CN118124264A - Liquid jet head - Google Patents

Abstract

A liquid ejection head including a recording element substrate configured to have liquid ejection ports, the liquid ejection head comprising: a first positioning member configured to have a first positioning portion including a recess opening toward the liquid ejection direction; and a second positioning member configured to have a second positioning portion including a groove portion that opens in a liquid ejection direction and extends toward the first positioning member, and a third positioning portion including a planar portion that is substantially parallel to the recording element substrate.

Description

Liquid jet head

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to a liquid ejection head capable of ejecting liquid in a pressure chamber from an ejection port using a recording element.

Background

In recent years, liquid ejection apparatuses such as ink jet recording apparatuses are used not only for home printing but also for commercial purposes such as business photographs and retail photographs or also for industrial purposes such as electronic circuit diagrams or panel displays, and the application of such liquid ejection apparatuses is continuing to expand. For the liquid ejection head of such a liquid ejection apparatus in commercial printing, high-speed printing and continuous printing work are required.

Further, the liquid ejection head may be configured to be detachably mountable to the liquid ejection apparatus so as to be replaceable (see japanese patent 4942999 (hereinafter referred to as document 1) or the like). In this case, the replacement work is required to be simple when the liquid ejection head is replaced.

On the other hand, the liquid ejection head generally has a plurality of nozzles and ejection ports, and also has to be positioned in the liquid ejection apparatus with extremely high accuracy to maintain high print quality. As the printing resolution of the liquid ejection apparatus increases, the requirement for accuracy in positioning the liquid ejection head also increases. Further, in order to construct a large liquid ejection head, an inkjet head has been proposed in which a large number of small ejection modules are arranged side by side on a base member to secure a large printing area.

In the case where the liquid ejection head is configured to be detachably mountable to the liquid ejection apparatus, if the position of the liquid ejection head is shifted due to mounting/dismounting, a problem of deterioration of printing quality occurs. Further, in a liquid ejection head in which a large printing area (liquid ejection area) is configured by arranging a large number of ejection modules side by side on a base member, a deviation easily occurs when the ejection modules are mounted on the base member. Therefore, in the case of mounting a plurality of liquid ejection heads, the ejection port positions of the respective liquid ejection heads become dispersed, so that a mechanism for adjusting the mounting positions of the liquid ejection heads is required. Further, there is a problem that the deviation is less noticeable by, for example, image processing such as gradation, injection timing, or adjustment means such as shifting the injection ports used. An object of the present disclosure is to provide a configuration for positioning an ejection port at a predetermined position with high accuracy when a liquid ejection head is mounted on a liquid ejection apparatus.

Disclosure of Invention

The present disclosure is directed to solving the above-described problems, and to providing techniques related to the following liquid ejection head configuration. The ejection head configuration corresponds to a liquid ejection head including a recording element substrate configured to have liquid ejection ports, the liquid ejection head including: a first positioning member configured to have a first positioning portion including a recess opening toward the liquid ejection direction; and a second positioning member configured to have a second positioning portion including a groove portion that opens in a liquid ejection direction and extends toward the first positioning member, and a third positioning portion including a planar portion that is substantially parallel to the recording element substrate.

Further, as another configuration, an ejection head configuration corresponds to an entire line, is provided with a plurality of recording element substrates configured to have liquid ejection ports, and the liquid ejection head includes: a support member configured to extend in a longitudinal direction of the liquid ejection head to support the plurality of recording element substrates; and a positioning member provided on the support member.

Other features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of exemplary embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a circulation path applied to a liquid ejection apparatus of the present disclosure;

Fig. 2A is a schematic perspective view of the liquid ejection head as viewed from the negative pressure control unit side;

fig. 2B is a schematic perspective view as seen from the recording element substrate side;

Fig. 2C is an exploded perspective view as seen from the recording element substrate side;

FIG. 3A is a bottom perspective view of a liquid ejection head;

Fig. 3B is an enlarged view of a first positioning portion of the liquid ejection head;

fig. 3C is an enlarged view of a second positioning portion of the liquid ejection head;

fig. 4A is a perspective view of a liquid ejection head provided in the liquid ejection apparatus;

FIG. 4B is a bottom view of the liquid ejecting head in FIG. 4A;

Fig. 5A is a diagram showing an installation state of the first positioning member;

Fig. 5B is a diagram showing an installation state of the first positioning member;

fig. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the liquid ejection apparatus;

fig. 7 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a circulation path applied to the liquid ejection apparatus of the present disclosure;

fig. 8 is a view showing a case where the first positioning member is mounted to the housing after the ejection module is mounted;

fig. 9 is a view showing a case where the first positioning member and the second positioning member are mounted to the housing after the ejection module is mounted;

FIG. 10A is a diagram showing a spray head reference axis and a spray nozzle axis in a liquid spray head; and

Fig. 10B is a diagram showing the head reference axis and the nozzle axis in the liquid ejection head.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, examples of embodiments of the present disclosure will be explained with reference to the drawings. However, the following description is not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. As an example, the present embodiment adopts a thermal method of ejecting liquid by generating bubbles using a heat generating element. However, a liquid ejection head employing a piezoelectric method and other various liquid ejection methods may also be applied to the present disclosure.

