JP2717871B2 - Ink jet recording head and ink jet recording apparatus using the recording head - Google Patents

Description

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ink jet recording head for performing recording by discharging ink onto a recording material and an ink jet recording apparatus using the recording head.

[Conventional technology]

2. Description of the Related Art A recording device such as a printer, a copying machine, and a facsimile is configured to record an image formed of a dot pattern on a recording material such as paper or a plastic thin plate based on image information.

The recording device can be classified into an ink jet type, a wire dot type, a thermal type, a laser beam type, etc. according to a recording method. Ink) droplets are ejected and fly, and are attached to a recording material to perform recording.

The inkjet recording apparatus has many advantages such as extremely low noise generation, high-speed recording, and the ability to use plain paper without requiring a recording material having special characteristics. Therefore, various types of recording heads and ink jet recording apparatuses have been proposed.

Among these inkjet recording apparatuses, there is a line type including a line recording head in which ejection openings are arranged over substantially the entire width of a recording area.

Above all, a print head of a method (bubble jet method) in which thermal energy is applied to ink and ink droplets are ejected by utilizing pressure due to thermal expansion has a good response to a print signal, and it is easy to increase the density of ejection ports. It has advantages such as

In addition, a method of ejecting ink using this thermal energy is a line-type recording in which ejection ports and electrothermal transducers (ejection energy generating elements) are arranged substantially corresponding to the width of a recording material. Head (line recording head) and an inkjet recording apparatus using the recording head,
High expectations are placed on its high-speed recording performance.

[Technical problem to be solved by the invention]

However, in the ink jet recording apparatus using the above-mentioned line recording head, it is difficult to process all the ejection ports and ejection energy generating elements provided over substantially the entire width of the recording area without defects.

That is, for example, a line recording head that records A3 size recording paper at a recording density of 400 DPI requires 4736 discharge ports (recording width 300.7 mm), and discharge energy generation corresponding to such a large number of discharge ports is required. It was difficult to process all the elements (a pair of electrodes and the heating resistor provided between these electrodes) without any single defect in the manufacturing process, and the yield rate was likely to decrease.

In addition, the diameter of the discharge port is about several tens of μm, so even if manufactured in a dust-free environment such as a clean room, it is difficult to make a recording head with no dust inside the discharge port, and the number of discharge ports themselves is 4736 It is difficult to form a large number of ejection ports without defects, and this has been a major technical problem for commercializing a line recording head.

The present invention has been made in view of such technical problems, and it is possible to make a main recording head which has been discarded as a defective product up to now a non-defective product, dramatically increase the non-defective product rate, and reduce the manufacturing cost. An object of the present invention is to provide an ink jet recording head that can be greatly reduced and an ink jet recording apparatus using the recording head.

[Means for solving the problem]

The present invention is to provide a non-defective main recording head which has been discarded as a defective product by attaching an auxiliary recording head to a defective recording portion of the main recording head to form one, for example, a line type ink jet recording head. The present invention provides an ink jet recording head and an ink jet recording apparatus that can perform the above-described steps.

That is, the present invention provides an ink jet recording head that performs recording by discharging ink on a recording material, and has a smaller recording width than the main recording head, and can be detachably attached to a desired position of the main recording head. An auxiliary recording head, and mounting means for mounting the auxiliary recording head to the main recording head. A portion of the main recording head where the auxiliary recording head is provided is formed by using an auxiliary recording head. By providing a configuration that performs recording, an ink jet recording head can be provided that can be discarded as a defective product until now, and that can significantly reduce the manufacturing cost by dramatically increasing the non-defective product rate. It is.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an ink jet recording apparatus which performs recording by discharging ink on a recording material, wherein a main recording head, a recording width smaller than the main recording head, and a desired position of the main recording head. A detachable auxiliary recording head,
Mounting means for mounting the auxiliary recording head to the main recording head, and an ink jet recording head which performs recording by using an auxiliary recording head in a portion of the main recording head where the auxiliary recording head is provided. A head mounting unit for mounting the ink jet recording head, and a conveying unit for conveying the recording material to a recording position of the ink jet recording head mounted on the head mounting unit. Thus, the present invention provides an ink jet recording apparatus that can turn a main recording head, which has been discarded as a defective product, into a non-defective product, dramatically increase the non-defective product rate, and greatly reduce the manufacturing cost.

