JPH03101944A - Ink jet cartridge - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To eliminate energy to be used for discharging ink while sealing a discharge port by enabling electric connection of an ink jet cartridge to a printer body only if protective tape is peeled off. CONSTITUTION:A contact part 9a having a contact 9 with an electric contact 6 of an ink jet unit 4 is provided on a carriage 15 on the printer body side, and connected to the body through a flexible cable 16. An ink jet cartridge is so mounted as to insert the part 9a on the carriage 15 from an opening 6a into the interior. In this case, since the same stripelike protective tape 7 for protecting together the discharge port of an ink discharger 4 is mounted at an insertion part, the ink jet cartridge must be mounted after it is peeled off. This protective tape protects the discharge port of the discharger 4 and blocks so that the part 9a having the contact 9 on the printer side is not inserted into the inner space of the jet cartridge.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention [Industrial Application Field] The present invention particularly relates to an inkjet cartridge having a means for keeping a replacement inkjet cartridge main body in good condition when stored or transported for a relatively long period of time. Concerning cartridges.

[Background technology]

Inkjet recording devices that use mechanical energy or inkjet recording devices that use thermal energy have been known for a long time, but among the components included in these devices, the ink ejection section, that is, the recording head section is the most important. This plays a major role in increasing the recording reliability of the device.

However, this ink ejection section has a problem in that ejection stability may deteriorate due to various phenomena described below. The phenomena are as follows: i) Dust may accumulate in the ink ejection ports when an inkjet recording device is shipped from the factory, transported through distribution, and stored before it reaches the user.

ij) Evaporation of ink may cause ink to stick to the ink ejection port.

iii) Ink may leak due to external impact.

iv) The ejection port may be deformed by an external impact, and the direction of ink ejection may become unstable.

This is a phenomenon.

In order to solve these problems, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 61-125
As shown in Japanese Patent Application No. 851, the ejection ports of the ink ejection port portion were protected by an ejection port protective tape formed using vinylidene chloride resin or formed by vapor depositing aluminum on a polyester tape.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, conventionally, there have been cases where the protective tape is attached to the printer main body without being removed, and a print signal is applied.

If you perform ink ejecting operations with protective tape attached, especially in inkjet cartridges that have an ink tank, ink ejecting part, electrical contacts, etc. all in one unit, the inkjet cartridge may be damaged or the print quality may deteriorate. There was a fear that this would result in deterioration.

[Means to solve the problem]

The inkjet cartridge of the present invention capable of solving the above-mentioned problems comprises: an ejection port that ejects ink; an energy generator that generates energy used to eject the ink from the ejection port; The device is characterized by comprising an electrical contact for inputting an electrical signal, and a cover member that covers both the discharge port and the electrical contact.

In the present invention, the ejection port and the electrical contact part or the electrical contact insertion part are covered with the same covering member such as a protective tape, and the electrical connection between the inkjet cartridge and the main body of the apparatus is impossible unless the protective tape is removed. It was made so that it would not come off. This eliminates the need to apply energy that would be used to eject ink while the ejection port is sealed, thereby making it possible to solve the above-mentioned problems.

〔Example〕

2 to 6 show preferred inkjet units IJU, inkjet heads IJH, ink tanks IT, inkjet cartridges IJC, and inkjet recording apparatus main bodies IJRA to which the present invention is implemented or applied.
, carriage HC and their relationship. The structure of each part will be explained below using these drawings.

As can be seen from the perspective view in Fig. 3, the inkjet cartridge IJC in this example has a large ink storage ratio, and the tip of the inkjet unit IJU protrudes slightly from the front surface of the ink tank IT. It has a shape. This inkjet cartridge IJC is fixedly supported by a positioning means and electrical contacts (described later) of a carriage HC (FIG. 5) placed on the inkjet recording apparatus main body IJRA, and is detachable from the carriage HC. It is a disposable type. The configurations shown in FIGS. 2 to 6 of this example are those to which a number of novel techniques developed at the stage of the establishment of the present invention are applied, so while briefly explaining these configurations,
I will explain the whole thing.

