JP3610987B2 - Multilayer ink jet recording head - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
[Industrial application fields]
In the present invention, when print data is input, the ink jet recording head is formed by laminating plate members that eject ink droplets to form dots on recording paper.
[0002]
[Prior art]
On-demand ink jet that ejects ink droplets from multiple nozzles according to input information and outputs characters and figures Tsu Toje Tsu Since the printing quality is higher than that of the wire dot type recording head, the noise is lower, and the running cost is lower than that of the page printer, the printing speed is rapidly spreading.
[0003]
This ink Tsu A so-called face-eject ink jet, in which a plurality of nozzles are perforated in a plate-type recording head to eject ink droplets in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the plate. Tsu Toje Tsu Since the nozzle has a high degree of freedom in nozzle arrangement and has a laminated structure, it has a feature that it is relatively easy to manufacture.
[0004]
FIG. 13 shows an example of an ink jet recording head having such a layered structure. The ink jet recording head 96 divides the elongated pressure generating chambers 96 arranged on a plane. Turbocharger One surface of the tunnel plate 94 is sealed with a vibration plate 95 having a piezoelectric vibrator 97 disposed corresponding to the pressure generating chamber 96, and the other surface is sealed with a restriction plate 93 having a restriction orifice 98. Has been configured.
[0005]
The manifold plate 92 laminated on the surface of the restriction plate 93 has a through hole that divides a reservoir chamber 99 that supplies ink to each pressure generation chamber 96 via the restriction orifice 98. The reservoir chamber 99 has channels 100, 101, and 102 for supplying ink from the ink tank, and the diaphragm 95 and the channel. Turbocharger It is formed through the tunnel plate 94 and the limiting plate 93.
[0006]
Further, the nozzle 103 for ejecting ink is perforated in a nozzle plate 90 fixed on the opposite side of the vibration plate 95, and nozzle communication holes 104, 105, 106 connecting the nozzle and each pressure generating chamber are respectively provided in the restriction plate 93 and the manifold. O It is formed through the mold plate 92.
[0007]
This laminated ink jet Tsu In a G type recording head, typically, each pressure generating chamber is arranged in two rows facing each other at intervals of 0.04 inch to 0.06 inch, and nozzles are spaced at intervals of 0.02 inch to 0.03 inch. Are alternately connected to the nozzles arranged in a row.
[0008]
By the way, such ink jet recording Tsu Improve recording quality In It is important to make the discharged ink droplets finer and increase the density of the recorded pixels. Furthermore, in order to ensure the recording speed after increasing the pixel density, it is necessary to increase the number of nozzles that eject ink droplets. In particular, in color recording, since one pixel is formed by pixels of three to four colors, a large number of nozzles and a complicated flow path configuration up to that are inevitably required.
[0009]
In particular, in order to increase the density of recorded pixels and improve the recording quality, it is necessary to increase the nozzle arrangement density, and the flow path from the ink containing portion to the individual nozzles has an extremely fine structure. This applies not only to the planar dimensions and arrangement but also to the thickness. In order to process a through-hole having a smaller planar dimension into a plate, it is necessary to make the thickness as thin as the hole diameter.
[0010]
In order to solve such problems, it is actually practiced to install multiple recording heads by shifting the nozzle position, but extremely high assembly accuracy is required to maintain the relative positional accuracy between the recording heads. Is required.
[0011]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
The present invention has been made in view of such problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a novel multilayer ink jet recording head capable of forming nozzles at a high density by a relatively simple positioning operation. It is to be.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a novel multilayer ink jet recording head that can be manufactured at low cost by taking advantage of the characteristics of two units composed of different materials, ie, a metal material and a ceramic material. .
[0012]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to solve such a problem, in the present invention, a nozzle row divided into a plurality of groups is provided on one surface, a reservoir port for receiving ink supply from the outside is provided on the other surface, and the reservoir port A single flow path unit including a reservoir chamber connected to the nozzle, a nozzle of the flow path unit, a plurality of pressure generation chambers communicating with the reservoir chamber, and one surface of the pressure generation chamber are sealed A plurality of actuator units each including an elastically deformable diaphragm and a piezoelectric vibrator formed on a surface of the diaphragm corresponding to the pressure generation chamber, and the actuator unit includes the flow path unit. The one surface of the flow path unit corresponding to each of the groups of nozzle rows The other side different from It is fixed to.
