JPH06344558A - Ink jet head, production thereof and ink jet device using ink jet head - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enhance the refilling function of ink at the time of the emission of ink and especially prevent emission defect happened by the insufficiency of refilling at the initial stage of the start of recording. CONSTITUTION:A plurality of liquid passages having ink emitting energy generating elements formed thereto and the common liquid chamber 104 communicating with those passages 102 are provided and an air chamber 7 is formed behind the common liquid chamber 104 in parallel to the longitudinal direction of the common liquid chamber 4 through the communication part 8 provided to the central part thereof. By this constitution, the air of the air chamber 7 favorably acts at the time the refilling with ink in the respective passages 102 to prevent the delay of refilling.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ink jet head for ejecting a recording liquid from an ejection port to print on a recording material, a method for manufacturing the ink jet head, and an ink jet apparatus using the ink jet head.
In particular, the present invention relates to an inkjet head having a chamber (buffer chamber) having bubbles in the head for suppressing the vibration of the ink accompanying the ejection of the recording liquid, a method for manufacturing the head, and an inkjet apparatus using the head.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An ink jet system is one in which a recording liquid such as ink (hereinafter simply referred to as ink) is ejected as droplets from fine holes (ink ejection ports) for ejecting the liquid, and the droplets are ejected onto paper or plastic. Recording is performed on a recording material such as cloth or according to the pattern information for recording (printing, hereinafter also referred to as recording including printing), and high-speed recording including printing is possible. Also, it has various advantages that it can be easily recorded on plain paper or the like.

In such an ink jet system of the ink jet system, an ink ejection port, an ink liquid path communicating with the ink ejection port, and ejection energy such as a piezoelectric element or a heating resistor for generating energy for ink ejection in the liquid channel. An inkjet head having a generator is provided. Then, when recording is performed, ejection energy is generated in the ejection energy generator, and the ejection energy is applied to the ink in the liquid path to generate a pressure for ejection, and this pressure is used to eject the ink. Discharge from the outlet,
Recording is performed by landing ink droplets on a recording material.

The ink used for ink jet recording generally has a composition in which a recording agent component such as a pigment or a dye is dissolved or dispersed in a solvent component such as water, a water-soluble organic solvent or a non-water-soluble organic solvent. Is being used for.

Further, the pressure for ejecting ink in the ink jet head is generated by the energy generated by the ejection energy generator acting on the ink in the liquid passage, and the pressure is applied to the ink ejection port through the ink in the liquid passage. Direction and the direction of the liquid chamber, which is opposite to the ink ejection port, is transmitted and transmitted, and the ink in the liquid path is pushed out from the ink ejection port by the action of the pressure transmitted in the ejection port direction and ejects the ink. To do. When the ejected ink becomes droplets and separates from the ink ejection port, the meniscus formed in the liquid path near the ejection port retreats according to the ejected droplet amount,
Due to the action of the tension that pulls back the meniscus toward the ejection port, the filled state of the ink in the liquid path returns to the state before the ejection after a certain period of time. This phenomenon is called refilling, and the above operation is repeated during actual printing, and good refilling is performed, so that stable ink ejection is continuously obtained.

By the way, if the ejection is continued with the refill being incomplete, the ejection of the ink is continued with the incomplete restoration of the meniscus to the ink ejection surface after the ejection of the ink. The amount of ink drops decreases, and recording with a predetermined amount of ink cannot be performed, for example, the diameter of ink dots formed on a recording material by ejected ink drops cannot be recorded, and the quality of a recorded image is extremely deteriorated. Such a phenomenon further deteriorates the accuracy of the landing point of the ejected ink droplets on the recording material, and is apt to cause blurring of the recorded image, as well as generation of blurs, streaks, and white spots.

Up to now, the above-mentioned problems in the recording technology using a liquid such as a general ink jet recording system have been solved by improving the structure of the liquid passage or the like and adjusting the physical properties of the ink. In the recording head in which the ink ejection ports are arranged, a sufficient improvement effect is often not obtained only by such improvement or adjustment.

That is, as shown in FIG. 29A, in a recording head 100 having a large number of ink ejection openings 101, liquid passages 102, ejection energy generators 103 and common liquid chambers 104, a large number of inks arranged. Outlet 10
When ink is ejected from 1 at the same time or with a slight time lag, as described above, pressure acts on the ink from each liquid passage 102 toward the common liquid chamber 104, and in each liquid passage 102 in this way. These pressures are integrated in the common liquid chamber 104 into one large pressure. Therefore, these liquid paths 1
The pressure from 02 acts as a force that pushes the ink back toward the common liquid chamber 104 as shown by the arrow A, and the sum thereof is
This is several steps larger than in the case of a recording head having only one ink ejection port. As a result, as shown in FIG. 29B, in order to obtain a good refill state, a large amount of ink is rapidly and rapidly ejected from the ink ejection port 101 as indicated by arrow B.
In order to change the moving direction of the ink, a pressure sufficient to overcome the large initial inertial force (total pressure) as described above is required.

[0009]

However, the surface tension of the meniscus 106 in the vicinity of the ink ejection port 101, which is the motive force of the refill in each liquid passage 102, is as follows.
It does not have a sufficient action for instantaneously moving a large amount of ink toward the ink ejection port 101 against the total pressure in the direction of the common liquid chamber 104 as described above. That is, as the initial inertial force in the ink movement increases, it takes longer time for the meniscus 106 to return. Therefore, if a sufficient time is taken for the meniscus recovery, the recording speed is lowered, and if a sufficient time is not available for the meniscus recovery, a predetermined ejected ink droplet amount cannot be obtained and good recording is achieved. Cannot be done.

The mechanism of the phenomenon described above is shown in FIG.
An outline will be described with reference to the meniscus receding curve of (A).

The meniscus receding amount L (μm) shown on the vertical axis in FIG. 30A is the length shown by L on the ink discharge port 101 side of the liquid passage 102 shown in FIG. 30B. The ink ejection port 101 is
To the last part of the ink meniscus. Now, in the case of a recording head provided with one ink ejection port, the energy from the ejection energy generator 103 is as shown in a curve C _M1 in FIG.
At a time t ₀ ′ after a certain time has passed from the time t _{0 applied} to the ink in 2, the meniscus 106 is formed in the vicinity of the ink ejection port of the liquid path 102, and it retreats rapidly. . Its amount of recession meniscus 106 by the action of the restoring force by the maximum and becomes subsequently gradually tension at time t ₁ 'time t ₁ started to return to the original position
Ends the refill.

On the other hand, in the case of a recording head having a large number of ink ejection ports, as shown by C _M2 , the maximum retreat occurs at t ₂ ′ at the same time as or slightly later than t ₁ ′. Its maximum value is small and the refill rate is slow, as indicated by t ₂ . This is a large number of liquid paths 102
The sum of the pressures that push the ink backward from the ink greatly exceeds the pressure that tries to cause the ink to flow in the common liquid chamber 104, so that the pressure that could not cause the ink to flow is left as it is, and this force is It is considered that the refilling speed for returning the meniscus 106 due to the operation is extremely slow in the initial stage.

It should be noted that such a phenomenon is unlikely to occur after continuous ejection is repeated, because a steady flow of ink from the ink supply pipe 105 to the common liquid chamber 104 is formed, but ejection is not possible. Was remarkable in the initial stage, especially until the ink flow became steady.

