JP2005329645A - Liquid ejection unit, and liquid ejection device having the same - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a liquid ejection unit which ensures necessary strength thereof and effectively prevents infiltration of liquid therein, and to provide a liquid ejection device having the same. <P>SOLUTION: According to the structure of the liquid ejection unit, a substrate-side case member (head-side case member 110) has a substrate-side base plate (head-side base plate 111) on which a substrate arrangement member 130 is provided and a substrate-side outer wall (head-side side wall 112) arranged on the substrate-side base plate at a location outside a substrate arrangement location. A cover case member (needle-side case member 120) has a cover-side base plate (needle-side base plate 121) and a cover-side outer wall (needle-side side wall 122) arranged on the cover-side base plate. When the cover case member is installed on the substrate-side case member, the substrate-side outer wall is arranged in the vicinity of the cover-side outer wall, and an interval C4 between the substrate-side outer wall and the cover-side base plate is wider than an interval C1 between the substrate-side outer wall and the cover-side outer wall. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a liquid ejecting unit capable of ejecting various liquids, and a liquid ejecting apparatus including the liquid ejecting unit.

  The liquid ejecting apparatus is an apparatus that ejects liquid. Examples of the liquid ejecting apparatus include a printing apparatus, a color filter manufacturing apparatus, and a dyeing apparatus. The liquid ejecting apparatus includes, for example, a carriage and a liquid ejecting unit attached to the carriage. A liquid ejecting head that ejects liquid is attached to the liquid ejecting unit. In this liquid ejecting apparatus, liquid is ejected from the liquid ejecting head while moving the carriage.

  By the way, in the above-described liquid ejecting unit, for example, a wiring board for relaying a signal supplied to the liquid ejecting head is disposed. If the liquid comes into contact with the wiring substrate, there is a possibility that a short circuit of the wiring occurs. In order to prevent this short circuit, the wiring board needs to be isolated from the liquid. In view of this point, an apparatus has been proposed in which a liquid storage space for storing a liquid is formed and the liquid is stored in the liquid storage space by utilizing capillary force (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Hereinafter, it is also referred to as a conventional device.)

This conventional apparatus has a groove opened upward and a rib (projection) formed downward. And the depth of the groove is made deeper than the height of the rib. With this configuration, a space is formed in the groove with the rib fitted in the groove. This space is used as a liquid storage space to hold excess ink (a kind of liquid). Therefore, it can be said that the conventional apparatus is configured to actively guide the ink that has entered from the gap between the groove and the rib to the liquid storage space.
JP 2001-293875 A

  By the way, the conventional apparatus mentioned above is a structure which fits a rib in a groove | channel. For this reason, mechanical stress is easily applied to the rib, and it is necessary to make the rib thick in order to ensure strength. Further, the conventional apparatus is configured to actively guide and store the liquid in the liquid storage space. For this reason, when the apparatus is tilted, the stored liquid may be guided to the opposite side through the gap between the groove and the rib. Therefore, it is difficult to effectively prevent the liquid from entering the wiring board simply by using this configuration.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a liquid ejecting unit capable of effectively preventing liquid intrusion while ensuring necessary strength, and a liquid ejecting apparatus using the same. Is to realize.

The main invention is
A board-side case member having a board placement portion on which a wiring board is placed;
A cover case member assembled to the substrate side case member so as to cover the substrate placement portion;
The board side case member is
A substrate side base plate portion provided with the substrate placement portion;
A substrate-side outer wall provided outside the substrate-side base plate,
The cover case member is
A cover side base plate portion facing the substrate side base plate portion;
A cover-side outer wall provided outside the cover-side base plate,
In a state where the cover case member is assembled to the substrate side case member, the substrate side outer wall portion and the cover side outer wall portion are arranged close to each other, and from the substrate side outer wall portion to the cover side base plate portion Is a liquid ejecting unit in which the interval is wider than the interval from the substrate-side outer wall portion to the cover-side outer wall portion.

=== Summary of disclosure ===
At least the following will be made clear by the description of the present specification and the accompanying drawings.

  That is, it has a board side case member having a board placement part on which a wiring board is placed, and a cover case member assembled to the board side case member so as to cover the board placement part, and the board side case member is A substrate side base plate portion provided with the substrate placement portion and a substrate side outer wall portion provided outside the substrate side base plate portion, and the cover case member is opposed to the substrate side base plate portion. A cover-side base plate portion and a cover-side outer wall portion provided outside the cover-side base plate portion, and the substrate-side outer wall in a state where the cover case member is assembled to the substrate-side case member. And the cover-side outer wall portion are arranged in proximity to each other, and an interval from the substrate-side outer wall portion to the cover-side base plate portion is from the substrate-side outer wall portion to the cover-side outer wall portion. The liquid jet unit which is wider than the interval can be realized.

  According to such a liquid ejecting unit, since the substrate-side outer wall portion and the cover-side outer wall portion are arranged close to each other, the thicknesses of the substrate-side outer wall portion and the cover-side outer wall portion can be appropriately determined. The necessary strength can be secured. Here, since the substrate-side outer wall portion and the cover-side outer wall portion are arranged close to each other, the liquid that has entered the space formed by these outer wall portions spreads in this space by capillary force. However, since the distance from the substrate-side outer wall portion to the cover-side base plate portion is wider than the interval from the substrate-side outer wall portion to the cover-side outer wall portion, the liquid moves within the opposing range of the outer wall portions. stop. For this reason, it is possible to prevent liquid from entering the wiring board.

In the liquid ejecting unit, the cover case member includes a cover side inner wall portion that is provided inside the cover side outer wall portion, an end surface of which is bonded to the substrate side base plate portion, and the substrate side case. The board-side outer wall portion is disposed between the cover-side outer wall portion and the cover-side inner wall portion in a state where the cover case member is assembled to the member.
According to such a liquid ejecting unit, even if the liquid should exceed the substrate-side outer wall due to some reason, the penetration of the liquid into the wiring board is prevented by the cover-side inner wall. Can do.

