JPH1044398A - Ink jet recording head and ink jet recorder - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a simple ink jet recording head and an ink jet recorder in which ink is jetted stably without causing any clogging of nozzle and a high print quality is obtained while enhancing the resolution of print dot. SOLUTION: A nozzle plate 22 having a nozzle 12 is provided on the plane of an ink chamber 21 facing a recording medium 15 and a micro oscillatory section 18 is coupled with the side face of the nozzle plate 22. An ink in the ink chamber 21 is made to fly, as an ink droplet 24, toward the recording medium 15 by means of a pressure imparting mechanism (not shown) provided in the nozzle 12. In this regard, the nozzle plate 22 can be shifted slightly in the oscillating direction 16 shown by arrows y means of a micro oscillating section 18 independently from the movement of the ink chamber 21 or the entire ink jet recording head. According to the structure, recording can be performed with resolution higher than the arranging density of the nozzle 12.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to an ink jet recording head and an ink jet recording apparatus for performing recording by flying liquid ink.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is a so-called on-demand type ink jet recording system in which printing is performed by discharging ink droplets from nozzles as needed. Typical on-demand type ink jet recording methods include, for example, a piezoelectric vibrator type and a thermal type.

[0003] In the piezo-vibrator type, a pulse voltage is applied to a piezoelectric element provided in an ink chamber to deform the piezoelectric element, thereby changing the ink liquid pressure in the ink chamber and ejecting ink droplets from nozzles to perform recording. This is to record dots on paper. In the thermal type, ink is heated by heating means provided in an ink chamber, and ink droplets are ejected from nozzles by bubbles generated thereby to record dots on recording paper.

[0004] In these ink jet recording systems, the resolution was conventionally about 300 DPI, but recently the resolution has been increased from 600 to 720 DPI. Along with this, it is necessary to reduce the diameter of a dot to be printed in accordance with the resolution in order to effectively exhibit the effect of increasing the resolution. As a means for reducing the dot diameter in the above-described conventional method, there is a method for reducing the nozzle diameter. However, if the nozzle diameter is reduced, the nozzle may become clogged due to dust or drying of the ink surface in the nozzle, and the ink ejection direction may easily change due to the adhesion of the residue to the periphery of the nozzle. Will occur. Therefore, there is a problem that a nozzle diameter required for printing a dot diameter corresponding to the original resolution cannot be adopted.

On the other hand, in recent years, an ink jet recording method using acoustic waves has been proposed. This method focuses the radiation pressure of sound waves on the free surface of the ink,
The ink droplets fly from the ink surface. For example, as described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 3-200199, there has been proposed a configuration in which a thin-film flat plate-shaped phase Fresnel lens is provided on a substrate so that focusing can be performed more inexpensively and sharply. FIG. 12 is a schematic view showing an example of a conventional inkjet recording head using a Fresnel lens. In the figure, 91 is a piezoelectric body, 92 is ink, 93, 94
Is an electrode, 95 is an ink free surface, 96 is an ink drop, 97
Denotes a substrate, 98 denotes a phase Fresnel lens, and 99 denotes a thin film flat plate. On the back surface of the substrate 97, a vibrator including a piezoelectric body 91 and electrodes 93 and 94 for applying a voltage to the piezoelectric body 91 is formed. Further, on the surface of the substrate 97, a plurality of thin film flat portions 99 are annularly arranged at a certain interval, and a phase Fresnel lens 99 is formed. The vibration generated by the vibrator is transmitted to the phase Fresnel lens 98 through the substrate 97.
Is transmitted to In the phase Fresnel lens 98, an incident plane wave is diffracted by a plurality of thin film flat portions 99 arranged in a ring at certain intervals. The plurality of generated diffracted waves are concentrated and combined at one point on the ink free surface 95. The phase Fresnel lens 98 is configured such that the amplitude of the combined wave is maximized, and the combined wave causes the ink droplet 96 to fly from the free ink surface 95 to perform recording.

