JPH08216419A - Ink jet head cartridge and ink jet device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To inject a sealing agent into a desired place of a liquid chamber partition groove by a device wherein an injection opening for filling a part directly above the liquid chamber partition groove with a resin is provided on an upper face of a top plate of an ink jet head, it is passed through up to the liquid chamber partition groove so as to connect rectangularly, and the injection opening is formed to be larger than a width of a groove at a connecting section. CONSTITUTION: A head comprises a plurality of common liquid chambers 180, a sealing resin injection groove for partition arranged among the common liquid chambers, a dummy nozzle (liquid chamber partition groove) 110 which is the same as an ink discharge groove in an injection groove in parallel with the ink discharge groove, and multiple walls for preventing flowing of the sealing resin into the ink discharge groove. On a top face of a top plate of the head, an injection opening for filling the liquid chamber partition groove with the resin is provided and passed through up to the liquid chamber partition groove so as to be connected to it at an angle of 90 deg.. The injection opening is formed to be larger than a section 170 connected to the liquid chamber partition groove, so that the sealing agent can be assuredly injected into the liquid chamber partition groove even when the injection opening is made to have a size to be hidden under the top plate of a silicon substrate.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention is an ink jet recording apparatus for recording by ejecting a recording liquid (ink or the like) as a flying droplet from an ejection port (orifice) and adhering it onto a recording medium. The present invention relates to an inkjet recording head and an inkjet recording apparatus, and more particularly to a color inkjet recording head and an inkjet recording apparatus.

The present invention is particularly effective in an ink jet recording head and a recording apparatus for recording by forming flying droplets by utilizing thermal energy among the ink jet recording systems.

Regarding its typical structure and principle, for example, the specifications of US Pat. Nos. 4,723,129 and 4740 are set forth.
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 generates heat energy in the electrothermal converter, causes film boiling in the thermal action image of the recording head, and as a result, bubbles in the liquid (ink) corresponding to the drive signal of D can be formed one by one. It is valid. 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 this drive signal into a pulse shape because bubbles can be immediately and appropriately grown and contracted, so that liquid (ink) ejection with excellent responsiveness can be achieved.

As the pulse-shaped drive signal, those described in US Pat. Nos. 4,463,359 and 4,345,262 are suitable. If the conditions described in US Pat. No. 4,313,124 of the invention relating to the temperature rise rate of the above-mentioned thermal action image 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, JP-A-59-123670 discloses a structure in which a common slit is used as a discharge portion of the 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, as a full line type recording head having a length corresponding to the width of the maximum recording medium which can be recorded by the recording apparatus, a combination of a plurality of recording heads as disclosed in the above-mentioned specification provides the length. The present invention can exert the above-mentioned effects more effectively, although it may have a configuration that satisfies the above requirement or a configuration as one recording head integrally formed.

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 recording head or the recording head itself. The present invention is also effective when a cartridge-type recording head provided with an ink tank is used.

Further, it is preferable to add recovery means for the recording head, preliminary auxiliary means, etc., which are provided as a configuration of the recording apparatus of the present invention, because the effects of the present invention can be further stabilized. If you list these specifically,
Capping means, cleaning means, pressure or suction means for the recording head, preheating means by an electrothermal converter or a heating element other than this or a combination thereof, and a preliminary ejection mode for performing ejection other than recording It is also effective to perform stable recording.

Further, as the recording mode of the recording apparatus, not only the mainstream color such as black is recorded but also the recording head may be integrally formed or a plurality of them may be combined. The present invention is also extremely effective for a device provided with at least one of full colors by color mixing.

In the embodiments of the present invention described above, the ink is described as a liquid, but it is an ink that solidifies at room temperature or below and that softens at room temperature, or is a liquid, or the above-mentioned. In the inkjet method, the temperature of the ink itself is generally adjusted within a range of 30 ° C. or higher and 70 ° C. or lower to control the temperature of the ink so that the viscosity of the ink is within a stable ejection range. It may be in a liquid form.

In addition, the temperature rise due to the thermal energy is positively prevented by using it as the energy for changing the state of the ink from the solid state to the liquid state, or the ink is solidified in a standing state for the purpose of preventing evaporation of the ink. In some cases, such as ink that is liquefied by applying heat energy according to a recording signal and ejected as a liquid ink, or one that has already started to solidify when it reaches a recording medium. The use of an ink having a property of being liquefied only by heat energy is also applicable to the present invention. In such a case, the ink is disclosed in JP-A-54-5684.
No. 7 or JP-A-60-71260, a mode in which the porous sheet is opposed to the electrothermal converter in the state of being held as a liquid or solid in the recess or through hole of the porous sheet. May be In the present invention, the most effective one for each of the above-mentioned inks is to execute the above-mentioned film boiling method.

