Liquid discharge head and liquid discharge device

Abstract

To provide a liquid discharge head with improved design flexibility.SOLUTION: A liquid discharge head 100 includes a plurality of discharge units 10 each including: a discharge element substrate 1 for discharging a liquid; pressure regulation means 4 which stores the liquid discharged from the discharge element substrate and regulates a pressure of the liquid; and a support member 3 which fluidically connects the discharge element substrate with the pressure regulation means and supports the discharge element substrate. The discharge units are arranged in parallel to each other.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a liquid ejection head and a liquid ejection apparatus. [Background technology]

[0002] A liquid ejection device is equipped with a liquid ejection head for ejecting liquid, and the liquid ejection device achieves a desired purpose by ejecting the liquid. For example, in an inkjet recording device, an inkjet recording head, which is a liquid ejection head, is mounted on a carriage, and ink is ejected from an ejection element substrate provided in the inkjet recording head to record images, characters, etc. on a recording medium. The liquid ejection head includes an ejection element substrate for ejecting the liquid, a liquid storage member for storing the liquid, and a support member that fluidly connects the ejection element substrate and the liquid storage member and supports the ejection element substrate. Configurations have been proposed in which multiple nozzle rows are formed by arranging multiple ejection element substrates in parallel, or in which the apparent nozzle row is lengthened by arranging them in a staggered pattern.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses a liquid ejection head in which a plurality of ejection element substrates are provided on a single support member in which a plurality of liquid flow paths are integrated, thereby achieving multiple nozzle rows. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2016-20031 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] When manufacturing a liquid ejection head, it is desirable to take into consideration the possibility of expanding to a wide variety of products and to design with as much flexibility as possible.

[0006] However, with the configuration described in Patent Document 1, in order to manufacture a new liquid ejection head with a different number or arrangement of ejection element substrates, support members and liquid storage members that are compatible with the new number of ejection element substrates are required. This means that the deployability of each component is reduced. Furthermore, if even a part fails, there is a concern that, because the component is an integrated unit, it may be necessary to replace the remaining parts as well.

[0007] In view of the above-mentioned problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a liquid ejection head with improved design freedom. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The liquid ejection head of the present invention is a liquid ejection head having a plurality of ejection units each comprising an ejection element substrate for ejecting liquid, a pressure adjustment means for storing the liquid ejected from the ejection element substrate and adjusting the pressure of the liquid, and a support member for fluidly connecting the ejection element substrate and the pressure adjustment means and supporting the ejection element substrate, wherein the plurality of ejection units are arranged in parallel. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a liquid ejection head with improved design freedom. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a liquid ejection unit and a liquid ejection head. [Figure 2] Schematic diagram of a pressure adjusting means. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a liquid ejection head including a fixing member. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a liquid ejection head including an electric wiring board. [Figure 5] FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the subject matter of the present invention, and not all combinations of features described in the embodiments are necessarily essential to the solution of the present invention. Note that the same reference numerals are used to designate the same components.

[0012] (First embodiment) The liquid ejection unit and liquid ejection head according to the first embodiment are an ink ejection unit and an inkjet head that eject ink, but are not limited to this as long as they eject liquid.

[0013] FIG. 1(a) shows a perspective view of a liquid ejection unit according to this embodiment. The liquid ejection unit 10 includes an ejection element substrate 1 for ejecting liquid, a pressure adjustment unit 4 that stores the liquid ejected from the ejection element substrate 1 and adjusts the pressure of the liquid, and a support member 3 that fluidly connects the ejection element substrate 1 and the pressure adjustment unit 4 and supports the ejection element substrate 1. The ejection element substrate 1 ejects liquid from an ejection port array 21 consisting of a plurality of ejection ports 11 when pressure generated by driving energy generating elements (not shown) acts on the liquid in a pressure chamber (not shown). The energy generating elements may be thermoelectric conversion elements, piezoelectric conversion elements, or other energy generating elements. The pressure adjustment unit 4 has a supply port 9 through which liquid is supplied from outside the liquid ejection unit. Details of the pressure adjustment unit 4 will be described later.

