JPH0538817A - Ink jet unit, ink jet cartridge and ink jet recording device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To improve the reliability for bond-sealing by an adhesive, shorten the assembly process time, and obtain an inexpensive product which is suitable for mass-production by a method wherein engaging areas and spaces between a recording head part and an ink feeding member for an ink jet unit are sealed by a photo-setting resin. CONSTITUTION:For an ink jet head, a heater board l is bonded on a supporting subject 3, and a grooved top plate 2 is temporarily bonded on the heater board 1 in such a manner that a heater part as a mutual ink discharge pressure generating element would meet an ink passage 8. At the same time, an orifice plate 4 of the grooved top plate 2 is arranged on the front end surface of the supporting substrate 3. Also, an ink is fed from an ink feeding member 5 to a common liquid chamber 7 through an ink introducing port 2a. In addition, a sealer 12 is filled in bonding spaces which consists of respective gaps 10a, 10b, etc., between above mentioned members 1, 2 and 5. In this case, a photosetting resin is adopted as the sealer 12. The photosetting resin is injected from the ink feeding member 5 to above-mentioned bonding space.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ink jet unit for recording by means of liquid droplets discharged from a discharge port, an ink jet cartridge equipped with the unit, and an ink jet recording apparatus equipped with the cartridge.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An ink jet head applied to an ink jet recording system is formed by joining a substrate (hereinafter referred to as a heater board) provided with an ink ejection pressure generating element and the substrate 1 as shown in FIG. It is composed of a liquid chamber 7 containing a recording liquid (hereinafter referred to as ink) and a substrate 2 having a concave portion forming an ink passage 8. This board 2
Has an orifice plate 4 (hereinafter, referred to as a grooved top plate) integrally connected to the ink passage 8 and having an ink ejection port 9 for ejecting ink.

The heater board 1 is adhered and fixed to the supporting substrate 3 with an adhesive, and the grooved top plate 2 is provided on the heater board 1 and a heater portion arranged on the heater board 1 as an ink ejection pressure generating element. The orifice plate 4 which is adhered so that the ink paths 8 of the grooved top plate 2 are aligned with each other and which the grooved top plate has is disposed on the front end surface of the support substrate 3 like a front sag.

Ink is supplied from the ink supply member 5 through the ink supply port 2a provided on the top of the grooved top plate, and the ink supply member 5 has a projection bar and is penetrated on the support substrate. It is fixed to the support substrate by inserting a protruding rod into the hole and caulking it with heat.

Small gaps 10a and 10b between the ink supply member 5 and the heater board 1 and the grooved top plate 2 and the like are provided so that the adhesive between the orifice plate and the front end face of the support substrate can be sealed. The sealant is poured into the bonding area as an adhesive space.

This sealant also has a role of sealing the joint portion 10c between the heater board 1 and the grooved top plate. In addition, a joint portion 1 between the ink supply member 5 and the ink supply port 2a
Although 0d is also sealed, this is not the case when the ink supply member 5 and the grooved top plate 2 are integrated. That is, the role of the sealant is (1) a very small gap provided in the joining region between the orifice plate 4 and the front end surface of the support substrate 3, the heater board 1, the support substrate 3, and the grooved top plate 2. The gaps 10a and 10b between the head chip constituted by and the ink supply member 5 are uniformly sealed, and the ink ejection port 9 is clogged due to sticking due to drying of the ink, or mixed into the ink passage 8 or the like. Forming and holding a sufficient sealed space when performing a suction recovery operation for eliminating non-ejection due to foam accumulation, and (2) a joint portion 10c between the heater board and the grooved top plate 2, and an ink supply member. Sealing the joint 10d between the ink supply port 5a and the ink supply port 2a can be mentioned.

[0007]

However, in order to uniformly seal the gap and the joint as described above, it is necessary to strictly control the dimensions of the gap and the characteristics such as the viscosity of the sealant and the curing time. there were. Specifically, the gaps 10a and 10b between the ink supply member 5, the heater board 1 and the grooved top plate 2 and the gap between the orifice plate 4 and the front end surface of the support substrate 3 are:
The sealant had to be narrow enough to wrap around due to its own capillary force, and to have a width such that it could flow uniformly. However, if the viscosity of the sealant is too low or the injection amount is too large, it will flow out of the gap before it is cured, or it will enter the joint 10c between the heater board 1 and the grooved top plate 2 and the ink discharge port 9 I had to block the. On the contrary, the viscosity is too high, the injection amount is too small, or the resin solidifies before pouring, and it is very difficult to balance the curing time with the injection amount.

Furthermore, in order to uniformly seal the gap and completely seal the joint, a sealant having an appropriate viscosity and a relatively long curing time is used, which is mass-produced. There was also a problem that the work-in-progress time was long and it was not suitable. In this case, there is also a problem with the shape and size of the shape where the sealant is injected, and if the amount of sealant is large, the sealant may flow out from the gap or enter the joint. ,
It takes time for the sealant to be injected several times, and to be cured to the extent that the sealant poured in the previous time loses the weight of the sealant poured in the next time and flows out from the gap or does not enter the joint. There is also a problem that it is not suitable for mass production because it has to be placed.

The present invention has been made to solve these problems, and is an inexpensive ink jet unit suitable for mass production, which can improve the reliability of adhesive sealing with an adhesive and can shorten the assembly process time, and an ink jet. An object is to provide a cartridge and an inkjet recording device.

[0010]

In order to achieve the above object, an ink jet unit of the present invention comprises a recording head section having a liquid ejection section for ejecting ink droplets to form flying droplets, and the recording. A support member that supports the head portion and an ink supply member that covers the periphery of the recording head portion and supplies ink to the recording head portion are engaged with each other, and the recording head portion and the ink supply member are engaged with each other. It is characterized in that the parts and spaces are sealed with a photo-curing resin.

