JP3387735B2 - Liquid ejection head, head cartridge, and liquid ejection device - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a liquid ejection head for ejecting a desired liquid by generating bubbles by applying thermal energy to a liquid, and more particularly to a movable member which is displaced by utilizing the generation of bubbles. The present invention relates to a head cartridge and a liquid ejection device using a liquid ejection head having a liquid ejection head.

The present invention also relates to paper, thread, fiber, cloth, leather,
A combination of a printer for performing recording on a recording medium such as metal, plastic, glass, wood, and ceramics, a copying machine, a facsimile having a communication system, a word processor having a printer unit, and various processing devices. The invention can be applied to an industrial recording device.

In the present invention, "recording" means not only giving an image having a meaning such as characters and figures to a recording medium, but also giving an image having no meaning such as a pattern. Also means.

[0004]

2. Description of the Related Art By applying energy such as heat to ink, a state change accompanied by a sharp volume change (generation of bubbles) is caused in the ink, and the ink is ejected from an ejection port by an action force based on the state change. An ink jet recording method, which is a so-called bubble jet recording method, in which an image is formed by adhering this onto a recording medium is conventionally known. A recording device using this bubble jet recording method is USP
As disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 4,723,129 and the like,
Generally, an ejection port for ejecting ink, an ink channel communicating with this ejection port, and an electrothermal converter as an energy generating means for ejecting the ink disposed in the ink channel are disposed. ing.

According to such a recording method, it is possible to record a high-quality image at high speed and with low noise, and in the head performing this recording method, the ejection openings for ejecting ink are arranged at high density. Therefore, it has many excellent points that a high-resolution recorded image and a color image can be easily obtained with a small apparatus. Therefore, in recent years, this bubble jet recording method has been used in many office devices such as printers, copying machines, and facsimiles, and has also come to be used in industrial systems such as textile printing devices.

As the bubble jet technology has been used for products in various fields as described above, various requirements as described below have been further increased in recent years.

[0007] For example, as a study on the demand for improvement in energy efficiency, optimization of a heating element such as adjusting the thickness of a protective film is mentioned. This method is effective in improving the efficiency of propagation of generated heat to the liquid.

Further, in order to obtain a high-quality image, a driving condition has been proposed for providing a liquid ejection method or the like in which the ink ejection speed is fast and good ink ejection can be performed based on stable bubble generation. From the viewpoint of high-speed recording, there has been proposed a flow path shape improved in order to obtain a liquid discharge head having a high filling (refill) speed of the discharged liquid into the liquid flow path.

FIG. 44 shows a flow path structure in this flow path shape.
Those shown in (a) and (b) are disclosed in JP-A-63-19997.
It is described in Japanese Patent Publication No. 2 and the like. The flow channel structure and the head manufacturing method described in this publication generate a back wave (a pressure in the direction opposite to the direction toward the discharge port, that is, a pressure toward the liquid chamber 12) generated with the generation of bubbles. It is an invention focused on. This back wave is known as loss energy because it is not energy directed to the ejection direction.

In the invention shown in FIGS. 44, (a) and (b), the valve 1 is located farther from the bubble generation region formed by the heating element 2 and is located on the opposite side of the heating element 2 from the discharge port 11.
0 is disclosed.

In FIG. 44 (b), the valve 10 is
It is disclosed that a manufacturing method using a plate material or the like has an initial position such that it is attached to the ceiling of the flow path 3 and hangs down into the flow path 3 as bubbles are generated. The present invention is disclosed as controlling the energy loss by controlling a part of the back wave described above by the valve 10.

However, in this configuration, as can be seen by examining the case where bubbles are generated inside the flow path 3 holding the liquid to be discharged, suppressing a part of the back wave by the valve 10 is to discharge the liquid. It turns out that it is not practical for.

Originally, the back wave itself is not directly related to ejection as described above. At the time when this back wave is generated in the flow path 3, as shown in FIG.
The pressure of the bubbles, which is directly related to the ejection, has already made the liquid ejectable from the flow path 3. Therefore, it is clear that even if a part of the back wave is suppressed, it does not significantly affect the ejection.

On the other hand, in the bubble jet recording method, since heating is repeated while the heating element is in contact with the ink, deposits are generated on the surface of the heating element due to the burning of the ink. When a large amount of ink is generated, the generation of bubbles becomes unstable, and it may be difficult to perform good ink ejection. Further, even when the liquid to be ejected is a liquid that is easily deteriorated by heat or a liquid in which bubbling is difficult to be obtained sufficiently, there is a demand for a method for ejecting the liquid satisfactorily without deteriorating the liquid to be ejected. .

From this point of view, the liquid (foaming liquid) for generating bubbles due to heat and the liquid (ejection liquid) to be ejected are different liquids, and the ejection liquid is ejected by transmitting the pressure due to foaming to the ejection liquid. The method is disclosed in JP-A-61-69467, JP-A-55-81172, and USP 4,48.
No. 0,259 and the like. In these publications, the ink, which is the discharge liquid, and the foaming liquid are completely separated by a flexible film such as silicone rubber so that the discharge liquid does not come into direct contact with the heating element, and the pressure due to the foaming of the foaming liquid is allowed. The flexible film is deformed so as to be transmitted to the discharged liquid. With such a configuration, it is possible to prevent deposits on the surface of the heating element, improve the degree of freedom in selecting the discharge liquid, and the like.

However, in the head having the structure in which the discharge liquid and the foaming liquid are completely separated as described above, since the pressure at the time of foaming is transmitted to the discharge liquid by the expansion and contraction deformation of the flexible film, the pressure due to foaming is generated. Is absorbed by the flexible membrane. Further, since the amount of deformation of the flexible film is not so large, the effect of separating the discharge liquid and the bubbling liquid can be obtained, but the energy efficiency and the discharge force may decrease.

[0017]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention basically has the fundamental ejection characteristics of a conventional method of ejecting a liquid by forming bubbles in the liquid flow path (in particular, bubbles accompanying film boiling). From the perspective that was unthinkable in the past, it is premised that the level will be unpredictable.

This premise goes back to the principle of droplet discharge,
In order to provide a novel droplet discharging method utilizing bubbles that has not been obtained in the past and a head used for the method, the principle of the mechanism of the movable member in the flow channel is analyzed to By performing the first technical analysis starting from the operation, the second technical analysis starting from the droplet discharge principle by bubbles, and the third analysis starting from the bubble forming region of the heating element for bubble formation. It was obtained.

Based on these analyses, the positional relationship between the fulcrum of the movable member and the free end is set so that the free end is located on the discharge port side, that is, on the downstream side, and the movable member faces the heating element or the bubble generation region. The present applicant has applied for a completely new technique of positively controlling bubbles by arranging the same.

In this application, considering the energy given to the discharge amount by the bubble itself, considering the growth component on the downstream side of the bubble is the largest factor that can significantly improve the discharge characteristic, that is, the downstream side of the bubble. It is also disclosed that the efficiency of the growth component on the side is efficiently converted to the ejection direction to improve the ejection efficiency and the ejection speed. Some of the inventors of the present invention have proposed an extremely high technical level as compared with the conventional technical level in which the growth component on the downstream side of the bubble is positively moved to the free end side of the movable member. In the above invention, a heat generation region for forming bubbles, for example, a downstream side from a center line passing through an area center in the liquid flow direction of the electrothermal converter, or a bubble downstream side such as an area center in a surface that controls foaming. It is also preferable to consider the structural elements such as the movable member and the liquid flow path related to the above, and on the other hand, the refill speed can be significantly improved by considering the arrangement of the movable member and the structure of the liquid supply path. It also discloses that it is possible.

In particular, in the present invention, aiming at more effectively utilizing the above-mentioned ejection principle, focusing on and improving the structure of the movable member, it is possible to derive an epoch-making technique of obtaining more stable ejection characteristics. I arrived.

The main object of the present invention is as follows: The first object is to suppress the lateral loss of the foaming pressure due to the displacement of the movable member due to the generation of bubbles and to improve the discharge efficiency and the discharge force. It is to provide an ejection head.

A second object is to provide a liquid discharge head in which the directionality of bubble growth is enhanced and discharge efficiency and discharge force are further improved.

A third object of the present invention is to provide a liquid ejection head capable of more reliably preventing the mixture of the bubbling liquid and the ejection liquid and ejecting the liquid satisfactorily.

In addition, a fourth object is to provide a very novel liquid ejection principle by fundamentally controlling generated bubbles.

A fifth object of the present invention is to significantly reduce heat accumulation in the liquid on the heat generating element and to reduce residual bubbles on the heat generating element while improving discharge efficiency and discharge force. Another object of the present invention is to provide a liquid ejection head or the like that can eject liquid well.

A sixth object of the present invention is to suppress the action of an inertial force in the direction opposite to the liquid supply direction due to the back wave and at the same time reduce the meniscus retreat amount by the valve function of the movable member. Another object of the present invention is to provide a liquid ejection head or the like having a higher refill frequency and an improved printing speed.

A seventh object of the present invention is to provide a liquid discharge head capable of reducing deposits on a heating element, widening the range of use of discharge liquid, and having sufficiently high discharge efficiency and discharge force. And so on.

An eighth object of the present invention is to provide a liquid ejection head or the like which can increase the degree of freedom in selection of liquid to be ejected.

A ninth object of the present invention is to provide a liquid ejection head or the like which is easy to manufacture and inexpensive by constructing a liquid introduction passage for supplying a plurality of liquids with a small number of parts.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a liquid ejection head or the like that is downsized.

[0031]

The typical requirements of the present invention for achieving the above-mentioned objects are as follows.

A discharge port for discharging the liquid, a bubble generation region for generating bubbles in the liquid, and a bubble generation region are disposed so as to face the bubble generation region, and the first position and the bubble generation region from the first position A movable member displaceable between a distant second position,
The movable member is integrally provided on at least part of both sides of the movable member, and is displaced integrally with the movable member,
The movable member is displaced from the first position to the second position by a pressure based on the generation of bubbles in the bubble generation unit. A liquid ejection head that ejects liquid by expanding the air bubbles to the downstream side rather than to the upstream side toward the ejection port by the displacement of the movable member.

Alternatively, a discharge port for discharging the liquid, a heating element for generating bubbles in the liquid by applying heat to the liquid, and a liquid along the heating element from the upstream side of the heating element onto the heating element A liquid flow path having a supply path for supplying and a free end provided on the discharge port side facing the heating element, and displacing the free end based on the pressure generated by the generation of the bubbles And a movable member that guides the liquid to the discharge port side, and a side member that is integrally provided on at least a part of both sides of the movable member, is displaced integrally with the movable member, and covers the side of generated bubbles. And a liquid ejection head having.

Alternatively, a discharge port for discharging the liquid, a heating element for generating bubbles in the liquid by applying heat to the liquid, and a free end provided on the discharge port side facing the heating element, A movable member that displaces the free end based on the pressure generated by the generation of bubbles and guides the pressure to the discharge port side, is integrally provided at at least a part of both sides of the movable member, and is integrated with the movable member. And a liquid flow path that supplies liquid onto the heating element from the upstream side along the surface of the movable member that is close to the heating element. It is a liquid ejection head.

Alternatively, the first liquid flow path communicating with the discharge port, the second liquid flow path having a bubble generating region for generating bubbles in the liquid by applying heat to the liquid, and the first liquid The free end is arranged between the flow path and the bubble generation region, has a free end on the discharge port side, and the free end is set on the first liquid flow path side based on the pressure generated by the generation of the bubble in the bubble generation region. And a movable member for guiding the pressure to the discharge port side of the first liquid flow path, and at least a part of both sides of the movable member are integrally provided and displaced integrally with the movable member. And a side member that covers the side of the generated bubble.

Alternatively, a plurality of ejection ports for ejecting liquid, a plurality of grooves for forming a plurality of first liquid flow paths that directly communicate with each ejection port, and a plurality of the plurality of grooves. A grooved member integrally having a concave portion forming a first common liquid chamber for supplying a liquid to one liquid flow path, and a plurality of members for generating bubbles in the liquid by applying heat to the liquid The heating element is disposed between the element substrate on which the heating element is disposed, the grooved member and the element substrate, and forms a part of the wall of the second liquid flow path corresponding to the heating element. A separation wall provided with a movable member that is displaced toward the first liquid flow path side by a pressure based on the generation of the bubbles at a position facing to, and the movable member is at least part of both side portions thereof, It displaces together with the movable member and covers the side of generated bubbles. Side member is a liquid discharge head are integrally provided.

According to the liquid discharge head of the present invention, which is based on the extremely novel discharge principle as described above, the generated bubbles are laterally covered by the lateral members, so that the lateral pressure with respect to the direction of liquid flow is exerted. Is also directed towards the outlet. Then, the bubble growth direction itself is also guided to the downstream side and grows larger in the downstream than in the upstream. As a result, the liquid in the vicinity of the ejection port can be efficiently ejected toward the ejection port, so that the ejection efficiency can be improved as compared with the conventional bubble jet type ejection head. For example, in the most preferable embodiment of the present invention, a dramatic improvement in ejection efficiency of at least twice can be achieved.

In particular, when the movable member has a flexible thin film having expansion and contraction portions provided on both sides thereof, and the expansion and contraction portions are lateral members, the displacement amount of the movable member is It is regulated by the stretchable part. As a result, the size of the opening on the discharge port side caused by the displacement of the movable member becomes constant, and the foaming pressure acting on the discharge port side also becomes constant, so that stable discharge is achieved.

According to the characteristic configuration of the present invention, it is possible to prevent the non-ejection even when left for a long period of time at low temperature and low humidity, and even if the non-ejection occurs, preliminary ejection or suction recovery is performed. There is also an advantage that it is possible to immediately return to the normal state by performing a small amount of recovery processing.

Specifically, even under the long-term standing condition in which most of the conventional bubble-jet type heads having 64 ejection ports do not eject, the head of the present invention has ejection defects of about half or less. It just becomes. Also, when these heads were recovered by preliminary ejection, it was necessary to perform several thousand preliminary ejections with the conventional head for each ejection port.
In the present invention, it suffices to carry out recovery with preliminary ejection of about 100 shots. This means that the recovery time can be shortened, the loss of liquid due to the recovery can be reduced, and the running cost can be significantly reduced.

In particular, according to the configuration of the present invention with improved refill characteristics, responsiveness during continuous ejection, stable growth of bubbles, and stabilization of droplets are achieved, and high-speed recording by high-speed liquid ejection and high image quality are achieved. It was possible to record.

Other effects of the present invention can be understood from the description of each embodiment.

The terms "upstream" and "downstream" used in the description of the present invention refer to the direction of flow of liquid from the liquid supply source through the bubble generation region (or movable member) to the discharge port.
Alternatively, it is expressed as an expression regarding this structural direction.

The "downstream side" of the bubble itself means
It mainly represents the portion on the discharge port side of the bubbles that is said to directly act on the discharge of the droplets. More specifically, with respect to the center of the bubble, the downstream side with respect to the flow direction and the structural direction,
Alternatively, it means bubbles generated in a region on the downstream side of the area center of the heating element.

