JPH04250048A - Recording head and ink jet recording device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent the action of a stroke from occurring between discharges orifices during the ink discharge of a recording head. CONSTITUTION:Protrusions 451, 452, 453 are formed on the surface where, for example, a top plate 1300 as the second member becomes junctioned with, for example, a substrate 100 as the first member. The junctioning of the top plate 1300 with the substrate 100 causes the protrusion to breakdown and thus contributes to the increase of the adhesiveness between the top plate 1300 and the substrate 100. In addition, the mutual effect of discharge energy generated between liquid paths can be eliminated.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ink jet recording apparatus and a recording head used in the apparatus.

0002

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION There is a recording head that uses an electrothermal transducer as an energy generating element for ejecting ink from an ejection port. One configuration of this recording head is one in which a top plate is bonded to a substrate on which the electrothermal transducer is formed, and a top plate is formed with grooves for configuring ink paths, etc. provided corresponding to the electrothermal transducer. . An example of a cartridge type recording head in which such a recording head is attached to an ink supply tank is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing an example of a head cartridge.

In FIG. 1, the recording head unit IJU is a unit that ejects ink by generating thermal energy in response to an electrical signal and causing film boiling in the ink. The heater board 100 includes electrothermal converters (discharge heaters) arranged in a plurality of rows on a Si substrate to generate the thermal energy, and electrical wiring made of Al or the like for supplying electric power to the electrothermal converters (discharge heaters). Formed using membrane technology,
The wiring board 200 has wiring corresponding to the wiring of the heater board 100 (for example, connected by wire bonding).
and a pad 201 located at the end of this wiring and receiving an electrical signal from the main device. The top plate 1300 is
An ink receiving port 1500 is provided with a partition wall for configuring an ink liquid path and a common liquid chamber corresponding to each of a plurality of ink ejection ports, and also receives ink supplied from an ink tank and introduces it into the common liquid chamber. and an orifice plate 400 having a plurality of discharge ports. Top plate 130
The partition walls and the like included in 0 are integrally molded with the top plate 1300, and polysulfone is preferable as the material for integrally molding them, but other molding resin materials may be used.

[0005] The support body 300 supports the back surface of the wiring board 200 on a flat surface, is made of metal, for example, and serves as a structural member of the recording head unit. The pressing spring 500 has an M-shape, and presses a portion of the top plate 1300 corresponding to the common liquid chamber at the center of the M-shape, and also presses a line corresponding to the liquid path of the top plate 1300 with a front sagging portion 501. Press by contact. The foot portion of the pressing spring 500 passes through the hole 3121 of the support 300 and engages with the back side of the support 300, so that the heater board 100 and the top plate 1300 are sandwiched between the support 300 and the support 300. Due to this, the pressing force is 500
The biasing force of the front sagging portion 501 causes the heater board 1
00 and the top plate 1300 can be fixed to the support body 300 by pressure bonding. The support body 300 has two positioning holes 312 and 1900 that engage with each of the two positioning protrusions 1012 and the two positioning and heat-sealing holding protrusions 1800 provided on the ink tank.
Protrusions 2500 and 2600 for positioning the head cartridge with respect to the carriage on the apparatus main body side are provided on the back side. In addition, the support 300 also has a hole 320 that allows an ink supply pipe 2200 (described later) to pass therethrough, which allows ink to be supplied from an ink tank. The wiring board 200 is attached to the support body 300 by adhering it with an adhesive or the like.

[0006] Note that the recesses 2400 and 24 of the support body 300
00 are provided near the positioning protrusions 2500 and 2600, respectively, and these recesses are formed on three sides around the recording head unit IJU in the assembled head cartridge (shown in FIG. 2). A plurality of parallel grooves 3000, 3
001 extension point to prevent unnecessary substances such as dust and ink from reaching the protrusions 2500 and 2600. The lid member 800 in which the parallel grooves 3000 are formed forms an outer wall of the head cartridge and also forms a portion that accommodates the recording head unit IJU. Also,
The ink supply path member 600 in which the parallel grooves 3001 are formed connects the ink conduit 1600 that communicates ink with the ink supply pipe 2200 described above by connecting it to the ink supply pipe 2200.
The connection side with the ink supply pipe 200 has a fixed cantilever shape, and the ink supply pipe 2
A sealing pin 602 is provided to ensure capillary action with 200. Note that 601 is a packing that seals the connection between the ink tank and the supply pipe 2200, and 700 is the supply pipe 2200.
This is a filter installed at the tank side end of the tank. Since the ink supply path member 600 is molded, it is not only formed at low cost and with high positional accuracy, but also has a cantilevered shape of the conduit 1600, so that the ink receiving port of the conduit 1600 and the top plate 1300 can be easily used during mass production. The pressure contact state with respect to 1500 can be stabilized. In this example, the sealing adhesive is poured from the ink supply path member side under this pressure-contact state.

