JPH07112530A - Recording device and information processing system equipped with the same device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To always and stably discharge ink by providing an opening part for communicating a common liquid chamber of ink with the atmospheric air of the outside through a filter producing capillary force larger than the negative pressure of an ink storage part to a recording head. CONSTITUTION:A flow path 42 of ink, a common liquid chamber 33 and a discharge port 30 of ink are mutually communicated and formed in a top board 34 provided on a heater board 32 constituted of an Si base plate. Aside from both an opening part 33a for supplying ink from an ink tank and an opening part 33b communicated with the flow path 42 of ink through a filter, an opening part 33c is formed which is communicated with the outside atmosphere being the outside of the top board 34 from the upper part of the common liquid chamber. A vibration absorption filter 170 is welded in the opening part 33c being the contact point of the common liquid chamber 33 and a passage 171a. Many holes are formed in a measure shape in the filter 70. The measure is so set up that the capillary force of ink is made stronger than the pressure in the ink tank. Thereby vibration of ink is reduced in a time for discharging ink.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a recording apparatus having recording means for outputting input information such as characters and images on a recording medium, and a copying machine, a facsimile machine, which is equipped with the recording apparatus as output means. The present invention relates to an information processing system such as a printer, a word processor and a personal computer.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A recording apparatus has a recording means provided with a plurality of recording elements for outputting input information such as characters and images on a recording medium (paper, cloth, plastic sheet, etc.) under the control of a control means. The recording operation is performed by driving. The recording device can be classified into an ink jet type, a wire dot type, a heat sensitive type, a thermal transfer type, a laser beam type and the like depending on the recording system of the recording means used. Among such recording apparatuses, in a serial type recording apparatus that employs a recording method in which main scanning is performed in a direction that intersects the conveyance direction (sub-scanning direction) of the recording medium, the recording medium is set at a predetermined recording position. After that, an image (including characters and symbols) is recorded by a recording unit (recording head) mounted on a carriage that moves (main scanning) along the recording medium, and after the recording for one line is completed, An image is recorded in a desired range on the recording medium by repeating a fixed amount of paper feeding (sub-scanning) and then recording the image of the next line (main scanning). On the other hand, in a line type printing apparatus that prints only a sub-scan that feeds a recording medium in the transport direction, the recording medium is set at a predetermined recording position, and one line of recording is continuously performed while batch recording is performed. Predetermined amount of paper feed (pitch feed)
Then, the image is recorded on the entire recording medium.

Among them, the ink jet type (ink jet recording apparatus) is one in which recording is performed by ejecting ink from a recording means (recording head) onto a recording medium, and it is easy to make the recording means compact and high definition. Images can be recorded at high speed, plain paper can be recorded without requiring special processing, running costs are low,
Since it is a non-impact method, it produces less noise and
It has an advantage that it is easy to record a color image using multicolor inks.

In particular, an ink jet type recording means (recording head) for ejecting ink by utilizing thermal energy is
Through the semiconductor manufacturing process such as etching, vapor deposition, and sputtering, the electrothermal converter formed on the substrate, the electrode,
By forming the liquid passage wall, the top plate, and the like, it is possible to easily manufacture a liquid discharge device having a high-density liquid passage arrangement (ejection port arrangement), and to further reduce the size. Further, by utilizing the advantages of IC technology and micro processing technology, it is easy to make the recording means long and planar (two-dimensional), and it is also easy to make the recording means full-multi and high-density mounting. is there.

The recording means of the above-mentioned ink jet recording apparatus generally comprises an ink ejection section for generating minute ink droplets, an ink supply section for guiding the ink to the ink ejection, and an ink tank section for storing the ink. ing. Then, in the ink jet recording apparatus, generally, a wave of ink vibration caused by a change in volume when ink is ejected vibrates the ink in the entire head. Therefore, when the ink is ejected again while the vibration is occurring, the ejection amount may change. In particular, when an image (for example, a bar code) formed by repeating a predetermined pattern by ejecting ink from all nozzles at once is recorded on a recording medium, the ink ejection amount changes for each nozzle due to the ink vibration. As a result, remarkable print disorder occurs. As one measure for solving such a problem, it has been attempted to inject bubbles or insert a cushioning member to reduce the occurrence of vibration in the common liquid chamber portion and the ink supply portion.