In the liquid ejecting unit, in the state where the cover case member is assembled to the substrate side case member, the distance from the cover side inner wall portion to the substrate side outer wall portion is set to be from the cover side outer wall portion to the substrate side. It must be wider than the distance to the outer wall.
According to such a liquid ejecting unit, it is possible to prevent a problem that excessive adhesive enters the space formed by the substrate-side outer wall portion and the cover-side base plate portion. As a result, contact between the liquid and the adhesive can be prevented, and the adhesive state between the cover-side inner wall portion and the substrate-side base plate portion can be maintained over a long period of time.

In this liquid ejecting unit, the cover-side inner wall portion is provided in a shape surrounding the substrate placement portion.
According to such a liquid ejecting unit, it is possible to effectively prevent the liquid from entering the wiring board side.

In the liquid ejecting unit, the substrate-side outer wall portion has a thin-walled portion at a tip portion that is thinner than other portions, and the cover case member is assembled to the substrate-side case member. Thus, the distance from the thin part to the cover-side outer wall part is wider than the distance from the other part to the cover-side outer wall part.
According to such a liquid ejecting unit, a space wider than other portions is formed between the thin portion and the cover-side outer wall portion. For this reason, the liquid that has entered between the substrate-side outer wall portion and the cover-side outer wall portion stops moving at the boundary of the space corresponding to the thin-walled portion. As a result, it is possible to reliably prevent liquid from entering the space formed between the substrate-side outer wall portion and the cover-side base plate portion.

In this liquid ejecting unit, the cover case member has an insertion portion that is inserted into the liquid storage portion.
According to such a liquid ejecting unit, there is a possibility that leaked liquid may adhere to the surface of the cover case when the liquid storage unit is attached or detached. Even in such a case, the liquid wiring board side Infiltration can be prevented.

In this liquid ejecting unit, the substrate-side case member has a head mounting portion for mounting the liquid ejecting head.
According to such a liquid ejecting unit, since the liquid ejecting head is attached to the substrate-side case member, the liquid ejected from the liquid ejecting head may adhere to the surface of the substrate-side case member. Even in this case, it is possible to prevent the liquid from entering the wiring board side.

A board side case member having a board placement portion on which a wiring board is placed; and a cover case member assembled to the board side case member so as to face the board placement portion; Has a substrate side base plate portion provided with the substrate placement portion, a substrate side outer wall portion provided outside the substrate side base plate portion, and a head attachment portion for attaching a liquid ejecting head, The substrate-side outer wall portion has a thin-walled portion at a tip portion that is thinner than other portions, and the cover case member includes a cover-side base plate portion that faces the substrate-side base plate portion, and the cover A cover-side outer wall portion provided outside the side base plate portion, a cover-side inner wall portion provided inside the cover-side outer wall portion, the end surface of which is bonded to the substrate-side base plate portion, and a liquid storage portion Inserted The cover-side inner wall portion is provided in a shape surrounding the substrate placement portion, and the substrate-side case member is assembled to the substrate-side outer wall portion and the substrate-side outer wall portion. The cover-side outer wall portion is disposed in the proximity state, and the interval from the substrate-side outer wall portion to the cover-side base plate portion is wider than the interval from the substrate-side outer wall portion to the cover-side outer wall portion. The interval from the cover-side outer wall portion corresponding to the thin-walled portion to the substrate-side outer wall portion is wider than the interval corresponding to the other portion, and the substrate-side outer wall portion is the cover-side outer wall portion. Between the cover-side inner wall portion and the substrate-side outer wall portion is wider than the distance from the cover-side outer wall portion to the substrate-side outer wall portion. Liquid jet It is also possible to realize a knit.
According to such a liquid ejecting unit, the effects of the present invention are most effectively achieved because the above-described almost all effects can be achieved.

  The liquid ejecting unit includes a liquid ejecting unit, a carriage to which the liquid ejecting unit is attached, and a carriage moving mechanism for moving the carriage in a predetermined direction, and the liquid ejecting unit includes a substrate placement unit on which a wiring board is placed. A substrate-side base plate portion on which the substrate-side case member is provided, the substrate-side case member having a substrate-side case member; And a substrate-side outer wall portion provided outside the substrate-side base plate portion, and the cover case member includes a cover-side base plate portion facing the substrate-side base plate portion, and the cover-side base plate A cover-side outer wall portion provided outside the portion, and in the state where the cover case member is assembled to the substrate-side case member, The wall portion and the cover-side outer wall portion are arranged close to each other, and the distance from the substrate-side outer wall portion to the cover-side base plate portion is larger than the distance from the substrate-side outer wall portion to the cover-side outer wall portion. A wide liquid ejecting apparatus can also be realized.

=== Embodiment of Liquid Ejecting Device ===
<About the subject of explanation>
There are various types of liquid ejecting apparatuses such as a printing apparatus, a color filter manufacturing apparatus, a display manufacturing apparatus, a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, and a DNA chip manufacturing apparatus, and it is difficult to describe all of them. Therefore, in this specification, an ink jet printer (hereinafter simply referred to as “printer”) as a printing apparatus will be described.

<About the overall configuration of the printer>
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of the printer 1 of the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating the overall configuration of the printer 1 of the present embodiment. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the printer 1. FIG. 4 is a partial cross-sectional view for explaining the configuration of the head main body 41. Hereinafter, the basic configuration of the printer 1 will be described with reference to these drawings.

  The printer 1 includes a paper transport mechanism 20, a carriage moving mechanism 30, a head unit 40, a sensor group 50, and a controller 60. The printer 1 that has received the print signal from the computer PC, which is an external device, controls the control target unit, that is, the paper transport mechanism 20, the carriage moving mechanism 30, and the head unit 40 by the controller 60. That is, the controller 60 controls the control target unit based on the print signal received from the computer PC and prints an image on the paper S. At this time, each sensor of the sensor group 50 monitors the status in the printer. Each sensor outputs a detection result to the controller 60. Upon receiving the detection results from each sensor, the controller 60 controls the control target unit based on the detection results.