[0013]
[Action]
A flow path unit that also serves as a substrate for fixing the actuator unit is made of a metal that is relatively easy to obtain by pressing or the like, and an actuator unit is formed using ceramics that can be fixed by firing. Make full use of the unit's nozzle accuracy.
[0014]
【Example】
Therefore, details of the present invention will be described below based on the illustrated embodiments.
[0015]
FIG. 1 shows a multilayer ink jet according to the present invention. Tsu 1 shows an embodiment of a recording apparatus equipped with a G type recording head. In FIG. Turbocharger Re Tsu It is mounted on a carriage 80 that moves in the main scanning direction (the direction of arrow A in the figure) by the dimotor 81, and moves in the sub-scanning direction (the direction of arrow B in the figure) by the paper feed motor 84 while being positioned on the platen 83. The recording medium 82 is moved in the width direction.
[0016]
As shown in FIG. 2, the printing mechanism unit 2 includes an ink jet recording head 10 described later, an ink storage unit 70, and a head fixing member 20 that joins these.
[0017]
The ink storage unit 70 stores the ink absorbing member 74 in a container that can be sealed by a lid 77 in which an air communication port 76 is formed, and has one end extending to the recording head 10 and the other end extending to the ink storage unit 70. Ink is supplied to the recording head 10 through the flow path 21 formed by the supply pipe 72. In the figure, reference numeral 71 denotes a sealing O-ring, and 75 denotes a filter provided in the ink supply pipe 72.
[0018]
With such a configuration, ink droplets are ejected while moving the recording head 10 in the main scanning direction in accordance with the print signal, and ink is supplied from the ink storage unit 70, and the sub-scanning direction of the recording medium is printed after one line is printed. To form an image on a two-dimensional surface.
[0019]
Further, when printing is not performed for a certain period of time or longer, it moves to the standby position 86 where the ink suction means 85 is provided. The ink suction unit 85 includes a cap 87 and a cap advance / retreat mechanism (not shown), and stands by with the cap 87 in contact with the nozzle surface of the recording head 10.
[0020]
In the above-described embodiment, the ink storage unit 70 is mounted on the carriage 80. However, an ink tank may be disposed in a case or the like, and ink may be supplied to the recording head 10 through a tube. .
[0021]
3 and 4 show the above-described ink jets, respectively. Tsu G type recording Tsu The recording head 10 is configured by fixing a plate-like actuator unit 30 to the surface of a plate-like channel unit 40 having an area sufficient for mounting the same. ing. One surface of the actuator unit 30 is connected to one end of a flexible cable 26 for applying a drive signal to a piezoelectric vibrator described later.
[0022]
FIG. 5 shows an embodiment of the actuator unit. The Eta Uni Tsu The groove 30 is configured by sequentially laminating a sealing substrate 31, a pressure generation chamber forming substrate 32, and a diaphragm 33. Separately separated lower electrodes 35 are formed on the surface of the vibration plate 33 corresponding to the respective pressure generating chambers 5. A piezoelectric vibrator made of an electrostrictive material is formed on the surface of the lower electrode 35. 34 is formed, and an upper electrode 36 is formed on the surface of the piezoelectric vibrator 34 such that the piezoelectric vibrator 34 is sandwiched between the lower electrode 35 and the piezoelectric vibrator 34.
[0023]
That is, an individual drive signal for selectively driving individual piezoelectric vibrators 34 is applied to the lower electrode 35. The upper electrode 36 that functions as a common electrode and the lower electrode 35 that is an individual electrode are connected to an external drive circuit through a connection terminal 37 formed on the diaphragm 33 and a flexible printed circuit board (FP) 26. The pressure generation chambers 5 that generate ink pressure necessary for ink droplet ejection are arranged in a plane by elongated holes formed in the pressure generation chamber forming substrate 32, and the pressure generation chambers adjacent to each other are formed with side walls around the through holes. The chamber is divided and separated.
