JPH03290250A - Temperature controller, record head unit equipped with same temperature controller, and recorder equipped with same unit - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To improve the efficiency of a heat radiation in the whole of a fin by providing air blasting means for generating an air flow in the atmosphere of a second heat exchange member including the fin on which a slit plate is formed slanting in a plurality of predetermined directions. CONSTITUTION:A radiation fin 3 is formed at a heat pipe 2A constituting a second heat exchanger 20B, and a fan 4 for actuating the radiation fin 3 to radiate the heat maximally is provided in a lower part of the radiation fin 3. The fin 3 is provided with a plurality of slit plates 3A and slits 3B. When an air flow blasted from the lower part by the fan 4 flows into the fin 3, a part thereof is deviated by the slit plate 3A so that the air flow becomes turbulent. The turbulent state transfers the heat of the fin 3 favorably so that the radiation efficiency from the fin 3 will be improved. Further, by providing the slit plate 3A, a surface area with respect to the heat radiation in the whole of the fin 3 increases, thereby improving the heat radiation efficiency also due to it.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a temperature control device, a recording head unit, and a recording device using the unit. A temperature control device that controls the temperature of the recording head, including a heat exchange member that is attached to the recording head to perform heat exchange with the recording head, and a recording head unit equipped with the same; The present invention relates to a recording device using a unit.

[Background Art 1 Recording methods that perform recording using thermal energy include, for example, a thermal recording method, a thermal transfer recording method, and a method in which ink is ejected as bubbles in the ink grow due to heat generated by an electrothermal conversion element. There is an inkjet method that performs recording.

These recording methods are widely used in printers, copiers, etc. Among them, the above-mentioned inkjet method enables high-definition and high-speed recording, and the recording head of this method is manufactured using the same process as semiconductor devices. By doing so, recording heads and devices can be constructed at relatively low cost, etc.
It has many advantages that other methods do not have.

Incidentally, in recording apparatuses that perform recording using thermal energy, as recording progresses, so-called heat accumulation and temperature distribution between recording elements due to this heat accumulation generally occur. This heat accumulation and temperature distribution affect the recording characteristics of the recording element, resulting in problems such as uneven density in the recorded image and loss of color balance in color recording. .

Such heat accumulation is particularly problematic in the above-mentioned type of inkjet recording apparatus that performs recording using ink.

That is, the recording head of this system includes: - a plurality of ejection ports for ejecting ink, a liquid path communicating with each of the plurality of ejection ports and having an electrothermal conversion element disposed therein; It has a common liquid chamber that stores ink to be supplied to each, and a part of the thermal energy generated by the electrothermal conversion element during recording is transferred as heat to the liquid path and the ink in the common liquid chamber. Ru. As a result, the temperature of the ink in the liquid path and the common liquid chamber changes, and a corresponding distribution of ink temperature occurs between the respective ejection ports.

Such changes in ink temperature affect the viscosity of the ink. As a result, the amount of ink ejected from each ejection port changes, thereby changing the density of the recorded pixel. At this time, if there is a temperature distribution of the ink among the plurality of ejection ports, density unevenness will occur in the recorded image according to this distribution. Furthermore, in color recording, the color balance will be disrupted.

This density unevenness and color balance (deviation) are considered problems in so-called full-line type recording heads among inkjet recording heads. In other words, this full-line type recording head is A plurality of ejection ports for one line of recording are arranged in accordance with the width. For example, when using A3 size recording paper, at a recording density of 400 dpi, there are 4376 ejection ports and the corresponding electrothermal conversion. Equipped with an element.

When arranging a large number of ejection ports in this way, firstly, the difference in ejection frequency between the ejection ports often becomes large depending on the print data, which may cause a temperature distribution between the ejection ports. Second, for example, when A3 size printing is performed immediately after B5 size printing using a part of the ejection port array, there is a gap between the ejection ports that were previously used for printing and the other ejection ports. Temperature distribution may also occur.

Additionally, when multiple printheads are used for each color ink to perform full-color printing, differences in the frequency of use between these printheads cause temperature differences between the printheads, resulting in subtle differences in the volume of ink ejected. This may cause problems such as color balance being disrupted or density varying depending on the ink color.

The temperature distribution that occurs between the ejection ports of the print head as described above,
Or to reduce temperature differences between multiple recording heads.
The applicant has proposed a configuration in which a heat exchange member such as a heat vibrator is attached to the recording head, and heat exchange is performed with the recording head via the heat vibrator or the like.

The heat vibrator with this configuration has a working liquid such as water or fluorocarbon liquid inside its hollow interior, and this working liquid vaporizes or condenses depending on the relative temperature with the recording head, thereby allowing heat exchange (recording This is used to dissipate heat from the head or heat the recording head. The inside of the heat vibrator is filled with a working fluid and steam produced by vaporizing the working fluid, and the rapid heat transfer of this steam causes the heat vibrator to constantly try to equalize its temperature.

In addition, to promote heat exchange by this heat vibrator,
For example, a heat exchange structure such as a fin for exchanging heat with the atmosphere (heat radiation) and a fan for blowing air to the extended part of the heat vibrator may be provided, or a heater installed at a predetermined part of the heat vibrator may be used. The applicant has also proposed a configuration in which heat is exchanged (heating a heat pipe) with a heat vibrator.

However, in the above-described heat exchange member and the recording head to which it is attached, there remains room for improvement as described below regarding the heat exchange member itself and the configuration of a recording head unit using heat exchange.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] In other words, improving the efficiency of heat exchange using a heat exchange member such as a heat pipe quickly reduces the temperature difference between the ejection ports in the recording head and the temperature difference between the recording heads. As a result, it is not only possible to perform high-speed recording without density unevenness, but it is also possible to speed up and improve the accuracy of head temperature adjustment control, which controls the recording head temperature within a predetermined range. do. Further, by improving the heat exchange efficiency, effects such as the ability to further downsize the structure for heat exchange can be obtained.

In this type of heat exchange configuration, the major parts that contribute to improving efficiency are the area where the heat pipe mentioned above exchanges heat with the recording head, and the area where the heat pipe is equipped with fins etc. to dissipate heat to the atmosphere. This includes areas where heat pipes are installed, and areas where heaters are installed in heat pipes.

In the area where the heat pipe has fins,
The idea is to improve heat dissipation efficiency by providing fins, but in many cases the function of these fins is not fully demonstrated, and in particular, a fan is used to create airflow around the fins to promote heat dissipation. With this configuration, the function of the fins is not fully demonstrated.

That is, there is a problem that separation occurs in the air flow around the fins, and sufficient heat is not radiated from the fins in this area.

Furthermore, there are cases where it is required to downsize the fins in order to downsize the device, and in such cases, it is necessary to improve the heat dissipation efficiency of the fins by fully demonstrating the functions of the fins.

The present invention is a two-pronged invention based on the above-mentioned viewpoints, and its object is to provide a slit in a fin and to guide a part of the air flow around the fin to the slit.
By providing such a slit plate, the flow around the fins becomes turbulent, and by providing the slit plate, the total area of the fins is increased, thereby improving the heat dissipation efficiency of the entire fin. Control device,
An object of the present invention is to provide a recording head unit and a recording device.

[Means for Solving the Problems J To this end, in the present invention, a heating element for generating the thermal energy is disposed in a recording head unit for recording on a recording material using thermal energy. a recording head, a first heat exchange member that is connected to the recording head and performs heat exchange with the recording head, and a heat exchange member that can transfer heat between the first heat exchange member. And,
a second heat exchange member for exchanging heat with an atmosphere provided outside the area where the recording head is disposed;
A fin that forms part of a heat exchange member and includes a plurality of slits and a plurality of slit plates provided for each of the plurality of slits and inclined in a predetermined direction, and the second heat exchange member including the fin. The apparatus is characterized by comprising a blowing means for generating an air flow in the atmosphere.

Further, in a temperature control device that controls the temperature of a recording head that is provided with a heating element for generating thermal energy and performs recording on a recording material using the thermal energy,
a first heat exchange member connected to the recording head to perform heat exchange with the recording head; and a heat exchange member capable of transferring heat between the first heat exchange member and the first heat exchange member, a second heat exchange member provided outside the area where the recording head is disposed for exchanging heat with the atmosphere; a plurality of slits and a second heat exchange member forming a part of the second heat exchange member; a fin having a plurality of slit plates provided for each of the slits and inclined in a predetermined direction; and a second fin including the fin.
The heat exchanger is characterized by comprising a blowing means for generating an air flow in the atmosphere of the heat exchange member.