  The paper transport mechanism 20 is a mechanism that feeds the paper S to a printable position or transports the paper S in a predetermined direction (hereinafter referred to as a transport direction) by a predetermined transport amount during printing. Here, the transport direction of the paper S is a direction that intersects the carriage movement direction described below, and can also be expressed as a sub-scanning direction. The paper transport mechanism 20 includes a paper feed roller 21, a transport motor 22, a transport roller 23, a platen 24, and a paper discharge roller 25.

  The paper feed roller 21 is a roller for automatically feeding the paper S inserted into the paper insertion slot into the printer. The illustrated paper feed roller 21 has a D-shaped cross-sectional shape. The paper S can be fed to the position of the transport roller 23 by rotating the paper feed roller 21 with the circumferential portion in contact with the paper surface. The carry motor 22 is a motor for carrying the paper S in the carrying direction, and is constituted by, for example, a DC motor. The operation of the transport motor 22 is controlled by the controller 60. The transport roller 23 is a roller for transporting the paper S sent by the paper feed roller 21 to a printable area. The transport roller 23 is also rotated by the transport motor 22. The platen 24 is a member that supports the paper S being printed from the back side of the paper S. The paper discharge roller 25 is a roller for transporting the paper S that has been printed. The paper discharge roller 25 rotates in synchronization with the transport roller 23.

  The carriage movement mechanism 30 is a mechanism that moves the carriage CR in a predetermined direction (hereinafter also referred to as a carriage movement direction). The carriage moving mechanism 30 includes a carriage motor 31, a guide shaft 32, a timing belt 33, a driving pulley 34, and a driven pulley 35. The carriage motor 31 corresponds to a drive source for moving the carriage CR. The operation of the carriage motor 31 is controlled by the controller 60 described above. A drive pulley 34 is attached to the rotation shaft of the carriage motor 31. For this reason, the drive pulley 34 is rotated by the carriage motor 31. The drive pulley 34 is disposed on one end side in the carriage movement direction. A driven pulley 35 is arranged on the other end side in the carriage movement direction opposite to the drive pulley 34. The timing belt 33 is connected to the carriage CR and spans both the driving pulley 34 and the driven pulley 35. The guide shaft 32 is a member that supports the carriage CR in a movable state. The illustrated guide shaft 32 is made of a metal rod, and its cross-sectional shape is circular. The guide shaft 32 is attached along the carriage movement direction. Accordingly, when the carriage motor 31 operates, the carriage CR moves along the guide shaft 32 in the carriage movement direction. The carriage movement direction can be referred to as a main scanning direction.

  A head unit 100 (see FIG. 5) as a liquid ejecting unit is attached to the carriage CR moved by the carriage moving mechanism 30. By mounting the head unit 100, a cartridge mounting portion (not shown) in which the ink cartridge 70 (corresponding to a liquid storage portion) is mounted is formed on the carriage CR. The head unit 100 will be described in detail later.

  The head unit 40 includes a head main body 41 that ejects ink (a kind of liquid) and a head control board 42 (see FIG. 6) for supplying an electric signal from the controller 60 to the head main body 41.

  The head body 41 corresponds to a liquid ejecting head, and includes, for example, a flow path unit 41A and an actuator unit 41B. The flow path unit 41A includes a nozzle plate 411 in which nozzles 411a are formed, a storage chamber forming substrate 412 in which an opening serving as an ink storage chamber 412a (corresponding to a liquid storage chamber) is formed, and an ink supply port 413a (liquid). A supply port forming substrate 413 on which is formed). The nozzle plate 411 is bonded to one surface of the storage chamber forming substrate 412, and the supply port forming substrate 413 is bonded to the other surface. The actuator unit 41B is also called a head chip. This actuator unit 41B is formed with a pressure chamber forming substrate 414 having an opening to be a pressure chamber 414a, a vibration plate 415 partitioning a part of the pressure chamber 414a, and a through hole to be a supply side communication port 416a. A lid member 416 and a piezo element 417 formed on the surface of the vibration plate 415 are provided. The head body 41 is formed with a series of flow paths from the ink storage chamber 412a to the nozzle 411a through the pressure chamber 414a. In use, this channel is filled with ink, and by deforming the piezo element 417, ink can be ejected from the corresponding nozzle 411a.

  The head control board 42 corresponds to a wiring board. As shown in FIG. 6, the head control board 42 includes a rectangular board body 421 and a connector 422 mounted on the board body 421. The substrate body 421 is provided with a head control circuit (control IC) and a wiring pattern. The head control circuit is a circuit for controlling the head body 41, and selectively supplies an original drive signal to the corresponding piezo element 417 based on various signals sent from the controller 60, for example. To do.

  The sensor group 50 is for monitoring the status in the printer. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the sensor group 50 includes a linear encoder 51, a rotary encoder 52, a paper detection sensor 53, a paper width sensor 54, and the like. The linear encoder 51 is for detecting the position in the carriage movement direction. The rotary encoder 52 is for detecting the rotation amount of the transport roller 23. The paper detection sensor 53 is for detecting the leading end position of the paper S to be printed. The paper width sensor 54 is for detecting the width of the paper S to be printed. The paper width sensor 54 is attached to the carriage CR, for example.

  The controller 60 controls the printer 1. As shown in FIG. 1, the controller 60 includes an interface unit 61, a CPU 62, a memory 63, and a control unit 64. The interface unit 61 is interposed between the computer PC, which is an external device, and the printer 1 to transmit and receive data. The CPU 62 is an arithmetic processing unit for controlling the entire printer. The memory 63 is for securing an area for storing a program of the CPU 62, a work area, and the like, and includes a storage unit such as a RAM, an EEPROM, and a ROM. Then, the CPU 62 controls each unit via the control unit 64 in accordance with a program stored in the memory 63.

