JPH08142329A - Ink jet head and ink jet device having the head - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To uniformize a pressing force during the pressurizing connection of a base body and a groove-having top plate by a constitution wherein a plurality of contact sections which are brought into contact with a pressing member are provided to a second base body having a groove whereby a plurality of ink passages are formed thereon. CONSTITUTION: A base plate (a first base body) 1 comprising a plurality of ejection energy generating elements, i.e., electricity-heat conversion elements is made mainly of Si. A molded produce 2 made of a resin is a groove-having top plate 2 (a second substrate) consisting of a multiple of ejection nozzles 9, a multiple of passages 7 (ink passages), groove sections 7a forming the passages, wall sections 7b forming ink passage walls and a common ink chamber 8 that reserves ink to be supplied to the respective ink passages. An Al plate 3 is a support member for forming a head consisting of the respective parts. A pressing member 4 press-bonds the substrate to the groove-having top plate 2 for forming the ink passages 7 and common ink chamber 8.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ink jet head in which an ink path is formed by joining a first substrate and a second substrate.

The present invention also relates to an ink jet head cartridge in which an ink jet head which receives a recording signal and ejects ink and an ink tank which supplies ink to the head are integrally formed.

Further, the present invention relates to an ink jet recording apparatus which mounts an ink jet cartridge and performs desired recording.

[0004]

2. Description of the Related Art In the ink jet recording system, desired recording is performed by ejecting ink droplets from fine ejection openings provided in a recording head and landing the ink droplets on a recording paper.

FIG. 10 is a schematic perspective view schematically showing a part of an ink jet head used in the above-mentioned ink jet recording system.

In FIG. 10, reference numeral 1 is a substrate on which a plurality of ejection energy generating elements, for example, electrothermal converting elements (not shown) are arranged. Indicated at 2 are a plurality of ink ejection openings 9, a groove portion 7a which is an ink passage 7 communicating with the ink ejection opening 9, a wall portion 7b which is an ink passage wall, and a common liquid chamber 8 which supplies ink to the ink passage 7. It is a grooved top plate made by. Reference numeral 3 is an Al support member for constructing and configuring each component. Reference numeral 4 is a spring plate-shaped member that is a means for mechanically pressure-bonding the substrate 1 and the grooved top plate 2 to form the ink path 7.

The plate member 4 made of spring has a substantially U-shape, and the substrate 1 and the grooved top plate 2 are sandwiched and pressed from above and below in the joining direction to join them. At that time, the plate member 4 made of spring
Applies a pressure force to the upper surface of the grooved top plate 2 in surface contact with the upper surface, and joins the substrate 1 and the grooved top plate 2 with the pressing force.

With regard to such a joining method, it has already been proposed by the present inventors that the end portion of the leaf spring is bent and the second base body is pressed into contact with the linear end face thereof (Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. Hei 10 (1999) -242242). 3-101955). Figure 11
Shown in (a) and (b).

The plate member 4 made of spring is shown in FIG.
As shown in (b), a substantially U-shape having a flat surface portion 4c substantially parallel to the upper surface of the grooved top plate 2 and a side surface portion 4d along the joint surface side between the substrate 1 and the grooved top plate 2. It has a shape and side surface 4
An arm portion 4e for engaging with the support plate 3 and urging a pressing force to the plate member 4 made of spring is provided at d.
Further, in the plate member 4 made of spring, a linear pressure generating portion 6 extending from the flat portion 4c and bent to the upper surface side of the grooved top plate 2 is formed.
Is provided. The linear pressure generating unit 6 press-bonds the substrate 1 and the grooved top plate 2 by the linear pressure, whereby the stress of the press is concentrated, and a uniform pressing force is obtained, so that reliable and highly reliable bonding is performed. .

[0010]

According to such a method, the first substrate (substrate) having the discharge pressure generating portion and the second substrate (groove top plate) having the groove portion serving as the liquid flow path are formed. However, it is disclosed that the adhesion can be sufficiently achieved, whereby very good quality printing without crosstalk is possible.

