JP2007223152A - Elastic tube with connector and its manufacturing method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an elastic tube with a connector which has no possibility of deforming the elastic tube 210 in the connector 214, and to provide its manufacturing method. <P>SOLUTION: A mold clamping procedure 400 in which a mold 410 having a molding face 411 surrounding one end of the ink feeding tube 210 by certain intervals and a tightly sticking face 412 surrounding the ink feeding tube 210 with no interval in a part of a section into which an inserting part 422 of a core pin 420 is inserted, is mounted on the ink feeding tube 210 to form a molding space with a shape complementary with the connector 214, and a casting procedure in which a material resin for the connector 214 is cast into the molding space, are included. In the casting procedure, on the surface of the ink feeding tube 210, the circulation speed of the material resin flowing into a partial region of the molding space facing the section adjoining the tightly sticking face 412 on the inside of the molding space is decreased. The circulation speed of the material resin can be decreased, for example, by providing a speed decreasing part 414 in the molding space. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an elastic tube with a connector and a method for forming the same. More specifically, the present invention relates to an elastic tube with a connector having a resin connector at an end of an elastic tube formed of a flexible resin, and a forming method for forming the elastic tube.

  An elastic tube formed of an elastic material such as resin, rubber, or elastomer can be easily bent and is not damaged by deformation caused by vibration, bending, etc. Widely used in many fields handled. The connection of this type of elastic tube was initially fitted to a member formed of another hard material using its own elasticity, as described in Patent Document 1 below. However, such a connection method requires a lot of time for connection work and is not preferable for industrial use.

  Therefore, as described in Patent Document 2 below, it has been proposed that a connector as a connecting means is formed integrally with an end portion of an elastic tube and easily connected to another member. This type of connector can be formed by injection-molding a hard material suitable for the connector around the end of the elastic tube. Thereby, while being able to attach or detach an elastic tube easily with respect to another member, reliable connection is anticipated.

As for a single elastic tube, as described in Patent Document 3 below, it is proposed that a plurality of independent elastic tubes are arranged in parallel and integrally formed into a multi-row tube. The multi-row tube can be easily bent in a direction intersecting the surface on which the elastic tubes are arranged, and a plurality of different types of fluids can be individually circulated. Therefore, for example, in a color printer, different color inks, coating agents, and the like can be handled collectively.
JP 2000-168099 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-157092 JP 2003-320680 A

  However, it has been found that when an existing elastic tube is enclosed and molded with a hard connector material resin, the elastic tube may be deformed inside the formed connector. Also, in many cases, it has been found that the deformation reduces the effective inner diameter of the elastic tube, so that the amount of fluid that can be circulated through the elastic tube is reduced in the section where the connector is attached. .

  Therefore, for the purpose of solving the above problems, as a first embodiment of the present invention, an elastic tube formed of an elastic material and having a flow path continuous in the longitudinal direction is integrally formed with an end portion of the elastic tube and its vicinity. A manufacturing method for manufacturing an elastic tube with a connector having a connector for communicating a flow path to the outside, a pin insertion procedure for inserting a pin substantially equal to the inner diameter of the flow path at one end of the elastic tube, and elasticity A molding surface that surrounds the periphery of one end of the tube with an interval from the elastic tube, and a contact surface that is formed adjacent to the molding surface that surrounds the elastic tube without a gap in a part of the section where the pin is inserted. A mold-clamping procedure for forming a molding space having a shape complementary to the connector by attaching a mold having a shape to an elastic tube, and injecting a connector resin into the molding space And a mold opening procedure in which the mold is opened and a connector formed around one end of the elastic tube is taken out and a pin is removed, and in the casting procedure, a molding space is formed on the surface of the elastic tube. A manufacturing method for reducing the flow rate of the material resin flowing into a partial region of the molding space facing the section adjacent to the contact surface inside is provided. Thereby, it is prevented that the resin material which forms a connector enters into the deformation part formed in the area | region adjacent to the contact | adherence surface of the elastic tube surface, and fixing the deformation | transformation of an elastic tube.