[0006]

However, when injecting bubbles, it is difficult to make the size of the bubbles constant, and a new problem arises due to the different sizes of the bubbles. For example, if the bubble size is small, the buffering effect will be insufficient. On the other hand, when the size of the bubble is too large, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of the vibration, but the ejection speed of the ejected ink is reduced or the ejection is suppressed. In addition, the injected bubbles do not always exist in a constant size and stably, and the size thereof changes due to the influence of external temperature, atmospheric pressure and the like. Similar to such bubble injection, the cushioning member insertion has a problem. For example, in order to insert the cushioning member into the common liquid chamber, the cushioning member can be inserted into a small space such as the common liquid chamber. The member must be processed into various sizes. In addition, there is a problem in that it is necessary to take measures for inserting the cushioning member and preventing clogging of the discharge port due to the cushioning member or a damaged product thereof. Therefore, it is difficult to provide a low-priced and easy-to-operate recording apparatus that executes a recording operation with high print quality that meets the needs of the user side depending on the bubble injection or the cushioning member insertion. Therefore, the present invention solves such a conventional problem and includes a recording unit that absorbs the vibration of the ink generated at the time of ink ejection and enables stable ink ejection at all times. An object of the present invention is to provide a recording apparatus that executes a recording operation with high print quality while maintaining ejection.

[0007]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a recording apparatus according to the present invention comprises a plurality of ejection ports, an ink common liquid chamber communicating with an ink reservoir for supplying ink, and an ink common liquid. In a recording apparatus equipped with a recording head having an ink flow path for communicating a chamber with a plurality of ejection ports, and means for generating energy for ejecting ink from the ejection ports to output input information onto a recording medium ,
The recording head has an opening that connects the outside air and the ink common liquid chamber through a filter, and the filter is composed of a plurality of holes that generate a capillary force larger than the negative pressure of the ink storage unit. And Preferably, the recording means is an ink jet type recording head, and the energy generating means is an electrothermal converter for ejecting ink droplets from the ejection port by utilizing film boiling generated in the ink by thermal energy. On the other hand, an information processing system based on the present invention is characterized by including such a novel recording device as an output means.

[0008]

The recording head has an opening for communicating the outside air with the ink common liquid chamber through a filter, and the filter is composed of a plurality of holes for generating a capillary force larger than the negative pressure of the ink storage section. Therefore, the vibration of the ink when ejecting the ink is reduced.

[0009]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS First, a schematic structure of an ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention and a recording head provided in the apparatus will be described with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing the schematic construction of an embodiment of an ink jet recording apparatus to which the present invention is applied. In FIG. 1, a lead screw 3 having a spiral groove 2 engraved therein is rotatably supported on a device body 1, and the lead screw 3 is interlocked with forward and reverse rotations of a drive motor 4,
It is rotationally driven via the transmission gears 5 and 6. Carriage 7
Is a pin (not shown) provided on the supporting portion 8 (FIG. 6)
Is engaged with the spiral groove 2 and is slidably guided by the guide rail 9, and reciprocates in the directions of arrows a and b by the forward and reverse rotations of the drive motor 4 described above. A recording medium 10 such as a sheet of paper or a thin plastic plate is fed by a platen roller 11, and is pressed against the peripheral surface of the platen 11 by a paper pressing plate 12 extending in the carriage movement direction at the recording position.

The photocouplers 13 and 14 confirm the presence of the lever 15 of the carriage 7 in this region and check the drive motor 4
It constitutes home position detecting means for reversing the rotation direction of the. An ink jet cartridge 16 which constitutes a recording means is mounted on the carriage 7.
As shown in FIG. 3, the inkjet cartridge 16 includes an inkjet unit 18 including an inkjet head 17 and an ink tank 1 that forms an ink storage unit.
It has a structure in which 9 and 9 are integrated. A cap member 20 for sealing (capping) the ejection opening surface (front surface on which the ejection openings are arranged) of the inkjet head 17 is provided at a position (for example, a home position) outside the recording area. The cap member 20 is supported by a support member 21 and further includes suction means 22 so as to perform suction recovery of the inkjet head 17 via the cap internal opening 23.

A supporting plate 25 is attached to the frame member 24 of the apparatus main body 1, and the cleaning blade 26 slidably supported by the supporting plate 25 is attached to the ink jet head 17 by a driving means (not shown). It can be moved back and forth. As the cleaning blade 26, in addition to the one shown in the figure, various known blades can be used. The lever 27 is for starting the suction recovery operation, and moves in accordance with the movement of the cam 28 that contacts the carriage 7. The transmission of the driving force from the drive motor 4 is controlled by controlling the known transmission means such as the gear 29 and the clutch switching according to the movement of the lever 27.

The capping, cleaning, and suction recovery processes described above are performed at the corresponding positions by the action of the lead screw 3 when the carriage 7 reaches the area on the home position side. And each of these processes
It can be implemented in any manner using well-known timing and sequences. Further, each of these treatments can be carried out individually or in combination.