Further, in the present disclosure, the X-axis, the Y-axis, and the Z-axis are appropriately used as directional axes for explaining the configuration and the like of the liquid ejection head 3. The X-axis and the Y-axis are perpendicular to each other in a horizontal plane and constitute a liquid ejection surface. The long axis of the liquid ejection head extends in the Y-axis direction, and the recording medium 2 moves in the X-axis direction. The Z axis is a vertical axis perpendicular to the X axis and the Y axis and parallel to the liquid ejection direction as described below.

< First embodiment >

(Liquid ejecting apparatus)

Although the present embodiment is in the form of an ink jet recording apparatus (recording apparatus) that circulates a liquid such as ink between a tank and a liquid ejection head, other forms are also possible. For example, there may be a form in which: the two tanks are provided on the upstream side and the downstream side of the liquid ejection head without circulating ink, and ink in the pressure chamber is caused to flow by causing ink to flow from one tank to the other.

The apparatus for ejecting liquid according to the present disclosure, particularly an inkjet recording apparatus 1000 (hereinafter also referred to as a recording apparatus) that performs recording by ejecting ink, is equipped with a conveying portion 1 for conveying a recording medium 2 and a line liquid ejecting head 3 arranged substantially perpendicular to a conveying direction of the recording medium 2, and is a line recording apparatus for performing continuous recording at a time while continuously or intermittently conveying a plurality of recording media 2. The recording medium 2 is not limited to the cut type, and may be a continuous roll type. For example, paper or cloth may be used as the recording medium 2.

The liquid ejection head 3 is capable of full-color printing using CMYK inks (cyan, magenta, yellow, and black). As described below, a liquid supply unit (as a supply path for supplying liquid to the liquid ejection head), a main tank, and a buffer tank (see fig. 1) are fluidly connected to the liquid ejection head 3. Further, an electric control unit for transmitting electric power and an ejection control signal to the liquid ejection head 3 is electrically connected to the liquid ejection head 3. The liquid path and the electric signal path in the liquid ejection head 3 are described below.

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a circulation path applied to the recording apparatus of the present embodiment, and is a diagram in which the liquid ejection head 3 is fluidly connected to a first circulation pump 1002, a buffer tank 1003, and the like. Note that although only the paths of ink flows of one color in CMYK are shown in fig. 1 for simplicity of description, circulation paths for four colors are actually provided in the liquid ejection head 3 and the recording apparatus main body. The buffer tank 1003 is a sub tank connected to the main tank 1006, has an air communication port (not shown in the figure) that communicates the inside and outside of the tank with each other, and can discharge bubbles in ink to the outside. Buffer tank 1003 is also connected to a make-up pump 1005. If liquid is consumed by the liquid ejection head 3 in a case where recording and suction recovery are performed by ejecting ink, for example, for ejecting (discharging) ink from the ejection ports of the liquid ejection head, the replenishment pump 1005 transfers the consumed amount of ink from the main tank 1006 to the buffer tank 1003.

The first circulation pump 1002 has a function of sucking the liquid from the liquid connection portion 111 of the liquid ejection head 3 and flowing the liquid to the buffer tank 1003. When the liquid ejecting head 3 is driven, a fixed amount of ink is caused to flow into the common recovery flow path 212 by the first circulation pump 1002.

The negative pressure control unit 230 is disposed between the second circulation pump 1004 and the path of the liquid ejecting unit 300. The negative pressure control unit 230 has a function of operating so that the pressure on the downstream side of the negative pressure control unit 230 (i.e., on the liquid ejection unit 300 side) is maintained at a fixed pressure set in advance even in the case where the flow rate of the circulation system fluctuates due to the difference in the printing density at which recording is performed.

As shown in fig. 1, the negative pressure control unit 230 is equipped with two pressure adjustment mechanisms, each of which is set to a control pressure different from each other. In the two negative pressure adjustment mechanisms, the relatively high pressure setting side (denoted by H in fig. 1) and the relatively low pressure side (denoted by L in the drawing) pass through the liquid supply unit 220, respectively, and are connected to a common supply flow path (common inflow path) 211 or a common recovery flow path (common outflow path) 212 in the liquid ejection unit 300. The common supply flow path 211, the common recovery flow path 212, and the individual supply flow path 213a and the individual recovery flow path 213b communicating with the respective recording element substrates 10 are provided in the liquid ejecting unit 300. Since the individual flow paths 213 communicate with the common supply flow path 211 and the common recovery flow path 212, some of the liquid flowing by the first circulation pump 1002 reaches the common recovery flow path 212 from the common supply flow path 211 via the internal flow path of the recording element substrate 10 (arrow in fig. 1). This is because: a pressure difference is set between the pressure adjustment mechanism H connected to the common supply flow path 211 and the pressure adjustment mechanism L connected to the common recovery flow path 212, and the first circulation pump 1002 is connected only to the common recovery flow path 212.

In this way, a liquid flow through the common recovery flow path 212 and a liquid flow from the common supply flow path 211 to the common recovery flow path 212 via each recording element substrate 10 are generated in the liquid ejecting unit 300. Accordingly, the heat generated in each recording element substrate 10 can be discharged to the outside of the recording element substrate 10 by the flow from the common supply flow path 211 to the common recovery flow path 212. Further, with such a configuration, when recording is performed by the liquid ejection head 3, the flow of ink can be generated even in the ejection ports or the pressure chambers where recording is not performed, and thus thickening of ink at these portions can be suppressed. Further, the thickened ink and foreign substances in the ink can be discharged to the common recovery flow path 212. Therefore, high-speed and high-quality recording can be performed with the liquid ejection head 3 of the present embodiment.