Further, as a new method of the acoustic wave concentration method, there has been proposed a method of providing a vibrating member in a nozzle as shown in Japanese Patent Application No. 8-38562. FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of an example of an inkjet recording head of an acoustic wave concentration type in which a vibration member is provided in a nozzle. In the figure, 101 is a cylindrical nozzle, 102 is a cylindrical vibration member, and 103 is ink. FIG. 13A is a cross-sectional view of the nozzle, and FIG.
FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view taken along a plane including the central axis of the nozzle.

A cylindrical vibration member 102 is provided in the middle of the cylindrical nozzle 101. This cylindrical vibration member 10
As 2, an integral cylindrical piezoelectric material can be used. The cylindrical vibration member 102 is made of a material that generates mechanical strain by an electric field, and for example, a piezoelectric material such as barium titanate, lithium niobate, lead zirconate titanate, and zinc oxide can be used. The ink 103 is supplied by an ink supply unit (not shown) so that the liquid level falls within a range where the cylindrical vibration member 102 is disposed.

The principle of operation of this system will be described. First, Figure 1
When vibration is applied at a frequency perpendicular to the wall surface of the cylindrical nozzle 101 as shown in FIG. 3A, a longitudinal wave is generated below the liquid level of the ink 103 toward the center of the cylinder. Since this longitudinal wave is concentrically collected from the entire wall surface of the cylindrical nozzle 101 at the center, the vibration energy given from the wall surface of the cylindrical nozzle 101 is concentrated at the center. Therefore, when a sufficient vibration intensity is given at a certain frequency, the ink 103 near the center of the cylindrical nozzle 101 as shown in FIG.
Droplets are ejected from the surface of the substrate.

In the method of concentrating these acoustic waves, the size of the ejected droplet is not limited by the nozzle, but depends on the energy density of the region where the sound waves are concentrated.
Therefore, when the nozzle diameter is reduced as in the case of the piezo oscillator type and the thermal type, there is no risk of clogging the nozzles or changing the ink ejection direction.

On the other hand, in order to perform high-quality recording by the ink jet recording method, it is necessary to reduce the diameter of recording dots and to integrate them at high density. In the above-described method of concentrating acoustic waves, the diameter of a recording dot can be reduced. However, in a system using a phase Fresnel lens as in the example shown in JP-A-3-200199, the degree of freedom of the shape of the vibration source is low, and there is a limit in increasing the number of ink ejection points and at high density. There is a problem. Further, even in a method in which a vibration member is provided in a nozzle as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application No. 8-38562, a nozzle having a diameter larger than the ink droplet diameter is used, and the vibration member is provided around the nozzle. Can not. Therefore, it is conceivable to arrange the nozzles two-dimensionally as described in the same document. However, in order to achieve a desired recording density, a large area is required, and the recording head becomes large. is there.

As one method for performing high-density printing with ink nozzles having a low degree of integration, a method in which the steps of a carriage operation for moving a recording head with respect to a recording medium can be conceived is considered. There is such a problem. Further, as described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 1-95055, it has been proposed to provide a driving mechanism for finely reciprocating a recording head and realize a high-resolution inkjet recording apparatus without increasing the resolution of nozzles. Have been. However, in this configuration, a large driving force is required to make the entire recording head reciprocate minutely, so that the apparatus becomes large and the inertia increases, so that high-speed driving is difficult. Further, there is a problem that the degree of freedom of the configuration such as the size of the recording head is reduced.

[0012]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and has no clogging of nozzles, stable ink ejection, good printing quality, and a high quality printing dot. An object of the present invention is to provide a simple inkjet recording head and an inkjet recording apparatus capable of achieving high resolution.

