CN118124264A - Liquid ejection head - Google Patents

Abstract

A liquid ejection head includes a recording element substrate configured to have a liquid ejection port, the liquid ejection head including: a first positioning member configured to have a first positioning portion, the first positioning portion including a recessed portion opening in a liquid ejection direction; and a second positioning member configured to have a second positioning portion and a third positioning portion, the second positioning portion including a groove portion opening in the liquid ejection direction and extending toward the first positioning member, and the third positioning portion including a planar portion substantially parallel to the recording element substrate.

Description

Liquid ejection 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 technique

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

Furthermore, the liquid ejection head may be configured to be detachably mounted to the liquid ejection apparatus so as to be replaceable (see Japanese Patent No. 4942999 (hereinafter referred to as Document 1) etc.) In this case, it is required that the replacement work is simple when replacing the liquid ejection head.

On the other hand, the liquid ejection head generally has a plurality of nozzles and ejection ports, and must also be positioned in the liquid ejection device with extremely high precision to maintain high print quality. As the print resolution of the liquid ejection device increases, the requirements for the precision of positioning the liquid ejection head also increase. In addition, 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 ensure a large print area.

In the case where a liquid ejection head is configured to be detachably mounted to a liquid ejection device, if the position of the liquid ejection head is shifted due to installation/removal, the problem of deterioration in print quality will occur. In addition, in a liquid ejection head that constructs a large printing area (liquid ejection area) by arranging a large number of ejection modules side by side on a base member, deviations are prone to occur when the ejection modules are mounted on the base member. Therefore, in the case of installing multiple liquid ejection heads, the positions of the ejection ports of each liquid ejection head become dispersed, thereby requiring a mechanism for adjusting the installation position of the liquid ejection head. In addition, there is a problem that the deviation needs to be made less obvious by, for example, image processing such as gradient, ejection timing, or adjustment methods such as staggering the ejection ports used. The purpose of the present disclosure is to provide a structure for positioning an ejection port at a predetermined position with high precision when a liquid ejection head is mounted on a liquid ejection device.

Summary of the invention

The present disclosure aims to solve the above-mentioned problems and provides a technology related to the following liquid ejection head structure. The ejection head structure corresponds to a liquid ejection head, including a recording element substrate configured to have a liquid ejection port, the liquid ejection head including: a first positioning member configured to have a first positioning portion, the first positioning portion including a recessed portion opening in a liquid ejection direction; and a second positioning member configured to have a second positioning portion and a third positioning portion, the second positioning portion including a groove portion opening in a liquid ejection direction and extending toward the first positioning member, and the third positioning portion including a plane portion substantially parallel to the recording element substrate.

In addition, as another structure, the injection head structure corresponds to the full-line type, is equipped with multiple recording element substrates, the recording element substrates are configured to have liquid injection ports, and the liquid injection head includes: a supporting member, configured to extend in the longitudinal direction of the liquid injection head to support the multiple recording element substrates; and a positioning member, equipped on the supporting member.

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

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

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

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

FIG2B is a schematic perspective view viewed from the recording element substrate side;

FIG2C is an exploded perspective view viewed from the recording element substrate side;

FIG3A is a bottom perspective view of a liquid ejecting head;

3B is an enlarged view of a first positioning portion of the liquid ejecting head;

3C is an enlarged view of a second positioning portion of the liquid ejecting head;

FIG4A is a perspective view of a liquid ejection head provided in a liquid ejection apparatus;

FIG4B is a bottom view of the liquid ejecting head in FIG4A;

FIG5A is a diagram showing an installation state of a first positioning member;

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

FIG6 is a diagram showing an example of a liquid ejection device;

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

8 is a diagram showing a state in which the first positioning member is mounted on the housing after the injection module is installed;

9 is a diagram showing a situation where the first positioning member and the second positioning member are mounted on the housing after the injection module is installed;

10A is a diagram showing a head reference axis and a nozzle axis in a liquid ejection head; and

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

Detailed ways

Hereinafter, examples of embodiments of the present disclosure will be explained with reference to the accompanying 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 heating element. However, liquid ejection heads using a piezoelectric method and other various liquid ejection methods may also be applied to the present disclosure.