In addition, as a form of the recording apparatus according to the present invention, in addition to the 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 or the like, May take the form of a facsimile machine having a transmission / reception function.

[0014]

2. Description of the Related Art An ink jet recording head has an electrothermal converter formed on a silicon substrate, a recording ink discharge port on the silicon substrate, and the above-mentioned electric heat as disclosed in, for example, JP-A-55-132253. It is configured by joining an ink flow path that passes through the heat acting portion of the converter and a top plate having a concave portion that forms a (common) liquid chamber that supplies ink to the ink flow path. Further, in the ink jet recording head, a drive circuit for driving the electrothermal converter arranged on the silicon substrate is built in the silicon substrate. And this silicon substrate is provided with a wiring board that draws out the wiring from the drive circuit, and the silicon substrate and the wiring board in which the drive circuit is built are
Adjacent to the heat dissipating member (above). The electrical connection between the terminals formed on the silicon substrate having the electrothermal converter with the drive circuit built therein is such that one aluminum wiring drawn out from the electrothermal converter is built into the silicon substrate. The other aluminum wiring is connected to the common terminal of the power supply on the wiring board by wire bonding, and the other aluminum wiring is connected to the end portion of the silicon substrate by the two-layer wiring collectively. Further, in the color inkjet recording head, as shown in FIG. 4, multicolor color printing is performed using an inkjet unit in which a plurality of inkjet recording heads are arranged. As described above, according to the conventional technique, when a plurality of ink jet recording heads are arranged, miniaturization becomes more difficult, and although there is an advantage that the speed is increased, the cost is a multiple of the number of ink jet recording heads. It will increase the cost. Therefore, by dividing the liquid chamber that was common to the ink discharge grooved top plate into multiple parts and supplying different types of ink to each of the divided liquid chambers, it is possible to print in multiple colors with one inkjet head. There is a proposal that the head can be made compact and an inexpensive color inkjet head can be provided. The proposed method is shown in FIG. According to this proposal, when separating a plurality of common liquid chambers, a common liquid chamber of each of the substrate with the drive circuit and the ink discharge grooved top plate having a plurality of common liquid chambers is provided. A groove (hereinafter referred to as a separation groove) for injecting the sealing resin for separating the spaces is provided, and the separation groove continues to a position for separating the ink ejection nozzles between the liquid chambers. When the sealing resin is poured in to separate the common liquid chambers, it is necessary to ensure that the sealing resin stops at the separation groove and never flows into the ink ejection nozzle.

[0015]

In spite of the above circumstances, according to the above-mentioned conventional example, when the sealant is injected, the sealant pouring on the top plate is performed at the position indicated by 300 in FIG. A sealant was applied onto the silicon substrate from the rear of the inlet, and the sealant was introduced into the separation groove by capillary force and migrated. In order to ensure the separation between liquid chambers as described above, the silicon substrate must be larger than the top plate. In order to inject the sealant into the separation groove, the size of the silicon substrate must be slightly larger than the size of the top plate, and if the size of the top plate is not reduced, the size of the silicon substrate is constant. It was difficult to make it smaller than the size.

[0016]

Therefore, according to the present invention,
A sealing resin injection groove for separation is provided between the common liquid chambers, and a plurality of liquid chamber separation grooves (hereinafter referred to as dummy nozzles) similar to the ink ejection nozzles are adjacent to the injection groove that is aligned with the ink ejection nozzles. In the ink jet recording head obtained by joining a grooved top plate having a wall for preventing the sealing resin from flowing into the ink ejection groove multiple times with a silicon substrate, the liquid chamber separation groove is formed on the top surface of the top plate. An injection port for filling the resin is provided just above the liquid chamber, and the liquid chamber separation groove is penetrated to reach the liquid chamber separation groove.
Connect at an angle of 0 ℃, and the size (diameter) of the inlet
Is larger than the groove width at the connection with the liquid chamber separation groove, the sealant is surely desired in the liquid chamber separation groove even if the silicon substrate is large enough to be hidden under the top plate. It is possible to inject the silicon into the above position and further reduce the size of the silicon substrate.

