JPH1120176A - Inkjet head manufacturing method, inkjet head, and inkjet printer - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Problem] To provide an ink jet head manufacturing method and the like which can easily manufacture a full line type ink jet head having a predetermined resolution with good yield. SOLUTION: An ink ejection port 11a on one end side of a unit head 10a is adjacent to a unit head 10 to be arranged adjacently.
b, the unit head 10a or 10b is connected such that a straight line including the ink discharge port 11b on the other end side and a straight line including the ink discharge port 11 in each unit head 10a or 10b are perpendicular to each other. 1
And the angle between a straight line including the ink ejection port 11 in each connected unit head and a straight line perpendicular to the conveyance direction of the recording paper 12 is cos θ = D / P. The head 1 is arranged.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ink-jet head for an ink-jet printer, comprising a plurality of unit heads each having a plurality of ink discharge ports (nozzles) arranged in a line, that is, a so-called full line type. It belongs to the technical field of inkjet heads.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a conventional full-line type ink jet head, a recording head having a width larger than a total width in a direction perpendicular to a conveying direction of a recording medium such as recording paper (a plurality of ink discharge ports are arranged in a width direction). Are inclined in a plane parallel to the transport direction of the recording medium with respect to the transport direction of the recording medium, thereby forming dots on the recording medium (one dot by ink ejected from an ink ejection port). A dot is formed on a recording medium), and a desired resolution is obtained with a predetermined interval.

In addition, a plurality of recording heads (hereinafter, referred to as unit heads) each having a smaller width than the entire width of the recording medium and having the ink ejection ports arranged in a line in the width direction are also described. By arranging in the full width direction,
A recording head configured such that ink ejection ports are arranged over the entire width of a recording medium has also been common.

[0004]

However, when a recording head larger than the entire width of the recording medium is used, the recording head itself becomes long and large.
There is a problem that it is difficult to manufacture with high accuracy, and the production yield is significantly reduced.

When a recording head is formed over the entire width of a recording medium by using a plurality of unit heads, in order to improve the resolution by narrowing the dot interval on the recording medium more than the nozzle pitch of the unit head, Each unit head is arranged at an angle to the transport direction of the recording medium,
A method of narrowing the dot interval is generally used. However, in the case of this method, adjacent unit heads are strictly positioned corresponding to a desired dot interval (more specifically, the interval between the outermost ink ejection ports of the adjacent unit heads is accurately determined. In this case, the unit head itself is very small (for example, 30 units).
When realizing a resolution of 0 dpi (dot per inch), the interval between the ink ejection ports is set to about 75 μm. ), The accuracy (more specifically, for example, ±
Accuracy of about 1 μm is required. ) There is a problem that it is difficult to arrange each unit head.

Further, there is a problem that the resolution may be partially different due to an error in the inclination angle of each unit head, or that the ink ejection ports cannot be arranged over the entire width of the recording paper.

Accordingly, the present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and an object thereof is to provide an inkjet head capable of easily manufacturing a full-line type inkjet head having a predetermined resolution with a high yield. An object of the present invention is to provide a manufacturing method, an inkjet head, and an inkjet printer including the inkjet head.

[0008]

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an ink for ejecting ink for forming dots on a recording medium such as recording paper and performing recording. An ink jet head manufacturing method for manufacturing an ink jet head formed by including a plurality of unit heads having discharge port arrays in which discharge ports are formed in a line at equal intervals, wherein the The ink ejection port located at the outermost side of one of the ejection port arrays, and the ink ejection port located at the outermost side in the opposite direction to the one of the ejection port arrays in another unit head adjacent to one unit head. A connection straight line connecting the ink ejection openings is perpendicular to a straight line including the ejection opening arrays, and the straight lines including the ejection opening arrays in the respective unit heads are parallel to each other. Forming the inkjet head by connecting the plurality of unit heads while displacing them in one direction, and setting the interval between the ink ejection ports in one unit head to P, and forming the dots on the recording medium. When the interval between the dots is D, the angle θ between a straight line including a dot row formed by arranging a plurality of dots in a row and a straight line including the ejection port row is cos
fixing the ink jet head formed so that θ = D / P.

According to the operation of the first aspect of the present invention, in the forming step, the connecting straight line is perpendicular to the straight line including the discharge port row, and the straight lines including the discharge port row in each unit head are parallel to each other. A plurality of unit heads are connected while being shifted in one direction to form an inkjet head.