In addition, in the present disclosure, the X-axis, Y-axis and Z-axis are appropriately used as direction axes for explaining the construction of the liquid ejection head 3, etc. The X-axis and the Y-axis are perpendicular to each other on 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 Injection Equipment)

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

According to the liquid ejecting device of the present disclosure, in particular, the inkjet recording device 1000 (hereinafter also referred to as the recording device) for recording by ejecting ink, is equipped with a conveying section 1 for conveying a recording medium 2 and a line type liquid ejecting head 3 arranged substantially perpendicular to the conveying direction of the recording medium 2, and is a line type recording device for continuously recording at one time while continuously or intermittently conveying a plurality of recording media 2. The recording medium 2 is not limited to a cut type, but may also 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 fluidically connected to the liquid ejection head 3. In addition, an electrical control unit for transmitting 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 electrical signal path in the liquid ejection head 3 are described below.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a circulation path in a recording device applied to the present embodiment, and is a diagram in which a 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 for the flow of ink of one color in CMYK is shown in FIG. 1 for the sake of simplicity of description, circulation paths for four colors are actually provided in the liquid ejection head 3 and the recording device body. The buffer tank 1003 is a sub-tank connected to the main tank 1006, and has an air communication port (not shown in the figure) that interconnects the inside and outside of the tank, and can discharge bubbles in the ink to the outside. The buffer tank 1003 is also connected to a replenishment pump 1005. If the liquid is consumed by the liquid ejection head 3, for example, in the case of performing recording and suction recovery by ejecting ink, etc. for ejecting (discharging) ink from the ejection port of the liquid ejection head, the replenishment pump 1005 transfers the consumed ink from the main tank 1006 to the buffer tank 1003.

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

The negative pressure control unit 230 is provided between the second circulation pump 1004 and the path of the liquid ejection 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 preset fixed pressure even if the flow rate of the circulation system fluctuates due to the difference in the printing density of the performed recording.

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 (indicated by H in FIG. 1 ) and the relatively low pressure side (indicated by L in the figure) pass through the liquid supply unit 220, respectively, and are connected to the common supply flow path (common inflow path) 211 or the 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 paths 213a and the individual recovery flow paths 213b communicated with each recording element substrate 10 are provided in the liquid ejection unit 300. Since the individual flow path 213 is communicated with the common supply flow path 211 and the common recovery flow path 212, some of the liquid flowing through 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 regulating mechanism H connected to the common supply flow path 211 and the pressure regulating 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 ejection unit 300. Therefore, the heat generated in each recording element substrate 10 can be discharged to the outside of the recording element substrate 10 through the flow from the common supply flow path 211 to the common recovery flow path 212. In addition, with such a configuration, when recording is performed by the liquid ejection head 3, a flow of ink can be generated even in the ejection port or pressure chamber where recording is not performed, so that the thickening of the ink at these portions can be suppressed. In addition, the thickened ink and foreign matter in the ink can be discharged to the common recovery flow path 212. Therefore, high-speed and high-quality recording can be performed using the liquid ejection head 3 of this embodiment.

2A to 2C are stereograms of a 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 is arranged in a straight line (arranged in a row), and each recording element substrate is capable of ejecting ink. As shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B , the liquid ejection head 3 is equipped with individual recording element substrates 10 and a signal input terminal 91 and a power supply terminal 92 electrically connected via a flexible wiring substrate 40 and an electric wiring substrate 90. The flexible wiring substrate 40 and the electric wiring substrate 90 are electrically connected on the outer side of the ejection head of the electric wiring substrate 90. The signal input terminal 91 and the power supply terminal 92 are electrically connected to the control unit of the recording device 1000 so as to provide an ejection drive signal and the power required for ejection to the recording element substrate 10, respectively.

By concentrating the wiring by utilizing the circuit in the electric wiring substrate 90, the number of signal input terminals 91 and power supply terminals 92 can be made smaller than the number of 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 device 1000 or when replacing the liquid ejection head 3 can be reduced. A covering member 20 covering the recording element substrate 10 and the flexible wiring substrate 40 is provided at the periphery of the recording element substrate 10. In addition, the electric wiring substrate 90 is configured to be protected from the outside by a protective 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, a liquid connection portion 111 provided on one side of the liquid ejection head 3 is connected to the liquid supply system of the recording device 1000. Therefore, ink is supplied to the liquid ejection head 3 from the supply system of the recording device 1000, and the ink that has flowed through the liquid ejection head 3 is recovered to the supply system of the recording device 1000. In this way, the ink can circulate via the path of the recording device 1000 and the path of the liquid ejection head 3.