The term "substantially closed" used in the description of the present invention means that when the bubble grows, the bubble does not slip through a gap (slit) on the downstream side of the movable member before the movable member is displaced. Means a state.

Further, the term "separation wall" as used in the present invention means, in a broad sense, a wall (which may include a movable member) that intervenes so as to separate the bubble generation region and the region directly communicating with the discharge port, In a narrow sense, it means that the flow passage including the bubble generation region is separated from the liquid flow passage that directly communicates with the ejection port to prevent the liquid in each region from being mixed.

[0047]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(Embodiment 1) Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

First, in the present embodiment, for discharging the liquid,
An example in which the ejection force and the ejection efficiency are improved by controlling the propagation direction of the pressure based on the bubbles and the growth direction of the bubbles will be described.

FIG. 1 shows a schematic sectional view of the liquid discharge head of this embodiment cut in the liquid flow path direction, and FIG. 2 shows a partially cutaway perspective view of the liquid discharge head. Further, FIG. 3 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of the liquid ejection head of this embodiment as seen from the ejection port direction.

The liquid discharge head of this embodiment is a heating element 2 (4 in this embodiment) that applies heat energy to the liquid as a discharge energy generating element for discharging the liquid.
The heat generating resistor of 0 μm × 105 μm) is the element substrate 1
The liquid flow path 10 is arranged on the element substrate 1 so as to correspond to the heating element 2. Liquid channel 10 is discharge port 1
8 and also to a common liquid chamber 13 for supplying liquid to a plurality of liquid flow paths 10, and a discharge port 18
The common liquid chamber 1 is provided with an amount of liquid commensurate with the liquid discharged from
Receive from 3.

On the element substrate 1 of the liquid flow path 10, a flexible thin film made of a resin or the like is formed so as to face the above-mentioned heating element 2, and the elastic portions 60 are provided on both sides. And a movable member 31 having a flat upper surface is provided. One end of the movable member 31 and the expandable portion 60 are fixed to a wall (support member) 34 formed by patterning a photosensitive resin or the like on the wall of the liquid flow path 10 or the element substrate 1. As a result, the movable member 31 has one end serving as a fulcrum (fulcrum portion) 33, and the upper surface of the movable member 31 is displaceably held as the expandable part 60 expands and contracts.

The movable member 31 has the aforementioned fulcrum 33 on the upstream side of a large flow from the common liquid chamber 13 through the movable member 31 to the discharge port 18 side by the liquid discharging operation.
A downstream side of the fulcrum 33 is opened, and both side portions of the fulcrum 33 serve as expansion and contraction portions 60, and the tip ends thereof are free ends (free end portions).
32, the heating element 2 is disposed at a position facing the heating element 2 with a distance of about 15 μm from the heating element in a state of covering the heating element 2. A bubble generation region 11 is between the heating element 2 and the movable member 31.

An example of a method for producing a thin film having the stretchable portion 60 will be described with reference to FIG. Here, a case of manufacturing by electroforming will be described. First, as shown in FIG. 4A, a mother die 62 having a convex portion 62a formed in a portion that serves as a stretchable portion is prepared. The height, shape and number of the convex portions 62a are determined so as to obtain a necessary displacement amount depending on the material such as the resin forming the thin film and the thickness. Then, as shown in FIG. 4B, the convex portion 62 a of the mother die 62.
A resin such as polyimide is coated as a thin film material 63 on the surface on which is formed. Then, the thin film material 63 is peeled off from the mother die 62, and as shown in FIG.
A thin film in which 0 is formed is obtained.

The types, shapes and arrangements of the heat generating element 2 and the movable member 31 are not limited to those described above, and may be any shape and arrangement capable of controlling bubble growth and pressure propagation as will be described later. . The liquid flow path 10 described above is
In order to explain the flow of the liquid which will be taken up later, the movable member 31
The first liquid flow passage 14 which is a portion directly communicating with the discharge port 18 and the second liquid flow passage 16 which is a portion having the bubble generation region 11 and the liquid supply passage 12 are formed in two regions. I will explain separately.

The movable member 31 is generated by heating the heating element 2.
Heat acts on the liquid in the bubble generation region 11 between the heating element 2 and the heating element 2 to generate bubbles in the liquid based on the film boiling phenomenon as described in USP 4,723,129. The pressure based on the generation of the bubbles and the bubbles preferentially act on the movable member 31 to cause the expansion / contraction portion 60.
And the movable member 31 is displaced so as to open largely toward the ejection port 18 side around the fulcrum 33 as shown in FIG. 1 (b), (c) or FIG. Depending on the displacement or the displaced state of the movable member 31, the propagation of pressure due to the generation of bubbles and the growth of the bubbles themselves are guided to the ejection port 18 side.

Here, one of the basic ejection principles of the present invention will be described. One of the most important principles of the present invention is
The movable member 31 arranged so as to face the bubble is displaced from the first position in the steady state to the second position, which is the position after displacement, based on the pressure of the bubble or the bubble itself, and the movable member is displaced. 31 is to guide the pressure associated with the generation of bubbles and the bubbles themselves to the downstream side where the discharge ports 18 are arranged.

This principle will be described in more detail by comparing FIG. 5 schematically showing a conventional liquid flow path structure not using the movable member 31 and FIG. 6 of the present invention. In addition, here, the propagation direction of the pressure toward the discharge port is shown as VA, and the propagation direction of the pressure toward the upstream side is shown as VB.

In the conventional head as shown in FIG. 5, there is no structure for restricting the propagation direction of pressure by the bubble 40 generated. Therefore, the pressure propagation direction of the bubble 40 is V1 ~
Like V8, it was perpendicular to the bubble surface and faced various directions. Of these, VA, which has the most effect on liquid discharge
The component having the pressure propagation direction in the direction is the direction component of the pressure propagation of V1 to V4, that is, the portion closer to the discharge port than the position of almost half of the bubble, and directly affects the liquid discharge efficiency, liquid discharge force, discharge speed, etc. It is an important part to contribute. Furthermore, V1 is the discharge direction V
Since it is closest to the direction of A, it works efficiently, and on the contrary, V4 has a relatively small direction component toward VA.

On the other hand, in the case of the present invention shown in FIG. 6, the movable member 31 faces various directions as in the case of FIG. It is guided to the discharge port side) and is converted into the VA pressure propagation direction, whereby the pressure of the bubble 40 directly and efficiently contributes to the discharge. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 3B, since the side of the bubble 40 is covered by the expansion / contraction portion 60, the lateral pressure on the liquid flow path 10 is also movable member 31.
The expansion / contraction part 60 can be directed toward the discharge port 18. The growth direction of the bubble 40 itself is also the pressure propagation direction.
Like V1 to V4, it is guided in the downstream direction and grows more downstream than upstream. In this way, by controlling the growth direction itself of the bubble 40 by the movable member 31 and controlling the pressure propagation direction of the bubble 40, it is possible to achieve a fundamental improvement in discharge efficiency, discharge force, discharge speed, and the like. .

Next, returning to FIG. 1, the ejection operation of the liquid ejection head of this embodiment will be described in detail.

FIG. 1A shows a state before energy such as electric energy is applied to the heat generating element 2.
Is the state before heat is generated. The important thing here is
The movable member 31 is provided at a position facing at least the downstream side portion of the bubble 40 with respect to the bubble 40 generated by the heat generation of the heating element 2. That is, so that the downstream side of the bubble 40 acts on the movable member 31, it is at least downstream from the area center 3 of the heating element (passes through the area center 3 of the heating element and is orthogonal to the length direction of the channel) in the liquid channel structure. The movable member 31 is arranged to a position (downstream from the line).

In FIG. 1B, electric energy or the like is applied to the heating element 2 to heat the heating element 2, and the generated heat heats a part of the liquid filling the bubble generating region 11 to cause film boiling. This is a state in which the accompanying bubbles 40 are generated.

At this time, the movable member 31 is displaced from the first position to the second position by the pressure based on the generation of the bubbles 40 so as to guide the propagation direction of the pressure of the bubbles 40 toward the ejection port. Further, along with this, the expansion / contraction part 60 extends, and the movable member 31 forms a flow path from the upstream side (common liquid chamber 13 side) to the downstream side (discharge port 18 side). What is important here is, as described above, that the free end 32 of the movable member 31 is arranged on the downstream side and the side is covered with the expansion / contraction part 60, so that only the discharge port 18 side is opened, and the fulcrum 33 is set on the upstream side. It is arranged so that at least a part of the movable member 31 faces the downstream portion of the heating element 2, that is, the downstream portion of the bubble 40.

FIG. 1 (c) shows a state in which the bubble 40 has further grown, but the movable member 31 is further displaced according to the pressure accompanying the generation of the bubble 40. The generated bubbles 40 greatly grow from the upstream side to the downstream side, and also greatly grow beyond the first position (the position indicated by the alternate long and short dash line) of the movable member 31.

In the present invention, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the movable member 31 is formed of a thin film having the expansion / contraction portion 60, and the fulcrum 33 side and both sides are the element substrate 1 in three directions.
However, since the movable member 31 is gradually displaced in accordance with the growth of the bubble 40, the pressure propagation direction and the volume of the bubble 40 can be prevented. It is considered that the discharge efficiency is also improved by being able to uniformly control the growth direction of the bubbles 40 to the discharge port 18 while being suppressed in one direction toward the opening side of the movable member 31 in an easy direction. The movable member 31 hardly interferes with this transmission even when the bubble 40 or the foaming pressure is guided toward the discharge port, and the propagation direction of the pressure and the growth direction of the bubble 40 are efficiently determined according to the magnitude of the propagating pressure. Can be controlled. Moreover, the displacement amount of the movable member 31 depends on the expansion / contraction portion 6.
Since the size of the opening at the free end 32 when the movable member 31 is displaced is always constant, the bubbling pressure acting on the first liquid flow path 14 is always constant, and stable discharge is achieved. .

FIG. 1D shows a state in which the bubble 40 contracts and disappears due to the decrease in the bubble internal pressure after the film boiling described above.

The movable member 31 which has been displaced to the second position
Is returned to the initial position (first position) in FIG. 1A by the negative pressure due to the contraction of the bubble 40, the springiness of the movable member 31 itself, and the restoring force of the expansion / contraction part 60. Also, when defoaming,
In order to supplement the contracted volume of the bubble 40 in the bubble generation region 11,
Further, in order to supplement the volume of the discharged liquid, the flows V _D1 , V _D2 from the upstream side (B), that is, the common liquid chamber 13 side.
And the liquid flows in like a flow V _C from the ejection port 18 side.

As described above, the movable member 31 associated with the generation of the bubbles 40
The above operation and the liquid ejection operation have been described. The liquid refilling in the liquid ejection head of the present invention will be described in detail below.

The liquid supply mechanism in the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to FIG.

After FIG. 1 (c), when the bubble 40 enters the defoaming process after reaching the maximum volume state, the volume of the liquid that compensates the defoamed volume is in the bubble generation region 11 and the first liquid flow path 14 is formed. From the discharge port 18 side and the common liquid chamber side 13 of the second liquid flow path 16. In the conventional liquid flow path structure that does not have the movable member 31, the amount of liquid flowing from the discharge port side to the defoaming position and the amount of liquid flowing from the common liquid chamber are the same as those in the portion closer to the discharge port than the bubble generation region. This is due to the magnitude of flow resistance with the portion close to the chamber (based on flow path resistance and liquid inertia).

Therefore, when the flow resistance on the side close to the discharge port is small, a large amount of liquid flows from the discharge port side to the defoaming position and the retreat amount of the meniscus M increases. In particular, as the flow resistance on the side closer to the discharge port is reduced in order to improve the discharge efficiency, the retreat of the meniscus M at the time of defoaming becomes larger, and the refill time becomes longer, so that high-speed printing is performed. It was supposed to interfere.

On the other hand, in this embodiment, since the movable member 31 is provided, when the volume W of the bubble is W1 on the upper side and W2 on the side of the bubble generation region 11 with the first position of the movable member 31 as a boundary,
When the movable member 31 returns to its original position at the time of defoaming, the retreat of the meniscus M stops, and the remaining amount of the liquid of W2 is supplied mainly by the liquid supply from the flow VD2 of the second flow path 16. It As a result, conventionally, the amount corresponding to about half the volume of the bubble W is the receding amount of the meniscus M, but it is possible to suppress the meniscus receding amount to about half that of W1, which is smaller than that. .

Further, the liquid supply for the volume of W2 utilizes the pressure at the time of defoaming, along the surface of the movable member 31 on the heating element 2 side, mainly on the upstream side (VD2) of the second liquid flow path 16. Since it can be done forcibly, a faster refill could be realized.

What is characteristic here is that when refilling using the pressure at the time of defoaming with a conventional head is performed, the vibration of the meniscus becomes large, leading to deterioration of image quality. In the high-speed refill of, the area of the first liquid flow path 14 on the discharge port 18 side by the movable member 31,
It is possible to extremely reduce the vibration of the meniscus M because the flow of the liquid on the ejection port 18 side with the bubble generation region 11 is suppressed.

As described above, the present invention achieves high-speed refill by forcibly refilling the bubble generating region 11 through the liquid supply passage 12 of the second liquid passage 16 and suppressing the meniscus retreat and vibration described above. When used in the fields of stable ejection, high-speed repetitive ejection, and recording, it is possible to improve image quality and realize high-speed recording.

The structure of the present invention further has the following effective functions. That is to suppress propagation of pressure (back wave) to the upstream side due to generation of the bubbles 40. Of the bubbles 40 generated on the heating element 2, most of the pressure by the bubbles 40 on the common liquid chamber 13 side (upstream side) was a force (back wave) for pushing back the liquid toward the upstream side. This back wave causes pressure on the upstream side, the amount of liquid movement thereby, and an inertial force associated with the liquid movement, which lowers the refill of the liquid into the liquid flow path 10 and hinders high-speed driving. It was In the present invention,
First, the movable member 31 suppresses these actions on the upstream side to further improve the refill supply property.

Next, the further characteristic structure and effect of this embodiment will be described below.

The second liquid flow path 16 of the present embodiment has a liquid supply path 12 having an inner wall upstream of the heating element 2 and connected to the heating element 2 substantially flat (the surface of the heating element is not largely depressed).
have. In such a case, the liquid is supplied to the surfaces of the bubble generating region 11 and the heating element 2 along the surface of the movable member 31 on the side close to the bubble generating region 11 as V _D2 . For this reason, it is possible to prevent the liquid from standing on the surface of the heat generating element 2, to easily precipitate the gas dissolved in the liquid and to remove the so-called residual bubbles left without being able to be defoamed. The heat storage will not be too high. Therefore, more stable bubble generation can be repeated at high speed. In the present embodiment, the liquid supply path 12 having a substantially flat inner wall has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and a liquid supply path which is smoothly connected to the surface of the heating element and has a smooth inner wall. A shape that does not cause stagnation of the liquid on the heating element or large turbulence in the supply of the liquid may be used.