[0014] The support member 3 has a connection portion 18, which is connected to a connection opening 19 of the pressure adjustment means 4. The support member 3 may directly or indirectly support the ejection element substrate 1. In other words, another member may be sandwiched between the ejection element substrate 1 and the support member 3.

[0015] The pressure adjustment means 4 has a supply port 9 through which liquid is supplied from outside the liquid discharge unit. The liquid stored in the pressure adjustment means 4 is supplied to the discharge element substrate 1 via a support member 3 having liquid flow paths provided therein, and is discharged from discharge ports 11 of the discharge element substrate 1 towards the recording medium. The number of internal flow paths provided in the support member 3 is equal to or greater than the number of types of liquid discharged by the discharge element substrate 1, and each type of liquid is separated by an independent partition to prevent mixing of the liquids.

[0016] The liquid ejection head 100 is mounted on a carriage of a liquid ejection device (not shown). The liquid ejection head 100 may be a serial head that moves relative to the recording medium onto which liquid is ejected from the liquid ejection head, or a full-line head in which multiple ejection units 10 are arranged in a line. The direction of carriage movement and the direction in which the liquid ejection units are arranged in a line will be described later.

[0017] FIG. 1(b) shows a perspective view of the liquid ejection head 100. The liquid ejection head 100 has a plurality of ejection units 10 arranged in parallel. FIG. 1(b) shows an example of the liquid ejection head 100 having three liquid ejection units 10 arranged in parallel at equal intervals, but there are no restrictions on the number or arrangement of the liquid ejection units 10. In other words, if you want to increase the number of liquid types or speed up the recording speed, you can increase the number of ejection units 10 to increase the number of ejection ports 11, and configure a liquid ejection head 100 with desired specifications. In other words, the liquid ejection head 100 can be designed with improved freedom of design.

[0018] It is preferable that all of the ejection units 10 mounted on the liquid ejection head 100 are constructed from the same parts. If all of the ejection units 10 are the same parts, it is possible to disassemble an assembled liquid ejection head 100, remove the liquid ejection units 10, and re-use them by incorporating them into other liquid ejection heads 100. In this configuration, it is sufficient to continue to manufacture ejection units 10 with the same configuration, making it possible to standardize manufacturing equipment. The only thing that needs to be changed for each different liquid ejection head 100 is the equipment that fixes the ejection units 10 to the fixing member 6. Efficient manufacturing is possible simply by providing expandability so that the fixing position of the ejection units 10 can be programmed for each model.

[0019] FIG. 2 shows a preferred embodiment of the pressure adjustment means 4. The pressure adjustment means 4 has a spring bag therein for adjusting the pressure. The pressure adjustment means 4 preferably includes a valve chamber 31, a pressure adjustment chamber 32, an opening 33 connecting the valve chamber 31 and the pressure adjustment chamber 32, and a valve 34 configured to open and close the opening. The pressure adjustment chamber 32 has a portion of its surface formed by a flexible member 35 configured to be displaceable. The pressure adjustment chamber 32 also includes a pressure plate 36 that can be displaced in conjunction with the flexible member, and a biasing member 37 that biases the pressure plate in a direction that increases the volume of the pressure adjustment chamber. The valve 34 opens and closes the opening depending on the pressure in the pressure adjustment chamber 32, thereby adjusting the pressure of the liquid stored in the pressure adjustment chamber 32. The pressure adjustment means 4 also preferably includes a circulation pump (not shown) for circulating the liquid inside the liquid ejection head 10. The pressure adjusting means 4 is not limited to the above-mentioned configuration, and may have any configuration as long as it can store the liquid ejected from the ejection element substrate 1 and adjust the pressure of the liquid.

