JP2002052722A - Liquid ejection device - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) Abstract: Provided is a liquid ejecting apparatus capable of correcting variation in nozzle pitch and improving liquid ejecting accuracy. A recording head having a plurality of nozzle openings for ejecting ink droplets, the nozzle array being formed in a row in the sub-scanning direction, and having a piezoelectric vibrator for ejecting liquid from each of the nozzle openings; A liquid ejecting apparatus including a carriage for moving the recording head in the main scanning direction, wherein the recording head can be arranged to be inclined in accordance with the pitch dimension of the nozzle openings in the nozzle row. Even if the recording head 26 has a different pitch dimension between the nozzle openings 3, the nozzle openings 3 in the sub-scanning direction can be used.
Can be corrected, and the ejection accuracy of ink droplets can be improved.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a liquid ejecting apparatus for ejecting liquid from a nozzle opening by vibration of a piezoelectric vibrator or the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In general, a liquid ejecting apparatus using a piezoelectric vibrator (in the following description, an example in which the present invention is applied to an ink jet recording head, and is referred to as a "recording head") is shown in FIG. An actuator unit 1 having a piezoelectric vibrator 6 attached thereto and a pressure generating chamber 2 corresponding to the piezoelectric vibrator 6 formed therein, a nozzle opening 3 and an ink storage chamber 4
And a flow path unit 5 adhered to the lower surface of the actuator unit 1, which generates pressure in the pressure generating chamber 2 by the vibration of the piezoelectric vibrator 6,
The ink droplets are ejected from the printer.

The actuator unit 1 includes a pressure generating chamber forming plate 1 in which a space for forming a pressure generating chamber 2 is formed.
0, a vibrating plate 11 located on the upper surface of the pressure generating chamber forming plate 10 and closing the upper opening of the space, and a communication hole forming plate 14 located on the lower surface of the pressure generating chamber forming plate 10. . The communication hole forming plate 14 has a communication hole 12 for communicating the ink storage chamber 4 and the pressure generating chamber 2, and a nozzle communication passage 8 for communicating the pressure generating chamber 2 and the nozzle opening 3.

In the actuator unit 1, a common lower electrode 19 is formed on the upper surface of the vibration plate 11. Then, a flat plate-shaped piezoelectric vibrator 6 is formed on the upper surface of the lower electrode 19, and on the upper surface of the piezoelectric vibrator 6,
An individual upper electrode 20 is formed. Then, a drive signal is input to the piezoelectric vibrator 6 via the lower electrode 19 and the upper electrode 20.

On the other hand, the flow channel unit 5 includes an ink storage chamber forming plate 1 in which a space for forming the ink storage chamber 4 is formed.
6, a nozzle plate 17 having a nozzle opening 3 formed therein and located on the lower surface of the ink storage chamber forming plate 16, and a supply port forming plate 1 located on the upper surface of the ink storage chamber forming plate 16.
And 8. The ink storage chamber forming plate 16
Is formed with a nozzle communication passage 8 for communicating the pressure generating chamber 2 with the nozzle opening 3. In addition, the supply port forming plate 1
An ink supply port 9 for supplying ink from the ink storage chamber 4 to the pressure generating chamber 2 through the communication hole 12 is formed in the ink storage chamber 4, and a nozzle communication path 8 for communicating the pressure generating chamber 2 with the nozzle opening 3. Are formed.

In the supply port forming plate 18, a space corresponding to the ink storage chamber 4 is formed as a damper chamber 7 for releasing pressure fluctuation in the ink storage chamber 4. A damper plate 13 for closing the opening of the damper chamber 7 is sandwiched between the supply port forming plate 18 and the ink storage chamber forming plate 16.

The actuator unit 1 includes a vibration plate 11 made of ceramics and a pressure generation chamber forming plate 1.
0, a communication hole forming plate 14 is laminated and integrally fired. On the other hand, the flow path unit 5 includes a supply port forming plate 18 and a damper plate 1 made of stainless steel.
3, the ink storage chamber forming plate 16 and the nozzle plate 17
It is laminated via an adhesive layer 15. The actuator unit 1 and the flow path unit 5 are connected to the adhesive layer 1
5 are joined.