As for the positions of the free end 32 and the fulcrum 33 of the movable member 31, the free end 32 is relatively downstream of the fulcrum 33 as shown in FIG. 7, for example. With such a configuration, it is possible to efficiently realize the functions and effects such as guiding the pressure propagation direction and the growth direction of the bubbles 40 to the ejection port 18 side during the above-described bubbling. Further, this positional relationship achieves not only the function and effect for ejection, but also the effect that the flow resistance to the liquid flowing through the liquid flow path 10 can be reduced and the liquid can be refilled at high speed even when the liquid is supplied. As shown in FIG. 7, this is the meniscus M retreated by ejection.
Inside the liquid flow path 10 (including the first liquid flow path 14 and the second liquid flow path 16) when the liquid returns to the discharge port 18 due to the capillary force or when the liquid is supplied for defoaming. Flow S1, S
2, Free end 32 and fulcrum 33 against S3
This is because and are placed.

Supplementally, in FIG. 1 of the present embodiment, as described above, the free end 32 of the movable member 31 divides the heating element 2 into the upstream area and the downstream area by the area center 3 (heating element). The heating element 2 is disposed so as to face a position on the downstream side of a line that passes through the area center (center) of 2 and is orthogonal to the length direction of the liquid flow path 10.
Has been extended against. As a result, the movable member 31 receives the pressure or the bubble 40 that greatly contributes to the discharge of the liquid generated on the downstream side of the position of the area center 3 of the heating element, and the pressure and the bubble 40 can be guided to the discharge port 18 side. It is possible to fundamentally improve the ejection efficiency and the ejection force.

Furthermore, many effects are obtained by utilizing the upstream side of the bubble 40 in addition.

Further, in the structure of the present embodiment, the fact that the free end 32 of the movable member 31 makes a momentary mechanical displacement is considered to effectively contribute to the ejection of the liquid.

(Embodiment 2) FIG. 8 shows a partially cutaway perspective view of a second embodiment of the liquid discharge head of the present invention. Further, FIG. 9 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of the liquid ejection head shown in FIG. 1 viewed from the ejection port side.

In this embodiment, the movable member 31 is the same as in the first embodiment.
Similarly to the above, a thin film having elastic portions 60 on both sides and an opening only on the discharge port 18 side, and the upper surface of this thin film, that is, the elastic portion 60.
The cantilever beam 65 is fixed to the region between and is supported so that the upstream side of the flow is the fulcrum 33 and the downstream side is the free end 32.
Composed of and. The cantilever beam 65 is a plate-shaped member made of an elastic material such as metal. The movable member 31 composed of the thin film and the cantilever beam 65 is arranged so as to cover the heat generating element 2 at a position facing the heat generating element 2 from the heat generating elements 2 to 1.
They are arranged with a distance of about 5 μm.

In such a structure, the free end 32 of the cantilever 65 is gradually displaced in accordance with the growth of the bubble 40, and the elastic portion 60 of the thin film is extended accordingly. At this time, FIG.
As shown in (b), since the lateral side of the cantilever 65 is covered with a thin film having the expansion and contraction portion 60, the pressure propagation direction of the bubble 40 and the direction in which the volume easily moves can be determined by the freedom of the cantilever 65. Edge 32
And, it is suppressed in one direction of the opening direction of the thin film having the stretchable portion 60. Further, by using the cantilever beam 65, it becomes possible to efficiently perform further direction control and shape restoration.

(Embodiment 3) FIG. 10 shows a third embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 10, A indicates a state in which the movable member 31 is displaced (bubbles are not shown), B indicates a state in which the movable member 31 is in the initial position (first position), and in this B state, It is assumed that the bubble generation region 11 is substantially sealed from the discharge port 18. (Here, although not shown, there is a flow path wall between A and B to separate the flow path from the flow path.) The movable member 31 in FIG. A liquid supply path 12 is provided in the. Thereby, the liquid can be supplied along the surface of the movable member 31 on the heating element 2 side and from the liquid supply path 12 having a surface that is substantially flat or gently connected to the surface of the heating element 2. .

Here, at the initial position (first position) of the movable member 31, the movable member 31 is close to or in close contact with the heating element downstream wall 36 disposed on the downstream side of the heating element 2, and the heating element downstream wall. The wall 36 and the expansion / contraction portion 60 of the movable member 31 substantially seal the air bubble generation region 11 on the discharge port 18 side. Therefore, the pressure of the bubbles at the time of foaming, particularly the pressure on the downstream side of the bubbles, can be concentratedly applied to the free end 32 side of the movable member 31 without escaping.

Further, at the time of defoaming, the movable member 31 returns to the first position, and the liquid supply to the heating element 2 at the time of defoaming is substantially closed on the discharge port 18 side of the bubble generation region 11,
It is possible to obtain the various effects described in the previous embodiments, such as suppressing the retreat of the meniscus. Further, also regarding the effect regarding the refill, it is possible to obtain the same function and effect as those of the previous embodiment.

Further, in this embodiment, FIG. 2 and FIG.
As described above, the base 34 for supporting and fixing the movable member 31 is provided upstream from the heat generating body 2 and the base 34 having a width smaller than the liquid flow path 10 is used to supply the liquid to the liquid supply path 12 as described above. Is being supplied. Further, the shape of the base 34 is not limited to this, and may be any shape as long as the refill can be smoothly performed.

In this embodiment, the distance between the movable member 31 and the heating element 2 is set to about 15 μm, but it is sufficient if the pressure due to the generation of bubbles is sufficiently transmitted to the movable member 31.

(Fourth Embodiment) FIG. 11 shows one of the basic concepts of the present invention, which is a fourth embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 11 shows the positional relationship between the bubble generation region in one liquid flow path, the bubbles generated there and the movable member, and makes the liquid discharge method and the refill method by the liquid discharge head of the present invention easier to understand. This is an example.

In most of the above-described embodiments, the pressure of the bubbles generated is concentrated on the free end of the movable member so that the movement of the bubbles is concentrated on the discharge port side at the same time as the abrupt movement of the movable member. Has achieved. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, while giving the degree of freedom of the generated bubble, the downstream side portion of the bubble, which is the discharge port side of the bubble directly acting on the droplet discharge, is restricted by the free end side of the movable member. is there.

To explain the structure, in FIG. 11, as compared with the above-described FIG. 2 (first embodiment), as a barrier located at the downstream end of the bubble generation region provided on the element substrate 1 of FIG. The convex portion (hatched portion in FIG. 1) is not provided in this embodiment. That is, the free end region of the movable member 31 is open to the discharge port region without substantially sealing the bubble generation region, and this configuration is the present embodiment.

In the present embodiment, it directly affects the discharge of bubbles of bubbles.
Allows bubble growth at the downstream tip of the downstream portion
Therefore, the pressure component is effectively used for discharge.
There is. In addition, at least above this downstream side
Pressure (V in Figure 3₂, V₃, V _FourMovable component 31)
The portion of the free end 32 side of the
The discharge efficiency is the same as that described above.
It is improved as in the example. This embodiment compared to the previous embodiment
Has excellent responsiveness to driving of the heating element.

In addition, this embodiment has a manufacturing advantage because it is structurally simple.

The fulcrum portion 33 of the movable member 31 of this embodiment
Is fixed to one base 34 having a small width with respect to the surface of the movable member 31. Therefore, the liquid is supplied to the bubble generation region 11 at the time of defoaming through both sides of the base 34 (see the arrow in the figure). The base 34 may have any structure as long as it ensures supply.

In the case of the present embodiment, the refilling at the time of supplying the liquid is controlled by the presence of the movable member 31 because the flow flowing from the upper side to the bubble generating region 11 is controlled due to the defoaming of the bubbles. It is excellent for the bubble generation structure of the body only. Of course, this can also reduce the amount of meniscus receding. Further, the amount side end of the movable member 31 with respect to the free end 32 is substantially sealed by the expansion and contraction portion 60 with respect to the bubble generation region 11, so the pressure toward the side of the movable member 31 will also be described first. The bubbles can be used by changing to the growth of the end portion on the discharge port side, and the discharge efficiency is further improved.

(Embodiment 5) An example in which the liquid discharge force by the mechanical displacement described above is further improved will be described in this embodiment. FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of such a head structure.
In FIG. 12, the movable member 3 is arranged so that the position of the free end 32 of the movable member 31 is located further downstream of the heating element 2.
1 shows an example in which 1 is extended. Thereby, the displacement speed of the movable member 31 at the free end 32 can be increased, and the generation of the ejection force due to the displacement of the movable member 31 can be further improved.

Further, since the free end 32 comes closer to the discharge port 18 side as compared with the previous embodiment, the growth of the bubble 40 can be concentrated on a more stable directional component, so that more excellent discharge can be performed. it can.

The movable member 31 is displaced at a displacement rate R1 according to the bubble growth rate at the center of pressure of the bubble 40, but the free end 32 at a position farther from the fulcrum 33 than this position is even faster. It is displaced at R2. As a result, the free end 32 is mechanically acted on the liquid at a high speed to cause liquid movement, thereby improving the ejection efficiency.

The free end 32 has a shape perpendicular to the liquid flow as in FIG. 11, so that the pressure of the bubble 40 and the mechanical action of the movable member 31 can be discharged more efficiently. Can be contributed to.

(Embodiment 6) FIGS. 13 (a), 13 (b),
(C) shows a sixth embodiment of the present invention.

Unlike the previous embodiment, the structure of this embodiment does not have a flow passage shape which communicates with the common liquid chamber side 13 in the region which directly communicates with the discharge port 18, so that the structure can be simplified. is there.

All the liquid is supplied only from the liquid supply path 12 along the surface of the movable member 31 on the side of the bubble generating area 11, and the positional relationship between the free end 32 and the fulcrum 33 of the movable member 31 with respect to the discharge port 18. The structure facing the heating element 2 is the same as that of the above-described embodiment.

This embodiment realizes the above-mentioned effects such as discharge efficiency and liquid supply property, but in particular, almost all liquid is supplied by suppressing the receding of the meniscus and utilizing the pressure at the time of defoaming. Forced refill is performed using the pressure at the time of defoaming.

FIG. 13A shows a state in which the liquid is foamed by the heating element 2, and FIG. 13B shows a state in which the foam is contracting, and at this time, the movable member 31 is moved to the initial position. And the liquid supply by S3 is performed.

In FIG. 13 (c), the slight meniscus retreat when the movable member 31 returns to the initial position is refilled by the capillary force in the vicinity of the discharge port 18 after defoaming.

(Embodiment 7) In this embodiment, a liquid flow path is constituted by a multi-flow path, and a liquid (foaming liquid) to be foamed by further applying heat and a liquid to be mainly discharged (discharge liquid). Can be divided.

FIG. 14 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the liquid discharge head of this embodiment in the liquid flow path direction.

In the liquid discharge head of this embodiment, the second liquid flow path 16 for foaming is provided on the element substrate 1 provided with the heating element 2 for giving the heat energy for generating bubbles in the liquid. First for discharge liquid directly communicating with the discharge port 18 above
A liquid flow path 14 is arranged.

The upstream side of the first liquid flow passage 14 communicates with the first common liquid chamber 15 for supplying the discharge liquid to the plurality of first liquid flow passages 14, and the upstream side of the second liquid flow passage 16. Side is a plurality of second
Second common liquid chamber 17 for supplying the foaming liquid to the liquid flow path 16
Is in communication with. However, when the bubbling liquid and the discharge liquid are the same liquid, the common liquid chamber may be unified and shared.

A separation wall 30 is arranged between the first liquid flow path 14 and the second liquid flow path 16, and the first liquid flow path 14 and the second liquid flow path 14 are separated from each other.
It is separated from the liquid flow path 16. In the case of a liquid in which it is better that the foaming liquid and the discharge liquid are not mixed as much as possible,
The separation wall 30 allows the first liquid flow path 1 to be completely formed.
4 and the liquid flow in the second liquid flow path 16 should be separated, but if there is no problem even if the foaming liquid and the discharge liquid are mixed to some extent, the separation wall 30 should have a function of complete separation. You don't have to.

The slit 35 is formed in the partition wall 30 of the portion located in the projection space of the heating element 2 upward in the plane direction (hereinafter referred to as the discharge pressure generation region; the region A in FIG. 14 and the bubble generation region 11 in B). Discharge port 18 side (downstream of liquid flow)
It is a movable member 31 having a free end 32 that is open only on both sides, and has expandable portions 60 on both sides, and a fulcrum 33 is located on the common liquid chamber (15, 17) side. Since the movable member 31 is arranged so as to face the bubble generation region 11 (B), the movable member 31 operates so as to open toward the discharge port 18 side of the first liquid flow path 14 side due to foaming of the foaming liquid ( (The direction of the arrow in the figure).

The relationship between the arrangement of the fulcrum 33 and the free end 32 of the movable member 31 and the arrangement of the heating element 2 is the same as in the previous embodiment.

Although the structural relationship between the liquid supply passage 12 and the heating element 2 has been described in the previous embodiment, the structural relationship between the second liquid flow path 16 and the heating element 2 is the same in this embodiment as well. is doing.

Next, the operation of the liquid ejection head of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

In driving the head, the same aqueous ink was used as the ejection liquid supplied to the first liquid flow path 14 and the bubbling liquid supplied to the second liquid flow path 16.

The heat generated by the heating element 2 is applied to the second liquid flow path 16
By acting on the foaming liquid in the bubble generating region 11, the bubbles 40 based on the film boiling phenomenon as described in USP 4,723,129 are generated in the foaming liquid as described in the previous embodiment.

In the present embodiment, since there is no escape of the foaming pressure from the three sides except the upstream side of the bubble generating region 11, the pressure due to the bubble generation is applied to the movable member 31 side arranged in the discharge pressure generating portion. When the movable member 31 propagates in a concentrated manner and the bubble 40 grows, the movable member 31 changes from the state of FIG.
It is displaced toward the first liquid flow path 14 as shown in (b). By the operation of the movable member 31, the first liquid flow path 14 and the second liquid flow path 1
6 is largely communicated with each other, and the pressure based on the generation of the bubbles 40 is mainly transmitted in the direction of the first liquid flow path 14 toward the discharge port 18 (direction A). The liquid is ejected from the ejection port 18 by the propagation of the pressure and the mechanical displacement of the movable member 31 as described above.

Next, as the bubble 40 contracts, the movable member 31 returns to the position shown in FIG. 12A, and in the first liquid flow path 14, the amount of ejected liquid commensurate with the amount of ejected liquid is discharged. Supplied from the upstream side. Also in the present embodiment, since the supply of the discharge liquid is in the direction in which the movable member 31 is closed as in the above-described embodiments, the refilling of the discharge liquid is not hindered by the movable member 31.

