JPH03290256A - Ink jet recording head unit and ink jet recording device installed with same unit - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obtain recording picture with high grade by registering to a recording head and eliminating of warpage by a method wherein by adjustment by a position adjusting means and/or interval adjusting means a warpage adjusting means is provided on each recording head of which both ends are supported at specified positions. CONSTITUTION:Both end parts on a discharge surface 1A of a recording head 1 are brought into contact with positioning surfaces 101A and 101B of a housing, and positioning of the head 1 in the direction shown by arrow C is performed. By turning an eccentric top member 24A, a position of each recording head 1 in the direction shown by arrow A is adjusted, and by turning an eccentric top member 24B, microadjustment of the end position on the side being in contact with an eccentric cam 26B of the recording head 1 is done using a head fixing pin 25 as the center. To adjust warpage, a taper part 32A of a screw member 32 is pressed to a taper surface 34A of a warpage adjusting block 33, screwing of the screw member 32 is done, and the central part of the recording head 1 can be pressed to the L or R direction together with the heat pipe 2.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial Application Field 1] The present invention relates to a recording head unit and a recording apparatus using the unit, and more specifically, to a recording head for recording using heat generated by a heating element; The present invention relates to a recording head unit including a heat exchange member that is attached to the recording head to perform heat exchange with the recording head, and a recording apparatus using the unit.

BACKGROUND TECHNOLOGY Recording methods that perform recording using thermal energy include, for example, thermal recording methods and thermal transfer recording methods, as well as methods that eject ink as bubbles in the ink grow due to heat generated by electrothermal transducer elements. 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; A part of the thermal energy generated by the electrothermal conversion element during recording is transferred to the wave path and the ink in the common liquid chamber as heat. transmitted to. 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.

Furthermore, when multiple printheads are used for each color ink to perform full-color printing, the difference in the frequency of use between these printheads causes a temperature difference between the printheads, which slightly affects the volume of ink ejected. This may cause problems such as the color balance may shift or the density may vary 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 pipe in this configuration has a working fluid such as water or fluorocarbon liquid inside its hollow interior, and this working fluid 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 that is vaporized from the working fluid, and due to the rapid heat transfer of this steam, the heat pipe always acts to equalize its temperature.

In addition, in order to promote heat exchange by this heat pipe,
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 pipe may be provided, or a heater installed at a predetermined part of the heat pipe may be used. The applicant has also proposed a configuration in which heat is exchanged with a heat pipe (heating the heat pipe).

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] That is, for example, a color inkjet recording device has a plurality of inkjet recording heads in which ink ejection ports are arranged over the entire recording width on a recording material, and furthermore, each recording head has a If the heat pipe is provided as a heat exchange means for exchanging heat with each recording head by contacting almost the entire area along its longitudinal direction, the heat pipes are installed in parallel at a predetermined interval. A heat pipe is fixed in contact with each side of each recording head,
The spacing between the heads and their relative positions in the longitudinal direction must be maintained precisely with high precision. In particular, the spacing between the heads affects the capacity of the memory involved in recording, and since it is desired that the spacing be as small as possible in order to downsize the entire recording device, it is important to keep the spacing between the recording heads (registration) as small as possible. ) is difficult, and there is the problem of how to position with high precision.

In addition, the length of each recording head in the ejection port array direction is long (and warping occurs easily in the longitudinal direction), and if recording is performed in a state where the warpage has occurred, the recorded image will be distorted and the quality will be significantly impaired.

In view of the above-mentioned problems, an object of the present invention is to solve the problems by adjusting the longitudinal position and/or spacing between each recording head for each recording head while the heat exchange means is still connected and held. An object of the present invention is to provide an inkjet recording head unit and an inkjet recording apparatus that can finely adjust the state of warpage.