(i) Inkjet unit IJU configuration description The inkjet unit IJU is a bubble jet unit that performs recording using an electrothermal converter that generates thermal energy to cause film boiling in ink in response to electrical signals. be.

In Fig. 2, reference numeral 100 denotes electrothermal converters (discharge heaters) arranged in a plurality of rows on the St substrate, and electrical wiring such as six β for supplying electric power to the electrothermal converters (discharge heaters), which are formed by film-forming technology. This is a heater board.

200 is a wiring board for the heater board 100;
Wiring corresponding to the wiring of the heater board 100 (for example, connected by wire bonding) and a pad 201 located at the end of this wiring and receiving electrical signals from the main device.
It has

] 300 is a grooved top plate equipped with partition walls for dividing a plurality of ink channels and a common liquid chamber for storing ink to supply ink to each ink channel, and is supplied from an ink tank IT. An ink receiving port 1500 that receives ink and introduces it into the above-mentioned common liquid chamber, and an orifice plate 400 having a plurality of ejection ports corresponding to each ink flow path are integrally molded. Although polysulfone is preferable as the integrally molded material, other resin materials for molding may also be used.

Reference numeral 300 denotes a support made of metal, for example, which supports the back surface of the wiring board 200 on a flat surface, and serves as a bottom plate of the inkjet unit. Reference numeral 500 denotes a pressing spring, which has an M-shape and presses the common liquid chamber with light pressure at the center of the M-shape, and uses a front sag 501 to concentrate linear pressure on a part of the liquid path, preferably in the area near the discharge port. Press.

The foot of the spring that presses the heater board 100 and the top plate 1300 passes through the hole 3121 of the support body 300 and engages with the back side of the support body 300, thereby engaging the two in a state where they are sandwiched between them. The heater board 100 and the top plate 1300 are crimped and fixed by the concentrated biasing force of the spring 500 and its front sagging portion 501. The support body 300 also has positioning holes 312, 1900, 2000 that engage with the two positioning protrusions 1012 and the positioning and heat-sealing holding protrusions 1800, 1801 of the ink tank IT.
Protrusions 2500 and 2600 for positioning the apparatus main body IJRA with respect to the carriage HC are provided on the back side. In addition, the support 300 also has a hole 320 that allows an ink supply pipe 2200 (described later) to pass therethrough, which allows ink to be supplied from an ink tank. The wiring board 200 is attached to the support body 300 by adhering it with an adhesive or the like.

Note that the recesses 2400 and 2400 of the support body 300 are provided near the positioning protrusions 2500 and 2600, respectively, so that the assembled inkjet cartridge IJ
C (Fig. 3), the three sides around it are parallel grooves 300.
At the extension point of the head tip region formed by a plurality of 0.3001, unnecessary objects such as dust and ink are deposited on protrusions 2500.2.
It is located so that it does not reach 600. This parallel groove 3000 is formed. As seen in FIG. 5, the lid member 800 forms the outer wall of the inkjet cartridge IJC, and together with the ink tank forms a space in which the inkjet unit IJU is accommodated. In addition, the ink supply member 600 in which the parallel groove 300 1 is formed has the ink conduit 1 600 continuous to the ink supply pipe 2200 described above formed as a cantilever beam with the supply pipe 2200 side fixed, and the fixed side of the ink conduit A sealed bottle 60 for ensuring capillary action between the ink supply tube 2200 and the ink supply tube 2200.
2 has been inserted. Note that 601 is a packing that seals the connection between the ink tank IT and the supply pipe 2200;
is a filter installed at the tank side end of the supply pipe.

Since this ink supply member 600 is molded, it is not only inexpensive and has high positional accuracy and eliminates deterioration in shape or manufacturing accuracy, but also has a cantilevered conduit 1600 that can be used for mass production. The state of pressure contact with the above-mentioned ink receptacle 1500 can be stabilized. In this example, a more complete communication state can be reliably obtained by simply pouring the sealing adhesive from the ink supply member side under this pressure-contact state. Note that the ink supply member 600 is fixed to the support body 300 through holes 1901.
The backside bottle of the ink supply member 600 with respect to 1902 (
This can easily be done by projecting a hole (not shown) through the holes 1901 and 1902 of the support member 300 and heat-sealing the protruding portion to the back side of the support member 300. Note that this slightly protruding area of the heat-sealed back surface is the ink tank IT.
Since the inkjet unit IJU is housed in a recess (not shown) in the side wall surface of the mounting surface, the positioning surface of the unit IJtJ can be accurately obtained.

