JPH08112900A - Ink jet recording head and ink jet recorder - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To provide an ink jet recording head wherein a smaller substrate can be accepted, and a sealer can be prevented from entering an ink channel. CONSTITUTION: A top board 300 which has a depression provided to form ink channels which communicate with multiple discharge openings 301 to discharge ink and a substrate to form the ink channels by being joined to the top board with the depression inside wherein the top board 300 extends from an area where the top board 300 and the substrate are joined along their joined faces.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an inkjet recording head for recording by ejecting ink from a recording head onto a recording medium and an inkjet recording apparatus using the same. Here, the recording includes the application of ink (printing) to all the ink supports that receive the application of ink such as cloth, thread, paper, sheet material, etc., and the recording apparatus is all information processing apparatuses or their output devices. The present invention can be used for these purposes.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Among various recording methods known at present, it is a non-impact recording method in which noise is hardly generated during recording, which enables high-speed recording and requires special fixing on plain paper. The ink jet recording method that can perform recording without any is recognized as an extremely effective recording method.

15 and 16 show the essential parts of a typical ink jet recording head used in such an ink jet recording system. FIG. 15 is a schematic perspective view and FIG. 16 is an exploded perspective view. . FIG. 17 shows X in FIG.
It is a schematic sectional drawing which shows the internal structure of the inkjet recording head by a-X surface.

Reference numeral 100 in the drawing is a base plate for constructing each component (described later) on this. A substrate (hereinafter referred to as a heater board) 200 having a plurality of electrothermal converters (heaters) 201 as discharge energy generating elements is provided on the base plate 100. Ink paths (not shown) corresponding to each of the plurality of ink ejection ports 301 are provided on the heater board 200, and the top plate 300 is joined at a predetermined position. The top plate 300 has an orifice plate 304 having an ink ejection port 301 formed therein, a common liquid chamber 302 for storing ink to be supplied to the ink path, and a cylindrical shape for supplying ink to the common liquid chamber 302. It has an ink supply port 305. At the time of joining, the top plate 300 is temporarily fixed to the heater board 200 with an adhesive at a position where the plurality of heaters 201 of the heater board 200 and the ink discharge ports 301 on the top plate 300 side correspond to each other, and the biasing force is further applied. A top plate 30 is provided by a spring (not shown) for giving
0 Mechanical pressure is applied from the top to obtain a sufficient adhesion state. Then, the periphery of the top plate 300 and the heater board 200 is sealed with a sealant 400 as shown in FIG.
The ink passage and the common liquid chamber 302 are sealed off from the outside.

It is known that a liquid chamber wall 303 for forming a common liquid chamber 302 is provided above the upper surface of the heater board 200 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 3-101958, etc.).

[0006]

However, recently, the size of the heater board has been reduced in order to reduce the size of the ink jet recording head and the cost of the heater board. As described above, it may be difficult in terms of space to provide the liquid chamber wall inside the upper surface of the heater board. Furthermore, due to the miniaturization of the heater board, the distance from the end of the heater board to the outermost ink ejection port will also be shortened, so a sealant that shuts off and seals the common liquid chamber from the outside will be used at the ink ejection port. There is also an inconvenience that a situation occurs in which the ink flows in and ink ejection becomes impossible.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a highly reliable ink jet recording head which is more compact and low in cost, and in which a sealant does not flow into an ink ejection port or an ink passage, and an ink jet recording apparatus using the same. To do.

[0008]

An ink jet recording head of the present invention for solving the above problems includes a top plate provided with a concave portion for forming an ink passage communicating with a plurality of ejection ports for ejecting ink. A substrate for forming the ink passage by being joined to the top plate with the recess inside, and a region where the joining is made along a joining surface between the top plate and the substrate. Is characterized in that the top plate extends from.

Further, in the ink jet recording apparatus of the present invention, a top plate provided with a recess for forming an ink passage communicating with a plurality of ejection ports for ejecting ink, and the top plate having the recess inside An ink jet having a substrate for forming the ink passage by being joined, and the top plate extending from the joined region along a joining surface between the top plate and the substrate. It is characterized by comprising a recording head and a mounting member for mounting the inkjet recording head.

