JP3091079B2 - Head unit assembling method and apparatus, inkjet output apparatus - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for assembling a head unit comprising a plurality of ink jet type head chips mounted on a frame, and an ink jet output apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An ink-jet output method for outputting an image by discharging ink droplets is widely used today because of its excellent low noise and easy downsizing of the apparatus. In such an ink jet system, when performing color output, a plurality of head chips having nozzles for ejecting ink in a row are arranged at predetermined intervals on a carriage, and a different color ink is ejected from each head chip. Output an image.

In such a color output device, the landing accuracy of ink discharged from each head chip greatly affects image quality. For example, when recording at 360 dpi, the recording pitch is about 70 μm per pixel,
If it is shifted by more than half a pixel, the image quality is extremely reduced.

In particular, during the production process, each head chip has a peculiarity, and the landing position of the ink is slightly shifted. Therefore, in order to maintain high image quality, it is essential to effectively correct the shift. It is.

Conventionally, in such a serial type ink jet output device in which a plurality of head chips are mounted on a carriage, the above-described correction of the displacement has been performed by the following method. First, there is a method in which the apparatus has a structure in which head chips are individually mounted on a carriage, and at this time, the mounting position is adjusted while checking the habit of each head chip, and the positional deviation of the ink landing position is corrected. Further, in a device in which a plurality of head chips are integrated into an ink cartridge, when the device is operated, ink is ejected from the head chip, the ink landing position is measured, and the information is stored in the ROM. A method of electrically adjusting the ink ejection timing based on information has also been proposed.

[0006]

However, any of these methods complicates the process of assembling the apparatus and increases production costs. In addition, in the method of mounting the head chips while adjusting them individually, there is also a problem that the user cannot replace the head because a special technique is required for the head replacement, and the maintenance work is complicated. In addition, the method of electrically adjusting the position shift has a problem that the apparatus becomes large and cannot be used for a small image output apparatus.

An object of the present invention is to provide an output head unit assembling method and an output head assembling method which realize high ink landing accuracy without complicating the output device and which can be easily replaced by a user. An output device is provided.

[0008]

In order to achieve this object, the present invention relates to a method of assembling a head unit for mounting a plurality of head chips for ejecting ink to a frame, wherein each head chip is fixed to a predetermined predetermined position. The plurality of head chips are positioned in a non-contact state with respect to the frame for positioning and fixing at relative positions of the head chip, and the head chip is attached to the frame via an adhesive between the head chip and the frame. A head unit assembling method is proposed, wherein each head chip is arranged at a predetermined relative position by fixing.

[0009] Further, as an apparatus, a position determining means for determining a relative position between a plurality of head chips so as to correct a positional deviation of an ink landing position, and a plurality of means for maintaining a relative position between these head chips. And a frame mounting means for bonding and fixing the head chip to the frame.

In addition to the above-described basic invention, a test pattern is recorded using a head chip, and a relative position between head chips is determined using landing position information of ink read from the test pattern. A test pattern output unit for recording a test pattern using a head chip as the device, and a test pattern reading unit for reading information on an ink landing position and ink size from the test pattern. May be provided as an assembling apparatus.

Further, when the head chip is mounted on the frame, a plurality of head chips are positioned without being pressed against the wall of the frame, and at least two head chips are positioned on the end face of the head chip.
We propose an assembling method of bonding and fixing at more than three places while floating from the frame.

Further, an ink jet output device having a head unit assembled by the above method and apparatus is proposed.

[0013]

[Action]

In the head unit assembling method and assembling apparatus of the present invention, the head chips are bonded and fixed without being pressed against the frame. Not be affected by

Further, the adjustment of the displacement of the ink landing position may be completed at the stage of assembling the head unit. With this configuration, it is not necessary to perform correction each time an image is output, and the device is reduced in size and simplified.

In the method and the apparatus for obtaining the landing position information using the test pattern, based on the landing position information,
Information about the habit of each head chip can be obtained easily and accurately. Then, when determining the relative position between the head chips, highly accurate control is performed.

Further, in the ink jet output apparatus of the present invention, when the necessity of replacing the head chip arises, the user can replace the head unit for each head unit, and the position adjustment of the head chip is not required.

[0018]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An output device incorporating a head unit according to the present invention can be used not only as a recording device such as a printer or a copying machine but also as a printing device or a dyeing device. The device will be described.

First Embodiment (Head Unit Assembling Apparatus) A head unit mounting method and a head unit assembling apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

Referring first to FIG. 1, a description will be given of an apparatus configuration for implementing a method of assembling a head unit. The test pattern recording means 1 is a means for determining the habit of the landing performance of each ink head C, and includes a chip gripper 1a for gripping the head chip C, and a recording sheet disposed in front of the chip gripper 1a. 1b. An ink supply tank (not shown) and a contact pin (not shown) for supplying an electric signal to the head chip C can be connected to the gripped head chip C, and the head chip C is connected to the head chip C via the contact pins. When a recording signal of a test pattern is given, ink is ejected from the head chip C and the test pattern is recorded on the recording paper 1b.

The recording paper 1b is wound around a supply roll 1c and a take-up roll 1d.
In d, the recording paper 1b is sequentially wound up every time the test pattern is recorded. The supply roll 1c and the take-up roll 1d are mounted on a moving stage 1e, and can move a recording sheet 1b on which a test pattern is recorded to a reading position of the test pattern reading means 2.

The test pattern reading means 2 reads the information of the test pattern recording recorded on the recording paper 1b, reads the information of the recording state, and judges whether the recording state is within the standard. is there. The test pattern reading means 2 irradiates light and analyzes the test pattern by measuring an ink landing position and a dot size with an optical device 2a for reading the test pattern by reflected light from the recording paper 1b. And an image processing device 2b for determining whether or not the displacement of the ink landing position of the test pattern and the dot size are within the standard.

