JP3025584B2 - Ink jet recording device and ink cassette - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ink jet recording apparatus, and more particularly, to an ink jet recording apparatus capable of obtaining stable recording for a long period of time, and having an ink tank and an ink discharge section, and between the ink discharge section and the ink tank. The present invention relates to an ink cassette having an ink storage unit.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A recording head applied to an ink jet recording apparatus generally has a fine liquid ejection port (orifice),
A liquid flow path, an energy action section provided in a part of the liquid flow path, and energy generating means for generating droplet forming energy to act on the liquid in the action section.

As such an energy generating means, one using an electromechanical transducer such as a piezo element, irradiating an electromagnetic wave such as a laser, absorbing the liquid in a liquid path to generate heat, and generating an action by the heat generation The liquid is heated by means of an energy generating means for discharging and flying droplets by means of an electrothermal converter such as a heating element having a heating resistor, or the like.
There is one using energy generating means for discharging a liquid. Among them, a recording head used in an ink jet recording apparatus that ejects a liquid by thermal energy can arrange ink ejection ports for ejecting recording ink to form flying droplets at a high density. It is possible to record at high resolution. further,
Among them, a recording head using an electrothermal transducer as a thermal energy generating means can easily be made compact as a recording head as a whole, and has a remarkable advance in the technology and reliability in recent semiconductor fields. And the advantages of micro-machining technology can be fully utilized, and it is easy to increase the length and form the surface (two-dimensional). It is possible to provide an inkjet recording head that is easy to produce and that is inexpensive to manufacture, and an apparatus having the head.

[0004] In general, an ink jet recording head manufactured through a semiconductor manufacturing process using an electrothermal transducer as an energy generating means is provided with a liquid path corresponding to each discharge port. An electrothermal converter is provided for each of the liquid paths to apply thermal energy to the ink filling the liquid paths and to discharge the ink from the corresponding discharge ports to form flying droplets. Further, ink is supplied to these liquid paths from a common liquid chamber communicating with each liquid path.

FIG. 6 shows an example of such an ink jet recording head. An electrothermal transducer 103 and an electrode 104 are formed on a substrate 102 through semiconductor manufacturing process steps such as etching, vapor deposition, and sputtering. , A liquid path wall 105, a top plate 106, and the like. Here, the recording ink 112 is supplied from a liquid storage chamber (not shown) into the common liquid chamber 108 of the recording head 101 via the ink supply pipe 107. In the figure, reference numeral 109 denotes an ink supply tube connector. The ink 112 supplied into the common liquid chamber 108 is supplied into the liquid path 110 by a so-called capillary phenomenon, and is stably held by forming a meniscus at the discharge port at the leading end of the liquid path.

[0006] Then, by selectively energizing the electrothermal transducer 103, the ink on the electrothermal transducer 103 is heated sharply, and bubbles are generated in the liquid path, which causes the expansion and expansion of the bubbles. The ink is ejected from the ejection ports 111 by contraction to form flying droplets. With the above-described configuration, 128 ejection ports or 256 ejections are formed in a high-density ejection port array such as an ejection port density of 16 nozzles / mm. It is possible to form a multi-nozzle ink jet recording head in which discharge ports are arranged over the entire width of the recording area.

[0007] Further, various full-color printers have been proposed, each of which is constituted by arranging a plurality of such multi-nozzle ink jet recording heads. This is a recording sheet 1 having a width L1 as shown in FIG.
This is a mode in which a head carriage 200 on which a plurality of recording heads 101 are mounted is serially moved in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction P with respect to the direction 00. That is, by moving the head carriage 200 in the direction of the arrow S, printing is performed on the belt-shaped area a indicated by the oblique line of the length L2 on the print sheet 100, and then the discharge of the print head 101 is performed. The recording sheet 100 is fed in the P direction by an amount corresponding to the exit row length, and recording is performed on the next recording area b. Thus, a color image is recorded on the entire surface of the recording sheet 100 by the same procedure.

Recently, in order to further improve the quality of an output image by an ink jet recording method, a method of improving gradation and graininess by using light ink and dark ink for the same color has been proposed. In this case, considering formation of a full-color image, up to eight heads are required.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a conventional example of an ink cassette, FIG. 14 is a perspective view of a main part of the head chip 46 shown in FIG. 13, and FIG. 15 is an explanatory view of the head chip 46 shown in FIG.

