JP4683619B2 - Liquid ejection head and recording apparatus - Google Patents

Description

The present invention is, for example, a liquid discharge head for discharging liquid onto a recording material such as recording paper, and a recording apparatus including the liquid ejecting head.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is known an ink jet recording method in which recording is performed on a recording material such as recording paper by ejecting and ejecting ink droplets from ejection ports. This inkjet recording method is a non-impact recording method, and has features such as low noise, direct recording on plain paper, and easy recording of color images by using multi-color ink. Recently, it is spreading rapidly. In particular, a recording method is known in which thermal energy is applied to ink in accordance with a recording signal, the ink is foamed, and ink is ejected and ejected from an ejection port by the acting force at this time. This recording system has the advantage that high-density multi-nozzles can be easily obtained, and a high-resolution and high-speed one can be easily obtained.

  In an ink jet recording head used for this recording method, generally, a large number of ejection openings for ejecting ink are provided, and for each ejection opening, an ink flow path provided in communication with the ejection opening, and each ink flow Common liquid chambers for supplying ink stably to the path are provided. The common liquid chamber communicates with an ink supply port opened on the front surface side of the ink jet recording head substrate, and generally employs a method of supplying ink from the back surface side of the ink jet recording head substrate. The ink supply port is formed in a rectangular shape having a long groove shape on the main surface of the inkjet recording head substrate. On the inkjet recording head substrate, the ink supply ports are arranged in a line along the long side direction of the ink supply port at positions facing the side edges in the long side direction of the ink supply port with the ink supply port interposed therebetween. An electrothermal conversion element (heater) array which is a recording element array is configured. This ink jet recording head ejects ink supplied from an ink supply port through an ink flow path from an ejection port using thermal energy generated by applying a voltage to the electrothermal conversion element via a driver. To record.

  Such an ink jet recording head is configured, for example, by joining an orifice plate having an ink flow path, a common liquid chamber, a discharge port, and the like to an ink jet recording head substrate. An inkjet recording head substrate includes an electrothermal conversion element that generates thermal energy for ejecting ink, a driver for driving the electrothermal conversion element, a logic circuit that controls the driver, and an inkjet recording head And a pad portion for electrical connection with the ink jet recording apparatus. The electrothermal conversion elements are formed in a number corresponding to the number of discharge ports, and accordingly, the number of drivers is also formed corresponding to the number of discharge ports. Such an ink jet recording head substrate is monolithically formed of a silicon semiconductor substrate based on a manufacturing technique using a semiconductor device.

  In these inkjet recording head substrates and inkjet recording heads, in order to obtain high-quality images in recent years, the ejection ink droplets have been reduced. On the other hand, an increase in recording speed is also required, but the same amount of ink is required to simply form the same image. In the case where only the droplets of the ejected ink are reduced, for example, if the number of ejected ink droplets is halved, it is clear that the recording speed is halved.

  Therefore, in order to prevent a decrease in recording speed, it is necessary to at least double the number of electrothermal conversion elements in order to drive the same amount of ink.

  As a conventional recording head, an electrothermal conversion element group, which is a heater group, is arranged along a pair of long sides facing a common ink supply port with the ink supply port interposed therebetween. Thus, by adopting a configuration such as doubling the arrangement density of the ejection port array with respect to the density of the array of one line per color, it is possible to suppress a decrease in the recording speed due to the smaller size of the ejected ink droplets (See Patent Document 1).

In the class with the highest arrangement density at present, the density of the ejection port array is 1200 dpi per color and 2 pl is the mainstream, but in order to correspond to the trend of higher image quality in the world, the same recording is performed with the ejection ink droplets being 1 pl or less. In order to maintain the speed, a configuration such as increasing the number of discharge port arrays per color (the number of common supplies) is also conceivable. However, in the case of this configuration, the ink supply port is enlarged, leading to an increase in the size of the recording head, causing problems in terms of manufacturing cost and size. Accordingly, in order to maintain the recording speed by reducing the number of ejected ink droplets to 1 pl or less in order to cope with further higher image quality, the arrangement density of the ejection port array is increased from the current level, for example, twice as long as 1200 dpi so far. Of 2400 dpi or more.
JP 2002-79672 A

  A recording element substrate used in a conventional ink jet recording head will be described.

  FIG. 23 is a diagram showing a conventional recording element substrate, in which (a) shows a plan view of the arrangement state of the electrothermal transducer array, and (b) shows recording in the main scanning direction on the recording apparatus. The ink dots that are sometimes recorded are schematically shown. FIG. 24 is an enlarged plan view showing the main part of the electrothermal transducer element array in the conventional recording head. FIG. 25 is a DD cross-sectional view showing the recording element substrate in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 23A, the conventional inkjet recording head includes a recording element substrate H2100 for black ink and a recording element substrate H2101 for color ink. As shown in FIG. 23A, FIG. 24, and FIG. 25, these conventional recording element substrates are formed by joining a Si substrate H2110 and an orifice plate H2111, and penetrate through the Si substrate H2110 in the thickness direction. An ink supply port H2102 provided, a common liquid chamber H2112 communicated with the ink supply port H2102, an ink flow path H2114 communicated with the common liquid chamber H2112 and each electrothermal conversion element H2103 side, and in the Y direction And an electrothermal conversion element array arranged to be inclined.

  As shown in FIG. 23A and FIG. 24, in the conventional recording element substrate, the electrothermal conversion element arrays are arranged on an extension line parallel to the arrow Y direction orthogonal to the arrow X direction which is the main scanning direction. (Hereinafter referred to as an extension line arrangement.) A pair of electrothermal conversion element arrays are arranged opposite to each other with the ink supply port H2102 interposed therebetween.

  As described above, it is required to increase the arrangement density of the discharge port array from the current level, for example, to be equivalent to 2400 dpi or more, which is doubled if it is 1200 dpi so far. However, corresponding to the ink supply port H2102 having a long groove shape, the electrothermal conversion elements H2103 are arranged in a line along the long side direction of the ink supply port H2102, and the pitch of the electrothermal conversion elements H2103 is set to the conventional electric heat When the number of the electrothermal conversion elements H2103 is simply doubled with the same pitch as the conversion elements, the size of the Si substrate H2110 on which the electrothermal conversion elements H2103 are formed becomes twice or more. End up. That is, there is a problem in that the size of the ink jet recording head that is moved at a relatively high speed in the recording apparatus is increased, resulting in manufacturing problems, and the recording apparatus is increased in size, and vibration and noise are increased.