〔Example〕

 Hereinafter, the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 7 is a schematic perspective view showing a main configuration of an embodiment of the ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 7 shows a case of an ink jet recording apparatus provided with a plurality (four in the illustrated example) of line type ink jet recording heads capable of full color recording.

In FIG. 7, reference numerals 101 and 102 denote a pair of rollers for sandwiching a recording material 103 such as a sheet of paper or a thin plastic plate and transporting the recording material 103 in a sub-scanning direction (conveying direction) indicated by an arrow F.

105Bk, 105Y, 105M, 105C are respectively the recording material 103
This is a full multi-type ink jet recording head 105 in which discharge ports are arranged over substantially the entire width of a recording area corresponding to.

Incidentally, the ink jet recording head 10 according to the present invention.
For 5Bk, 105Y, 105M, 105C, any
When one recording head is designated, it is referred to as an inkjet recording head 105.

As will be apparent from the following description, the recording apparatus of the present invention is not limited to the number of ink jet recording heads 105, but can be implemented with an appropriate number of ink jet heads.

In the case of full-color printing, for example, black, yellow, magenta, and cyan are used as the ink colors ejected from the four print heads 105. In the illustrated example, four ink jet print heads 105 are covered. They are arranged in this order from the upstream side (from the bottom) in the recording material conveyance direction.

Reference numeral 106 denotes a recovery system, which faces each of the recording heads 105 instead of the recording material 103 in the ejection recovery processing.

Further, each of the ink jet recording heads 105 is mounted on the head mounting section 107 with its mutual positional relationship being regulated.

The ink jet recording head 105 is a recording head embodying the present invention, as described later.

As described above, the ink jet recording apparatus to which the present invention is applied, that is, the ink jet recording head according to the present invention
A head mounting portion 107 for mounting the 105, and the inkjet recording head 105 mounted on the head mounting portion 107
An example of an ink jet recording apparatus having transport means 101 and 102 for transporting the recording material 103 to the recording position of the above is configured.

The ink jet recording head 105 is a recording head that discharges ink using thermal energy, and includes an electrothermal converter for generating thermal energy.

In addition, the ink jet recording head 105 discharges ink from a discharge port to perform recording by growing bubbles due to film boiling generated by thermal energy applied by the electrothermal transducer.

FIG. 8 shows the ink jet recording head 105 in FIG.
FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view schematically showing the general structure of FIG. 8, and FIG. 9 is a partial longitudinal sectional view of a liquid passage section in FIG.

8 and 9, the ink jet recording head 105 has, for example, an electrothermal converter (heating resistor) 115 and an electrode 110 disposed on a substrate 118, and a protective layer thereon.
It is configured by providing a top plate 112 on which a liquid path 113 communicating with each discharge port 114 and a common liquid chamber 117 communicating with each liquid path 113 are formed on the protective layer 111. .

The ejection energy of the ink in the ink jet recording head 105 is given by the heat generated by the electrothermal converter 115 connected between the pair of electrodes 10.

That is, a voltage is applied to the electrode 10 and the electrothermal converter 115
When the heat is generated, the ink in the vicinity of the electrothermal converter in the liquid path 113 is instantaneously heated and bubbles are generated there, and the volume changes due to the instantaneous volume expansion and contraction caused by the generation of the bubbles, Ink droplets are ejected from the ejection port 114.

FIG. 1 shows an ink jet recording head 105 according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a plan view showing one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a line in FIG.
3 is a bottom view of the ink jet recording head of FIG. 1, and FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV in FIG.