[0013]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, in an ink jet recording head for performing recording by flying liquid ink, an ink chamber for holding the liquid ink and a part of the ink chamber are formed. A nozzle plate provided with nozzles, energy applying means for applying energy to the liquid ink to eject ink droplets from the nozzles, and vibrating means for finely vibrating the nozzle plate, wherein the vibrating means positions the nozzle plate. It is characterized in that high-density recording is performed by performing recording while moving it minutely.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the ink jet recording head according to the first aspect, the energy applying means applies vibration to the surface of the liquid ink and the vicinity of the surface at the nozzle provided on the nozzle plate. In addition, it is a vibration generating means for causing the liquid ink to fly by concentrating the vibration.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the ink jet recording head according to the second aspect, the vibration generating means is constituted by a piezoelectric cylindrical member or a plurality of piezoelectric members. Things.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the ink jet recording head according to the first aspect, the nozzle plate is attached to the main body by an elastically deformable connection member.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an ink jet recording apparatus for performing recording by causing liquid ink to fly and adhere to a recording medium.
And a moving means for relatively moving the ink jet recording head and the recording medium. The moving means moves the ink jet recording head by the vibrating means and causes the nozzle plate to vibrate the nozzle plate minutely. The recording is performed by moving at least in a direction substantially perpendicular to the direction in which the recording is performed.

[0018]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an example of a scanning mechanism in an embodiment of an ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention. In the figure, 11 is a recording head, 12 is a nozzle, 13 is a guide bar, 14 is a carriage mechanism, 15 is a recording medium, 16 is a vibration direction, 17 is a carriage movement direction, and 18 is a minute vibration section. FIG. 1 shows a recording medium 15.
FIG. 3 is a diagram of the recording head 11 viewed from the side. Recording head 11
Is attached to the carriage mechanism 14 and the guide bar 1
3 is moved in the carriage movement direction 17.

A plurality of nozzles 12 are provided in the recording head 11, and ink is ejected from the nozzles 12 and adheres to a recording medium 15 indicated by a broken line in FIG. Here, the nozzles 12 are arranged in a line. Further, the recording head 11 is provided with a minute vibrating part 18, and the minute vibrating part 18 causes the nozzle 12 to slightly move in the direction of the vibration 16. As a result, the ink droplets ejected from the nozzles 12 also vibrate in the vibration direction 16. By causing the ink ejection operation to be performed in synchronization with the minute movement of the nozzles 12, a plurality of dots can be recorded between the arrangement intervals of the nozzles 12, and recording is performed at a recording density higher than the arrangement density of the nozzles 12. Can be performed.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing the first embodiment of the ink jet recording head of the present invention. In the figure, FIG.
The same parts as those described above are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof will be omitted. 2
1 is an ink chamber, 22 is a nozzle plate, 23 is a substrate, 24 is an ink droplet, and 25 is an adhesive. FIG. 2 shows a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA ′ in FIG.

The ink chamber 21 for storing ink is provided with the adhesive layer 2
5 adheres on the substrate 23. Ink chamber 21
The nozzle plate 22 provided with the nozzle 12 is adhered to the surface facing the recording medium 15, and the minute vibrating part 18 is connected to the side surface of the nozzle plate 22. The nozzle plate 22 can vibrate in the vibration direction 16 indicated by an arrow in the drawing independently of the movement of the ink chamber 21 or the entire ink jet recording head by the minute vibration portion 18. The micro-vibration section 18 can be constituted by, for example, a bimorph-type piezoelectric actuator in which two piezoelectric plates are bonded together. It is known that a bimorph type piezoelectric actuator can obtain a displacement of several hundred μm at a relatively low potential. Also, a laminated actuator having excellent response speed and generated force can be used in the micro-vibration section of the present invention by combining with a displacement enlarging mechanism. Needless to say, at this time, the ink chamber and the nozzle plate are bonded with a connection member having a high elastic modulus so that the function of the minute vibration portion becomes effective.

The ink in the ink chamber 21 is turned into an ink droplet 24 by a pressure applying mechanism (not shown) to form a recording medium 15.
Fly towards. At this time, the recording can be performed at a resolution higher than the array density of the nozzles 12 by the minute vibration of the nozzle plate 22 by the minute vibration unit 18. Further, since it is not necessary to microvibrate the entire ink head including the ink chamber, an excessive driving force is not required for the microvibration part, so that the reliability is high and high-speed vibration is possible.