Further, in a recording device for recording using thermal energy on a recording material as the recording material is transported,
a recording head provided with a heat generating element for generating the thermal energy; a first heat exchange member connected to the recording head to perform heat exchange with the recording head; and the first heat exchange member. a second heat exchange member capable of exchanging heat with the atmosphere, the second heat exchange member being provided outside the area where the recording head is disposed and exchanging heat with the atmosphere; 2
A fin that forms part of a heat exchange member and includes a plurality of slits and a plurality of slit plates provided for each of the plurality of slits and inclined in a predetermined direction, and the second heat exchange member including the fin. The apparatus is characterized by comprising a blowing means for generating an air flow in the atmosphere.

This turbulent flow radiates heat from the fins efficiently, making it difficult for separation to occur in the flow around the fins, and efficiently dissipating heat using the entire fin.

Further, by providing the slit plate, the surface area of the fin increases, thereby improving the heat dissipation efficiency of the fin.

(Left below) [Function] According to the above configuration, the air flow around the fins is disturbed by the presence of the slit plate and the slits. [Examples] Hereinafter, examples of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. will be explained in detail.

FIGS. 1(A), 1(El), and 1(C) are diagrams showing a copying machine using an inkjet recording device according to an embodiment of the present invention in a recording section, and each is a schematic sectional view seen from the front. , a schematic cross-sectional view of only the recording section viewed from above, and a schematic cross-sectional view of only the recording section viewed from the side.

The copying machine according to this example is roughly divided into two parts. In these figures, 301 is a scanner unit that reads a document and converts it into an electrical signal. A recording unit 302 performs recording on a recording material such as recording paper based on an electrical signal converted by the scanner unit 301.

In the scanner section 301, 401 is an original, and 406 is an original table on which the original 401 is placed, and is made of transparent glass or the like. 402 scans the original 40 by moving and scanning it.
This is a document reading unit for reading one image. The document reading unit 402 includes a rod array lens 40.
3. A same-magnification color separation line sensor (color image sensor) 404 and exposure means 405 are built-in. When the document reading unit 402 moves and scans in the direction of the arrow in the figure by a moving scanning mechanism (not shown) to read the image of the document 401 on the document table 406, the document reading unit 40
The exposure lamp constituting the exposure means 405 of No. 2 is turned on,
Reflected light from the image on the original document 401 irradiated by this is focused by a rod array lens 403 onto a same-magnification color separation line sensor (hereinafter referred to as a reading sensor) 404 . The reading sensor 404 detects color image information of the document image for red (R), green (G), and blue (B) and converts them into electrical digital signals. This digital signal is transferred to the printer unit 302 as recording data.

In the recording unit 302, 305 is a recording head unit,
As will be described later in FIG. 2', ejection ports were formed for each of yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (Bk) inks over the entire recording width of the recording material. It is equipped with a so-called full line type recording head l. Also,
Each of these recording heads is provided with a heat vibrator 2 disposed on its side surface for adjusting the temperature of the recording head. Note that the heat vibrator in this example was integrated with the other at each end. 306
Reference numeral denotes a recovery cap portion, which moves relative to the print head portion 305 as necessary to cap the ejection port forming surface of the print head, as will be described later with reference to FIG. 14 and the like. This prevents ink from drying out during non-printing, performs preliminary ejection, etc., and maintains good ejection characteristics of the print head at all times. When not capping, such as during recording, the recording head unit 305 is placed at a position facing the conveyance path of the recording paper, as shown in FIGS. 1(A) and 1(B).

A paper feeding unit 303 includes a cassette 411 for storing a plurality of recording sheets in a stacked state.

The recording paper stored in the cassette 411 is separated one by one by a pickup roller 412 and the like and fed to the recording paper conveyance path. The fed recording paper is transported into a transport path 419 by a pair of transport rollers 413 and 414,
Furthermore, a pair of registration rollers 415 and 416 adjust the timing of the conveyance, and the sheet is conveyed to a position facing the ejection opening surface of the recording head section 305 .

A recording paper conveyance path at a position facing the ejection port surface is formed by a belt conveyance section 304. That is, the belt conveyance unit 304 includes an endless belt that charges and adsorbs the recording paper and runs in the conveyance direction at a position facing the ejection port surface, a drive unit that drives the endless belt, and the like. The distance between the recording surface and the ejection port surface of the recording head is maintained appropriately by the attraction force of the recording paper conveyed while being attracted to the belt. During this time, four recording heads for each ink color are driven based on the recording data to record on the recording paper.

The recorded recording paper is further conveyed by a belt conveyance section 304 from a position facing the recording head section 305 to a paper discharge port. During this time, air heated by the infrared heater 308 is sent by the fan 307 to the recording paper on the conveyance path. This promotes the evaporation of moisture in the ink ejected from the recording head and adhered to the paper, and promotes ink fixation of the recorded image. The recording paper that has reached the paper ejection port is transferred to a paper ejection tray 420 by a pair of paper ejection rollers 213 and 214.
Paper is ejected upward.

As described above, a heat vibrator is attached to the recording head of this example, and the temperature of the recording head is adjusted to a desired temperature by this. As a result, the ink temperature within the print head is controlled to a temperature suitable for printing. For this reason, as shown in FIGS. 1(B) and 1(C), a part of the heat vibrator 2 is extended outside the area where the recording head is disposed, and the excess heat is radiated there. A heat exchange section is constructed by attaching fins for the recording head, a heater for supplying heat to the recording head, and the like. And below this heat exchange part,
A fan 4 is provided to blow air toward the fins.

2(A) to 2(C) show an example of a printing head unit having a printing head 1 constituting the printing section of the inkjet printing apparatus shown in FIG. 1 and a heat vibrator 2 as a heat exchange means. 2A is a schematic perspective view showing only one of the four heads, and FIGS. 2B and 2C are a schematic plan view and a schematic side view of the entire recording head unit. .

In these figures, reference numeral 1 denotes a so-called full-line type recording head in which ejection ports are provided corresponding to the entire recording width of a recording material. The recording head of this example has 63 ejection ports.
4736 pieces are arranged at a pitch of 5 μm. An electrothermal conversion element is provided in a liquid path provided to communicate with each of these discharge ports. Thermal energy generated by this electrothermal conversion element is used to rapidly increase the temperature of the ink in the vicinity, causing film boiling, and suppressing the rapid pressure change that occurs as bubbles are generated due to this film boiling. Use this to eject ink.

Reference numeral 2 denotes a heat vibrator that is provided in contact with substantially the entire area of each recording head 1 except for a predetermined area in the longitudinal direction on one side surface thereof. Each of these heat vibes 2 forms a substantially square portion 2A in an area that does not come into contact with the recording head 1 at one end thereof, and the ends of each of the portions 2A are integrally formed so that the insides communicate with each other. . By integrally forming the heat vibrator in this way, the structure for controlling the temperature of each heat vibrator becomes simple. A meandering fin 3 is attached between each of these portions 2A. As a result, a first heat exchange section 20A that performs heat exchange between the heat vibrator 2 and the recording head 1 and a second heat exchange section 20B that extends outside and is located away from the recording area by the recording head are configured. be done.

The heat vibrator 2, 2A is constructed of a body made of aluminum, taking into consideration not only heat transfer properties but also workability, cost, etc., and a working fluid made of fluorocarbon liquid injected into the hollow interior of the body. With heat vibrators, it is generally necessary to consider the amount of heat transported. In other words, there is a limit to the heat transfer amount of the heat vibrator, and in order to obtain appropriate thermal characteristics for recording, within that limit, the maximum amount of heat that can be transferred from the head to the heat vibrate or from the heat vibrate to the head is required. It is necessary to be able to transfer a greater amount of heat.

The limit amount of heat transport has a correlation with the cross-sectional area of the heat vibrator, and the larger the cross-sectional area of the heat vibrator, the larger the heat transport amount.

On the other hand, when recording a color image using multiple recording heads as in this example, generally speaking, the larger the distance between the recording heads in the conveyance direction of the recording paper, the more difficult it is to store the transferred image data. It may be necessary to increase the memory size of the device, leading to an increase in the cost of the entire device.

In addition, relative positioning between the recording heads and the recording paper (hereinafter also referred to as registration) is performed between each recording head.
In order to improve the accuracy of
The smaller the distance between the recording heads, the better.

