JPH08127129A - Ink jet recording head and manufacture thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To simplify assembling work by constituting a pressure contact unit for bonding a top plate and heater boards under pressure of a leaf spring member divided into a plurality of top plate pressing parts by a notch and an energizing force prescribing mechanism capable of prescribing and releasing energizing force with respect to a plurality of the pressing parts. CONSTITUTION: A pressure contact unit 700 for bonding the top plate 200 and heater boards of an ink jet recording head consists of a leaf spring member 600 and the spring fixing member 500 fixing the leaf spring member 600. The leaf spring member 600 is formed by providing notch parts (slits) 602 to an integral leaf spring and the parts divided by the slits 602 of the leaf spring member are set to the pressing parts for pressing the top plate 200. Bent parts are provided to the respective pressing parts in order to enhance spring rigidity and through-holes 601 are provided to the tips of the bent parts. A jig having the engaging parts inserted in the through-holes 601 of the leaf spring member 600 is provided in order to prescribe the energizing force of the pressure contact unit.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ink jet recording head for recording by ejecting liquid droplets from fine ejection ports.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Recording devices such as printers, copiers and facsimiles use paper, plastic thin plates,
An image composed of a dot pattern is recorded on a recording material such as cloth.

The recording apparatus can be classified into an ink jet type, a wire dot type, a thermal type, an electrophotographic type, etc., depending on the recording method. Among them, the ink jet type (ink jet recording apparatus) is a discharge port of an ink jet recording head. The recording liquid droplets are ejected, and the recording liquid droplets are attached to the recording material for recording.

Among them, a recording head of a system (bubble jet system) in which thermal energy is applied to ink and ink is ejected by using pressure has a good response to a recording signal, and the density of ejection ports can be increased. It has advantages such as being easy.

Further, recently, the amount of data to be recorded is also increasing, and particularly when graphics and the like are printed out, a higher speed recording is required due to the large amount of data. .

The above-mentioned bubble jet method, which is a so-called full line type ink jet head in which the ejection openings and the electrothermal converters are arranged in a long length over the width of the recording material, and the ink jet apparatus including the ink jet head are described above. It is highly expected to improve the recording speed.

FIG. 10 is a schematic perspective view showing an example of the conventional full line type ink jet head.

The ink jet head shown in FIG.
This is a so-called full-line type ink jet head, for example, in which ejection ports are arranged over a length corresponding to one side of A4 recording paper.

In the figure, reference numeral 100 is a heater board made of Si or the like, and an electrothermal converter as an ejection energy generating element and electrode wiring (both not shown) for supplying electric power thereto are provided on the upper surface thereof. Has been. 200
Is a top plate made of glass, metal, or the like, and is provided with an ink introduction port 209 for introducing a recording liquid (hereinafter referred to as ink) such as ink by cutting or etching; A recess for the common liquid chamber that communicates with the flow path is formed on the top plate.

Here, each ink channel is a heater board 1.
No. 00 discharge energy generating element is provided. Also, the top plate is joined on the heater board 100,
The heater board 100 is adhesively fixed to the base plate 300. 500 is a top plate 200 and a heater board 1
00 is a pressing member for joining and fixing with 00 and is screwed to the base plate 300 via the wiring board 400. On the upper part of the pressing member 500, the end of the pressing spring 600 is fixed by a screw, and the other end is fixed to the top plate 20.
The top plate 200 is elastically pressed by abutting on the upper surface of 0. As a result, the top plate 200 can be mechanically biased to the heater board 1.

[0011]

However, in the case of the above-mentioned conventional ink jet head, when the top plate is warped or deformed, the top plate can be pressed so as to follow the warp or deformation. Since this is not possible, the biasing force of the pressing spring in the longitudinal direction becomes non-uniform, and a gap may occur between the flow paths. In such an ink jet head, a pressure wave at the time of ejecting a recording liquid droplet propagates from the gap to an adjacent ink flow channel to cause crosstalk, and thus a recording density unevenness is partially generated on the recording medium. Further, printing defects may occur such as non-ejection due to a decrease in ejection speed.

