JP3472080B2 - Liquid discharge method, liquid discharge head, liquid discharge head cartridge, and ink jet recording apparatus - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a liquid ejection method represented by an ink jet recording method for ejecting droplets, a liquid ejection head represented by this ink jet recording head, a liquid ejection head cartridge, and an ink jet recording apparatus. Regarding

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a recording method in a recording device such as a printer, a copying machine, a facsimile or a plotter, an ink jet for recording characters and figures by ejecting minute ink droplets from a nozzle (ejection port). The recording method is in the spotlight. The inkjet recording method has an excellent advantage that high-definition images can be output and high-speed printing can be performed. Particularly, a method of generating bubbles in a liquid by an electrothermal converter (hereinafter, also referred to as a heater) and using the generated bubble (bubble) pressure, a so-called bubble jet method (Japanese Patent Publication No. 61-59911-4) is known. It has features such as easy downsizing of the device and high density of images.

The liquid ejected from the nozzle by the bubble pressure is not limited to the ink liquid, and other liquids can be ejected. Therefore, in the present specification, a method of ejecting not only ink but a general liquid is called a liquid ejecting method, and a method of ejecting an ink liquid onto a recording medium to perform recording is called an ink jet recording method. I will decide.

In the field of ink jet recording, there is a strong demand for color recording. As a configuration of an inkjet recording apparatus that satisfies the requirement for colorization, for example, an inkjet recording head for each color is arranged in parallel on the carriage along the scanning direction to perform color recording, or for color recording. Used yellow,
Color recording by arranging an ink tank containing magenta and cyan inks and a recording head for ejecting these inks in parallel and arranging them in parallel and an inkjet recording head for black only Those that do, etc. are adopted.

FIG. 20 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an ink flow path portion of a conventional bubble-jet type recording head in which bubbles are generated by using an electrothermal converter to eject ink droplets. A heater portion 91 is embedded in the ink flow passage 92, one end of the ink flow passage 92 communicates with the ejection port 93, and
The ink flow path 92 is filled with ink. The heat generated in the heater portion 91 acts on the ink filled in the ink flow passage 92, causing the ink on the heater portion 91 to undergo a rapid state change (foaming phenomenon), and a part of the ink flow passage 92 The ink is ejected and flies from the ejection port 93 to the recording medium to perform recording. The bubbles generated by the heat generation of the heater unit 91 shrink and disappear when the heating by the heater unit 91 is finished, and the ink flow passage 92 becomes filled with ink again (ink refilling process).

However, in the conventional recording head as shown in FIG. 20, foamed bubbles may become larger than necessary, and in this case, it takes time to eliminate the bubbles. Further, the energy during bubbling is transmitted from the heater portion 91 to the ejection port 93 (Q direction) and at the same time, to the upstream side (P direction) which is the ink supply side. There is a problem to be solved that it takes time to refill with ink again. The pressure wave propagating to the upstream side with the generation of bubbles is called a back wave here.

The recording head having the flow passage structure as shown in FIG. 20 has been able to cope with the printing speed in the recording apparatus as in the past, but in recent years, in the recording apparatus in which further high speed recording is demanded. In some cases, the ink refilling time was too late for the printing speed, resulting in non-ejection of ink.

Further, a common ink jet recording head is provided with a common liquid chamber for supplying ink to a plurality of ink flow passages on the upstream side of the flow passage, but such a back wave is strong on the upstream side of the ink. When transmitted, this back wave may propagate to another ink flow path via the common liquid chamber, and may adversely affect the ink ejection state in that flow path.

The fact that the refilling time is required and the adverse effect of the back wave as described above is not limited to the ink jet recording head, and is generally applied to a liquid ejecting head which ejects droplets by utilizing bubbles. It was a problem that had to be solved.

Various proposals have hitherto been made to solve such problems. Each of the proposals tried for the ink jet recording head will be described below, but it is clear that the following configuration can be applied to a liquid ejection head in general.

For example, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 55-100169, there is known a structure in which a fluid resistance portion is provided on the upstream side of a heater portion for generating thermal energy in an ink flow path. The structure of such an inkjet recording head is shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 21, the ink 904 flows into the ink flow path 902 communicating with the ejection port 901 for ejecting ink from the inflow opening 903 at one end of the ink flow path 902. In the vicinity of the ejection port 901 at the other end of the ink flow path 902, a heater 90 that generates thermal energy used to form bubbles and eject ink.
5 is disposed on the wall surface, and the heater 905 is disposed on the wall surface upstream of the heater 905 (inflow opening 90).
A barrier 906 is provided on the third side). In such a recording head, when an electric signal is input to the heater 905, a bubble is generated in the ink 904, and this action causes an ink droplet 907 to be ejected from the ejection port 901 toward the recording medium 908. At the same time, the acting force of the bubbles also acts in the anti-discharging direction (direction of the inflow opening 903), but because of the barrier 906 provided in the anti-discharging direction, the fluid resistance in the anti-discharging direction is greater than that in the discharging direction. Is larger, the acting force of the bubbles is effectively used for ejecting the ink droplet 907.

Further, as a method for preventing energy loss to the upstream side of such a heater, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 59-1 is used.
Japanese Patent Publication No. 99256 discloses a method of providing a second energy generating means not directly involved in ejection, in addition to the ejection energy generating means directly involved in ejection. Second
By using this energy generating means, it is possible to prevent rearward loss of energy generated by the discharge energy generating means.

Further, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 62-240558 discloses a method of providing a heating means in the liquid chamber in addition to the heater arrangement of Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 59-199256.

In Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 63-102945, a second energy generating means is provided separately from the discharge heater for controlling the discharge so as to intersect with the flow path. A structure is disclosed in which a component in the flow channel width direction is made larger than the flow channel width.

Further, JP-A-63-197652 or JP-A-63-199972 discloses the use of a valve mechanism as a fluid resistance element in order to prevent the loss of discharge energy. . The flow channel structures disclosed in these publications are shown in FIGS. 22 (a) and 22 (b). In this recording head, an electrothermal converter 912 for forming bubbles is provided on a substrate 911 corresponding to each ink flow path 913, and one end of each ink flow path 913 is formed with an ejection port 915. However, the other end is commonly connected to the common liquid chamber 916. Valve mechanism 91
Reference numeral 4 has an initial position as if it were attached to the ceiling of the ink flow path 913, and the ink flow is higher than the heat action area (projection space in the plane direction of the electrothermal converter) near the electrothermal converter 912. It is provided on the upstream side with respect to the direction and has a structure that opens by the back wave. In this recording head, the valve mechanism 914 is operated so as to prevent the back wave from propagating to the upstream side, and thereby the loss of ejection energy is prevented.