[0020] According to the above configuration, when manufacturing liquid ejection heads 100 with different types of liquid to be ejected or different numbers of ejection element substrates, the liquid ejection units 10 can be freely arranged, thereby improving design freedom. Furthermore, in the manufacturing method of the liquid ejection head 100, different types of liquid ejection heads 100 can be manufactured using the same process up to the step of manufacturing the liquid ejection units 10. Therefore, the cost of manufacturing the liquid ejection head 100 can be reduced, and the liquid ejection head 100 can be manufactured efficiently. Furthermore, if one of the ejection units 10 of the liquid ejection head 100 breaks down, repair is possible by replacing only that ejection unit 10, eliminating the need to repair the entire liquid ejection head 100.

[0021] (Second embodiment) The configuration of a liquid ejection head 100 according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the following description, only the parts that are different from the first embodiment will be mainly described, and a description of the parts that are the same as those in the first embodiment will be omitted.

[0022] FIG. 3(a) shows an exploded perspective view of a liquid ejection head 100 according to the second embodiment, and FIG. 3(b) shows the liquid ejection head 100 in an assembled state. The liquid ejection head 100 according to the second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that it includes a fixing member 6 that integrally fixes a plurality of ejection units 10. Note that fixing may be achieved by either a configuration that makes attachment and detachment difficult, such as by adhesion or welding, or a configuration that makes attachment and detachment easy, such as by snap fitting or screw fastening. Furthermore, fixing does not necessarily mean that the ejection units 10 cannot be moved at all relative to the fixing member 6, as long as there are restrictions on movement of the ejection units 10 relative to the fixing member 6.

[0023] The liquid ejection units 10 are fixed by being fixed to the fixing member 6. In this case, if the relative distance between the ejection element substrates 1 is important, it is preferable to fix one of the liquid ejection units 10, and then measure the position of the ejection element substrate 1 using an image processing device or the like, and fix the other liquid ejection unit 10 while maintaining a desired distance from that position. If there are three or more liquid ejection units 10 and high positional accuracy is required between the ejection element substrates 1, it is preferable to perform these steps consecutively. Note that the liquid ejection units 10 may be fixed to the fixing member 6 with the support member 3 and pressure adjustment means 4 assembled, or may be fixed after the fixing member 6 is sandwiched between the support member 3 and pressure adjustment means 4.

[0024] (Third embodiment) The configuration of a liquid ejection head 100 according to a third embodiment of the present invention will be described.

[0025] In order to mount the liquid ejection head 100 on a liquid ejection device and drive the energy generating elements of the ejection element substrate 1, it is necessary to make electrical contacts for each liquid ejection unit 10. This work is often performed by the manufacturer that produces the liquid ejection head 100, but it can also be performed by the user of the liquid ejection device. In this case, if multiple ejection units 10 are electrically connected one by one, a large number of electrical contacts will be required between the liquid ejection device, which could reduce usability and increase costs due to the increased number of parts.

[0026] FIG. 4(a) shows an exploded perspective view of a liquid ejection head 100 according to a third embodiment, and FIG. 4(b) shows the liquid ejection head 100 in an assembled state. The third embodiment has an electrical wiring board 13 for receiving power from outside the liquid ejection head 100, and each of the multiple ejection units 10 has an electrical connection member 2 for electrically connecting to the electrical wiring board 13. An example of the external device of the liquid ejection head 100 is a liquid ejection device equipped with the liquid ejection head 100. In this case, the electrical wiring board 13 receives power supplied from the liquid ejection device through a power receiving connector 16, and power for driving the energy generating elements is supplied from the electrical wiring board 13 to each ejection element substrate via the electrical connection member 2. With this configuration, when mounting the liquid ejection head 100 on the liquid ejection device, simply connecting the power transmitting connector 17 of the liquid ejection device to the power receiving connector 16 makes it possible to supply power to the ejection element substrate 1 of each ejection unit 10 via the electrical wiring board 13.

[0027] Furthermore, the pressure adjustment means 4 may be provided with a circulation pump for circulating the liquid inside the discharge unit 10. In such a case, too, by arranging a wiring member from the circulation pump and electrically connecting it to the electric wiring board 13, it is possible to supply power for driving the circulation pump from the electric wiring board 13.