(H) Ink tank IT configuration description After inserting the cartridge body 1000, the ink absorber 900, and the ink absorber 900 from the side of the cartridge body 1000 opposite to the unit IJU mounting surface, insert the ink tank. and a lid member 1100 for sealing.

Reference numeral 900 denotes an absorber for impregnating ink, and is disposed within the cartridge body 1000.

1200 is a unit I consisting of the above parts lOO~600
It is a supply port for supplying ink to the JU, and also connects the unit to part 1 of the cartridge body 1000.
It is also an injection port for ink impregnation in the absorption stage 900 by injecting ink from the supply port 1200 in a step before disposing it in the absorption stage 010.

In this example, the parts that can supply ink are the atmospheric transport port and the supply port, but the rib 2300 inside the main body 1000 is used to ensure good ink supply from the ink absorber.
The air presence area in the tank formed by the partial ribs 2500 and 2400 of the lid member 1100 is connected to the air passage port 1.
Since the ink supply port 1 is formed continuously from the 401 side over the farthest corner area from the ink supply port 1 200, a relatively good and uniform ink supply to the absorber can be achieved from the supply port 1 200 side. It is important that this is done from the start. This method is extremely effective in practice. This rib 1
000 has four ribs parallel to the carriage movement direction on the rear surface of the ink tank main body 1000 to prevent the absorber from coming into close contact with the rear surface. Further, the partial ribs 2400 and 2500 are similarly provided on the inner surface of the lid member 1100 on corresponding extensions to the rib 1000, but unlike the rib 1000, they are in a divided state and prevent air from entering. The existence space is increased compared to the former. Note that the partial ribs 2500 and 2400 are distributed over a surface that is less than half of the total area of the lid member 1000. These ribs connect the tank supply port 120 of the ink absorber.
The ink in the region of the corner farthest from zero could be more stably and reliably guided to the supply port 1200 side by capillary force. Reference numeral 140l denotes an atmosphere ventilation port provided in the lid member to communicate the inside of the cartridge with the atmosphere. Reference numeral 1400 denotes a liquid material placed inside the atmospheric transport port 1401, which prevents ink from leaking from the atmospheric transport port 1400.

The aforementioned ink tank I. The ink storage space of T has a rectangular shape, and the long sides are on the sides, so the arrangement of the ribs described above is particularly effective. In this case, the ink supply from the ink absorber 900 can be stabilized by providing ribs on the entire lid member 1100. A rectangular parallelepiped shape is suitable for storing as much ink as possible within a limited space, but in order to use the stored ink for recording without wasting it, as mentioned above, it is necessary to It is important to provide ribs that can perform the above-mentioned action on two adjacent surface areas. Furthermore, the inner surface ribs of the ink tank IT in this embodiment are arranged in a substantially uniform distribution in the thickness direction of the rectangular parallelepiped-shaped ink absorber. This configuration is important because it can equalize the atmospheric pressure distribution and almost eliminate the remaining amount of ink with respect to the ink consumption of the entire absorber. Further, to explain the technical idea behind the arrangement of the ribs in detail, when an arc is drawn with the long side as the radius and centered on the position where the ink supply port 1200 of the ink tank is projected on the quadrangular top surface of the rectangular parallelepiped,
It is important to arrange the ribs on the surface outside the arc so that the atmospheric pressure can be quickly applied to the absorbent body located outside the arc. In this case, the atmosphere communication port of the tank is not limited to this example, as long as it is located at a position where the atmosphere can be introduced into the area where the ribs are provided.