However, with this method, a grooved top plate having a size of about 50 to 100 flow channels provided sufficient quality, but about 150 lines were required to achieve high-speed printing. When a second substrate having the same number of channels was prepared and tested, a gap was created between the substrate and the grooved top plate due to insufficient adhesion, and the separation between adjacent channels was insufficient. Crosstalk occurred between the ink channels, and the print quality was significantly degraded. It is presumed that this is because the increase in size of the grooved top plate caused a large amount of warpage and deformation at the time of molding, and thus the pressing of the spring did not sufficiently achieve close contact with the substrate. In order to solve this, I tried to increase the spring pressure, but just increasing the spring pressure a little did not have much effect. When the spring pressure is further increased, the substrate may be broken by the arm portion 4e, which is not desirable.

The present invention is intended to solve these problems, and as described above, when pressing and joining the substrate 1 and the grooved top plate 2 with the pressing member 4, the pressing force is uniform and reliable. It is an object of the present invention to provide an inkjet head capable of ensuring and compensating for the quality and achieving high quality recording.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an ink jet head cartridge in which an ink tank for supplying ink is integrally provided to the ink jet head having excellent characteristics as described above, and the ink jet head cartridge is replaceable with respect to the ink jet apparatus. To do.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an ink jet device in which an ink jet head cartridge using the ink jet head having the above-mentioned excellent characteristics is mounted and recording is performed.

[0015]

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION The inventors of the present invention have made diligent efforts to achieve the above-mentioned object, and as a result, regarding a grooved top plate made of resin, a portion abutted by a spring is divided into a plurality of parts. By doing so, a sufficient adhesion state can be obtained. That is, a plurality of ink ejection ports for ejecting ink, a plurality of ink paths respectively communicating with the plurality of ink ejection ports, a plurality of ejection energy generating elements used for ejecting the ink, A first base having a plurality of ejection energy generating elements, a second base having a groove for forming the plurality of ink paths, and a second base being pressed and bonded to the first base. A pressing member for controlling the first base member and the second base member.
In the ink jet head in which the ink path is formed by being joined to the base body, the second base body has a plurality of abutting portions that are abutted against the pressing member. The member proposes an ink jet head characterized in that the member presses the second base over a plurality of contact portions of the second base. This facilitates the deformation of the grooved top plate when pressure is applied to the grooved top plate by the spring, so that even if there is some warpage or deformation on the second base side, the close contact with the substrate It is designed to be improved.

[0016]

【Example】

(Embodiment 1) An embodiment of the present invention will be specifically described below with reference to the drawings. In the following embodiments, ink will be described as an example of the liquid, but the liquid is not limited to this, and any liquid that can be ejected according to the principles of the present invention may be used. 1 (a) and 1 (b) are an exploded perspective view and a sectional view schematically showing a part of an inkjet head of the present invention. Reference numeral 1 denotes a substrate (first base) provided with a plurality of ejection energy generating elements, in this example, an electrothermal converting element, which is mainly composed of Si. Reference numeral 2 denotes a large number of ejection ports 9, a large number of flow paths (ink paths) 7, a groove portion 7a that serves as a flow path, a wall portion 7b that serves as an ink path wall, and a common ink chamber that stores ink for sending ink to each ink path. 8
The grooved top plate 2 having the second substrate is made of a molded product made of resin. 3 is an Al plate that serves as a supporting member for constructing each part to form a head, 4 is an ink path 7,
A pressing member that mechanically press-bonds the substrate 1 and the grooved top plate 2 to form the common ink chamber 8 is used. Here, a plate-shaped member made of spring is used. For example, a metal such as phosphor bronze or stainless steel for spring is used. And made of FRP. Reference numeral 5 denotes an adhesive for temporarily fixing the substrate 1 and the grooved top plate 2, which is a photo-curing adhesive.

Further, in the grooved top plate 2 of the present invention, on the upper surface (contact surface side of the pressing member), the groove portions 10 intersect the arrangement direction of the ink passages 7 as shown in the drawing (substantially orthogonal to each other). Direction is most desirable) (2 in the figure)
Shown in the book).