Further, the above-mentioned ink jet unit is bonded to the first substrate provided with an energy generating element for generating energy used for ejecting the recording liquid, and the first substrate is bonded to the first substrate. A second substrate having a groove for forming a flow path of the recording liquid corresponding to the location where the energy generating element is provided, and a mechanical biasing force is applied to the first and second substrates to bring the two substrates into close contact with each other. A biasing member can be provided. Here, the energy generating element of the first substrate may have a form of an electrothermal converter that generates thermal energy used for ejecting the recording liquid.

The above-mentioned ink jet unit has a first substrate having an ink ejection pressure generating element used for ejecting ink from the ink ejection port, an orifice plate having the ink ejection port formed therein, and the orifice plate. A front plate member integrally provided on the outer periphery and partially protruding to the outside, and a concavo-convex portion that is joined to the first substrate and forms an ink path communicating with the ink ejection port are integrally provided. A second substrate, the first substrate and the second substrate
A support member, to which a joined body that joins a substrate is attached, and a portion of the front surface region is covered by a portion of the front plate member, and a mechanical biasing force are applied to the first and second substrates so that the two substrates are separated from each other. It is also possible to provide a biasing member to be brought into close contact.

Further, the ink jet unit of the present invention comprises a first member in which an orifice plate having a discharge port and a liquid passage forming portion are integrated, a second member having an energy generating portion for giving discharge energy, and the first member. A third member having a liquid path communicating with the discharge port formed by pressure contact between a member and the second member, the liquid member being provided on the outer periphery of the orifice plate and the outer periphery of the first member portion, and having an opening on at least one surface; A space formed by the first member outer surface and the third member inner surface excluding the orifice plate outer surface is filled with a photo-curing resin, and at least the pressure contact portion between the first member and the second member, and A gap formed by the outer periphery of the orifice plate and the third member is sealed with the photocurable resin.

Further, the ink jet cartridge of the present invention is characterized in that the above ink jet unit and an ink tank for supplying ink to the unit are integrally provided.

Further, the ink jet recording apparatus of the present invention is provided with the above ink jet unit, an ink jet cartridge integrally provided with an ink tank for supplying ink to the unit, and a scannably mounted on the ink jet cartridge. And a carriage that is provided.

[0016]

According to the present invention, a photocurable resin is used as a sealant for covering the connection means for connecting the IJH and the wiring board, and as a sealing material for the space between the IJH and the member surrounding the connection means and the engaging portion. Since it is used, the reliability of the function of the sealant can be improved, and the assembly process time can be shortened. By shortening the process time, an inexpensive inkjet unit, inkjet cartridge, and inkjet recording device can be provided.

[0017]

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIGS. 4 to 8 show preferred ink jet units IJU, ink jet heads IJH, ink tanks IT, ink jet cartridges IJC, ink jet recording apparatus main bodies IJRA, carriage HC, and respective ink jet units IJU, which are suitable for implementing or applying the present invention. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating a relationship. Hereinafter, the configuration of each part will be described with reference to these drawings.

Inkjet cartridge IJ in this example
As can be seen from the perspective view of FIG. 5, C has a large ink storage ratio, and has a shape in which the tip of the ink jet unit IJU slightly projects from the front surface of the ink tank IT. The inkjet cartridge IJC is fixedly supported by a positioning means and electrical contacts of a carriage HC (FIG. 7) mounted on the inkjet recording apparatus main body IJRA, and is detachably attached to the carriage HC. It is a portable type. 4 to 8 of the present example have configurations to which various new technologies made in the stage of establishment of the present invention are applied. Therefore, these configurations will be briefly described and the entire description will be given. To

(I) Description of Constitution of Inkjet Unit IJU The inkjet unit IJU is a unit for recording by using an electrothermal converter which generates thermal energy for causing film boiling to ink in response to an electric signal. ..

In FIG. 4, reference numeral 100 denotes an electrothermal converter (ejection heater) arranged in a plurality of rows on a Si substrate, and electric wiring such as Al for supplying electric power to the electrothermal converter, which is formed by a film forming technique. It is a heater board consisting of. Reference numeral 200 is a wiring board for the heater board 100.
It has a wiring corresponding to the wiring of 0 (for example, it is connected by wire bonding), and a pad 201 located at the end of this wiring and receiving an electric signal from the main body device.

Reference numeral 1300 is a grooved top plate provided with a partition wall for partitioning a plurality of ink channels and a common liquid chamber for accommodating ink to each ink channel, and the ink tank IT. The ink receiving port 1500 that receives the ink supplied from the common liquid chamber and is introduced into the common liquid chamber, and the orifice plate 400 having a plurality of ejection ports corresponding to the respective ink flow paths are integrally molded. Polysulfone is preferable as the integral molding material, but other molding resin materials may be used.

Reference numeral 300 denotes a support body made of, for example, a metal, which supports the back surface of the wiring board 200 on a plane, and serves as a bottom plate of the ink jet unit. Reference numeral 500 denotes a presser spring, which is M-shaped and presses the common liquid chamber with a light pressure at the center of the M-shape, and a front salient portion 501 concentrates a part of the liquid passage, preferably a region in the vicinity of the discharge port, by linear pressure. Press. Holding the heater board 100 and the top plate 1300, the legs of the spring are provided in the holes 3121 of the support body 300.
By engaging with the back surface side of the support body 300 by sandwiching them through the two, they are engaged with each other, whereby the heater board 100 and the top plate 1300 are concentrated by the concentrated biasing force of the presser spring 500 and its front slant portion 501. Clamp and fix and.
In addition, the support 300 includes two positioning protrusions 1012 of the ink tank IT and one protrusion for positioning and fusing and holding 1.
Positioning holes 312, 19 engaging with 800, 1801
00, 2000, and projections 2500, 2600 for positioning the apparatus main body IJRA with respect to the carriage HC.
On the back side. In addition, the support 300 is provided with an ink supply pipe 220 that enables ink supply from the ink tank.
It also has a hole 320 that allows 0 (described later) to pass through.
The wiring board 200 is attached to the support 300 by adhering it with an adhesive or the like. The recess 24 of the support 300
00 and 2400 are positioning protrusions 2500 and 2400, respectively.
In the assembled ink jet cartridge IJC (FIG. 5), which is provided in the vicinity of 2600, there are three edges around the extension point of the head tip region formed by a plurality of parallel grooves 3000 and 3001, and dust or It is positioned so that unnecessary substances such as ink do not reach the protrusions 2500 and 2600. This parallel groove 3000 is formed.
As can be seen in FIG. 7, the lid member 800 forms the outer wall of the inkjet cartridge IJC, and also forms a space for accommodating the inkjet unit IJU together with the ink tank. In addition, the ink supply member 600 in which the parallel groove 3001 is formed includes the ink conduit 1600 that is continuous with the above-described ink supply pipe 2200.
00 side is formed as a fixed cantilever, and a sealing pin 602 for securing a capillary phenomenon between the fixed side of the ink conduit and the ink supply tube 2200 is inserted. Note that 601
Is a packing for connecting and sealing the ink tank IT and the supply pipe 2200, and 700 is a filter provided at the end of the supply pipe on the tank side.

