JP6555368B2 - Liquid ejecting head and liquid ejecting apparatus - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a liquid ejecting head and a liquid ejecting apparatus that eject liquid from nozzle openings, and more particularly, to an ink jet recording head that ejects ink as liquid.

  As an ink jet recording head that is a typical example of a liquid ejecting head that ejects liquid droplets, for example, a flow path forming substrate in which a number of pressure generating chambers are formed along the longitudinal direction, and one surface side of the flow path forming substrate are provided. There is a piezoelectric actuator provided corresponding to each of the pressure generating chambers, and an ink droplet is ejected from each nozzle opening by applying pressure to the pressure generating chamber by displacement of each piezoelectric actuator. Here, each nozzle opening is provided corresponding to each pressure generation chamber and penetrating in the thickness direction (see, for example, Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2). The nozzle plate is attached to the other surface side of the flow path forming substrate so as to close the opening on the other surface side of the pressure generating chamber. That is, the nozzle plate is directly attached to the other surface side of the flow path forming substrate.

JP 2009-233870 A

  However, the nozzle plate is a relatively expensive member and contributes to a rise in the cost of the ink jet recording head. Some nozzle plates are coated with an insulating water-repellent film. In this case, however, the cost increases more remarkably.

  In addition, the flow path forming substrate is formed by forming a plurality of flow path forming substrate wafers at a time on a flow path forming substrate wafer, which is a silicon single crystal substrate, and then cutting each of them. For this reason, in order to reduce the cost of the ink jet recording head, it is important to increase the number of flow path forming substrates. Therefore, it is desired to reduce the size of the flow path forming substrate as much as possible.

  However, in the ink jet recording head according to the related art as described above, there is a limit to miniaturization because a liquid storage part for storing ink to be supplied to each pressure generating chamber is also provided in the flow path forming substrate. There is a problem that it becomes an impediment to cost reduction.

  Such a problem exists not only in an ink jet recording head that ejects ink but also in a liquid ejecting head that ejects liquid other than ink.

  In view of such circumstances, the present invention aims to reduce the overall cost by reducing the size of the nozzle plate and the member having the pressure generating chamber, or by rationalizing the manufacturing process. An object of the present invention is to provide a liquid ejecting head capable of performing the above and a liquid ejecting apparatus having the same.