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention uses a plurality of recording heads each having inward discharge ports arranged so as to be able to record almost the entire width of a recording material. a first heat exchange section extending from the first heat exchange section, which is arranged parallel to each other and performs heat exchange with the recording head by maintaining contact with each of the recording heads along the longitudinal direction thereof; An inkjet recording head unit having a heat exchange means including a second heat exchange section capable of exchanging heat with at least the atmosphere, and capable of adjusting the temperature of the plurality of recording heads by the heat exchange means. A position adjusting means capable of adjusting the relative positions in the longitudinal direction of the plurality of recording heads and/or an interval adjusting means capable of adjusting the distance between the adjacent recording heads, and the position adjusting means and/or the Each of the recording heads whose both ends are supported at a predetermined position through adjustment by the interval adjustment means is engaged with the side surface at approximately the center in the longitudinal direction, and the engaged recording head is moved in the longitudinal direction. and a warpage adjustment means capable of adjusting the amount of warpage of the engaged recording heads to be equal between the recording heads on each side by pressing in a direction perpendicular to both ink ejection directions. shall be.

In addition, by arranging a plurality of recording heads with ink ejection ports arranged in parallel to each other so as to be able to record almost the entire width of the recording material, and maintaining contact with each of the recording heads along its longitudinal direction, A first heat exchange section that exchanges heat with the recording head, and a small (
and a second heat exchange section capable of exchanging heat with the atmosphere, and the heat exchange means adjusts the temperature of the plurality of recording heads while the ink ejection port While selectively ejecting ink toward the recording material,
An inkjet recording apparatus that performs recording by moving the recording material in a direction perpendicular to the ink ejection direction, the inkjet recording device comprising: a position adjustment means that can adjust the relative position of the plurality of recording heads in the longitudinal direction; and/or For each of the recording heads, both ends of which are supported at a predetermined position through adjustment by the spacing adjusting means capable of adjusting the spacing between the adjacent recording heads, and the position adjusting means and/or the spacing adjusting means. , engages with the side surface at approximately the center in the longitudinal direction, presses the engaged recording head in a direction perpendicular to both the longitudinal direction and the ink ejection direction, and measures the amount of warpage of the engaged recording head. The present invention is characterized in that it includes a warp adjusting means that can adjust the recording heads on each side to be equal.

[Function] According to the present invention, with respect to a plurality of recording heads arranged in parallel, the position adjustment means finely adjusts the longitudinal position of each of them, and the spacing adjustment means finely adjusts the distance between adjacent heads. Furthermore, the warp adjusting means presses the longitudinal center side surface of the recording head through the engaging portion with each recording head, thereby eliminating warping of the recording head and also serving as an auxiliary for adjusting the interval. By registering each print head and eliminating warpage, it is possible to obtain a high-quality print image.

In addition, when it is not necessary to completely eliminate warpage, -9 -10 can be adjusted to equalize the amount of warpage among a plurality of heads.

(The following is a margin) [Example] Hereinafter, an example of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

1(A), (B), and (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. The document reading unit 402 reads the image of the document 401 on the document table 406.
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,
Yellow (Y), magenta (
The recording head 1 is of a so-called full line type in which ejection ports are formed for each of M), cyan (C), and black (Bk) inks over the entire recording width of a recording material. Furthermore, each of these recording heads is provided with a heat pipe 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. Reference numeral 306 denotes a recovery cap section, which moves relative to the recording head section 305 as necessary, as will be described later with reference to FIG.
Capping the ejection port forming surface of the recording head. 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. When the recording paper is conveyed while being attracted to the belt, the distance between its recording surface and the ejection orifice surface of the recording head is maintained appropriately by the attraction force or the like. During this time, four recording heads for each ink color are driven based on the recording data, and recording is performed 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)g and 1(C), a portion of the heat pipe 2 extends 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. A fan 4 for blowing air toward the fins is provided below the heat exchange section.

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.

A heat pipe 2 is provided in contact with substantially the entire area of each recording head 1 except for a predetermined area in the longitudinal direction of one side surface thereof. Each of these heat vibes 2 forms two substantially square parts in the area that does not come into contact with the recording head l at one end, and the ends of each part 2A are integrally formed so that the insides communicate with each other. Ru. This integral formation simplifies the configuration, especially for controlling the temperature of each heat vibrator. 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 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 Freon 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 vibrator 2 used in this example has a substantially rectangular cross section, and is designed to mainly dissipate heat. 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 l 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 uniform heat transfer between the head 1 and the heat pipe 2 over the entire recording head. At the same time, it also enables smooth attachment and detachment when inserting the heat pipe.