In the head of this embodiment, 128 discharge ports 9 are provided (the number is 5 in the figure for simplification), and 10 to 10 groove portions 10 are formed respectively. After assembling each as a head, the print quality was confirmed. At this time, the spring used was made of phosphor bronze and had a load of about 1.0 kg. The depth of the groove portion 10 was about 30% of the length of the grooved top plate 2 in the direction perpendicular to the bonding surface of the substrate 1. I used one. The result is shown in FIG. As a comparative example, a sample having no groove is added.

As is apparent from FIG. 2, in the comparative example in which the groove portion 10 is not formed, 8 out of 10 heads are not of satisfactory quality, and although there are some solid differences, they are different from the adjacent nozzles. It was causing crosstalk. On the other hand, in the case where the groove portion 10 is provided, the quality is clearly improved as compared with the comparative example. Particularly, in the case where the groove portion 10 is provided at 4 or more, all 10 heads have very good print quality. showed that.

The higher the number of grooves, the better the quality, but this is nothing but the good adhesion between the substrate and the grooved top plate. That is, it is considered that the larger the number of grooves, the easier the deformation when a constant spring load is applied, and the better the contact state. The present inventors conducted a simplified model experiment as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 to further confirm this experimental fact. In the figure, 21 is a block made of the same material as the above-mentioned grooved top plate (in this case, polysulfone was used), in which a groove as a groove portion is provided (2 in this figure).
The book is shown), both ends of this block are fixed (22
Was applied), and a load was applied to the central portion on the opposite side, and the amount of deformation (warp amount) was measured. The result is shown in FIG. As is clear from this figure, the larger the number of grooves, the larger the amount of deformation and the easier the deformation due to the load.

In connection with this, FIG. 5 shows the correlation with the displacement amount when the depth of the groove is changed in the same model test. In this case, the number of grooves was fixed to 2, and the depth of the grooves was changed. The loads are 1 kg and 2 kg. As is clear from the figure, naturally, the deeper one is
The amount of deformation is large.

As explained above, with a constant spring load,
In order to improve the close contact between the substrate and the grooved top plate and obtain good print quality without crosstalk, it is effective to provide the grooved top plate with a groove portion so as to be easily deformed. At that time, how to select and design the number and depth of the groove is a problem related to the design of the applied product. The strength of the spring that can be used, the amount of warp of the grooved top plate, and the groove 10 It is sufficient to select the optimum one that can be taken within the constraints of design such as the flowability at the time of molding the resin.

(Embodiment 2) In order to describe the second embodiment of the present invention in detail, description will be made below with reference to FIG. FIG.
FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view schematically showing a part of the inkjet head of the present invention. Reference numeral 112 denotes an element substrate including a plurality of ejection energy generating elements (electrothermal conversion elements in this example), which is mainly composed of Si. Reference numeral 113 is a groove having a plurality of ink ejection ports 101, a plurality of liquid flow paths, a groove serving as a liquid flow path, a wall portion serving as an ink path wall, and a common liquid chamber for storing ink for sending ink to each ink path. The attached member (top plate) 113 is made of a resin molded product. 11
Reference numeral 1 is a base plate which serves as a support member for constructing each part to form a head, and 114 mechanically press-bonds a heater board 112 and a top plate 113 to form a liquid flow path and a common liquid chamber. It is a pressing member such as a spring and is made of, for example, phosphor bronze, stainless for spring, FRP, or the like.

As shown in FIG. 12, the pressing member 114 is a folded end portion 114 having a high steel property and substantially parallel to the upper surface of the top plate 113.
A is formed. On the other hand, a plurality of convex portions 113C are provided on the spring member pressing portion side (opposite side of the groove portion) of the top plate 113. When the folded-back end portion 114A of the pressing member 114 presses the convex portion 113C, the element substrate 11
2 and the top plate 113 are pressed and joined. By thus receiving the pressing force of the pressing member 114 at a plurality of points, the top plate 1
The warp and deformation of the pressing portion 13 due to the pressing member 13 and the variation in the pressing force in the ink ejection port arrangement direction due to the variation in accuracy due to the quality of the folded end 114A of the pressing member 114 can be dispersed, and the entire vicinity of the ink ejection port can be dispersed. Can be pressed with a uniform pressing force, and reliable and highly reliable bonding can be performed.