Therefore, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-126943 describes a structure in which the pressing spring has a comb-like shape so that the pressing force of the pressing spring is uniform.

However, when pressing the top plate, it is necessary to align the heater board and the top plate so that the ink flow path and the ejection energy generating element correspond to each other. If the top plate is attached before the plate, the pressing spring will be present at a part of the installation position of the top plate, and therefore the top plate cannot be aligned and joined after fixing the pressing spring. Therefore, in the above-mentioned configuration, the pressing spring is attached after the top plate is aligned, but in this case, when the pressing spring is partially fixed, the urging force of the pressing spring as a whole is several tens. Since the load is considerably weighted in kilograms, the force may be concentrated on the fixed part (screw part) and the pressing spring may be distorted, so that it is difficult to apply uniform force. Therefore, in order to uniformly urge the pressing spring, the pressing spring must be fixed uniformly, but in this case, a very large-scale device is required and the manufacturing cost is increased.

The present invention has been made in view of the problems of the above-mentioned conventional technique, and the ink jet recording which can make the manufacturing apparatus small and simple and can be easily assembled. The purpose is to realize the head.

[0015]

An ink jet recording head of the present invention as a means for achieving the above object has a plurality of ink discharge ports and a plurality of grooves communicating with each of the ink discharge ports. Member, a second member including a plurality of energy generating elements used to eject ink in the groove from an ink ejection port, and the first member.
An ink jet recording head having an ink flow path formed by joining the first member and the second member to each other, the ink jet recording head comprising:
The pressure contact unit is divided into a plurality of top plate pressing portions by notches, and has a leaf spring member having a through hole corresponding to each pressing portion, and a spring fixing member that uniformly holds the leaf spring member in the discharge port arrangement direction. A member is provided, and an urging force regulation mechanism is provided on the plurality of pressing portions.

Further, in the method for manufacturing an ink jet recording head of the present invention as a means for achieving the above-mentioned object, the first method has a plurality of ink ejection openings and a plurality of grooves communicating with each of the ink ejection openings. A member; a second member including a plurality of energy generating elements used to eject the ink in the groove from an ink ejection port;
A method of manufacturing an ink jet recording head, comprising: a support member that supports a member; and a press-contact unit that press-contacts the first member and the second member, wherein the press-contact unit presses a plurality of top plates by notches. And a spring fixing member for uniformly holding the plate spring member in the discharge port arrangement direction, the support unit supporting the press contact unit. Bonded to the body,
After restricting the urging force of each pressing portion of the press contact unit, the first member is joined to the second member, and the urging force is released to each pressing portion to move the first member above the second member. It is characterized by being fixed to.

In this case, there may be a plurality of pressure contact releasing and tightening mechanisms, and each mechanism may be independent.

A spring force may be used as the pressure contact force generating means.

Further, screw tightening may be used as the pressing force generating means.

[0020]

According to the present invention, since the pressing force generating unit for pressure-bonding the top plate and the substrate is provided with the mechanism for releasing the pressing force and maintaining the tightened state, it is possible to perform positioning of each member. When the pressing force is released, the positioning work can be easily performed.

Furthermore, by using a plurality of these units, even in a long line head, the top plate and the substrate can be pressure-bonded and joined separately, so that they can be easily assembled even without a large-scale device. It is a thing.

[0022]

Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 are views for explaining the constitution of main parts of the ink jet recording head of the present invention. In this embodiment, the density of the ink ejection ports is 360 dpi (7
An inkjet recording head of 0.5 μm) will be described.

In FIG. 2, the heater board 100 has a discharge energy generating element 101 at a predetermined position of 360 dp.
128 are provided at a density of i. This is provided with a plurality of signal pads for driving the ejection energy element 101 at arbitrary timing by an electric signal from the outside, and a plurality of pads 102 such as power pads for supplying electric power for driving the ejection energy element 101.

The heater board 100 is adhered and fixed on the surface of a base plate 300 made of a material such as metal or ceramics with an adhesive.