An application example of the present invention that solves the above problems is as follows.
[Application Example 1]
A nozzle plate provided with a nozzle opening for injecting liquid; a pressure generating chamber communicating with the nozzle opening; pressure generating means for causing a pressure change in the liquid in the pressure generating chamber; and a manifold communicating with the pressure generating chamber A first case member having a rectangular frame and a wall portion formed so as to surround an outer peripheral portion of the frame, the manifold being disposed therein, and the liquid flow path provided. A second case member, and the nozzle plate side with respect to the pressure generating means is one side of the jetting direction in which the liquid is jetted from the nozzle opening, and the pressure generating means side with respect to the nozzle plate is In the case of the other side, the nozzle plate is on the one side of the frame, the second case member is on the other side of the frame, and In plan view from the direction of injection, it is surrounded on the wall portion, the nozzle plate, liquid-jet head, characterized in that than the frame body small in the lateral direction of the nozzle plate.
Application Example 2 Nozzle plate provided with a nozzle opening for ejecting liquid, a pressure generation chamber communicating with the nozzle opening, pressure generation means for causing a pressure change in the liquid in the pressure generation chamber, and the pressure generation A manifold that communicates with the chamber; a first case member; and a second case member provided with the liquid flow path, wherein the pressure generation is performed in an ejection direction in which the liquid is ejected from the nozzle opening. The nozzle plate side with respect to the means is the one surface side, the pressure generating means side with respect to the nozzle plate is the other surface side, the direction in which the pressure generating means form a row is the first direction, the injection direction and the first direction When the direction orthogonal to the second direction is the second direction, the nozzle plate is on the one surface side of the first case member, and the first case member is the second direction. The one side of the case member, the second case member and the manifold are surrounded by the first case member in the first direction and the second direction, and the nozzle plate A liquid ejecting head, wherein the liquid ejecting head is smaller in the second direction than the first case member.
[Application Example 3]
A nozzle plate provided with a nozzle opening for injecting liquid; a pressure generating chamber communicating with the nozzle opening; pressure generating means for causing a pressure change in the liquid in the pressure generating chamber; and a manifold communicating with the pressure generating chamber A first case member, and a second case member provided with the liquid flow path, and the nozzle plate for the pressure generating means in an ejection direction in which the liquid is ejected from the nozzle opening. The pressure generating means side with respect to the nozzle plate is the other surface side, the direction in which the pressure generating means form a row is the first direction, and the injection direction and the direction orthogonal to the first direction are In the case of the second direction, the first case member is a frame body in a plan view from the injection direction, and is arranged on the one surface side and the other surface side. The frame has an L-shaped cross section in a plane orthogonal to the first direction, and the opening on the other side is larger than the opening on the one side. The nozzle plate is on the one side of the first case member, the second case member is fitted into the opening on the other side of the first case member, and the manifold is The liquid ejecting head, wherein the liquid ejecting head is surrounded by the first case member in the first direction and the second direction, and the nozzle plate is smaller in the second direction than the first case member. .
[Application Example 4]
The liquid ejecting head according to any one of Application Examples 1 to 3, wherein the pressure generation unit is a piezoelectric actuator.
[Application Example 5]
The pressure generating means in the first direction and the second direction when the direction in which the pressure generating means form a row is the first direction and the injection direction and the direction orthogonal to the first direction are the second direction. 5. The liquid jet head according to any one of Application Examples 1 to 4, wherein the substrate surrounding the first case member is smaller in the second direction than the opening on the one surface side of the first case member.
[Application Example 6]
The liquid ejecting head according to any one of Application Examples 1 to 5, wherein the second case member includes a wiring board electrically connected to the pressure generating unit.
[Application Example 7]
A liquid ejecting apparatus including the liquid ejecting head according to any one of Application Example 1 to Application Example 6.
In these application examples, the second case member can be laminated and assembled to the first case member so as to be fitted, so that the manufacturing process is rationalized together with the ease of positioning, and the overall cost is increased. Can be reduced.
According to another aspect of the present invention for solving the above problems, a nozzle plate provided with a nozzle opening for injecting a liquid, a flow path forming substrate provided with a pressure generating chamber communicating with the nozzle opening, and the nozzle A communication plate provided between the plate and the flow path forming substrate and provided with a communication path for communicating the pressure generating chamber and the nozzle opening; and a side of the flow path forming substrate with respect to the pressure generating chamber A liquid storage part that is provided on the end face side and stores the liquid to be supplied to the pressure generation chamber; and a first case member in which the flow path forming substrate and the liquid storage part are disposed. The first case member is in the liquid ejecting head, which is fixed to the communication plate.
In this aspect, since the surface of the liquid storage portion on the nozzle plate side is defined by the communication plate, the nozzle plate can be formed narrow. As a result, the area of the nozzle plate 20 can be reduced, and the cost of the nozzle plate 20 can be reduced. In particular, when a water repellent film having water repellency is provided on the surface of the nozzle plate, the area of the expensive water repellent film can be reduced, so that a significant cost reduction effect is obtained. In addition, it is possible to contribute to cost reduction by simply reducing the area of a relatively expensive metal plate or ceramic plate that is a material of the nozzle plate.
Further, in this aspect, since the liquid storage portion is formed between the inner peripheral surface of the frame and the end surface of the actuator unit, the actuator unit can be reduced in size, which also reduces the cost. Can contribute. In other words, when a plurality of flow path forming substrates and the like are integrally formed on a large substrate such as a silicon wafer, the flow path forming substrate and the like are reduced in size, thereby increasing the number of acquisitions. Cost can be reduced.
Since the whole can be assembled by laminating the parts including the first and second case members, the manufacturing process can be rationalized in combination with the ease of positioning.