[0008]

However, in the above recording head, the pressure generating chamber 2 is provided in the actuator unit 1, and the ink storage chamber 4 for supplying ink to the pressure generating chamber 2 and the ink in the pressure generating chamber 2 are stored in the actuator unit 1. Nozzle opening 3 to discharge
Are provided in the flow path unit 5. Moreover, the actuator unit 1 is made of ceramics, and the channel unit 5 is made of stainless steel. For this reason, in order to make the pressure generating chamber 2 communicate with the ink storage chamber 4 and the nozzle opening 3, it is necessary to bond and laminate a plurality of parts with an adhesive, which complicates the structure and the manufacturing process, and increases the cost. Has become. Further, there is a possibility that distortion or peeling may occur due to a difference in the thermal shrinkage ratio or the linear expansion coefficient of the bonded portion. Further, since the ink comes into direct contact with the stainless steel or the adhesive, for example, an ink having an etching action on the stainless steel or an ink that elutes the adhesive cannot be used, and the characteristics and characteristics of the ink used are , There are limitations on the field of application.

Therefore, when an ink jet recording head in which all members are formed of ceramics is considered, the following problems occur. That is, when the ceramics are fired from the green sheet, generally, the ceramics having an original size of 70 to 70 mm are fired.
Shrinks to 80% or less. At this time, the amount of shrinkage varies due to slight non-uniformity of the composition of the green sheet, non-uniformity of the stress applied during shrinkage, or variation in the firing temperature or the atmosphere in the furnace during firing. Variations in the amount of shrinkage occur as a percentage of the size, so this is not a significant problem for a small print head with a relatively small number of nozzles. In such a case, in the case of a print head having a very large number of nozzles, for example, 1000 or more nozzles in one row, the print head itself must be enlarged, and the amount of variation becomes an extremely large problem.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and has as its object to provide a liquid ejecting apparatus capable of correcting a variation in nozzle pitch and improving liquid ejecting accuracy.

[0011]

In order to achieve the above object, a liquid ejecting apparatus according to the present invention comprises a plurality of nozzle openings for ejecting liquid, which are arranged in the sub-scanning direction. A liquid ejecting apparatus comprising: an ejecting head having a liquid ejecting element for ejecting liquid from a nozzle opening; and a carriage for moving the ejecting head in a main scanning direction, wherein the ejecting head is ejected according to a pitch dimension of the nozzle opening in a nozzle row. The gist is that the head can be arranged to be inclined.

That is, in the liquid ejecting apparatus according to the present invention, the ejecting head can be arranged to be inclined in accordance with the pitch dimension of the nozzle openings in the nozzle row. For this reason, even if the ejection heads have different pitch sizes of the nozzle openings, the pitch size of the nozzle openings in the sub-scanning direction can be corrected by inclining the ejection head according to the pitch size of the ejection head. Therefore,
Even if there is a variation in the pitch size of the nozzle openings between the ejection heads, the variation can be corrected and the ejection accuracy of the liquid can be improved.

In the liquid ejecting apparatus according to the present invention, when the ejecting head is provided with one nozzle row, the recording head is inclined for each nozzle row, and the variation in the pitch dimension between the nozzle rows is reduced. The injection accuracy can be improved by appropriate correction.

In the liquid ejecting apparatus according to the present invention, the ejecting head can be arranged so as to be inclined so that the nozzle row is parallel to the surface to be ejected. When it is arranged to be inclined to be inclined with respect to, by the inclination of the ejection head,
Variations in the pitch size of the nozzle openings can be effectively corrected.

In the case where the liquid ejecting apparatus of the present invention is provided with ejection timing adjusting means for shifting the timing of ejecting the liquid for each nozzle opening according to the inclination angle of the ejecting head, the inclination of the ejecting head causes the liquid to be ejected. With respect to the nozzle openings whose ejection timing is advanced or delayed, it is possible to correct the timing deviation and form a row of liquid dots.

In the case where the liquid ejecting apparatus of the present invention is provided with an ejection timing adjusting means for shifting the timing of ejecting the liquid for each nozzle opening in accordance with the shift size of the nozzle opening in the main scanning direction due to the inclination of the ejecting head, In a device in which the ejection head is inclined so that the nozzle row is parallel to the surface to be ejected, the misalignment of the nozzle opening where the ejection timing of the liquid becomes earlier or later is corrected, and the row of liquid dots is adjusted. Can be formed.