  According to one embodiment, in the manufacturing method, in the mold clamping procedure, the speed reduction member fixed against the flow of the material resin is disposed on the flow path of the material resin toward the partial region. Accordingly, since the material resin flows around the speed reduction member in the molding space, the flow speed of the material resin is reduced in the area ahead of the speed reduction member as compared with other areas in the molding space. .

  Furthermore, according to another embodiment, in the manufacturing method, the elastic tube is gripped between the contact surface and the pin in the casting procedure. Thereby, an elastic tube can be firmly hold | maintained at a metal mold | die. Therefore, the elastic tube is prevented from being displaced relative to the mold by the molding pressure of the material resin.

  According to another embodiment, in the above-described manufacturing method, in the casting procedure, the temperature of a part of the mold adjacent to the partial region is partially reduced to reduce the fluidity of the material resin. Thereby, the distribution | circulation speed of material resin can be reduced in the one part area | region in molding space, without processing the molding surface of a metal mold | die.

  Furthermore, as a second embodiment of the present invention, an elastic tube formed of an elastic material and having a flow path continuous in the longitudinal direction, and a connector that is integrally formed at and near the end of the elastic tube and communicates the flow path to the outside A method of manufacturing an elastic tube with a connector having a pin insertion procedure for inserting a pin substantially equal to the inner diameter of the flow path into one end of the elastic tube, and an elastic tube around one end of the elastic tube A mold having a molding surface that surrounds the molding tube at an interval and a contact surface formed adjacent to the molding surface that surrounds the elastic tube without a gap in a part of the section in which the pin is inserted. A mold clamping procedure for mounting and forming a molding space having a shape complementary to the connector, a casting procedure for injecting the connector material resin into the molding space, and opening the mold The connector formed around one end of the tube is taken out, and further, a mold opening procedure for extracting the pin, and in the casting procedure, the elastic tube surface faces the section adjacent to the contact surface inside the molding space. Provided is an elastic tube with a connector manufactured by reducing the flow rate of a material resin flowing into a partial region of a molding space. Thereby, since deformation of the elastic tube does not occur inside the connector, a liquid flow path with a high fluid flow rate can be formed. Moreover, the reproducibility of design specifications is high, which contributes to productivity improvement from the viewpoint of improving yield.

  The summary of the invention does not enumerate all necessary features of the present invention. Further, a sub-combination of these feature groups can be an invention.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described through embodiments of the invention. However, the following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims. In addition, not all the combinations of features described in the embodiments are essential for the solving means of the invention.

  FIG. 1 shows an entire inkjet recording apparatus 100 including an ink cartridge 180 loaded at a specific position and a recording head 172 coupled to the ink cartridge 180 via an ink supply tube 210 (not shown). It is sectional drawing which shows a typical structure. As shown in the figure, the ink jet recording apparatus 100 is arranged in a rear part (right side in the figure) and a feeding part 110 and is sequentially arranged from the feeding part 110 forward (left side in the figure). The transport unit 130, the platen 140, and the discharge unit 150 are integrally formed by the housing 102. A carriage 170 is disposed above the platen 140, and a recording operation is performed between the carriage 170 and the platen 140. Further, a cover 160 integral with a discharge tray 162 that functions by opening the lower end as a hinge is provided on the front surface (left side in the figure) of the housing 102.

  The feeding unit 110 includes a hopper 116 that pushes forward the vicinity of the lower end of the recording paper 190 loaded on the paper support 112, an edge guide 114 that positions the side edge of the recording paper 190, and the recording paper 190 pushed out by the hopper 116. The sheet feeding roller 120 that rotates and contacts the recording paper 190 is taken in the ink jet recording apparatus 100 one by one from the paper support 112.

  The conveyance unit 130 is rotated and driven with respect to the recording sheet 190 that has been taken in. The conveyance driving roller 131 is in contact with the lower side, and is urged downward by the roller holder to cause the recording sheet 190 to move toward the conveyance driving roller 131. A conveyance driven roller 132 for pressing is provided. By sandwiching the recording paper 190 between the transport driving roller 131 and the transport driven roller 132, the captured recording paper 190 is fed onto the platen 140.