Taking these points into consideration, the heat vibe used in this example has a heat vibe 2 that constitutes the first heat exchange section 20A that performs heat exchange by heat transfer such as the recording head l, etc., with a substantially rectangular cross section, and is mainly used for heat radiation. The two heat pipes constituting the second heat exchange section 20B that performs this are approximately square in shape and have the same thickness as the heat vibe 2, as described above. By using a heat vibrator having such a shape, it is possible to reduce the distance between recording heads, and it is also possible to perform efficient heat exchange without reducing the amount of heat transport.

The recording head 1 and the heat vibrator 2 are connected by a pressure contact member 8. That is, the pressing member 8 is a plate spring-like member, and as shown in detail in FIG. These two are connected by pressing the heat vibrator 2 in contact with the heat vibrator 2 . Further, this pressure contact member 8 is provided with several notches in the longitudinal direction as described above. This notch is for pressing the heat vibrator 2 against the head 1 with a uniform pressing force, thereby ensuring that heat transfer between the head l and the heat vibrator 2 is performed uniformly over the entire recording head. At the same time, it also enables smooth attachment and detachment when inserting the heat vibrator.

It is appropriate to use an elastic material such as SUS or phosphor bronze for this pressure contact member, and the thickness is 0.
2mm y 1. Approximately 0 mm is optimal. Since the thickness is very thin, thermal problems such as heat conduction can be ignored even if it is in direct contact with the heat vibe 2.

As described above, the heat radiating fins 3 constituting the heat radiating means are press-fitted into the three regions formed between the four heat vibrators 2A in the two heat pipes constituting the second heat exchange section 20B. It is installed in In order to maximize the heat dissipation function of the heat dissipation fins 3, a fan 4 constituting the heat dissipation means is installed near the heat dissipation fins 3 in a direction opposite to the direction in which ink is ejected from the recording head. It is provided below the heat dissipation fin 3 so as to send the radiation.

The maximum wind speed of this fan 4 is 3 m/sec, and although only a part of it is shown in FIG. 2(A), its air outlet 4A
extends over the three areas in which the fins 3 are provided.

The installation of this fan 4 in this embodiment is not limited to the form (i.e., it can be installed in a place that does not cause problems with ink mist or influence on the ink ejection direction, which will be described later), and has a heat dissipation auxiliary effect.
It can be placed at the most preferable position where miniaturization of the device can be achieved. Also, Fig. 2 (B) and (C)
As is clear from the figure, the heat pipes 2, 2A and the recording head 1 are supported by the housing lO1, but there is a housing etc. at the position where the second heat converter, that is, the two heat pipes and the fin 3 are arranged. There are no supporting members. Thereby, there is nothing that obstructs the air blowing from the fan 4, and the air can be properly blown to the fins 3 and the heat vibrator 2A.

Note that although this fan 4 is provided in the main device, it may also be provided in a recording unit such as a recording head.

The radiation fins 3 are provided so that their surfaces are formed in a direction intersecting the longitudinal direction of the heat vibe 2, as will be described in detail later in FIG. By providing the heat dissipation fins 3 in this manner, the air sent from below the heat dissipation fins 3 by the fan 4 is suppressed from going around to the recording head side (recording area side). This reduces problems such as ink mist flying inside the recording apparatus and changing the direction of ink ejection. As with the heat vibrator 2, the heat radiation fin 3 is made of lightweight aluminum that has relatively good heat radiation properties.

Again in FIGS. 2(A) to 2(C), 5 is a temperature sensor that can be configured with a thermistor or the like, and is provided in the center of the area constituting the second heat exchange section and where the four heat vibrators 2A are integrated. It will be done. Reference numeral 6 denotes a heater in the form of a planar heater, which is attached to the side surface of each of the two heat pipes disposed at the outermost side of the four heat vibes 2A.

The temperature sensor used in this example is a bean-shaped PCB type thermistor with a diameter of φ1, 5 mm (diameter of the contact surface with the heat vibrator) x 2°5 mm (thickness of the sensor). As in this example, when the heat vibes 2 and 2A are so-called integrated heat vibes in which a plurality of heat vibes communicate with each other at one end and share the working fluid, one temperature sensor 5 detects four heat vibes. The temperature of the recording head 1 can be detected, and in this case, the mounting position is at the center of the connection area where each heat vibrator 2A is integrated, as described above.

In general, a temperature sensor is provided to detect the printhead temperature that changes as recording occurs in printhead temperature control, and originally it would have been attached directly to the printhead to detect the temperature responsively. In some cases, this may be desirable.

However, the inkjet recording apparatus of this example is configured such that the recording heads used therein can be replaced individually if necessary, such as when the ejection characteristics of the recording heads deteriorate. Therefore, if the temperature sensor is attached to the recording head, it is troublesome to remove the temperature sensor from the recording head when replacing it, or even if you replace the entire recording head from which the temperature sensor is removed. This causes problems such as increased costs related to the temperature sensor.

Furthermore, when a temperature sensor is directly attached, the thermal conductivity of some materials constituting the recording head is low, and the temperature of a portion of the recording head other than the portion to which the temperature sensor is attached may not be reflected in a responsive manner. This is particularly noticeable in the case of a full line quib recording head like the one in this example.

For the above reasons, when a temperature sensor is installed on a heat pipe, the heat vibration's good thermal conductivity quickly equalizes the temperature, making it possible to detect temperature that responds well to the temperature distribution that occurs in the recording head. It can be carried out.

In the case of this example, only one temperature sensor 5 was provided in the joint area where the heat vibrator 2A is integrated, but this is because the temperature of each head is sufficiently uniformed by integrating the heat vibe. This is effective in a recording device that supports a recording mode in which the temperature variation between the four recording heads is relatively small.However, with a detachable recording head like this example, The thermal resistance between the recording head and the heat vibrator may become large, which may cause a temperature difference between the heads. In order to perform appropriate temperature control, it is desirable to provide a temperature sensor for each of the four recording heads. In this case, the temperature sensor is preferably mounted at the center of each heat vibrator 2.

On the other hand, the heaters 6 are attached to the side surfaces of the two outermost heat vibes 2A as described above.

A heat vibrator used together with the heater is provided to uniformly transfer the heat generated by the heater to the entire recording head by utilizing the good heat transfer properties of the heat vibe. Therefore, it is desirable that the heater on the heat vibrator be attached at a position where at least a portion of the heater corresponds to a portion of the heat vibrator that corresponds to the working fluid. As a result, the heat generated by the heater is quickly transferred to the working fluid, and the working fluid is vaporized by this heat, allowing the gas to quickly transport heat to the entire recording head. By the way, as will be explained in detail in FIG. 3, when the recording head and heat vibrator unit are installed in the inkjet recording apparatus of this example, that is, in the state during recording, the heat vibrator is as shown in FIG. 2 (C). ), the recording head 1 and the heat vibrator 2 take a posture with the direction in which they extend horizontally. Therefore, during recording, the hydraulic fluid is in the heat vibrator 2, in the state shown in FIG.
It extends below the two people. In view of the above, in this example, the planar heater 6 is attached to cover the portion of the heat vibrator 2A that corresponds to the working fluid.

Furthermore, if a heater is attached to one of the heat vibs 2 in the area corresponding to the recording head 1, the heat generated by the heater is transmitted to the nearby recording head without going through the heat vibe 2, increasing its temperature. may have an adverse effect. In this sense as well, it is desirable to provide the heater 6 on the heat vibe 2A, which is separate from the recording head 1.

The heater 6 is a substantially square planar heater as described above. This is to prevent the heat emitted from the heater from concentrating on a part of the heat vibrator and causing a so-called dryout phenomenon in this part. That is, the purpose is to spread out the heat generated by the heater so that the heat generated by the heater is not concentrated in one part. Further, the heater 6 has an output of 100 W in order to raise the recording head temperature to about 40 degrees or higher when the ambient temperature in which the apparatus of this embodiment is used is low, and to quickly raise the temperature.

In this example, the heater 6 is directly bonded to the body of the heat vibrator 2A, but when using a commonly available heater, the Al1
The heater may be attached through a plate such as a plate, or some holes may be provided in this plate to control the amount of heat transferred to the heat vibrator. Furthermore, if the output of the heater used is relatively large, one heater may be provided at the connecting portion of the heat vibrator 2A. At this time, the sensor 5, which is similarly provided at the connecting portion, is attached above (in FIG. 2(C)) at a certain distance from the heater.

Moreover, what is used as the heater 6 is not limited to a planar heater, and for example, a power transistor may be used as the heater. In this case, since the power transistor is small and generates a relatively large amount of heat, it is attached via a predetermined member in consideration of the dry-out phenomenon described above.