The present embodiment is the same as the first embodiment and the like with respect to the operation and effect of the main part regarding the propagation of the foaming pressure due to the displacement of the movable member 31, the growth direction of the bubbles 40, the prevention of the back wave, and the like. However, by adopting the two-passage structure as in the present embodiment, there are further advantages as follows.

That is, according to the configuration of the above embodiment,
The discharge liquid and the foaming liquid can be different liquids, and the discharge liquid can be discharged by the pressure generated by the foaming of the foaming liquid. Therefore, even in the case of a high-viscosity liquid that was difficult to foam sufficiently even when heat was applied and the ejection force was insufficient in the past, this liquid was supplied to the first liquid flow path 14 to foam into a foam liquid. By supplying the liquid that is satisfactorily performed to the second liquid flow path 16, it is possible to satisfactorily discharge the liquid.

Further, by selecting, as the foaming liquid, a liquid which does not cause deposits such as kogation on the surface of the heat generating element 2 when it receives heat, it is possible to stabilize the foaming and perform good ejection.

Further, in the structure of the head of the present invention, since the effects as described in the above embodiments are also produced, it is possible to eject a liquid such as a highly viscous liquid with higher ejection efficiency and ejection force.

Further, even in the case of a liquid which is weak to heating, this liquid is supplied to the first liquid flow path 14 as a discharge liquid, and a liquid which is hard to be thermally deteriorated in the second liquid flow path 16 and causes good bubbling is supplied. By doing so, it is possible to perform ejection with high ejection efficiency and high ejection force, as described above, without thermally damaging the liquid that is vulnerable to heating.

(Embodiment 8) In each of the above-described embodiments, an example in which the side member of the movable member is constituted by the expansion / contraction portion made of a flexible thin film has been shown, but the side member is a thin film that expands and contracts in a bellows shape. However, the wall is not limited to the above, and may be a plate-shaped wall. An example using a movable member having a plate-shaped side member will be described below with reference to FIGS. 16 to 18.

FIG. 16 is a partially cutaway perspective view of the liquid ejection head in the eighth embodiment of the present invention. In addition, FIG.
16 shows a schematic cross-sectional view taken along the liquid flow path of the liquid discharge head shown in FIG. 16, and FIG. 18 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of the liquid discharge head shown in FIG. 16 as seen from the discharge port direction.

On the element substrate 1 of the liquid flow path 10, the heating element 2 is provided.
A movable member 31 made of a material having elasticity such as metal is provided in a cantilever shape so as to face the above.
The movable member 31 has a flat plate-shaped upper surface, and plate-shaped lateral walls 66 project toward the element substrate 1 from both sides thereof. One end of the movable member 31 is fixed to a wall of the liquid flow path or a base 34 formed by patterning a photosensitive resin or the like on the element substrate 1. Thereby, the movable member 31 is held and constitutes a fulcrum 33. Movable member 31
Has a fulcrum 33 located upstream of a large flow flowing from the common liquid chamber 13 to the ejection port 18 side through the movable member 31 by the liquid ejection operation, and the free end 3 is located downstream of the fulcrum 33.
So that 2 is located. The heating element 2 is arranged at a position facing the heating element 2 at a predetermined distance from the heating element 2 so as to cover the heating element 2. The height of the lateral wall 66 is equal to the height of the second liquid flow path 16
Is lower than the height of the movable member 31 and the movable member 31 is not displaced, the bottom wall of the first liquid flow path 14 including the upper surface of the movable member 31 is gentle.

Here, an example of a method of manufacturing the movable member 31 having the lateral wall 66 will be described with reference to FIG. Here, a case of manufacturing by electroforming will be described. First, as shown in FIG. 19A, a matrix 67 is prepared in which a convex portion 67a having a height equal to the thickness of the movable member 31 is formed in a portion between the upper surfaces of the movable member 31. Next, as shown in FIG. 19B, electroplating is performed on the master mold 62 to grow a nickel layer 68 on the master mold 67. The thickness of the nickel layer 68 to be grown is the same as that of the convex portion 67 of the matrix 67.
It is equal to the height of a. Then, as shown in FIG. 19C, the lateral wall 66 is formed on the mother die 67 on which the nickel layer 68 is formed.
The resist 69 is patterned except for the portions to be.
The thickness of the resist 69 is equal to the height of the lateral wall 66 of the movable member 31. Then, electroplating is performed again, and FIG.
A nickel layer 68 is grown as shown in FIG. Then, the resist 69 is removed and the nickel layer 68 is peeled off from the matrix 67, whereby the movable member 31 having the lateral wall 66 is obtained.

In the structure of this embodiment, the free end 32 of the movable member 31 is gradually displaced as the bubble 40 grows. At this time, as shown in FIGS. 17 (b) and 18 (b), since the lateral side of the bubble 40 is covered with the lateral wall 66, the pressure propagation direction of the bubble 40 and the direction in which the volume easily moves are set freely. It is suppressed in the direction of the end 32, that is, in the direction of the discharge port 18. In particular, by forming the lateral wall 66 with a structure having rigidity against the pressure of the bubbles 40, it is possible to suppress the release of pressure in directions other than the direction of the discharge port due to the displacement of the movable member 31, and to more effectively discharge the foaming pressure. Bubbles 4 can be directed to the exit direction
A pressure of 0 can be more efficiently contributed to ejection. Further, since the lateral pressure propagation is suppressed by the lateral wall 66, the lateral wall 66 also serves as a channel wall for separating the adjacent first liquid channels 14, and the separation wall may be unnecessary. it can. Thereby, the structure and manufacturing of the liquid ejection head can be simplified.

(Embodiment 9) FIG. 20 is a partially cutaway perspective view of a liquid ejection head according to a ninth embodiment of the present invention. Further, FIG. 21 shows a schematic cross-sectional view taken along the liquid flow path of the liquid ejection head shown in FIG.

This embodiment is also an example in which the side member is constituted by the plate-shaped lateral wall 66 as in the case of the eighth embodiment, but in this embodiment,
The lateral walls 66 are provided on both sides of the movable member 31 in the vicinity of the fulcrum 33 side region excluding the free end 32 side region. Since the other points are the same as those in the eighth embodiment, the description thereof will be omitted. According to such a configuration, the position of the center of gravity of the movable member 31 becomes closer to the fulcrum 33 side, so that the movable member 31 is easily displaced. Further, it is possible to suppress the loss of foaming pressure on the downstream side of the heating element 2.

(Embodiment 10) FIG. 22 shows the tenth embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a partially cutaway perspective view of the liquid ejection head in the example. 23 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along the liquid flow path of the liquid ejection head shown in FIG.

This embodiment is also an example in which the side member is constituted by the plate-shaped lateral wall 66 as in the case of the eighth embodiment, but in this embodiment,
The lateral walls 66 are provided on both sides of the movable member 31 in the vicinity of the free end 32 side region excluding the fulcrum 33 side region. Since the other points are the same as those in the eighth embodiment, the description thereof will be omitted. With such a configuration, the refill performance of the liquid from the side of the movable member 31 can be improved while controlling the propagating direction of the foaming pressure and the growing direction of the bubbles to the ejection port 18 side.

<Other Embodiments> The embodiments of the essential parts of the liquid ejection head and the liquid ejection method of the present invention have been described above. The drawings of the embodiments which can be preferably applied to these embodiments will be described below. It demonstrates using. However, in the following description, there may be a case where one of the examples of the one-flow channel type and the example of the two-channel type described above is taken up and explained, but it is applicable to both examples unless otherwise stated. is there.

<Ceiling Shape of Liquid Flow Path> FIG. 24 is a cross-sectional view of the liquid discharge head of the present invention in the flow path direction.
A grooved member 50 provided with a groove for forming 4 (or the liquid flow path 10 in FIG. 1) is provided on the separation wall 30. In the present embodiment, the height of the flow path ceiling near the position of the free end 32 of the movable member 31 is high, so that the operating angle θ of the movable member 31 can be made larger. The operating range of the movable member 31 may be determined in consideration of the structure of the liquid flow path, the durability of the movable member 31, the foaming force, etc., but the movable member 31 must operate up to an angle including the axial angle of the ejection port 18. Is considered desirable.

As shown in this figure, the discharge port 18
By making the displacement height of the free end 32 of the movable member 31 higher than the diameter of, the more sufficient ejection force is transmitted. Further, as shown in this figure, the free end 3 of the movable member 31 is
The fulcrum 33 of the movable member 31 from the height of the liquid flow path ceiling at two positions
Since the height of the liquid channel ceiling at the position is lower, the escape of the pressure wave toward the upstream side due to the displacement of the movable member 31 can be more effectively prevented.

As the structure of the movable member 31, both the one including a thin film having a stretchable portion and the one having a lateral wall can be applied, but as described above, the operating angle θ of the movable member 31 can be made larger. Accordingly, in the case of the structure having the lateral wall, it is necessary to increase the height of the lateral wall in accordance with the operation angle θ of the movable member 31 in order to more surely cover the lateral side of the grown bubble 40. Therefore, the height of the second liquid flow path 16 also increases according to the height of the lateral wall, and the thickness of the entire liquid ejection head also increases accordingly.
In order to reduce the size of the liquid ejection head, it is preferable that the movable member 31 includes a thin film having a stretchable portion.

<Arrangement Relationship between Second Liquid Flow Path and Movable Member> FIG. 25 is a view for explaining the arrangement relationship between the movable member 31 and the second liquid flow path 16, in which the movable member 31 expands and contracts. Part 60
Is shown as including a thin film having The same figure (a)
3B is a view of the vicinity of the separation wall 30 and the movable member 31 as seen from above, and FIG. 6B shows the second liquid flow path 16 with the separation wall 30 removed.
It is the figure which looked at from above. Then, FIG. 7C is a diagram schematically showing the positional relationship between the movable member 31 and the second liquid flow path 16 by stacking these respective elements. In each of the drawings, the lower side of the drawing is the front surface side where the discharge ports are arranged.

The second liquid flow path 16 of this embodiment is discharged from the upstream side of the heating element 2 (the upstream side here is from the second common liquid chamber side through the heating element position, the movable member and the first liquid flow path). The upstream side of the large flow toward the outlet) has a narrowed portion 19 so that the pressure during bubbling is prevented from easily escaping to the upstream side of the second liquid flow path 16. It has a (foaming chamber) structure.

Like the conventional head, the flow path for foaming and the flow path for discharging the liquid are the same, and the constricted portion is formed so that the pressure generated on the liquid chamber side of the heating element does not escape to the common liquid chamber side. In the case of the head provided with, it is necessary to take into consideration the refilling of the liquid, and to adopt a configuration in which the flow passage cross-sectional area in the narrowed portion is not so small.

However, in the case of the present embodiment, most of the discharged liquid can be used as the discharge liquid in the first liquid flow path, and the bubbling liquid in the second liquid flow path 16 in which the heating element 2 is provided. The amount of foaming liquid to be filled in the bubble generation region of the second liquid flow path 16 may be small because it can be consumed less. Therefore, the interval in the narrowed portion 19 described above can be made extremely narrow to several μm to several tens of μm, so that the pressure generated during foaming in the second liquid flow path 16 can be further suppressed from escaping to the surroundings and concentrated. It can be directed to the movable member 31 side. Since this pressure can be used as the ejection force via the movable member 31, higher ejection efficiency and ejection force can be achieved. However, the shape of the second liquid flow path 16 is not limited to the above-described structure, and may be any shape as long as the pressure associated with bubble generation is effectively transmitted to the movable member side 31.

Note that, as shown in FIG. 25C, the side of the movable member 31 covers a part of the wall forming the second liquid flow path 16, whereby the first side of the movable member 31 is covered. It is possible to prevent the liquid from flowing into the two-liquid channel 16.

Incidentally, in FIG. 15B and FIG. 24,
The second member is moved along with the displacement of the movable member 31 toward the first liquid flow path 14 side.
A part of the bubbles 40 generated in the bubble generation region 11 of the liquid flow channel 16 extends to the first liquid flow channel 14 side. By making the height higher, the ejection force can be further improved as compared with the case where the bubbles 40 do not extend. In this way, the bubbles 40 form the first liquid flow path 1
4, the height of the second liquid flow path 16 is preferably lower than the height of the largest bubble, and this height is preferably several μm to 30 μm. In addition,
In this embodiment, this height is set to 15 μm.

In the present embodiment, the movable member 31 having the structure having the expansion / contraction portion 60 has been described, but the movable member 31 having the lateral wall 66 as shown in FIGS. 16 to 18 may be used. In this case, the portion indicated by reference numeral 60 in FIG. 25 also becomes the slit 35, and the slit 35 forms the movable member 31. Further, the lateral wall 66 of the movable member 31 is located inside the second liquid flow path 16.

Any material may be used for the movable member 31 and the separating wall 30 as long as it has solvent resistance to the bubbling liquid and the discharge liquid and has elasticity so that the movable member 31 can operate properly.

As the material of the movable member 31, silver, nickel, gold, iron, titanium, aluminum, which has high durability,
Metals such as platinum, tantalum, stainless steel, phosphor bronze, and their alloys, or acrylonitrile, butadiene,
Resins having nitrile groups such as styrene, resins having amide groups such as polyamide, resins having carboxyl groups such as polycarbonate, resins having aldehyde groups such as polyacetal, resins having sulfone groups such as polysulfone, and other liquid crystal polymers, etc. Resin and its compounds,
Metals with high ink resistance such as gold, tungsten, tantalum, nickel, stainless steel, and titanium, alloys of these, and those having ink resistance coated on the surface, resins having amide groups such as polyamide, polyacetal, etc. Resin having aldehyde group, resin having ketone group such as polyetheretherketone, resin having imide group such as polyimide, resin having hydroxyl group such as phenol resin, resin having ethyl group such as polyethylene, alkyl such as polypropylene Resin with a base,
A resin having an epoxy group such as an epoxy resin, a resin having an amino group such as a melamine resin, a resin having a methylol group such as a xylene resin and a compound thereof, and a ceramic such as silicon dioxide and a compound thereof are preferable.

As the material of the separating wall 30, polyethylene, polypropylene, polyamide, polyethylene terephthalate, melamine resin, phenol resin, epoxy resin, polybutadiene, polyurethane, polyether ether ketone, polyether sulfone, polyarylate, polyimide, polysulfone, Liquid crystal polymer (LC
P) and other resins having good heat resistance, solvent resistance, and moldability represented by recent engineering plastics, and compounds thereof, or metals, alloys such as silicon dioxide, silicon nitride, nickel, gold, and stainless steel, and The compound,
Alternatively, it is desirable that the surface is coated with titanium or gold.

The width of the slit 35 is 2 in this embodiment.
μm, but the bubbling liquid and the discharge liquid are different,
When it is desired to prevent the mixture of both liquids, the slit width may be set to an interval such that a meniscus is formed between the two liquids and the flow of the respective liquids may be suppressed. For example, when a liquid of about 2 cP (centipoise) is used as the foaming liquid and a liquid of 100 cP or more is used as the discharge liquid, the mixed liquid can be prevented even by the slit 35 of about 5 μm.
It is desirable that the thickness be 3 μm or less.

