JPH03101964A - Ink jet head, ink jet unit, ink jet cartridge, and ink jet device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To improve a sealing performance in capping and to eliminate an unwiped part in wiping by a method wherein delivery ports are formed on a planar member formed integrally with a top member, and a recess is provided on a surface on which the delivery ports are formed at a part on which a cap abuts. CONSTITUTION:When a rubber cap 5022 firstly comes into contact with an orifice plate 400, only upper and lower ends of the cap 5022 with respect to an orifice train come into contact with the orifice plate 400. As a capping action goes on, the center part gradually comes into contact with the orifice plate 400. At this time, an air inside the cap is extruded outside by the reduced volume inside the cap by the deformation of the cap 5022. At the completion of the capping action, the cap 5022 is in close contact with the orifice plate 400, whereby the capping can be accomplished with a pressure as much as an ink meniscus at the delivery port is not retracted. In addition, a recessed part is provided on either or both ends of the orifice plate 400 across the orifice train. A delivery port surface is composed of three planes for removing dusts at and around orifices 41 more easily.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to an inkjet head, an inkjet unit, an inkjet cartridge, and an inkjet device.

[Background Art] As an example is shown in the exploded perspective view of FIG. 10, an inkjet recording head has an orifice plate 400a having ink ejection ports (orifices) 41, and an ink path communicating with each orifice. A heater board 100 having a grooved top plate 1300a having a diameter of 4 lb, and a heat generating part 101 of an electrothermal converter as a thermal energy generating element that is installed in an ink path and generates thermal energy used for ejecting ink. It is equipped with. Code 1 5
00a is an ink supply port to the ink path.

In general, orifice plates are designed so that the ejection opening surface is made of the same material in order to prevent deviations in the ejection direction of ejected ink droplets due to differences in wettability between the heater board and the top plate. It was established as one of the purposes.

Incidentally, an inkjet device equipped with such an inkjet head has an inkjet head that is used to perform a suction recovery operation that sucks ink from the ejection port to eliminate ejection failure, or to prevent ink from drying at the ejection port. , a cap is provided to cap the discharge port.

In addition, when ink is continuously ejected, droplets reflected from the paper surface or mist of ink in the air may adhere to the surface of the orifice plate 400a, causing excess ink to accumulate, resulting in unstable ejection. In some cases, this may cause non-discharge. Therefore, the ink adhering to the orifice plate is wiped off using a blade made of rubber or water-absorbing material.

However, it is usually difficult to secure a sealing area for capping with only the orifice plate, so for example, the front seal for catting is attached to the orifice plate 4.
The solution was to increase the sealing area for capping by pasting it around 00a.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, in such a configuration, a step occurs between the front seal and the orifice plate 400a, and when the residual ink on the orifice plate 400a is wiped off with a blade, ink accumulates in the step. The blade could sometimes fly over the orifice, or the vibration could cause uneven wiping.

[Means to solve the problem]

The present invention capable of solving the above-mentioned problems has the following configuration.