  On the platen 140, the recording paper 190 is kept at a predetermined height by the platen 140 contacting the lower surface. On the other hand, the carriage 170 disposed above the platen 140 ejects ink from the recording head 172 mounted on the bottom surface thereof to form an image on the upper surface of the recording paper 190. The carriage 170 is guided by a pair of guide rails 174 extending in the depth direction with respect to the paper surface of the drawing, and reciprocates in a direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction of the recording paper 190. Therefore, by combining the conveyance of the recording paper 190 and the reciprocating movement of the carriage 170, an image can be formed in an arbitrary area of the entire upper surface of the recording paper 190.

  A discharge unit 150 disposed in front of the platen 140 (left side in the figure) includes a discharge driving roller 151 that contacts the recording paper 190 from below, and a discharge driving roller that contacts the recording paper 190 from above and discharges the recording paper 190. The recording paper 190 having an image formed thereon is sent to the upper surface of the opened discharge tray 162.

  Further, in the ink jet recording apparatus 100, the ink cartridge 180 that stores ink to be ejected onto the recording paper 190 is stored below the feeding unit 110. That is, as shown in the drawing, the cartridge holder 184 that receives the ink cartridge 180 is provided in the vicinity of the rear bottom of the ink jet recording apparatus 100, and the ink cartridge 180 is loaded or removed from the rear part of the ink jet recording apparatus 100. . For this reason, an attachment / detachment lever 182 for attaching / detaching the ink cartridge 180 is also provided at the rear part of the ink jet recording apparatus 100. Further, the ink stored in the ink cartridge 180 is supplied to an ink supply tube 210 described later via an ink supply path 186 disposed in the back of the cartridge holder 184.

  FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the internal mechanism 200 of the ink jet recording apparatus 100 shown in FIG. As shown in the figure, a conveyance motor 118 that drives the feeding unit 110 and the conveying unit 130 is disposed on the right side of the feeding unit 110 in the drawing. A carriage motor 176 that drives the reciprocating movement of the carriage 170 is disposed on the left side of the feeding unit 110. Further, a discharge motor 154 for driving the discharge drive roller 151 is disposed on the side of the discharge unit 150.

  Further, the internal mechanism 200 includes an ink supply tube 210 that supplies ink from the ink cartridge 180 to the recording head 172. At one end of the ink supply tube 210, an ink cartridge 180 loaded in the lower part of the internal mechanism 200 and a connector 212 for connecting the ink supply tube 210 are attached. A connector 214 that connects the ink supply tube 210 to the recording head 172 is attached to the other end of the ink supply tube 210. Accordingly, one end of the ink supply tube 210 is fixed to the carriage 170 via the connector 214.

  FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view showing the vicinity of one end of the elastic tube assembly with connector 300 in which the connector 214 and the ink supply tube 210 are integrally formed. As shown in the drawing, the connector-attached elastic tube assembly 300 is formed by integrally molding a connector 214 at one end of an ink supply tube 210.

  As shown in the drawing, the ink supply tube 210 is a multi-row tube in which a plurality of elastic tubes are formed in parallel and integrally. On the other hand, the connector 214 includes a plurality of portions having individual functions, such as the neck portion 310, the liquid flow path 320, and the bracket portion 330.

  The bracket unit 330 has a screw hole 332 through which a fixing screw is inserted when the connector 214 is fixed to the carriage 170 of the ink jet recording apparatus 100. The front end of the bracket portion 330 has a rib portion 334 that extends to below the ink supply tube 210. When the connector 214 is fixed to the carriage 170, the rib portion 334 widely contacts the upper surface of the carriage 170 and stabilizes the connector 214. Although not shown in FIG. 3, another connector 212 is similarly attached to the other end of the ink supply tube 210.

  The neck portion 310 surrounds the vicinity of the end portion of the ink supply tube 210 over a certain section. In the neck portion 310, the ink flows through the ink supply tube 210. On the other hand, the neck portion 310 holds the ink supply tube 210 from the outside. As a result, the ink supply tube 210 is integrated with the connector 214 and cannot be detached from each other. Each of the liquid flow paths 320 communicates with the end of the ink supply tube 210 at one end thereof. The other ends of the liquid flow paths 320 are individually connected to the carriage 170 of the ink jet recording apparatus 100. The grooves 312 formed around the neck portion 310 will be described later with reference to FIG.