[0024]
Further, the sealing substrate 31 is hermetically bonded to the side wall to seal the pressure generating chamber 5 to form a bottom wall of the pressure generating chamber 31 and supplies ink from outside the actuator unit for each pressure generating chamber. A first communication hole 38 for connecting to the nozzle 3 for discharging ink droplets and a second communication hole 39 for connecting to the nozzle 3 for discharging ink droplets are formed. Connected.
[0025]
The flow path unit 40 is configured by sequentially laminating a nozzle plate 41, a reservoir chamber forming substrate 42, and an ink supply port forming substrate 43. The reservoir chamber forming substrate 42 is formed with through holes that define the reservoir chamber 6. One surface of the through holes is sealed with the nozzle plate 41, and the other surface is sealed with the ink supply port forming substrate 43. It is configured. The reservoir chamber 6 is a manifold that branches the ink from the ink storage portion 74 to each pressure generating chamber 5. O It has a function as a field, and it is actuated from a portion overlapping each pressure generating chamber 5 in plan view when viewed from the substrate surface. D It is formed across a portion that does not overlap the data unit 30 in plan view.
[0026]
In the reservoir chamber 6, an ink supply port 4 that supplies ink individually from the reservoir chamber 6 to each pressure generation chamber 5 is provided in a portion of the ink supply port formation substrate 43 that overlaps each pressure generation chamber 5 in plan view. Perforated and acti The Eta Uni Tsu A reservoir port 8 that guides ink from the ink storage portion 74 to the reservoir chamber 6 is perforated in a region that does not overlap the planar surface 30. A nozzle 3 for ejecting ink droplets is perforated in the nozzle plate 41 so as to correspond to the pressure generation chamber 5. In order to connect the pressure generation chambers 5 corresponding to the nozzles 3, nozzle communication holes 44 and 45 corresponding to the nozzles 3 are formed in the ink supply port forming substrate 43 and the reservoir forming substrate 42.
[0027]
The ink supply ports 4 and the nozzle communication holes 44 that open on one surface of the flow path unit 40 are each in a one-to-one correspondence. The Eta Uni Tsu Formed in a position overlapping the first communication hole 38 and the second communication hole 39 of the actuator 30. The Eta Uni Tsu The flow paths between the units are connected by overlapping and joining the corresponding openings of the channel 30 and the flow path unit 40.
[0028]
Next, the ink flow in the head unit 10 including the flow path unit 40 and the actuator unit 30 will be described with reference to FIG. 6 showing a cross-sectional structure along the elongated pressure generation chamber.
FIG. 6 shows the reservoir for simplicity of explanation. mouth 8 is arranged in the same cross section as the pressure generating chamber 5, and the ink guided from the ink containing portion passes through the reservoir port 8, the reservoir chamber 6, the ink supply port 4, and the communication hole 38, and the pressure generating chamber 5. To be supplied. The ink supply port sucks from the nozzle 3 using the ink suction means 85 when the flow channel is filled with ink for the first time, bubbles are generated in the flow channel, or the viscosity of the ink increases. It is forcibly discharged.
[0029]
Further, at the time of printing, ink flows from the ink containing portion into the pressure generating chamber 5 by the capillary force of the meniscus formed in the nozzle 3. The piezoelectric vibrator 34 forms a unimorph vibrator together with the vibration plate 33, and the piezoelectric vibrator 34 contracts in the in-plane direction when a voltage is applied to the piezoelectric vibrator 34. The diaphragm 33 bends and deforms in a direction in which the pressure generating chamber 5 contracts, and generates pressure in the pressure generating chamber 5. Due to this pressure, an ink flow from the pressure generating chamber 5 to the nozzle 3 through the communication path 39 and the nozzle communication holes 44 and 45 is generated, and ink droplets are ejected from the nozzle 3.
[0030]
By the way, in this embodiment, the nozzle plate 41 has a two-layer structure of a thin portion 41a and a thick portion 41b, and only the vicinity of the communication hole 45 connected to the nozzle 3 is configured as the thin portion 41a. .