As is clear from the above explanation, according to the heat vibe configuration of this example, it is possible to reduce the number of heaters and temperature sensors, and it is possible to reduce the cost of the configuration for controlling the temperature adjustment of the recording head. Become.

In Figure 2 (B) and (C), 22.23.24
a.

Members 24b and 25 are members for adjusting the registration of the recording head 1, and members 30 to 3
3 is a member for adjusting the warpage of the recording head.

The configuration and operation of these devices are shown in Figures 2 (B) and (C), Figures 11 (A) and (B), and Figure 12 (A).
) to (C) below.

FIG. 3(A) is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the internal structure of the heat vibrator 2, 2A. In the same figure, 203 is the hydraulic fluid 2
07 is the hydraulic fluid filling section, 206 is the hydraulic fluid filling section 2
This is a partition plate that is provided above the hydraulic fluid filling section 203 and covers almost the entire area of the hydraulic fluid filling section 203 except for both ends thereof. 204 is provided in a portion corresponding to the heat vibrator 2, and the partition plate 20
A working fluid vapor passage 205 formed above the partition plate 206 is provided in a portion corresponding to the heat vibrator 2A.
It is a heat dissipation part (condensation part) formed above.

Using the heat vibrator 2, 2A as described above, this is the 6th
It is connected to the recording head 1 as detailed in the figures. When recording with such a recording head l, the heat generated from the electrothermal transducer elements provided corresponding to each ink ejection port first flows into the hydraulic fluid filling section 203 (in the direction of the arrow in the figure). ).

This heat is rapidly diffused over almost the entire area of the hydraulic fluid filling section 203 as the hydraulic fluid 207 is convected and evaporated due to this heat, thereby making the inside of the hydraulic fluid filling section 203 a uniform temperature. By equalizing the temperature of the filling portion 203, the temperature of the ink in the vicinity of the electrothermal transducer of the recording head 1, that is, the temperature of the recording head, is further equalized.

Further, the steam generated in the hydraulic fluid filling section 203 is transferred to the filling section 203.
03 end where there is no partition plate 206 to reach the steam passage 4, pass through the steam passage 4 (in the direction of arrow E in the figure), reach the heat radiation part 205, and move in the direction of arrow F in the figure. During this transfer, the steam loses heat and condenses. This condensed working fluid 207 travels along the inner wall of the vibe body constituting the heat vibe 2A, moves in the direction of arrow G in the figure due to gravity, and returns to the working fluid filling portion 203.

In the operation of the hydraulic fluid described above, by providing the partition plate 206, the temperature equalization effect of the recording head by the hydraulic fluid can be performed independently of the condensation effect of the hydraulic fluid. In other words, the heat generated with a varying temperature distribution among the ejection ports in the recording head 1 and the heat generated by the heat vibrator 2
As described above, the heat generated from the heater 6 attached to the side of the person is quickly equalized by the working fluid filling section 203, and as a result, the temperature is made uniform between the ejection ports of the recording head 1. However, at this time, the behavior of heat in the heat radiation section 205 is not transmitted to the hydraulic fluid filling section 203 due to the partition plate 206. This enables efficient temperature equalization and heat dissipation by the heat vibrator. Furthermore, the presence of the partition plate 206 allows for good heat circulation until the excess heat in the working fluid filling section 203 is condensed in the heat dissipation section 205.

Furthermore, the partition plate prevents the working fluid from being wiped away due to the movement of steam, thereby preventing the temperature of the recording head from increasing due to the dry-out phenomenon.

In order to smoothly perform a series of operations using the hydraulic fluid as described above, the heat dissipating parts 205. It is desirable to arrange the steam passage 2049 and the hydraulic fluid filling section 203.

According to the configuration of the heat vibes 2 and 2A as described above, it is possible to equalize the temperature of the recording head and dissipate heat more efficiently than the conventional heat vibe shown in FIG. You can get a heat vibe of the configuration. That is, FIG. 3(C) shows a cross section of a conventional heat vibrator, in which the working fluid that has condensed and adhered to the inner wall of the heat vibrate is pumped by capillary force to the part corresponding to the recording head of the heat vibrator. A groove is provided for movement. Therefore, it is necessary to process the inner wall of the heat vibrator to form grooves, which may lead to an increase in cost. Further, with this conventional heat vibrator, efficient temperature equalization cannot be performed because there is no partition plate.

The function of the partition plate 206 according to this example is not only to perform the temperature equalization function and the heat dissipation function independently and efficiently as described above (for example, as described later in FIG. Recording head 1 for capping
When moving, this movement causes the heat vibrator 2, 2A to
The partition plate 206 prevents the working fluid from being unevenly distributed within the chamber. Thereby, temperature equalization and heat dissipation can be performed well even during the capping operation. Furthermore, when the recording head used is a so-called serial type recording head that performs recording along with scanning movement, the function of this partition plate is particularly remarkable.

FIG. 3(B) shows an embodiment in which the ink ejection direction is perpendicular to the direction of gravity (horizontal direction). In this case, the heat dissipation section 205. Steam passage 2041 working fluid filling section 203. By configuring the heat generating parts of the recording head 1 in this order, it is possible to achieve the same temperature equalization effect and heat dissipation effect as in the embodiment shown in FIG. 3(A). In this configuration, the heat generating portion existing on the discharge port surface and its vicinity is replaced by a third
In order to maintain the recording characteristics, it is desirable to dispose them horizontally as shown in Figure (B). Regarding this,
A detailed explanation will be given with respect to FIG. 6 and the like.

FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing details of the fin 3 shown in FIG. 2, etc., and is a cross-section viewed from the direction indicated by arrow B in FIG. 2(B). In FIG. 4, only part of the fin 3 is shown.

As is clear from FIG. 4, the fin 3 is provided with a plurality of slit plates 3A that open alternately in the lower right or lower left direction in the figure in predetermined areas, and slits 3B formed therewith. Due to this fin configuration, the flow of air blown from below by the fan 4 as shown by the arrow in the figure is as follows.
When it flows into the fin 3, a part of it is deflected by the slit plate 3A according to the direction in which it opens, as shown by the arrow in the figure. As a result, the airflow flowing between each of the plurality of fins 3 becomes turbulent. This turbulent state is caused by the fin 3
heat is transferred to the air flow relatively well, and separation of the air flow from the fins 3 is made difficult to occur, so that the efficiency of heat radiation from the fins 3 is improved.

Furthermore, by providing the slit plate 3A, the fin 3
The overall surface area for heat dissipation increases, which also improves heat dissipation efficiency.

The fins 3 of this example are arranged in three spaces constituted by the four heat vibrators 2A, and form a meandering shape in each space. According to the above configuration, the arrangement space of the second heat exchange section is reduced by making the two heat pipes plate-shaped, and at the same time, the heat dissipation effect is impaired due to the meandering shape and the configuration of the slit plate. Never.

The shape of the heat vibrator and the fins are not limited to those shown in this example, but may be shaped as shown in FIG. Good too. Even in this case, the heat dissipation efficiency is improved by providing the fins 3 with slits and slit plates.

Furthermore, it goes without saying that the direction in which the slit plates open and the number of slit plates in each area are not limited to the upper side; for example, the opening direction of the slit plates may be alternately changed one by one.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the control configuration of the recording section 302 using the inkjet recording apparatus of this example. In this figure, illustration of each control structure such as the recording paper conveyance system is omitted.
The control configuration mainly for adjusting the temperature of the recording head l is shown.

In FIG. 5, 100 is a CPU, which executes control processes such as operations and data processing in the printing unit 302 using the inkjet printing apparatus of this embodiment. 100A is CPU1
A RAM 100B is used as a work area etc. in the control processing by 00, and RO 100B stores processing procedures related to a processing procedure recording section 302, which will be described later in FIG.
It is M. Further, LA is a head driver 4A for driving the electrothermal transducer element of the recording head l based on drive data signals and control signals transferred from the CPU 100.
and 6A are fan motors 4B for rotating the fan 4 based on control signals from the CPU 100, respectively.
and a fan motor driver and a heater driver that drive the heater 6.

After performing predetermined processing on the print data transferred from the scanner unit 301, the CPU 100 transfers the data as drive data to the head driver IA in synchronization with the conveyance of the print sheet. Also, at the same time, the CPU 100
Based on the temperature of the recording head 1 detected by the temperature sensor 5,
Fan 4. The temperature of the recording head is controlled using the heater 6 as will be described later with reference to FIG.