Note that the support body 3 of the ink supply path member 600
00 is fixed through the holes 1901 and 10 of the support body 300.
02 of the ink supply path member 600 through the holes 1901 and 1902 of the support 300, and heat-sealing the protruding portion to the back of the support 300. It will be done. Note that this slightly protruding area of the heat-sealed back surface is a depression (not shown) in the side wall surface of the recording head unit IJU mounting surface of the ink tank.
The positioning surface of the unit IJU can be accurately obtained.

[0008] The ink tank is a cartridge main body 100.
0, an ink absorber 900, and a lid 1100 for sealing the ink absorber 900 after the ink absorber 900 is inserted from the side opposite to the unit IJU mounting surface of the cartridge main body 1000. . Absorber 900 is placed within cartridge body 1000. Supply port 120
0 is a supply port for supplying ink to the unit IJU consisting of the above-mentioned parts 100 to 600, and ink is injected from the supply port 1200 in a process before placing the unit in the part 1010 of the cartridge main body 1000. It is also an injection port for impregnating the absorber 900 with ink. In the head cartridge of this example, the part where ink can be injected into the ink tank is the atmosphere communication port 1401.
and a supply port 1200. However, the main body 1000
The in-tank air presence area, which is formed by the rib 2300 provided on the inner surface and the ribs 2500, 2501 provided on the inner surface of the lid 1100, is provided in a continuous portion from the atmosphere communication port 1401 side, and the ink supply By adopting a configuration that extends over the farthest corner region from the mouth 1200, good ink supply performance from the ink absorber is maintained. Therefore, it is important that relatively good and uniform ink injection into the absorber be performed through the supply port 1200. This method is extremely effective in practice. The ribs 2300 include four ribs parallel to the carriage movement direction at the rear of the cartridge body 1000 (Fig.
(only the top two are shown), and the absorber is the main body 10
This prevents it from coming into close contact with the 00 surface. Furthermore, the partial ribs 2501 and 2500 are provided on the inner surface of the lid 1100 on an extension in the extending direction of the rib 2300, but unlike the rib 2300, they are in a divided state. This increases the space in which air exists compared to the former. Note that the ribs 2500 and 2501 are distributed over a surface that is less than half of the total area of the lid 1100. These ribs connect the tank supply port 1 of the ink absorber 900.
The ink in the region of the corner farthest from 200 can be more stably and reliably guided to the supply port 1200 side by capillary force. Reference numeral 1401 denotes an atmosphere communication port provided in the lid member to communicate the inside of the ink tank with the atmosphere. Reference numeral 1400 denotes a lacquer material placed inside the atmosphere communication port 1401;
This prevents ink from leaking from the atmosphere communication port 1400.

The ink storage space of the ink tank has a rectangular shape, and the above-mentioned arrangement of ribs is particularly effective when the long sides are on the sides, but when the long sides are in the direction of carriage movement, or In the case of a cube, the lid 110
By providing ribs throughout the ink absorber 900, the ink supply from the ink absorber 900 can be stabilized.

Ink tank and unit IJ
After the unit IJU is installed, the unit IJU is surrounded except for the lower opening by the lid 800 that covers the unit IJU, but the head cartridge is installed in the carriage on the apparatus main body side, and at this time, the lower opening is Since it is close to the carriage, a substantial four-sided surrounding space is formed. Therefore, the heat generated from the recording head IJH within this surrounding space is uniformly distributed within this space and is effective in keeping this space at a uniform temperature. However, when the head IJH is continuously driven for a long period of time, a slight temperature increase may occur. For this reason, in this example, a slit 1700 with a width smaller than this space is provided on the upper surface of the cartridge to help natural heat dissipation from the support 300, thereby preventing temperature rise and distributing the temperature distribution of the entire unit IJU. To make the uniformity independent of the environment.

When the head cartridge IJC is assembled as shown in FIG. 2, ink flows from the supply port 1200 of the ink tank through the hole 320 provided in the support 300 and the introduction port provided on the inner back side of the supply tank 600. Ink supply path member 6 via supply pipe 2200
After being led to the conduit 1600 in 00 and passing through it,
The ink flows into the common liquid chamber through the ink introduction port 1500 of the top plate 1300. A packing made of, for example, silicone rubber or rubber is disposed at the connection portion between the supply pipe and the conduit as described above, and sealing is performed thereby to secure an ink supply path.

