JPH03234542A - Ink jet recording head and ink jet recorder using the same recording head - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obtain a small-size recording head by providing a liquid path for leading an ink stored in an ink liquid chamber to a delivery port and a filter disposed in the ink liquid chamber for removing dusts in the ink. CONSTITUTION:A delivery port for delivering an ink and an ink liquid chamber 4 that can store the ink therein are provided. A liquid path 2 for leading the ink stored in the ink liquid chamber 4 to the delivery port and a filter 5 disposed in the ink liquid chamber 4 for removing dusts in the ink are provided. In this manner, the outer dimension of a recording head can be made small. Simultaneously, the mounted parts of an ink supply system can be made small in size and simplified.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to an ink jet recording gutter for recording by ejecting ink onto a recording material, and an inkjet recording apparatus using the recording head. .

(Prior Art) Recording devices such as printers, copying machines, and facsimiles are configured to record images consisting of dot patterns on recording materials such as paper and thin plastic plates based on image information. ing.

The recording device may be an inkjet type,
It can be divided into wire dot type, thermal type, laser beam type, etc. Among these, inkjet type (inkjet recording device) ejects recording liquid (ink) droplets from the ejection opening of an inkjet recording head, and sends them onto the recording material. It is configured so that it can be attached to and recorded on.

In the above-mentioned inkjet recording gutter and inkjet recording apparatus using the same, in order to prevent dust, etc. contained in the ink from clogging the ejection port and the liquid path leading thereto, the area near the inlet side of the liquid path is It is common practice to install filters in

The inkjet recording head also includes an ejection element that forms a liquid path leading to the ejection port and an ink liquid chamber capable of storing a certain amount of ink to be supplied to the cough liquid path, and the ejection element is driven to perform recording. A configuration in which mounted components such as circuits and ink supply systems are stacked is sometimes used.

In an inkjet printer having such a configuration, the filter is generally provided in the ink liquid chamber of the ejection element.

In this case, the filter is fixed by bonding with adhesive or by pressing with mechanical external force via a rubber member or the like.

FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view schematically showing a configuration example of the conventional inkjet recording method, and FIG. 7 is a longitudinal sectional view in the direction of the liquid path in FIG. 6.

In FIGS. 6 and 7, 1 is a silicon material as a substrate, 2 is a liquid path formed of photosensitive resin, etc., and 3 is a substrate 1.
An engraved glass plate is formed on the top to form an ink chamber passing through each liquid path, 4 is the ink liquid chamber, and 5 is a filter for preventing dirt and the like from entering the liquid path 2.

In the illustrated example, the substrate 1 and the liquid path (photosensitive resin, etc.)
Member 2 and the carved glass plate (ink liquid chamber forming member)
3 constitute a discharge unit 20 which is a discharge section of the recording head.

An inkjet recording head is constructed by laminating a mounting structure 30 such as a drive circuit board and an ink supply system on the upper surface of this ejection unit 20.

Note that FIG. 6 shows a drive circuit board as the mounting structure 30, and FIG. 7 shows an ink supply system as the mounting structure 30.

In FIG. 7, 10 is a sealing member (such as seal rubber) for shielding the ink in the inkjet recording head from the outside air at the joint between the ejection element 20 and the ink supply system 30, and 11 is This is an ink reservoir that stores ink supplied to the recording head from an ink supply source (not shown), and 12 is an ink supply pipe.

An entrance (inlet) 21 communicating with the ink reservoir 11 is formed on the upper wall of the ink chamber 4, and the filter 5 is bonded to the upper surface of the ejection element 20 with an adhesive 6 so as to cover the entrance 21. has been done.

Therefore, the ink reservoir 11 portion of the ink supply system 30 is
The upper surface of the ejection element 20 is pressed against the upper surface of the ejection element 20 by a mechanical part (not shown) at a predetermined pressure P, and the sealing member IO is pressed against the upper surface of the ejection element 20 by this pressure, thereby providing a sealing property that prevents ink leakage. It is maintained.