  Therefore, a configuration in which the electrothermal conversion elements H2103 are arranged in a line along the long side direction of the long groove-like ink supply port H2102 and only the pitch of the electrothermal conversion elements H2103 is increased is also conceivable. However, in this configuration, an area of the peripheral wall for configuring the discharge port H2107, or securing the power supply wiring area for supplying the voltage for driving the electrothermal conversion element area or the electrothermal conversion element H2103 to the Si substrate H2110 is provided. It may be difficult to ensure, and there may be a problem that the layout of these regions does not fit on the ink jet recording head substrate.

The present invention, without decreasing the recording speed, without causing or board and size of the liquid ejecting head, a liquid discharge head so as to achieve a small liquid droplets of discharged ink, the liquid It is an object of the present invention to provide a recording apparatus using an ejection head.

To achieve the above object, the liquid discharge heads according to the present invention comprises a electrothermal transducer for generating thermal energy for discharging liquid, electrical heat on the surface from the back surface provided through in the thickness direction each conversion element side and a liquid supply port for supplying liquid to a plurality of electrothermal conversion element group is configured board plurality of electrothermal conversion elements are arranged, a plurality of electrothermal transducers And a plurality of liquid flow paths partitioned by walls for supplying the liquid from the liquid supply port to the discharge port, and a recording material. in the liquid discharge head is scanned in the scanning direction for a plurality of liquid introduction communicating a common liquid chamber communicated with the liquid supply port Te side edges of the liquid supply port, and a common liquid chamber and a plurality of liquid flow paths Part. The liquid introduction part is communicated with each of the plurality of liquid flow paths . Also, the arrangement direction of each of the electrothermal converting element in the electro-thermal conversion element group is inclined at a first inclination angle of 60 DEG from 30 DEG relative to a direction perpendicular to the scanning direction, an electrothermal The liquid flow direction of each liquid flow path corresponding to the conversion element group is inclined at a second inclination angle within a range of 30 ° to 60 ° with respect to the scanning direction .

According to the present invention as described above, without causing the board and size of the liquid ejecting head, and without lowering the recording speed, it is possible to achieve a small liquid droplets of discharged ink. Therefore, according to the present invention, a high recording density can be achieved without reducing the recording speed.

  Hereinafter, specific embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  1 to 3 are perspective views for explaining a recording head cartridge, an inkjet recording head, and an ink tank.

  The ink jet recording head of the present embodiment (hereinafter simply referred to as a recording head) is one component constituting the recording head cartridge. That is, as shown in FIG. 1, the recording head cartridge H1000 includes a recording head H1001, and an ink tank H1900 that is detachably attached to the recording head H1001 and supplies ink to the recording head H1001. Has been. The recording head H1001 records characters, images, and the like on the recording material by ejecting the ink supplied from the ink tank H1900 from the ejection port according to the recording information.

  The recording head cartridge H1000 is detachable from a carriage provided on the recording apparatus side. The recording head cartridge H1000 is electrically connected via a connection terminal portion provided on the carriage, and is fixed and supported at a predetermined position by a positioning portion provided on the carriage. The ink tank H1900 has tank portions for black ink, cyan ink, magenta ink, and yellow ink, respectively. The ink tank H1900 is configured such that each tank portion is detachable with respect to the recording head H1001, and each tank portion can be independently replaced. With this configuration, the running cost of the recording operation by the recording apparatus is reduced.

  The recording head H1001 is a bubble jet type recording head that performs recording using a heater as an electrothermal transducer that generates thermal energy for causing ink to cause film boiling in response to an electrical signal.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the recording head H1001 has a recording element unit H1002 for recording characters, images and the like on a recording material such as recording paper, and supplies ink to the recording element unit H1002. Ink supply unit H1003, and a tank holder H2000 for detachably holding an ink tank H1900 for supplying ink to the ink supply unit H1003.

  Hereinafter, the recording element unit H1002, the ink supply unit H1003, and the tank holder H2000 will be described in detail for the recording head H1001.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the recording unit H1001 includes a first recording element substrate H1100, a second recording element substrate H1101, a first plate H1200, an electric wiring tape H1300, an electric contact substrate H2200, and a second plate H1400. Have.

  The ink supply unit H1003 includes an ink supply member H1500, a flow path forming member H1600, a joint seal member H2300, a filter H1700, and a seal rubber H1800.

[1-1] Recording Element Unit FIG. 3 is a perspective view with a part cut away for explaining the configuration of the first recording element substrate H1100. The first recording element substrate H1100 is a recording element substrate for discharging black (BK) ink, and is formed on one surface of a Si substrate H1110 (inkjet recording head substrate H1110) having a thickness of about 0.5 to 1 mm. A plurality of electrothermal conversion elements H1103 for ejecting ink and an electric wiring such as Al for supplying electric power to each electrothermal conversion element H1103 are formed and provided. In the first recording element substrate H1100, a plurality of ink flow paths (not shown) corresponding to the electrothermal conversion elements H1103 and a plurality of ejection openings H1107 are formed by photolithography processing, and each ink A common liquid chamber H1112 for supplying ink is formed in the flow path so as to communicate with the side edge in the long side direction of the ink supply port H1102. The first recording element substrate H1100 is bonded and fixed to the first plate H1200.

  Further, a second plate H1400 having an opening is bonded and fixed to the first plate H1200, and the electric wiring tape H1300 is attached to the first recording element substrate H1100 via the second plate H1400. It is hold | maintained so that it may be electrically connected with respect to. The electrical wiring tape H1300 applies an electrical signal for ejecting ink to the first recording element substrate H1100. The electrical wiring portion corresponding to the first recording element substrate H1100 and the electrical wiring portion And an external signal input terminal H1301 for receiving an electrical signal from a control unit (not shown) of the recording apparatus. The external signal input terminal H1301 is positioned and fixed on the back side of the ink supply member H1500.

  The common liquid chamber H1112 communicated with the ink supply port H1102 is formed by a processing method such as anisotropic etching using the crystal orientation of Si or sandblasting. In other words, when the Si substrate H1110 has a crystal orientation of <100> in the wafer surface direction and <111> in the thickness direction, the anisotropic etching process using an alkaline system (KOH, TMAH, hydrazine, etc.) causes 54 Obtained by performing the etching process at an angle of about 7 degrees. Thus, by performing an etching process to a desired depth, a common liquid chamber H1112 that communicates with the long groove-shaped ink supply port H1102 that forms a through-hole is formed.

