JPH0948127A - Liquid emitting head, apparatus and method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To control the substantial resistance at a time when a movable member fundamentally controlling generated air bubbles is moved by the generation of air bubbles by a liquid passage. SOLUTION: A liquid emitting head has liquid emitting orifices, the liquid passages 14 communicating with the emitting orifices, an air bubble generating region 11 generating air bubbles in a liquid and the movable member arranged so as to face to the air bubble generating region 11 and equipped with a freed end and a fulcrum. The movable member 31 is displaced by the pressure based on the generation of air bubbles in the air bubble generating region to emit a liquid from the emitting orifices. The resistance of the liquid in the liquid passages to the movable member 31 in the displacing direction of the movable member 31 is smaller on the side near to the free end of the movable member 31 as compared with that on the side nearer to the fulcrum of the movable member 31.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a liquid ejection head for ejecting a desired liquid by the generation of bubbles by applying thermal energy to the liquid, a head cartridge using the liquid ejection head, a liquid ejection device, and a liquid. The present invention relates to an ejection head manufacturing method, a liquid ejection method, a recording method, and a recorded matter obtained by using the liquid ejection method. Further, the present invention relates to an inkjet head kit having these liquid ejection heads.

In particular, the present invention relates to a liquid ejecting head that uses a movable member that is displaced by utilizing the generation of bubbles, a head cartridge that uses the liquid ejecting head, and a liquid ejecting apparatus.
Alternatively, the present invention relates to a liquid ejecting method and a recording method for ejecting a liquid by displacing a movable member by utilizing the generation of bubbles.

The present invention also relates to paper, yarn, fiber, fabric, leather,
Combines multiple devices such as printers, copiers, facsimile machines with communication systems, word processors with printer units, and various processing devices for recording on recording media such as metals, plastics, glass, wood, and ceramics. The present invention can be applied to an industrial recording device.

In the present invention, "recording" means not only giving an image having a meaning such as a character or a figure to a recording medium, but also giving an image having no meaning such as a pattern. Is also meant.

[0005]

2. Description of the Related Art By giving energy such as heat to ink, a state change accompanied by a steep volume change (formation of bubbles) is caused in the ink, and the ink is ejected from an ejection port by an action force based on this state change. An ink jet recording method in which an image is formed by attaching the ink onto a recording medium, that is, a so-called bubble jet recording method, is conventionally known. As disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,723,129 and the like, a recording apparatus using the bubble jet recording method includes a discharge port for discharging ink, and an ink flow communicating with the discharge port. A passage and an electrothermal converter as an energy generating means for discharging ink arranged in the ink flow path are generally arranged.

According to such a recording method, a high-quality image can be recorded at a high speed and with low noise, and in a head that performs this recording method, ejection ports for ejecting ink are arranged at a high density. Therefore, it has many advantages that a high-resolution recorded image and a color image can be easily obtained with a small device. For this reason, this bubble jet recording method has recently been used in many office devices such as printers, copiers, and facsimile machines, and has been used in industrial systems such as textile printing devices.

As the bubble jet technology has been used in various fields in this way, the following various demands have been increasing in recent years.

[0008] For example, as a study on a demand for improvement in energy efficiency, optimization of a heating element such as adjusting the thickness of a protective film is mentioned. This method is effective in improving the efficiency of propagation of generated heat to the liquid.

In addition, in order to obtain a high quality image, a driving condition for providing a liquid discharging method or the like which can discharge ink at a high speed and perform good ink discharging based on stable bubble generation has been proposed. From the viewpoint of high-speed printing, there has also been proposed a print head having an improved flow path shape in order to obtain a liquid discharge head having a high filling (refilling) speed of the discharged liquid into the liquid flow path.

[0010] Of the flow path shapes, FIG.
(A) and (b) are disclosed in JP-A-63-199997.
No. 2, for example. The flow channel structure and the head manufacturing method described in these publications have a back wave (a pressure in the direction opposite to the direction toward the discharge port, that is, a pressure toward the liquid chamber 12) generated with the generation of bubbles. It is an invention focused on. This back wave is known as loss energy because it is not energy directed toward the ejection direction.

In the invention shown in FIGS. 25 (a) and 25 (b), the valve 10 located farther from the bubble generation area formed by the heating element 2 and located on the opposite side of the heating element 2 from the discharge port 11.
Is disclosed. In FIG. 25 (b), the valve 10 is
It is disclosed that it has an initial position as attached to the ceiling of the flow channel 3 and hangs down into the flow channel 3 with the generation of bubbles by a manufacturing method using a plate material or the like. The present invention is disclosed as suppressing the energy loss by suppressing a part of the above-mentioned back wave by the valve 10.

However, in this configuration, as will be understood from consideration of the case where air bubbles are generated inside the flow path 3 for holding the liquid to be discharged, suppression of a part of the back wave by the valve 10 is not possible with liquid discharge. Is not practical.

Originally, the back wave itself is not directly related to the ejection as described above. At the time when this back wave is generated in the flow path 3, as shown in FIG.
The pressure of the bubbles that is directly related to the discharge has already made the liquid dischargeable from the flow path 3. Therefore, it is clear that even if only a part of the back wave is suppressed, the ejection is not greatly affected.

On the other hand, in the bubble jet recording method, since heating is repeated while the heating element is in contact with the ink, deposits are generated on the surface of the heating element due to scorching of the ink. In some cases, the generation of bubbles causes the generation of bubbles to be unstable, making it difficult to discharge ink satisfactorily. Further, even when the liquid to be ejected is a liquid that is easily deteriorated by heat or a liquid in which bubbles are difficult to be obtained sufficiently, a method for ejecting the liquid well without deteriorating the liquid to be ejected has been desired. .

From this point of view, the liquid liquid (foaming liquid) that generates bubbles due to heat and the liquid to be ejected (ejection liquid) are different liquids, and the pressure due to the foaming of the foaming liquid is transmitted to the ejection liquid to eject the liquid. A method of discharging a liquid is disclosed in JP-A-61-69.
No. 467, JP-A-55-81172, US Pat. No. 4,480,259, and the like. In these publications, the ink, which is the ejection liquid, and the foaming liquid are completely separated by a flexible film such as silicon rubber so that the ejection liquid does not come into direct contact with the heating element, and the pressure due to the foaming of the foaming liquid is controlled. The configuration is such that the liquid is transmitted to the discharge liquid by deformation of the flexible film. Such a configuration achieves prevention of deposits on the surface of the heating element, improvement in the degree of freedom in selecting the liquid to be discharged, and the like.

However, in the head having such a structure that the discharge liquid and the foaming liquid are completely separated from each other, since the pressure at the time of foaming is transmitted to the discharge liquid by the expansion and contraction deformation of the flexible film, the pressure due to foaming is The flexible membrane absorbs significantly. Further, since the amount of deformation of the flexible film is not so large, the effect of separating the discharge liquid and the foaming liquid can be obtained, but the energy efficiency and the discharge force are rather lowered.

[0017]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is based on the fundamental discharge characteristics of a conventional system in which a bubble (particularly a bubble accompanying film boiling) is formed in a liquid flow path to discharge a liquid. The main background issue is to raise the level to a level that cannot be predicted in the past, from a viewpoint that could not be considered in the past.

The inventors have returned to the principle of droplet ejection,
The inventors have conducted earnest research to provide a novel droplet discharge method using bubbles that has not been obtained in the past and a head and the like used therefor. At this time, the first technology analysis starting from the operation of the movable member in the liquid flow path that analyzes the principle of the mechanism of the movable member in the flow path, and the second technology starting from the droplet discharge principle by bubbles It was decided to perform the analysis and further the third analysis starting from the bubble formation region of the heating element for bubble formation.

Based on these analyses, the positional relationship between the fulcrum and the free point of the movable member is set so that the free end is located on the discharge port side, that is, on the downstream side, and the movable member faces the heating element or the bubble generation region. We have established a completely new technology to actively control air bubbles.

Next, it has been found that considering the energy imparted by the bubbles themselves to the discharge amount, considering the growth component on the downstream side of the bubbles is the largest factor that can significantly improve the discharge characteristics. That is, it has been found that the efficient conversion of the growth component on the downstream side of the bubble in the ejection direction leads to the improvement of the ejection efficiency and the ejection speed. From this, the inventors have reached a higher technical level than the conventional technical level in which the growth component on the downstream side of the bubble is positively moved to the free end side of the movable member.

Further, the heat generation region for forming bubbles, for example, growth on the downstream side from the center line passing through the center of the area of the electrothermal converter in the liquid flow direction, or on the downstream side of the bubble such as the center of area on the surface that controls foaming. It has been found that it is also preferable to consider the structural elements such as the movable member and the liquid flow path involved.

What has been particularly noted in the present invention is that the behavior of the movable member is slightly disturbed due to manufacturing variations and materials of the movable member. Therefore, the inventors have come up with an epoch-making technique of stabilizing the ejection state while further stabilizing the ejection force by considering the structure of the liquid flow path with respect to the movable member.

The main objects of the present invention are as follows.

A first object is a liquid ejecting head and a liquid ejecting head which can control the substantial resistance when a movable member is moved by the generation of bubbles, such as basically controlling the generated bubbles. It is to provide a method.

The second object of the present invention is to improve the discharge efficiency and the discharge force in addition to the first object, and at the same time, it is possible to greatly reduce the heat accumulated in the liquid on the heating element, and to leave the residual on the heating element. It is an object of the present invention to provide a liquid ejection method, a liquid ejection head, and the like that can perform favorable liquid ejection by reducing bubbles.

A third object of the present invention is to further suppress the action of inertial force due to the back wave in the direction opposite to the liquid supply direction, and at the same time reduce the meniscus receding amount by the valve function of the movable member. Another object of the present invention is to provide a liquid ejection head or the like having a higher refill frequency and an improved printing speed.

In addition, a fourth object of the present invention is to reduce the amount of deposits on the heating element and to widen the range of use of the discharge liquid, and further, to improve the discharge efficiency and discharge force. It is to provide an ejection method, a liquid ejection head, and the like.

A fifth object of the present invention is to provide a liquid ejecting method, a liquid ejecting head, and the like, which can increase the degree of freedom in selecting a liquid to be ejected.

[0029]

A typical requirement of the present invention to achieve the above object is as follows.

A discharge port for discharging the liquid, a liquid flow path communicating with the discharge port, a bubble generation region for generating bubbles in the liquid,
Displacement of the movable member, the movable member having a free end and a fulcrum arranged facing the bubble generating region, and displacing the movable member by pressure based on generation of bubbles in the bubble generating portion. A liquid discharge head that discharges liquid from the discharge port by means of a resistance of the movable member in the liquid flow path with respect to the movable member in a direction in which the movable member is displaced from a side closer to the fulcrum of the movable member. Smaller liquid ejection head on the side closer to the free end.

Alternatively, the discharge port for discharging the liquid, the liquid flow path communicating with the discharge port, the bubble generation region for generating bubbles in the liquid, and the bubble generation region are arranged so as to face the free end and the fulcrum. A liquid discharge head for displacing the movable member by a pressure based on the generation of bubbles in the bubble generation unit and discharging the liquid from the discharge port by the displacement of the movable member. A liquid discharge head in which the height of the liquid flow path is higher immediately above the free end than immediately above the fulcrum of the movable member.

Alternatively, the discharge port for discharging the liquid, the liquid flow path communicating with the discharge port, the bubble generation region for generating bubbles in the liquid, and the bubble generation region are arranged to face the free end and the fulcrum. A liquid discharge head for displacing the movable member by a pressure based on the generation of bubbles in the bubble generation unit and discharging the liquid from the discharge port by the displacement of the movable member. The liquid discharge in which the height of the liquid flow path is lower than the height of the position facing the free end at least at a part from the position facing the free end to the position facing the fulcrum. head.