[Technical Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, in the structure of the conventional inkjet recording head described above, the filter 5 is formed of a member through which ink can pass through its thickness, so that the seal rubber etc. Sealing member 1
As shown in the figure, the sealing area according to 0 needs to be selected outside the outer edge of the filter 5, and therefore, with respect to the width W of the inlet 21, the sealing area that seals the outside of the filter 5 which is wider than this population 21 is necessary. The external dimensions W of the member 10 and the external dimensions of the ink reservoir 11 that holds the sealing member have become large, which has hindered miniaturization of the inkjet recording head.

The present invention has been made in view of such technical problems, and by improving the structure of the filter attachment of the ejection element, it is possible to reduce the external dimensions of the recording head, and at the same time, It is an object of the present invention to provide an inkjet recording head that can reduce the size and simplification of components mounted in an ink supply system, and an inkjet recording apparatus using the recording head.

[Means for solving problems]

The present invention provides an inkjet recording head that can be attached to an inkjet recording apparatus that performs recording by discharging ink onto a recording material, including an ejection port for ejecting ink;
an ink chamber capable of storing ink; a liquid path that guides the ink stored in the ink chamber to the ejection port; and a filter provided in the ink chamber for removing dust from the ink. By adopting a configuration having , it is possible to reduce the external dimensions of the recording head, and at the same time,
An object of the present invention is to provide an inkjet recording head that allows the mounting components of an ink supply system to be downsized and simplified.

The present invention also provides an inkjet recording apparatus that performs recording by ejecting ink onto a recording material, including an ejection port for ejecting ink, an ink chamber capable of storing ink, and an ink chamber capable of storing ink. a head mounting portion for mounting an inkjet recording head, the head mounting portion having a liquid path for guiding the ink to the ejection port, and a filter provided in the ink liquid chamber for removing dust from the ink;
By having a configuration including a conveyance means for conveying the recording material to a recording position of the inkjet recording head attached to the head attachment part, it is possible to reduce the external dimensions of the recording head. At the same time, it is an object of the present invention to provide an inkjet recording apparatus in which the components mounted in the ink supply system can be downsized and simplified.

〔Example〕

Hereinafter, the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 5 is a schematic perspective view showing the configuration of essential parts of an embodiment of an inkjet recording apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 shows the case of an inkjet recording apparatus equipped with a plurality of line-type inkjet recording heads (four in the illustrated example) capable of full-color recording.

In FIG. 5, reference numerals 101 and 102 are a pair of rollers that sandwich a recording material 103 such as paper or a thin plastic plate and convey it in the sub-scanning direction (conveyance direction) indicated by arrow F.

1058, 105Y, 105M, and 105C are fully multi-type inkjet recording heads 10 in which ejection ports are arranged over substantially the entire width of the recording material 103.
It is 5.

In the case of full color recording, the above four recording heads 105
For example, black, yellow, magenta, and cyan are used as the ink colors ejected from the ink, and in the illustrated example,
Four inkjet/gutter recording heads 105 are arranged in this order from the upstream side (from the bottom) in the recording material conveyance direction.

A recovery system 106 faces each recording gutter 105 instead of the recording material 103 during ejection recovery processing.

Further, each of the inkjet recording heads 105 is mounted on a head mounting portion 107 with their mutual positional relationship regulated.

Note that each inkjet recording gutter 105 is a recording head that implements the present invention, as will be described later.

As described above, another inkjet recording apparatus according to the present invention, that is, an inkjet recording head 1 according to the present invention.
05; and conveyance means 101 and 102 for conveying the recording material 103 to the recording position of the inkjet recording head 105 attached to the head attachment section 107. An embodiment of a recording device is constructed.

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view schematically showing an embodiment of an inkjet recording head according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the ejection elements in FIG. 1 in the liquid path direction.

In FIGS. 1 and 2, 1 is a head substrate made of a silicone material, etc., 2 is a liquid path made of a photosensitive resin, etc.;
3 is an engraved glass plate that forms an ink chamber communicating with each liquid path on the substrate 1; 4 is the ink chamber capable of storing a certain amount of ink; and 5 is a glass plate that prevents dirt and the like from entering the liquid path 2. This is a mesh-like filter made of SUS material, etc. to prevent this.