  In addition, electrothermal conversion elements H1103 are arranged on both sides of the first recording element substrate H1100 with the ink supply port H1102 interposed therebetween. An electrothermal conversion element H1103 and an electric wiring such as Al for supplying electric power to the electrothermal conversion element H1103 are formed by film formation. Further, electrodes H1104 for supplying electric power to the electric wiring are arranged on both outer sides of the electrothermal conversion element H1103. A bump H1105 such as Au is formed on the electrode H1104 by a thermal ultrasonic pressure bonding method. On the Si substrate H1110, an ink flow path wall H1106 and a discharge port H1107 constituting an ink flow path corresponding to each electrothermal conversion element H1103 are formed by a photolithography process using a resin material, and a discharge port group H1108. Is formed. Since the ejection port H1107 is provided at a position facing the electrothermal conversion element H1103, the ink supplied from the ink supply port H1102 into the ink flow path is discharged by bubbles generated by the heat generation action of the electrothermal conversion element H1103. It is discharged from the outlet H1107.

  The second recording element substrate H1101 is an element substrate for ejecting color (CL) ink. The basic configuration is the same as that of the first recording element substrate H1101, and cyan and magenta. And yellow ink supply ports H1102.

  Here, regarding the second recording element substrate H1101 which is the main part of the present invention, the arrangement of the electrothermal conversion element arrays which are recording elements will be described in detail.

  FIG. 4A shows the positional relationship between the first recording element substrate for black (BK) ink and the second recording element substrate for color (CL) ink, and the arrangement on the second recording element substrate. It is a top view which shows the inclination state of the electrothermal conversion element row | line | column made. FIG. 4B schematically illustrates ink dots recorded when recording is performed in the main scanning direction on the recording apparatus.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, a part of the electrothermal transducer elements H1103 row on the second recording element substrate H1101 is orthogonal to the arrow X direction which is the main scanning direction. Since the tilt angle θ is inclined at 45 ° with respect to the direction of the arrow Y, a recording density at which recording can be performed at a resolution of 2400 dpi (dots per inch) is achieved. Compared with the conventional configuration shown in FIG. 23 and FIG. 24, in this embodiment, the arrangement density of the electrothermal conversion element H1103 and the ink flow path is increased without significantly increasing the size of the second recording element substrate H1101. The actual recording density when scanning in the main scanning direction can be increased while keeping it relatively low.

  As shown in FIG. 24, in the conventional configuration, it was about 1200 dpi at most. In order to achieve 2400 dpi while maintaining the configuration on the extended line with respect to this configuration, it has been required to reduce the width of the ink flow path and the width of the partition wall to about an average half. In this embodiment, the electrothermal conversion element array is inclined at an inclination angle θ with respect to the Y direction, so that the electrothermal conversion element array on one side is about 850 dpi, as shown in FIG. The electrothermal conversion element array can be equivalent to 1200 dpi (that is, 2400 dpi for the electrothermal conversion element arrays on both sides).

  FIG. 5 shows the relationship between the inclination angle θ of the electrothermal conversion element array with respect to the Y direction (inclination angle θ = 0 ° corresponds to the arrangement on the conventional extension line) and the arrangement density (dpi) of the electrothermal conversion elements. Show. FIG. 6 shows the relationship between the inclination angle θ of the electrothermal conversion element array with respect to the Y direction and the arrangement pitch (μm) of the electrothermal conversion elements. 5 and 6, the recording densities (resolutions) are 600 dpi, 1200 dpi, and 2400 dpi, respectively.

  As shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, in the case of the configuration of the conventional extended line arrangement (no inclination), the inclination angle is 21.2 μm pitch (1200 dpi) in the electrothermal transducer array on one side. In the case where θ is inclined at 45 °, the arrangement density is reduced to about 30 μm, and 2400 dpi is possible. In this embodiment, 2400 dpi has been described as an example. However, as illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6, the electrothermal conversion element array is in the Y direction (the ink flow direction of the ink flow path is the X direction). Since the effect of reducing the arrangement density can be obtained by providing the inclined angle θ within the range of 30 ° to 60 °, the production capability of the ink flow path is within the range of the inclined angle θ. The electrothermal conversion element array, the ink flow path arrangement angle, and the arrangement density may be appropriately selected according to the product specifications.

  When the inclination angle θ of the electrothermal conversion element array with respect to the Y direction exceeds 60 °, the electrothermal conversion element array extends in the main scanning direction (horizontal direction). As a result, the Si substrate H1110 (recording head substrate) increases in size, leading to an increase in size of the recording head. In addition, when the inclination angle θ of the electrothermal conversion element array with respect to the Y direction is less than 30 °, it is not preferable because the recording density cannot be sufficiently increased.

  Next, regarding the recording element substrate of the present embodiment, the configuration of the flow path from the ink supply port H1102 to each electrothermal conversion element H1103 and the inclined arrangement of the electrothermal conversion element array will be described with reference to FIGS. To do.

  As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the recording element substrate of the present embodiment is configured by bonding a Si substrate H1110 and an orifice plate H1111, and has a long groove shape penetrating in the thickness direction of the Si substrate H1110. Ink supply port H1102, a common liquid chamber H1112 communicated with the ink supply port H1102, an ink introduction part H1113 communicated with the common liquid chamber H1112, and an ink flow communicated with each electrothermal transducer H1103 side. A path H1114 and an electrothermal transducer element array arranged with an inclination angle θ with respect to the Y direction are provided.

  In the Si substrate H1100 of the recording element substrate, a surface abutting on the orifice plate H1111 which is a discharge port constituting member is formed as a flat surface, and a plurality of electrothermal conversion element arrays inclined with respect to the Y direction. Is provided.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the orifice plate H1111 bonded to the Si substrate H1100 has a common liquid chamber H1112 that is opposed to the ink supply port H1102 and is recessed along the opening edge of the ink supply port H1102. The orifice plate H1111 has a plurality of ink introduction portions H1113 that are communicated with the common liquid chamber H1112 and extended in the Y direction. Each ink introducing portion H1113 has a substantially triangular shape in a plane parallel to the main surface of the Si substrate H1100, and one end of each of the plurality of ink flow paths H1114 is communicated along one side of the triangle. A plurality of ink flow paths H1114 having one end communicating with each ink introduction portion H1113 is extended to the electrothermal conversion element H1103 side at the other end, and an ejection port H1107 provided to face each electrothermal conversion element H1103. It is communicated to.

  In order to compare the configuration of the present embodiment with the conventional configuration, first, the configuration of the conventional recording element substrate will be briefly described. As shown in FIG. 23A and FIG. 24, in the conventional recording element substrate, the electrothermal transducer element array is arranged on an extension line parallel to the Y direction orthogonal to the main scanning direction (hereinafter, on the extension line). A pair of electrothermal conversion element rows are arranged opposite to each other with an ink supply port interposed therebetween. As shown in FIG. 24, in the conventional recording element substrate, the electrothermal conversion element array on one side is arranged with a resolution of 600 dpi, and the electrothermal conversion element array on both sides has a resolution of 1200 dpi. It has also been commercialized.

