JPH1024596A - Liquid discharge head, liquid discharge head manufacturing method, liquid discharge method, and liquid discharge device - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) Abstract: A liquid discharge head and a liquid discharge head capable of constantly and stably discharging a liquid with no change over time even after shipment even if a variation in a movable member occurs at a manufacturing stage. Manufacturing method, liquid discharging method, liquid discharging apparatus, liquid discharging head cartridge, and recording apparatus. SOLUTION: A separation wall 33 having a movable member 31 has a structure in which a first liquid flow path 14 communicating with a discharge port 18 and a second liquid flow path 16 in which a heat generating member 2 is arranged are partitioned. In the liquid ejection head, the movable member 31 is attached to the separation wall 33.
In the stage before shipping after forming the second liquid flow path 1
By driving the heat generating member 2 under a predetermined driving condition in a state where the liquid is filled in the inside 6, the movable member 31 is displaced, so that the peripheral portion of the movable member 31 and the side surface of the separation wall 33 through the slit 35. The burr attached to the movable member 31 is efficiently removed, and the movable member 31 is easily displaced.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to the generation of bubbles generated by applying thermal energy to a liquid,
The present invention relates to a liquid discharge head that discharges a desired liquid, a method of manufacturing a liquid discharge head, a liquid discharge method, and a liquid discharge device. Furthermore, the present invention relates to a liquid ejection head cartridge and a recording apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art By giving energy such as heat to ink, a state change accompanied by a steep volume change (formation of bubbles) is caused in the ink, and the ink is ejected from an ejection port by an action force based on this state change. An ink jet recording method in which an image is formed by attaching the ink onto a recording medium, that is, a so-called bubble jet recording method, is conventionally known. USP includes a recording apparatus using this bubble jet recording method.
4,723,129, etc.,
A discharge port for discharging ink, an ink flow path communicating with the discharge port, and an electrothermal converter as an energy generating means for discharging ink disposed in the ink flow path are generally disposed. ing.

According to such a recording method, a high-quality image can be recorded at high speed and with low noise, and in a head performing this recording method, ejection ports for ejecting ink are arranged at a high density. Therefore, it has many advantages that a high-resolution recorded image and a color image can be easily obtained with a small device. For this reason, this bubble jet recording method has recently been used in many office devices such as printers, copiers, and facsimile machines, and has been used in industrial systems such as textile printing devices.

As the bubble jet technology is used for products in various fields as described above, the following various requirements have been increasing in recent years.

[0005] For example, as a study on the demand for improvement in energy efficiency, optimization of a heating element such as adjusting the thickness of a protective film is mentioned. This method is effective in improving the propagation efficiency of generated heat to the liquid.

Further, in order to obtain a high quality image, a driving condition has been proposed for providing a liquid discharging method or the like in which the ink discharging speed is high and good ink discharging can be performed based on stable bubble generation. From the viewpoint of high-speed printing, there has also been proposed a print head having an improved flow path shape in order to obtain a liquid discharge head having a high filling (refilling) speed of the discharged liquid into the liquid flow path.

[0007] Of these flow channel shapes, FIG.
(A) and (b) are disclosed in JP-A-63-199997.
No. 2, for example. The flow path structure and the head manufacturing method described in this publication are based on the back wave (pressure in the direction opposite to the direction toward the discharge port, that is, the pressure in the liquid chamber 12) generated by the generation of bubbles. It is an invention which pays attention to. This back wave is known as loss energy because it is not energy directed toward the ejection direction.

In the invention shown in FIGS. 32 (a) and 32 (b), the valve 1 is located away from the bubble generation region formed by the heating element 2 and located on the opposite side of the discharge port 11 with respect to the heating element 2.
0 is disclosed.

In FIG. 32 (b), this valve 10
It is disclosed that it has an initial position as attached to the ceiling of the flow channel 3 and hangs down into the flow channel 3 with the generation of bubbles by a manufacturing method using a plate material or the like. The present invention is disclosed as controlling the energy loss by controlling a part of the back wave by the valve 10.

However, in this configuration, as will be understood from consideration of the case where air bubbles are generated inside the flow path 3 for holding the liquid to be discharged, suppression of a part of the back wave by the valve 10 is not possible with liquid discharge. Is not practical.

Originally, the back wave itself is not directly related to the ejection as described above. At the time when this back wave is generated in the flow path 3, as shown in FIG.
The pressure of the bubbles that is directly related to the discharge has already made the liquid dischargeable from the flow path 3. Therefore, it is clear that even if only a part of the back wave is suppressed, the ejection is not greatly affected.

On the other hand, in the bubble jet recording method, heating is repeated while the heating element is in contact with the ink, so that a deposit is generated on the surface of the heating element by scorching of the ink. In some cases, the generation of bubbles causes the generation of bubbles to be unstable, making it difficult to discharge ink satisfactorily. Further, even in the case where the liquid to be discharged is a liquid which is easily deteriorated by heat or a liquid in which foaming is difficult to be sufficiently obtained, a method for discharging the liquid to be discharged without changing the quality is desired. .

From such a viewpoint, the liquid (foaming liquid) which generates bubbles by heat and the liquid (ejection liquid) to be ejected are made different liquids, and the ejection liquid is ejected by transmitting the pressure by foaming to the ejection liquid. The method is described in JP-A-61-69467, JP-A-55-81172, US Pat.
No. 0,259, and the like. In these publications, the ink, which is the ejection liquid, and the foaming liquid are completely separated by a flexible film such as silicon rubber so that the ejection liquid does not come into direct contact with the heating element, and the pressure due to the foaming of the foaming liquid is controlled. The configuration is such that the liquid is transmitted to the discharge liquid by deformation of the flexible film.
Such a configuration achieves prevention of deposits on the surface of the heating element, improvement in the degree of freedom in selecting the liquid to be discharged, and the like.

However, as described above, in a head having a configuration in which the discharge liquid and the foaming liquid are completely separated, the pressure at the time of foaming is transmitted to the discharge liquid by expansion and contraction of the flexible film. Is considerably absorbed by the flexible membrane. Further, since the amount of deformation of the flexible film is not so large, the effect of separating the ejection liquid and the foaming liquid can be obtained, but there is a possibility that the energy efficiency and the ejection force are reduced.

Also, conventionally, there are provided a discharge port for discharging a liquid, a discharge path communicating with the discharge port and storing the liquid, and an electrothermal conversion element disposed in the discharge path. Development of a method of manufacturing a head that discharges liquid from a discharge port by generating air bubbles by driving an element has been actively performed.

In this case, in the manufacturing stage before shipment of the head, in order to familiarize the discharge path with the liquid to be used,
Alternatively, in order to stabilize the change over time in the heat generation characteristics of the electrothermal transducer, the liquid is preliminarily filled in the discharge port, and the electrothermal transducer is driven on a trial basis to generate air bubbles. It is generally known to perform a process of continuously discharging a liquid about 10 ⁿ times (n: 4 to 5), that is, an aging process.

[0017]

However, in recent years, heads with an innovative discharge principle have been researched and developed for the purpose of achieving excellent discharge efficiency and stable discharge amount. There is a head using the displacement of the free end of the movable member.

In the head having such a movable member, when the manufacturing conditions of the movable member itself (for example, downsizing of the movable member due to the high-density head) change in the manufacturing stage, the displacement of the movable member is changed. The state tended to change between the initial stage immediately after shipment and after use.

FIG. 33 shows an example of the structure of the movable members 31 arranged at high density in the ejection path of the head. In this case, the movable member 31 is formed by cutting a part of the separation wall 33, but the gap between the movable member 31 and the separation wall 33, that is, the width of the slit 35 should be reduced as much as possible with the increase in density. Is desired.

However, the separation wall 33 having the movable member 31
May be formed in the cross section of the movable member 31 or the separation wall 33 on the side of the slit 35 at the stage of forming the pattern. When such burrs Xa occur, there is a problem in that the ejection efficiency and ejection amount of the liquid are affected, and stable ejection cannot be performed. Moreover, such a problem cannot be solved by the conventional aging process.

Further, in the head manufactured as described above, the liquid to be filled at the initial stage of shipping may be introduced together with microbubbles. In this case, the surface of the movable member opposed to the bubble generation region may be introduced. There is also a problem that microbubbles adhere to the surface of the movable member facing the displacement region, causing a variation in the initial ejection characteristics.

Accordingly, a main object of the present invention is to provide a liquid discharge head and a liquid discharge head capable of performing a stable discharge without change over time even after shipment even if a variation occurs in the manufacturing stage of the movable member. Head manufacturing method,
An object of the present invention is to provide a liquid discharge method and a liquid discharge device. Still another object is to provide a liquid ejection head cartridge and a recording apparatus.

Further, the attendant objects of the present invention are as listed below.

First, it is an object of the present invention to provide an extremely novel liquid ejection principle by fundamentally controlling the generated bubbles.

Further, while improving the discharge efficiency and the discharge pressure, the heat storage in the liquid on the heating element can be greatly reduced, and the residual liquid on the heating element can be reduced, so that a good liquid can be discharged. An object of the present invention is to provide a liquid discharge method and a liquid discharge head that can be performed.

In addition, the inertia force in the direction opposite to the liquid supply direction due to the back wave is suppressed, and at the same time, the amount of meniscus retraction is reduced by the valve function of the movable member, thereby increasing the refill frequency and increasing the printing speed. It is another object of the present invention to provide a liquid ejection head or the like having improved characteristics.

Further, it is possible to provide a liquid discharge method, a liquid discharge head, and the like, which can reduce deposits on a heating element and can widen a range of use of a discharge liquid, and have sufficiently high discharge efficiency and discharge force. It is in.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a liquid discharge method, a liquid discharge head, and the like that can increase the degree of freedom in selecting a liquid to be discharged.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a method of manufacturing a liquid discharge head which can easily manufacture the above-described liquid discharge head.

Alternatively, by providing a liquid introduction path for supplying a plurality of liquids with a small number of parts, an easy-to-manufacture and inexpensive head and apparatus can be provided. It is to provide.

Another object of the present invention is to obtain a recorded matter having a good image by using the ejection method of the present invention.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a head kit for facilitating reuse of the liquid discharge head of the present invention.

[0033]

According to the present invention, there is provided a discharge port for discharging a liquid, and a first port for communicating with the discharge port and storing the liquid.
A liquid flow path, a separation wall having a movable member one end of which is formed to be displaceable with respect to the first liquid flow path, and a second storing liquid for displacing the movable member of the separation wall. A liquid flow path, and a method for manufacturing a liquid discharge head comprising a heat generating member disposed corresponding to the second liquid flow path, wherein the movable member is formed on the separation wall, and A method for manufacturing a liquid discharge head by providing an aging step of driving the heat generating member under predetermined driving conditions and displacing the movable member in a state where the liquid is filled in the liquid flow path of No. 2; can do.

According to the present invention, there is provided a discharge port for discharging a liquid, a first liquid flow path communicating with the discharge port and containing the liquid, and one end thereof is freely displaceable with respect to the first liquid flow path. A separation wall having a movable member formed therein, a second liquid flow path for accommodating a liquid for displacing the movable member of the separation wall, and a second liquid flow path arranged corresponding to the second liquid flow path. A method for manufacturing a liquid discharge head including a heat generating member, wherein the liquid is filled in the second liquid flow path and the first liquid flow path after forming the movable member on the separation wall. In this state, by providing an aging step of driving the heat generating member under predetermined driving conditions to drive and displace the movable member,
A method for manufacturing a liquid ejection head can be provided.

Further, the present invention provides a discharge port for discharging a liquid, a liquid flow path communicating with the discharge port and storing the liquid, and a liquid passage disposed in the liquid flow path and storing a part of the liquid. A bubble generating region for generating bubbles, a movable member having one end fixed to the upper surface of the bubble generating region and the other end formed to be displaceable, and disposed on the lower surface in the bubble generating region; A method for manufacturing a liquid ejection head, comprising: a heat generating member for generating heat in a stored liquid, wherein the movable member is formed on an upper surface of the bubble generation region, and the liquid is filled in the liquid flow path. By providing an aging step of displacing the movable member by driving the heat generating member under predetermined driving conditions, it is possible to provide a method of manufacturing a liquid ejection head.

Further, according to the present invention, there is provided a discharge port for discharging a liquid, a first liquid flow path which communicates with the discharge port and stores the liquid, and one end of which is displaceable with respect to the first liquid flow path. A separation wall having a movable member formed therein, a second liquid flow path for accommodating a liquid for displacing the movable member of the separation wall, and a second liquid flow path arranged corresponding to the second liquid flow path. A liquid discharging head including a heat generating member, wherein the heat generating member is set to a predetermined driving condition and driven and displaced in a state where the liquid is filled in the second liquid flow path, thereby forming an edge peripheral portion. Has a movable member that has been subjected to aging processing, whereby a liquid discharge head can be configured.

According to the present invention, there is provided a discharge port for discharging a liquid, a first liquid flow path which communicates with the discharge port and stores the liquid, and one end is displaceable with respect to the first liquid flow path. A separation wall having a movable member formed therein, a second liquid flow path for accommodating a liquid for displacing the movable member of the separation wall, and a second liquid flow path arranged corresponding to the second liquid flow path. A liquid discharge head including a heat generating member, wherein the heat generating member is set to a predetermined driving condition in a state where the liquid is filled in the second liquid flow path and the first liquid flow path, respectively. The liquid discharge head can be configured by having a movable member whose peripheral edge is aged by being driven and displaced.