More specifically, as shown in FIG.
The ink landing position (black circle position) of the test pattern recorded in b is read from the origin of coordinates to the designated ink landing target position (white circle position) in terms of the amount of vertical displacement and lateral displacement, and further, the dot diameter is read as information. Is determined to be within the standard, and if it is within the standard, the head chip C is stocked on the temporary placing table 4 by the automatic hand 3.

The automatic hand 3 includes a rail 3a provided in the X-axis direction perpendicular to the ink ejection direction (Y-axis direction) of the head chip C, and a movable table 3b reciprocally movable on the rail 3a. Further, the movable base 3b is provided with a tip gripping finger 3c that can move up and down in the Z axis direction perpendicular to the X and Y axis directions and that can grip the head chip C.

A temporary placement table 4 is arranged near the test pattern recording means 1, and the head chips C judged by the test pattern reading means 2 to be within the standard are temporarily stored in the temporary placement table 4. And the finger 3
c holds the head chip C and is attached to a predetermined position of the frame 28 on the frame attaching means 5.

The frame mounting means 5 includes a frame holder 5a for holding the frame 28, a dispenser 5b for applying an adhesive to the frame 28 disposed in the vicinity thereof, and curing the adhesive. Optical fibers 5 for guiding UV light for
c, 5d and 5e. The frame holder 5a itself is attached to the frame moving stage 5f, and can move the held frame 28 in the X-axis direction.

(Assembly Procedure of Head Unit) Next, a procedure of attaching the head chip C to the frame body 28 by the above-described apparatus will be described with reference to flowcharts shown in FIGS.

First, the head chip C is supplied to the chip gripper 1a by an automatic hand (S1).
Is fixed to the gripper 1a by abutting the reference surface (S2). Then, an ink supply tank and a contact pin for supplying an electric signal are connected to the gripped head chip C (S3).

When air bubbles enter the ink flow path in the head chip C during connection with the ink supply tank, the ink ejection becomes insufficient. Therefore, the recovery means not shown in FIG. A recovery operation for sucking a certain amount of ink is performed, and at the same time, cleaning of the ink discharge surface, preliminary discharge, and the like are performed (S4).

After the ink can be normally ejected from the head chip C by the above operation, the recording paper 1b is taken up by a predetermined amount on the take-up roll 1d (S5), and the test pattern is recorded on the recording paper 1b (S6). ). This recording paper 1b
Is moved to the observation area of the reading means 2 by the moving stage 1e (S7). During this movement, the start position of recording on the recording paper 1b and the stop position in the observation area are accurately controlled by the stage 1e.

Then, the ink landing position information and the dot size information by the test pattern recording are read by the optical system 2a and the image processing device 2b (S10).
8) It is determined whether or not the read result is within the standard (S9). This determination is performed by measuring the dot diameter, vertical deviation, horizontal deviation, and ink landing position as shown in FIG. 2, and comparing these measurements with the standard.
If the read result is out of the standard, the head chip C is ejected by the automatic hand 3 as a defective ejection (S10).

On the other hand, when the read result is within the standard, the head chip C is moved to the temporary placing table 4 by the automatic hand 3 (S11), and the residual ink in the head chip C is sucked. (S12) The clear ink containing no dye is filled into the head chip C (S1).
3). This is to prevent ink sticking near the ejection openings of the head chip C due to residual ink. The head chip C waits at the temporary placing table 4 (S14), and the temporary placing table 4 monitors the presence or absence of the head chip C (S15, S16). When the head chip C is carried by the finger 3c, the next head chip is moved. Work is performed (S1).

Next, the head chip C filled with the clear ink is gripped by the finger 3c, is arranged at a predetermined position of the frame 28 by the automatic hand 3, and is fixed by an adhesive. More specifically, the head chip C
Is applied to a corresponding portion of the frame 28 to which the lower part of the head chip is adhered. For this purpose, an adhesive is applied to a predetermined position of the frame 28 (S17). The application of the adhesive to the frame 28 is performed while the head chip C is being filled with the clear ink.

The frame 28 coated with the adhesive is set on the frame holder 5a (S18), and the head chip C is gripped by the finger 3c (S19). The finger 3c is raised (S20), and the moving table 3b is moved along the rail 3a (S21). When the moving table 3b moves to a predetermined position, the finger 3c is lowered to move the head chip C to the frame 28. It is inserted into a predetermined arrangement position (S22). At this time, the head chip C is gripped by the finger 3c without touching any part of the frame 28. This is so that an accurate head chip position can be obtained even if the accuracy of the frame body 28 is poor. Thus, the head chips C can be arranged only by the mechanical accuracy of the apparatus without being affected by the accuracy of the frame 28 and the head chips C.

If there is no variation in the ink landing positions of the head chips C when moving the head chips C, a plurality of head chips C may be mechanically arranged at equal intervals when they are mounted on the frame 28. However, since the ink landing positions of the respective head chips C actually have some variations, the variations are corrected based on the data of the ink landing positions obtained from the read result (S23,
S24).

The correction in the X-axis direction shown in FIG.
The correction in the Z-axis direction can be made by correcting the amount of movement of the finger 3c.

In this embodiment, the correction in the X-axis direction is performed by moving the frame 28 in the X-axis direction by the frame moving stage 5f. This means that if the amount of movement in the X-axis direction on the head chip C side is changed, the dispenser 5 that applies the adhesive accordingly.
b and the optical fibers 5c, 5d, 5e also have to be moved, which complicates the device. Further, the movement of the movable base 3b in the X-axis direction requires a certain speed, so that there is a limit in increasing the movement accuracy (resolution). On the other hand, if the frame body 28 is moved in the X-axis direction, the moving amount of the moving table 3b can always be improved by the reciprocating movement of the same moving amount, so that the position reproducibility is significantly improved.

As described above, the head chip C is
8, the adhesive applied to the frame 28 adheres to the lower portion of the head chip C. Then, an adhesive is applied to the upper portion of the head chip C and the frame 28 by the dispenser 5b (S25). Next, dispenser 5
b is retracted to a place where there is no influence of UV light (S2
6) The head chip C is fixed to the frame 28 by irradiating UV light to cure the adhesive (S27).