  Furthermore, in this aspect, a second case member having a sealing film for sealing the liquid storage portion is provided, and the second case member includes the first case member and the second case member. It is preferable to be sandwiched between the case member. In this case, since the sealing film is fixed by sandwiching the sealing film between the case main body of the second case member and the frame of the first case member, the sealing film and the frame body It is possible to ensure good sealing performance between the two. Moreover, since the whole can be assembled by laminating the parts including the first and second case members, the manufacturing process can be rationalized in combination with the ease of positioning.

  Further, in this aspect, it is desirable that the pressure generating means is covered with a protective member, and the protective member has a notch portion facing the liquid storage portion and facing the sealing film. According to this, the pressure generating means can be protected, and the area of the flexible portion can be expanded to the region corresponding to the notch portion, so that this portion can have a large compliance.

Furthermore, in this aspect, it is desirable that the communication plate has a larger area than the flow path forming substrate. According to this, it is possible to reduce the size of the actuator unit, and it is possible to contribute to cost reduction in this respect. In other words, when a plurality of flow path forming substrates and the like are integrally formed on a large substrate such as a silicon wafer, the flow path forming substrate and the like are reduced in size, thereby increasing the number of acquisitions. Cost can be reduced.
Furthermore, it is desirable that the nozzle plate has a smaller area than the communication plate. According to this, since the surface on the nozzle plate side of the liquid storage part is defined by the communication plate, the nozzle plate can be formed narrowly. As a result, the area of the nozzle plate 20 can be reduced, and the cost of the nozzle plate 20 can be reduced. In particular, when a water repellent film having water repellency is provided on the surface of the nozzle plate, the area of the expensive water repellent film can be reduced, so that a significant cost reduction effect is obtained. In addition, it is possible to contribute to cost reduction by simply reducing the area of a relatively expensive metal plate or ceramic plate that is a material of the nozzle plate.

According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a liquid ejecting apparatus including the liquid ejecting head according to the above aspect.
In this aspect, a liquid ejecting apparatus with improved liquid ejecting quality can be realized.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a recording head according to an embodiment. FIG. 3 is a plan view of the recording head according to the embodiment. FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 2 and a cross-sectional view showing an enlarged part thereof. 1 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a recording apparatus according to an embodiment.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail based on embodiments.
FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of an ink jet recording head showing an example of a liquid jet head according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a plan view thereof, and FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. It is an expanded sectional view which extracts and shows a portion.

  As shown in the figure, the flow path forming substrate 10 is made of a silicon single crystal substrate having a plane orientation (110) in this embodiment, and an elastic film 50 made of silicon dioxide is formed on one surface thereof. The flow path forming substrate 10 is formed with two rows in which a plurality of pressure generating chambers 12 are arranged substantially on a straight line. In the two rows in which the pressure generation chambers 12 are arranged in a substantially straight line, the row of the pressure generation chambers 12 is arranged in the direction of arrangement of the other pressure generation chambers 12 with respect to the row of the pressure generation chambers 12. It is arranged at a position shifted by half of the adjacent interval. As a result, the nozzle openings 21 to be described in detail later are similarly arranged so that two rows of the nozzle openings 21 are shifted by a half interval to double the resolution.

  In addition, an ink supply path 14 is provided on one end of the flow path forming substrate 10 in the longitudinal direction of the pressure generation chamber 12, and the ink supply path 14 extends from the manifold 100 that is a liquid storage section common to the plurality of pressure generation chambers 12. Ink is supplied to the pressure generating chamber 12 through the ink supply path 14. The ink supply path 14 is formed with a narrower width than the pressure generation chamber 12, and maintains a constant flow path resistance of ink flowing from the manifold 100 into the pressure generation chamber 12. Incidentally, in the present embodiment, a plurality of individual flow paths communicating with the manifold 100 that is a common flow path are configured by the pressure generation chamber 12 and the ink supply path 14.