FIG. 3 shows a detailed view of the heater board 100 arranged on the base plate 300. A plurality of heater boards 100 are provided on the base plate 300,
The base plate 300 is adhered and fixed to a predetermined place on the base plate 300 with an adhesive 301 applied with a predetermined thickness. At this time, in each heater board, the discharge energy generating elements 100 on the heater board 100 have a pitch P ′ between the discharge energy generating elements at the ends of the adjacent heater boards.
Are arranged with high precision so that the arrangement pitch P is 70.5 μm. Further, the gap between the heater boards generated at this time is sealed with the sealant 302. The heater board 100 is not limited to those arranged as described above, but may be an integral heater board.

Returning to FIG. 2, the wiring board 400 is adhered to the base plate 300 as with the heater board 100. At this time, the plurality of pads 102 on the heater board 100 and the plurality of pads 401 for signal / power supply provided on the wiring board 400 are adhered and attached in a predetermined positional relationship corresponding to each. There is. Further, the wiring board 400 is provided with a connector 402 for supplying a print signal and driving power from the outside.

Next, the top plate 200 will be described with reference to FIG.

In FIG. 4, the top plate 200 is connected to a plurality of channels 202 provided corresponding to the discharge energy generating element 101 on the heater board 100, and communicates with each channel 202 and corresponds to each channel 202. An orifice 203 for ejecting the ink provided as an ink to a recording medium,
Each channel 2 for supplying ink to each channel 202
02, and an ink supply pipe 20 that forms an ink supply path for flowing ink supplied from an ink tank (not shown) into the liquid chamber 201.
5. An ink supply port 206 for supplying ink from the ink supply pipe 205 to the liquid chamber.
The top plate 200 is configured to have a length that substantially covers the discharge energy generating element array provided by arranging a plurality of heater boards 100.

Returning to FIG. 1, the top plate 200 is
Each discharge energy generating element 10 on the heater board 100 arranged on each flow path 202 and the base plate 300.
They are combined and combined so that the positional relationship with 1 is a predetermined corresponding positional relationship.

At this time, as a coupling method, a mechanical pressing method using a spring or the like is used.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 700 denotes a pressure contact unit for connecting the top plate and the heater board, and the plate spring member 600 and the spring fixing member 5 for fixing the plate spring member.
It consists of 00.

FIG. 5 is a plan view and a sectional view of the pressure contact unit. The leaf spring member 600 is made of bronze, stainless steel, or the like, and has a notch (slit) 60 in an integral leaf spring.
The structure has 2. Slit 6 of the leaf spring
The portion divided by 02 is a pressing portion for pressing the top plate, and each pressing portion is provided with a bent portion to increase spring rigidity, and a through hole 601 is provided at the tip of the bent portion. Has been. The end of the leaf spring on the pressing portion side is the top plate 2.
00 has an apex portion 603 bent downward to effectively press 00. The front end of the front salve portion is cut off at an acute angle, and the contact portion (pressing portion) with the top plate is formed to fit above the ink flow path. By thus urging the ink flow path portion in a concentrated manner, it is possible to reliably join the ink flow path wall from the vicinity of the ejection port, which is the portion that most affects crosstalk, to the heat generating portion, to the HB. Become.

The through-hole 601 is a portion into which a jig for regulating the biasing force is inserted, and also serves as a sealant inlet for sealing the top plate and the wire bonding portion. Especially, the sealing of the top plate is performed after fixing it with the pressure contact unit, but it is difficult to apply the sealant to the long type top plate from the side and seal it because the sealant does not wrap around well. Therefore, the sealant is injected through the through hole provided for each pressing portion.
Here, it is desirable that the front end of the through port be as close to the discharge port as possible in order to gain a stroke of the spring. Specifically, it is preferably provided in a portion corresponding to the front half region from the center of the top plate in the depth direction. Further, it is preferable that the rear end of the through hole is provided at a position near the discharge port where the wire bonding portion can be seen from above so as to ensure the sealing without reducing the spring rigidity as much as possible.