In this embodiment, the pressing member 114 is made of stainless steel for spring and has a plate thickness of 0.35 mm.
Generates about 3 kg of force. However, as described above, if the spring member pressing portion of the top plate 113 is configured by a flat surface as in the conventional case, the top plate 113 made of resin is warped or deformed.
Due to the variation in the accuracy of the folded end 114A of the pressing member 114, the pressing force is partially concentrated, and it was difficult to join with a uniform pressing force over the entire area of the ejection ports in the arrangement direction. However, in the present embodiment, the contacting portion of the folded end 114A of the pressing member 114 with the pressing member pressing portion of the grooved top plate 113 is elongated in a direction substantially perpendicular to the arrangement direction of the liquid flow paths. By providing the convex portion 113C of the pressing member in the direction along the arrangement direction of the liquid flow path, the folded end 114A of the pressing member due to the warp or deformation of the top plate 113 and the accuracy variation of the pressing member 114, and the convex portion of the top plate 113 113C
The portion with a strong hit is larger than the other portions, and the convex portion 113C
Is crushed and the pressing force is dispersed in the direction in which the ink ejection ports are aligned as a whole, and it becomes possible to join with a more uniform pressing force. The position where the folded-back end 114A of the pressing member 114 presses is at least the element substrate 112 and the top plate 113.
It is preferable to press the liquid flow path region formed by joining with. Furthermore, it is preferable to press a region closer to the ink ejection port side, and most preferably to press the ejection port formation region.

On the other hand, the folded end 11 of the pressing member 114
It is most preferable that the pressing area of 4A is formed with a width such that the forming area in the arrangement direction of the liquid flow path communicating with the ink ejection port is pressed over the entire width. On the other hand, in the convex portion 113C provided on the pressing portion of the top plate 113, the contact portion with the pressing member 114 is formed smaller so as to be crushed to some extent by the pressing force of the pressing member. It is preferable to form them so as to widen toward the end in the arrangement direction.

It is necessary to determine the optimum pitch number of the convex portions 113C depending on the number of ink ejection ports and the like. If the number of protrusions is increased and the pitch is made too small, the force applied to one protrusion is weakened, the protrusion 113C is not crushed too much, and the warp and deformation of the top plate 113 and the pressing member 114 are prevented.
Due to the variation in the accuracy of (1), a part or the like where the folded-back end portion 114A of the pressing member does not come into contact with the convex portion 113C was formed, and a good result was not obtained. On the other hand, if the pitch is too wide, the ink path between the protrusions will be the element substrate 11
2 is not pressed firmly, and stable ink ejection cannot be obtained.

In the present embodiment, the optimum result was obtained when the projections 113C were provided at a ratio of 1 to 12 ink ejection ports.

(Embodiment 3) FIG. 13 shows another embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 13, a portion of the pressing portion of the top plate 113 provided with the plurality of convex portions 113C is lightened, and the convex portions 113C are formed to be elongated in the ink ejection direction. The rigidity in the direction of the ejection port arrangement becomes weaker, and
It is possible to press-join more evenly.

(Fourth Embodiment) FIG. 14 is a view of a grooved member (top plate) according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

In FIG. 14, 11 is a liquid chamber separating groove (dummy nozzle) for separating liquid channel groups, 13 is a common liquid chamber separating groove, 15 is a common liquid chamber separating groove wall, 16 is an orifice plate, 17 Is a sealant injection port of the common liquid chamber separation groove, 18
A, B, C, and D are a plurality of recesses that form a common liquid chamber, and the common liquid chambers are completely separated by the sealant. Two
Reference numeral 0 is a groove forming a flow path.

Here, 64 nozzles in the common liquid chamber A section are arranged at a pitch of 71 μm. Common liquid chamber B section, C
Nozzles of section D and section D are arranged at a pitch of 71 μm.