In the fixing step, the ink jet head is installed and fixed so that the angle θ between the straight line including the dot row on the recording medium and the straight line including the ejection port row is cos θ = D / P.

Therefore, an ink jet head can be formed only by connecting a plurality of unit heads so that the connection straight line is perpendicular to the straight line including the ejection port row. Therefore, the positioning process at the time of connecting the unit heads is simplified and the ink jet head is formed. The whole process of manufacturing the head can be simplified, and the yield in manufacturing the inkjet head can be improved.

Further, by changing the angle θ, an arbitrary dot pitch on the recording medium can be easily realized.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an ink jet head manufacturing method according to the first aspect, wherein in the forming step, the two ink ejection ports included in the connection straight line are included. When the distance between them is L, a plurality of the unit heads are connected to form the inkjet head so that tan θ = P / L.

According to the operation of the invention described in claim 2, in addition to the operation of the invention described in claim 1, in the forming step, the distance between two ink ejection ports included in the connection straight line is L. At this time, an inkjet head is formed by connecting a plurality of unit heads so that tan θ = P / L.

Accordingly, even when a plurality of unit heads are connected to form an ink jet head, all dot intervals in a dot row on a recording medium can be made constant.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided an ink jet recording apparatus comprising: a plurality of ink ejection openings for forming dots on a recording medium such as recording paper and ejecting ink for recording; An ink jet head including a plurality of unit heads having an ejection port array formed in a line, wherein the ink ejection port located at the outermost side of one of the ejection port arrays in one unit head, A connection straight line that is a straight line connecting the ink ejection port located on the outermost side in a direction opposite to the one of the ejection port arrays in another one of the unit heads adjacent to the unit head, defines the ejection port array. The plurality of unit heads are connected to be shifted in one direction such that the straight lines including the discharge port arrays in the respective unit heads are parallel to each other and are perpendicular to the straight line that includes the unit heads. When the interval between the ink ejection ports in the unit head is P and the interval between the dots on the recording medium is D, a straight line including a dot row in which a plurality of dots are arranged in The angle θ formed with the straight line including the discharge port array is cos θ = D / P.

According to the operation of the third aspect of the invention, the connecting straight line is perpendicular to the straight line including the discharge port row, and the straight lines including the discharge port row in each unit head are parallel to each other. A plurality of unit heads are connected to be shifted in one direction, and an angle θ between a straight line including a dot row on the recording medium and a straight line including the ejection port row is cos θ = D / P
It has become.

Therefore, an ink jet head can be formed only by connecting a plurality of unit heads so that the connection straight line is perpendicular to the straight line including the ejection port array. Therefore, the positioning process at the time of connecting the unit heads can be simplified and the ink jet head can be formed. The whole process of manufacturing the head can be simplified, and the yield in manufacturing the inkjet head can be improved.

Further, by changing the angle θ, an arbitrary dot pitch on the recording medium can be easily realized.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an ink jet head according to the third aspect, wherein a distance between two ink ejection ports included in the connection straight line is L. At this time, the plurality of unit heads are connected so that tan θ = P / L.

According to the operation of the invention described in claim 4, in addition to the operation of the invention described in claim 3, when the distance between two ink ejection ports included in the connection straight line is L, tan
Since a plurality of unit heads are connected so that θ = P / L, even when a plurality of unit heads are connected to form an inkjet head, all dot intervals in a dot row on a recording medium are fixed. can do.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an ink jet head according to the third or fourth aspect, a supply unit such as a pump for supplying the ink to the ink jet head, and recording. A drive unit such as a head drive unit that drives the inkjet head based on print information to be printed and performs printing on the print medium.

According to the operation of the invention described in claim 5, in addition to the operation of the invention described in claim 3 or 4, the supply means supplies ink to the ink jet head.

Then, the driving means drives the ink jet head based on the recording information, and performs recording on the recording medium.

Therefore, an ink jet head can be easily manufactured to obtain an ink jet printer.

By changing the angle θ in the ink jet head, recording can be performed at an arbitrary resolution.

[0027]

Next, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The embodiment described below is an embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a printer having a so-called full line type ink jet head in which ink ejection ports are arranged over the entire width of a recording sheet. .

(I) Overall Configuration and Overview of Printer First, the overall configuration of the printer according to the embodiment will be described.
This will be described with reference to FIG.

As shown in FIG. 1, a printer S according to the embodiment comprises an ink jet head 1 according to the present invention,
U2, a data development unit 3, a head drive unit 4 as a drive unit, an ink tank 5, a pump 6 as a supply unit, a hose 7, an operation unit 8, and a display unit 9. .