<Structure of Liquid Jet Head>

In FIG. 2C , an exploded perspective view of each component or unit constituting the liquid ejection head 3 is shown. The liquid ejection unit 300, the liquid supply unit 220, and the electrical wiring substrate 90 are mounted on the housing 80. The liquid connection portion 111 is provided in the liquid supply unit 220, and a filter (not shown in the figure) connected to each opening of the liquid connection portion 111 is provided inside the liquid supply unit 220 to remove foreign matter in the supplied ink. The liquid that has flowed through the filter 221 is supplied to the negative pressure control unit 230 provided on the liquid supply unit 220. The negative pressure control unit 230 is a unit configured to have a pressure regulating valve, and by the operation of the valve, spring member, etc. provided inside each pressure regulating valve, the pressure drop change that occurs inside the supply system (the supply system on the upstream side of the liquid ejection head 3) of the device 1000 as the liquid flow rate fluctuates is significantly weakened. In this way, the negative pressure change on the downstream side (the liquid ejection unit 300 side) of the negative pressure control unit 230 can be stabilized within a certain range. Inside the negative pressure control unit 230, there are two built-in pressure regulating valves, each of which is set to a different control pressure; and through the liquid supply unit 220, the high-pressure side is connected to the common supply flow path 211 inside the liquid injection unit 300, and the low-pressure side is connected to the common recovery flow path 212.

The housing 80 is configured to have a liquid ejection unit support portion 81 and an electric wiring substrate support portion 82 to support the liquid ejection unit 300 and the electric wiring substrate 90 and to ensure the rigidity of the liquid ejection head 3. The electric wiring substrate support portion 82 is used to support the electric wiring substrate 90 and is fixed to the liquid ejection unit support portion 81 by screws. The liquid ejection unit support 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, the structure of the flow path member 210 included in the liquid injection unit 300 is 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. A plurality of injection modules 200 are bonded to the bonding surface of the first flow path member 50 by an adhesive (not shown in the figure). The flow path member 210 is a flow path member for distributing the liquid supplied from the liquid supply unit 220 to each injection module 200 and returning the liquid flowing out of the injection module 200 to the liquid supply unit 220. In addition, the flow path member 210 is fixed to the liquid injection unit support portion 81 by screws, thereby suppressing the warping and deformation of the flow path member 210.

FIG. 3A is a perspective view of the liquid ejecting head 3 , and FIGS. 3B and 3C are partial enlarged views of the liquid ejecting head.

The first positioning member 31 of the liquid ejection head 3 has a concave portion 41 (FIG. 3B), which is in a conical shape opening toward 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 device 1000. The conical shape may be a truncated cone. The sphere 50 is centered on the center of the conical concave portion and abuts against it, thereby fixing the translational freedom in three directions (X, Y, and Z directions in the figure).

The second positioning member 32 of the liquid ejection head 3 has: a groove portion 42, which is V-shaped and opens toward the liquid ejection direction; and a flat portion 43, which is roughly parallel to the recording element substrate 10 (Figure 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 set in the recording device 1000. By the sphere 50 abutting on the V-shaped groove portion 42, the rotational freedom around the axis corresponding to the normal line of the plane constituting the recording element substrate 10 (rotation around the Z axis) and the rotational freedom around the axis corresponding to the normal line in the length direction of the ejection head (rotation around the X axis) are fixed. In addition, the flat portion 43 of the second positioning member abuts against another different sphere 50 to form a third positioning portion. The abutment of the sphere 50 on the flat portion 43 fixes the rotational freedom around the axis in the length direction of the ejection head (rotation around the Y axis).

Since the groove portion 42 (V-shaped groove portion) of the second positioning member 32 is formed on a straight line extending from the first positioning member toward the liquid ejection head in the longitudinal direction, the elongation of the liquid ejection head 3 during thermal expansion can be corrected by sliding the spherical surface in the V-shaped groove portion. In addition, it is preferred that the recess 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. In addition, by being arranged on a straight line, the control for positioning when installing the positioning member is easy, and high-precision installation can be achieved.

The radius of the conical recess 41 and the width of the V-shaped groove 42 can be any size that can abut and fix the ball 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, the ball 50 cannot be properly centered with the conical recess 41. In addition, 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.

Each ball 50 provided in the recording device 1000 may have different sizes or may have the same size. The same size is preferred because the efficiency of purchasing parts and manufacturing the recording device is improved. The first positioning member 31, the second positioning member 32 and the ball 50 may be made of metal, ceramic, resin, etc. Metal or ceramic is preferred because the wear resistance and deformation resistance are high and high precision can be maintained even in the case of repeated installation/disassembly.