Alternatively, the first liquid flow path communicating with the discharge port, the second liquid flow path having a bubble generation region for generating bubbles in the liquid by applying heat to the liquid, and the first liquid flow path The free end is arranged between the flow path and the bubble generation region, has a free end on the discharge port side, and the free end is set on the first liquid flow path side based on the pressure generated by the generation of the bubble in the bubble generation region. And a movable member that guides the pressure to the discharge port side of the first liquid flow path, the height of the first liquid flow path being a fulcrum of the movable member. A liquid discharge head that is higher immediately above the free end than immediately above.

Alternatively, a first liquid flow path communicating with the discharge port, a second liquid flow path having a bubble generation region for generating bubbles in the liquid by applying heat to the liquid, and the first liquid flow path. The free end is arranged between the flow path and the bubble generation region, has a free end on the discharge port side, and the free end is set on the first liquid flow path side based on the pressure generated by the generation of the bubble in the bubble generation region. And a movable member that guides the pressure to the discharge port side of the first liquid flow path, the height of the first liquid flow path facing the free end. The liquid ejection head is lower than the height at the position facing the free end in at least a part from the position facing the fulcrum to the position facing the fulcrum.

Alternatively, a liquid discharge head having a discharge port for discharging a liquid, a bubble generation region for generating bubbles in the liquid, and a movable member arranged facing the bubble generation region and having a free end and a fulcrum. A liquid discharging method of displacing the free end of the movable member by a pressure based on the generation of bubbles in the bubble generating section and discharging the liquid from the discharge port by the displacement of the movable member, A liquid discharging method in which a resistance in a liquid flow path with respect to the movable member in a direction in which the movable member is displaced is smaller on a side closer to a free end of the movable member than on a side closer to the fulcrum of the movable member.

Alternatively, the first liquid flow path communicating with the discharge port, the second liquid flow path having a bubble generation region, the first liquid flow path having a free end on the discharge port side and the first liquid flow path A head having a movable member arranged between the movable member and a bubble generating region is used to generate a bubble in the bubble generating region, and the free end of the movable member is moved to the first liquid based on the pressure generated by the bubble. A liquid discharging method of discharging liquid by displacing to the flow path side and guiding the pressure to the discharge port side of the first liquid flow path by the displacement of the movable member, wherein the movable member is movable in the displacing direction. A liquid discharge method in which the resistance in the liquid flow path to the member is smaller on the side closer to the free end of the movable member than on the side closer to the fulcrum of the movable member.

Alternatively, a discharge port for discharging the recording liquid,
Using a liquid discharge recording head having a bubble generation region for generating bubbles in the liquid and a movable member facing the bubble generation region and having a free end and a fulcrum, the free end of the movable member is A liquid ejecting method for displacing a liquid from the ejection port by displacing it by a pressure based on the generation of bubbles in the bubble generating unit, wherein the resistance of the liquid in the liquid flow path with respect to the movable member in a direction in which the movable member is displaced. However, the liquid ejection method is smaller on the side closer to the free end of the movable member than on the side closer to the fulcrum of the movable member.

Alternatively, a head cartridge having the liquid ejection head and the liquid container described above.

Alternatively, a liquid ejecting apparatus having the above-mentioned liquid ejecting head and a drive signal supplying means for supplying a drive signal for ejecting the liquid from the liquid ejecting head, and ejecting the recording liquid by the generation of bubbles.

Alternatively, a liquid ejecting apparatus having the above-mentioned liquid ejecting head and a recording medium conveying means for conveying the recording medium that receives the liquid ejected from the liquid ejecting head.

Alternatively, a recording system having the above-mentioned liquid ejecting device and a pre-processing or post-processing device for promoting the fixing of the liquid on the recording medium after recording.

Alternatively, a head kit containing the above-mentioned liquid ejection head and a liquid container holding the liquid to be supplied to the liquid ejection head.

Alternatively, the liquid ejection head described above, and a liquid container for holding the liquid supplied to the liquid ejection head,
A head kit having a liquid filling means for filling a liquid into the liquid container.

In the present invention, the height of the liquid flow path is higher than the position just above the fulcrum of the movable member just above the free end, or the height of the liquid flow path is from the position facing the free end to the fulcrum. It is lower than the height of the position facing the free end at least at a part up to the facing position. As a result, the flow resistance in the direction in which the movable member is displaced becomes smaller on the side closer to the free end of the movable member than on the side closer to the fulcrum of the movable member, making the ejection state of the liquid more stable. The ejection force can be increased.

In addition, according to the liquid ejection method, head, etc. of the present invention based on the extremely novel ejection principle as described above, it is possible to obtain the synergistic effect of the generated bubbles and the movable member displaced by the bubbles. Since the liquid in the vicinity of the ejection port can be efficiently ejected, the ejection efficiency can be improved as compared with the conventional bubble jet type ejection method, head, and the like. For example, in the most preferred embodiment of the present invention, a dramatic improvement in the discharge efficiency of twice or more could be achieved.

According to the further characteristic configuration of the present invention,
Even if it is left for a long time at low temperature or low humidity, it is possible to prevent non-discharging, and even if it becomes non-discharging, it is possible to immediately return to a normal state by performing a slight recovery process such as preliminary discharge and suction recovery There is also an advantage that you can return.

Specifically, even under the long-term standing condition in which most of the conventional bubble jet type heads having 64 ejection ports are not ejected, the head of the present invention has ejection defects of about half or less. It just becomes. In addition, when these heads are recovered by preliminary ejection, it is necessary to perform thousands of preliminary ejections with the conventional head for each ejection port,
In the present invention, it was sufficient to perform the recovery with about 100 preliminary ejections. This means that the recovery time can be shortened, the loss of liquid due to recovery can be reduced, and the running cost can be significantly reduced.

In particular, according to the configuration of the present invention having improved refill characteristics, responsiveness at the time of continuous ejection, stable growth of air bubbles, and stabilization of droplets are achieved, and high-speed recording by high-speed liquid ejection and high image quality are achieved. Recording could be enabled.

Other effects of the present invention will be understood from the description of each embodiment.

The terms “upstream” and “downstream” used in the description of the present invention refer to the flow direction of a liquid from a liquid supply source to a discharge port through a bubble generation region (or a movable member).
Alternatively, it is expressed as an expression regarding this structural direction.

The “downstream side” of the bubble itself is as follows:
It mainly represents a portion on the ejection port side of a bubble which is considered to directly act on ejection of a droplet. More specifically, with respect to the center of the bubble, the downstream side with respect to the flow direction and the structural direction,
Alternatively, it means bubbles generated in a region downstream of the area center of the heating element.

The term “substantially sealed” used in the description of the present invention means that the bubble does not slip through a gap (slit) around the movable member before the movable member is displaced when the bubble grows. Means

Further, the term "separation wall" in the present invention broadly means a wall (which may include a movable member) interposed so as to divide a bubble generation region from a region directly communicating with the discharge port. In a narrow sense, it means that the flow path including the bubble generation area is separated from the liquid flow path that directly communicates with the discharge port, and mixing of the liquid in each area is prevented.

Further, the "free end" of the movable member in the present invention means the free end which is the downstream end of the movable member and its vicinity, and also includes the vicinity of the downstream corner of the movable member. are doing.

Furthermore, the "free end region" of the movable member in the present invention is either the free end itself which is the downstream end of the movable member, or the free end side end, or the combined area of the free end and the side end. Means

The "resistance of the liquid flow path to the movable member" in the present invention means the liquid in the liquid flow path when the movable member moves in the direction away from the bubble generation region due to the generation of bubbles. Means the resistance given to the movable member. Therefore, the present invention, by changing this resistance, that is, by having a resistance gradient, or by using the resistance of a physical stopper or the resistance of a substantial stopper with a liquid interposed,
It includes all technical contents for controlling the behavior of the movable member. Hereinafter, this resistance is simply expressed as “resistance” or “flow resistance”.

[0057]

【Example】

(Description of Principle) Hereinafter, the ejection principle applicable to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional view of the liquid discharge head cut in the liquid flow path direction, and FIG. 2 is a partially cutaway perspective view of the liquid discharge head.

The liquid discharge head shown in FIG. 1 serves as a discharge energy generating element for discharging liquid, and has a heating element 2 (40 μm × 1 in FIG. 2) for applying heat energy to the liquid.
A heating resistor having a shape of 05 μm is provided on the element substrate 1, and the liquid flow path 1 is provided on the element substrate in correspondence with the heating element 2.
0 is arranged. The liquid flow path 10 communicates with the discharge port 18 and also communicates with a common liquid chamber 13 for supplying the liquid to the plurality of liquid flow paths 10, and an amount of liquid corresponding to the liquid discharged from the discharge port. From the common liquid chamber 13.

On the element substrate of the liquid flow path 10, a plate-like movable member 31 facing the above-mentioned heating element 2 and made of an elastic material such as metal and having a flat portion is provided.
Are provided in a cantilever shape. One end of the movable member is fixed to a base (supporting member) 34 formed by patterning a photosensitive resin or the like on the wall of the liquid flow path 10 or the element substrate. Thus, the movable member is held and forms a fulcrum (fulcrum portion) 33.

The movable member 31 has a fulcrum (fulcrum portion; fixed end) 33 on the upstream side of a large flow flowing from the common liquid chamber 13 through the movable member 31 to the ejection port 18 side by the liquid ejecting operation. It has a free end (free end portion) 32 on the downstream side with respect to 33, and is arranged at a position facing the heating element 2 at a distance of about 15 μm from the heating element so as to cover the heating element 2. There is. A space between the heating element and the movable member is a bubble generation area. The types, shapes, and arrangements of the heating element and the movable member are not limited to these, and may be any shape and arrangement that can control bubble growth and pressure propagation as described later. The above-described liquid flow path 10
In order to explain the flow of the liquid, which will be described later, a part directly communicating with the discharge port 18 with the movable member 31 as a boundary is defined as a first liquid flow path 14, and the bubble generation region 11 and the liquid supply path 1.
The description will be made by dividing into two regions of the second liquid flow path 16 having the two.

The movable member 31 is generated by causing the heating element 2 to generate heat.
Heat is applied to the liquid in the bubble generation region 11 between the heating element 2 and the heating element 2 to generate bubbles in the liquid based on the film boiling phenomenon as described in US Pat. No. 4,723,129. The pressure based on the generation of the air bubbles and the air bubbles act preferentially on the movable member, and the movable member 31 opens largely toward the discharge port around the fulcrum 33 as shown in FIG. 1 (b), (c) or FIG. To be displaced. Depending on the displacement or the displaced state of the movable member 31, the propagation of pressure based on the generation of bubbles and the growth of the bubbles themselves are guided to the ejection port side.

Here, one of the basic ejection principles applied to the present invention will be described. One of the most important principles in the present invention is that the movable member arranged so as to face the bubble is in a steady state based on the pressure of the bubble or the bubble itself.
Is displaced from the position (1) to the second position, which is the position after the displacement, and the pressure accompanying the generation of bubbles and the bubbles themselves are guided by the displaceable movable member 31 to the downstream side where the discharge port 18 is arranged.

This principle will be described in more detail by comparing FIG. 3 schematically showing a conventional liquid flow path structure using no movable member and FIG. 4 of the present invention. In addition, here, the propagation direction of the pressure toward the discharge port is shown as VA, and the propagation direction of the pressure toward the upstream side is shown as VB.