In the liquid ejecting apparatus of the present invention, there is provided an ejection timing adjusting means for shifting the timing of ejecting the liquid for each nozzle opening according to the difference in the distance between the nozzle opening and the surface to be ejected due to the inclination of the ejecting head. In a device in which the ejection head is inclined so that the nozzle row is inclined with respect to the ejection target surface, the timing deviation is corrected for the nozzle opening where the ejection timing of the liquid is advanced or delayed, and the normal liquid is ejected. A dot row can be formed.

In the liquid ejecting apparatus according to the present invention, when the ejecting head can be inclined so as to be parallel to the surface to be ejected and to be inclined with respect to the surface to be ejected, the ejecting head is moved to the surface to be ejected. By simultaneously inclining also in the direction parallel to and the direction inclining with respect to the surface to be ejected, for example, the deviation of the ejection timing of the liquid due to the inclination in any one direction, the ejection timing of the liquid due to the inclination in the other direction It is also possible to absorb the difference.

In the liquid ejecting apparatus according to the present invention, the ejecting head has a nozzle portion in which a nozzle row is formed, and at least the nozzle portion is made of ceramic, or the nozzle portion is a nozzle plate. In some cases, the nozzle nozzles or nozzle plates made of ceramics tend to have variations in the pitch dimension of the nozzle openings due to the variation in the shrinkage due to firing, so the variation in the pitch dimensions of the nozzle openings is corrected and the liquid ejection accuracy is improved. Is remarkable.

In the liquid ejecting apparatus according to the present invention, when the liquid ejecting element is a piezoelectric vibrator or when the liquid ejecting element is a heating element for heating a liquid, the liquid using the piezoelectric vibrator as the liquid ejecting element is used. In a liquid ejecting apparatus or a liquid ejecting apparatus using a heating element as a liquid ejecting element, it is possible to correct the variation in the pitch dimension of the nozzle openings and improve the liquid ejecting accuracy.

[0021]

Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a peripheral structure of a liquid ejecting apparatus according to the present invention applied to an ink jet recording apparatus. This device has an ink cartridge 2
And a carriage 27 having a recording head (ejection head) 26 attached to the lower surface thereof.

The carriage 27 is connected to a stepping motor 29 via a timing belt 28, and is guided by a guide bar 30 to reciprocate in the paper width direction (main scanning direction) of the recording paper 31. A recording head 26 is attached to the carriage 27 on a surface (lower surface in this example) facing the recording paper 31. Then, ink is supplied from the ink cartridge 25 to the recording head 26, and ink droplets are ejected onto the upper surface of the recording paper 31 while moving the carriage 27 to print images and characters on the recording paper 31 in a dot matrix. I have.

In the figure, reference numeral 32 denotes a cap for sealing the nozzle opening of the recording head 26 to prevent drying of the nozzle opening during printing suspension or the like. Reference numeral 33 denotes a paper feed roller for feeding recording paper, and reference numeral 34 denotes a driving waveform generation. This is a flexible cable for transmitting the drive waveform output from the means to the recording head 26.

As the recording head 26, for example, a recording head 26 to which a piezoelectric vibrator (liquid ejecting element) 6 in a flexural vibration mode is attached is used. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, such a recording head 26 includes a nozzle plate 17 formed such that the nozzle openings 3 form one nozzle row, and a nozzle plate 17 formed of the nozzle openings 3. A flow path is formed and a flow path forming section 24 is laminated on the nozzle plate 17 and the diaphragm 11 is laminated on the flow path forming section 24.

The flow path forming section 24 is provided with the nozzle opening 3
Chamber forming plate 10 in which a pressure generating chamber 2 communicating with the pressure generating chamber 2 is formed, and an ink storage chamber forming plate 16 in which an ink storing chamber 4 for storing ink to be supplied to the pressure generating chamber 2 is formed.
And a damper chamber forming plate 21 in which a damper chamber 7 for absorbing pressure fluctuations in the ink storage chamber 4 is formed.