Since the ink supply member 600 is molded, the ink supply member 600 is inexpensive, has high positional accuracy, and eliminates a decrease in accuracy in forming and manufacturing. In addition, the cantilevered conduit 1600 allows the ink supplying member 600 to be used for mass production. The pressure contact state of 1600 to the ink receiving port 1500 can be stabilized. In this example, a more complete communication state can be reliably obtained by only pouring the sealing adhesive from the ink supply member side under this pressure contact state. To fix the ink supply member 600 to the support 300, the back side pins (not shown) of the ink supply member 600 with respect to the holes 1901 and 1902 of the support 300 are attached to the holes 1901 and 1 of the support 300.
This can be easily performed by projecting through through 902 and heat-sealing the portion projecting to the back surface side of the support 300. Since the slightly projected area of the heat-sealed back surface is accommodated in the recess (not shown) in the side wall surface of the ink jet unit IJU mounting surface of the ink tank IT, the positioning surface of the unit IJU can be accurately obtained.

(Ii) Description of Ink Tank IT Structure The ink tank comprises a cartridge main body 1000, an ink absorber group 900 described later in detail, and an ink absorber group 900 on the side opposite to the unit IJU mounting surface of the cartridge main body 1000. After being inserted from the side surface, it is configured with a lid member 1100 that seals it.

Reference numeral 900 denotes an absorber group for impregnating ink, which is arranged in the cartridge body 1000.
Reference numeral 1200 is a unit I including the above-mentioned respective units 100 to 600.
A supply port for supplying ink to the JU.

In the present embodiment, the ink can be supplied to the atmosphere communication port and this supply port, but the rib 2300 in the main body 1000 and the lid member for favorably supplying the ink from the ink absorber. 1100 partial ribs 2500, 2
The air existing area in the tank formed by 400 and
The ink supply port 12 is continuously formed from the atmosphere communication port 1401 side.
Since it is formed over the farthest corner area from 00, it is important that the ink supply to the absorber is relatively good and uniform from the supply port 1200 side. This method is extremely effective in practice. The rib 2300 has four ribs parallel to the carriage movement direction on the rear surface of the main body 1000 of the ink tank, and prevents the absorber from adhering to the rear surface. In addition, the partial ribs 2400 and 2500 are similar to the rib 230.
It is provided on the inner surface of the lid member 1100 which is an extension corresponding to 0, but unlike the rib 2300, it is in a divided state and the air existing space is increased more than the former. The partial ribs 2500 and 2400 are the lid members 1.
It has a form dispersed on less than half of the total area of 100. By these ribs, the ink in the corner portion farthest from the tank supply port 1200 of the ink absorber can be made more stable and reliably guided to the supply port 1200 side by the capillary force. Reference numeral 1401 denotes an atmosphere communication port provided in the lid member for communicating the inside of the cartridge with the atmosphere. Reference numeral 1400 denotes a liquid repellent material arranged inside the air communication port 1401.
This prevents ink from leaking from the air communication port 1401.

The above-described arrangement of ribs is particularly effective because the ink storage space of the ink tank IT has a rectangular parallelepiped shape and has long sides on its side surfaces, but it is long in the moving direction of the carriage. In the case of having a side or a cube, it is possible to stabilize the ink supply from the ink absorber group 900 by providing ribs on the entire lid member 1100. A rectangular parallelepiped shape is suitable for storing ink in a limited space as much as possible, but in order to use this stored ink for recording without waste, as described above, the corner area is It is important to provide ribs that can perform the above-mentioned action in the two adjacent surface areas. Further, the inner surface ribs of the ink tank IT in the present embodiment are arranged with a substantially uniform distribution in the thickness direction of the rectangular parallelepiped ink absorber. This configuration is an important configuration because the ink remaining amount can be made almost zero while the atmospheric pressure distribution is made uniform with respect to the ink consumption of the entire absorber.

To further explain the technical concept of the rib arrangement in detail, an arc having a long side as a radius is drawn around the position where the ink supply port 1200 of the ink tank is projected on the upper surface of the rectangular parallelepiped. At times, it is important to dispose the ribs on the outer surface of the arc so that the atmospheric pressure can be applied to the absorber located outside of the arc at an early stage. In this case, the atmosphere communication port of the tank is not limited to this example as long as the atmosphere can be introduced into the rib disposition region.

In addition, in this embodiment, the rear surface of the ink jet cartridge IJC with respect to the head is flattened to minimize the space required when the ink jet cartridge IJC is incorporated into the apparatus and maximize the ink storage amount. Therefore, not only can the size of the device be reduced, but also the cartridge replacement frequency can be reduced. And the inkjet unit I
Utilizing the rear part of the space for integrating the JU, a projecting part for the atmosphere communication port 1401 is formed there, and the inside of this projecting part is hollowed out, and the absorber 90 described above here is formed.
An atmospheric pressure supply space 1402 for the entire thickness 0 is formed. With such a configuration, it was possible to provide an excellent cartridge that has never been seen before. The atmospheric pressure supply space 1402 is a space much larger than the conventional one, and since the atmosphere communication port 1401 is located above, even if the ink is separated from the absorber due to some abnormality,
In the atmospheric pressure supply space 1402, the ink can be temporarily held and can be reliably collected by the absorber, so that an excellent cartridge without waste can be provided.