The height h1 of the common liquid chamber is 0.1 mm to 1 m in view of the bubble removal property at the time of recovery and stable ink supply to the nozzles.
About m is good. Further, it is preferable that the upper surface h2 of the top plate from the bonding surface of the heater board is about 1.2 mm to 1.5 mm against sink marks, warpage, etc. at the time of molding. The width h3 of the heater board joined to the top plate having such a size is about 14 mm, and a compact color integrated head can be realized.

FIG. 15 shows an embodiment of the present invention of an ink jet head having a plurality of common liquid chambers shown in FIG. FIG.
As shown in FIG. 5, a plurality of convex portions 16A, 16B, 16C and 16D are provided at positions corresponding to the common liquid chambers of the pressing portion of the top plate 16.
By providing and by pressing with the pressing member 114, an effective force is applied to the nozzle of each common liquid chamber, and the adhesion with the heater board 112 is improved.

In the present embodiment, the convex portions are formed at positions substantially symmetrical with respect to the center line (center plane zz) that intersects (substantially orthogonally intersects) the flow passage arrangement direction and is the center of each flow passage group. Is provided. Therefore, each common liquid chamber can be pressed uniformly.

(Embodiment 5) FIG. 16 shows a fourth embodiment of the present invention. In the present embodiment, the convex portions 16B ′, 16C ′ and 16D ′ corresponding to the liquid chambers having a small width in the flow channel arrangement direction are provided.
Is 0.01 more than the convex portion 16A 'corresponding to the liquid chamber having a long width.
It is formed mm to 0.1 mm higher. As a result, the force can be applied particularly effectively to the nozzle having the short width of the common liquid chamber, that is, the high rigidity, and the adhesion can be improved.

Next, referring to FIGS. 7 to 9, a preferred ink jet unit I in which the present invention is implemented or applied.
FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of a JU, an inkjet head IJH, an inkjet cartridge IJC, and an inkjet apparatus main body IJRA. The configuration of each part will be described below with reference to these drawings.

Inkjet cartridge IJ in this example
As can be seen from the perspective view of FIG. 8, C indicates that the ink jet head unit and the ink tank are integrated, and the ink storage ratio is high.
The inkjet cartridge IJC is a disposable type which is fixedly supported by the positioning means and electrical contacts of the carriage mounted on the inkjet recording apparatus main body IJRA and is detachable from the carriage.

The ink jet unit IJU is a bubble jet type unit for recording by using an electrothermal converter which generates thermal energy for causing film boiling to the ink in response to an electric signal.

In FIG. 2, reference numeral 100 denotes an electrothermal converter (ejection heater) arranged in a plurality of rows on a Si substrate, and electric wiring such as Al for supplying electric power to the electrothermal converter, which is formed by a film forming technique. It is a heater board (first base body) formed by. Two
Reference numeral 00 is a wiring board for the heater board 100.

Reference numeral 1300 is a groove provided with a partition wall (groove) for partitioning a plurality of ink flow paths and a common liquid chamber for accommodating ink for supplying ink to each ink flow path (liquid flow path). This is a top plate integrally formed with an orifice plate 400 having a plurality of ejection openings corresponding to the respective ink flow paths. Polysulfone resin is preferable as the integral molding material, but other molding resin materials may be used.

Reference numeral 300 denotes a support body made of, for example, a metal, which supports the back surface of the wiring board 200 on a plane, and serves as a bottom plate of the ink jet unit. Reference numeral 500 denotes a presser spring which is a pressing member and has an M-shape and presses the common liquid chamber with a light pressure at the center of the M-shape, and a front salient portion 501 forms a part of the liquid passage, preferably an area near the discharge port. Concentrated pressing with linear pressure. Heater board 1
00 and the top plate 1300, the foot of the spring is supported by the support member 30.
By engaging the back side of the support 300 through the hole 3121 of 0 to engage them in a state of sandwiching them, the heater board 100 and the front slant part 501 are concentrated by the concentrated biasing force of the heater board 100. And the top plate 1300 are fixed by pressure.