[0012] In this embodiment, the top plate 1300
is made of a resin having excellent ink resistance such as polysulfone, polyethersulfone, polyphenylene oxide, polypropylene, etc., and is integrally molded with the orifice plate portion 400 using a mold.

As mentioned above, the integrally molded parts are the ink supply path member 600, the top plate/orifice plate integrated, and the ink tank body 1000, which not only achieves a high level of assembly accuracy but also greatly improves the quality of mass production. It is valid. Furthermore, since the number of parts can be reduced compared to the prior art, excellent desired characteristics can be reliably exhibited.

[0014]

Problems to be Solved by the Invention As a result of actually recording with the recording head having the above-described configuration and conducting various studies, we have found the following problems that should be improved in order to achieve even better recording.

FIG. 3 shows the heater board 1 shown in FIGS.
13 is a vertical cross-sectional view in a direction along the ink path showing the ejection port and the ink path in the vicinity thereof in a state where the top plate 1300 and the top plate 1300 are joined. FIG. In the figure, a heater board 100 and a top plate 1
300 are joined. In other words, 411 is the top plate 1
300 is an ink channel groove formed; 400 is an orifice plate formed integrally with or joined to the top plate;
Reference numeral 421 denotes an ejection port formed in the orifice plate, and the lower surface of the partition wall constituting the ink channel groove of the top plate 1300 is pressed against the heater board 100 from the top plate 1300 side by a pressing spring (not shown) and joined. By doing so,
The top plate 1300 and the heater board are joined. When we investigated the shape variations in the connection between the top plate and the heater board in this configuration, we found the following.

(1) The surface of the heater board 100 on which the electrothermal transducer is formed and the top plate 1300 are joined by applying pressure with a pressing spring as described above, but the mutual joining surface , gaps may occur due to variations in precision during mold processing. Furthermore, the patterning on the heater board has a step difference of 1 to 3 μm, which may create a gap (these gaps are designated as y).

(2) Furthermore, since no treatment is performed to join the end surface of the heater board and the orifice plate 400 of the top plate after abutment and alignment, this joint surface has a thickness of about 2 to 10 μm. In some cases, gaps were found during the manufacturing process. (These gaps are x.) (3
) When such a gap occurs, when the electrothermal transducer is driven and ink is ejected from the ejection port, the energy for ejection is transmitted to the adjacent liquid channel groove through the gaps x and y, The so-called "
"Crosstalk phenomenon" may occur. In addition, because the ejection energy is transmitted to the adjacent liquid path, the droplet ejected from the ejection port corresponding to the driven part will not have the normal droplet volume, and the ejection speed may also decrease by about 20 to 30%. was seen.

(4) In the recording head in which the above-described crosstalk phenomenon occurred, it was difficult to obtain the desired recording quality.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to solve the above-mentioned problems, suppress the occurrence of crosstalk, and provide a recording head with even better recording quality.

[0020]

[Means for Solving the Problems] To this end, in the present invention,
In a recording head for ejecting ink, a first member having an energy generating element for ejecting ink, and a second member joined to the first member, the second member having an energy generating element for ejecting ink. It is characterized by comprising a second member having a groove for forming an ink liquid path corresponding to the disposed portion, and a second member having a protrusion on the joint surface that is deformed by the joint.

[0021] Further, in an inkjet recording apparatus that performs recording by ejecting ink, the first member has an energy generating element for ejecting ink, and the second member is joined to the first member. and a second member having a groove for forming an ink liquid path corresponding to the location where the energy generating element is disposed during the bonding, and a protrusion that is deformed by the bonding on the bonding surface. It is characterized by being equipped with a recording head.

[0022]

[Operation] According to the above structure, by forming a protrusion on the surface of the second member, such as the top plate, which is to be bonded to the first member, such as the substrate, the protrusion is caused by this bonding when the top plate and the substrate are bonded. This collapse improves the adhesion between the top plate and the substrate, and it is possible to eliminate the mutual influence of ejection energy generated between each liquid path.

[0023]

Embodiments Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

Elements similar to those shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 are designated by the same reference numerals, and their explanations will be omitted.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the top plate in one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 5 shows the top plate connected to the heater board and a presser spring (not shown) attached to the top plate. FIG. 7 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the top plate and the discharge port of the heater board and the liquid path in the vicinity thereof after being crimped.