The flow path forming part 24 closes an upper opening of the ink storage chamber 4 and supplies the ink stored in the ink storage chamber 4 to the pressure generating chamber 2.
Is provided with a supply port forming plate 18 in which holes are formed. The supply port forming plate 18 is sandwiched between the damper chamber 7 and the ink storage chamber 4 to close the lower opening of the damper chamber 7, and is elastically deformed by the pressure fluctuation in the ink storage chamber 4 to reduce the pressure fluctuation. Also functions as a damper plate to escape to 7.

The flow path forming section 24 is arranged such that the ink storage chamber forming plate 16, the supply port forming plate 18, the damper chamber forming plate 21, and the pressure generating chamber forming plate 10 are arranged from the nozzle plate 17 side.
Are stacked in this order. Here, the ink storage chamber forming plate 16, the supply port forming plate 18, and the damper chamber forming plate 21 are each provided with a nozzle communication passage 8 for communicating the nozzle opening 3 with the pressure generating chamber 2. The damper chamber forming plate 21 has an ink supply port 9 and a pressure generating chamber 2.
A communication hole 12 is formed to communicate with.

On the other hand, a comb-shaped lower electrode 19 is formed on the upper surface of the diaphragm 11. Each comb tooth 19A of the lower electrode 19 is formed at a portion that covers the upper part of the pressure generating chamber 2. Further, a flat-plate-shaped piezoelectric vibrator 6 is formed on the upper surface of each comb tooth portion 19A of the lower electrode 19, and an individual upper electrode 20 is formed on the upper surface of the piezoelectric vibrator 6. A drive signal is applied to each piezoelectric vibrator 6 via the upper electrode 20 and the lower electrode 19.

The flow path forming portion 24 is laminated on the nozzle plate 17, and the vibration plate 11 on which the piezoelectric vibrator 6, the lower electrode 19 and the upper electrode 20 are formed is laminated on the flow path forming portion 24. ing. Furthermore, nozzle plate 1
An end surface of a square tubular case member 23 is adhered to a peripheral edge of an upper surface of a stacked body of the 7, the flow path forming portion 24 and the diaphragm 11. In the figure, reference numeral 22 denotes an ink supply port for supplying ink from the ink cartridge 25 to the ink storage chamber 4.

In the recording head 26, when a drive signal is applied to the piezoelectric vibrator 6, the piezoelectric vibrator 6 contracts in the horizontal direction. At this time, the lower surface side of the piezoelectric vibrator 6 fixed to the vibration plate 11 does not shrink, and only the upper surface side shrinks.
The piezoelectric vibrator 6 and the vibration plate 11 bend downward and compress the pressure generating chamber 2. When the pressure in the pressure generating chamber 2 rises, the ink in the pressure generating chamber 2 is ejected from the nozzle openings 3 as ink droplets, and dots are formed on the recording paper 31 to perform printing. Next, when the piezoelectric vibrator 6 is discharged and returns to the original state, the pressure in the pressure generating chamber 2 is reduced, and new ink is supplied from the ink storage chamber 4 to the pressure generating chamber 2 through the ink supply port 9.

Here, in the recording head 26, the nozzle plate 17, the flow path forming section 24 (the ink storage chamber forming plate 1) are used.
6, the supply port forming plate 18, the damper chamber forming plate 21, the pressure generating chamber forming plate 10), and the diaphragm 11 are all formed of ceramics.

The recording head 26 as described above, for example,
It is made as follows. That is, first, a ceramic green sheet is prepared, and the green sheet is punched out. The nozzle plate 17, the ink storage chamber forming plate 16, the supply port forming plate 18, the damper chamber forming plate 21, the pressure generating chamber forming plate 10, the vibration A plate corresponding to each of the plates 11 is formed. At this time, the ink storage chamber 4, the damper chamber 7, the ink supply port 9, the pressure generation chamber 2, the nozzle communication passage 8,
Spaces respectively corresponding to the communication holes 12 are formed by punching or the like.

Green sheets corresponding to the nozzle plate 17, the ink storage chamber forming plate 16, the supply port forming plate 18, the damper chamber forming plate 21, the pressure generating chamber forming plate 10, and the vibration plate 11 are laminated in a predetermined order. After that, by firing, it is possible to obtain the recording head 26 integrally formed of ceramics without using an adhesive.