The ink tank is the cartridge body 100.
0, the ink absorber 900, and the ink absorber 900 are inserted from the side surface of the cartridge body 1000 opposite to the unit IJU attachment surface, and then the lid member 1 for sealing the same.
It is composed of 100 and. 1200 is the unit IJU
Is a supply port for supplying ink to. 140
Reference numeral 1 is an atmosphere communication port provided in the lid member for communicating the inside of the cartridge with the atmosphere.

In this embodiment, the top plate 1300 is made of a resin such as polysulfone, polyether sulfone, polyphenylene oxide, polypropylene, etc., which has excellent ink resistance, and is integrally formed in the mold together with the polyphis plate portion 400. It is molded.

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

FIG. 9 is a schematic view of an ink jet recording apparatus IJRA to which the present invention is applied. The lead screw 5005 is a helix line that rotates via driving force transmission gears 5011 and 5009 in association with forward and reverse rotations of a drive motor 5013. Groove 50
The carriage HC engaging with 04 is a pin (not shown)
And is reciprocated in the directions of arrows a and b. A paper pressing plate 5002 presses the paper against the platen 5000 in the carriage movement direction. 5007, 5008
Is a home position detecting means for confirming the existence of the carriage lever 5006 in this area by a photo coupler and switching the rotation direction of the motor 5013. 5016
Is a cap member 502 that caps the front surface of the recording head.
Reference numeral 5015 is a member for supporting the inside of the cap, and 5015 is a suction means for sucking the inside of the cap to perform suction recovery of the recording head through the in-cap opening 5023. Reference numeral 5017 is a cleaning blade, and 5019 is a member that allows this blade to move in the front-rear direction, and these are supported by a main body support plate 5018. Needless to say, a well-known cleaning blade can be applied to this example instead of this form. Reference numeral 5012 denotes a lever for starting suction for suction recovery, which moves in accordance with movement of the cam 5020 that engages with the carriage, and the driving force from the driving motor is controlled by known transmission means such as clutch switching. To be done.

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

The apparatus has drive signal supply means for driving the ejection energy generating element.

The present invention provides excellent effects particularly in a bubble jet type ink jet head and ink jet device among ink jet recording systems.

With regard to its typical structure and principle, see, for example, US Pat. Nos. 4,723,129 and 4740.
What is done using the basic principles disclosed in 796 is preferred. This method is a so-called on-demand type,
It can be applied to any of the continuous type, but especially in the case of the on-demand type, it is arranged corresponding to the sheet or liquid path holding the liquid (ink) and is used as an electrothermal converter. By applying at least one drive signal that corresponds to the recorded information and causes a rapid temperature rise beyond nucleate boiling, heat energy is generated in the electrothermal converter, causing film boiling on the heat-acting surface of the recording head. As a result, bubbles can be formed in the liquid (ink) in a one-to-one correspondence with this drive signal, which is effective. By the growth and contraction of the bubbles, liquid (ink) is ejected through the ejection opening,
Form at least one drop. 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, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,463,359 and 4,345 are used.
Those as described in the '262 patent 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 ink jet 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 the heat acting portion is arranged in a bending region. In addition, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 123670/1984 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. The present invention is also effective as a configuration based on Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 138461/1984, which discloses a configuration that corresponds to the discharge portion.

Further, as a full line type ink jet head having a length corresponding to the maximum width of the recording medium which can be recorded by the ink jet apparatus, a combination of a plurality of recording heads as disclosed in the above-mentioned specification is used. It may have either a structure satisfying the length or a structure as one integrally formed inkjet head, but the present invention can more effectively exhibit the above-mentioned effects.

In addition, by being mounted on the apparatus main body, it can be electrically connected to the apparatus main body and can be supplied with ink from the apparatus main body by a replaceable chip type ink jet head or the ink jet head itself. The present invention is also effective when a cartridge-type ink jet head provided specially is used.