``The ink path is formed by joining the base body and a top member provided with a recessed portion for forming an ink path communicating with the ejection port for ejecting ink, with the recessed portion inside; is provided on a plate-shaped member integrally formed with the ceiling member so as to extend in both up and down directions from an end of the ceiling member, and on a surface of the plate-shaped member on the side where the discharge port is provided. An inkjet head characterized by having a recess provided in the portion where the cap comes into contact.""An inkjet head comprising a base and a top member provided with a recess for forming an ink path communicating with an ejection port for ejecting ink. The ink path is formed by joining with the concave portion inside, and the ejection port is formed in a plate-like member integrally formed with the top member so as to extend in both up and down directions from an end of the top member. an inkjet head provided with a recess in a portion of the plate-shaped member on the side where the ejection port is provided and which is in contact with the cap; and an inkjet head for supplying ink to the ink path. An inkjet unit comprising: a supply member; and a base member and a top member provided with a concave portion for forming an ink path communicating with an ejection port for discharging ink, with the concave portion inside. The ink path is formed by doing so, and the ejection port is provided in a plate-shaped member integrally formed with the top member so as to extend in both up and down directions from the end of the top member, and An inkjet unit comprising: an inkjet head having a recess provided in a portion of the shaped member that is in contact with the cap on the side where the ejection port is provided; and an ink supply member for supplying ink to the ink path. and an ink tank for storing ink supplied to the ink path by the ink supply member.""An inkjet cartridge that communicates with a base body and an ejection port that ejects ink. The ink path is formed by joining a top member provided with a recess for forming an ink path with the recess inside, and the ejection port extends both upward and downward from the end of the top member. an inkjet unit having an inkjet head provided on a plate-like member integrally formed with the top member, and an ink supply member for supplying ink to the ink path; and by the ink supply member. an inkjet cartridge comprising: an ink tank for storing ink supplied to the ink path; and a cap for capping the ejection port, the ejection port of the plate-like member An inkjet device characterized in that a recess is provided in a portion of the surface on which the cap contacts the inkjet device. According to the present invention, it is possible to easily obtain an inkjet head that does not cause any inconvenience due to wiping or capping. That is, it becomes possible to reliably and easily wipe off the residual ink on the orifice plate, and it is also possible to ensure sufficient airtightness during capping.

Further, if the thickness of the orifice plate is made smaller at the discharge port, there is an advantage that the process of drilling the orifice becomes easier and the orifice plate itself can ensure sufficient strength.

Furthermore, according to the present invention, a recess is provided in the part of the surface of the orifice plate on which the discharge port is provided, which is in contact with the cap, as a means for adjusting the pressure inside the cap. Since the ink meniscus does not recede, more stable printing can be achieved.

In addition, the recess has a smooth surface shape, so
Even when wiping is performed to remove dirt and dust from the discharge port surface, no residue is left behind. (The following is a blank space) [Example] Figures 2 to 6 show preferred inkjet unit IJU, inkjet head IJH, ink tank IT, inkjet cartridge IJC, and inkjet recording apparatus main body IJRA to which the present invention is implemented or applied.
, carriage HC and their relationships. The configuration of each part will be explained below using these drawings.

As can be seen from the perspective view in Figure 3, the inkjet cartridge ■JC in this example has a large ink storage ratio, and the tip of the inkjet unit IJU is slightly larger than the front surface of the ink tank IT. It has a prominent 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. In this example, FIGS. 2 to 6 show a structure to which a number of novel techniques developed at the stage of establishment of the present invention are applied, so while briefly explaining these structures,
I will explain the whole thing.

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

In Fig. 2, reference numeral 100 is composed of electrothermal converters (discharge heaters) arranged in a plurality of rows on a Si substrate, and electrical wiring such as AI2 for supplying electric power to the electrothermal converters (discharge heaters), which are formed by film-forming technology. It's 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

1 300 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.

300 is a support made of metal, for example, that 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 3l21 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. In addition, the support body 300 has positioning holes 312, 1900, 2000 that engage with the two positioning protrusions 10l2 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 projections 2500.2, dust and ink are
It is located so that it does not reach 600. This parallel groove 3000 is formed. As can be 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, in the ink supply member 600 in which the parallel groove 3001 is formed, the ink conduit 1600 continuous to the ink supply pipe 2200 described above is formed as a cantilever beam with the supply pipe 2200 side fixed, and the fixed side of the ink conduit Sealed bottle 602 to ensure capillary action with ink supply tube 2200
is inserted. Note that 601 is a packing that seals the connection between the ink tank IT and the supply pipe 2200, and 700 is a filter provided at the tank side end of the supply pipe.

Since the ink supply member 600 is molded, it is not only inexpensive and has high positional accuracy and eliminates deterioration in manufacturing precision, but also cantilevered conduit 1600 allows the conduit 1600 to be easily adjusted during mass production. The state of pressure contact with the ink socket 1500 described above 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 300 and heat-sealing the protruding portion to the back side of the support 300. Note that this slightly protruding area of the heat-sealed back surface is the ink tank IT.
Since the inkjet unit IJU mounting surface is housed in a recess (not shown) on the side wall surface of the inkjet unit IJU, the positioning surface of the unit rJU can be accurately obtained. (ii) Ink tank IT configuration description The ink tank is constructed by 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, and then sealing the ink tank. It consists of a lid member 1100 that stops. Reference numeral 900 denotes an absorber for impregnating with ink, and is disposed within the cartridge body i ooo.