Further, the electrothermal converter or the electromechanical converter (piezo element, etc.) described above is used as a liquid transport mechanism, and the liquid such as the back wave described above is moved in a direction opposite to the desired liquid moving direction. There has also been proposed a liquid transporting method or device provided with a fluid resistance element for suppressing the movement of the liquid. That is, if the liquid can be driven in one direction by some mechanism, it corresponds to the liquid transport device here.
From the viewpoint of a liquid transport device, an inkjet recording head transports a liquid from an ink tank toward a discharge port regardless of whether or not an electrothermal converter is used to generate bubbles, and ink is discharged at a predetermined discharge pressure. Can be said to be discharged from the discharge port. For example, the above-mentioned JP-A-63-197652 or JP-A-63-199.
It can be considered that the ink jet recording head provided with the valve mechanism described in Japanese Patent No. 972 uses an electrothermal converter as a liquid transport mechanism and tries to control the ink flow in one direction by the valve mechanism. . Similarly, it has been attempted to realize the flow of liquid in one direction by using a piezo element.

[0017]

However, when the fluid resistance portion is provided as described in JP-A-55-100169, discharge is performed at a relatively low driving frequency as compared with the case where the fluid resistance portion is not provided. In this case, as described above, the effect of the back wave can be prevented to some extent by the action of the barrier (liquid resistance portion) provided in the liquid flow path, but in the case of discharging at a higher frequency than that, the upper part of the barrier The influence of the back wave from is inevitable, and the refill is delayed because it is disturbed by this barrier. Further, there is a problem that the vibration of the liquid in the nozzle cannot be controlled and proper repeated ejection cannot be performed.

Further, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 59-199256,
JP-A-62-240558, JP-A-63-10294
The technique described in Japanese Patent Publication No. 5 is, in addition to a heater for discharging droplets,
A back wave control heater is provided, and the back wave propagation is controlled by bubbles generated by the back wave control heater. In the case of these configurations, when it is necessary to obtain a sufficient foaming pressure of the heater bubbling for ejecting ink droplets, the back wave control heater must be made sufficiently large so that the bubbling pressure for ejecting is backed up. The foaming pressure of the wave control heater will be lost. If the heater for controlling the back wave is enlarged for sufficient back wave control, the length of the entire liquid flow path becomes long, which causes a problem that the refill becomes slower.

Further, when a valve mechanism having a structure that is opened by a back wave is provided as described in JP-A-63-197652 or JP-A-63-199972, bubbles for discharge are generated. As a matter of course, the liquid also grows on the upstream side of the liquid flow path, and in the process, the valve mechanism arranged on the upper part of the liquid flow path moves (while flowing) in response to the flow of the growing bubbles. That is, the valve mechanism 914 is shown in FIG.
Most of the bubble growth process will take time to open up to the position shown in (b). Therefore, it may not be possible to sufficiently suppress the loss of ejection energy by suppressing the back wave, which is the original purpose.
In particular, when applied to a recording apparatus that ejects at a high driving frequency, there is a possibility that the frequency cannot be supported.

A main object of the present invention is to provide a liquid ejection method capable of substantially suppressing the movement of the liquid in the upstream direction of the ejection energy generating element and improving the refill efficiency.

Further, a second object of the present invention is to improve refill characteristics of ejected liquid such as ink, improve ejection efficiency and ejection force, and achieve high speed and high quality printing when applied to ink jet recording. Another object of the present invention is to provide a possible liquid ejection method and liquid ejection head, and further provide an ink jet recording apparatus using these liquid ejection methods or liquid ejection heads.

[0022]

The main requirements of the present invention for achieving the above-mentioned objects are as follows.

[0023] The energy for discharging the communication and liquid to the discharge port
Discharge energy generating element that causes rugie to act on the liquid
A first liquid flow path is provided, communicating with said first liquid flow path
A fluid element is provided upstream of the discharge energy generating element
Was the second liquid flow path, have a, the fluid element of the bubble
Provide a bubble generation area to be generated and face the bubble generation area
A fulcrum and a free end located downstream from the fulcrum
A liquid discharging method for discharging liquid from said discharge port by using a liquid discharge head for chromatic and movable member, and a step for discharging liquid from said discharge ports by driving said discharge energy generating elements, before The free end of the movable member is moved to the first position by generating bubbles in the bubble generation region .
And a step of suppressing the flow of the liquid to the upstream side caused by driving the ejection energy generating element by displacing the liquid toward the liquid flow path side of No. 1 .

The energy for discharging the communication with the liquid to the discharge port
Discharge energy generating element that causes rugie to act on the liquid
A first liquid flow path is provided, the flow element is provided upstream of the communicating <br/> said discharge energy generating elements in said first liquid flow path
A second liquid flow path which is, a liquid discharge head for have a
The fluid element includes a bubble generation region for generating bubbles,
A fulcrum provided facing the bubble generation region and below the fulcrum
A movable member with a free end arranged in the flow.
Ri, inhibiting the flow of liquid to the upstream side caused by the driving of the discharge energy generating elements by displacing the free end of said movable member to said first liquid flow path side by generating a bubble in said bubble generating area Liquid ejection head.

A liquid discharge head cartridge having the above-described liquid discharge head and a liquid container for holding the liquid supplied to the liquid discharge head.

An ink jet recording apparatus having the above-mentioned liquid ejection head and a means for conveying a recording medium for receiving ink ejected from the liquid ejection head.

According to the liquid ejecting method of the present invention, the ejecting energy generating element is displaced by displacing the movable member constituting the fluid element provided upstream of the liquid ejecting energy generating element for ejecting the liquid at a desired timing. The flow of liquid to the upstream side can be suppressed and the liquid can be rapidly supplied from the upstream side as the movable member returns to the steady position by the bubble defoaming process in the bubble generation region. You can In addition, while preventing back waves by displacing the movable member, the movable member returns to the steady position during refilling, so the refilling can be performed at the maximum state without narrowing the channel diameter during refilling. Very easy to do.