Fig. 2A to 2C are perspective views of the liquid ejection head 3 according to the present embodiment. The liquid ejection head 3 is a line type liquid ejection head in which an array of a plurality of recording element substrates 10 each capable of ejecting ink is disposed on a straight line (arranged in a line). As shown in fig. 2A and 2B, the liquid ejection head 3 is equipped with each recording element substrate 10, and a signal input terminal 91 and a power supply terminal 92 electrically connected via the flexible wiring substrate 40 and the electric wiring substrate 90. The flexible wiring substrate 40 and the electric wiring substrate 90 are electrically connected on the ejection head outside of the electric wiring substrate 90. The signal input terminal 91 and the power supply terminal 92 are electrically connected to the control section of the recording apparatus 1000 so as to supply the ejection driving signal and the ejection required power to the recording element substrate 10, respectively.

By concentrating the wiring by using the circuits in the electric wiring substrate 90, the number of the signal input terminals 91 and the power supply terminals 92 can be made smaller than the number of the recording element substrates 10. Therefore, the number of electrical connections that need to be removed when assembling the liquid ejection head 3 to the recording apparatus 1000 or when replacing the liquid ejection head 3 can be reduced. A cover member 20 that covers the recording element substrate 10 and the flexible wiring substrate 40 is provided on the outer periphery of the recording element substrate 10. Further, the electric wiring substrate 90 is configured to be protected from the outside by the protection member 30. The protective member 30 also serves as an electrical shield, and is preferably a member made of metal. As shown in fig. 2B, the liquid connection portion 111 provided on the side of the liquid ejection head 3 is connected to the liquid supply system of the recording apparatus 1000. Therefore, the ink is supplied from the supply system of the recording apparatus 1000 to the liquid ejection head 3, and the ink that has flowed through the liquid ejection head 3 is recovered into the supply system of the recording apparatus 1000. In this way, ink can circulate via the path of the recording apparatus 1000 and the path of the liquid ejection head 3.

< Structure of liquid ejecting head >

In fig. 2C, an exploded perspective view of each component or unit constituting the liquid ejection head 3 is shown. The liquid ejecting unit 300, the liquid supplying unit 220, and the electric wiring substrate 90 are mounted to the housing 80. The liquid connection portion 111 is provided in the liquid supply unit 220, and a filter (not shown in the drawing) communicating with each opening of the liquid connection portion 111 is provided inside the liquid supply unit 220 so as to remove foreign substances in the supplied ink. The liquid having passed through the filter 221 is supplied to a negative pressure control unit 230 provided on the liquid supply unit 220. The negative pressure control unit 230 is a unit configured to have pressure adjustment valves, and pressure drop variation occurring with fluctuation of the liquid flow rate inside the supply system of the apparatus 1000 (supply system on the upstream side of the liquid ejection head 3) is significantly reduced by the operation of valves, spring members, and the like provided inside each pressure adjustment valve. In this way, the negative pressure variation on the downstream side of the negative pressure control unit 230 (the liquid ejection unit 300 side) can be stabilized within a certain range. Inside the negative pressure control unit 230, two pressure regulating valves are built in, each of which is set to a different control pressure; and the high pressure side communicates with the common supply flow path 211 inside the liquid ejecting unit 300 via the liquid supply unit 220, and the low pressure side communicates with the common recovery flow path 212.

The housing 80 is configured to have a liquid ejection unit support portion 81 and an electrical wiring substrate support portion 82 to support the liquid ejection unit 300 and the electrical wiring substrate 90 and to ensure rigidity of the liquid ejection head 3. The electric wiring substrate support portion 82 is for supporting the electric wiring substrate 90, and is fixed to the liquid ejection unit support portion 81 by screws. The liquid ejection unit supporting portion 81 is provided with openings 83 and 84 into which the joint rubber 100 is inserted. The liquid supplied from the liquid supply unit 220 is guided to the second flow path member 60 constituting the liquid ejection unit 300 via the joint rubber 100.

Next, a configuration of the flow path member 210 included in the liquid ejecting unit 300 will be described. As shown in fig. 2C, in the flow path member 210, the first flow path member 50 and the second flow path member 60 are stacked together. The plurality of spray modules 200 are adhered to the adhesive surface of the first flow path member 50 by an adhesive (not shown). The flow path member 210 is a flow path member for distributing the liquid supplied from the liquid supply unit 220 to each of the spray modules 200 and returning the liquid flowing out from the spray modules 200 to the liquid supply unit 220. Further, the flow path member 210 is fixed to the liquid ejection unit supporting portion 81 by screws, thereby suppressing warpage and deformation of the flow path member 210.

Fig. 3A is a perspective view of the liquid ejection head 3, and fig. 3B and 3C are partial enlarged views of the liquid ejection head.