  In manufacturing the ink jet recording apparatus 100, the ink supply tube 210 and the connectors 212 and 214 are supplied and assembled as the elastic tube assembly 300 with a connector as described above. As a result, the flexible ink supply tube 210 can be easily assembled to improve productivity, and the other members are liquid-tightly coupled to reliably prevent ink leakage.

  FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a state where the elastic tube assembly with connector 300 shown in FIG. 3 is viewed from the rear surface with respect to the arrangement surface of the ink supply tubes 210. As shown in the figure, the bracket portion 330 is formed with a pair of screw holes 332. Thereby, the connector 214 is stably fixed to the carriage 170 by a pair of screws.

  FIG. 5 is a plan view showing the shape near one end of the connector-attached elastic tube assembly 300 viewed from the direction indicated by the arrow Y in FIGS. As shown in the figure, the other end of the liquid flow path 320 of the connector 214 opens in a row between a pair of screw holes 332. Therefore, the liquid flow path 320 is firmly fixed to the carriage 170 by the fastening force of the screw inserted through the screw hole 332, and ink leakage at the connection portion is prevented. Further, since the connector 214 is in contact with the carriage 170 in the entire bracket portion 330 having a large area, the connector 214 is stably fixed.

  FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the elastic tube assembly 300 with a connector cut along a plane including the arrow X shown in FIG. As shown in the figure, each of the liquid flow paths 320 is formed as a groove on the surface of the connector 214. This groove is sealed with a sealing film (not shown) to form a tubular liquid channel 320.

  FIG. 7 is a view for explaining a mold clamping procedure 400 when the connector-attached elastic tube assembly 300 shown in FIGS. 3 to 6 is manufactured. 7 shows a cross section that is parallel to the cross section shown in FIG. 6 and is cut by a plane including the diameters of all the liquid channels of the ink supply tube 210. FIG.

  As shown in the figure, the connector 214 is formed of a material resin injected into the inside of a mold 410 that surrounds and attaches to the vicinity of the end of the ink supply tube 210. Further, before the mold 410 is clamped, the core pin 420 is mounted inside the ink supply tube 210. Although not shown in particular, the actually used mold 410 is formed of a plurality of members and is clamped after the core pin 420 and the ink supply tube 210 are accommodated.

  Here, the ink supply tube 210 extends from the molding space formed inside the mold 410 through a part of the mold 410 to the outside of the mold 410. However, the mold 410 has a close contact surface 412 that is in close contact with the surface of the ink supply tube 210, and prevents the material resin in the molding space from leaking outside the mold 410.

  In addition, the core pin 420 disposed in the mold 410 while being attached to the ink supply tube 210 has an insertion portion 422 inserted into each liquid flow path of the ink supply tube 210 and a molding space of the mold 410. And a lightening protrusion 424 for forming the liquid flow path 320 and the like of the connector 214. The distal end of the insertion portion 422 has a length that reaches the outer surface of the mold 410 when the core pin 420 is disposed at a predetermined position in the mold 410. Thereby, when the contact surface 412 of the mold 410 presses the ink supply tube 210 from the outside, the insertion portion 422 supports the ink supply tube 210 from the inside, so that the ink supply tube 210 is attached to the mold 410. It is gripped strongly. Therefore, when the material resin is injected into the mold 410, the ink supply tube 210 is not pushed out of the mold 410 due to the molding pressure of the resin.

  Further, the mold 410 has a speed reducing portion 414 that serves as a barrier against the flow of the material resin in a region where a portion that becomes the neck portion 310 of the connector 214 is formed in the molding space. For this reason, the material resin injected into the mold 410 bypasses the speed reduction portion 414 and flows into the region on the side of the ink supply tube 210 at a low flow rate. Accordingly, the connector 214 is formed with a low molding pressure in a region corresponding to the end of the neck portion 310.