In the conventional head as shown in FIG. 3, there is no structure for restricting the propagation direction of pressure by the generated bubbles 40. Therefore, the pressure propagation direction of the bubble 40 is V1
As in V8, the direction was perpendicular to the surface of the bubble and was oriented in various directions. Among them, those having a component in the pressure propagation direction in the VA direction which has the most influence on the liquid discharge are V1-V
4, ie, a directional component of pressure propagation in a portion closer to the discharge port than a position substantially half of the bubble, and is an important portion directly contributing to liquid discharge efficiency, liquid discharge force, discharge speed, and the like. Furthermore, V1
Works efficiently because it is closest to the ejection direction VA, while V4 has relatively little direction component toward VA.

On the other hand, in the case of the present invention shown in FIG. 4, the pressure propagation directions V1 to V4 of the bubbles in which the movable member 31 is oriented in various directions as in the case of FIG. It is directed to the discharge port side) and converted into the VA pressure propagation direction, whereby the pressure of the bubble 40 directly and efficiently contributes to the discharge.

The bubble growth direction itself is also guided in the downstream direction in the same manner as the pressure propagation directions V1 to V4, and the bubble grows larger in the downstream than in the upstream. As described above, by controlling the growth direction itself of the bubble by the movable member and controlling the pressure propagation direction of the bubble, it is possible to achieve a fundamental improvement in the discharge efficiency, the discharge force, the discharge speed, and the like.

Next, returning to FIG. 1, the ejection operation of the above-described liquid ejection head will be described in detail.

FIG. 1 (a) shows a state before energy such as electric energy is applied to the heating element 2, that is, a state before the heating element generates heat. What is important here is that the movable member 31 prevents the bubbles generated by the heat generated by the heating element from
That is, it is provided at a position facing at least the downstream side portion of the bubble. In other words, on the liquid flow path structure, at least downstream of the area center 3 of the heating element (from a line passing through the area center 3 of the heating element and orthogonal to the length direction of the flow path, so that the downstream side of the bubble acts on the movable member. The movable member 31 is arranged to the position (downstream).

FIG. 1B shows that the heat generated by heating the heat generating body 2 by applying electric energy or the like to the heat generating body 2 heats a part of the liquid filling the bubble generating region 11 and the generated heat is generated. This is a state in which a part of the liquid filling the bubble generation region 11 is heated to generate bubbles due to film boiling.

At this time, the movable member 31 is displaced from the first position to the second position by the pressure based on the generation of the bubbles 40 so as to guide the propagation direction of the pressure of the bubbles toward the ejection port. What is important here is, as described above, the free end 3 of the movable member 31.
2 is arranged on the downstream side (discharge port side), the fulcrum 33 is arranged on the upstream side (common liquid chamber), and at least a part of the movable member is arranged on the downstream part of the heating element, that is, on the downstream part of the bubble. Face to face.

FIG. 1C shows a state in which the bubbles 40 have further grown, but the movable member 31 is further displaced in accordance with the pressure caused by the generation of the bubbles 40. The generated bubble grows greatly downstream from the upstream and grows greatly beyond the first position (dotted line position) of the movable member.

In this way, the movable member 31 is gradually displaced in accordance with the growth of the bubble 40, whereby the pressure propagation direction of the bubble 40 and the direction in which the volume is easily moved, that is, the growth direction of the bubble toward the free end side, are set. It is considered that the discharge efficiency can be improved by being able to uniformly face the discharge port. Even when the movable member guides bubbles or foaming pressure toward the discharge port, it hinders this transmission. It is possible to efficiently control the pressure propagation direction and bubble growth direction according to the magnitude of the propagating pressure. .

FIG. 1D shows a state in which the bubble 40 contracts and disappears after the film boiling described above due to a decrease in the bubble internal pressure.

The movable member 31 which has been displaced to the second position
Is the initial position (first position) in FIG. 1A due to the negative pressure due to the contraction of the bubble and the restoring force due to the spring property of the movable member itself.
Return to. Further, at the time of defoaming, VD1 and VD2 of the flow from the upstream side (B), that is, the common liquid chamber side, in order to supplement the contracted volume of the bubbles in the bubble generation region 11 and to supplement the volume of the discharged liquid. And the liquid flows in from the discharge port side like Vc of the flow.

The operation of the movable member and the liquid ejecting operation associated with the generation of the bubbles have been described above. The liquid refilling in the liquid ejecting head applicable to the present invention will be described below.

After FIG. 1 (c), when the bubble 40 enters the defoaming process after reaching the maximum volume state, a volume of liquid that compensates for the defoamed volume is placed in the bubble generation region of the first liquid flow path 14. It flows in from the discharge port side and the common liquid chamber 13 side of the second liquid flow path 16.
In the conventional liquid flow path structure having no movable member 31,
The amount of liquid flowing into the defoaming position from the ejection port side and the amount of liquid flowing from the common liquid chamber are due to the magnitude of flow resistance between the portion closer to the ejection port and the portion closer to the common liquid chamber than the bubble generation region ( It is based on flow path resistance and liquid inertia).

Therefore, when the flow resistance on the side close to the discharge port is small, a large amount of liquid flows from the discharge port side to the defoaming position, and the retreat amount of the meniscus becomes large. In particular, as the flow resistance on the side close to the discharge port is reduced to increase the discharge efficiency in order to increase the discharge efficiency, the meniscus M at the time of defoaming becomes larger, the refill time becomes longer, and the refill time becomes longer, and high-speed printing is performed. Was to hinder.

On the other hand, in this structure, since the movable member 31 is provided, if the volume W of the bubble is W1 on the upper side and W2 on the bubble generating region 11 side with the eleventh position of the movable member as a boundary, the bubble can move at the time of defoaming. The retreat of the meniscus is stopped when the member returns to the original position, and the liquid supply of the remaining W2 volume is mainly performed by the liquid supply from the flow VD2 of the second flow path 16. Thus, while the amount corresponding to about half of the volume of the bubble W has conventionally been the meniscus retraction amount, it has become possible to suppress the meniscus retreat amount to a smaller amount, which is about half of W1.

Further, the liquid supply for the volume of W2 is forcibly forced along the surface of the movable member 31 on the heating element side, mainly from the upstream side (VD2) of the second liquid flow path, by utilizing the pressure at the time of defoaming. Since it can be performed at any time, a faster refill could be realized.

What is characteristic here is that when refilling is performed using the pressure at the time of defoaming with the conventional head, the vibration of the meniscus becomes large, which leads to the deterioration of the image quality. In the refill of (1), the movement of the liquid between the region of the first liquid flow path 14 on the ejection port side and the bubble generation region 11 on the ejection port side is suppressed by the movable member, so that the vibration of the meniscus can be extremely reduced. Is.

As described above, the above-described configuration applied to the present invention is performed at high speed by the forced refill of the second liquid flow path 16 into the foaming region via the liquid supply path 12 and the above-mentioned meniscus retreat or vibration request. By achieving refill, stable ejection, high-speed repetitive ejection, and improvement in image quality and high-speed recording can be realized when used in the field of recording.

The above-described structure of the present invention further has the following effective functions. That is, the propagation of the pressure to the upstream side (back wave) due to the generation of bubbles is suppressed. Of the bubbles generated on the heat generating element 2, most of the pressure generated by the bubbles on the common liquid chamber 13 side (upstream side) was a force (back wave) for pushing back the liquid toward the upstream side. This back wave caused the pressure on the upstream side, the amount of liquid movement due thereto, and the inertia force accompanying the liquid movement, which reduced the refill of the liquid into the liquid flow path and hindered high-speed driving. . In this configuration, the refillability is further improved by first suppressing these actions on the upstream side by the movable member 31.

Next, further characteristic structures and effects will be described below.

The second liquid flow path 16 has a liquid supply path 12 having an inner wall connected to the heating element 2 substantially flat (the surface of the heating element is not largely depressed) upstream of the heating element 2. In such a case, the bubble generation region 11 and the heating element 2
The liquid is supplied to the surface of the movable member 31 along the surface of the movable member 31 on the side closer to the bubble generation region 11 as in VD2.
Therefore, it is possible to prevent the liquid from stagnating on the surface of the heating element 2, to easily precipitate the gas dissolved in the liquid and to remove the so-called residual bubbles left without being able to be defoamed. The heat storage of the is not too high. Therefore, more stable generation of bubbles can be repeated at high speed.
In this configuration, the liquid supply path 12 having a substantially flat inner wall has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Any liquid supply path that has a gentle inner wall that is smoothly connected to the surface of the heating element. Any shape that does not cause stagnation of the liquid on the heating element or large turbulence in the supply of the liquid may be used.

In some cases, the liquid is supplied to the bubble generating region from VD1 through the side portion (slit 35) of the movable member. However, in order to more effectively guide the pressure at the time of bubble generation to the discharge port, a large movable member is used so as to cover the entire bubble generation region (covers the heating element surface) as shown in FIG. In the case of a configuration in which the flow resistance of the liquid between the bubble generation region 11 and the region near the discharge port of the first liquid flow path 14 increases by returning to the position of,
The flow of the liquid from the above-described VD1 toward the bubble generation region 11 is hindered. However, in the head structure of this configuration, the flow VD1 for supplying the liquid to the bubble generation region is
Therefore, the liquid supply performance becomes extremely high, and the liquid supply performance is not deteriorated even if a structure is required to improve the discharge efficiency such that the movable member 31 covers the bubble generation region 11.

As for the positions of the free end 32 and the fulcrum of the movable member 31, the free end is relatively downstream of the fulcrum, as shown in FIG. 5, for example. Because of this configuration,
Functions and effects such as guiding the pressure propagation direction and growth direction of the bubbles to the discharge port side during the foaming described above can be efficiently realized. Further, this positional relationship achieves not only a function and an effect on the ejection, but also an effect that the flow resistance to the liquid flowing through the liquid flow path 10 can be reduced and the refill can be performed at a high speed even when the liquid is supplied. As shown in FIG. 5, when the meniscus M retreated by ejection returns to the ejection port 18 due to the capillary force, or when liquid is supplied for defoaming, the liquid flow path 10 (first liquid) is used. Channel 14, second liquid channel 16
This is because the free end and the fulcrum 33 are arranged so as not to oppose to the flows S1, S2, S3 flowing through the inside.

Supplementally, in the present embodiment (FIG. 1), as described above, the free end 32 of the movable member 31 divides the heating element 2 into the upstream area and the downstream area by the area center 3
It extends with respect to the heating element 2 so as to face a position downstream of a line passing through the center (center) of the area of the heating element and perpendicular to the length direction of the liquid flow path. As a result, the movable member 31 receives the pressure or bubbles that greatly contributes to the discharge of the liquid generated on the downstream side of the area center position 3 of the heating element, and the pressure and the bubbles can be guided to the discharge port side. The discharge force can be fundamentally improved.

In addition, many effects are obtained by utilizing the upstream side of the bubble. In this configuration,
It is considered that the mechanical displacement of the free end of the movable member 31 instantaneously also contributes effectively to the ejection of the liquid.

Example 1 An example of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

Also in this embodiment, the principle of discharging the main liquid is the same as described above. In each of the following embodiments, the first liquid flow path 14 and the second liquid flow path 16 will be described using a head divided by the separation wall 30 as described below, but the present invention is not limited to this. Instead, the present invention can be similarly applied to the head described in the above-mentioned principle.

FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the liquid discharge head of this embodiment in the flow path direction.