It is appropriate to use an elastic material such as SUS or phosphor bronze for this pressure contact member, and the thickness is 0.
The optimum thickness is about 2 mm and 1.0 mm. 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 pipe 2.

In the heat pipe 2A that constitutes the second heat exchange section 20B, the heat radiation fins 3 that constitute the heat radiation means are press-fitted into the three areas formed between the four heat vibrators as described above. 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 fan 4 in this embodiment is not limited to any form, and can be installed at a location that will not cause the problem of ink mist or influence on the ink ejection direction, which will be described later.
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 101, but there is no support such as the housing at the position where the second heat converter, that is, the heat pipe 2A and the fins 3 are disposed. There are no parts. 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 pipe 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 direction of the longitudinal force 2 of the heat pipe 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. Similar to the heat pipe 2, the heat radiation fin 3 is made of lightweight aluminum that has relatively excellent heat radiation performance.

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

The temperature sensor used in this example has a diameter of 1.5 mm (diameter of the contact surface with the heat pipe) x 2.5 mm (thickness of the sensor)
This is a pea-shaped PCB type thermistor. As in this example, when the heat pipes 2 and 2A are so-called integrated heat pipes in which a plurality of heat pipes communicate with each other at one end and share the working fluid, one temperature sensor 5 connects four heat pipes. can detect the temperature of the recording head 1 of
In this case, the mounting location will be at the center of the connection area where the two heat vibrators are integrated, as described above.

In general, a temperature sensor is installed to control the temperature of the print head in order to detect the print head temperature that changes with recording.Originally, it would not be possible to attach the temperature sensor directly to the print head to detect the temperature with good responsiveness. Sometimes it is 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 type recording head like the one in this example.

For the above reasons, when a temperature sensor is installed on a heat pipe, the heat pipe'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 printing apparatus that supports a printing mode in which the temperature variation among the four printing heads is relatively small. However, in the case of a removable recording head like the one in this example, the thermal resistance between the recording head and the heat vibrator may become large, and a temperature difference between the heads may occur. In this way, when the temperature variation among the heads becomes large, it is desirable to provide a temperature sensor corresponding to each of the four print heads in order to perform appropriate temperature control for each print head. In that case, the temperature sensor is preferably mounted in 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 be mounted on the heat pipe at a position where at least a portion of the heater corresponds to a portion of the heat pipe 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, so that the gas can 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 extends below the heat vibrator 2 and the two people in the state shown in FIG. 2(C). Based on the above, in this example, the planar heater 6 is attached to the portion of the heat vibrator 2A that corresponds to the working fluid.

Furthermore, if a heater is attached to one of the parts of the heat pipe 2 corresponding to the recording head 1, the heat generated by the heater is transmitted to the nearby recording head without going through the heat vibrator 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 pipe 2A that is separate from the recording head 1.

The heater 6 is a substantially square planar heater 7 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 ioow 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 attached to the bodies of the two heat pipes, but if a commonly available heater is used, the heater 6 may be attached via a plate such as an Aβ plate depending on the output of the heater used. Alternatively, 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 30 to 33
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 heat vibrator 6 is provided in a portion corresponding to two heat vibrators, and a partition plate 206
It is a heat dissipation part (condensation part) formed above.

Using the heat pipes 2 and 2A as described above, this is the 6th heat pipe.
It is connected to the recording head 1 as detailed in the figures. When recording with such a recording head 1, heat generated from the electrothermal conversion 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 pipe 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 using the diluted hydraulic fluid, the provision of the partition plate 206 allows the temperature equalization effect of the recording head by the hydraulic fluid to 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 2042 and the hydraulic fluid filling section 203.