  In order to achieve a resolution of 2400 dpi by further increasing the recording density with respect to the configuration of the electrothermal conversion element array in the conventional recording element substrate described above, the electrothermal conversion element array employed in the recording element substrate of this embodiment is used. The configuration will be described below.

  FIG. 7 shows an electrothermal conversion on one side with respect to the Y direction for both the conventional arrangement on the extension line and the inclination arrangement in which the arrangement on the extension line is simply inclined by 45 ° with respect to the Y direction. A plan view of an arrangement in which element rows are arranged at a 1200 dpi pitch is shown. In the conventional arrangement on the extension line, as shown in FIG. 7, the electrothermal conversion element array on one side is arranged at 1200 dpi, but both the width of the partition wall and the width of the ink flow path are narrowed. In consideration of accuracy, a decrease in yield is inevitable. Here, by inclining the electrothermal conversion element with respect to the Y direction at an inclination angle θ of 45 °, the electrothermal conversion element can be arranged at about 850 dpi as described above, and the manufacturing margin is set to 1200 dpi on one side of the electrothermal conversion element array. It can be secured quite large. However, if the state is kept as it is, the entire electrothermal conversion element array, ink flow path, ink supply port, etc. will be inclined at an inclination angle of 45 °, and this is difficult to achieve unless the entire recording head is inclined. In this case, there arises a problem that the entire recording head becomes large.

  FIG. 8 is a plan view showing the recording element substrate of the present embodiment. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in the arrangement of the electrothermal transducer elements shown in FIG. 8 for the recording element substrate of the present embodiment.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8, a configuration is adopted in which it is divided into several electrothermal conversion element groups and inclined in units of a predetermined plurality of electrothermal conversion elements and ink flow paths. Specifically, the plurality of electrothermal conversion element arrays / ink flow paths are inclined with respect to the Y direction within a range of an inclination angle θ of 30 ° to 60 °, and the inclined electrothermal conversion element arrays The ink flow direction of the ink flow path group is orthogonal to the arrangement direction, and the plurality of electrothermal conversion element arrays are intermittently arranged. Therefore, the ink flow path group communicated with the electrothermal conversion element array is disposed at an inclination angle θ with respect to the X direction in which the ink flow direction is the main scanning direction.

  As shown in FIG. 8, in the recording element substrate of this embodiment, the shape of the ink supply port H1102 is the same as the conventional shape, and is formed on the side edge in the long side direction of the ink supply port H1102 by patterning the nozzle forming material. A common liquid chamber H1112 that is communicated is formed. At this time, by inclining the flow direction of each ink flow path H1114 according to the inclination angle θ of each electrothermal conversion element array, the ink in each ink flow path H1114 is centered on the main surface of each electrothermal conversion element H1103. The distances to the introduction part H1113 side, that is, the upstream end part are equalized, the manufacturing margin of the width of the partition wall of the ink flow path is increased, and the variation in ejection performance due to each electrothermal conversion element H1103 is caused. Can be suppressed.

  Here, the configuration of the present embodiment will be described in comparison with the conventional configuration. 24 and 25 show an electrothermal conversion element array having 1200 dpi of electrothermal conversion elements on both sides as the above-described conventional recording element substrate.

  FIG. 10 is a plan view showing another recording element substrate in which the configuration of another ink introducing portion is changed. FIGS. 11A and 11B are a BB cross-sectional view and a CC cross-sectional view showing the recording element substrate in FIG. Since the other recording element substrates have the same configuration as the recording element substrate described above except for the ink introduction part and the common liquid chamber, the same members are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.

  In the recording element substrate of the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, compared to the configuration shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, a part of the common liquid chamber H <b> 1112 and one of the ink introduction portions H <b> 1113 described above. The portion is formed so as to penetrate in the thickness direction, so that the opening size of the ink supply port H1102 is apparently expanded, and each electrothermal conversion element H1103 by the common liquid chamber H1122 and the ink introduction portion H1123 is configured. Ink supply is further facilitated. In other words, the recording element substrate has a configuration in which the opening shape of the ink supply port H1102 is changed by forming a part of the common liquid chamber H1122 and the ink introduction portion H1123 in the thickness direction.

  The configuration of the recording element substrate described above is applied to the second recording element substrate. Of course, the above-described configuration may be similarly applied to the first recording element substrate as needed.

  Further, in the case of applying the configuration in which the electrothermal conversion element array is inclined to the first and second recording element substrates, the inclination angle of the electrothermal conversion element array in the second recording element substrate for color ink is set. The inclination angle of the electrothermal conversion element array in the first recording element substrate for black ink is set to be larger. With this configuration, the size of the black ink droplets is large because printing speed is important, and the arrangement density (resolution) may be low, whereas the color ink droplet size is important because of image quality. Therefore, the effect is obtained when the resolution needs to be increased in order to maintain the same print density at the same print speed.

  Hereinafter, the configuration of another embodiment capable of achieving high density of the arrangement of the electrothermal conversion elements without increasing the size of the recording element substrate and the Si substrate will be described with reference to the drawings. In addition, in other embodiment, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected and demonstrated to the same member as the above-mentioned embodiment for convenience.

  FIG. 12 is a plan view schematically showing an ink supply port and an electrothermal conversion element array provided on a Si substrate which is a recording head substrate provided in a recording element substrate of another embodiment. As shown in FIG. 12, on the surface of the Si substrate H1110 of this embodiment, it corresponds to a common liquid chamber H1112, an ink introduction part H1113, an ink flow path H1114, and an ejection port that are recessed on the orifice plate H1111 side. As described above, a part of the common liquid chamber H1112, the ink introduction part H1113, the ink flow path H1114, and the peripheral wall part H1115 provided around the electrothermal conversion element H1103 are recessed.

  The recording element substrate of the present embodiment has a concave ink introduction portion that communicates with a common liquid chamber H1112 of the ink supply port H1102 as viewed from the surface side of the Si substrate H1110, in the ink supply port H1102 having a long groove shape as in the conventional case. By forming H1113, the ink introduction part H1113 acts as a sub supply port of the ink supply port H1110, and the flow path from the ink introduction part H1113 to the electrothermal conversion element H1103 through the ink flow path H1114 is routed. With the configuration, it is possible to achieve high density of the electrothermal conversion element arrangement.

  FIGS. 13 to 15 show specific arrangement examples of the electrothermal transducer elements provided in the recording element substrate of the present embodiment.