In the liquid discharge head of the present embodiment, the second liquid flow path 16 is provided on the element substrate 1 provided with the heating element 2 for giving the heat energy for generating bubbles in the liquid, and the second liquid flow path 16 is discharged thereon. The first liquid flow path 14 that directly communicates with the outlet 18 is arranged.

Here, in the structure from the upstream side to the downstream side of the first liquid flow path, as shown in the drawing, the height gradually increases with respect to the movable member 31 toward the discharge port. .
In other words, the free end side of the fulcrum of the movable member is in a resistance relationship in which it is easy to move in the first liquid flow path.

The upstream side of the first liquid flow path communicates with the first common liquid chamber 15 for supplying the discharge liquid to the plurality of first liquid flow paths, and the upstream side of the second liquid flow path is The plurality of second liquid flow paths communicate with a second common liquid chamber for supplying a foaming liquid.

However, when the same liquid is used for the foaming liquid and the discharge liquid, the common liquid chamber may be made one and shared.

A separation wall 30 made of a material having elasticity such as metal is disposed between the first and second liquid flow paths, and connects the first liquid flow path and the second liquid flow path. It is divided. In addition,
In the case of a liquid in which it is desirable that the foaming liquid and the discharge liquid do not mix as much as possible, a method in which the liquid flow in the first liquid flow path 14 and the second liquid flow path 16 is completely separated by this separation wall However, if there is no problem even if the foaming liquid and the discharge liquid are mixed to some extent, the separation wall does not have to have the function of complete separation.

The slit 35 is formed in the partition wall located in the projection space of the heating element in the upward direction of the plane (hereinafter referred to as the discharge pressure generation region; the region A in FIG. 6 and the bubble generation region 11 in B).
The discharge port side (downstream side of the liquid flow) is a free end,
The movable member 31 has a cantilever shape and a fulcrum 33 is located on the common liquid chamber (15, 17) side. This movable member 31
Since it is disposed so as to face the bubble generation region 11 (B), it operates so as to open toward the first liquid flow path side due to foaming of the foaming liquid (the direction of the arrow in the figure). At this time, since the free end is more easily moved than the fulcrum side of the movable member,
The free end moves following the growth of the bubbles, and the bubbles can be guided to the discharge port without waste. A space forming a second liquid flow path is formed on an element substrate 1 on which a heating resistor as a heating element 2 and a wiring electrode (not shown) for applying an electric signal to the heating resistor are arranged. A separation wall 30 is disposed through the separation wall 30.

The relationship between the arrangement of the fulcrum 33 and the free end 32 of the movable member 31 and the arrangement of the heating element is the same as that described above.

In the above description, the structural relationship between the liquid supply passage 12 and the heating element 2 has been described, but the structural relationship between the second liquid flow path 16 and the heating element 2 is the same in this embodiment as well. are doing.

(Embodiment 2) FIGS. 7 and 8 show one of the basic concepts of the present invention, and show the characteristics of the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 shows the bubble generation region 1 of the second liquid flow path 16.
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the arrangement of a movable member 31 arranged to face 1 in a liquid flow path. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional perspective view of the head similar to FIG.

In this embodiment, the height of the fulcrum of the movable member 31 or the height of the first liquid flow path immediately above the fulcrum is higher in the ceiling 52 near the free end of the movable member 31. There is.

Therefore, in the displacement direction of the movable member 31 which is displaced based on the pressure of the bubble 40 generated in the bubble generation region 11, the free end 32 of the movable member is relatively relatively compared to the side closer to the fulcrum 33 of the movable member. The flow resistance is small on the side close to.

As described above, since the flow direction in the displacement direction on the side closer to the free end 32 is smaller, the movement of the free end is not restricted, and the pressure propagation direction of the bubbles 40 and the growth direction of the bubbles are efficiently controlled. It can be well guided to the discharge port 18.

On the other hand, in this embodiment, the first liquid flow path 1
The height of 4 is at least a part between the position facing the free end and the position facing the fulcrum, and is lower than the height of the position facing the free end.

When the movable member 31 is displaced and approaches the fulcrum-side ceiling 54 and the intermediate ceiling 53 which are lower in height than the free end side, the flow resistance between the movable member and the ceiling is in turn caused by the movement in the displacement direction. Will be higher and movement will be restricted. Therefore, variations in manufacturing of the movable member 31, that is, variations in shape and material, variations in ejection characteristics caused by variations in the positional relationship between the bubble generation region 11 and the movable member, and non-uniformity of foaming by the heating element 2. Even in the case of occurrence, the displacement amount of the movable member is made uniform by the ceiling shape, so that the ejection state becomes extremely stable.

Further, in the head having a large number of ejection liquid channels in one head, the constitution of the present invention can further enhance the uniformity of ejection characteristics among the respective liquid channels.
In particular, when the characteristics are different at a part such as both ends of the discharge liquid flow path row, the present invention may be applied only to that part.

Further, even when the discharge variation occurs due to the instability factor of the bubbling state during the repeated discharge, the discharge characteristic can be similarly stabilized by using the structure of the present invention.

As described above, in this embodiment, the flow resistance in the displacement direction of the movable member 31 is made smaller on the side closer to the free end 32 than on the side closer to the fulcrum 33 of the movable member 31. The discharge state can be made uniform in a stable manner, whereby extremely uniform discharge characteristics can be obtained between discharges during repeated discharge and between a plurality of liquid flow paths. Therefore,
When the liquid discharge head of the present invention is used as a recording head, it is possible to further reduce image unevenness and significantly improve image quality.

In the present embodiment, the flow resistance in the displacement direction of the movable member was relatively reduced on the free end side by changing the structure of the first liquid flow path. The side flow resistance may be relatively low. Further, a flow resistance reducing portion (for example, the flow passage width is made wider than the width of the movable member) and a flow resistance increasing portion (for example, the flow passage width is made narrower than the flow passage width) may be provided on the side wall of the liquid flow passage. Good.

Another function and effect produced by the structure of FIG. 7 will be described.

In FIG. 7, the free end 3 of the movable member 31 is
At least a part of 2 is the first when the movable member is displaced.
The structure is such that it approaches the ceiling of the liquid flow path or engages with it. With such a structure, the liquid discharge can be stabilized as described above, and at the same time, mechanical damage to the movable member due to excessive displacement of the movable member 31 can be reduced and durability can be improved.

Example 3 FIGS. 9A and 9B are
FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing a specific flow channel structure for obtaining the same effect as that of the above-mentioned embodiment. Although the basic structure is the same as that of FIG. 7, the ceiling height h1 on the free end side is higher than the ceiling height h2 on the fulcrum side of the movable member 31, and the ceiling is a linear slope between them. It has become. With such a structure, the bubbles 40 generated as shown in FIG.
Thus, when the movable member 31 is displaced, the free end 32 is uniformly displaced, and the ejection performance is stable and has uniform characteristics.

(Modification of Embodiment 3) This embodiment shows another example of the flow channel structure having the above-described function. FIGS. 10A, 10B and 10C are cross-sectional views showing such an example.

The intermediate portion 21 between the free end side ceiling 52 and the fulcrum side ceiling 54 of the liquid flow path 14 in FIG. 10A is a slope having a convex curved surface continuously from the fulcrum side ceiling 22.

This is taken into consideration when the movable member 31 has a low rigidity and the free end of the movable member 31 is further displaced due to strain due to foaming pressure propagation, and the movable member is deformed along the shape of the ceiling. By doing so, the flow channel shape is for obtaining the above-described effects. Depending on how the movable member 31 is distorted, it may have a concave curved ceiling shape.

FIG. 10B shows a steep slope in FIG.

FIG. 10C shows that the slope has a plurality of steps and is formed by etching a grooved member (a member forming the ceiling of the first liquid flow path) a plurality of times. There is ease.

(Embodiment 4) A fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 11 (a)-(c), 12 (a), (b) and FIG.
This will be described with reference to 3 (a) and 3 (b). The basic configuration of this embodiment is shown in FIGS. 9 (a), 9 (b) and 10 (a).
Since it is the same as (c), the description of the same configuration as the previous embodiment will be omitted.

The present embodiment positively uses the configuration of the second embodiment, which has an engaging portion in which the movable member physically contacts or engages with the ceiling of the first liquid flow path. The purpose is to prevent excessive displacement of 31 and to dramatically improve the life.

In FIG. 11A, the flow resistance in the displacement direction of the movable member is made smaller than the fulcrum portion at the free end portion, and is in contact with or engages with the ceiling step portion 55. And the excessive displacement of the movable member 31 are prevented, and the durability is also improved.

FIG. 11B shows that a part of the flow path wall 22 of the first liquid flow path 14 is provided with a protrusion 56 protruding into the flow path so that the movable member 31 can be brought into contact with or engaged with the movable member 31. Therefore, the excessive displacement of the movable member is prevented. This configuration is the first
This is to prevent the excessive displacement of the movable member while increasing the cross-sectional area of the liquid flow passage 14 to improve the refill.

FIG. 11C is a sectional view showing the structure of the head provided with the engaging portion 57 for restricting the upward displacement of the movable member 31 near the free end 32 when the movable member 31 is displaced. . By this engaging portion 57, the free end portion 32 can be regulated more reliably, and the durability of the movable member can be further enhanced.

FIG. 12A is a vertical cross-sectional view of the liquid discharge head. As can be understood from FIG. 12B when the movable member is displaced, as seen from FIG. Liquid channel 1
Since the cross-sectional shape of 4 is trapezoidal, the movable member 31 is restricted from being displaced in a region where the width of the flow path is narrower than the width between the side ends 38 of the free ends, and the movable member is excessively displaced upward. Is prevented.

FIG. 13A is a cross-sectional view of the liquid discharge head. As can be seen from FIG. 13B when the movable member is displaced, the first liquid flow is seen. A step 57 is provided on the side wall 22 of the passage 14.

Since the width of the liquid flow path 14 on the ceiling side is narrower than the width of the movable member by the step portion 57, the movable member 31 can be prevented from excessive displacement.

With the structure for preventing excessive displacement of the movable member described above, the durability of the ejection head can be dramatically improved. Furthermore, when the rigidity of the movable member is low, it is possible to suppress the pressure propagation direction in the bubble growth direction other than the discharge port direction (ceiling direction) or the upstream direction due to excessive displacement, and to improve the discharge efficiency. It was possible to prevent the decrease.

(Fifth Embodiment) FIGS. 14A, 14B and 14C are views showing a fifth embodiment of the liquid discharge head of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 14A, the shape of the first liquid flow path 14 seen from the discharge port side and the movable member 31 are shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 4 (b), the shape of the movable member 31 seen from the discharge port side when displaced to the first liquid flow path 14 side due to the bubbles generated in the bubble generation region is both trapezoidal and similar to each other. You can see that it has become. This is different from the first liquid flow path 14 having a trapezoidal shape as viewed from the discharge port side, as compared with FIG.
This is because the trapezoidal movable member 31 whose width decreases toward the tip as shown in (c) is used.

By adopting such a configuration, FIG.
As shown in FIG. 4 (c), the bubbles generated in the heating element 2 are prevented from escaping from the free end and the side end of the movable member 31 as much as possible.
It has become possible to improve the efficiency of the action of the bubbles on the movable member and reduce the resistance of the movable member 31 in the displacement direction to make the discharge efficiency uniform.

FIGS. 15A and 15B show another example of such a similar shape, which is similar to a rectangle or a square. The similar shape is not limited to this, and may be a triangle or the like.