1 200 is a supply port for supplying ink to the unit IJU consisting of the above-mentioned parts 100 to 600, and ink is injected from the supply port 1200 in a process before placing the unit in the part 1010 of the cartridge main body 1000. This also serves as an injection port for impregnating the absorber 900 with ink.

In this example, the parts that can supply ink are the air vent and this supply port, but the rib 2300 in the main body 1000 is used to ensure good ink supply from the ink absorber.
and the lid member 1100 (7) partial ribs 2500, 2400 form an in-tank air presence region that is continuous from the air transport port 1401 side and extends over the corner region furthest from the ink supply port 1 200. Therefore, it is important that relatively good and uniform ink supply to the absorber is performed from this supply port 1200 side. 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,
This prevents 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 a corresponding extension to the rib 1000, but unlike the rib 1000, they are in a divided state and do not absorb air. The space is increased more than the former. In addition, the partial ribs 2500 and 2400 are the lid member 1000.
It has a shape that is distributed over less than half of the total area.
These ribs connect the tank supply port 12 of the ink absorber.
The ink in the region of the corner farthest from 00 could be more stabilized and reliably guided to the supply port 1200 side by capillary force. Reference numeral 1401 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-repellent material disposed inside the atmosphere communication port 1401, which prevents ink from leaking from the atmosphere communication port 1400.

The ink storage space of the ink tank IT mentioned above has a rectangular shape, and the long sides are on the sides, so the arrangement of the ribs described above is particularly effective. In the case of a case or a cube, cover member 1
By providing ribs throughout the ink absorber 900, the ink supply from the ink absorber 900 can be stabilized. 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 above-mentioned ribs on the surface outside the arc so that the absorber located outside the arc can be quickly exposed to atmospheric pressure. In this case, the tank's atmosphere communication port is not limited to this example, as long as it is at a position where the atmosphere can be introduced into the rib arrangement area.

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 the structure maximizes the ink storage capacity, resulting in a more compact device. Not only that, but it also has an excellent structure that 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 for 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 ventilation port 1401 is located above, so even if the ink leaves the absorber due to some abnormality, this space will not be affected. The atmospheric pressure supply space 1402 can temporarily hold the ink and ensure that the ink is collected by the absorber, thereby providing an excellent cartridge with no waste. Further, the structure of the mounting surface of the unit IJU of the ink tank IT is shown in FIG. Assuming that a straight line L1 passes approximately through the center of the protruding opening of the orifice spray 400 and is parallel to the mounting reference plane on the bottom of the tank IT or the surface of the carriage, the line 2 that engages with the hole 312 of the support 300
The two positioning protrusions 1012 are on this straight line Lt. The height of this protrusion 1012 is slightly lower than the thickness of the support 300, and positions the support 300. In this drawing, on the extension of straight line L, there is a hook 4 for positioning the carriage.
Claw 21 engaged by 90° angle retaining surface 4002 of 001
00 is located, and the positioning force for the carriage is configured to act in a plane region parallel to the reference plane that includes this straight line L1. 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. When L is a straight line passing through the L1% protrusion 1801 that is perpendicular to the above-mentioned line L1 and passing through this protrusion l800, the straight line L. 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. Again, straight!
Lm and Ls do not match, and the presence of protrusions 1800 and 1801 around the protrusion 1012 on the ejection port side of the head IJH further produces a reinforcing effect in positioning the head IJH with respect to the tank. Note that the curve indicated by L 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. Note that 2700 is a tip collar of the ink tank IT, which is inserted into a hole in the front plate 400, 0 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.
This is a protective member for maintaining the mounted state even if a force is applied in the upward direction that causes the JC to enter the lower part of the bar at the pivoted mounted position and unnecessarily disengage from the positioned position as will be described later.