In the present invention, the top plate extends along the joining surface between the top plate and the substrate from the area where the two are joined, so that the substrate can be made smaller than conventional ones. Moreover, since the bonding area is smaller than before,
The probability of occurrence of a gap due to minute unevenness in the bonding area of the top plate or the substrate is reduced, and therefore the adhesion in the bonding area between the top plate and the substrate is improved. This can prevent the sealant from flowing into the ink passage. In addition, since the top plate extends from the joining region, the thickness of the wall member itself of the top plate for forming the ink passage can be made approximately the same as the conventional one, and the strength thereof can be made the same as the conventional one. Can be maintained.

Further, according to the present invention, if the extending portion of the top plate extends in the thickness direction of the substrate and the substrate is arranged between the extending portions, It is possible to more reliably prevent the sealant from flowing into the ink passage. Furthermore, since the extended portion of the top plate holds the substrate, the strength and reliability of the inkjet recording head itself are improved.

[0012]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

(Embodiment 1) FIGS. 1 to 4 show a first embodiment of an ink jet recording head of the present invention.
2 is a schematic perspective view showing a main part, FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view showing an internal structure of a top plate, and FIG. 4 is an XX plane of FIG. FIG. Among the constituent elements of this embodiment, those common to the constituent elements of the conventional inkjet recording head shown in FIGS. 15 to 17 are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted.

The feature of this embodiment is that the common liquid chamber wall 303 is
The heater board 200 as an element substrate is projected outside the heater board 200 on both sides in the arrangement direction of the plurality of heaters 201 or in the extension direction of the arrangement direction of the discharge ports. Since the space of the liquid chamber wall 303 provided in the upper surface of the heater board 200, that is, the portion related to the connection with the liquid chamber wall 303 can be minimized, the heater board 200 can be miniaturized. As shown in FIG. 4, the relationship between the width m of the heater board 200 in the arrangement direction of the plurality of heaters 201 and the room width 1 of the common liquid chamber 302 in the same direction is preferably m> l. In this example, the difference between m and l was 0.1 mm. By the way, if the configuration is such that m <l, there is a problem that the sealant 400 flows into the upper surface of the heater board 200 and the ink ejection port 301.

Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the feature of this embodiment is that the convex portion 30 is provided behind the common liquid chamber 302 inside the top plate 300.
6 is provided. The common liquid chamber 302 is provided as a recess formed on one surface of the top plate 300, and one side wall of the common liquid chamber 302 corresponds to each of the plurality of ink ejection ports 301 formed on the orifice plate 304. A plurality of ink passages 308 are provided to connect the inside of the common liquid chamber 302 and the ink ejection port 301. Ink path 3
On the other side wall facing the one side wall of the common liquid chamber 302 in which 08 is provided, the convex portion 306 is formed in the center thereof. The upper surface of the liquid chamber wall 303 of the common liquid chamber 302 is a joint portion with the heater board 200 of the top plate 300. By providing the convex portion 306 on this upper surface, the substantial joint portion is the convex portion 306. The upper surface and the upper surfaces of the plurality of ink path walls 307 that form the plurality of ink paths 308. Therefore, the mechanical pressure applied to the top plate 300 by the plate spring 401 is concentrated on the ink path wall 307 side. afterwards,
As shown in FIG. 4, the top plate 300 and the heater board 2
00 when the periphery of 00 is sealed with the sealant 400.
As a result of 06, the sealant 400 enters a slight gap between the heater board 200 and the common liquid chamber wall 303 to seal the gap. Ink road wall 307 and heater board 2
Since there is no gap between the top plate 300 and the heater board 200, the top plate 300 and the heater board 200 are sealed from the outside.

Further, in this embodiment, the height of the convex portion 306 from the upper surface of the common liquid chamber wall 303 is set in the range of 5 to 20 μm, but if it is less than 5 μm, the heater board 200 adheres to the ink passage wall 307 side. If the effect is small and exceeds 20 μm, the gap between the liquid chamber wall 303 and the heater board 200 may be too large and the sealant 400 may flow into the upper surface of the heater board 200 and the ink ejection port.

(Embodiment 2) FIGS. 5 to 7 show a second embodiment of the ink jet recording head of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a schematic perspective view showing a main portion, and FIG. 6 is a top plate. 7 is a schematic perspective view showing the internal structure of FIG. 7, and FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along the line XX of FIG. Also in this embodiment, of the constituent elements, those common to the constituent elements of the conventional inkjet recording head shown in FIGS. Will be omitted.