(Other Embodiments) The embodiments of the main parts of the liquid discharge head and the liquid discharge method of the present invention have been described above. The drawings of the embodiments preferably applied to these embodiments will be described below. It demonstrates using. However, in the following description, any one of the above-described one-channel embodiment and the two-channel embodiment will be described in some cases. Unless otherwise specified, the embodiments can be applied to both embodiments. It is.

(Movable Member and Separation Wall) FIG. 16 (a),
(B) and (c) are plan views showing other shapes of the movable member 31, respectively, and reference numeral 35 is a slit provided in the separation wall, and the slit allows the movable member 51 to be moved.
Are formed. The figure (a) is a rectangular shape,
(B) is a shape in which the fulcrum side is thin and the movable member is easy to operate, and (c) is a shape in which the fulcrum side is wide and the durability of the movable member is improved. The shape of the movable member may be any shape that can be easily operated and has excellent durability.

In the previous embodiment, the plate-shaped movable member 31
The separating wall 5 having the movable member is made of nickel having a thickness of 5 μm. However, the material forming the movable member and the separating wall is not limited to this, and has resistance to the foaming liquid and the discharge liquid. It is sufficient that the movable member has elasticity so that the movable member can operate favorably and a fine slit can be formed.

The material of the movable member has high durability,
Silver, nickel, gold, iron, titanium, aluminum, platinum,
Metals such as tantalum, stainless steel, phosphor bronze, and alloys thereof, or resins having a nitrile group such as acrylonitrile, butadiene, styrene, etc., resins having an amide group such as polyamide, resins having a carboxyl group such as polycarbonate, polyacetal, etc. Resins having aldehyde groups, resins having sulfone groups such as polysulfone, and other resins such as liquid crystal polymers and their compounds, metals with high ink resistance such as gold, tungsten, tantalum, nickel, stainless steel, titanium, alloys thereof, etc. Regarding the ink resistance, those coated on the surface or resins having amide groups such as polyamide, resins having aldehydes such as polyacetal, resins having ketone groups such as polyether ether ketone, and resins having imide groups such as polyimide , A resin having a hydroxyl group such as a phenol resin, a resin having an ethyl group such as polyethylene, a resin having an alkyl group such as polypropylene, a resin having an epoxy group such as an epoxy resin, a resin having an amino group such as a melamine resin, and a xylene resin. Resins and their compounds having methylol groups such as, and ceramics and their compounds such as silicon dioxide are desirable.

The material of the separating wall is polyethylene, polypropylene, polyamide, polyethylene terephthalate, melamine resin, phenol resin, epoxy resin, polybutadiene, polyether ether ketone, polyether sulfone, polyarylate, polyimide, polysulfone, liquid crystal polymer ( LCP) and other engineering plastics, such as heat resistance and solvent resistance,
A resin having good moldability, a compound thereof, a metal such as silicon dioxide, silicon nitride, nickel, gold, stainless steel, an alloy and a compound thereof, or a surface of which is coated with titanium or gold is preferable.

The thickness of the separation wall may be determined in consideration of the material and shape of the separation wall from the viewpoint that the strength as the separation wall can be achieved and the movable member can operate favorably.
About 10 μm is desirable.

Although the width of the slit 35 for forming the movable member 31 is 2 μm in this embodiment, the foaming liquid and the discharge liquid are different liquids, and when the mixture of both liquids is prevented, the slit width is Should be set to an interval such that a meniscus is formed between the two liquids to suppress the flow of each liquid. For example, when a liquid of about 2 cP (centipoise) is used as the foaming liquid and a liquid of 100 cP or more is used as the discharge liquid, the liquid mixture can be prevented even with a slit of about 5 μm, but it is preferable that the slit be 3 μm or less. .

As the movable member in the present invention, the thickness (t μm) on the order of μm is targeted, and the movable member having the thickness on the order of cm is not intended. For a movable member having a thickness on the order of μm, a slit width (W
μm), it is desirable to consider the manufacturing variations to some extent.

When the thickness of the member facing the free end and / or the side end of the movable member forming the slit is equal to the thickness of the movable member (FIGS. 12, 13 and the like), the relationship between the slit width and the thickness is manufactured. In consideration of the variation in the above range, it is possible to stably suppress the mixture of the bubbling liquid and the discharge liquid by setting the range as follows. Although this is a limited condition, from a design point of view, when using high viscosity (5 cP, 10 cP, etc.) for a foaming liquid having a viscosity of 3 cP or less, W / t ≦ 1 should be satisfied. Thus, it is possible to suppress the mixing of the two liquids for a long period of time.

The slit providing the "substantially closed state" of the present invention is more reliable if it is on the order of several μm.

As described above, when the foaming liquid and the discharge liquid are functionally separated, the movable member serves as a substantial partitioning member for these. It can be seen that the foaming liquid mixes slightly with the discharge liquid when the movable member moves with the generation of bubbles. Considering that the ejection liquid for forming an image generally has a coloring material concentration of about 3% to 5% in the case of inkjet recording, this foaming liquid is in a range of 20% or less with respect to the ejection droplets. Even if it is contained in, it does not cause a large concentration change. Therefore, the present invention includes such a mixed liquid as a mixture of a foaming liquid and an ejected liquid such that the amount thereof is 20% or less of the ejected liquid droplets.

In the implementation of the above configuration example, even if the viscosity is changed, the upper limit is 15% of the mixture of the foaming liquid and 5 cps.
In the following foaming liquid, this mixing ratio has an upper limit of about 10%, depending on the driving frequency.

In particular, as the viscosity of the discharge liquid is set to 20 cps or less, the mixed liquid can be reduced (for example, 5% or less).

(Element Substrate) The structure of the element substrate provided with a heating element for applying heat to the liquid will be described below.

FIGS. 17A and 17B are vertical sectional views of the liquid discharge head of the present invention. FIG. 17A shows a head having a protective film described later, and FIG. 17B shows protection. It has no membrane.

On the element substrate 1, the second liquid flow path 16, the separation wall 3
0, a first liquid flow path 14, and a grooved member 50 provided with grooves forming the first liquid flow path.

On the element substrate 1, a base 10 made of silicon or the like is provided.
A silicon oxide film or a silicon nitride film 106 for the purpose of insulation and heat storage is formed on 7, and hafnium boride (HfB ₂ ), tantalum nitride (TaN), and tantalum aluminum (TaAl) that constitute a heating element are formed thereon. An electric resistance layer 105 (0.01 to 0.2 μm thick) and an aluminum wiring electrode (0.2 to 1.0 μm thick) are patterned as shown in FIG. A voltage is applied from the two wiring electrodes 104 to the resistance layer 105, and a current flows through the resistance layer to generate heat. A protective layer such as silicon oxide or silicon nitride having a thickness of 0.1 to 2.0 μm is formed on the resistance layer between the wiring electrodes.
Further, a cavitation resistant layer (0.1 to 0.6 μm thick) of tantalum or the like is formed thereon to protect the resistance layer 105 from various liquids such as ink.

In particular, the pressure and shock wave generated at the time of bubble generation and defoaming are very strong, and the durability of a hard and brittle oxide film is remarkably reduced. Therefore, tantalum (Ta) which is a metal material is used.
Etc. is used as a cavitation resistant layer.

Further, the above-mentioned protective layer may not be required depending on the combination of the liquid, the liquid flow path structure and the resistance material, and an example thereof is shown in FIG. 17 (b). Examples of the material of the resistance layer that does not require such a protective layer include indium-tantalum-aluminum alloy.

As described above, the structure of the heating element in each of the above-described embodiments may be only the resistance layer (heat generating portion) between the electrodes described above, or may include a protective layer for protecting the resistance layer.

In the present embodiment, the heating element having the heating portion composed of the resistance layer which generates heat in response to the electric signal is used, but the heating element is not limited to this, and is sufficient for discharging the discharge liquid. Any bubbles can be used as long as they generate bubbles in the foaming liquid. For example, a light-to-heat converter that generates heat by receiving light from a laser or the like, or a heat generator that has a heat generating unit that generates heat by receiving a high frequency may be used as the heat generating unit.

In addition to the electrothermal converter formed on the element substrate 1 by the resistance layer 105 forming the heating portion and the wiring electrode 104 for supplying an electric signal to the resistance layer, Functional elements such as a transistor, a diode, a latch, and a shift register for selectively driving the electrothermal conversion element may be integrally formed by a semiconductor manufacturing process.

Further, in order to drive the heat generating portion of the electrothermal converter provided on the element substrate 1 as described above and eject the liquid, the resistance layer 105 is connected to the resistance layer 105 via the wiring electrode 104 as shown in FIG. A rectangular pulse as shown by is applied to rapidly generate heat in the resistance layer 105 between the wiring electrodes. In the head of each of the above-described embodiments, the heating element is driven by applying a voltage of 24 V, a pulse width of 7 μsec, a current of 150 mA, and an electric signal of 6 kHz, and the liquid ink is discharged from the ejection port by the above-described operation. Discharged. However, the condition of the drive signal is not limited to this, and any drive signal can be used as long as it can appropriately foam the foaming liquid.

(Discharge Liquid, Foaming Liquid) As described in the above embodiments, in the present invention, due to the structure having the movable member as described above, the discharge force and the discharge efficiency are higher than those of the conventional liquid discharge head. The liquid can be ejected at high speed. In the present embodiment, when the same liquid is used for the foaming liquid and the discharge liquid, the deposit is not easily generated on the heating element by heating without being deteriorated by the heat applied from the heating element, and vaporized by heat. Various liquids can be used as long as they can change the reversible state of condensation and do not deteriorate the liquid flow path, the movable member, the separation wall, and the like.

Among such liquids, as the liquid used for recording (recording liquid), the ink having the composition used in the conventional bubble jet device can be used.

On the other hand, when the head having the two-channel structure of the present invention is used and the discharge liquid and the foaming liquid are different liquids, the liquid having the above-mentioned properties may be used as the foaming liquid. , Methanol, ethanol, n-propanol, isopropanol, n-hexane, n-heptane, n-octane, toluene, xylene, methylene dichloride, trichlene, Freon TF, Freon BF, ethyl ether, dioxane, cyclohexane, methyl acetate, acetic acid ethyl,
Examples include acetone, methyl ethyl ketone, water, and the like, and mixtures thereof.

As the discharge liquid, various liquids can be used regardless of the presence or absence of foamability and the thermal property. In addition, liquids having low foaming properties, liquids which are easily deteriorated or deteriorated by heat, high-viscosity liquids, and the like, which have been difficult to discharge conventionally, can be used.

However, as the properties of the discharge liquid, the discharge liquid itself,
Alternatively, it is desirable that the liquid is not a liquid that hinders ejection, foaming, operation of the movable member, or the like due to a reaction with the foaming liquid.

Highly viscous ink or the like can also be used as the ejection liquid for recording. As other discharge liquids, liquids such as medicines and perfumes that are vulnerable to heat can be used.

In the present invention, recording was performed using an ink having the following composition as a recording liquid that can be used as both a discharge liquid and a foaming liquid. As a result, the landing accuracy of the droplets is improved and a very good recorded image can be obtained.

Composition of dye ink (viscosity 2 cP) (CI Food Black 2) Dye 3% by weight Diethylene glycol 10% by weight Thiodiglycol 5% by weight Ethanol 5% by weight Water 77% by weight Recording was performed by ejecting a combination of liquids having the compositions shown below. As a result, it was possible to satisfactorily eject a liquid having a very high viscosity of 150 cP as well as a liquid having a viscosity of a dozen cP, which was difficult to be ejected by the conventional head, and it was possible to obtain a recorded image of high image quality.