Next, after the adhesive is cured, the finger 3c releases the gripping of the head chip C (S28), and the finger 3c rises (S29), and the next head chip stocked in the temporary placing table 4 is stored. The mobile platform 3b is moved to get C (S30).

When the next head chip C is to be mounted on the frame 28, the frame moving stage 5f is driven to move the frame 28 by the standard pitch (S31, S32), and the process returns to step S19 to return to the above. The same operation is performed.

After attaching the plurality of head chips C to the frame 28, the frame 28 is stored in a predetermined stocker by an unillustrated auto hand (S33).

As described above, the test pattern is recorded by the head chip, and only the ink landing positions and the dots having the dot sizes within the standard are incorporated in the frame while being corrected according to the deviation of the ink landing position. By replacing the frame, the head chip whose ink landing accuracy is guaranteed can be easily replaced.

(Structure of Head Unit) Next, an assembly structure of the head unit according to this embodiment will be described.

FIG. 7 shows an assembling structure of a single head chip C. The head chip C is mounted on a metal support 19 constituting the bottom, a heater board 20 and a wiring board 2.
1, the top plate 22, the holding spring 23, and the ink supply member 24 are sequentially stacked and attached.

One end 21a of the wiring board 21 is alternately connected to the wiring portion of the heater board 20.
The other end 21b of one 1 is provided with a plurality of pads 21c corresponding to the electrothermal converter 25 (see FIG. 8) provided on the apparatus main body side. The wiring board 21 is attached to the support 19 with an adhesive or the like.

The pressing spring 23 has an M-shape, and the central portion of the M-shape forms a common liquid chamber 26 (see FIG. 8).
Is pressed with a light pressure, and a part of the liquid path, preferably a region near the discharge port 27, is intensively pressed with a linear pressure by the front drooping portion 23a. Further, the heater board 20 and the top plate 22 are attached in a state of being sandwiched by inserting the leg 23b of the holding spring 23 into the hole 19a formed in the support 19 and engaging the tip with the back side. , Holding spring 23
And are pressed and fixed to each other by the concentrated bias of the front drooping portion 23a.

An ink receiving port 22a is formed in the top plate 22, and is connected to an ink conduit 24a of an ink supply member 24 described later.

The ink supply member 24 supports the ink conduit 24a in a cantilever manner on the fixed ink supply tube 24b. The ink supply member 24 further has a flow path between the fixed end of the ink conduit 24a and the ink supply tube 24b. A sealing ball 24c is inserted to form a path. A filter 24d is provided at a side end of the ink supply pipe 24b.

Further, since the ink supply member 24 is made by molding, it is inexpensive, has high positional accuracy, does not cause a reduction in manufacturing accuracy, and has a top plate of the ink conduit 24a having a cantilever structure even in mass production. The pressure contact state with the ink receiving port 22a formed in the nozzle 22 is stable. Therefore, a more complete communication state can be formed only by pouring the sealing adhesive from the ink supply member 24 while the ink conduit 24a is pressed against the ink receiving port 22a.

The support 19 of the ink supply member 24
Is fixed by inserting two pins (not shown) projecting from the back side of the ink supply member 24 into the holes 19 of the support 19 and projecting to the back side, and heat-sealing them. Fix it.

Next, a frame for positioning the head chip will be described with reference to FIGS. The frame 28 is for fixing a plurality of head chips C in parallel,
As described later, the head chips C are collectively positioned and fixed in grooves formed between a plurality of ribs. After the plurality of head chips C are attached, the frame body 28 is covered with the upper lid 29. The upper lid 29 is provided with four holes 29a through which the ink supply pipes 24b of the head chips C pass (this embodiment). Exemplifies a case where four head chips C are arranged in parallel). Further, the upper lid 29 is configured such that locking pieces 29b provided at both ends are fixed to corresponding locking portions 28a of the frame 28.
To be attached to the frame 28.

The frame body 28 is further covered with a lid connector 30. Each of the head chips C
The electrical contacts between the device and the apparatus main body are combined at one place, and an electrode pad 31 formed of a flexible cable is assembled to a lid frame 32. The lid connector 30 is provided with a connector 31a for connecting to the head chip C. The connector 31a is connected to the electrode pad 31 so that each electrical contact with respect to the apparatus main body is provided at one place. Summarized. The lid connector 30 is a lid frame 3
The locking pieces 32a provided at both ends of the frame 2 are locked to the corresponding locking portions 28b of the frame body 28, thereby being attached to the frame body 28. In this embodiment, since a shift register (not shown) is mounted on each head chip C, the number of contacts can be made smaller than the total number of electrodes of the head chip.
The recording signal is transmitted to each head chip by being electrically connected to the apparatus main body via the electrical contacts grouped by 1. In this embodiment, an example in which four head chips C are arranged in parallel is shown, but the present invention is not limited to this.

The electrical connection with the apparatus body is made by pressing an electrode pad (not shown) on the apparatus body side against an electrode pad 31 assembled to a lid connector 30 covering the frame 28. .

As shown in FIG. 6, two slot holes 33 are formed in the outer wall of the frame 28 on the back side (in the direction of the arrow L in FIG. 5).
Are formed. The frame 28 is positioned on the carriage 5 by fitting a positioning pin (not shown) projecting from the carriage 5 into the slot 33. When the frame body 28 is mounted on the carriage 5, only the frame body 28 receives the mounting force, so that each head chip C can minimize distortion due to external force.

Further, although the material of the frame body 28 affects the rigidity of the frame body, taking into account the manufacturing accuracy (environmental resistance) of the frame body 28, the fixing force to the apparatus main body, and the deformation at the time of handling. Selected. In this embodiment, the filler-containing PPS
(Polyphenylene sulfite).