Note that, throughout all the drawings, the same portions or corresponding portions are all denoted by the same reference numerals.

1 to 4, an ink jet recording head
105 has a base plate 1 that supports the line recording head A and can also fix the auxiliary recording head B.

A heater board 2 of a line recording head A is joined to an upper surface of the base plate 1. The heater board 2 has a plurality of ejection energy generating elements (not shown) in a range substantially corresponding to the width of the recording material 103. An electrothermal transducer is arranged, and an electric wiring (not shown) for supplying electric power to the ejection energy generating element is provided.

A liquid chamber and a liquid path (discharge port 5) for supplying ink to each discharge port (liquid path) 5 formed corresponding to each of the plurality of discharge energy generating elements are provided on the upper surface of the heater board 2. The discharge element 3 for forming is bonded.

Further, a drive IC 4 for driving the ejection energy generating element according to print data is joined to the upper surface of the heater board 2.

On the upper surface of the base plate 1, a flexible wiring board 6 for supplying an IC drive signal and power for driving an ejection energy generating element to the heater board 2 is attached.

The flexible wiring board 6 includes a drive power supply connector 7 for supplying drive power to the inkjet print head 105 and an IC drive signal connector 8 for supplying an IC drive print signal to the inkjet print head 105.
Is provided.

The electrode portion of the flexible wiring board 6 is
Accordingly, the heater board 2 is pressed down through the rubber member 10 and is electrically connected to each other through the electrode portion.

The holding member 9 is fixed to the base plate 1 by screws 11 (FIG. 1).

On both sides of the ink jet recording head 105, ink joints for connecting the ink flow path between
The ink joint 12 has an ink tube 1 for guiding ink to the line recording head A.
4, 15 and ink tubes 20 and 21 for guiding ink to the auxiliary recording head B are connected.

In the illustrated example, the other ends of the ink tubes 14 and 15 are
It is connected to elbows 16 and 17 for guiding ink into the liquid chamber of the ejection element 3.

The auxiliary recording head B has a heater board 33 for an auxiliary recording head joined to a base plate 24 for the auxiliary recording head B, and a liquid chamber and a liquid path (discharge port 2).
3) The discharge element 22 for forming the above is joined.

The base plate 24 is provided with a plurality of ejection energy generating elements (not shown) arranged at the same density as the line recording head A, and electric wiring for supplying power to each of the ejection energy generating elements.

A liquid chamber and a liquid path (discharge port 23) are formed in the discharge element 22, so that the ink supplied to the liquid chamber can be discharged from the discharge port to perform recording.

The discharge energy generating element is disposed in each liquid path leading from the liquid chamber to each discharge port 23.

That is, the ejection ports 23 and the liquid paths of the ejection element 22 of the auxiliary recording head B are also arranged at the same density as the line recording head A, and the ink is ejected from the ejection obtaining element 22 by driving the ejection energy generating element. Recording.

Although one auxiliary recording head B is used in the illustrated example, a plurality of auxiliary recording heads B can be used if necessary.

The auxiliary recording head B is a line recording head A
Is used in place of a portion that covers the defective discharge portion of the recording head.
23 (therefore, the number of ejection energy generating elements) is 2
It is preferable to select within the range of 1 to 128 pieces.

The auxiliary recording head B fixes the base plate 24 at a predetermined position in the width direction of the base plate 1 of the line recording head A, thereby forming the ink jet recording head 105.
Built in.

1 to 4, reference numeral 25 denotes a driving IC for the auxiliary recording head for driving the ejection energy generating element of the auxiliary recording head B according to the recording information, and 27 denotes an IC from the flexible wiring board 6 to the heater board 33. A signal line cable for an auxiliary recording head for supplying a driving signal, and a power cable 28 for supplying an auxiliary recording head driving power from the flexible wiring board 6 to the heater board 33.

The auxiliary recording head B is fixed at a position covering an ejection failure portion of the line recording head A. The auxiliary recording head B is fixed at predetermined positions in the sheet width direction of the base plate 1 of the line recording head A by fixing members 29 and 30 and screws 31 and 32. It is fixed in position (by fixing the base plate 24).