Composition of foaming liquid 1 Ethanol 40% by weight Water 60% by weight Composition of foaming liquid 2 Water 100% by weight Composition of foaming liquid 3 Isopropyl alcohol 10% by weight Water 90% by weight Discharge liquid 1 Pigment ink (viscosity about 15 cP) Composition Carbon black 5% by weight Styrene-acrylic acid-ethyl acrylate copolymer 1% by weight (acid value 140, weight average molecular weight 8000) Monoethanolamine 0.25% by weight Glycerin 69% by weight Thiodiglycol 5% by weight Ethanol 3 % By weight Water 16.75% by weight Composition of ejection liquid 2 (viscosity 55 cP) Polyethylene glycol 200 100% by weight Composition of ejection liquid 3 (viscosity 150 cP) Polyethylene glycol 600 100% by weight By the way, it is said that the conventional ejection is difficult. If the liquid used was Because the, it is promoted the ejection direction of the variation poor dot landing accuracy on the recording paper, but also cause variations in the discharge amount due to discharge instability,
Due to these things, it was difficult to obtain a high-quality image. However, in the configuration of the above-described embodiment, the generation of bubbles can be sufficiently and stably performed by using the foaming liquid. As a result, it was possible to improve the landing accuracy of the droplets and stabilize the ink ejection amount, and it was possible to significantly improve the quality of the recorded image.

(Structure of Head Having Two Channels) FIG. 19 is an exploded perspective view showing the entire structure of a head having two channels of the liquid discharge head of the present invention.

The element substrate 1 described above is arranged on a support 70 made of aluminum or the like. On this, the wall 16a of the second liquid flow path 16
And a wall 17a of the second common liquid chamber 17 is provided,
A separation wall 30 having a movable member 31 is provided thereon. Further, a plurality of grooves forming the first liquid flow path 14 on the separation wall 30, a first common liquid chamber 15, a supply passage 20 for supplying the first liquid to the first common liquid chamber 15, and The grooved member 50 provided with the supply passage 21 for supplying the second liquid is provided in the second common liquid chamber 17, and the liquid ejection head having two channels is configured by such a configuration. .

(Liquid Ejection Head Cartridge) Next, a liquid ejection head cartridge equipped with the liquid ejection head according to the above embodiment will be schematically described.

FIG. 20 is a schematic exploded perspective view of a liquid discharge head cartridge including the above-described liquid discharge head. The liquid discharge head cartridge is mainly composed of a liquid discharge head portion 200 and a liquid container 90. There is.

The liquid discharge head section 200 comprises the element substrate 1,
The partition wall 30, the grooved member 50, the pressing spring 60, the liquid supply member 80, the support body 70, and the like. As described above, the element substrate 1 is provided with a plurality of heating resistors for applying heat to the foaming liquid in a row, and a functional element for selectively driving the heating resistors. Are provided. This element substrate 1 and the aforementioned separation wall 3 having a movable wall
0, a foaming liquid passage is formed, and the foaming liquid flows. By joining the separating wall 30 and the grooved member 50, a discharge flow path (not shown) through which the discharged discharge liquid flows is formed.

The pressing spring 60 is a member for exerting an urging force on the grooved member 50 in the direction of the element substrate 1, and the urging force causes the element substrate 1, the separating wall 30, the grooved member 50, and a support member described later. 70 and 70 are well integrated.

The support 70 is for supporting the element substrate 1 and the like. On the support 70, a circuit board 71 for connecting to the element substrate 1 and supplying an electric signal,
Contact pads 72 are provided for exchanging electrical signals with the device side by connecting to the device side.

The liquid container 90 contains a discharge liquid such as ink and a foaming liquid for generating bubbles, which are supplied to the liquid discharge head, separately stored therein. Outside the liquid container 90, a positioning portion 94 for arranging a connection member for connecting the liquid ejection head and the liquid container and a fixed shaft 95 for fixing the connection portion are provided. The supply of the discharge liquid is supplied from the discharge liquid supply passage 92 of the liquid container to the discharge liquid supply passage 81 of the liquid supply member 80 via the supply passage of the connection member, and the discharge liquid supply passages 83, 61, 20 of the respective members are supplied. And is supplied to the first common liquid chamber via. Similarly, the foaming liquid is supplied from the supply path 93 of the liquid container to the foaming liquid supply path 82 of the liquid supply member 80 via the supply path of the connecting member, and via the foaming liquid supply paths 84, 61 and 21 of each member. It is supplied to the second liquid chamber.

In the liquid ejection head cartridge described above, the supply form and the liquid container capable of supplying even when the bubbling liquid and the ejection liquid are different liquids have been described, but when the ejection liquid and the bubbling liquid are the same. In addition, it is not necessary to separate the supply path and container for the foaming liquid and the discharge liquid.

The liquid container may be refilled with the liquid after the consumption of each liquid. For this purpose, it is desirable to provide a liquid container with a liquid inlet. Further, the liquid ejection head and the liquid container may be integrated or may be separable.

(Liquid Ejecting Device) FIG. 21 shows a schematic structure of a liquid ejecting device equipped with the above-mentioned liquid ejecting head. In this embodiment, an ink discharge recording apparatus using ink as a discharge liquid will be described in particular. The carriage HC of the liquid ejecting apparatus includes a liquid tank unit 90 that stores ink.
The liquid ejection head unit 200 is mounted with a detachable head cartridge, and reciprocates in the width direction of the recording medium 150 such as recording paper conveyed by the recording medium conveying means.

When a drive signal is supplied from the drive signal supply means (not shown) to the liquid ejection means on the carriage, the recording medium is ejected from the liquid ejection head onto the recording medium in response to this signal.

Further, in the liquid ejecting apparatus of this embodiment, the motor 111 as a drive source for driving the recording medium conveying means and the carriage, the gears 112, 113 for transmitting the power from the drive source to the carriage, It has a carriage shaft 115 and the like. By the liquid ejecting method performed by the recording device and the kno recording device, it is possible to obtain a recorded image with a good image by ejecting the liquid onto various recording media.

FIG. 22 is a block diagram of an entire apparatus for operating an ink ejecting apparatus to which the liquid ejecting method and the liquid ejecting head of the present invention are applied.

The recording apparatus receives print information as a control signal from the host computer 300. The print information is temporarily stored in an input interface 301 inside the printing apparatus, and at the same time, is converted into data that can be processed in the printing apparatus, and is input to the CPU 302 also serving as a head drive signal supply unit. The CPU 302 processes data input to the CPU 302 using a peripheral unit such as the RAM 304 based on a control program stored in the ROM 303,
Convert to print data (image data).

Further, the CPU 302 produces drive data for driving a drive motor that moves the recording sheet and the recording head in synchronization with the image data in order to record the image data at an appropriate position on the recording sheet. . The image data and the motor drive data are respectively sent to the head driver 307.
Is transmitted to the head 200 and the drive motor 306 via the motor driver 305, and driven at each controlled timing to form an image.

The recording medium which can be applied to the recording apparatus as described above and to which liquid such as ink is applied is various kinds of papers, OHP sheets, plastic materials, cloths, aluminum used for compact discs, decorative plates and the like. Metal materials such as copper and copper, leather materials such as cowhide, pigskin and artificial leather, wood materials such as wood and plywood, bamboo materials, ceramic materials such as tiles, and three-dimensional structures such as sponges can be targeted.

As the above-mentioned recording device, a printer device for recording on various kinds of paper or OHP sheets, a recording device for plastics for recording on a plastic material such as a compact disc, a metal for recording on a metal plate. Recording device, recording device for leather for recording on leather, recording device for wood for recording on wood, recording device for ceramics for recording on ceramic material, recording device for recording on three-dimensional mesh structure such as sponge It also includes a printing device for recording on the cloth.

As the ejection liquid used in these liquid ejection devices, a liquid suitable for each recording medium and recording conditions may be used.

(Recording System) Next, an example of an ink jet recording system for recording on a recording medium using the liquid ejection head of the present invention as a recording head will be described.

FIG. 23 is a schematic diagram for explaining the structure of an ink jet recording system using the above-described liquid discharge head 201 of the present invention. The liquid ejection head in the present embodiment is a full-line type head in which a plurality of ejection openings are arranged at intervals of 360 dpi in a length corresponding to the recordable width of the recording medium 150, and yellow (Y) and magenta (M). , Four heads corresponding to four colors of cyan (C) and black (Bk) are fixedly supported by a holder 1202 in parallel with each other at a predetermined interval in the X direction.

A signal is supplied to each of these heads from a head driver 307 which constitutes a drive signal supply means, and each head is driven based on this signal.

Each head has Y, M, C, and
Bk four color inks are supplied from ink containers 204a to 204d, respectively. Reference numeral 204e denotes a foaming liquid container in which a foaming liquid is stored, and the foaming liquid is supplied from the container to each head.

Further, below each head, a head cap 203 having an ink absorbing member such as a sponge inside is disposed.
a to 203d are provided, and the maintenance of the head can be performed by covering the ejection openings of each head during non-printing.

Reference numeral 206 is a conveyor belt which constitutes a conveying means for conveying various kinds of non-recording media as described in the above embodiments. The conveyor belt 206 is wound around a predetermined path by various rollers, and is driven by a driving roller connected to a motor driver 305.

In the ink jet recording system of the present embodiment, a pre-processing device 251 and a post-processing device 252, which perform various kinds of processing on the recording medium before and after recording, are provided upstream and downstream of the recording medium conveying path, respectively. It is provided.

The contents of the pretreatment and the posttreatment differ depending on the type of recording medium on which recording is performed and the type of ink. For example, for a recording medium such as metal, plastic, or ceramics, As pretreatment, ultraviolet rays and ozone are irradiated to activate the surface of the material, so that the adhesion of the ink can be improved. In addition, in a recording medium such as plastic that is prone to generate static electricity, dust is likely to adhere to the surface due to static electricity, and this dust may hinder good recording. For this reason, it is preferable to remove dust from the recording medium by removing static electricity from the recording medium using an ionizer device as a pretreatment.
When a cloth is used as the recording medium, an alkaline substance is added to the cloth in order to prevent bleeding and improve the first-arrival rate.
A treatment for providing a substance selected from a water-soluble substance, a synthetic polymer, a water-soluble metal salt, urea, and thiourea may be performed as pretreatment. The pre-processing is not limited to these, and may be a process of setting the temperature of the recording medium to a temperature suitable for recording.

On the other hand, the post-treatment is a fixing treatment for accelerating the fixing of the ink by heat treatment, UV irradiation or the like on the recording medium to which the ink has been applied, or washing of the unreacted residual treatment agent applied in the pre-treatment. The processing is performed.

Although the full line head is used as the head in this embodiment, the present invention is not limited to this, and the small head as described above is conveyed in the width direction of the recording medium to perform recording. It may be one.

[Head Kit] An ink jet head kit having the ink jet head of the present invention will be described below. FIG. 24 is a schematic diagram showing such an inkjet head kit. This inkjet head kit includes an inkjet head 510 of the present invention having an ink ejecting portion 511 for ejecting ink, and an inseparable or separable head. An ink container 520, which is a liquid container, and an ink filling unit that holds ink for filling the ink container with the ink are provided in a kit container 50.
It has been placed in 1.

When the ink is completely consumed, the insertion portion (the injection needle) of the ink filling means (the injection needle) is connected to the atmosphere communication port 521 of the ink container, the connection portion with the ink jet head, or the hole formed in the wall of the ink container. Etc.) 531 may be partially inserted, and the ink in the ink filling means may be filled in the ink container via the insertion portion.