Therefore, the decrease in the refill speed in the recording head 100 having a large number of ink ejection openings 101 as described above is due to the time when the cycle of the print signal application to the ejection energy generator 103 is shown in FIG. t ₀ to t
_If the time is set to ₂ or more, no problem occurs, but if the print signal is applied at a cycle shorter than the time from time t ₀ to t ₂ for high-speed recording, refill is not completed. At the time, for example, the meniscus receding amount is 30 μm
When the next signal is applied in the above state, the amount of ejected ink droplets as described above decreases and good recording cannot be performed.

As means for solving such a problem, according to US Pat. No. 4,578,687, an atmosphere opening portion is provided in the vicinity of the liquid passage of the common liquid chamber so that the pressure toward the common liquid chamber at the time of ink ejection can be improved. Although a structure that absorbs the solvent is known, this structure causes the solvent component of the ink to evaporate due to the release to the atmosphere, which increases the viscosity of the ink in the recording head and the liquid path and discharge due to the precipitation of solid matter in the ink. Problems such as clogging at the outlet are caused, and printing defects are likely to occur. In addition, there are problems such as the occurrence of air bubbles in the liquid chamber due to the effects of vibration and the need for a special design to prevent dust and other contaminants from entering the recording head from the atmosphere opening. It wasn't enough.

Therefore, the present applicant has previously filed Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 63-12.
As disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 8947, a buffer chamber is provided adjacent to the liquid chamber.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 08644 proposes an ink jet recording head having a pressure-volume converter that can reversibly convert the pressure related to the refill into a volume change by providing means for retaining bubbles in the liquid chamber.

These proposals contribute to solving the problems described above, but in order to have a pressure-volume converter in the liquid chamber or adjacent to the liquid chamber, New parts and manufacturing processes were required, and there was a risk of increasing costs accordingly.

Further, in the structure disclosed in the above-mentioned publication, as shown in FIG. 31, the buffer chamber 7 in which the bubble 72 exists is provided at the side end portion in the arrangement direction of the discharge energy generating elements. With such a configuration, a head having a small number of ejection energy generating elements can sufficiently absorb the vibration of the recording liquid fluid in the buffer chamber, but a large number of ejection energy generating elements, for example, several thousand. It was not always sufficient for the head in which the elements of (1) are arranged.

Further, since the size of the buffer that holds bubbles sufficient to obtain the buffer effect becomes large, the size of the ink jet head becomes large when the buffer chamber 7 is provided at the side end portion. There was a task to be done.

In the conventional manufacturing of such an ink jet recording head, a glass or metal plate is used as a substrate material, a groove is formed on the plate by a processing means such as cutting or etching, and then ink is ejected. A method is known in which a piezoelectric element that generates energy for driving and another substrate provided with a driving element such as an electrothermal converter are bonded to form a fine ink ejection port, an ink flow path, and other structures. There is.

However, in the conventional method for manufacturing a liquid jet recording head as described above, it is difficult to form an air chamber of a sufficient size for a liquid jet recording apparatus, and in addition, the entire structure is accurate and simple and the yield is high. It is difficult to make. In particular, in the liquid jet recording head created by the conventional manufacturing method, the ink discharge characteristics are likely to vary due to the roughness of the processing step of forming the flow path, and the cutting yield is likely to occur on the plate to be processed due to the cutting process, resulting in poor manufacturing yield. There was a drawback. In addition, when etching is performed, there are disadvantages that the number of manufacturing steps is large and the manufacturing cost is increased. Then, there is a drawback that when the two first and second substrates are joined, alignment is difficult and mass productivity is poor. As a technique for solving the problems of the conventional method, the present applicant has previously applied for a method of manufacturing a liquid jet recording head using an active energy ray-curable material as a liquid path wall constituent member (Japanese Patent Application No. 59-59). -274689
issue). However, even such a method is not always satisfactory in freely setting the sizes and heights of various structures such as the common liquid chamber and the air chamber which communicate with the ink liquid passage. In particular, in the production of a full-line liquid jet recording apparatus in which the ink ejection openings are arranged at a high density and ink can be ejected at the same time over the entire width of the recording material, it is further difficult to add an air chamber. There was a problem that had to be solved.

In view of the above problems, it is an object of the present invention to enhance the ink refill function, prevent ejection defects especially at the beginning of recording, and have excellent high-speed responsiveness and ejection stability and are inexpensive. An object of the present invention is to provide an inkjet head and an inkjet device obtained in the above.

Another object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems, to prevent ejection failure of the ink jet head even when the ink ejection port is not used for a long time, and to enable high speed recording at a high driving frequency. It is to propose a manufacturing method that is inexpensive and can be manufactured in large quantities.

[0024]

The main requirement of the present invention for attaining the above-mentioned object is that a plurality of inks arranged in a row are provided with an ink ejection energy generating element for ejecting ink. A flow path and a common liquid chamber that is provided along the column direction of the ink flow path and that supplies ink to the plurality of ink flow paths, and by driving the ink ejection energy generation element An inkjet head for ejecting ink from an ejection port, which is arranged along the row of the ink flow path and communicates with the common liquid chamber via a communication part near a central portion to remove ink in the common liquid chamber. An inkjet head having an air chamber that holds a gas that absorbs a transmitted pressure fluctuation, or an inkjet device that uses such a head and further has a recording medium conveying unit. Alternatively, an ejection port for ejecting ink, an ink flow path communicating with the ejection port, an ink ejection energy generating element provided corresponding to the ink flow channel, and for supplying ink to the ink flow channel The method for manufacturing an ink jet head having the common liquid chamber and the air chamber communicating with the common liquid chamber via the communicating portion is as follows, and the plurality of ink ejection energy generating elements are arranged in a row. A step of preparing the arranged first substrate, forming a plurality of the ink flow paths on the first substrate, a common liquid chamber for supplying ink to the ink flow paths, and the communication part Forming a mold member for forming the mold member, providing a filling member so as to cover the mold member, providing a common liquid chamber and a second substrate having a groove forming the air chamber on the filling member, Has a step of removing the mold member It is a production method.

[0025]

According to the above construction, the communicating portion is formed substantially at the center of the air chamber and the common liquid chamber in the longitudinal direction, so that the air chamber is formed on both sides of the communicating portion and formed on this distribution. The air chamber region can temporarily absorb the return pressure to the common liquid chamber side at the time of ink ejection, and use the pressure so as to promote the refill to each liquid passage again through the common liquid chamber. At the same time, the communication portion can function as a temporary ink reservoir for ink.

[0026]

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

FIG. 1 shows an inkjet head according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 shows a sectional view taken along line AA of the inkjet head shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 shows a longitudinal sectional view. . In these figures, 1 is a discharge energy generator (not shown), such as an electrothermal converter (hereinafter referred to as a discharge heater), on a Si substrate and A for supplying electric power thereto.
A first substrate (heater board) 2 in which wirings such as 1 and the like are formed by a film forming technique, and an ink ejection port 101 for ejecting ink and a liquid path 10 communicating with the ejection port 101.
The ejection portion forming member (solid layer) 3 in which 2 and 2 are formed is a second substrate that stores the ink to be supplied to the liquid passages 102 and that has a common liquid chamber 104 in each liquid passage 102. On the first substrate 1, a solid layer having a liquid passage 102 formed corresponding to each discharge heater is laminated, and a second substrate 3 is further laminated thereon. Further, the first substrate 1 is positioned and fixed on the base plate 4, and the flexible substrate 5 for sending an electric signal for ink ejection is accurately positioned on the electrical connection pad on the first substrate 1. In addition, the flexible substrate 5 is screwed and fixed to the base plate 4 so that the first substrate 1 and the flexible substrate 5 are pressure-bonded to each other.