In addition, in this embodiment, the inkjet cartridge I
The rear surface of the JC head is flattened to minimize the space required when incorporated into the device, and to maximize the amount of ink that can be accommodated, making it possible to downsize the device. It has an excellent structure that not only achieves the desired performance, but also reduces the frequency of cartridge replacement. Then, by utilizing the rear part of the space for integrating the inkjet unit IJU, a protruding part for the air vent 1401 is formed there, and the inside of this protruding part is hollowed out, as described above. An atmospheric pressure supply space 1402 is formed over the entire thickness of the absorber 900. With this configuration, we were able to provide an excellent cartridge that has never been seen before. Note that this atmospheric pressure supply space 1402 is a much larger space than the conventional one, and the above-mentioned atmospheric air passage port 140l is located above, so even if the ink leaves the absorber due to some abnormality, this large space will not be affected. Since the air pressure supply space 1402 can temporarily hold the ink and reliably collect it in the absorber, an excellent cartridge with no waste can be provided.

Further, the structure of the mounting surface of the unit IJU of the ink tank IT is shown in FIG. Draw a straight line parallel to the mounting reference plane on the bottom of the tank IT or the surface of the carriage through approximately the center of the protruding opening of the onofice plate 400. 2 that engages the hole 312 of the support 300
The two positioning protrusions 1012 are on this straight line L. The height of this protrusion 1012 is slightly lower than the thickness of the support 300, and positions the support 300. In this drawing, the carriage positioning hook 4 is located on the extension of the straight line L1.
00 1 90@ corner engaging surface 4002 engages the claw 21
00 is located, and the structure is such that the positioning force for the carriage acts on a plane area parallel to the reference plane that includes this straight line L. As will be described later in Figure 5,
These relationships are effective because the positioning accuracy of only the ink tank is equivalent to the positioning accuracy of the ejection ports of the head.

Further, a hole 19 for fixing the support body 300 to the side surface of the ink tank is provided.
Ink tank protrusions 18 corresponding to 00.2000 respectively
00.1801 is longer than the above-mentioned protrusion 1012, and the part that protrudes through the support 300 is thermally fused to form the support 3.
This is for fixing 00 to its side. Let L1 be a straight line that is perpendicular to the above-mentioned line L1 and pass through the protrusion 1800, and L2 be a straight line passing through the protrusion 1801. Since almost the center of the supply port 1200 is located above, it acts to stabilize the connection between the supply port 1200 and the supply pipe 2200, and reduces the load on these connections even if dropped or impacted. This is a preferable configuration. In addition, the straight lines La and L- do not coincide, and since there are protrusions 1800 and 1801 around the protrusion 1012 on the discharge port side of the head IJH, this further creates a reinforcing effect for positioning the head IJH with respect to the tank. . Note that the curve indicated by L4 is the outer wall position when the ink supply member 600 is attached.

Since the protrusions 1800 and 1801 are along the curve L4, they provide sufficient strength and positional accuracy even for the weight of the distal end side configuration of the head IJH. Incidentally, reference numeral 2700 denotes a tip collar of the ink tank IT, which is inserted into a hole in the front plate 4000 of the carriage and is provided in case of an abnormal situation where the displacement of the ink tank becomes extremely poor.

Reference numeral 2101 is a retainer for the carriage, which is provided to a bar (not shown) of the carriage HC, and is provided to a bar (not shown) of the carriage HC.
As JC explains later. This is a protective member that maintains the installed state even if an upward force is applied that enters below the bar when it is pivoted to the installed position and causes the bar to be unnecessarily removed from the positioned position.

The ink tank IT has a shape that surrounds the unit IJU except for the lower opening by covering it with the lid 800 after the unit IJU is installed, but the inkjet cartridge IJC has a lower opening for placing it on the carriage HC. Since it is close to the carriage HC, it forms a substantial four-sided surrounding space. Therefore, although the heat generated from the head IJH in this enclosed space is effective as a heat-retaining space, the temperature rises only slightly during long-term continuous use. For this reason, in this example, a slit 1700 with a width smaller than this space is provided on the upper surface of the cartridge IJC in order to assist the natural heat dissipation of the support, thereby preventing temperature rise and controlling the temperature distribution of the entire unit IJU. We were able to make uniformity independent of the environment.