2 is an external perspective view of the ink jet cartridge 16 in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the ink jet cartridge 16. 2 and 3, the inkjet cartridge 16 includes an inkjet unit 18 including an inkjet head 17.
And an ink tank 19 for storing ink are integrally assembled. The inkjet head 17 is integrally formed with a large number of ejection ports 30. The inkjet unit 18 includes the inkjet head 17 and is a collection of electrical wiring, ink piping, and the like to the inkjet head 17.

Inkjet cartridge 1 of this embodiment
No. 6 has a large ink storage ratio, and the tip of the inkjet unit 18 slightly projects from the front surface of the ink tank 19. As will be described later with reference to FIG. 6, the ink jet cartridge (recording means) 16 is of a disposable type which is detachably fixedly supported by the carriage 7 by the positioning means and electrical contacts of the carriage 7.

FIG. 4 is a partial perspective view schematically showing the structure of the ink jet head 17. The inkjet head 17 is an inkjet recording head that ejects ink by using thermal energy, and includes an electrothermal converter for generating thermal energy. Also,
The recording head 17 is configured to eject ink from an ejection port to perform recording by utilizing a pressure change caused by growth and contraction of bubbles caused by film boiling caused by thermal energy applied by an electrothermal converter.

In FIG. 4, the ink jet head 17
In order to eject ink from a plurality of ejection ports 30 arranged in a row, an electrothermal converter 31 that is supplied with an applied voltage and generates thermal energy is arranged in each liquid passage 42. . Then, by selectively applying a drive signal to each electrothermal converter 31 according to the recording signal, thermal energy is generated in the electrothermal converter 31 to cause film boiling, and bubbles are generated in the ink liquid path 42. To form. And
The ink droplets are ejected from the ejection port 30 by the growth of the bubbles. Each electrothermal converter 31 is provided on a heater board 32 made of a silicon substrate, and is integrally formed with a wiring (not shown) such as aluminum for supplying electric power to each electrothermal converter 31 by a film forming technique. .

A grooved top plate 34 is provided with a partition for dividing each of the plurality of ink liquid passages 42 and a common liquid chamber 33 for temporarily storing the ink supplied to each ink liquid passage 42.
And an ink receiving port 35 (FIG. 3) for introducing the ink from the ink tank 19 into the common liquid chamber 33, and a discharge port plate having a plurality of discharge ports 30 corresponding to the respective ink liquid passages 42 ( The plate 36 to be formed is integrally molded, and polysulfone is preferable as the material, but other molding resin materials such as polyether sulfone, polyphenylene oxide, and polypropylene may be used. Further, the top plate 34 is formed with an opening to be described later, and the filter 70 for absorbing vibration is welded after the above-mentioned molding.

FIG. 5 is a schematic perspective view showing a mounting portion of the ink jet unit 18 of the ink tank 19 in FIG. 3, and FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing a mounting structure of the ink jet cartridge 16 to the carriage 7. Next, the configuration of the inkjet unit 18 will be described mainly with reference to FIG. 3 and with reference to the aforementioned drawings.

In FIG. 3, one end of the wiring board 37 is connected to the wiring part of the heater board 32 of the ink jet head 17, and the other end of the wiring board 37 receives an electric signal from the main body of the apparatus. A plurality of pads 38 corresponding to each electrothermal converter 31 (Fig. 4) are provided. As a result, the electric signal from the apparatus main body is individually supplied to each electrothermal converter 31.

The metal support 39 that supports the back surface of the wiring board 37 on a plane serves as the bottom plate of the ink jet unit 18. The presser spring 40 has an M-shape, and presses the outer wall portion of the common liquid chamber 33 (FIG. 4) with a light pressure at the center of the M-shape, and the front slant portion 41 thereof partially forms the liquid passage 42, preferably The area near the discharge port 30 is concentratedly pressed by the linear pressure. The heater board 32 and the top plate 34 are engaged in a sandwiched state by the foot portion of the presser spring 40 engaging with the back surface side of the support body 39 through the hole 43 of the support body 39, and the presser spring 40 Then, they are pressed and fixed to each other by the concentrated biasing force of the front portion 41.

The support 39 is provided with holes 47, 4 which engage with the two positioning projections 44 and the positioning and heat-fusion-holding projections 45, 46 (FIG. 5) of the ink tank 19, respectively.
In addition to having 8 and 49, projections 50 and 51 for positioning with respect to the carriage 7 are provided on the back surface side. Also, the support 3
9 is provided with a hole 53 that allows the ink supply pipe 52 from the ink tank 19 to penetrate therethrough. The wiring board 37 is attached to the support 39 by sticking with an adhesive or the like.