FIGS. 3 and 4 are explanatory views of an example of a printing operation in the first embodiment of the ink jet recording head of the present invention. 31 is a recording head, 32 is a nozzle, 33
Is a recording dot. The recording head 31 is a simplified version of a serial type head, in which two nozzles 32 are provided on a nozzle plate. 3 and 4, the x direction is the moving direction of the carriage, and the y direction is the direction in which the nozzle plate is minutely moved by the minute vibration unit 18.

In the example shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, an ink droplet smaller than the diameter of the nozzle 32 flies and forms a recording dot 33. With the state of FIG. 3A as an initial state, the center position of the nozzle 32 at this time is shown in FIG.
This is indicated by a broken line in FIG. Also, the recording dots 33 formed by the ink droplets landing on the recording medium are shown on the right side of the drawing.
The position of was shown. Here, for simplicity, it is assumed that ink is ejected from all nozzles.

In the state shown in FIG. 3A, ink is ejected from each of the nozzles 32 to perform printing, and then the ink droplets are ejected from the nozzles 32 while the nozzle plate is slightly moved in the y direction by the minute vibrating section 18. Go.
FIG. 3B shows a state where the distance is moved by a half of the nozzle pitch. During the movement to the position shown in FIG. 3B, ink droplets are ejected in accordance with the image signal as in the first position. Further, ink droplets are ejected while being slightly moved, and printing is performed up to the dot immediately below the printing dot 33 printed in FIG.

Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 3 (C), the nozzle plate is finely moved again to the initial position and returned again, and the entire recording head is moved in the main scanning direction by the carriage, and FIG. 4 (A).
To the state shown in. Thereafter, the recording dots 33 are recorded, for example, as shown in FIG. By performing printing in this manner, printing can be performed with a print dot density exceeding the nozzle array density.

In this example, the pitch of the dots in the x direction depends on the interval at which the carriage can move in the main scanning direction. However, a microactuator or the like for microvibrating in the x direction as in the y direction is provided. For example, printing can be performed at a resolution higher than the resolution of the carriage.

Further, in the present invention, the minute vibration portion 18
By changing the recording density during the micro-movement and the moving pitch of the carriage, printing with an arbitrary resolution is possible. According to the characteristics of the recording medium, for example, it is possible to perform control such that recording is performed at a coarse density when recording on a recording medium in which dots tend to spread, and conversely, at a fine density when recording is performed on a recording medium where dots do not spread. it can.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of an example of the operation of moving the recording head in the first embodiment of the ink jet recording head of the present invention. In the figure, 41 is a recording head, and 42 is a recording medium. As described above, the recording for one band is performed while moving the recording head 41 in the direction indicated by the solid line while performing the minute movement by the minute vibration unit 18 in the direction of the dashed arrow in the drawing. Then, the recording head 41 and the recording medium 42 are relatively moved to record the next band. In FIG. 5, recording of one band is always performed by moving the recording head 41 in the same direction. However, recording may be performed by alternately changing the moving direction.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing an ink jet recording head according to a second embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, 51
Is a nozzle plate, 52 is a nozzle, 53 is an ink chamber, and 54 is a minute vibration part. In this embodiment, nozzles 52 are two-dimensionally arranged on a nozzle plate 51.

As in the first embodiment shown in FIG. 2, a nozzle plate 51 provided with a nozzle 52 is attached to the surface of the ink chamber 53 facing the recording medium so as to be finely movable. Further, a minute vibration part 54 is connected to a side surface of the nozzle plate 51. The minute vibration part 54 causes the nozzle plate 51 to vibrate independently of the movement of the ink chamber 53 or the entire ink jet recording head, and causes the position of the nozzle 52 to move minutely. In the example shown in FIG. 6, since the position of the nozzle 52 slightly moves in the left-right direction in the figure, recording can be performed in this direction at a density higher than the array density of the nozzles 52. Further, since the nozzles 52 are two-dimensionally arranged, a plurality of recording dot rows can be simultaneously recorded, and the recording speed can be improved as compared with the first embodiment.