Further, the front salve part forms a space between the leaf spring member and the top plate, and the jig is inserted into this space. Here, it is preferable to set the length of the front slant in consideration of the strength of the jig and the rigidity of the spring.

Further, in the ink jet head of the present invention, by using an integral leaf spring member, it is possible to accurately align the pressing points in each pressing portion and it is possible to reduce the width of the slit.

The spring fixing member 500 for fixing and supporting the leaf spring member 600 is made of a resin such as PPS and the like.
00 and insert molding etc. are integrated. At this time, in order to strengthen the fixed portion of the leaf spring member, a through hole 604 is provided in the integrally molded portion of the leaf spring member as shown in FIG. 5B, and the leaf spring in this portion is bent. Further, the rear end of the leaf spring member is projected from the spring fixing member, and the jig is hooked on the rear end of the leaf spring member, so that the biasing force can be restricted only by the leaf spring member and the spring fixing member. It is possible. The pressure contact unit 700 is fixed to the base plate 300 by a method such as caulking or bolting, so that the leaf spring member 600 is secured.
The top plate 200 and the heater board 100 are pressure-bonded by the urging force of. The urging force at this time depends on the rigidity of the top plate 200, but in this embodiment, it is required to be 0.2 to 0.4 kg / mm. Therefore, in the case of a full line head, the biasing force of the entire leaf spring is several tens Kg. Therefore, it is preferable to provide the slit so that the biasing force of each pressing portion is 4 to 5 Kg. In this embodiment, slits are provided so that the pressing portion of the leaf spring member corresponds to each heater board.

The pressing unit of the present invention is provided with a mechanism capable of restricting and releasing the urging force of each pressing portion.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory view for explaining the urging force regulating mechanism of the pressure contact unit.

In FIG. 6, reference numeral 1000 denotes a jig for controlling the urging force of the pressure contact unit. Reference numeral 1110 is a first engaging portion of the jig 1000, and the first engaging portion 1110 is inserted into a through hole 601 provided in the leaf spring member 600 and is engaged with the tip of the leaf spring member 600. Reference numeral 1210 denotes a second engaging portion of the jig 1000, and the second engaging portion 121.
0 is engaged with the end of the spring fixing member 500 at the rear of the fixed portion. 1300 is a first provided with a first engaging portion 1110.
It is a screw member that joins the member 1100 and the second member 1200 provided with the second engagement portion 1210.

This jig 1000 is a spring holding member 500.
The portion that comes into contact with the fulcrum, the first engaging portion 1110 is the action point,
It is possible to regulate the biasing force of the leaf spring member pressing portion by pressing the rear end of the first member downward. By closing the screw member 1300 in this state, the position of the pressing portion can be fixed upward. When the top plate 200 is joined to the HB 100, the top plate 200 is joined with all the pressing portions of the leaf spring member 600 fixed above as described above. After the positioning of the top plate 200 is completed, the jig 1000 is removed in the reverse order to release the biasing force of the pressing portion, and the top plate 200 is fixed.

As described above, by using the urging force regulating jig, the urging forces of the top plate 200 and the heater board 100 can be easily regulated and opened.

Further, by engaging a member between the leaf spring member and the top plate, the biasing force of each pressing portion can be adjusted independently, and a more preferable joining state can be obtained. By restricting and releasing the biasing force using a detachable jig for regulating the biasing force as in the present embodiment, the unit can be made compact and the durability and operability can be improved. .

Next, the manufacturing process of the ink jet head of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory view showing the manufacturing process of the ink jet head in this embodiment. In this embodiment, a method for manufacturing a long multi-head using one grooved top plate for 11 heater boards (HB) will be described.