The present invention also provides a discharge port for discharging a liquid, a liquid flow path communicating with the discharge port and storing the liquid, and a liquid passage disposed in the liquid flow path and storing a part of the liquid. A bubble generating region for generating bubbles, a movable member having one end fixed to the upper surface of the bubble generating region and the other end formed to be displaceable, and disposed on the lower surface in the bubble generating region; A liquid ejection head comprising: a heat generating member that generates heat in a stored liquid, wherein the heat generating member is driven under a predetermined driving condition to be driven and displaced in a state where the liquid is filled in the liquid flow path. By having the movable member whose peripheral edge portion is subjected to aging, a liquid ejection head can be configured.

The present invention also relates to a liquid discharging method for discharging a liquid by generating bubbles, wherein the second heat generating member is driven by using a liquid discharging head having a movable member subjected to the aging treatment. The liquid in the liquid flow path generates heat to generate bubbles, and the movable one end of the movable member is displaced toward the first liquid flow path based on the pressure caused by the generation of the bubbles. The pressure to the first
The liquid discharge method can be provided by discharging the liquid by guiding the liquid from the liquid flow path side to the discharge port side.

The present invention also relates to a liquid discharging method for discharging liquid by generating bubbles, wherein the liquid flow path is formed by driving the heat generating member using a liquid discharging head having a movable member subjected to the aging treatment. The liquid in the bubble generation region arranged in the heater generates heat to generate bubbles, and based on the pressure generated by the bubbles, displaces one end of the movable member that can be displaced toward the liquid flow path side. By discharging the liquid by guiding the pressure from the liquid flow path side to the discharge port side by displacement, a liquid discharging method can be provided.

Further, according to the present invention, there is provided a liquid discharge head having the movable member subjected to the aging treatment, and a liquid container for supplying a liquid to the liquid discharge head.
A liquid ejection head cartridge can be configured.

According to the present invention, there is provided a liquid ejecting apparatus comprising the above liquid ejecting head cartridge, and a carriage section which is detachably mounted on the liquid ejecting head cartridge and is arranged to face a recording medium. Can be configured.

Further, according to the present invention, a recording apparatus can be constituted by including the liquid discharge device and a drive control unit for controlling the drive of the liquid discharge device.

The following components may be added. During the aging process, the liquid filled in the second liquid flow path may be formed as a foaming liquid, or the liquid filled in the first liquid flow path may be formed as a discharge liquid.

A common liquid chamber commonly communicated with the first liquid flow path and the second liquid flow path separated by the separation wall is provided, or the common liquid chamber separated by the separation wall is provided. It is possible to provide a configuration in which liquid chambers are separately provided to communicate with the first liquid flow path and the second liquid flow path, respectively.

The predetermined driving condition for driving the heat generating member can be set to a driving condition equivalent to that during recording or a driving condition larger than that during recording. Further, specific examples of the driving conditions include changing the magnitude of the voltage applied to the heating member, changing the duty ratio of the voltage applied to the heating member, and changing the duty ratio of the heating member. The conditions may be changed by changing the frequency of the power supplied to the power supply. Further, control may be performed so that the number of times of driving of the heat generating member for foaming the liquid is limited to a certain value or less.

The drive control unit may include an aging processing means for driving the heat generating member under a predetermined driving condition and displacing the movable member, thereby forming a recording apparatus.

[0048]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. Before describing the aging process, which is a main part of the present embodiment, the basic structure of the liquid ejection head and the principle of liquid ejection will be described.

FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional view of the liquid discharge head cut in the liquid flow direction, and FIG. 2 is a partially cutaway perspective view of the liquid discharge head.

The liquid discharge head according to the present embodiment has a heating element 2 (in this embodiment, a heating resistor having a shape of 40 μm × 105 μm) acting as a discharge energy generating element for discharging the liquid. Is provided on the element substrate 1, and the heating element 2 is provided on the element substrate.
The liquid flow path 10 is arranged corresponding to the above. The liquid flow path 10 communicates with the discharge port 18 and also communicates with a common liquid chamber 13 for supplying the liquid to the plurality of liquid flow paths 10, and an amount of liquid corresponding to the liquid discharged from the discharge port. From the common liquid chamber 13.

A plate-shaped movable member 31 made of an elastic material such as metal and having a flat portion is provided on the element substrate of the liquid flow path 10 so as to face the heating element 2.
Are provided in a cantilever shape. One end of the movable member is fixed to a base (supporting member) 34 formed by patterning a photosensitive resin or the like on the wall of the liquid flow path 10 or the element substrate. Thus, the movable member is held and forms a fulcrum (fulcrum portion) 33.

The movable member 31 has a fulcrum (fulcrum portion; fixed end) 33 on the upstream side of a large flow flowing from the common liquid chamber 13 to the discharge port 18 through the movable member 31 by the liquid discharging operation. 33 is disposed at a position facing the heating element 2 at a distance of about 15 μm from the heating element so as to cover the heating element 2 so as to have a free end (free end portion) 32 on the downstream side with respect to 33. I have. The space between the heating element and the movable member is a bubble generation area 11. The type, shape and arrangement of the heating element and the movable member are not limited to these,
As will be described later, any shape and arrangement that can control the growth of bubbles and the propagation of pressure may be used. The above-described liquid flow path 10
In order to explain the flow of the liquid, which will be described later, a part directly communicating with the discharge port 18 with the movable member 31 as a boundary is defined as a first liquid flow path 14, and the bubble generation region 11 and the liquid supply path 1.
The description will be made by dividing into two regions of the second liquid flow path 16 having the two.

The movable member 31 is generated by causing the heating element 2 to generate heat.
Heat is applied to the liquid in the bubble generation region 11 between the heating element 2 and the heating element 2 to generate bubbles in the liquid based on the film boiling phenomenon as described in US Pat. No. 4,723,129. The pressure based on the generation of the air bubbles and the air bubbles act preferentially on the movable member, and the movable member 31 opens largely toward the discharge port around the fulcrum 33 as shown in FIG. 1 (b), (c) or FIG. To be displaced. Depending on the displacement or the displaced state of the movable member 31, the propagation of pressure based on the generation of bubbles and the growth of the bubbles themselves are guided to the ejection port side.

Here, one of the basic ejection principles of the present invention will be described. One of the basic ejection principles is that a movable member arranged to face a bubble is at a position after displacement from a first position in a steady state based on the pressure of the bubble or the bubble itself. , And the displaceable movable member 31 guides the pressure associated with the generation of bubbles and the bubbles themselves to the downstream side where the discharge port 18 is arranged.

This principle will be described in more detail by comparing FIG. 3 schematically showing a conventional liquid flow path structure without using a movable member with FIG. 4 of the present invention. Here, the propagation direction of the pressure toward the discharge port is VA, and the propagation direction of the pressure toward the upstream side is V
B.

In the conventional head as shown in FIG. 3, there is no structure for regulating the direction of pressure propagation by the generated air bubbles 40. Therefore, the pressure propagation direction of the bubble 40 is V1
As shown in V8, the direction was perpendicular to the surface of the bubble, and was oriented in various directions. Among them, those having a component in the pressure propagation direction in the VA direction which has the most influence on the liquid discharge are V1-V
4, ie, a directional component of pressure propagation in a portion closer to the discharge port than a position substantially half of the bubble, and is an important portion directly contributing to liquid discharge efficiency, liquid discharge force, discharge speed, and the like. Further, V1 works efficiently because it is closest to the ejection direction VA, while V4 has relatively little direction component toward VA.

On the other hand, in the case of the present invention shown in FIG. 4, the movable member 31 shifts the pressure propagation directions V1 to V4 of the bubbles directed in various directions as shown in FIG. (To the discharge port side) to convert the pressure into the VA pressure propagation direction, whereby the pressure of the bubbles 40 directly and efficiently contributes to the discharge. Then, the bubble growth direction itself is guided in the downstream direction in the same manner as the pressure propagation directions V1 to V4, and grows more downstream than upstream. As described above, by controlling the growth direction itself of the bubble by the movable member and controlling the pressure propagation direction of the bubble, it is possible to achieve a fundamental improvement in the discharge efficiency, the discharge force, the discharge speed, and the like.

Next, returning to FIG. 1, the ejection operation of the liquid ejection head of this embodiment will be described in detail.

FIG. 1A shows a state before energy such as electric energy is applied to the heating element 2 and before the heating element generates heat. In this example, the movable member 3
1 is provided at a position facing at least a downstream portion of the bubble generated by the heat generated by the heating element. In other words, on the liquid flow path structure, at least the area center 3 of the heating element is set so that the downstream side of the bubble acts on the movable member.
The movable member 31 is arranged at a position further downstream (downstream from a line passing through the area center 3 of the heating element and orthogonal to the length direction of the flow path).

FIG. 1B shows that the heating element 2 generates heat when electric energy or the like is applied to the heating element 2, and the generated heat heats a part of the liquid filling the bubble generation region 11 to cause film boiling. This is a state in which accompanying air bubbles are generated.

At this time, the movable member 31 is displaced from the first position to the second position by the pressure based on the generation of the bubble 40 so as to guide the propagation direction of the pressure of the bubble 40 toward the discharge port. What is important here is that, as described above, the free end 32 of the movable member 31 is arranged on the downstream side (discharge port side), and the fulcrum 33 is arranged on the upstream side (common liquid chamber side). That is, at least a part of the movable member faces a downstream portion of the heating element, that is, a downstream portion of the bubble.

FIG. 1C shows a state in which the bubbles 40 have further grown, but the movable member 31 is further displaced in accordance with the pressure generated by the generation of the bubbles 40. The generated bubble grows greatly downstream from the upstream and grows greatly beyond the first position (dotted line position) of the movable member. As the movable member 31 is gradually displaced in accordance with the growth of the bubble 40 in this way, the pressure propagation direction of the bubble 40 and the direction in which the deposition is easily moved, that is, the growth direction of the bubble to the free end side is set to the discharge port. It is considered that the fact that the ink can be uniformly directed also increases the ejection efficiency. The movable member rarely hinders the transmission of bubbles or foaming pressure toward the discharge port, and efficiently controls the direction of pressure propagation and the direction of bubble growth according to the magnitude of the propagating pressure. Can be.

FIG. 1D shows a state in which the bubble 40 contracts and disappears due to a decrease in the internal pressure of the bubble after the above-mentioned film boiling.

The movable member 31 that has been displaced to the second position
Is the initial position (first position) in FIG. 1A due to the negative pressure due to the contraction of the bubble and the restoring force due to the spring property of the movable member itself.
Return to. Further, at the time of defoaming, VD1 and VD2 of the flow from the upstream side (B), that is, the common liquid chamber side, in order to supplement the contracted volume of the bubbles in the bubble generation region 11 and to supplement the volume of the discharged liquid. And the liquid flows in from the discharge port side like Vc of the flow. The operation of the movable member and the operation of discharging the liquid accompanying the generation of bubbles have been described above.

Next, liquid refilling in the liquid ejection head of the present invention will be described in detail. Further, the liquid supply mechanism in the present invention will be described in more detail.

When the bubble 40 enters the defoaming process after passing through the state of the maximum volume after FIG. 1 (c), a liquid having a volume supplementing the defoamed volume is supplied to the bubble generation region 11 in the first liquid flow path 14. Of the second liquid flow path 16 and the common liquid chamber side 13 of the second liquid flow path 16. In the conventional liquid flow path structure without the movable member 31, the amount of the liquid flowing from the discharge port side to the defoaming position and the amount of the liquid flowing from the common liquid chamber are the same as the part closer to the discharge port than the bubble generation region and the common liquid. This is due to the magnitude of the flow resistance with the part close to the chamber (based on the flow path resistance and the inertia of the liquid).

Therefore, when the flow resistance on the side close to the discharge port is small, a lot of liquid flows from the discharge port side to the defoaming position, and the retreat amount of the meniscus becomes large. In particular, as the flow resistance on the side close to the discharge port is reduced to increase the discharge efficiency in order to increase the discharge efficiency, the meniscus M at the time of defoaming becomes larger, the refill time becomes longer, and the refill time becomes longer, and high-speed printing is performed. Was to hinder.

On the other hand, in the present embodiment, since the movable member 31 is provided, the volume W of the bubble is defined as W1 on the upper side of the first position of the movable member 31 and W2 on the bubble generation region 11 side.
When the movable member returns to the original position at the time of defoaming, the meniscus stops retreating, and the liquid supply for the remaining W2 volume is mainly performed by the liquid supply from the flow VD2 of the second flow path 16. Thus, while the amount corresponding to about half of the volume of the bubble W has conventionally been the meniscus retraction amount, it has become possible to suppress the meniscus retreat amount to a smaller amount, which is about half of W1.

Further, the supply of the liquid corresponding to the volume of W2 is forcibly performed mainly from the upstream side (VD2) of the second liquid flow path along the surface of the movable member 31 on the heating element side by utilizing the pressure at the time of defoaming. Faster refilling was achieved.

Here, when refilling is performed using the pressure at the time of defoaming with the conventional head, the vibration of the meniscus becomes large, which leads to the deterioration of the image quality. Movable member 3 for high speed refill
1, the flow of the liquid on the discharge port side between the region of the first liquid flow path 14 on the discharge port 18 side and the bubble generation region 11 is suppressed, so that the vibration of the meniscus can be extremely reduced.

As described above, the present embodiment achieves high-speed refilling by forcibly refilling the foaming area via the liquid supply passage 12 of the second flow path 16 and suppressing the meniscus retreat and vibration described above. Discharge stability and high-speed repetitive discharge,
Further, when used in the field of recording, improvement in image quality and high-speed recording can be realized.

The present embodiment also has a function of suppressing the propagation of the pressure due to the generation of bubbles to the upstream side (back wave). Of the bubbles generated on the heating element 2, most of the pressure caused by the bubbles on the common liquid chamber 13 side (upstream side) is a force (back wave) for pushing back the liquid toward the upstream side. This back wave caused the pressure on the upstream side, the amount of liquid movement due thereto, and the inertia force accompanying the liquid movement, which reduced the refill of the liquid into the liquid flow path and hindered high-speed driving. . In the present invention, the refillability is further improved by first suppressing these effects on the upstream side by the movable member 31.