In Fig. 4A, a stereoscopic view of a liquid ejection head 3 disposed in a recording device 1000 is shown. The liquid ejection head 3 is disposed on a sphere 50 disposed in the recording device 1000. A frame 55 is provided in the recording device 1000, and the sphere 50 for positioning the liquid ejection head 3 is constructed on the frame. The liquid ejection head 3 is constructed to be removably mounted on the recording device 1000. The first positioning member 31 and the second positioning member 32 constructed in the liquid ejection head 3 are positioned and held by the sphere 50 constructed in the recording device 1000, respectively. In the present embodiment, a recording element substrate 10 for ejecting ink is disposed between the first positioning member 31 and the second positioning member 32 (Fig. 4B). Therefore, the recording medium 2 is conveyed below the recording element substrate 10 in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 4A (X-axis direction) to perform recording.

In the present embodiment, a 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 device side, the sphere 50 can be configured in a portion in contact with each end of the liquid ejection head 3, thereby making it easy to configure the recording element substrate 10 that conveys the recording medium 2 to the central portion. Of course, the first positioning member 31 and the second positioning member 32 can also be arranged in the central portion of the liquid ejection head 3 instead of each end, but the configuration of the arrangement of the sphere 50 becomes complicated and the size of the recording device increases.

In addition, for the abutment of the first positioning member 31 and the second positioning member 32 on the sphere 50, the abutment and holding are performed even only by the deadweight 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 sphere 50 can be reliably performed. According to the configuration of the recording device 1000, the liquid ejection head 3 can also be kept tilted relative to the direction of gravity by pressing as described above. In this way, the liquid ejection head 3 can be easily held and fixed; and, by making the first positioning member 31, the second positioning member 32 and the sphere 50 made of metal or ceramic, the wear resistance and deformation resistance are improved, and high-precision positioning can be achieved even in the case of repeated installation/disassembly for each printing operation.

For high-quality printing, the liquid ejection head 3 needs to arrange the recording element substrate 10 with high accuracy. Furthermore, 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 relative to the recording element substrate 10 is required.

As for the order of mounting the positioning members 31 and 32 on the housing 80 during manufacturing, there are methods of mounting the positioning members 31, 32 before or after setting the recording element substrate 10. In the case of the method of mounting the positioning members 31 and 32 before setting the recording element substrate 10, it is necessary to arrange the recording element substrate 10 at a high-precision position relative to the mounted positioning members 31, 32. In this case, since the positional accuracy of the recording element substrate 10 relative to the liquid ejection head 3 deteriorates, there is a concern about problems caused by relative deviations with respect to the flexible wiring substrate and the electric wiring substrate.

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

According to the configuration of the present disclosure, the portion constituting the recess 41 and the groove 42 is provided in the liquid ejection head 3 so as to be positioned with the sphere 50 of the recording device 1000. Conversely, the sphere 50 may be configured in the liquid ejection head 3, and the recess 41 and the groove 42 as in the positioning members 31 and 32 may be provided on the recording device 1000 side. Although there are methods such as press fitting as a method for mounting the sphere, the mounting is made easier by using the configuration of the present disclosure in order to mount the recording element substrate 10 with high precision as described above.

In FIG. 5A and FIG. 5B, the state in which the first positioning member 31 is installed is shown. The first positioning member 31 is fixed in a highly precise arrangement state relative to the recording element substrate 10. In the case where a fixing screw is used as a fixing method as in the present embodiment, it is necessary to control the Z direction. For example, the first positioning member 31 can be arranged relative to the X direction and the Y direction by being fixed in a regulated state with a screw, and by controlling the Z direction with an adjustment screw 36, it is possible to use screw fixing for high-precision installation. 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 precision relative to the recording element substrate 10 using a fixing screw 35 and an adjustment screw 36.

<Second Embodiment>

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

<Overall structure of the equipment>

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

In FIG6 , a form of an apparatus 1000 is shown in which a liquid ejection head 3 applies ink directly to a recording medium 2 being conveyed. The recording medium 2 is placed on a conveying portion 1 and conveyed at a predetermined speed under four liquid ejection heads 3 (3Y, 3M, 3C, 3Bk) ejecting different inks. In FIG6 , the four liquid ejection heads 3 are arranged in the order of 3Bk, 3Y, 3M, and 3C along the conveying 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 along the Y direction.

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

Furthermore, unlike the first embodiment, the present embodiment is a liquid ejecting apparatus configured such that a single liquid ejecting head ejects a single color of ink.