First, an aluminum substrate is die-cast to form an HB support portion or PCB for supporting the HB.
A base plate having a protrusion for positioning is prepared. The support portion is provided with a concave portion for injecting an adhesive and a suction opening used for temporarily fixing the HB. FIG. 8 is a schematic view showing a die-cast molded base plate. In FIG. 8, 310 is an HB support portion, 311.
Is a concave portion provided in the HB support portion, 312 is an adhesive injection groove communicating with the concave portion, 313 is a suction opening, 314 is P
It is a protrusion for positioning the CB. The surface of the shaded portion and the supporting portion of the base plate is polished. This increases the flatness of the support portion and reduces the probability of a step when arranging the HBs. Further, both end portions of the base plate are positioning portions for the device, so that the accuracy of assembling the device can be improved.

While preparing the base plate, a plurality of heater boards (HB) which are electrothermal conversion elements are prepared on a silicon substrate by a thin film forming technique.

Next, the plurality of prepared HBs are array-positioned with high precision on the above-mentioned HB support portion of the base plate by using a positioning tool or the like. Here, the positioned HB is sucked from the above-mentioned suction opening by the vacuum tool installed under the BP and temporarily fixed. In this way, each HB is sequentially arranged on the base plate (step a).

Next, the adhesive is poured from the adhesive injection groove of the base plate. The injected adhesive enters into each recess communicating with the adhesive injection groove by capillary action. After that, the adhesive is left to dry to completely fix the HB, and then suction of the vacuum tool is stopped. Further, when it is desired to strongly fix the HB, an adhesive may be injected through the suction opening to fix the HB (step b).

After the placement and fixing of the HB is completed, the base plate and the HB are provided to eliminate the step at the end of the HB on the discharge port side.
Grind. This is because the top plate, which will be described later, is abutted against and joined to the end of the HB on the ejection port side, and therefore, if there is a step in this portion, crosstalk occurs (step c).

Next, the PCB (wiring board) is adhered to the base plate in a state of being positioned by the above-mentioned positioning protrusions. This allows the electrode pads provided on the PCB
And the electrode pads provided on the HB have a corresponding predetermined positional relationship. Then, the electrode pads provided on the PCB and the electrode pads provided on the HB are wire-bonded to electrically connect the HB and the PCB. At this time, the continuity of wire bonding is also checked (step d).

Next, a press-contacting unit that serves to bring the top plate into close contact with the HB on the BP is attached. This press-contact unit is composed of a leaf spring member that presses the heater board and a spring fixing member that fixes and supports the leaf spring member. The leaf spring member has a plurality of notches in the longitudinal direction, and a plurality of pressing portions are provided. It is divided. Further, each pressing portion has a through hole, and a jig is inserted into this through hole to regulate and release the urging force of each pressing portion.

When the pressure contact unit is fixed to the BP, the fixing member of the pressure contact unit can be joined to the BP via the PCB and fixed by screws or heat caulking (step e).

In order to bond the top plate to the heater board, the urging force of each pressing portion is regulated by a jig (step f).

After securing a sufficient space on the heater board in this manner, the ink flow path and the ejection energy generating element are aligned so that they correspond to each other, and the top plate is bonded onto HB (step g). .

Then, the top plate is fixed by releasing the biasing force of the pressing portion. At this time, the urging force of the pressing portion is released (fixed at the pressing portion) in order from the central pressing portion toward both ends. By releasing the biasing force in this way, the warp of the top plate can be forced, and the flexure escapes to the outside, so that a good joining state can be secured over the entire HB. After the urging force of the pressing portion is released, the jig is completely removed from the head body (step h).

Next, the ink supply unit is fixed to the base plate by heat welding or the like at a position where the ink supply pipes are joined to both ends of the top plate. Ink is supplied to the top plate by this ink supply unit. The ink may be supplied from both directions, or may be circulated from either one. Further, a filter for trapping air bubbles is provided in the connector portion of the ink supply unit (step i).

Finally, the head cover is attached so as to cover the base plate, and the sealant is injected into the top plate bonding portion and the wire bonding portion from the window portion provided in the portion corresponding to the pressing portion of the head cover, and the ink jet head. Is completed (process j, k).

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the construction of an ink jet device equipped with an embodiment of the ink jet head of the present invention.