Further, it is preferable to add recovery means for the ink jet head, preliminary auxiliary means, etc. provided as a constitution of the ink jet apparatus of the present invention because the effect of the present invention can be further stabilized. Specific examples thereof include capping means, cleaning means, pressurizing or suctioning means, electrothermal converters or heating elements other than these, or preheating means for the recording head. It is also effective to perform stable recording by performing a preliminary discharge mode in which discharge different from recording is performed. Furthermore, the recording mode of the inkjet device is not limited to the recording mode only for mainstream colors such as black,
The ink jet head may be integrally formed or a combination of a plurality of ink jet heads may be used, but the present invention is also extremely effective for an apparatus provided with at least one of a mixed color of different colors or a full color of mixed colors.

[0055]

As described above, according to the present invention,
A portion of the grooved top plate abutted by a spring (pressing member) is divided into a plurality of parts. As a result, when a load is applied by the pressing member, the grooved top plate is easily deformed and the substrate and the grooved top plate can be sufficiently adhered to each other, so that the ejection pressure wave may escape to the adjacent ink flow path. Thus, it is possible to provide an ink jet recording head which can obtain stable ejection of ink droplets without crosstalk and can always perform stable and good printing.

Further, according to the present invention, the ink jet recording head capable of achieving high-quality recording by ensuring and compensating the uniformity and certainty of the pressing force when the substrate and the grooved top plate are pressed and joined by the pressing member. And a device can be provided.

Further, in forming a color integrated head having a plurality of common liquid chambers corresponding to a plurality of liquid flow path groups, by adopting the configuration of the present invention, the common liquid chamber separating portion and the narrow common chamber are formed. With the liquid chamber or the like, it is possible to improve the adhesiveness between the ink channel of the grooved top plate having high rigidity and the substrate.
As a result, an ink jet head capable of minimizing the influence of warpage and deformation of the grooved top plate, variation in accuracy of the pressing member, etc., stable ejection can be obtained, and always stable and good color printing quality. A device can be provided.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1A is a schematic perspective view showing an example of an inkjet head according to the present invention, and FIG. 1B is a sectional view of FIG.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an effect of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an effect of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an effect of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an effect of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating another example of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of an example of an inkjet cartridge according to the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a schematic perspective view of an inkjet cartridge according to the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a schematic perspective view showing an inkjet device according to the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a schematic perspective view showing a conventional inkjet head.

FIG. 11 is a schematic perspective view showing a conventional inkjet head.

FIG. 12 is an exploded perspective view of a part of an inkjet head in which a second embodiment of the present invention is implemented.

FIG. 13 is an exploded perspective view of a part of an inkjet head in which a third embodiment of the present invention is implemented.

FIG. 14 is a view for explaining the grooved top plate of the present invention.

FIG. 15 is a diagram for explaining an inkjet head of the present invention.

FIG. 16 is a diagram for explaining an inkjet head of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Substrate 2, 12 Groove top plate 3 Support member 4 Spring plate-shaped member 5 Temporary fixing adhesive 6 Line pressure generation part 7 Ink path 8 Common ink chamber 9 Ink ejection port 10 Groove part 11 Liquid chamber separation groove 13 Common liquid chamber Separation groove 15 Common liquid chamber separation groove wall 16 Orifice plate 17 Sealant injection port 18 Common liquid chamber recess 20 Groove forming flow path 101 Ink ejection port 111 Base plate 112 Heater board 113 Top plate 113A Forming ink ejection port Discharge port forming member (orifice plate) 113B Spring member pressing portion (FIG. 5) 113C Plural convex portions 114 Spring member 114A Folding end portion

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of front page (72) Teruo Arashima Teruo Arashima, 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc. (72) Yuji Ueyama 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc. (72) Inventor Eiichiro Shimizu 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc. (72) Inventor Minoru Nozawa 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc.

