint surface with.

With the above-described configuration, since the top plate 2 and the orientation plate 7 are not required to be aligned and bonded as in the conventional case,
There is no alignment error or misalignment during bonding,
By reducing the number of defective products and shortening the process, it was possible to contribute to the mass productivity and low cost of the recording head.

In addition, since there is no conventional step of bonding the top plate 2 and the orifice plate 7 to each other, there is no fear of blocking the orifice or the ink flow path due to the adhesive flowing in.

FIG. 1 (B) shows a substrate (heater board) 1 and a top plate 2.
One mode of joining and fixing and is shown. In the figure, for the sake of simplicity, the orifice plate 7 of the top plate 2 is shown by a chain line, and the wiring pattern on the heater board 1 is not shown.

As described above, the positioning of the heater board 1 and the top plate 2 is performed by abutting the end surface of the heater board 1 against the orifice plate 7, and when joining these, it is provided on the outer peripheral portion of the top plate 2 as described above. The adhesive was applied along the three sides having the gap. This makes it possible to prevent the adhesive from flowing into the ink path 4. Further, the adhesive can be present on the joint surface between the heater board 1 and the orifice plate 7 in an appropriate range in a necessary and sufficient amount.

In this example, as this adhesive, a photocurable adhesive trade name UV-201 (Grace Jean Co., Ltd.) is used, and after positioning, for example, 10-30 J / cm ² of ultraviolet rays are irradiated,
Both were fixed by curing. Therefore, since the part where the adhesive is present is separated from the ink passage 4 or the ejection port 6, the allowable number of trials for positioning increases.

Next, the recording head main body obtained by integrating the top plate 2 and the heater board 1 in this manner is fixed on the support 3 with an adhesive. As this adhesive, for example, a product name HP2R / 2H by Canon Chemical Co., Ltd. can be used.

In this state, as described above, both substrates (heater board 1
And the top plate 2) is only adhered to the outer peripheral portion other than the portion where the ink passage 4 is formed, and sufficient adhesion is not obtained. Therefore, from the upper side of the top plate 2, the pressing spring 8
The urging force of is applied. The pressing spring 8 can be formed using, for example, phosphor bronze or stainless steel for the spring. Then, mechanical pressure is applied from the top to make the connection. As a result, a sufficient adhesion state between the two substrates can be obtained. It is preferable that the pressing spring 8 presses the area near the discharge port with a linear pressure as shown in the figure from the viewpoint of the pressing characteristic.

In this example, the photocurable adhesive is used for joining the top plate 2 and the heater board 1, but any form may be used, or the pressing spring 8 may provide sufficient fixing force or adhesive force. It is not always necessary to use an adhesive as long as the above can be obtained. Further, for example, an appropriate sealing material, that is, a sealing material such as a sealing material or a rubber packing can be used only for the purpose of enhancing the liquid sealing property.

According to this example, since a sufficient bonding state can be obtained without applying the adhesive to the wall portion 4a of the ink path 4 of the top plate 2, the adhesive applying process can be simplified.

In addition, when a misalignment occurs in the conventional alignment, the adhesive adheres to the discharge heater or the like of the heater board 1 in the flow path portion,
Although there is a possibility that a defective product may occur due to blockage of the flow path or the discharge port, such a situation does not occur in this example, and the alignment can be performed any number of times. Furthermore, even if the top plate made of a resin material is deformed or warped, or if there is some variation in manufacturing, the manufacturing process is simplified.

To the recording head to which the present invention is applied, an ejection signal according to image data is supplied from an appropriate data supply source through a cable and a terminal connected to the cable.

It is needless to say that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, but can adopt various configurations.

For example, in the above example, the recording head main body and the ink supply source and the like are integrated and made disposable, but they may be separate bodies, and they need not necessarily be disposable. That is, even if the recording head body is of a fixed type and does not require simple replacement, the simple and inexpensive construction of the recording head as described above also contributes to the low cost of the printer body.

Further, in the recording head main body including the heater board 1 and the top plate 2, in the above example, the ink flow path and the common liquid chamber forming recess are provided only on the top plate side, but they may be provided on both sides. A flat substrate may be formed with a member serving as a wall member interposed therebetween.