6(A) and 6(B) are side views of the recording head 1, the heat vibrator 2, and the two people, showing the details of the recording head 1 and the manner in which the two people are wearing the heat vibrator 8. In these figures, 10 is This is an electrothermal conversion element for generating thermal energy used to eject ink, and it is 437 mm at a density of 400 dpi in the direction perpendicular to this figure.
Six pieces are provided, and a discharge port (not shown) is also provided corresponding to each of them. 11 are these electrothermal conversion elements lO
A substrate 12 is formed by bonding the substrate 11 to form a wave path in which the electrothermal transducer 10 is arranged and communicated with the ejection port, and a common liquid chamber for supplying ink to this liquid path. It is a board. Reference numeral 13 denotes a base body that supports the substrate 11 and forms the main body of the recording head.

In the above configuration, as shown in FIG. 6(B), the heat vibe 2 is a side area of the base 13 that supports the substrate 11 provided with the electrothermal conversion element, and is provided with the electrothermal conversion element. It is attached to an area outside of the area corresponding to the area where the device was placed. That is, the heat vibrator is not attached to the area where the electrothermal conversion element is disposed through the substrate 11 and the base body 13 in the thickness direction thereof.

When a heat vibrator is provided in a region corresponding to an electrothermal transducer, the ink temperature and ink ejection near the electrothermal transducer are likely to be affected. That is, for example, if a heat vibrator is not installed nearby, about 40 to 60% of the heat generated by the electrothermal transducer is used as energy for ejecting ink; If it is installed near the converter, the amount of heat transferred between the heat vibrator and the vicinity increases, and only a portion, for example, about 10%, of the thermal energy generated by the electrothermal converter is involved in ink ejection. become unable. If we were to perform good ink ejection under these conditions, it would be necessary to increase the thermal energy generated by the electrothermal transducer, for example, by increasing the voltage or pulse width of the drive pulse. Power consumption increases.Furthermore, as the generated thermal energy increases, it becomes necessary to increase the speed of heat transport in order to equalize the temperature of the recording head, leading to a complicated configuration.

Additionally, as the amount of heat transfer between the heat vibrator and the vicinity of the electrothermal conversion element increases, the heat of the heat vibrator tends to move to this vicinity, making the ink temperature in this area higher than necessary. In some cases, more ink than the desired amount is ejected, which may affect the density of the recorded image.

As described above, by providing a heat vibrator in contact with an area other than the area where the electrothermal transducer of the recording head is provided, excessive heat transfer from the vicinity of the electrothermal transducer to and from the electrothermal transducer is caused. Therefore, the ink ejection characteristics and temperature control of the recording head using a heat vibrator can be performed satisfactorily.

In addition, with the arrangement of the heat vibrator as described above, it is easier to control the ink temperature mainly in the ink liquid path and the common liquid chamber than in the vicinity of the electrothermal conversion element of the recording head. In particular, it is possible to stabilize the ink viscosity throughout the full-line type recording head, and it is possible to stabilize the responsiveness of ink behavior such as ink refill.

Figures 7(A) and (B) are similar to Figures 6(A) and (B).
) is a schematic front view and a schematic side view showing a second embodiment of the configuration shown in FIG.

In FIGS. 7(A) and (B), 1 is the inkjet recording head according to this example, and 11 is the recording head 1.
2 is a heat vibrator disposed along the substrate 11, and the electrothermal conversion element IO1 liquid path 14 and discharge port 15 are formed on the substrate 11. 16 is a top plate for forming the liquid path 14 and the discharge port 15.

Now, for the above-mentioned recording head l, there is a
When using a silicon plate with a thickness of mm, the electrothermal conversion element 1
When a driving pulse of 33 (V) and a pulse width of 7 (μS) is applied to 0, the heat generated by the element 10 is slowly diffused through the substrate 11 as shown by the center opening in FIG. It is transmitted to the vibe 2. At this time, by blowing air at 2 m/s using a heater with an output of 50 W and a fan, the temperature of the recording head 1 could always be stably maintained in the range of 45 to 52°C. On the other hand, when a 0.4 mm thick silicon substrate was used as the substrate 11, ink could not be ejected even though similar driving pulses were applied.

The above experimental results can be explained as follows. In other words, the thinner the silicon substrate is, the more
Heat flows easily to the heat vibrator 2 through the heat vibrator 1, and therefore a large amount of heat flows through the liquid path 1.
The amount of heat transferred to the ink in contact with the electrothermal transducer 10 in 4 is reduced.

Therefore, when a silicon substrate with a thickness of 0.5 mm or less is used as the substrate 11, the thermal energy necessary for foaming the ink cannot be obtained from the electrothermal converter 10, and stable ejection becomes impossible. In fact, when we measured the ratio of heat transferred to the heat vibrator 2 in each of the above-mentioned experiments, we found that
When the thickness of the silicon substrate is 1 mm, electrothermal conversion element 1
Approximately 70% of the power input to 0.0, when the silicon substrate thickness is 0.
In the case of 5 mm, it was found that approximately 80% of the input power flows to the heat pipe 2 side as conversion heat, and from the above experimental results, it is possible to limit the amount of heat diffused and transferred to the heat vibrator 2 to approximately 70%. I found it desirable.

FIG. 8(A) and FIG. 8(B) show a recording head and a heat vibrator according to a third embodiment. The recording head 1 of this example has a first substrate 11A such as a silicon substrate on which the electrothermal transducer 10 and the like are provided, and a second substrate 11B made of aluminum, copper, etc. with good thermal conductivity between the heat vibrator 12 and the like.
This prevents the heat flux from the recording head 1 side from becoming concentrated by diffusing it as shown by the arrow in FIG. It can be prevented.

As an experiment using the third embodiment, the first substrate 11A was the same as that of the first embodiment, and the second substrate 11B was 5 mm thick.
The thickness of the aluminum substrate is 30 (V), and the pulse width is 7.
Good ink ejection characteristics could be obtained by supplying a low-energy drive pulse of μs to the electrothermal transducer IO. In addition, in this experiment, the maximum heat transport capacity was 70 (W
) using Heat Vibe 2, and keep the recording head 1 at 45°C at all times.
It was possible to control the temperature between 52°C and 52°C. However, the second substrate 1
If the thickness of 1B is 10 mm or more, heat transfer becomes too low, making it impossible to control the recording head 1 within the range of 45° C. to 52° C.

9(A) and 9(B) are diagrams for explaining the configuration for attaching and detaching the recording head, and FIG. 9(A) is a side view of the state in which four recording heads 1 are attached. The sectional view (FIG. 9 CB) is a perspective view showing a state in which the recording head is attached and detached.

In FIG. 9(A), the heat vibe 2.2A is moved near the boundary between the heat vibe 2 and the two heat vibes, that is, the boundary between the first heat conversion section and the second heat conversion section, by means not shown. A recording head 1 fixed to a housing 101 and provided with a pressing member 8 is attached to a heat vibrator 2 from above in the figure. The recording head 1 is
Before installation, as shown in FIG. 6(A), the pressing member 8
is slightly inclined toward the recording head 1 side. When mounting the recording head, the heat vibrator 2 is inserted into the space between the suppressing member 8 and the recording head 1, and the elastic force of the pressing member generated at this time relatively presses the heat vibrator 2 toward the recording head 1 side.

FIG. 9(B) shows the state before the recording head 1 is inserted into the housing 101 or after it is removed. in this way,
Since the recording head l can be attached and detached for each ink color, the recording head can be easily replaced.

In FIG. 10, the recording head is fixed to the housing 101, contrary to the configuration shown in FIG.
This figure shows a configuration in which the book heat vibrator 2 and two people can be attached and detached together. In this configuration, as shown in the figure, the heat vibrator 2,
The insertion direction of 2A is the longitudinal direction of the recording head, and the heat vibrator 2 is inserted between the suppressing member 8 and the recording head 1, respectively.

As described above, when the recording head 1 and the heat vibrator 2 are fixed to each other by the pressing member 8 during the attachment and detachment of the recording head shown in FIGS. 9 and 1O, at the same time, the recording head 1 is
Good positioning is achieved in the recording paper transport direction, that is, in the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the recording head 1.

Next, the positioning of the recording head in the inkjet recording apparatus configured as described above, the registration mechanism between the heads, and its operation will be described with reference to FIGS. 2(B) and 2(C).

In these figures, 101 is a housing in which a plurality of recording heads 1 and heat vibes 2 attached along the sides of these recording heads 1 are held;
and 10IB are positioning surfaces on which both ends of each recording head 1 on the ejection surface IA side are brought into contact to perform positioning in the direction of arrow C. Also, one of these positioning surfaces, that is, the heat vibrator 2
A head positioning pin 25 is provided protruding from the positioning surface 101B on the side where the housing wall 101C is restrained by the housing wall 101C.
By fitting this bin 25 into B, the head l
The position of this end is regulated.