Further, the above unit I of the ink tank IT
The structure of the mounting surface of the JU is shown by FIG. If a straight line that passes through the center of the projection of the orifice plate 400 and is parallel to the mounting reference plane of the bottom surface of the tank IT or the surface of the carriage is L ₁ , the hole 312 of the support 300 is formed.
The two locating ridges 1012 that engage with this straight line L ₁
It is above. The height of the protrusion 1012 is slightly lower than the thickness of the support 300, and the support 300 is positioned.
In this drawing, a claw 2100 with which the 90 ° angle engagement surface 4002 of the carriage positioning hook 4001 is engaged is located on the extension of the straight line L ₁ , and the positioning force for the carriage is the straight line L ₁ Is configured to operate in a plane area parallel to the reference plane. As will be described later with reference to FIG. 7, these relationships are effective because the positioning accuracy of only the ink tank is the same as the positioning accuracy of the ejection port of the head.

Further, the projections 1800 and 1801 of the ink tank corresponding to the fixing holes 1900 and 2000 on the side surface of the ink tank of the support 300 are the projections 101 described above.
It is for fixing the support body 300 to the side surface by heat-sealing a portion which is longer than 2 and penetrates the support body 300 and protrudes. When the straight line passing through the protrusion 1800 and perpendicular to the line L ₁ is L ₃ and the straight line passing through the protrusion 1801 is L ₂ , the approximate center of the supply port 1200 is located on the straight line L ₃ , so that the supply unit This is a preferable configuration because it acts to stabilize the connection state between the inlet 1200 and the supply pipe 2200, and the load on these connection states can be reduced even when dropped or impacted. Further, the straight lines L ₂ and L ₃ do not coincide with each other, and the protrusion 180 is formed around the protrusion 1012 on the ejection port side of the head IJH.
Since 0,1801 exists, the head IJH is further
This produces a reinforcing effect of positioning for the tank. The curve indicated by L ₄ is the outer wall position when the ink supply member 600 is mounted. Since the protrusions 1800 and 1801 are along the curved line L ₄ , sufficient strength and positional accuracy are given to the weight of the configuration of the head IJH on the distal end side. Reference numeral 2700 denotes a head brim of the ink tank IT, which is inserted in a hole of a front plate 4000 of the carriage and is provided in case of an abnormal change in displacement of the ink tank. Reference numeral 2101 denotes a retainer for the carriage, which is provided for a bar (not shown) of the carriage HC, enters below the bar at a position where the cartridge IJC is pivotally mounted for later description, and unnecessarily disengages from the positioning position. It is a protection member for maintaining the mounted state even when a force is applied in the upward direction.

The ink tank IT has a shape that surrounds the unit IJU except for the lower opening by covering the unit IJU with the lid 800 after the unit IJU is mounted. However, as the ink jet cartridge IJC, it is mounted on the carriage HC. Since the lower opening of is close to the carriage HC,
A substantial four-way surrounding space is formed. Therefore, although the heat generated from the head IJH in this enclosed space is effective as a heat retaining space in this space, the temperature rises slightly for long-term continuous use. Therefore, in this example, a slit 1700 having a width smaller than this space is provided on the upper surface of the cartridge IJC in order to help the support body to radiate heat naturally, so that the temperature distribution of the entire unit IJU is uniform while preventing the temperature rise. It was possible to make the conversion independent of the environment.

When assembled as an ink jet cartridge IJC, the ink is supplied into the supply tank 600 from the inside of the cartridge through the supply port 1200, the hole 320 provided in the support 300, and the introduction port provided on the back side of the supply tank 600. After passing through the inside thereof, an appropriate supply pipe is provided from the outlet and the ink inlet 150 of the top plate 400.
Flow into the common liquid chamber via 0. A packing made of, for example, silicon rubber or butyl rubber is provided in the connection portion for ink communication in the above, and sealing is performed by this to secure an ink supply path.

In this embodiment, the top plate 1300 is made of a resin such as polysulfone, polyethersulfone, polyphenylene oxide, polypropylene, etc., which has excellent ink resistance, and is integrally molded together with the orifice plate 400 in the mold. I am doing it.

As described above, since the integrally molded part is the ink supply member 600, the top plate / orifice plate integrated, and the ink tank main body 1000, not only the assembly accuracy becomes high, but also the mass production quality is extremely improved. Is. Further, since the number of parts can be reduced as compared with the conventional one, excellent desired characteristics can be surely exhibited.

Further, in the embodiment of the present invention, in the shape after assembly, as shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the ink supply member 600 has the upper surface portion 603 of the ink tank I.
As shown in FIG. 3, the slit S is formed between the end portion 4008 of the roof portion provided with the slit 1700 of T, and the lower surface portion 604 is a head of a thin plate member to which the lid 800 below the ink tank IT is adhered. A slit (not shown) similar to the slit S is formed between the side end portion 4011 and the side end portion 4011. The slits between the ink tank IT and the ink supply member 600 substantially perform the function of further promoting the heat dissipation of the slit 1700, and even if there is unnecessary pressure applied to the tank IT, the slits are directly supplied to the member. It prevents the ink jet unit IJU from being adversely affected.

In any case, the above-mentioned configuration of this embodiment is
It has a configuration that has not been available in the past, and each has an effective effect independently, and the compound effect also has an organic effect due to each constituent element.