  First, as shown in FIG. 13A, the Si substrate H1110 has a plurality of rectangular ink introduction portions H1113 at the edge of the long-sided ink supply port H1102, and the ink supply port H1102 has a rectangular shape. It protrudes in parallel with the short side direction and is recessed, and the ink flow path H1114 is configured to be extended from each ink introducing portion H1113 to the electrothermal conversion element H1103 side. Each ink flow path H1114 is formed such that the distance between the upstream end communicating with the ink introduction part H1113 and the center of the main surface of the electrothermal conversion element H1103 is equal.

  Therefore, this Si substrate H1110 has a plurality of electrothermal conversion element arrays whose arrangement direction is inclined with respect to the X direction orthogonal to the Y direction which is the long side direction of the ink supply port H1102. In addition, a peripheral wall portion H1115 constituting a foaming chamber for discharging ink supplied from the ink supply port H1102 side is provided around each electrothermal conversion element H1103. Although not shown, the common liquid chamber H1112, each ink introducing portion H1113, and each ink flow path H1114 are formed continuously, and the depths in the thickness direction of the Si substrate H1110 are equal.

  In the case of this configuration, depending on the arrangement density of the electrothermal conversion elements H1103 and the layout of the electrothermal conversion elements H1103, as shown in FIG. The electrothermal conversion element H1103 may be arranged so that ink is supplied through the ink flow path H1114. Similarly, the ink flow path H1114 arranged between the common liquid chamber H1112 and the electric conversion element H1103 side similarly has an upstream end communicating with the common liquid chamber H1112 and the center of the electrothermal conversion element H1103. The distance between them is equal to that of the other ink flow paths H1114.

  As shown in FIG. 13B, the Si substrate H1110 has a plurality of ink introduction portions H1113 that form steps on the surface of the Si substrate H1110 at the edge of the long groove-shaped ink supply port H1102. Are protruded in parallel with the short side direction of the ink supply port H1102 and are recessed.

  As shown in FIG. 13B, this Si substrate H1110 includes a step-like ink introduction part H1113, so that the electrothermal conversion elements H1103 are arranged at an equal pitch with respect to the long side direction of the ink supply port H1102. In addition to the configuration, the ink flow path H1114 is formed at an even higher density and the distance from the upstream side to the center of the main surface of the electrothermal conversion element H1103 is made equal to stabilize the ink ejection characteristics. be able to.

  Next, as shown in FIGS. 14A and 14B, the Si substrate H1110 is formed with a plurality of ink introducing portions H1113 that form a step shape on the surface of the Si substrate H1110, and each of the ink flow paths H1114 has a plurality of steps. The configuration in which the distance from the upstream end to the center of the main surface of the electrothermal transducer H1103 is the same is the same as the configuration shown in FIG. 13B, but the Si substrate H1110 of this embodiment. The ink flow path H1114, the electrothermal conversion element H1103, and the ejection port H1107 are arranged only at one side edge in the longitudinal direction of each ink introduction portion H1113. That is, each ink introduction part H1113 is formed in a straight line whose other side edge part is parallel to the short side direction of the ink supply port H1102.

  As shown in FIG. 14A, the Si substrate H1110 is provided with an electrothermal conversion element group along one side edge of the ink introduction part H1113, and on one side edge of each ink introduction part H1113. The electrothermal conversion element rows inclined with respect to the X direction are arranged.

  As shown in FIG. 14B, the Si substrate H1110 has an electrothermal conversion element group arranged along one side edge of the ink introduction part H1113, and the ink flow direction of each ink flow path H1114 is as follows. It is formed in parallel with the Y direction which is the short side direction of the ink supply port H1110.

  As shown in FIGS. 13A and 13B, in the case where the electrothermal conversion elements H1103 are respectively disposed on both side edges parallel to the longitudinal direction of the ink introduction part H1123 and face each other, A shock wave is generated at the time of refilling, and the durability of the electrothermal conversion element H1103 is reduced by the shock wave. In the worst case, the connection wiring (not shown) of the electrothermal conversion element H1103 may be disconnected. Therefore, in the recording element substrate of the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 14A and 14B, the electrothermal conversion elements H1103 are arranged only on one side edge portion in the longitudinal direction of each ink introducing portion H1113. By doing so, an effect of mitigating shock waves generated during ink ejection and refilling can be obtained, and durability of the electrothermal conversion element H1103 can be ensured, which is preferable. As other configurations, the configuration similar to the configuration illustrated in FIG. 14B may be configured such that the ink flow paths H1114 are aligned in parallel with the X direction.

  As shown in FIGS. 15A and 15B, the Si substrate H1110 has an Si groove H1110 at the edge in the long side direction of the long groove-shaped ink supply port H1102 as compared with the configuration shown in FIGS. A different point is that a plurality of ink introducing portions H1113 having a triangular shape on the surface of the substrate H1110 are protruded and recessed in parallel with the short side direction of the ink supply port H1102.

  Further, the ink flow path H1114 is configured to be extended from each ink introduction portion H1113 to the electrothermal conversion element H1103 side. Each of the ink flow paths H1114 is communicated with a corner portion of the peripheral wall H1115 constituting the foaming chamber, as compared with the embodiment shown in FIGS. 8 and 9.

  According to such a configuration, similarly to the configurations shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, the arrangement of the electrothermal conversion elements H <b> 1103 is increased in density, and the high density arrangement of the electrothermal conversion elements H <b> 1103 and the discharge ports is achieved. Is possible.

  As described above, various configurations are conceivable. A plurality of ink introduction portions H1113 are formed at the edge in the long side direction of the ink supply port H1110. In any configuration, a plurality of ink introduction portions H1113 are provided in each of the ink introduction portions H1113. By disposing the electrothermal conversion element H1103, it is possible to achieve high density of the electrothermal conversion element array. In addition, since the distance from the end of the ink supply port H1110 (including the end of the ink introduction part H1113) to the center of the main surface of the electrothermal transducer H1103 is substantially equal, Stabilization of ejection for each electrothermal transducer H1103 can also be achieved at the same time.

  Next, a recording element substrate of still another embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. FIGS. 16-18 is a figure which shows the specific example of arrangement | positioning of the electrothermal conversion element group which concerns on further another embodiment.

  As shown in FIGS. 16 to 18, the recording element substrate of the present embodiment has the same configuration of the ink supply port, the common liquid chamber, and the ink introduction unit as the respective configurations shown in FIGS. 13 to 15. Compared to the configurations shown in FIGS. 13 to 15, the electrothermal transducers H1103a to H1103d having different heat generation area sizes (heater sizes) as the main surface are orthogonal to the flow direction toward the foaming chamber. A plurality of types of ink flow paths H1114a to H1114d having different widths are provided.