It should be noted that the recording head 10 of this embodiment has a structure shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 3, an air chamber (buffer chamber) 7 is formed outside the liquid chamber 104 in the second substrate 3, and the liquid chamber 104 and the air chamber 7 and the ink flow passage are arranged in the same direction. Two grooves, each of which is substantially parallel to the longitudinal direction of the substrate 3, are cut before the second substrate 3 is laminated on the solid layer 2,
Alternatively, it is formed by molding or the like.

Furthermore, when the liquid passage 102 is formed in the solid layer 2 between the liquid chamber 104 and the air chamber 7, a communication portion 8 is formed at the substantially central portion in the longitudinal direction of the liquid passage 102 for communicating between the two chambers. It The ink supply joint 9 is provided at both ends of the liquid chamber 104.
The ink supply pipes 11A and 11B are connected via A and 9B, respectively, and are connected to an ink tank (not shown). Both ends of the air chamber 7 are sealed with an adhesive or the like.

Next, the behavior of the ink during recording by the ink ejection will be described with reference to FIGS. 4A and 4B.

In the ink jet head 10 thus constructed, first, ink is supplied from the ink tank (not shown) into the ink liquid chamber 104 via the ink supply pipes 11A and 11B, and the ink is supplied to the liquid chamber 104 and the liquid passage 102. By supplying a recording electric signal to the ejection heater 103 in a state of being filled with ink, thermal energy generated in the ejection heater 103 is caused to act on the ink in the liquid path 102, and the ejection mechanism 103 ejects the pressure energy as described above. Recording is performed by ejecting ink droplets from the outlet 101.

When ink is ejected in this manner, each liquid path 102 is ejected as shown in FIG.
In the ink chamber 10 from the liquid path 102 as indicated by an arrow A in FIG.
A force that pushes back in four directions is generated, but the ink liquid chamber 1
Since the air chamber 7 is connected to 04, the pressure from each liquid passage 102 is absorbed by the regions 7A and 7B in the air chamber. As a result, as shown by the arrow C from the ink liquid chamber 104, the generation of force for returning the ink to the ink supply tubes 11A and 11B is alleviated or prevented. Next, from such a state, as shown in FIG. 4B, the surface tension of the meniscus 106 formed by the ink ejection is changed to the liquid path 1.
The refill is started by the force to move the ink in the direction 02, but in the air chamber 7, the areas 7A and 7B
The restoring force of the air absorbed into the liquid chamber 104 acts on the liquid chamber 104, and its pressure acts to supplement the pressure for moving the ink toward the ejection port at the time of refilling, as indicated by arrow B.

Moreover, when the air chamber 7 is not provided, the force for pushing back the ink from the liquid passage 102 toward the liquid chamber 104 acts in the opposite direction to the force for refilling. On the other hand, in the recording head 10 of the present embodiment, the force acting from the liquid passage 102 in the direction of the liquid chamber 104 is absorbed in the areas 7A and 7B of the air chamber 7 as described above, so that it is rather for refilling. It works effectively to supplement your power. Therefore, refilling can be performed smoothly and in a short time, and as a result, high drive frequency response is possible, and good high-speed recording can be performed.

Further, in the present invention, since the air chamber 7 is arranged parallel to the longitudinal direction of the ejection energy generating element array and the common liquid chamber and the ink liquid path array, the buffer effect is achieved without enlarging the head itself. Can hold sufficient gas to obtain the ink, and the elongated air chamber can be formed by such an arrangement, so that it acts more effectively to supplement the force for refilling the ink as described above. .

The communicating portion 8 can be formed simultaneously with the solid layer 2 forming the liquid passage 102, and its manufacturing method will be described in detail later. When a plurality of communication passages are formed in one place, the communication passage includes a wall formed between the communication passages (hereinafter referred to as a communication passage forming wall), and a communication passage forming portion. Refer to the whole.

FIG. 5 shows a second embodiment of the present invention. This embodiment is different from the above-described first embodiment in that the longitudinal direction of the air chamber is divided into substantially equal parts to form a plurality of air chambers. In the case of this embodiment, 71 and 72 are used. , 73 divided into three air chambers. Reference numerals 12A and 12B are partition walls thereof. Thus, the three air chambers 71, 72 and 73 and the common ink liquid chamber 104 are connected to the communication passages 8A, 8B and 8C at the longitudinal center of each air chamber. Is communicated by. With this configuration, when the ink is ejected, the liquid chamber 10 passes through the communication passages 8A to 8C.
Each of the pressures transmitted from No. 4 can be absorbed through the nearest communication passage, and the air regions 71A, 71 are formed on both sides of the communication passage of each air chamber.
B; 72A, 72B; 73A, 73B (see FIG. 6) and can be absorbed.

Now, such an operation will be described with reference to FIGS. 6A and 6B. The behavior of the ink in the liquid chamber 104 at the time of ink ejection has been described in detail in the previous embodiment. It is omitted in this example. In the case of this example, when ink is ejected, the force in the ink pushback direction in the direction of arrow A from each liquid path 102 simultaneously acts on the liquid chamber 104 as shown in FIG. However, in the case of this example, such acting force is transmitted to the nearest air chambers or dispersed to each of the air chambers 71 to 73 in accordance with the generation state depending on the ink ejection state, and the regions of the air chambers formed in each of them. Absorbed by. Then, during the subsequent ink ejection, the force absorbed and stored in each of the air chambers 71 to 73 is transmitted to the liquid chamber 104 as shown in FIG. It acts in the direction indicated by arrow B. For this reason, such an acting force acts as a force for returning the ink to each liquid path 102 in cooperation with the surface tension of the meniscus 106, so that it is possible to replenish each liquid path 102 with ink sufficient for ejection. It will be possible.

As described above, by providing the air chamber formed in the longitudinal direction of the second substrate 3 with the communication passage between the air chamber and the common liquid chamber at approximately the center in the longitudinal direction,
The behavior of ink during ejection is effectively controlled by dividing the communication passages in the air chamber to form regions of the air chamber and by forming these communication passages away from the ink supply passage. However, it has been found that a smooth ink refill operation can be performed in the liquid path. In particular, in the case of an inkjet recording head in which a large number of arrays of ink ejection ports and liquid paths are formed in the longitudinal direction, the configuration of the second embodiment is suitable.

Hereinafter, a preferable structure of the ink ejection portion for efficiently absorbing the vibration and pressure wave of the ink generated during the ink ejection operation will be described. Here, the configuration as shown in FIG. 7 will be representatively described,
It includes various configurations including the configuration described in FIG.