(Iii) Description of Installation of Inkjet Cartridge IJC to Carriage HC In FIG. 7, reference numeral 5000 is a platen roller for guiding the recording medium P from the lower side to the upper side of the paper. Carriage HC is
A front plate 4000 (thickness: 2 mm) that moves along the platen roller 3000 and is located on the front platen side of the carriage and on the front side of the inkjet cartridge IJC.
And the pad 20 of the wiring board 200 of the cartridge IJC
Flexible sheet 4005 having a pad 2011 corresponding to No. 1 and each pad 2011 from the back side
Support plate 4003 for electrical connection portion holding a rubber pad sheet 4007 for generating elastic force pressing against
And a positioning hook 4001 for fixing the inkjet cartridge IJC to the recording position. The front plate 4000 has the positioning protrusion surface 4010 on the above-mentioned positioning protrusion 250 of the support 300 of the cartridge.
There are two units corresponding to 0 and 2600, respectively, and after mounting the cartridge, a vertical force toward the protruding surface 4010 is received. For this reason, the reinforcing rib has a plurality of ribs (not shown) on the platen roller side of the front plate, which are directed in the direction of the vertical force. This rib is the cartridge IJ
Slightly from the front position L ₅ when C is installed (about 0.1 mm
A head protection protrusion protruding toward the platen roller is also formed. Support plate for electric connection part 4003
Has a plurality of reinforcing ribs 4004 in the vertical direction, not in the direction of the ribs, and the ratio of lateral projection from the platen side toward the hook 4001 side is reduced. This also serves to incline the position when the cartridge is mounted as shown in the figure. In addition, since the support plate 4003 stabilizes the electrical contact state, the two positioning protrusion surfaces 4 are provided.
Two positioning surfaces 4006 on the hook side for exerting an acting force on the cartridge are provided corresponding to the projecting surface 4010 in a direction opposite to the acting direction of the cartridge 010 acting on the cartridge, and a pad contact area is formed therebetween. At the same time, the deformation amount of the bottom of the rubber sheet 4007 with a bottom corresponding to the pad 2011 is uniquely defined. These positioning surfaces come into contact with the surface of the wiring board 300 when the cartridge IJC is fixed at a recordable position. In this example,
Further, the pad 201 of the wiring board 300 is connected to the line L ₁ described above.
Are distributed symmetrically with respect to each other, so that the deformation amount of each bocce of the rubber sheet 4007 is made uniform and the pad 2
The contact pressure of 011 and 201 is made more stable. The distribution of the pads 201 in this example is two rows above and two rows below.

The hook 4001 has an elongated hole that engages with the fixed shaft 4009, and the platen roller 500 is rotated after rotating counterclockwise from the position shown in the figure by utilizing the moving space of the elongated hole.
The inkjet cartridge IJC is positioned with respect to the carriage HC by moving to the left along 0. The hook 4001 may be moved by any means, but it is preferable that the hook 4001 can be moved by a lever or the like. In any case, when the hook 4001 rotates, the cartridge IJC moves to the platen roller side, and the positioning protrusion 2500,
2600 moves to a position where it can abut the positioning surface 4010 of the front plate, and the hook 4001 moves to the left by 90 °.
The hook surface 4002 of the cartridge is the nail 2100 of the cartridge IJC.
While closely contacting the 90 ° surface of the cartridge IJC, the cartridge IJC is swung in the horizontal plane around the contact area between the positioning surfaces 2500 and 4010, and finally the pads 201 and 2011 come into contact with each other. When the hook 4001 is held at a predetermined position, that is, a fixed position, the pads 201 and 2011 are in full contact with each other, the positioning surfaces 2500 and 4010 are in full contact with each other, and the 90-degree surface 4002 and the 90-degree surface of the claw are in contact with each other. The two-face contact and the face contact between the wiring board 300 and the positioning surface 4006 are simultaneously formed, and the holding of the cartridge IJC with respect to the carriage is completed.

(Iv) General Description of Apparatus Main Body FIG. 8 shows an ink jet recording apparatus IJ to which the present invention is applied.
In the external view of RA, the carriage HC that engages with the spiral groove 5004 of the lead screw 5005 that rotates via the driving force transmission gears 5011 and 5009 in conjunction with the forward / reverse rotation of the drive motor 5013 is a pin (not shown). ), And is reciprocated in the directions of arrows a and b. Reference numeral 5002 denotes a paper pressing plate which holds the paper in the platen 500 in the carriage movement direction.
Press against 0. Reference numerals 5007 and 5008 denote home position detecting means for confirming the presence of the lever 5006 of the carriage in this area by a photo coupler and switching the rotation direction of the motor 5013. Reference numeral 5016 is a member that supports a cap member 5022 that caps the front surface of the recording head. Reference numeral 5015 is a suction unit that suctions the inside of the cap to perform suction recovery of the recording head through the cap opening 5023. 5017 is a cleaning blade, 501
Reference numeral 9 denotes a member that allows the blade to move in the front-rear direction, and these members are supported by the main body support plate 5018. Needless to say, a well-known cleaning blade can be applied to this example instead of this form. Also, 50
Reference numeral 12 denotes a lever for starting suction for suction recovery, which moves in accordance with the movement of the cam 5020 that engages with the carriage, and the driving force from the driving motor is movement-controlled by a known transmission means such as clutch switching. ..

The capping, cleaning, and suction recovery are configured so that desired processing can be performed at their corresponding positions by the action of the lead screw 5005 when the carriage comes to the home position side area. Any of these can be applied to the present example as long as the desired operation is performed. Each of the above-described configurations is an excellent invention, both individually and in combination, and shows a preferred configuration example for the present invention.

The present invention, which is technically related to FIGS. 4 to 8 described above, will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3 and 9.

1 and 2 show a concrete embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, an inkjet head includes a substrate 1 (hereinafter referred to as a heater board) provided with an ink ejection pressure generating element, and a liquid that is bonded to the substrate 1 and contains a recording liquid (hereinafter referred to as ink). It is composed of the chamber 7 and the substrate 2 having an uneven portion forming the ink passage 8. The substrate 2 also integrally has an orifice plate 4 (hereinafter referred to as a grooved top plate) having an ink ejection port 9 for ejecting ink communicating with the ink passage 8.

The heater board 1 is adhered and fixed to the support substrate 3 with an adhesive, and the grooved top plate 2 is provided on the heater board 1 and a heater portion as an ink ejection pressure generating element arranged on the heater board 1. The orifice plate 4 which is temporarily adhered so that the ink paths 8 of the grooved top plate 2 are aligned with each other and which the grooved top plate has is arranged like a front sag on the front end surface of the support substrate 3.