  In this recording element substrate, the opening area of the discharge port corresponding to each of the electrothermal conversion elements H1103a to H1103d, the size of each foaming chamber, and the width of the ink flow path H1114 are also different, and the long side of the ink supply port H1110 The electrothermal conversion element H1103, the ejection port, the width of the ink flow path H1114, the foaming chamber, and the like are arranged so as to increase sequentially as the distance from the side edge in the direction increases. Although not shown, the orifice plate H1111 is formed with discharge ports having different opening areas corresponding to the electrothermal transducers H1103a to H1103d. In other words, the recording element substrate of the present embodiment is configured to discharge (multi-drop) ink droplets having different sizes from each other.

  By configuring in this way, it is possible to achieve both high-density arrangement of electrothermal conversion elements and multi-drop by arranging multiple types of electrothermal conversion elements with different sizes, further improving image quality It is possible to increase the recording speed.

  Further, a recording element substrate according to another embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. FIGS. 19-21 is a figure which shows the specific example of arrangement | positioning of the electrothermal conversion element group which concerns on further another embodiment.

  As shown in FIGS. 19 to 21, the recording element substrate of the present embodiment has a configuration in which electrothermal transducer elements having the same main surface size are arranged at high density, as in the first embodiment. . As in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the recording element substrate of the present embodiment is formed such that the common liquid chamber H1122 and the ink introduction portion H1123 penetrate to the back side with respect to the thickness direction of the Si substrate H1110. It is formed continuously to the ink supply port H1102.

  Such a common liquid chamber H1122 and the ink introduction part H1123 are also etched with the common liquid chamber H1122 and the ink introduction part H1123 simultaneously with the ink supply opening H1102 when the ink supply opening H1102 is formed. Like H1102, it is formed to penetrate.

  As described above with reference to FIGS. 4-1 and FIGS. 5 to 11, the other embodiments described with reference to FIGS. It is desirable to dispose at an inclination angle θ because a manufacturing margin can be secured.

  In each of the embodiments described above, the arrangement of the discharge ports is substantially symmetric with respect to an axis parallel to the Y direction. However, with respect to the arrangement of the electrothermal conversion elements described in FIGS. 4A and 1B and FIGS. 5 to 11 with an inclination angle θ of 30 ° to 60 ° with respect to the Y direction, such a configuration, and A configuration in which a plurality of ink introducing portions are provided between the ink supply port and the ink flow path is not essential, and for example, an arrangement as shown in FIGS. 4-2 (a) and (b) may be employed. In this arrangement, as shown in FIG. 4A, the plurality of recording elements and ink flow paths are inclined at an inclination angle θ with respect to a direction (Y direction) perpendicular to the scanning direction of the recording head. In addition, the inclination angle θ is in the range of 30 ° to 60 °, and the inclined recording element group and the ink flow path group are intermittently arranged in the direction (Y direction) perpendicular to the scanning direction of the recording head. Has been.

  Although not shown in the drawings, the configuration of another embodiment is multidrop by changing the width of each electrothermal conversion element H1103 and ink flow path H1114 as in the embodiment shown in FIGS. In addition to the configuration that realizes the high-density arrangement of the electrothermal conversion elements H1103, the configuration including the common liquid chamber H1122 and the ink introduction portion H1123 that are penetrated in the thickness direction as in the case of the ink supply port H1110 is combined. Of course, it may be.

Next, the first plate H1200 included in the recording head is made of, for example, an alumina (Al ₂ O ₃ ) material having a thickness of about 0.5 to 10 mm. The material of the first plate H1200 is not limited to alumina, and has a linear expansion coefficient equivalent to the linear expansion coefficient of the material forming the first recording element substrate H1100 and the first recording element H1200. It may be formed of a material having a thermal conductivity equal to or higher than the thermal conductivity of the material forming the element substrate H1100. Examples of the material of the first plate H1200 include silicon (Si), aluminum nitride (AlN), zirconia, silicon nitride (Si ₃ N ₄ ), silicon carbide (SiC), molybdenum (Mo), and tungsten (W). Any of them may be used.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the first plate H1200 has an ink supply port H1201a for supplying black ink to the first recording element substrate H1100, and cyan, magenta, and yellow for the second recording element substrate H1101. Ink supply ports H1201b for supplying the color ink are formed. In the first plate H1200, the ink supply port H1102 of the first recording element substrate H1100 is positioned with respect to the ink supply port H1201a, and the ink supply port of the second recording element substrate H1101 with respect to the ink supply port H1201b. H1102 is positioned and fixed by adhesion. The first adhesive used for bonding is desirably a low viscosity, low curing temperature, cured in a short time, has a relatively high hardness after curing, and has ink resistance. Such a first adhesive is, for example, a thermosetting adhesive mainly composed of an epoxy resin, and the thickness of the first adhesive layer is desirably 50 μm or less.

  The electrical wiring tape H1300 is for applying an electrical signal for ejecting ink to the first recording element substrate H1100 and the second recording element substrate H1101. The electrical wiring tape H1300 includes two openings for incorporating the first and second recording element substrates H1100 and H1101, and electrodes corresponding to the electrodes H1104 of the first and second recording element substrates H1100 and H1101. Electrically connected to an electrical contact substrate H2200 having terminals (not shown) and an external signal input terminal H1301 provided at an end of the electrical wiring tape H1300 for receiving an electrical signal from the recording apparatus side It has an electrode terminal part. The electrode terminal portion and the electrode lead (not shown) are connected by a continuous wiring pattern of copper foil. The electrical wiring tape H1300 is made of, for example, a flexible wiring board in which the wiring has a two-layer structure and the surface layer is covered with a resist film. In the case of this flexible wiring board, a reinforcing plate (not shown) is bonded to the back surface side (outer surface side) of the external signal input terminal H1301 to improve the flatness. As the reinforcing plate, for example, a material having heat resistance such as glass epoxy or aluminum of about 0.5 to 2 mm is used.

  The electrical wiring tape H1300, the first recording element substrate H1100, and the second recording element substrate H1101 are electrically connected to each other. As a connection method, for example, the bump H1105 on the electrode H1104 of the recording element substrate and the electrode lead of the electric wiring tape H1300 are electrically joined by a thermosonic bonding method.

The second plate H1400 is, for example, a single plate-like member having a thickness of about 0.5 to 1 mm, and is formed of a ceramic material such as alumina (Al ₂ O ₃ ) or a metal material such as Al or SUS. ing. The material of the second plate H1400 is not limited to these, and has a linear expansion coefficient equivalent to that of each of the first and second recording element substrates H1100, H1101, and the first plate H1200. Moreover, a material having a thermal conductivity equal to or higher than these thermal conductivities may be used.