Next, the aging process in the present invention will be described. First, a first example of the aging process will be described. In the present embodiment, for example, a liquid ejection head having a first liquid flow path 14 and a second liquid flow path 16 and having a two-flow path structure as shown in FIG. 1 (the same applies to FIGS. 10 and 11 described later). The aging process will be described.

First, in the liquid discharge head having the two flow path structure in which the movable member 31 is formed on the separation wall 33, the first liquid flow path 14 and the second liquid flow path 16 are both filled with the foaming liquid. Then, by applying a voltage higher than the voltage applied during normal printing to the heating element 2 in a state filled with the foaming liquid, the foaming liquid in the second liquid flow path 16 foams and the movable member 31 It is displaced in the direction of the one liquid flow path 14. Thereby, the burr Xa (see FIG. 33 described in the conventional example) generated on the side surface of the separation wall 33 facing the slit 35 and the peripheral portion of the movable member 31 can be removed.

The conditions for the aging process are not limited to the above-mentioned conditions, and an energy equivalent to the energy applied during normal printing may be applied. Even when the processing is performed with the voltage and pulse width set to conditions larger than those at the time of printing, the burr Xa can be completely removed. By removing the burrs Xa in this manner, the movable member 31
Is easily displaced, and stable ejection can be performed.
It is possible to obtain more excellent discharge efficiency and discharge amount. In addition, the response to the heating element 2 can be improved.

[0077]

[Table 1]

When such aging processing is performed, the driving condition of the heating element 2 is set to a certain number of times, for example, one.
0 ³ can be controlled to perform only foaming driving times below. Such control of the number of times of foaming drive can be performed using a control program in a ROM 303 incorporated in the storage device of FIG. 29 described later, and can be further controlled using a hardware counter. .

Further, by performing such an aging treatment, the movable member 31 can be easily displaced, thereby stabilizing the heat generation, improving the foaming stability, and further improving the heat generating element 2. It is also possible to easily remove dust on the surface.

In the liquid discharge head of this embodiment,
The second liquid flow path 16 has a portion where the cross-sectional area is smaller than the first liquid flow path 14 and the flow resistance is large in the flow path, and the second liquid flow path 16 is subjected to an aging process using a foaming liquid. It becomes easy to fill the inside of the flow path 16 with a foaming liquid during normal processing,
In particular, even when a liquid of a type that is easy to burn is used as the discharge liquid used in the first liquid flow path 14, it is possible to prevent the life of the heating element 2 from being shortened. The movable member 31 does not have to be displaced so that the liquid is discharged.

Next, a second example of the aging process will be described. In this example, a liquid discharge head having a two-flow path structure similar to that of the first example described above is used, but the first liquid flow path 14 is filled with the discharge liquid, and the second liquid flow path 16 is filled with the foaming liquid. The aging process is performed under the same conditions as shown in Table 1 in the state in which the aging process is performed. Thereby, the movable member 31 can be more easily displaced, and the foaming stability in the second liquid flow path 16 can be improved.

Further, in this embodiment, by using the colored ejection liquid, the aging process can be performed and the ejection pattern of the liquid can be detected at the same time. By performing this ejection pattern, the aging process may be terminated when a normal printing state is reached.

Further, when a liquid discharge head having such a two-flow path structure is used, in order to prevent mixing of the foaming liquid and the discharge liquid, the slit 35 formed by forming the movable member 31 on the separation wall 33 is formed. It is desirable to make the width as narrow as possible. However, such a narrow slit width increases the rate of occurrence of many burrs Xa during manufacturing. Performing the aging process in stages is beneficial. Thus, the movable member 31 can be displaced several times to adapt the cross-section, so that the movable member 31 is easily displaced, and accordingly, the heat generation of the heating element 2 can be stabilized.

Next, further characteristic structures and effects of this embodiment will be described below. Second liquid flow path 1 of the present embodiment
Numeral 6 has a liquid supply path 12 having an inner wall upstream of the heating element 2 and connected to the heating element 2 substantially flat (the surface of the heating element is not greatly reduced). In such a case, the supply of the liquid to the surfaces of the bubble generation region 11 and the heating element 2 is as follows.
VD2 is performed along the surface of the movable member 31 near the bubble generation region 11. Therefore, stagnation of the liquid on the surface of the heating element 2 is suppressed, and deposition of gas dissolved in the liquid and so-called residual air bubbles that cannot be defoamed are easily removed. The heat storage does not become too high. Therefore, more stable generation of bubbles can be repeated at high speed. In the present embodiment, the liquid supply path 12 having a substantially flat inner wall has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Any liquid supply path that has a gentle inner wall that is smoothly connected to the surface of the heating element. Any shape may be used as long as the shape does not cause stagnation of the liquid on the heating element or large turbulence in the supply of the liquid.

In some cases, the supply of the liquid to the bubble generation region is performed from the VD1 through the side (slit 35) of the movable member. However, in order to more effectively guide the pressure at the time of bubble generation to the discharge port, a large movable member is used to cover the entire bubble generation region 11 (cover the heating element surface) as shown in FIG. In the case where the liquid flow resistance between the bubble generation region 11 and the region near the discharge port of the first liquid flow path 14 is increased by returning to the position 1,
The flow of the liquid from the above-described VD1 toward the bubble generation region 11 is hindered. However, in the head structure of the present invention, the flow V for supplying the liquid to the bubble generation region 11
Due to the presence of D1, the liquid supply performance is extremely high, and the liquid supply performance is not deteriorated even if a structure in which the movable member 31 covers the bubble generation region 11 is required to improve the discharge efficiency.

The free end 32 of the movable member 31 and the fulcrum 3
In position 3, the free end is relatively downstream from the fulcrum, as shown in FIG. 5, for example. For such a configuration,
Functions and effects such as guiding the pressure propagation direction and growth direction of bubbles to the discharge port side during the above-described foaming can be efficiently realized. Further, this positional relationship achieves not only a function and an effect on discharge, but also an effect that the flow resistance to the liquid flowing through the liquid flow path 10 can be reduced and the refill can be performed at a high speed even when the liquid is supplied. As shown in FIG. 5, when the meniscus M retracted by the discharge returns to the discharge port 18 by capillary force or when liquid is supplied to the defoaming, the liquid flow path 10 (the first liquid This is because the free end and the fulcrum 33 are arranged so as not to go against the flows S1, S2, and S3 flowing through the flow path 14 (including the second liquid flow path 16).

In addition, in FIG. 1, as described above, the free end 32 of the movable member 31 is divided into the area center 3 (the area center of the heating element) which divides the heating element 2 into an upstream area and a downstream area. (A line passing through the (center) and orthogonal to the length direction of the liquid flow path) and extends to the heat generating element 2 so as to face a position on the downstream side. As a result, the movable member 31 receives a pressure or a bubble that greatly contributes to the discharge of the liquid generated downstream of the area center position 3 of the heating element, and the pressure and the bubble can be guided to the discharge port side, and the discharge efficiency and the like can be improved. Discharge force can be fundamentally improved. In addition, many effects are obtained by utilizing the upstream side of the bubble. In addition, in the configuration of the present embodiment, the fact that the free end of the movable member 31 makes an instantaneous mechanical displacement is also considered to have effectively contributed to the ejection of the liquid.

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. Before the description of the aging process, which is a main part of the present embodiment, the basic structure of the liquid ejection head and the principle of liquid ejection will be described. In FIG.
A shows a state in which the movable member is displaced (bubbles are not shown), B shows a state in which the movable member is in the initial position (first position). 18 is substantially sealed. (Here, although not shown, there is a flow path wall between A and B to separate the flow path from the flow path.) The movable member 31 in FIG. Is provided with a liquid supply path 12. This allows
The liquid can be supplied along the surface of the movable member on the heating element side and from a liquid supply path having a surface that is substantially flat or smoothly connected to the surface of the heating element.

Here, at the initial position (first position) of the movable member 31, the movable member 31 is close to or in close contact with the heating element downstream wall 36 and the heating element side wall 37 arranged downstream and laterally of the heating element 2. It is substantially sealed on the discharge port 18 side of the bubble generation region 11. For this reason, the pressure of the bubbles at the time of foaming, particularly the pressure on the downstream side of the bubbles, can be concentrated on the free end side of the movable member without being released.

Further, at the time of defoaming, the movable member 31 returns to the first position, and the liquid is supplied to the heating element at the time of defoaming since the discharge port side of the bubble generation region 31 is substantially closed. It is possible to obtain the various effects described in the above embodiment, such as the suppression of the backward movement. Also, the same function and effect as those of the above-described embodiment can be obtained in the effect regarding the refill.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 6, a base 34 for supporting and fixing the movable member 31 is provided upstream of the heating element 2 and is smaller than the liquid flow path 10. 34, the liquid supply path 12 as described above.
Supply of liquid to Further, the shape of the base 34 is not limited to this, and any shape can be used as long as the refill can be performed smoothly.

Next, a third example of the aging process in the present invention will be described. In this example, an aging process for a liquid discharge head having a one-channel structure as shown in FIG.

First, the heating element downstream wall 36 and the heating element side wall 37
In the liquid discharge head having a one-passage structure having the heating element 2 on the lower surface in the bubbling generation area 11 formed by the movable member 31 and the upper portion thereof, the liquid passage 10 is filled with the discharge liquid. Then, in a state in which the liquid is filled, the aging process is performed by controlling the driving of the heating element 2 under a predetermined driving condition (Table 1) as in the first and second examples described above. Thereby, the burrs Xa generated on the periphery of the movable member 31 can be removed, so that the movable member 31 can be easily blended in the liquid flow path 10 and easily displaced.
Further, the foaming stability in the liquid flow path 10 can be improved.

In addition, as the density of the head increases, the gap between the movable member 31 and the flow path wall becomes very narrow. The burrs may collide with the flow path wall and hinder the displacement. However, by displacing the movable member 31 by the aging process as in the present example, it is possible to ship a high-density head that completely eliminates the hindrance of displacement due to burrs.

In this embodiment, the distance between the movable member 31 and the heating element 2 is set to about 15 μm. However, any distance may be used as long as the pressure based on the generation of bubbles is sufficiently transmitted to the movable member.

Hereinafter, with reference to the drawings, a configuration example according to the present invention will be sequentially described with reference to FIGS. FIG.
This is an example in which the bubble generation region in one liquid flow path, the positional relationship between the bubble generated therein and the movable member are shown, and the liquid discharge method and the refill method of the present invention are more easily understood.

In many of the above-described embodiments, the pressure of the generated bubble is concentrated on the free end of the movable member, and the movement of the bubble is concentrated on the discharge port side simultaneously with the steep movement of the movable member. Have achieved. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, while giving the degree of freedom of the generated bubble, the downstream portion of the bubble which is the discharge port side of the bubble directly acting on the droplet discharge is regulated by the free end side of the movable member. is there.

In terms of the structure, FIG. 7 is different from FIG. 2 (first embodiment) in that the barrier as a barrier located at the downstream end of the bubble generation area provided on the element substrate 1 in FIG. A convex portion (shaded portion in the figure) is not provided in this embodiment. That is, the free end region and both side end regions of the movable member are opened without substantially closing the bubble generation region with respect to the discharge port region, and this configuration is the present embodiment.

In this embodiment, since the bubble growth at the downstream end portion of the downstream portion directly acting on the droplet discharge of the bubble is allowed, the pressure component is effectively used for the discharge. In addition, at least the upward pressure (the component force of VB, VB, VB in FIG. 3) of the downstream portion acts so that the free end portion of the movable member is applied to the bubble growth at the downstream end portion. Therefore, the discharge efficiency is improved in the same manner as in the above-described embodiment. In this embodiment, the response to the driving of the heating element is superior to that of the above embodiment. Further, this embodiment has an advantage in manufacturing because it is simple in structure.

The fulcrum of the movable member 31 of this embodiment is fixed to one base 34 having a small width relative to the surface of the movable member. Therefore, the liquid is supplied to the bubble generation region 11 at the time of defoaming through both sides of the base (see arrows in the figure). This base may have any structure as long as it secures supply.

In the case of the present embodiment, the refilling during the supply of the liquid is controlled by the presence of the movable member, so that the flow into the bubble generation region from above is controlled by the defoaming of the bubbles. This is excellent for the bubble generation structure of the above. Of course, this can also reduce the amount of meniscus retraction.

As a modified example of the present embodiment, it is preferable that only the both ends (one or both sides) of the movable member with respect to the free end be substantially sealed with respect to the bubble generation region 11. According to this configuration, since the pressure directed to the side of the movable member can be changed and used for the growth of the discharge port side end of the bubble described above, the discharge efficiency is further improved.

Next, an example in which the ejection force of the liquid due to the mechanical displacement described above is further improved will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of such a head structure. FIG. 8 shows an embodiment in which the movable member extends so that the position of the free end of the movable member 31 is located further downstream of the heating element. Thereby, the displacement speed of the movable member at the free end position can be increased, and the generation of the ejection force due to the displacement of the movable member can be further improved.

Further, since the free end is closer to the ejection port side than in the previous embodiment, the growth of bubbles can be concentrated on a more stable directional component, so that more excellent ejection can be performed.

The movable member 31 is displaced at a displacement speed R1 in accordance with the bubble growth speed at the center of the bubble pressure. The free end 32 farther from the fulcrum 33 than the fulcrum 33 has a higher speed R2. Is displaced. Thereby, the free end 3
2 is applied to the liquid mechanically at a high speed to cause the liquid to move, thereby improving the discharge efficiency.