As described above, the line recording head A in the ink jet recording head 105 to which the embodiment of the present invention is applied, that is, the ink jet recording head 105 that can be mounted on the ink jet recording apparatus that performs recording by discharging ink onto the recording material 103, An auxiliary recording head B having a smaller recording width than the line recording head, and fixing means 29, 30, 31, 32 for fixing the auxiliary recording head to the line recording head;
Replacement means 25, 26, 27, 28 for replacing a part of the recording section of the line recording head with the auxiliary recording head
And an ink jet recording head 105 wherein the portion of the line recording head A where the auxiliary recording head B is provided performs recording by using the auxiliary recording head.

Next, a method of using the auxiliary recording head B will be described.

The manufactured line recording head A is recorded and inspected as its final inspection, and the defective recording portion (electrical wiring defect at the heater board 2 site, mistake in the discharge port processing,
The i-th drive IC (that is, the drive IC corresponding to the defective discharge portion) that drives the discharge element 3 (a recording failure due to various causes such as a foreign substance clogging in the liquid passage) is specified.

Next, the auxiliary recording head B is fixed to the line recording head A by the fixing members 29 and 30 so that the auxiliary recording head B is located at the same position as the ejection port group driven by the i-th drive IC in the ejection port arrangement direction.

As a result, the i-th drive I of the entire width of the recording material 103 is
The ejection port group driven by C does not perform recording on the line recording head A side, but instead performs recording on the portion by the auxiliary recording head B.

By doing so, by providing the auxiliary recording head B to the recording head that was treated as a defective product due to recording failure with the line recording head A alone, it is possible to exhibit the same performance as a non-defective line recording head. What has been discarded as a defective product until now can be used as a good product.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing an electric system of the ink jet recording head 105 shown in FIGS.

In FIG. 5, recording data to be recorded and installation data of the auxiliary recording head B (in which block the recording is to be performed) are sent to the recording timing control unit.

This recording data is image data directly read from a document by a scanner or the like, or recording data sent directly from a computer.

In the recording timing control unit to which the two data (information) are input, first, the recording data is sent to the line recording head A and to the auxiliary recording head B based on the auxiliary recording head installation data. Separate.

Next, regarding the recording timing of the auxiliary recording head B, the line recording head A and the auxiliary recording head B in FIG.
The amount of adjustment is determined so that the recording timing is delayed or advanced by an amount corresponding to the interval l in the recording material transport direction with respect to the line recording head A and the line recording head A and the auxiliary from the recording signal generator based on the timing. A recording signal is output to the recording head B.

A data separation circuit for dividing recording data to be recorded into two by the recording timing control section and the recording signal generating section in accordance with the position and the number of fixed auxiliary recording heads B; And a recording timing adjustment circuit for properly setting the recording timing of the auxiliary recording head B for recording.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing the ink supply system of the ink jet recording head 105 described with reference to FIGS.

In FIG. 6, the ink jet recording head 105 is
The ink joints 12 and 13 are connected to the ink supply system by connecting the ink joints 40 and 41 on the recording apparatus main body side.

During normal recording, ink is supplied from the ink tank 37 in the direction of the arrow B through the first ink flow path 35, and the ink tube 15 going to the line recording head A and the ink tube going to the auxiliary recording head B in the joint 13. Ink is supplied to each of the ejection elements 3 and 22, and ink is ejected from each of the ejection ports 5 and 23 to perform printing.

When the ejection openings of the recording heads A and B are clogged, or when air bubbles enter the ink supply path leading to the ejection openings, the recovery pump 38 is operated and the ink tank 37 is operated.
Of the ink in the second ink flow path 34
The ink is then supplied to the ejection elements 3 and 22 of the line recording head A and the auxiliary recording head B under pressure by branching to the ink tubes 14 and 20 via the joints 41 and 12.