(Attachment Structure of Head Chip) Next, a structure for attaching the head chip C configured as described above to the carriage 5 will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 and 10. FIG.

Color printing becomes possible by arranging a plurality of head chips C in parallel and supplying different color inks to each head chip. When the same ink is supplied, high-speed printing is possible. In any case, each head chip C
Needs to be positioned with high precision with respect to the carriage 5.

The positioning of each head chip C with respect to the frame body 28 is determined by performing positioning at a location indicated by an arrow as shown in FIG. That is, Ca and Cb regulate the distance in the length direction to the nozzle end, Cc indicates the distance in the width direction to the nozzle end, and Cd indicates the height to the nozzle end.

As shown in FIG. 10, an adhesive reservoir 36 surrounded by projections 34a, 34b, projections 34c, 34d and two rails 35 is formed on the bottom surface of the frame 28, respectively. In the adhesive reservoir 36,
The first adhesive for fixedly supporting the head chip C is filled in a fixed volume. Therefore, each head chip C is supported on the support 1 by the adhesive filled in the adhesive reservoir 36.
9 is fixedly supported while floating above the frame 28.

The rails 35 are also formed on the bottom surface and the back surface of the frame body 28 in parallel with the Y and Z axis directions, and are formed between the rail 35 on the bottom surface and the portion surrounded by the projection 34a and the rail 35 on the back surface. A groove 37 is formed with an adhesive reservoir 37. The adhesive pool 37 has the first
After the adhesive is solidified, the first adhesive is covered, and the second adhesive is embedded in the gap between the end of the head chip C and the frame 28.

A recess 38 is formed between the rails 35 so that the second adhesive is injected from one of the directions of the arrows M and N of the support 19 of the head chip C, or the second adhesive is injected from both sides. When the agent is injected, the second adhesive can be applied on both sides of the head chip C on average.

As the first adhesive, a UV-based curing adhesive which cures quickly and has high mass production efficiency and has high hardness after complete curing is used. As the second adhesive, the fragility of the first adhesive is used. A silicone adhesive having elasticity and capable of sufficiently filling minute gaps was used to cover the gap.

The method of correcting the landing position of the ink droplets between each head chip C and the frame 28 is as follows. The landing deviation is measured for each head chip in advance, and this information is used when the head chip C is adhered and fixed in the frame 28. Originally, the head chip C is tilted in the main scanning direction by the automatic registration adjustment device or is moved in parallel in the same direction.
Adhesion and fixation are carried out in a state of being floated by a minute amount. As a result, the position of each head chip C can be adjusted in all the X, Y, and Z-axis directions and fixed to the frame 28, so that a head chip unit with higher positioning accuracy than before can be configured.

The first adhesive is applied to the adhesive reservoir 36
It is sufficient that at least two locations are filled in the groove, but the whole may be bonded along the groove between the rails 35. Further, in this embodiment, in order to position and fix the head chip in a short time in consideration of automation, two kinds of adhesives are applied so that the first adhesive is applied and then the second adhesive is applied in a batch process. However, it is also possible to bond and fix with one kind of adhesive such as a room temperature curing such as an epoxy adhesive or a heat curing adhesive.

Further, as shown in FIG. 11, after the frame 28 is mounted on the carriage 5, the ink supply tanks 7 are fitted to the respective ink supply pipes 24b projecting from the back side of the frame 28, and To complete the mounting operation of the head chip C. The ink supply tank 7 is exchangeably attached to the frame 28.

According to the above configuration, the ink landing deviation between the head chips is measured in advance, and the position of each head chip C is adjusted in all the X, Y, and Z directions in consideration of the information and the frame is adjusted. By fixing to the body 28, the landing deviation of each head chip is corrected as a head chip unit, and it is not necessary to electrically adjust the timing of ink ejection from the apparatus main body side, thereby simplifying the control operation. Can be. Therefore, a stable image can be provided while maintaining high image quality.

Further, since the head chip C is positioned with high accuracy by performing all position adjustments in the X, Y, and Z-axis directions so that the head chip C is floated by the adhesive without directly contacting the frame body 28, The manufacturing cost can be reduced without being affected by C or the accuracy of the frame 28.

Further, a plurality of head chips C are
, The head chip can be made into a unit and the head replacement operation for the carriage 5 can be facilitated.

[Second Embodiment] In the first embodiment described above, when the head chips C are incorporated into the frame 28, the ink landing position deviation of each head chip C is corrected for each head chip C while Although an example in which the head chip C is set to 28 is shown, in this method, the time for storing the head chip C, applying the adhesive, and irradiating the UV light for curing the adhesive is the same as the number of the head chips C to be incorporated into the frame 28. Because of the necessity, the work process tends to be long. Also, in this method, a plurality of correction mechanisms are required to simultaneously set the head chip C on the frame 28 in order to shorten the process, so that the apparatus becomes complicated and the mechanical accuracy of the apparatus may be reduced. There is.

Therefore, in the assembling apparatus of the second embodiment, the lateral displacement (X-axis direction) of the ink landing position for test pattern recording is performed between steps S13 and S14 in FIG.
This is an addition of a procedure for sorting head chips C into ranks according to the amount.

In this manner, even if head chips C in the same rank are assembled at equal intervals with respect to the frame 28, the displacement of the ink landing point can be kept within the range of the rank. Therefore, the correction procedure (steps S23 and S24) shown in FIG. 4 of the first embodiment described above becomes unnecessary.

FIG. 12 illustrates an assembling apparatus according to the second embodiment. The test pattern recording means 1 has the same structure as that of the first embodiment, but has four head chips C1 to C4 each.
4 has a plurality of temporary placement tables 104 on which the placement table 4 can be placed. The apparatus has four fingers 103C1 to 103C3.
C4, the four head chips C1 to C4 are simultaneously grasped from the temporary mounting table 104, and are simultaneously assembled to the frame 28 on the frame holder 5a. Further, this device is provided with four adhesive dispensers 10 corresponding to the mounting positions of the head chips C1 to C4 on the frame 28.
5b1 to 105b4 and three optical fibers 105c1 to 105c4 for each head chip C.
4, 105e1 to 105e4, and the head chip C1
To C4 can be simultaneously bonded to the frame 28.