The ink jet device, as shown in FIG.
The line type heads 2201a to 2201d are provided, and the line type heads 2201a to 2201d are used for the holder 2
202 are fixedly supported in parallel with each other at a predetermined interval in the X direction. Each head 2201a to 2201d
3456 ejection openings are provided downward in a row along the Y direction at intervals of 16 ejection openings / mm, which enables recording of a width of 218 mm.

These heads 2201a to 2201d are of a type that discharges the recording liquid by using thermal energy, and the discharge is controlled by the head driver 2220.

Incidentally, the heads 2201a to 2201d
A head unit is configured to include the holder 202 and the head unit, and the head moving unit 224 can move the head unit in the vertical direction.

Head caps 2203a to 2203d are arranged below and adjacent to the heads 2201a to 2201d, respectively. Each head cap 2203
Each of a to 2203d has an ink absorbing member such as a sponge inside.

The caps 2203a to 2203d are fixed by a holder (not shown), and a cap unit is constructed by including the holder and the caps 2203a to 2203d. The cap unit can be moved in the X direction by the cap moving means 2225. It has become.

The heads 2201a to 2201d are supplied with inks of cyan, magenta, yellow, and black from the ink tanks 2204a to 2204d through the ink supply tubes 2205a to 2205d, respectively, to enable color recording.

Further, this ink supply utilizes the capillarity of the head discharge port, and each ink tank 2204a ...
The liquid surface of 2204d is set lower than the discharge port position by a certain distance.

This apparatus is also equipped with a chargeable seamless belt 2 for conveying a recording paper 227 which is a recording material.
It has 206.

The belt 2206 has a driving roller 220.
7, the idle rollers 2209 and 2209a and the tension roller 2210 are routed around a predetermined path and can be driven by a belt drive motor 2208 which is connected to the drive roller 2207 and is driven by a motor driver 2221. Has become.

The belt 2206 has a head 2201.
It travels in the X direction immediately below the discharge ports a to 2201d, and here, the fixed support member 2226 suppresses the downward shake.

Reference numeral 2217 indicates a cleaning unit for removing paper dust and the like adhering to the surface of the belt 2206.

Reference numeral 2212 indicates a charger that charges the belt 2206.
Is turned on and off by the charger driver 2222,
The electrostatic attraction force due to this charging causes the recording paper to move to the belt 2
Adsorb to 206.

Before and after the charger 2212, the recording paper 222 is conveyed in cooperation with the idle rollers 2209 and 2209a.
Pinch roller 2 for pressing 7 against belt 2206
211 and 2211a are arranged.

Reference numeral 2232 indicates a paper feed cassette, and a recording paper 2227 in this cassette 2232 is a paper feed roller 22 driven by a motor driver 2223.
It is sent out one by one by rotation of 16 and the driver 2
It is transported to the chevron guide 2213 in the X direction by the transport roller 2214 and the pinch roller 2215 driven by the 223. Further, this guide 2213 has a mountain-shaped space that allows the bending of the recording paper.

Reference numeral 2218 indicates a paper distribution tray from which recording paper for which recording has been completed is discharged.

The head driver 2220, head moving means 2224, cap moving means 2225, motor drivers 2221 and 2223, and charger driver 2
All 222 are controlled by the control circuit 2219.

In the embodiment of the present invention described above,
Although the ink is described as a liquid, an ink that solidifies at room temperature or lower and that softens or liquefies at room temperature may be used, or in the ink jet method, the ink itself is in the range of 30 ° C. to 70 ° C. In general, the temperature is adjusted to control the temperature of the ink so that the viscosity of the ink is within the stable ejection range. Therefore, a liquid in which the ink is in a liquid state when the use recording signal is applied may be used. in addition,
Ink that solidifies in a standing state and liquefies by heating may be used.

Further, in the present invention, a long inkjet head having no print unevenness is provided even in a printing apparatus and a printing system in which a printing apparatus, a pretreatment apparatus and a posttreatment apparatus are highly demanded for a long inkjet head. It is possible to provide a printing apparatus and system capable of performing high-definition and high-quality printing.