In FIG. 4, 421 and 422 are discharge ports;
Numerals 11 and 412 are ink path grooves that communicate with the ejection ports, and these also communicate with the common liquid chamber forming recess 430.

In this embodiment, the top plate 1300 is made of a resin with excellent ink resistance such as polysulfone, polyethersulfone, polyphenylenoxide, polypropylene, etc., and is molded simultaneously with the orifice plate 400 in a mold. It has been done.

Ink liquid path grooves 411, 412 and discharge port 4
The method of forming 21,422 will be explained.

Regarding the ink channel grooves, resin is molded using a mold in which fine grooves with a reverse pattern are formed by cutting or other methods, and thereby the flow channel grooves 411 are formed on the top plate 1300.
, 412 can be formed.

Regarding the ejection ports 421 and 422, ultraviolet rays are irradiated with a laser from the inside of the orifice plate 400, that is, from the ink path groove side, at the positions where these ejection ports are to be formed, and the resin is removed and evaporated. 422
form.

In this embodiment, the ink path groove width is 40
The molding was performed with dimensions of 23.5 μm for the non-groove portion (partition wall) width, and 50 μm for the ink path groove height (depth). In addition, for simplicity, only two grooves are shown in the figure, but
In the example, a head formed with 90 grooves and 74 discharge ports formed by excimer laser was used. At this time, the thickness a of the orifice plate 400 in the figure is set to 10 μm.
In this example, the step portion (hereinafter referred to as the jaw portion) 440 between the position of the ink channel groove end surface and the inner surface of the orifice plate 400 (that is, the surface on the ink channel side) and its dimension b is 3 to 50 μm.
It was varied within the range of.

Further, the dimension c of the stepped surface between the jaw portion and the bottom surface of the partition wall was varied within the range of 0 to 10 μm.

Furthermore, protrusion shapes 451, 4 are formed on the bottom surface of the partition wall.
52,453 (hereinafter referred to as ribs) are provided, and the width d is 1.
~7 μm, and the distance e between the tip end surface of the rib and the stepped surface of the jaw portion 440 was varied in the range of 0 to 5 μm.

The top plates having the dimensions a, b, c, d, and e were formed as described above, and a list thereof is shown in FIG.

In FIG. 7, No. The top plates indicated by 1 to 5 have a thickness a of the orifice plate of 20 μm, a dimension c of the jaw portion 440 and the bottom surface of the ink channel wall of 3 μm, and dimensions d and e of the ribs of 3 and 2 μm, respectively. The width dimension was varied from 3 to 50 μm.

[0036] Also, No. In the top plates shown by 6 to 9, the width b of the jaw part 440 is fixed to 10 μm, the dimension c between the liquid channel wall and the jaw part is fixed to 3 μm, and the dimensions d and e of the ribs are fixed to 3 and 2 μm, respectively. Orifice plate thickness a
was varied in the range of 5 to 50 μm.

Similarly, No. For the top plates No. 10 to 13, the dimension c is 0 to 10 μm. For 14 to 17, the dimension d is 1 to 1.
7 μm, No. In Nos. 18 to 21, the dimension e was changed in the range of 0 to 5 μm.

Now, using the various top plates explained above,
The ribs 451, 452, and 453 were assembled to form a complete recording head, and as a result of this assembly, the ribs 451, 452, and 453 were joined to the heater board 100, and were crushed by pressure from the top plate side. This increases the adhesion between the bottom surface of the partition wall of the top plate and the heater board, making it possible to prevent the above-mentioned crosstalk. Note that the ribs do not need to be actively formed during the manufacture of the top plate; for example, the above-mentioned effects can also be obtained by using, as the ribs, convex portions due to burrs generated during the formation of the top plate. Good too. Furthermore, a sealing material can be used at the joint between the partition wall of the top plate and the heater board to further improve adhesion. Examples of the material for this sealing material include urethane resin, acrylic resin, flexible epoxy resin, and rubber adhesive, and it is more preferable that these materials exhibit rubber-like elasticity. Due to the above-mentioned action of the ribs, N
o. 1 to 21 and No. After assembling any of the recording heads using No. 22 to 24 top plates, it was confirmed that the heater board and the partition wall of the top plate were in close contact with each other with almost no gaps due to the presser springs.

Next, the evaluation results of each of the recording heads just mentioned will be described.

As a comparative example, the evaluation results of the aforementioned jaw portion 440 dimensions b, c and ribs 451, 452, 453 dimensions d, e of 0 μm (constitution shown in the background art) are also shown in FIG. Also shown.