The substrate 1 and a member 2 such as a photosensitive resin for forming the liquid path.
A discharge unit 20, which is a discharge section of the recording head 105, is constructed by joining the engraved glass plate 3 for forming the ink liquid chambers.

An inkjet recording head 105 is constructed by stacking a mounting structure 30 such as a head drive circuit board and an ink supply system on the upper surface of this ejection unit 20 in a structure similar to that shown in FIGS. 6 and 7. .

That is, the inlet 2 formed in the earthen wall of the ink liquid chamber 4
An ink supply system mounting structure 30 having an ink reservoir 11 corresponding to the ink supply system 1 is connected in a sealed state via a sealing member 10 .

Therefore, the filter 5 for preventing dust and the like from entering on the inlet side of the liquid path 2 is fixed inside the ink liquid chamber 4.

In the illustrated example, the filter 5 has a dome shape that bulges upward, and the flat part 22 shaped around r@ is formed in the ink liquid chamber 4 of the carved glass plate 3. It is attached within the ink liquid chamber 4 by fixing it to the downward stepped portion 23 with an adhesive 6.

As this adhesive 6, for example, a liquid photosensitive resin can be used.

When assembling the filter 5, after applying the adhesive 6 to the stepped portion 23, the filter 5 is inserted into the ink chamber 4 using a jig or the like, and the adhesive is cured by UV while being pressed with a constant pressure. This fixes the filter in place.

After fixing the filter 5 in this manner, the engraved glass plate 3 is bonded to the substrate 1 on which the liquid passage 2 is laminated using an adhesive similar to the adhesive 6 described above.

The ejection element 20 is configured as described above.

According to this embodiment, since the filter 5 for removing dust is attached inside the ink chamber 4 for storing ink, the ejection element 20 can be downsized, and furthermore, the ink supply layered on the top surface of the ejection element 20 can be made smaller. Since the mounting structure 30 of the system can also be downsized and simplified, the inkjet recording head 1
It has become possible to downsize the 05 and reduce costs.

In addition, since the filter 5 is installed in a dome shape, the surface area of the filter 5, which requires a larger flow area than the cross-sectional area of the liquid path 2, can be expanded and the ink flow rate can be sufficiently increased. As a result, it has become possible to further downsize the device.

Furthermore, depending on the type of adhesive 6, the part where the filter 5 is attached may become clogged; however, in this embodiment, by making the filter 5 dome-shaped, the part where the filter 5 is attached may become clogged. We were also able to resolve clogging caused by adhesive.

Furthermore, by making the filter 5 dome-shaped, a sufficient volume of the clean side of the ink chamber 4 after passing through the filter can be secured, and smooth ink feeding to the ejection port can be maintained. was completed.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the same portion as FIG. 2 of a second embodiment of the ink jet recording head according to the present invention.

In this embodiment, a planar mesh filter is used as the filter 5, and the filter 5 is fixed with an adhesive 6 to the inside of the carved glass plate 3 constituting the ink chamber 4.

In this embodiment as well, the ink passage area of the filter 5 (
In this embodiment, the opening area of the inlet 21 (approximately the same as the opening area) is set larger than the cross-sectional area of the liquid path 2.

The other parts of this embodiment have substantially the same structure as those in FIGS. 1 and 2, and corresponding parts are indicated by the same reference numerals, and detailed explanation thereof will be omitted.

According to this embodiment, compared to the above-mentioned embodiments, it is possible to use the space in the area of the ink population 21 of the ejection element 20 to mount the mounting components, thereby making further use of the space and the accompanying We were able to downsize the head.

Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the position of the fixed part (adhesive part) 6 of the filter 5 is selected to be the farthest position from the opening of the liquid path 2 in the ink liquid chamber 4, so that a flat filter is used. Even in this case, a sufficient volume of the ink chamber 4 after passing through the filter (volume on the clean side) could be ensured, and stable ink supply to the ejection ports could be ensured.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the same portion as FIG. 2 of the third embodiment of the inkjet recording head according to the present invention.