As described above, the ink jet head of the present invention, the ink container, the ink filling means, etc. are put into one kit container to form a kit. In addition, the ink can be easily filled in the ink container, and the recording can be started quickly.

Although the ink jet head kit of this embodiment is described as including the ink filling means, the ink jet head kit is of a separable type filled with ink without the ink filling means. The ink container and the head may be housed in the kit container 510.

Further, in FIG. 24, only the ink filling means for filling the ink into the ink container is shown, but in addition to the ink container, the foaming liquid filling means for filling the foaming liquid container with the foaming liquid container is a kit. It may be in the form of being stored in a container.

[0198]

According to the present invention, since the flow resistance in the displacement direction is smaller on the side closer to the free end of the movable member than on the side closer to the fulcrum, the movement of the free end is restricted. Therefore, the pressure propagation direction of the bubbles and the growth direction of the bubbles can be efficiently guided to the ejection port. In addition, it is possible to obtain extremely uniform ejection characteristics between each ejection port and between a plurality of liquid flow paths during repeated ejection.

According to the liquid ejection method, head, etc. of the present invention based on the novel ejection principle using a movable member as described above, it is possible to obtain a synergistic effect of the bubbles generated and the movable member displaced by the bubbles. Since the liquid in the vicinity of the ejection port can be efficiently ejected, the ejection efficiency can be improved as compared with the conventional bubble jet type ejection method, head, and the like.

Further, according to the characteristic constitution of the present invention, it is possible to prevent the non-ejection even when left for a long time at low temperature and low humidity, and even if the non-ejection occurs, the preliminary ejection or suction is performed. There is also an advantage that it is possible to immediately return to the normal state by performing a little recovery process such as recovery. Along with this, the recovery time can be shortened, the loss of liquid due to the recovery can be reduced, and the running cost can be significantly reduced.

In particular, according to the structure of the present invention with improved refill characteristics, responsiveness during continuous ejection, stable growth of bubbles, and stabilization of droplets are achieved, and high-speed recording by high-speed liquid ejection and high image quality are achieved. It was possible to record.

Further, in the head having the two-passage structure, by using a liquid which easily foams or a liquid which hardly causes deposits (burns etc.) on the heating element as the foaming liquid, the degree of freedom in selecting the discharge liquid is increased. It was possible to satisfactorily eject liquids that were difficult to be ejected by the conventional bubble jet ejection method, such as high viscosity liquids that are less likely to be foamed and liquids that tend to cause deposits on the heating element.

Further, it was possible to eject the liquid such as a liquid weak against heat without adversely affecting the liquid to be ejected.

Further, by using the liquid discharge head of the present invention as a liquid discharge recording head for recording, it was possible to achieve higher quality recording.

Further, by using the liquid discharge head of the present invention, it was possible to provide a liquid discharge device, a recording system, or the like in which the liquid discharge efficiency and the like were further improved.

By using the head cartridge or head kit of the present invention, the head can be easily used and reused.

[Brief description of drawings]

1A to 1D are schematic cross-sectional views for explaining an ejection principle using an example of a liquid ejection head applicable to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a partially cutaway perspective view of the liquid ejection head shown in FIGS.

FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing pressure propagation from bubbles in a conventional liquid ejection head.

FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing pressure propagation from bubbles in a discharge principle applicable to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view for explaining a flow of a liquid applicable to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a first embodiment of the liquid ejection head of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view showing a stopper structure of a second liquid flow path with respect to a movable member in a second embodiment of the liquid ejection head of the present invention.

8 is a partially cutaway perspective view of the liquid ejection head shown in FIG.

9A and 9B are vertical cross-sectional views of a third embodiment of the liquid ejection head of the present invention.

10A to 10C are vertical cross-sectional views of a modified example of the third embodiment of the liquid discharge head of the present invention.

11A to 11C are vertical cross-sectional views of a fourth embodiment of the liquid discharge head of the present invention.

FIGS. 12A and 12B are vertical cross-sectional views of main parts of a modification of the fourth embodiment of the liquid ejection head of the present invention.

13A and 13B are vertical cross-sectional views of a main part of a modified example of the fourth embodiment of the liquid ejection head of the present invention.

14A to 14C are vertical cross-sectional views of essential parts of a modification of the fifth embodiment of the liquid ejection head of the present invention.

15 (a) and 15 (b) are schematic views respectively showing a main part of a fifth embodiment of the liquid ejection head of the present invention.

16A to 16C are plan views for explaining other shapes of the movable member.

17 (a) and 17 (b) are vertical cross-sectional views each illustrating a main part of the liquid ejection head of the present invention.

FIG. 18 is a schematic diagram showing the shape of a drive pulse.

FIG. 19 is a schematic exploded perspective view for explaining the main configuration of the liquid ejection head of the present invention.

FIG. 20 is a schematic exploded perspective view for explaining a head cartridge equipped with the liquid ejection head of the present invention.

FIG. 21 is a schematic perspective view showing an example of a liquid ejection apparatus in which the liquid ejection head of the present invention can be mounted.

FIG. 22 is a device block diagram for driving a liquid ejection device that can mount the liquid ejection head of the present invention.

FIG. 23 is a schematic perspective view for explaining the configuration of an inkjet recording system using the liquid ejection head of the present invention.

FIG. 24 is a schematic view showing a head kit having the liquid ejection head of the present invention.

FIG. 25 is a diagram for explaining a liquid flow path structure of a conventional liquid discharge head, in which (a) is a perspective view and (b) is a sectional view.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Element substrate 2 Heating element 3 Area center 10 Liquid channel 11 Bubble generation area 12 Supply channel 13 Common liquid chamber 14 First liquid channel 15 First common liquid chamber 16 Second liquid channel 17 Second common liquid chamber 18 Discharge Outlet 19 Constriction part 20 First supply path 21 Second supply path 22 First liquid flow path wall 23 Second liquid flow path wall 24 Convex part 30 Separation wall 31 Movable member 32 Free end 33 Support point 34 Support member 35 Slit 36 Bubble generation Region side wall 37 Bubble generation region front wall 40 Bubble 45 Droplet 50 Grooved member 51 Orifice plate 60 Spring 70 Support 80 Supply member

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of front page (72) Inventor Yoshie Nakata 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc. (72) Inventor Toshio Kashino 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Incorporated (72) Inventor Makiko Kimura 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc. (72) Inventor Hiroshi Sugitani 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc. ( 72) Inventor Masami Ikeda 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc.

Claims (80)

