JP4673164B2 - Liquid discharge head and recording apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a liquid discharge head and a recording apparatus mounted on a recording apparatus that performs recording by discharging a liquid such as ink onto a recording medium.

  By applying energy such as heat to the ink, the ink undergoes a change in state accompanied by a steep volume change (bubble generation), and the ink is discharged from the discharge port by the action force based on this change in state, and this is recorded 2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a recording method for forming an image by adhering to a medium is known. This recording method is used in an output unit of an information processing apparatus, for example, a printer as an output terminal such as a copying machine, a facsimile, an electronic typewriter, a word processor, or a workstation. Alternatively, it is used as a recording method for a handy or portable printer provided in a personal computer, a host computer, an optical disk device, a video device or the like. In addition, this recording method records characters and figures on the recording medium by ejecting ink as fine droplets, and has excellent advantages as a means for high-definition image output and high-speed recording. Have

  A liquid discharge head to which this recording method is applied includes, for example, a liquid discharge port, a liquid flow channel communicating with the discharge port, and a liquid flow channel as disclosed in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2. A heating element (electrothermal converter) that generates energy for discharging the arranged liquid.

  A recording apparatus (inkjet recording apparatus) that employs an inkjet recording method has the following characteristics by mounting the liquid ejection head as a means for ejecting a liquid in a detachable or fixed manner. That is, since it is a so-called non-impact type recording device, it has less noise compared to other methods applied, color image recording can be easily performed by using multi-color ink, and the device main body is downsized. And the density of images is easy. Therefore, in recent years, the ink jet recording method has been used in many office devices such as printers, copiers, and facsimiles, and is rapidly spreading to industrial systems such as textile printing apparatuses.

  FIG. 6 shows a recording head cartridge of a general recording apparatus. This recording head cartridge includes a recording head (liquid discharge head) 1001, a tank holder 2000, and an ink tank 1900 provided detachably on the tank holder 2000. The recording head cartridge can be attached to and detached from the carriage of the ink jet recording apparatus main body, is positioned by positioning means of the recording apparatus main body, and is fixed in contact with an electrical contact. An electrical contact portion of the recording head 1001 is a contact pad 1301. The recording head cartridge receives an electrical signal from the recording apparatus main body through the contact pad 1301, sends a signal to the recording element substrate (ejection element substrate) 1100 through the wiring substrate 1300, and ejects ink to perform printing.

  FIG. 7 shows a main part of the recording head 1001. The recording element substrate 1100 is provided with a heater (not shown) provided below the discharge port 1110, a heater board 1112 having wiring, and an ink flow path. The flow path plate 1111 is comprised.

The wiring of the recording element substrate 1100 and the wiring substrate 1300 on the support plate 1400 are electrically connected under a sealing resin (electrical connection portion sealing resin) 1308, and the electric signal is transmitted through this portion. . The sealing resin 1308 is provided to prevent the wiring from being corroded and short-circuited by ink. Further, a sealing resin (side sealing resin) 1307 is filled to protect the back surface of the electrical connection portion and the side surface of the recording element substrate 1100.
Japanese Patent Publication No. 61-59911 JP 2001-130001 A JP 2000-190513 A

  However, in the conventional head configuration as shown in FIG. 7, both side edges of the recording element substrate 1100 are exposed. For this reason, for example, when a paper jam occurs in the recording apparatus, as shown in FIG. 8, the paper P bent by the paper jam comes into contact with the ink ejection portion and is damaged, and normal ejection cannot be performed. was there.

  Although the probability of occurrence of paper jams has decreased due to various ideas to eliminate paper jams themselves, jams still remain in the event of unexpected situations such as when a user inserts a non-standard recording medium. There is a high risk of occurrence. Therefore, a means for preventing damage to the head is required.

  As a head protection means for this purpose, for example, it is conceivable to attach a head cover as shown in Patent Document 3 and provide a convex portion. However, this head cover is made of a relatively expensive material such as a conductive metal plate, and it is preferable to use such an expensive member in a recording head that requires a reduction in cost to reduce the price. Not that.