Next, the procedure for attaching the head chips C1 to C4 to the frame will be described with reference to the flowcharts shown in FIGS.

First, the head chip Cn is supplied to the chip gripper 1a by an automatic hand (S101), and the reference surface of the head chip C is fixed by abutting the abutting portion of the gripper 1a (S102). Then, an ink supply tank and a contact pin for providing an electric signal are connected to the gripped head chip Cn (S103).

When air bubbles enter the ink flow path in the head chip Cn at the time of connection with the ink supply tank, the ink ejection becomes insufficient. In addition to performing the recovery operation of sucking the ink, cleaning of the ink ejection surface, preliminary ejection, and the like are performed (S104).

After the ink can be normally ejected from the head chip Cn by the operation described above, the recording paper 1b is wound around a winding roll 1d by a predetermined amount (S105).
Then, a test pattern is recorded (S106). The recording sheet 1b is moved to the observation area of the reading means 2 by the moving stage 1e (S107). This movement is for recording paper 1
The recording start position by b and the stop position in the observation area are accurately controlled by the stage 1e.

Then, the optical meter 2a and the image processing device 2b
With this, the ink landing position information and the dot size information by the test pattern recording are read and (S
108), it is determined whether or not the read result is within the standard (S109). This determination is made as shown in FIG.
The dot diameter, vertical displacement, lateral displacement, and ink landing position are measured, and these are collated with the standard to determine whether it is within or outside the standard. If the read result is out of the standard, the head chip Cn is ejected as an ejection failure product by an automatic hand (not shown) (S110).

On the other hand, if the read result is within the standard, the remaining ink in the head chip Cn is sucked (S111), and the clear ink containing no dye is filled into the head chip (S112). This is to prevent the remaining ink from sticking to the ink near the ejection port of the head chip Cn. The head chips Cn are ranked according to the landing position deviation amount, and stored in a tray (not shown) for each rank (S113). It is determined whether or not a predetermined number of head chips of the same rank have accumulated in this tray (S114, 115). If the predetermined number has accumulated, head chips of the same rank are arranged on the temporary mounting table 104 by an auto hand (not shown) (S114). S116). The intervals between the head chips at this time are approximately equal.

Head chips C arranged on temporary table 104
1 to C4 are simultaneously grasped by the fingers 103C1 to 103C4, arranged at predetermined positions of the frame 28, and fixed with an adhesive. More specifically, the application of the adhesive to the lower portions of the head chips C1 to C4 is performed by applying the adhesive to the lower side of the frame W to which the lower portions of the head chips are bonded. To this end, as described in the first embodiment, an adhesive is applied to a predetermined position of the frame 28 (S117). The application of the adhesive to the frame 28 is performed while the head chips C1 to C4 are arranged on the temporary mounting table 104.

Then, the frame 28 coated with the adhesive is set on the frame holder 5a (S118), and the finger 10
The head chips C1 to C4 are gripped by 3C1 to 103C4 (S119). This finger 103C1-10
3C4 is raised (S120), and the moving table 3b is moved.
Is moved along the rail 3a (S121),
When b moves to a predetermined position, the fingers 103C1 to 103C1
3C4 is lowered and the head chips C1 to C4 are
(S122) At this time, the head chips C1 to C4 are gripped by the fingers C1 to C4 without touching any part of the frame 28. This is to obtain an accurate head chip position even if the accuracy of the frame body 28 is poor. This makes it possible to accurately align the head chips C1 to C4 according to the mechanical accuracy of the apparatus, that is, the accuracy of the interval between the fingers 103C1 to 103C4.

Since the head chips C1 to C4 have the same landing deviation amount, there is little variation in the ink landing positions. Therefore, when mounting the plurality of head chips C1 to C4 on the frame 28, they are mechanically fixed at a predetermined pitch. It may be arranged at intervals. That is, the fingers 103C1 to 103C
The intervals of 4 may be set to be equal at a predetermined pitch.

As described above, the head chips C1 to C4
Is inserted into a predetermined position of the frame 28, the adhesive applied to the frame 28 adheres to the lower portion of the head chip C. Then, an adhesive is applied to the upper portions of the head chips C1 to C4 and the frame 28 by the dispensers 105b1 to 105b4 (S123). Next, the dispensers 105b1-1
05b4 is retreated to a place where there is no influence of UV light (S
124), the head chips C1 to C4 are fixed to the frame 28 by irradiating UV light to cure the adhesive (S125).

Then, after the adhesive is cured, the finger 1
03C1 to 103C4 release the gripping of the head chips C1 to C4 (S126), and the fingers 103C1 to 103C4.
103C4 is raised (S127), and the moving table 3b is moved to pick up the next head chips C1 to C4 stocked on the temporary table 4 (S128).

Finally, the frame 28 to which the head chips C1 to C4 are attached is housed in a predetermined stocker by an automatic hand (not shown) (S129).

As described above, a test pattern is recorded by the head chip, and only those whose ink landing positions and dot sizes are within the standard are classified according to the deviation of the ink landing positions. Since the head chip is mounted on the frame in one operation, the operation time is significantly reduced. Further, unlike the first embodiment, the frame moving stage 5f does not adjust the interval between the head chips C1 to C4, so that a control device for the head chip C1 to C4 is not required and the device can be simplified. further,
It is possible to incorporate a plurality of head chips C at the same time, and it is possible to greatly reduce the time for assembling.

In the present embodiment, the ink landing position deviation in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction), which is the nozzle arrangement direction of the head chip C, is sufficiently within the standard because of the structure of the head chip C. The ranking is performed only for the lateral displacement.