The thickness of the separation wall 30 may be determined in consideration of its material, shape, etc. from the viewpoint that the strength as the separation wall 30 can be achieved and the movable member 31 can operate favorably. It is preferably about 0.5 μm to 10 μm.

The thickness of the μm order (t μm) is targeted as the movable member in the present invention, and the movable member having the thickness of the cm order is not intended. For a movable member with a thickness on the order of μm, the slit width (W
μm), it is desirable to consider the manufacturing variations to some extent.

When the thickness of the member facing the free end and / or the side end of the movable member forming the slit is equal to the thickness of the movable member (FIGS. 15 and 24, etc.), the relationship between the slit width and the thickness can be calculated. By considering the variation and setting it in the following range, it is possible to stably suppress the mixture of the foaming liquid and the discharge liquid. This is a limited condition, but from a design point of view, when using a high viscosity ink (5 cp, 10 cp, etc.) for a foaming liquid having a viscosity of 3 cp or less, W / t
By satisfying ≦ 1, it became possible to suppress the mixing of the two liquids for a long period of time.

The slit providing the "substantially closed state" of the present invention is more reliable if it is on the order of several μm.

As described above, when the foaming liquid and the discharge liquid are functionally separated, the movable member serves as a substantial partitioning member for these. It can be seen that when the movable member moves along with the generation of bubbles, the foaming liquid slightly mixes with the discharge liquid. Considering that the ejection liquid for forming an image generally has a coloring material concentration of about 3% to 5% in the case of inkjet recording, this foaming liquid is in a range of 20% or less with respect to the ejection droplets. Even if it is contained in, it does not cause a large concentration change. Therefore, as such a mixed liquid, the present invention includes a mixture of the bubbling liquid and the discharge liquid which is 20% or less with respect to the discharged liquid droplets.

In the implementation of the above configuration example, the foaming liquid is mixed at an upper limit of 15% even if the viscosity is changed. For a foaming liquid of 5 cps or less, the mixing ratio depends on the driving frequency, but is 10%. The upper limit was about%.

In particular, as the viscosity of the discharge liquid is set to 20 cps or less, this mixed liquid can be reduced (for example, 5% or less).

<Movable Member and Separation Wall> FIG. 26 shows another shape of the movable member 31. The figure (a) is a rectangular shape, the figure (b) is a shape in which the fulcrum side is thin and the shape of the movable member 31 is easy to operate, and the figure (c) is wide in the fulcrum side and is movable. The shape is such that the durability of the member 31 is improved. As a shape having good operability and durability, it is desirable that the width on the fulcrum side is narrowed in an arc shape as shown in FIG. 25 (a). However, the shape of the movable member 31 is the second liquid. The shape may be such that it does not enter the flow path 16 side and can be easily operated, and has excellent durability.

Next, the positional relationship between the heating element and the movable member in this head will be described with reference to the drawings. However,
The shapes, dimensions, and numbers of the movable member and the heating element are not limited to the following. By optimally arranging the heating element and the movable member, it is possible to effectively use the pressure at the time of foaming by the heating element as the discharge pressure.

By applying energy such as heat to the ink, a state change accompanied by a sharp volume change (generation of bubbles) is caused in the ink, and the action force based on this state change ejects the ink from the ejection port. In a conventional technique of an ink jet recording method in which an image is formed by adhering a recording medium onto a recording medium, that is, a so-called bubble jet recording method, as shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 7, it can be seen that there is a non-foaming effective area S that does not contribute to ink ejection, although the heating element area and the ink ejection amount are in a proportional relationship. Further, from the state of kogation on the heating element, it can be seen that the non-foaming effective area S exists around the heating element. From these results, it is considered that the width of about 4 μm around the heating element is not involved in foaming.

Therefore, in order to effectively use the foaming pressure, it is effective to dispose the movable member such that the area directly above the foaming effective area of about 4 μm or more from the periphery of the heating element is covered with the movable area of the movable member. Can be said to be target. In the present embodiment, the effective foaming area is set to be approximately 4 μm or more inside from the periphery of the heating element, but it is not limited to this depending on the kind of the heating element and the forming method.

In FIG. 28, a movable member 31a ((a) having a total area of movable regions different from that of the heating element 2 of 58 × 150 μm is shown.
FIG. 2) shows a schematic view seen from above when the movable member 31b (FIG. (B)) is arranged.

The size of the movable member 31a is 53 × 145 μ.
m, which is smaller than the area of the heat generating element 2 but has the same size as the effective foaming area of the heat generating element 2 and is arranged so as to cover the effective foaming area. On the other hand, the size of the movable member 31b is 53 × 220 μm, which is larger than the area of the heating element 2 (when the width dimension is the same, the dimension between the fulcrum 33 and the movable tip is longer than the length of the heating element 2) and the movable member 31b is movable. Like the member 31a, it is arranged so as to cover the effective foaming region. The durability and discharge efficiency of the two types of movable members 31a and 31b were measured. The measurement conditions are as follows.

Foaming liquid: Ink for 40% aqueous solution of ethanol: Dye ink voltage: 20.2 V Frequency: 3 kHz As a result of an experiment under these measurement conditions, the durability of the movable member is (a) the movable member 31a. When 1 × 10 ⁷ pulses were applied, damage was found in the fulcrum 33 portion of the movable member 31a. (B) The movable member 31b is 3 × 1
Even if 0 ⁸ pulse is applied, damage was observed. Also,
It was confirmed that the kinetic energy obtained from the discharge amount and the discharge speed with respect to the input energy was improved by about 1.5 to 2.5 times.

From the above results, in terms of both durability and ejection efficiency, when the movable member is provided so as to cover directly above the effective foaming area, and the area of the movable member is larger than the area of the heating element, It turns out to be excellent.

FIG. 29 shows the relationship between the distance from the edge of the heating element to the fulcrum of the movable member and the amount of displacement of the movable member. Further, FIG. 30 shows a sectional configuration view of the positional relationship between the heating element 2 and the movable member 31 as seen from the side surface direction. 40 x heating element 2
The one having a thickness of 105 μm was used. It can be seen that the displacement amount increases as the distance l from the edge of the heating element 2 to the fulcrum 33 of the movable member 31 increases. Therefore, it is desirable to determine the optimum displacement amount and determine the position of the fulcrum 33 of the movable member 31 in accordance with the required ink discharge amount, the discharge liquid flow path structure, the shape of the heating element, and the like.

Further, when the fulcrum of the movable member is located directly above the effective foaming area of the heating element, the foaming pressure is directly applied to the fulcrum in addition to the stress due to the displacement of the movable member, and the durability of the movable member is reduced. . According to an experiment conducted by the present inventor, it was found that in the case where the fulcrum is provided right above the effective foaming area, the movable wall is damaged in about 1 × 10 ⁶ pulses and the durability is deteriorated. There is. Therefore, by disposing the fulcrum of the movable member immediately above the foaming effective area of the heat generating element, the practicality of the movable member becomes high even if the movable member is of a shape or material whose durability is not so high. However, even if there is a fulcrum directly above the effective foaming area, it can be favorably used by selecting the shape and material. With this configuration, a liquid ejection head having high ejection efficiency and excellent durability can be obtained.

<Element Substrate> The structure of the element substrate provided with a heating element for applying heat to the liquid will be described below.

FIG. 31 is a vertical sectional view of a liquid discharge head of the present invention. FIG. 31 (a) shows a head having a protective film (anti-cavitation layer) described later, and FIG. 31 (b) shows a protective film. There is no such thing.

The second liquid flow path 16 and the separation wall 3 are formed on the element substrate 1.
0, the first liquid flow path 14, and the grooved member 50 provided with the groove forming the first liquid flow path 14 are arranged.

The element substrate 1 is provided with a base 107 such as silicon.
A silicon oxide film or a silicon nitride film 106 for the purpose of insulation and heat storage is formed on, and hafnium boride (HfB ₂ ), tantalum nitride (TaN), tantalum aluminum (TaN) forming the heating element 2 are formed thereon. An electric resistance layer 105 (0.01 to 0.2 μm thick) such as TaAl) and a wiring electrode 104 (0.2 to 1.0 μm thick) such as aluminum are patterned. A voltage is applied from the two wiring electrodes 104 to the electric resistance layer 105, and a current is passed through the electric resistance layer 105 to generate heat. On the electric resistance layer 105 between the wiring electrodes 104, a protective layer 103 of silicon oxide, silicon nitride, or the like is formed to a thickness of 0.1 to 2.0 μm, and further, a cavitation resistant layer 102 (0.
A film having a thickness of 1 to 0.6 μm) is formed to protect the electric resistance layer 105 from various liquids such as ink.

In particular, the pressure and shock waves generated during bubble generation and defoaming are extremely strong, and the durability of a hard and brittle oxide film is significantly reduced. Therefore, tantalum (Ta), which is a metal material, is used.
Etc. are used as the anti-cavitation layer 102.

A configuration in which the above-mentioned cavitation-resistant layer 102 is not necessary depending on the combination of liquid, liquid flow path configuration, and resistance material may be used, and an example thereof is shown in FIG. 31 (b). Examples of the material of the electric resistance layer 105 that does not require such an anti-cavitation layer include iridium-tantalum-aluminum alloy.

As described above, as the constitution of the heating element 2 in each of the above-described embodiments, only the electric resistance layer (heat generating portion) 105 between the wiring electrodes 104 described above may be used, and the protection for protecting the electric resistance layer 105 is sufficient. It may include the layer 103.

In the present embodiment, the heating element 2 having the heating portion formed of the electric resistance layer 105 that generates heat in response to an electric signal is used, but the discharging liquid is not limited to this. Any bubbles can be used as long as they generate sufficient bubbles in the foaming liquid. For example, the heat generating portion may be a photothermal converter that generates heat when receiving light from a laser or the like, or a heat generating body that has a heat generating portion that generates heat when receiving high frequency.

On the element substrate 1 described above, the electric resistance layer 105 forming the above-mentioned heat generating portion and the electric resistance layer 105 are formed.
In addition to the electrothermal converter constituted by the wiring electrode 104 for supplying an electric signal to the circuit, functional elements such as a transistor, a diode, a latch, and a shift register for selectively driving the electrothermal converter are integrated. It may be built by a semiconductor manufacturing process.

Further, in order to drive the heat generating portion of the electrothermal converter provided on the element substrate 1 as described above and eject the liquid, the above-mentioned electric resistance layer 105 is formed through the wiring electrode 104. A rectangular pulse as indicated by 32 is applied to cause the electric resistance layer 105 between the wiring electrodes 104 to rapidly generate heat. In the head of each of the above-described embodiments, the heating element 2 is driven by applying a voltage of 24 V, a pulse width of 7 μsec, a current of 150 mA, and an electric signal at 6 kHz, and the liquid is discharged from the ejection port 18 by the above-described operation. The ink was ejected. However, the condition of the drive signal is not limited to this, and any drive signal capable of appropriately foaming the foaming liquid may be used.

<Head Structure with Two-Channel Structure> In the following, different liquids can be satisfactorily separated and introduced into the first and second common liquid chambers, the number of parts can be reduced, and the liquid discharge which enables cost reduction. A structural example of the head will be described.

FIG. 33 is a schematic diagram showing the structure of such a liquid discharge head. The same reference numerals are used for the same components as in the previous embodiment, and detailed description thereof will be omitted here.

In this embodiment, the grooved member 50 is
The orifice plate 51 having the discharge port 18, the plurality of grooves forming the plurality of first liquid flow passages 14, and the plurality of first liquid flow passages 14 are commonly communicated with each other, and liquid is supplied to each first liquid flow passage 14. The first common liquid chamber 15 for supplying the (discharge liquid) and the recessed portion are generally configured.

The separation wall 3 is provided on the lower portion of the grooved member 50.
By joining 0, a plurality of first liquid flow paths 14 can be formed. Such a grooved member 50 has the first liquid supply passage 2 that reaches the inside of the first common liquid chamber 15 from the upper part thereof.
Has 0. Further, the grooved member 50 has the second liquid supply passage 21 that penetrates the separation wall 30 from the upper portion thereof and reaches the inside of the second common liquid chamber 17.

The first liquid (discharge liquid) is the arrow C in FIG.
33, the first liquid is supplied to the first common liquid chamber 15 and then to the first liquid flow path 14 via the first liquid supply passage 20, and the second liquid (foaming liquid) is indicated by an arrow D in FIG. As described above, the liquid is supplied to the second common liquid chamber 17 and then to the second liquid flow path 16 via the second liquid supply passage 21.

In the present embodiment example, the second liquid supply passage 21
Are arranged in parallel with the first liquid supply passage 20, but not limited to this, penetrating the separation wall 30 arranged outside the first common liquid chamber 15 to form the second common liquid chamber. It may be arranged in any manner as long as it is formed so as to communicate with 17.

The thickness (diameter) of the second liquid supply passage 21
Is determined in consideration of the supply amount of the second liquid.
The shape of the second liquid supply passage 21 does not need to be round,
It may be rectangular or the like.

The second common liquid chamber 17 has the grooved member 5
It can be formed by partitioning 0 with a partition wall 30. As a forming method, as shown in the exploded perspective view of this embodiment shown in FIG. 34, the common liquid chamber frame 71 and the second liquid passage wall 72 are formed on the element substrate 1 by a dry film, and the separation wall 30 is fixed. The second common liquid chamber 17 and the second liquid flow path 16 may be formed by bonding the combination of the grooved member 50 and the separation wall 30 and the element substrate 1 together.

In the present embodiment, as described above, as the heating element 2 for generating heat for generating bubbles due to film boiling in the foaming liquid on the support 70 formed of metal such as aluminum. An element substrate 1 provided with a plurality of electrothermal conversion elements is arranged.

On the element substrate 1, a plurality of grooves forming the second liquid flow path 16 formed by the second liquid path wall 72,
A second common liquid chamber (common foaming liquid chamber) 17 that communicates with a plurality of foaming liquid passages and supplies the foaming liquid to each foaming liquid passage
And the separation wall 30 provided with the above-mentioned movable member 31 are arranged.

The grooved member 50 communicates with the groove forming the discharge liquid flow path (first liquid flow path) 14 by being joined to the separation wall 30 and the discharge liquid flow path, and the respective discharge liquid flow paths are formed. First common liquid chamber (common discharge liquid chamber) 15 for supplying discharge liquid to
And a first liquid supply path (discharge liquid supply path) 20 for supplying the discharge liquid to the first common liquid chamber 15
And a second liquid supply path (foaming liquid supply path) 21 for supplying the bubbling liquid to the second common liquid chamber 17. The second liquid supply passage 21 penetrates the separation wall 30 arranged outside the first common liquid chamber 15 and is connected to a communication passage that communicates with the second common liquid chamber 17, and the discharge liquid is formed by this communication passage. The foaming liquid can be supplied to the second common liquid chamber 17 without being mixed with.