When the discharge liquid in the first liquid flow path and the foaming liquid in the second liquid flow path for driving the movable member are composed of different liquids, the respective liquid flow paths Since the bubbling conditions on the bubble generating area (heater) corresponding to the above can be made different, the bubbling timing in each bubble generating area can be made different. As a result, since the timing for displacing the movable member can be set arbitrarily, the ejection state of the liquid,
Liquid refills can be set to some extent individually. As a result, even in the case of a head having a flow path structure of the same structure, it is possible to set optimum driving conditions depending on the difference in ejection liquid (ink). Therefore, particularly in the case of an inkjet recording head for multicolor color recording. High speed and high image quality.

Further, since it is possible to control the defoaming position on the first bubble generation area for ejection, it is possible to extend the life until the heater is broken due to cavitation, and a long-life liquid ejection head. Can be provided.

The terms "upstream" and "downstream" used in the description of the present specification refer to the direction of flow of the liquid from the liquid supply source to the discharge port through the bubble generation region, or to this structural direction. Is expressed as.
Further, the “downstream side” regarding the bubble itself mainly represents the portion on the discharge port side of the bubble that is said to directly act on the discharge of the droplet. More specifically, it means a bubble generated in the downstream side with respect to the center of the bubble in the flow direction or the structural direction, or in the region downstream of the center of the area of the heating element.

[0031]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Hereinafter, as an embodiment of the present invention, the case of an inkjet recording method and an inkjet recording head will be described as an example. However, when the liquid to be ejected is a liquid other than ink, the present invention is a liquid ejecting method and a liquid ejecting method. It is generally applicable to the head.

<< First Embodiment >> FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a cross-sectional view of the liquid flow path of the inkjet recording head in the embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the cross-sectional structure taken along the line AA ′ of FIG. 1, seen from the X direction, and FIG. B-
It is a cross-sectional view of the cross-sectional structure taken along the line B'from the X direction,
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the cross-sectional structure taken along the line BB ′ of FIG. 1 as seen from the Y direction.

A first liquid flow path (ink liquid flow path or discharge liquid flow path) 4 is formed in communication with the discharge port 3 for discharging ink droplets. The other end is first
To a common liquid chamber (common liquid chamber for ink) 11. The bottom surface of the first liquid flow path 4 excluding the portion where the discharge port 3 is formed is constituted by the substrate 1, and the surface of the substrate 1 corresponds to the first liquid flow path 4 and corresponds to the discharge energy generating element. An electrothermal converter (heater) 5 that generates heat energy for generating bubbles in the liquid (ink) in the first liquid flow path 4 is formed. The flow path on the heater serves as a bubble generation area. The side surface and the upper surface of the first liquid flow path 4 and the discharge port 3 are integrally configured by a grooved top plate 2 obtained by laser processing a molded product such as polysulfone.

A second liquid flow path (foaming liquid) for foaming liquid is formed along the first liquid flow path 4 at a portion of the bottom surface of the first liquid flow path 4 on the upstream side of the ink flow with respect to the heater 5. A liquid flow path) 6 is arranged. Between the first liquid flow path 4 and the second liquid flow path 6,
It is partitioned by a separation wall 8 made of an elastic material such as a metal that constitutes the fluid element, and separates the ink in the first liquid flow path 4 from the foaming liquid in the second liquid flow path 6. Different. When the same liquid is used as the liquid in the first liquid flow path and the liquid in the second liquid flow path, the partitions of both flow paths need not be complete. The second liquid flow path 6 extends to the side opposite to the direction in which the discharge port 3 is provided and is connected to the second common liquid chamber (common liquid chamber for foaming liquid) 12. Further, on the bottom surface of the second liquid flow path 6, there is formed a heating element 7 which constitutes a fluid element for heating and foaming the foaming liquid. This heating element 7 is also composed of an electrothermal converter that converts electric energy into heat energy, like the heater 5 described above. The second liquid flow path portion on the heating element serves as a bubble generation area. Further, the U-shaped slit 1 is formed in the separation wall 8 in the portion located in the projection space upward in the plane direction of the heating element 7.
0 is provided, and the partition wall 8 surrounded by the slit 10 on three sides constitutes the movable member 9. Specifically, the movable member 9 has a cantilever shape in which the ejection port 3 side (downstream side of the ink flow) has a free end, and the fulcrum is located on the common liquid chambers 11 and 12 side. With this configuration, as described later, the movable member 9 is moved to the first liquid flow path 4 by the foaming of the foaming liquid existing in the portion of the heating element 7.
It opens and moves to the side (the direction of the arrow in the figure).
In the steady state, the movable member 9 is in the same plane as the part of the separation wall 8 other than the movable member 9.

In the second liquid flow path 6, a constriction 13 is formed in front of and behind the heating element 7, and the pressure at the time of bubbling is transmitted through the second liquid flow path 6 and escapes to the common liquid chamber 12 side or the like. It has a chamber (foaming chamber) structure that suppresses this. In a conventional ink jet recording head, a constricting portion is provided so that a flow path for foaming and a flow path for ejecting a liquid are the same and a pressure generated on the liquid chamber side of a heating element does not escape to the common liquid chamber side. In this case, it is necessary to sufficiently consider the refilling of the liquid to be ejected and to adopt a configuration in which the flow passage cross-sectional area in the narrowed portion does not become so small. However, in the case of the inkjet recording head of the present embodiment, most of the liquid ejected from the ejection port 3 is the ink (ejection liquid) in the first liquid flow path 4, and the heating element 7 is provided. Since the bubbling liquid in the second liquid passage 6 is not consumed so much, the filling amount of the bubbling liquid in the discharge pressure generating portion of the second liquid passage 6 may be small. Therefore, the gap in the narrowed portion 13 is set to a few μm.
It can be made very narrow, from m to several tens of μm, and the pressure at the time of foaming generated in the second liquid flow path 6 does not escape to the surroundings so much and can be concentrated and directed to the movable member 9 side. Since this pressure is used as the discharge pressure via the movable member 9, higher discharge efficiency and discharge force can be achieved. However, the shape of the second liquid flow path 6 is not limited to the above structure,
Any shape may be used as long as the pressure caused by the bubble generation can be effectively transmitted to the movable member 9 side.

In the above structure, the heater 5 as the discharge energy generating element in the first liquid flow path 4 constitutes the first bubble generating region, and the heating element 7 in the second liquid flow path 6 is the second. Constitutes the bubble generation area of the.