[Third Embodiment] In the second embodiment, ranking is performed according to the landing position deviation in the chip arrangement direction (horizontal direction), and the vertical direction (Z) is the nozzle arrangement direction.
Regarding the landing position deviation in the axial direction), the variation was within the standard, so the ranking was not performed.

However, in order to obtain higher printing quality, it is necessary to adjust the landing position in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction).

For this purpose, it is sufficient to classify the landing deviation in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction) with respect to the deviation amount. However, in order to match both the vertical and horizontal directions, the number of ranks is increased, and the vertical and horizontal positions are increased. It becomes difficult to obtain a head chip of the same rank horizontally.

Therefore, in this embodiment, the horizontal method (X-axis direction)
Is performed by the same ranking as in the second embodiment. In the vertical direction (Z-axis direction), the head chips C1 to C4 are placed on the temporary mounting table in accordance with the respective vertical deviation amounts.
This is a structure for correcting this.

The vertical adjustment mechanism includes the fingers 103C1 to 103C1.
The same effect can be obtained by attaching each to the 103C4. However, if an adjusting mechanism is provided for each moving finger, the weight of the finger itself increases, and the adjusting mechanism is inserted according to the finger row set at a predetermined pitch. Is not preferred because it is difficult.

FIG. 15 shows a temporary table 204 and a height adjusting device 205 provided with the above-described adjusting mechanism.

The temporary mounting table 204 has a main body 204 having an L-shaped cross section.
a and piezo elements 204b1-2 disposed on the upper surface thereof
04b4. Piezo elements 204b1-204b
4 are arranged corresponding to the positions where the head chips C1 to C4 are placed, respectively.
04b4 is independent. The height adjusting device 205 includes a DC power supply 205b1 to 205b4 and a lead wire 205a for connecting the DC power supply to each of the piezo elements 204b1 to 204b4.
1 to 205a4, which are connected to a control device (not shown). That is, the piezo element 204b1
204b4 have a structure that can expand and contract in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction) of the head chips C1 to C4 by the voltage of the DC power supplies 205b1 to 205b4.

That is, the control device (not shown) changes the voltage of the DC power supplies 301b1 to 301b4 in accordance with the landing position information in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction) of the head chips C1 to C4, so that the piezo elements 204b1 to 204b4
Of the head chip on the temporary mounting table 204 in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction) can be changed.

As described above, the landing point deviation in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction) has already been corrected by the temporary placement table 205, and the subsequent steps are arranged at regular intervals at a predetermined pitch as in the second embodiment. By simultaneously gripping the head chips C1 to C4 with the fingers thus formed, moving the head chips C1 to C4 to the frame, and bonding the head chips C1 to C4, it is possible to produce a head having a small landing point deviation even in the vertical direction (Z axis direction).

In this embodiment, the stacked piezoelectric elements are used because the pitch between head chips is small.
It is needless to say that the same effect can be obtained by using a normal Z stage as long as it can be physically arranged.

(Structure of Inkjet Recording Apparatus) Finally, an inkjet recording apparatus incorporating a head unit assembled by the method shown in the first to third embodiments will be described.

As shown in FIG. 16, a platen roller 501 as a conveying means conveys a recording sheet P as a recording material and supports the recording sheet P at a recording position. At one end of the rotation shaft of the platen roller 501, a knob 501a that can be manually rotated is provided. A pressing plate 50 for pressing the recording sheet P conveyed to the recording position is provided in front of the platen roller 501.
2 are arranged.

A plurality of head chips C1 to C
The ink supply tanks 7 are connected to the head units H incorporating the ink supply tanks 4 respectively.
Each color ink is supplied. Then, in accordance with a signal, color recording is performed by discharging ink onto the recording sheet P conveyed by the platen roller 501.

The head unit H and the ink supply tank 7 are mounted on a carriage 505,
It reciprocates in the sub-scanning direction (arrows a and b). The carriage 505 is connected to a lead screw 506 having a spiral groove 506a.
A screw gear 506b is attached to the end of the reference numeral 06. The carriage 505 has both ends inserted into guide rails 507 supported by the apparatus main body.

The material of the carriage 505 is selected so as to have a sufficiently rigid structure depending on the use condition of the apparatus main body. In this example, PPS (polyphenylene sulfite) containing filler was used.

The driving force of the driving motor 508, which is a driving source, is transmitted to the lead screw 506 via a driving transmission gear 509a and a screw gear 506b. Therefore,
By driving the drive motor 508 forward and reverse,
The driving force is transmitted to the lead screw 506 via the drive transmission gear 509a and the screw gear 506b, and the carriage 505 reciprocates in the directions of arrows a and b in the figure.

The carriage 505 has a lever 50.
5a, the photocouplers 510a and 510b provided at the end of the carriage movement range detect the lever 505a, and thereby the carriage 5a.
The rotation direction of the drive motor 508 is switched by detecting the home position (standby position) 05.

The cap member 511 performs a process of recovering the ink ejection ports of the head unit.
12 are integrally supported. This support member 5
12 is provided with a suction means (not shown). The cap member 511 is provided with an opening 513, and the opening 513 is covered by a nozzle of the head unit, and a suction process is performed to perform a recovery process.

The recovery lever 514 is used to start the recovery process. When the carriage 505 returns to the home position, the cam 515 that comes into contact moves with the movement, and the driving force from the driving motor 508 is driven. Transmission gear 5
The movement is controlled by known transmission means such as 09b or clutch switching (not shown).

A support plate 517 is attached to a chassis 516 of the apparatus main body, and a cleaning blade 518 is slidably supported on the support plate 517.
The cleaning blade 518 is moved in the front-rear direction by a driving unit (not shown) to clean ink droplets attached to the ejection openings. The form of the cleaning blade 518 is not limited to the illustrated one, and it is needless to say that other known blades can be applied.

The capping, cleaning, and suction recovery processes are performed at predetermined timings at positions corresponding to the operation of the lead screw 506 when the carriage 505 moves to the home position side area.