Element substrate 1, separation wall 30, grooved member 50
Regarding the arrangement relationship, the movable member 31 is arranged corresponding to the heating element 2 of the element substrate 1, and the discharge liquid flow path 14 is arranged corresponding to the movable member 31. Further, in the present embodiment, an example in which one second liquid supply passage 21 is arranged in the grooved member 50 is shown, but a plurality of second liquid supply passages 21 may be provided depending on the supply amount. Further, the flow passage cross-sectional areas of the first liquid supply passage 20 and the second liquid supply passage 21 may be determined in proportion to the supply amount. Further, when the movable member 31 has a structure having the lateral wall 66 as shown in FIGS. 16 to 18, the grooved member 50 includes the first liquid flow path 1
The groove forming 4 is not necessarily provided. By optimizing the cross-sectional area of the flow path as described above, it is possible to further reduce the size of the components forming the grooved member 50 and the like.

As described above, according to this embodiment, the second liquid supply passage 21 for supplying the second liquid to the second liquid passage 16 is provided.
Since the first liquid supply passage 20 for supplying the first liquid to the first liquid passage 14 is made of the same grooved member 50, the number of parts can be reduced, and the process can be shortened and the cost can be reduced. .

Further, the supply of the second liquid to the second common liquid chamber 17 communicating with the second liquid flow path 16 is performed by the second liquid flow in the direction of penetrating the separation wall 30 for separating the first liquid and the second liquid. Road 16
Since the structure is performed by the above-described method, the step of attaching the separation wall 30, the grooved member 50, and the element substrate 1 can be performed only once, and the easiness of making is improved, and the attaching accuracy is also improved, so that the ejection is excellent. can do.

Since the second liquid penetrates the separation wall 30 and is supplied to the second common liquid chamber 17, the second liquid flow path 16 is provided.
Moreover, the supply of the second liquid is ensured, and the sufficient supply amount can be secured, so that stable ejection is possible.

<Discharge Liquid, Foaming Liquid> As described in the above embodiments, in the present invention, due to the structure having the movable member as described above, the discharge force and the discharge efficiency are higher than those of the conventional liquid discharge head. The liquid can be ejected at high speed. In the present embodiment, when the same liquid is used for the bubbling liquid and the discharge liquid, it is not deteriorated by the heat applied from the heating element, and it is hard to generate a deposit on the heating element due to heating, and is vaporized by the heat. Various liquids can be used as long as they can change the state of condensation reversibly and do not deteriorate the liquid flow path, the movable member, the separation wall and the like.

Among such liquids, as the liquid used for recording (recording liquid), the ink having the composition used in the conventional bubble jet device can be used.

On the other hand, in the case of using the head having the two-passage structure of the present invention and using the discharge liquid and the foaming liquid as separate liquids, the liquid having the above-mentioned properties may be used as the foaming liquid. , Methanol, ethanol, n-propanol, isopropanol, n-hexane, n-heptane, n-octane, toluene, xylene, methylene dichloride, trichlene, Freon TF, Freon BF, ethyl ether, dioxane, cyclohexane, methyl acetate, acetic acid ethyl,
Acetone, methyl ethyl ketone, water and the like and mixtures thereof can be mentioned.

As the discharge liquid, various liquids can be used regardless of the presence or absence of foamability and the thermal property. Further, it is possible to use even a liquid having a low foaming property which has been difficult to be ejected in the past, a liquid which is easily deteriorated or deteriorated by heat, a high viscosity liquid and the like.

However, as the properties of the discharge liquid, the discharge liquid itself,
Alternatively, it is desired that the liquid does not interfere with ejection, foaming, operation of the movable member, or the like due to reaction with the foaming liquid.

High-viscosity ink or the like can also be used as the ejection liquid for recording. As other ejection liquids, liquids such as medicines and perfumes that are weak against heat can be used.

In the present invention, recording was carried out using an ink having the following composition as a recording liquid which can be used as both a discharge liquid and a foaming liquid. As a result, the droplet landing accuracy was improved and a very good recorded image could be obtained.

[0199]

[Outer 1] In addition, recording was performed by combining and discharging a bubbling liquid and a discharge liquid with a liquid having the composition described below. As a result, it was possible to satisfactorily eject not only a liquid having a viscosity of more than 10 cps, which was difficult to eject with a conventional head, but also a liquid having a very high viscosity of 150 cP, and a high quality recorded matter could be obtained.

[0200]

[Outside 2] By the way, in the case of the liquid that is conventionally difficult to be ejected as described above, since the ejection speed is low, the variation in the ejection directionality is promoted, the landing accuracy of the dots on the recording paper is poor, and the ejection is unstable. Due to variations in the ejection amount, it was difficult to obtain a high-quality image. However, in the configuration of the above-described embodiment, the bubbles can be generated sufficiently and stably by using the foaming liquid.
As a result, it is possible to improve the landing accuracy of droplets and stabilize the ink ejection amount, and it is possible to significantly improve the quality of a recorded image.

<Manufacture of Liquid Discharge Head> Next, the manufacturing process of the liquid discharge head of the present invention will be described.

In the case of the liquid discharge head as shown in FIG. 2, a base 34 for providing the movable member 31 on the element substrate 1 is formed by patterning a dry film or the like, and the movable member is mounted on the base 34. 31 was adhered or fixed by welding. The movable member 31 is composed of a thin film, and the manufacturing process of this thin film is as described with reference to FIG. Thereafter, a grooved member having a plurality of grooves forming each liquid flow path 10, a discharge port 18 and a recess forming the common liquid chamber 13 is bonded to the element substrate 1 in such a state that the grooves correspond to the movable member 31. It was formed by doing.

Next, as shown in FIG. 14 and FIG.
The manufacturing process of the liquid discharge head having the flow path configuration will be described.

Roughly speaking, the second liquid flow path 1 is formed on the element substrate 1.
6 wall is formed, the separation wall 30 is attached thereon, and the grooved member 50 provided with the groove or the like forming the first liquid flow path 14 is further attached thereon. Alternatively, the second liquid flow path 1
After forming the wall of No. 6, the head was manufactured by joining the grooved member 50 to which the separation wall 30 was attached on this wall.

Further, a method for producing the second liquid flow path 16 will be described in detail.

FIGS. 35 (a) to 35 (e) are schematic sectional views for explaining the first embodiment of the method of manufacturing a liquid discharge head of the present invention.

In this embodiment, as shown in (a), a hafnium boride, tantalum nitride, or the like is formed on the element substrate (silicon wafer) 1 by using a manufacturing apparatus similar to that used in the semiconductor manufacturing process. After forming the electrothermal conversion element having the following heating element 2, the surface of the element substrate 1 was washed for the purpose of improving the adhesion with the photosensitive resin in the next step. Further, in order to improve the adhesiveness, after the surface of the element substrate 1 is surface-modified with ultraviolet-ozone or the like, for example, a silane coupling agent (manufactured by Nippon Unica: A1
This is achieved by spin-coating a solution obtained by diluting 89) with ethyl alcohol to 1% by weight on the modified surface.

Next, as shown in (b), a UV-sensitive resin film (Dry Film Audil SY-318, made by Tokyo Ohka) DF is laminated on the element substrate 1 whose surface is washed to improve the adhesion. did.

Next, as shown in (c), a photomask PM is arranged on the dry film DF, and ultraviolet rays are applied to the portion of the dry film DF left as the second flow path wall through the photomask PM. Irradiated. This exposure step is carried out using MPA-600 manufactured by Canon Inc.
The exposure amount was 0 mJ / cm ² .

Next, as shown in (d), the dry film DF was developed with a developer (Tokyo Ohka: BMRC-3) consisting of a mixed solution of xylene and butyl cellosolve acetate, and the unexposed portion was The portion which was dissolved, exposed and cured was formed as the wall portion of the second liquid flow path 16. Further, the residue remaining on the surface of the element substrate 1 was treated by an oxygen plasma ashing device (MAS-800 manufactured by Alcantech Co., Ltd.) for about 90 seconds to be removed, followed by 2 hours at 150 ° C. and further 100 mJ / cm ^{2 of} ultraviolet irradiation. This was done to completely cure the exposed areas.

By the above method, the second liquid flow paths 16 can be formed uniformly and accurately on a plurality of heater boards (element substrates) divided and manufactured from the silicon substrate. The silicon substrate was cut and separated into each heater board 1 by a dicing machine (AWD-4000 manufactured by Tokyo Seimitsu Co., Ltd.) equipped with a diamond blade having a thickness of 0.05 mm. The separated heater board 1 was fixed on an aluminum base plate (support) 70 with an adhesive (SE4400 manufactured by Toray) (FIG. 38). Then, the printed wiring board 73 (FIG. 39) previously joined to the aluminum base plate 70 and the heater board 1 have a diameter of 0.05.
mm aluminum wires (not shown) were used for connection.

Next, on the thus obtained heater board 1, as shown in FIG. 35 (e), the joined body of the grooved member 50 and the separating wall 30 was positioned and joined by the above-mentioned method. That is, the grooved member 50 having the separation wall 30 and the heater board 1 are positioned, and the pressing spring 78 (see FIG.
8) After engaging and fixing by means of 8), the ink / foaming liquid supply member 80 (FIG. 38) is joined and fixed on the aluminum base plate 70, and between the aluminum wires, the grooved member 50, the heater board 1 and the ink / foaming liquid. The gap with the supply member 80 was sealed with a silicone sealant (TSE399 made by Toshiba Silicone) to complete the process.

By forming the second liquid flow path 16 by the above manufacturing method, it is possible to obtain a highly accurate flow path with no positional deviation with respect to each heating element 2 of the heater board 1. In particular,
By joining the grooved member 50 and the separation wall 30 in advance in the previous step, the positional accuracy of the first liquid flow path 14 and the movable member 31 can be improved.

By these high-precision manufacturing techniques, the ejection is stabilized and the printing quality is improved. Further, since it can be formed on a wafer all at once, a large amount can be manufactured at low cost.

In this example, an ultraviolet-curable dry film was used to form the second liquid flow path 16. However, a resin having an absorption band in the ultraviolet region, particularly around 248 nm was used, and after lamination, It can also be obtained by curing and directly removing the resin in the portion that will become the second liquid flow path 16 with an excimer laser.

FIGS. 36 (a) to 36 (d) are schematic sectional views for explaining the second embodiment of the method of manufacturing a liquid discharge head of the present invention.

In this example, as shown in (a), the resist 1 having a thickness of 15 μm was formed on the SUS substrate 1100.
101 was patterned in the shape of the second liquid flow path.

Next, as shown in (b), the SUS substrate 1
100 is electroplated on SUS substrate 1100
A nickel layer 1102 was similarly grown thereon to a thickness of 15 μm.
As a plating solution, a stress reducing agent (manufactured by World Metal Co., Ltd .: Zerool), boric acid, a pit inhibitor (World Metal Co., Ltd .: NP-APS), and nickel chloride were used in nickel sulphomate. As the method of applying the electric field during electrodeposition,
An electrode was attached to the anode side, and a patterned SUS substrate 1100 was attached to the cathode side, the temperature of the plating solution was 50 ° C., and the current density was 5 A / cm ² .

Next, as shown in (c), ultrasonic vibration is applied to the SUS substrate 1100 that has been plated as described above, the nickel layer 1102 portion is peeled from the SUS substrate 1100, and the desired second liquid is used. The flow path was obtained.

On the other hand, the heater board on which the electrothermal conversion element is arranged is formed on a silicon wafer by using the same manufacturing apparatus as that for the semiconductor. This wafer was separated into each heater board by a dicing machine as in the previous embodiment. The heater board 1 was joined to the aluminum base plate 70 to which the printed wiring board 73 was previously joined, and the printed wiring board 73 and an aluminum wire (not shown) were connected to each other to form an electrical wiring. On the heater board 1 in such a state, as shown in FIG. 36D, the second liquid flow path 16 obtained in the previous step was positioned and fixed. At the time of this fixing, as in the first embodiment, as in the first embodiment, the top plate to which the separation wall is fixed is brought into close contact with the top plate by the pressing spring, so that the top plate is fixed so that the top plate is not misaligned. Is enough.

In this embodiment, an ultraviolet curable adhesive (made by Grace Japan: Amicon UV-3 is used for the positioning and fixing.
00) is applied and the exposure amount is set to 10 by using an ultraviolet irradiation device.
Fixing was completed in about 3 seconds at 0 mJ / cm ² .

According to the manufacturing method of this embodiment, since the second liquid flow path 16 having high accuracy and having no displacement with respect to the heating element 2 can be obtained, the flow path wall is made of nickel. It is possible to provide a head that is strong against alkaline liquid and has high reliability.

37 (a) to 37 (d) are schematic sectional views for explaining the third embodiment of the method of manufacturing a liquid discharge head of the present invention.

In this embodiment, as shown in (a), the resist 1 is formed on both surfaces of the SUS substrate 1100 having an alignment hole 1100a or a mark and a thickness of 15 μm.
103 was applied. Here, as the resist 1103, PMERP-AR900 manufactured by Tokyo Ohka Co., Ltd. was used.

Thereafter, as shown in (b), exposure is performed using an exposure device (MPA-600 manufactured by Canon Inc.) in alignment with the alignment hole 1100a of the SUS substrate 1100, and the second liquid flow path is formed. Resist 1103 to be formed
Was removed. The exposure was performed at an exposure dose of 800 mJ / cm ² .

Next, as shown in (c), a SUS substrate 1100 having resists 1103 on both sides patterned.
Was immersed in an etching solution (an aqueous solution of ferric chloride or cupric chloride) to etch a portion exposed from the resist 1103, and then the resist 1103 was peeled off.

Next, as shown in (d), as in the previous embodiment of the manufacturing method, the etched SUS substrate 1100 is positioned and fixed on the heater board 1 to have the second liquid flow path 16. The liquid ejection head was assembled.

According to the manufacturing method of this embodiment, in addition to being able to obtain the highly accurate second liquid flow path 16 with no positional deviation with respect to the heating element 2, since the flow path is formed of SUS,
It is possible to provide a liquid ejection head that is strong against acid and alkaline liquids and highly reliable.

As described above, according to the manufacturing method of this embodiment, the wall of the second liquid flow path is arranged in advance on the element substrate, so that the heating element and the second liquid flow path are highly accurate. Can be positioned at. Further, since the second liquid flow paths can be simultaneously formed on a large number of element substrates on the substrate before cutting and separating, it is possible to provide a large amount and low cost of the liquid ejection head.

Further, in the liquid discharge head obtained by carrying out the method of manufacturing the liquid discharge head of the manufacturing method of this embodiment, since the heating element and the second liquid flow path are positioned with high precision, The pressure of foaming due to the heat generation of the heating element can be efficiently received, and the discharge efficiency is excellent.

<Liquid Ejection Head Cartridge> Next, a liquid ejection head cartridge equipped with the liquid ejection head according to the above-described embodiment will be schematically described.