Actually, one ink jet recording head is provided with a plurality of ejection ports, but in the present embodiment, each ejection port 3 has a first liquid flow path 4, a heater 5, and a second liquid flow path. 6, one heating element 7 and one movable member 9 are provided. And the plurality of discharge ports 3 and the discharge ports 3
A grooved top plate 2 in which a first liquid flow path 4 communicating with each other is formed, and a number of heaters 5 and heating elements 7 corresponding to the number of discharge ports 3
1 is provided, and a separation wall 8 having a number of slits 10 (that is, movable members 9) corresponding to the ejection ports 3 is prepared, and the separation wall 8 is sandwiched between the common liquid chambers 11 and 12. Thus, the ink jet recording head is completed by joining the grooved top plate 2 and the substrate 1 together. The partition wall 8 of this embodiment is also formed with a partition wall for separating the adjacent second liquid flow paths 6. Partition walls between the second liquid flow paths 6,
The separation wall 8 that separates the first liquid flow path 4 and the second liquid flow path 6 may be separately formed, and the second liquid flow path 6 may be formed by joining these.

Materials for forming the separating wall 8, that is, the movable member 9 will be described below. The material is not limited to nickel as long as it can function as a movable member. That is, the material forming the separation wall 8 should be resistant to the foaming liquid and the ink (ejection liquid), have the elasticity for operating well as the movable member 9, and be capable of forming fine slits. Good. These materials include highly durable silver, nickel,
Metals such as gold, iron, titanium, aluminum, platinum, tantalum, stainless steel, phosphor bronze, and their alloys, or
Resins having nitrile groups such as acrylonitrile, butadiene, styrene, resins having amide groups such as polyamide, resins having carboxyl groups such as polycarbonate, resins having aldehyde groups such as polyacetal, resins having sulfone groups such as polysulfone, and others Resin such as liquid crystal polymer and its compounds, high ink resistance,
Gold, tungsten, tantalum, nickel, stainless steel,
Regarding metals such as titanium, their alloys and ink resistance, those coated on the surface, resins having amide groups such as polyamide, resins having aldehyde groups such as polyacetal, ketone groups such as polyether ether ketone, etc. Resins, resins having imide groups such as polyimide, resins having hydroxyl groups such as phenol resins, resins having ethyl groups such as polyethylene, resins having alkyl groups such as polypropylene, resins having epoxy groups such as epoxy resins, melamine Preferable examples include resins having amino groups such as resins, resins having methylol groups such as xylene resins and compounds thereof, and ceramics such as silicon dioxide and compounds thereof. Further, the thickness of the separation wall 8 and the shape of the movable member 9 are not limited to those in the present embodiment as long as the displacement is sufficient to perform the function depending on the size of the heating element 7. There is no, but roughly 0.5 μm to 10 μ
m is desirable.

Slit 10 for forming movable member 9
In the present embodiment, the width of the liquid is 2 μm, but the bubbling liquid and the discharge liquid are different liquids, and when it is desired to prevent the mixing of both liquids, the slit width forms a stable meniscus between the two liquids. The intervals may be set so as to prevent the liquids from flowing through each other.

In this embodiment, as the heater 5 and the heating element 7, those having a heating resistor such as hafnium boride or tantalum nitride, which generates heat in response to an electric signal, are used, but the present invention is not limited to this. However, it is not limited thereto, and any material may be used as long as it can generate sufficient bubbles in the foaming liquid or the ink. For example, a heater having a photothermal converter that generates heat by receiving light such as a laser may be used as the heater 5 or the heater 7. The heater 5
The heating element 7 may include not only the heating portion but also a protective film for protecting the heating portion from the liquid.

The ejection energy generating element 5 is not limited to a heater, and may be a piezoelectric element, for example, as long as it can apply sufficient energy for ejecting liquid.

The grooved top plate 2 is formed by providing a discharge port 3 on a molded product of polysulfone by laser processing. However, the material of the grooved top plate is not limited to polysulfone as long as it can be processed by laser. Also,
Depending on the ink used, polysulfone may be plated.

The liquid (that is, the foaming liquid) supplied to the second liquid flow path 6 does not deteriorate due to heat, hardly deposits on the heating element due to heating, and reversibly changes in vaporization and condensation due to heat. Various liquids can be used as long as they can perform the above. As a typical one,
A mixed solution of ethanol and water can be mentioned, and further, methanol, ethanol, n-propanol, isopropanol, n-hexane, n-heptane, n-octane, toluene, xylene, methylene dichloride, trichlene, Freon TF, Freon BF. , Ethyl ether, dioxane,
Cyclohexane, methyl acetate, ethyl acetate, acetone,
Methyl ethyl ketone, water and the like and mixtures thereof.

As recording media to which liquids such as ink are applied, various papers, OHP sheets, plastic materials used for compact discs, decorative plates, etc., metal materials such as aluminum and copper, cowhide, pigs, etc. It can be applied to leather materials such as leather and artificial leather, wood materials such as wood and plywood, bamboo materials, ceramic materials such as tiles, and three-dimensional structures such as sponges.

Next, the operation of this ink jet recording head will be described with reference to FIG. 5A to 5E are diagrams for explaining the operation in order. Here, it is assumed that the liquid supplied to the first liquid flow path 4 and the liquid supplied to the second liquid flow path 6 are operated using the same water-based ink.

FIG. 5 (a) shows a state in which the heater 5 and the heating element 7 are both non-energized.
There is no displacement of the movable member 9 formed in the above, and no bubbling of the heater 5. In addition, each of the liquid flow paths 4 and 6 is filled with an aqueous ink. When a drive signal is applied to the heater 5 and the heating element 7 in this state, the heater 5 and the heating element 7 respectively generate heat, and the heat generated by the heater 5 acts on the ink in the first liquid flow path 4 as shown in FIG. 5B. Bubbles are generated by the film boiling phenomenon, and the heat generated by the heating element 7 is also acted to generate bubbles by the film boiling phenomenon in the ink in the second liquid flow path 6. The pressure due to the generation of bubbles in the second liquid flow path 6 and the bubbles preferentially act on the movable member 9 to displace the movable member 9 to the first liquid flow path 4 side. Due to this displacement, the above-mentioned pressure and bubbles enter the first liquid flow path 4 from the gap formed on the free end side toward the discharge port 3 side, and the bubbling pressure of this bubble moves toward the discharge port 3 side. It acts on the liquid in the first liquid flow path 4. On the other hand, the bubbles formed on the heater 5 also grow, and together with the pressure of the bubbles from the second liquid flow path 6 side, the liquid comes to project from the ejection port 3.