[0017]

1 is a perspective view of a grooved top plate according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram of the ink jet recording head of the first embodiment according to the present invention. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA ′ in FIG. 2, showing an injection port for filling the sealing resin and a liquid chamber separation groove portion. In FIG. 1, 1
Reference numeral 00 is an ink ejection nozzle, 110 is a plurality of dummy nozzles only in the nozzle portion, and holes (not shown in the drawing) are formed in the orifice plate of the dummy nozzles. Reference numeral 125 is a groove provided on the silicon substrate side of the orifice plate connected to the holes formed in the plurality of dummy nozzles of the nozzle portion, 130 is a common liquid chamber separation groove, 160 is an orifice plate, and 170 is a common liquid chamber separation groove. The sealant injection port connection portion 180 is a common liquid chamber. In FIG. 2, 140 is a sealant injection port, and 190 is a silicon substrate provided with an electrothermal converter in which a drive circuit is incorporated, which is joined to the grooved top plate. Further, 200 is a grooved top plate of FIG. 1, 210
The (aluminum) plate radiates heat from the silicon substrate. The silicon substrate is adhered to the (aluminum) plate with an adhesive having good thermal conductivity. 22
0 is a bonding wire, and 230 is a wiring board, which are electrically connected by the bonding wire. Third
The figure is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA 'in FIG.
30 is a common liquid chamber separation groove, 140 is a sealant injection port, 17
Reference numeral 0 is a connection portion of the sealant injection port of the common liquid chamber separation groove, and 250 is a relief of the bonding wire on the top plate side, and the top surface of the top plate is on the silicon substrate. When injecting the sealant into the separation groove between the liquid chambers of the inkjet head,
An appropriate amount of the sealant is injected into the sealant injection port on the top surface of the top plate by means such as a dispenser. The sealing agent descends downward from the injection port due to the capillary force and the self-weight of the sealing agent, and moves to the liquid chamber separation groove via the connection portion with the liquid chamber separation groove. Further, the sealant that has reached the separation groove between the liquid chambers reaches the dummy nozzle by the capillary force. Since the separation groove between the liquid chambers and the dummy nozzle width are different, a dummy nozzle having a wide center is connected to the separation groove of the common liquid chamber. When the sealing resin is injected into the dummy nozzle from the separation groove between the liquid chambers, first, the sealing agent is injected only into the central dummy nozzle, and the central dummy nozzle is filled with the sealing agent. After that, the sealant overflows from the rear of the central dummy nozzle and is sequentially injected from the rear of the dummy nozzle immediately outside and in the common liquid chamber. Finally, it is necessary to stop the sealant with seven dummy nozzles, and if it exceeds the number, the product will be defective. Therefore, by engraving the pool of sealant that overflows from the rear of the dummy nozzle and is injected into the next dummy nozzle at the time of injecting the sealant into the common liquid chamber behind the dummy nozzle in the height direction of the liquid chamber. By providing the sealant, the sealant overflowing from the dummy nozzle is accumulated in the overflow reservoir. Therefore, the sealant is less likely to be injected into the ejection nozzle. Furthermore, after the sealant is injected into the central dummy nozzle that connects from the liquid chamber separation groove,
When sequentially injecting into the outer dummy nozzles, if it is injected into the fourth nozzle counting from the outermost central nozzle on both sides, the sealant may wrap around there at the ejection nozzle next to the outermost nozzle. It shouldn't be. Therefore, in this embodiment,
The structure is such that the wall between the third and fourth nozzles counting from the central nozzle on the inner side of one nozzle from the outermost dummy nozzles on both sides extends inside the liquid chamber. The extending wall makes it easier for the sealant to stop at the third dummy nozzle. Further, at the time of injecting the sealant into the dummy nozzle, holes are made in the orifice plate of the dummy nozzle so that the air inside escapes, so that the sealant can easily reach the orifice plate. The sealant that has reached each dummy nozzle is stopped by surface tension in the hole of the orifice plate. Therefore, the top plate has a plurality of common liquid chambers, the sealing resin injection groove for separation is provided between the common liquid chambers, and the sealant injection port is further provided on the top surface of the top plate to penetrate to the liquid chamber separation groove. The liquid chamber separation groove is connected at an angle of 90 °, and the size of the injection port is made larger than that of the connection portion with the liquid chamber separation groove, and the ink ejection groove is aligned with the ink ejection groove. A dummy nozzle similar to the above is provided, and a wall that prevents the sealing resin from flowing into the ink discharge groove is provided multiple times. Furthermore, holes are made in the orifice plate of the dummy nozzle to ensure that the sealant reaches the orifice plate. As a result of allowing the internal air to escape as the sealant enters, even if the size is such that the silicon substrate is hidden under the top plate, the sealant should be securely placed in the liquid chamber separation groove. It becomes possible to inject liquid, and to ensure separation between each liquid chamber. I became.