The ink jet head shown in FIG. 7 has one air chamber 7 provided substantially in parallel with the common liquid chamber 104.
Reference numeral 8 denotes a communicating portion provided in the vicinity of the central portion in the longitudinal direction of the liquid jet recording head 20 according to this embodiment. That is,
According to this example, a plurality of communication passages 8A are formed in the communication portion 8 in a form arranged in the longitudinal direction. Reference numeral 8B is a communication passage forming wall that partitions between the adjacent communication passages 8A and 8A. In the present example as well, the common liquid chamber 104 is formed so as to maintain a sufficiently large volume with respect to the air chamber 7, but a plurality of communication passages 8A are provided for one air chamber 7 as in the present example. If provided, in order to quickly absorb and receive the pressure generated toward the common liquid chamber 104 in the ink ejection of the plurality of liquid passages 102, the number of communication passages or the total cross-sectional area thereof should be increased. It is considered desirable to do this.

Therefore, in the communicating portion 8, an attempt was made to increase the number of communicating passages 8A, but as a result, the width of the communicating passage forming wall 8B became too narrow, and the solid layer 2 due to insufficient strength.
At the portion of the communication passage forming wall 8B formed as a part of
It has been found that the substrate 1 and the second substrate 3 are easily separated.

In this embodiment, in order to solve the above problems, the communication passage 8A and the communication passage forming wall 8 in the communication portion 8 are formed.
An experiment as described below was conducted in order to obtain the optimum condition with B. In the following, the set height in the ink discharge liquid passage 102 is h1, the set width is a, and the communication passage 8
The set height and width of A are h2 and b, and the set width of the communication passage forming wall 8B is c. That is, in this embodiment, the ink flow passage cross-sectional area is a · h1 and the communication passage cross-sectional area is b · h2. Table 1 shows the main comparison items for the inkjet heads A, B, and C used for the experiment.

[0043]

[Table 1]

With respect to the above-described trial inkjet head, the functional action and mechanical strength of the communicating portion 8 were examined, and it was confirmed that they were all satisfactory. That is, as the configuration conditions relating to the communication section 8,

[0045]

## EQU1 ## a · h1 ≦ b · h2 2. b ≦ c It can be summarized in the above item 2.

Thus, the head 20 having such a structure
According to this, it is possible to more efficiently absorb the vibration and pressure wave of the ink, and the refilling of the liquid passage 102 is performed smoothly and in a short time. As a result, the response frequency can be increased, which can greatly contribute to the realization of high-speed recording.

Next, as a third embodiment, as in the recording head 30 shown in FIG.
The height h2 of the liquid passage 102 may be higher than the height h1 of the liquid passage 102. Note that the height h2 in this case can be easily manufactured by forming the solid layer 2 in the same manner as the solid layer 2 as will be described later by setting the height to the same height, that is, the same thickness as the solid layer 2. Moreover, according to the present embodiment, the communication passage 8A
Even if the width b of the liquid passage 102 is the same as the width a of the liquid passage 102, it is effective by satisfying the condition that the cross-sectional area bh2 of the communication passage 8A described in item 1 is larger than the cross-sectional area ah1 of the liquid passage 102. Refill effect can be expected.

Furthermore, FIGS. 9A to 9C show the second
As a modified example to which the embodiment is applied, the arrangement or shape of the communication passage 8A is suitable for refilling. That is, in FIG. 9A, the plurality of communication passages 8A provided in the vicinity of the central portion of the common liquid chamber 104 and the air chamber 7 are not arranged at equal intervals, and the width of the communication passage forming wall 8B as shown in FIG. It is designed to expand from the center to both sides, and C1
~ C3 is the width of the wall 8B, b is the width of the communication passage 8A.
With this configuration, the pressure generated in the liquid passage 102 near both ends of the recording head 20 away from the longitudinal center is guided to the air chamber 7 from the nearby communication passage 8A, and the original liquid passage 102 is refilled again. It is possible to facilitate the action.

Further, in FIGS. 9B and 9C, the horizontal cross-sectional shape of the communication passage forming wall 8B is divided into a central portion and a cross-shaped shape or an inverted cross-shaped shape. It is easy to guide the pressure from each liquid passage 102 to the air regions 71A and 71B on both sides of the air chamber 7 through the communication passages 18A which are formed in a V shape and an inverted V shape, and the liquid chamber 104 side. The pressure is made as uniform as possible. Further, in the case of this example, the effect of increasing the strength in the vicinity of the communication portion 8 is obtained by forming the communication passage forming wall 8B in such a shape.

Next, a more preferable shape of the communicating portion in this embodiment will be described. In this example, the total cross-sectional area of the communication passage formed in the communication portion is set in relation to the total cross-sectional area of the liquid passage.

For example, in the configuration of the recording head 20 shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the number of liquid paths 102 is n, the width is a, and the height is h1, while the number of communication paths 8A is m. ,
When the individual width is b and the height is h2, the following formula is satisfied in this embodiment after satisfying the conditions shown in the second embodiment.

[0052]

[Equation 2]

The liquid passage 102 and the communication passage 8A are respectively configured so as to satisfy the above condition. The reason for this is found by the applicant based on the experimental results described below.

[0054]

[Table 2]

That is, as shown in Table 2 above, four kinds of recording head test bodies A1 to A4 in which the number of communication passages m, the width b, the height h2, etc. are changed are used, and the driving frequency is higher than that in normal recording. As a result of recording and seeing, as shown in the rightmost column, A
The print quality was slightly disturbed in the No. 1 and A2 heads, the print quality was good in the A3 head, and the print quality was better in the A4 head. Therefore, based on the evaluation, the experimental body A4 as shown in Table 3 below is again obtained.
B and C were prepared and tested, and good recording quality evaluation was obtained for all the test bodies.

[0056]

[Table 3]

Next, another embodiment will be described. This example also relates to the total cross-sectional area of the communication passage and the total cross-sectional area of the liquid passage formed in the communication portion. However, in the case of this example, the total cross-sectional area of the liquid passage is replaced by one ink The ejection amount is taken up and the number of communicating passages and the cross-sectional area thereof are set in relation to the ejection amount of ink.

In this example, the experimental body A having the same configuration as shown in Table 3 in order to find out the setting conditions.
The ink ejection amount was found using 4, B, and C. This is shown in Table 4 below.

[0059]

[Table 4]

The quality evaluation by the test bodies A4, B and C shown in Table 4 is as described above in Table 3, and the ink discharge amount V shown in Table 4 (ink is discharged once from one discharge port) From the discharge amount when discharging (pl)

[0061]

[Mathematical formula-see original document] m * b * h2> k * V * n (2) Here, k is a count for converting the discharge volume into an area, and in the present embodiment, the value is obtained from various experimental results. 2 (μm ² / pl).

The relationship of equation (2) was obtained.

That is, in the fifth embodiment, the number of communication passages 8A and their widths and heights are set so that the above equation (2) is established.

Next, a method of manufacturing an ink jet head according to the present invention will be described.

In FIG. 10, an ink discharge energy generator (here, a heat generating resistance element for giving heat energy to ink, which will be described using a discharge heater) 103 and a circuit (not shown) for driving the discharge heater 103 are provided by a known method. It shows that the mold member 20 for the pillar 8B for forming the ink liquid path 102 and the communication portion 8 is provided on the first substrate 1 that is formed. That is, the mold member 2 shown by hatching
The 0 portion is a convex portion on the substrate. Here, the white background portion is the surface of the first substrate 1, and the portion that will be the pillar 8P of the communication portion 8 in a later step is formed here as the concave portion 21 so that the underlying first substrate 1 is visible. In the present example, the mold member 20 was provided in addition to the portion serving as the ink liquid path and the communicating portion, but it is not always necessary to provide the mold member 20 other than the above, and the mold member 20 will be removed in a later step. .