According to the configuration of two heat pipes and two people as described above, it is possible to equalize the temperature of the recording head and dissipate heat more efficiently than the conventional heat vibrator shown in FIG. You can get a heat vibe with a different configuration. In other words, 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 vibrator is moved 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 pipe 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, but also to perform the capping function as described later in FIG. 13, for example. recording head 1 to perform
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 2049 hydraulic 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 4, when the air flow blown from below by the fan 4 as shown by the arrow in the figure flows into the fin 3, a part of the air is blown in the open direction by the slit plate 3A as shown by the arrow in the figure. be deflected accordingly. As a result, the airflow flowing between each of the plurality of fins 3 becomes turbulent. This turbulent state allows the heat of the fins 3 to be relatively well transferred to the airflow, and also makes it difficult for the airflow to separate from the fins 3, 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, since the heat vibe 2A is made into a plate shape, the installation space of the second heat exchange section is reduced, and at the same time, the heat radiation effect is impaired due to the meandering shape and the configuration of the slit plate. Never.

Note that the shape of the heat vibrator and the fins are not limited to those shown in this example, and can 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.

Further, it goes without saying that the direction in which the slit plates open and the number of slit plates in each region are not fixed upwardly, and, for example, the direction in which the slit plates open may be alternately varied 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 cput
A RAM is used as a work area etc. in the control processing by oo, and 100B is a ROM that stores processing procedures related to the processing procedure recording unit 302, which will be described later in FIG.
It is. Further, IA is a head driver for driving the electrothermal transducer element of the recording head l based on a drive data signal and a control signal transferred from the CPU 100, and 4A and 6A are a head driver for driving the electrothermal transducer element of the recording head l based on a drive data signal and a control signal transferred from the CPU 100, respectively. These are a fan morph driver and a heater driver that drive the fan motor 4B and the heater 6 for rotating the .

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.

FIGS. 6(A) and 6(81) are side views of the recording head 1 and the heat vibrators 2, 2A, showing details of the recording head 1 and the manner in which the heat vibrators 2 and two people are attached.

In these figures, 10 is an electrothermal conversion element for generating thermal energy used for ejecting ink, and 437
Six pieces are provided, and a discharge port (not shown) is also provided corresponding to each of them. 11 are these electrothermal conversion elements 10
A substrate 12 is bonded to the substrate 11 to form a liquid path in which the electrothermal conversion element 10 is placed and communicated with the ejection port, and a common liquid chamber for supplying ink to this liquid path. It is the top plate. Reference numeral 13 denotes a base body that supports the substrate 11 and forms the main body of the recording head.

In the above structure, as shown in FIG. 6(B), the heat vibrator 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 the heat vibrator 8 9 is provided in a region corresponding to the 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; When installed near the converter, the amount of heat transfer between the heat vibrator and this vicinity increases, and a portion of the thermal energy generated by the electrothermal conversion element, for example 10%, increases.
It can only participate in ink ejection to a certain degree. 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 (which makes the ink temperature in this area higher than necessary). However, 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, the ink temperature mainly in the ink liquid path and the common liquid chamber can be more easily controlled than in the vicinity of the electrothermal conversion element of the recording head. As a result, it is possible to stabilize the ink viscosity in the entire recording head of a full line type in particular, and the responsiveness of ink behavior such as ink refill can be stabilized.

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 an inkjet recording head according to this example, 11 is a substrate of the recording head l, 2 is a heat vibrator disposed along the substrate 11, and the substrate 11 is An electrothermal conversion element 10, a liquid path 14, and a discharge port 15 are formed. 16 is the liquid path 14 and the discharge port 1
This is the top plate for forming 5.

Now, for the above-mentioned recording head 1, there is a distance of 1 m on the substrate 11.
When using a silicon plate with a thickness of m, the electrothermal conversion element 10
When a driving pulse of 33 m and a pulse width of 7 (μS) is applied, the heat generated by the element 10 is transferred via the substrate 11 to
B) It is transmitted to the heat pipe 2 while being gently diffused as shown by the central opening. At this time, the temperature of the recording head 1 could always be stably maintained in the range of 45 to 52[deg.] C. by blowing air at 2 m/s using a heater with an output of 51) W and a fan. 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 becomes easier to flow to the heat vibrator 2 through the heat vibrator 1, and the amount of heat flowing increases.
The amount of heat transferred to the ink in contact with the electrothermal conversion element 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 battles, 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, the amount of heat diffused and transferred to the heat vibe 2 is approximately 7.
It was found that it is desirable to keep it at about 0%.