The evaluation items were (1) moldability, (2) difficulty in forming the orifice, and (3) head characteristics including the presence or absence of crosstalk and recording quality. Regarding moldability (1), generally speaking, if the thickness a of the orifice plate 400 of the top plate and the width d of the ribs are too thin, the flow of resin will be insufficient during molding, and the intended shape may not be obtained. Conceivable. Regarding the formation of the discharge port (2), in this example, the discharge port was formed using an excimer laser, but the dimensions required to penetrate the hole by applying the laser, that is, the orifice plate thickness dimension a and the jaw part dimension b, were If the added dimension a+b is too thick, the desired ejection port size cannot be obtained because of the laser power limit. Alternatively, there may be disadvantages such as the shape of the discharge port becoming dirty. Regarding the crosstalk (3), we actually recorded it on paper and evaluated the quality by looking at the recorded material.

First, No. 1 with different jaw width b. 1~N
o. The test results for No. 5 are No. Jaw size of 1: 3μm
Although there were no problems with moldability or orifice formation, crosstalk occurred and the recording quality was poor.

[0043] Also, No. No. 2 with a jaw size of 5 μm is No. 2. Although the occurrence of crosstalk is considerably suppressed compared to No. 1, there is some occurrence of crosstalk, and the recording quality cannot be said to be perfect. This is because the jaws are not in close contact with the heater board due to the small dimensions of the jaws and variations in the bonding accuracy between the heater board and the top plate, resulting in discharge power leaking into the adjacent flow path. It is estimated that there is no such thing. Also No. No. 3 with a jaw part size of 10 μm had no problems in moldability or orifice formation, did not cause crosstalk, and had good recording. Also No. No. 4 with a jaw portion size of 40 μm had no problem in moldability and good recording without crosstalk, but it was difficult to form an orifice. This is because the jaw part dimension is 4 μm and the orifice plate 400 thickness dimension a of 20 μm is added, resulting in a total laser processing thickness of 60 μm.
The desired ejection orifice size was obtained by increasing the laser power and lengthening the processing time. Furthermore, No. No. 5 with a jaw portion size of 50 μm could not be processed to the desired ejection opening size even after various laser conditions were devised, and recording evaluation could not be performed.

Next, the orifice plate thickness was set to 10 μm.
No. changed by ~60 μm. In tests 6 to 9, when the orifice plate 400 was molded using a mold with a thickness dimension a of 10 μm, the resin could not be molded to a thickness of 10 μm (
Resin did not flow and did not form an orifice plate) Subsequent evaluation could not be performed. Also No. 7-8 a dimension 20
For those having a diameter of .mu.m to 50 .mu.m, there were no problems in moldability or orifice processing, no crosstalk was observed, and the recording was good. However, No. 9 with a dimension of 60 μm,
No. As in No. 8, the total thickness of the orifice processing by the laser was 70 μm, so the prescribed orifice processing could not be performed and no recording was performed.

[0045] Next, the dimensions of the jaw part and the bottom of the liquid channel wall are set to 0~
No. changed by 10 μm. Tests 10 to 13,
No. when c=0 μm, where the jaw part and the liquid channel wall surface are on the same plane. In No. 10, crosstalk occurred, resulting in poor recording. It is assumed that this is because the ribs 451, 452, and 453 could not be crushed even if they were pressurized by the springs, so the jaws could not come into close contact with the heater board, and as a result, the discharge energy leaked into the adjacent liquid path. be done. Also, c dimension is 1
Crosstalk is suppressed for μm and 5μm,
There is no problem at all, but No. 1 with a c dimension of 10 μm. 13, crosstalk occurred. This is presumed to be because the ribs were long, so the resin did not flow in and a complete rib was not formed, resulting in discharge energy leaking into the adjacent liquid path.

Next, No. 1 in which the width of the rib was 1 to 7 μm.
14~No. No. 17 test, but No. 1 with a width of 1 μm. 1
In No. 4, the resin did not flow and the desired rib shape could not be obtained, so no recording was performed. If the width of the rib is 2 μm or more, the desired shape can be obtained. 17
However, crosstalk occurred and recording errors occurred. This is thought to be because the ribs were so strong that they could not be crushed even when pressurized by the spring, and the discharge energy leaked into the adjacent liquid path.