Further, by using this ink jet head, it is possible to obtain a printing apparatus such as a facsimile machine, a copying machine, a printer or the like, which is free from image distortion.

The present invention provides excellent effects particularly in an inkjet recording head and an inkjet recording apparatus of the inkjet recording type, in which flying droplets are formed by utilizing thermal energy among the inkjet recording systems for recording. .

Regarding its typical structure and principle, see, for example, US Pat. Nos. 4,723,129 and 4740.
What is done using the basic principles disclosed in 796 is preferred. This method can be applied to both the so-called on-demand type and continuous type, but especially in the case of the on-demand type, liquid (ink)
By applying at least one drive signal to the electrothermal converter arranged corresponding to the sheet or liquid path in which is stored, which corresponds to the recorded information and causes a rapid temperature rise exceeding nucleate boiling. , It is effective because it generates heat energy in the electrothermal converter and causes film boiling on the heat-acting surface of the recording head, resulting in the formation of bubbles in the liquid (ink) corresponding to this drive signal on a one-to-one basis. Is. The liquid (ink) is ejected through the ejection openings by the growth and contraction of the bubbles to form at least one droplet. It is more preferable to make the driving signal into a pulse shape because bubbles can be grown and contracted immediately and appropriately, and thus a liquid (ink) with excellent responsiveness can be ejected.

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 of 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 respective specifications. The present invention also includes configurations using US Pat. No. 4,558,333 and US Pat. No. 4,459,600, which disclose a configuration in which a heat acting portion is arranged in a bending region.

In addition, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 59-123670 discloses a structure in which a common slit is used as a discharge portion of an electrothermal converter for a plurality of electrothermal converters, and a pressure wave of thermal energy is absorbed. The present invention is also effective as a configuration based on Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 59-138461, which discloses a configuration in which an opening corresponds to a discharge portion.

Further, it is preferable to add recovery means for the ink jet recording head, preliminary auxiliary means, etc., provided as a constitution of the ink jet recording apparatus of the present invention, because the effect of the present invention can be further stabilized. is there. Specific examples thereof include capping means, cleaning means, pressurizing or suctioning means for the recording head, preheating means using an electrothermal converter or another heating element or a combination thereof, and recording. It is also effective to perform a stable recording by performing a preliminary discharge mode in which another discharge is performed.

In addition, as the form of the ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention, in addition to one provided integrally or separately as an image output terminal of information processing equipment such as a word processor or a computer, a copying apparatus combined with a reader, May take the form of a facsimile machine having a transmission / reception function.

[0086]

Since the present invention is configured as described above, it has the following effects.

In a press-contact unit for press-bonding a top plate and a heater board, the press-contact unit is divided into a plurality of top plate pressing portions by notches, and a plate spring member provided with a through hole corresponding to each pressing portion. And a spring fixing member that uniformly holds the leaf spring member in the discharge port arrangement direction,
By providing a biasing force regulation mechanism capable of regulating and releasing the biasing force to the plurality of pressing portions, assembly and manufacturing can be simplified,
The manufacturing apparatus can be downsized and simplified, the assembly can be facilitated, and the manufacturing cost can be suppressed.

Particularly in the line type head, since the release of the biasing force can be performed separately, it is possible to adjust the load of the biasing force, the order, the load distribution in the discharge port array direction, etc., and to perform more reliable crimp bonding. be able to.

Since the biasing force is regulated by using a jig, the structure can be simplified, and in addition to the above effects,
This has the effect of facilitating the operation of restricting and opening the biasing force.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of an inkjet recording head of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of an inkjet recording head of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram for explaining the arrangement of a heater board of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of a top plate of the inkjet recording head of the present invention.

5A and 5B are a plan view and a cross-sectional view showing a press contact unit of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory view for explaining an urging force regulating mechanism of the pressure contact unit of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing a manufacturing process of the inkjet head of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a schematic view showing a base plate of the inkjet head of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an inkjet device equipped with an embodiment of the inkjet head of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a schematic perspective view showing an example of a conventional full-line type inkjet head.