FIG. 8(A) and FIG. 8(B) show a recording head and a heat vibrator according to the third embodiment. The recording head 1 of this example has a first substrate 11A such as a silicon substrate on which an electrothermal transducer 10 and the like are provided, and a second substrate 1 made of aluminum, copper, etc. with good thermal conductivity between the heat vibrator 12 and the like.
1B, the heat flux from the recording head 1 side is diffused as shown at the central opening in FIG. can be prevented.

As an experiment using the third embodiment, the first substrate], IA was the same as that of the first embodiment, and the second substrate 11B was 5 m long.
An aluminum substrate with a thickness of
By supplying the ink to the ink, good ink ejection characteristics could be obtained. In addition, in this experiment, the maximum heat transport capacity was 70 (
Use Heat Vibe 2 of W) and keep the recording head l at 4 at all times.
It was possible to control the temperature between 5°C and 52°C. However, if the thickness of the second substrate 11B is set to 10 mm or more, the 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 and FIG. 9(B) are perspective views showing a state in which the recording head is attached and detached.

In FIG. 9(A), the heat vibes 2 and 2A are connected to each other by means not shown.
, that is, near the boundary between the first heat converter and the second heat converter, the recording head l having a suppressing member 8 is fixed to the housing 101 near the boundary between the first heat converter and the second heat converter. Attached to Vibrator 2. The recording head 1 is
Before installation, as shown in FIG. 6(A), the suppressing member 8
is slightly inclined toward the recording head 1 side. When mounting the recording head, the heat vibe 2 is inserted into the space between the pressing member 8 and the recording head 1, and the elastic force of the suppressing member generated at this time relatively presses the heat vibe 2 toward the recording head 1.

FIG. 9(B) shows the state before the recording head l is inserted into the housing 101 or after it is removed. in this way,
Since the recording head 1 can be attached and detached from each side 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.
The configuration in which the heat pipes 2 and 2A are attached and detached together is shown. In this configuration, as shown in the figure, the heat pipes 2,
2A is the longitudinal direction of the recording head, and each heat pipe 2 is inserted between the pressing member 8 and the recording head 1.

As described above, when the recording head 1 and the heat pipe 2 are fixed to each other by the pressing member 8 in the attachment and detachment of the recording head shown in FIG. 9 and FIG.
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 heads 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 pipes 2 attached along the sides of these recording heads 1 are held;
and 101B 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 pipe 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 bottle 25 into B, the head 1
The position of this end is regulated.

22 stands up from the housing lot 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 101G; 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 direction of arrow A. 24A and 24B are both positioning surface 1
01A is a freely rotatable eccentric top member, and has eccentric cams 26A and 26B that maintain contact with the head 1, and the cam 2 is rotated by rotating the eccentric top member 24A.
This end of the recording head 1 can be moved slightly in the direction of the arrow B through the arrows 6A. Furthermore, by rotating the eccentric top member 24B, the recording head 1 can be slightly moved in the direction of arrow A at this end via its cam 26B.

Therefore, in the recording head position adjustment mechanism configured as described above, each recording head 1 is aligned with the corresponding heat pipe 2 from above the housing 101 with the heat pipes 2 and 2A attached to the housing 101. The heat pipe 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 end housing on the ejection surface IA side of the recording head 1 is fitted.
7. Position the head l in the direction of arrow C by bringing it into contact with the positioning surfaces 101A and 10IB.

In this state, one longitudinal end of the recording head 1 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 six directions of the arrows can be 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 1 using inks of different colors, for example, and to obtain 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 31 that is attached to the upper surface of the housing wall 101G so as to straddle the central part thereof.
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 l.
) and (B), the recording head 1 can be moved in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the recording head 1, as shown by the arrow, with respect to the slide block support hole 30A provided in the fixed block 30.