In this embodiment, a concave arc-shaped cross section 25 is formed on the inner surface of the engraved glass plate 3 around the inlet 21 of the ink liquid chamber 4, and the concave arc cross section 25 has a dome shape that substantially matches the concave arc cross section 25. The filters 5 are assembled in close contact with no gaps.

As shown in the figure, this filter 5 can be installed with no gap between it and the engraved glass plate 3. In that case, the cross-sectional length of the filter 5 is equal to the length of the inlet 21 in the same direction! It is sufficient if the dimension is longer than .

Further, a flat part 22 is formed at the periphery (lowermost end) of the filter 5, and the filter 5 is fixed by fixing the flat part 22 to a downward step 23 in the ink chamber 4 with an adhesive 6. , is fixed.

In this embodiment as well, the ink passage area of the filter 5 is set larger than the cross-sectional area of the liquid path 2.

The other parts of this embodiment have substantially the same structure as those of the above-mentioned embodiments, and detailed explanation thereof will be omitted.

According to this embodiment, as in the previous embodiments, the filter 5 for removing dust is attached inside the ink chamber 4 for storing ink, so the ejection element 20 can be downsized, and furthermore, Since the mounting structure 30 of the ink supply system stacked on the top surface can also be made smaller and simpler, the inkjet recording RAD 105 can be made smaller and the cost wJ
We were able to reduce this.

In addition, as in the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the filter 5 is installed in a dome shape, so the surface area of the filter 5, which requires a larger flow area than the cross-sectional area of the liquid path 2, is expanded to ensure a sufficient ink flow rate. Therefore, it has become possible to achieve further miniaturization.

Furthermore, depending on the type of adhesive 6, the part where the filter 5 is attached may become clogged; however, in this embodiment, by making the filter 5 dome-shaped, the surrounding adhesive part 6 is free from ink flow. Since the filter 5 is located below the filter 5, problems such as clogging of the filter 5 due to the adhesive or the like can be eliminated.

Furthermore, by making the filter 5 dome-shaped, a sufficient volume of the clean side of the ink chamber 4 after passing through the filter can be secured, and smooth ink feeding to the ejection port can be maintained. was completed.

In each of the above embodiments, the present invention is applied to a fully multi-type recording head 105 and an inkjet recording apparatus using the same. The same method could be applied to a moving serial type inkjet recording head and an inkjet recording apparatus using the recording head, and similar effects could be obtained.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICATION This invention brings about an excellent effect especially in the inkjet recording head of a bubble jet type among inkjet recording methods, and the inkjet recording apparatus using this recording head.

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, it is necessary to place the liquid (ink) on the sheet or liquid path where it is held. By applying at least one drive signal to the electrothermal transducer that corresponds to the recorded information and causes a rapid temperature rise exceeding nucleate boiling,
This method is effective because it generates thermal energy in the electrothermal transducer to cause film boiling on the heat-active surface of the recording head, resulting in the formation of bubbles in the liquid (ink) in one-to-one correspondence with this drive signal.

Due to the growth and contraction of these bubbles, liquid (
ink) to form at least one droplet.

If this drive signal is in the form of a pulse, bubble growth and contraction will occur immediately and appropriately, so liquids with particularly excellent responsiveness (
As a more preferable pulse-shaped drive signal that can achieve ejection of ink, those described in US Pat. No. 4,463,359 and US Pat. No. 4,345,262 are suitable.

Further, if the conditions described in US Pat. No. 4,313,124 concerning the temperature increase rate of the heat acting surface are adopted, even more excellent recording can be achieved.

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. U.S. Pat. No. 4,558,333 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,459,600 disclose a configuration in which a chamber is arranged in a bending area.
The present invention also includes a configuration using the specification of the above 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 a hole that absorbs pressure waves of thermal energy is disclosed. The present invention is also effective as a configuration based on Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 138461 of 1981, which discloses a configuration in which a discharge portion corresponds to a discharge portion.

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 layer 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 device 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 capping means, cleaning means, pressure or suction means, preheating means for the recording head using 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.