Materials and means used for forming such a mold member 20 will be specifically described below.

The mold member 20 is formed using a photosensitive dry film according to a so-called dry film image forming process.

A solvent-soluble polymer layer having a desired thickness and a photoresist layer are sequentially laminated on the first substrate 1, and after the patterning of the photoresist layer, the solvent-soluble polymer layer is selectively removed.

Print the resin.

As the photosensitive dry film mentioned above, a positive type or a negative type can be used. For example, in the case of a positive type dry film, it is developed by irradiation with active energy rays. What is solubilized in a liquid, and in the case of a negative type dry film, those which are photopolymerizable but can be dissolved or peeled off with methylene chloride or a strong alkali are preferable.

The positive dry film is, for example, "OZATEC R225" (trade name, Hoechst Japan Co., Ltd.), and the negative dry film is "OZATEC T series" (trade name, Hoechst Japan (stock). )), "PHOTEC PHT series"
(Product name, Hitachi Chemical Co., Ltd.), "RISTON"
(Trade name, DuPont de Nemours Co.) and the like can be used. Of course, not only these commercially available materials, but also positively acting resin composition, for example, a resin composition mainly composed of a naphthoquinone diad derivative and a novolac type phenolic resin, and a negatively acting resin composition, for example, an acrylic ester as a reactive group. A composition mainly composed of an acrylic oligomer and a thermoplastic polymer compound and a sensitizer, or a composition composed of a polythiol, a polyethylene compound and a sensitizer may be used.

Further, as the solvent-soluble polymer mentioned in (1), any polymer may be used as long as it has a solvent capable of dissolving it and can form a film by coating. The photoresist layer that can be used here is typically a positive photoresist consisting of a novolac phenolic resin and naphthoquinone diazide, a negative photoresist consisting of polyvinyl cinnamate, a negative liquid consisting of a cyclized rubber and bisazide. Examples thereof include a photoresist, a negative photosensitive dry film, a thermosetting ink and an ultraviolet curable ink.

As a material for forming the mold member 20 by a printing method, for example, a flat plate ink, a screen ink and a transfer mold which are used in respective drying methods such as an evaporation drying type, a thermosetting type and an ultraviolet curing type are used. Resin etc. are used.

Among the materials listed above, a means using a photosensitive dry film is preferable from the viewpoints of processing accuracy, ease of removal, workability, etc. Among them, a positive type dry film is used. Is particularly preferable. That is, the positive type photosensitive material has a feature that the resolution is superior to that of the negative type photosensitive material and that the relief pattern can easily form a vertical and smooth side wall surface, or a tapered or inverse tapered cross-sectional shape. It is optimal for holding and forming the liquid path 102. Further, it has a feature that the relief pattern can be dissolved and removed with a developing solution or an organic solvent, which is preferable as a mold member forming material in the present invention. In particular, since the positive type photoresist composed of the novolac type phenolic resin and naphthoquinone diazide mentioned above can be completely dissolved in a weak alkaline aqueous solution or alcohol, it may damage the ejection energy generating element (ejection heater) 103. None, and the removal in the subsequent process is extremely quick. Among such positive-type photosensitive materials, a dry film-like material is the most preferable material in that a film having a film thickness of about 10 μm to 100 μm can be obtained.

Thus, next, the filling member 22 is laminated on the first substrate 1 on which the mold member 20 is provided or formed so as to cover the mold member 20, and at least the mold member 20 is formed.
The filling member 22 is filled in the concave portion.

Here, as the filling material, the mold member 2 is used.
Any material that can cover 0 can be preferably used, but since this material forms the liquid passage 102 and the liquid chamber 104 and becomes a structural material for the liquid jet recording head 10, it is used as a substrate. It is desirable to select one having excellent adhesiveness, mechanical strength, dimensional stability, and corrosion resistance. Such materials include liquids, UV curable, visible light curable,
Materials that cure with active energy rays such as X-ray curing, infrared curing, and electron beam curing are suitable. Among them, epoxy resin, acrylic resin, diglycol dialkyl carbonate resin, unsaturated polyester resin, polyurethane resin,
Polyimide resin, melamine resin, phenol resin, urea resin and the like can be used. In particular, epoxy resins capable of initiating cationic polymerization by light, acrylic oligomers having acrylic ester groups capable of radical polymerization by light, photoaddition polymerization type resins using polythiols and polyenes, unsaturated cycloacetal resins, etc. It is suitable as a structural material because of its high speed and excellent polymer properties.

As a method of stacking the filling member 22, for example, a discharging device using a nozzle conforming to the substrate shape,
Applicator, curtain coater, roll coater,
Specific examples include a method of laminating by means of a spray coater, a spin coater, or the like. Needless to say, when laminating a liquid curable material, it is desirable to degas the material and then avoid mixing of air bubbles.

Now, the cross-sectional views of the portion of the first substrate 1 provided with the filling member 22 shown in FIG. 10 along the line BB 'and the line EE' are shown in FIGS. 11A and 11B, respectively. )
Shown in. In these figures, the mold member 20 is melted in a later step to form a hollow portion, and in FIG.
It becomes 2. Further, the communication passage 8 connects the first groove for forming the liquid chamber 104 and the second groove for forming the air chamber 7 described in (B) above. Further, the mold member installation portion 21 shown in FIG. 10 (A) becomes the pillar 8B between the communication passages 8 through the process after being filled with the filling member 22.

Then, the second substrate 3 having two grooves formed thereon is bonded to the first substrate 1 having the filling member 22 applied thereto. FIG. 10B is a top view showing a state where these two first and second substrates are stacked. A point to be noted here is that the partition wall portion 13 defining the two grooves is formed so as to cover the concave portion 21 formed in the mold member 20. By this time, the inner wall portions of the two grooves in the first substrate 1 are provided with a blocking layer made of a material having a blocking property against active energy rays that can cure the filling member 22 as described later. To do so. As a method for providing the blocking layer, the first substrate 1 is applied by dipping in a solution of the blocking layer, and a portion other than a predetermined fixing portion such as the recess 21 is wiped, or a masking tape is attached to a portion where the blocking layer is unnecessary. After that, the method of dipping and coating in the above-mentioned solution is also effective. In addition, it is also possible to use a technique such as sputtering or etching of a metal film.

Now, the cross section taken along the line CC ′ and the line DD ′ shown in FIG. 10B at the stage where the first substrate 1 and the second substrate 3 are stacked via the filling member 22. The figures are shown in FIGS. 12A and 12B. In these figures, the barrier layer 23 described above is applied only to the inner walls of the two grooves 24 and 25 of the second substrate 3. Here, if the parallelism of the active energy rays 26 irradiated from above is reliable, it is sufficient to apply the blocking layer 23 only to the ceiling portions of these grooves. In addition, the ink liquid path 1
02, the discharge heater 103, and a portion that becomes the communication passage 8. On the other hand, the ink liquid path 10 is provided in the section taken along the line DD '
2, a portion to be the discharge heater 103 and the pillar 8B is included. When the active energy ray 26 is irradiated in this state, the active energy ray 26 enters only the bottom surfaces of the front wall, the partition wall, and the rear wall to cure the photosensitive filling member 22.
Therefore, by this curing, the bottom surface of the front wall 27, the bottom surface of the partition wall 28, and the bottom surface of the rear wall 29 of the first substrate 1 are adhesively bonded to the second substrate 3 via the cured solid layer 2.