When ceramics are fired from green sheets, they generally shrink to 70-80% of their original dimensions or less. At this time, the amount of shrinkage varies due to slight non-uniformity of the composition of the green sheet, non-uniformity of the stress applied during shrinkage, or variation in the firing temperature or the atmosphere in the furnace during firing. Variations in the amount of shrinkage occur as a percentage of the size, so this is not a significant problem for a small print head with a relatively small number of nozzles. In this case, the number of nozzles is very large, for example, 1
In the case of a print head having 1000 or more nozzles in a row, the size of the print head itself must be increased, and the variation amount becomes a very large problem.

For example, when the variation in shrinkage is about ± 0.4% and the pitch of the nozzles is 0.2 mm, if the number of nozzles is about 50 nozzles, the maximum variation is ± 20 μm.
m, which is about 1/10 of the nozzle pitch.
When there are 1000 nozzles, the maximum variation is ±
As a result, the nozzle position reaches 0.4 mm, resulting in a variation in nozzle position that is equal to or greater than the nozzle pitch.

As described above, in the recording head 26, the pitch dimension (nozzle pitch) of the nozzle openings 3 tends to vary between the recording heads 26. Therefore, in the recording apparatus, as shown in FIG. 4, the recording head 26 having a longer nozzle pitch p2 is set based on the nozzle pitch p1 (see FIG. 4A) assumed as the minimum value. p2
In this case, the nozzle array is inclined with respect to the sub-scanning direction so that the nozzle row is inclined so as to be parallel to the paper surface of the recording paper 31.

By doing so, FIG. 4 (b)
As shown in (c), even if the nozzle pitch in the nozzle row direction is slightly larger than the minimum nozzle pitch p1, the apparent nozzle pitch p3 in the sub-scanning direction is smaller than the minimum nozzle pitch p1.
Can be corrected to be equal to

The method for arranging the recording head 6 in an inclined manner as described above is not particularly limited, and various methods can be adopted. For example, recording head 2
A plurality of types of carriages 27 capable of holding the printer 6 at various inclination angles are prepared, and the recording head 26 is mounted by selecting the carriage 27 having an inclination angle determined according to the actual nozzle pitch p2, An angle adjusting mechanism may be provided between the carriage 26 and the carriage 27 or between the guide bar 30 and the carriage 27.

The angle adjusting mechanism is not particularly limited, and various mechanisms can be adopted. For example, the inclination angle of the recording head 26 can be adjusted by an eccentric cam, or the recording head 26 can be mounted on a θ table and inclined.

Here, the angle θ at which the recording head 26 is inclined is the minimum nozzle pitch p1 and the recording head 2 at which the recording head 2 is inclined.
6 is determined by the following equation in relation to the actual nozzle pitch p2. As described above, the inclination angle θ is determined by the actual nozzle pitch p2, and the recording angle is determined by actually measuring the nozzle pitch p2 of the recording head 26 or by calculating the dimension of the recording head 26 from the measured value. The inclination angle θ of the head 26 can be determined. It is also possible to adjust the tilt angle θ while actually printing with the recording head 26. θ = COS ⁻¹ (p1 / p2)

When the recording head 26 is tilted as described above, the position of the nozzle opening 3 in the same nozzle row is shifted in the main scanning direction. The difference D between the recording head 26 having the minimum nozzle pitch and the inclination angle of 0 and the recording head 26 inclined by the angle θ is determined by the relationship between the nozzle pitch p2 of the inclined recording head 26 and the inclination angle θ. Is determined by the following equation. D = p2 · SINθ

Here, as shown in FIG. 5, the ink jet type recording apparatus has a print control means 35 for creating bitmap data based on a print signal from a host.
A drive waveform generator 37 for generating a drive waveform for driving the piezoelectric vibrator 6, and a drive waveform generated by the drive waveform generator 37 being input to the piezoelectric vibrator 6 and
And a drive timing adjusting means 38 for adjusting the timing at which is driven. In the figure, reference numeral 36 denotes a carriage control means for controlling reciprocal scanning of the carriage 27.