  It is also conceivable to reduce the probability of damage to the ejection port surface of the recording head when a paper jam occurs by increasing the distance between the ejection port (nozzle) of the recording head and the recording surface of the recording medium (between sheets). However, it is generally known that the wider the gap between the sheets, the worse the landing accuracy of the ejected ink droplets on the recording medium, which is not suitable for a recording apparatus in which the need for higher image quality is increasing.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 9, proposals have been made to seal the entire circumference of the recording element substrate 1100 with an electrical connection portion sealing resin 1308. However, when it is desired to wipe the entire surface of the recording element substrate, the wipe width (the length of the wiper blade B) A is the same as the width L of the recording element substrate 1100. For this reason, if the position of the wiper blade B with respect to the head is slightly shifted, the wiper blade B rides on the electrical connection portion sealing resin 1308, and the residual ink in the peripheral region cannot be sufficiently wiped off. there were.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned unsolved problems of the prior art, and provides a liquid discharge head and a recording apparatus that can avoid damage due to a recording medium bent due to a paper jam or the like with a simple configuration. It is intended to do.

In order to achieve the above object, a liquid discharge head according to the present invention includes an energy generating means for discharging a liquid, a discharge element substrate having a plurality of discharge ports, and wiring for applying an electrical signal to the discharge element substrate. side, excluding the substrate, and prior Symbol discharge element substrate and the wiring electrically connecting portion electrically connecting the substrate, and electrical connections sealing resin for sealing the electrical connection portion, of the discharge element substrate, the electrical connecting portion A resin member disposed on the wiring board so as to extend along the edge from the side edge at a predetermined distance, and protruding from the discharge port surface on which the discharge port is formed. Yes, and when the length of the wiper blade to wipe the discharge port surface during cleaning a, the width orthogonal to the wiping direction of the wiper blade of the discharge element substrate is L, the resin member is the discharge element substrate From the side edge of A- Characterized in that apart more.

  By providing the surface sealing resin along the side edge of the discharge element substrate where the electrical connection sealing resin is not provided, the recording medium bent by a paper jam or the like comes into contact with the discharge element substrate and discharge ports It is possible to prevent the surface from being damaged.

  The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a recording element substrate 1100 which is a discharge element substrate constituting the main part of a recording head 1001 which is a liquid discharge head according to Embodiment 1, and its peripheral portion. FIG. It is sectional drawing taken along the -A line. The printing element substrate 1100 includes a heater board (not shown) provided below the ejection port 1110, a heater board 1112 with wiring, and a flow path plate 1111 for forming an ink flow path. The side surface of the recording element substrate 1100 is filled with a first sealing resin 1307 that is a side surface sealing resin, and the wiring of the recording element substrate 1100 and the electrode portion of the wiring substrate 1300 are a second resin that is an electrical connection portion sealing resin. Are electrically connected under the sealing resin 1308.

The second sealing resin 1308 is provided to prevent wiring and the like of the electrical connection portion from being corroded and short-circuited by ink. The first sealing resin 1307 is filled to protect the electrical connection portion and the side surface of the recording element substrate 1100 therebelow. A third sealing resin 1309, which is a resin member , is provided along two opposing sides (side edges) of the recording element substrate 1100 on the side where the electrical connection portion is not provided. As will be described later, the third sealing resin 1309 is disposed on the wiring substrate 1300 at a predetermined distance from the side edge of the recording element substrate 1100.

  In the conventional example, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, since the sealing resin 1307 does not form a convex portion with respect to the recording element substrate 1100, the recording medium is not normally conveyed and is jammed in the conveying path. That is, a so-called paper jam occurs. In this case, the paper P bent by the paper jam may come into contact with the ink discharge portion, resulting in damage to the discharge port surface.

On the other hand, in this embodiment , a third sealing resin 1309 which is a resin member is provided. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3, even if the paper P bent due to paper jam or the like approaches the recording element substrate 1100, it interferes with the sealing resin 1309, which is a resin member provided on the surface of the wiring substrate 1300. It will be stopped or the direction of travel will be changed.

  In this manner, foreign matter such as paper folded from all directions of the recording element substrate 1100 can be prevented from hitting the recording element substrate 1100, and the possibility of damage to the recording element substrate 1100 can be greatly reduced.

  If the third sealing resin 1309 and the second sealing resin 1308 are the same resin material, the sealing resin is disposed so as to surround the entire circumference of the recording element substrate 1100 without any interruption, and thus the above-described effect. Will go up further.