  The second plate H1400 is provided with openings that are larger than the outer dimensions of the first recording element substrate H1100 and the second recording element substrate H1101 that are bonded and fixed to the first plate H1200. ing. Further, the first recording element substrate H1100 and the second recording element substrate H1101 and the electric wiring tape H1300 are bonded to the first plate H1200 with a second adhesive layer so that they can be electrically connected in a plane. The back surface of the electrical wiring tape H1300 is bonded and fixed by the third adhesive layer.

  The electrical connection portions of the first recording element substrate H1100 and the second recording element substrate H1101 and the electric wiring tape H1300 are respectively sealed with first and second sealing agents (not shown). Each connection is protected from ink corrosion and external impact. The first sealant mainly seals the back side of the connection portion between the electrode terminal of the electric wiring tape H1300 and the bump H1105 of the recording element substrates H1100 and H1101 and the outer peripheral portion of the recording element substrates H1100 and H1101. The second sealant seals the surface side of the connection portion.

  Furthermore, an electrical contact substrate H2200 having an external signal input terminal H1301 for receiving an electrical signal from the recording apparatus side at the end of the electrical wiring tape H1300 is thermocompression-bonded and electrically connected using an anisotropic conductive film or the like. Has been.

  The electric wiring tape H1300 is bonded to the second plate H1400, and at the same time is bent along one side of the first plate H1200 and the second plate H1400. Are adhered by an adhesive layer (not shown). The second adhesive preferably has a relatively low viscosity, can form a relatively thin second adhesive layer H1203 on the contact surface, and has ink resistance. The third adhesive layer is, for example, a thermosetting adhesive layer having an epoxy resin as a main component and a thickness of 100 μm or less.

[1-2] Ink Supply Unit The ink supply member H1500 is formed by resin molding, for example. As this resin material, it is desirable to use a resin material mixed with about 5 to 40% of glass filler in order to improve the shape rigidity.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the ink supply member H1500 that detachably holds the ink tank H1900 is a component of the ink supply unit H1003 for guiding ink from the ink tank H1900 to the recording element unit H1002. The flow path forming member H1600 is ultrasonically welded to form an ink supply path H1501 from the ink tank H1900 to the first plate H1200. Further, a filter H1700 for preventing dust from entering from the outside is joined to the joint portion engaged with the ink tank H1900 by welding, and further, ink is prevented from evaporating from the joint portion. The seal rubber H1800 is incorporated.

  The ink supply unit H1003 includes a mounting guide H1601 for guiding the recording head cartridge H1000 to the mounting position of the carriage on the recording apparatus side, and an engaging portion for mounting and fixing the recording head cartridge H1000 on the carriage by a head set lever. An abutting portion H1509 in the X direction (carriage scanning direction) that is the main scanning direction for positioning at a predetermined mounting position of the carriage, an abutting portion H1510 in the Y direction (recording material conveyance direction), and Z And an abutting portion H1511 in the direction (ink discharge direction). The ink supply unit H1003 has a terminal fixing portion H1512 that positions and fixes the electrical contact substrate H2200 of the recording element unit H1002. A plurality of ribs are provided around the terminal fixing portion H1512 and its periphery to enhance the rigidity of the surface having the terminal fixing portion H1512.

[1-3] Coupling of Recording Element Unit and Ink Supply Unit As shown in FIG. 2 described above, the recording head H1001 connects the recording element unit H1002 to the ink supply unit H1003 and further to the tank holder H2000. To complete. The coupling is performed as follows.

  Ink does not leak through the ink supply port of the recording element unit H1002 (ink supply port H1201 of the first plate H1200) and the ink supply port of the ink supply unit H1003 (ink supply hole H1602 of the flow path forming member H1600). In order to make the connection, each member is fixed with a screw H2400 so as to be pressure-bonded via a joint seal member H2300. At this time, the recording element unit H1002 is positioned and fixed with high accuracy with respect to the reference positions of the ink supply unit H1003 in the X direction, the Y direction, and the Z direction.

  The electrical contact substrate H2200 of the recording element unit H1002 is positioned and fixed to one side surface of the ink supply member H1500 by terminal positioning pins (2 locations) and terminal positioning holes (2 locations). As a fixing method, for example, fixing is performed by caulking a terminal positioning pin provided in the ink supply member H1500, but the fixing may be performed using other fixing means.

  Further, the recording head H1001 is completed by fitting and coupling the coupling hole and coupling portion of the ink supply member H1500 with the tank holder to the tank holder H2000. That is, from the tank holder portion composed of the ink supply member H1500, the flow path forming member H1600, the filter H1700, and the seal rubber H1800, the recording element substrates H1100 and H1101, the first plate H1200, the wiring substrate H1300, and the second plate H1400. The recording head H1001 is configured by joining the configured recording element unit by bonding or the like.

[2] Recording Head Cartridge As described above, each color ink is stored in each tank portion of the ink tank H1900. Each tank portion of the ink tank H1900 is formed with an ink supply port (not shown) for supplying ink in the tank portion to the recording head H1001. When the ink tank H1900 is mounted on the recording head H1001, the ink supply port is pressed against a filter H1700 provided in the joint portion on the recording head H1001 side, and the ink in each tank portion is transferred from the ink supply port to the recording head H1001. The ink is supplied to the first recording element substrate H1100 via the ink supply path H1501 and the first plate H1200.

  The ink supplied to the first recording element substrate H1100 is supplied to the foam chamber having the electrothermal conversion element H1103 and the discharge port H1107 disposed at the end of each ink flow path, and is supplied from the electrothermal conversion element H1103. The ink is ejected as ink droplets toward a recording material such as recording paper by the heat energy.

[3] Inkjet recording apparatus A recording apparatus capable of mounting the cartridge type recording head H1001 as described above will be described. FIG. 22 is a plan view showing an example of a recording apparatus in which the recording head of this embodiment described above can be mounted.

  As shown in FIG. 22, in the recording apparatus, the recording head cartridge H1000 shown in FIG. The carriage 102 is provided with an electrical connection unit for transmitting a drive signal or the like to each ejection unit via an external signal input terminal on the recording head cartridge H1000.

  The carriage 102 is guided and supported so as to reciprocate in the X direction along the axial direction of a guide shaft 103 that extends in the main scanning direction and is installed inside the recording apparatus. The carriage 102 is driven by the main scanning motor 104 via a driving mechanism such as a motor pulley 105, a driven pulley 106, and a timing belt 107, and its position and movement are controlled. The carriage 102 is also provided with a home position sensor 130 so that the position of the carriage 102 can be detected when the home position sensor 130 on the carriage 102 passes through the position of the shielding plate 136. Yes.