The feature of this embodiment is that the common liquid chamber wall 303 of the top plate 300 is provided in a direction intersecting with the arrangement direction of the plurality of ink ejection ports 301 of the orifice plate 304, and is opposed to each other. The heater board 200 is disposed between the walls 303a. The liquid chamber wall 303a is
It protrudes more than the upper surface of the other liquid chamber wall 303, and as shown in FIG. 7, functions as a weir of resistance against the inflow of the sealant 400 for shutting off and sealing the common liquid chamber 302 of the top plate 300 from the outside. To do. The amount of protrusion of the liquid chamber wall 303a in this embodiment is set smaller than the thickness of the heater board 200. In this case, if the protrusion amount is larger than the thickness of the heater board 200, the common liquid chamber 30
2 cannot sufficiently prevent the sealant 400 from flowing into
In addition, the ink path wall 307 and the heater board 200 may not be sufficiently adhered to each other.

Therefore, in this embodiment, in addition to the effects of the previous embodiment, the common liquid chamber 3 is provided by the liquid chamber wall 303a.
02, it is possible to reliably prevent the sealing agent 400 from flowing into the inside of the nozzle 02, and to avoid clogging of the ink ejection port 301, so that it is possible to reliably eject ink and perform recording of a high-quality image. You can

(Embodiment 3) FIGS. 9 to 11 show a third embodiment of the ink jet recording head of the present invention.
9 is a schematic perspective view showing the main part, FIG. 10 is a schematic perspective view showing the internal structure of the top plate, and FIG. 11 is a XX line in FIG.
It is sectional drawing in the surface. Also in this embodiment, of the constituent elements, those common to the constituent elements of the conventional inkjet recording head shown in FIGS. Will be omitted.

The feature of this embodiment is that, in the common liquid chamber wall 303 of the top plate 300, the liquid chambers are provided in the direction intersecting with the arrangement direction of the plurality of ink discharge ports 301 of the orifice plate 304 and are opposed to each other. The heater board 200 is disposed between the walls 303a. The liquid chamber wall 303a is
It protrudes more than the upper surface of the other liquid chamber wall 303, and as shown in FIG. 11, functions as a weir of resistance against the inflow of the sealant 400 for blocking and sealing the common liquid chamber 302 of the top plate 300 from the outside. To do. The amount of protrusion of the liquid chamber wall 303a in this embodiment is set smaller than the thickness of the heater board 200. In this case, if the protrusion amount is larger than the thickness of the heater board 200, the common liquid chamber 3
In some cases, it may not be possible to sufficiently prevent the sealing agent 400 from flowing into the interior 02, and the ink path wall 307 and the heater board 200 may not be sufficiently adhered.

Therefore, in this embodiment, in addition to the effects of the previous embodiment, the common liquid chamber 3 is provided by the liquid chamber wall 303a.
02, it is possible to reliably prevent the sealing agent 400 from flowing into the inside of the nozzle 02, and to avoid clogging of the ink ejection port 301, so that it is possible to reliably eject ink and perform recording of a high-quality image. You can

(Embodiment 4) FIGS. 12 and 13 show a fourth embodiment of the ink jet recording head of the present invention. FIG. 12 is a schematic perspective view showing a main portion, and FIG. 13 is a top plate. It is a schematic perspective view which shows the internal structure of. Also in the present embodiment, among the respective constituent elements, those common to the conventional inkjet recording head shown in FIGS. 15 to 17 and the constituent elements of the previous embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals,
The description of that part is omitted.

The feature of this embodiment is that the uneven portion 309 and the notch portion 310 are provided on both of the pair of liquid chamber walls 303a in the previous embodiment 3. The uneven portion 309 is formed on the liquid chamber wall 3
03a, it is formed in the vicinity of the orifice plate 304, that is, the common liquid chamber 302 side away from the ink ejection port 301. The concavo-convex portion 309 functions as a temporary fixing portion with an adhesive (usually an ultraviolet curable adhesive) that is applied when the heater board 200 and the top plate 300 are joined. By providing such a concavo-convex portion 309, the adhesive area can be increased, and thus the adhesive strength can be increased. On the other hand, the cutout portion 310 includes a portion of the liquid chamber wall 303a, which is formed from the upper surface of the liquid chamber wall 303a to the liquid chamber wall
It is formed by cutting out to the upper surface of 03. It is important that the cutout portion 310 is provided at the rear portion of the ink passage 308 of the top plate 300, that is, on the side opposite to the ink ejection port 301 in order to prevent ink clogging. The cutout portion 310 prevents the adhesive agent from flowing into the ink ejection port 301 side until the adhesive agent used for temporary fixing in the uneven portion 309 is cured.