  Further, a communication plate 15 is provided on the opening surface side (the side opposite to the elastic film 50) of the flow path forming substrate 10 via an adhesive, a heat welding film, or the like. The communication plate 15 is provided with a communication passage 16 penetrating in the thickness direction communicating with each pressure generating chamber 12. The communication passage 16 is provided in communication with an end portion on the opposite side of the end portion communicating with the ink supply path 14 in the longitudinal direction of the pressure generation chamber 12. The communication path 16 is provided independently for each pressure generating chamber 12. For this reason, the communication path 16 is also arranged in parallel on the substantially straight line like the row | line | column which the pressure generation chamber 12 comprises. The pressure generation chamber 12 communicates with a nozzle opening 21 described later in detail through such a communication passage 16.

  A nozzle plate 20 is provided on the side of the communication plate 15 opposite to the flow path forming substrate 10 via an adhesive, a heat welding film, or the like. The nozzle plate 20 is provided with nozzle openings 21 that communicate with the pressure generation chambers 12 through the communication passages 16. The nozzle plate 20 is made of a metal such as stainless steel, glass ceramics, a silicon single crystal substrate, or the like.

  Such a nozzle plate 20 is smaller than the communication plate 15 in this embodiment. The nozzle plate 20 has a size that covers in common the openings on the nozzle plate 20 side of at least two rows of communication paths 16. Thus, the cost can be reduced by making the area in plan view from the discharge direction of the nozzle plate 20 smaller than the area in plan view from the discharge direction of the communication plate 15. Incidentally, although not shown, a water repellent film having water repellency (liquid repellency) is provided on the liquid ejecting surface of the nozzle plate 20 (the surface opposite to the communication plate 15). Such a water-repellent film is expensive, and the cost of the nozzle plate 20 increases depending on the area where the water-repellent film is formed. In the present embodiment, by reducing the area of the nozzle plate 20, the area for forming the water repellent film can be reduced and the cost of the nozzle plate 20 can be reduced. Of course, the cost can be reduced by simply reducing the area of the metal plate or ceramic plate that is the material of the nozzle plate 20.

  On the other hand, the elastic film 50 is formed on the side opposite to the opening surface of the flow path forming substrate 10 as described above, and an insulator film 55 made of, for example, zirconium oxide is formed on the elastic film 50. Is formed. Furthermore, on the insulator film 55, the first electrode 60, the piezoelectric layer 70, and the second electrode 80 are sequentially stacked by film formation and lithography to constitute the piezoelectric actuator 300. Here, the piezoelectric actuator 300 refers to a portion including the first electrode 60, the piezoelectric layer 70, and the second electrode 80. In general, one electrode of the piezoelectric actuator 300 is used as a common electrode, and the other electrode and the piezoelectric layer 70 are patterned for each pressure generating chamber 12. In the present embodiment, the first electrode 60 is a common electrode of the piezoelectric actuator 300, and the second electrode 80 is an individual electrode of the piezoelectric actuator 300. However, there is no problem even if this is reversed for the convenience of the drive circuit and wiring. In the above-described example, the elastic film 50, the insulator film 55, and the first electrode 60 function as a diaphragm. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the elastic film 50 and the insulator film 55 are provided. Instead, only the first electrode 60 may act as a diaphragm. Further, the piezoelectric actuator 300 itself may substantially serve as a diaphragm.

  A lead electrode 90 made of, for example, gold (Au) or the like is connected to the second electrode 80 that is an individual electrode of each piezoelectric actuator 300. The lead electrode 90 is connected to a wiring board 121 such as a COF which is a flexible wiring provided with a driving circuit 120 such as a driving IC. A signal from the driving circuit 120 passes through the wiring board 121 and the lead electrode 90. And supplied to each piezoelectric actuator 300.

  In the present embodiment, the flow path forming substrate 10 and the piezoelectric actuator 300 described above constitute the actuator unit 200.