22 stands up from the housing 101 and comes into contact with the side surface of the other end of the recording head 1 to regulate the position of the head 1 in the direction of arrow B; 23 stands up from one housing wall 101C; This is a pressing spring that comes into contact with that end surface of the recording head 1 to regulate the position of the head 1 in the six directions of arrows. 24A and 24
B is a rotatable eccentric top member erected on the positioning surface 101A, and the eccentric cam 26A maintains contact with the head 1.
and 26B, and by rotating the eccentric top member 24A, this end of the recording head 1 can be slightly moved in the direction of the arrow B through the cam 26A. Further, by rotating the eccentric top member 24B, this end of the recording head 1 can be slightly moved in the six directions of the arrows via its cam 26B.

Therefore, in the recording head position adjustment mechanism configured as described above, each recording head 1 is aligned with its corresponding heat vibrator 2 from above the housing 101 with the heat vibrators 2 and 2A attached to the housing 101. The heat vibrator 2 is inserted between the recording head 1 and the pressing member 8 formed of a leaf spring attached to each recording head 1. At the same time, the head fixing pin 25 provided on the housing positioning surface 101B is fitted into the elongated hole IB of the head 1, and the positioning surface 101A right and 101B of the housing at the end of the ejection surface IA side of the recording head 1 is fitted. The head 1 is then positioned in the direction of arrow C.

In this state, one longitudinal end of the recording head l is in contact with the pressing spring 23, and the other end is kept in a regulated state by the pressing spring 22 and the eccentric top members 24A and 24B. . Therefore, the eccentric top member 24A
The position of each recording head 1 in the direction of arrow A is adjusted by rotating the eccentric top member 24.
By rotating B, the position of the end of the recording head 1 on the side that maintains contact with the eccentric cam 26B can be finely adjusted in the direction of arrow B, centering on the head fixing bin 25. By finely adjusting the mounting position between each recording head, it is possible to correct the deviation between images recorded by each recording head l using, for example, ink of a different color, thereby obtaining higher quality image recording.

Next, the warpage adjusting means for each recording head 1 will be explained with reference to FIGS. 2(B) and 2(C) again.

In these figures, reference numeral 30 denotes a fixed block mounted across the upper surface of the housing wall IQLc, straddling the central part; 31;
11 is a slide block fitted into the fixed block 30, and this slide block 31 is positioned above the side surface of each recording head 1.
) and (B), the recording head 1 can be moved in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the recording head l, as shown by the arrow, with respect to the slide block support hole 30A provided in the fixed block 30.

32 is a warpage adjusting screw member screwed onto the slide block 31, and 32A is a tapered portion formed at the tip of the screw member 32. On the other hand, each recording head 1 is provided with a warp adjustment section 33 at a position corresponding to the slide block 31 and the screw member 32, which is approximately at the center in the longitudinal direction. It is configured such that a tapered portion 32A is introduced. 34A and 34B are tapered surfaces formed in this hole 34, respectively.

Incidentally, in the inkjet recording apparatus having the full-line recording head 1 as described above, the longer the recording head 1 is, the more likely warpage occurs in the conveyance direction of the recording material. Therefore, if recording is performed with the warpage still present, the recorded image will appear as shown in (A) and (C) in Figure 12.
In this case, a distortion occurs with a tendency as shown by the dashed line. According to the warpage adjustment means of this embodiment, such warpage of the recording head can be easily adjusted so that a normal recorded image as shown in CB in FIG. 12 can be obtained. ,
Now, if you want to adjust the warpage in one recording head 1 in the direction of the arrow, as shown in FIG. By screwing in the screw member 32 so as to press it against the tapered surface 34A of the warp adjustment block 33, the central portion of the recording head 1, together with its heat vibrator 2, can be pushed out in the positive direction in the figure.

If you want to adjust the warp in the right direction as indicated by the opposite arrow R, press the tapered part 32A of the screw member 32 against the tapered surface 34B of the warp adjustment part 33 as shown in FIG. 11(B). The screwing operation of the screw member 32 may be performed. Note that the above-mentioned warpage adjustment means is used not only to completely eliminate warpage as shown in FIG. 12(B), but also to adjust the warpage of a plurality of recording heads to be equal. You can also do it.

Furthermore, in the embodiment described above, a plurality of heat vibrators 2
Although the position adjustment and warp adjustment of the recording head have been described in the case where the recording heads communicate with each other at the end portions 2A, the present invention is limited to the case where such a heat vibrator and recording head are provided. For example, as shown in FIGS. 16(A) and 16(B), each heat vibe 2 is individually held in a housing 101, and a recording head 1 is attached to each heat vibe 2. Needless to say, it can be applied to multiple recording heads (and, if necessary, to a configuration in which a single full-line recording head and a heat vibrator are joined together). It is possible.

In addition, by using the above-mentioned warpage adjustment means together with the position adjustment mechanism mentioned earlier, it is possible to achieve complete registration and eliminate distortion of recorded images due to head warpage and color shift, especially in the case of color. It becomes possible to provide an inkjet recording device.

Furthermore, although not shown, for example, the eccentric top member 24A
Alternatively, the eccentric top member 24B may have a double screw structure, and the screw mechanism may be used to slightly move the end of the recording head 1 in the vertical direction via the cam 26A or 26B, thereby increasing the distance between the recording material and the recording head 1. It is also possible to configure it to be adjusted.

Ru.

13(A) to 13(E) are diagrams for explaining the movement mechanism of the unit consisting of the recording head and the heat vibrator, and FIG. 13(A) shows the recording head unit 305 and the recovery system unit 306. A schematic top view showing these drive systems, FIG. 13(B) is a schematic top view showing the recovery system unit 306 and this drive system, FIGS. 13(C) to (D)
2A and 2B are schematic cross-sectional views for explaining the mutual movement of a recording head unit 305 and a recovery system unit 306, respectively.

Recording head unit 305 and recovery system unit 30 in this example
As described above, in order to perform capping to maintain good ink ejection and ejection recovery processing in this capped state, the inks 6 and 6 move together from the position at the time of printing and take appropriate positions.

In FIGS. 13(A) and 13(B), 26 is a recovery system unit drive section, and this drive is carried out by the belt pulley 200.
1 and 2002 and a timing belt 2003 to a recording head unit driving section 2004.

The head unit drive section 2004 includes a helical gear pair 200 with a helical angle of 45° for converting the drive direction to the right angle direction.
5. Spur gear 2006.2007. Further, a worm reducer 2008 is arranged, and the driving force input by the belt is finally transmitted to the rack gear 2009 via a spur gear train. The driving force of the rack gear 2009 is transmitted to racks 2010 provided at two longer locations of the rectangular frame-shaped housing 101, and is converted into vertical movement of the housing 101. The housing 101 is provided with rollers 2011 and 2012 at the front and rear, each of which is connected to a head unit movement rail 2013 and 201.
4 by moving along the inner surface of the housing 10
1 vertical movement, that is, vertical movement of the recording head and heat pipe. As a result, the housing 101 can only be moved by the driving force from the driving source due to the characteristics of the worm decelerator, and the housing 101 can only be moved by the driving force from the driving source side.
There is no accident of the recording head itself falling due to the weight of the multiple heads mounted in the 01, and the position of the head unit can be fixed at the position where the motor is stopped. .

The heat vibes 2 and 2A are connected to the rack gear 2009. of the housing 101. It is supported by the shorter frame near where the rollers 2012 are arranged. Therefore, in this example, the center of gravity of the unit consisting of the recording head 1 and the heat vibrator 2.2 is set to exist in a region near the part of the heat vibrator 2.2A where it is supported. Thereby, when the head unit 305 moves for capping or the like, it is possible to reduce vibrations of the recording head 1 and heat vibrators 2, 2A caused by acceleration and deceleration of this movement. By reducing this vibration, unnecessary flow of the working fluid in the heat pipe can be particularly prevented, and the temperature of the recording head can be continuously controlled using a heat vibrator even during a capping operation, for example.

13th (C) to (E) show cross-sectional views of main parts of the head unit moving mechanism. There are three stopping positions of the head unit: (1) head recovery position (capping position), (2) recording position, and (2) escape position. FIG. 13(C) shows the recovery position (capping position), FIG. 13D shows the recording position, and FIG. 13E shows the evacuation position. Detection of each of these positions is performed accurately by shielding light from the detection portions of the sensors 51a to 51c arranged corresponding to each stop position by a light shielding plate 2021 provided on the housing lot.