After the bubbles are further generated, each bubble further grows, and in particular, the displacement of the movable member 9 reaches the maximum amount,
The bubbles caused by the heating element 7 are firstly generated at the position where the movable member 9 exists.
To reach the liquid flow path 4. As a result, the back wave of foaming caused by the heater 5 is prevented from being transmitted to the common liquid chamber 11 side, and on the contrary, the foaming force from the bubbles of the heating element 7 is received, and the foaming force for discharge is strengthened as a whole. The ink droplets largely project from the ejection port 3, and are torn in the subsequent bubble defoaming process on the heater 5 to fly toward the recording medium.

Each bubble enters the defoaming process. At this time, the movable member 9 rapidly returns to the steady position by receiving the negative pressure due to the defoaming in the second liquid flow path 6 in addition to its own elastic force, and the movement when the movable member 9 returns to the steady position. At the same time, due to the negative pressure of defoaming on the heater 5, the ink rapidly flows into the first liquid flow path 4 from the common liquid chamber 11 side. Although the meniscus surface of the ink retreats from the ejection port 3 side toward the upstream side due to the defoaming on the heater 5, in the case of the present embodiment, the movement of the movable member 9 when returning to the steady position is suppressed. Since the influence is great, the refilling of the ink into the first liquid flow path 4 is rapidly achieved, and as shown in FIG.
A meniscus forms at the position and returns to the steady state.

As described above, in this embodiment, the second liquid flow path 6 provided with the heating element 7 is provided adjacent to the first liquid flow path 4, and both liquid flow paths 4, 6 are provided. By providing the movable member 9 between them, it becomes possible to eject droplets of ink or the like with a higher ejection efficiency and a higher ejection pressure as compared with a liquid ejection head having a conventional configuration. The reason why such high discharge energy and high discharge pressure can be realized is
It is considered to be due to the following phenomena and the interaction of these phenomena.

First, by the displacement of the movable member 9 described above,
Of the discharge pressure generated in the second liquid flow path 6, the movable member 9
Most of the discharge pressure transmitted to the side is released toward the discharge port 3 in the first liquid flow path 4. That is, the second liquid flow path 6
The movable member 9 converts the propagating direction of the discharge pressure generated in 1 to the discharge port 3 direction. At the same time, in the first liquid flow path 4, bubbles grow on the heater 5, and the bubbling pressures of these two bubbles are added on the side of the discharge port 3 to generate a discharge pressure. At this time, the back wave generated by the bubbles on the heater 5 is generated by the movable member 9
Or, it is reflected by the air bubbles generated by the heating element 7 and instead moves toward the ejection port 3 side, and the ejection energy is further increased.

Next, each bubble contracts and the movable member 9 returns to the position in the steady state, and in the first liquid flow path 4, the amount of liquid commensurate with the discharged liquid amount is supplied from the upstream side. . Since the supply of the discharged liquid is in the direction in which the movable member 9 is closed, the refill of the discharged liquid is not hindered by the movable member 9. As described above, in the configuration of the present embodiment, since the liquid on the upstream side of the first liquid flow path 4 is hardly affected by the back wave, the unidirectionality of the liquid flow from the upstream to the downstream is strong. , Refill is also performed well. Also,
As described above, the foaming liquid in the second liquid flow path 6 is rarely used, so that refilling is completed with a small amount.

As shown in FIG. 5, the movable member 9
Part of the bubbles generated in the bubble generation region (heat generating body 7) of the second liquid flow path 6 due to the displacement of the first liquid flow path 4 toward the first liquid flow path 4 side.
Of the second liquid flow path 6 extending toward the liquid flow path 4 side of the above, the height of the second liquid flow path 6 is such that the air bubbles extend in this way, as compared with the case where the bubble does not extend further. The ejection force can be improved. In order for the bubbles to extend to the first liquid flow path 4 as described above, it is desirable that the height of the second liquid flow path 6 is lower than the height of the maximum bubble, and this height is several μ
It is desirable to be set to m to 30 μm. In the present embodiment, this height is set to 15 μm.

<Second Embodiment> In the above embodiment, the case where the driving timing of the discharge energy generating element (foaming timing) and the driving timing of the fluid element (foaming timing) are substantially the same has been described. In the present embodiment, an example in which these timings are made different is shown.

FIG. 6 shows an example of the drive timing in this embodiment, and is a diagram for explaining the operation of the ink jet when the drive timing of the fluid element is faster than the drive timing of the ejection energy generating element. .

Similar to the previous embodiment, (a) shows a state before both the ejection energy generating element and the fluid element are driven (driven state).

First, the heating element 7 forming the fluid element is energized, and the heating element 7 generates heat. Bubbles are generated in the ink by the generated heat, and the movable member 9 forming the fluid element is displaced to the flow path 4 side accordingly. Next, the heating element 5, which is a discharge energy generating element, is energized to generate bubbles (b). Ink is ejected from the ejection port with a pressure based on the generation of bubbles (c). At this time, since the movable member has already been displaced, it is possible to more reliably prevent the movement of the ink to the upstream side, and the fluid element causes the movement of the ink to the ejection port side in advance. Therefore, the ejection force and the ejection speed can be further improved.

When the bubbles in the heating element 7 are extinguished, the movable member returns to its initial state. Further, as the bubbles generated in the heating element 5 are defoamed, ink is supplied (refilled) from the upstream liquid chamber 11 side.
Since the movable member is in the same direction as the initial direction, the movable member does not hinder refilling.

Further, in the present embodiment, the bubbling timing of the fluid element is earlier than the bubbling timing of the discharge energy generating element, but the driving may be performed at the opposite timing depending on the purpose. In this way, by appropriately adjusting the bubbling timing of the ejection energy generating element and the bubbling timing of the fluid element, it is possible to adjust the ejection characteristic, the characteristic of suppressing the movement of the ink to the upstream side, the refill characteristic, and the like. Therefore, when the head of the present invention is attached to devices having different drive frequencies, by adjusting both drive timings, it is possible to obtain refill characteristics matching the drive frequency of each device.

<< Third Embodiment >> FIG. 7 shows a third embodiment of the present invention.
9 is a cross-sectional view of the liquid flow path of the inkjet recording head in the embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the cross-sectional configuration along the line AA ′ of FIG. 6 seen from the X direction, and FIG. B-
It is a cross-sectional view of the cross-sectional structure taken along the line B'from the X direction,
FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the cross-sectional structure taken along the line BB ′ of FIG. 7 as seen from the Y direction.

This ink jet recording head differs from the ink jet recording head of the first embodiment in that
That is, the heater in the first liquid flow path 4 is divided into two in the ink flow direction. The area of the upstream heater 5-2 is larger than that of the downstream heater 5-1.
The second heater can generate larger bubbles.