The free end shape is perpendicular to the liquid flow as in FIG. 7 so that the pressure of the bubbles and the mechanical action of the movable member can be more efficiently contributed to the discharge. Can be.

Next, FIG. 9 shows an example of a structure in a case where the area directly communicating with the discharge port does not have a flow path shape communicating with the liquid chamber side.
A description will be given based on (a), (b), and (c).

All the liquid supply is performed only from the liquid supply path 12 along the surface of the movable member 31 on the foaming region side. The positional relationship between the free end 32 of the movable member 31 and the fulcrum 33 with respect to the discharge port 18 and the heat generation The configuration facing the body 2 is the same as in the previous embodiment.

This embodiment realizes the above-mentioned effects such as the discharge efficiency and the liquid supply property. In particular, almost all the liquid supply is performed by suppressing the meniscus retreat and utilizing the pressure at the time of defoaming. Forcible refilling is performed using the pressure at the time of defoaming.

FIG. 9 (a) shows a state in which the liquid is foamed by the heating element 2, and FIG. 9 (b) shows a state in which the foaming is shrinking. And the liquid supply by S3 is performed.

FIG. 9C shows a state in which the movable member is refilling the slight meniscus retreat M when the initial member returns to the initial position by the capillary force near the discharge port 18 after defoaming.

Next, an example in which the liquid flow path has a multi-flow path configuration is shown in FIG.
0 and FIG.

In this embodiment, by forming the liquid flow path into a multi-flow path structure, it is possible to separate the liquid (foaming liquid) to be foamed by further applying heat and the liquid to be mainly discharged (discharged liquid). .

FIG. 10 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the liquid discharge head of the present embodiment in the flow direction, and FIG. 11 is a partially cutaway perspective view of the liquid discharge head.

In the liquid discharge head of this embodiment, a second liquid flow path 16 for bubbling is provided on the element substrate 1 on which the heating element 2 for applying thermal energy for generating bubbles in the liquid is provided. The first for the discharge liquid directly communicating with the discharge port 18 above
A liquid flow path 14 is provided.

The upstream side of the first liquid flow path communicates with the first common liquid chamber 15 for supplying the discharge liquid to the plurality of first liquid flow paths, and the upstream side of the second liquid flow path is The plurality of second liquid flow paths communicate with a second common liquid chamber for supplying a foaming liquid.

However, when the same liquid is used for the foaming liquid and the discharge liquid, the common liquid chamber may be made one and shared.

A separation wall 30 made of a material having elasticity such as metal is provided between the first and second liquid flow paths, and is provided between the first and second liquid flow paths. Are classified. In the case where the foaming liquid and the discharge liquid are liquids that should not be mixed as much as possible, the flow of the liquids in the first liquid flow path 14 and the second liquid flow path 16 can be separated as completely as possible by this separation wall. It is better to perform the separation, but if there is no problem even if the foaming liquid and the discharge liquid are mixed to some extent, the separation wall may not have the function of complete separation.

The separation wall of the portion located in the projection space above the heating element in the plane direction (hereinafter referred to as the discharge pressure generation area; the area A in FIG. 10 and the air bubble generation area 11 in FIG.
5, the discharge port side (downstream side of the liquid flow) is a free end, and a cantilever-shaped movable member 31 having a fulcrum 33 located on the common liquid chamber (15, 17) side. This movable member 3
1 is arranged so as to face the bubble generation region 11 (B), so that it operates so as to open toward the discharge port side on the first liquid flow path side by foaming of the foaming liquid (in the direction of the arrow in the figure). FIG.
Also, in the element substrate 1 on which the heating resistor portion as the heating element 2 and the wiring electrode 5 for applying an electric signal to the heating resistor portion, a space constituting the second liquid flow path is formed. A separation wall 30 is disposed through the separation wall 30.

The relationship between the arrangement of the fulcrum 33 and the free end 32 of the movable member 31 and the arrangement with the heating element is the same as in the previous embodiment.

Although the structure of the liquid supply path 12 and the heating element 2 has been described in the previous embodiment, the structure of the second liquid flow path 16 and the heating element 2 in this embodiment is also the same. doing.

Next, the operation of the liquid ejection head of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

In driving the head, the same aqueous ink was used as the discharge liquid supplied to the first liquid flow path 14 and the foaming liquid supplied to the second liquid flow path 16.

The heat generated by the heating element 2 acts on the foaming liquid in the bubble generation area of the second liquid flow path, so that the foaming liquid is applied to the foaming liquid in the same manner as described in the previous embodiment.
The bubble 40 is generated based on the film boiling phenomenon as described in (1).

In this embodiment, since there is no escape of the foaming pressure from the three sides except for the upstream side of the bubble generation region, the pressure accompanying the bubble generation is applied to the movable member 6 arranged in the discharge pressure generating section. The movable member 6 is propagated intensively and displaces from the state of FIG. 12A to the first liquid flow path side as shown in FIG. 12B with the growth of bubbles. Due to the operation of the movable member, the first liquid flow path 14 and the second liquid flow path 16 communicate with each other largely, and the pressure based on the generation of bubbles mainly occurs in the direction (A direction) on the discharge port side of the first liquid flow path. Convey. The liquid is discharged from the discharge port by the propagation of the pressure and the mechanical displacement of the movable member as described above.

Next, as the bubbles shrink, the movable member 3
1 returns to the position shown in FIG.
In 4, the amount of the discharged liquid corresponding to the amount of the discharged liquid is supplied from the upstream side. Also in the present embodiment, the supply of the discharge liquid is in the direction in which the movable member closes, similarly to the above-described embodiment, so that the refill of the discharge liquid is not hindered by the movable member.

The present embodiment is the same as the first embodiment and the like in the operation and effects of the main parts relating to the propagation of the foaming pressure due to the displacement of the movable member, the growth direction of the bubbles, the prevention of back waves, and the like. However, by adopting the two-channel configuration as in this embodiment, there are further advantages as follows.

That is, according to the configuration of the above embodiment,
The discharge liquid and the foaming liquid are separated from each other, and the discharge liquid can be discharged by the pressure generated by the foaming of the foaming liquid. For this reason, conventionally, even if it is a high-viscosity liquid such as polyethylene glycol, which has been insufficiently foamed even when heat is applied and discharge power is insufficient, this liquid is supplied to the first liquid flow path, Liquid that foams well in the foaming liquid (ethanol: water = 4:
By supplying a liquid having a low boiling point or a liquid having a low boiling point to the second liquid flow path, the liquid can be satisfactorily discharged.

Further, by selecting a liquid which does not generate deposits such as kogation on the surface of the heating element even when it receives heat as the foaming liquid, foaming can be stabilized and good ejection can be performed.

Further, in the structure of the head of the present invention, since the effects described in the previous embodiment are also produced, it is possible to discharge a liquid such as a highly viscous liquid with a higher discharge efficiency and a higher discharge force.

Also, in the case of a liquid weak to heating, this liquid is supplied to the first liquid flow path as a discharge liquid, and the liquid which is hardly thermally degraded in the second liquid flow path and satisfactorily foams is supplied. This makes it possible to discharge the liquid weak to heating without causing thermal harm, and with high discharge efficiency and high discharge force as described above.

<Other Embodiments> The embodiments of the liquid ejection head and the main part of the liquid ejection method according to the present invention have been described above. Hereinafter, the preferred embodiments which can be preferably applied to these embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. It will be described using FIG. However, in the following description, there is a case where either one of the above-described embodiment of the one-flow passage form and the embodiment of the two-flow passage form is described, but it is applicable to both embodiments unless otherwise specified. is there.

<Ceiling Shape of Liquid Flow Path> FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view in the flow direction of the liquid discharge head of the present invention.
A grooved member 50 provided with a groove for constituting 3 (or the liquid flow path 10 in FIG. 1) is provided on the separation wall 30. In this embodiment, the free end 32 of the movable member
The height of the flow path ceiling near the position is increased, so that the operation angle θ of the movable member can be made larger. The operation range of the movable member may be determined in consideration of the structure of the liquid flow path, durability and bubbling force of the movable member, but it is desirable that the movable member be operated up to an angle including the angle in the axial direction of the discharge port. Conceivable.

Further, as shown in this figure, by making the displacement height of the free end of the movable member higher than the diameter of the discharge port,
A more sufficient transmission of the discharge force is achieved. As shown in this figure, the height of the liquid flow path ceiling at the fulcrum 33 of the movable member is lower than the height of the liquid flow path ceiling at the free end 32 of the movable member. The escape of the pressure wave to the upstream side due to the displacement can be more effectively prevented.

<Arrangement Relationship Between Second Liquid Flow Path and Movable Member> FIG. 14 is a diagram for explaining the arrangement relation between the movable member 31 and the second liquid flow path 16 described above. FIG. 2A is a view of the vicinity of the separation wall 30 and the movable member 31 as viewed from above, and FIG. 2B is a view of the second liquid flow path 16 from which the separation wall 30 has been removed, as viewed from above. FIG. 3C is a diagram schematically showing the arrangement relationship between the movable member 6 and the second liquid flow path 16 by overlapping these elements. In each of the figures, the lower part of the drawing is the front side where the discharge ports are arranged.

The second liquid flow path 16 of this embodiment is located upstream of the heating element 2 (here, the upstream side is discharged from the second common liquid chamber side through the position of the heating element, the movable member, and the first flow path). A chamber having a constriction 19 at the upstream side of the large flow toward the outlet to suppress the pressure at the time of foaming from easily escaping to the upstream side of the second liquid flow path 16. (Foaming chamber) structure.

As in the conventional head, the flow path for bubbling and the flow path for discharging the liquid are the same, and the constricted portion is formed so that the pressure generated on the liquid chamber side from the heating element does not escape to the common liquid chamber side. In the case of the head provided with the above, it is necessary to adopt a configuration in which the cross-sectional area of the flow path in the constricted portion does not become so small in consideration of liquid refilling.

However, in the case of this embodiment, most of the liquid to be discharged can be used as the discharge liquid in the first liquid flow path, and the foaming liquid in the second liquid flow path provided with the heating element is not so much. Since it can be prevented from being consumed, the bubble generation region 11 of the second liquid flow path
The filling amount of the foaming liquid into the liquid may be small. Therefore, since the interval in the constricted portion 19 can be made very small, that is, several μm to several tens of μm, it is possible to further suppress the pressure at the time of foaming generated in the second liquid flow path from being released too much to the surroundings, and to concentrate and move. It can be turned to the member side. And since this pressure can be used as a discharge force via the movable member 31,
Higher ejection efficiency and ejection force can be achieved. However, the shape of the first liquid flow path 16 is not limited to the above-described structure, and may be any shape as long as the pressure accompanying the generation of bubbles can be effectively transmitted to the movable member side.

As shown in FIG. 14 (c), the side of the movable member 31 covers a part of the wall constituting the second liquid flow path. Dropping into the liquid flow path can be prevented. This can further enhance the separability between the ejection liquid and the foaming liquid described above. In addition, since the escape of bubbles from the slits can be suppressed, the discharge pressure and the discharge efficiency can be further increased. further,
The effect of the refill from the upstream side by the pressure at the time of the defoaming can be enhanced.

In FIGS. 12B and 13,
With the displacement of the movable member 6 toward the first liquid flow path 14, the second
Some of the bubbles generated in the bubble generation region 11 of the liquid flow path 4 extend to the first liquid flow path 14 side. By doing so, the ejection force can be further improved as compared with the case where the bubble does not extend. In order for the bubbles to extend into the first liquid flow path 14 in this manner, it is desirable that the height of the second liquid flow path 16 be lower than the height of the maximum bubble. μm to 3
Desirably, it is 0 μm. In this embodiment, the height is set to 15 μm.

<Movable Member and Separation Wall> FIG. 15 shows another shape of the movable member 31. Reference numeral 35 denotes a slit provided in the separation wall, and the slit forms the movable member 31. . (A) is a rectangular shape, (b) is a shape where the fulcrum side is narrower and the movable member is easy to operate, and (c) is a shape where the fulcrum side is wider and the movable member is wider. This is a shape that improves the durability of the device.
As a shape having good operability and durability, FIG.
As shown in (a), it is desirable that the width on the fulcrum side is narrowed in an arc shape, but the shape of the movable member is a shape that can easily operate without entering the second liquid flow path side. ,
Any shape having excellent durability may be used.

In the above embodiment, the plate-shaped movable member 31
And the separation wall 5 having the movable member is made of nickel having a thickness of 5 μm. However, the material for the movable member and the separation wall is not limited to this, and has a solvent resistance to the foaming liquid and the discharge liquid. Any material may be used as long as it has elasticity to operate well as a movable member and can form a fine slit.

As the material of the movable member, high durability
Metals such as silver, nickel, gold, iron, titanium, aluminum, platinum, tantalum, stainless steel, phosphor bronze, and alloys thereof, or resins having a nitrile group such as acrylonitrile, butadiene, styrene, and amide groups such as polyamide Resin, resin having a carboxyl group such as polycarbonate, resin having an aldehyde group such as polyacetal, resin having a sulfone group such as polysulfone,
In addition, resins and compounds such as liquid crystal polymers, highly ink-resistant metals such as gold, tungsten, tantalum, nickel, stainless steel, titanium, alloys of these and those with ink resistance coated on the surface or polyamide A resin having an amide group such as
Resins having an aldehyde group such as polyacetal, resins having a ketone group such as polyetheretherketone, resins having an imide group such as polyimide, resins having a hydroxyl group such as a phenol resin, resins having an ethyl group such as polyethylene, polypropylene, etc. A resin having an alkyl group, a resin having an epoxy group such as an epoxy resin, a resin having an amino group such as a melamine resin, a resin having a methylol group such as a xylene resin and its compound, and a ceramic such as silicon dioxide and its compound. desirable.