The nozzle plate 41 can ensure the strength of chrome and the like in the area other than the vicinity of the nozzle 3 after the nozzle 3 is punched by pressing or the like in a metal plate that can be elastically deformed by the pressure of ink from the pressure generating chamber 5. The thick portion 41b is formed by plating to a thickness.
[0031]
As described above, the thin portion 41a is provided only in the vicinity of the nozzle 3 and the other portion is the thick portion 41b, so that the thin portion 41a in the vicinity of the communication hole 45 is elastically deformed under the pressure of the pressure generating chamber 5. Therefore, it is possible to ensure the compliance required for ink droplet ejection, while increasing the rigidity and reducing the deflection as much as possible, particularly when configuring a recording head in which a plurality of actuator units described later are fixed. . And since the nozzle 3 exists in the position one step lower, contact with a recording paper etc. can also be prevented.
[0032]
In this embodiment, one act The Eta Uni Tsu Two rows of pressure generating chambers 5 are formed so as to oppose each other 30 and are shifted from each other in the arrangement direction by a half of the pressure generating chamber arrangement interval. Corresponding nozzles 3 are also arranged in two rows with a shift of one half of the nozzle arrangement interval. Therefore, the arrangement interval of the nozzles 3 viewed from the main scanning direction A is ½ of the pressure generation chamber interval, and the arrangement density of the nozzles 3 is substantially doubled.
[0033]
One acti The Eta Uni Tsu The pressure generating chambers can be arranged in one row or three or more rows in the first row 30, but if a two-row arrangement form is adopted, the power supply line to the piezoelectric vibrator can be arranged in the space on both sides of the actuator unit 30. Therefore, the wiring structure can be simplified.
[0034]
In the above-described embodiment, ink is supplied to the two pressure generation chambers via the V-shaped or U-shaped common reservoir chamber 6, but the pressure generation chambers in each row are independent of each other. By connecting the reservoir chambers, it is possible to eject ink droplets of different colors from each nozzle row.
[0035]
Next, a specific example of the above-described flow path unit 40 will be described.
A nozzle plate 41 made of a stainless plate having a thickness of 50 μm and a thickness of 150 μm is formed with two nozzles 3 each having a taper hole having an opening diameter of 30 to 50 μm with an interval in the row of 564 μm. The reservoir forming substrate 42 is formed with a through hole for partitioning the reservoir chamber 6 and a nozzle communication hole 45 by pressing a 150 μm thick stainless steel plate.
[0036]
The diameter of the nozzle communication hole 45 is preferably about 150 μm, which is the same as the thickness of the plate material. The ink supply port forming substrate 43 is formed by pressing a stainless plate of 50 μm and 150 μm, and the ink supply port 4 and the nozzle communication hole 44 are perforated. The ink supply hole 4 is set equal to or larger than the fluid impedance of the nozzle so that the ink flow generated by the pressure in the pressure generation chamber 5 is prevented from escaping to the reservoir chamber 6 side and directed to the nozzle 3 side. Is preferred.
[0037]
In this embodiment, the ink supply port 4 is selected to have the same size as the nozzle 3, and the shape is selected so as to have a tapered portion whose cross section expands in the thickness direction. Since the taper is provided, the diameter of the narrowest portion can be made smaller than the plate thickness and can be formed with high accuracy. The diameter of the nozzle communication hole 44 is larger than the nozzle communication hole 45 of the reservoir chamber forming substrate 42, smaller than the width of the pressure generation chamber 5, and is selected to be 200 to 300 μm. By setting in this way, the flow path from the pressure generating chamber 5 to the nozzle 3 can be configured to be gradually narrowed, and bubbles can be prevented from staying in the flow path.
[0038]
These three plates constituting the flow path unit are laminated so that the mutually associated through holes communicate with each other. These plates can be bonded to each other by brazing, diffusion bonding, an adhesive, a die-cut adhesive sheet, or the like, but here they are bonded by an adhesive made of an epoxy resin that is not corroded by ink.