Here, as the above-mentioned active energy rays 26, ultraviolet rays, visible rays, X-rays, infrared rays, electron rays and the like can be used. However, since exposure is performed through the first substrate 1, ultraviolet rays and visible rays are not generated. Among them, ultraviolet rays are most suitable from the viewpoint of polymerization rate. If you use an ultraviolet ray source that generates less heat, you can perform accurate processing, but it can be used as long as it is a light source generally used for printing plate making, printed wiring board processing, or curing of photo-curable paint. Is.

Then, the mold member 20 and the filling member 2 are removed from the above laminated body after the irradiation of the active energy rays 26 is completed.
The uncured portion of FIG. 2 is changed from the state shown in FIGS.
3A and 3B are removed to form the ink liquid passage 102, the communication passage 8 and the column 8B thereof.

As the removing means, a method of immersing the uncured portions of the mold member 20 and the filling member 22 in a liquid capable of dissolving, swelling or peeling is preferable. Examples of the liquid used for the removing means include halogen-containing hydrocarbons, ketones, esters, aromatic hydrocarbons, ethers, alcohols, N-methylpyrrolidone, dimethylformamide, phenol, water, water containing acids or alkalis, and the like. To be A surfactant may be added to these liquids if necessary. Further, when a positive type dry film is used as the mold member 20, it is preferable to irradiate ultraviolet rays again for easy removal, and when other materials are used, the temperature is 40 to 60 ° C. It is preferred to heat the liquid.

The uncured portions of the mold member 20 and the filling member 22 that have been dipped in the liquid are the ink discharge port 101, the ink supply port 30, the communication passage 8, and the two grooves 24,
It is dissolved and removed from both ends of 25.

If the active energy ray blocking layer 23 is unnecessary, the blocking layer dissolving agent can be mixed in the dissolution immersion liquid to simplify the process. Of course, it is also possible to remove the barrier layer in another step.

The laminate of the two substrates that has undergone the above steps is
Both ends of the two grooves communicate with the outside world. Therefore, an ink jet recording head can be finished by connecting the ink supply pipe connecting members 9A and 9B (see FIGS. 1 and 2) to this portion by adhesion or another method. In addition,
At this time, the ink supply pipe 1 is placed in the first groove 24 of the two grooves.
1A and 11B so that they can communicate with each other
The groove 25 is a part of the connecting members 9A and 9B and is hermetically sealed so that the air chamber 7 is formed.
The shape of 9B is formed in advance. Thus, the second groove 25 sealed by the connecting members 9A and 9B is communicated with the liquid chamber 104, which is the first groove, only through the communication passage 8, and thus when the ink is introduced into the liquid chamber 104. An area other than the communication portion 8 where the communication passage 8 and the column 8P thereof are arranged can be formed as an air reservoir. Further, since an ink pool is formed in the communication portion 8, a large number of ink ejection ports 1
It is possible to prepare for rapid simultaneous ink ejection from 01.

Next, another embodiment of the method for manufacturing an ink jet head according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In this embodiment, the shape of the mold member and the manufacturing method are simplified as compared with the above-described manufacturing method. In these figures, the case where the manufacturing method is applied to the recording head 20 of the form shown in FIG. 7 is shown.

First, as in the above-described embodiment, the mold member 20 is formed on the first substrate 1 on which a plurality of discharge heaters 103, a heater drive circuit (not shown), etc. are formed. This member 20 is formed in the portion corresponding to the common liquid chamber 104, the liquid passage 102, and the communication passage 8A of the communication portion 8 shown in FIG. 7, and the formation and material thereof are the same as those in the previous embodiment.

In the above embodiment, the mold member 20 is used.
Although the pillar 8B of the communicating portion 8 was formed by providing the concave portion in the above, in the present embodiment, a comb-shaped mold member is used instead of the concave portion.

Next, when such a mold member 20 is formed, as shown in FIG. 15, a material, such as an epoxy resin or an acrylic resin, which is cured by active energy rays so as to cover the mold member 20. Is used to form the filling member layer 22. Then, after the filling member layer 22 is formed, the second substrate 3 is laminated thereon as shown in FIG. In addition, the common liquid chamber 104 and the air chamber 7 are formed in advance on the second substrate 3. Thus, after the above lamination, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG.
A photomask 21 for shielding active energy rays from the common liquid chamber 104 on the upper surface of the second substrate 3 and a portion immediately above the air chamber 7 is attached to the common liquid chamber and the air chamber, and then an arrow is drawn from above. The active energy ray 22 is irradiated as shown by.

By using a photomask as in this embodiment, it is not necessary to provide a barrier layer in the common liquid chamber or the air chamber as in the previous embodiment. Therefore, the influence of the material forming the barrier layer on the ink is considered. You don't have to.

As a result of the irradiation with the active energy rays 26, only the portions 22A and 22B of the filling member layer 22 corresponding to the air chamber 7 and the common liquid chamber 104 are kept in an uncured state, and the other filling member layers 22 are cured. Can be made. Therefore, after this, as shown by the arrow in FIG.
Removal by dissolving and removing the uncured portions 22A and 22B of the filling member layer from one opening corresponding to the common liquid chamber 104 and the air chamber 7 that are opened on both sides of the substrate 3 As the liquid, for example, a halogen-containing hydrocarbon or the like is introduced, and the dissolved liquid is discharged from the other opening as shown in FIG. 18, and the common liquid chamber 104 and the air chamber 7 and the liquid passage 102 are formed together with the communication portion 8. The ink ejection port 101 can be formed at the same time.

As described above, the active energy ray 26
The irradiation of active energy rays 22 causes the filling member layer 22 to cure. Therefore, by this curing, the bottom surface of the liquid passage forming portion of the first substrate 1, the common liquid chamber 104
The bottom surface of the wall between the air chamber 7 and the air chamber 7 and the bottom surface of the rear wall are adhesively bonded to the second substrate 3 via the solid layer (flow passage forming member) 2 that is cured.

Further, as the above-mentioned active energy ray 22, the one in the above-mentioned embodiment can be used.

After the construction as shown in FIG. 18, the both ends of the air chamber 7 are sealed by the sealing members as described above, and the ink supply pipe 14 is connected through the ink supply joints 9A and 9B.
An inkjet head can be obtained by connecting A and 14B to the joints 9A and 9B, respectively. Here, in the ink jet head of the above-mentioned form, the communication passage 8
The reason for arranging A in the central portion in the longitudinal direction of the recording head is as follows.

Assuming that a plurality of communication passages 8A are dispersedly arranged in the longitudinal direction of the air chamber 7 as shown in FIG. 19, the ink is initially stored in the common liquid chamber 104 as indicated by an arrow in this figure. When the ink is filled, the ink enters the air chamber 7, and the function of the air chamber 7 as the buffer chamber is lost. That is, it is necessary to form the air chamber 7 in the form of a blind alley in some way. Therefore, in the head as shown in FIG.
Is divided into a plurality of compartments by the partition members 12A and 12B, and the communication passages 8A, 8B and 8C are provided in the vicinity of the central portion of the divided air chambers 7A, 7B and 7C.