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. Since the opening is close to the carriage HC, a substantial four-sided surrounding space is formed. 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 simultaneously molded together with the orifice plate 400 in the mold. It's molded.

As mentioned above, the integrally molded parts include the ink supply member 600,
Top plate and orifice plate integrated, ink tank body
ooo, it not only achieves a high level of assembly accuracy, but is also extremely effective in improving the quality of mass production. Also, since the number of parts has been reduced compared to conventional products, 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 4008 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. ). These slits between the ink tank IT 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. In particular, this prevents the effects on the IJT of inkjet units.

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 the combination of each component brings about an organic configuration. ing.

(iii) Description of attaching inkjet cartridge rJc to 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 pad 201 corresponding to the pad 201 of the wiring board 200 of the cartridge IJC.
1 and a rubber pad sheet 4007 for generating an elastic force to press the elastic sheet against each bat 2011 from the back side, and an inkjet cartridge IJC. A positioning hook 4001 for fixing to a recording position is provided. The front plate 4000 has two protruding surfaces 4010 for positioning corresponding to the positioning protrusions 2500 and 2600 of the cartridge support 300, respectively, and after the cartridge is installed, the protruding surfaces 4010
receives a vertical force directed towards it. 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 form a pad contact area between them, and uniquely define the amount of deformation of the bottom of the rubber seam with a bottom 4007 corresponding to the bottom 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 30
0 pad 201 along the line L. Since the rubber seats 4007 are distributed symmetrically with respect to each other, 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 a long length that engages with the fixed shaft 4009, and uses this long movement space to rotate counterclockwise from the position shown in the figure, and then moves to the left along the platen roller 5000. This positions the inkjet cartridge IJC with respect to the carriage HC. This hook 4001 may be moved in any way, but it is preferable to use a lever or the like to move it. In any case, when the hook 400l is rotated, the cartridge IJC moves toward the platen roller and moves to a position where the positioning projections 2500 and 2600 can come into contact with the positioning surface 4010 of the front plate.
By moving the hook 4001 to the left, the hook surface 4002 at 90' comes into close contact with the 90@ surface of the claw 2100 of the cartridge IJC, and the cartridge IJC is moved to the positioning surface 2500.
．． The pads 4010 and 2010 rotate in a horizontal plane around the contact area, and finally the pads 201 and 2011 come into contact with each other.

When the hook 4001 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 brought into contact with each other. The two-surface contact between the two surfaces and the surface contact between the wiring board 300 and the positioning surface 4006 are simultaneously formed, and the holding of the cartridge IJC in 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. 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 for suctioning the inside of this cap to perform suction recovery of the recording head through an opening 5023 in the cap. 5017 is a cleaning blade, 5
019 is 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.

These 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 above configurations can be used alone or in combination. This is an excellent invention, and shows a preferred 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 FIGS. 1 and 7 and subsequent figures.

(Example 1) FIG. 1 shows an integrally molded member of an orifice plate (plate-like member) 400 and a grooved top plate (top member with recesses) 1300 shown in FIG. 2, and a heater board (substrate) 100. FIG. 2 is a schematic exploded perspective view of FIG. 41 is an orifice drilled using an excimer laser in an orifice plate with a maximum thickness of 200 lLm, and 1500 is an orifice for supplying ink to an ink path formed by joining the grooved top plate 1300 and the heater board 100. This is the ink receptacle. Reference numeral 91 denotes a heat generating part (heater) of an electrothermal converter as a thermal energy generating element that generates thermal energy used for ejecting ink, and electrodes for inputting electric pulses to the heat generating part 9l are omitted. ing. The inside of the ink path is filled with ink supplied from the ink receptacle 1500. In this state, by inputting a pulse signal according to the input data to each heater 91, the ink on the heater is foamed, and by utilizing this energy, the ink is ejected as droplets from the orifice 41. This droplet lands on the paper surface at a distance of about 0.5 to 1.0 mm from the orifice 41, thereby realizing recording according to the input information.