<About printing operation>
In the printer 1 having the above-described configuration, the controller 60 controls the control target units (the paper transport mechanism 20, the carriage moving mechanism 30, and the head unit 40) according to the program stored in the memory 63. Therefore, this program has code for executing this control. Then, the printing operation on the paper S is performed by controlling the control target portion. This print operation includes a print command reception operation, a paper feed operation, a dot formation operation, a transport operation, a paper discharge determination, a paper discharge process, and a print end determination. Hereinafter, each operation will be briefly described.

  The print command receiving operation is an operation of receiving a print command from the computer PC. In this operation, the controller 60 receives a print command via the interface unit 61. The paper feeding operation is an operation of moving the paper S to be printed and positioning it at a printing start position (so-called cueing position). In this operation, the controller 60 rotates the paper feed roller 21 and the transport roller 23 by driving the transport motor 22 and the like. The dot forming operation is an operation for forming dots on the paper S. In this operation, the controller 60 drives the carriage motor 31 and outputs an original drive signal and a control signal to the head unit 40. Thus, ink is ejected from the head main body 41 during the movement period of the carriage CR, and dots are formed on the paper S. The transport operation is an operation for moving the paper S in the transport direction. In this operation, the controller 60 drives the carry motor 22 to rotate the carry roller 23. By this transport operation, dots can be formed at positions different from the dots formed by the previous dot formation operation. The paper discharge determination is a determination as to whether or not to discharge the paper S to be printed. This determination is made by the controller 60 based on the presence or absence of print data, for example. The paper discharge process is a process for discharging the paper S, and is performed on the condition that “discharge” is determined in the previous paper discharge determination. In this case, the controller 60 rotates the paper discharge roller 25 to discharge the printed paper S to the outside. The print end determination is a determination as to whether or not to continue printing. This determination is also made by the controller 60 based on the presence or absence of print data, for example.

=== Characteristics of the present embodiment ===
<About the outline of the head unit>
In this type of printer 1, a head control board 42 as a wiring board is disposed near the head main body 41 in order to handle signals supplied to the head main body 41. That is, the head control board 42 is disposed on the head unit 100. Here, the head unit 100 has an ink supply needle 123 (corresponding to an insertion portion, see FIG. 5) inserted into the ink cartridge 70. The head unit 100 is attached with a head main body 41 for ejecting ink. As the ink cartridge 70 is attached or detached, the ink may leak out around the ink supply needle 123. Ink may also remain on the nozzle plate surface (also referred to as nozzle surface) in the head body 41. For example, when the nozzle surface is covered with a cap member and suction cleaning is performed to suck the ink in the head, the ink may remain on the nozzle surface. If these inks, that is, the ink leaking around the ink supply needle 123 or the ink remaining on the nozzle surface wrap around and come into contact with the head control board 42, a short circuit of the head control circuit or the like occurs. It is possible and not preferred. For this reason, it is necessary to prevent such ink from coming into contact with the head control board 42. For example, it is necessary to prevent ink from coming into contact with the head control board 42 even when the printer 1 is greatly inclined for transportation or movement. On the other hand, mechanical stress is applied to the head unit 100 when the ink cartridge 70 is attached or detached. For this reason, ensuring sufficient intensity | strength is also calculated | required.

  The head unit 100 of the present embodiment is configured in consideration of these points. That is, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the head unit 100 includes a head side case member 110 as a substrate side case member, and a needle side case member 120 as a cover case member that covers the head side case member 110. have. The head side case member 110 includes a head side base plate portion 111 as a substrate side base plate portion, and a head side side wall portion 112 provided outside the head side base plate portion 111 and corresponding to the substrate side outer wall portion. Have. The head side base plate portion 111 is provided with a substrate placement portion 113 on which the head control substrate 42 is placed. On the other hand, the needle-side case member 120 has a needle-side base plate portion 121 and a needle-side side wall portion 122 provided outside the needle-side base plate portion 121. Here, the needle side base plate portion 121 corresponds to a cover side base plate portion, and in this embodiment, a plurality of ink supply needles 123 are integrally provided. The needle side wall portion 122 corresponds to a cover side outer wall portion. The needle side case member 120 is assembled to the head side case member 110 so as to cover the substrate placement portion 113.

  With the needle-side case member 120 assembled to the head-side case member 110, the head-side side wall portion 112 and the needle-side side wall portion 122 are arranged in the proximity state. For this reason, when these side wall parts overlap, the rigidity of this part can be made high. Further, in the state where the needle side case member 120 is assembled to the head side case member 110, the distance from the head side side wall portion 112 to the needle side base plate portion 121 is from the head side side wall portion 112 to the needle side side wall portion 122. It is wider than the interval. As a result, even if the ink enters from between the head side wall 112 and the needle side wall 122, the ink moves in the range where the head side wall 112 and the needle side wall 122 face each other. stop. For this reason, it is possible to prevent ink from entering the head control board 42.

<About the structure of the head unit>
FIG. 5A is a perspective view of the head unit 100 as viewed from the ink supply needle side. FIG. 5B is a perspective view of the head unit 100 as viewed from the head main body side. FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of the head unit 100. FIG. 7A is a view of the head-side case member 110 as viewed from the substrate placement portion side. FIG. 7B is a view of the needle side case member 120 as viewed from the side opposite to the ink supply needle 123. Hereinafter, the structure of the head unit 100 will be described with reference to these drawings.

  As described above, the head unit 100 covers the head main body 41, the head-side case member 110 to which the head main body 41 is attached, the head control substrate 42 disposed on the substrate placement portion 113, and the substrate placement portion 113. Thus, the needle side case member 120 assembled to the head side case member 110 is provided.

  As described above, the head-side case member 110 corresponds to the substrate-side case member, and includes the head-side base plate portion 111. The head side base plate portion 111 corresponds to the head side base plate portion 111 and is configured by a substantially rectangular plate-like member. In the present embodiment, the head side case member 110 is manufactured by integral molding of resin. And as a raw material for producing this head side case member 110, a thermoplastic resin is used suitably, for example.