By pushing out the ink from the ejection openings 5 and 23 of each of the recording heads A and B to push out foreign matters and air bubbles, the ink pressure-fed to the ejection elements 3 and 22 further flows from the ink tubes 15 and 21 to the joints 13 and Air bubbles and the like in the ink supply path can be pushed out to the ink tank 37 via the first ink flow path 35 and the ink supply path 35.

In FIG. 6, reference numeral 36 denotes an ink supply tank, and 39 denotes an air hole of the ink tank 37.

In the ink supply system shown in FIG.
By providing 14, 20, 15 and 21, an ink supply system similar to the case of one recording head is formed.

FIG. 10 shows an ink jet recording head 105 according to the present invention.
FIG. 11 is a plan view showing the second embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 11 is a front view taken along the line XI-XI in FIG. 10, and FIG. 12 is a bottom view of FIG.

This embodiment has a structure in which the number of auxiliary recording heads B is two in the embodiment shown in FIGS.

Each of the auxiliary recording heads B and their fixing means have substantially the same structure as in the above-described embodiment.

In this embodiment, the two auxiliary recording heads B, B are connected to each other by a signal line cable 134 and an ink tube 135.

This embodiment is different from the above-described embodiment in this point,
Since the other parts have substantially the same structure, corresponding parts are denoted by the same reference numerals, respectively, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

FIG. 13 is a block diagram of the same type as FIG. 5 showing the electric system of the ink jet recording apparatus according to the second embodiment of FIGS.

In the electric system shown in FIG. 13, the recording signal generating section outputs the corresponding recording signals to the two auxiliary recording heads B.

FIG. 14 and FIG. 15 are block diagrams of a recording head driving electric system of the third and fourth embodiments of the ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention, respectively.

FIG. 14 shows an electric system when one auxiliary recording head B having two drive ICs 25 and 25 is mounted, and FIG.
The electric system when two auxiliary recording heads B having two drive ICs 25 and 25 are mounted is shown.

These embodiments provide a useful structure when it is necessary to increase the number of ejection ports 23 of the auxiliary recording head B, such as when the ejection failure portion of the line recording head A occurs relatively continuously. It is.

Further, when carrying out the present invention, the auxiliary recording head B
Or the driving IC of each auxiliary recording head B and the ejection port 23
Can be appropriately selected as needed.

In each of the above embodiments, the case of an ink jet recording apparatus using one line recording head A has been mainly described. However, the present invention is not limited to a case where a plurality of line recordings are performed for color recording or gradation recording. In an ink jet recording apparatus equipped with the head A, the same can be applied to all the line recording heads A or a part of the line recording heads A.

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

The representative configuration and principle are preferably performed using the basic principle disclosed in, for example, US Pat. Nos. 4,723,129 and 4,740,796.

This method can be applied to any of the so-called on-demand type and continuous type. In particular, in the case of the on-demand type, it is arranged on a sheet or a liquid path holding a liquid (ink). By applying at least one drive signal to the electrothermal transducer, which corresponds to the recorded information and provides a rapid temperature rise exceeding nucleate boiling,
This is effective because thermal energy is generated in the electrothermal transducer, and the film is boiled on the heat-acting surface of the recording head. As a result, bubbles in the liquid (ink) can be formed in one-to-one correspondence with the drive signal.

By discharging the liquid (ink) through the discharge opening by the growth and contraction of the bubble, at least one droplet is formed.

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 the configuration of the recording head, in addition to the combination of the discharge port, the liquid path, and the electrothermal converter (the direct liquid flow path or the right-angle liquid flow path) as disclosed in the above-mentioned respective 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, and an aperture for absorbing pressure waves of thermal energy. The present invention is effective even if a configuration based on Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 138461/1984, which discloses a configuration corresponding to a discharge unit, is adopted.

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.

If these are specifically mentioned, for the recording head,
Capping means, cleaning means, pressurizing or suction means, preheating means using an electrothermal transducer or another heating element or a combination thereof, and performing a predischarge mode in which discharge is performed separately from recording. Is also effective for performing stable 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.