32 is a warpage adjustment 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 taber 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 FIG. 12 (B) can be obtained. in,
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). All you have to do is screw in the screw member 32. 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. It goes without saying that it can be applied to other types of recording heads, and if necessary, it can also be widely applied to systems in which a single full-line recording head and a heat vibrator are joined together, rather than multiple recording heads. It is.

In addition, by using the above-mentioned warpage adjustment means together with the position adjustment mechanism mentioned above, complete registration can be achieved, and distortion of the recorded image due to head warpage and color shift in the case of special colors can be avoided. It becomes possible to provide an inkjet recording device that can perform

Furthermore, although not shown, for example, the eccentric top member 24A
Alternatively, the eccentric top member 24B has a double screw structure, and the screw mechanism allows the end of the recording head 1 to be slightly moved in the vertical direction via the cam 26A or 26B, thereby reducing 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 helix 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 has 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 vibrator. 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 pipes 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 pipes 2, 2A is set to exist in a region near the portion of the heat pipes 2, 2A where they are supported. Thereby, when the head unit 4 305 moves for capping or the like, it is possible to reduce vibrations of the recording head 1 and the heat pipes 2, 2A caused by acceleration and deceleration of this movement. By reducing this vibration, unnecessary flow of the working fluid in the heat vibrator can be particularly prevented, and the temperature of the recording head can be continuously controlled using the heat pipe 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 disposed corresponding to each stop position by a light shielding plate 2021 provided on the housing 101.

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 a drive wire pulley 2015. A drive wire 2016 is wound around the drive wire pulley 2015, and via tension pulleys 2017 and 2018,
Both ends of the wire are attached to the wire rack member 2019, which is attached to the recovery system container 306A.

The recovery system container 306A has a slide shaft 2020 on the rear side.
The top can be slid via a slide bearing (not shown), and a slide roller 2030 slides on a rail 2031 on the front side. 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 recording operation is performed in step 5101, for example, a recording operation for one line of each recording sheet 1, first, in step 5103, whether or not the sensor 5 is at a predetermined temperature (for example, 50° C.) or higher is performed. Determine whether

If the determination is affirmative here, the fan 4 is driven in step 3105, and the heater 6 (if driven) is stopped. After this process and in the case of a negative determination in step 5103, the process advances to step 5107, and the temperature T is set to the predetermined temperature T.
2 (for example, 45° C.) or lower. If the judgment is affirmative here, the heater 6 is driven in step 5109,
Stop the fan 4 (if it is being driven). 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 5101 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 pipe 2A, which is the part where the four heat vibes 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 8203~
In 5209, the temperature TIl□ is detected by the temperature sensor provided corresponding to each print head.

It is determined whether Ty, TM, and Tc are 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 5213 to 5219, it is determined whether the detected temperatures Tak, TY, TM, and Tc are lower than the predetermined temperature T2.

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 is turned on using the Stella 8 9 tab 5223. This results in
To prevent 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 1"Bk=10% for each ink.
, c=go%, M=70%, Y=20%+7) Figure 15 shows the temperature change of the recording head when recording an image.
Shown in A). 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 Te, M, Bk <40°C 35m 7(μ
5) Tc, ii, -1l<45°C 33(V)
↑Tel Ml llk≧45℃ 31(V
) The voltage of the drive pulse is changed according to the temperature of each head as shown above. According to this, Fig. 15 (B
) The image density can be made uniform as shown in ().

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, M, □< 40℃ 31 (V)
9 Cu 5) re, M, llk < 45℃
T 8 (μ5) TC+M+ll+≧4
A similar effect can be obtained by setting the temperature to 5° C. and T 7 (μs).

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 TcHM, B k≦35°C 31 (V) divided into 2,
4+(pause 3)+5(μ5) Te, 11. nk< 40℃ ↑ No division 9
(μ5) Tc, IJ, l! ll < 45℃ ↑
No division 8(μ5)Te, 11. ak≧45℃
A greater effect can be obtained by setting T to 7 (μS) without division.