Next, No. 1 was prepared in which the distance e between the jaw part and the tip of the rib was changed. 18~No. No. 21 test is 0 μm, that is, the rib tip is on the same plane as the jaw part. 18, some crosstalk was observed, and the recording quality could not be said to be perfect. This is thought to be because the rib portion does not adhere strongly to the heater board, so some discharge energy leaks into the adjacent liquid path. No. e size is 1 and 3 μm. 19
and No. 20 had good recording quality with no crosstalk.

[0048] No. e dimension is 5 μm. In No. 21, no recording was made because the resin did not flow and the desired rib shape could not be formed.

Next, No. 22~No. No. 24 showed four comparative examples without jaws and ribs (dimensions b, c, d, e 0 μm), but in all of them, crosstalk occurred and the recording quality was not satisfactory. This indicates that a device without jaws and ribs cannot sufficiently suppress the occurrence of crosstalk.

To summarize the above, it was found that the dimension of the jaw portion b is preferably b≧5 μm, and if it is 5 μm or more, the occurrence of crosstalk can be prevented. Also, from the point of view of formability, the orifice plate thickness a is 15
In terms of orifice processing using an excimer laser, the dimension a+b must be 60 μm or less.

[0051] Also, the bottom surface of the liquid path wall is 1 to 5 with respect to the jaw part.
It is necessary that the ribs are floating by μm (dimension c), and if the width of the rib is in the range of 2≦d≦5 μm, moldability and crosstalk are satisfied. Also, the distance e between the rib tip and the jaw part is 1≦e
If ≦3, the moldability and crosstalk prevention conditions are satisfied. To summarize, b≧5μm 20μm≦a+b≦60μm 1≦c≦5μm 2≦d≦5μm 1≦e≦3μm If these conditions are satisfied, a recording head that can perform good recording without crosstalk can be created. can get.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing an example of the configuration of a printer that can use the recording head according to the embodiment of the present invention.

Here, 9 is a head cartridge that can be constructed using the recording head obtained in the above embodiment, and 11 is a carriage on which this is mounted and for scanning in the S direction in the figure. 13 is a hook for attaching the head cartridge 9 to the carriage 11; 15 is a hook 13;
This is a lever for operating the. This lever 15 has
A marker 17 is provided to indicate a scale provided on the cover, which will be described later, so that the print position and set position by the recording head of the head cartridge can be read. 1
Reference numeral 9 denotes a support plate that supports an electrical connection to the head cartridge 9. 21 is a flexible cable for connecting the electrical connection section and the main body control section.

Reference numeral 23 denotes a guide shaft for guiding the carriage 11 in the S direction, and is inserted into a bearing 25 of the carriage 11. Reference numeral 27 denotes a timing belt to which the carriage 11 is fixed and which transmits power for moving the carriage 11 in the S direction, and pulleys 29A arranged on both sides of the device.
, 29B. On one pulley 29B,
Driving force is transmitted from the carriage motor 31 via a transmission mechanism such as a gear.

A conveyance roller 33 is driven by a conveyance motor 35 for regulating the recording surface of a recording medium such as paper (hereinafter also referred to as recording paper) and for conveying it during recording or the like. 37 is a paper pan for guiding the recording medium from the paper feed tray 4 side to the recording position; 39 is a paper pan disposed in the middle of the recording medium feeding path to convey the recording medium to the roller 33;
This is a feed roller for pressing toward and conveying it. A platen 34 faces the ejection port of the head cartridge 9 and regulates the recording surface of the recording medium. 4
Reference numeral 1 denotes a paper discharge roller that is disposed downstream of the recording position in the recording medium conveyance direction and discharges the recording medium toward a paper discharge port (not shown). Reference numeral 42 denotes a spur provided corresponding to the paper ejection roller 41, which presses the roller 41 through the recording medium to generate a force for conveying the recording medium by the paper ejection roller 41. Reference numeral 43 denotes a release lever for releasing the respective biases of the feed roller 39, presser plate 45, and spur 42 when setting a recording medium or the like.

Reference numeral 45 denotes a press plate for suppressing floating of the recording medium in the vicinity of the recording position and ensuring close contact with the conveying roller 33. In this example, an inkjet recording head that performs recording by ejecting ink is used as the recording head. Therefore, the distance between the ink ejection orifice forming surface of the recording head and the recording surface of the recording medium is relatively small, and the distance must be strictly controlled to avoid contact between the recording medium and the ejection orifice forming surface. , it is effective to provide a presser plate 45. 47 is a scale provided on the holding plate 45, and 49 is a marker provided on the carriage 11 corresponding to this scale, and the print position and setting position of the recording head can also be read by these.