The recesses 54 and 55 of the support 39 are provided in the vicinity of the protrusions 50 and 51, respectively, and are parallel to each other on three sides around the head unit 18 of the assembled ink jet cartridge 16 (FIG. 2). By being located on the extension lines of the grooves 56 and 57, unnecessary substances such as dust and ink do not reach the protrusions 50 and 51. The lid member 58 in which the parallel groove 56 is formed is
As shown in FIG. 6, the outer wall of the ink jet cartridge 16 is formed, and a space 59 for accommodating the ink jet unit 18 is formed between the ink cartridge 19 and the ink tank 19. Further, the ink supply member 60 in which the parallel groove 57 is formed has an ink conduit 61 which is formed as a cantilever with the ink supply pipe 52 side fixed and which is continuous with the ink supply pipe 52. A sealing pin 62 for securing a capillary phenomenon between the fixed side of the ink conduit 61 and the ink supply pipe 52 is inserted. The joint between the ink tank 19 and the ink supply pipe 52 is press-fitted and sealed. A filter 63 is provided at the end of the ink supply pipe 52 on the ink tank 19 side.

Since the ink supply member 60 is formed by molding, the ink supply member 60 is inexpensive, has high positional accuracy, does not deteriorate in manufacturing accuracy, and can be mass-produced by the ink conduit 61 having a cantilever structure. The pressure contact state of 61 with the ink receiving port 35 is stable. In the present embodiment, a more complete communication state can be reliably obtained by simply pouring the sealing adhesive from the ink supply member 60 side under this pressure contact state. To fix the ink supply member 60 to the support 39, the two pins (not shown) on the back surface side of the ink supply member 60 are respectively passed through the holes 64 and 65 of the support 39 and heat-sealed. This is done easily. Since a slight protruding region of the heat-sealed back surface portion is accommodated in a recess (not shown) on the side surface of the ink tank 19 on the side where the inkjet unit 18 is attached,
The positioning surface of the inkjet unit 18 can be accurately obtained.

Next, the ink tank 19 will be described. The ink tank 19 is basically the cartridge body 6
6, the ink absorber 67, and the lid member 68. The ink absorber 67 is inserted into the cartridge body 66 from the side opposite to the ink jet unit 18, and then the lid member 68.
It is assembled by sealing this with. The ink absorber 67 is for impregnating and holding the ink, and is arranged in the cartridge body 66. The ink supply port 69 is for supplying ink to the inkjet unit 18, and the ink tank 19 is also provided with an atmosphere communication port 71 for communicating the atmosphere with the inside thereof. A liquid repellent material 72 for preventing ink from leaking from the atmosphere communication port is disposed inside 71.

Inkjet cartridge 1 of this embodiment
In No. 6, the rear surface with respect to the inkjet head 17 is flattened to minimize the required space at the time of assembly and maximize the ink storage amount, so that the recording apparatus can be downsized. Not only that, the replacement frequency of the cartridge 16 can be reduced. And the inkjet unit 1
By utilizing the rear part of the space for integrating the eight, a protruding part for the atmosphere communication port 71 is formed there, and the inside of this protruding part is hollowed out, and the entire thickness of the ink absorber 67 described above is here. Atmospheric pressure supply space is formed. By adopting such a configuration, an excellent inkjet cartridge 16 was obtained.

The atmospheric pressure supply space 73 is much larger than the conventional space, and the atmosphere communication port 71 is used.
Is located above, even if the ink is separated from the ink absorber 67 due to some abnormality, the ink can be temporarily held in the atmospheric pressure supply space 73 and can be reliably collected in the ink absorber 67. Thus, an excellent inkjet cartridge 16 that can be produced without waste is provided.

The construction of the mounting surface of the ink jet unit 18 of the ink tank 19 is shown in FIG. Let L ₁ be a straight line that passes through substantially the center of the ejection port 30 of the ejection port plate 36 and is parallel to the placement reference plane of the bottom surface of the ink tank 19 or the surface of the carriage 7.
The two positioning protrusions 44, 44 which engage with the two holes 47 of the above are located on this straight line L ₁ (FIG. 5). The height of these protrusions 44, 44 is slightly lower than the thickness of the support 39, and the support 39 is positioned. Straight line L _{1 in} FIG.
As shown in FIG. 6, the claw 7 with which the 90-degree angle engaging surface 75 of the positioning hook 74 of the carriage 7 is engaged with
6 is positioned so that the positioning action force on the carriage 7 acts on a plane region parallel to the reference plane including the straight line L ₁ (FIG. 5). As will be described later, these relationships are effective configurations for making the positioning accuracy of only the ink tank 19 equal to the positioning accuracy of the ejection port 30 of the inkjet head 17.