  On one surface of the head-side base plate portion 111, a substrate placement portion 113 is provided along one long side. The substrate placement portion 113 is a portion on which the head control substrate 42 is placed, and is formed by a substantially rectangular recess. The shape of the recess, that is, the width, length, and depth are determined according to the shape of the head control board 42. Further, the vertical and horizontal orientations of the substrate placement portion 113 are aligned with the shape of the head side base plate portion 111. That is, the long side of the substrate placement portion 113 and the long side of the head side base plate portion 111 are provided in the same direction. Further, the head side base plate portion 111 is formed with a filter mounting portion 114 to which the filter F is mounted. Four filter mounting portions 114 are formed in the vicinity of the substrate placement portion 113 located on the side opposite to the long side of the head-side base plate portion 111. Specifically, the filter mounting portion 114 is configured by a circular recess, and is formed side by side along the long side of the substrate placement portion 113. The formation position and number of the filter mounting portions 114 are determined according to the ink supply needle 123.

  A head side wall portion 112 is provided outside the head side base plate portion 111. The head side wall portion 112 is a wall portion provided in series along the short side edge of the head side base plate portion 111. In the present embodiment, the head side wall portion 112 is provided on each of the pair of short sides. The size of the head side wall portion 112 can be determined as appropriate. As shown in FIG. 9, the head-side side wall portion 112 of the present embodiment has a thickness T1 of about 1 mm and a height H1 of about 3 mm. The head-side base plate portion 111 is also provided with a head-side rear wall portion 115. The head-side rear wall portion 115 is provided in series along the other long side of the head-side base plate portion 111 (that is, the long side located on the side farther from the substrate placement portion 113 of the pair of long sides). ing. Therefore, the surface on the substrate placement portion 113 side of the head side base plate portion 111 is surrounded by the head side side wall portion 112 and the head side rear wall portion 115.

  A head mounting portion 116 is provided on the other surface of the head-side base plate portion 111 (that is, the surface opposite to the substrate placement portion 113 and the filter mounting portion 114). The external shape of the head mounting portion 116 is a substantially rectangular parallelepiped block shape. The tip surface of the head mounting portion 116, that is, the surface opposite to the head side base plate portion 111 corresponds to the head mounting surface. That is, the head main body 41 is attached to the distal end surface of the head attachment portion 116. The head body 41 and the head control board 42 are electrically connected by a flexible wiring board 43 that passes through the head mounting portion 116. In other words, one end of the flexible wiring board 43 is electrically connected to the piezo element 417 of the head main body 41, and the other end is electrically connected to the head control board 42.

  As described above, the needle side case member 120 corresponds to the cover case member, and includes the needle side base plate portion 121. The needle side base plate portion 121 corresponds to a cover side base plate portion, and is configured by a substantially rectangular plate-like member. This needle side case member 120 is also produced by integral molding of resin. The needle side case member 120 is preferably made of the same material as the head side case member 110. This is because the linear expansion coefficients of the needle side case member 120 and the head side case member 110 are uniform, and mechanical stress due to changes in the ambient temperature is less likely to occur, and the needle side case member 120 and the head side case member 110 This is because the selection of the adhesive GL (see FIG. 9) for adhering the adhesive becomes easy. From these viewpoints, in this embodiment, the needle side case member 120 is also made of a thermoplastic resin.

  An ink supply needle 123 is provided on one surface of the needle-side base plate portion 121. The ink supply needle 123 corresponds to an insertion portion or a liquid supply needle. The ink supply needles 123 are provided according to the type of ink to be ejected. In the present embodiment, four ink supply needles 123 are provided side by side so as to correspond to four color inks, specifically, black ink, cyan ink, magenta ink, and yellow ink, respectively. A needle-side partition wall portion 124 is provided on the surface of this one side so as to surround these ink supply needles 123. A space in which a part (not shown) of the ink cartridge 70 is inserted is partitioned by the needle side partition wall portion 124.

  A needle side wall portion 122 is provided outside the needle side base plate portion 121. The needle side wall portion 122 is a wall portion provided in series along the short side edge of the needle side base plate portion 121, and is provided toward the side opposite to the ink supply needle 123. In the present embodiment, the needle side wall 122 is provided on each of the pair of short sides. As shown in FIG. 9, the needle side wall 122 has a thickness T2 of about 0.8 mm and a height H2 of about 3.7 mm. The needle side wall portion 122 is disposed in a state in which the needle side case member 120 is attached to the head side case member 110 and is close to the outside of the head side side wall portion 112. Specifically, the gap C1 between the surface of the needle side wall portion 122 and the facing surface of the head side wall portion 112 is arranged to be about 0.2 mm.

  As shown in FIG. 7B, a needle-side inner wall portion 125 is provided on the surface on the other side (surface opposite to the ink supply needle 123) of the needle-side base plate portion 121. The needle side inner wall portion 125 corresponds to the cover side inner wall portion, and is provided at a position inside the needle side wall portion 122. And this needle side inner wall part 125 is provided in the position and shape corresponding to the board | substrate arrangement | positioning part 113 mentioned above. That is, the needle side inner wall portion 125 is formed along the three sides (a pair of short sides and one long side) of the substrate placement portion 113 in a state where the needle side case member 120 is assembled to the head side case member 110. It is formed so as to surround the substrate placement portion 113. Further, the tip end surface of the needle side inner wall portion 125 abuts on the head side base plate portion 111 and is bonded in this abutting state. Further, a filter partition wall portion 126 is formed continuously with the needle side inner wall portion 125. The filter partition wall 126 communicates the internal space of the ink supply needle 123 and the filter mounting portion 114 in a liquid-tight state. That is, the filter partition wall 126 surrounds the filter mounting portion 114 around the filter mounting portion 114 in a state where the needle side case member 120 is assembled to the head side case member 110. The front end surface of the filter partition wall 126 also contacts the surface of the head-side base plate 111 and is bonded in this contact state.