According to such an ink jet recording apparatus, the frame 28 incorporating the head chip C is mounted on the carriage 505, and the ink supply tank 7 and the contact pins (see FIG. (Not shown) can be easily replaced.

[Other Embodiments] In the above-described embodiment, an ink jet recording system is used as a recording system. In this case, an electric current is supplied to the electrothermal converter in accordance with a recording signal and is applied by the electrothermal converter. It is more preferable that the recording is performed by discharging the ink from the discharge port by the growth and shrinkage of the bubble generated in the ink by utilizing the film boiling generated in the ink by the heat energy.

Regarding the typical 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 any of the so-called on-demand type and continuous type. In particular, in the case of the on-demand type, it is arranged corresponding to a sheet or a liquid path holding a liquid (ink). By applying at least one drive signal corresponding to the recorded information and providing a rapid temperature rise above nucleate boiling,
This is effective because heat energy is generated in the electrothermal transducer, causing film boiling on the heat-acting surface of the head chip, and as a result, bubbles in the liquid corresponding to this drive signal one-to-one can be formed. The liquid 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 immediately and appropriately performed, so that particularly excellent liquid ejection 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.

As the configuration of the head chip, in addition to the combination configuration of the discharge port, the liquid path, and the electrothermal converter (linear liquid flow path or right-angled liquid flow path) as disclosed in the above-mentioned respective specifications, The present invention also includes a configuration using U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,558,333 and 4,459,600 which disclose a configuration in which a heat acting portion is arranged in a bending region.

Also, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 59-123670 discloses a configuration in which a common slit is used as a discharge portion of an electrothermal transducer for a plurality of electrothermal transducers, or an aperture for absorbing pressure waves of thermal energy. Unexamined Japanese Patent Application Publication No.
A configuration based on JP-A-59-138461 may be adopted.

It is preferable to add head chip recovery means, preliminary auxiliary means, and the like provided as components of the ink jet recording apparatus, because the effects of the present invention can be further stabilized. If these are specifically mentioned, capping means for head chips, cleaning means, pressurizing or sucking means, preheating means using an electrothermal conversion type or another heating element or a combination thereof, and recording Performing a preliminary ejection mode for performing another ejection is also effective for performing stable printing.

In addition, in the above-described embodiments, 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 recording system 30 ink itself
It is common to control the temperature so that the viscosity of the ink is in the stable ejection range by adjusting the temperature within the range of not less than 70 ° C and not more than 70 ° C if the ink is in a liquid state when the use recording signal is applied. good. 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, the ink is liquefied by the application of the heat energy according to the recording signal, and the ink is liquefied, and the liquid ink is discharged. The present invention is also applicable to a case where an ink that liquefies for the first time by energy is used.

The ink in such a case is disclosed in JP-A-54-5
No. 6847 or Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Sho 60-71260, in which the porous sheet is opposed to the electrothermal converter in a state of being held as a liquid or solid substance in the concave portion or through hole of the porous sheet. It is good. The most effective one for each of the above-mentioned inks is to execute the above-described film boiling method.

Further, as the form of the above-described ink jet recording apparatus, in addition to those used as image output terminals of information processing equipment such as computers, copying apparatuses combined with readers and the like, and facsimile apparatuses having a transmission / reception function can be used. It may take a form.

In the head unit assembling method and the assembling apparatus of the present invention, since the head chips are bonded and fixed without being pressed against the frame, the relative distance between the incorporated plurality of head chips depends on the accuracy of the frame. Not be affected by Therefore, a head chip with higher image quality can be produced.

Further, the adjustment of the displacement of the ink landing position may be completed at the stage of assembling the head unit. With this configuration, it is not necessary to perform correction every time an image is output, and the apparatus can be reduced in size and simplified.

Further, according to the method and the apparatus for obtaining the landing position information by using the test pattern, it is possible to easily and accurately obtain the information on the habit of each head chip based on the landing position information. When determining the relative position of, more accurate control can be performed.

Further, according to the ink jet output device of the present invention, since the user can replace the head unit and does not need adjustment, the handleability is excellent, and
Since there is no need for a position control mechanism, an inkjet output device having a simple structure can be configured.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a head unit assembling apparatus according to a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram when a test pattern is ejected.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a procedure of assembling the head unit according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a procedure of assembling the head unit according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration of a head unit.

FIG. 6 is a bottom view of the head unit.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing an assembly configuration of a head chip.

FIG. 8 is a partial explanatory view of a head chip.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory view showing positioning of a head chip.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing a positioning portion of the head chip with respect to the frame.

FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing an attachment configuration of a head unit to a carriage.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a head unit assembling apparatus according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure of assembling the head unit according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing a procedure for assembling the head unit according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 15 is a perspective view of a temporary placing table of a head unit according to a third embodiment.

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of an ink jet recording apparatus.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Test pattern recording means, 1a ... Chip gripper, 1
b: recording paper, 1c: supply roll, 1d: take-up roll,
1e: moving stage, 2: test pattern reading means, 2
a ... optical system, 2b ... image processing device, 3 ... auto hand,
3a: rail, 3b: moving table, 3c: chip holding finger, 4: temporary mounting table, 5: frame mounting means, 5a: frame holder, 5b: dispenser, 5c, 5d, 5e: optical fiber, 5f ... Frame moving stage, 7: ink supply tank, 19: support, 19a, 19b, 29a: hole, 20: heater board, 21: wiring board, 22: top plate, 22a: ink receiving port, 23: holding spring, 23a … Front part, 23b… Leg part, 24
... Ink supply member, 24a ... Ink conduit, 24b ... Ink supply pipe, 24c ... Sealing ball, 24d ... Filter, 25 ... Electrothermal converter, 26 ... Common liquid chamber, 27 ... Discharge port, 28 ... Frame body, 29 …
Upper lid, 29b, 32a: locking piece, 30: lid connector, 31: electrode pad, 31a: connector, 32: lid frame, 33: slot, 34a,
34b, 34c, 34d: Projection, 35: Rail, 36, 37: Adhesive reservoir, 38: Recess, 103 c1 to c4: Tip gripping finger, 104: Temporary placing table, 105 b1 to b4: Dispenser, 10
5 c1 to c4, 105 d1 to d4, 105 e1 to e4: Optical fiber, 204
... Temporary stand, 205 b1 to b4 ... Piezo element, 505 ... Carriage, P ... Head chip, H ... Head unit