A method of manufacturing the head in which the air chamber 7 is divided into two parts will be briefly described with reference to FIG.

A notch 31 is formed near the center of the second substrate 3 in which the first groove 24 and the second groove 25 are formed. However, this notch 31 crosses the partition wall 28 and
Be careful not to reach the groove 24. For processing, a rotary grindstone or a similar cutting machine capable of precision processing can be used. Further, on the solid layer 2, the mold member 20 in which the first communication passage forming portion 33 and the second communication passage forming portion 34 are formed is arranged, and each of the communication passage forming portions 33,
A hole 21 for forming the pillar 8P of the communication passage 8 is provided at 34 later, and a photosensitive filler is filled on the hole 21 (not shown). After that, the first substrate 1 and the second substrate 3 are joined by the method already described, and unnecessary portions are melted. Then, the partition plate 30 is inserted into the notch 31 and bonded. Finally, by adhering the ink supply pipe connecting members 9A and 9B by the method already described, it is possible to form two air chambers separated by a partition wall, two ink reservoirs and four air reservoirs (regions). It is possible to configure an inkjet recording head having In addition, each air chamber is connected to the liquid chamber 104 through each communication passage. The partition wall 30 is not limited to being provided in one place, and as described above, a larger number of air chambers can be provided, and accordingly, the communication passage forming portion of the die member is provided. It goes without saying that the number of can be changed.

A method of forming the partition member 11 when the air chamber 7 is divided into a plurality of chambers by the partition member 11 like the ink jet head shown in FIG. 5 will be described with reference to FIGS. 21 to 23.

In FIG. 21, the sealant filling holes 24 for forming the partition member 11 are preliminarily drilled from the upper portion of the second substrate 3, and the sealant 23 is injected from these filling holes 24 to solidify the partition. The wall 11 is formed. It should be noted that such a filling hole may be formed by a drill, a laser, an ultrasonic wave, a blast or the like depending on the material of the substrate.

Further, FIG. 22 shows an example in which a similar hole 25 is formed from the rear side of the second substrate 3 toward the air chamber and the sealing agent 23 is filled to form the partition member 11.

Furthermore, FIG. 23 shows a state in which the second substrate 3 is laminated on the first substrate 1 via the solid layer 2 (see FIG. 18).
In the above, the elastic body 27 is pushed to the position where the partition member 11 is formed, as shown by the arrows, from the openings on both sides of the air chamber 7. Instead of the openings on both sides, holes for pressing the partition member 11 may be formed on the upper surface of the second substrate and pressed.

Although the number of the air chambers defined in the first embodiment is three, it goes without saying that the number of air chambers is not limited to this, and the number of the communication passages 8A is also individual air chambers. It is not limited to one per room. That is, the first
It is needless to say that a similar communicating portion 8 can be formed by applying the techniques described in the second and subsequent embodiments to the communication passages 8A to 8C provided as the embodiment.

Next, a method of manufacturing the ink jet head 30 shown in FIG. 8 will be described with reference to FIGS. 24 (A) and 24 (B). In this case, when forming the mold member 20, the height of the communication passage forming portion 20A is set as shown in FIG.
It is set according to the thickness of the filling member layer 22 formed in the step shown in FIG. Thus, as shown in FIG. 24B, when the filling member layer 22 is stacked on the mold member 20, the top of the communication path forming portion 20A can be aligned with the upper surface of the filling member layer 22. Therefore, after this, the recording head 30 as shown in FIG. 8 can be obtained through the steps described above.

FIGS. 25 and 26 show examples of the structures of the recording heads 40 and 50 which differ from the above-described embodiments in the structure relating to the second substrate 3. In these embodiments, the common liquid chamber 104 forming portion of the second substrate 3 and the air chamber 7 forming portion do not penetrate right and left as in the above-described examples. Therefore, in this embodiment, the openings on both sides of the air chamber 7 are closed or the common liquid chamber 1 is operated as shown in the previous embodiment.
It is not necessary to connect the ink supply joints 9A and 9B to the openings on both sides of 04. However, in FIG.
Reference numeral 1 is a hole formed near the both ends of the upper part of the common liquid chamber 104 and the upper part of the air chamber 7 of the second substrate 3 for discharging the solvent and also for dissolving the solid forming layer and the mold member 20. is there. Further, in FIG. 26, 51 is a hole formed on the first substrate 1 side for the same purpose. Therefore,
According to the configuration of this embodiment, such holes (41, 51)
Recording head 4 according to the manufacturing method described above using
0,50 can be produced.

FIG. 27 shows a so-called full line type recording head having a width corresponding to the recording width of a recording medium, which shows the most remarkable effect among the recording heads to which the present invention is applicable, and recording equipped with the recording head. Fig. 2 shows a schematic schematic illustration of the device.

In FIG. 27, reference numeral 61 indicates a full line recording head, and the recording medium 8 such as paper or cloth conveyed from the recording head to the recording medium conveying roller 90.
Ink is ejected toward 0, whereby recording is performed. In the case of the recording head of the present invention, even if it is a long recording head such as a full line head, the recording quality does not deteriorate, so that a high quality recorded matter can be obtained.

FIG. 28 shows a recording apparatus equipped with a small recording head. In the recording apparatus shown in FIG. 28, a recording head cartridge in which the ink tank portion 70 and the recording head portion 60 are attachable / detachable is mounted on the carriage HC, and the carriage and the conveyance for conveying the recording medium 80. It has a motor 81 as a drive source for driving the rotor and the like, a carriage shaft 85 for transmitting power from the drive source to the carriage, and the like. Further, it has a signal supply means for supplying a signal for ejecting ink to the recording head.

The ink jet head of the present invention can be applied to the above-mentioned device, and further, the ink jet device having the ink jet head of the present invention and a receiving section for receiving an image signal from outside the device, and the ink as described above. It can also be preferably used in an inkjet device having a processing mechanism for performing pre-processing and post-processing for ink fixing on a cloth or a thread while discharging (printing) onto a cloth or a thread.

[0110]

As described above in detail, according to the ink jet head of the present invention, the air chambers are arranged in the direction along the arrangement direction of the plurality of ink ejection energy generators. As a result, it has a compact air chamber that can contain a sufficient volume of air (gas) to absorb the vibration of the ink and the pressure transmitted in the ink. In addition, quick refilling is always possible, and various problems related to refilling of ink, which is peculiar to increasing the number of ink ejection ports, are eliminated, and a high-multi-nozzle inkjet head that achieves particularly excellent high-speed response and ejection performance, and The inkjet device could be provided easily and at low cost.

Further, one of the grooves provided on the second substrate is used as a common liquid chamber for ink supply, and the other groove is constituted as an air chamber to be connected to the liquid chamber via a communication passage. A portion of the air chamber adjacent to the communication path is formed as an ink reservoir, and the ink reservoir assists the ink supply during recording by rapid full discharge, thereby realizing an inkjet recording device with higher recording quality. Can contribute to.