Reference numeral 51 denotes a cap made of an elastic material such as rubber, which faces the ink discharge orifice forming surface of the recording head in the home position, and is supported so as to be able to come into contact with and separate from the recording head. This cap 51 is used to protect the print head during non-printing and during ejection recovery processing of the print head. The discharge recovery process refers to the cap 51
by facing the ejection port forming surface and driving the energy generating element provided inside the ink ejection port and used for ink ejection, ink is ejected from all the ejection ports, thereby removing air bubbles, dust, and thickened viscosity. Preliminary ejection (processing to remove the cause of ejection failure such as ink that is no longer suitable for recording),
Separately from this, it is a process for forcibly discharging ink from the ejection ports while covering the ejection port forming surface with the cap 51 to eliminate causes of ejection failure.

Reference numeral 53 denotes a pump used to apply a suction force for forced ejection of ink and to suck ink received in the cap 51 during ejection recovery processing by such forced ejection or ejection recovery processing by preliminary ejection. be. 55 is a waste ink tank for storing waste ink sucked by this pump 53; 57 is a pump 53;
This is a tube that communicates between the waste ink tank 55 and the waste ink tank 55.

Reference numeral 59 denotes a blade for wiping the ejection orifice forming surface of the recording head, and there is a blade that protrudes toward the recording head to perform wiping during the head movement process, and a blade that is retracted so as not to engage the ejection orifice forming surface. It is supported so that it can be moved to and from the position. 61 is a motor; 63 receives power from the motor 61 to drive the pump 53 and the cap 51;
This is a cam device for moving the blade 59 and the blade 59, respectively.

(Others) The present invention particularly relates to means for generating thermal energy as energy used to eject ink, in an inkjet recording system.
For example, the present invention provides an excellent effect in a recording head or recording apparatus that is equipped with an electrothermal converter (for example, an electrothermal converter, a laser beam, etc.) and uses the thermal energy to cause a change in the state of the ink. This is because such a system can achieve higher recording density and higher definition.

For its typical configuration and principle, see, for example, US Pat. Nos. 4,723,129 and 4,740.
Preferably, it is carried out using the basic principles disclosed in the '796 specification. This method is the so-called on-demand type.
It is applicable to both continuous types, but in particular, in the case of on-demand type, it is applicable to the electrothermal converter placed corresponding to the sheet holding the liquid (ink) or the liquid path. , by applying at least one drive signal that corresponds to recorded information and provides a rapid temperature rise exceeding nucleate boiling, the electrothermal transducer generates thermal energy to produce film boiling on the thermally active surface of the recording head. liquid (ink) that corresponds one-to-one to this drive signal.
This is effective because it can form air bubbles inside. 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 this drive signal in a pulse form, since the growth and contraction of bubbles can be carried out immediately and appropriately, making it possible to eject liquid (ink) with particularly excellent responsiveness. This pulse-shaped drive signal is described in US Pat. No. 4,463,359 and US Pat.
345262 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.

[0062] In addition to the configuration of the recording head, which is a combination 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, U.S. Pat. No. 4,558,333 and U.S. Pat. No. 44 disclose a configuration in which a heat acting part is arranged in a bending region.
A configuration using the specification of No. 59600 is also included in the present invention. In addition, JP-A-59-123670 discloses a configuration in which a common slit is used as a discharge part for a plurality of electrothermal converters, and a hole that absorbs pressure waves of thermal energy is disclosed. The effects of the present invention are also effective even with a configuration based on Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 138461/1985 which discloses a configuration corresponding to the discharge section. 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 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 a recording apparatus. 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, even in the case of a serial type as in the above example, the recording head is fixed to the main body of the apparatus, or by being attached to the main body of the apparatus, electrical connection with the main body of the apparatus and ink flow from the main body of the apparatus are possible. The present invention is also effective when using a replaceable chip-type recording head that can be supplied with ink or a cartridge-type recording head in which an ink tank is integrally provided in the recording head itself.

Further, it is preferable to add a recovery means for the recording head, a 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.

Regarding the type and number of recording heads to be mounted, for example, in addition to one type that corresponds to a single color ink, there are also types and number of recording heads installed to correspond to a plurality of inks of different recording colors and densities. A plurality of them may be provided. 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.