Examples of the material of the separation wall include polyethylene, polypropylene, polyamide, polyethylene terephthalate, melamine resin, phenol resin, epoxy resin, polybutadiene, polyurethane, polyetheretherketone, polyethersulfone, polyarylate, polyimide, polysulfone, and liquid crystal. A resin having good heat resistance, solvent resistance and moldability represented by recent engineering plastics such as polymer (LCP) and its compound, or silicon dioxide, silicon nitride, nickel,
Metals such as gold and stainless steel, alloys and their compounds, or those whose surfaces are coated with titanium or gold are desirable.

The thickness of the separation wall may be determined in consideration of its material and shape from the viewpoint that the strength as the separation wall can be achieved and the movable member operates well.
A thickness of about 0.5 to 10 μm is desirable.

The width of the slit 35 for forming the movable member 31 is 2 μm in the present embodiment. However, if the foaming liquid and the discharge liquid are different liquids and it is desired to prevent a mixture of the two liquids, the slit is used. The width may be set so as to form a meniscus between the two liquids, and the flow of each liquid may be suppressed. For example, when a liquid of about 2 cP (centipoise) is used as the foaming liquid and a liquid of 100 cP or more is used as the discharge liquid, the liquid mixture can be prevented even with a slit of about 5 μm, but it is preferable that the slit be 3 μm or less. .

The movable member in the present invention is intended for a thickness on the order of μm (t μm), and a movable member having a thickness on the order of cm is not intended. For a movable member having a thickness on the order of μm, a slit width (W
μm), it is desirable to consider the manufacturing variation to some extent.

When the thickness of the member facing the free end and / or the side end of the movable member forming the slit is equal to the thickness of the movable member (FIG. 12, FIG. 13, etc.), the relationship between the slit width and the thickness is determined by manufacturing. By setting the following range in consideration of the variation, the mixture of the foaming liquid and the ejection liquid can be stably suppressed. Although this is a limited condition, when a high-viscosity ink (5 cp, 10 cp, etc.) is used for a foaming liquid having a viscosity of 3 cp or less, W / t
By satisfying ≦ 1, it was possible to suppress the mixing of the two liquids for a long time.

The slit which gives the “substantially sealed state” of the present invention is more reliable if it is on the order of several μm.

As described above, when the functions are separated into the foaming liquid and the discharge liquid, the movable member becomes a substantial partitioning member. It can be seen that the foaming liquid mixes slightly with the discharge liquid when the movable member moves with the generation of bubbles. In consideration of the fact that an ejection liquid for forming an image generally has a colorant density of about 3% to 5% in the case of ink jet recording, this foaming liquid is in a range of 20% or less with respect to the ejection droplet. Does not cause a large change in concentration. Therefore, the present invention includes such a mixed liquid as a mixture of a foaming liquid and an ejected liquid such that the amount thereof is 20% or less of the ejected liquid droplets.

In the implementation of the above configuration example, even if the viscosity is changed, the mixing of the foaming liquid at the upper limit is 15%. With the foaming liquid of 5 cps or less, the mixing ratio depends on the driving frequency, but it is 10%. % As the upper limit.

In particular, as the viscosity of the discharged liquid is set to 20 cps or less, the mixed liquid can be reduced (for example, 5% or less).

Next, the positional relationship between the heating element and the movable member in this head will be described with reference to the drawings. However,
The shapes, dimensions, and numbers of the movable member and the heating element are not limited to the following. By the optimal arrangement of the heating element and the movable member, the pressure at the time of foaming by the heating element can be effectively used as the discharge pressure.

By giving energy such as heat to the ink, a state change accompanied by a steep volume change (formation of bubbles) is caused in the ink, and the ink is ejected from the ejection port by the action force based on this state change. In the related art of an ink jet recording method for forming an image by adhering a liquid on a recording medium, that is, a so-called bubble jet recording method, FIG.
As shown in FIG. 6, although the heating element area and the ink discharge amount are in a proportional relationship, it can be seen that there is a non-foaming effective region S that does not contribute to ink discharge. In addition, from the appearance of the kogation on the heating element, it can be seen that the non-foaming effective area S exists around the heating element. From these results, it is considered that the width of about 4 μm around the heating element is not involved in foaming.

Therefore, in order to effectively use the foaming pressure, it is effective to dispose the movable member such that the movable area of the movable member covers the area just above the effective foaming area at least about 4 μm from the periphery of the heating element. It can be said that it is a target. In the present embodiment, the effective foaming area is set at about 4 μm or more inside the periphery of the heating element. However, the present invention is not limited to this, depending on the type and forming method of the heating element.

In FIG. 17, a movable member 301 ((a)) having a different total area of movable regions is provided on a heating element 2 of 58 × 150 μm.
FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram viewed from above when the movable member 302 (FIG. 2B) is arranged.

The dimension of the movable member 301 is 53 × 145 μm.
m, which is smaller than the area of the heating element 2, but approximately the same as the effective foaming area of the heating element 2, and is arranged so as to cover the effective foaming area. On the other hand, the size of the movable member 302 is 53 × 220 μm, which is larger than the area of the heating element 2 (when the width is the same, the dimension between the fulcrum and the movable tip is longer than the length of the heating element). It is arranged so as to cover the effective foaming area in the same manner as the above. The durability and discharge efficiency of the two types of movable members 301 and 302 were measured. The measurement conditions are as follows.

Foaming liquid: 40% ethanol aqueous solution Ejection ink: Dye ink Voltage: 20.2 V Frequency: 3 kHz As a result of conducting an experiment under these measurement conditions, regarding the durability of the movable member, (a) the movable member 301 In the case of 1 × 10 ⁷ pulses, the fulcrum of the movable member 301 was damaged when 1 × 10 ⁷ pulses were applied. (B) 3 × 10 ^{8 for the} movable member 302
No damage was seen when the pulse was applied. It was also confirmed that the kinetic energy based on the discharge amount and the discharge speed with respect to the input energy was improved by about 1.5 to 2.5 times.

From the above results, it can be seen from the viewpoints of both durability and discharge efficiency that the movable member is provided so as to cover directly above the effective foaming area, and that the area of the movable member is larger than the area of the heating element. It turns out that it is excellent.

FIG. 18 shows the relationship between the distance from the edge of the heating element to the fulcrum of the movable member and the displacement of the movable member. FIG. 19 is a cross-sectional view showing the positional relationship between the heating element 2 and the movable member 31 as viewed from the side. Heating element 2 is 40 ×
The one having a size of 105 μm was used. It can be seen that the greater the distance l from the edge of the heating element 2 to the fulcrum 33 of the movable member 31, the greater the displacement. Therefore, it is desirable to determine the optimal displacement amount and determine the position of the fulcrum of the movable member based on the required ink discharge amount, the discharge liquid flow path structure, and the shape of the heating element.

When the fulcrum of the movable member is located immediately above the effective foaming area of the heating element, the durability of the movable member is reduced because the foaming pressure is directly applied to the fulcrum in addition to the stress caused by the displacement of the movable member. . According to the experiment of the present inventor, it was found that, in the case where the fulcrum was provided right above the effective foaming area, the movable wall was damaged by about 1 × 10 ⁶ pulses, and the durability was reduced. I have. Therefore, by arranging the fulcrum of the movable member just above the effective foaming area of the heating element, the practicability increases even if the movable member has a shape or material whose durability is not so high. However, even if there is a fulcrum just above the effective foaming area, it can be used favorably if the shape and material are selected. With this configuration, a liquid ejection head having high ejection efficiency and excellent durability can be obtained.

<Element Substrate> The configuration of an element substrate provided with a heating element for applying heat to a liquid will be described below.

FIG. 20 is a longitudinal sectional view of the liquid discharge head of the present invention. FIG. 20 (a) shows a head having a protective film described later, and FIG. 20 (b) shows a head without a protective film.

On the element substrate 1, the second liquid flow path 16, the separation wall 3
0, a first liquid flow path 14, and a grooved member 50 provided with grooves forming the first liquid flow path.

The element substrate 1 is provided with a gas 107 such as silicon.
A silicon oxide film or a silicon nitride film 106 for insulation and heat storage is formed thereon, and hafnium boride (HfB ₂ ), tantalum nitride (TaN), and tantalum aluminum (TaAl) constituting a heating element are formed thereon. ) And wiring electrodes (0.2-1.0 μm thick) of aluminum or the like are patterned as shown in FIG. These two wiring electrodes 10
From 4, a voltage is applied to the resistance layer 105, and a current flows through the resistance layer to generate heat. On the resistance layer between the wiring electrodes, a protective layer such as silicon oxide or silicon nitride is formed with a thickness of 0.1 to 2.0 μm, and further thereon, a cavitation resistant layer such as tantalum (with a thickness of 0.1 to 0.6 μm) is formed. ) Is deposited,
The resistance layer 105 is protected from various liquids such as ink.

In particular, the pressure and shock waves generated when bubbles are generated and defoamed are extremely strong, and the durability of a hard and brittle oxide film is significantly reduced.
Are used as a cavitation-resistant layer.

A structure that does not require the above-described protective layer may be used depending on a combination of a liquid, a liquid flow path structure, and a resistance material. An example thereof is shown in FIG. Examples of the material of the resistance layer that does not require such a protective layer include an iridium-tantalum-aluminum alloy.

As described above, the structure of the heating element in each of the above-described embodiments may be only the above-described resistance layer (heating section) between the electrodes, or may include a protective layer for protecting the resistance layer.

In the present embodiment, a heating element having a heating portion composed of a resistance layer which generates heat in response to an electric signal is used as the heating element. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and it is sufficient that the ejection liquid is ejected. What is necessary is just a thing which produces a bubble in a foaming liquid. For example, a light-to-heat converter that generates heat by receiving light from a laser or the like, or a heat generator that has a heat generating unit that generates heat by receiving a high frequency may be used as the heat generating unit.

The above-mentioned element substrate 1 includes, in addition to the electrothermal transducer composed of the above-described resistance layer 105 constituting the heating section and the wiring electrode 104 for supplying an electric signal to this resistance layer, Functional elements such as a transistor, a diode, a latch, and a shift register for selectively driving the electrothermal conversion element may be integrally formed by a semiconductor manufacturing process.

Further, in order to drive the heat generating portion of the electrothermal transducer provided on the element substrate 1 and discharge the liquid, the above-described resistance layer 105 is connected to the above-described resistance layer 105 through the wiring electrode 104 as shown in FIG. A rectangular pulse as shown by is applied to cause the resistance layer 105 between the wiring electrodes to generate heat sharply. In the head of each of the above-described embodiments, the heating element is driven by applying a voltage of 24 V, a pulse width of 7 μsec, a current of 150 mA, and an electric signal of 6 kHz, and the liquid ink is discharged from the ejection port by the above-described operation. Discharged. However, the condition of the drive signal is not limited to this, and any drive signal can be used as long as it can appropriately foam the foaming liquid.

<Head Structure with Two Flow Paths> The liquid discharge which can separate and introduce different liquids into the first and second common liquid chambers in a good manner, can reduce the number of parts, and can reduce the cost. An example of the structure of the head will be described.

FIG. 22 is a schematic diagram showing the structure of such a liquid discharge head, in which the same reference numerals are used for the same components as in the previous embodiment, and a detailed description is omitted here.

In this embodiment, the grooved member 50 is
An orifice plate 51 having a discharge port 18; a plurality of grooves forming a plurality of first liquid flow paths 14;
4 and a concave portion forming a first common liquid chamber 15 for supplying a liquid (ejection liquid) to each first liquid flow path 3.

The lower part of the grooved member 50 is provided with a separation wall 30.
Can be formed to form a plurality of first liquid flow paths 14. Such a grooved member 50 has a first liquid supply path 20 that reaches the inside of the first common liquid chamber 15 from above. Further, the grooved member 50 penetrates the separation wall 30 from the upper part thereof and reaches the second common liquid chamber 17 in the second common liquid chamber 17.
The liquid supply path 21 of FIG.

The first liquid (discharge liquid) is indicated by an arrow C in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 22, the liquid is supplied to the first common liquid chamber 15 and then to the first liquid flow path 14 via the first liquid supply path 20, and the second liquid (foaming liquid) is indicated by an arrow D in FIG. As shown, the second
Through the liquid supply path 21, the second common liquid chamber 17, and then the second common liquid chamber 17,
The liquid is supplied to the liquid flow path 16.

In the present embodiment, the second liquid supply path 21 is arranged in parallel with the first liquid supply path 20. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the second liquid supply path 21 is arranged outside the first common liquid chamber 15. Any configuration may be used as long as it is formed so as to penetrate through the separated wall 30 and communicate with the second common liquid chamber 17.

The thickness (diameter) of the second liquid supply path 21
Is determined in consideration of the supply amount of the second liquid.
The shape of the second liquid supply path 21 does not need to be round,
It may be rectangular or the like.

The second common liquid chamber 17 is provided with a grooved member 50.
By the partition wall 30. As a forming method, as shown in an exploded perspective view of this embodiment shown in FIG. 23, a common liquid chamber frame and a second liquid path wall are formed on an element substrate with a dry film, and a grooved member in which a separation wall is fixed. The second common liquid chamber 17 and the second liquid flow path 16 may be formed by bonding the combined body of the separation wall 30 and the element substrate 1 to the element substrate 1.

In this embodiment, as described above, on the support 70 made of a metal such as aluminum, an electric heating element is used as a heating element for generating heat for generating bubbles due to film boiling in the foaming liquid. An element substrate 1 provided with a plurality of heat conversion elements is provided.

On the element substrate 1, a plurality of grooves forming the liquid flow path 16 formed by the second liquid path wall, and a plurality of the foaming liquid flow paths are communicated. Forming a second common liquid chamber (common bubbling liquid chamber) 17 for supplying water, and a separation wall 30 provided with the movable wall 31 described above.
And are arranged.