[0028] The position where the electric wiring board 13 is provided is preferably between the support member 3 and the pressure adjustment means 4. This allows the distance over which the electric connection members 2 are arranged to be shorter, thereby reducing costs. The position of the electric wiring board 13 is not limited to between the support member 3 and the pressure adjustment means 4. In addition, although the electric connection members 2 are arranged on the short side of the ejection element substrate 1 in FIG. 4, they may be arranged on the long side of the ejection element substrate 1, or multiple electric connection members 2 may be provided on both ends to create a symmetrical shape.

[0029] An example of manufacturing the liquid ejection head 100 of this embodiment will be described. First, the electric wiring board 13 is fixed to the bottom of the fixing member 6. Next, the electrical connection member 2 fixed to the support member 3 is drawn from the support member 3 side to the pressure adjustment means 4 side through an opening 15 opened on the electric wiring board 13, and connected and fixed. Thereafter, the connection portion 18 of the support member 3 and the connection opening 19 of the pressure adjustment means 4 are connected by a female-male joint through the opening 15 on the electric wiring board 13. By repeating this process as many times as the number of ejection units 10 to be mounted on the liquid ejection head 100, the liquid ejection head 100 can be manufactured.

[0030] The above-mentioned electric wiring board 13 can be designed by constructing unit circuits that send signals independently to each discharge unit 10 and arranging them on the electric wiring board 13 in the same arrangement as the discharge units 10 to be mounted. Therefore, even if the number of liquid discharge units 10 mounted on the liquid discharge head 100 increases, it is possible to reduce costs without requiring time and effort for circuit design. Furthermore, in the manufacturing method of the liquid discharge head 100, it is only necessary to uniformly connect the uniform discharge units 10 to the electric wiring board 13, which has the effect of simplifying the process.

[0031] With the above configuration, while improving the design flexibility of the liquid ejection head, it is not necessary to connect multiple wires to each ejection element substrate or pressure adjustment means, and electrical connection is possible simply by connecting the power transmission connector of the liquid ejection device to the power receiving connector of the electrical wiring substrate. In other words, it is possible to prevent a decrease in usability and an increase in costs due to an increase in parts.

[0032] (Other embodiments) The configuration of the liquid ejection head 100 in other embodiments of the present invention will be described. In these embodiments, the parallel arrangement direction (first direction) of the ejection units 10, the extension direction (second direction) of the ejection port arrays 21, and the movement direction of the carriage will be described.

[0033] Fig. 5 shows a bottom view of a liquid ejection head 100 according to another embodiment. In Fig. 5, a plurality of ejection units 10 are arranged side by side in a first direction, and each ejection port array extends in a second direction that intersects with the first direction.

[0034] Figure 6 shows a bottom view of a liquid ejection head according to another embodiment. In Figure 6, multiple ejection units 10 are arranged in a first direction, ejection port arrays 21 extend in a second direction intersecting the first direction, and the multiple ejection units 10 each have an overlapping area when viewed from the first direction. In this case, it is preferable that the carriage moves in the first direction. By arranging multiple liquid ejection units 10 in this configuration, it is possible to freely increase or decrease the types of liquid that can be ejected, while also recording clear images.

[0035] Generally, if you want to increase the image recording speed, you can either increase the carriage movement speed or increase the length of the ejection port array 21 that can eject with one carriage movement, thereby increasing the recording range per scan. However, from the perspective of droplet impact control, there are limits to the carriage speed of the liquid ejection head, and it is not easy to change the length of the ejection port array to suit the specifications of each model.

[0036] FIG. 7 shows a bottom view of a liquid ejection head according to another embodiment. In FIG. 7, a plurality of ejection units 10 are arranged in parallel in the direction in which the ejection port array 21 extends. Furthermore, each of the plurality of ejection units 10 has an overlapping region when viewed from a direction intersecting the ejection port array 21. That is, the liquid ejection units 10 are arranged in a staggered pattern in the direction in which the ejection port array 21 extends. In the overlapping region of the ejection units when viewed from a direction intersecting the ejection port array 21, either of the ejection units 10 may eject liquid, or liquid may be ejected from both of the liquid ejection units 10. As shown in FIG. 7, by arranging the ejection units 10 in a staggered pattern, it is possible to reduce the width of the liquid ejection head in the direction intersecting the ejection port array while extending the ejection port array 21, thereby improving the image recording speed.