[Claims] 1. A discharge port for discharging a liquid, a liquid flow path communicating with the discharge port, a bubble generating region for generating bubbles in the liquid, and a bubble generating region facing the bubble generating region, and having a free end and a fulcrum. A liquid discharge head having a movable member provided, displacing the movable member by a pressure based on the generation of bubbles in the bubble generation unit, and discharging the liquid from the discharge port by the displacement of the movable member, The liquid discharge characterized in that the resistance in the liquid flow path with respect to the movable member in the direction in which the movable member is displaced is smaller on the side closer to the free end of the movable member than on the side closer to the fulcrum of the movable member. head. 2. A discharge port for discharging a liquid, a liquid flow path communicating with the discharge port, a bubble generation region for generating bubbles in the liquid, a bubble generation region facing the bubble generation region, and a free end and a fulcrum. A liquid discharge head for displacing the movable member by a pressure based on the generation of bubbles in the bubble generation unit and discharging the liquid from the discharge port by the displacement of the movable member. The liquid discharge head is characterized in that the height of the liquid flow path is higher immediately above the free end than immediately above the fulcrum of the movable member. 3. A discharge port for discharging a liquid, a liquid flow path communicating with the discharge port, a bubble generation region for generating bubbles in the liquid, a bubble generation region, and a free end and a fulcrum. A liquid discharge head for displacing the movable member by a pressure based on the generation of bubbles in the bubble generation unit and discharging the liquid from the discharge port by the displacement of the movable member. From the position where the height of the liquid flow path faces the free end,
At least a part of the position facing the fulcrum,
A liquid ejection head, which is lower than a height of a position facing the free end. 4. The liquid discharge head according to claim 2, wherein the flow path shape is a liquid flow path between a position facing the fulcrum and a position facing the free end, and a position facing the free end. A liquid ejection head, characterized in that the height of the liquid ejection head is continuously increased. 5. The liquid discharge head according to claim 4, wherein the height changes linearly. 6. The liquid discharge head according to claim 4, wherein the height changes in a curved line. 7. The liquid discharge head according to claim 3, wherein the portion where the height of the liquid flow path is low is an upper limit stopper that regulates the displacement of the movable member. 8. The liquid discharge head according to claim 2, wherein the shape of the liquid flow path viewed from the discharge opening side and the shape viewed from the discharge opening side when the movable member is displaced are similar shapes. Characteristic liquid ejection head. 9. The liquid ejection head according to claim 1, wherein when the movable member is displaced, a part of the movable member forms a wall of the liquid flow path. A liquid ejection head that is in contact with a part. 10. The liquid discharge head according to claim 1,
A liquid discharge head characterized in that the displacement causes the bubbles to expand to a greater extent downstream than upstream toward the discharge port, thereby displacing the movable member. 11. The liquid ejection head according to claim 1, wherein a heating element is provided at a position facing the movable member, and the heating element is provided between the movable member and the heating element. A liquid discharge head characterized in that the space is the bubble generation region. 12. The liquid ejection head according to claim 1, wherein the movable member is
A liquid discharge head comprising a fulcrum and a free end located downstream of the fulcrum. 13. The liquid discharge head according to claim 11, wherein the liquid flow path has a supply path along the heating element for supplying liquid onto the heating element from upstream of the heating element. And liquid ejection head. 14. The liquid ejection head according to claim 13, wherein the supply passage has an inner wall that is substantially flat or gentle on the upstream side of the heating element, and the liquid is applied to the heating element along the inner wall. A liquid discharge head, which is a supply path for supplying the liquid to the head. 15. The liquid discharge head according to claim 11, further comprising a liquid flow path for supplying a liquid onto the heating element from an upstream side along a surface of the movable member near the heating element. Liquid ejection head. 16. The liquid discharge head according to claim 11, further comprising a supply path for supplying a liquid onto the heating element from an upstream side along a surface of the movable member near the heating element. head. 17. A first liquid flow path having a first liquid flow path communicating with a discharge port, a second liquid flow path having a bubble generation region for generating bubbles in the liquid by applying heat to the liquid, and the first liquid flow path. Disposed between the flow path and the bubble generation region,
The discharge port side has a free end, and the free end is displaced toward the first liquid flow path side based on the pressure generated by the generation of bubbles in the bubble generation region to adjust the pressure to the first liquid flow path. And a movable member that is guided to the discharge port side of the movable member, wherein the height of the first liquid flow path is higher immediately above the free end than immediately above the fulcrum of the movable member. Liquid ejection head. 18. A first liquid flow path communicating with a discharge port, a second liquid flow path having a bubble generation region for generating bubbles in the liquid by applying heat to the liquid, the first liquid flow path. Disposed between the flow path and the bubble generation region,
The discharge port side has a free end, and the free end is displaced toward the first liquid flow path side based on the pressure generated by the generation of bubbles in the bubble generation region to adjust the pressure to the first liquid flow path. And a movable member that is guided to the discharge port side of the first liquid flow path, wherein the height of the first liquid flow path is at least from a position facing the free end to a position facing the fulcrum. A part of the liquid discharge head is lower than a height of a position facing the free end. 19. The liquid discharge head according to claim 17 or 18, wherein the flow path shape is located between the position facing the fulcrum and the position facing the free end, and the liquid is discharged toward the position facing the free end. A liquid discharge head having a shape in which the height of a flow path is continuously increased. 20. The liquid discharge head according to claim 19, wherein the height changes linearly. 21. The liquid discharge head according to claim 19, wherein the height changes in a curved line. 22. The liquid discharge head according to claim 18, wherein the portion where the height of the liquid flow path is low is an upper limit stopper that regulates the displacement of the movable member. 23. The liquid discharge head according to claim 17 or 18, wherein the shape of the liquid flow path viewed from the discharge opening side and the shape viewed from the discharge opening side when the movable member is displaced are similar shapes. A liquid ejection head characterized by the above. 24. The liquid discharge head according to claim 17 or 18, wherein when the movable member is displaced, a part of the movable member contacts the ceiling of the liquid flow path. 25. The liquid discharge head according to claim 17 or 18, wherein a heating element is provided at a position facing the movable member, and the bubble generating region is provided between the movable member and the heating element. A liquid ejection head characterized by. 26. The liquid discharge head according to claim 25, wherein the second liquid flow path has a substantially flat or gentle inner wall on the upstream side of the heating element, and the liquid flows along the inner wall. A liquid discharge head, which is a liquid flow path supplied onto the heating element. 27. Claim 1, 2, 3, 17, or 1
9. The liquid discharge head according to any one of items 8 to 8, wherein the movable member is plate-shaped. 28. The liquid discharge head according to claim 27, wherein the entire surface of the heating element faces the movable member. 29. The liquid discharge head according to claim 27, wherein a total area of the movable member is larger than a total area of the heating element. 30. The liquid discharge head according to claim 27, wherein a fulcrum of the movable member is arranged at a position deviating from directly above the heating element. 31. The liquid discharge head according to claim 27, wherein a free end of the movable member has a shape substantially orthogonal to a liquid flow path in which the heating element is arranged. 32. The liquid discharge head according to claim 27, wherein the free end of the movable member is arranged at a position closer to a discharge port than the heating element. 33. The liquid discharge head according to claim 27, wherein the movable member is configured as a part of a separation wall arranged between the first flow path and the second flow path. Liquid ejection head. 34. The liquid discharge head according to claim 33, wherein the separation wall is made of metal, resin, or ceramics. 35. The liquid ejection head according to claim 17 or 18, wherein a first common liquid chamber for supplying the first liquid to a plurality of the first liquid flow paths, and the second liquid flow path. And a second common liquid chamber for supplying the second liquid to a plurality of the liquid ejection heads. 36. The liquid discharge head according to claim 17, wherein the liquid supplied to the first liquid flow path and the liquid supplied to the second liquid flow path are the same liquid. And liquid ejection head. 37. The liquid ejection head according to claim 17, wherein the liquid supplied to the first liquid flow path and the liquid supplied to the second liquid flow path are different liquids. And liquid ejection head. 38. The liquid discharge head according to claim 11, wherein the heating element is an electrothermal converter having a heating resistor that generates heat by receiving an electric signal. 39. The liquid discharge head according to claim 25, wherein the heating element is an electrothermal converter having a heating resistor that generates heat by receiving an electric signal. 40. The liquid discharge head according to claim 25, wherein the shape of the second liquid flow path in the portion where the heating element is arranged is a chamber shape. 41. The liquid ejection head according to claim 25,
The liquid discharge head, wherein the shape of the flow path is a shape having a narrowed portion upstream of the heating element. 42. The liquid discharge head according to claim 25, wherein the distance from the surface of the heating element to the movable member is 3
A liquid discharge head having a thickness of 0 μm or less. 43. The liquid ejection head according to claim 17 or 18, wherein the liquid ejected from the ejection port is ink. 44. A liquid discharge head having a discharge port for discharging a liquid, a bubble generation region for generating bubbles in the liquid, and a movable member facing the bubble generation region and having a free end and a fulcrum. A liquid discharging method of displacing the free end of the movable member by a pressure based on the generation of bubbles in the bubble generating section and discharging the liquid from the discharge port by the displacement of the movable member, The liquid discharge characterized in that the resistance in the liquid flow path with respect to the movable member in the direction in which the movable member is displaced is smaller on the side closer to the free end of the movable member than on the side closer to the fulcrum of the movable member. Method. 45. The liquid discharge method according to claim 44,
A liquid ejecting method characterized in that the displacement causes the bubbles to expand to a greater extent downstream than toward an ejection port and to cause the movable member to be displaced. 46. The liquid discharge method according to claim 44,
A method for ejecting liquid, characterized in that the bubbles are expanded beyond the first position. 47. The liquid discharge method according to claim 44,
A liquid ejection method, wherein the downstream side portion of the bubble is grown downstream of the movable member by the displacement of the movable member. 48. The liquid discharge method according to claim 44,
The liquid discharging method, wherein the movable member has a free end downstream of a fulcrum, and the displacement is such that the free end is displaced around the fulcrum. 49. The liquid discharge method according to claim 44,
By displacing the movable member having the displacing free end by at least the bubble portion having the pressure component directly acting on the droplet discharge, the bubble portion having the pressure component of the bubble is guided to the discharge port side. A characteristic liquid ejection method. 50. A first liquid flow path communicating with a discharge port, a second liquid flow path having a bubble generating region, a first liquid flow path having a free end on the discharge port side, and the first liquid flow path. A head having a movable member arranged between the movable member and a bubble generating region is used to generate a bubble in the bubble generating region, and the free end of the movable member is moved to the first liquid based on the pressure generated by the bubble. A liquid discharge method of discharging liquid by displacing to the flow path side and guiding the pressure to the discharge port side of the first liquid flow path by the displacement of the movable member, wherein the movable member is movable in the displacing direction. A liquid ejection method, wherein the resistance in the liquid flow path to the member is smaller on the side closer to the free end of the movable member than on the side closer to the fulcrum of the movable member. 51. The liquid ejecting method according to claim 44 or 50, wherein the movable member is configured as a part of the separation wall, and the part of the movable member is at least a part of the separation wall other than the movable member. The liquid ejection method, wherein the above-mentioned suppression is achieved by contact. 52. The liquid discharge method according to claim 51,
A liquid discharging method, wherein a free end portion of a movable member including the free end is in contact with at least a part of the separation wall. 53. The liquid discharge method according to claim 51,
A liquid ejecting method, wherein a side end of the movable member is in contact with at least a part of the separation wall. 54. The liquid discharge method according to claim 44 or 50, wherein the downward displacement of the movable member toward the bubble generation region is physically engaged with the free end portion of the movable member or a region near the free end. A liquid ejecting method, which is performed by a suppressing unit. 55. The liquid discharge method according to claim 54,
A liquid ejecting method, wherein the free end of the movable member is in a closed state. 56. The liquid discharge method according to claim 54,
A liquid ejecting method, wherein the side end portion of the movable member is in a sealed state. 57. The liquid discharging method according to claim 54,
A liquid discharge method characterized in that the flow resistance near the position where the free end is displaced is smaller than the flow resistance near the fulcrum. 58. The liquid discharge method according to claim 44 or 50, wherein the control is performed by limiting movement of a free end portion including the free end of the movable member. 59. The liquid discharge method according to claim 44 or 50, wherein a heating element is provided at a position facing the movable member, and the bubble generating region is between the movable member and the heating element. A method for ejecting a liquid. 60. The liquid discharge method according to claim 50,
A liquid ejecting method, wherein a part of the generated bubbles extends into the first liquid flow path along with the displacement of the movable member. 61. The liquid discharge method according to claim 59,
A liquid discharge method, wherein the bubbles are bubbles generated by the film boiling phenomenon by causing the film boiling phenomenon in the liquid by transferring the heat generated by the heating element to the liquid. 62. The liquid discharge method according to claim 59,
On the heating element, substantially flat upstream of the heating element,
Alternatively, a liquid discharge method characterized in that the liquid is supplied along a gentle inner wall. 63. The liquid discharge method according to claim 50,
A liquid ejecting method, wherein the liquid supplied to the first liquid flow path and the liquid supplied to the second liquid flow path are the same liquid. 64. The liquid discharge method according to claim 50,
A liquid discharge method, wherein the liquid supplied to the first liquid flow path and the liquid supplied to the second liquid flow path are different liquids. 65. The liquid discharge method according to claim 50,
The liquid supplied to the second liquid flow path is a liquid excellent in at least one property of low viscosity, foaming property and thermal stability as compared with the liquid supplied to the first liquid flow path. A liquid discharging method characterized by the above. 66. A liquid discharge having a discharge port for discharging a recording liquid, a bubble generation region for generating bubbles in the liquid, and a movable member arranged facing the bubble generation region and having a free end and a fulcrum. A liquid ejection method for ejecting a liquid from the ejection port by displacing the free end of the movable member by a pressure based on the generation of bubbles in the bubble generation unit using a recording head, wherein the movable member is displaced. The liquid ejection method is characterized in that the resistance in the liquid flow path with respect to the movable member in the moving direction is smaller on the side closer to the free end of the movable member than on the side closer to the fulcrum of the movable member. 67. The claim 1, claim 2, claim 17, or claim 18.
A head cartridge, comprising: the liquid ejection head according to any one of items 1 to 3; and a liquid container that holds a liquid to be supplied to the liquid ejection head. 68. The head cartridge according to claim 67, wherein the liquid ejection head and the liquid container are separable from each other. 69. The claim 1, claim 2, claim 3, claim 17, or claim 1
The liquid ejection head according to any one of items 8 and a drive signal supply unit that supplies a drive signal for ejecting the liquid from the liquid ejection head, and ejects the recording liquid by generation of bubbles. Characteristic liquid ejection device. 70. A liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 69,
A liquid ejecting apparatus, which ejects ink from the liquid ejecting head and deposits the ink on any of recording paper, cloth, plastic, metal, wood, and leather to perform recording. 71. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 69,
A liquid ejecting apparatus which ejects recording liquids of a plurality of colors from the liquid ejecting head and adheres the recording liquids of a plurality of colors to a recording medium to perform color recording. 72. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 69,
A liquid ejecting apparatus, wherein a plurality of the ejection ports are arranged over a front width of a recordable area of a recording medium. 73. A liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 69,
A recording system comprising: a pre-processing device or a post-processing device that promotes fixing of the liquid to a recording medium after recording. 74. The method of claim 1, 2, 3, 17, or 1
9. A liquid ejecting apparatus comprising: the liquid ejecting head according to any one of items 8 and a recording medium conveying unit that conveys a recording medium that receives the liquid ejected from the liquid ejecting head. 75. A liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 74,
A recording system, comprising: a pre-treatment device or a post-treatment device that promotes fixing of the liquid to a recording medium after recording. 76. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 69,
A liquid ejecting apparatus, which ejects ink from the liquid ejecting head and deposits the ink on a recording sheet to perform recording. 77. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 74,
A liquid ejecting apparatus, which ejects ink from the liquid ejecting head and deposits the ink on a recording sheet to perform recording. 78. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 74,
A liquid ejecting apparatus which ejects recording liquids of a plurality of colors from the liquid ejecting head and adheres the recording liquids of a plurality of colors to a recording medium to perform color recording. 79. The claim 1, claim 2, claim 3, claim 17, or claim 1
8. A head kit comprising the liquid ejection head according to any one of items 8 and a liquid container holding a liquid to be supplied to the liquid ejection head. 80. The method of claim 1, 2, 3, 17, or 1
9. The liquid discharge head according to any one of 8 to 8 above, a liquid container for holding the liquid supplied to the liquid discharge head, and a liquid filling means for filling the liquid container with the liquid. Head kit to do.