The conventional ink cassette has a nozzle 41
And a head structure including a head chip 46 and an ink tank 47. The nozzle section 41 has a plurality of nozzles and a heater board 42 for foaming ink from the nozzles. The head chip 46 is connected to the ink supply pipe 45.
And a liquid chamber 44. The ink is sent from the ink tank 47 to the head chip 46 through the ink supply pipe 45 via the outlet 47a, and is temporarily stored in the liquid chamber 44. The liquid chamber 44 is filled with the ink. When the ink is further ejected, the heater board 42 is energized, the ink is heated in the nozzle and foams, and the foam pushes the ink to the tip of the nozzle, and then ejects the ink. Replenishment after the ink is ejected is performed by capillary action of the nozzle and, in some cases, gravity.

[0011]

However, in the conventional ink jet recording apparatus as described above, the space for the carriage 200 to move as shown in FIG. 7 on both sides of the maximum recording sheet width L1 to be used. L3 is required. Such a space L3 is used as a place for performing a recovery operation and a cleaning operation of the ink jet recording head necessary for performing normal recording. However, it is rare that this operation is performed on both sides of the recording sheet width. In such a case, the space L3 on one side becomes a dead space.
In particular, in the method using the light and dark inks described above, a dead space corresponding to the width of a carriage on which eight recording heads are arranged at the maximum occurs. In general, since the interval between adjacent recording heads is about 20 mm, a dead space is generated as a whole from 160 mm to almost 200 mm, which has been a major obstacle to downsizing the apparatus.

Conventionally, in this type of ink jet recording head 101, air cooling temperature control is mainly performed by a fan in order to keep the diameter of the ejected ink droplet constant. In addition, the size of the head is increased because heat is used for driving the head itself. In particular, in the case of the multi-valued shading, since the temperature control means is provided for each head, there is a disadvantage in terms of cost and noise as well as its space.

A first object of the present invention is to pay attention to the above-mentioned conventional problems, and to solve the problems by reducing the size of a unit including a plurality of recording heads, thereby achieving a compact and no wasteful space. An object of the present invention is to provide an ink jet recording apparatus.

Further, in the above-described conventional ink cassette, the vibration when the ink is foamed for ejection is transmitted to the liquid chamber, and the ink in the other nozzles nearby is vibrated to make the foam unstable and the ink is ejected. There are drawbacks in that the ink amount is not constant, and the ink landing point shifts, causing white streaks or black streaks to cause printing defects.

Therefore, a second object of the present invention is to provide an ink cassette having a buffer for absorbing vibration generated during foaming.

[0016]

In order to achieve the first object, an ink jet recording head according to the present invention comprises a plurality of ejection openings for ejecting ink, and a plurality of ejection openings connected to the plurality of ejection openings.
And a plurality of fluid paths arranged through the
Is provided, and a heat energy for discharging ink from the discharge port is provided.
Multiple thermal energy generating means for generating energy
And a plurality of recording means each having
So that the disposition substrate is in contact with both surfaces of the common support substrate.
Symmetrically, the board parts are closely arranged symmetrically
You . Further, the inkjet recording apparatus of the present invention further includes a unit for supplying a signal for driving the energy generating unit.

Further, in the above-mentioned ink jet recording apparatus of the present invention, in addition to the above-mentioned means, as an energy generating means for discharging the ink, an electrothermal converter for generating thermal energy for causing film boiling of the ink is provided. The two sets of recording means are temperature and humidity controlled by a common temperature and humidity adjusting means, and the two sets of recording means are:
Including those that eject different colors or different types of colors, respectively.

In order to achieve the second object, the ink cassette according to the present invention has a filter provided in the ink storage section for preventing liquid bubbles exceeding a predetermined size from passing therethrough. Further, an electric heater is provided in a section of the ink storage section which is separated by a filter and does not include a discharge section.

Further, in addition to the above-mentioned features, the ink cassette of the present invention further comprises an ink-jet energy generating means in which the discharge energy is an electrothermal converter for generating thermal energy, and is provided over the entire width of the recording area of the recording medium. Also includes a full line type ink jet recording head provided with a plurality of ink ejection ports.

[0020]

According to the present invention, since a plurality of discharge ports and liquid paths and the arrangement of the energy generating means and the driving means are provided symmetrically on both sides of one substrate, a plurality of sets of recording means are provided. In this case, it is possible to provide an ink jet recording apparatus which saves space by reducing the size of the recording head, and is also advantageous in that temperature control can be performed by simultaneously controlling two sets of recording means. An inkjet recording apparatus including an inkjet recording head suitable as a full-color printer can be provided.