The first positioning member 31 of the liquid ejection head 3 has a concave portion 41 (fig. 3B), and the concave portion 41 has a conical shape opening in the liquid ejection direction (downward direction of the Z axis). The concave portion 41 forms a first positioning portion for holding a convex portion (a part of the sphere 50) provided in the recording apparatus 1000. The conical shape may be a truncated conical shape. The sphere 50 is centered on and abuts the center of the conical recess, thereby fixing translational degrees of freedom in three directions (X, Y and Z directions in the drawing).

The second positioning member 32 of the liquid ejection head 3 has: a groove 42 having a V-shape opening in the liquid ejecting direction; and a flat portion 43 which is substantially parallel to the recording element substrate 10 (fig. 3C). The groove portion 42 is located on a straight line extending toward the first positioning member 31, and forms a second positioning portion for holding a portion of another sphere 50 provided in the recording apparatus 1000. The ball 50 is abutted against the V-shaped groove 42, thereby fixing the degree of freedom of rotation about an axis corresponding to the normal line of the plane constituting the recording element substrate 10 (rotation about the Z axis) and the degree of freedom of rotation about an axis corresponding to the normal line of the ejection head longitudinal direction (rotation about the X axis). Further, the planar portion 43 of the second positioning member abuts against another different sphere 50 to form a third positioning portion. The contact of the ball 50 with the flat surface portion 43 fixes the degree of freedom of rotation about the axis of the longitudinal direction of the head (rotation about the Y axis).

Since the groove portion 42 (V-groove portion) of the second positioning member 32 is formed on a straight line extending longitudinally from the first positioning member toward the liquid ejection head, elongation of the liquid ejection head 3 during thermal expansion can be corrected by sliding the spherical surface in the V-groove portion. Further, it is preferable that the concave portion 41 is formed on a straight line extending from the groove portion 42. In this case, since the liquid ejection head 3 is fixed by the recess 41, the influence of thermal expansion can be effectively released to the groove portion 42. Further, by being arranged on a straight line, the regulation for positioning at the time of mounting the positioning member is easy, and the mounting with high accuracy can be achieved.

The radius of the conical recess 41 and the width of the V-groove 42 may be any size that can abut and secure the sphere 50. If the size is too small, the liquid ejection head 3 cannot be held, which causes shaking and tilting. On the other hand, if the size is too large, proper centering of the sphere 50 cannot be performed in the case of the conical recess 41. Further, if the width of the groove 42 is too large, the ball 50 cannot be supported by both sides of the groove 42, which causes shaking and tilting.

The spheres 50 provided in the recording apparatus 1000 may have different sizes or may have the same size. The same size is preferable because efficiency of purchasing components and manufacturing the recording apparatus is improved. The first positioning member 31, the second positioning member 32, and the sphere 50 may be made of metal, ceramic, resin, or the like. Metal or ceramic is preferable because abrasion resistance and deformation resistance are high and high accuracy can be maintained even in the case of repeated attachment/detachment.

In fig. 4A, a perspective view of the liquid ejection head 3 provided in the recording apparatus 1000 is shown. The liquid ejection head 3 is provided above a ball 50 provided in the recording apparatus 1000. A frame 55 on which the ball 50 for positioning the liquid ejection head 3 is constructed is provided in the recording apparatus 1000. The liquid ejection head 3 is configured to be detachably mountable to the recording apparatus 1000. The first positioning member 31 and the second positioning member 32 configured in the liquid ejection head 3 are positioned and held by the balls 50 configured in the recording apparatus 1000, respectively. In the present embodiment, the recording element substrate 10 for ejecting ink is disposed between the first positioning member 31 and the second positioning member 32 (fig. 4B). Accordingly, the recording medium 2 is conveyed below the recording element substrate 10 in the arrow direction (X-axis direction) in fig. 4A to perform recording.

In the present embodiment, the plurality of recording element substrates 10 are arranged in a straight line in the longitudinal direction (Y-axis direction) in the liquid ejection head 3. The first positioning member 31 is configured at one end in the longitudinal direction of the liquid ejection head, and the second positioning member 32 is configured at the other end on the opposite side of the one end in the longitudinal direction. Therefore, as shown in fig. 4A, on the printing apparatus side, the ball 50 may be configured in a portion in contact with each end portion of the liquid ejection head 3, thereby facilitating the configuration of the recording element substrate 10 that conveys the recording medium 2 to the central portion. Of course, it is also possible to arrange the first positioning member 31 and the second positioning member 32 at the central portion of the liquid ejection head 3 instead of each end portion, but the configuration of arrangement of the balls 50 becomes complicated and the size of the recording apparatus increases.

Further, for the abutment of the first positioning member 31 and the second positioning member 32 on the ball 50, the abutment and holding are performed even by only the self weight of the liquid ejection head 3. However, as shown in fig. 4A, by pressing the first positioning member 31 and the second positioning member 32 from above, the holding with the ball 50 can be reliably performed. According to the configuration of the recording apparatus 1000, the liquid ejection head 3 can also be kept inclined with respect to the gravitational direction by pressing as described above. In this way, the holding and fixing of the liquid ejection head 3 can be easily performed; also, by making the first positioning member 31, the second positioning member 32, and the ball 50 of metal or ceramic, abrasion resistance and deformation resistance are improved, and high-precision positioning can be achieved even in the case of repeated attachment/detachment per printing operation.