FIGS. 7 and 8 are explanatory views of an example of a printing operation in the second embodiment of the ink jet recording head of the present invention. 61 is a recording head, 62 is a nozzle, 63
Is a recording dot. As in the case of the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the recording head 61 is shown in a simplified manner, and four 2 × 2 nozzles 62 are provided on a nozzle plate. In the example shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, an ink droplet smaller than the diameter of the nozzle 62 flies and forms a recording dot 63. The state of FIG. 7A is the initial state, and the center position of the nozzle 62 at this time is shown by a broken line in FIGS. Further, the positions of the recording dots 63 formed by the ink droplets landing on the recording medium are shown on the right side of the drawing. Here, for simplicity, it is assumed that ink is ejected from all nozzles.

First, in FIG. 7A, ink droplets are ejected from the nozzles 62, and four recording dots 6 are formed as shown on the right.
Record 3. Next, as shown in FIG. 7 (B), ink droplets are ejected from the nozzles 62 while the nozzle plate is minutely moved by the minute vibration portion, and recording is performed. FIG.
(B) shows a state in which the nozzle has been moved a half distance of the nozzle pitch. Recording is performed up to the recording dot adjacent to the recording dot at the recording start position of the adjacent nozzle. afterwards,
As shown in FIG. 7C, the nozzle plate is minutely moved again to the initial position. Then, the recording head 61 is moved in the main scanning direction by the carriage to eject ink droplets. Thereafter, similarly, the ink droplets are ejected while being minutely moved by the minute oscillating portion to record the recording dots. This operation is repeated. FIG. 8A shows a state in which the recording head has moved in the main scanning direction by half of the nozzle pitch. Then y
When it is slightly moved in the direction, printing is performed as shown in FIG. Note that, even between FIG. 7 (C) and FIG. 8 (A),
The movement in the main scanning direction and the ejection operation of the ink droplet for each minute movement by the minute vibration unit can be repeatedly performed. In this manner, recording can be performed at a recording density that exceeds the density of the nozzles formed on the nozzle plate.

Also, in this example, two pitches of recording can be performed by repeatedly performing fine movement in the main scanning direction by one pitch of the nozzle. After repeating the minute movement in the main scanning direction for one pitch in this manner, the recording head 61 may be moved so as to skip the recording for two pitches.

The second embodiment can be modified in the same manner as the first embodiment. For example, it is possible to dispose the micro-vibration section in both the x direction and the y direction, and to control the recording density according to the characteristics of the recording medium.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram of a first specific example of the ink jet recording head according to the first and second embodiments of the present invention. In the figure, the same parts as those in FIG. Reference numerals 71 and 72 denote electrodes, 73 denotes a recording medium, 74 denotes an ink droplet, 75 denotes a connecting member, 76 denotes an ink supply path, and 77 denotes a protective film. FIG. 9 shows a BB ′ cross section in the second embodiment shown in FIG. 6, but the same applies to the first embodiment, and is also an enlarged view of the cross section shown in FIG. .

The nozzle plate 51 is formed of a piezoelectric material and has a nozzle 52 which is sufficiently larger than a droplet to be ejected.
Is open. On the upper and lower surfaces of the periphery of the nozzle 52, electrodes 71 and 72 for vibrating the nozzle plate 51 formed of a piezoelectric material are provided. A protective film 77 is formed on the surface that comes into contact with the ink in order to prevent the electrode 71 from being corroded. The lower part of the nozzle plate 51 is an ink chamber 53, which is bonded by a connection member 75 having a high elastic modulus so as to be able to vibrate minutely. The lower portion of the ink chamber 53 is connected to an ink supply path 76 so that the nozzle 52 always maintains a constant ink liquid level. Next to the nozzle plate 51,
A minute vibrating part 54 for moving only the nozzle plate in a direction perpendicular to the ink flying direction is provided. For example, a micro-actuator can be used for the micro-vibration unit 54. Of course, other magnetic, electrical, or mechanical action may be used.