In the ink cassette according to the present invention, a buffer chamber in which liquid bubbles are confined by a filter is provided in a part of the ink storage section, which cannot prevent the flow path of the ink to each nozzle. Vibration generated by the bubbling of the nozzle is absorbed in the buffer chamber,
It does not affect the operation of other nozzles.

[0022]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIGS. 1 and 2 show an example of the configuration of an ink jet recording head according to the present invention. As shown in these figures, the recording head 1 of this example has an arrangement of ink ejection ports 3 at a position symmetrical on both sides of one substrate 2, and the substrate 2 is formed of, for example, an aluminum plate. 4 is a silicon substrate attached to both sides of the substrate 2, respectively.
On the silicon substrate 4, an electrothermal transducer 5 formed by film formation, a discharge port 3, a forming wall 7 for a liquid path 6, an electrode 8,
The top plate 9 and the like are formed by a semiconductor manufacturing process. Each of the liquid passages 6 communicates with a common liquid chamber 10 as shown in FIG. 2, and an upper tube 9 of the common liquid chamber 10 is provided with an ink tube 12 via a connector 11, respectively.
These ink tubes 12 are removed from an ink tank (not shown).
The ink is supplied to the common liquid chamber 10 via the.

Further, the substrate 2 has upper and lower
The fin 13 for cooling and the heater 14 for temperature control as shown in FIG.
The temperature of the entire recording head 1 can be controlled by cooling by a fan (not shown) via the fins 13 and heating by the temperature control heater 14. The fan and the temperature control heater 14 are driven according to a head temperature signal detected by a temperature detecting element such as a thermistor. As shown in FIG. 1, the temperature detecting element 15 in this embodiment is a silicon substrate 4.
It is formed directly on top of the film. By doing so, the temperature of the recording head can be accurately controlled without changing the configuration of the recording head. Further, the heat dissipating (cooling) fins 13 can be efficiently dissipated by disposing the fins 13 on both sides of the substrate 2, and a part of the substrate 2 is formed into a fin shape by scraping in advance as in this embodiment. By forming, it is possible to reduce the thermal resistance between the fin 13 and the substrate 2 and to perform more accurate temperature control.

FIG. 3 shows an outline of an ink jet recording apparatus using the present ink jet recording head. Each of the recording heads 1 shown here has a discharge port array on both sides of the substrate 2 as described above, and one head 1 can perform recording with two types of ink. In this embodiment, ternary recording with light ink and dark ink is obtained for each of the four colors cyan (C), magenta (M), yellow (Y), and black (Bk). 12, each ink tank 21 and the head 1
Are connected to supply ink to the head 1 side. Reference numeral 20 denotes a head mounting carriage, 22 denotes an ink tank unit mounting carriage, and the carriage 20 is driven by a belt 24 disposed between a motor driving pulley 23A and a driven pulley 23B. Pulley 25A and driven pulley 25
B is moved by a belt 26 disposed between the two. The reason why the recording head unit and the ink tank unit are mounted on the separate carriages 20 and 22 and are driven individually is that the recording head needs high-precision driving to prevent color misregistration. Therefore, it is necessary to reduce the weight, while it is not necessary to drive the ink tank unit with such high precision.

On the other hand, the recording sheet 100 is fed by a roller 27 from a feeding system (not shown).
Then, recording is performed on the sheet 100 while being held by the rollers 28 and 27 in the process of being further fed to the sub-scanning roller 28. At this time, the conveying speed of the roller 27 is set to be slightly slower than the conveying speed of the sub-scanning roller 28, and the roller 27 and the sub-scanning roller are set in such a manner that the conveying force of the sub-scanning roller 28 becomes larger. The recording sheet 100 can be kept flat between the rollers 28. In this case, an air passage (not shown) may be provided in the platen 29, and a large number of holes may be formed in the passage surface of the recording sheet 100, and the recording sheet 100 may be suction-held by a suction mechanism. 30 is the recording head 1
This is a recovery system for performing a recovery operation on. The recovery operation may be any of various known methods (suction method or pressurization method). Reference numeral 31 denotes a wiping blade, which cleans the discharge port surface by bringing the edge of the blade 31 or its periphery into contact with the discharge port surface. At this time, since the same blade contacts all the head surfaces, there is a possibility that color mixing of ink occurs.
Therefore, before recording on the recording sheet 100, each recording head 1 performs idle discharge toward the absorber 32 to discharge the mixed color ink that may be formed in the liquid path.