In order to perform high-quality printing, the liquid ejection head 3 needs to arrange the recording element substrate 10 with high accuracy. Further, in order to maintain high quality printing when the liquid ejection head 3 is mounted on the recording apparatus 1000, positional accuracy of the two positioning members 31 and 32 with respect to the recording element substrate 10 is required.

As for the order in which the positioning members 31 and 32 are mounted to the housing 80 during manufacture, there is a method in which the positioning members 31, 32 are mounted before or after the recording element substrate 10 is provided. In the case of the method of mounting the positioning members 31 and 32 before the recording element substrate 10 is set, it is necessary to arrange the recording element substrate 10 at a highly accurate position with respect to the mounted positioning members 31, 32. In this case, since the positional accuracy of the recording element substrate 10 with respect to the liquid ejecting head 3 is deteriorated, there is a concern that a problem is caused by a relative deviation with respect to the flexible wiring substrate and the electric wiring substrate.

In the case of the method of mounting the positioning members 31 and 32 after the recording element substrate 10 is provided, by arranging the recording element substrate 10 at a desired position with high accuracy with respect to the liquid ejection head 3, the recording element substrate 10 can also be arranged with high accuracy with respect to the flexible wiring substrate and the electric wiring substrate. After that, the two positioning members 31 and 32 can be mounted to the housing 80 at high-precision positions with respect to the recording element substrate 10. At this time, since the positioning members 31 and 32 can be mounted by a relatively simple method, for example, fixed with screws or fixed with an adhesive, there is no influence on the accuracy, and mounting can be performed with high accuracy.

According to the configuration of the present disclosure, the portions constituting the concave portion 41 and the groove portion 42 are provided in the liquid ejection head 3 so as to be positioned with the ball 50 of the recording apparatus 1000. Conversely, it is also possible to construct the ball 50 in the liquid ejection head 3, and provide the recess 41 and the groove 42 as in the positioning members 31 and 32 on the recording apparatus 1000 side. Although there is a method such as press fitting as a method for mounting the ball, in order to mount the recording element substrate 10 with high accuracy as described above, mounting is made easier with the configuration of the present disclosure.

In fig. 5A and 5B, a state in which the first positioning member 31 is mounted is shown. The first positioning member 31 is fixed in a highly accurate arrangement state with respect to the recording element substrate 10. In the case of using a set screw as a fixing method as in the present embodiment, it is necessary to regulate the Z direction. For example, the first positioning member 31 may be arranged with respect to the X direction and the Y direction by being fixed in a regulated state with screws, and by regulating the Z direction regulation with the regulating screw 36, high-precision mounting can be performed with screw fixation. As a result, the liquid ejection surface and the conveying surface of the liquid ejection head 3 can be adjusted to be parallel to each other. Similarly, the second positioning member 32 can also be arranged with high accuracy with respect to the recording element substrate 10 using the set screw 35 and the adjustment screw 36.

< Second embodiment >

Hereinafter, differences from the first embodiment described above will be mainly described, and description of portions similar to the above-described configuration will be omitted.

< General construction of apparatus >

Fig. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the liquid ejection apparatus of the present embodiment. The liquid ejection apparatus of the present embodiment is a liquid ejection apparatus 1000 (hereinafter also simply referred to as apparatus 1000) as an inkjet printer that records a color image on a recording medium 2 by ejecting yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (Bk) inks.

In fig. 6, there is shown a form of the apparatus 1000 in which the liquid ejection head 3 applies ink directly onto the recording medium 2 being conveyed. The recording medium 2 is mounted on the conveying portion 1, and is conveyed at a predetermined speed below four liquid ejection heads 3 (3Y, 3M, 3C, 3 Bk) ejecting different inks. In fig. 6, four liquid ejection heads 3 are arranged in the order of 3Bk, 3Y, 3M, and 3C along the conveyance direction of the recording medium 2, and ink is applied to the recording medium 2 in the order of black, cyan, magenta, and yellow. In each liquid ejection head 3, a plurality of ejection ports for ejecting ink are arranged in the Y direction.

Note that although a cut paper is shown as the recording medium 2 in fig. 6, the recording medium 2 may be a continuous paper supplied from a roll paper. Further, the recording medium is not limited to paper, and may be, for example, a film or the like.

Further, unlike the first embodiment, the present embodiment is a liquid ejection apparatus configured to eject monochromatic ink by a single liquid ejection head.

< Liquid circulation Path >

Fig. 7 is a schematic diagram showing a liquid circulation path in the recording apparatus of the present embodiment, and is a diagram in which the liquid ejection head 3 is fluidly connected to a first circulation pump 1002, a buffer tank 1003, and the like. Note that although only a path through which ink of the liquid ejection head corresponding to one color ink flows is shown in fig. 7, the main body of the apparatus 1000 is provided with a circulation path corresponding to the type of ink to be ejected.

The buffer tank 1003 is a sub tank connected to the main tank 1006, has an air communication port (not shown in the figure) that communicates the inside and outside of the tank with each other, and can discharge bubbles in ink to the outside. Buffer tank 1003 is also connected to a make-up pump 1005. If liquid is consumed by the liquid ejection head 3 in a case where ink is ejected (discharged) from the ejection ports of the liquid ejection head, for example, recording and suction recovery performed by ejecting ink, the replenishment pump 1005 transfers the consumed amount of ink from the main tank 1006 to the buffer tank 1003.