When assembled as an inkjet cartridge IJC, ink is supplied from inside the cartridge into the supply tank 600 through the supply port 1200, the hole 320 provided in the support 300, and the introduction port provided on the inner back side of the supply tank 600. After passing through the interior, the ink flows into the common liquid chamber from the outlet through an appropriate supply pipe and the ink inlet 1500 of the top plate 400. A packing made of, for example, silicone rubber or butyl rubber is disposed at the above-mentioned connection portion for ink communication, and this seals the ink supply path to ensure an ink supply path.

In this embodiment, the top plate 1 300 is made of a resin such as polysulfon, polyether sulfon, polyphenylene oxide, or polypropylene, which has excellent ink resistance, and is integrally formed with the orifice plate 400 in the mold. Molded at the same time.

As mentioned above, the integrally molded parts include the ink supply member 600,
Top plate and orifice plate integrated, ink tank body 1
000, which not only achieves a high level of assembly accuracy but also is extremely effective in improving quality in mass production. Furthermore, since the number of parts can be reduced compared to the prior art, excellent desired characteristics can be reliably exhibited.

In addition, in the embodiment of the present invention, in the above-mentioned shape after assembly,
As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the ink supply member 6
00, the upper surface part 603 is the third one between the end part 400g of the roof part provided with the slit 1700 of the ink tank IT.
As shown in the figure, a slit S (not shown) similar to the slit S is formed between the lower surface portion 604 and the head side end portion 4011 of the thin plate member to which the lower lid 800 of the ink tank IT is bonded. ) is formed. These slits between the ink tank TT and the ink supply member 600 substantially act to further promote heat dissipation through the slit 1700, and even if there is unnecessary pressure applied to the tank IT, it is directly removed from the supply member. At best, this prevents the inkjet unit IJT from being affected.

In any case, the above-mentioned configuration of this embodiment is a configuration that has not been seen in the past, and each of them individually provides an effective effect, and in combination, each component provides an organic configuration. ing.

(iii) Description of attaching the inkjet cartridge IJC to the carriage HC In FIG. 5, 5000 is a platen roller that guides the recording medium P from the bottom to the top of the page.

The carriage HC moves along the platen roller 3000, and has a front plate 40 located on the front side of the inkjet cartridge IJC on the front platen side of the carriage.
00 (thickness: 2 mm) and a flexible seat 4005 equipped with pads 2011 corresponding to the pads 201 of the wiring board 200 of the cartridge-IJC, and generates elastic force to press this against each of the butts 2011 from the back side. an electrical connection part support plate 4003 that holds a rubber pad sheet 4007 for the inkjet cartridge I;
Positioning hook 40 for fixing JC to the recording position
01 is provided. The front plate 4000 has two positioning projecting surfaces 4010 corresponding to the aforementioned positioning projections 2500 and 2600 of the cartridge support 300, respectively, and receives a vertical force toward these projecting surfaces 4010 after the cartridge is mounted. For this reason, the front plate has a plurality of reinforcing ribs (not shown) on the platen roller side facing in the direction of the perpendicular force.

This rib is located at the front position L when the cartridge IJC is installed.
A head protection protrusion that protrudes slightly (approximately 0.1 mm) toward the platen roller is also formed.

The electrical connection support plate 4003 has a plurality of reinforcing ribs 4004 not in the direction of the ribs but in the vertical direction, and the proportion of lateral protrusion is reduced from the platen side toward the hook 4001 side. This also serves the function of tilting the position when the cartridge is installed as shown in the figure.

In addition, in order to stabilize the electrical contact state, the support plate 4003 is used to position the hook side to apply force to the cartridge in the opposite direction to the direction in which the two positioning protruding surfaces 4010 act on the cartridge. It has two surfaces 4006 corresponding to the protruding surfaces 4010, which defines a pad contact area between them and uniquely defines the amount of deformation of the bottom of the rubber seat 4007 with a bottom corresponding to the butt 2011. These positioning surfaces come into contact with the surface of the wiring board 300 when the cartridge IJC is fixed at a recordable position. In this example, the wiring board 300
Since the pads 201 are distributed symmetrically with respect to the above-mentioned line L+, the amount of deformation of each hole of the rubber seat 4007 is made uniform, and the contact pressure of the pads 2011 and 201 is made more stable. The distribution of pads 201 in this example is two rows above, two rows below, and two columns vertically.