  In this head unit 100, since four sets of ink supply needles 123 and filter mounting portions 114 are provided, four filter partition wall portions 126 are also provided. Then, the distal end surface of the needle side inner wall portion 125 and the distal end surface of the filter partition wall portion 126 and the head side base plate portion 111 are bonded to each other at an adhesive region G indicated by hatching in FIG. 7A.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 9, with respect to the head side base plate portion 111, a ridge slightly higher than the surface of the head side base plate portion 111 is formed on the inner side in the adhesion region G, that is, on the edge on the substrate placement portion 113 side. A portion 111a is provided. The raised portion 111 a forms a space for filling the adhesive GL between the distal end surface of the needle side inner wall portion 125 and the surface of the head side base plate portion 111. That is, when the tip end surface of the needle side inner wall portion 125 is pressed against the surface of the head side base plate portion 111 without a gap, most of the adhesive GL is pushed out. In this case, the adhesive strength is reduced, or excess adhesive GL overflows around. Here, by providing the raised portion 111a, a space is formed between the distal end surface of the needle side inner wall portion 125 and the surface of the head side base plate portion 111, and an appropriate amount of the adhesive GL can be held. As a result, the adhesive strength can be ensured, and excessive overflow of the adhesive GL can be prevented. Further, since the raised portion 111a is provided at the edge of the bonding region G on the substrate body 421 side, the adhesive GL is attached to the substrate body 421 side when the head side case member 110 and the needle side case member 120 are bonded. It is possible to reliably prevent a problem that the liquid flows excessively.

  Further, the needle side inner wall portion 125 is opposed to each of the one needle side wall portion 122 and the other needle side wall portion 122. That is, the needle side inner wall portion 125 is provided along the needle side wall portion 122. Here, regarding the interval between the needle side wall portion 122 and the needle side inner wall portion 125, in this embodiment, the interval between one needle side wall portion 122 and the needle side inner wall portion 125, and the other needle side wall portion 122 and the needle side. The interval between the inner wall portions 125 is different. Specifically, in FIG. 7B, the distance C3 between the needle side wall portion 122 and the needle side inner wall portion 125 located on the left side is larger than the distance C2 between the needle side wall portion 122 and the needle side inner wall portion 125 located on the right side. Is wide. This is because a fixing screw 130 for fixing the head side case member 110 and the needle side case member 120 is disposed between the needle side wall portion 122 and the needle side inner wall portion 125 located on the left side. In the present embodiment, the distance C2 between the needle-side side wall 122 on the narrow side and the needle-side inner wall 125 is about 1.8 mm. Then, in a state where the needle side case member 120 is assembled to the head side case member 110, the head side wall portion 112 enters between the needle side wall portion 122 and the needle side inner wall portion 125. Thereby, a space defined by the needle side wall portion 122, the needle side inner wall portion 125, and the head side wall portion 112 is formed. This space will be described later.

<About the production of the head unit>
Next, production of the head unit 100 will be described. In manufacturing the head unit 100, first, the flexible wiring substrate 43 is connected to the head body 41. That is, the flexible wiring board 43 and the head body 41 are soldered. If the flexible wiring board 43 is connected to the head main body 41, the head main body 41 is attached to the head attachment portion 116. Here, the flexible wiring substrate 43 is passed through the inside of the head mounting portion 116, and the head main body 41 is bonded to the surface of the head mounting portion 116 using an adhesive. As this adhesive, for example, a silicon adhesive is suitably used. When the head main body 41 is bonded, the edge of the head main body 41 is covered with a metal cover frame.

  Next, the head control board 42 is connected to the flexible wiring board 43. In other words, the board body 421 is fitted into the recess serving as the board placement part 113 with the connector 422 facing the outside (edge side) of the head side base plate part 111. If the head control board 42 is placed on the board placement portion 113, the flexible wiring board 43 is connected to the head control board 42. Again, the flexible wiring board 43 and the head control board 42 are soldered. If the flexible wiring board 43 is connected to the head control board 42, the needle side case member 120 is assembled to the head side case member 110. Here, first, the filter F is mounted on the filter mounting portion 114. That is, the filter F is fitted into the recess that becomes the filter mounting portion 114. Next, the needle side case member 120 coated with the adhesive GL is placed on the head side case member 110. Here, the adhesive GL is preliminarily applied to the distal end surface of the needle side inner wall portion 125 and the distal end surface of the filter partition wall portion 126. Then, by covering the head side case member 110 with the needle side case member 120, the tip side surface of the needle side inner wall portion 125 and the head side base plate portion 111, and the front end surface of the filter partition wall portion 126 and the head side base are provided. The space between the plate portion 111 is filled with the adhesive GL. When the needle side case member 120 is put on the head side case member 110, the needle side case member 120 is fixed to the head side case member 110 using the fixing screw 130.

<About the space formed by the side wall portion of the needle>
Next, an operation in a state where the needle side case member 120 is assembled to the head side case member 110 will be described. Here, FIG. 8A is a plan view of the head unit 100 as viewed from the ink supply needle side. FIG. 8B is a cross-sectional view showing the head unit 100 cut at a position indicated by VIIIB-VIIIB in FIG. 8A. FIG. 9 is an enlarged view illustrating a space defined by the needle side wall portion 122, the needle side inner wall portion 125, and the head side side wall portion 112.

  When the needle-side case member 120 is assembled to the head-side case member 110 as described above, the head-side side wall portion 112 and the needle-side side wall portion 122 are disposed in the proximity state. Therefore, the strength of the portion where these side wall portions overlap can be increased by the head side wall portion 112 and the needle side wall portion 122. And since the thickness of these head side wall part 112 and the needle side wall part 122 can be determined suitably, required intensity | strength can be ensured easily. Further, in a state where the needle side case member 120 is assembled to the head side case member 110, the distance C4 from the head side side wall portion 112 to the needle side base plate portion 121 is about 0.65 mm. On the other hand, the distance C1 from the head side wall 112 to the needle side wall 122 is about 0.2 mm as described above. As described above, the distance C4 from the head-side side wall 112 to the needle-side base plate 121 is sufficiently larger than the distance C1 from the head-side side wall 112 to the needle-side side wall 122. As a result, even if ink permeates from between the head side wall portion 112 and the needle side wall portion 122, this ink is within the range where the head side side wall portion 112 and the needle side wall portion 122 are opposed to each other. Stop that movement. For this reason, it is possible to prevent the ink from entering the head control board 42.