(Effects of the Invention) As is clear from the above description, according to the present invention, in an inkjet recording head that can be attached to an inkjet recording apparatus that performs recording by discharging ink onto a recording material, an outlet, an ink liquid chamber capable of storing ink, a liquid path for guiding the ink stored in the ink liquid chamber to the ejection port, and a liquid path provided in the ink liquid chamber for removing dust in the ink. filter and
With this configuration, an inkjet recording head is provided in which the external dimensions of the recording head can be reduced, and at the same time, the components mounted in the ink supply system can be miniaturized and simplified.

According to another aspect of the present invention, an inkjet recording apparatus that performs recording by discharging ink onto a recording material includes an ejection port for discharging ink, an ink liquid chamber capable of storing ink, and an ink liquid chamber capable of storing ink. Head mounting for mounting an inkjet recording head having a liquid path for guiding ink stored in a chamber to the ejection port, and a filter provided in the ink liquid chamber for removing dust from the ink. and a conveying means for conveying the recording material to the recording position of the inkjet recording head mounted on the hendo mounting part, thereby reducing the external dimensions of the recording head. Provided is an inkjet recording device that can be used to measure the amount of ink that can be measured, and at the same time can reduce the size and simplification of components mounted in an ink supply system.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view schematically showing an embodiment of an inkjet recording head according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view in the liquid path direction of the ejection element in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is an inkjet recording head according to the present invention. FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional view in the liquid path direction of the ejection element of the second embodiment of the recording head, FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view in the liquid path direction of the ejection element of the third embodiment of the inkjet recording head according to the present invention. FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view schematically showing the structure of a conventional inkjet recording head, and FIG. FIG. Below, symbols representing main components in the drawings are listed. 1--Substrate of recording head, 2--liquid path, 3-curve--engraved glass plate for forming ink liquid chamber, 4--
・Ink liquid chamber, 5---filter, 6---1111 adhesive, 10---1---sealing member, 11----
・Ink reservoir, 2o-...Discharge element, 21-・
−・−Population (discharge element), 30−−−−−−
Mounting structure (ink supply system and head drive circuit board)
, 105... Inkjet recording head.

Claims (12)

[Claims] (1) In an inkjet recording head that can be attached to an inkjet recording apparatus that performs recording by discharging ink onto a recording material, the inkjet recording head includes an ejection port for discharging ink, an ink chamber capable of storing ink, and the ink liquid. An ink jet recording head comprising: a liquid path for guiding ink stored in a chamber to the ejection port; and a filter provided in the ink liquid chamber for removing dust from the ink. (2) The inkjet recording head according to claim 1, wherein the ink passing surface area of the filter is larger than the cross-sectional area of the liquid path. (3) The inkjet recording head according to claim 1, wherein the filter has a dome shape. (4) The inkjet recording head according to claim 1, wherein the fixed portion of the filter is located at the farthest position from the liquid path opening of the ink liquid chamber. (5) The inkjet recording head is a recording head that discharges ink using thermal energy, and includes an electrothermal converter for generating thermal energy. inkjet recording head. (6) The inkjet recording head according to claim 5, wherein the ink is ejected from the ejection port by the growth of bubbles due to film boiling caused by the thermal energy applied by the electrothermal converter. (7) In an inkjet recording device that performs recording by discharging ink onto a recording material, there is an ejection port for discharging ink, an ink chamber capable of storing ink, and an ink chamber capable of storing ink. a head mounting part for mounting an inkjet recording head having a liquid path leading to the ejection port and a filter provided in the ink liquid chamber for removing dust from the ink; and the head mounting part. An inkjet recording apparatus comprising: a conveying means for conveying the recording material to a recording position of the inkjet recording head mounted on the inkjet recording head. (8) The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the ink passing surface area of the filter of the inkjet recording head is larger than the cross-sectional area of the liquid path. (9) The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the filter of the inkjet recording head has a dome shape. (10) The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the fixed portion of the filter of the inkjet recording head is located at the farthest position from the liquid path opening of the ink liquid chamber. (11) The inkjet recording head is a recording head that discharges ink using thermal energy, and includes an electrothermal converter for generating thermal energy. inkjet recording device. (12) The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the inkjet recording head discharges the ink from the discharge port by the growth of bubbles due to film boiling caused by thermal energy applied by an electrothermal converter. .