  On the surface of the flow path forming substrate 10 on the piezoelectric actuator 300 side, a protective substrate 30 having a holding portion 31 capable of securing a space that does not hinder its movement in a region facing the piezoelectric actuator 300 is bonded to adhesive or heat-sealed. It is joined via a film or the like. In the protection substrate 30 in this embodiment, a notch 30A that faces the manifold 100 and faces the sealing film 41B is formed (the function of the notch 30A will be described in detail later).

  Moreover, since the piezoelectric actuator 300 is formed in the holding part 31, it is protected in a state that is hardly affected by the external environment. In the present embodiment, two rows in which the piezoelectric actuators 300 are juxtaposed in the width direction are provided corresponding to two rows in which the pressure generating chambers 12 are juxtaposed in the width direction. In addition to being provided in common across the 300 rows arranged in the width direction, the holding portion 31 was provided independently for each row of the piezoelectric actuators 300.

  The protective substrate 30 is provided with a through hole 32 provided between the two holding portions 31 so as to penetrate the protective substrate 30 in the thickness direction. The end portion of the lead electrode 90 drawn out from the piezoelectric actuator 300 of the flow path forming substrate 10 is extended so as to be exposed in the through hole 32, and the lead electrode 90 and the wiring substrate 121 are in the through hole 32. Electrically connected.

  In this embodiment, such a protective substrate 30 is formed with substantially the same size (area on the bonding surface side) as the flow path forming substrate 10. Examples of the material of the protective substrate 30 include glass, ceramic material, metal, resin, and the like, but it is more preferable that the protective substrate 30 is formed of substantially the same material as the thermal expansion coefficient of the flow path forming substrate 10. In this embodiment, the silicon single crystal substrate made of the same material as the flow path forming substrate 10 is used.

  The first case member 40 in the present embodiment has a rectangular frame body 40A and a wall surface portion 40B formed so as to surround the outer peripheral portion of the frame body 40A. That is, the first case member 40 is a box-shaped frame having an L-shaped cross section. Here, the surface of the communication plate 15 on the flow path forming substrate 10 side is fixed to the opening on one side of the frame body 40A. The frame body 40A is formed so that the height thereof is substantially the same as the height of the actuator unit 200, and the actuator unit 200 is disposed therein. That is, the flow path forming substrate 10 of the actuator unit 200 is fixed to the communication plate 15 at the center of the internal space of the frame body 40A. Thus, the manifold 100 for storing ink to be supplied to the pressure generating chamber 12 is defined on both sides of the actuator unit 200 between the inner peripheral surface of the frame body 40A and the end surface of the actuator unit 200. Yes. Further, the communication plate 15 has a larger area than the flow path forming substrate 10 (joint surface with the flow path forming substrate 10), and the first case member 40 in a plan view from the droplet discharge direction. It has almost the same outer edge shape.

  The second case member 41 includes a case main body 41A and a sealing film 41B made of a flexible member, and the case main body 41A is formed in an internal space formed by the wall surface portion 40B of the first case member 40. Is laminated on the first case member 40 by being fitted together with the sealing film 41B. That is, the sealing film 41B is sandwiched between the surface of the frame 40A of the first case member 40 on the second case member 41 side and the case main body 41A so that the surface on the manifold 100 side faces the manifold 100. Yes. Here, the area | region which opposes the manifold 100 and notch part 30A of case main body 41A is the space part 46 which has a concave shape. In this region, the manifold 100 is sealed by the sealing film 41B, and the sealing film 41B has a structure that can be bent and deformed. As a result, a part of the manifold 100 on the second case member 41 side (the side opposite to the communication plate 15) is a flexible deformable portion 47 that is sealed only by the sealing film 41B. Thus, in this embodiment, since the flexible part 47 can be made into a wide area including the area | region corresponding to the notch part 30A, large compliance can be ensured. Here, the sealing film 41B is made of a material having low rigidity and flexibility, such as polyphenylene sulfide (PPS).