Further, the projections 45 and 46 (FIG. 5) of the ink tank 19 corresponding to the fixing holes 48 and 49 (FIG. 3) of the support 39 on the side surface of the ink tank 19 are formed by the projections 44 and 44. It is also long and is for fixing the support 39 to the side surface by heat-sealing the protruding portion penetrating the support 39. When a straight line passing through the protrusion 45 and perpendicular to the straight line L ₁ is L ₃ and a straight line passing through the protrusion 46 is L ₂ , a straight line L ₃
Since the approximate center of the ink supply port 69 (FIG. 3) is located above, the connection state between the ink supply port 69 and the ink supply pipe 52 is stabilized, and the load on these connection states due to dropping or impact is also present. It will be reduced.

Further, since the straight line L ₂ and the straight line L ₃ do not coincide with each other and the projections 45 and 46 are present around the projection 44 on the ejection port 30 side of the ink jet head 17, the ink tank of the ink jet head 17 is further formed. The positioning reinforcing effect for 19 is produced. The straight line L in FIG.
Reference numeral ₄ denotes an outer wall position when the ink supply member 60 is attached. Since the protrusions 45 and 46 are along the straight line L ₄ , sufficient strength and positional accuracy are given to the weight of the configuration on the tip end side of the inkjet head 17. The front brim 77 of the ink tank 19 is inserted into the hole of the front plate 78 (FIG. 6) of the carriage 7 and is provided in case of an abnormal change such that the displacement of the ink tank 19 becomes extremely bad.

A retainer 79 for the carriage 7 (FIG. 6)
Is provided for a bar (not shown) of the carriage 7, and when the inkjet cartridge 16 enters below the bar at a position where it is pivotally mounted as will be described later, it is unnecessarily disengaged from the positioning position in the upward direction. The protective member is formed so that the mounted state can be maintained even when the force is applied.

The ink tank 19 is covered with the lid member 58 after mounting the ink jet unit 18,
The inkjet unit 18 is formed so as to surround the inkjet unit 18 except its lower opening. However, in the ink jet cartridge 16, since the above-mentioned lower opening for mounting on the carriage 7 is close to the carriage 7, it substantially forms a four-sided enclosed space. Therefore, the heat from the inkjet head 17 in the enclosed space is effective in making the space a heat retaining space.
However, it causes a slight increase in temperature during long-term continuous use. Therefore, in this embodiment, in order to help the support 39 to naturally radiate heat, the ink jet cartridge 16 is
Slit (opening) with a width smaller than the surrounding space on the upper surface of the
0 is provided. By providing the slit 80, it is possible to prevent the above-mentioned temperature rise and realize uniform temperature distribution of the entire inkjet unit 18 regardless of the environment.

When the ink jet cartridge 16 is assembled, the ink is introduced from the inside of the cartridge body 66 through the ink supply port 69, the hole 53 of the support 39, and the introduction port provided on the back side of the ink supply member 60.
The ink is supplied into the ink supply member 60, and the ink supply member 6
After passing through the inside of 0, it flows into the supply liquid chamber 33 (FIG. 4) from the outlet of the ink supply member 60 through an appropriate supply pipe and the ink receiving port 35 of the top plate 34. The connection portion for ink communication in the above path is sealed by packing such as silicon rubber or butyl rubber or by press fitting, and the ink supply path is secured by such a sealing structure.

As described above, since the ink supply member 60, the top plate 34, the discharge port plate 36, and the cartridge body 66 are integrally molded parts, not only the assembly accuracy becomes high, but also the quality in mass production is high. It is extremely effective for improvement. Further, since the number of parts is reduced as compared with the conventional example, desired excellent characteristics can be surely exhibited.
In addition, in this embodiment, after the ink jet cartridge 16 is assembled, as shown in FIG. 2, the roof member having the upper surface 81 of the ink supply member 60 and the elongated opening (slit) 80 of the ink tank 19 is formed. A gap 83 is formed between the end portion 82 and the end portion 82. Similarly, a gap (not shown) is formed between the lower surface portion 84 of the ink supply member 60 (FIG. 3) and the head side end portion 85 of the lower thin plate member to which the lid member 68 of the ink tank 19 is adhered. Has been done.

These gaps further promote the heat radiation effect of the opening 80, and even if an unnecessary force acts on the ink tank 19, this force directly acts on the ink supply member 60, and by extension, the ink jet unit 18. To prevent that. In any case, the above-described configuration of the present embodiment is not seen in the conventional example, and each has an effective effect independently, and when combined, has a particular effect.

Next, the attachment of the ink jet cartridge 16 to the carriage 7 will be described mainly with reference to FIG. In FIG. 6, the platen roller 11
Guides the recording medium (for example, recording paper) 10 in the direction from the back side in the drawing to the front side in the drawing. The carriage 7 moves along the longitudinal direction (axial direction) of the platen roller 11, and the carriage 7 is located in front of the carriage 7, that is, on the platen roller 11 side and before the carriage 7 is located on the front side of the inkjet cartridge 16. A plate 78 (having a thickness of, for example, 2 mm), a support plate 86 for an electrical connection portion, which will be described later, and a positioning hook 74 for fixing the inkjet cartridge 16 at a predetermined recording position are provided.