Further, by constructing the shape of the communicating portion as shown in each of the above embodiments, it is possible to more efficiently absorb the vibration of the ink and the pressure wave propagating in the ink, and to perform high speed recording. In this case, it is possible to achieve even better printing quality.

In addition, in the method of manufacturing an ink jet head of the present invention, the communication passage and the ink flow path can be manufactured in the same step, and the ink jet head having the above effects can be manufactured at a low cost by a simplified step. It can be mass produced.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an outline of a basic configuration of an inkjet head of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram showing an inkjet head of the present invention by a cross section taken along the line AA of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram showing an inkjet head of the present invention by a section taken along line BB of FIG.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing the behavior of the ink when ejecting the ink by the inkjet head of the present invention, by (A) and (B).

5 is a configuration diagram showing another embodiment of the ink jet head of the present invention in a corresponding form by a cross section (A) taken along the line AA and a cross section (B) taken along the line BB of FIG.

6A and 6B are explanatory diagrams showing the behavior of the ink when ejecting the ink according to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B.

7 is a configuration diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention as a cross section taken along the line AA of FIG. 1. FIG.

8 is a configuration diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention as a BB cross section of FIG. 1. FIG.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a modified example of the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a step (A) in which a mold member is arranged on the first substrate and a step (B) in which the second substrate is further mounted thereon via a filling member in the method for manufacturing an inkjet head of the present invention.
It is a top view which sees through and shows.

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing a cross section taken along the line BB ′ (A) and a cross section taken along the line AA ′ at the stage shown in FIG.

FIG. 12 is an explanatory view showing an irradiation process with an active energy ray at the stage shown in FIG. 10B by its CC ′ line cross section (A) and DD ′ line cross section (B).

FIG. 13 is a view showing a state where the mold member and the filling member are removed in the cross sections shown in FIGS. 12 (A) and 12 (B).

FIG. 14 is a perspective view showing a stage in which a mold member is formed on a first substrate as a method of manufacturing a liquid jet recording head of the present invention.

15 is a perspective view showing a stage in which a filling member layer is laminated on the mold member from the stage shown in FIG.

16 is a perspective view showing a step in which a second substrate is further stacked on the step shown in FIG.

FIG. 17 is an explanatory diagram of a step of arranging a photomask on a part of the second substrate and performing active energy ray irradiation from the stage shown in FIG. 16;

18 is an explanatory diagram of a step of dissolving and discharging the uncured portion and the mold member after the step shown in FIG.

FIG. 19 is an explanatory diagram relating to a problem that occurs during ink filling as a relationship between a single air chamber and a plurality of communication passages.

FIG. 20 is a perspective view showing a configuration process of another embodiment according to the manufacturing method of the present invention by disassembling it into first and second substrates.

FIG. 21 is a top view (A) showing an example of a method of manufacturing a partition member when forming a plurality of air chambers according to the present invention and FIG.
It is explanatory drawing shown by-A cross section (B).

FIG. 22 is an explanatory view showing another example of a method of manufacturing a partition member when forming a plurality of air chambers according to the present invention by a top view (A) and a BB cross section (B) thereof.

FIG. 23 is an explanatory view showing, as a top view, still another example of the method of manufacturing the partition member when forming the plurality of air chambers according to the present invention.

24 (A) and 24 (B) are explanatory views of stages of the manufacturing method of the present invention.

FIG. 25 is a perspective view showing another configuration example of the present invention.

FIG. 26 is a perspective view showing another configuration example of the present invention.

FIG. 27 is a diagram showing an example of an inkjet device of the present invention.

FIG. 28 is a diagram showing an example of an inkjet device of the present invention.

29A and 29B are diagrams illustrating the behavior of ink during ink ejection.

30 (A) and 30 (B) are views for explaining the ink refill mechanism.

31A and 31B are diagrams showing two examples of the configuration of an inkjet head having a conventional air chamber.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 1st board 2 Solid layer 3 2nd board 4 Base plate 7,71,72,73 Air chamber 8 Communication part 8B Column 9A, 9B Ink supply joint 10 Ink jet recording head 20 Model member 21 Model member installation part 22 Filling member 26 Active Energy rays 27, 28, 29 Wall 101 Ink ejection port 102 Ink liquid passage 103 Discharge energy generator (discharge heater) 104 Ink liquid chamber

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Torakata 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc. (72) Hidemi Kubota 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Non-Incorporated (72) Inventor Mineo Kaneko 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc.

Claims (13)

[Claims] 1. An ink generating element for ejecting ink is arranged, a plurality of ink flow paths arranged in rows, and a plurality of ink flow paths provided along the row direction of the ink flow paths. A common liquid chamber for supplying ink to the passage, and by driving the energy generating element,
In an inkjet head that ejects ink from an ejection port, a pressure that is arranged along the row of the ink flow path, communicates with the common liquid chamber via a communication portion near the center, and transmits the ink in the common liquid chamber An ink jet head having an air chamber that holds a gas that absorbs fluctuations. 2. The inkjet head according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the air chambers are arranged. 3. The inkjet head according to claim 1, wherein the communication portion has a plurality of communication passage walls. 4. The ink jet head according to claim 1, wherein the volume of the common liquid chamber is larger than the volume of the air chamber. 5. The cross-sectional area of the ink flow path is equal to or larger than the cross-sectional area of the communication passage in the communication portion, or is larger than the cross-sectional area of the communication passage. Inkjet head. 6. The sum of the cross-sectional areas of the communication passages of the communication portion is:
2. The total amount of ink ejected from all of the ejection ports at one time is equal to twice the area-converted value or more than twice the area-converted value.
Or the inkjet head according to 2. 7. The sum of the cross-sectional areas of the communication passages of the communication section is:
3. The inkjet head according to claim 1, wherein the inkjet head is equal to or more than 1/10 of the total cross-sectional area of all the ink flow paths. 8. The inkjet head according to claim 1, wherein the inkjet head is a full line head in which a plurality of the ejection ports are provided in correspondence with a recordable width of a recording medium. 9. The ink jet head according to claim 1, wherein the energy generating element is a heating resistance element. 10. An ink jet device for ejecting ink for recording, comprising: the ink jet head according to claim 1; and a conveying means for a recording medium. 11. A discharge port for discharging ink, an ink flow path communicating with the discharge port, an energy generating element provided corresponding to the ink flow path, and supplying ink to the ink flow path. In the method of manufacturing an inkjet head, the first substrate having a plurality of the energy generating elements arranged in a row is prepared. A step of forming a mold member for forming a plurality of the ink flow paths, a common liquid chamber for supplying ink to the ink flow paths, and the communication section on the first substrate, A step of providing a filling member so as to cover the mold member; a step of providing a common liquid chamber on the filling member and a second substrate having a groove forming the air chamber; and a step of removing the mold member. Inkjet characterized by Method of manufacturing a Ttoheddo. 12. The filling member is a photosensitive resin, and an exposure process for removing the filling member in a portion corresponding to the groove of the second substrate is performed after the step of providing the second substrate. The method of manufacturing an inkjet head according to claim 11, further comprising: removing a portion corresponding to the groove together with the mold member. 13. The air chamber is formed by forming a plurality of the communication parts by using the mold member and sealing the communication parts of the air chambers. Manufacturing method of inkjet head.