Therefore, in this embodiment, in addition to the effects of the previous embodiment, the sealant 400 for filling the common liquid chamber 302 is used.
The heater board 200 and the top plate 300 can be surely temporarily fixed to the uneven portion 309 formed on the liquid chamber wall 303a as a weir of resistance against the inflow of heat, and the notch portion 310 is used to temporarily fix the adhesive. Can be prevented from flowing into the ink ejection port 301 side. For this reason, it is possible to avoid clogging of the ink ejection port 301, so that it is possible to reliably eject ink and record a high-quality image.

Each of the embodiments of the ink jet recording head of the present invention described above can be mounted on an ink jet recording apparatus as shown in FIG. 14, for example. FIG. 14 is a schematic perspective view showing an embodiment of the ink jet recording apparatus of the present invention.

In FIG. 14, reference numeral 80 denotes a cartridge, and the cartridge 80 is fixed on the carriage 15 by a pressing member 81.
1 is reciprocable in the longitudinal direction (main scanning direction). Positioning with respect to the carriage 51 can be performed by, for example, a hole provided in the lid and a dowel provided on the carriage 15 side. Further, the electrical connection may be achieved by connecting the connector on the carriage 15 to the connection pad provided on the wiring board.

The ink ejected from the recording head reaches the recording medium 18 whose recording surface is regulated by the platen 19 at a minute distance from the recording head and forms an image on the recording medium 18.

An ejection signal corresponding to image data is supplied to the recording head from an appropriate data supply source through the cable 16 and a terminal connected to the cable 16. Cartridge 80
Can be provided in a number of 1 to 2 (only two are shown in the figure) depending on the ink color to be used.

In FIG. 14, 17 is a carriage motor for scanning the carriage 15 along the shaft 21, and 22 is a wire for transmitting the driving force of the motor 17 to the carriage 15. A feed motor 20 is connected to the platen roller 19 to convey the recording medium 18.

The inkjet recording apparatus of the present invention may be used as an image output terminal of information processing equipment such as a computer, a copying apparatus combined with a reader or the like, or a facsimile apparatus having a transmitting / receiving function. It may be one that is taken.

[0032]

According to the present invention, since the top plate extends along the joint surface between the top plate and the substrate from the area where the two are joined, the substrate can be made smaller than the conventional one. it can. Moreover, since the bonding area is smaller than before,
The probability of occurrence of a gap due to minute unevenness in the bonding area of the top plate or the substrate is reduced, and therefore the adhesion in the bonding area between the top plate and the substrate is improved. This can prevent the sealant from flowing into the ink passage. In addition, since the top plate extends from the joining region, the thickness of the wall member itself of the top plate for forming the ink passage can be made approximately the same as the conventional one, and the strength thereof can be made the same as the conventional one. Can be maintained.

Further, in the present invention, if a structure is adopted in which the extending portion of the top plate extends in the thickness direction of the substrate and the substrate is disposed between the extending portions, It is possible to more reliably prevent the sealant from flowing into the ink passage. Furthermore, since the extended portion of the top plate holds the substrate, the strength and reliability of the inkjet recording head itself are improved.

Further, in the present invention, among the walls forming the common liquid chamber of the top plate, if a part of the wall at a position apart from the orifice plate protrudes toward the element substrate side,
Due to this protruding portion, the mechanical pressure applied to the top plate at the time of joining the top plate and the element substrate is concentrated on the ink path wall side of the element board as well, so that the ink path wall of the top plate and the element substrate are more closely attached. To be done. Therefore, it is possible to reliably prevent the sealant for sealing the element substrate and the top plate from flowing into the common liquid chamber or the ink ejection port.