  The second case member 41 is formed with two introduction passages 42 that are through-flow passages respectively extending from the outside to the manifolds 100 on both sides, and ink is supplied to the manifold 100 through the introduction passages 42. The

  Further, the second case member 41 is provided with a connection port 48 that penetrates in the thickness direction and communicates with the through hole 32 of the protective substrate 30. The wiring board 121 inserted through the connection port 48 is inserted through the through hole 32 of the protective substrate 30 and connected to the lead electrode 90. The wiring board 121 is connected to an external wiring via a connector (not shown) of the connection board, and a predetermined print signal is supplied to each lead electrode from the external wiring.

  In particular, as clearly shown in FIG. 1, the nozzle plate 20, the communication plate 15, the first case member 40, the sealing film 45, and the second case member 41 are provided with positioning holes 91 at both ends in the longitudinal direction. 92, 93, 94, and 95 are provided, and when assembling each part, the positioning holes 91 to 95 are inserted into the positioning pins to perform assembly while performing positioning.

  In the present embodiment, as described above, the flow path forming substrate 10 and the protective substrate 30 can be reduced in size by forming the manifold 100 using the first case member 40. Here, for example, when the manifold is provided on the flow path forming substrate or the protective substrate, the flow path forming substrate and the protective substrate define the peripheral wall of the manifold, and the flow path forming substrate and the protective substrate are in the longitudinal direction of the pressure generating chamber. It gets bigger in the direction. In contrast, in this embodiment, the end surfaces of the flow path forming substrate 10 and the protective substrate 30 define one surface of the manifold 100 (longitudinal direction of the pressure generation chamber 12), and the other surface of the manifold 100 is the first surface. Since the inner peripheral surface of the frame body 40A of the case member 40 is defined, the flow path forming substrate 10 and the protective substrate 30 can be reduced in size. Thus, when the plurality of flow path forming substrates 10 and the protective substrate 30 are integrally formed on a large substrate such as a silicon wafer, the flow path forming substrate 10 and the protective substrate 30 are reduced in size. The number of steps from the substrate can be increased, and the cost can be reduced. By integrally forming a plurality of flow path forming substrates 10 and protective substrates 30 on a large substrate such as a silicon wafer, it becomes possible to form a plurality of flow path forming substrates 10 and protective substrates 30 simultaneously. Cost can be reduced.

  Further, in the present embodiment, since the surface of the manifold 100 on the nozzle plate 20 side is defined by the communication plate 15, it is not necessary for the nozzle plate 20 to overlap the manifold 100 in the stacking direction (thickness direction). . Thereby, the area of the nozzle plate 20 can be narrowed, and the cost of the nozzle plate 20 can be reduced.

  In such an ink jet recording head 1, ink supplied from an external ink liquid storage means (not shown) to the introduction path 42 is supplied from the manifold 100 to each pressure generating chamber 12. Then, the piezoelectric actuator 300 corresponding to the pressure generating chamber 12 is driven by the print signal supplied from the drive circuit 120 to bend and deform. As a result, the volume of the pressure generating chamber 12 is changed and ink droplets are ejected from the nozzle openings 21.

(Other embodiments)
As mentioned above, although each embodiment of this invention was described, the basic composition of this invention is not limited to what was mentioned above. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the first case member 40 has a shape in which the frame body 40A and the wall surface portion 40B are integrated so that the cross-sectional shape is L-shaped, and the second case member 41 has the wall surface portion. Although it fits in the internal space which 40B forms, it is not restricted to this. A structure in which the second case member 41 is simply laminated on the first case member 40, which is the frame body 40A, may be basically used. However, by forming as in the above embodiment, the sealing film 41B that becomes the flexible portion of the second case member 41 and faces the manifold 100 is interposed between the case body 41A and the surface of the frame 40A of the first case member 40. Therefore, the sealability of this part can be maintained well.