<Liquid circulation path>

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 the first circulation pump 1002, the buffer tank 1003, etc. Note that although only the path through which the 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 equipped 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 makes the inside and outside of the tank communicate with each other, and can discharge bubbles in the ink to the outside. The buffer tank 1003 is also connected to the replenishment pump 1005. If the liquid is consumed by the liquid ejection head 3 in the case of ejecting (discharging) ink from the ejection port of the liquid ejection head, such as 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 liquid from the liquid connection portion 111 of the liquid ejecting head 3 and flowing the liquid to the buffer tank 1003. When the liquid ejecting head 3 is driven, a fixed amount of ink flows into the common recovery flow path 212 through the first circulation pump 1002.

The negative pressure control unit 230 is provided between the path of the second circulation pump 1004 and the liquid ejection unit 300. It 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 preset fixed pressure even if 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 the two pressure adjustment mechanisms, the relatively high pressure setting side (indicated by H in FIG. 7 ) and the relatively low pressure side (indicated by L in the figure) 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 paths 213a and the individual recovery flow paths 213b communicated with each recording element substrate are provided in the liquid ejection unit 300. Since the individual flow path 213 is communicated with the common supply flow path 211 and the common recovery flow path 212, some of the liquid flowing through 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 (arrow in FIG. 7 ). This is because a pressure difference is set between the pressure regulating mechanism H connected to the common supply flow path 211 and the pressure regulating 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 ejection unit 300. Therefore, 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. In addition, with such a configuration, when recording is performed by the liquid ejection head 3, a flow of ink can be generated even in the ejection port or pressure chamber where recording is not performed, so that the thickening of the ink at these portions can be suppressed. In addition, the thickened ink and foreign matter in the ink can be discharged to the common recovery flow path 212. Therefore, high-speed and high-quality recording can be performed using the liquid ejection head 3 of this embodiment.

The liquid ejection head of the present invention is not limited to the liquid ejection head having the above-mentioned 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 structure. Any given liquid path structure is applicable.

<Positioning component>

As described above, the housing 80 ensures the rigidity of the liquid ejection head 3 and also serves as a supporting member of the flow path member 210. Therefore, the housing 80 needs to be wider than the liquid ejection area where the ejection port is arranged in the liquid ejection head 3, and is a member extending substantially over the entire length of the ejection head. In addition, 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 ensure the installation position where the positioning members 31 and 32 face the sphere 50 on the device body side, it is preferred that the positioning members 31 and 32 are arranged at the end of the housing 80, which is a member extending beyond the liquid ejection area of the liquid ejection head 3.

Furthermore, in order to maintain the positions between the injection 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 injection modules 200 are mounted on the flow path member 210. As described above, after the injection modules 200 are mounted on the flow path member 210, the positioning members 31 and 32 are mounted to the housing 80 while adjusting the positions relative to the nozzle positions of the injection modules 200, so that the deviation relative to the housing 80 when the injection modules 200 are mounted can be absorbed.

FIG. 8 shows an example in which a portion corresponding to the positioning member 32 is pre-formed in the housing 80, and the positioning member 31 is fixed to the housing 80 after the jetting module 200 is installed. In this case, since the positioning member 31 can be installed while observing the position of the surface (jet port surface) of the recording element substrate 10 where the jet port is formed, as shown in FIG. 10A and FIG. 10B, the Y-direction distance, the X-direction distance, the Z-direction distance of the 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 consisting of the line connecting the two reference nozzles and the jet head reference axis consisting of the line connecting the reference 50 and the groove portion 42 can be adjusted. Note that the two reference nozzles can be selected in any manner as long as they are each included in a different jetting module 200. In FIG. 10A and FIG. 10B, as an example, in each of the two jetting modules 200 located at both ends of the jetting module row, the nozzles located at the same position are used as the two reference nozzles. In the direction of liquid ejection, it is preferred that the jet port surface height difference between the plurality of recording element substrates is within 200 μm.

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

In addition, in FIG9, an example is shown in which the positioning members 31 and 32 are fixed to the housing 80 after the injection module 200 is installed. In this case, the above-mentioned Y-direction distance, X-direction distance, Z-direction distance and angle θ can be adjusted as shown in FIG8. In addition, the positioning members 31 and 32 can be installed while adjusting the Z-direction installation height and angle relative to the injection port.