Next, the drive mechanism of the recording head recovery unit 306 will be explained. As shown in FIGS. 13(A) and 13(B), 26 is a recovery system unit drive section, and this driving force is transmitted to the drive wire pulley 2015. A drive wire 2016 is wound around the drive wire pulley 2015, and both ends of the wire are attached to a member 2019 via tension pulleys 2017 and 2018, respectively. The recovery system container 306A can slide on the slide shaft 2020 via a slide bearing (not shown) on the rear side, and the slide roller 2030 can slide on the rail 2 on the front side.
Slide on 031. Thereby, the drive by the drive unit is converted into a reciprocating motion of the recovery system container 306A, and the recovery system container 306A is moved from the recovery position, that is, the capping position, to the retreat position.

The stopping positions of the recovery container 306A are the position shown in FIG. 13(B), that is, the recovery position, and the position shown in FIG. 13(A), that is, the retracted position. Accurate detection is achieved by using an attached light shielding plate (not shown) to shield light from a detection section using a sensor such as a photointerrupter placed corresponding to each stop position.

FIG. 14(A) is a flowchart showing a processing procedure for recording head temperature control using the control configuration of this example shown in FIGS. 2, 5, etc.

In this process, each time a predetermined amount of printing operation is performed in step 5IOI, for example, a printing operation for one line by each print head l, first, in step 5103, the sensor 5 determines whether the temperature is higher than a predetermined temperature (for example, 50°C). Determine whether If the judgment is affirmative here, in step 5105, the fan 4
and stops the heater 6 (if it is being driven). After this processing and in the case of a negative determination in step 5103, the process proceeds to step 5107, where it is determined whether the temperature T is equal to or lower than a predetermined temperature T2 (for example, 45° C.). If the determination is affirmative here, the heater 6 is driven in step 5109, and the fan 4 (if driven) is stopped. Thereafter, in step 5111, it is determined whether or not the recording operation has been completed, and if the determination is affirmative, the process ends, and if the determination is negative, the process returns to step 5LOL and a predetermined amount of recording operation is performed.

The process of this example described above is a process when one temperature sensor 5 is provided at the connecting part of the heat vibrator 2A, which is the part where the four heat vibrators 2 are integrated, as shown in FIG. be. As mentioned above, if there is a significant temperature difference between the four print heads, a temperature sensor is provided for each print head. The temperature control processing procedure in this case is shown in Figure 14 (
Shown in B).

After the recording operation in step 5201, steps 3203~
5209 is the temperature TRk detected by the temperature sensor provided corresponding to each print head.

TV, T11. It is determined whether To is higher than the predetermined temperature T1. Based on these judgments, if there is even one recording head whose temperature is higher than the predetermined temperature T1, the fan is turned on in step 5211. Next, in steps 3213-5219,
At the detected temperature T, TY, TM, and Tc are at the predetermined temperature T2.
Determine whether it is lower.

If even one of these judgments is affirmative, step 52
Step 21 determines whether the fan is off. Only when the fan drive is off, the heater drive is turned on in step 5223. This prevents the fan and heater from being driven at the same time. That is, by prioritizing the drive of the fan, unnecessary heating of the recording head due to heater drive is prevented.

If it is determined that the temperatures of all four recording heads are below the predetermined temperature T2, the fan drive is turned off in step 5225.

When an image having a high duty portion is recorded by the control procedure shown in FIG. 14(B), for example, the recording duty is Bk=10% for each ink,
FIG. 15(A) shows the temperature change of the recording head when an image of C=80%, M=70%, and Y=20% is recorded. As can be seen from this figure, the temperature of the recording heads (Y, Bk) with a low recording duty decreases rapidly. As the temperature decreases, the change in image density also increases.

On the other hand, in addition to the control shown in FIG. 14(B), the drive signal waveform of each recording head is controlled as follows: Voltage value Pulse width TC, M, Bk<40°C 35 (V)
7 (u 5) Tc = y, Bk < 45℃ 3
3(V) ↑”C+M+Bk≧45℃ 3
The voltage of the drive pulse is changed according to the temperature of each head, such as 1 (V) T. According to this, the first
The image density can be made uniform as shown in FIG. 5(B).

In the above case, the voltage of the drive pulse was changed, but the same effect can be obtained by changing the pulse width of the drive pulse. For example, Voltage value Pulse width Tc, 11.8k < 40℃ 31 (v)
9 (LLs) TC+M+Bk <45℃
↑ 8 (us) T C) M 1 B k≧4
A similar effect can be obtained by setting the temperature to 5°C ↑ 7 (us).

In addition, by using a two-part pulse for the drive pulse,
It is also possible to further stabilize the image.

For example, voltage value pulse width Tc, M, Bk535°C31 (V) divided into 2,
4÷(pause 3)+5(T5) Tc, M, B-<40℃ T No division 9(T5)
Tc, M+ ek < 45℃ 1 No division 8
(T5) TC+M+Bk≧45°c7 No division 7
(μS), a greater effect can be obtained.

Furthermore, since the heat vibrator used in this example has a relatively large thermal melting capacity, it takes a very long time to warm up after the device is powered on until the recording head temperature reaches a temperature at which recording can start. There are many. Therefore, the fourteenth
If the process shown in Figure (C) is performed during warm-up, the warm-up time can be significantly shortened (e.g. 2 minutes to 40 minutes).
seconds) can be achieved.

That is, the preheat drive voltage is set in accordance with the head temperature determination performed stepwise in steps 5305 and 5309. For example, when the head temperature is relatively low, breheating is performed with a large voltage.

16(A) and (B) show the recording head 1. Heat vibrator 2 and housing Lo for supporting them
FIG. 6 is a schematic top view and a schematic cross-sectional view viewed from the side, respectively, showing other embodiments of a recording head unit consisting of a recording head unit.

In the configuration of this example, the four heat vibes 2 are not integrated at their ends but are independent, and the fins 3 are
It differs from the above embodiment in that it is also provided independently. However, the mounting positions and numbers of temperature sensors and heaters are different from those on the upper side, and other than this, there is no difference in the configurations and effects described for each part regarding the upper side.

Although the above embodiments have been described with reference to an inkjet recording apparatus, the application of the present invention is not limited to this type, and the present invention can also be applied to recording apparatuses of a thermal type or a thermal transfer type.

(Others) Furthermore, as described above, the present invention brings about excellent effects in bubble jet recording heads and recording apparatuses. This is because such a system can achieve higher recording density and higher definition.

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. The electrothermal converter that is
Generating thermal energy in the electrothermal transducer and producing film boiling on the thermally active surface of the recording head by applying at least one drive signal that corresponds to recorded information and provides a rapid temperature rise above nucleate boiling. As a result, bubbles in the liquid (ink) can be formed in a 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 droplet. If this drive signal is in the form of a pulse, bubble growth and contraction will occur immediately and appropriately.
Particularly responsive liquid (ink) ejection can be achieved,
More preferred. This pulse-shaped drive signal is described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,463,359 and 4,345,262.
Those described in the specification are suitable. Furthermore, if the conditions described in US Pat. No. 4,313,124 concerning the invention regarding the temperature increase rate of the heat acting surface are adopted, even more excellent recording can be performed.

The configuration of the recording head includes, in addition to the combination 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. The present invention also includes configurations using US Pat. No. 4,558,333 and US Pat. No. 4,459,600, which disclose configurations in which the wafer is placed in a bending region. In addition, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 1989-5 discloses a configuration in which a common slit is used as a discharge part of a plurality of electrothermal converters.
No. 9123670 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 59-1987 which discloses a structure in which an opening for absorbing pressure waves of thermal energy corresponds to a discharge part.
The effects of the present invention are also effective even with a configuration based on the publication of No. 138461. That is, regardless of the form of the recording head, according to the present invention, recording can be performed reliably and efficiently.

Furthermore, the present invention can be particularly effectively applied to a full-line type recording head having a length corresponding to the maximum width of a recording medium that can be recorded by the recording apparatus shown in the above embodiment. Such a recording head may have either a configuration in which the length is satisfied by a combination of a plurality of recording heads, or a configuration as a single recording head formed integrally.

In addition, the present invention is also applicable to serial type recording heads, such as recording heads that are fixed to the device body, or those that are attached to the device body so that there is no electrical connection between the device body and the recording head. The present invention also applies when using a replaceable chip-type recording head that allows connection and supply of ink from the main body of the apparatus, or a cartridge-type recording head in which an ink tank is integrally provided in the recording head itself. It is valid.