  The connector 214 is formed by injecting a material resin into the mold 410 clamped as described above. Further, after the temperature of the material resin is lowered and the shape is stabilized, the mold 410 is opened, and the core pin 420 is removed from the ink supply tube 210, whereby the elastic tube with connectors shown in FIGS. 300 is completed.

  FIG. 8 is a partial cross-sectional view showing an enlarged portion 500 in the vicinity of the contact surface 412 of the mold 410 shown in FIG. As shown in the figure, when the surface of the ink supply tube 210 is closely observed, the contact surface 412 of the mold 410 presses the surface of the ink supply tube 210 and is elastically deformed. That is, the contact surface 412 presses the ink supply tube 210 beyond a dotted line 213 connecting the surface of the ink supply tube 210 on the inside and outside of the mold 410, and elastically deforms the ink supply tube 210. As described above, since the insertion portion 422 of the core pin 420 is inserted into the ink supply tube 210, the ink supply tube 210 is sandwiched between the contact surface 412 and the insertion portion 422 and firmly held. The Therefore, even when the material resin forming the connector 214 is injected at a high pressure into the molding surface 411 side inside the mold 410, the ink supply tube 210 is not pushed out toward the outside of the mold 410.

  On the other hand, in the surface of the ink supply tube 210, deformed portions 211 and 215 are also generated in the ink supply tube 210 in a section adjacent to both ends of the contact surface 412. The deformed portion 215 formed outside the mold 410 disappears due to the elasticity of the ink supply tube 210 itself when the mold 410 is opened and the pressing by the contact surface 412 disappears. However, when the material resin of the connector 214 enters the deformed portion 211 generated in the molding space, the deformed portion 211 is fixed by the material resin and does not disappear even if the mold 410 is opened. In such a case, when the core pin 420 is removed after the mold opening procedure, the ink supply tube 210 is deformed inward, and the internal flow path becomes narrow.

  On the other hand, in the mold 410 shown in FIG. 7, the material resin flowing into a partial region in the molding space including the deforming portion 211 is decelerated by the decelerating portion 414. For this reason, the material resin does not enter the deformation portion 211. Therefore, when the deformed portion 211 is not fixed by the material resin and is released from the pressure by the contact surface 412, the deformed portion 211 of the ink supply tube 210 disappears.

  In addition, arrangement | positioning of the deceleration part 414 is not limited to the position shown in FIG. Moreover, the shape is not limited to a rectangular cross section. Furthermore, in addition to the method of providing the speed reducing portion 414, there is a method of lowering the temperature of the region where the inflow of the material resin is decelerated. For example, the temperature of a desired region can be lowered by circulating a coolant outside the formation space of the mold 410. Therefore, in the molding space, the area near the deformed portion 211 of the ink supply tube 210 is set to a lower temperature than the other areas, thereby increasing the viscosity of the material resin and reducing the flow velocity in this area. You can also.

  In the above embodiment, the elastic tube assembly with connector 300 as the ink supply tube 210 in the ink jet recording apparatus 100 has been described as an example. However, the elastic tube with connector is also used in many other applications for handling fluids. Can be used. Specifically, a color filter manufacturing apparatus that manufactures color filters for liquid crystal displays, an electrode forming apparatus that forms electrodes such as organic EL displays and FEDs (surface emitting displays), a biochip manufacturing apparatus that manufactures biochips, and the like However, the present invention is not limited to these examples.

  As mentioned above, although this invention was demonstrated using embodiment, the technical scope of this invention is not limited to the range as described in the said embodiment. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications or improvements can be added to the above-described embodiment. In addition, it is apparent from the scope of the claims that the embodiments added with such changes or improvements can be included in the technical scope of the present invention.