The hook 4001 has an elongated size that engages with the fixed shaft 4009, and uses the movement space of this elongated hole to rotate counterclockwise from the position shown in the figure, and then moves to the left side along the platen roller 5000. By doing so, the inkjet cartridge IJC is positioned with respect to the carriage HC. Although this hook 4001 may be moved by any means, it is preferable to use a lever or the like. In any case, when the hook 4001 is rotated, the cartridge IJC moves toward the platen roller and the positioning protrusion 2500.2600
moves to a position where it can come into contact with the positioning surface 4010 of the front plate, and as the hook 4001 moves to the left, the 90° hook surface 4002 contacts the 90° of the claw 2100 of the cartridge IJC.
Position the cartridge IJC while keeping it in close contact with the surface 25.
Pads 00.4010 rotate in a horizontal plane around the contact area between pads 201 and 2011, and finally contact between pads 201 and 2011 begins.

When the hook 400l is held in a predetermined position, that is, a fixed position, the pads 201 and 2011 are in complete contact with each other, the positioning surfaces 2500 and 4010 are in complete surface contact, and the 90-degree surface 4002 and the 90-degree surface of the claw are in perfect contact with each other. The two-surface contact and the surface contact between the wiring board 300 and the positioning surface 4006 are simultaneously formed, and the holding of the cartridge IJC with respect to the carriage is completed.

(iv) General description of the main body of the apparatus FIG. 6 shows an inkjet recording apparatus I to which the present invention is applied.
In the general view of JRA, the carriage HC that engages with the spiral groove 5004 of the lead screw 5005, which rotates via the drive force transmission gears 5011 and 5009 in conjunction with the forward and reverse rotation of the drive motor 5013, is a pin (not shown). ) and is moved back and forth in the directions of arrows a and b. Reference numeral 5002 is a paper holding plate that holds the paper on the platen 5 in the carriage movement direction.
Press against 000. Reference numerals 5007 and 5008 are home position detection means for confirming the presence of the lever 5006 of the carriage in this area using a photocoupler and switching the rotational direction of the motor 5013. Reference numeral 5016 is a member that supports a cap member 5022 that caps the front surface of the recording head, and 5015 is a suction means that sucks the inside of this cap, and performs suction recovery of the recording head through an opening 5023 in the cap. 5017 is a cleaning blade, 5
Reference numeral 019 denotes a member that allows this blade to move in the front and back direction, and these are supported by a main body support plate 5018. Needless to say, the blade is not of this type, but a well-known cleaning blade can be applied to this example. Also, 5
012 is a lever for starting suction for suction recovery;
It moves with the movement of the cam 5020 that engages with the carriage, and the movement of the driving force from the drive motor is controlled by known transmission means such as clutch switching.

Catching, cleaning, and suction recovery are configured so that the desired processing can be performed at the corresponding positions by the action of the lead screw 5005 when the carriage comes to the home position side area. Any of these can be applied to this example as long as they are activated. Each of the configurations described above is an excellent invention whether viewed singly or in combination, and represents a preferable configuration example for the present invention.

In order to explain in detail the present invention technically related to the above-mentioned FIGS. 2 to 6, the following description will be made using FIG. 1 and FIGS. 7 and subsequent figures.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a first embodiment of the present invention.

1 is an ink tank, 2 is an absorber (porous body) impregnated with the ink in the ink tank 1, 4 is an ink discharge part (also referred to as an inkjet unit), and 5 is an atmospheric communication that communicates the inside of the ink tank 1 with the atmosphere. 6 is an electrical contact for inputting a print signal from the printer body, and 7 (shaded member) is a protective tape serving as a covering member that covers and protects both the ink ejection portion 4 and the electrical contact 6.