Then, as shown in FIG.
The deviation of the ejection timing based on the deviation amount D of the nozzle opening 3 due to the inclination of the nozzle is adjusted and corrected by shifting the timing at which the driving waveform is input to the piezoelectric vibrator 6 by the driving timing adjusting means 38. Is performed. In this way, for the nozzle openings 3 in which the ejection timing of the ink droplets becomes earlier or later due to the inclination of the recording head 26, the timing deviation is corrected for each nozzle opening 3, and a normal ink dot row is formed. Can be formed.

The drive timing adjustment by the drive timing adjusting means 38 can be performed by, for example, generating a drive waveform having a different drive timing for each nozzle opening 3 and selecting an appropriate drive waveform. It can also be performed by generating a drive waveform at an appropriate drive timing according to the angle at which the recording head 26 is inclined.

As described above, in the above recording apparatus, even if the recording heads 26 have different nozzle pitches, the nozzle pitch in the sub-scanning direction can be corrected by inclining the recording heads 26. Therefore, even if there is a variation in the nozzle pitch in the recording head 26, the variation can be corrected and the ejection accuracy of the ink droplet can be improved. In the recording apparatus, the recording head 26
Is provided with one nozzle row, the recording head 26 is inclined for each nozzle row, and the variation in the nozzle pitch between the nozzle rows can be properly corrected.

In the recording head, the flow path forming section 2
4. Since the vibration plate 11 and the nozzle plate 17 are each formed of ceramics, all the flow paths in contact with the ink are formed of ceramics, and the ink resistance of the flow paths is dramatically improved. Therefore, there is no limitation on the type of ink used. For example, ink having an etching effect on stainless steel or ink that elutes an adhesive can be used, and there is almost no restriction on the characteristics of the ink used. In addition, since the chemical stability of the flow path is improved and the elution of the organic substance is eliminated, it can be used in, for example, the food field, the medical field, and the like, and there is almost no limitation in the application field.

Further, in the recording head, since the laminated body of the flow path forming portion 24, the vibration plate 11, and the nozzle plate 17 is integrally formed without the interposition of the adhesive layer, the bonding operation is unnecessary. In addition, there is no risk of occurrence of strain or separation due to differences in the thermal shrinkage and the coefficient of linear expansion. Furthermore, since it has a laminated structure, it is suitable for production from ceramic green sheets.

FIG. 7 shows a second embodiment of the present invention. In this apparatus, the recording head 26 is not tilted in parallel with the recording paper 31 but the nozzle row is
1 to be inclined with respect to the paper surface. Otherwise, it is the same as the first embodiment,
Similar parts are denoted by the same reference numerals.

In the above-described printing apparatus, a shift D occurs in the distance between the nozzle opening 3 and the printing paper 31 due to the inclination of the print head 26. Therefore, the drive timing adjusting means 38 controls the ejection timing of the ink droplets in accordance with the shift D. With respect to the nozzle openings 3 in which the ink droplet speeds up or slows down, the timing deviation is corrected for each nozzle opening 3 to form a row of ink dots. Otherwise, the same operation and effect as those of the first embodiment are exerted.

In each of the above embodiments, the recording head 26 is inclined parallel to the plane of the recording paper 31, or inclined with respect to the plane of the recording paper 31, and each nozzle opening 3 caused by the inclination of the recording head 26. The ejection timing deviation is adjusted by the drive timing adjusting means 38. For example, the recording head 26 is inclined in a direction parallel to the plane of the recording paper 31 and also in a direction relative to the plane of the recording paper 31. This makes it possible to absorb a shift in the ejection timing of the ink droplet due to the inclination in any one direction by a shift in the ejection timing due to the inclination in the other direction.

In each of the above embodiments, the ceramic material constituting the recording head 26 is not particularly limited, and various materials can be used. For example, various carbides such as silicon carbide, titanium carbide, chromium carbide, niobium carbide, vanadium carbide, zirconium carbide, molybdenum carbide, boron carbide, zirconium oxide (zirconia), aluminum oxide, magnesium oxide, silicon oxide, titanium oxide, beryllium oxide Various oxides, such as aluminum nitride, silicon nitride, beryllium nitride,
Examples include various nitrides such as boron nitride, various borides such as zirconium boride, chromium boride and titanium boride, and complex compounds such as sialon. These are used alone or in combination. Among these, zirconia is excellent in mechanical strength and toughness and also excellent in corrosion resistance, and is suitable as a material constituting the ink jet recording head 26.