Next, the general operation of each section will be described.

The data developing section 3 develops recording information Sr to be recorded, which is input from the outside, into so-called bitmap data for one recording sheet, and generates a data signal Sdr.

Then, the head driver 4 outputs the data signal S
A drive signal Sd for driving an ink-jet head 1 having a configuration described below based on dr based on the control of the CPU 2.
To cause the inkjet head 1 to eject ink, and forms an image corresponding to the recording information Sr on recording paper conveyed in synchronization with the ejection of ink under the control of the CPU 2.

At the same time, the pump 6 supplies the ink stored in the ink tank 5 to the ink jet head 1 under the control of the CPU 2.

On the other hand, the CPU 2 controls the entire operation of the printer S including the above-described operations.

At this time, the operation unit 8 generates an input signal based on the operation of the user and outputs the input signal to the CPU 2, and the display unit 9 displays necessary items such as the operation state of the printer S under the control of the CPU 2. indicate.

(II) Configuration of Inkjet Head Next, the configuration of the inkjet head 1 according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a front view of a surface including the ink discharge ports of the inkjet head 1 as viewed from the ink discharge direction.

As shown in FIG. 2A, the ink jet head 1 is constituted by connecting four unit heads 10a to 10d having a width smaller than the entire width of the recording paper 12 so as to be shifted in one direction. 2 (a), the ink discharge port 11 is provided in the direction of the recording paper 12 below the conveyance path of the recording paper 12 conveyed in the direction indicated by the arrow (on the other side of the recording paper 12 in FIG. 2 (a)). It is arranged facing.

Each of the unit heads 10a to 10d includes
Each has a plurality of ink ejection ports 11 arranged in a row, and the interval between the ink ejection ports 11 is P. Further, the angle between a straight line including each ink ejection port 11 in each of the unit heads 10a to 10d and a straight line perpendicular to the conveyance direction of the recording paper 12 is θ, and each ink ejection port in the unit heads 10a to 10d is θ. 11
Are arranged in parallel with each other, so that an image can be formed over the entire width of the recording paper 12 by the ink ejection ports 11 of all the unit heads 10a to 10d. Further, the inkjet head 1 is arranged so that the surface including all the ink ejection ports 11 and the recording surface of the recording paper 12 are parallel.

With this configuration, the interval D between the dots 13 formed on the recording paper 12 is D = P × cos θ (<P) for each of the unit heads 10a to 10d, so that each of the unit heads 10a to 10d At intervals smaller than the interval P between the ink ejection ports 11 at
The dots 13 can be formed (at high resolution) to form an image on the recording paper 12.

Next, the structure of the connection portion between one unit head 10a to 10c and another unit head 10b to 10d adjacent thereto will be described with reference to FIG. 2B by taking the case of the unit head 10a and the unit head 10b as an example. Will be explained.

As shown in FIG. 2B, the unit head 10
a and the unit head 10b, the ink discharge port 11a at one end of the unit head 10a and the unit head 10b
Is connected so that the straight line connecting the ink ejection port 11b at the other end of the unit head is perpendicular to the straight line including the ink ejection port 11 in each unit head 10a or 10b. Then, the ink ejection port 1 in the unit head 10a
The distance L between the straight line including the number 1 and the straight line including the ink ejection port 11 in the unit head 10b is configured such that tan θ = P / L (that is, each unit head 10a to 10d has a thickness Is L, and the ink discharge ports 11 are formed on the center lines of the unit heads 10a to 10d.)

This is because the unit head 10a and the unit head 1
0b, a dot 13a formed by ink from the ink ejection port 11a and an ink ejection port 11b
It is also necessary to set the distance between the dot 13b formed by the ink from the above and D (= P × cos θ). At this time, since L × sin θ = D = P × cos θ, P / L = Sin θ / cos θ = tan θ, the distance between the dots 13a and 13b becomes D which is the same as the distance between the other dots.

(III) Manufacturing Process of Inkjet Head Next, the manufacturing process of the ink jet head 1 according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

In manufacturing the ink jet head 1, as shown in FIG. 3, first, the positioning of each of the unit heads 10a to 10d is performed (step S1). In this positioning, positioning is performed by visually observing the connection using a camera, a monitor, or the like while enlarging the connection so that the connection of each of the unit heads 10a to 10d has the shape shown in FIG. 2B. You. At this time, for example, in the relationship between the unit heads 10a and the unit heads 10b, the ink ejection ports 11a and the ink ejection ports 11b are on a straight line as shown in FIG. If the positioning is performed so as to be perpendicular to the straight line including the ink ejection port 11 in each of the ink ejection ports 11 to 10d, the thickness of each of the unit heads 10a to 10d is small (thickness L), and therefore at least the diameter of the ink ejection port 11 or less. The positioning of the unit heads can be performed with the precision described above.