  The recording material 108 such as recording paper or plastic thin plate is separated and fed one by one in the Y direction from the auto sheet feeder (ASF) 132 by rotating the paper feed roller 131 via a gear by a paper feed motor 135. The Further, when the transport roller 109 is driven to rotate, the recording material 108 is transported through a recording position facing the ejection port surface of the recording head cartridge H1000. A driving force is transmitted to the transport roller 109 through a gear when an LF (line feed) motor 134 is driven to rotate. At this time, the determination as to whether or not the recording material 108 has been fed and the determination of the front end position of the recording material 108 at the time of feeding are performed when the recording material 108 passes through the paper end sensor 133. Further, the paper end sensor 133 is used to finally determine the current recording position from the actual rear end of the recording material 108 at which position the rear end is actually located.

  Note that the back surface of the recording material 108 is supported by a platen (not shown) so as to form a flat recording surface at the recording position. In this case, the recording head cartridge H1000 mounted on the carriage 102 is held so that the discharge port surfaces thereof protrude downward from the carriage 102 and are parallel to the recording material 108 between the pair of conveying rollers 109. Yes.

  The recording head cartridge H1000 is disposed on the carriage 102 so that the arrangement direction of the ejection port arrays on each recording element substrate intersects the direction orthogonal to the scanning direction of the carriage 102 with a predetermined inclination angle θ. It is mounted and recording is performed by ejecting ink from these ejection port arrays.

  The recording apparatus also includes a signal supply unit for supplying a drive signal and other signals for driving the electrothermal transducer to the recording head cartridge H1000, and a power supply unit.

  According to the recording apparatus of the present embodiment, the actual recording density in the Y direction, which is the direction orthogonal to the main scanning direction, is 2400 dpi as shown in FIG. 4B. be able to.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a recording cartridge of the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a configuration of a recording head according to the present embodiment. FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of the first recording element substrate according to the present embodiment with a part cut away. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing that the recording density in the main scanning direction is 2400 dpi due to the inclined arrangement of the color recording elements of the present embodiment. It is a schematic diagram showing that the recording density in the main scanning direction becomes 2400 dpi by another inclined arrangement of the color recording element. It is a figure which shows the relationship between the inclination angle of a recording element, and the arrangement density (dpi) of a recording element and an ink flow path regarding the recording density of the main scanning direction. It is a figure which shows the relationship between the inclination angle of a recording element, and the arrangement pitch (micrometer) of a recording element and an ink flow path about the recording density of the main scanning direction. It is a top view for demonstrating the difference in the arrangement | positioning space | interval with the presence or absence of the inclination of an electrothermal conversion element row | line | column when recording density is 2400 dpi. It is a top view which shows the electrothermal conversion element row | line | column of the recording element board | substrate of embodiment. It is AA sectional drawing which shows the recording element board | substrate of embodiment in FIG. It is a top view which shows the common liquid chamber and ink introducing | transducing part which a part penetrated with respect to the thickness direction similarly to an ink supply port. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line B-B and the line CC of FIG. It is a top view which shows the recording element board | substrate of other embodiment. It is a top view which shows an example of an ink introduction part. It is a top view which shows an example of an ink introduction part. It is a top view which shows an example of an ink introduction part. It is a top view which shows the ink introduction part of the recording element board | substrate of other embodiment. It is a top view which shows an example of an ink introduction part. It is a top view which shows an example of an ink introduction part. It is a top view which shows the ink introduction part of the recording element board | substrate of other embodiment. It is a top view which shows an example of an ink introduction part. It is a top view which shows an example of an ink introduction part. It is a top view which shows an example of a recording device. It is a schematic diagram for explaining the arrangement and recording density of a conventional color recording element substrate and a black recording element substrate. FIG. 10 is a plan view showing a recording element array of a conventional recording element substrate. FIG. 25 is a DD sectional view showing a recording element array of the conventional recording element substrate in FIG. 24.

Explanation of symbols

H1100 First recording element substrate H1101 Second recording element substrate H1102 Ink supply port H1103 Electrothermal conversion element (recording element)
H1107 Discharge port H1110 Si substrate H1111 Orifice plate (Discharge port component)
H1112 Common liquid chamber H1113 Ink introduction part H1114 Ink flow path

Claims (7)

An electrothermal conversion element that generates thermal energy for discharging the liquid, and a liquid supply port that is provided through the thickness direction to supply the liquid from the back surface to the electrothermal conversion element side on the surface, a base plate configured multiple electrothermal conversion element group are a plurality of said electrothermal converting element is arranged,
A discharge port forming comprising: a plurality of discharge ports corresponding to each of the plurality of electrothermal conversion elements; and a plurality of liquid flow paths partitioned by walls for supplying liquid from the liquid supply port to the discharge ports Members,
And a liquid discharge head that is scanned in the scanning direction with respect to the recording material.
A common liquid chamber which is communicated hand communication with the liquid supply port to the side edge of the liquid supply port, and a plurality of liquid inlet portion communicating with a plurality of the liquid flow path and said common liquid chamber is formed,
The liquid introduction part is communicated with each of the plurality of liquid flow paths ,
The arrangement direction of each of the electrothermal converting element before Symbol electrothermal conversion element group is inclined at a first inclination angle of 60 DEG from 30 DEG relative to a direction perpendicular to the scanning direction, the electric The liquid flow direction of each of the liquid flow paths corresponding to the heat conversion element group is inclined at a second inclination angle within a range of 30 ° to 60 ° with respect to the scanning direction. liquid discharge heads. The liquid introduction portion, liquid discharge heads according to claim 1, which is recessed on the surface. Wherein the liquid inlet portion and the common liquid chamber, the liquid discharge heads according to claim 1 or 2, at least a portion is formed to penetrate in the thickness direction. The electrothermal converting element, to one or to each plurality claims 1 are regularly arranged each with respect to the long side direction and short side direction of the rectangular front Kimoto plate any one of 3 liquid discharge heads described. The electrothermal transducer element group, each side of the short side of the rectangle of the liquid supply port, the liquid discharge heads according to claim 1, which is arranged in a plurality of rows. The electrothermal transducer element group, the liquid discharge heads according to any one of claims 1 to 5 having a plurality of types of electro-thermal converting elements having different sizes. A recording apparatus that performs recording by discharging a liquid onto a recording material by the liquid discharge head according to claim 1 .

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