In the printing apparatus constructed as described above, printing by the print head 1 is started from the left end of the sheet 100 in the drawing, and when the printing is performed to the right end of the sheet 100 as shown by the area line, the carriage 20 and the ink tank unit are mounted. When the carriage 22 is returned to the left end, the recording sheet 100 is fed by one line by the sub-scanning roller 28, and recording is started for the next line.

FIG. 4A shows the relative position of the head 1 with respect to the recording sheet 100 when FIG. 3 is viewed from above.
Here, the P row of arrows indicates the moving range of the carriage 20 when the head of the present invention is used, and the moving range in this case is indicated by L in the figure. The Q column indicated by the arrow indicates the movement range of the carriage 200 when eight conventional recording heads of the color system using dark and light inks are arranged and main scanning is performed. As is clear from FIG. 4A, the conventional case requires extra space on both sides of L by Lα and Lβ as compared with the present invention, which greatly impedes miniaturization. You can see that it was.

Further, the present invention contributes to simplifying the heat radiation mechanism. That is, when printing is performed using dark and light inks, image signals for light ink and image signals for dark ink are distributed according to a light and dark distribution table as shown in FIG. After being binarized, the image data is sent to each recording head driver (not shown) to perform image recording. As can be seen from FIG. 5, the peak of the light ink recording head and the peak of the dark ink recording head after sorting are obtained. Therefore, the recording heads of each density are not simultaneously driven at the same time (eg, solid printing). Therefore,
According to the present invention, it has been necessary to design fins so that heat can be sufficiently released from heat generated at the time of full driving for one head. It is sufficient to design the fins required for full driving of one head, and the radiating mechanism can be simplified.

FIG. 4B shows another embodiment. This example shows an example of a conventional image forming apparatus in which a binary image is formed using only dark ink. In this case, for example, each of the recording heads 1 having the configuration shown in FIGS. By supplying inks of different colors (cyan and magenta), full color is output by two heads. Also in the case of this example, it is possible to narrow the interval on the ejection surface for at least two colors handled in one head 1 and the conventional one.
Since it is about to 1/10, an effect of suppressing the color misregistration of these two colors can be expected.

FIG. 8 shows still another embodiment. The basic structure in this embodiment is the same as that in FIG. That is,
On both sides of the substrate 2, a silicon substrate 4, an electrothermal converter 5, a wall 7, and a top plate 9 are formed. However, in FIG. 1, the sizes (cross-sectional areas) of the discharge ports 3 formed on both the left and right sides of the substrate 2 are the same, whereas in the example of FIG. 8, the sizes of the left and right discharge ports 3 are different. , The left outlet 3N is smaller than the right outlet 3W.

Therefore, a multivalued image of area gradation can be obtained by ejecting, for example, the same color ink from the ejection ports 3N-3W on both sides by the head 1 as in this embodiment. In general, an ink jet recording apparatus is used in which a water supply layer is formed on the surface of a base paper called a coated paper, but there is also a so-called plain paper which forms an image by absorbing water only with the base paper. When such plain paper is used, the optimum ink jet diameter is usually different from each other. If the ejection port size of the head 1 is set to be suitable for coated paper and plain paper, the same apparatus and the same sheet path can be used. A high-quality record can be obtained on either coated paper or plain paper. (Others) Note that the present invention includes a means (for example, an electrothermal converter or a laser beam) for generating thermal energy as energy used for performing ink ejection, particularly in an inkjet recording method, An excellent effect is obtained in a recording head and a recording apparatus of a system in which a change in the state of ink is caused by the thermal energy. This is because according to such a method, it is possible to achieve higher density and higher definition of recording.