In this embodiment, the grooved top plate 1300 and the orifice plate 400 arranged to extend both upward and downward from the end of the top plate are integrally molded, and the thickness of the orifice plate 400 body is set to 200 μm to increase the strength. 10 to 50 for the orifice 41 part only, considering the ease of making the orifice when drilling it using a laser etc.
It was made so that the thickness gradually increased as it moved away from the orifice 41. Furthermore, in consideration of strength and pressure adjustment within the cap during cabling, both end portions of the orifice row were made slightly thinner than the thickness of the orifice plate body.

As the material for the integrally molded member of the grooved top plate 1300 and the orifice plate 400, thermoplastic resins such as polyetheretherketone, polyimide, borisulfon, etc. are preferably used in consideration of material cost and ink resistance. It will be done. In this example, polysulfone, which has a small amount of thermal deformation even at high temperatures, was used.

When a suction recovery operation was performed using such an inkjet head, it was found that the ejection port surface was almost smooth, so the sealing performance was very good and sufficient suction could be performed. In addition, during the ink wiping operation, the wiping direction (perpendicular to the ejection port array) is almost smooth, so residual ink can be sufficiently removed without causing blade flapping or ink pooling in specific areas. Ta. Furthermore, the orifice plate 400 was not wrinkled or damaged due to insufficient strength.

Furthermore, since the orifice plate 400 integrally molded on the grooved top plate 1300 is provided with a recess that is a means of adjusting the pressure during cabling, it is possible to prevent the ink meniscus from receding at the ejection port, for example, when printing is stopped. This made subsequent reprinting even more stable. FIGS. 8(a) to 8(C) are schematic side views showing the pressure adjustment mechanism inside the capsule in this embodiment.

In this embodiment, the rubber cap 5022 comes into contact with the orifice plate 400 first. At this time, the parts of the cap 5022 that are in contact with each other are only the upper and lower ends with respect to the orifice row, and the center part of the cap is still in contact with the orifice plate 402.
The central portion gradually comes into contact with the orifice plate 400 as the cabling operation progresses.

At this time, as shown by the arrow in the figure, due to the deformation of the cap 5022, the air inside the cap is pushed out by the amount that the volume inside the cap is reduced. When the capping operation is completed, as shown in FIG. 8(C), the cap 5022
is in close contact with the orifice plate 400, and can be capped with a pressure that does not cause the ink meniscus at the ejection port to retreat. (Other Examples) Catching was carried out in the same manner as in Example 1 described above, except for the points described below.

The schematic perspective view of FIG. 8 shows an embodiment in which recesses are provided only at one end of the orifice row of the orifice plate 400.

In FIG. 9, recesses are provided at both ends of the orifice row as in FIG. 1, but unlike in FIG. The discharge port surface is configured with three flat surfaces (in order to make it easier to pass through and clean the area around the orifice more reliably).

When the orifice plate having the above shape was used, the tightness of the cap was good in all cases, and there was no receding of the ink meniscus that would cause ejection failure.

It should be noted that the present invention brings about excellent effects particularly in bubble jet recording heads and recording apparatuses among ink jet recording systems.

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 continuous type, but especially in the case of the on-demand type, it is necessary to arrange the liquid (ink) in accordance with the sheet and liquid path that hold it. As an 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 configuration of the recording head includes, in addition to the combined configuration of ejection ports, liquid paths, and electrothermal converters (straight liquid flow path or right-angled liquid flow path) as disclosed in the above-mentioned specifications, a heat acting section. US Pat. No. 4,558,333 and US Pat. No. 4,459,600 disclose a configuration in which the
The present invention also includes a structure using the specification.

In addition, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 123670 of 1982 discloses a configuration in which a common slit is used as a discharge part for a plurality of electrothermal converters, and an open source patent publication for absorbing pressure waves of thermal energy is disclosed. The present invention is also effective with a configuration based on Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 13846-1 of 1981, which discloses a configuration in which holes correspond to discharge portions.

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 configured integrally or in combination with a plurality of recording heads; The present invention is also extremely effective for devices equipped with at least one full color image.

【Effect of the invention〕

As explained in detail above, by integrally molding the grooved top plate and the orifice plate, the sealing performance during capping is improved, and therefore sufficient suction can be performed.
It is possible to easily obtain an inkjet head that improves reliability by eliminating any residue left during wiping.
Furthermore, it is possible to reduce costs by reducing the number of parts.