The first circulation pump 1002 has a function of sucking the liquid from the liquid connection portion 111 of the liquid ejection head 3 and flowing the liquid to the buffer tank 1003. When the liquid ejecting head 3 is driven, a fixed amount of ink is caused to flow into the common recovery flow path 212 by the first circulation pump 1002.

The negative pressure control unit 230 is disposed between the second circulation pump 1004 and the path of the liquid ejecting unit 300. There is a function of operating so that the pressure on the downstream side of the negative pressure control unit 230 (i.e., on the liquid ejection unit 300 side) is maintained at a fixed pressure set in advance even in the case where the flow rate of the circulation system fluctuates due to the difference in the load of performing recording.

As shown in fig. 7, the negative pressure control unit 230 is equipped with two pressure adjustment mechanisms, each of which is set to a control pressure different from each other. In these two pressure adjustment mechanisms, the relatively high pressure setting side (denoted by H in fig. 7) and the relatively low pressure side (denoted by L in the drawing) pass through the liquid supply unit 220, respectively, and are connected to the common supply flow path 211 or the common recovery flow path 212 in the liquid ejection unit 300. The common supply flow path 211, the common recovery flow path 212, and the individual supply flow path 213a and the individual recovery flow path 213b communicating with the respective recording element substrates are provided in the liquid ejecting unit 300. Since the individual flow paths 213 communicate with the common supply flow path 211 and the common recovery flow path 212, some of the liquid flowing by the second circulation pump 1004 reaches the common recovery flow path 212 from the common supply flow path 211 via the internal flow path of the recording element substrate 10 (arrows in fig. 7). This is because: a pressure difference is set between the pressure adjustment mechanism H connected to the common supply flow path 211 and the pressure adjustment mechanism L connected to the common recovery flow path 212, and the first circulation pump 1002 is connected only to the common recovery flow path 212.

In this way, a liquid flow through the common recovery flow path 212 and a liquid flow from the common supply flow path 211 toward the common recovery flow path 212 via each recording element substrate 10 are generated in the liquid ejection unit 300. Accordingly, the heat generated in each recording element substrate 10 can be discharged to the outside of the recording element substrate 10 by the flow from the common supply flow path 211 to the common recovery flow path 212. Further, with such a configuration, when recording is performed by the liquid ejection head 3, the flow of ink can be generated even in the ejection ports or the pressure chambers where recording is not performed, and thus thickening of ink at these portions can be suppressed. Further, the thickened ink and foreign substances in the ink can be discharged to the common recovery flow path 212. Therefore, high-speed and high-quality recording can be performed with the liquid ejection head 3 of the present embodiment.

The liquid ejecting head of the present invention is not limited to the liquid ejecting head having the above-described liquid circulation path. The liquid ejection head of the present invention may have the liquid circulation path described in the first embodiment, may have other liquid circulation paths and mechanisms, or may not have a liquid circulation configuration. Any given liquid path configuration is suitable.

< Positioning Member >

As described above, the housing 80 ensures rigidity of the liquid ejection head 3, and also serves as a support member for the flow path member 210. Therefore, the housing 80 needs to be wider than a liquid ejection area in which ejection ports are arranged in the liquid ejection head 3, and is a member extending substantially over the entire length of the ejection head. Further, the area where the ejection module 200 is installed is positioned to face the recording medium 2. In view of the above, in order to secure the mounting positions of the positioning members 31 and 32 facing the apparatus main body side ball 50, it is preferable that the positioning members 31, 32 are arranged at the end portions of the housing 80, the housing 80 being a member extending beyond the liquid ejection area of the liquid ejection head 3.

In addition, in order to maintain the positions between the respective spray modules 200 mounted on the flow path member 210 with high accuracy, the flow path member 210 is preferably fixed to the housing 80 in advance before the spray modules 200 are mounted on the flow path member 210. As described above, after the spray module 200 is mounted on the flow path member 210, the positioning members 31 and 32 are mounted on the housing 80 while adjusting the position with respect to the nozzle position of the spray module 200, so that the deviation with respect to the housing 80 at the time of mounting the spray module 200 can be absorbed.

An example is shown in fig. 8, in which a portion corresponding to the positioning member 32 is formed in advance in the housing 80, and the positioning member 31 is fixed to the housing 80 after the ejection module 200 is mounted. In this case, since the positioning member 31 can be mounted while observing the position of the surface of the recording element substrate 10 on which the ejection openings are formed (ejection opening surface), as shown in fig. 10A and 10B, the Y-direction distance, the X-direction distance, the Z-direction distance of two reference nozzles located at both ends of the array of the plurality of recording element substrates, and the angle θ between the nozzle axis composed of the line connecting the two reference nozzles and the ejection head reference axis composed of the line connecting the reference 50 and the groove portion 42 can be adjusted. Note that the selection may be made in any manner as long as the two reference nozzles are each included in a different jetting module 200. In fig. 10A and 10B, as an example, in each of two ejection modules 200 located at both ends of an ejection module row, nozzles located at the same position are used as two reference nozzles. In the direction of liquid ejection, it is preferable that the plurality of recording element substrates have a difference in ejection opening surface height from each other within 200 μm.

