JP2008232216A - Valve unit and fluid injection device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a valve unit reduced in size, and a fluid injection device equipped with the valve unit. <P>SOLUTION: A printer is provided with a recording head capable of injecting an ink and a valve unit. This valve unit is provided with: a pressure chamber 36 structured to be communicable with a communication hole 40 and a flow-out hole 47; a film member 35 for structuring a part of a wall surface of the pressure chamber 36 and displacing based on pressure variation in the pressure chamber; a valve element 41 structured in a manner movable between a valve close position for closing the communication hole 40 and a valve open position for opening the communication hole 40; and a plate spring 48 for normally energizing the valve element 41 to hold it at the valve close position but displacing from a posture mode to hold the valve element 41 at the valve close position in the case that a pressing force from the film member 35 in accordance with displacement of the film member 35 toward inside of the pressure chamber 36. The valve element 41 moves from the valve close position to the valve open position, based on the displacement of the film member 35 toward inside of the pressure chamber 36. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a valve unit and a fluid ejecting apparatus including the valve unit.

  As a fluid ejecting apparatus that ejects fluid from a fluid ejecting head to a target, for example, an ink jet printer (hereinafter simply referred to as “printer”) is known. This printer performs printing by ejecting ink onto a recording medium from nozzles of a recording head (fluid ejecting head).

In such a printer, it is desirable to stably supply ink to the recording head. In order to meet these demands, a printer having a valve unit for adjusting the flow pressure of ink has been proposed. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1.)
Specifically, the valve unit provided in the printer of Patent Document 1 includes a channel-forming member having a regularity with a recess formed on one surface thereof, and a film that seals the opening of the recess of the channel-forming member. And a valve body that opens and closes an ink inflow hole into a pressure chamber surrounded by a film member and a recess of the flow path forming member. This valve element is always held in a closed position where the ink inflow hole is closed by a coil spring. Then, when ink is ejected from the nozzle and the ink flows out from the outlet hole of the pressure chamber to the recording head side, a negative pressure is generated in the pressure chamber, and the film member is displaced inward of the pressure chamber. When the valve body opens the inflow hole against the biasing force of the coil spring by the pressing force based on the above, new ink is supplied into the pressure chamber.

Furthermore, in the valve unit of Patent Document 1, in order to reduce the area of the film member that is displaced by receiving a negative pressure and to reduce the size of the valve unit, a cantilever is used between the valve body and the film member. The pressing force applied from the film member to the valve body is boosted through an operating lever (plate spring).
JP-A-2005-343123

However, in the valve unit of Patent Document 1, it is difficult to reduce the size of the valve unit because a region for incorporating a coil spring that biases the valve body is required.
The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a valve unit that can be reduced in size and a fluid ejecting apparatus including the valve unit.

  In order to achieve the above object, a valve unit of the present invention includes a pressure chamber configured to communicate with an inflow hole for allowing fluid to flow in and an outflow hole for allowing fluid to flow out, and a wall surface of the pressure chamber. And a flexible member that is displaced based on pressure fluctuation in the pressure chamber, and a valve closing position that closes the inflow hole and a valve opening position that opens the inflow hole. The valve body and the valve body are always urged so as to be held at the closed position, and the pressing force is applied from the flexible member in accordance with the inward displacement of the flexible member. An elastic member that displaces the valve body from a posture that holds the valve body in the closed position when the valve body is received, and the valve body is based on an inward displacement of the pressure chamber of the flexible member. Then, the valve moves from the valve closing position to the valve opening position.

  According to this configuration, since the valve body is held in the valve closing position by the biasing force of the elastic member provided to boost the displacement force of the flexible member, the valve body is held in the valve closing position. There is no need to provide a separate coil spring. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the size of the valve unit by an area for incorporating the coil spring that biases the valve body.

  In the valve unit of the present invention, the valve body is provided with a valve shaft configured to be movable in a state of being inserted into the inflow hole, and movably provided together with the valve shaft. A sealing portion that seals the inflow hole and an engagement portion provided at a portion corresponding to the elastic member in the valve shaft, and the elastic member is configured by a leaf spring. The valve body includes an engaged portion with which the engaging portion can be engaged, and the valve body is engaged with the engaged portion of the leaf spring at the valve closing position. In this state, the leaf spring biases the valve opening position toward the valve closing position.