  Further, although the cutout 30A is provided in the protective substrate 30, this is not always necessary. However, when the cutout portion 30A is provided, it is possible to secure a large area of the flexible portion 47, which is a region that can be bent and deformed, and to have a large compliance in this portion. The flexible portion 47 is formed of the sealing film 45 different from the case main body 41A. However, the second head member itself may be formed of an elastic member, or the portion facing the manifold 100 may be formed of a flexible member. It may be formed. In short, what is necessary is just to be comprised so that the part which faces the manifold 100 can bend and deform | transform.

  In the above embodiment, the silicon single crystal substrate is exemplified as the flow path forming substrate 10, but the present invention is not particularly limited thereto. For example, a material such as an SOI substrate, glass, metal, or the like may be used.

  In the above embodiment, the pressure generating means for generating a pressure change in the pressure generating chamber 12 has been described using the thin film type piezoelectric actuator 300. However, the present invention is not particularly limited to this, for example, attaching a green sheet or the like. A thick film type piezoelectric actuator formed by a method, a longitudinal vibration type piezoelectric actuator in which piezoelectric materials and electrode forming materials are alternately stacked and expanded and contracted in the axial direction can be used. Also, as a pressure generating means, a heating element is arranged in the pressure generating chamber, and droplets are discharged from the nozzle opening by bubbles generated by the heat generated by the heating element, or static electricity is generated between the diaphragm and the electrode. Thus, a so-called electrostatic actuator that discharges liquid droplets from the nozzle openings by deforming the diaphragm by electrostatic force can be used.

  The ink jet recording head according to the above embodiment constitutes a part of a recording head unit including an ink flow path communicating with an ink cartridge or the like, and is mounted on the ink jet recording apparatus. FIG. 4 is a schematic view showing an example of the ink jet recording apparatus. As shown in the figure, the recording head units 1A and 1B having the ink jet recording head according to the above-described embodiment are detachably provided with cartridges 2A and 2B constituting the ink supply means, and the recording head units 1A and 1B. Is mounted on a carriage shaft 5 attached to the apparatus main body 4 so as to be movable in the axial direction. The recording head units 1A and 1B, for example, are configured to eject a black ink composition and a color ink composition, respectively.

  The driving force of the driving motor 6 is transmitted to the carriage 3 via a plurality of gears and timing belt 7 (not shown), so that the carriage 3 on which the recording head units 1A and 1B are mounted is moved along the carriage shaft 5. The On the other hand, the apparatus body 4 is provided with a platen 8 along the carriage shaft 5, and a recording sheet S that is a recording medium such as paper fed by a paper feed roller (not shown) is wound around the platen 8. It is designed to be transported.

  In the above-described example, the recording head units 1A and 1B are mounted on the carriage 3 that moves in the direction intersecting the conveyance direction of the recording sheet S (main scanning direction), and the recording head units 1A and 1B are moved in the main scanning direction. However, the present invention is not limited to this so-called serial type ink jet recording apparatus. Of course, it may be a so-called line-type ink jet recording apparatus in which printing is performed simply by transporting the recording sheet S while the recording head is fixed.

  Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the ink jet recording apparatus has been described as an example of the liquid ejecting apparatus. However, the present invention is widely applied to all liquid ejecting apparatuses having a liquid ejecting head, and a liquid other than ink is used. Of course, the present invention can also be applied to a liquid ejecting apparatus including a liquid ejecting head for ejecting. Other liquid ejecting heads include, for example, various recording heads used in image recording apparatuses such as printers, color material ejecting heads used in the manufacture of color filters such as liquid crystal displays, organic EL displays, and FEDs (field emission displays). Examples thereof include an electrode material ejection head used for electrode formation, a bioorganic matter ejection head used for biochip production, and the like.