The front plate 78 has two positioning protrusions 87 corresponding to the protrusions 50 and 51 (FIG. 3) of the support 39 of the ink jet cartridge 16, and after the ink jet cartridge 16 is mounted, the protrusion 87 is located. Receives a vertical force toward. Therefore, the platen roller 1 of the front plate 78 is
On one side, a plurality of reinforcing ribs (not shown) are provided in the direction of the vertical force. This rib is
Front position L when the inkjet cartridge 16 is mounted
_It projects slightly more than ₅ (for example, about 0.1 mm) to the platen roller 11 side, and also serves as a head protection projection.

The support plate 86 has a plurality of reinforcing ribs 88 extending perpendicularly to the plane of the drawing, and the height of these ribs 88 gradually decreases from the platen roller 11 side toward the hook 74 side. As a result, the inkjet cartridge 16 is attached in an inclined state as shown in FIG. Further, the support plate 86 has a flexible sheet 90 having a pad 89 corresponding to the pad 38 (FIG. 3) of the wiring board 37 (FIG. 3) of the inkjet cartridge 16, and presses the flexible sheet 90 against each pad 89 from the back surface side. It supports a rubber pad sheet 91 with a botch for generating elastic force.

The supporting plate 86 stabilizes the electrical connection between the pad 38 and the pad 89, so that the projecting surface 8 is formed.
A positioning surface 92 on the hook 74 side for exerting an acting force on the ink jet cartridge 16 in a direction opposite to the acting direction of 7 is provided corresponding to the protruding surface 87, and a pad contact area is formed between them. The amount of deformation of the botched rubber sheet 91 corresponding to the pad 89 is uniquely defined. When the positioning surface 92 is fixed to a position where the ink jet cartridge 16 can record, the wiring board 3
7 (FIG. 3). Since the pads 38 are distributed symmetrically with respect to the above-mentioned straight line L ₁ (FIG. 5), the deformation amount of each of the bocches of the rubber pad sheet 91 with a boch becomes uniform, and the pad 89 and the pad 38 contact each other. The contact pressure becomes more stable. In this embodiment, the distribution of the pads 38 is two rows above, two rows below, and two rows vertically.

In FIG. 6, the hook 74 is a fixed shaft 93.
Has a long hole that engages with, and after rotating counterclockwise from the position shown in the drawing using the movement space of this long hole, by moving to the left side in the longitudinal direction of the platen roller 11. , Inkjet cartridge 1 for carriage 7
Position 6 The hook 74 may be moved by any means, but it is preferable that the hook 74 can be moved by a lever or the like.
In any case, when the hook 74 is rotated, the inkjet cartridge 16 moves to the platen roller 11 side, and moves to a position where the positioning protrusions 50 and 51 can contact the protruding surface 87 of the front plate 78. To do. By the leftward movement of the hook 74, the hook surface 75 of 90 degrees is brought into close contact with the 90-degree surface of the claw 76 of the ink jet cartridge 16, while the ink jet cartridge 16 is protruded.
The pad 38 and the pad 89 finally start contacting with each other in a horizontal plane around the contact area between the pad 38 and the protruding surface 87.

When the hook 74 is held at a predetermined position, that is, a fixed position, the pad 38 and the pad 89 are in full contact with each other, the protrusions 50 and 51 are in full contact with the protruding surface 87, and the hook surface 75 is in contact. The two surface contact of the 90 degree surface of the claw 76 and the surface contact between the wiring board 37 (FIG. 3) and the positioning surface 92 are simultaneously formed. In this way, positioning and holding of the inkjet cartridge 16 with respect to the carriage 7 is completed.

Next, an embodiment of the recording head will be described. Of course, the present invention is not limited to Examples 1 and 2 below, and can take various modes.

<Embodiment 1> FIG. 7 is a schematic sectional view for explaining a schematic structure of a recording head provided in an ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention.

