Incremental printing of symbolic information – Ink jet – Ejector mechanism
Reexamination Certificate
1999-10-28
2002-11-05
Nghiem, Michael (Department: 2861)
Incremental printing of symbolic information
Ink jet
Ejector mechanism
Reexamination Certificate
active
06474788
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a substrate for use of an ink jet head that constitutes the ink jet head that records or prints images, such as characters and symbols, by discharging ink or some other functional liquid onto recording media, such as papers, plastics, cloths, or some other materials adoptable as print objects. The invention also relates to an ink jet head structured by use of the ink jet head substrate, an ink jet cartridge that includes an ink storing unit to store ink to be supplied to the ink jet head, as well as to an ink jet recording apparatus having the ink jet head installed thereon.
In this respect, the ink jet cartridge referred to in the specification of the invention hereof is formed detachably on mounting means, such as a carriage, arranged on the apparatus main body.
Also, the ink jet recording apparatus referred to in the specification of the invention hereof means not only the one formed integrally with an information processing apparatus, such a word processor, computer, as the output terminal thereof or formed separately therefrom, but also, means the one that includes the mode in which the ink jet recording apparatus is used for various equipment, such a copying machine having information reading devices combined therewith, a facsimile apparatus having the information transmitting and receiving functions therefor, and an apparatus that prints on textiles, among some others.
2. Related Background Art
The conventional ink jet recording apparatus uses the electrothermal converting members or piezo elements as the energy generating means that generates energy to be utilized for discharging ink. Then, it is arranged for the apparatus to enable the energy generated by this energy generating means to act upon ink or some other liquid to discharge liquid from the discharge ports. An ink jet recording apparatus of the kind is characterized in that it can record images in high precision at high speeds by discharging ink or other liquid from the discharge ports as fine liquid droplets at high speeds. The ink jet recording apparatus of the type, which uses electrothermal converting members as energy generating means that generates energy to be utilized for discharging ink, and discharges liquid by the utilization of bubbling of ink crated by the thermal energy generated by use of these electrothermal converting members, is particularly suitable for making highly precise images at higher recording, as well as suitable for making an ink jet head and the ink jet recording apparatus smaller and capable of using colors. Therefore, the ink jet recording apparatus of the type has attracted more attention in recent years. The ink jet recording apparatus that uses electrothermal converting members is disclosed in the specification of U.S. Pat. No. 4,723,129 or U.S. Pat. No. 4,740,796, for example.
FIG. 9
is a cross-sectional view which illustrates the conventional ink jet head. As shown in
FIG. 9
, the conventional ink jet head is provided with a plurality of discharge ports
701
. Also, the electrothermal converting elements
702
that generate thermal energy utilized for discharging ink from each of the discharge ports
701
are formed on the surface of the substrate
704
per ink flow path
703
that serves as each of the liquid flow paths communicated with each of the discharge ports
701
. The electrothermal converting element
702
mainly comprises a heat generating resistive element
705
, the electrode wiring
706
that supplied electric power to the heat generating resistive element
705
, and the insulation film
707
that protects the heat generating resistive element
705
and the electrode wiring
706
. For the ink jet head of the kind, there is formed the ink jet head substrate which is provided with the substrate
704
, and electrothermal converting elements
702
arranged on the substrate
704
, among some others.
Also, each of the ink flow paths
703
is formed with the ceiling plate having a plurality of flow path walls
708
are formed integrally therewith, which is bonded to the substrate
704
. When the substrate
704
is bonded to the ceiling plate, the electrothermal converting elements
702
and others on the substrate
704
are relatively positioned with the ceiling plate by means for image processing or the like, while being bonded to the ceiling plate. Each end portion of the ink flow paths
703
on the side opposite to the discharge ports
701
is communicated with the common liquid chamber
709
. Ink supplied from the ink tank (not shown), which serves as an ink storing unit, is retained in this common liquid chamber
709
.
The ink which is supplied to the common liquid chamber
709
is introduced into each of the ink flow paths
703
from the common liquid chamber
709
. Then, the ink is held in each ink flow path
703
by means of the meniscus formed in the vicinity of each discharge port
701
in the flow path
703
. Each of the electrothermal converting elements
702
is selectively driven, while ink is kept in each of the ink flow paths
703
. Thus, by the utilization of thermal energy generated by each of the heat resistive elements
705
, ink on the heat generating resistive element
705
is abruptly heated to boil. By the force of impact, ink is, then, discharged from each of the discharge ports
701
.
FIG. 10
is a linear cross-sectional view which shows the portion of the substrate for use of an ink jet head used for the ink jet head illustrated in
FIG. 9
, which corresponds to the ink flow path
703
, taken along line X—X in FIG.
9
. In
FIG. 10
, the ink jet head substrate formed by the substrate
704
and the electrothermal converting elements
702
shown in
FIG. 9
corresponds to the substrate
720
for use of an ink jet head.
As shown in
FIG. 10
, the heat accumulation layer
722
formed by thermal oxidation film is formed on the surface of the silicon substrate
721
for the substrate
720
for use of an ink jet head. On the surface of the heat accumulation layer
722
, the interlayer film
723
is formed by the SiO film that dually functions to accumulate heat or formed by SiN film or the like. On the surface of the interlayer film
723
, the heat generating resistive layer
724
is locally formed. On the surface of the heat generating resistive layer
724
, Al, Al—Si, Al—Cu, or some other metallic wiring
725
is formed. On the metallic wiring
725
, the heat generating resistive layer
724
and the interlayer film
723
, the protection film
726
are formed with SiO film, SiN film, or the like. On the surface of the protection film
726
, the cavitation proof film
727
are formed to protect the protection film
726
from the chemical and physical shocks that follow the heating of the heat generating resistive layer
724
. The portion of the cavitation proof film
727
other than the portion corresponding to the metal wiring
725
on the heat generating resistive layer
724
becomes the thermal activation portion
728
where heat from the heat generating resistive layer
724
acts upon ink.
For the ink jet head described in conjunction with FIG.
9
and
FIG. 10
, each of the heat generating resistive elements
703
is arranged for each of the ink flow paths
705
. Then, recording is performed by the utilization of heat generated by the heat generating resistive elements
705
. For an ink jet head of the kind, there have been increasing demands in the availability of higher images, and higher densities. As a result, various experiments have been carried out to meet such demands. For example, there has been proposed a multi-valued recording method in the specifications of Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Nos. 62-261452 and 62-261453 in which a plurality of heat generating elements are arranged for one liquid flow path so that the heat generating elements are selectively driven to change the sizes of the liquid droplets to be discharged from the discharge ports in accordance with the multi-valued information to be recorded.
Here, however, there are rest
Imanaka Yoshiyuki
Inoue Ryoji
Ishimatsu Shin
Iwasaki Osamu
Saito Ichiro
Feggins K.
Nghiem Michael
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