[0037] As described above, it is possible to create a liquid ejection head with desired characteristics by devising the direction in which the ejection units 10 are arranged in parallel and the extension direction of the ejection port arrays 21. Furthermore, since it is possible to arrange any required number of ejection units 10 in parallel, it is possible to increase the degree of freedom in design.

[0038] Furthermore, configurations in which the configurations in the above-described embodiments are appropriately combined can also be applied.

[0039] To summarize the present invention as described above, the present invention includes the following configurations. [Explanation of symbols]

[0040] 1 Ejection element substrate 3 Support member 4. Pressure adjustment means 6 Fixing member 10 Liquid Dispensing Unit 100 Liquid ejection head

Claims

1. an ejection element substrate for ejecting liquid; a pressure adjusting means for storing the liquid ejected from the ejection element substrate and adjusting the pressure of the liquid; a support member that fluidly connects the ejection element substrate and the pressure adjusting means and supports the ejection element substrate; A liquid ejection head including a plurality of ejection units each including A liquid ejection head characterized in that the plurality of ejection units are arranged in parallel.

2. the pressure adjusting means includes a valve chamber, a pressure control chamber, an opening that connects the valve chamber and the pressure control chamber, and a valve configured to be able to open and close the opening; The pressure control chamber is A part of the surface is formed by a flexible member configured to be displaceable, a pressure plate displaceable in conjunction with the flexible member; a biasing member that biases the pressure plate in a direction that increases the volume of the pressure control chamber, The liquid ejection head according to claim 1 , wherein the valve is configured to be openable and closable in response to displacement of the pressure plate and the flexible member.

3. The liquid ejection head according to claim 1 , further comprising a fixing member that integrally fixes the plurality of ejection units.

4. an electric wiring board for receiving power from an external source of the liquid ejection head; each of the plurality of discharge units has an electrical connection member for electrically connecting to the electrical wiring board; The liquid ejection head according to claim 1 , wherein power is supplied from the electrical wiring board to the ejection element substrate of each of the plurality of ejection units via the electrical connection member.

5. a fixing member that integrally fixes the plurality of discharge units; The liquid ejection head according to claim 4 , wherein the electrical wiring board is attached to the fixing member.

6. the plurality of discharge units are arranged in a first direction; the ejection element substrate of each of the plurality of ejection units has an ejection port array that ejects liquid, The liquid ejection head according to claim 1 , wherein each of the ejection port rows extends in a second direction that intersects with the first direction.

7. The liquid ejection head according to claim 6 , wherein the plurality of ejection units have overlapping regions when viewed from the first direction.

8. the ejection element substrate of each of the plurality of ejection units has an ejection port array that ejects liquid, The liquid ejection head according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of ejection units are arranged in parallel in a direction in which the ejection port array extends.

9. 2. The liquid ejection head according to claim 1, wherein the pressure adjusting means has a circulation pump for circulating the liquid inside the ejection unit.

10. the pressure adjusting means has a circulation pump for circulating liquid inside the discharge unit, The liquid ejection head according to claim 4 , wherein the circulation pump is supplied with power from the electrical wiring board.

11. A liquid ejection head according to any one of claims 1 to 10; a carriage that carries the liquid ejection head and moves relative to a recording medium onto which liquid is ejected from the liquid ejection head; A liquid ejection device having A liquid ejection device, wherein the carriage moves in a direction in which the plurality of ejection units are arranged in parallel.

12. A liquid ejection head according to any one of claims 1 to 10; a carriage that carries the liquid ejection head and moves relative to a recording medium onto which liquid is ejected from the liquid ejection head; A liquid ejection device having A liquid ejection device, wherein the carriage moves in a direction in which the plurality of ejection units are arranged in parallel.

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