Moreover, in the present invention, if the notch is provided in the extending portion, the adhesive used for temporarily fixing the top plate and the element substrate can be reliably prevented from flowing into the ink passage. can do.

In addition, in the present invention, if the structure in which the protrusions and recesses are provided in the extending portion is adopted, the adhesion area of the adhesive used for temporarily fixing the top plate and the element substrate can be increased. , The adhesive strength can be increased.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing a main part of a first embodiment of an inkjet recording head of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view showing the internal structure of the top plate in the first embodiment of the inkjet recording head of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along the line XX of FIG.

FIG. 5 is a schematic perspective view showing a main part of the second embodiment of the inkjet recording head of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of FIG.

FIG. 7 is a schematic perspective view showing the internal structure of the top plate in the second embodiment of the ink jet recording head of the present invention.

8 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line XX of FIG.

FIG. 9 is a schematic perspective view showing a main part of a third embodiment of the inkjet recording head of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a schematic perspective view showing the internal structure of the top plate in the third embodiment of the inkjet recording head of the present invention.

11 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line XX of FIG.

FIG. 12 is a schematic perspective view showing a main part of an ink jet recording head according to a fourth embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 13 is a schematic perspective view showing the internal structure of the top plate in the fourth embodiment of the inkjet recording head of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a schematic perspective view showing an embodiment of the ink jet recording apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 15 is a schematic perspective view showing a main part of a conventional typical inkjet recording head.

FIG. 16 is an exploded perspective view showing a main part of a conventional typical inkjet recording head.

17 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the internal structure of the inkjet recording head taken along the line XX of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 100 Base Plate 200 Heater Board 201 Heater 300 Top Plate 301 Ink Discharge Port 302 Common Liquid Chamber 303 Liquid Chamber Wall 303a Extending Part 304 Orifice Plate 305 Ink Supply Port 306 Projection 307 Ink Road Wall 308 Ink Path 309 Concavo-convex Part 310 Notch 400 Sealant

Claims (13)

[Claims] 1. A top plate provided with a recess for forming an ink passage communicating with a plurality of ejection ports for ejecting ink, and the ink passage by being joined to the top plate with the recess inside. And a substrate for forming the ink jet recording head, wherein the top plate extends from the bonded region along a bonding surface between the top plate and the substrate. 2. The ink jet recording head according to claim 1, wherein the extending portion of the top plate extends in the thickness direction of the substrate, and the substrate is provided between the extending portions. An inkjet recording head, characterized in that: 3. The ink jet recording head according to claim 2, wherein a recess is provided in an extending portion of the top plate. 4. The ink jet recording head according to claim 1, wherein the ink passage is a plurality of ink passages that communicate with the plurality of ejection ports, and a common ink passage for storing ink supplied to the plurality of ink passages. An ink jet recording head comprising an ink chamber. 5. The ink jet recording head according to claim 4, wherein a protrusion is provided on a wall of the top plate for forming the common ink chamber, at a position apart from the plurality of ejection ports. An inkjet recording head characterized by the above. 6. The ink jet recording head according to claim 1, wherein an orifice plate in which the plurality of ejection ports are arranged is integrated with the top plate. 7. The ink jet recording head according to claim 4, wherein energy generating means for generating energy used to eject ink from the plurality of ejection ports is provided on the substrate along the ink path. An ink jet recording head characterized by being arranged in the same manner. 8. The ink jet recording head according to claim 7, wherein the energy generating means is a thermal energy generator that generates thermal energy for film boiling of the ink as the energy. 9. The ink jet recording head according to claim 8, wherein the heat energy generator is an electrothermal converter. 10. The ink jet recording head according to claim 1, wherein the top plate and the substrate are joined by mechanical pressure. 11. The inkjet recording head according to claim 1, wherein a bonding area between the top plate and the substrate is sealed with a sealing agent. 12. The ink jet recording head according to claim 1, further comprising a base plate on which the substrate is placed. 13. A top plate provided with a recess for forming an ink passage communicating with a plurality of ejection ports for ejecting ink, and the ink passage by being joined to the top plate with the recess inside. And a substrate for forming the ink jet recording head, the ink jet recording head having the ceiling plate extending from the bonded region along the bonding surface between the ceiling plate and the substrate, and the inkjet recording head. An ink jet recording apparatus, comprising: a mounting member for mounting.