Ink is supplied from the ink supply member 5 through the ink supply port 2a provided in the upper portion of the grooved top plate, and the ink supply member 5 has a protrusion bar and is penetrated on the support substrate. It is fixed to the support substrate by inserting a protruding rod into the hole and caulking it with heat.

Ink supply member 5, heater board 1,
The gaps 10a and 10b with the grooved top plate 2 and the like, and the bonding area provided with a slight gap between the orifice plate and the front end surface of the supporting substrate are used as the adhesive space. Is poured.

The thickness of the orifice plate 4 constituting the ink jet head is about 30 in the vicinity of the ejection port.
Although it is about 40 μm, it is preferable that the thickness is thicker toward the lower part of the support substrate 3, and is 0.2 mm in this embodiment.

Considering the cost of the material and the ink resistance, examples of the material of the grooved top plate 2 having the orifice plate 4 include thermoplastic resins such as polyimide, polyether ether ketone, and polysulfone.

In this example, polysulfone having a small amount of thermal deformation even at high temperature was used. FIG. 2 shows a front view of the inkjet head. In FIG. 2, the shaded area indicates the area filled with the sealing material. Grooves 3A are formed on both sides of the support substrate 3.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the groove 3A
Has a width of 1 mm and a depth of 0.2 mm. The groove is not limited to this size, and may be any groove as long as it can sufficiently encapsulate the sealing material. The heater board is fixed on the supporting substrate 3 with an adhesive, and the grooved top plate 2 is arranged so that the heater portion arranged on the heater board 1 and the ink path 7 of the grooved top plate 2 are aligned with each other. It is fixed on the heater board 1 by a mechanical urging force of a rear pressing spring 6 which is temporarily fixed with an adhesive. The grooved top plate 2 has an orifice plate 4, and the orifice plate 4 is arranged on the front end surface of the support substrate 3 like a front sled. The ink supply member 5 is fixed to the support substrate 3 by aligning a projection rod (not shown) provided in the ink supply member with a through hole provided in the support substrate 3 and caulking the heat. At this time, the orifice plate 4 and the ink supply member 5
Uniform gaps 10a and 10b are formed between the gaps. In this embodiment, the gaps 10a and 10b are both 0.1 to 0.2 mm.

It is important that the groove 3A provided in the support substrate 3 forms a space continuous with the gap between the orifice plate 4 and the ink supply member 5. The groove 3A is completely covered with the orifice plate 4, or the gap 10a
And being independent of 10b is not preferred. This is because the flow path of the injected sealing material is cut off and good sealing cannot be achieved.

The groove 3A formed on the front end surface of the support substrate 3 is formed by pressing in consideration of mass productivity.

The sealant is injected from a sealant injection port (not shown) above the ink supply member 5 to seal the wire bonding portion 11 for transmitting an electric signal, and at the same time the orifice plate 4 and the ink supply member 5 are sealed. Grooves 10a and 10b that seal the gaps between
After passing through A, the gap area between the orifice plate 4 and the front end surface of the support substrate 3 is completely sealed. As described above, in order for the sealing material to seal the gap without blocking the orifice 9, a proper thixotropy and a proper viscosity are required. That is,
If the viscosity of the sealing material is too low, it will enter even the nozzles and orifices in the grooved top plate 2 and cause clogging. On the other hand, if the viscosity is too high, the sealing material will not completely wrap around the orifice plate 4.

Here, the viscosity is 800, 1,000, 4,
000, 10,000, 15,000 and 18,000
Using the sealing material at 0 cps, the state of wraparound or clogging of the orifice plate, the nozzle and the orifice was examined, and the results are shown in Table 1. In Table 1, ∘ indicates a good wraparound state for the orifice plate part, no clogging for the nozzle orifice part, x indicates the opposite, and Δ mark indicates a good state and a bad state. The intermediate state is shown.

[0056]

[Table 1]

Based on the results of Table 1, the viscosity of the sealing material used in the present invention is 1,000 to 15,000 cps,
More preferably, it is 2,000 to 10,000 cps, most preferably 4,000 to 10,000 cps.

Further, the sealing material is well bonded to the heater board 1 made of a silicon wafer, the support substrate 3 made of a metal, the grooved top plate 2 made of a synthetic resin, the orifice plate 4, the ink supply member 5 and the like. Sex is required. Further, in order to join a plurality of different materials having different thermal expansion coefficients, a soft material capable of absorbing the difference in thermal expansion due to the temperature environment, specifically, JIS standard A
It is necessary to use a sealing material having a hardness of 100 or less.

On the other hand, since this sealing material also plays a role of covering and protecting the wire bonding portion 11, it must be a material that does not corrode the aluminum wire bonding portion and the aluminum electrode. In order to prevent corrosion of the electrodes and wire bonding, the concentration of impurity ions such as Cl ⁻ and Na ⁺ in the sealing material is preferably 30 ppm or less.

Such a material is also required to have such properties that it is excellent in ink resistance, particularly solvent resistance and alkali resistance in order to locally contact the ink. Moreover,
It must also have low permeability to oxygen, nitrogen, and water vapor.

In the present invention, a photo-curable resin is used as the encapsulating material satisfying such required characteristics.

In this example, an ultraviolet curable adhesive was used as the photocurable resin.

The sealing material in this embodiment is such that it can flow through prepolymerization from the inlet (not shown) of the ink supply member 5 to the wire bonding portion 11, the gap 10a between the orifice plate 4 and the ink supply member 5, and After being injected into 10b and further passing through the groove 3A of the support base 3 and reaching the gap region between the orifice plate 4 and the front end surface of the support substrate 3, it is cured by the ultraviolet curing device.

Examples of the main component of the UV-curable adhesive which is preferably used as a sealant in the present invention include polyester acrylate, epoxy acrylate, polyether acrylate, oligo acrylate, alkyd acrylate, polyol acrylate, melamine acrylate,
Photopolymerizable prepolymers (oligomers) such as silicon acrylate may be mentioned.