Reference numeral 50 denotes a grooved member. The grooved member is joined to the separation wall 30 to form a discharge liquid flow path (first
A first common liquid chamber (common discharge liquid chamber) 15 which communicates with the groove forming the liquid flow path) 14 and the discharge liquid flow path to supply the discharge liquid to each discharge liquid flow path; Of the recess,
A first supply path (discharge liquid supply path) 20 for supplying discharge liquid to the first common liquid chamber, and a second supply path (foam liquid supply) for supplying foaming liquid to the second common liquid chamber 17. (Road) 21. The second supply passage 21 penetrates the separation wall 30 disposed outside the first common liquid chamber 15 and
7, the foaming liquid is not mixed with the discharge liquid by the communication path, and the foamed liquid is mixed with the second common liquid chamber 1.
5 can be supplied.

The arrangement relationship between the element substrate 1, the separation wall 30, and the grooved top plate 50 is such that the movable member 31 is arranged corresponding to the heating element of the element substrate 1, and corresponds to the movable member 31. A discharge liquid channel 14 is provided. Further, in the present embodiment, an example is shown in which one second supply path is provided in the grooved member, but a plurality of second supply paths may be provided according to the supply amount. Furthermore, the flow path cross-sectional area of the discharge liquid supply path 20 and the foaming liquid supply path 21 may be determined in proportion to the supply amount.

By optimizing the cross-sectional area of the flow path, it is possible to further reduce the size of the components constituting the grooved member 50 and the like.

As described above, according to this embodiment, the second supply path for supplying the second liquid to the second liquid flow path and the first supply path for supplying the first liquid to the first liquid flow path Since the road and the grooved top plate as the grooved member are the same, the number of components can be reduced, and the process can be shortened and the cost can be reduced.

Further, the supply of the second liquid to the second common liquid chamber communicating with the second liquid flow path is performed by the second liquid flow path in a direction penetrating the separation wall separating the first liquid and the second liquid. Since the structure is performed, the bonding step of the separation wall, the grooved member, and the heating element forming substrate only needs to be performed once, thereby improving the ease of manufacturing, improving the bonding accuracy, and discharging well. Can be.

Further, since the second liquid penetrates through the separation wall and is supplied to the second liquid common liquid chamber, the supply of the second liquid to the second liquid flow path is ensured, and the supply amount can be sufficiently ensured.
Stable discharge is possible.

<Ejecting Liquid and Foaming Liquid> As described in the previous embodiment, in the present invention, the structure having the movable member as described above provides higher ejection force and ejection efficiency than the conventional liquid ejection head. The liquid can be discharged at high speed. When the same liquid is used as the foaming liquid and the discharge liquid in the embodiment, the heat is not deteriorated by the heat applied from the heating element, the deposit is hardly generated on the heating element by heating, and the vaporization is caused by the heat. In addition, various liquids can be used as long as they can change the reversible state of condensation and do not deteriorate the liquid flow path, the movable member, the separation wall, and the like.

Among such liquids, as a liquid (recording liquid) used for recording, an ink having a composition used in a conventional bubble jet apparatus can be used.

On the other hand, when a head having a two-flow path structure according to the present invention is used and the discharge liquid and the foaming liquid are different liquids, a liquid having the above-mentioned properties may be used as the foaming liquid. , 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, acetic acid ethyl,
Examples include acetone, methyl ethyl ketone, water, and the like, and mixtures thereof.

As the discharge liquid, various liquids can be used irrespective of the presence or absence of foaming properties and thermal properties. In addition, liquids having low foaming properties, liquids which are easily deteriorated or deteriorated by heat, high-viscosity liquids, and the like, which have been difficult to discharge conventionally, can be used.

However, the properties of the discharged liquid are as follows:
Alternatively, it is desirable that the liquid is not a liquid that hinders ejection, foaming, operation of the movable member, or the like due to a reaction with the foaming liquid.

As a recording liquid to be ejected, a high-viscosity ink or the like can be used. As other discharge liquids, liquids such as medicines and perfumes that are vulnerable to heat can be used.

In the present invention, recording was performed using an ink having the following composition as a recording liquid that can be used for both the ejection liquid and the foaming liquid. Therefore, the landing accuracy of the droplet was improved, and a very good recorded image could be obtained.

Composition of Dye Ink (Viscosity 2 cps) (CI Food Black 2) Dye 3 wt% Diethylene glycol 10 wt% Thiodiglycol 5 wt% Ethanol 5 wt% Water 77 wt% Recording was performed by discharging a combination of liquids having the following compositions. As a result, a liquid having a viscosity of more than ten cps, which was difficult to discharge with a conventional head, as well as a liquid having a very high viscosity of 150 cP could be discharged favorably, and a high-quality recorded matter could be obtained.

Composition of foaming liquid 1 Ethanol 40% by weight Water 60% by weight Composition of foaming liquid 2 Composition of water 100% by weight Composition of foaming liquid 3 Isopropyl alcohol 10% by weight Water 90% by weight Discharge liquid 1 of pigment ink (viscosity of about 15 cps) Composition Carbon black 5% by weight Styrene-acrylic acid-ethyl acrylate copolymer 1% by weight (acid value 140, weight average molecular weight 8000) monoethanolamine 0.25% by weight glycerin 69% by weight thiodiglycol 5% by weight ethanol 3 Weight% water 16.75 weight% composition of ejection liquid 2 (viscosity 55 cps) composition of polyethylene glycol 200 100 wt% composition of ejection liquid 3 (viscosity 150 cps) polyethylene glycol 600 100 wt% For liquids that have been Low due to the discharge direction of the variation is promoted poor landing accuracy of the dot on the recording paper, also the discharge amount variation by unstable discharge caused by these, high-quality image was difficult to obtain. However, in the configuration of the above-described embodiment, it is possible to generate bubbles sufficiently and stably by using the foaming liquid. As a result, it is possible to improve the landing accuracy of the droplets and stabilize the ink discharge amount, and it is possible to remarkably improve the quality of the recorded image.

<Manufacture of Liquid Discharge Head> Next, the process of manufacturing the liquid discharge head of the present invention will be described.

In the case of the liquid discharge head as shown in FIG. 2, a base 34 for providing the movable member 31 on the element substrate 1 is formed by patterning a dry film or the like. 31 was adhered or fixed by welding. Thereafter, a grooved member having a plurality of grooves forming each liquid flow path 10, a discharge port 18, and a concave part forming the common liquid chamber 13 is joined to the element substrate 1 in such a manner that the grooves correspond to the movable members. It was formed by doing.

Next, as shown in FIG. 10 and FIG.
The manufacturing process of the liquid discharge head having the flow path configuration will be described.

Generally, the second liquid flow path 1
6, a separation wall 30 is mounted thereon, and a grooved member 50 provided with a groove or the like constituting the first liquid flow path 14 is further mounted thereon. Alternatively, the second liquid flow path 1
After forming the wall of No. 6, the head was manufactured by joining the grooved member 50 on which the separation wall 30 was attached to the wall.

Further, the method for forming the second liquid flow path will be described in detail.

FIGS. 24A to 24E are schematic sectional views for explaining a first embodiment of the method for manufacturing a liquid discharge head according to the present invention.

In this embodiment, as shown in (a), hafnium boride, tantalum nitride and the like are formed on an element substrate (silicon wafer) 1 using the same manufacturing apparatus as used in the semiconductor manufacturing process. After the element for electrothermal conversion having the heating element 2 was formed, the surface of the element substrate 1 was washed for the purpose of improving the adhesion to the photosensitive resin in the next step. Further, in order to improve the adhesiveness, after the surface of the element substrate is surface-modified with ultraviolet-ozone or the like, for example, a silane coupling agent (A189 manufactured by Nippon Yunika)
Is diluted to 1% by weight with ethyl alcohol and spin-coated on the modified surface.

Next, as shown in (b), an ultraviolet-sensitive resin film (manufactured by Tokyo Ohka: Dry Film Odile SY) is provided on the substrate 1 having been subjected to surface cleaning and having improved adhesion.
-318) The DF was laminated.

Next, as shown in (c), a photomask PM is arranged on the dry film DF, and ultraviolet rays are passed through the photomask PM to a portion of the dry film DF to be left as the second channel wall. Was irradiated. This exposure step
Manufactured by Canon Inc .: MPA-600, about 6
The exposure was performed at an exposure of 00 mJ / cm ² .

Next, as shown in (d), the dry film DF was developed with a developing solution (BMRC-3, manufactured by Tokyo Ohka Chemical Co., Ltd.) composed of a mixture of xylene and butyl cellosolve acetate, and the unexposed portion was developed. The portion that was dissolved, exposed and cured was formed as a wall portion of the second liquid flow path 16. Further, the residue remaining on the surface of the element substrate 1 is removed by treating it with an oxygen plasma ashing apparatus (MAS-800, manufactured by Alcantech) for about 90 seconds, and subsequently, at 150 ° C. for 2 hours, and further 100 mJ / cm ^{2 of} ultraviolet irradiation. The exposure was completely cured.

According to the above-described method, the second liquid flow path can be uniformly formed with high precision on a plurality of heater boards (element substrates) divided and manufactured from the silicon substrate. A dicing machine (manufactured by Tokyo Seimitsu:
(AWD-4000) to cut and separate each heater board 1. An adhesive (made by Toray:
(SE4400) on the aluminum base plate 70 (FIG. 27). Next, the aluminum base plate 70
An aluminum wire (not shown) having a diameter of 0.05 mm is formed by connecting the printed wiring board 71 bonded above and the heater board 1 to each other.
Connected with.

Next, as shown in FIG. 24 (e), the joined body of the grooved member 50 and the separating wall 30 was positioned and joined to the heater board 1 thus obtained, as shown in FIG.
That is, the grooved member having the separating wall 30 and the heater board 1 are positioned and engaged and fixed by the pressing spring 78, and then the ink / foaming liquid supply member 80 is joined and fixed on the aluminum base plate 70, and the aluminum wire is fixed. , Grooved member 50, heater board 1, and ink / foaming liquid supply member 80
The gap with the silicone sealant (made by Toshiba Silicone:
(TSE399) and completed.

By forming the second liquid flow path by the above-described manufacturing method, it is possible to obtain a high-precision flow path with no positional deviation with respect to the heater of each heater board. In particular, by joining the grooved member 50 and the separation wall 30 in the previous step in advance, the positional accuracy of the first liquid flow path 14 and the movable member 31 can be improved.

By using the liquid discharge head manufactured as described above and performing the aging treatment shown in the first to third examples as described above, burrs generated at the time of manufacture are removed, and the movable member is removed. Can be easily displaced, whereby stable ejection can be performed.

[0211] These high-precision manufacturing techniques stabilize ejection and improve print quality. In addition, since it can be formed on a wafer at a time, a large amount can be manufactured at low cost.

In this example, an ultraviolet-curing dry film was used to form the second liquid flow path.
It can also be obtained by using a resin having an absorption band in the ultraviolet region, particularly around 248 nm, curing after laminating, and directly removing the resin in a portion serving as the second liquid flow path with an excimer laser.

Next, FIGS. 25A to 25D are schematic sectional views for explaining a second embodiment of the method for manufacturing a liquid discharge head according to the present invention.

In this embodiment, as shown in (a), a 15 μm-thick resist 10
1 was patterned in the shape of the second liquid flow path.

Next, as shown in FIG.
00 was electroplated to grow a nickel layer 102 on the SUS substrate 100 by 15 μm. As the plating solution, a stress reducing agent (Zerool, manufactured by World Metal Co.), boric acid, a pit preventing agent (NP-APS, manufactured by World Metal Co.), and nickel chloride were used for nickel sulfamate. As for the method of applying an electric field at the time of electrodeposition, an electrode was attached to the anode side, the already patterned SUS substrate 100 was attached to the cathode side, and the temperature of the plating solution was set to 50 ° C.
And the current density was 5 A / cm ² .

Next, as shown in (c), ultrasonic vibration is applied to the SUS substrate 100 which has been plated as described above, and the nickel layer 102 is peeled off from the SUS substrate 100, and the desired second A liquid flow path was obtained.

On the other hand, a heater board provided with an electrothermal conversion element was formed on a silicon wafer using the same manufacturing apparatus as that for semiconductors. This wafer was separated into respective heater boards by a dicing machine in the same manner as in the previous embodiment. The heater board 1 is joined to an aluminum base plate 70 to which a printed board 104 has been joined in advance, and the printed board 7
1 and an aluminum wire (not shown) to form an electrical wiring. On the heater board 1 in such a state, as shown in FIG. 25D, the second liquid flow path obtained in the previous step was positioned and fixed. At the time of this fixing, as in the first embodiment, since the top plate on which the separation wall is fixed is engaged with and tightly attached to the top plate by the pressing spring in the subsequent step, it is fixed to the extent that no positional displacement occurs at the time of joining the top plate. Is enough.

In this embodiment, an ultraviolet curing adhesive (Amicon UV-3 manufactured by Grace Japan) is used for the positioning and fixing.
00), and using an ultraviolet irradiation device, the exposure amount is 10
Fixation was completed in about 3 seconds at 0 mJ / cm ² .

According to the manufacturing method of this embodiment, in addition to the fact that the second liquid flow path having high accuracy without displacement with respect to the heating element can be obtained, since the flow path wall is formed of nickel, It is possible to provide a highly reliable head that is resistant to alkaline liquids. In this manufacturing method, the same aging treatment as in the above-described example is performed.