FIG. 38 is a schematic exploded perspective view of a liquid discharge head cartridge including the above-described liquid discharge head. The liquid discharge head cartridge is mainly composed of a liquid discharge head section 200 and a liquid container 90. There is.

The liquid discharge head section 200 comprises the element substrate 1,
The partition wall 30, the grooved member 50, the pressing spring 78, the liquid supply member 80, the aluminum base plate (support) 70, and the like. As described above, the element substrate 1 is provided with a plurality of heating resistors for applying heat to the foaming liquid in a row, and a functional element for selectively driving the heating resistors. Are provided in plural. A foaming liquid passage is formed between the element substrate 1 and the above-described separation wall 30 having a movable wall, and the foaming liquid flows therethrough. The separating wall 30 and the grooved top plate 50
A discharge flow path (not shown) through which the discharged discharge liquid circulates is formed by the joining with.

The pressing spring 78 is a member for exerting an urging force on the grooved member 50 in the direction of the element substrate 1, and the urging force causes the element substrate 1, the separation wall 30, and the grooved member 50.
And a support 70 described later are integrated well.

The support 70 is for supporting the element substrate 1 and the like, and on the support 70, a printed wiring board 73 for connecting to the element substrate 1 and supplying an electric signal, and a device side. A contact pad 74 for exchanging an electric signal with the device side by connecting with the device is arranged.

The liquid container 90 corresponds to the liquid discharge head portion 200.
A discharge liquid such as ink and a foaming liquid for generating bubbles are separately stored inside. Liquid container 9
The liquid ejection head unit 200 and the liquid container 90
Positioning portion 9 for arranging a connecting member for connecting with
4 and a fixed shaft 95 for fixing the connecting member. The discharge liquid is supplied from the discharge liquid supply passage 92 of the liquid container 90 through the supply passage 84 of the connecting member.
0 is supplied to the discharge liquid supply passage 81, and is supplied to the first common liquid chamber via the liquid supply passages 83, 79, and 20 of each member.
Similarly, the foaming liquid is also supplied from the foaming liquid supply passage 93 of the liquid container 90 to the foaming liquid supply passage 82 of the supply member 80 via the supply passage of the connecting member, and the liquid supply passages 84, 79, 21 of the respective members.
Is supplied to the second liquid chamber via.

In the liquid discharge head cartridge described above, the supply form and the liquid container 90 capable of supplying even when the bubbling liquid and the discharge liquid are different liquids have been described.
When the discharge liquid and the foaming liquid are the same, the foaming liquid and the discharge liquid need not be provided in separate supply paths and containers.

The liquid container 90 may be refilled with the liquid after consumption of each liquid. For this purpose, it is desirable to provide the liquid container 90 with a liquid inlet. Further, the liquid ejection head unit 200 and the liquid container 90 may be integrated or may be separable.

<Liquid Ejecting Device> FIG. 39 shows a schematic structure of a liquid ejecting device equipped with the above-mentioned liquid ejecting head. In this embodiment, the carriage HC of the liquid ejecting apparatus described by using the ink ejecting recording apparatus IJRA using ink as the ejecting liquid is the liquid container 90 containing the ink.
The liquid ejection head unit 200 is mounted with a detachable head cartridge, and reciprocates in the width direction (directions of arrows a and b) of the recording medium 150 such as recording paper conveyed by the recording medium conveying means. .

When a drive signal is supplied from the drive signal supply means (not shown) to the liquid discharge means on the carriage HC, the liquid discharge head section 200 responds to this signal and the recording medium 1 is discharged.
The recording liquid is ejected onto 50.

Further, in the liquid ejecting apparatus of the present embodiment, the motor 111 as a drive source for driving the recording medium carrying means and the carriage HC, the gear 112 for transmitting the power from the drive source to the carriage HC, 113 and a carriage shaft 85 and the like. With this recording apparatus and the liquid ejection method performed by this recording apparatus, it is possible to obtain a recorded matter with a good image by ejecting liquid onto various recording media.

FIG. 40 is a block diagram of the whole apparatus for operating ink discharge recording to which the liquid discharge head of the present invention is applied.

The recording apparatus receives print information from the host computer 300 as a control signal. The print information is temporarily stored in the input / output interface 301 inside the printer and at the same time converted into data that can be processed in the recorder.
It is input to the CPU 302 which also serves as a head drive signal supply means. Based on the control program stored in the ROM 303, the CPU 302 processes the data input to the CPU 302 by using a peripheral unit such as the RAM 304 and converts the data into print data (image data).

Further, the CPU 302 produces drive data for driving the drive motor 306 which moves the recording sheet and the head 200 in synchronization with the image data in order to record the image data at an appropriate position on the recording sheet. . The image data and the motor drive data are respectively sent to the head driver 3
07 and the motor driver 305 to transmit to the head 200 and the drive motor 306, and each is driven at a controlled timing to form an image.

The recording medium that can be applied to the recording apparatus as described above and to which liquid such as ink is applied is various kinds of paper, OHP sheets, plastic materials used for compact discs, decorative plates, etc., cloth, aluminum. Metal materials such as copper and copper, leather materials such as cowhide, pigskin and artificial leather, wood materials such as wood and plywood, bamboo materials, ceramic materials such as tiles, and three-dimensional structures such as sponges can be targeted.

As the above-mentioned recording device, various kinds of paper and O
A printer device for recording on HP sheets, a plastic recording device for recording on a plastic material such as a compact disc, a metal recording device for recording on a metal plate,
Leather recording device for recording on leather, wood recording device for recording on wood, ceramic recording device for recording on ceramics material, recording device for recording on three-dimensional mesh structure such as sponge, and cloth It also includes a printing device and the like for recording on.

As the ejection liquid used in these liquid ejection devices, liquids suitable for each recording medium and recording conditions may be used.

The present invention is not limited to a so-called edge shooter type head having a discharge port at one end of the flow path provided in the direction along the heater surface as described above, and is, for example, as shown in FIG. It is also applicable to a so-called side shooter type head having the discharge port 18 at a position facing the heater surface.

In the side shooter type liquid ejection head shown in FIG. 41, foaming is performed on the element substrate 1 provided with a heating element 2 for giving thermal energy for generating bubbles in the liquid for each ejection port 18. A second liquid flow path 16 for liquid is formed, and a first liquid flow path 14 for discharge liquid is formed on the second liquid flow path 16 for liquid, and directly communicates with a discharge port 18 provided in the grooved member 50. 14 and the second liquid flow path 16 are similar to the above-described edge shooter type liquid ejection head in that they are separated by a separation wall 30 made of an elastic material such as metal.

The side-shooter type liquid ejection head is characterized in that the ejection port 18 is provided directly above the heating element 2 in the grooved member 50 arranged on the first liquid flow path 14. There is. A pair of movable members 31 that open in a double-door shape are provided on the partition wall 30 between the discharge port 18 and the heating element 2. Each of the movable members 30 is supported by a fulcrum 33, and the movable member 3 is attached to both sides of the free end 32.
1 is integrally provided with a side member that displaces together with 1 and covers the side of the generated bubble. Both free ends 32 are connected to the discharge port 1 when not discharging.
The slits 35 located immediately below the central portion of the lens 8 are slightly opposed to each other and face each other. At the time of discharging, as shown by the arrow in FIG. 41, both movable members 31 are foamed by the foaming liquid in the bubble generation region 11 so that only the discharge port 18 side is opened to the first liquid flow path 14 side and the foaming is performed. Closes due to contraction of liquid. The region C is refilled with a discharge liquid from a discharge liquid tank described later to be in a dischargeable state, and can be prepared for the next bubbling of the bubbling liquid.

The first liquid flow path 14 is the first of the other discharge ports 18.
Along with the liquid flow path, it communicates with a tank (not shown) that stores the discharge liquid via the first common liquid chamber 15, and the second liquid flow path 1
6 also communicates with the second liquid flow path of the other discharge port 18 through a second common liquid chamber 17 to a tank (not shown) that stores the foaming liquid.

Also in the side shooter type liquid discharge head having such a structure, the bubble growth direction is closer to the discharge port 18 side while improving the refilling of the discharge liquid, almost similarly to the edge shooter type liquid discharge head. Therefore, it is possible to obtain the excellent effect that the liquid can be ejected with high energy efficiency and high ejection pressure.

As for the manufacturing method, the grooved member 5 is used.
0 is substantially the same as the edge shooter type head except that the position of the discharge port 18 provided at 0 is different and the positions and structures of the common liquid chambers 15 and 17 are different. That is, the relationship between the separation wall 30 having the movable member 31 and the flow path wall forming the second liquid flow path 16 is the same.

<Recording System> Next, an example of an ink jet recording system in which the liquid discharge head of the present invention is used as a recording head for recording on a recording medium will be described.

FIG. 42 is a schematic diagram for explaining the structure of an ink jet recording system using the above-described liquid discharge head of the present invention. The liquid ejection head in the present embodiment is a full-line type head in which a plurality of ejection openings are arranged at intervals of 360 dpi in a length corresponding to the recordable width of the recording medium 150, and yellow (Y) and magenta (M). , Heads 201a to 201d corresponding to four colors of cyan (C) and black (Bk) are fixedly supported by a holder 202 in parallel with each other at a predetermined interval in the X direction.

A signal is supplied to each of these heads 201a to 201d from a head driver 307 which constitutes a drive signal supplying means, and each head 201a to 201d is driven based on this signal.

To each of the heads 201a to 201d, 20 inks of four colors of Y, M, C and Bk are ejected respectively.
It is supplied from the ink containers 4a to 204d. Reference numeral 204e is a foaming liquid container in which the foaming liquid is stored.
The foaming liquid is supplied to 01d.

Further, below the heads 201a to 201d, head caps 203a to 203d in which ink absorbing members such as sponges are arranged are provided, and the ejection openings of the heads 201a to 201d are set at the time of non-recording. By covering, the heads 201a to 201d can be maintained.

Reference numeral 206 is a conveyor belt which constitutes a conveyor means for conveying various kinds of non-recording media as described in the above embodiments. The conveyor belt 206 is wound around a predetermined path by various rollers, and is driven by a driving roller connected to a motor driver 305.

In the ink jet recording system of the present embodiment, a pre-processing device 251 and a post-processing device 252, which perform various kinds of processing on the recording medium before and after recording, are provided upstream and downstream of the recording medium conveying path, respectively. It is provided.

The contents of the pretreatment and the posttreatment differ depending on the type of recording medium on which recording is performed and the type of ink. For example, for a recording medium such as metal, plastic, or ceramics, As pretreatment, ultraviolet rays and ozone are irradiated to activate the surface of the material, so that the adhesion of the ink can be improved. In addition, in a recording medium such as plastic that is prone to generate static electricity, dust easily attaches to its surface, and this dust may hinder good recording. Therefore, it is preferable to remove dust from the recording medium by removing static electricity from the recording medium using an ionizer device as a pretreatment.
When a cloth is used as the recording medium, an alkaline substance is added to the cloth in order to prevent bleeding and improve the dyeing ratio.
The treatment of applying a substance selected from water-soluble substances, synthetic polymers, water-soluble metal salts, urea and thiourea may be performed as a pretreatment. The pretreatment is not limited to these, and may be a treatment such that the temperature of the recording medium is set to an appropriate temperature for recording.

On the other hand, the post-treatment is a fixing treatment for accelerating the fixing of the ink by heat treatment, ultraviolet ray irradiation or the like on the recording medium to which the ink has been applied, and washing of the unreacted treatment agent applied in the pre-treatment. The processing is performed.

Incidentally, in this embodiment, the heads 201a to 201a-2
Although the full line head has been described as 01d, the invention is not limited to this, and a small head as described above may be conveyed in the width direction of the recording medium to perform recording.

<Head Kit> A head kit having the liquid ejection head of the present invention will be described below. FIG. 43 shows
It is a schematic diagram showing such a head kit, and this head kit 500 includes an ink ejecting section 5 for ejecting ink.
Head 510 of the present invention having 11 and this head 51
An ink container 520 which is an inseparable or separable liquid container from 0 and an ink filling means 530 which holds ink for filling the ink container 520 with ink are housed in a kit container 501.

When the ink has been consumed, the insertion portion of the ink filling means 530 is inserted into the connection portion of the ink container 520 with the atmosphere communication port 521 or the head 510, or the hole formed in the wall of the ink container 520. (Injection needle, etc.) 531
The ink in the ink filling means 530 may be filled in the ink container 520 through the insertion portion 531.

As described above, by accommodating the head 510 of the present invention, the ink container 520, the ink filling means 530 and the like in one head kit container 501 to form a kit, even if the ink is consumed, the above described As described above, the ink can be filled in the ink container 520 immediately and easily, and the recording can be started quickly.

Although the head kit 500 of this embodiment is described as including the ink filling means 530, the head kit of the separable type filled with ink has no ink filling means. The ink container and the head may be housed in the kit container 510.

Further, in FIG. 43, the ink container 520 is
However, only the ink filling means 530 for filling the ink is shown. However, in addition to the ink container 520, a foaming liquid filling means for filling the foaming liquid container with the foaming liquid container is contained in the kit container. It may be.

[0269]

According to the liquid ejecting head of the present invention based on the novel ejection principle using the movable member integrally provided with the lateral member as described above, the lateral side of the generated bubble is caused by the lateral member. Since it is covered, the lateral pressure with respect to the flow of the liquid can also be directed toward the discharge port, and the bubble itself can also be guided to the downstream side and grow larger in the downstream than in the upstream. As a result, the liquid in the vicinity of the ejection port can be efficiently ejected toward the ejection port, so that the ejection efficiency can be improved as compared with the conventional bubble jet type ejection head or the like. Further, in the case of the two-liquid flow path configuration, one liquid flow path and the other liquid flow path can be more reliably separated by the side member, and the mixture of the foaming liquid and the discharge liquid is prevented. Good liquid can be ejected.

In particular, the movable member has a flexible thin film having expandable portions provided on both sides thereof, and the expandable portions are lateral members. Since the size of the opening on the outlet side can be made constant and the foaming pressure acting on the discharge port side can also be made constant at all times,
It becomes possible to perform stable ejection.

Further, according to the characteristic constitution of the present invention, it is possible to prevent the non-ejection even when left for a long time at low temperature and low humidity, and even if the non-ejection occurs, the preliminary ejection or suction is performed. There is also an advantage that it is possible to immediately return to the normal state by performing a small amount of recovery processing such as recovery. Along with this, it is possible to shorten the recovery time, reduce the liquid loss due to the recovery, and significantly reduce the running cost.

In particular, according to the structure of the present invention with improved refill characteristics, responsiveness during continuous ejection, stable growth of bubbles, and stabilization of droplets are achieved, and high-speed recording by high-speed liquid ejection and high image quality are achieved. It was possible to record.