In the case of considering only the accuracy after assembling the liquid ejection apparatus, the method of fixing both the positioning members 31 and 32 to the housing 80 after mounting the ejection module 200 (see FIG. 9 ) is preferred because there are more axes for adjustable deviations than the method of fixing only the positioning member 31 to the housing 80 (see FIG. 8 ). However, since the number of processing steps for fixing the two positioning members while making adjustments increases and the number of parts increases, the number and fixing order of the positioning members may 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 nozzle position (jet port position) of the positioning member and the jet module is maintained with high precision in any jet head. Therefore, color deviation and the like can be prevented in the case where a plurality of liquid jet heads (e.g., jet heads that jet inks of different colors) are installed on the printing device body. In addition, even in the case where adjustment is performed by electrical processing such as image processing or staggering the jet ports to be used after the liquid jet head is installed, the adjustment can be easily performed.

<<Other embodiments>>

The present disclosure includes configurations represented by the following examples of a recording device and an example of a method of controlling a recording device.

<Construction 1>

A liquid ejection head includes a recording element substrate configured to have a liquid ejection port, the liquid ejection head including: a first positioning member configured to have a first positioning portion, the first positioning portion including a recessed portion opening in a liquid ejection direction; and a second positioning member configured to have a second positioning portion and a third positioning portion, the second positioning portion including a groove portion opening in the liquid ejection direction and extending toward the first positioning member, and the third positioning portion including a planar portion substantially parallel to the recording element substrate.

<Construction 2>

The liquid ejection head according to Configuration 1, wherein the first positioning member is arranged on one longitudinal end of the liquid ejection head, and wherein the second positioning member is arranged on the other end on the opposite side of the one longitudinal end.

<Construction 3>

The liquid ejection head according to Configuration 1 or 2, wherein the recessed portion has a conical shape.

<Construction 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.

<Construction 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.

<Construction 6>

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

＜Structure 7＞

A 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.

<Construction 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 between the first positioning member and the second positioning member in a liquid ejection direction.

<Construction 9>

A liquid ejection head that can be detachably mounted on a liquid ejection device, 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, the first positioning portion comprising a recessed portion opening in a liquid ejection direction; and a second positioning member configured to have a second positioning portion and a third positioning portion, the second positioning portion comprising a groove portion opening in the liquid ejection direction and extending toward the first positioning member, the third positioning portion comprising a planar portion substantially parallel to the recording element substrate; wherein the liquid ejection device comprises three convex portions, the three convex portions being configured to abut against the first positioning portion, the second positioning portion and the third positioning portion, respectively.

<Construction 10>

A liquid ejection head according to Configuration 9, wherein the first positioning member and the second positioning member are respectively arranged at respective end portions in the longitudinal direction of the liquid ejection head.

<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.

<Construction 13>

A liquid ejection device comprises a liquid ejection head which can be detachably installed, 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, the first positioning portion comprising a recessed portion opening in a liquid ejection direction; and a second positioning member, configured to have a second positioning portion and a third positioning portion, the second positioning portion comprising a groove portion opening in the liquid ejection direction and extending toward the first positioning member, the third positioning portion comprising a planar portion substantially parallel to the recording element substrate; wherein the liquid ejection device comprises at least three protrusions, the at least three protrusions being configured to abut against the first positioning portion, the second positioning portion and the third positioning portion, respectively.

<Structure 14>

A liquid ejection apparatus according to Configuration 13, wherein the first positioning member and the second positioning member are respectively arranged at respective end portions in the longitudinal direction of the liquid ejection head.

<Construction 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 part of a sphere.

<Construction 16>

A liquid ejection head is a full-line type, equipped with a plurality of recording element substrates, the recording element substrates being configured to have liquid ejection ports, the liquid ejection head comprising: a supporting member configured to extend in the longitudinal direction of the liquid ejection head to support the plurality of recording element substrates; and a positioning member equipped on the supporting member.

<Construction 17>

The liquid ejection head according to Configuration 16, wherein another member is arranged between the supporting 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 the liquid to the recording element substrate.

<Structure 19>

A liquid ejection head according to any one of structures 16 to 18, wherein the positioning member includes a first positioning member and a second positioning member, the first positioning member is provided at one longitudinal end of the liquid ejection head, and the second positioning member is provided at the other end on the opposite side of the longitudinal end; and wherein the first positioning member and the second positioning member are constructed at a position that clamps the multiple recording element substrates in the middle along the longitudinal direction of the liquid ejection head.

<Construction 20>

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

<Structure 21>

While the present 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 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.