  According to this configuration, in the valve closing position, the engaging portion of the valve body is engaged with the engaged portion of the leaf spring, so that when the biasing force is received from the leaf spring, The position with respect to the leaf spring is prevented from shifting, and the opening / closing accuracy of the valve body can be improved.

  In the valve unit of the present invention, in the valve body, the engaging portion has a flat portion formed on the side facing the flexible member so that the surface area is larger than the cross-sectional area of the valve shaft. In the leaf spring, the engaged portion is formed to be able to pass through the valve shaft of the valve body and to be able to lock the engaging portion. The valve shaft is inserted into the engaged portion of the leaf spring and the engagement portion is locked, and is urged by the leaf spring, and the flexible member is inward of the pressure chamber. Is moved from the valve closing position to the valve opening position by receiving the pressing force of the flexible member at the plane portion.

  According to this configuration, since the valve body is biased by the leaf spring in a state where the engagement portion of the valve body is engaged with the engaged portion of the leaf spring, it is necessary to fix the valve body and the leaf spring. There is no. Therefore, it is possible to avoid the complicated operation of assembling the valve unit. Further, since the engaging portion has a flat portion formed on the side facing the flexible member so as to have a surface area larger than the cross-sectional area of the valve shaft, it is flexible when pressed by the flexible member. Without damaging the sexual member, a large pressure receiving area can be secured and the displacement force can be effectively received.

  Further, in the valve unit of the present invention, in the valve body, the engaging portion includes a convex curved surface portion at a portion corresponding to the engaged portion of the leaf spring. In the leaf spring, the engaged portion is The engaging portion of the valve body can be accommodated and has a concave portion provided with a concave curved surface portion slidable with the convex curved surface portion of the engaging portion.

  According to this configuration, even when the leaf spring is bent by receiving the displacement force of the flexible member, the convex spring portion provided in the engaging portion of the valve body and the engaged portion of the leaf spring are provided. Since the valve shaft is prevented from being tilted by sliding with the concave curved surface portion, the opening / closing accuracy of the valve body can be favorably maintained.

  Further, in the valve unit of the present invention, in the valve body, the engaging portion is formed in a portion from the edge of the flat portion to the peripheral surface of the valve shaft, while the flat portion has a substantially rectangular shape in plan view. In the leaf spring, the engagement portion is an insertion hole having a substantially rectangular shape in plan view through which the engagement portion of the valve body can be inserted. And a concave portion that can accommodate the engaging portion and has a concave curved surface portion that can slide with the convex curved surface portion of the engaging portion, and the concave portion is the flexibility of the leaf spring. On the side facing the member, it is formed so as to intersect with the insertion hole.

  According to this configuration, after the engaging portion of the valve body is inserted through the insertion hole of the leaf spring, the valve body is rotated and the engaging portion is accommodated in the recess, whereby the engaging portion of the valve body and the plate The engaged portion of the spring can be engaged. Therefore, the assembly operation of the valve unit can be simplified.

The fluid ejecting apparatus of the present invention includes a fluid ejecting head capable of ejecting a fluid and the valve unit.
According to this structure, the same effect as the said valve unit is acquired.

Hereinafter, an embodiment in which the present invention is embodied in an ink jet printer (hereinafter simply referred to as a printer) will be described with reference to FIGS.
As shown in FIG. 1, a printer 11 as a fluid ejecting apparatus according to the present embodiment includes a main body case 12 having a substantially rectangular box shape, and a platen 13 is disposed in a main scanning direction at a lower front portion in the main body case 12. It is constructed along the longitudinal direction (left-right direction in FIG. 1) of the main body case 12 which becomes. The platen 13 is a support for supporting the recording paper P, and the recording paper P is fed onto the platen 13 along a sub-scanning direction orthogonal to the main scanning direction by a paper feeding mechanism (not shown). It has become.