Next, FIGS. 26A to 26D are schematic sectional views for explaining a third embodiment of the method of manufacturing a liquid discharge head according to the present invention.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 19A, a resist 31 was applied to both surfaces of a 15 μm thick SUS substrate 100 having alignment holes or marks 100a. Here, as the resist, P made by Tokyo Ohka
MERP-AR900 was used.

Thereafter, as shown in FIG.
Exposure was performed using an exposure apparatus (MPA-600, manufactured by Canon Inc.) in accordance with the alignment hole 100a of No. 00, and the resist 103 in the portion where the second liquid flow path was to be formed was removed. The exposure was performed at an exposure amount of 800 mJ / cm ² .

Next, as shown in (c), the SUS substrate 100 on which the resists 103 on both sides are patterned is immersed in an etching solution (an aqueous solution of ferric chloride or cupric chloride) and exposed from the resist 103. After etching the exposed portion, the resist was removed.

Next, as shown in (d), the etched SUS substrate 100 is positioned and fixed on the heater board 1 and the second liquid flow path 4 is formed in the same manner as in the above embodiment of the manufacturing method. Was assembled.

According to the manufacturing method of the present embodiment, the second liquid flow path 4 can be obtained with high accuracy without any displacement with respect to the heater. In addition, since the flow path is formed by SUS, acid or alkaline And a highly reliable liquid ejection head can be provided. In this manufacturing method, the same aging treatment as in the above-described example is performed.

As described above, according to the manufacturing method of the present embodiment, by disposing the wall of the second liquid flow path in advance on the element substrate, the electrothermal converter and the second liquid flow path can be connected. Positioning can be performed with high accuracy. In addition, since the second liquid flow path can be formed simultaneously on a large number of element substrates on the substrate before cutting and separation, a large amount of low-cost liquid discharge head can be provided.

In the liquid discharge head obtained by performing the method of manufacturing a liquid discharge head according to the manufacturing method of the present embodiment, the heating element and the second liquid flow path are positioned with high precision. The pressure of foaming due to the heat generated by the electrothermal transducer can be efficiently received, and the discharge efficiency is excellent.

By performing the aging process on the movable member 31 in the manufacturing method described above, burrs generated on the movable member 31 can be effectively removed.
Accordingly, the movable member 31 can be easily displaced, and stable ejection can be performed.

<Liquid Discharge Head Cartridge> Next, a liquid discharge head cartridge equipped with the liquid discharge head according to the above embodiment will be schematically described.

FIG. 27 is a schematic exploded perspective view of a liquid discharge head cartridge including the above-described liquid discharge head. The liquid discharge head cartridge is schematically composed mainly of a liquid discharge head section 200 and a liquid container 90. I have.

The liquid discharge head unit 200 includes the element substrate 1,
It comprises a separation wall 30, a grooved member 50, a pressing spring 78, a liquid supply member 80, a support 70 and the like. As described above, the element substrate 1 is provided with a plurality of heating resistors for applying heat to the foaming liquid in a row, and a functional element for selectively driving the heating resistors. Are provided. This element substrate 1 and the aforementioned separation wall 3 having a movable wall
0, a foaming liquid passage is formed, and the foaming liquid flows. By joining the separation wall 30 and the grooved top plate 50, a discharge flow path (not shown) through which the discharged liquid to be discharged flows is formed.

The pressing spring 78 is a member for applying an urging force in the direction of the element substrate 1 to the grooved member 50, and this urging force causes the element substrate 1, the separating wall 30, the grooved member 50 and a support member to be described later. 70 and satisfactorily integrated.

The support 70 is for supporting the element substrate 1 and the like. On the support 70, a circuit board 71 for connecting to the element substrate 1 and supplying an electric signal,
A contact pad 72 for exchanging electrical signals with the device by connecting to the device is provided.

The liquid container 90 contains therein a discharge liquid such as ink and a foaming liquid for generating bubbles, which are supplied to the liquid discharge head. Outside the liquid container 90, a positioning portion 94 for arranging a connection member for connecting the liquid ejection head and the liquid container and a fixed shaft 95 for fixing the connection portion are provided. The discharge liquid is supplied from the discharge liquid supply path 92 of the liquid container to the discharge liquid supply path 81 of the liquid supply member 80 via the supply path 84 of the connection member.
And the discharge liquid supply paths 83, 71, 21 of each member
To the first common liquid chamber. Similarly, the foaming liquid is supplied from the supply path 93 of the liquid container to the foaming liquid supply path 82 of the liquid supply member 80 via the supply path of the connecting member, and is supplied via the foaming liquid supply paths 84, 71, and 22 of the respective members. The liquid is supplied to the second liquid chamber.

In the above-described liquid discharge head cartridge, the supply form and the liquid container that can supply the liquid are described also when the foaming liquid and the discharge liquid are different liquids. However, when the discharge liquid and the foam liquid are the same. However, the supply path and the container for the foaming liquid and the discharge liquid do not have to be divided.

It is to be noted that the liquid container may be refilled with the liquid after each liquid is consumed before use. For this purpose, it is desirable to provide a liquid inlet in the liquid container. Further, the liquid discharge head and the liquid container may be integrated or may be separable.

<Liquid Discharge Apparatus> FIG. 28 shows a schematic configuration of a liquid discharge apparatus equipped with the above-described liquid ejecting head. In the present embodiment, a carriage HC of a liquid ejection apparatus, which will be described using an ink ejection recording apparatus using ink as an ejection liquid, is a head cartridge in which a liquid tank section 90 containing ink and a liquid ejection head section 200 are detachable. And reciprocate in the width direction of the recording medium 150 such as recording paper conveyed by the recording medium conveying means.

When a drive signal is supplied from a drive signal supply means (not shown) to the liquid discharge means on the carriage, the recording liquid is discharged from the liquid discharge head to the recording medium in accordance with this signal.

In the liquid ejection apparatus of the present embodiment, the motor 111 as a drive source for driving the recording medium transport means and the carriage, the gears 112 and 113 for transmitting the power from the drive source to the carriage. It has a shaft 115 and the like. With this recording apparatus and the liquid ejection method performed by this recording apparatus, a recorded matter of a good image could be obtained by ejecting liquid to various recording media.

Next, FIG. 29 is a block diagram of the entire recording apparatus for operating ink discharge recording to which the liquid discharge method and liquid discharge head of the present invention are applied.

The printing apparatus receives print information from the host computer 300 as a control signal. The print information is temporarily stored in an input interface 301 inside the printing apparatus, and at the same time, is converted into data that can be processed in the printing apparatus, and is input to the CPU 302 also serving as a head drive signal supply unit. The CPU 302 processes data input to the CPU 302 using a peripheral unit such as the RAM 304 based on a control program stored in the ROM 303,
Convert to print data (image data).

In order to record the image data at an appropriate position on the recording paper, the CPU 302 generates driving data for driving a driving motor for moving the recording paper and the recording head in synchronization with the image data. . The image data and the motor drive data are respectively stored in the head driver 307
Is transmitted to the head 200 and the drive motor 306 via the motor driver 305, and is driven at controlled timing to form an image.

In addition, the present recording apparatus is provided with a storage means incorporating a control program including driving conditions for performing aging processing and the like and a control program for controlling the number of times of bubbling driving of the heating element 2. Can be. As this storage means, for example, a ROM 303 or the like can be used. It is also possible to provide a counter or the like to control the number of times of foaming drive.

The recording medium which can be applied to the recording apparatus as described above and to which a liquid such as ink is applied includes plastics, cloth, aluminum, etc. used for various papers, OHP sheets, compact discs and decorative plates, etc. Metal materials such as copper and copper, leather materials such as cow skin, pig skin and artificial leather, wood such as wood and plywood, ceramic materials such as bamboo materials and tiles, and three-dimensional structures such as sponges can be targeted.

As the above-mentioned recording apparatus, various types of paper and O
A printer device for recording on an HP sheet or the like, a recording device for a plastic for recording on a plastic material such as a compact disc, a recording device for a metal for recording on a metal plate,
A recording device for leather for recording on leather, a recording device for wood for recording on wood, a recording device for ceramics for recording on ceramic materials, a recording device for recording on a three-dimensional network structure such as a sponge, and a cloth Also includes a textile printing device for performing recording on the paper.

As a discharge liquid used in these liquid discharge devices, a liquid suitable for each recording medium and recording conditions may be used.

<Recording System> Next, an example of an ink jet recording system in which recording is performed on a recording medium using the liquid discharge head of the present invention as a recording head will be described.

FIG. 30 is a schematic diagram for explaining the configuration of an ink jet recording system using the above-described liquid discharge head 201 of the present invention. The liquid ejection head in this embodiment is a full line type head in which a plurality of ejection ports are arranged at intervals of 360 dpi in a length corresponding to the recordable width of the recording medium 150, and is yellow (Y), magenta (M). , Cyan (C), and black (Bk) are fixedly supported in parallel by a holder 202 at predetermined intervals in the X direction.

A signal is supplied to each of these heads from a head driver 307 constituting driving signal supply means, and each head is driven based on this signal.

In each head, Y, M, C,
Bk four color inks are supplied from ink containers 204a to 204d, respectively. Reference numeral 204e denotes a foaming liquid container in which a foaming liquid is stored, and the foaming liquid is supplied from the container to each head.

A head cap 203 having an ink absorbing member such as a sponge therein is provided below each head.
a to 203d are provided, and the maintenance of the head can be performed by covering the ejection openings of each head during non-printing.

Reference numeral 206 denotes a transport belt which constitutes transport means for transporting various non-recording media as described in the above embodiments. The transport belt 206 is drawn around a predetermined path by various rollers, and is driven by a driving roller connected to a motor driver 305.

In the ink jet recording system of this embodiment, a pre-processing device 251 and a post-processing device 252 for performing various processes on the recording medium before and after recording are respectively arranged upstream and downstream of the recording medium transport path. Provided.

The contents of the pre-processing and post-processing differ depending on the type of recording medium on which recording is performed and the type of ink. For example, for recording media such as metal, plastic, and ceramics, As a pretreatment, irradiation of ultraviolet rays and ozone is performed to activate the surface, thereby improving the adhesion of the ink. Further, in a recording medium such as plastic which easily generates static electricity, dust easily adheres to the surface due to the static electricity, and good recording may be hindered by the dust. For this reason, 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 a recording medium, an alkaline substance,
A treatment for providing a substance selected from a water-soluble substance, a synthetic polymer, a water-soluble metal salt, urea, and thiourea may be performed as pretreatment. The pre-processing is not limited to these, and may be a process of setting the temperature of the recording medium to a temperature suitable for recording.

On the other hand, the post-treatment is a fixing treatment for promoting the fixing of the ink to the recording medium to which the ink has been applied by heat treatment, ultraviolet irradiation, or the like, or a cleaning treatment for applying the pre-treatment and remaining unreacted processing agent. And the like.

Although the present embodiment has been described using a full-line head as a head, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a small-sized head as described above is conveyed in the width direction of a recording medium to perform recording. It may be something.

<Head Kit> A head kit having the liquid ejection head of the present invention will be described below. FIG.
FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing such a head kit. The head kit includes a head 510 of the present invention having an ink ejection unit 511 for ejecting ink, and an ink container 520 which is an inseparable or separable liquid container from the head. When,
An ink filling means holding the ink for filling the ink container with ink is contained in a kit container 501.

When the ink has been consumed, the insertion portion of the ink filling means (such as an injection needle or the like) is inserted into the air communication port 521 of the ink container, the connection portion with the head, or a hole formed in the wall of the ink container. It is sufficient to insert a part of 531 and fill the ink container with the ink in the ink filling means through the insertion portion.

Thus, the liquid discharge head of the present invention
By packing the ink container and ink filling means into one kit container to make a kit, even if the ink is consumed, the ink can be quickly and easily filled into the ink container as described above. Recording can be started quickly.

Although the head kit of this embodiment has been described as including the ink filling means, the head kit does not have the ink filling means, and is a separable type ink container filled with ink. The head and the head may be housed in a kit container 510.

In FIG. 31, only the ink filling means for filling the ink container with ink is shown. In addition to the ink container, a foaming liquid filling means for filling the foaming liquid into the foaming liquid container is provided. It may be in a form contained in a kit container.

[0262]

As described above, according to the present invention,
In a liquid ejection head having a one-channel structure or a two-channel structure,
At the stage before shipping the head, the heat-generating member is driven under a predetermined driving condition and the aging process is performed by changing the movable member provided in the liquid flow path. Can be easily displaced, so that stable discharge can be performed without a change over time after shipment. Further, by this, since the heating member can be stably driven and controlled, the stability of foaming can be improved,
Further, the responsiveness of the movable member to the driving of the heat generating member can be improved.

Hereinafter, the effects accompanying the present invention will be listed.

According to the liquid ejection method, the head, and the like of the present invention based on the novel ejection principle using the movable member that has undergone the aging process as described above, the synergistic effect of the generated bubble and the movable member displaced by the bubble is reduced. You can get
Since the liquid in the vicinity of the discharge port can be efficiently discharged, the discharge efficiency can be improved as compared with the conventional bubble jet discharge method, head, and the like.

Further, according to the present invention, it is possible to prevent non-ejection even when the apparatus is left for a long time at low temperature or low humidity, and to perform recovery processing such as preliminary ejection and suction recovery even if non-ejection occurs. There is also an advantage that a normal state can be immediately restored with a small amount of operation. Along with this, the recovery time can be shortened, the loss of liquid due to the recovery can be reduced, and the running cost can be significantly reduced.

Further, according to the configuration of the present invention having improved refill characteristics, responsiveness at the time of continuous ejection, stable growth of bubbles and stabilization of droplets are achieved, and high-speed recording and high-quality recording by high-speed liquid ejection are achieved. Could be made possible.