[Description of Color Inkjet Recording Device]
FIG. 6 is an ink jet recording apparatus IJRA to which the color ink jet cartridge of four colors of the present invention is applied.
FIG. Here, the carriage HC is the drive motor 5
Driving force transmission gear 5011 in conjunction with the forward and reverse rotation of 013,
The carriage HC that engages with the spiral groove 5005 of the lead screw 5004 that rotates via 5009 has a pin (not shown) and is reciprocated in the directions of arrows a and b.
A recording head unit 5025 and an ink tank unit 5026 are mounted on the carriage HC. Reference numeral 5002 denotes a paper pressing plate which holds the paper in the platen 50 in the moving direction of the carriage.
Press against 00. Reference numerals 5007 and 5008 denote photo couplers, which are home position detecting means for confirming the presence of the carriage lever 5006 in this area and switching the rotation direction of the motor 5013.
5016 is a cap member 5 for capping the front surface of the recording head.
A member 5015 for supporting 022 is suction means for sucking the inside of the cap, and performs suction recovery of the recording head through the opening 5023 in the cap. In this case, one cap sucks simultaneously four color nozzles. See also 5017
Is a cleaning blade, and 5019 is a member that allows this blade to move in the front-rear direction.
These are supported by 8. Reference numeral 5012 is a lever for starting suction for suction recovery, which moves in accordance with movement of a cam 5020 which is associated with the carriage, and driving force from a driving motor moves by a known transmission means such as clutch switching. Controlled. The capping, cleaning, and suction recovery are configured such that when the carriage HC is positioned in the home position side area, desired processing can be performed at the corresponding positions by the action of the spiral groove 5005. As long as the desired operation is performed at the timing, any of the above can be applied. The present invention is provided with a means (for example, an electrothermal converter or a laser beam) that generates thermal energy as energy used for ejecting ink, particularly in the inkjet recording system, and the state of the ink is obtained by the thermal energy. In the recording head and the recording apparatus of the type that causes the change, the effect is excellent. With regard to its typical structure and principle, it is preferable to use the basic principle disclosed in, for example, US Pat. Nos. 4,723,129 and 4,740,796. This method is applicable to both the so-called on-demand type and continuous type, but in the case of the on-demand type, in particular,
At least one drive signal that corresponds to the recorded information and that causes a rapid temperature rise exceeding nucleate boiling is applied to the electrothermal transducers that are arranged corresponding to the sheet or liquid path holding the liquid (ink). When applied, heat energy is generated in the electrothermal converter, causing film boiling on the heat acting surface of the recording head, and as a result, bubbles can be formed in the liquid (ink) in a one-to-one correspondence with this drive signal. So effective.
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 this pulse-shaped drive signal, US Pat.
Those described in No. 9 and No. 4345262 are suitable. If the conditions described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,313,124 relating to the temperature rise rate of the heat acting surface are adopted, more excellent recording can be performed. As the configuration of the recording head, in addition to the combination configuration of the ejection port, the liquid passage, and the electrothermal converter (the linear liquid passage or the right-angled liquid passage) as disclosed in each of the above-mentioned specifications, a heat acting portion is also provided. The present invention can also be applied to a configuration using US Pat. No. 4,558,333 and US Pat. No. 4,459,600, which disclose a configuration in which 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 structure based on Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 138461/1984, which discloses a structure in which the discharge section is associated with the discharge section. or,
It is preferable to add recovery means for the recording head, preliminary auxiliary means, etc. to the structure of the recording apparatus of the present invention because the effects of the present invention can be further stabilized. Specifically, these are preheated by a capping means, a cleaning means, a pressure or suction means, an electrothermal converter, or a heating element other than this, or a combination thereof for the recording head. It is also effective to perform stable recording by performing a preliminary discharge mode in which discharge is performed separately from the means and the recording.