  Next, the arrangement position of the third sealing resin 1309 will be described in detail. During the recording operation, the recording element substrate 1100 is wiped by the wiper of the recording apparatus main body. In this wiping operation, the recording head is fixed at the wiping position in the printer, and the wiper is moved using the motor power of the printer so that the ink remains on the recording element substrate 1100 and the viscosity is not affected. Wipe the entire surface of the recording element substrate. There is a certain degree of tolerance (positional deviation) in the position of the wiper at this time. For example, as shown in FIG. 4A, the position of the wiper blade B when wiping is performed as specified may be shifted to the left and right as shown in FIGS. It is common. Therefore, when the tolerance between the head fixing position and the wiper position is M, in order to wipe the entire surface of the recording element substrate, if the width of the recording element substrate 1100 is L, the required length A of the wiper blade B is L + 2M. Therefore, the third sealing resin 1309 may be separated from the side edge of the recording element substrate 1100 by A−L = 2M as shown in FIG.

  In the present embodiment, in the same configuration as in the first embodiment, the height of the second sealing resin 1308 that is the electrical connection portion sealing resin and the height of the third sealing resin 1309 that is the surface sealing resin are used. Are made substantially equal, and the same resin material is used for both materials.

  When the height of the second sealing resin 1308 for sealing the electrical connection portion and the newly provided third sealing resin 1309 are different, there is a step between the second and third sealing resins 1308 and 1309. May occur and the paper may be pinched. Therefore, the height of both is made the same to prevent the paper from being caught. With such a configuration, the second and third sealing resins 1308 and 1309 can be formed using the same sealing device, and an increase in manufacturing cost can be prevented.

  Note that the sealing resin 1308 and the resin member 1309 are preferably made of an epoxy-based sealing resin that is hard and has good sealing properties.

1 is a plan view showing a main part of Example 1. FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows the apparatus of FIG. 1 in the cross section taken along the AA line. It is a figure explaining the state of operation | movement of the apparatus of FIG. It is a figure explaining operation | movement of a wiper blade. It is a figure explaining arrangement | positioning of a wiper blade and 3rd sealing resin. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a recording head cartridge. It is a top view which shows the principal part of the liquid discharge head by a prior art example. It is a figure explaining the trouble by paper jam. It is a figure explaining the trouble in wiping operation | movement.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1001 Recording head 1100 Recording element board | substrate 1110 Discharge port 1111 Flow path plate 1112 Heater board 1300 Wiring board 1301 Contact pad 1307 1st sealing resin 1308 2nd sealing resin 1309 3rd sealing resin 1400 Support plate 1900 Ink tank 2000 Tank holder

Claims (6)

Electrically connected to the discharge element substrate having energy generating means and a plurality of discharge ports for discharging liquid, and a wiring board for applying an electric signal to the discharge element substrate, the pre-Symbol discharge element substrate and the wiring substrate and electrical connections for the electrical connections sealing resin for sealing the electrical connection portion, of the discharge element substrate, along the side edges except for the electrical connections, extending from the side edge to a predetermined distance disposed on the wiring board so as to standing, and a resin member which is convex with respect to the discharge port is formed the discharge port surface possess,
When the length of the wiper blade for wiping the discharge port surface during cleaning is A and the width of the discharge element substrate in the direction perpendicular to the wiping direction of the wiper blade is L, the resin member is a side edge of the discharge element substrate. A liquid discharge head characterized in that the liquid discharge head is at least A-L away from the head. The liquid discharge head according to claim 1, wherein the electrical connection portion sealing resin and the resin member have substantially the same height. The liquid discharge head according to claim 1, wherein a material of the electrical connection portion sealing resin and the resin member is an epoxy resin. 4. The liquid discharge head according to claim 1, wherein a material of the electrical connection portion sealing resin and the resin member is the same resin material. 5.   5. The liquid discharge head according to claim 1, wherein the discharge port surface is wiped with a wiper blade during cleaning, and wiping is performed in a row direction of the plurality of discharge ports. 6. . The claims 1 to 5 liquid discharge head according to any one of a recording apparatus characterized by having a conveying means for conveying a recording medium to the liquid ejection head.

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