When a print signal is given from the printer main body side via the electrical contact 6, ink is discharged from the ink ejection section 4 in accordance with the print signal.
The liquid is ejected from the outlet and printed on recording paper. Ink is supplied from the porous body 3 in the ink tank 1 by capillary force in the supply path. Further, in order to prevent excessive negative pressure inside the ink tank 1, the structure is such that the atmosphere equivalent to the consumed ink can flow in through the atmosphere vent 5.

A contact portion 9a having a contact point 9 with the electrical contact point 6 of the inkjet unit 4 on the carriage 15 on the printer main body side.
is provided, and is connected to the printer main body via a flexible cable 16. The inkjet cartridge is installed by inserting the contact portion 9a on the printer carriage 15 into the printer carriage 15 through the opening 6a. At this time, since the same band-shaped protection tape 7 that protects both the ejection ports of the ink ejection portion 4 is attached to the insertion portion, the inkjet cartridge must be attached after being peeled off. This protective tape is
As shown in FIG. 1, the shape of the tape protects the ejection opening of the ink ejection part 4 and prevents the contact part 9a having the contact 9 on the printer side from being inserted into the internal space of the inkjet cartridge. , length, method of pasting, etc. are not limited, and may be determined based on ease of pasting, cost, etc.

Note that since the opening 6b is in the form of a narrow slit, the contact portion 9a or a finger will not enter into the opening 6b.

Sealing the ejection port of the ink ejection unit 4 with protective tape prevents the ejection unit from getting dirty or scratched by hands or other external factors before use, and also prevents ink inside the ejection port from leaking outside. There is also the effect of not having one.

The protective tape is attached using an adhesive, but since it comes into direct contact with ink, it is preferable to use one with good ink resistance.

In this example, polyethylene terephthalate (PE
T) A tape was used whose base material was provided with a silicone-based or acrylic-based adhesive layer having good ink resistance.

In addition, to prevent ink leakage from the ejection port, 100g/
It is preferable that the adhesive has an adhesive strength of about 25 mm to 1500 g/25 mm, and that no adhesive remains, as it may clog the ejection port or deteriorate the print quality if it remains on the ejection port when removed. .

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing another embodiment of the present invention.

The inkjet cartridge of this embodiment is of a type in which an electrical contact portion is provided on the outer surface of the inkjet cartridge body. Unlike the first embodiment, the contacts on the printer side are pressed from the side, but since the electrical contacts on the inkjet cartridge body are covered with protective tape, the electrical connection will occur unless this tape is removed. Can not be removes. Therefore, even if an inkjet cartridge is accidentally installed in the printer body, ink will not be ejected and the inkjet head will not be damaged. In addition, the electrical contacts of the inkjet cartridge are also protected, so there is no chance of contact failure due to dirt or scratches before use.

The covering member according to the present invention is not limited to the tape-like member described above, but it is easy to handle (for example, it is easy to peel off) and is excellent in maintaining an airtight state of the discharge port. A tape-shaped material is most suitable because it is thin, has little effect on the thickness of the inkjet cartridge, and can be formed at relatively low cost.

The present invention brings about excellent effects particularly in a recording head and a recording apparatus of a 6-bubble jet type among inkjet recording types.

As for typical configurations and principles thereof, it is preferable to use the basic principles disclosed in, for example, US Pat. No. 4,723,129 and US Pat. No. 4,740,796. This method can be applied to both the so-called on-demand type and the continuous type, but especially in the case of the on-demand type, the inks are arranged in correspondence with the sheet holding the liquid (ink) and the liquid path. In the electrothermal converter,
By applying at least one drive signal corresponding to recorded information and providing a rapid temperature rise above nucleate boiling, the electrothermal transducer generates thermal energy to cause film boiling on the thermally active surface of the recording head. As a result, bubbles in the liquid (ink) can be formed in one-to-one correspondence with this drive signal, which is effective. The growth and contraction of the bubble causes liquid (ink) to be ejected through the ejection opening to form at least one drop. It is more preferable to use this drive signal in a pulse form, since the growth and contraction of bubbles can be carried out immediately and appropriately, so that ejection of liquid (ink) with particularly excellent responsiveness can be achieved. As this pulse-shaped drive signal, those described in US Pat. No. 4,463,359 and US Pat. No. 4,345,262 are suitable. Incidentally, U.S. Patent No. 431 for the invention regarding the temperature increase rate of the heat acting surface
If the conditions described in specification No. 3124 are adopted,
Even better recording can be performed.