The typical configuration and principle are described in, for example, US Pat. Nos. 4,723,129 and 4,740.
It is preferable to use the basic principle disclosed in the specification of Japanese Patent No. 796. This method is a so-called on-demand type,
Although it can be applied to any type of continuous type, in particular, in the case of the on-demand type, it can be applied to a sheet holding a liquid (ink) or an electrothermal converter arranged corresponding to a liquid path. By applying at least one drive signal corresponding to the recorded information and providing a rapid temperature rise exceeding nucleate boiling, heat energy is generated in the electrothermal transducer, and film boiling occurs on the heat acting surface of the recording head. Cause
As a result, bubbles in the liquid (ink) corresponding to this drive signal on a one-to-one basis can be formed, which is effective. 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 4,345,262 are suitable. Further, if the conditions described in US Pat. No. 4,313,124 relating to the temperature rise rate of the heat acting surface are adopted, more excellent recording can be performed.

Further, the present invention can be effectively applied to a full-line type recording head having a length corresponding to the maximum width of a recording medium on which a recording apparatus can record. Such a recording head may have a configuration that satisfies the length by a combination of a plurality of recording heads, or a configuration as one integrally formed recording head.

In addition, even in the case of the serial type as described above, a recording head fixed to the apparatus main body or an electric connection with the apparatus main body or ink from the apparatus main body by being attached to the apparatus main body. The present invention is also effective when a replaceable chip-type recording head that can be supplied or a cartridge-type recording head in which an ink tank is provided integrally with the recording head itself is used.

It is preferable to add recovery means for the printhead, preliminary auxiliary means, and the like provided as a configuration of the printing apparatus in the present invention since the effects of the present invention can be further stabilized. . If these are specifically mentioned, capping means for the recording head, cleaning means, pressurizing or suction means, preheating means using an electrothermal transducer or another heating element or a combination thereof, Performing a preliminary ejection mode in which ejection is performed separately from printing is also effective for performing stable printing.

In addition, in the embodiments of the present invention described above, the ink is described as a liquid. However, an ink which solidifies at room temperature or lower and which softens or liquefies at room temperature, or an ink jet system In general, the temperature of the ink itself is controlled within a range of 30 ° C. or more and 70 ° C. or less to control the temperature so that the viscosity of the ink is in a stable ejection range. Anything can be used. In addition, positively prevent the temperature rise due to thermal energy by using it as energy for changing the state of the ink from a solid state to a liquid state, or use an ink that solidifies in a standing state to prevent evaporation of the ink. In any case, in any case, the ink is liquefied by the application according to the recording signal of the thermal energy, and the liquid ink is ejected, such as the one that already starts to solidify when it reaches the recording medium,
The present invention is also applicable to a case where ink having a property of being liquefied for the first time by thermal energy is used. In such a case, the ink is held in a state of being held as a liquid or solid substance in the concave portion or through hole of the porous sheet as described in JP-A-54-56847 or JP-A-60-71260. Alternatively, it may be configured to face the electrothermal converter. In the present invention, the most effective one for each of the above-mentioned inks is to execute the above-mentioned film boiling method.

In addition, as a form of a recording apparatus provided with a recording mechanism using the liquid jet recording head of the present invention, in addition to those used as image output terminals of information processing equipment such as a computer, a combination with a reader or the like is provided. Copier,
Further, a facsimile apparatus having a transmission / reception function may be used.

Next, an embodiment of the ink cassette of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 9 shows Embodiment 1 of the ink cassette of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a partial explanatory view seen from above.

This ink cassette comprises a nozzle section 1a, liquid chambers 4a and 4b, an ink supply pipe 55, a filter 88
And a heater board 99. Nozzle part 1a,
The ink supply pipe 55 is the same as the nozzle section 41 and the ink supply pipe 45 of the conventional ink cassette, respectively. The filter 88 divides the liquid chamber into a liquid chamber 4a and a buffer chamber 4b.
b, but prevents liquid bubbles of a predetermined size or more generated in the buffer chamber 4b from passing through the liquid chamber 4a and prevents the liquid bubbles from entering the liquid chamber 4a and blocking the nozzle. Liquid chamber 4a
Is an ink storage section for temporarily storing the ink sent from the ink tank via the ink supply pipe 55 and flowing the ink to the nozzle section 1a. When the liquid bubbles in the buffer chamber 4b disappear, the heater board 99 does not serve as a buffer. Therefore, the heater board 99 is energized at a predetermined cycle to forcibly generate liquid bubbles.

Vibration generated when foaming occurs at an arbitrary nozzle of the nozzle portion 1a is transmitted into the liquid chamber 4a, but is absorbed by the buffer chamber 4b in which the liquid bubbles are confined and is not transmitted to other nozzles. .

FIG. 10 is a partial explanatory view of the ink cassette according to the second embodiment of the present invention as viewed from above.