In step S1, each unit head 10a
When the positioning of the heads 10 to 10d is completed, the unit heads 10a to 10d are connected at the determined positions (step S2). Thereby, the inkjet head 1 itself is completed.

Next, the completed ink jet head 1
In order to obtain a desired interval D between the dots 13.
2 forms the above-mentioned angle θ with respect to a straight line perpendicular to the conveyance direction, and the plane including all the ink ejection ports 11 is the recording paper 1.
Inkjet head 1 so as to be parallel to the recording surface 2
Is fixed to a supporting portion (not shown) (see FIG. 4B; step S3), and thereafter, the connection of the hose 7 or the connection of the head driving section 4 and the like is performed (step S4), and the manufacture of the ink jet head 1 is completed. .

As described above, according to the ink jet head 1 and the method of manufacturing the same of the present invention, for example, a straight line connecting the ink discharge ports 11a and 11b is
The plurality of unit heads 10a to 10d are shifted in one direction such that the unit heads 10a to 10d are perpendicular to the straight lines including the ink ejection ports 11 and the straight lines including the ink ejection ports 11 in the respective unit heads 10a to 10d are parallel to each other. Then, the inkjet head 1 is formed, and then the inkjet head is set such that an angle θ between a straight line including the dots 13 on the recording paper 12 and a straight line including the ink ejection ports 11 is cos θ = D / P. Since the ink jet head 1 is installed and fixed, the ink jet head 1 can be formed only by connecting the ink discharge port 11a and the ink discharge port 11b so that the straight line connecting the ink discharge port 11 is perpendicular to the straight line including the ink discharge port 11. In addition to simplifying the positioning process, the entire process of manufacturing the inkjet head 1 can be simplified. The yield that can be improved.

By changing the angle θ, an arbitrary dot pitch on the recording paper 12 can be easily realized.

In the above-described embodiment, the positioning of each unit head is performed by superposing the ink ejection ports 11 of the adjacent unit heads one by one. The inkjet head may be configured to overlap. In this case, by arranging the positions of the ink discharge ports 11 of one unit head in a staggered manner between the ink discharge ports 11 of adjacent unit heads, it is possible to form a higher-resolution image.

Further, the present invention can be applied to a printer capable of performing color recording. In this case, the inkjet head 1 and the ink tank 5 are provided for each color used for recording (for example, for each color of cyan, magenta, yellow, and black).

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the ink jet head 1 in which the ink ejection ports 11 are arranged over the entire width of the recording paper 12 has been described.
The present invention can also be applied to an inkjet head having a plurality of unit heads and performing recording while moving in the width direction of a recording sheet during recording.

[0052]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the connection straight line is perpendicular to the straight line including the ejection port array, and the straight line including the ejection port row in each unit head is mutually reciprocal. A plurality of unit heads are connected while being shifted in one direction so as to be parallel to each other to form an ink jet head, and then an angle θ between a straight line including a dot row on the recording medium and a straight line including a discharge port row is formed. , Cos θ = D / P, and fix the inkjet head.

Accordingly, an ink jet head can be formed only by connecting a plurality of unit heads so that the connection straight line is perpendicular to the straight line including the ejection port row. Therefore, the positioning process at the time of unit head connection is simplified and the ink jet head is formed. The whole process of manufacturing the head can be simplified, and the yield in manufacturing the inkjet head can be improved.

By changing the angle θ, an arbitrary dot pitch on the recording medium can be easily realized.

Therefore, an ink jet head having a predetermined resolution can be easily manufactured.

According to the invention described in claim 2, according to claim 1
In addition to the effects of the invention described in the above, in the forming step, when the distance between the two ink ejection ports included in the connection straight line is L, a plurality of unit heads are connected so that tan θ = P / L. Since an ink jet head is formed, even when a plurality of unit heads are connected to form an ink jet head, all dot intervals in a dot row on a recording medium can be made constant.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, a plurality of connection straight lines are perpendicular to the straight line including the ejection port array, and the plurality of straight lines including the ejection port row in each unit head are parallel to each other. The unit heads are connected so as to be shifted in one direction, and the angle θ between a straight line including the dot row on the recording medium and a straight line including the ejection port row is cos θ = D / P.