Furthermore, since the heat pipe used in this example has a relatively large thermal melting capacity, it takes a very long time for the recording head 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.

FIGS. 16(A) and 16(B) show the recording head 1, the heat pipe 2, and the housing 10 for supporting them.
1A and 1B are a schematic top view and a schematic cross-sectional view viewed from the side, respectively, showing other embodiments of a recording head unit made up of a recording head unit according to the present invention.

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, according to such a method, it is possible to 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. It is more preferable to use a pulsed drive signal as this drive signal because the growth and contraction of the bubbles is performed immediately and appropriately, and liquid (ink) ejection with particularly excellent responsiveness can be achieved. This pulse-shaped drive signal is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,463,359 and U.S. Pat.
Suitable are those described in No. 62 specification. 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. 9-123670 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 59/1989 which discloses a configuration in which a discharge portion is made to correspond to an opening that absorbs pressure waves of thermal energy.
The effects of the present invention are also effective even if the structure is based on the publication 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 mixing.

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 even if the ink is in a liquid state when the recording signal is applied. Bye. 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. The ink used in this case is
Publication No. 4-56847 or JP-A-60-71260
As described in the above publication, the porous sheet may be held in a liquid or solid state in the recesses or through-holes of the porous sheet, facing 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.

(Blank below) [Effects of the Invention] As described above, according to the present invention, the first heat exchange section of the heat exchange means having the first heat exchange section and the second heat exchange section is arranged along the longitudinal direction of each recording head. Along with providing along the direction,
Position adjustment means that can adjust the relative position of each recording head in the longitudinal direction and/or interval adjustment means that can adjust the distance between adjacent recording heads, and both ends are adjusted to a predetermined position through adjustment by these means. Since a warpage adjustment means is provided which engages with the side surface of each of the supported recording heads at the center in the longitudinal direction and generates a pressing force so as to eliminate the warpage of the engaged recording head, a plurality of In an inkjet recording device that is equipped with two recording heads and can easily control the temperature between each recording head, it is easy to register and adjust each recording head to eliminate warpage or equalize the amount of warpage as necessary. This makes it possible to obtain high-quality recorded images.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIGS. 1A, 1B, and 1C are a schematic front cross-sectional view, a ground view, and a side cross-sectional view, respectively, of a copying machine using 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 cross-sectional view showing the detailed shape of the fin according to the example; FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the control configuration of the inkjet recording apparatus according to the example of the present invention; FIGS. 6 (A) and (B) are the invention 7(A) and (B) are schematic cross-sectional views showing a mode of attaching a heat vibrator to a recording head in accordance with one embodiment. FIGS. 8(A) and (B) are front views and side sectional views showing still another embodiment of the heat pipe installation shown in FIG. 6; FIG. 9 is a front view and a side sectional view showing an example; (A) and (B) are a sectional view and a perspective view, respectively, showing how a recording head and a 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.
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 FIGS. 13(C) to 13(E) are ground views 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(A) and (B)
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. 1... Recording head, 2.2A... Heat vibrator, 3... Fin, 3A... Slit plate, 3B... Slit, 4... Fan, 5... Temperature sensor, 6. ... Heater, 8... Pressing member, 10... Electrothermal conversion element, 11... Substrate, 11A... First substrate, 11B... Second substrate, 12... Top plate, 22 ...Pushing spring, 24a 24b...Eccentric top, 25...Fixing pin, 30...Fixing block, 31...Slide block, 32...Screw for adjusting warpage, 33...Warpage Adjustment unit, 100...cpu. 100A...RAM. 100B...ROM. 101... Bouncing, 4 301... Scanner section, 302... Recording section. 5 JP-A-3 290256 (26) Fig. 3 (C) wi4 Fig. 6 (A) Fig. 6 (B) Fig. 8 (A) Fig. 8 (B) Fig. 11 (A) Fig. 11 ( B) Figure 12 (A) Figure 12 (B) Figure 12 (C)