Furthermore, by configuring the orifice plate so that its thickness is smallest at the discharge port, it is possible to facilitate the process of drilling the orifice while ensuring sufficient strength of the orifice plate.

In addition, a recess is provided on the side of the orifice plate where the discharge port is provided, where the cap comes into contact, as a means of adjusting the pressure inside the cap. The effect of preventing the receding of the ink meniscus at the ejection port during this process is improved, and therefore, ink ejection failure and various problems arising therefrom can be better solved with a simple configuration.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic exploded perspective view showing an inkjet head 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 of FIG. 1. FIG. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the ink tank of the inkjet cartridge shown in FIG. 1, viewed from the side where the inkjet unit is installed. FIG. 5 is a top view showing the location where the inkjet cartridge of FIG. 1 is mounted on the carriage. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a main part of an inkjet recording apparatus in which the inkjet cartridge of FIG. 1 is installed. FIG. 7 is a schematic side view showing a mechanism for adjusting the internal pressure of the cap when capping the inkjet head shown in FIG. 1. FIG. FIG. 8 is a schematic perspective view showing an inkjet head according to another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9 is a schematic perspective view showing an inkjet head according to another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 is a schematic exploded perspective view showing a conventional inkjet head. 41: Orifice 91: Heater 100: Heater board 300: Support 400: Orifice plate 900: Ink absorber 1300: Grooved top plate 1500: Ink socket

Claims (7)

[Claims] (1) The ink path is formed by joining a base member and a top member provided with a recessed portion for forming an ink path communicating with an ejection port for ejecting ink, with the recessed portion inside; The discharge port is provided in a plate-like member integrally formed with the top member so as to extend both upward and downward from the end of the top member, and the discharge port is provided on the side of the plate-like member where the discharge port is provided. An inkjet head characterized in that a recess is provided in the portion of the surface where the cap comes into contact. (2) The inkjet head according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the ejection ports are provided at locations of the plate-like member corresponding to the ends of the top member. (3) The portion of the top member where the discharge port is provided,
The inkjet head according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the inkjet head is thinner than other parts. (4) A portion of the base body corresponding to the ink path includes:
2. The inkjet head according to claim 1, further comprising an electrothermal converter as a thermal energy generating means for generating thermal energy used for ejecting ink from the ejection port. (5) The ink path is formed by joining a base member and a top member provided with a recessed portion for forming an ink path communicating with an ejection port for ejecting ink, with the recessed portion inside; The discharge port is provided in a plate-like member integrally formed with the top member so as to extend both upward and downward from the end of the top member, and the discharge port is provided on the side of the plate-like member where the discharge port is provided. An inkjet unit comprising: an inkjet head having a recess provided in a portion of the surface that the cap contacts; and an ink supply member for supplying ink to the ink path. (6) The ink path is formed by joining a base member and a top member provided with a recessed portion for forming an ink path communicating with an ejection port for ejecting ink, with the recessed portion inside; The discharge port is provided in a plate-like member integrally formed with the top member so as to extend both upward and downward from the end of the top member, and the discharge port is provided on the side of the plate-like member where the discharge port is provided. an inkjet unit including an inkjet head having a recess provided in a portion of the surface that the cap contacts, and an ink supply member for supplying ink to the ink path; An inkjet cartridge comprising: an ink tank for storing ink; and an inkjet cartridge. (7) The ink path is formed by joining a base member and a top member provided with a recessed portion for forming an ink path communicating with an ejection port for ejecting ink, with the recessed portion inside; The ejection port includes an inkjet head provided on a plate-like member integrally formed with the top member so as to extend both upward and downward from the end of the top member, and an ink supply for supplying ink to the ink path. an inkjet cartridge including: an inkjet unit having a member; an inkjet cartridge for storing ink supplied to the ink path by the ink supply member; and a cap for capping the ejection port. An inkjet device, characterized in that a recess is provided in a portion of the plate-shaped member on the side where the ejection port is provided and the portion of the plate abuts against the cap.