An ink channel 42, a common liquid chamber 33, and an ink ejection port 30 are formed in communication with each other on a top plate 34 provided on a heater board 32 made of a Si substrate.
Further, the common liquid chamber 33 is provided with an opening (ink supply port) 33a to which ink is supplied from an ink tank and an opening 33b which communicates with the ink flow path 42 through a filter. A new opening 33c communicating with the outside, that is, the outside atmosphere is formed.
3c communicates with an opening 171 formed in the outer wall of the top plate 34 via a passage 171a. A vibration absorbing filter 170 is welded to the opening 33c which is a contact point between the common liquid chamber and the passage 171a. The mesh size (pore diameter) of this filter is on the order of several tens of microns, and a large number of pores are formed in a grid pattern. The ink capillarity of the cells is set to be stronger than the negative pressure in the ink tank 19. Further, it is preferable that the size of the filter 170 is set as large as possible, and at least the area between the openings of the mesh is set to be equal to or more than the discharge port cross-sectional area × the maximum number of dischargeable nozzles. Also,
The installation position of the filter (the formation position of the opening 33c) is
Preferably, they are provided at positions equidistant from each nozzle and in the common liquid chamber. However, the present invention is not limited to this, as long as it is in the vicinity of the common liquid chamber, and for example, it may be in the vicinity of the ink supply port 33a. The opening 171 is located at a position closed by the cap member 20 during the recovery operation. This is because when the suction recovery process is performed on the recording head, the opening 171
This is because the air is sucked into the common liquid chamber from the opening 171 through the filter 170 in the open state.

As described above, by constructing the recording head, it is possible to suppress the vibration of the ink generated by the electrothermal converter 31.

<Embodiment 2> FIG. 8 is a schematic sectional view for explaining the schematic constitution of a second embodiment of a recording head provided in an ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention. The construction of the recording head shown in this figure is the same as that of the first embodiment, but an ink introducing tube 61 communicating with the opening 33a of the top plate 33 is provided, and the vibration absorbing filter 7 is used.
0 and the opening 71 are located in the ink introduction tube 61. Also,
A lid member (valve) that opens and closes the opening 171 when the opening 171 cannot be closed by the cap member 20.
172 is provided. The valve 172 closes the opening 171 according to the internal pressure in the common liquid chamber that sharply decreases when the suction of ink is recovered.

In the above embodiment, the recording head 16
The description has been given by taking as an example the case of the serial type recording device in which the carriage is mounted on the carriage 7. However, the present invention relates to The same can be applied to the case, and the same effect can be obtained. Further, in the above-described embodiment, the case of recording with one recording head 16 is illustrated, but the present invention is a color ink jet recording apparatus using a plurality of recording heads for recording with different colors, or the same color but different density. The present invention can be widely applied to an ink jet recording apparatus for gradation recording using a plurality of recording heads recording with ink, regardless of the number of recording heads and recording colors, and similar effects can be obtained.

Further, the present invention uses the replaceable ink jet cartridge 16 in which the recording head and the ink tank are integrated as described above, and the recording head and the ink tank are separately provided and connected by a tube or the like. No matter what the arrangement of the recording head and the ink tank is, the same can be applied and the same effect can be achieved.

(Others) The present invention is particularly provided with a means (for example, an electrothermal converter or a laser beam) for generating thermal energy as energy used for ejecting ink even in the ink jet recording system. The present invention brings about excellent effects in a recording head and a recording apparatus of the type in which the state of ink is changed by the heat energy. This is because such a system can achieve high density recording and high definition recording.

Regarding the typical structure and principle thereof, see, for example, US Pat. No. 4,723,129 and US Pat. No. 4,740.
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 recording 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 in a one-to-one correspondence
It is effective because bubbles can be formed inside. Due to the growth and contraction of the bubbles, the liquid (ink) is ejected through the ejection opening to form at least one droplet. It is more preferable to make this drive signal into a pulse shape because bubbles can be immediately and appropriately grown and contracted, so that liquid (ink) ejection 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 straight liquid passage or the right-angled liquid passage) as disclosed in the above-mentioned specifications, US Pat. No. 4,558,333, US Pat. No. 4,558,333, which discloses a configuration in which a heat acting portion is arranged in a bending region.
The structure 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 JP-A-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 electrical connection to the main body of the apparatus or the ink from the main body of the apparatus by being attached to the main body of the apparatus. 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, as the constitution of the recording apparatus of the present invention, it is preferable to add ejection recovery means of the recording head, preliminary auxiliary means, etc. because the effects of the present invention can be further stabilized. Specifically, heating is performed by using a capping unit, a cleaning unit, a pressure or suction unit for the recording head, an electrothermal converter or a heating element other than this, or a combination thereof. Examples thereof include a preliminary heating unit for performing the discharge and a preliminary discharge unit for performing discharge different from the recording.

Regarding the type and 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 it may be either the recording head is integrally formed or a plurality of combinations may be used. The present invention is also extremely effective for an apparatus provided with at least one of full-color recording modes by color mixing.