Each plate uses a stainless steel plate, but if it is a material that does not corrode with ink, it can be an inorganic material such as ceramics, glass, or silicon, a metal material such as nickel, polyimide, polycarbonate, polysulfur. O It is possible to select and combine materials appropriately from plastic materials such as plastics according to the function of each plate.
[0039]
As a processing method, since the nozzle plate 41 and the ink supply port forming substrate 43 are relatively thin, the diameter of the hole to be formed is small, and high accuracy is required, a method of processing the plastic plate with an excimer laser, Alternatively, nickel electroforming may be used.
[0040]
In the present invention, since the flow path unit 40 also serves as a fixed substrate of the actuator unit 30, high rigidity is required. Therefore, a metal material having both toughness and rigidity is suitable. In particular, the reservoir chamber forming substrate 42 has a structure in which the size of the through hole to be formed is larger than the through hole of the other plate, and thus a structure that can ensure rigidity by using a thicker plate than the other plate is preferable.
[0041]
Then act The Eta Uni Tsu A specific example of the group 30 will be described. The pressure generating chamber forming substrate 32 is a zirconia fired body having a thickness of 150 μm, and the plurality of pressure generating chambers 5 are formed in two rows at intervals of 564 μm as in the nozzle 3. The width of the pressure generating chamber 5 is 350 to 450 μm and the length is 1 to 3 mm. These dimensions are selected to be optimum values depending on the ink droplet amount necessary for dot formation, the nozzle arrangement density, and the like.
[0042]
The sealing substrate 31 has a thickness of 150 μm Co The near fired body is bonded to one surface of the pressure generating chamber forming substrate 32 so as to seal one surface of the pressure generating chamber 5. The diameters of the pair of communication holes 38 and 39 of the sealing substrate 31 are both selected to be 300 μm. The diaphragm 33 has a thickness of 10 to 20 μm. Co The near fired body is joined so as to seal the other surface of the pressure generating chamber 5. A lower electrode 35 is formed on the vibration plate 33 corresponding to the pressure generating chamber 5, and its surface is 90% of the width of the pressure generating chamber 5, and the thickness thereof is 20 to 40 μm zirconate titanate. A piezoelectric vibrator 34 is formed by laminating piezoelectric ceramic materials such as lead. Jill Co Other ceramic materials such as alumina, aluminum nitride, and lead zirconate titanate can be used instead of the near.
[0043]
Next, a method for manufacturing the above-described actuator unit will be described.
As shown in FIG. 7A, the diaphragm 33, the pressure generating chamber forming substrate 32 in which the through holes defining the pressure generating chamber 5 have been punched out in advance by the press, and the sealing in which the communication holes have been punched out in advance by the press. The substrate is pressed in a green sheet, that is, in a clay state, and then integrally fired at a temperature of 800 ° C. to 1000 ° C. Thereby, each board | substrate is joined, without requiring an adhesive agent.
[0044]
Next, as shown in FIG. 7B, pressure is generated by printing a material mainly composed of at least one of platinum, palladium, silver-palladium, silver-platinum, and platinum-palladium as a lower electrode 35. A pattern as an electrode is formed in a portion corresponding to the chamber 5 and is baked.
After that, as shown in FIG. 7C, the piezoelectric material 34 is similarly laminated by printing and fired to finish the actuator unit. Finally, a common electrode made of chromium, gold, nickel, copper or the like is formed by sputtering by crawling over a plurality of piezoelectric vibrators.
[0045]
In the actuator 30 configured by integral firing in this way, the pressure generating chamber forming substrate 32 having a very fine structure and the thin vibration plate 33 are firmly bonded by firing, so that airtightness and ink corrosion resistance are achieved. In addition to being excellent, the manufacturing process is extremely simple, as it only involves the application of clay plates and the application of paste-like electrodes or piezoelectric vibrators using printing technology and firing them. And can be manufactured with high accuracy.
[0046]
The above-mentioned method of integrally forming by firing is very excellent. However, as has been done in the past, a method of bonding substrates made of metal or resin by bonding, welding or fusion, or etching a glass or silicon substrate by etching. A combination of a processing method, a plastic molding method, a chip-shaped piezoelectric vibrator on a vibration slope, etc. The Eta Uni Tsu Needless to say, it can be formed.