Further, regarding the recording head main body, in the above example, the discharge heater is used in order to make the heat energy the discharge energy, but the electro-mechanical conversion element that deforms in response to the energization is used, and the mechanical vibration is generated by the discharge energy. The form may be

Further, in the above example, the orifice plate 7 itself has the abutting portion of the heater board, but the abutting portion may have any shape. For example,
Such a butting portion may be provided in the side surface direction for lateral positioning, or, instead of providing such a butting portion, positioning is performed by a combination of dowels and holes. You may If the positioning does not matter, no abutment or positioning member is required. That is, the top plate may have a wall portion flush with the joining surface in front of the groove portion, and a discharge port may be formed therein.

In addition, in the above example, the top plate and the heater board are closely joined by the pressing spring, but if the use of only the adhesive does not pose a problem in the joining, it is possible to use a structure without the pressing spring. is there.

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 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. To be more specific, a capping unit, a cleaning unit, a pressure or suction unit, a preheating unit using an electrothermal converter, another heating element, or a combination thereof, for the recording head. Performing a preliminary ejection mode in which ejection is performed separately from printing is also effective for performing stable printing.

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〕

As described above, according to the present invention, the cost is low,
A highly reliable inkjet head can be provided with a simple configuration.

[Brief description of the drawings]

1 (A), (B), and (C) each show an example of an inkjet head according to the present invention, and FIG. 1 (A) is a perspective view schematically showing the configuration of a grooved top plate. FIG. 1 (B) is a perspective view schematically showing the configuration of the head, FIG. 1 (C) is a sectional view of FIG. 1 (B), and FIG. 2 is an example of an inkjet cartridge according to the present invention. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view, FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view of an inkjet cartridge according to the present invention, FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view of an ink tank of the inkjet cartridge as seen from a side where an inkjet recording head is mounted, and FIG. FIG. 6 is a top view showing a state of being mounted on a carriage of the inkjet cartridge device main body, FIG. 6 is a schematic perspective view showing an inkjet recording device according to the present invention, and FIG. 7 is a schematic view showing another configuration of the inkjet head according to the present invention. Schematic perspective view shown in, Figure 8 (A), (B), (C) are those showing an example of a conventional ink jet head, respectively, Figure 8 (A)
Is an exploded perspective view schematically showing the configuration of the head, FIG. 8 (B) is a perspective view schematically showing the configuration of the head shown in FIG. 8 (A), and FIG. It is sectional drawing of a figure (B). 1 ... Heater board (first substrate), 2 ... Groove top plate (second)
Substrate), 3 ... Projection member, 4 ... Ink passage, 5 ... Common ink chamber, 6 ... Discharge port, 7 ... Orifice plate, 8 ... Press spring

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Jun Kawai 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc. (72) Inventor Riki Abe 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon (72) Inventor Hiroshi Nakagome 3- 30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc. (72) Inventor Teruo Arashima 3- 30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc. ( 72) Inventor Hiroshi Sugitani 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc. (72) Inventor Norifumi Hattori 3-30-2, Shimomaruko 3-chome, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc. (72) Invention Person Masami Ikeda 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc. (72) Inventor Asao Saito 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Non-Incorporated (72) Inventor Kazuaki Masuda 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc. (72) Inventor Tsuyoshi Orikasa 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc. Within

Claims (5)

(57) [Claims] 1. A first substrate having an ejection energy generating element used for ejecting ink from an ink ejection port, and an ink path corresponding to each of the ejection energy generating elements by being bonded to the substrate. A second substrate having a wall portion for forming a common ink chamber communicating with the ink passage, the second substrate having a first wall portion forming the ink passage,
A second wall portion forming the common ink chamber having a predetermined step with respect to the first wall portion, and the second wall portion rearward with respect to the ink ejection direction of the common ink chamber. First
The inkjet head is characterized in that a protruding member is provided on a part of a joint surface with the substrate, and the second wall portion contacts the first substrate only by the protruding member. 2. The projecting member is a convex portion located in a central region of the second wall portion rearward with respect to the ink ejection direction of the common ink chamber. Inkjet head. 3. The ink jet head according to claim 1, wherein the projection-shaped member has a step equal to the step. 4. The ink jet head according to claim 1, and an ink tank for supplying ink to the head.
Inkjet cartridge equipped with. 5. An inkjet recording apparatus comprising: the inkjet cartridge according to claim 4; and a carriage that is equipped with the cartridge and is capable of scanning.