Incremental printing of symbolic information – Ink jet – Ejector mechanism
Reexamination Certificate
2001-03-21
2002-08-20
Vo, Anh T. N. (Department: 2861)
Incremental printing of symbolic information
Ink jet
Ejector mechanism
C347S087000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06435663
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a liquid discharge head unit to be mounted on a carriage, which is provided with a liquid discharge head for recording on a recording medium by discharging liquid droplets from discharge ports. The invention also relates to a liquid discharge recording apparatus having the liquid discharge head unit and the carriage mounted thereon, as well as to a method for mounting a liquid discharge head unit.
2. Related Background Art
For the liquid discharge recording apparatus, it has been conventionally practiced to use the liquid discharge head unit which comprises a liquid discharge head for recording on a recording medium by discharging ink from discharge ports integrally formed with an ink tank that contains ink to be supplied to the liquid discharge head or comprises each of them independently.
The liquid discharge recording apparatus is provided with a carriage that reciprocates in the directions almost orthogonal to the carrying direction of a recording medium. The liquid discharge head unit is mounted on this carriage.
As a liquid discharge head, there is known the one which discharges fine liquid droplets utilizing thermal energy generated by means of electrothermal converting devices or the like or the one provided with a pair of electrodes to discharge liquid droplets by deflecting them, among some others. Of these ones, the ink jet recording head that discharges ink liquid droplets utilizing thermal energy makes it possible to arrange in high density the liquid discharge unit (discharge ports) that discharges recording liquid droplets for the formation of flying liquid droplets. This head has already been in practical use with advantages such as to make the entire system compact with ease, besides being able to record in high resolution.
The ink jet recording head that discharges recording liquid by utilization of thermal energy is provided with discharge ports (orifices) that discharge liquid; liquid flow paths communicated with the discharge ports; and a plurality of energy converting elements, such as electrothermal converting devices, arranged corresponding to the liquid flow paths. Then, with the provision of discharge energy (thermal energy for generating film boiling in liquid, for example) by use of the energy converting elements, liquid is discharged from each of the discharge ports to print for recording. Hereunder, with reference to
FIG. 14
, the description will be made of the general structure of the ink jet recording head.
As shown in
FIG. 14
, the ink jet recording head comprises an element substrate
1001
provided with heat generating elements
1001
a
each of which is energy generating device for discharging ink; a ceiling plate
1002
which is bonded onto the element substrate
1001
; and an orifice plate
1010
bonded to the front end of the element substrate
1001
and the ceiling plate
1002
. The element substrate
1001
is fixed by means of die bonding onto a supporting body
1004
formed by aluminum or the like. To the supporting body
1004
, a printed circuit board
1003
is adhesively bonded to make contact with the element substrate, and the recording apparatus main body as well. The printed circuit board
1003
and the element substrate
1001
are electrically connected by means of wire bonding. Although not shown in
FIG. 14
, contact pads are formed for the printed circuit board
1003
in order to make contact with the liquid discharge recording apparatus main body. On the element substrate
1001
together with heat generating elements
1001
a,
driving shift registers and wiring pattern are arranged in addition to the heat generating elements
1001
a
. The shift registers and wiring pattern can be incorporated on the element substrate
1001
together with heat generating elements
1001
a
by use of silicon film formation art.
The ceiling plate
1002
is formed by resin having recessed portions to become ink flow paths
1002
a
and ink chamber
1002
b
integrally formed by means of molding formation or the like or by silicon material formed by means of anisotropic etching or the like. Then, when the ceiling plate
1002
is fixed to the element substrate
1001
by use of pressure means such as spring (not shown) or by bonding means (not shown) using adhesive agent or the like, each of the recessed portions of the ceiling plate
1002
is partitioned to form a plurality of ink flow paths
1002
a
corresponding to each of the heat generating elements
1001
a
, as well as to form the ink liquid chamber
1002
b
to supply liquid to each of the ink flow paths
1002
a.
In this respect, there is a mode where ink flow paths are formed on the element substrate
1001
.
The orifice plate
1010
is provided with a fine ink discharge port group
1010
a
for discharging ink. For the formation thereof, laser processing, electro-casting, press process, molding formation, or some other ultrafine processing is performed. The discharge port group
1010
a
is the important element of a liquid discharge head, upon which depends the discharge performance thereof. In this respect, the orifice plate
1010
is integrally formed with the ceiling plate
1002
or the ceiling plate
1002
is formed as a separate member, and bonded to the orifice plate as the case may be.
In the latter case, the formation method is such that the discharge port group
1010
a
on the orifice plate
1010
is aligned with the ink flow paths
1002
a
formed by pressurized bonding of the element substrate
1001
and the ceiling plate
1002
, and then, to bond them together. This has an advantage that the material of the orifice plate
1010
that requires durability can be selected arbitrarily irrespective of the material used for the ceiling plate
1002
. On the other hand, in the former case, there is no need for the alignment of both members, because the discharge port group
1010
a
and the ink flow paths
1002
a
are formed by the members arranged in a communicative state, and then, the ceiling plate
1002
having integrally formed with the orifice plate
1010
is bonded simply to the element substrate
1001
under mechanical pressure to form the ink flow paths
1002
a
. This formation method contributes to demonstrating excellent productivity.
The ink jet recording apparatus that uses the head, which is described above, is mainly used as a color printer connected with a word processor or a personal computer. In addition, it is used for a facsimile equipment or a copying machine.
FIG. 15
is a perspective view which shows the conventional liquid discharge head unit (ink jet recording cartridge). As shown in
FIG. 15
, an ink jet recording head H is mounted on the designated position of an ink jet recording cartridge main body
1130
, and adjacent to this ink jet recording head H, a first common liquid chamber
1120
is arranged. The first liquid common chamber
1120
and the ink jet recording head H are supported by supporting members
1121
and
1122
. In the interior of the cartridge main body
1130
which is covered by a covering member
1131
, a tank (not shown) for use of recording liquid (such as ink) is incorporated to supply recording liquid from the tank to the first common liquid chamber
1120
appropriately.
For an ink jet recording apparatus, there is the one which is of the single head type that discharges monochromatic liquid droplets or the one which is of the single head type or plural head type that discharges liquid droplets in plural colors.
The ink jet recording apparatus of the single head type that discharge liquid droplets in plural colors by allocating ink of plural colors (for example, four colors, black, yellow, magenta, and cyan) to each one head of ink discharge unit, respectively, makes it possible for such head to be manufactured at lower costs. However, the ink jet recording apparatus of such single head type as this has a comparatively small number of discharge ports per color, which presents an disadvantage in making printing speed faster.
In contrast, the ink jet recordi
Asano Shinya
Yamaguchi Yukuo
Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
Fitzpatrick ,Cella, Harper & Scinto
Vo Anh T. N.
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