11 (a) to 11 (e), the heater 5-1 on the downstream side in the first liquid flow path 4 and the heating element 7 in the second liquid flow path 6 are driven to discharge from the discharge port 3. 12A to 12E are views sequentially showing a process of ejecting ink droplets, and FIGS. 12A to 12E show both heaters 5-1 and 5-2 and the second liquid in the first liquid flow path 4. Heating element 7 of flow path 6
3 sequentially shows the process of driving the nozzles to eject ink droplets from the ejection port 3.

The heater 5 on the downstream side in the first liquid flow path 4
When only -1 is driven, relatively small bubbles are generated in the first liquid flow path 4, so the amount of ink ejected from the ejection port 3 becomes small. On the other hand, the first liquid flow path 4
When both the heaters 5-1 and 5-2 are driven in the above, both bubbles generated in the heaters 5-1 and 5-2 are involved in the ejection of the ink, and a larger ink ejection amount is obtained. Is obtained. Although not shown here, the first
In the case where only the heater 5-2 on the upstream side is driven in the liquid flow path 4 of the above, it is larger than the case where only the heater 5-1 on the downstream side is driven, and when both the heaters 5-1 and 5-2 are driven. A smaller ink ejection amount can be obtained. After all, heater 5
By selecting one to be driven from -1, 5-2, the ink ejection amount can be modulated in three steps, and multi-value recording can be performed using the same nozzle.

Similarly, if n heaters having different sizes are provided in the first liquid flow path 4, multi-value recording with a discharge amount of 2 ⁿ -1 steps becomes possible.

<Fourth Embodiment> FIG. 13 is a sectional view of a liquid flow path of an ink jet recording head according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 14 is taken along the line AA 'in FIG. It is sectional drawing which looked at the cross-sectional structure from the X direction, FIG. 15 is the sectional view which looked at the cross-sectional structure along the BB 'line of FIG. 12, from the X direction, and FIG. 16 is the BB' line of FIG. It is the sectional view which looked at the section composition which met in the direction of Y.

In the above-described third embodiment, the two heaters 5-1 and 5-2 are arranged in series in the first liquid flow path 4 along the ink flow direction. In the third embodiment, two heaters 5-1 and 5-2 are arranged in parallel. Also in this third embodiment, the heaters 5-1 and 5
The areas of -2 are different, which makes it possible to modulate the ejection amount of ink of three gradations and to perform multi-value recording using the same nozzle.

<< Liquid Ejecting Head >> A liquid ejecting head having the above-described flow channel structure and having a plurality of ejection ports will be described below.

FIG. 17 is a schematic exploded perspective view for explaining the main structure of an example of the liquid discharge head according to the present invention. Support 140 made of metal such as aluminum
The substrate 1 is arranged on the top. The substrate 1 is provided with a plurality of heating elements 7 that generate heat for generating bubbles due to film boiling in the liquid in the second liquid flow path, and A heater 5 that generates heat for generating bubbles due to film boiling is provided. The heater 5 and the heating element 7 are configured as an electrothermal converter, and the substrate 5 includes the heater 5 and the heating element 7, and the heater 5
In addition to the wiring electrodes for supplying an electric signal to the heating element 7, functional elements such as a transistor, a diode, a latch, and a shift resist for selectively driving the heater 5 and the heating element 7 are integrally formed. It is rare. In addition, a protective layer for protecting the electrothermal converter is provided on the heater 5 and the heating element 7.

On this substrate 1, a plurality of grooves 52 (only one foaming liquid flow path is shown in the figure) forming a second liquid flow path (foaming liquid flow path) and a plurality of grooves 52 are formed. With a groove that communicates with two liquid flow paths and has a concave portion that forms a second common liquid chamber (common foam liquid chamber) 12 for supplying a liquid (foaming liquid) to each second liquid flow path. The member and the separation wall 8 provided with the movable member 9 described above are positioned and fixed. Note that FIG. 17 shows the separation wall 8 in which the partition walls between the second liquid flow paths are integrated.

The groove 114 is joined to the separating wall 8 to form the first liquid flow path (discharge liquid flow path) on the grooved top plate 2.
A recess for forming a first common liquid chamber 11 for communicating with the plurality of first liquid flow passages and supplying the discharge liquid to each of the first liquid flow passages; A first supply port (discharge liquid supply port) 111 for supplying the discharge liquid to the chamber 11;
It has a second supply port (foaming liquid supply port) 112 for supplying the foaming liquid to the second common liquid chamber 12. The second supply port 112 is arranged outside the first common liquid chamber 11 and is connected to a communication passage that penetrates the separation wall 8 and communicates with the second common liquid chamber 12, and discharges by this communication passage. The foaming liquid can be supplied to the second common liquid chamber 12 without being mixed with the liquid.

The positional relationship between the substrate 1, the separating wall 8 and the grooved top plate 2 corresponds to the heating element 7 on the substrate 1 and the movable member 9 is provided.
Are arranged.

<< Liquid Ejection Head Cartridge >> Next, a liquid ejection head cartridge equipped with the liquid ejection head according to the above-described embodiment will be schematically described. FIG. 18 is a schematic exploded perspective view of a liquid ejection head cartridge including the above-described liquid ejection head. The liquid ejection head cartridge mainly includes the liquid ejection head unit 100 and the liquid container 5.
20 and 20.

The liquid discharge head unit 100 includes a substrate 1, a separation wall 8, a grooved top plate 2, a pressing spring 120, and a liquid supply member 1.
30, a support 140, and the like.

The substrate 1 is provided with a plurality of heaters 5 and a plurality of heating elements 7 in a row, as described above.
A plurality of functional elements for selectively driving the heater 5 and the heating element 7 are provided. A second liquid flow path is formed between the substrate 1 and the separation wall 8 having the movable member 9 to allow the foaming liquid to flow. By joining the separating wall 8 and the grooved top plate 2, a first liquid flow path through which the discharged liquid flows is formed.

The pressing spring 120 includes the grooved top plate 2 and the substrate 1
It is a member that exerts an urging force in a direction, and the urging force favorably integrates the substrate 1, the separation wall 8, the grooved top plate 2, and the support 140 described later.

The support 140 is for supporting the substrate 1 and the like, and on the support 140, a circuit board 141 for connecting to the substrate 1 and supplying an electric signal is further provided.
Alternatively, a compact pad 142 for exchanging an electric signal with the device side by connecting to the device side is arranged.