  I ink jet recording apparatus (liquid ejecting apparatus), 1, 1A, 1B ink jet recording head (liquid ejecting head), 2 ink jet recording head unit (liquid ejecting head unit), 10 flow path forming substrate, 12 pressure generating chamber, 14 ink supply path, 15 communication plate, 16 communication path, 20 nozzle plate, 21 nozzle opening, 30 protective substrate, 30A cutout portion, 40 first case member, 40A frame body, 40B wall surface portion, 41 second case member , 41B sealing film, 42 introduction path, 60 first electrode, 70 piezoelectric layer, 80 second electrode, 90 lead electrode, 100 manifold, 120 drive circuit, 121 wiring board, 200 actuator unit, 300 piezoelectric actuator

Claims (7)

A nozzle plate provided with nozzle openings for ejecting liquid;
A pressure generating chamber communicating with the nozzle opening;
Pressure generating means for causing a pressure change in the liquid in the pressure generating chamber;
A manifold communicating with the pressure generating chamber;
A first case member having a rectangular frame body and a wall surface portion formed so as to surround an outer peripheral portion of the frame body, and arranging the manifold inside;
A second case member provided with the liquid flow path;
With
Of the jetting directions in which liquid is jetted from the nozzle openings, the nozzle plate side with respect to the pressure generating means is one side, and the pressure generating means side with respect to the nozzle plate is the other side.
The nozzle plate is on the one surface side of the frame,
The second case member is on the other surface side of the frame body, and is surrounded by the wall surface portion in a plan view from the injection direction,
The liquid ejecting head according to claim 1, wherein the nozzle plate is smaller than the frame body in a short direction of the nozzle plate. A nozzle plate provided with nozzle openings for ejecting liquid;
A pressure generating chamber communicating with the nozzle opening;
Pressure generating means for causing a pressure change in the liquid in the pressure generating chamber;
A manifold communicating with the pressure generating chamber;
A first case member;
A second case member provided with the liquid flow path;
With
Of the ejection directions in which liquid is ejected from the nozzle openings, the nozzle plate side with respect to the pressure generating means is one side, the pressure generating means side with respect to the nozzle plate is the other side, and the pressure generating means In the case where the direction forming the row is the first direction and the injection direction and the direction orthogonal to the first direction are the second direction ,
The nozzle plate is on the one surface side of the first case member,
The first case member is on the one surface side of the second case member,
The second case member and the manifold are surrounded by the first case member in the first direction and the second direction ,
The liquid ejecting head according to claim 1, wherein the nozzle plate is smaller in the second direction than the first case member.   A nozzle plate provided with nozzle openings for ejecting liquid;
  A pressure generating chamber communicating with the nozzle opening;
  Pressure generating means for causing a pressure change in the liquid in the pressure generating chamber;
  A manifold communicating with the pressure generating chamber;
  A first case member;
  A second case member provided with the liquid flow path;
  With
  Of the ejection directions in which liquid is ejected from the nozzle openings, the nozzle plate side with respect to the pressure generating means is one side, the pressure generating means side with respect to the nozzle plate is the other side, and the pressure generating means are arranged in a row. When the direction that forms the first direction and the direction orthogonal to the injection direction and the first direction as the second direction,
  The first case member is a frame in a plan view from the injection direction, and has openings on the one surface side and the other surface side, respectively.
  The frame body has an L-shaped cross section in a plane orthogonal to the first direction,
  The opening on the other side is larger than the opening on the one side,
  The nozzle plate is on the one surface side of the first case member,
  The second case member is fitted into the opening on the other surface side of the first case member,
  The manifold is surrounded by the first case member in the first direction and the second direction;
  The liquid ejecting head according to claim 1, wherein the nozzle plate is smaller in the second direction than the first case member. The liquid ejecting head according to claim 1, wherein the pressure generating unit is a piezoelectric actuator. When the direction in which the pressure generating means form a row is the first direction, and the injection direction and the direction orthogonal to the first direction are the second direction,
  The substrate surrounding the pressure generating means in the first direction and the second direction is smaller in the second direction than the opening on the one surface side of the first case member. The liquid ejecting head according to claim 1. Said second case member, the pressure generating means and electrically connected to the wiring liquid jet head according to any one of claims 1 to 5 which the substrate is placed inside. A liquid ejecting apparatus having a liquid jet head according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

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