2 is a cross-sectional view outlining a functional structure of the ink jet recording apparatus 100. FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating an internal mechanism 200 of the ink jet recording apparatus 100. FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view showing a shape in the vicinity of one end of an elastic tube assembly with connector 300 provided in the ink jet recording apparatus 100. FIG. It is a perspective view which shows a mode that the shape of the one end vicinity of the elastic tube assembly 300 with a connector was seen from another angle. It is a top view which shows a mode that the shape of the one end vicinity of the elastic tube assembly 300 with a connector was seen from another angle. It is sectional drawing which shows one cross-sectional shape of the connector 214 in the elastic tube assembly 300 with a connector. It is a figure explaining the operation | work of the clamping procedure 400 in the case of manufacturing the elastic tube assembly 300 with a connector, and is sectional drawing which shows one cross section of the metal mold | die 410. FIG. FIG. 8 is a partial cross-sectional view showing an enlarged portion 500 in the vicinity of the contact surface 412 of the mold 410 shown in FIG. 7.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Inkjet recording device, 110 Feeding part, 112 Paper support, 114 Edge guide, 116 Hopper, 118 Conveyance motor, 120 Feeding roller, 130 Conveying part, 131 Conveyance driving roller, 132 Conveyance driven roller, 140 Platen, 150 Discharge 151, discharge drive roller, 152 discharge driven roller, 154 discharge motor, 160 cover, 162 discharge tray, 170 carriage, 172 recording head, 174 guide rail, 176 carriage motor, 180 ink cartridge, 182 detachable lever, 184 cartridge holder, 186 Ink feed path, 190 recording paper, 200 internal mechanism, 210 ink supply tube, 211, 215 deformation part, 212, 214 connector, 300 elastic tube with connector Solid, 310 Neck, 320 Liquid channel, 330 Bracket, 332 Screw hole, 334 Rib, 400 Clamping procedure, 410 Die, 411 Molding surface, 412, 416, 418 Adhering surface, 414 Deceleration unit, 420 Core pin 422 Insertion part, 424 Thickening protrusion, 500 Enlarged part

Claims (5)

Manufacturing an elastic tube with a connector having an elastic tube formed of an elastic material and having a flow path continuous in the longitudinal direction, and a connector that is integrally formed at and near the end of the elastic tube and communicates the flow path with the outside A manufacturing method for
At one end of the elastic tube, a pin insertion procedure for inserting a pin substantially equal to the inner diameter of the flow path into the flow path,
Adjacent to the molding surface that surrounds the periphery of the one end of the elastic tube with a space from the elastic tube, and the molding surface that surrounds the elastic tube without a gap in a part of the section where the pin is inserted A mold clamping procedure for mounting a mold having a close contact surface formed on the elastic tube to form a molding space having a shape complementary to the connector;
A casting procedure for injecting a material resin of the connector into the molding space;
Opening the mold and taking out the connector formed around the one end of the elastic tube, and further including a mold opening procedure for extracting the pin,
In the casting procedure, the flow rate of the material resin flowing into a part of the molding space facing the section adjacent to the contact surface inside the molding space on the surface of the elastic tube is reduced. Production method.   The manufacturing method according to claim 1, wherein, in the mold clamping procedure, a speed reduction member fixed against the flow of the material resin is disposed on the flow path of the material resin toward the partial region.   The manufacturing method according to claim 2, wherein the elastic tube is gripped between the contact surface and the pin in the mold clamping procedure.   The method according to claim 1, wherein in the casting procedure, the temperature of a part of the mold adjacent to the partial region is partially reduced to reduce the fluidity of the material resin. Manufacturing an elastic tube with a connector having an elastic tube formed of an elastic material and having a flow path continuous in the longitudinal direction, and a connector that is integrally formed at and near the end of the elastic tube and communicates the flow path with the outside A manufacturing method for
At one end of the elastic tube, a pin insertion procedure for inserting a pin substantially equal to the inner diameter of the flow path into the flow path,
Adjacent to the molding surface that surrounds the periphery of the one end of the elastic tube with a space from the elastic tube, and the molding surface that surrounds the elastic tube without a gap in a part of the section where the pin is inserted A mold clamping procedure for mounting a mold having a close contact surface formed on the elastic tube to form a molding space having a shape complementary to the connector;
A casting procedure for injecting a material resin of the connector into the molding space;
Opening the mold and taking out the connector formed around the one end of the elastic tube, and further including a mold opening procedure for extracting the pin,
In the casting procedure, the flow rate of the material resin flowing into a part of the molding space facing the section adjacent to the contact surface inside the molding space on the surface of the elastic tube is reduced. An elastic tube with a connector.

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