Further, by using a liquid which is easily foamed or a liquid which does not easily generate deposits (burns) on the heating element as the foaming liquid in the head having the two flow paths, the degree of freedom in selecting the ejection liquid is increased. Liquids that were difficult to be discharged by the conventional bubble jet discharge method, such as high-viscosity liquids that became high and hardly foamed, and liquids that easily formed a volume on the heating element, could be discharged well. Further, a liquid which is weak to heat, etc. could be ejected without adversely affecting the liquid by heat.

Further, according to the manufacturing method of the present invention including the aging step of the liquid discharge head, the above-described liquid discharge head can be manufactured with high accuracy, the number of parts is reduced, the cost is low, and the manufacture is easy. it can.

Further, by using the liquid discharge head subjected to the aging treatment of the present invention as a liquid discharge recording head for recording, it was possible to achieve higher quality recording.

Further, it was possible to provide a liquid discharge apparatus, a recording system and the like in which the liquid discharge efficiency and the like of the liquid were further improved by using the liquid discharge head subjected to the aging treatment of the present invention.

Also, by using a head cartridge or a head kit having a liquid ejection head subjected to aging treatment of the present invention, the head can be easily used and reused.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional view illustrating an example of a liquid ejection head according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a partially cutaway perspective view of the liquid ejection head of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing pressure propagation from bubbles in a conventional head.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing pressure propagation from bubbles in the head of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram for explaining a flow of a liquid according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a partially cutaway perspective view of a liquid ejection head according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a partially cutaway perspective view of a liquid ejection head according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of a liquid ejection head according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a schematic sectional view of a liquid ejection head according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a sectional view of a liquid ejection head (two flow paths) according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a partially cutaway perspective view of a liquid ejection head according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a view for explaining the operation of the movable member.

FIG. 13 is a view for explaining a structure of a movable member and a first liquid flow path.

FIG. 14 is a view for explaining a structure of a movable member and a liquid flow path.

FIG. 15 is a view for explaining another shape of the movable member.

FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating a relationship between a heating element area and an ink ejection amount.

FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating an arrangement relationship between a movable member and a heating element.

FIG. 18 is a diagram showing a relationship between a distance between an edge of a heating element and a fulcrum and a displacement amount of a movable member.

FIG. 19 is a diagram for explaining an arrangement relationship between a heating element and a movable member.

FIG. 20 is a longitudinal sectional view of the liquid ejection head of the present invention.

FIG. 21 is a schematic diagram showing a shape of a driving pulse.

FIG. 22 is a cross-sectional view for explaining a supply path of the liquid ejection head of the present invention.

FIG. 23 is an exploded perspective view of the head of the present invention.

FIG. 24 is a process chart for explaining the method for manufacturing a liquid discharge head according to the present invention.

FIG. 25 is a process diagram for describing the method for manufacturing a liquid discharge head according to the present invention.

FIG. 26 is a process diagram for describing the method for manufacturing a liquid discharge head according to the present invention.

FIG. 27 is an exploded perspective view of the liquid ejection head cartridge.

FIG. 28 is a schematic configuration diagram of a liquid ejection device.

FIG. 29 is a device block diagram.

FIG. 30 is a diagram showing a liquid ejection recording system.

FIG. 31 is a schematic diagram of a head kit.

FIG. 32 is a perspective view showing a shape in which burrs are generated on an edge of a conventional movable member.

FIG. 33 is a perspective view showing a shape of a conventional movable member in the case where burrs are generated on an edge portion.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 element substrate 2 heating element 3 area center 10 liquid flow path 11 bubble generation area 12 supply path 13 common liquid chamber 14 first liquid flow path 15 first common liquid chamber 16 second liquid flow path 17 second common liquid chamber 18 Outlet 19 Narrowed part 20 First supply path 21 Second supply path 22 First liquid flow path wall 23 Second liquid flow path wall 24 Convex part 30 Separation wall 31 Movable member 32 Free end 33 Support point 34 Support member 35 Slit 36 Bubble generation Area front wall 37 Bubble generation area side wall 40 Bubble 45 Droplet 50 Grooved member 51 Orifice plate 70 Support 78 Spring 80 Supply member

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (72) Fumi Yoshihira, Inventor 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Inside Canon Inc. (72) Inventor Kiyomitsu Kudo 3-30-2, Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inside the corporation

Claims (39)

[Claims] 1. A discharge port for discharging a liquid, a first liquid flow path communicating with the discharge port and storing the liquid, and one end formed to be displaceable with respect to the first liquid flow path. A separation wall having a movable member, a second liquid flow path for accommodating a liquid for displacing the movable member of the separation wall, and a heat generating member arranged corresponding to the second liquid flow path. A method for manufacturing a liquid discharge head comprising: forming the movable member on the separation wall; and then filling the second liquid flow path with a liquid and driving the heat generating member under a predetermined driving condition. A method for manufacturing a liquid ejection head, comprising an aging step of driving and displacing the movable member. 2. A discharge port for discharging a liquid, a first liquid flow path communicating with the discharge port and containing the liquid, and one end formed to be displaceable with respect to the first liquid flow path. A separation wall having a movable member, a second liquid flow path for accommodating a liquid for displacing the movable member of the separation wall, and a heat generating member arranged corresponding to the second liquid flow path. A method for manufacturing a liquid discharge head comprising: forming the movable member on the separation wall; and filling the second liquid flow path and the first liquid flow path with liquid, respectively. An aging step of driving the heat generating member under a predetermined driving condition to displace the movable member; 3. A discharge port for discharging a liquid, a liquid flow path communicating with the discharge port and storing the liquid, and disposed in the liquid flow path, and storing a part of the liquid to generate bubbles. A bubble generation region to be generated; a movable member having one end fixed to the upper surface of the bubble generation region and the other end formed to be displaceable; and a liquid disposed on the lower surface in the bubble generation region and stored in the region. A method of manufacturing a liquid ejection head comprising: a heat generating member for generating heat; forming the movable member on an upper surface of the bubble generation region;
An aging step of driving the heat generating member under a predetermined driving condition and displacing the movable member while the liquid flow path is filled with the liquid; 4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the liquid filled in the second liquid flow path during the aging step is a foaming liquid. 5. The liquid filled in the second liquid flow path during the aging step is a foaming liquid, and the liquid filled in the first liquid flow path is a discharge liquid. A method for manufacturing a liquid discharge head according to claim 2. 6. A common liquid chamber commonly connected to the first liquid flow path and the second liquid flow path separated by the separation wall. A method for manufacturing a liquid discharge head according to any one of claims 4 and 5. 7. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a liquid chamber separately communicated with said first liquid flow path and said second liquid flow path separated by said separation wall. 7. The method for manufacturing a liquid ejection head according to any one of 4 to 6. 8. The driving method according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined driving condition for driving the heat generating member is a driving condition equivalent to a recording condition or a driving condition larger than the recording condition.
8. The method for manufacturing a liquid discharge head according to any one of claims 1 to 7. 9. The liquid ejection device according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined driving condition for driving the heat generating member is performed by changing a magnitude of a voltage applied to the heat generating member. Head manufacturing method. 10. The liquid ejection device according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined driving condition for driving the heat generating member is performed by changing a duty ratio of a voltage applied to the heat generating member. Head manufacturing method. 11. The liquid discharging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined driving condition for driving the heat generating member is performed by changing a frequency of electric power supplied to the heat generating member. Head manufacturing method. 12. The method according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined driving condition for driving the heat generating member is to perform the bubbling driving a predetermined number of times or less. 13. A discharge port for discharging a liquid, a first liquid flow path communicating with the discharge port and containing the liquid, and one end formed to be displaceable with respect to the first liquid flow path. A separation wall having a movable member, a second liquid flow path for accommodating a liquid for displacing the movable member of the separation wall, and a heat generating member arranged corresponding to the second liquid flow path. A liquid discharge head comprising: a liquid-filled liquid in the second liquid flow path, wherein the heat generating member is driven and displaced under predetermined driving conditions to perform an aging process on an edge peripheral portion. A liquid ejection head having a movable member. 14. A discharge port for discharging a liquid, a first liquid flow path communicating with the discharge port and storing the liquid, and one end formed to be displaceable with respect to the first liquid flow path. A separation wall having a movable member, a second liquid flow path for accommodating a liquid for displacing the movable member of the separation wall, and a heat generating member arranged corresponding to the second liquid flow path. A liquid ejecting head comprising: a second liquid flow path and a first liquid flow path, each of which is filled with liquid, by driving and displacing the heat generating member under predetermined driving conditions. A liquid discharge head comprising the movable member whose peripheral edge has been subjected to aging processing. 15. A discharge port for discharging a liquid, a liquid flow path communicating with the discharge port for storing the liquid, and being disposed in the liquid flow path, storing a part of the liquid to generate bubbles. A bubble generation region to be generated; a movable member having one end fixed to the upper surface of the bubble generation region and the other end formed to be displaceable; and a liquid disposed on the lower surface in the bubble generation region and stored in the region. A liquid heating head comprising: a heat generating member for generating heat; wherein, in a state where the liquid is filled in the liquid flow path, the heat generating member is driven and displaced under a predetermined driving condition, so that an edge peripheral portion is aged. A liquid discharge head comprising the processed movable member. 16. The liquid discharge head according to claim 13, wherein the liquid filled in the second liquid flow path during the aging process is a foaming liquid. 17. The liquid filled in the second liquid flow path during the aging process is a foaming liquid,
15. The liquid discharge head according to claim 14, wherein the liquid filled in the liquid flow path is a discharge liquid. 18. The method according to claim 18, wherein the first partition is separated by the partition wall.
13. A liquid chamber having a common liquid chamber commonly communicated with said liquid flow path and said second liquid flow path.
18. The liquid ejection head according to any one of claims 6 and 17. 19. The first device separated by the separation wall.
17. A liquid chamber having a liquid chamber separately communicated with each of said liquid flow path and said second liquid flow path.
19. The liquid discharge head according to any one of items 18 to 18. 20. The driving method according to claim 13, wherein the predetermined driving condition for driving the heat generating member is a driving condition equivalent to a recording condition or a driving condition larger than the recording condition. 3. The liquid ejection head according to item 1. 21. The liquid discharging apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the predetermined driving condition for driving the heat generating member is performed by changing a magnitude of a voltage applied to the heat generating member. head. 22. The liquid discharging apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the predetermined driving condition for driving the heat generating member is performed by changing a duty ratio of a voltage applied to the heat generating member. head. 23. The liquid discharge head according to claim 13, wherein the predetermined driving condition for driving the heat generating member is to perform bubbling driving a predetermined number of times or less. 24. The liquid discharge head according to claim 13, wherein the movable member is displaced a fixed number of times by driving the heat generating member during the aging process. 25. A liquid discharging method for discharging a liquid by generating bubbles, comprising the movable member subjected to the aging treatment.
Or using the liquid ejection head according to 14, driving the heating member to generate heat in the liquid in the second liquid flow path to generate bubbles, and displacing the movable member based on pressure due to the generation of the bubbles. A liquid that discharges a liquid by displacing a free end to the first liquid flow path side and guiding the pressure from the first liquid flow path side to the discharge port side by displacement of the movable member. Discharge method. 26. A liquid discharging method for discharging a liquid by generating bubbles, comprising the movable member subjected to the aging treatment.
Using the liquid ejection head described above, driving the heat generating member to generate heat by generating liquid in the bubble generation region disposed in the liquid flow path, and generating the bubble based on the pressure generated by the bubble. A liquid discharging method, wherein a liquid is discharged by displacing one end of a displaceable member toward the liquid flow path side and guiding the pressure from the liquid flow path side to the discharge port side by the displacement of the movable member. 27. The liquid discharging method according to claim 25, wherein the liquid filled in the second liquid flow path during the aging process is a foaming liquid. 28. A liquid filled in the second liquid flow path during the aging process is a foaming liquid,
26. The liquid discharging method according to claim 25, wherein the liquid filled in the liquid flow path is a discharging liquid. 29. The first device separated by the separation wall
29. A liquid chamber having a common liquid chamber commonly communicated with said liquid flow path and said second liquid flow path.
The liquid discharging method according to any one of the above. 30. The first device separated by the separation wall.
30. A liquid chamber having a liquid chamber separately communicated with each of the liquid flow path and the second liquid flow path.
The liquid discharging method according to any one of the above. 31. The driving condition according to claim 25, wherein the predetermined driving condition for driving the heat generating member is a driving condition equivalent to a recording condition or a driving condition larger than the recording condition. 3. The liquid discharging method according to item 1. 32. The liquid discharging apparatus according to claim 25, wherein the predetermined driving condition for driving the heat generating member is performed by changing a magnitude of a voltage applied to the heat generating member. Method. 33. The liquid ejection apparatus according to claim 25, wherein the predetermined driving condition for driving the heat generating member is performed by changing a duty ratio of a voltage applied to the heat generating member. Method. 34. The liquid discharging apparatus according to claim 25, wherein the predetermined driving condition for driving the heat generating member is performed by changing a frequency of electric power supplied to the heat generating member. Method. 35. The liquid discharging method according to claim 25, wherein the predetermined driving condition for driving the heat generating member is to perform the bubbling driving only a certain number of times or less. 36. A liquid discharge head cartridge, comprising: the liquid discharge head according to claim 13 having the movable member subjected to the aging process; and a liquid container for supplying a liquid to the liquid discharge head. . 37. A liquid, comprising: the liquid ejection head cartridge according to claim 36; and a carriage section detachably mounted with the liquid ejection head cartridge and arranged to face a recording medium. Discharge device. 38. A recording apparatus, comprising: the liquid ejection device according to claim 37; and a drive control unit that drives and controls the liquid ejection device. 39. The recording apparatus according to claim 38, wherein said drive control unit includes aging processing means for driving said heat generating member under predetermined driving conditions to displace said movable member.