Claims (18)

[Claims] 1. A plurality of ink ejection ports for ejecting ink, a plurality of ink paths respectively communicating with the plurality of ink ejection ports, and a plurality of ejection energy generation elements used for ejecting the ink. A first base having the plurality of ejection energy generating elements, a second base having a groove for forming the plurality of ink paths, and a second base with respect to the first base. And a pressing member for pressing and joining the ink jet head, wherein the ink path is formed by joining the first base body and the second base body to each other. An ink jet having a plurality of abutting portions that are portions abutting against a member, wherein the pressing member presses the second base body across a plurality of abutting portions of the second base body. head. 2. The ink jet head according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of contact portions are provided along the plurality of ink flow path arrangement directions. 3. The ink jet head according to claim 2, wherein the pressing member presses above the ink flow path portion of the second substrate. 4. The inkjet according to claim 2, wherein the second base includes a recess formed in a direction intersecting with an arrangement direction of the grooves, and the contact part is divided into a plurality of parts by the recess. head. 5. The inkjet head according to claim 2, wherein the plurality of contact portions are a plurality of convex portions. 6. The ink jet head according to claim 2 ejects a plurality of colors of ink, and has a common liquid chamber that communicates with the ink passage for each color. 7. The inkjet head according to claim 6, wherein the plurality of contact portions are a plurality of protrusions. 8. The ink jet head according to claim 7, wherein the plurality of convex portions are provided corresponding to a common liquid chamber provided for each color. 9. The inkjet according to claim 8, wherein the convex portions are arranged substantially symmetrically with respect to a center line intersecting an ink passage arrangement direction in the ink passage group communicating with the common liquid chambers. head. 10. The method according to claim 8, wherein at least one of the plurality of common liquid chambers has a different size, and the number of convex portions corresponding to the large liquid chamber is larger than the number of convex portions corresponding to the small liquid chamber. The described inkjet head. 11. The ink jet head according to claim 8, wherein a height of a convex portion corresponding to a liquid chamber having a short width in the ink path array direction among the plurality of common liquid chambers is higher than other convex portions. 12. The ink jet head according to claim 1, wherein the pressing member is a metal spring. 13. The ink jet head according to claim 1, wherein the ejection energy generation element is an electrothermal conversion element. 14. The second substrate is a resin.
The inkjet head described in 1. 15. The ink jet head according to claim 14, wherein the resin is polysulfone. 16. A plurality of ink ejection openings for ejecting ink, a plurality of ink paths respectively communicating with the plurality of ink ejection openings, and a plurality of ejection energy generation elements used for ejecting the ink. A first substrate having the plurality of ejection energy generating elements, a second substrate having a groove for forming the plurality of ink paths, and a second substrate
And a pressing member for press-bonding the base body to the first base body, wherein the ink path is formed by joining the first base body and the second base body to each other. In an ink jet cartridge having an ink tank that holds ink to be supplied to the head, the second base has a plurality of abutting portions that are abutted against the pressing member. An ink jet cartridge characterized in that a member presses the second base over a plurality of abutting portions of the second base. 17. A plurality of ink ejection ports for ejecting ink, a plurality of ink paths respectively communicating with the plurality of ink ejection ports, and a plurality of ejection energy generation elements used for ejecting the ink. A first substrate having the plurality of ejection energy generating elements, a second substrate having a groove for forming the plurality of ink paths, and a second substrate
And a pressing member for press-bonding the base body to the first base body, wherein the ink path is formed by joining the first base body and the second base body to each other. And a drive signal supply means for supplying a drive signal for driving the head to the head, wherein the second base has a contact portion that is a portion contacted with the pressing member. An inkjet apparatus having a plurality of pressing members, wherein the pressing member presses the second base member across a plurality of contact portions of the second base member. 18. A plurality of ink ejection ports for ejecting ink, a plurality of ink paths respectively communicating with the plurality of ink ejection ports, and a plurality of ejection energy generating elements used for ejecting the ink. A first substrate having the plurality of ejection energy generating elements, a second substrate having a groove for forming the plurality of ink paths, and a second substrate
And a pressing member for press-bonding the base body to the first base body, wherein the ink path is formed by joining the first base body and the second base body to each other. An inkjet device having a transporting device for transporting a print medium on which printing is performed by the ink ejected from the head, wherein the second substrate is a portion that is in contact with the pressing member. An inkjet apparatus having a plurality of parts, wherein the pressing member presses the second base over a plurality of contact parts of the second base.