Note that in the case where one positioning member is mounted to the housing 80 after the mounting of the ejection module, there may be a method in which a positioning portion corresponding to the first positioning member 31 is formed in the housing 80 in advance, and then the second positioning member 32 is fixed.

Further, in fig. 9, an example is shown in which the positioning members 31 and 32 are fixed to the housing 80 after the ejection module 200 is mounted. In this case, as shown in fig. 8, the above Y-direction distance, X-direction distance, Z-direction distance, and angle θ may be adjusted. Further, the positioning members 31 and 32 may be mounted while adjusting the mounting height and angle with respect to the Z direction of the ejection port.

In the case where only the accuracy after assembling the liquid ejection apparatus is considered, a method of fixing both the positioning members 31 and 32 to the housing 80 after mounting the ejection module 200 (see fig. 9) is preferable because there are more shafts for the adjustable deviation than a method of fixing only the positioning member 31 to the housing 80 (see fig. 8). However, since the number of processing steps to fix the two positioning members is increased and the number of parts is increased while the adjustment is performed, the number and fixing order of the positioning members can be selected according to the positional accuracy of the recording element substrate required in the liquid ejection apparatus.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the positioning member and the nozzle position (ejection port position) of the ejection module are held with high accuracy in any of the ejection heads. Therefore, color deviation or the like can be prevented in the case where a plurality of liquid ejection heads (e.g., ejection heads that eject inks of different colors) are mounted on the printing apparatus main body. Further, even in the case where adjustment is performed by an electrical processing method such as image processing or staggering ejection ports to be used after the liquid ejection head is mounted, adjustment can be easily performed.

< Other examples >

The present disclosure includes configurations typified by an example of a recording apparatus and an example of a method of controlling the recording apparatus as follows.

< Structure 1>

A liquid ejection head including a recording element substrate configured to have liquid ejection ports, the liquid ejection head comprising: a first positioning member configured to have a first positioning portion including a recess opening toward the liquid ejection direction; and a second positioning member configured to have a second positioning portion including a groove portion that opens in a liquid ejection direction and extends toward the first positioning member, and a third positioning portion including a planar portion that is substantially parallel to the recording element substrate.

< Structure 2>

The liquid ejection head according to configuration 1, wherein the first positioning member is disposed on one end in a longitudinal direction of the liquid ejection head, and wherein the second positioning member is disposed on the other end on the opposite side of the one end in the longitudinal direction.

< Structure 3>

The liquid ejection head according to configuration 1 or 2, wherein the concave portion is conical.

< Structure 4>

The liquid ejection head according to any one of configurations 1 to 3, wherein the groove portion extends in a longitudinal direction of the liquid ejection head.

< Structure 5>

The liquid ejection head according to any one of configurations 1 to 4, wherein a surface of the groove portion forming the second positioning portion is inclined so as to widen toward the opening.

< Structure 6>

The liquid ejection head according to any one of configurations 1 to 5, wherein a plurality of recording element substrates are arranged in a longitudinal direction of the liquid ejection head.

Structure 7 >

The liquid ejection head according to configuration 6, wherein the first positioning member and the second positioning member are arranged at positions sandwiching the plurality of recording element substrates in a longitudinal direction of the liquid ejection head.

< Structure 8>

The liquid ejection head according to any one of configurations 1 to 7, wherein the liquid ejection head includes an adjustment unit configured to adjust a distance of the first positioning member and the second positioning member in the liquid ejection direction.

< Structure 9>

A liquid ejection head detachably mountable to a liquid ejection apparatus, the liquid ejection head comprising: a recording element substrate configured to have a liquid ejection port; a first positioning member configured to have a first positioning portion including a recess opening toward the liquid ejection direction; and a second positioning member configured to have a second positioning portion including a groove portion that opens in a liquid ejection direction and extends toward the first positioning member, and a third positioning portion including a planar portion that is substantially parallel to the recording element substrate; wherein the liquid ejection apparatus includes three convex portions configured to abut on the first positioning portion, the second positioning portion, and the third positioning portion, respectively.

< Structure 10>

The liquid ejection head according to configuration 9, wherein the first positioning member and the second positioning member are disposed on respective ends of the liquid ejection head in the longitudinal direction, respectively.

< Structure 11>

The liquid ejection head according to configuration 9 or 10, wherein the concave portion is conical and the convex portion is at least a part of a sphere.

< Structure 12>

The liquid ejection head according to any one of configurations 9 to 11, wherein a surface of the groove portion forming the second positioning portion is inclined.

< Structure 13>

A liquid ejection apparatus including a detachably mountable liquid ejection head, the liquid ejection head comprising: a recording element substrate configured to have a liquid ejection port; a first positioning member configured to have a first positioning portion including a recess opening toward the liquid ejection direction; and a second positioning member configured to have a second positioning portion including a groove portion that opens in a liquid ejection direction and extends toward the first positioning member, and a third positioning portion including a planar portion that is substantially parallel to the recording element substrate; wherein the liquid ejection apparatus includes at least three convex portions configured to abut on the first positioning portion, the second positioning portion, and the third positioning portion, respectively.