  Further, the head side wall portion 112 is positioned between the needle side wall portion 122 and the needle side inner wall portion 125 in a state where the needle side case member 120 is assembled to the head side case member 110. In other words, the head side wall portion 112 is fitted in the groove formed by the needle side wall portion 122 and the needle side inner wall portion 125. Since the tip end surface of the needle side inner wall portion 125 is bonded to the surface of the head side base plate portion 111, even if the ink exceeds the head side wall portion 112, the ink head control board 42 can be prevented from entering the side. Therefore, the head control board 42 can be reliably protected from ink.

  In addition, the distance C5 from the head side wall portion 112 to the needle side inner wall portion 125 is about 0.6 mm, which is sufficiently larger than the distance C1 (about 0.2 mm) from the head side wall portion 112 to the needle side wall portion 122. It has become wide. With this configuration, the adhesion state between the needle side inner wall portion 125 and the head side base plate portion 111 can be maintained over a long period of time. That is, in this configuration, the space formed between the head side wall portion 112 and the needle side inner wall portion 125 can be made larger than the space formed between the head side wall portion 112 and the needle side wall portion 122. it can. For this reason, regarding the surplus adhesive GL that is applied to the distal end surface of the needle-side inner wall portion 125 and is out of the adhesion region G, the surplus adhesive GL is removed from the head-side base plate portion 111 side. Can be stopped. Therefore, it is possible to reliably prevent the excessive adhesive GL from reaching the space formed between the head-side side wall 112 and the needle-side base plate 121. As a result, contact between the ink and the adhesive GL can be prevented, and the adhesive state between the needle side inner wall portion 125 and the head side base plate portion 111 can be maintained for a long period of time.

  Further, the needle side inner wall portion 125 is provided in a shape surrounding the substrate placement portion 113 along the edge of the substrate placement portion 113. For this reason, it is possible to reliably prevent the ink from entering the substrate placement portion 113.

=== Other Embodiments ===
Incidentally, in the above-described embodiment, the thickness of the head side wall portion 112 is constant from the root portion to the tip portion. In this regard, as shown in FIG. 10, a thin-walled portion 112 a having a thinner thickness than other portions may be provided at the tip portion of the head side wall portion 112. By providing this thin portion 112a, with respect to the distance between the head side wall portion 112 and the needle side wall portion 122, the interval corresponding to this thin portion 112a is wider than the interval corresponding to other portions. For this reason, the ink that has entered between the head side wall portion 112 and the needle side wall portion 122 stops its movement at the boundary with the space corresponding to the thin portion 112a. For this reason, it is possible to reliably prevent the ink from entering the space formed between the head side wall portion 112 and the needle side base plate portion 121.

  In the above-described embodiment, the head unit 100 having the ink supply needle 123 is illustrated, but the configuration is not limited to this. For example, a so-called off-carriage printer in which a bag-like ink pack containing ink and a carriage (head unit) are connected by a tube can be similarly applied. Here, as in the above-described embodiment, in the head unit 100 having the ink supply needle 123, there is a possibility that ink leakage may occur when the ink cartridge 70 is attached or removed. Since the leaked ink moves along the surface of the carriage CR, by adopting the above-described configuration, a remarkable effect can be obtained regarding the protection of the head control board 42.

  In the above-described embodiment, the head main body 41 is attached to the head-side case member 110, but is not limited to this configuration. For example, by connecting via a liquid supply member such as a tube, the head main body 41 may be arranged separately from the base plate portion (head-side base plate portion 111) on which the head control board 42 is arranged. Good. Here, when the head main body 41 is attached to the head side case member 110 as in the embodiment described above, the ink ejected from the head main body 41 adheres to the surface of the head side case member 110 for some reason. However, even in such a case, it is possible to prevent the ink from entering the wiring board side.

<About the printer>
In the above-described embodiment, the printer 1 has been described. However, the printer 1 is not limited thereto. For example, color filter manufacturing apparatus, dyeing apparatus, fine processing apparatus, semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, surface processing apparatus, three-dimensional modeling machine, liquid vaporizer, organic EL manufacturing apparatus (particularly polymer EL manufacturing apparatus), display manufacturing apparatus, film formation The same technique as that of the present embodiment may be applied to various recording apparatuses to which an inkjet technique such as an apparatus and a DNA chip manufacturing apparatus is applied. These methods and manufacturing methods are also within the scope of application.

<Ink ejection method>
In the above-described embodiment, ink is ejected using the piezo element 417. However, the method of ejecting ink is not limited to this method. For example, other methods such as a method of using bubbles generated by heat may be used.

1 is a block diagram illustrating an overall configuration of a printer. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an overall configuration of a printer. It is a cross-sectional view of a printer. It is a fragmentary sectional view explaining the composition of a head body. FIG. 5A is a perspective view of the head unit as viewed from the ink supply needle side. FIG. 5B is a perspective view of the head unit as seen from the head body side. It is a disassembled perspective view of a head unit. FIG. 7A is a view of the head-side case member as seen from the substrate placement portion side. FIG. 7B is a view of the needle-side case member viewed from the side opposite to the ink supply needle. FIG. 8A is a plan view of the head unit as viewed from the ink supply needle side. FIG. 8B is a cross-sectional view showing the head unit cut at a position indicated by VIIIB-VIIIB in FIG. 8A. It is an enlarged view explaining the space partitioned by the needle side wall, the needle side inner wall, and the head side wall. It is a figure explaining the principal part of other embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