  In the main body case 12, a bar-shaped guide shaft 14 is installed above the rear portion of the platen 13 along the main scanning direction, and a carriage 15 is supported on the guide shaft 14 so as to be movable. A driving pulley 16 and a driven pulley 17 are rotatably supported at positions corresponding to both end portions of the guide shaft 14 on the rear side surface in the main body case 12. A carriage motor 18 is connected to the drive pulley 16, and an endless timing belt 19 that supports the carriage 15 is hung between the pair of pulleys 16 and 17. Therefore, the carriage 15 can be reciprocated in the main scanning direction along the guide shaft 14 by driving the carriage motor 18.

  A box-shaped cartridge holder 20 is provided on one end side (the right end side in FIG. 1) in the main body case 12. A plurality (four in this embodiment) of ink cartridges 21 are detachably mounted on the cartridge holder 20 for each color of ink as a fluid.

  Each ink cartridge 21 is connected to the upstream end of the ink supply tube 22 when mounted in the cartridge holder 20. The downstream end of each ink supply tube 22 is connected to the upstream side of the valve unit 23 mounted on the carriage 15, and the downstream side of the valve unit 23 is a fluid ejection head provided on the lower surface side of the carriage 15. Are connected to the recording head 24. A plurality of nozzle openings (not shown) are formed on a nozzle forming surface (not shown) formed on the lower surface of the recording head 24.

  The valve unit 23 is a valve mechanism provided to stably supply ink from the ink cartridge 21 to the recording head 24, and is always in a closed state, but a predetermined amount of ink is supplied from the nozzle opening. When the ink is ejected, the valve is opened and ink is supplied to the recording head 24 side.

  In the non-printing area between the cartridge holder 20 and the platen 13, that is, the non-printing area where the recording paper P does not reach, the home position HP serving as the standby position for the carriage 15 when the printer 11 is powered off or when the recording head 24 is maintained. Is provided. In addition, a maintenance unit 25 for performing maintenance of the recording head 24 is provided with a cap 26, a suction pump (not shown) and the like as constituent elements at a position below when the carriage 15 is disposed at the home position HP. ing. During maintenance or the like, the cap 26 comes into contact with the recording head 24 so as to surround the nozzle opening, and the suction pump is driven in this state, whereby the ink in the ink supply tube 22 and the recording head 24 is printed. And bubbles are sucked out.

  A pressure unit 27 is placed on the upper side of the cartridge holder 20. The pressurizing unit 27 includes a pressurizing pump 28, and pressurized air generated by driving the pressurizing pump 28 is pressure-fed into the ink cartridge 21 through the air supply path 29. In the pressurizing unit 27, a pressure detector 30 and an atmosphere release valve 31 are connected to an air supply path 29 on the downstream side of the pressurizing pump 28.

  The air supply path 29 is branched into the same number as the number of the ink cartridges 21 with a distributor 32 disposed downstream of the atmosphere release valve 31 as a boundary. Each branched air supply path 29 is connected to the corresponding ink cartridge 21 at each downstream end.

  Each ink cartridge 21 has a pressure chamber (not shown) inside, and a downstream end of an air supply path 29 is connected to the upper side of the pressure chamber. Further, an ink pack (not shown) formed in a bag shape with a flexible film is accommodated in the pressure chamber of each ink cartridge 21. Therefore, when the pressurizing pump 28 is driven, the pressurized air pumped from the pressurizing pump 28 is introduced into the ink cartridge 21 through the air supply path 29, and the ink pack is discharged by the air pressure of the pressurized air. It is crushed. Then, the ink accommodated in the ink pack is supplied to the recording head 24 side.

Next, a specific configuration of the valve unit 23 will be described with reference to FIGS.
As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the valve unit 23 includes a regular channel forming member 33 made of a metal material or a resin material whose outer shape is a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. A plurality of (four in this embodiment) upper surface side concave portions 34 having a rectangular shape in plan view are formed on the upper surface having a planar shape. The film member 35 as a flexible member is welded so as to seal the opening of each upper surface side concave portion 34, so that a plurality (four in this embodiment) are formed by each upper surface side concave portion 34 and the film member 35. ) Is enclosed and formed. In addition, illustration of the film member 35 is abbreviate | omitted in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, a cylindrical lower surface side recess 37 is formed on the lower surface of the flow path forming member 33 at a rear position below each upper surface side recess 34. Yes. The opening portions of the respective lower surface side concave portions 37 are sealed by the holding members 38, so that the ink supply chambers 39 are surrounded by the lower surface side concave portions 37 and the holding members 38. The pressure chamber 36 and the ink supply chamber 39 corresponding to each other can communicate with each other through a columnar communication hole 40 as an inflow hole. A valve element 41 is accommodated in the pressure chamber 36 and the ink supply chamber 39.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the valve element 41 includes a disc-shaped seal portion 42 accommodated in the ink supply chamber 39, a proximal end side supported by the seal portion 42, and a distal end side (upper end side in FIG. 3). Is provided with a cylindrical valve shaft 43 that extends through the communication hole 40 into the pressure chamber 36. Since the cross-sectional area of the valve shaft 43 is set to be smaller than the opening area of the communication hole 40, the valve body 41 is movable in the vertical direction with the valve shaft 43 inserted through the communication hole 40.

  An engaging portion 44 is provided at a portion corresponding to the leaf spring 48 of the valve body 41, that is, at the upper end side of the valve shaft 43. The engaging portion 44 is a flat surface portion 44a having a rectangular shape in plan view, formed on the side facing the film member 35 (the upper end side in FIGS. 3 to 5) so that the surface area is larger than the cross-sectional area of the valve shaft 43. Have Further, the engaging portion 44 is provided with a convex curved surface portion 44b whose sectional area becomes smaller as the distance from the flat surface portion 44a increases, at a portion from the edge of the flat surface portion 44a to the peripheral surface of the valve shaft 43.

  A seal member 45 made of an O-ring is fixed to the upper end surface of the seal portion 42. Therefore, the seal member 45 is movable together with the valve shaft 43. As shown in FIG. 3, when the valve body 41 is in the valve closing position where the communication hole 40 is closed, the communication hole 40 is sealed by the seal portion 42 and the seal member 45 constituting the sealing portion (closed). To do).

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the flow path forming member 33 has an inflow path 46 having a downstream end opened on the side surface of the lower surface side recess 37 and an upstream end connected to the downstream end of the ink supply tube 22. Each lower surface side recess 37 is formed through. In addition, the flow path forming member 33 has an upstream end opened to the bottom surface of the upper surface side concave portion 34 at a position closer to the front side than the ink supply chamber 39 below the upper surface side concave portion 34, and a downstream end connected to the recording head 24. The outflow hole 47 is formed penetratingly for each upper surface side recess 34. The outflow hole 47 is always in communication with the pressure chamber 36, and when ink is ejected from the recording head 24, the ink flows out from the pressure chamber 36 toward the recording head 24 through the outflow hole 47. It is like that.

  Below the film member 35, a leaf spring 48 made of a rectangular thin metal plate extending in the longitudinal direction (front-rear direction) of the upper surface side recess 34 is disposed. The leaf spring 48 is a cantilever in which the rear support portion 48 a is supported by the flow path forming member 33. Further, the front side of the leaf spring 48 is a pressing portion 48b that is formed wider in the left-right direction than the support portion 48a. In the pressing portion 48 b of the leaf spring 48, an engaged portion 49 that can engage the engaging portion 44 is provided at a position corresponding to the engaging portion 44 of the valve body 41.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the engaged portion 49 includes a rectangular insertion hole 49 a into which the flat portion 44 a of the valve body 41 can be inserted and a side of the leaf spring 48 facing the film member 35 (see FIG. 3 and FIG. 6). On the upper surface side in FIG. 6, a concave portion 49 b having a rectangular shape in plan view is formed so as to be orthogonal to the insertion hole 49 a. The concave portion 49 b can accommodate the engaging portion 44 of the valve body 41 and includes a concave curved surface portion 50 that can slide with the convex curved surface portion 44 b of the engaging portion 44.

  When assembling the valve unit 23, the engaging portion 44 of the valve body 41 is inserted into the insertion hole 49a of the pressing portion 48b from the lower side, and then the valve body 41 is moved in the horizontal direction as indicated by the arrow in FIG. The engaging portion 44 is accommodated in the recess 49b.

  The length of the valve shaft 43 is such that the leaf spring 48 is biased downward as shown in FIG. 3 in a state where the engaging portion 44 is accommodated in the recess 49b of the leaf spring 48. Is set. Therefore, the valve body 41 is always opened by the reaction force of the leaf spring 48 in a state where the engaging portion 44 is engaged with the engaged portion 49 of the leaf spring 48 in the closed position shown in FIG. It is urged in the direction of moving from the position to the valve closing position (upward in FIG. 3).

Next, the operation of the valve unit 23 configured as described above will be described.
When the ink cartridge 21 is mounted on the printer 11 and the pressure pump 28 is driven, the ink supply chamber 39 is filled with ink through the inflow path 46. Subsequently, when the suction pump is driven in a state where the cap 26 is in contact with the recording head 24, a negative pressure is generated in the pressure chamber 36, so that the film member 35 is bent downward and presses the valve body 41. To move downward. Then, the pressure chamber 36 and the communication hole 40 are communicated with each other, and the communication hole 40, the pressure chamber 36, and the outflow hole 47 are filled with ink.

  When the ink filling into the valve unit 23 is completed in this way, the valve body 41 is in the closed state in which the valve body 41 is held at the closed position by the leaf spring 48 as shown in FIG. Thereafter, when printing is started and ink is ejected from the nozzle, a negative pressure is generated in the pressure chamber 36. Then, the film member 35 constituting a part of the wall surface of the pressure chamber 36 is displaced inward of the pressure chamber 36 against the reaction force of the leaf spring 48 based on the pressure fluctuation in the pressure chamber 36.

  The leaf spring 48 pressed by the displaced film member 35 is displaced inward of the pressure chamber 36 from the posture mode in which the valve body 41 is held at the valve closing position. Then, the valve element 41 held at the valve closing position by the leaf spring 48 is moved from the valve closing position to the valve opening position by receiving the pressing force of the film member 35 at the flat portion 44a, and is shown in FIG. Thus, the communication hole 40 is opened. At this time, the pressing force of the film member 35 that presses the valve body 41 is boosted by the leaf spring 48.

  As described above, when the valve unit 23 is opened, ink is supplied from the ink supply chamber 39 into the pressure chamber 36. Then, since the negative pressure in the pressure chamber 36 is eliminated, the valve unit 23 is closed. During printing in the printer 11, the valve unit 23 repeats the valve opening operation and the valve closing operation in this manner, so that an appropriate amount of ink is stably supplied to the recording head 24 according to the amount of ink ejected from the nozzles. Supplied.

According to the embodiment described above, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) In the above embodiment, the valve element 41 is held in the valve closing position by the biasing force of the leaf spring 48 provided to boost the displacement force of the film member 35. There is no need to separately provide a coil spring for holding the coil. Therefore, the valve unit 23 can be reduced in size by the area in which the coil spring that biases the valve body 41 is incorporated.

  (2) In the above embodiment, since the engaging portion 44 of the valve body 41 is engaged with the engaged portion 49 of the leaf spring 48 at the valve closing position, the urging force is applied from the leaf spring 48. When receiving, the position of the valve body 41 with respect to the leaf spring 48 is prevented from shifting, and the opening / closing accuracy of the valve body 41 can be improved.

  (3) In the above embodiment, since the engaging portion 44 of the valve body 41 is locked to the engaged portion 49 of the leaf spring 48, it is not necessary to fix the valve body 41 and the leaf spring 48. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the assembly operation of the valve unit 23 from becoming complicated. Further, since the engaging portion 44 has a flat portion 44 a formed on the side facing the film member 35 so that the surface area is larger than the cross-sectional area of the valve shaft 43, the film 44 is pressed when pressed by the film member 35. Without damaging the member 35, a large pressure receiving area can be secured and the displacement force can be effectively received.

  (4) In the above embodiment, even when the leaf spring 48 is bent by receiving the displacement force of the film member 35, the convex curved surface portion 44 b provided on the engagement portion 44 of the valve body 41 and the covered portion of the leaf spring 48 are covered. Since the valve shaft 43 is prevented from tilting by sliding with the concave curved surface portion 50 provided in the engaging portion 49, the opening / closing accuracy of the valve body 41 can be maintained well.

  (5) In the above embodiment, after the engaging portion 44 of the valve body 41 is inserted into the insertion hole 49a of the leaf spring 48, the valve body 41 is rotated to accommodate the engaging portion 44 in the recess 49b. The engaging portion 44 of the valve body 41 and the engaged portion 49 of the leaf spring 48 can be engaged. Therefore, the assembly work of the valve unit 23 can be simplified.

In addition, you may change each said embodiment into another embodiment as follows.
In the above embodiment, the valve unit 23 may be provided for each ink color.
In the above embodiment, the elastic member is not limited to the leaf spring, and may be realized as a plurality of metal bars having rigidity, for example.

In the above embodiment, both ends of the leaf spring 48 may be supported.
In the above embodiment, the leaf spring 48 and the valve body 41 may be fixed, or the leaf spring 48 is not provided with an insertion hole, and is provided with only a recess that accommodates the engaging portion of the valve body 41. Also good. In this configuration, the valve body 41 is pressed by the leaf spring 48 that receives the displacement force of the film member 35.

  -In the said embodiment, the engaging part of the valve body 41 is not restricted to the shape which has a plane part and a convex curve part. For example, the engaging portion may be formed in a spherical shape, and the leaf spring 48 may accommodate the engaging portion, and may include a spherical concave portion that can slide with the spherical surface of the engaging portion.

In the above embodiment, the engaging portion of the valve body 41 may include a concave curved surface portion, and the engaged portion of the leaf spring 48 may include a convex curved surface portion.
In the above embodiment, the engaging portion 44 of the valve body 41 has a flat portion formed on the side facing the film member 35 so that the surface area is larger than the cross-sectional area of the valve shaft 43, and the leaf spring 48 The engaged portion may be provided with an insertion hole through which the valve shaft 43 of the valve body 41 can be inserted and the engagement portion 44 can be locked. In this case, the engagement portion 44 of the valve body 41 may be formed in a T-shape in a side view or an L-shape in a side view, which is a mode in which the engagement portion 44 is locked to the upper end surface of the leaf spring 48.

In the above embodiment, the flat portion of the valve body 41 is not limited to a rectangular shape in plan view, and may be an arbitrary shape such as a circle.
In the above embodiment, the fluid ejecting device has an overall shape corresponding to the length in the width direction (left and right direction) of the recording paper P in the direction intersecting the conveyance direction (front and rear direction) of the recording paper P. A so-called line head type printer may be embodied.

  In each of the above embodiments, the fluid consuming apparatus according to the present invention is embodied in an ink jet printer. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and fluid other than ink (liquid or particles of functional material are dispersed or mixed in the liquid). And a fluid consuming device that injects and consumes a liquid material, a fluid such as a gel, and the like. For example, a liquid material ejecting apparatus that ejects a liquid material that is dispersed or dissolved in materials such as electrode materials and color materials (pixel materials) used in the manufacture of liquid crystal displays, EL (electroluminescence) displays, and surface-emitting displays. Further, a liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects a bio-organic matter used for biochip manufacturing, or a liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects a liquid that is used as a precision pipette and serves as a sample may be used. In addition, a transparent resin liquid such as UV curable resin is used to form liquid injection devices that inject lubricating oil onto precision machines such as watches and cameras, and micro hemispherical lenses (optical lenses) used in optical communication elements. A liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects liquid onto the substrate, a liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects an etching solution such as acid or alkali to etch the substrate, and a fluid ejecting apparatus that ejects a fluid such as a gel (eg, physical gel) It may be. The present invention can be applied to any one of these fluid consuming devices. In the present specification, the term “fluid” is a concept that does not include a fluid consisting only of gas. Examples of the fluid include liquid (inorganic solvent, organic solvent, solution, liquid resin, liquid metal (metal melt), etc. ), Liquids, fluids, and the like.

1 is a schematic plan view of an ink jet printer according to an embodiment. The top view of the valve unit in an embodiment. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 2 and shows a state where the valve unit is closed. Sectional drawing which shows the state by which the valve unit was opened in FIG. The perspective view of the valve body in embodiment. The principal part perspective view of the leaf | plate spring in embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 ... Printer as fluid ejecting apparatus, 23 ... Valve unit, 24 ... Recording head as fluid ejecting head, 35 ... Film member as flexible member, 36 ... Pressure chamber, 40 ... Communication hole as inflow hole, 41 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS ... Valve body, 42 ... Seal part which comprises sealing part, 43 ... Valve shaft, 44 ... Engagement part, 44a ... Plane part, 44b ... Convex-curved surface part, 45 ... Seal member which comprises sealing part, 47 ... Outflow hole, 48: leaf spring as an elastic member, 49: engaged portion, 49a: insertion hole, 49b: concave portion, 50: concave curved surface portion.

Claims (6)

A pressure chamber configured to communicate with an inflow hole for allowing fluid to flow in and an outflow hole for allowing fluid to flow out;
A flexible member that constitutes a part of the wall surface of the pressure chamber and is displaced based on pressure fluctuation in the pressure chamber;
A valve body configured to be movable between a valve closing position for closing the inflow hole and a valve opening position for opening the inflow hole;
When the valve body is always urged so as to be held at the closed position, and when the flexible member receives a pressing force from the flexible member in accordance with the inward displacement of the pressure chamber, Comprises an elastic member that displaces from a posture mode in which the valve body is held in the closed position,
The valve unit is configured to move from the valve closing position to the valve opening position based on inward displacement of the pressure chamber of the flexible member. The valve body is configured to be movable in a state inserted through the inflow hole; and
A sealing portion that is movably provided together with the valve shaft, and seals the inflow hole when the valve body is in a valve closing position;
An engagement portion provided at a portion corresponding to the elastic member in the valve shaft,
The elastic member is configured by a leaf spring, and includes an engaged portion with which the engaging portion of the valve body can be engaged,
The valve body is attached in a direction from the valve opening position to the valve closing position by the leaf spring in a state where the engagement portion is engaged with the engaged portion of the leaf spring at the valve closing position. The valve unit according to claim 1, wherein the valve unit is biased. In the valve body, the engaging portion has a flat portion formed on the side facing the flexible member so as to have a surface area larger than a cross-sectional area of the valve shaft,
In the leaf spring, the engaged portion can be inserted through the valve shaft of the valve body and can be engaged with the engaging portion.
The valve body is urged by the leaf spring in a state where the valve shaft is inserted into the engaged portion of the leaf spring and the engagement portion is locked at the closed position,
When the flexible member is displaced inward of the pressure chamber, the flexible member moves from the valve-closed position to the valve-opened position by receiving a pressing force of the flexible member on the flat surface portion. The valve unit according to claim 2, wherein: In the valve body, the engaging portion includes a convex curved surface portion at a portion corresponding to the engaged portion of the leaf spring,
The said leaf | plate spring WHEREIN: The said to-be-engaged part has the recessed part provided with the concave curved surface part which can accommodate the said engaging part of the said valve body, and can slide with the said convex curved surface part of the said engaging part. The valve unit according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that In the valve body, the engaging portion has a cross-sectional area as the plane portion is substantially rectangular in a plan view, and the portion from the edge of the plane portion to the peripheral surface of the valve shaft is further away from the plane portion. Has a convex curved surface portion that becomes smaller,
In the leaf spring, the engaged portion is capable of accommodating the insertion hole having a substantially rectangular shape in plan view through which the engagement portion of the valve body can be inserted, and the engagement portion. Having a convex curved surface portion and a concave portion having a slidable concave curved surface portion;
The valve unit according to claim 3, wherein the concave portion is formed so as to intersect the insertion hole on a side of the leaf spring facing the flexible member. A fluid ejecting apparatus comprising: a fluid ejecting head capable of ejecting a fluid; and the valve unit according to claim 1.

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