This ink cassette is a first embodiment shown in FIG.
, Except that the heater board 99 is removed therefrom, and the liquid bubbles generated naturally are confined in the buffer chamber 4b.

FIG. 11 is a partial explanatory view of an ink cassette according to a third embodiment of the present invention as viewed from above.

The ink cassette is the same as that of the first embodiment shown in FIG.
Unlike the filter 33, the size of the filter 33 is smaller than the size of the filter 88, and the liquid bubbles naturally generated in the liquid chamber 4a are not allowed to pass through to the buffer chamber 4b, and only the liquid bubbles generated in the buffer chamber 4b are confined. is there. The filter 33 naturally allows the ink to flow.

FIG. 12 is an external perspective view showing an example of an ink jet recording apparatus (IJRA) in which the recording head obtained according to the present invention is mounted as an ink jet head cartridge (IJC).

This ink jet recording apparatus has an excellent effect particularly in an ink jet recording system having a recording head of an ink jet system which forms flying droplets by utilizing thermal energy and performs recording.

The typical configuration and principle are described, for example, in US Pat. Nos. 4,723,129 and 4,740.
No. 796, and the present invention is preferably performed using these basic principles. This recording method using an ink jet recording head can be applied to both so-called on-demand type and continuous type.

The recording method will be described briefly. An electrothermal transducer disposed in correspondence with a sheet or a liquid path holding a liquid (ink), and a liquid (ink) corresponding to recording information. By applying at least one drive signal for exceeding the nucleate boiling phenomenon and giving a rapid temperature rise that causes the film boiling phenomenon, heat energy is generated, and film boiling occurs on the heat-acting surface of the recording head. . As described above, since bubbles corresponding to the drive signal applied to the electrothermal converter from the liquid (hereinafter referred to as ink) can be formed one-to-one, it is particularly effective for an on-demand type recording method. The ink is ejected through the ejection port by the growth and shrinkage 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 ink ejection with particularly excellent responsiveness can be achieved, which is more preferable. Examples of the drive signal in the form of a pulse include U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,463,359 and 4,345.
No. 262 are suitable. Further, if the conditions described in US Pat. No. 4,313,124 of the invention relating to the temperature rise rate of the heat acting surface are adopted, more excellent recording can be performed.

The structure of the recording head is a combination of a discharge hole, a liquid flow path, and an electrothermal converter (a linear liquid flow path or a right-angle liquid flow path) as disclosed in the above-mentioned respective specifications. In addition, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,558,333 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,459,600, those having a configuration in which a heat acting portion is arranged in a bent region are also included in the present invention.

In addition, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 123670/1984 discloses a configuration in which a common slit is used as a discharge port of an electrothermal transducer for a plurality of electrothermal transducers, or absorbs a pressure wave of thermal energy. The present invention is also effective in a configuration based on JP-A-59-138461, which discloses a configuration in which the opening to be made corresponds to the discharge section.

In FIG. 12, an ink jet head cartridge (hereinafter, referred to as IJC) 60 includes a group of nozzles for discharging ink so as to face the recording surface of the recording paper sent on the platen 54. Carriage 16 is IJ
By holding the C60 and connecting it to a part of the drive belt 58 that transmits the driving force of the drive motor 57, and slidable with the two guide shafts 59A and 59B disposed in parallel with each other, the IJC60 Reciprocal movement over the entire width of the recording paper is enabled.

The head recovery device 56 is provided at one end of the movement path of the IJC 60, for example, at a position facing the home position. The head recovery device 56 is operated by the driving force of the cleaning motor 52 via the transmission mechanism 53, and the IJC 60 is capped. In connection with the capping on the IJC 60 by the cap portion 56A of the head recovery device 56, ink suction by an appropriate suction means provided in the head recovery device 56 or IJC 60
The ink is fed by an appropriate pressurizing means provided in the ink supply path to the ink supply path, and the ejection recovery processing such as removing the thickened ink in the nozzles by forcibly discharging the ink from the discharge port is performed. Also, by performing capping at the end of recording or the like, the IJC 60 is protected.