Further, in each of the above embodiments, an example is shown in which the present invention is applied to an ink jet recording head using the piezoelectric vibrator 6 in the flexural vibration mode. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The present invention can be applied to an ink jet recording head using a piezoelectric vibrator in a mode, or to a recording head using a heating element for heating ink in a flow path as a liquid ejecting element.

In each of the above embodiments, an example is shown in which the liquid ejecting apparatus of the present invention is applied to an ink jet recording head. However, the present invention is not limited to this.
The liquid to be discharged can be used as a fuel such as gasoline and used as a fuel injection device for an internal combustion engine. Further, the present invention can be applied to the formation of an organic light emitting layer of a display body in which an organic light emitting layer is formed on a transparent electrode formed in a matrix on a transparent substrate. As described above, in the liquid ejecting apparatus of the present invention, various liquids can be applied as the liquid to be ejected, and can be applied to various industrial fields.

[0055]

As described above, according to the liquid ejecting apparatus of the present invention, even if the ejecting heads have different pitch sizes of the nozzle openings, the ejecting heads can be moved in the main scanning direction in accordance with the pitch size of the ejecting heads. By inclining the nozzles with respect to the nozzles, the pitch of the nozzle openings in the sub-scanning direction can be corrected. Therefore, even if there is a variation in the pitch size of the nozzle openings between the ejection heads, the variation can be corrected and the ejection accuracy of the liquid can be improved. In particular, when a ceramic material is used for the liquid ejecting head, the present invention is effective for correcting the nozzle opening pitch caused by a dimensional change due to firing, for example.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a peripheral structure of an ink jet recording apparatus to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing a basic structure of a recording head used in the recording apparatus.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the ink jet recording head.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an embodiment of the present invention;
(A) is a recording head that is not inclined, (b) is a recording head that is inclined, and (c) is a diagram illustrating a relationship between a nozzle pitch and an inclination angle.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the recording apparatus.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the drive timing of the drive waveform is corrected.

FIGS. 7A and 7B are diagrams illustrating a second embodiment of the present invention, wherein FIG. 7A shows a print head that is not tilted, FIG. 7B shows a print head that is tilted, and FIG. 7C shows a relationship between nozzle pitch and tilt angle. FIG.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view showing a conventional ink jet recording head.

[Explanation of symbols]

 3 Nozzle opening 26 Recording head

Continued on the front page F term (reference) 2C056 EA07 EC07 EC35 EC37 FA02 FA04 HA07 HA13 HA17 2C057 AF30 AF93 AG14 AM17 AP02 AP73 AQ10 BA04 BA14

Claims (12)

[Claims] 1. An ejection head having a plurality of nozzle openings for ejecting liquid and arranged in a row in the sub-scanning direction and having a liquid ejection element for ejecting liquid from each of the nozzle openings, and the ejection head. And a carriage for moving the ejection head in the main scanning direction, wherein the ejection head can be arranged to be inclined in accordance with the pitch dimension of the nozzle openings in the nozzle row. Injection device. 2. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the ejection head is provided with one nozzle row. 3. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the ejecting head can be disposed so as to be inclined so that the nozzle row is parallel to the surface to be ejected. 4. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the ejecting head is disposed so as to be inclined such that the nozzle row is inclined with respect to the surface to be ejected. 5. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising an ejection timing adjusting unit that shifts a timing of ejecting the liquid for each nozzle opening according to an inclination angle of the ejection head. 6. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising an ejection timing adjusting means for shifting the timing of ejecting the liquid for each nozzle opening according to a shift size of the nozzle opening in the main scanning direction due to the inclination of the ejection head. 7. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising an ejection timing adjusting means for shifting a timing of ejecting the liquid for each nozzle opening according to a difference in a distance between the nozzle opening and the surface to be ejected due to the inclination of the ejecting head. apparatus. 8. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the ejecting head can be inclined in parallel with the surface to be ejected and at an angle to the surface to be ejected. 9. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the ejecting head has a nozzle portion in which a nozzle row is formed, and at least the nozzle portion is formed from ceramics. . 10. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said nozzle portion is a nozzle plate. 11. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the liquid ejecting element is a piezoelectric vibrator. 12. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the liquid ejecting element is a heating element that heats the liquid.