Liquid ejection head and manufacturing method of liquid ejection head

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2021197566-A1
Application number	US-202017116945-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Dec 9, 2020
Priority date	Dec 25, 2019
Publication date	Jul 1, 2021
Grant date	—

Abstract

A liquid ejection head includes an element substrate having an energy-generating element configured to generate an energy for ejecting a liquid from an ejection orifice, a support member for supporting the element substrate, the support member including a liquid chamber formed therein to supply the liquid to the ejection orifice, and a damper portion for absorbing vibration of the liquid inside the liquid chamber, the damper portion being flexible. The support member has a through-hole for communicating with the liquid chamber at a position located above the liquid chamber in a vertical direction when the liquid ejection head is in a use orientation. The damper portion has a taper portion that tapers downwardly in the vertical direction and is positioned in such a manner that the tapering portion closes the through-hole, and the damper portion and the support member are attached to each other by a fixing member.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A liquid ejection head comprising:
an element substrate having an energy-generating element configured to generate an energy for ejecting a liquid from an ejection orifice; a support member for supporting the element substrate, the support member including a liquid chamber formed therein to supply the liquid to the ejection orifice; and a damper portion for absorbing vibration of the liquid inside the liquid chamber, the damper portion being flexible, wherein the support member has a through-hole for communicating with the liquid chamber at a position that is located above the liquid chamber in a vertical direction when the liquid ejection head is in a use orientation, wherein the damper portion has a taper portion that tapers downward in the vertical direction and is positioned in such a manner that the taper portion closes the through-hole, and wherein the damper portion and the support member are attached to each other by a fixing member.

2 . The liquid ejection head according to claim 1 , wherein the damper portion is made of a resin material including at least one of an epoxy resin, a thermoplastic elastomer, a thermoset elastomer, or silicone rubber.

3 . The liquid ejection head according to claim 1 , further comprising: a flow path member having a flow path for supplying the liquid to the liquid chamber,
wherein the damper portion is provided between the flow path member and the support member, and wherein the damper portion and the support member are attached to each other by the fixing member in a state where an abutting portion connected with the damper portion abuts a surface of the support member on a flow path member side.

4 . The liquid ejection head according to claim 3 ,
wherein a supply port communicating with the flow path of the flow path member is formed in the liquid chamber, wherein a sealing member having a sealing portion for connecting the flow path and the supply port with each other by sealing the flow path and the supply port is provided between the flow path member and the support member, and wherein the damper portion and the abutting portion are formed in the sealing member.

5 . The liquid ejection head according to claim 3 , wherein the abutting portion is made of a resin material including at least one of an epoxy resin, a thermoplastic elastomer, a thermoset elastomer, or silicone rubber.

6 . The liquid ejection head according to claim 1 , wherein the liquid chamber has a shape such that a cross-sectional area thereof gradually increases from an upper side to a lower side in the vertical direction.

7 . The liquid ejection head according to claim 6 , wherein a surface forming a wall of the liquid chamber on the upper side in the vertical direction, tilts with respect to a surface of the support member supporting the element substrate.

8 . The liquid ejection head according to claim 7 , wherein a surface of the taper portion of the damper portion, tilts with respect to the surface of the support member supporting the element substrate.

9 . The liquid ejection head according to claim 8 , wherein the surface of the taper portion of the damper portion is an extension of the surface forming the wall of the liquid chamber on the upper side in the vertical direction.

10 . The liquid ejection head according to claim 1 , wherein a surface of the taper portion of the damper portion is arranged along a surface of the support member supporting the element substrate.

11 . The liquid ejection head according to claim 1 , wherein the fixing member is a screw.

12 . The liquid ejection head according to claim 1 , wherein the support member is in contact with the element substrate.

13 . The liquid ejection head according to claim 1 , wherein a space portion is formed on a back side of a surface of the damper portion facing the liquid chamber.

14 . The liquid ejection head according to claim 13 , wherein the space portion is communicated with atmosphere.

15 . The liquid ejection head according to claim 13 ,
wherein the space portion is connected with an atmosphere communication path communicating with atmosphere, and wherein the atmosphere communication path is bent a plurality of times.

16 . The liquid ejection head according to claim 15 ,
wherein the damper portion includes a first damper portion and a second damper portion, wherein the space portion includes a first space portion and a second space portion, the first space portion being on a back side of a surface of the first damper portion facing the liquid chamber, and the second space portion being on a back side of a surface of the second damper portion facing the liquid chamber, and wherein a first atmosphere communication path connected with the first space portion and a second atmosphere communication path connected with the second space portion do not merge into each other.

17 . The liquid ejection head according to claim 15 ,
wherein the damper portion includes a first damper portion and a second damper portion, wherein the space portion includes a first space portion and a second space portion, the first space portion being on a back side of a surface of the first damper portion facing the liquid chamber, and the second space portion being on a back side of a surface of the second damper portion facing the liquid chamber, and wherein a first atmosphere communication path connected with the first space portion and a second atmosphere communication path connected with the second space portion merge into each other.

18 . A method for manufacturing a liquid ejection head including:
an element substrate having an energy-generating element configured to generate an energy for ejecting a liquid from an ejection orifice; a support member for supporting the element substrate, the support member including a liquid chamber formed therein to supply the liquid to the ejection orifice; and a damper portion for absorbing vibration of the liquid inside the liquid chamber, the damper portion being flexible, the method comprising: preparing the support member having a through-hole for communicating with the liquid chamber at a position that is located above the liquid chamber in a vertical direction when the liquid ejection head is in a use orientation; preparing the damper portion having a taper portion that tapers downward in the vertical direction; positioning the damper portion on an upper side of the support member in the vertical direction in such a manner that the taper portion closes the through-hole; and attaching the damper portion and the support member to each other by a fixing member.

Assignees

• Canon Kk

Inventors

• Seki Sayaka
• Toda Kyosuke
• Yoshikawa Shimpei
• Sato Ryo
• Tsukuda Keiichiro
• Okito Kazuhiko
• Yabe Kenji
• Kitayama Yasuaki

Classifications

• B41J2/14 Primary

  Structure thereof {only for on-demand ink jet heads} · CPC title

• B41J2/1632

  machining · CPC title

• B41J2/14145

  Structure of the manifold · CPC title

• B41J2/055

  Devices for absorbing or preventing back-pressure · CPC title

• B41J2/1601

  Production of bubble jet print heads (B41J2/1606, B41J2/162 take precedence) · CPC title