Therefore, an ink-jet head can be formed only by connecting a plurality of unit heads so that the connecting straight line is perpendicular to the straight line including the ejection port row. Therefore, the positioning step at the time of connecting the unit heads is simplified and the ink-jet head is formed. The whole process of manufacturing the head can be simplified, and the yield in manufacturing the inkjet head can be improved.

Further, by changing the angle θ, an arbitrary dot pitch on the recording medium can be easily realized.

According to the invention described in claim 4, according to claim 3,
In addition to the effect of the invention described in the above, when the distance between two ink ejection ports included in the connection straight line is L, tan θ = P
/ L, so that even if a plurality of unit heads are connected to form an inkjet head, all dot intervals in a dot row on a recording medium can be kept constant. it can.

According to the invention described in claim 5, according to claim 3,
Or, in addition to the effects of the invention described in 4, the ink is supplied to the inkjet head, the inkjet head is driven based on the recording information, and recording is performed on the recording medium. You can get a printer.

Further, by changing the angle θ in the ink jet head, recording can be performed at an arbitrary resolution.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a printer according to an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an inkjet head according to an embodiment, where (a) is a diagram illustrating an overall configuration;
(B) is an enlarged view showing a connection part.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a manufacturing process of the inkjet head.

4A and 4B are diagrams illustrating a manufacturing process of the inkjet head, wherein FIG. 4A is a diagram illustrating positioning of the unit head, and FIG. 4B is a diagram illustrating fixing of the inkjet head.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Ink-jet head 2 ... CPU 3 ... Data development part 4 ... Head drive part 5 ... Ink tank 6 ... Pump 7 ... Hose 8 ... Operation part 9 ... Display part 10a, 10b, 10c, 10d ... Unit head 11, 11a, 11b ... Ink ejection port 12 ... Recording paper 13 ... Dot S ... Printer Sr ... Recording information Sdr ... Data signal Sd ... Drive signal

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A recording head comprising a plurality of unit heads each having an ejection port array in which ink ejection ports for ejecting ink for forming dots on a recording medium and performing recording are arranged in a line at equal intervals. An ink jet head manufacturing method for manufacturing an ink jet head, comprising: an ink ejection port located at the outermost side of one of the ejection port arrays in one of the unit heads; and an ink ejection port adjacent to the one of the unit heads. A connection straight line connecting the ink ejection openings located in the opposite direction to the one of the ejection openings in the one unit head is perpendicular to a straight line including the ejection openings. A plurality of the unit heads are connected while being shifted in one direction so that the straight lines including the discharge port arrays in the respective unit heads are parallel to each other, and And forming a plurality of dots in a line in a case where the interval between the ink ejection ports in one unit head is P and the interval between the dots on the recording medium is D. And fixing the inkjet head formed so that an angle θ between a straight line including the formed dot row and the straight line including the ejection port row is cos θ = D / P. A method for manufacturing an ink jet head, comprising: 2. The ink jet head manufacturing method according to claim 1, wherein in the forming step, when a distance between the two ink ejection ports included in the connection straight line is L, tan θ = P / L. A plurality of the unit heads are connected to form the inkjet head as described above. 3. An ink-jet head including a plurality of unit heads each having an ejection port array in which ink ejection ports for ejecting ink for forming dots on a recording medium and performing recording are arranged in a line at equal intervals. The ink ejection port located at the outermost side of one of the ejection port arrays in one of the unit heads, and the ink ejection port of the ejection port array in another of the unit heads adjacent to one of the unit heads. A connecting line that is a straight line connecting the outermost ink ejection port located in the opposite direction to one is perpendicular to a straight line including the ejection port row, and includes the ejection port row in each of the unit heads. The plurality of unit heads are connected so as to be shifted in one direction so that the straight lines are parallel to each other. Further, the distance between the ink ejection ports in one unit head is P, Assuming that the interval between the dots on the medium is D, the angle θ between a straight line including a dot row formed by arranging a plurality of the dots in a row and a straight line including the ejection port row is cos θ = D / P. 4. The ink-jet head according to claim 3, wherein a distance between the two ink ejection ports included in the connection straight line is L, and the plurality of unit heads are such that tan θ = P / L. Is connected to the inkjet head. 5. An ink jet head according to claim 3, wherein said ink jet head is supplied with said ink, and said ink jet head is driven based on recording information to be recorded. An ink-jet printer comprising: a driving unit that performs recording by using an ink jet printer.