In the embodiments of the present invention described above, the ink is described as a liquid, but the ink is solidified at room temperature or below, and is softened or liquid at room temperature, or the ink itself is 30 ° C. In general, the temperature is adjusted within a range of not more than ° C. and the temperature is controlled so that the viscosity of the ink is in a stable ejection range. Therefore, it is sufficient that the ink is in a liquid state when the use recording signal is applied.

In addition, positively prevent temperature rise due to thermal energy as energy for changing the state of the ink from a solid state to a liquid state, or prevent ink that solidifies in a standing state to prevent evaporation of the ink. Or use
In any case, heat is first applied by heat energy, such as one in which ink is liquefied and ejected as an ink liquid by application in accordance with a recording signal of heat energy, and one which already starts to solidify when reaching a recording material. Use of an ink having a liquefying property is also applicable to the present invention.

In such a case, as in JP-A-54-56847, the ink is opposed to the electrothermal converter while being held as a liquid or a solid in the concave portions or through holes of the porous sheet. It is good also as a form.

In the present invention, the most effective one for the above-described ink is to execute the above-described film boiling method.

〔The invention's effect〕

As is apparent from the above description, according to the present invention, in the ink jet recording head that performs recording by discharging ink onto a recording material, the main recording head and the recording width are smaller than the main recording head. A portion having an auxiliary recording head detachable at a desired position of the head and mounting means for mounting the auxiliary recording head to the main recording head, wherein the main recording head is provided with the auxiliary recording head Is configured to perform recording by using an auxiliary recording head, so by arranging the auxiliary recording head in the defective recording part of the main recording head, it is possible to make what was discarded as a defective product until now The present invention provides an ink jet recording head capable of dramatically increasing the non-defective product rate and significantly reducing the manufacturing cost.

According to another aspect of the present invention, in an ink jet recording apparatus that performs recording by discharging ink on a recording material, a main recording head, a recording width smaller than the main recording head, and a desired width of the main recording head. An auxiliary recording head that can be attached to and detached from the main recording head; and mounting means for mounting the auxiliary recording head on the main recording head. A portion of the main recording head where the auxiliary recording head is provided is an auxiliary recording head. An inkjet recording head that performs recording by using
Since the head mounting unit for mounting the inkjet recording head, and a transport unit for transporting the recording material to a recording position of the inkjet recording head mounted on the head mounting unit, and has a configuration, By arranging the auxiliary recording head at the defective recording part of the main recording head, the main recording head, which had been discarded as a defective product until now, can be made a non-defective product. The present invention provides an ink jet recording apparatus that can be reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of an ink jet recording head according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a front view taken along line II-II in FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the ink jet recording head of FIG. 1, and FIG. 4 is a view in FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line IV-IV of FIG. 5, FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing an electric system of an ink jet recording apparatus having the recording head of FIG. 1, and FIG.
FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing an ink supply system of an inkjet recording apparatus having the recording head shown in FIG. 7, FIG. 7 is a schematic perspective view showing a main part of an embodiment of the inkjet recording apparatus according to the present invention,
FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view schematically showing the general structure of the ink jet recording head in FIG. 7, FIG. 9 is a longitudinal sectional view in the liquid path direction of the recording head in FIG. 8, and FIG. Plan view showing a second embodiment of the ink jet recording head, FIG.
11 is a front view as viewed from line XI-XI in FIG. 10, and FIG.
FIG. 13 is a bottom view of the recording head, FIG. 13 is a block diagram of a head driving electric system of the ink jet recording apparatus having the recording head of FIG. 10, and FIG. 14 is a third embodiment of the ink jet recording head according to the present invention. FIG. 15 is a block diagram of a head driving electric system of a recording apparatus having a fourth embodiment of an ink jet recording head according to the present invention. In the following, reference numerals indicating major components in the drawings are listed. A: main recording head (line recording head), B: auxiliary recording head, 1 ... base plate, 2 ... heater board, 3 ... ejection element, 4 ... drive IC, 5 ... ejection port, 12, 13 ... Joint, 14, 15, 20, 21 ... Ink tube, 22 ... Discharge element, 23 ... Discharge port, 24
…… Base plate, 25 …… Drive IC (replacement means),
29, 30 ... fixing member (fixing means), 33 ... heater board, 34, 35 ... ink flow path, 38 ... recovery pump, 40, 41
…… Joint, 101, 102 …… Recording material conveying means, 103
…… Recording material, 105 …… Inkjet recording head, 106
...... Recovery system, 107 ... Recording head mounting part.

Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Toshiaki Hirosawa 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Inside Canon Inc. (72) Inventor Jiro Moriyama 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Inside Canon Inc. (72) Inventor Hidemi Kubota 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Inside Canon Inc. (56) References JP-A-2-276647 (JP, A)

Claims (15)

(57) [Claims] 1. An ink jet recording head which performs recording by discharging ink onto a recording material, comprising: a main recording head; a recording width smaller than the main recording head, and detachable at a desired position on the main recording head. An auxiliary recording head; and mounting means for mounting the auxiliary recording head on the main recording head. A portion of the main recording head where the auxiliary recording head is provided is recorded by using the auxiliary recording head. An inkjet recording head. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the number of ejection ports of the auxiliary recording head is 2 to 12.
2. The ink jet recording head according to claim 1, wherein the value is in the range of 8. 3. An ink jet recording head according to claim 1, wherein said main recording head is provided with a holding member for mounting said auxiliary recording head. 4. The ink jet recording head according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of said auxiliary recording heads are mounted. 5. The recording head according to claim 1, wherein said ink jet recording head is a recording head for discharging ink using thermal energy, and comprises an electrothermal transducer for generating thermal energy. 3. The ink jet recording head according to item 1. 6. The ink jet recording head according to claim 5, wherein ink is ejected from an ejection port by growth of bubbles due to film boiling generated by thermal energy applied by said electrothermal transducer. 7. The ink jet recording head according to claim 1, wherein the recording head includes a driving IC for the auxiliary recording head, a signal line cable, a power cable, and the like at a portion where the auxiliary recording head is provided. . 8. An ink jet recording apparatus which performs recording by discharging ink onto a recording material, wherein the recording width is smaller than the main recording head, and the recording width is detachable at a desired position of the main recording head. An auxiliary recording head, and mounting means for mounting the auxiliary recording head to the main recording head, wherein a portion of the main recording head where the auxiliary recording head is provided is recorded by using the auxiliary recording head. An ink jet recording head for performing, a head mounting unit for mounting the ink jet recording head, a conveying unit for conveying the recording material to a recording position of the ink jet recording head mounted on the head mounting unit, An ink jet recording apparatus comprising: 9. The method according to claim 9, wherein the number of ejection ports of the auxiliary recording head is 2 to 12.
9. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the range is eight. 10. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the ink supply system of the main recording head has a joint capable of distributing and supplying ink to the auxiliary recording head. 11. An ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said main recording head is provided with a holding member for fixing said auxiliary recording head. 12. An ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 8, wherein a plurality of auxiliary recording heads are mounted on said main recording head. 13. A data separation circuit for separating recording data to be recorded into two according to the position and the number of auxiliary recording heads mounted thereon, and a recording timing for setting the recording timing of the auxiliary recording head correctly. 13. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 12, further comprising: a recording timing adjustment circuit. 14. The ink-jet recording head according to claim 8, wherein said ink-jet recording head is a recording head for discharging ink using thermal energy, and comprises an electrothermal converter for generating thermal energy. 3. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1. 15. The ink jet recording head according to claim 14, wherein said ink jet recording head discharges ink from a discharge port by growth of bubbles due to film boiling generated by thermal energy applied by said electrothermal transducer. Ink jet recording device.