The liquid container 520 contains a discharge liquid such as ink and a foaming liquid for generating bubbles, which are supplied to the liquid discharge head. On the outside of the liquid container 520, a fixed shaft 525 for fixing the positioning portion 524 that connects the liquid ejection head and the liquid container 520 is provided. The ejection liquid is supplied from the ejection liquid supply passage 522 of the liquid container 520 to the ejection liquid supply passage 131 of the liquid supply member 130, and the ejection liquid supply port 13 of each member is supplied.
It is supplied to the first common liquid chamber 11 via 3, 121, 111. Similarly, the supply of the foaming liquid is performed by the supply path 523 of the liquid container.
Is supplied to the bubbling liquid supply path 132 of the liquid supply member 130, and is supplied to the second common liquid chamber 12 via the bubbling liquid supply ports 134, 121 and 112 of the respective members.

In the above liquid ejection head cartridge, the bubbling liquid supplied to the second liquid passage and the ejection liquid (ink or the like) supplied to the first liquid passage are different liquids. Although the description has been made on the supply form and the liquid container capable of supplying the liquid, when the discharge liquid and the foaming liquid are the same,
It is not necessary to separate the supply route and the container for the foaming liquid and the discharge liquid.

The liquid container may be refilled with the liquid after the consumption of each liquid. For this purpose, it is desirable to provide a liquid inlet in the liquid container. Also,
The liquid ejection head unit and the liquid container may be integrated or may be separable.

<< Inkjet Recording System >> Next, an example of an inkjet recording system for recording on a recording medium using the liquid discharge head of the present invention as a recording head will be described.

FIG. 19 is a schematic diagram for explaining the structure of an ink jet recording system using the liquid ejection head 201 according to the present invention described above. The liquid ejection head according to the present embodiment is a full-line type head having a plurality of ejection openings arranged at intervals of 360 dpi in the length direction, which corresponds to the recording width of the recording medium 227, and is a yellow (Y),
4 for magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (Bk)
Four heads corresponding to colors are fixedly supported by a holder 202 in parallel with each other at a predetermined interval in the X direction.

A signal is supplied to each of these heads from a head driver 220 which constitutes a drive signal supply means, and each head is driven based on this signal.

Each head is supplied with Y, M, C, B as a discharge liquid.
Ink containers 204a to 20
It is supplied from 4d. A foaming liquid container 204e is provided and the foaming liquid is stored therein.
The foaming liquid is supplied to each head from 04e.

A head cap 203 having an ink absorbing member such as a sponge inside is disposed below each head.
a to 203d are provided, and the heads can be maintained by covering the ejection openings of each head during non-recording.

The carrying belt 206 constitutes a carrying means for carrying various recording media. Conveyor belt 2
06 is drawn around a predetermined path by various rollers, and is driven by a driving roller connected to the motor driver 305.

In the ink jet recording system of this embodiment, the pre-processing device 251 and the post-processing device 25 which perform various kinds of processing on the recording medium before and after recording.
2 are provided upstream and downstream of the recording medium conveyance path, respectively.

The contents of the pre-treatment and the post-treatment differ depending on the type of recording medium on which recording is performed and the type of ink. For example, for a recording medium such as metal, plastic or ceramics, As pretreatment, ultraviolet rays and ozone are irradiated to activate the surface of the material, so that the adhesion of the ink can be improved. In addition, in a recording medium such as plastic that is prone to generate static electricity, dust easily attaches to its surface, and this dust may hinder good recording. Therefore, it is preferable to remove dust from the recording medium by removing static electricity from the recording medium using an ionizer device as a pretreatment.
When a cloth is used as the recording medium, the cloth is selected from an alkaline substance, a water-soluble substance, a synthetic polymer, a water-soluble metal salt, urea and thiourea from the viewpoints of preventing bleeding and improving the dyeing ratio. The treatment of applying the substance to be treated may be performed as a pretreatment. The pretreatment is not limited to these,
It may be a process of adjusting the temperature of the recording medium to a temperature suitable for recording.

On the other hand, the post-treatment is a fixing treatment for accelerating the fixing of the ink by heat treatment, ultraviolet ray irradiation or the like on the recording medium to which the ink has been applied, and cleaning of the unreacted residual treatment agent applied in the pre-treatment. The processing is performed.

In this embodiment, the full line head is used as the head, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the small head as described above is conveyed in the width direction of the recording medium to perform recording. It may be one.

[0089]

According to the liquid discharge method and the like of the present invention, the liquid is discharged upstream from the discharge energy generating element for discharging liquid.
A fluid element composed of a movable member and a bubble generation region is provided, and bubbles are generated in the bubble generation region in conjunction with the liquid driving by the discharge energy generation element, and the free end side of the movable member is placed in the liquid flow path together with the bubbles. To suppress the flow in the upstream direction, which is represented by the back wave, and further, by moving the liquid that moves when the movable member returns to the steady position due to the defoaming in the bubble generation region. There is an effect that a rapid refill of the liquid from the upstream side to the ejection energy generating element can be achieved.

In the liquid discharging method of the present invention, the first bubble generating region and the second bubble generating region are provided, and the movable member which is opened to the discharge port side by the pressure caused by the bubbling in the second bubble generating region is provided. By providing the bubbles, the bubbling pressure in the second bubble generating region is guided to the ejection port side, the ejection energy and the projecting pressure due to the bubbling in the first bubble generating region for ejecting the liquid are increased, and the ejection efficiency is improved. It has the effect of improving. Further, with this configuration, it is possible to prevent the influence of the back wave that accompanies foaming in the first bubble generation region, and in combination with the flow of liquid when the movable member returns to the initial position, the discharged liquid can be rapidly and stably stabilized. There is also an effect that refill can be realized.

Further, the first liquid flow path for discharging the liquid having the first bubble generation area and the second liquid flow path having the second bubble generation area are different liquid flow paths. By making the shape of the second liquid flow path into a chamber having a supply path, the foaming efficiency can be improved and the above-described effect can be further enhanced.

Further, by using a plurality of ejection energy generating elements in the first bubble generating region, it is possible to control the ejection amount of the liquid droplets in a plurality of stages, and it is possible to perform gradation recording.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side sectional view of a liquid flow path portion of an inkjet recording head according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the cross-sectional structure taken along the line AA ′ of FIG. 1 viewed from the X direction.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the cross-sectional structure taken along the line BB ′ of FIG. 1 viewed from the X direction.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the cross-sectional structure taken along the line BB ′ of FIG. 1 viewed from the Y direction.