[0047]
In the embodiment, the ink flow of the ink returning from the pressure generating chamber 5 to the reservoir chamber 6 is restricted by the ink supply port 4 provided in the flow path unit 40. The Eta Uni Tsu The first communication hole 38 formed in the web 30 may be narrowed to a size that can limit the return of ink.
[0048]
Figure 8 shows the acti The Eta Uni Tsu In this embodiment, the actuating member 30 is shown in FIG. The Eta Uni Tsu The pressure generating chamber 5 is opened on one surface of the channel 30, and this opening is sealed by the ink supply port forming substrate 43 of the flow path unit 40. According to this embodiment, the number of parts can be reduced and the cost can be suppressed.
[0049]
Next, a method for constructing various recording heads using a plurality of the above-described actuator units will be described with reference to FIGS.
Reference numeral 60 in the figure denotes a flow path unit, which is a nozzle made of a metal plate having a size that allows the nozzle groups 3a, 3b, and 3c made up of two rows of nozzles to be arranged without overlapping at least three actuator units 30a, 30b, and 30c. The plate 61, the reservoir chamber forming substrate 62, and the ink supply port forming substrate 63 are stacked.
[0050]
In the nozzle plate 61, nozzle groups 3a, 3b, and 3c including nozzles 3 are formed on a metal plate material, and a thin portion 41a for ensuring compliance is formed in the vicinity of the nozzle 3 as shown in FIG. Has been.
[0051]
The reservoir chamber forming substrate 62 has through holes that define the reservoir chambers 6a, 6b, and 6c. One surface of the through holes is sealed with the nozzle plate 61 and the other surface is sealed with the ink supply port forming substrate 63. Thus, the reservoir chambers 6a, 6b, and 6c are configured, and have a function as a manifold for branching the ink from the ink storage portion 74 to each pressure generating chamber 5.
[0052]
In the ink supply port forming substrate 63 in a region overlapping the pressure generation chamber 5 of each actuator unit 30a, 30b, 30c, the pressure generation chamber 5a of each actuator unit 30a, 30b, 30c is provided from the reservoir chamber 6a, 6b, 6c. Ink supply ports 4a, 4b and 4c for supplying ink to 5b and 5c are perforated. The In areas where the eta units 30a, 30b, 30c do not overlap, reservoir ports 8a, 8b, 8c that guide ink from the ink storage portion 74 to the reservoir chambers 6a, 6b, 6c are provided.
[0053]
The ink supply ports 4a, 4b, 4c and the nozzle communication holes 64a, 64b, 64c that open on one surface of the flow path unit 60 correspond to each one-to-one. The Eta Uni Tsu Formed in positions overlapping the first communication hole 38 and the second communication hole 39 of the first and second communication holes 30a, 30b and 30c. The Eta Uni Tsu The flow paths of the three actuators 30a, 30b, and 30c can be connected to one flow path unit 60 by overlapping the corresponding openings with the corresponding openings 30a, 30b, and 30c and the flow path unit 60.
[0054]
As described above, the flow path unit 60 is actuated as described above. The Eta Uni Tsu Each has a separate reservoir chamber 6a, 6b, 6c, and independent reservoir ports 8a, 8b, 8c are provided corresponding to the respective reservoir chambers 6a, 6b, 6c, so that the nozzle groups 3a, 3b, Different inks, for example, three colors of cyan, magenta, and yellow, can be supplied to the same head every 3c, and ink droplets of different colors can be ejected from the same flow path unit.
[0055]
In addition, the flow path unit 60 can form nozzle holes with high positional accuracy by press working or the like, which is a simple processing method, and can be mainly composed of a metal that is a relatively rigid material. On the other hand, the actuator units 30a, 30b, and 30c are made of a ceramic that can be fixed by firing and is essentially electrically insulating, but tends to warp and swell when fired.