A required amount of a photoinitiator is added to the main material of such an ultraviolet curable adhesive. As the photoinitiator,
For example, biacetyl, acetophenone, benzophenone,
Schiller ketone, benzyl, benzoin, benzoin isobutyl ether, benzyl dimethyl ketal, tetramethyl thiuram sulfide, azobisisobutyl nitrile, benzoyl peroxide, di tert-butyl peroxide, 1-hydroxycyclohexyl phenyl ketone, 2-hydroxy-2-methyl- Examples thereof include 1-phenyl-propan-1-one, 1 (4-isopropylphenyl) -2-hydroxy-2-methylpropan-1-one, 2-chlorothioxanthone, and methylbenzoyl formate.

Further, the orifice plate 4 and the supporting substrate 3
In order to completely cure the sealant that has flowed into the gap between the front end face and the front end face, the material of the grooved top plate 2 is preferably transparent or translucent. In this case, the kind of material for the grooved top plate 2 is polysulfone, polyallyl sulfone,
Polyether sulfone, polycarbonate, polymethylmethacrylate, polyphonylene oxide, polyarylate, ABS resin, acrylic resin and the like can be used.

It is desirable to irradiate the ultraviolet rays from two directions toward the orifice plate 4 side and the upper opening 5 of the ink supply member 5, as shown by the arrow in FIG.

Further, when the ink supply member 5 is made of a transparent or semi-transparent material, only one direction of ultraviolet irradiation is required, and the structure of the ultraviolet irradiation device can be simplified.

(Other Embodiments) FIG. 9 shows another embodiment of the present invention. In this example, the grooved top plate is not provided with an orifice plate, the ink supply member 5 covers the entire surface of the support substrate, and a slight gap 10e is provided between the grooved top plate.

In this structure, the sealing material flows into all the gaps 10a, 10b and 10e between the ink supply member 5 and the grooved top plate 2. Since the sealing material that has flowed into these gaps is exposed on the outer surface, it can be hardened by applying ultraviolet rays without making the material of the grooved top plate 2 transparent or translucent. The range of choices can be expanded. Further, in this example, since it is not necessary to provide the groove 3A in the supporting substrate 3, the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

(Others) In particular, the present invention is provided with a means (for example, an electrothermal converter or a laser beam) for generating thermal energy as energy used for ejecting ink, especially in the ink jet recording system. The present invention provides excellent effects in a recording head and a recording apparatus of the type in which the thermal energy causes a change in ink state. This is because such a system can achieve high density recording and high definition recording.

Regarding its typical structure and principle, see, for example, US Pat. Nos. 4,723,129 and 4740.
What is done using the basic principles disclosed in 796 is preferred. This method is a so-called on-demand type,
It can be applied to any of the continuous type, but especially in the case of the on-demand type, it can be applied to the sheet holding the liquid (ink) or the electrothermal converter arranged corresponding to the liquid path. By applying at least one drive signal corresponding to the recorded information and giving a rapid temperature rise exceeding nucleate boiling, heat energy is generated in the electrothermal converter, and film boiling is caused on the heat acting surface of the recording head. Liquid (ink) corresponding to this drive signal as a result
This is effective because bubbles can be formed inside. Due to the growth and contraction of the bubbles, liquid (ink) is ejected through the ejection openings to form at least one droplet. It is more preferable to make this drive signal into a pulse shape, because the bubble growth and contraction are immediately and appropriately performed, so that the ejection of the liquid (ink) with excellent responsiveness can be achieved. As the pulse-shaped drive signal, those described in US Pat. Nos. 4,463,359 and 4,345,262 are suitable. If the conditions described in US Pat. No. 4,313,124 of the invention relating to the rate of temperature rise on the heat acting surface are adopted, more excellent recording can be performed.

As the constitution of the recording head, in addition to the combination constitution of the discharge port, the liquid passage, and the electrothermal converter (the linear liquid passage or the right-angled liquid passage) as disclosed in the above-mentioned specifications, U.S. Pat. No. 4,558,333, U.S. Pat. No. 44, which discloses a configuration in which a heat acting portion is arranged in a bending region.
The configuration using the specification of No. 59600 is also included in the present invention. In addition, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 59-123670 discloses a configuration in which a common slit is used as a discharge portion of the electrothermal converter for a plurality of electrothermal converters, and an opening for absorbing a pressure wave of thermal energy is provided. The effect of the present invention is effective even if the configuration corresponding to the ejection portion is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 59-138461. That is, according to the present invention, recording can be surely and efficiently performed regardless of the form of the recording head.

Further, 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 which can be recorded by the recording apparatus. Such a recording head may have a configuration that satisfies the length by a combination of a plurality of recording heads or a configuration as one recording head integrally formed.

In addition, even in the case of the serial type as in the above example, the recording head fixed to the main body of the apparatus or the ink jet from the main body of the apparatus is electrically connected to the main body of the apparatus by being attached to the main body. The present invention is also effective when a replaceable chip-type recording head that can be supplied or a cartridge-type recording head in which an ink tank is integrally provided in the recording head itself is used.

Further, it is preferable to add recovery means for the recording head, preliminary auxiliary means, etc., which are provided in the present invention as a configuration of the recording apparatus, because the effects of the present invention can be further stabilized. .. Specific examples thereof include capping means for the recording head, cleaning means, pressurizing or suctioning means, electrothermal converter or other heating element or preheating means by a combination thereof, It is also effective to perform stable recording by performing a preliminary discharge mode in which discharge different from recording is performed.

Regarding the type or number of recording heads to be mounted, for example, only one is provided corresponding to a single color ink, or a plurality of inks having different recording colors and densities are supported. A plurality of pieces may be provided. That is, for example, the recording mode of the recording apparatus is not limited to the recording mode of only the mainstream color such as black, but may be either integrally formed of the recording heads or a combination of a plurality of them. Alternatively, the present invention is extremely effective for an apparatus provided with at least one of full colors by color mixing.