In addition, in the above-described embodiments of the present invention, the ink is described as a liquid, but an ink that solidifies at room temperature or lower and that softens or liquefies at room temperature may be used. Or, in the inkjet method, it is common to control the temperature of the ink itself within the range of 30 ° C. or more and 70 ° C. or less to control the temperature so that the viscosity of the ink is within the stable ejection range. Sometimes, a liquid ink may be used. In addition, the temperature rise due to thermal energy is positively prevented by using it as the energy of the state change of the ink from the solid state to the liquid state, or in order to prevent the evaporation of the ink, it is solidified and heated in the standing state. You may use the ink liquefied by. In any case, by applying thermal energy such as ink that is liquefied by applying thermal energy according to the recording signal and liquid ink is ejected, or that begins to solidify when it reaches the recording medium. The present invention can be applied to the case where an ink having a property of being liquefied for the first time is used. 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 information processing equipment such as a computer, a copying apparatus combined with a reader or the like, and a facsimile apparatus having a transmission / reception function It may be a form or the like.

[0058]

As is apparent from the above description, the recording apparatus according to the present invention has a plurality of ejection ports, an ink common liquid chamber communicating with an ink storage unit for supplying ink, an ink common liquid chamber and a plurality of ink common liquid chambers. Ink flow path that communicates with the discharge port of
In a recording apparatus equipped with a recording head having means for generating energy for ejecting ink from an ejection port to output input information onto a recording medium, the recording head filters an external atmosphere and an ink common liquid chamber. Further, the filter has a plurality of holes that generate a capillary force larger than the negative pressure of the ink storage portion, and the recording means is preferably an inkjet recording head. In addition, the energy generating means is an electrothermal converter that ejects ink droplets from the ejection port by utilizing the film boiling generated in the ink by the thermal energy. On the other hand, the information processing system based on the present invention is such a new recording. Since it is equipped with a device as an output means, it absorbs the vibration of the ink that occurs during ink ejection and always To allow the boss was ink discharge, also while always maintaining a stable ink discharge becomes possible to perform high recording operation and outputs the print quality.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing a main part configuration of an embodiment of an inkjet recording apparatus to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of recording means in FIG.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the recording unit in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a partial perspective view schematically showing the structure of an ink ejection portion of the recording means of FIG.

5 is a perspective view of the ink tank in FIG. 3 as viewed from the ink jet unit mounting side.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the recording means of FIG. 2 is attached to a carriage.

FIG. 7 is a vertical cross-sectional view schematically showing the configuration of the first embodiment of the ink supply system of the inkjet recording apparatus to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 8 is a partial vertical cross-sectional view schematically showing the configuration of the second embodiment of the ink supply system of the inkjet recording apparatus to which the present invention is applied.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Recording Device Main Body 3 Lead Screw 4 Drive Motor 7 Carriage 9 Guide Rail 10 Recording Material 11 Platen Roller 12 Paper Holding Plate 16 Inkjet Cartridge (Recording Means) 17 Inkjet Head 18 Inkjet Unit (Recording Means) 19 Ink Tank 20 Cap Member 22 Suction means 26 Cleaning blade 30 Discharge port 31 Electrothermal converter 32 Heater board 33 Common liquid chamber 36 Discharge port plate 37 Wiring board 39 Support 42 Liquid path 52 Ink supply pipe 60 Ink supply member 61 Ink conduit 63 Intermediate filter 66 Cartridge body 67 Ink Absorber 68 Lid Member 69 Ink Supply Port 70 Filter (Common Liquid Chamber) 71 Atmosphere Communication Port 72 Liquid Repellent Material 73 Atmospheric Pressure Supply Space 74 Positioning Hook 75 Engagement Surface 6 Claws 77 Collar 78 Front plate 79 Detents 80 Slit (opening) 81 Upper surface part 82 Roof member end part 83 Gap 84 Lower surface part 85 Head side end part 86 Support plate 87 Projecting surface 88 Rib 89 Pad 90 Flexible sheet 91 Rubber sheet 92 Positioning surface 93 Fixed shaft 170 Filter 171 Opening 172 Valve

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A plurality of ejection ports, an ink common liquid chamber that communicates with an ink storage unit that supplies ink, and an ink flow path that communicates the ink common liquid chamber with the plurality of ejection ports.
In a recording apparatus equipped with a recording head having means for generating energy for ejecting ink from the ejection port to output input information onto a recording medium, the recording head comprises an external atmosphere and an ink common liquid chamber. The recording apparatus is characterized in that it has an opening communicating with the filter through a filter, and that the filter is composed of a plurality of holes that generate a capillary force larger than the negative pressure of the ink storage section. 2. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the recording unit is an inkjet recording head. 3. The recording apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the energy generating means is an electrothermal converter that ejects ink droplets from the ejection ports by utilizing film boiling generated in ink by thermal energy. Recording device. 4. An information processing system comprising the recording device according to claim 1 as output means.