5A to 5E are diagrams showing a droplet discharge process in the inkjet recording head of FIG. 1 in order.

6A to 6E are diagrams showing examples of other drive timings.

FIG. 7 is a side sectional view of a liquid flow path portion of an ink jet recording head according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

8 is a cross-sectional view of the cross-sectional structure taken along the line AA ′ of FIG. 6 viewed from the X direction.

9 is a cross-sectional view of the cross-sectional structure taken along the line BB ′ of FIG. 6 viewed from the X direction.

10 is a cross-sectional view of the cross-sectional structure taken along the line BB ′ of FIG. 6 viewed from the Y direction.

11A to 11E are diagrams sequentially showing an example of a droplet discharge process in the inkjet recording head of FIG.

12A to 12E are diagrams sequentially showing another example of the droplet discharge process in the inkjet recording head of FIG.

FIG. 13 is a side sectional view of a liquid flow path portion of an inkjet recording head according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view of the cross-sectional configuration along the line AA ′ in FIG. 12 viewed from the X direction.

FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view of the cross-sectional configuration along the line BB ′ of FIG. 12 viewed from the X direction.

16 is a cross-sectional view of the cross-sectional structure taken along the line BB ′ of FIG. 12 viewed from the Y direction.

FIG. 17 is a schematic exploded perspective view of an example of a liquid ejection head of the present invention.

FIG. 18 is a schematic exploded perspective view of an example of the liquid ejection head cartridge of the present invention.

FIG. 19 is a diagram showing an example of a configuration of an inkjet recording system.

FIG. 20 is a side sectional view showing an example of a liquid flow path structure of a conventional liquid discharge head.

FIG. 21 is a side sectional view showing a liquid flow path structure of a conventional liquid ejection head having a fluid resistance portion.

22A is a perspective view showing a configuration of a conventional liquid ejection head having a valve mechanism, and FIG. 22B is a side sectional view showing a liquid flow path structure of the conventional liquid ejection head.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 substrate 2 Groove top plate 3 outlets 4 First liquid flow path 5 heater 6 Second liquid flow path 7 heating element 8 separation walls 9 movable members 10 slits 11,12 Common liquid chamber 13 Stenosis

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Makiko Kimura 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc. (72) Inventor Kiyomitsu Kudo 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Incorporated (72) Inventor Fumi Yoshihira 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc. (72) Inventor Takeshi Okazaki 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc. ( 56) References JP-A-7-125259 (JP, A) JP-A-59-52664 (JP, A) JP-A-8-118641 (JP, A) JP-A-63-197652 (JP, A) JP-A Flat 6-31918 (JP, A) (58) Fields investigated (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) B41J 2/05 B41J 2/135

Claims (16)

(57) [Claims] [Claim 1] d for communicate with the discharge port for discharging liquid
Discharge energy generating element that causes energy to act on the liquid
A first liquid flow path child is provided, communicating with said first liquid flow path
A fluid element is installed upstream from the discharge energy generating element.
A second liquid flow path kicked, was perforated, the fluid element bubbles
The bubble generation area where the
Equipped with a eclipse fulcrum and a free end located downstream from the fulcrum
A step of discharging a liquid and a movable member, from the discharge port by using a liquid discharge head for have a A liquid ejecting method for ejecting liquid from said discharge ports by driving said discharge energy generating element, By generating bubbles in the bubble generation region, the free end of the movable member is displaced to the first liquid flow path side, and the flow of liquid to the upstream side generated by driving the ejection energy generating element is suppressed. A liquid ejecting method comprising: 2. The liquid discharge method according to claim 1, wherein film boiling is caused by causing heat to act on the liquid in the bubble generation region of the fluid element to generate the bubbles. 3. The liquid ejection method according to claim 1, wherein the ejection energy generating element is a heating element that generates bubbles by heat. 4. The liquid ejection method according to claim 3, wherein the bubbles generated by driving the heating element are bubbles generated by a film boiling phenomenon. 5. The liquid ejection method according to claim 1, wherein the liquid supplied to the first liquid flow path and the liquid supplied to the second liquid flow path are different liquids. 6. The movable member maintains a posture substantially parallel to a flow direction in the first liquid flow path in a steady state, and is caused by pressure generated by generating bubbles in the second bubble generation region. The liquid discharge method according to claim 1 , wherein the free end of the movable member is displaced in a direction in which a cross-sectional area of the first liquid flow path is narrowed. 7. The heating element constituting the ejection energy generating element is provided in plural, and the amount of liquid ejected from the ejection port is controlled by selectively driving the plurality of heating elements. The described liquid ejection method. 8. A liquid discharge method according to claim 1 in which bubbles generated in the bubble generating area of said fluid element to the second liquid flow paths extend. 9. d for communicate with the discharge port for discharging liquid
Discharge energy generating element that causes energy to act on the liquid
A first liquid flow path child is provided, communicating with said first liquid flow path
The discharge energy generating element flow element upstream of the set and
A liquid discharge head der to chromatic and second liquid flow paths kicked, the
Thus , the fluid element includes a bubble generation region for generating bubbles and the gas generation region.
A fulcrum provided facing the bubble generation area and downstream from the fulcrum
A movable member having a arranged a free end, has a, with the free end of said movable member by generating a bubble in said bubble generating area is displaced in said first liquid flow path side <br A liquid ejection head for suppressing the flow of liquid to the upstream side caused by driving the ejection energy generating element. 10. The liquid ejection head according to claim 9 , wherein the bubble generation region of the fluid element is a region in which bubbles are generated by film boiling by applying heat to the liquid. 11. The liquid ejection head according to claim 9 , wherein the ejection energy generating element is a heating element that generates bubbles by heat. 12. The heating element is an element that generates bubbles due to a film boiling phenomenon when the heating element is driven.
11. The liquid ejection head according to item 11 . 13. The liquid ejection head according to claim 11 , wherein a plurality of heat generating elements forming the ejection energy generating element are provided. 14. The liquid ejection head according to claim 9 , wherein the second liquid flow path has a chamber shape to which a supply path is connected. 15. A liquid ejection head according to claim 9 ,
A liquid ejection head cartridge comprising: a liquid container that holds a liquid supplied to the liquid ejection head. 16. An inkjet recording apparatus comprising: the liquid ejection head according to claim 9; and a unit that conveys a recording medium that receives ink ejected from the liquid ejection head.