Liquid ejection head and image forming apparatus including liquid ejection head

Abstract

The liquid ejection head includes: a large nozzle which ejects a large droplet of liquid; a small nozzle which has a smaller nozzle diameter than the large nozzle and ejects a small droplet of the liquid which has a smaller volume than the large droplet; a first heat generating element and a second heat generating element which are provided opposite to the large nozzle and the small nozzle respectively, and apply thermal energy to the liquid in at least one individual flow channel that supplies the liquid to the large nozzle and the small nozzle in such a manner that a bubble causing the large droplet of the liquid to be ejected from the large nozzle and a bubble causing the small droplet of the liquid to be ejected from the small nozzle respectively; a first liquid chamber which is provided between the large nozzle and the at least one individual flow channel and between the large nozzle and the first heat generating element corresponding to the large nozzle.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The nature of this invention, as well as other objects and benefits thereof, will be explained in the following with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters designate the same or similar parts throughout the figures and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a plan perspective diagram of a liquid ejection head according to a first embodiment of the present invention, a nozzle plate being removed;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional diagram of the liquid ejection head according to the first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a general compositional drawing of an inkjet recording apparatus forming an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a principal plan diagram of the peripheral part of a print unit of an inkjet recording apparatus forming an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a compositional diagram showing the approximate composition of an ink supply system in an inkjet recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a principal block diagram showing the system configuration of an inkjet recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a plan perspective diagram of an arrangement of a liquid ejection head according to a second embodiment of the present invention, the nozzle plate being removed;

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional diagram of the liquid ejection head according to the second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 9 is a plan perspective diagram of another arrangement of the liquid ejection head according to the second embodiment of the present invention, a nozzle plate being removed;

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional diagram of a liquid ejection head according to a third embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional diagram of a liquid ejection head in the related art.

Claims

1. A liquid ejection head, comprising: a large nozzle which ejects a large droplet of liquid;a small nozzle which has a smaller nozzle diameter than the large nozzle and ejects a small droplet of the liquid which has a smaller volume than the large droplet;a first heat generating element and a second heat generating element which are provided opposite to the large nozzle and the small nozzle respectively, and apply thermal energy to the liquid in at least one individual flow channel that supplies the liquid to the large nozzle and the small nozzle in such a manner that a bubble causing the large droplet of the liquid to be ejected from the large nozzle and a bubble causing the small droplet of the liquid to be ejected from the small nozzle respectively;a first liquid chamber which is provided between the large nozzle and the at least one individual flow channel and between the large nozzle and the first heat generating element corresponding to the large nozzle.

2. The liquid ejection head as defined in claim 1, further comprising a second liquid chamber which is provided between the small nozzle and the second heat generating element corresponding to the small nozzle.

3. The liquid ejection head as defined in claim 1, wherein the large nozzle and the small nozzle are provided for the one individual flow channel.

4. The liquid ejection head as defined in claim 3, wherein the small nozzle is nearer to a common flow channel than the large nozzle, the common flow channel supplying the liquid to the one individual flow channel.

5. An image forming apparatus comprising the liquid ejection head as defined in claim 1.