Further, in the head having the two-channel structure, by using a liquid that easily foams or a liquid that hardly causes deposits (burns etc.) on the heating element as the foaming liquid, the degree of freedom in selecting the discharge liquid is increased. It was possible to satisfactorily discharge even liquids that were difficult to be discharged by the conventional bubble jet discharging method, such as high viscosity liquids that are more likely to be foamed and liquids that are more likely to produce a volume on the heating element.

Further, a liquid weak against heat or the like could be discharged without adversely affecting the liquid.

Further, by using the liquid discharge head of the present invention as a liquid discharge recording head for recording, it was possible to achieve higher quality recording. Further, by using the liquid ejection head of the present invention, it is possible to provide a liquid ejection device, a recording system, or the like in which the liquid ejection efficiency and the like are further improved.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an example of a liquid ejection head of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a partially cutaway perspective view of the liquid ejection head of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the liquid ejection head of the present invention as seen from the ejection port direction.

FIG. 4 is a process drawing for explaining an example of the method for manufacturing the expandable portion of the liquid ejection head of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing pressure propagation from bubbles in a conventional head.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing pressure propagation from bubbles in the head of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram for explaining the flow of the liquid of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a partially cutaway perspective view of a liquid ejection head according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

9 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the liquid ejection head shown in FIG. 8 viewed from the ejection port direction.

FIG. 10 is a partially cutaway perspective view of a liquid ejection head according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a partially cutaway perspective view of a liquid ejection head according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a sectional view of a liquid ejection head according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a liquid ejection head according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a sectional view of a liquid ejection head (two channels) according to a seventh embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 15 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the movable member according to the seventh embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 16 is a partially cutaway perspective view of a liquid ejection head according to an eighth embodiment of the present invention.

17 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along a liquid flow path of the liquid ejection head shown in FIG.

FIG. 18 is a schematic sectional view of the liquid ejection head shown in FIG. 16 as seen from the ejection port direction.

FIG. 19 is a process chart for explaining an example of the method for manufacturing the movable member of the liquid ejection head shown in FIG. 16.

FIG. 20 is a partially cutaway perspective view of a liquid ejection head according to a ninth embodiment of the present invention.

21 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along a liquid flow path of the liquid ejection head shown in FIG.

FIG. 22 is a partially cutaway perspective view of a liquid ejection head according to a tenth embodiment of the present invention.

23 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along the liquid flow path of the liquid ejection head shown in FIG.

FIG. 24 is a diagram for explaining structures of a movable member and a first liquid flow path.

FIG. 25 is a diagram for explaining structures of a movable member and a liquid flow path.

FIG. 26 is a diagram for explaining another shape of the movable member.

FIG. 27 is a diagram showing a relationship between a heating element area and an ink ejection amount.

FIG. 28 is a diagram showing a positional relationship between a movable member and a heating element.

FIG. 29 is a diagram showing a relationship between a distance from an edge of a heating element to a fulcrum and a displacement amount of a movable member.

FIG. 30 is a diagram for explaining the positional relationship between the heating element and the movable member.

FIG. 31 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the liquid ejection head of the present invention.

FIG. 32 is a schematic diagram showing a shape of a drive pulse.

FIG. 33 is a cross-sectional view for explaining the supply passage of the liquid ejection head of the present invention.

FIG. 34 is an exploded perspective view of the head of the present invention.

FIG. 35 is a process drawing for explaining the manufacturing method of the liquid ejection head of the present invention.

FIG. 36 is a process drawing for explaining the manufacturing method of the liquid ejection head of the present invention.

FIG. 37 is a process drawing for explaining the manufacturing method of the liquid ejection head of the present invention.

FIG. 38 is an exploded perspective view of the liquid ejection head cartridge.

FIG. 39 is a schematic configuration diagram of a liquid ejection device.

FIG. 40 is a device block diagram.

FIG. 41 is a cross-sectional view of an example of a side shooter type liquid ejection head to which the present invention has been applied.

FIG. 42 is a diagram showing a liquid ejection recording system.

FIG. 43 is a schematic view of a head kit.

FIG. 44 is a diagram for explaining a liquid flow path structure of a conventional liquid ejection head.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 element substrate 2 heating element 3 area center 10 liquid flow paths 11 Bubble generation area 12 supply routes 13 Common liquid chamber 14 First liquid flow path 15 1st common liquid chamber 16 Second liquid flow path 17 Second common liquid chamber 18 outlets 19 Stenosis 20 First supply path 21 Second supply path 22 First liquid channel wall 23 Second liquid flow path wall 24 convex 30 separation wall 31 Movable member 32 Free end 33 fulcrum 34 Support member 35 slits 36 Bubble generation area front wall 40 bubbles 45 droplets 50 Grooved member 51 Orifice plate 60 telescopic part 65 cantilever 66 horizontal wall 70 Support 78 spring 80 Supply member

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Fumi Yoshihira 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Ki Canon Inc. (72) Hiroyuki Ishinaga 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Ki Within Canon Inc. (56) Reference JP-A-9-327916 (JP, A) JP-A-6-31918 (JP, A) (58) Fields investigated (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) B41J 2 / 05 B41J 2/175

Claims (56)

(57) [Claims] 1. A discharge port for discharging a liquid, a bubble generation region for generating bubbles in the liquid, a bubble generation region disposed facing the bubble generation region, and a first position and the bubble generation more than the first position. A movable member that can be displaced between a second position far from the region, and at least a part of both sides of the movable member that are integrally provided and that are displaced integrally with the movable member,
A side member that covers a side of the generated bubble, and the movable member is displaced from the first position to the second position by a pressure based on the generation of the bubble in the bubble generation region. A liquid discharge head that discharges liquid by expanding the bubbles to a larger extent downstream than in the direction toward the discharge port by displacement of the movable member. 2. The liquid ejection head according to claim 1, wherein the displacement of the movable member causes a downstream portion of the bubble to grow downstream of the movable member. 3. The liquid ejection head according to claim 1, wherein the movable member has a fulcrum and a free end located downstream of the fulcrum. 4. The liquid ejection head according to claim 1, wherein an opening is formed toward the ejection port by the displacement of the movable member. 5. A discharge port for discharging a liquid, a heating element for generating bubbles in the liquid by applying heat to the liquid, and a liquid on the heating element from the upstream side of the heating element along the heating element. And a liquid flow path having a supply path for supplying the heating element, and a free end provided on the discharge port side facing the heating element and displacing the free end based on the pressure generated by the bubbles. A movable member that guides pressure to the discharge port side is integrally provided on at least a part of both sides of the movable member, and is displaced integrally with the movable member,
A liquid discharge head having a side member that covers the side of generated bubbles. 6. The liquid ejection head according to claim 5, wherein the bubbles extend downstream of the movable member due to the displacement of the movable member. 7. The liquid ejection head according to claim 5, wherein an opening is formed toward the ejection port by the displacement of the movable member. 8. A discharge port for discharging a liquid, a heating element for generating bubbles in the liquid by applying heat to the liquid, and a free end provided on the discharge port side facing the heating element. A movable member that displaces the free end based on the pressure generated by the generation of bubbles to guide the pressure to the discharge port side, is integrally provided at least at a part of both side portions of the movable member, and is integrated with the movable member. And it is displaced,
A liquid ejection head comprising: a side member that covers a side of the generated bubble; and a supply path that supplies liquid onto the heating element from an upstream side along a surface of the movable member that is close to the heating element. 9. The liquid ejection head according to claim 8, wherein the bubbles extend downstream of the movable member due to the displacement of the movable member. 10. The liquid ejection head according to claim 8, wherein an opening is formed toward the ejection port by the displacement of the movable member. 11. A first liquid flow path communicating with a discharge port, a second liquid flow path having a bubble generation region for generating bubbles in the liquid by applying heat to the liquid, the first liquid Disposed between the flow path and the bubble generation region,
The discharge port side has a free end, and the free end is displaced toward the first liquid flow path side based on the pressure generated by the generation of bubbles in the bubble generation region to adjust the pressure to the first liquid flow path. A movable member that is guided to the discharge port side of the movable member, and is integrally provided on at least part of both side portions of the movable member, and is displaced integrally with the movable member,
A liquid discharge head having a side member that covers the side of generated bubbles. 12. The liquid ejection head according to claim 11, wherein the bubbles extend to the first liquid flow path due to the displacement of the movable member. 13. The liquid ejection head according to claim 11, wherein an opening is formed toward the ejection port by the displacement of the movable member. 14. The liquid ejection head according to claim 1, wherein a heating element is provided at a position facing the movable member, and the bubble generation region is between the movable member and the heating element. 15. The movable member has a flexible thin film in which stretchable portions are provided on both side portions of the movable member, and the stretchable portions serve as the side members. Alternatively, the liquid ejection head according to Item 14. 16. The liquid ejection head according to claim 15, wherein the thin film is fixed to a cantilever having a free end on the ejection port side in a region between the stretchable portions. 17. The liquid ejection head according to claim 5, wherein the side member is composed of a plate-shaped wall. 18. The liquid ejection head according to claim 17, wherein the plate-shaped wall has rigidity with respect to the pressure of the bubbles. 19. The side member according to claim 5, 8 or 14, wherein the side member is provided at a portion which becomes both sides of the movable member in the vicinity of a fulcrum side region excluding a free end side region of the movable member. Liquid ejection head. 20. The side member according to claim 5, 8 or 14, wherein the side member is provided at a portion which becomes both sides of the movable member in the vicinity of a free end side region excluding a fulcrum side region of the movable member. Liquid ejection head. 21. The free end of the movable member is located downstream of the center of the area of the heating element.
The liquid discharge head according to 1. 22. The liquid ejection head according to claim 14, further comprising a supply path along the heating element for supplying a liquid onto the heating element from an upstream side of the heating element. 23. The supply passage is a supply passage that has a substantially flat or gentle inner wall on the upstream side of the heating element and supplies a liquid onto the heating element along the inner wall. The liquid ejection head as described in 5, 8 or 22. 24. The liquid ejection head according to claim 5, wherein the bubbles are bubbles generated by film boiling of the liquid by heat generated by the heating element. 25. The liquid ejection head according to claim 5, 8 or 14, wherein all of the effective foaming regions of the heating element face the movable member. 26. The liquid ejection head according to claim 5, wherein the entire surface of the heating element faces the movable member. 27. The liquid ejection head according to claim 5, wherein the total area of the movable member is larger than the total area of the heating element. 28. The fulcrum of the movable member is arranged at a position deviating from directly above the heating element.
4. The liquid ejection head according to item 4. 29. The liquid ejection head according to claim 5, wherein the free end of the movable member has a shape that is substantially orthogonal to a liquid flow path in which the heating element is arranged. 30. The free end of the movable member is arranged on the discharge port side of the heating element.
The liquid discharge head according to 1. 31. The liquid ejection head according to claim 11, wherein the movable member is configured as a part of a separation wall arranged between the first flow path and the second flow path. 32. The liquid ejection head according to claim 31, wherein the separation wall is made of a metal material. 33. The liquid ejection head according to claim 32, wherein the metal material is nickel or gold. 34. The liquid ejection head according to claim 31, wherein the separation wall is made of resin. 35. The liquid discharge head according to claim 31, wherein the separation wall is made of ceramics. 36. A first common liquid chamber for supplying a first liquid to a plurality of the first liquid flow paths, and a second liquid to a plurality of the second liquid flow paths. 12. The liquid ejection head according to claim 11, wherein the second common liquid chamber is provided. 37. A plurality of ejection openings for ejecting a liquid, a plurality of grooves for forming a plurality of first liquid flow paths that directly communicate with the respective ejection openings, and a plurality of the plurality of grooves. A grooved member integrally having a recess forming a first common liquid chamber for supplying liquid to one liquid flow path; and a plurality of members for generating bubbles in the liquid by applying heat to the liquid. An element substrate on which a heating element is arranged, is arranged between the grooved member and the element substrate, and constitutes a part of the wall of the second liquid flow path corresponding to the heating element, and the heating element A separation wall provided with a movable member that is displaced toward the first liquid flow path side by a pressure based on the generation of the bubbles at a position facing the ,
A liquid ejection head, which is integrally provided with a side member that displaces integrally with the movable member and covers the side of the generated bubble. 38. The liquid ejection head according to claim 37, wherein the bubbles are extended to the first liquid flow path by the displacement of the movable member. 39. The liquid ejection head according to claim 37, wherein an opening is formed toward the ejection port by the displacement of the movable member. 40. The liquid ejection head according to claim 37, wherein the free end of the movable member is located downstream of the center of the area of the heating element. 41. The grooved member has a first introduction path for introducing a liquid into the first common liquid chamber and a second introduction path for introducing a liquid into the second common liquid chamber. 38. The liquid ejection head according to claim 37, comprising: 42. The liquid ejection head according to claim 41, wherein the grooved member is provided with a plurality of the second introduction paths. 43. The liquid ejection head according to claim 41, wherein a ratio of a cross-sectional area of the first introduction passage and a cross-sectional area of the second introduction passage is proportional to a supply amount of each liquid. 44. The liquid ejection head according to claim 41, wherein the second introduction passage is an introduction passage that penetrates the separation wall and supplies the liquid to the second common liquid chamber. 45. The liquid ejection head according to claim 11, wherein the liquid supplied to the first liquid flow path and the liquid supplied to the second liquid flow path are the same liquid. 46. The liquid ejection head according to claim 11, wherein the liquid supplied to the first liquid flow path and the liquid supplied to the second liquid flow path are different liquids. 47. The liquid supplied to the second liquid flow path has at least one property of low viscosity, foaming property and thermal stability as compared with the liquid supplied to the first liquid flow path. The liquid ejection head according to claim 46, which is an excellent liquid. 48. The liquid ejection head according to claim 5, wherein the heating element is an electrothermal converter having a heating resistor that generates heat by receiving an electric signal. 49. The liquid discharge head according to claim 48, wherein the electrothermal converter has a protective film provided on the heating resistor. 50. A wiring for transmitting an electric signal to the electrothermal converter and a functional element for selectively applying an electric signal to the electrothermal converter are arranged on the element substrate. 48. The liquid ejection head according to item 48. 51. The liquid ejection head according to claim 11, wherein the shape of the second liquid flow path in the portion where the bubble generation region or the heating element is arranged is a chamber shape. 52. The liquid ejection head according to claim 11, wherein the shape of the second flow path is a shape having a narrowed portion upstream of the bubble generation region or the heating element. 53. The liquid discharge head according to claim 5, 8, 14 or 37, wherein a distance from the surface of the heating element to the movable member is 30 μm or less. 54. The liquid ejection head according to claim 5, 8, 14 or 37, wherein the liquid ejected from the ejection port is ink. 55. A liquid discharge head according to any one of claims 1, 5, 8, 11 and 37, and a liquid container holding a liquid supplied to the liquid discharge head. A head cartridge that does. 56. A liquid ejection head according to any one of claims 1, 5, 8, 11 or 37, and drive signal supply means for supplying a drive signal for ejecting liquid from the liquid ejection head. And ejecting a recording liquid by the generation of bubbles.