[0019]

According to the present invention, the ink jet recording head is constructed as described in the claims. Therefore, according to the present invention, a plurality of common liquid chambers are provided, and a sealing resin for separation is provided between the common liquid chambers. An injection groove is provided, and a dummy nozzle similar to the ink ejection groove is provided in the injection groove parallel to the ink ejection groove,
Multiple walls are provided in the ink ejection groove to prevent the sealing resin from flowing in, and holes are made in the orifice plate of the dummy nozzle to allow air inside to escape when the sealing agent is injected, so that the sealing agent is an orifice. In the inkjet recording head that surely reaches the plate, an injection port that fills the liquid chamber separation groove with resin is provided on the top surface of the top plate, and the liquid chamber separation groove is penetrated and connected to the liquid chamber separation groove at an angle of 90 °. In addition, by making the size of the injection port larger than the connecting portion with the liquid chamber separation groove, even if the size is such that the silicon substrate is hidden under the top plate, the liquid chamber separation groove can be securely sealed with the sealant. And the size of the silicon substrate can be further reduced, and a color inkjet recording head can be provided at a lower cost.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram of a grooved top plate according to a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a liquid chamber separating portion of the grooved top plate of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a diagram of an inkjet recording head according to a first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is an inkjet unit in which a plurality of inkjet recording heads are arranged.

FIG. 5: Inkjet recording head with integrated four colors

FIG. 6 is an inkjet recording device to which a color inkjet cartridge is applied.

[Explanation of each part]

100 Ink Discharging Nozzle 110 Plural Liquid Chamber Separation Grooves (Dummy Nozzles) in Nozzle Section 125 Grooves Connecting to Orifice Plate Holes in Plural Liquid Chamber Separation Grooves in Nozzle Section 130 Common Liquid Chamber Separation Groove 140 Sealant Injection Inlet 160 Orifice plate 170 Connection part between common liquid chamber separation groove and sealant injection port 180 Common liquid chamber 190 Silicon substrate 200 Groove top plate 210 Aluminum plate 220 Bonding wire 230 Wiring board 250 Bonding wire provided on the top plate side Escape 300 Separation position of sealant between liquid chambers

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A substrate on which a plurality of energy generators that generate ejection energy are arranged, a recording ink ejection port, a nozzle that is an ink flow path, and a plurality of common liquid chambers that supply ink to the nozzle. The top plate has liquid chambers spaced at an integer multiple of the nozzle pitch and equidistant, having a plurality of liquid chamber separation grooves in the nozzle array between the liquid chambers, and having a plurality of common liquid chamber recesses. And by joining the substrate,
In an ink jet recording head for separating a liquid chamber by filling the liquid chamber separating groove with a resin, an injection port for filling the liquid chamber separating groove with the resin penetrates to the liquid chamber separating groove and forms an angle with the liquid chamber separating groove. Inkjet recording head characterized by being connected with 2. The ink jet recording head according to claim 1, wherein the injection port for filling the resin into the liquid chamber separation groove forms an angle of 90 ° with the liquid chamber separation groove. 3. The size of the injection port for filling the liquid chamber separating groove with resin is larger than the connecting portion with the liquid chamber separating groove, and the relationship of inlet area> connecting area> liquid chamber separating groove area is satisfied. Claim 1 and Claim 2 characterized by
Inkjet recording head described 4. A substrate on which a plurality of energy generators that generate ejection energy are arranged, a recording ink ejection port, a nozzle that is an ink flow path, and a plurality of common liquid chambers that supply ink to the nozzle. The top plate has liquid chambers spaced at an integer multiple of the nozzle pitch and equidistant, having a plurality of liquid chamber separation grooves in the nozzle array between the liquid chambers, and having a plurality of common liquid chamber recesses. And by joining the substrate,
In an ink jet recording apparatus equipped with an ink jet recording head for separating a liquid chamber by filling the liquid chamber separating groove with resin, an injection port for filling the liquid chamber separating groove with resin penetrates to the liquid chamber separating groove. An ink jet recording apparatus equipped with an ink jet recording head, which is connected to the liquid chamber separation groove at an angle. 5. An ink jet recording apparatus equipped with an ink jet recording head according to claim 4, wherein an angle of an inlet for filling the liquid chamber separating groove with the resin is 90 ° C. with the liquid chamber separating groove. 6. The size of the injection port for filling the liquid chamber separation groove with resin is larger than the connection portion with the liquid chamber separation groove, and the relationship of inlet area> connection area> liquid chamber separation groove area is satisfied. Claim 4 and Claim 5 characterized by
Inkjet recording apparatus equipped with the inkjet recording head described in