[0056]
For this reason, the actuator units 30a, 30b, and 30c are made as small as possible to increase the manufacturing yield, and the nozzles are attached to the common flow path unit 60 in which the nozzles are formed with high positional accuracy. Accordingly, it is possible to manufacture a large recording head having high density and high accuracy nozzles with a high yield.
Further, since the piezoelectric vibrator 34 to which the drive signal is applied can be formed on the diaphragm 33 made of ceramic and essentially having electrical insulation, no special insulation pretreatment for electrode formation is required. .
[0057]
Fig. 11 shows the acti The Eta Uni Tsu An example in which dots 30a, 30b, and 30c are formed corresponding to cyan, magenta, and yellow colors is shown by relative positions of the nozzle 3 and the pressure generating chamber 5.
[0058]
In this recording head, the nozzles of the respective colors are arranged at the same position in the sub-scanning direction B so that an ink image can be generated at the same position. Focusing on one color, there are two rows of pressure generating chambers arranged at a pitch P1, facing each other, and are shifted in the sub-scanning direction by a pitch P2, which is half the pitch P1. For this reason, the substantial nozzle density in the sub-scanning direction is P2.
[0059]
In general, since the properties are different for each ink, it is difficult to obtain the best image with the same flow path configuration. Tsu In the G type recording head, the shape of the nozzle 3 of the flow path unit 60 and the shape of the ink supply ports 4a, 4b, and 4c are adjusted optimally for each ink. Due Even if the data units are configured in the same structure, the most suitable image can be obtained. This ensures the same acti The Eta Uni Tsu The cost can be reduced by mass production.
[0060]
Further, by simply changing the shape of the nozzle 3 of the flow path unit 60 or the shape of the ink supply port 4, an ink jet that ejects ink with different ink droplet amounts from the nozzle groups 3 a, 3 b, and 3 c. Tsu G type recording Tsu In other words, the ink density can be changed smoothly even if the same actuator unit is used. Tsu G-type recording head can be obtained.
[0061]
FIG. 12 shows a plurality of The Eta Uni Tsu In this embodiment, an ink jet recording head having a high dot density is configured by using one of the actuators 30a, 30b, and 30c. The Eta Uni Tsu The two rows of nozzles corresponding to the heads 30a, 30b, and 30c are arranged at a pitch of 6p, and are juxtaposed in the sub-scanning direction B by being shifted by p. Since the corresponding two rows of pressure generating chambers are juxtaposed at a pitch of 3p in the sub-scanning direction B, each nozzle is offset with respect to the central axis of the pressure generating chamber. Tsu Arranged.
[0062]
3 actuator units Tsu The nozzle rows corresponding to the nozzles 30a, 30b, and 30c are shifted from each other by 2p pitch in the sub-scanning direction B. Therefore, when viewed from the main scanning direction B, the nozzles are arranged at p-pitch intervals. Become. That is, using the pressure generating chambers 5 arranged at a pitch of 6p, dots can be formed with a density six times that of the pressure generating chambers 5.
[0063]
As described above, in the present invention, by attaching a plurality of actuator units to one common flow path unit 60, the same actuator is obtained. The Etayu Nick The recording head corresponding to various uses can be easily configured simply by changing the fixing position of the head with respect to the flow path unit.
[0064]
In addition, the actuator unit Tsu In addition to being able to dissipate heat of the piezoelectric vibrator quickly, a flow path that can form a through hole with relatively high accuracy, such as metal. While the unit can specify the accuracy of the nozzle position and size, the larger the actuator, the more difficult it is to fire. The The eta unit can be reduced in size.
[0065]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, in the present invention, , With a metal that is relatively easy to get precision with less processing, etc., it is possible to configure a flow path unit that also serves as a substrate to fix the actuator unit, not only can the nozzle be formed with high positional accuracy, but also can be fixed by firing. A ceramic actuator unit can be reduced in size to improve firing yield, and various applications can be recorded just by changing the structure of the flow path unit, which is relatively easy to change even if the same actuator is used. The head can be configured.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 shows an ink jet according to the present invention. Tsu FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a recording apparatus to which a recording head is applied.