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1) A plurality of recording heads each having ink ejection ports arranged so as to be able to record almost the entire width of a recording material are arranged in parallel to each other, and each of the recording heads is arranged along its longitudinal direction. a first heat exchange section that exchanges heat with the recording head by maintaining contact with the recording head; and a second heat exchange section that extends from the first heat exchange section and is capable of exchanging heat with at least the atmosphere. An inkjet recording head unit having a heat exchange means with which the temperature of the plurality of recording heads can be adjusted by the heat exchange means, the relative position of the plurality of recording heads in the longitudinal direction adjustable position adjustment means and/or distance adjustment means capable of adjusting the distance between the adjacent recording heads, and both ends supported at predetermined positions through adjustment by the position adjustment means and/or the distance adjustment means. Each of the recording heads is engaged with a side surface at approximately the center in the longitudinal direction, and the engaged recording head is pressed in a direction perpendicular to both the longitudinal direction and the ink ejection direction. An inkjet recording head unit comprising: a warpage adjustment means capable of adjusting the amount of warpage of the engaged recording heads to be equal between the individual recording heads. 2) The inkjet recording head unit according to claim 1, wherein the second heat exchange section communicates with the plurality of first heat exchange sections. 3) Claim 1, wherein the position adjustment means and/or the interval adjustment means are provided in relation to an end of the recording head opposite to the direction in which the second heat exchange section extends. or the inkjet recording head unit described in 2. 4) The plurality of recording heads and each of the first heat exchange parts that are in contact with the recording heads are supported by a frame-shaped housing, and the housing is provided with the position adjustment means and/or the interval adjustment means, and the warp. 4. The inkjet recording head unit according to claim 1, further comprising an adjusting means. 5) By arranging a plurality of recording heads with ink ejection ports arranged in parallel to each other so as to be able to record almost the entire width of the recording material, and maintaining contact with each of the recording heads along its longitudinal direction. A heat exchanger comprising a first heat exchanger that exchanges heat with the recording head, and a second heat exchanger that extends from the first heat exchanger and is capable of exchanging heat with at least the atmosphere. means for selectively ejecting ink from the ink ejection openings toward the recording material while adjusting the temperature of the plurality of recording heads by the heat exchange means, and for controlling the recording material from the ink. An inkjet recording apparatus that performs recording by moving in a direction perpendicular to the ejection direction, comprising a position adjustment means that can adjust the relative position of the plurality of recording heads in the longitudinal direction and/or an interval between adjacent recording heads. and a spacing adjusting means that is adjustable, and for each of the recording heads whose both ends are supported at predetermined positions through adjustment by the position adjusting means and/or the spacing adjusting means, approximately at the center in the longitudinal direction thereof. and press the engaged recording head in a direction perpendicular to both the longitudinal direction and the ink ejection direction to equalize the amount of warpage of the engaged recording head between the individual recording heads. An inkjet recording device characterized by comprising a warpage adjustment means that can adjust the warpage. 6) By arranging a plurality of recording heads with ink ejection ports arranged in parallel to each other so as to be able to record almost the entire width of the recording material, and maintaining contact with each of the recording heads along its longitudinal direction. A heat exchanger comprising a first heat exchanger that exchanges heat with the recording head, and a second heat exchanger that extends from the first heat exchanger and is capable of exchanging heat with at least the atmosphere. means for selectively ejecting ink from the ink ejection openings toward the recording material while adjusting the temperature of the plurality of recording heads by the heat exchange means, and for controlling the recording material from the ink. An inkjet recording apparatus that performs recording by moving in a direction perpendicular to the ejection direction, comprising a position adjustment means that can adjust the relative position of the plurality of recording heads in the longitudinal direction and/or an interval between adjacent recording heads. and a spacing adjusting means that is adjustable, and for each of the recording heads whose both ends are supported at predetermined positions through adjustment by the position adjusting means and/or the spacing adjusting means, approximately at the center in the longitudinal direction thereof. warpage adjustment means that can be adjusted to eliminate warpage of the engaged recording head by engaging with the side surface and pressing the engaged recording head in a direction perpendicular to both the longitudinal direction and the ink ejection direction; An inkjet recording device characterized by comprising: