JP2008213254A - Liquid jet head and liquid injection apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a liquid jet head and liquid injection apparatus which can prevent a foreign matter from coming into the channel at the time of assembly. <P>SOLUTION: The liquid jet head 10 includes a body assembly 40 having a nozzle n for injecting a liquid, a liquid introducing assembly 20 having an introduction part 22 for introducing the liquid and a sealing member 30 having a seal part 33 for sealing the part which communicates with a communication channel 23 and the communication channel 53 in the state that the sealing member 30 is inserted between the liquid introducing assembly 20 and the body assembly 40. The sealing member 30 includes a positioning hole 34 in which a protrusion 54 attached to the body assembly 40 side is inserted and fixed and a projection 35 formed so as to be thrust out of the protrusion 54 while having a gap between the protrusion 54 inserted and fixed and the projection 35. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a liquid ejecting apparatus used for pattern application (arrangement) of a functional liquid in ink jet printing, display panel, metal wiring, battery, and biochip manufacturing, and a liquid ejecting head mounted on the apparatus.

  Conventionally, ink jet printers suitable for printing on paper have been widely known as liquid ejecting apparatuses. In general, micro nozzles for ejecting droplets are provided on a carriage that reciprocates with respect to printing paper. The liquid ejecting head (hereinafter referred to as the head) is mounted. The head needs to be provided with a series of flow paths for introducing liquid from the outside and guiding it to the nozzle, but when this is configured as an assembly of multiple parts, the seam of the flow paths between the parts is sealed. Therefore, a seal member is used (for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2002-127442 A

  The seal member according to Patent Document 1 has a seal portion for sealing the joint of the flow path and a through hole into which the projection portion on the head main body side is fitted, and the projection on the head main body side in the through hole. Positioning is performed by press-fitting the part. However, when positioning the seal member, the operator's hand may accidentally touch the seal portion, which may cause contamination of the flow path.

  SUMMARY An advantage of some aspects of the invention is that it provides a liquid ejecting head and a liquid ejecting apparatus that can prevent foreign matter from being mixed into a flow path during assembly.

The liquid ejecting head of the present invention includes (a) a first part having a nozzle for ejecting liquid, (b) a second part having an introduction part for introducing the liquid, and (c) the first part. An elastic member having a seal portion that seals a communication portion between a flow path that communicates with the nozzle in the component and a flow passage that communicates with the introduction portion in the second component; and a step portion formed around the seal portion; .
Preferably, the stepped portion is formed by undulation of the elastic member provided around the seal portion.

  According to the example of the present invention, even if the operator's hand slides along the outer surface of the elastic member, the stepped portion prevents the hand from reaching the seal portion. Further, the step portion plays a role of trapping the foreign matter and suppresses the foreign matter from adhering to the seal portion.

Preferably, the elastic member has a grip portion formed so as to extend away from the position of the seal portion.
According to the example of the present invention, since the elastic member can be handled by gripping the grip portion formed away from the seal portion, the risk of contact with the seal portion is reduced.

Preferably, the elastic member has a gap between a positioning hole into which a positioning projection in the first part is inserted and the projection inserted into the positioning hole, And a protrusion formed so as to protrude from the inserted protrusion.
More preferably, the convex portion is formed in a rib shape around the positioning hole.

  According to the example of the present invention, the protrusion can be easily pressed into the positioning hole by pushing the protrusion. In addition, since there is a gap between the protrusion and the protrusion to be press-fitted, even when the elastic member is positioned with respect to the first component in a plan view, the protrusion through the positioning hole is not visible. There is no significant hindrance. For this reason, work can be performed quickly and the chance of foreign matter contamination can be reduced.

Preferably, the elastic member having the convex part has a grip part formed so as to extend away from the position of the seal part.
More preferably, the gripping part is formed in a vicinity of the convex part.

  According to the example of the present invention, it is possible to easily press-fit the protrusion into the positioning hole by pressing the convex portion while gripping the grip portion and positioning the first component. Preferably, if the gripping part is formed in the vicinity of the convex part, the operation can be performed quickly, so that the chance of foreign matter mixing is reduced.

  The liquid ejecting apparatus of the invention includes the liquid ejecting head.

DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Note that the embodiments described below are preferred specific examples of the present invention, and thus various technically preferable limitations are given. However, the scope of the present invention is particularly limited in the following description. Unless otherwise stated, the present invention is not limited to these forms. In the drawings referred to in the following description, the vertical and horizontal scales of members or portions may be represented differently from actual ones for convenience of illustration.

(Configuration of liquid ejecting apparatus)
First, the configuration of the liquid ejecting apparatus will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view illustrating the overall configuration of the liquid ejecting apparatus.

  In FIG. 1, a printer 1 as a liquid ejecting apparatus includes a guide frame 3 formed of a steel plate or the like, a transport roller 4 for transporting paper 2, and a nozzle surface 10a on which nozzles n (see FIG. 2) are arranged. And a maintenance unit 5 for performing nozzle maintenance on the head 10. The head 10 is mounted on the carriage 6 with the nozzle surface 10 a facing the paper 2, and is reciprocated (scanned) along the guide rod 8. The guide frame 3 forms the basis of the entire apparatus by its rigidity and weight, and also functions as an electrical ground.

  The carriage 6 is mounted with ink cartridges 7 each containing four colored inks (inks) as liquids. The head 10 is supplied with these colored inks. Then, ejection control for each nozzle n (see FIG. 2) in the head 10 is performed in synchronization with the scanning of the carriage 6 and the conveyance of the paper 2, and an image or the like is formed on the paper 2 by the ink ejected as droplets. The

  The maintenance unit 5 includes a cap 11 that can be in close contact with the nozzle surface 10a of the head 10 to seal (capping) the nozzle opening, and a wiper blade 12 that is a plate-like member formed of rubber or the like. The cap 11 serves not only to protect the nozzle from dust and drying, but also to the nozzle maintenance operation described later. The wiper blade 12 is used for wiping off ink adhering to the nozzle surface 10a.

(Head configuration)
Next, the configuration of the head will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of the head.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the head 10 is a body assembly 40 as a first part, a liquid introduction assembly 20 as a second part, and an elastic member sandwiched between the body assembly 40 and the liquid introduction assembly 20. The sealing member 30 is provided.

  The main assembly 40 includes a main body case 50 that forms a base, an intermediate substrate 47 that includes a connector cable 46 for supplying an electrical signal, and an actuator unit 45. The main body case 50 has a configuration in which a flange portion 52 is formed on the upper surface portion of the rectangular parallelepiped base portion 51 as means for attaching to the carriage 6 (see FIG. 1).

  The actuator unit 45 includes a piezoelectric element 41 formed in a comb shape corresponding to the arrangement of the nozzles n, a flexible circuit board 43 on which an electric circuit including a drive control IC 42 for the piezoelectric element 41 is formed, and a piezoelectric element 41. And a metal support plate 44 that supports the metal plate. The support plate 44 of the actuator unit 45 is fixed to the side wall of the penetrating portion 48 formed near the center of the main body assembly 40 (the main body case 50 and the intermediate substrate 47). The connection terminal 43a of the flexible circuit board 43 is connected to a connection terminal (not shown) provided on the intermediate board 47 side by a conductive adhesive or the like.

  In the main body case 50, a communication channel 53 (see a cross-sectional view) communicating with the nozzle n is formed next to the through-hole 48, and a cylindrical opening 53 a at one end thereof is provided in the intermediate substrate 47. The upper surface of the main assembly 40 is exposed through the formed through hole. Further, the protrusion 54 formed for positioning on the upper surface of the main body case 50 passes through the positioning hole 55 formed in the intermediate substrate 47 and protrudes to the upper surface side of the main body assembly 40.

  In the lower part of the main body case 50 (see the cross-sectional view), a nozzle plate 61 in which a nozzle n is formed in a SUS plate, a flow path plate 62 in which a silicon substrate is etched to form a recess corresponding to the flow path, A laminate of a flexible sheet 63 forming the canopy of the flow path and a canopy plate 64 having a partially cutout portion is attached.

  Thereby, the ink is supplied to the nozzle n through the communication channel 53 of the main body case 50, the reservoir 66 provided in common between the plurality of nozzles n, and the cavity 67 provided for each nozzle n. A portion of the canopy plate 64 directly above the cavity 67 is a movable portion 65 that is movable via a flexible sheet 63, and one end of the piezoelectric element 41 is fixed to the movable portion 65. Thus, the pressure of the cavity 67 is controlled by driving the piezoelectric element 41, and ink (droplet) is ejected (jetted) from the nozzle n.

  The liquid introduction assembly 20 includes a case 21 that forms a base, and a hollow needle-like introduction portion 22. In the present embodiment, eight introduction parts 22 are provided, which are respectively connected to the ink lead-out part provided for each ink type (color) at the bottom of the ink cartridge 7 (see FIG. 1). is there. The case 21 is formed with a communication channel 23 that communicates with each introduction portion 22 via a foreign substance removal filter (not shown). The communication channel 23 has an opening on the lower side of the liquid introduction assembly 20. is doing.

  The seal member 30 is formed in a thin plate shape, and includes a seal portion 33 that seals the communication portion between the communication channel 23 and the communication channel 53 in a state of being sandwiched between the liquid introduction assembly 20 and the main body assembly 40. I have. In addition, the seal member 30 includes a positioning hole 34 into which a protruding portion 54 protruding to the upper surface side of the main assembly 40 is inserted, and a convex portion 35 formed around the positioning hole 34. The seal member 30 can be formed of various elastic materials such as rubber and elastomer, but it is preferable to select an elastomer from the viewpoint of ease of molding and difficulty of adhesion of foreign matter.

(About the structure and installation of the seal member)
Next, with reference to FIG. 2, FIG. 3, the structure of a sealing member and its attachment are demonstrated.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the seal member.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the sealing member 30 having a substantially rectangular shape in plan view includes a smooth base surface 31, seal portions 33 corresponding to the eight introduction portions 22 (see FIG. 2), and seal portions 33. A stepped portion 36 formed around, a positioning hole 34 formed on both sides in the longitudinal direction, a convex portion 35 formed around the positioning hole 34, and a grip portion 32 formed close to the convex portion 35. And. The configuration on the back surface side of the seal member 30 that is hidden in relation to the drawing is substantially the same as that on the front surface side except that the convex portion 35 is not formed.

  Six seal portions 33 are provided near the center of the seal member 30 and two near both ends in the long side direction, and the through holes 33a communicate with the communication flow path 23 / communication flow path 53 (see FIG. 2). And a bank portion 33b formed in a bank shape on the outer edge of the through hole 33a. The bank portion 33b reliably seals the communication portion between the communication channel 23 and the communication channel 53 by elastic deformation thereof.

  The step portion 36 is formed as a step shape with respect to the base surface 31 by providing a recess (undulation) around the seal portion 33. The step portion 36 serves to prevent an operator from unnecessarily contacting the seal portion 33 when the seal member 30 is attached to the main assembly 40 (see FIG. 2). In other words, even if the operator's hand slips along the extending direction of the base surface 31, it is preferable to prevent the stepped portion 36 from becoming an obstacle and the hand from reaching the seal portion 33. Further, the step portion 36 plays a role of trapping foreign matter, and suitably prevents foreign matter from adhering to the seal portion 33 (foreign matter mixing into the communication channel 53).

  The positioning hole 34 is formed as a through hole at a position near both ends in the long side direction of the seal member 30. The positioning hole 34 serves to perform positioning and fixing by press-fitting the protrusion 54 on the main body assembly 40 side when the seal member 30 is attached to the main body assembly 40 (see FIG. 2).

  The convex portion 35 formed in a rib shape around the positioning hole 34 has a U-shaped shape in plan view. Further, the upper surface 35a is a smooth surface, and when the seal member 30 is attached to the main assembly 40 (see FIG. 2), the operator's finger is pressed against the upper surface 35a, so The protrusion 54 can be press-fitted. In view of this, the height h1 of the convex portion 35 from the base surface 31 is set to be higher than the height h2 of the press-fitted protrusion 54 from the base surface 31. Further, a gap 37 is formed between the protrusion 35 and the protrusion 54 to be press-fitted.

  Thus, by pressing the projection 35, the projection 54 can be easily press-fitted into the positioning hole 34. Even when the sealing member 30 is positioned with respect to the projection 54 in a plan view, the gap 37 can be formed. Therefore, the visual recognition of the protrusion 54 through the positioning hole 34 is not significantly hindered. For this reason, work can be performed quickly and the chance of foreign matter mixing into the communication channel 53 can be reduced.

  The grip portion 32 is a portion formed by extending in a short side direction from a corner portion of the substantially rectangular seal member 30. When attaching the seal member 30 to the main body assembly 40 (see FIG. 2), the operator grips the grip portion 32 to position the main body assembly 40 (protrusion portion 54), and a convex portion close to the grip portion 32. It is possible to easily press-fit the protruding portion 54 into the positioning hole 34 by pushing 35. For this reason, work can be performed quickly and the chance of foreign matter mixing into the communication channel 53 can be reduced. In particular, in the present embodiment, the grip portion 32 is formed so as to extend away from the position where the seal portion 33 is formed, thereby reducing the risk of contact with the seal portion 33.

(Modification)
Next, a modified example will be described with a focus on differences from the previous embodiment with reference to FIG.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of a sheet member according to a modification.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the stepped portion 36 in this modification is formed by providing a rib-like convex portion (undulation) around the seal portion 33. Further, the convex portion 35 is formed so as to surround the entire circumference of the positioning hole 34 and to have an annular shape in plan view. In addition, the gripping portion 32 is a portion formed by extending in the oblique direction with respect to the long and short side direction at the corner portion of the substantially rectangular parallelepiped seal member 30. Thus, the level | step-difference part, convex part, and holding part which concern on this invention can be made into various aspects in the range which does not change the meaning of invention.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment. Each configuration of the embodiment can be appropriately combined, omitted, or combined with other configurations not shown.

FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view illustrating an overall configuration of a liquid ejecting apparatus. The figure which shows the structure of a head. The perspective view which shows the structure of a sealing member. The perspective view which shows the structure of the sheet | seat member which concerns on a modification.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Printer as liquid ejecting apparatus, 10 ... Head as liquid ejecting head, 20 ... Liquid introducing assembly as second part, 21 ... Case, 22 ... Introducing portion, 23 ... Communication channel, 30 ... As elastic member Seal member 31 ... Base surface 32 ... Gripping part 33 ... Seal part 34 ... Positioning hole 35 ... Projection part 36 ... Step part 37 ... Gap 40 ... Body assembly as first part 45 ... Actuator Unit: 47 ... intermediate substrate, 48 ... penetrating part, 50 ... main body case, 51 ... base part, 52 ... flange part, 53 ... communication channel, 54 ... projection, n ... nozzle.

Claims (8)

(A) a first component having a nozzle for ejecting liquid;
(B) a second part having an introduction part for introducing the liquid;
(C) a seal portion that seals a communication portion between a flow path that communicates with the nozzle in the first component and a flow passage that communicates with the introduction portion in the second component;
A step portion formed around the seal portion, and an elastic member,
A liquid jet head comprising:   The liquid ejecting head according to claim 1, wherein the stepped portion is formed by undulation of the elastic member provided around the seal portion. The elastic member has a grip part formed to extend in a direction away from the position of the seal part,
The liquid jet head according to claim 1. The elastic member is
A positioning hole into which a positioning projection in the first component is inserted;
A protrusion formed so as to protrude from the inserted protrusion while having a gap between the protrusion and the protrusion inserted into the positioning hole.
The liquid jet head according to claim 1.   The liquid ejecting head according to claim 4, wherein the convex portion is formed in a rib shape around the positioning hole. The elastic member has a grip part formed to extend in a direction away from the position of the seal part,
The liquid jet head according to claim 4 or 5. The gripping part is formed at a proximity part of the convex part,
The liquid jet head according to claim 6. A liquid ejecting head according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
A liquid ejecting apparatus comprising:

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