Further, it is preferable to add recovery means for the recording head, preliminary auxiliary means, etc., which are provided as a configuration of the recording apparatus, to the present invention, because the effects of the present invention can be further stabilized. Specifically, these include capping means for the recording head, cleaning means, pressure or suction means, preheating means 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.

In addition, regarding the type and number of recording heads installed, for example, in addition to one type that corresponds to single-color ink, there is also a plurality of recording heads that correspond to multiple inks with different recording colors and densities. It may be something that can be done. That is, for example, the recording mode of the recording apparatus is not limited to a recording mode for only a mainstream color such as black, but may also be a recording mode in which the recording head is configured integrally or in a combination of multiple colors, The present invention is also extremely effective for devices equipped with at least one full color by color mixture.

Additionally, in the embodiments of the present invention described above,
Although ink is described as a liquid, it is an ink that solidifies at room temperature or below, but softens or liquefies at room temperature, or in an inkjet method, the ink itself is
Generally, the temperature is adjusted within the range of 0°C or more and 70'C or less so that the viscosity of the ink is within the stable ejection range, so the ink is in a liquid state when the recording signal is applied. That's fine. In addition, the temperature increase caused by thermal energy can be actively prevented by using the energy to change the state of the ink from a solid state to a liquid state, or ink that solidifies when left standing is used to prevent ink evaporation. In any case, the ink is liquefied by applying thermal energy in accordance with the recording signal, and the liquid ink is ejected, or the ink has already begun to solidify by the time it reaches the recording medium. The present invention is also applicable when using ink that is liquefied only by energy. 5 In such a case, the fink is held as a liquid or solid in the recesses or through holes of the porous sheet, as described in JP-A-54-56847 or JP-A-60-71260. In this case, it may be arranged so as to face the electrothermal converter. In the present invention, the most effective method for each of the above-mentioned inks is to implement the above-mentioned film boiling method.

In addition, in addition to being used as an image output terminal for information processing equipment such as a computer, the inkjet recording apparatus of the present invention may also take the form of a copying machine combined with a league, etc., or a facsimile machine having a transmission/reception function. It may also be something.

(The following is a blank space) [Effects of the Invention] As is clear from the above description, according to the present invention, the air flow around the fins becomes turbulent due to the presence of the slit plate and the slits, and this turbulence causes the air flow around the fins to become turbulent. Heat is efficiently dissipated, and separation is less likely to occur in the flow around the fins, allowing efficient heat dissipation using the entire fin.

Further, by providing the slit plate, the surface area of the fin increases, thereby improving the heat dissipation efficiency of the fin.

As a result, the recording head temperature can be controlled using the fins with good responsiveness and precision.

Furthermore, the fins can be made smaller, and as a result, the device can be made smaller.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

1A, 1B, and 1C are schematic front sectional views, top sectional views, and side sectional views, respectively, of a copying machine that uses an inkjet recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention in its recording section; 2 (A), (B) and (C) are respectively a perspective view, a top view and a side sectional view of a recording head unit consisting of a recording head and a heat vibrator according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 3 (A) and (B) are schematic cross-sectional views showing the internal structure of a heat vibrator according to an embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 3 (C) is a cross-sectional view of a conventional heat vibrator, and Fig. 4 is an embodiment of the present invention. A schematic sectional view showing the detailed shape of the fin according to the example; FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a control configuration of an inkjet recording apparatus according to an example of the present invention; FIGS. A schematic cross-sectional view showing the manner in which the beat vibrator is attached to the recording head in one embodiment; FIGS. 7(A) and (B) show another embodiment of the manner in which the heat vibrator is attached to the recording head shown in FIG. 8(A) and (B) are a front view and a side sectional view showing still another embodiment of the heat vibrator installation shown in FIG. 6; FIG. 9(A) is a front view and a side sectional view; and (B) are a cross-sectional view and a perspective view, respectively, showing how the recording head and heat vibrator are attached and detached according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 11A and 11B are sectional views showing a recording head warpage adjustment mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing another embodiment of the present invention.
A) to (C) are schematic diagrams of recorded images for explaining the warpage of the recording head regarding the warp adjustment mechanism shown in FIGS. 11 (A) and (B), and FIGS. 13 (A) and (B) are A top sectional view of a copying machine showing a moving mechanism for a recording head unit and a recovery system unit according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIGS. 13(C) to (E) are similar to FIGS.
14(A) is a side sectional view showing the movement positions of the recording head unit and the recovery system unit by the movement mechanism shown in FIG.
- (C) are flowcharts each showing a processing procedure for recording head temperature control according to an embodiment of the present invention, and Figs. 15 (A) and (B) are Figs. 14 (A) - (C).
FIG. 16 (A
) and (B) are a top view and a side sectional view showing another embodiment of the unit consisting of the recording head and heat vibrator shown in FIG. 2. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Recording head, 2.2A... Hee vibrator, 3... Fin, 3A... Slit plate, 3B... Slit, 4... Fan, 5... Temperature sensor, 6... Heater, 8... Suppression member, 10... Electrothermal conversion element, 11... Substrate, 11A... First substrate, 11B... Second substrate, 12... Top plate , 22... Pressing spring, 24a, 24b --- Eccentric top, 25... Fixed bottle, 30... Fixed block, 31... Slide block, 32... Curvature adjustment screw, 33. ...Warpage adjustment section, 100...CPU 1 100A...RAM. 100B...RAM. 101... Bouncing, 301... Scanner section, 302... Recording section. Figure (C) Figure C Figure (A) Figure (B) Figure 11 (A) Figure 11 (B) Figure 12 (, 4) / Nieko body

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1) A recording head unit for recording on a recording material using thermal energy, comprising: a recording head provided with a heating element for generating the thermal energy; a first heat exchange member that is connected to perform heat exchange with the recording head; and a heat exchange member that can exchange heat between the first heat exchange member and the recording head. a second heat exchange member provided outside the area where the heat exchange is performed and for performing heat exchange with the atmosphere; a plurality of slits forming part of the second heat exchange member; and a second heat exchange member for each of the plurality of slits. A fin provided with a plurality of slit plates inclined in a predetermined direction, and a blowing means for generating an air flow in the atmosphere of the second heat exchange member including the fin. recording head unit. 2) The first heat exchange member includes a heat pipe, and the second heat exchange member includes a heat pipe communicating with the heat pipe and a fin connected to the heat pipe. recording head unit. 3) The recording head unit according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the recording head is provided with a plurality of heating elements corresponding to the width of the recording material to be conveyed. 4) The recording head is characterized in that it causes film boiling in the ink using thermal energy generated by the heating element, ejects ink as bubbles grow due to the film boiling, and performs recording using the ink. Claims 1 to 3
The recording head unit according to any of the above. 5) In a temperature control device that controls the temperature of a recording head for recording on a recording material by disposing a heating element for generating thermal energy and using the thermal energy, the temperature control device is connected to the recording head and a first heat exchange member for exchanging heat with a recording head; and a heat exchange member capable of exchanging heat between the first heat exchange member, on which the recording head is disposed. a second heat exchange member provided outside the area for exchanging heat with the atmosphere; a plurality of slits and a plurality of slits provided for each of the plurality of slits and forming a part of the second heat exchange member; A temperature control device comprising: a fin in which a slit plate inclined in a predetermined direction is formed; and a blowing means for generating an air flow in the atmosphere of the second heat exchange member including the fin. Device. 6) The temperature control according to claim 5, wherein the slits and the slit plates are formed in an array on the fin, and the slit plates alternately incline in different directions in the array. Device. 7) The slit and the slit plate are formed in an array on the fin, and the slit plate has a different direction of inclination for each predetermined region in the array. Temperature control device. 8) A recording device for recording on a recording material using thermal energy as the recording material is transported, comprising: a recording head provided with a heating element for generating the thermal energy; a first heat exchange member connected to a recording head to perform heat exchange with the recording head; and a heat exchange member capable of transferring heat between the first heat exchange member and the recording head. a second heat exchange member provided outside the area where the head is disposed and for exchanging heat with the atmosphere; a plurality of slits forming a part of the second heat exchange member; fins each having a plurality of slit plates inclined in a predetermined direction; and a blowing means for generating an air flow in the atmosphere of the second heat exchange member including the fins. A recording head unit featuring: 9) The first heat exchange member includes a heat pipe, and the second heat exchange member includes a heat pipe communicating with the heat pipe and a fin connected to the heat pipe. recording head unit.