JPH023314A - liquid jet recording device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent a bubble from staying in the vicinity of a liquid channel by a construction wherein a magnetic body being large enough to be prevented from entering the liquid channel is inserted into the liquid chamber and a magnetic force giving means to move the body in the liquid chamber is provided. CONSTITUTION:A magnetic sphere 107 put in a liquid chamber 106 moves in the liquid chamber in accordance with a magnetic force which is given from the outside of a recording head 100. A means to give the magnetic force, which is located outside the recording head 100, has magnets in two opposite places on a rotary body and, while rotating, it gives the magnetic force corresponding to the rotation to the magnetic sphere 107 in the liquid chamber 106. The magnetic sphere 107 moving with the magnetic force given thereto agitates the inside of the liquid chamber, and thereby a bubble sticking on the wall of the liquid chamber and staying thereon is released from the wall, rises in a liquid and stays in the upper part of the inside of the liquid chamber 106. Therefore, the bubble is prevented from causing a hindrance to the supply of ink to a liquid channel. As for the material of the magnetic sphere 107, iron, an iron oxide, ferrite of the like having a large specific gravity is used suitably therefor.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Field of Application for Industry-1-] The uninvented method is to eject ink to form ink droplets, and make the droplets adhere to a recording material such as paper for recording. The present invention relates to a liquid jet recording device.

[Prior Art] A liquid jet recording method is a recording method in which ink (recording liquid) is ejected from an orifice provided in a recording head, and the ink is applied to a recording material such as paper to perform recording. It has many advantages: it generates very little noise, can record at high speed, and can use plain paper, eliminating the need for specially constructed recording paper. A recording head and a liquid jet recording device have been devised. The main parts of a recording head usually include an orifice for ejecting ink, a liquid channel communicating with the orifice, and a liquid chamber communicating with a liquid path.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] In the recording head during printing, air bubbles are generated in the liquid chamber due to temperature rise or the like. These bubbles tend to stay near the boundary between the liquid chamber and the liquid path, cutting off the supply of ink to the liquid path and causing ink failure to be ejected.

The purpose of the present invention is to provide a liquid jet recording device in which air bubbles do not remain near the liquid path. It has a liquid path communicating with the orifice for discharging, and two liquid chambers communicating with the liquid path, and a magnetic sphere of a size that does not enter the liquid path is contained in the liquid chamber. This is achieved by a liquid jet recording apparatus that includes a recording head section and a magnetic force applying means that uses magnetic force to move the magnetic sphere within the liquid chamber.

In the liquid jet recording apparatus of the present invention, the magnetic sphere placed inside the liquid chamber moves within the liquid chamber in response to magnetic force applied from outside the recording head. The means for applying magnetic force external to the recording head is, for example, one that has magnets at two opposing locations on the rotating body, and applies magnetic force corresponding to the rotation to the magnetic sphere in the liquid chamber as it rotates. It is something. The magnetic spheres that are moving due to the application of magnetic force stir the inside of the liquid chamber, and the air bubbles that have stuck to the wall of the liquid chamber are released from the wall and rise in the liquid, improving the liquid chamber as shown in Figure 3. This eliminates the possibility of air bubbles accumulating in the area and interfering with the supply of ink to the liquid path.

The material for the magnetic spheres should preferably have a specific gravity as large as possible, such as iron, iron oxide, ferrite, etc.

There is no particular limit to the number of magnetic spheres to be placed in the liquid chamber, and the appropriate number is about 1% of the volume of the liquid chamber depending on their size.

[Example 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic sectional view of the recording head section of the liquid jet recording apparatus of the present invention. In this recording head section 100,
101 is an A[substrate; 102 is a Si substrate; on the Si substrate, a heating resistor layer, an electrode layer, a protective film, etc. (not shown) are laminated. 103 is a photosensitive resin (liquid path DF) forming a liquid path with a diameter of 20 μm, +08 is an orifice at the end of liquid path DF103, and 104 is a liquid path DF (dry film).
This is a top plate DF (dry film) for improving the adhesion between the glass top plate 103 and the glass top plate 105. glass top plate 10
5 is provided with a recessed portion forming a common liquid chamber 106, and the height is approximately 0.5 mm as seen in this figure. 107 is a magnetic sphere (diameter: 0.2 mm, made of iron with a specific gravity of 7.8), which is sufficiently larger than the liquid path diameter so as not to block the liquid path, and above the liquid chamber height so that it can move freely within the liquid chamber. is also set to a sufficiently small size.

FIG. 1 shows the liquid jet recording apparatus of the present invention in a printer home position. In this figure, the recording head section 100 is arranged so that the orifice 108 shown in FIG. 2 is in the front (details are not shown). As shown in FIG. 1, when the recording head unit 100 is at the home position, a stark 201 serving as magnetic force applying means is arranged at a position facing the liquid chamber 106 of the head. The Stark 201 has two magnets disposed at opposing positions of a cylindrical rotating body, and as the cylinder rotates, it applies a magnetic force that moves within the liquid chamber in accordance with the rotation. In such a position, Stark 201
Rotate periodically or at any time as needed. Here, the rotating diameter of Stark 201 is the diameter of liquid chamber 106.
The length is almost the same as that of .

As the Stark 201 rotates, the magnetic sphere 107 inside the liquid chamber
moves inside the liquid chamber, agitates the liquid (ink), and moves the air bubbles staying in the liquid chamber. The rotational speed of the Stark 201 is set to a speed that does not generate bubbles due to stirring by the magnetic balls. As shown in FIG. 3, the bubbles that have moved gather and accumulate in the vertical upper part of the liquid chamber, eliminating the problem of the bubbles blocking the liquid path.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 4, if an air chamber 401 is provided at the top of the liquid chamber to accommodate air bubbles that gather at the top of the liquid chamber,
It is possible to more reliably prevent discharge failures due to air bubbles.

[Effects of the Invention] As described above, when the liquid jet recording apparatus of the present invention is used, good printing can be performed without causing droplet ejection failure during printing.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the liquid jet recording apparatus of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a schematic sectional view of the recording head section, and FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of the recording head section for explaining the present invention in detail. , 4th
The figure is a schematic diagram of a recording head section explaining another aspect of the present invention. 100... Recording head unit 101...-A1 substrate...Sj substrate...Liquid path DF...Top plate DF...Glass top plate...Liquid chamber...Magnetic sphere...Orifice ...Stark...air chamber

Claims (1)

[Claims] It has an orifice for ejecting ink, a liquid path communicating with the orifice, and a liquid chamber communicating with the liquid path, and a magnetic sphere of a size that does not enter the liquid path is contained in the liquid chamber. A liquid jet recording apparatus comprising: a recording head section; and a magnetic force applying means that uses magnetic force to move the magnetic sphere within the liquid chamber.