< Structure 14>

The liquid ejection apparatus according to configuration 13, wherein the first positioning member and the second positioning member are disposed on respective ends of the liquid ejection head in the longitudinal direction, respectively.

< Structure 15>

The liquid ejection apparatus according to configuration 13 or 14, wherein the concave portion is conical and the convex portion is at least a portion of a sphere.

< Structure 16>

A liquid ejection head, which is an entire line, equipped with a plurality of recording element substrates configured to have liquid ejection ports, the liquid ejection head comprising: a support member configured to extend in a longitudinal direction of the liquid ejection head to support the plurality of recording element substrates; and a positioning member provided on the support member.

< Structure 17>

The liquid ejection head according to configuration 16, wherein another member is arranged between the support member and the recording element substrate.

< Structure 18>

The liquid ejection head according to configuration 17, wherein the other member includes a flow path for supplying liquid to the recording element substrate.

< Structure 19>

The liquid ejection head according to any one of configurations 16 to 18, wherein the positioning member includes a first positioning member provided at one longitudinal end of the liquid ejection head and a second positioning member provided at the other end on the opposite side of the one longitudinal end; and wherein the first positioning member and the second positioning member are configured at positions sandwiching the plurality of recording element substrates in the longitudinal direction of the liquid ejection head.

< Structure 20>

The liquid ejection head according to any one of configurations 16 to 19, wherein a height difference of the ejection port surfaces of the plurality of recording element substrates from each other in the direction of liquid ejection is within 200 μm.

< Structure 21>

While the invention has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments. The scope of the following claims is to be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent structures and functions.

Claims (17)

1. A liquid ejection head including a recording element substrate configured to have liquid ejection ports, the liquid ejection head comprising:

A first positioning member configured to have a first positioning portion including a recess opening toward the liquid ejection direction; and

And a second positioning member configured to have a second positioning portion including a groove portion that opens in a liquid ejection direction and extends toward the first positioning member, and a third positioning portion including a planar portion that is substantially parallel to the recording element substrate.

2. The liquid ejecting head as claimed in claim 1,

Wherein the first positioning member is disposed on one end in the longitudinal direction of the liquid ejecting head, and

Wherein the second positioning member is disposed on the other end on the opposite side of the one end in the longitudinal direction.

3. The liquid ejecting head as claimed in claim 1,

Wherein the recess is conical.

4. The liquid ejecting head as claimed in claim 1,

Wherein the groove portion extends in a longitudinal direction of the liquid ejection head.

5. The liquid ejecting head as claimed in claim 1,

Wherein the surface of the groove portion forming the second positioning portion is inclined in such a manner as to widen toward the opening.

6. The liquid ejecting head as claimed in claim 1,

Wherein the plurality of recording element substrates are arranged in a longitudinal direction of the liquid ejection head.

7. The liquid ejecting head as claimed in claim 6,

Wherein the first positioning member and the second positioning member are arranged at positions sandwiching the plurality of recording element substrates in the longitudinal direction of the liquid ejection head.

8. The liquid ejecting head as claimed in claim 1,

Wherein the liquid ejection head includes an adjustment unit configured to adjust a distance between the first positioning member and the second positioning member in the liquid ejection direction.

9. A liquid ejection head detachably mountable to a liquid ejection apparatus, the liquid ejection head comprising:

A recording element substrate configured to have a liquid ejection port;

A first positioning member configured to have a first positioning portion including a recess opening toward the liquid ejection direction; and

A second positioning member configured to have a second positioning portion including a groove portion that opens in a liquid ejection direction and extends toward the first positioning member, and a third positioning portion including a planar portion that is substantially parallel to the recording element substrate,

Wherein the liquid ejection apparatus includes three convex portions configured to abut on the first positioning portion, the second positioning portion, and the third positioning portion, respectively.

10. The liquid ejecting head as claimed in claim 9,

Wherein the first positioning member and the second positioning member are disposed on respective ends of the liquid ejection head in the longitudinal direction, respectively.

11. The liquid ejecting head as claimed in claim 9,

Wherein the recess is conical and the protrusion is at least a portion of a sphere.

12. The liquid ejecting head as claimed in claim 9,

Wherein the surface of the groove portion forming the second positioning portion is inclined.

13. A liquid ejection head, which is an entire line, equipped with a plurality of recording element substrates configured to have liquid ejection ports, the liquid ejection head comprising:

a support member configured to extend in a longitudinal direction of the liquid ejection head to support the plurality of recording element substrates; and

A positioning member provided on the support member.

14. The liquid ejecting head as claimed in claim 13,

Wherein another member is arranged between the support member and the recording element substrate.

15. The liquid ejecting head as claimed in claim 14,

Wherein the other member includes a flow path for supplying liquid to the recording element substrate.

16. The liquid ejecting head as claimed in claim 13,

Wherein the positioning member includes a first positioning member provided at one longitudinal end of the liquid ejection head and a second positioning member provided at the other end on the opposite side of the one longitudinal end, and

Wherein the first positioning member and the second positioning member are configured at positions sandwiching the plurality of recording element substrates in the longitudinal direction of the liquid ejection head.

17. The liquid ejecting head as claimed in claim 13,

Wherein a height difference of the ejection port surfaces of the plurality of recording element substrates from each other in the liquid ejection direction is within 200 μm.