In addition, in the embodiments of the present invention described above, the ink is described as a liquid, but ink that solidifies at room temperature or lower, softens or liquefies at room temperature, or inkjet method. In general, the temperature of the ink itself is adjusted within the range of 30°C to 70°C to keep the viscosity of the ink within the stable ejection range. Any eggplant is 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. The ink used in such cases is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 54-56847 or Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 60-1989.
As described in Japanese Patent No. 71260, the material may be held in a liquid or solid state in a porous sheet recess or through-hole and face an 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, the inkjet recording apparatus of the present invention can be used as an image output terminal for information processing equipment such as a computer, a copying machine combined with a reader, etc., and a facsimile machine having a transmitting/receiving function. It may also take a form.

[0069]

As is clear from the above description, according to the present invention, the second member, for example, the top plate, is formed with protrusions on the surface to be joined to the first member, for example, the substrate, so that the top plate can When bonded to the substrate, the protrusions are crushed due to this bonding, and the adhesion between the top plate and the substrate can be improved, and mutual influence of discharge energy generated between each liquid path can be eliminated.

As a result, it is possible to obtain a print head with excellent print quality and no crosstalk between the ejection ports in the print head.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a conventional example of a printhead/ink tank integrated head cartridge.

FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of the head cartridge shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a connection between a top plate and a heater board that constitute the recording head.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a top plate according to an embodiment of the present invention.

5 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the top plate shown in FIG. 4. FIG.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing an example of a printer that can use a recording head according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a list of test evaluations of a recording head according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

100 Heater board 400 Orifice plate 411, 412 Ink liquid path groove 421, 422 Ejection port 430 Common liquid chamber recess 440 Jaw portion 451, 452, 453 Projection (rib) 1300
Top board

Claims (10)

[Claims] 1. A recording head for ejecting ink, comprising: a first member having an energy generating element for ejecting ink; and a second member joined to the first member, the joined member comprising: a first member having an energy generating element for ejecting ink; The method further comprises: a second member having a groove for forming an ink liquid path corresponding to the location where the energy generating element is disposed, and a second member having a protrusion on the bonding surface that is deformed by the bonding. recording head. 2. A recording head for ejecting ink, comprising: a first member having an energy generating element for ejecting ink; and a second member joined to the first member, the joined member comprising: sometimes having a groove for forming an ink liquid path corresponding to a location where the energy generating element is disposed;
and a second member that integrally has an ejection port forming member in which an ejection port for the ink is formed at one end of the groove, and the second member has a recess with which a tip of the first member engages. 1. A recording head comprising a protrusion that is provided below a projection opening and that is deformed by the bonding of the second member and the first member on a bonding surface of the second member with the first member. 3. The thickness of the discharge port forming member is a, the depth of the recess is b, and the distance between the joint surface and the recess is c.
When the width of the protrusion is d, and the distance between the protrusion and the recess is e, b≧5μm, 20μm≦a+b≦60μm, 1μm≦c
The recording head according to claim 2, characterized in that it satisfies ≦5 μm, 2 μm≦d≦5 μm, and 1 μm≦e≦3 μm. 4. The recording head according to claim 1, wherein the protrusion on the joint surface is made of resin. 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the energy is thermal energy, the thermal energy causes a change in the state of the ink to generate bubbles, and the ink is ejected as the bubbles are generated. 5. The recording head according to any one of 1 to 4. 6. An inkjet recording device that performs recording by ejecting ink, comprising: a first member having an energy generating element for ejecting ink; and a second member joined to the first member. and a second member having a groove for forming an ink liquid path corresponding to the location where the energy generating element is disposed during the bonding, and a protrusion that is deformed by the bonding on the bonding surface. An inkjet recording device characterized by comprising a recording head. 7. An inkjet recording device that performs recording by ejecting ink, comprising: a first member having an energy generating element for ejecting ink; and a second member joined to the first member. and an ejection port forming member having a groove for forming an ink liquid path corresponding to a location where the energy generating element is disposed during the bonding, and an ejection port for the ink formed at one end of the groove. a second member integrally formed with the first member; An inkjet recording apparatus comprising a recording head having a protrusion on a bonding surface that is deformed by the bonding. 8. The thickness of the discharge port forming member is a, the depth of the recess is b, and the distance between the joint surface and the recess is c.
When the width of the protrusion is d, and the distance between the protrusion and the recess is e, b≧5μm, 20μm≦a+b≦60μm, 1μm≦c
The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the following conditions are satisfied: ≦5 μm, 2 μm≦d≦5 μm, and 1 μm≦e≦3 μm. 9. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the protrusion on the joint surface is made of resin. 10. The method of claim 1, wherein the energy is thermal energy, the thermal energy causes a change in the state of the ink to generate bubbles, and the ink is ejected as the bubbles are generated. 10. The inkjet recording device according to any one of 6 to 9.