Liquid ejecting head unit and manufacturing method therefor

Details Liquid ejecting head unit and manufacturing method therefor Liquid ejecting head unit and manufacturing method therefor

2000-09-05

2003-04-01

Nghiem, Michael (Department: 2861)

Incremental printing of symbolic information

Ink jet

Fluid or fluid source handling means

Reexamination Certificate

active

06540343

ABSTRACT:

FIELD OF THE INVENTION AND RELATED ART
The present invention relates to a liquid ejecting head unit and a manufacturing method for the liquid ejecting head unit, wherein liquid (print liquid such as ink) is ejected onto a print medium to effect printing.
Generally, the liquid ejecting head includes a plurality of fine ejection outlets for ejecting the printing liquid, liquid flow paths in fluid communication with the respective ejection outlets, and ejection energy generating elements disposed in the respective liquid flow paths, wherein the ejection energy generating elements are supplied with driving signals corresponding to the information to be printed to apply ejection energy to the printing liquid in the liquid flow path corresponding to the ejection energy generating element, by which the liquid is ejected through the ejection outlet as a droplet to effect printing.
Such a liquid ejecting head includes an element substrate on which a plurality of ejection energy generating elements which are formed with high precision using semiconductor manufacturing technique are disposed, a plurality of liquid flow path grooves in fluid communication with the plurality of ejection outlets, a common liquid chamber in fluid communication with the liquid flow path, and a top plate having a liquid receiving opening. Additionally, such a liquid ejecting head includes a container chip (container in the form of a chip) provided with supply passages formed therein to supply the liquid to the common liquid chamber in the top plate. The path through which the liquid is supplied the supply passage is in fluid communication withe a supply passage having the same width of the flow path.
Recently, the demands for such a liquid ejection printing apparatus are for increase of the printing speed, downsizing, productivity and inexpensiveness. As the liquid ejecting head which is carried on a carriage, the same demands apply. Among them, one of the factors relating to the increase of the printing speed is increase of the amount of the supply of the liquid. When the printing speed is increased, the amount of print per unit time increases, with the result that liquid consumption also increases. Therefore, the increase of the amount of the liquid supply to the liquid flow path is required. In order to increase the amount of the liquid supply, a liquid ejecting head unit may be provided with a second common liquid chamber which is provided with a communicating portion in fluid communication with the supply passage of the container chip to provide sufficient capacity of the liquid, but with such a structure, it is necessary to communicate the supply passage of the container chip with the communicating portion of the second common liquid chamber.
For providing fluid communication between the supply passage of the container chip and the second common liquid chamber, communicating portion of the second common liquid chamber and the supply passage of the container chip are connected by engagement, or the opening of the supply passage of the container chip and the opening of the second common liquid chamber are abutted to each other.
Referring first to
FIGS. 76 and 77
, there is shown a connection between the container chip and a unit frame having the second common liquid chamber when the opening of the supply passage of the container chip and the opening of the second common liquid chamber are abutted to each other.
The opening of the supply passage of the container chip and the opening of the second common liquid chamber have substantially the same diameter.
FIG. 76
is a sectional view of the container chip and the unit frame which are fastened with each other by screws.
The container chip end surface
801
, having the opening, of the supply passage
805
of the container chip
800
is perpendicular to a direction
806
of flow of the print liquid which occurs in the supply passage
805
after the connection between the container chip
800
and the unit frame
807
. Similarly, the abutment surface
803
of the second common liquid chamber to which the container chip end surface
801
is abutted is also perpendicular to the print liquid flow direction
806
. Where the container chip end surface
801
and the second common liquid chamber abutment surface
803
are perpendicular to the print liquid direction
806
, the container chip
800
and the unit frame
807
are fixed to each other after the container chip end surface
801
and the second common liquid chamber abutment surface
803
are abutted to each other in a direction of arrow D such that container chip end surface
801
and the second common liquid chamber abutment surface
803
do not interfere to each other.
FIG. 77
is a sectional view of the container chip and the unit frame which are fixed to each other by welded boss.
The container chip end surface
901
of the container chip
900
and the second common liquid chamber abutment surface
903
abutment surface
903
are perpendicular to the print liquid flow direction
906
similarly to the case of FIG.
76
. On the upper surface of the unit frame
907
, there is formed a welded boss
904
projected in an inclined direction, and the container chip
900
has an engaging hole
904
into which the welded boss
904
is fitted.
In the connection between the container chip
900
and the unit frame
907
, the container chip
900
is moved toward the unit frame
907
in the direction indicated by an arrow E, and the welded boss
904
is inserted into the engaging hole
904
, and container chip end surface
901
and second common liquid chamber abutment surface
903
are abutted to each other obliquely while using the welded boss
904
as a guide. Then, free end portion or leading end portion of the welded boss
904
projected out through the engaging hole
905
, the container chip
900
and the unit frame
907
are fixed.
However, in providing fluid communication between the supply passage and the second common liquid chamber, the following problems may arise.
When the engagement between the supply passage and the second common liquid chamber is used, a difference results between the cross-sectional areas of the passages of the fitting part and the fitted part.
If the cross-sectional area of the passage abruptly changes at the end portion of the engaging part, a flow passage loss occurs in the flow of the print liquid, which may be against the increase of the supply amount of the liquid.
With the engaging or fitting structure, the size of receiving side member has to be larger than the entering side member, which is against the downsizing of the liquid ejecting head unit
In order to avoid such problems resulting from engagement, the abrupt change of the cross-sectional area of the passage can be avoided by abutting the opening of the supply passage and the opening of the second common liquid chamber having the same cross-sectional area of the passages, as shown in
FIGS. 76 and 77
.
However, when the opening end surface which is substantially perpendicular to the wall surface of the supply passage of the container chip and the opening end surface of the unit frame are abutted to each other, it is necessary to bring them into abutment to each other in an inclined direction to avoid interference to each other, when they are aligned with each other. In the aligning operations when the welded boss and the engaging hole are engaged with each other, the prior positioning is required to be strict with the result of lower productivity. Where they are press-contacted, or then are banded by filling material to prevent leakage of the liquid through the abutted portion between the end surface of the container chip and the end surface of the second common liquid chamber or to prevent introduction of the gas from the outside therethrough, sufficiently large thicknesses are required adjacent the end surface of the container chip and the end surface of the unit frame, which will add difficulty in downsizing.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is a principal object of the present invention to provide a liquid ejec

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