The structure of the recording head includes a combination structure of an ejection port, a liquid path, and an electrothermal converter (straight liquid flow path or right-angled liquid flow path) as disclosed in the above-mentioned specifications. U.S. Pat. No. 4,558,333 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,459,600 disclose a configuration in which the part is disposed in a refracting region.
The present invention also includes a configuration using the specification of the above specification.

In addition, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 123670 of 1981 discloses a configuration in which a common slit is used as a discharge part of a plurality of electrothermal converters, and a discharge opening that absorbs pressure waves of thermal energy is disclosed. The present invention is also effective as a configuration based on Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 1988 L38461 which discloses a configuration corresponding to the section.

Furthermore, as a full-line type recording head having a length corresponding to the width of the maximum recording medium that can be recorded by the recording apparatus, the length can be increased by combining multiple recording heads as disclosed in the above-mentioned specification. Either a configuration that satisfies the above requirements or a configuration as a single recording head formed integrally may be used, but the present invention can more effectively exhibit the above-mentioned effects.

In addition, a replaceable chip-type recording head that is attached to the device body enables electrical connection to the device body and ink supply from the device body, or a chip-type recording head that is installed integrally with the recording head itself. The present invention is also effective when a cartridge type recording head is used.

Further, it is preferable to add recovery means, preliminary auxiliary means, etc. for the recording head, which are provided as a configuration of the recording apparatus of the present invention, because the effects of the present invention can be further stabilized. Specifically, these include preheating means for the recording head using a caving means, a cleaning means, a pressurizing or suction means, an electrothermal transducer or another heating element, or a combination thereof. It is also effective to perform a preliminary ejection mode in which ejection is performed separately from printing in order to perform stable printing.

Furthermore, the recording mode of the recording device is not limited to a recording mode in which only the mainstream color such as black is used; the recording head may be constructed integrally or by a combination of multiple heads; The present invention is also extremely effective for devices equipped with at least one full color image.

[Effects of the Invention] As detailed above, according to the present invention, by protecting the ejection port and the electrical contact portion or the electrical contact insertion portion with the same covering member such as a protective tape, the inkjet cartridge can be attached to the printer. Since the electrical connection between the two cannot be established unless the cover member is removed when installing the printer, there is no need to provide a print signal to the energy generator while the discharge port is covered.
It is possible to eliminate erroneous operations and damage to the head caused by them as in the conventional case.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an inkjet cartridge according to an embodiment of the present invention. 2 and 3 are an exploded perspective view and an assembled perspective view, respectively, of the inkjet cartridge main body of FIG. 1. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the ink tank of the inkjet cartridge main body of FIG. 1, viewed from the side where the inkjet unit is attached. FIG. 5 is a top view showing where the inkjet cartridge main body of FIG. 1 is attached to the carriage. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a main part of an inkjet recording apparatus in which the inkjet cartridge main body of FIG. 1 is installed. FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing an inkjet cartridge according to another embodiment of the present invention. l... Ink tank 2... Absorber (porous body) 4... Ink discharge port 5... Atmospheric ventilation port 6... Electrical contact 7... Protective tape l5... Carriage l6 ...cable z4θρ

Claims (5)

[Claims] (1) An ejection port that ejects ink, an energy generator that generates energy used to eject ink from the ejection port, and an electrical contact for inputting an electrical signal to the energy generator. An inkjet cartridge comprising: a cover member that covers both the ejection port and the electrical contact. (2) The inkjet cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the cover member is a seal member that tightly seals both the ejection port and the electrical contact. (3) The electrical contact is disposed within the internal space of the inkjet cartridge, and the cover member is a sealing member that closely seals the ejection port and closes the internal space. The inkjet cartridge described in 1). (4) Claim (1) further comprising an ink tank for storing ink ejected from the ejection port.
The inkjet cartridge described in. (5) The inkjet cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the energy generator is an electrothermal converter that generates thermal energy as the energy.