[Explanation of symbols]

 100 heater board 103 connector 200 top plate 300 base plate 310 pedestal 314 PCB positioning protrusion 400 PCB 500 spring fixing member 600 leaf spring member 601 through-hole 602 slit 603 front shank 700 pressure contact unit 1000 jig

Front page continued (72) Inventor Koichi Omata 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc. (72) Inventor Kiyomi Aono 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc. (72) Inventor Yuuki Tajima 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc.

Claims (15)

[Claims] 1. A first member having a plurality of ink ejection openings and a plurality of grooves communicating with each of the ink ejection openings, and a plurality of energies used to eject ink in the grooves from the ink ejection openings. A second member having a generating element, and a press-contact unit for press-contacting the first member and the second member,
An ink jet recording head in which an ink flow path is formed by joining the first member and the second member, wherein the pressure contact unit is divided into a plurality of second member pressing portions by notches and corresponds to each pressing portion. And a spring fixing member that uniformly holds the plate spring member in the discharge port array direction, and the plurality of pressing portions are provided with a biasing force regulating mechanism. An inkjet recording head characterized by the above. 2. The ink jet recording head according to claim 1, wherein the urging force regulating mechanism is independent for each pressing portion. 3. The inkjet recording head according to claim 1, which is a full line head having a width corresponding to a recording width on a recording medium. 4. The ink jet recording head according to claim 1, wherein the second member comprises a plurality of members. 5. The ink jet recording head according to claim 1, wherein a rear end of the leaf spring member protrudes from a spring fixing member. 6. The ink jet recording head according to claim 4, wherein the pressing portion is provided corresponding to each of the second members. 7. The ink jet recording head according to claim 4, wherein the pressing portion is provided so as to straddle the second member. 8. A first member having a plurality of ink ejection openings and a plurality of grooves communicating with each of the ink ejection openings, and a plurality of members used for ejecting the ink in the grooves from the ink ejection openings. A method for manufacturing an inkjet recording head, comprising: a second member having an energy generating element; a support member that supports the second member; and a pressure contact unit that press-contacts the first member and the second member. The pressing unit is divided into a plurality of top plate pressing portions by notches, and has a through hole corresponding to each pressing portion, and a spring for uniformly holding the plate spring member in the discharge port arrangement direction. A fixing member is provided, the press-contact unit is joined to the support, and the urging force of each pressing portion of the press-contact unit is regulated, then the first member is joined to the second member, and Energize the pressing part A method for producing an ink jet recording head, characterized in that the open securing said first member on said second member. 9. The method for manufacturing an inkjet recording head according to claim 8, which is a full line head having a width corresponding to a recording width on a recording medium. 10. The method for manufacturing an inkjet recording head according to claim 8, wherein the urging force is regulated and released by a jig. 11. The method for manufacturing an inkjet recording head according to claim 8, wherein the second member is composed of a plurality of members. 12. The method of manufacturing an ink jet recording head according to claim 10, wherein a rear end of the leaf spring member is projected from a spring fixing member, and the jig is engaged with the protruding portion and the through hole. 13. The method of manufacturing an ink jet recording head according to claim 11, wherein the pressing portion is provided corresponding to each of the second members. 14. The method for manufacturing an inkjet recording head according to claim 11, wherein the pressing portion is provided so as to straddle the second member. 15. A first member having a plurality of ink ejection openings and a plurality of ink flow path grooves communicating with each of the ink ejection openings, and used for ejecting ink in the grooves from the ink ejection openings. A press-contact unit for an ink jet recording head, which press-contacts a second member having a plurality of energy generating elements, the press-contact unit being divided into a plurality of top plate pressing portions by notches and penetrating corresponding to each pressing portion. A leaf spring member having a mouth, and a spring fixing member for uniformly holding the leaf spring member in the discharge port array direction, and the plurality of pressing portions are provided with a biasing force regulating mechanism. Pressure contact unit for inkjet recording head.