In addition, in the above-described embodiments of the present invention, the ink is described as a liquid, but it is an ink that solidifies at room temperature or lower and that softens or liquefies at room temperature, or an ink jet system. In general, the temperature of the ink itself is adjusted within the range of 30 ° C. or higher and 70 ° C. or lower to control the temperature of the ink so that the viscosity of the ink is within the stable ejection range. Anything can be used. In addition, the temperature rise due to thermal energy is positively prevented by using it as the energy for the state change of the ink from the solid state to the liquid state, or the ink that solidifies in the standing state is used for the purpose of preventing the evaporation of the ink. However, in any case, when heat ink is liquefied by application of heat energy according to a recording signal and liquid ink is ejected, or when the ink reaches a recording medium, solidification is already started. The present invention is also applicable to the case of using an ink which has a property of being liquefied only by energy. The ink in such a case is disclosed in JP-A-54-56847 or JP-A-60.
As described in JP-A-71260, it may be configured to face the electrothermal converter in a state of being held as a liquid or a solid in the concave portion or the through hole of the porous sheet. In the present invention, the most effective one for each of the above-mentioned inks is to execute the above-mentioned film boiling method.

In addition, as the form of the ink jet recording apparatus of the present invention, besides the one used as an image output terminal of an information processing apparatus such as a computer, a copying apparatus combined with a reader or the like, and a facsimile apparatus having a transmission / reception function are provided. It may be in a form or the like.

[0080]

As described above, according to the present invention,
The gap between the ink supply member and the grooved top plate, heater board, etc. in the inkjet head and the joint part, and the gap between the orifice plate and the entire end surface of the support substrate are shortened at room temperature and normal humidity with a photocurable resin such as an ultraviolet curable resin. Can be sealed in time. In addition, since the UV curable resin is a single liquid, there is no need to measure or mix it, and there are advantages that no solvent is used, so the equipment can be simplified and it is suitable for mass production, and its use reduces the cost of the product. Lead to

Further, it is possible to uniformly seal the gap between the orifice plate portion and the ink supply member and the like in a short time, and the sealing can be performed several times. There is also.

As a result, the gap between the orifice plate and the heater board can be stably sealed, so that power loss at the time of discharge can be eliminated and stable discharge can be obtained, and the orifice plate and the ink supply can be obtained. It is possible to stably and efficiently manufacture an excellent inkjet head, which has an advantage that recovery operation is smoothly performed by eliminating air leakage from a gap between the member and the member.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional view showing an embodiment of an inkjet head according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic front view showing the discharge port side shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view showing an example of a support substrate that constitutes an inkjet head according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of an example of an inkjet cartridge according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a schematic perspective view of an inkjet cartridge according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a schematic perspective view of an ink tank of an inkjet cartridge as seen from a side where an inkjet recording head is mounted.

FIG. 7 is a top view showing a state of being mounted on the carriage of the inkjet cartridge device body.

FIG. 8 is a schematic perspective view showing an ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a schematic front view showing one of other embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a schematic front view showing an example of an inkjet head as background art.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Heater Board 2 Groove Top Plate 2a Ink Inlet Port 3 Support Substrate 3A Groove 4 Orifice Plate 5 Ink Supply Member 6 Holding Spring 7 Common Liquid Chamber 8 Ink Path 9 Orifice 10 Wiring Board 11 Wire Bonding 12 Sealant

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁵ Identification number Reference number within the agency FI Technical indication location 9012-2C B41J 3/04 103 H (72) Inventor Haruo Uehara 3-30 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo No. 2 Canon Inc.

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A recording head portion having a liquid ejection portion for ejecting ink droplets to form flying droplets, a support member for supporting the recording head portion, and a periphery of the recording head portion and the recording. An inkjet characterized in that an ink supply member for supplying ink is engaged with the head portion, and an engagement portion and a space between the recording head portion and the ink supply member are sealed with a photocurable resin. unit. 2. The first substrate according to claim 1, wherein the first substrate is provided with an energy generating element for generating energy used for ejecting the recording liquid, and the first substrate is bonded to the first substrate. A second substrate having a groove for forming a flow path of the recording liquid corresponding to the location where the energy generating element is provided, and a mechanical biasing force is applied to the first and second substrates to bring them into close contact with each other. An ink jet unit, comprising: 3. The energy generating element of claim 1, wherein the energy generating element of the first substrate has means for generating thermal energy that causes film boiling in the ink as energy used for ejecting the recording liquid. Inkjet unit to be. 4. The first substrate having an ink ejection pressure generating element used for ejecting ink from the ink ejection port according to claim 1, and an orifice plate having the ink ejection port formed therein,
A front plate member that is integrally provided on the outer circumference of the orifice plate and that partially projects to the outside, and a concavo-convex portion that is joined to the first substrate and forms an ink path that communicates with the ink ejection port are integrally formed. A second substrate provided for the first substrate, a bonded member in which the first substrate and the second substrate are bonded to each other, and a support member in which a part of the front plate member covers a front surface region; And an urging member that applies a mechanical urging force to the second substrate to bring the two substrates into close contact with each other. 5. A first member in which an orifice plate having a discharge port and a liquid passage forming portion are integrated with each other, and a second member having an energy generating portion for giving discharge energy.
A member, and a liquid path communicating with the discharge port is formed by pressure contact between the first member and the second member, and is provided on the outer periphery of the orifice plate and the outer periphery of the first member portion, and at least 1
A third member having an opening on one surface thereof, the space formed by the outer surface of the first member and the inner surface of the third member excluding the outer surface of the orifice plate is filled with a photocurable resin, and at least the first member and An ink jet head characterized in that the pressure contact portion with the second member and a gap formed by the outer periphery of the orifice plate and the third member are sealed with the photo-curing resin. 6. The ink jet unit according to claim 1, an ink tank for supplying ink to the unit,
An ink jet cartridge characterized by being integrally provided with. 7. An ink jet cartridge according to claim 1, an ink jet cartridge integrally provided with an ink tank for supplying ink to the unit, and a carriage mounted with the cartridge and capable of scanning. And an inkjet recording apparatus including.