When a voltage is applied to the electrodes 71 and 72, the periphery of the nozzle 52 of the nozzle plate 51 is distorted in a direction parallel to the ink surface as indicated by an arrow in FIG. This produces longitudinal waves in the ink. Longitudinal waves generated around the nozzle 52 concentrate on the central portion of the nozzle 52, and the ink droplet 74
Flies from the surface of the ink and adheres to the recording medium 73 to perform recording. Here, in these figures, when a certain nozzle is selectively selected according to an image signal, a voltage is applied to the electrode of the piezoelectric element corresponding to the nozzle. Then, the wave generated from the piezoelectric element becomes a compression wave and propagates in the liquid, and the energy is concentrated at the center of the nozzle to extrude the droplet, and the droplet is ejected toward the recording medium 52.

The micro-vibration section 54 moves the nozzle plate 51 in the left-right direction in the figure to change the landing position of the ink droplet 74 on the recording medium 73. At this time, since the nozzle plate 51 is connected to the ink chamber 53 by the connection member 75 having a high elastic modulus, only the nozzle plate 51 moves due to the elastic deformation of the connection member 75. Thus, the nozzle plate 51 can be moved by a much smaller force than the movement of the entire head, and high-density recording can be performed.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of a second specific example in the first and second embodiments of the ink jet recording head of the present invention. In the figure, the same parts as those in FIG. 9 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted. Reference numeral 78 denotes a piezoelectric element. In the specific example shown in FIG. 9, the nozzle plate 51 is formed of a piezoelectric material, but in this specific example, an annular piezoelectric element 78 is provided on an arbitrary nozzle plate 51. With such a configuration, the vibration generated from one vibrator is applied to the adjacent nozzle 52
It is more preferable since it does not affect.

When manufacturing such an ink jet recording head, first, the lower electrode 71 is patterned and formed on the nozzle plate 51, and the piezoelectric element 78 is laminated thereon. An upper electrode 72 is further laminated thereon, and finally a hole serving as the nozzle 52 is formed. Since the diameter of this hole may be sufficiently large as compared with a droplet having a size of several tens of microns, there is no technical difficulty.

The ink is supplied such that the liquid level comes to a certain position in contact with or above the piezoelectric element 78. Subsequent operations are substantially the same as those of the first specific example shown in FIG. A voltage is applied to the electrodes 71 and 72 to distort the piezoelectric element 78 to generate a longitudinal wave in the ink, and to concentrate the ink near the center of the nozzle 52 to fly the ink, thereby performing recording.

FIG. 11 is an explanatory view of another example of the operation of moving the recording head in the first and second embodiments of the ink jet recording head of the present invention. In the figure, 81 is a line type recording head, and 82 is a recording medium. The first mentioned above
In the recording head shown in the second embodiment and FIG.
The recording was performed for each band having a certain width as shown in (1), but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, as shown in FIG. 11, a line type recording head 81 can be used. In such a line-type recording head 81, a minute vibration portion is provided on the left or right in the figure, and recording is performed while slightly moving in the direction of the dashed arrow in the figure. Then, the line type recording head 81 and the recording medium 82 are relatively moved in the direction of the solid line in FIG.

Of course, the nozzles can be arranged two-dimensionally according to the size of the recording medium. In this case, it is possible to provide the micro-vibrating portions in two directions, respectively, so that after the recording medium is fed, the recording can be performed only by the micro-movement by the two micro-vibrating portions.