The blade 50 is a wiping member provided on the side surface of the head recovery device 56 and made of silicone rubber. The blade 50 is held in a cantilever form on a blade holding member 51A, and like the head recovery device 56,
Operated by the motor 52 and the transmission mechanism 53, the IJC
60 can be engaged with the discharge surface. As a result, IJ
At an appropriate timing in the recording operation of the C60, or after the ejection recovery processing using the head recovery device 56, the blade 50 is projected into the movement path of the IJC 60,
In accordance with the moving operation of the IJC 60, dew condensation, wetness, dust and the like on the ejection surface of the IJC 60 are wiped.

Further, as a recording head in which the present invention is effectively used, there is a full-line type recording head having a length corresponding to the maximum width of a recording medium on which a recording apparatus can record. The full line head may be a full line configuration by combining a plurality of recording heads as disclosed in the above specification, or may be a single full line recording head formed integrally.

In addition, the print head is replaceable with a print head of a chip type which can be electrically connected to the main body of the apparatus or supplied with ink from the main body of the apparatus, or is integrated with the print head itself. The present invention is also effective when a cartridge-type recording head provided in a fixed manner is used.

It is preferable to add recovery means for the printhead, preliminary auxiliary means, and the like to the recording apparatus of the present invention because the recording apparatus of the present invention can be further stabilized. If these are specifically mentioned, a capping unit, a cleaning unit, a pressurizing or suction unit, a preheating unit using an electrothermal converter or another heating element or a combination thereof, a recording head, It is also effective to add a means for performing a preliminary ejection mode for performing another ejection for performing stable printing.

Further, the recording mode of the recording apparatus is not limited to a mode for recording only a mainstream color such as black, but may be a mode in which the recording head is integrally formed or a combination of a plurality of recording heads. However, the present invention is extremely effective for an apparatus provided with at least one of multiple colors of different colors or full color by mixing colors.

In the embodiment of the present invention described above,
Although the description has been made using the liquid ink, in the present invention, either an ink that is solid at room temperature or an ink that becomes soft at room temperature can be used. In general, in the above-described ink jet device, the temperature of the ink itself is adjusted within a range of 30 ° C. or more and 70 ° C. or less to control the temperature so that the viscosity of the ink is in a stable ejection range. It is sufficient if the ink is in a liquid state.

In addition, an excessive temperature rise of the head and the ink due to thermal energy is positively prevented by using the energy of the state change from the solid state to the liquid state of the ink, or the evaporation of the ink is prevented. For example, an ink that solidifies in a standing state may be used. In any case, the ink is liquefied for the first time by the application of heat energy, such as the one in which the ink is liquefied and ejected as an ink liquid by the application of the heat energy according to the recording signal, or the one which starts to solidify when reaching the recording medium The use of an ink having the following properties is also applicable to the present invention.

Such an ink is disclosed in JP-A-54-568.
No. 47 or Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. Sho 60-71260, in a state where it is held as a liquid or solid substance in a concave portion or a through hole of a porous sheet and faces an electrothermal converter. It is good also as a form.

In the present invention, the most effective one for each of the above-mentioned inks is to execute the above-mentioned film boiling method.

[0064]

As described above, according to the ink jet recording apparatus of the present invention, a plurality of ink discharge ports and liquid paths corresponding to the plurality of ink discharge ports are provided, and each of the liquid paths is provided. A plurality of recording means having energy generating means for discharging ink from the ink discharge ports and means for activating the energy generating means are brought into contact with both sides of a common support substrate provided with temperature adjusting means. Symmetrically arranged and drives the thermal energy generating means
Means for supplying signals for recording
Temperature uniformity as well as clear injection
Can be controlled, and a variety of colors can be displayed.
Further, the thermal energy generating means is temperature-controlled.
Since it is an electrothermal converter that generates thermal energy that causes film boiling of the ink on the substrate in contact with the supporting substrate,
There is an effect that control is effectively performed.

Further, in the ink cassette of the present invention, by providing a buffer chamber in which liquid bubbles are confined in the liquid chamber, the vibration accompanying the bubbling generated in any nozzle is absorbed, and the vibration to other nozzles is absorbed. And prevents the occurrence of inconsistencies in the amount of ink to be ejected next, the shift of the ink landing point, the removal of white streaks, or the appearance of black streaks, and the reliability of the image. This has the effect of improving the performance.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing a configuration of a recording head according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of a recording head according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a configuration of one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing two rows of head movement ranges according to the present invention in comparison with a conventional example.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram relating to driving of two heads by a shading distribution table.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a conventional ink jet recording head in a partially crushed state.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing a moving range of a recording head by a conventional serial scan method.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view showing another configuration example of the recording head according to the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a partial explanatory view of the ink cassette according to the first embodiment of the present invention as viewed from above.