FIG. 2 is an ink jet of the present invention. Tsu FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an example of a G-type recording head.
FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an ink jet recording head configured by fixing one actuator unit to a flow path unit.
[Fig. 4] Actuation of recording head D It is a figure which shows the structure by the side of a data unit.
FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view showing the internal structure of the recording head.
FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a cross-sectional structure of the recording head.
FIGS. 7A, 7B, and 7C are views showing a method for manufacturing an actuator unit used in the recording head of the present invention.
FIG. 8 is a diagram showing another embodiment of the recording head.
FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view showing an embodiment of the ink jet recording head of the present invention.
FIG. 10 is a view showing the structure of the ink jet recording head of the present invention on the side where an actuator unit is attached.
FIG. 11 is a view showing another embodiment of the ink jet recording head of the present invention in the form of an arrangement of pressure generating chambers and nozzles.
FIG. 12 is a diagram showing another embodiment of the ink jet recording head of the present invention in the form of an arrangement of pressure generating chambers and nozzles.
FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a conventional multilayer ink jet recording head.
[Explanation of symbols]
3 nozzles
4 Ink supply hole
5 Pressure generation chamber
6 Reservoir chamber
26 Flexible cable
30 Acti The Eta Uni Tsu G
30a, 30b, 30c Actuator unit
31 Sealing substrate
32 Pressure generation chamber forming substrate
33, 53 Diaphragm
34 Piezoelectric vibrator
35 Lower electrode
36 Upper electrode
38 First communication hole
39 Second communication hole
40 Channel unit
43 Ink supply port forming substrate
60 channel unit
61 Nozzle plate
62 Reservoir chamber forming substrate
63 Ink supply port forming substrate

Claims (8)

A single flow path unit having a nozzle row divided into a plurality of groups on one surface, a reservoir port for receiving ink supply from the outside on the other surface, and a reservoir chamber connected to the reservoir port When,
Corresponding to the nozzle of the flow path unit, a plurality of pressure generation chambers communicating with the reservoir chamber, an elastically deformable diaphragm for sealing one surface of the pressure generation chamber, and the pressure generation chamber A plurality of actuator units composed of piezoelectric vibrators formed on the surface of the diaphragm;
A multi-layer ink jet recording head in which the actuator unit is fixed to the other surface different from the one surface of the flow channel unit corresponding to each group of the nozzle rows of the flow channel unit. Nozzle plate in which nozzle rows divided into a plurality of groups are formed, a plurality of reservoir chambers corresponding to the nozzles of each group, a reservoir chamber forming substrate having a communication hole communicating with the nozzles, and the reservoir chamber formation A single flow path unit that is fixed to the other surface of the substrate and is laminated with an ink supply port forming substrate having first and second communication holes;
A pressure generation chamber forming substrate forming a plurality of pressure generation chambers partitioned by side walls; a vibration plate fixed to one surface of the pressure generation chamber formation substrate; and the vibration plate corresponding to the pressure generation chamber A plurality of actuator units corresponding to the group, and the actuator unit is connected to the pressure generating chamber so that the first and second communication holes are connected to the pressure generating chamber. A multi-layer ink jet recording head fixed in correspondence with each group of the nozzle rows of the path unit. The multilayer ink jet recording head according to claim 1, wherein the flow path unit is made of a metal plate, and the actuator unit is made of ceramic. 3. The multilayer ink jet recording head according to claim 1, wherein a reservoir port for receiving ink supply from the outside is formed in the flow path unit, and the actuator unit is disposed outside a region where the reservoir port is formed. . 3. The ink jet recording head according to claim 1, wherein the nozzles have a certain pitch deviation for each group, and the actuator units are arranged to be deviated from each other corresponding to the deviation. The ink jet recording head according to claim 1, wherein inks of different colors are supplied to the reservoir chambers belonging to each group. The multilayer ink jet recording head according to claim 1, wherein a common flexible cable is connected to the plurality of actuator units. 3. The multilayer ink jet recording head according to claim 1, wherein the nozzle plate is configured by forming a layer in another region so that the vicinity of the nozzle becomes a thin portion. 4.

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