[0045]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the present invention, in a printing method that does not require a nozzle for defining the diameter of a flying ink droplet, in addition to scanning by a carriage of a print head, a fine head inside the head is provided. By superimposing the movement due to the vibration on the recording head, the flying points of the ink droplets can be arranged at high density without increasing the density of the ink nozzles. Therefore, high-resolution and high-quality printing can be performed without causing the ink droplets to fly due to clogged nozzles or solidified ink around the nozzles. Further, it is possible to perform recording at an optimum resolution according to the characteristics of the recording medium. In addition, by moving only the nozzle plate that is a part of the ink head to achieve minute movement of the ink recording position, the head mechanism is not complicated, leading to improved reliability, and high-speed driving is also possible. effective.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view illustrating an example of a scanning mechanism according to an embodiment of an inkjet recording apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing a first embodiment of the ink jet recording head of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of an example of a printing operation in the first embodiment of the ink jet recording head of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a printing operation in the first embodiment of the ink jet recording head of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of an example of a recording head moving operation in the first embodiment of the ink jet recording head of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a second embodiment of the ink jet recording head of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of an example of a printing operation in a second embodiment of the ink jet recording head of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram of an example of a printing operation in a second embodiment of the ink jet recording head of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram of a first specific example in the first and second embodiments of the inkjet recording head of the present invention.

FIG. 10 shows a first example of the ink jet recording head of the present invention.
FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram of a second specific example according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 11 shows a first example of the ink jet recording head of the present invention.
FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram of another example of the movement operation of the recording head according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 12 is a schematic view showing an example of a conventional ink jet recording head using a Fresnel lens.

FIG. 13 is a sectional view of an example of an ink jet recording head of an acoustic wave concentration type in which a vibration member is provided in a nozzle.

[Explanation of symbols]

11: recording head, 12: nozzle, 13: guide bar,
14 carriage mechanism, 15 recording medium, 16 vibration direction, 17 carriage movement direction, 18 minute vibration section,
21 ... ink chamber, 22 ... nozzle plate, 23 ... substrate, 24 ...
Ink droplets, 25 adhesive, 31 recording head, 32 nozzle, 33 recording dot, 41 recording head, 42 recording medium, 51 nozzle plate, 52 nozzle, 53 ink chamber, 54 minute Vibrating part, 61: recording head, 62: nozzle, 63: recording dot, 71, 72: electrode, 73: recording medium, 74: ink droplet, 75: connecting member, 76: ink supply path, 77: protective film, 78: piezoelectric element, 81: line type recording head, 82: recording medium.

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Koichi Haga 430 Border, Nakaicho, Ashigarakami-gun, Kanagawa Prefecture Inside Green Tech Nakai Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. An ink jet recording head for performing recording by flying liquid ink, an ink chamber for holding the liquid ink, a nozzle plate forming a part of the ink chamber and having a nozzle, and Energy providing means for applying energy and ejecting ink droplets from the nozzles; and vibrating means for finely vibrating the nozzle plate. By performing recording while moving the position of the nozzle plate minutely by the vibrating means, high density recording is performed. An ink jet recording head for performing recording. 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the energy applying unit is a vibration generating unit that applies vibration to the surface of the liquid ink and a vicinity of the surface in the nozzle provided on the nozzle plate, and concentrates the vibration to fly the liquid ink. The ink jet recording head according to claim 1, wherein: 3. The ink jet recording head according to claim 2, wherein said vibration generating means is constituted by a piezoelectric cylindrical member or a plurality of piezoelectric members. 4. The ink jet recording head according to claim 1, wherein the nozzle plate is attached to the main body by an elastically deformable connection member. 5. An ink jet recording apparatus which performs recording by causing liquid ink to fly and adhere to a recording medium,
5. An ink jet recording head according to claim 1, further comprising a moving unit for relatively moving the ink jet recording head and the recording medium, wherein the moving unit moves the ink jet recording head. An ink jet recording apparatus, characterized in that recording is performed by moving a vibration means at least in a direction substantially perpendicular to a direction in which the nozzle plate is minutely vibrated.