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Masahiko Hima 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Inside Canon Inc. (72) Inventor Yosaku Sato 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo (56) References JP-A-6-340065 (JP, A) JP-A-7-40531 (JP, A) JP-A-4-316855 (JP, A) (58) Fields investigated ( Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) B41J 25/304 B41J 2/01 B41J 25/34

Claims (19)

(57) [Claims] 1. A method of assembling a head unit for mounting a plurality of head chips for ejecting ink to a frame body, wherein the plurality of head chips are positioned and fixed at predetermined relative positions. By positioning the head chips in a non-contact state with respect to the frame and fixing the head chips to the frame via an adhesive between the head chip and the frame, the respective head chips are arranged at predetermined relative positions. A method of assembling a head unit. 2. The method for assembling a head unit according to claim 1, wherein the relative positions of the plurality of head chips are determined by recording a test pattern using the head chip and reading the ink from the test pattern. A head unit assembling method, wherein the head unit is determined using the landing position information. 3. The method for assembling a head unit according to claim 2, wherein whether the landing quality of the head chip is within a standard is determined based on landing position information of ink read from the test pattern. A method of assembling a head unit, comprising: judging, selecting a head chip within a standard, and fixing the head chip to the frame. 4. The head unit assembling method according to claim 2, wherein the displacement of the ink landing position is corrected by using the ink landing position information read from the test pattern. The head unit is fixed to a frame body. 5. The method of assembling a head unit according to claim 2, wherein the displacement correction of the landing position of the ink is performed by using the landing position information of the ink read from the test pattern. A method of assembling a head unit, comprising: combining the head chips having close displacements; and fixing the head chips to the frame so as to maintain a predetermined relative position. 6. The head unit assembling method according to claim 2, wherein, among the positional deviation corrections of the ink landing positions, the vertical positional deviation correction is performed by using landing position information read from the test pattern. The method is performed by adjusting a height of a portion where the head chips are temporarily placed on the temporary mounting table on which the head chips are temporarily placed, and is fixed to the frame so as to maintain the predetermined relative position. How to assemble the head unit. 7. The head unit assembling method according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of head chips are bonded to the frame at least at two or more locations by the adhesive. How to assemble the unit. 8. The method of assembling a head unit according to claim 7, wherein the fixing of the head chip uses two or more types of adhesives, and at least the first adhesive is U-type.
A method for assembling a head unit, wherein a V-based adhesive is used and a silicon-based adhesive is used as a second adhesive. 9. A head unit assembling apparatus for mounting a plurality of head chips for ejecting ink on a frame, a position determining means for positioning each head chip at a predetermined relative position, Frame mounting means for fixing the plurality of head chips to the frame in a non-contact state with respect to the frame so as to maintain a relative position of; a dispenser for applying an adhesive between the head chip and the frame; An assembling apparatus for a head unit, comprising: 10. The apparatus for assembling a head unit according to claim 9, wherein said position determination means includes a test pattern output means for recording a test pattern using a head chip, and an ink from said test pattern. And a test pattern reading means for reading information on the landing position and ink size of the head unit. 11. The apparatus for assembling a head unit according to claim 10, wherein said test pattern reading means reads ink landing position information read from said test pattern.
An assembling apparatus for a head unit, wherein it is determined whether or not the landing quality of the head chip is within a standard, and a head chip within the standard is selected and fixed to the frame. 12. The apparatus for assembling a head unit according to claim 10, wherein said frame body mounting means frames said plurality of head chips by using ink landing position information obtained from said position determining means. An apparatus for assembling a head unit, which corrects a displacement when fixing the head unit to a body. 13. The head unit assembling apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said frame attaching means uses the ink landing position information obtained from said position determining means to shift the ink landing position. The head chip assembling apparatus, wherein the head chips which are close to each other are combined and fixed to the frame so as to maintain a predetermined relative position, and the positional deviation is corrected. 14. The apparatus for assembling a head unit according to claim 10, wherein the frame body attaching means uses a landing position information read from the test pattern, and the head chip temporarily mounts the head chip. By adjusting the height of the portion where each of the head chips is placed, the head chip is fixed to the frame so as to maintain the predetermined relative position. A head unit assembling apparatus for performing correction. 15. A transport means for transporting a material to be output, and a plurality of head chips which form an image by ejecting ink to the material to be output according to image information are adhered and fixed on a frame. An output unit, and a transporter having the output unit mounted thereon and capable of reciprocating in a main scanning direction. The output unit determines a relative position of each head chip, and moves the plurality of head chips relative to each other. An ink jet output device characterized in that the ink jet output device is configured to be adhered and fixed to the frame in a non-contact state so as to maintain a position. 16. An ink jet output apparatus according to claim 15, wherein said output means includes an electrothermal converter for generating thermal energy for discharging ink. apparatus. 17. An ink jet output apparatus according to claim 16, wherein said recording means uses a film boiling generated in the ink by thermal energy applied by said electrothermal transducer to discharge said ink from an ejection port. An ink jet output device characterized by ejecting ink. 18. The apparatus for assembling a head unit according to claim 9, wherein said frame mounting means simultaneously fixes said plurality of head chips to said frame while maintaining said relative position. An assembling apparatus for a head unit, comprising: 19. The apparatus for assembling a head unit according to claim 9, wherein said frame body attaching means fixes said plurality of head chips one by one to said frame body, and said head chips are connected to each other. An apparatus for assembling a head unit, wherein the relative position is maintained.