FIG. 10 is a partial explanatory view of an ink cassette according to a second embodiment of the present invention as viewed from above.

FIG. 11 is a partial explanatory view of Embodiment 3 of the ink cassette of the present invention as viewed from above.

FIG. 12 is an external perspective view showing an example of an ink jet recording apparatus to which an ink cartridge obtained by the present invention is mounted.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a conventional example of an ink cassette.

14 is a perspective view of a main part of the head chip 46 shown in FIG.

15 is an explanatory diagram of the head chip 46 shown in FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1, 101 Recording head 2 Substrate 3, 3N, 3W Ink ejection port 4 Silicon substrate 5, 103 Electrothermal converter 6 Liquid path 7 Forming wall 8 Electrode 9 Top plate 11 Connector 12 Ink tube 13 Cooling fin 14 Heater 15 Temperature sensing element 16 , 20, 22, 200 Carriage 21 Ink tank 23A, 25A Driving pulley 23B, 25B Driving pulley 26 Belt 27 Roller 28 Sub scanning roller 29 Platen 30 Recovery system 31, 50 Blade 32 Absorber 100 Recording sheet 102 Substrate 104 Electrode 105 Liquid path Wall 106 Top plate 108 Common liquid chamber 109 Ink supply pipe connector 110 Liquid path 111 Discharge port 1a, 41 Nozzle part 4a Liquid chamber 4b Buffer chamber 33,88 Filter 42 Heater board 44 Liquid chamber 45,55,107 Ink supply pipe 46 Head Chip 47 ink tanks 47a outlet 50 blade 51A blade holding member 52 for cleaning the motor 53 power transmission mechanism 54 platen 56 head recovery device 56A cap portion 57 drive motor 58 drive belt 59A, 59B guide shaft 60 the head cartridge (IJC) 99 heater board

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-55-15841 (JP, A) JP-A-3-184852 (JP, A) JP-A-1-186331 (JP, A) (58) Field (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) B41J 2/175 B41J 2/01 B41J 2/05 B41J 2/125 B41J 2/21

Claims (9)

(57) [Claims] A plurality of ejection openings for ejecting ink, a plurality of liquid passages arranged in communication with the plurality of ejection openings, and a plurality of liquid passages arranged in each of the plurality of liquid passages; Recording means having a plurality of arrangement substrates on which a plurality of thermal energy generating means for generating thermal energy for ejecting ink are arranged, respectively, on both surfaces of a common support substrate,
Supply and Lee <br/> inkjet recording heads are symmetrically arranged so that the distribution設基plate is in contact, a signal for driving the heat energy generating means
Ink jet recording apparatus characterized by comprising: means for, the. Wherein said heat energy generating means, electrothermal converter for generating thermal energy to cause film boiling in ink
The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, which is a body . 3. A temperature control means is provided on said support substrate.
An ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1 or 2 being. 4. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of recording means respectively discharge inks of different colors or different types of colors. 5. A plurality of discharge ports for discharging ink, said plurality
A plurality of liquid paths each arranged in communication with the number of discharge ports,
The ink is disposed in each of the plurality of liquid paths,
Multiple thermal energies that generate thermal energy for ejection
Having an arrangement substrate on which energy generation means is arranged
A plurality of means are respectively provided on both sides of a common support substrate.
Symmetrically so that the printed circuit boards touch each other,
An ink jet recording head , wherein the ink jet recording head is symmetrically arranged . 6. A plurality of discharge ports for discharging ink, energy generating means for generating energy for discharging ink from the discharge ports, and an ink tank for storing ink discharged from the discharge ports. An ink chamber disposed between the discharge port and the ink tank, a filter provided in the ink chamber, for preventing a bubble exceeding a predetermined size from passing therethrough, and the discharge chamber partitioned by the filter. An ink cassette provided in an area not including an outlet, and a heater for generating bubbles. 7. The ink cassette according to claim 6, wherein the energy generating means is an electrothermal converter that generates thermal energy. 8. The printing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein a plurality of the ejection ports are provided over the entire width of a printing area of the printing medium.
Ink cassette. 9. An ink cassette according to claim 6 , wherein said discharge port is provided facing a recording surface of a recording medium, and a member for installing said ink cassette. Inkjet recording device.