1 printer, 20 paper transport mechanism, 21 paper feed roller, 22 transport motor,
23 transport roller, 24 platen, 25 paper discharge roller, 30 carriage moving mechanism,
31 Carriage motor, 32 guide shaft, 33 timing belt,
34 Drive pulley, 35 Driven pulley, 40 Head part, 41 Head body,
41A channel unit, 411 nozzle plate, 411a nozzle,
412 storage chamber forming substrate, 412a ink storage chamber, 413 supply port forming substrate,
413a ink supply port, 41B actuator unit,
414 pressure chamber forming substrate, 414a pressure chamber, 415 diaphragm, 416 lid member,
416a supply side communication port, 417 piezo element, 42 head control board,
421 board body, 422 connector, 43 flexible wiring board,
50 sensor groups, 51 linear encoder, 52 rotary encoder,
53 Paper detection sensor, 54 Paper width sensor, 60 Controller,
61 interface unit, 62 CPU, 63 memory, 64 control unit,
100 head unit, 110 head side case member, 111 head side base plate,
111a raised portion, 112 head side wall portion, 112a thin portion, 113 substrate placement portion,
114 Filter mounting portion, 115 Head side rear wall portion, 116 Head mounting portion,
120 needle side case member, 121 needle side base plate part, 122 needle side wall part,
123 ink supply needle, 124 needle side partition wall, 125 needle side inner wall,
126 filter partition wall, 130 fixing screw, PC computer,
S paper, CR carriage, F filter, G adhesive area, GL adhesive

Claims (9)

A board-side case member having a board placement portion on which a wiring board is placed;
A cover case member assembled to the substrate side case member so as to cover the substrate placement portion;
The board side case member is
A substrate side base plate portion provided with the substrate placement portion;
A substrate-side outer wall provided outside the substrate-side base plate,
The cover case member is
A cover side base plate portion facing the substrate side base plate portion;
A cover-side outer wall provided outside the cover-side base plate,
In a state where the cover case member is assembled to the substrate side case member, the substrate side outer wall portion and the cover side outer wall portion are arranged close to each other, and from the substrate side outer wall portion to the cover side base plate portion Is a liquid ejecting unit in which the interval is wider than the interval from the substrate-side outer wall portion to the cover-side outer wall portion. The liquid ejecting unit according to claim 1,
The cover case member is
Provided on the inner side of the cover-side outer wall portion, the end surface has a cover-side inner wall portion bonded to the substrate-side base plate portion,
The liquid ejecting unit, wherein the substrate side outer wall portion is disposed between the cover side outer wall portion and the cover side inner wall portion in a state where the cover case member is assembled to the substrate side case member. The liquid ejecting unit according to claim 2,
In a state where the cover case member is assembled to the substrate side case member, the interval from the cover side inner wall portion to the substrate side outer wall portion is wider than the interval from the cover side outer wall portion to the substrate side outer wall portion. Liquid jet unit. The liquid ejecting unit according to claim 2 or 3,
The cover side inner wall is
A liquid ejecting unit provided in a shape surrounding the substrate placement portion. The liquid ejecting unit according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The substrate-side outer wall portion is
At its tip part, it has a thin part that is thinner than other parts,
In a state where the cover case member is assembled to the substrate side case member, the interval from the thin portion to the cover side outer wall portion is wider than the interval from the other portion to the cover side outer wall portion. Liquid jet unit. The liquid ejecting unit according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The cover case member is
A liquid ejecting unit having an insertion portion to be inserted into a liquid storage portion. The liquid ejecting unit according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
The board side case member is
A liquid ejecting unit having a head mounting portion for mounting a liquid ejecting head. A board-side case member having a board placement portion on which a wiring board is placed;
A cover case member assembled to the substrate side case member so as to face the substrate placement portion;
The board side case member is
A substrate side base plate portion provided with the substrate placement portion;
A substrate-side outer wall provided outside the substrate-side base plate,
A head mounting portion for mounting the liquid jet head;
The substrate-side outer wall portion is
At its tip part, it has a thin part that is thinner than other parts,
The cover case member is
A cover side base plate portion facing the substrate side base plate portion;
A cover-side outer wall provided outside the cover-side base plate,
A cover-side inner wall portion provided on the inner side of the cover-side outer wall portion, the end surface of which is bonded to the substrate-side base plate portion;
An insertion portion to be inserted into the liquid storage portion,
The cover side inner wall portion is provided in a shape surrounding the substrate placement portion,
With the cover case member assembled to the board side case member,
The substrate-side outer wall portion and the cover-side outer wall portion are arranged in proximity to each other, and an interval from the substrate-side outer wall portion to the cover-side base plate portion is from the substrate-side outer wall portion to the cover-side outer wall portion. Wider than the interval,
The interval from the cover side outer wall portion corresponding to the thin portion to the substrate side outer wall portion is wider than the interval corresponding to the other portion,
The substrate side outer wall portion is disposed between the cover side outer wall portion and the cover side inner wall portion, and an interval from the cover side inner wall portion to the substrate side outer wall portion is set between the cover side outer wall portion and the substrate. A liquid ejecting unit that is wider than the distance to the side outer wall. A liquid jet unit;
A carriage to which the liquid ejecting unit is attached;
A carriage moving mechanism for moving the carriage in a predetermined direction;
The liquid ejecting unit includes:
A board-side case member having a board placement portion on which a wiring board is placed;
A cover case member assembled to the substrate side case member so as to cover the substrate placement portion;
The board side case member is
A substrate side base plate portion provided with the substrate placement portion;
A substrate-side outer wall provided outside the substrate-side base plate,
The cover case member is
A cover side base plate portion facing the substrate side base plate portion;
A cover-side outer wall provided outside the cover-side base plate,
In a state where the cover case member is assembled to the substrate side case member, the substrate side outer wall portion and the cover side outer wall portion are arranged close to each other, and from the substrate side outer wall portion to the cover side base plate portion The liquid ejecting apparatus is configured such that the distance between the substrate side outer wall part and the cover side outer wall part is wider than the distance between

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