JP2008238464A - Valve unit and fluid jet apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a compact valve unit which can improve the stability of a supply pressure of a fluid, and to provide a fluid jet apparatus equipped with the valve unit. <P>SOLUTION: The valve unit prepared in the printer is equipped with a pressure chamber 36 constructed to be able to communicate with a communication hole 40 and an outlet 47, a valve element 41, a spring for pressure adjustment 44 which urges the valve element 41 in a direction to be a valve closing state, a film member 35 which shifts on the basis of pressure variation in the pressure chamber 36, an operation lever 48 supported in whole by the film member 35, and a securing member 49 which regulates the shift outward of the pressure chamber 36 of the operation lever 48. Following the shift inward of the pressure chamber 36 of the film member 35, another end side of the operation lever 48 tilts inward of the pressure chamber 36 making a securing point with the securing member 49 a fulcrum, thereby pressing the valve element 41 located between a center of gravity G of the operation lever 48 and the fulcrum in a direction to be a valve opening state against an urging force of the spring for pressure adjustment 44. <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 seals the flow path forming member having a regularity with a concave portion formed on one surface thereof, and the opening of the concave portion of the flow path forming member. And a valve member that opens and closes an ink inflow hole into a pressure chamber surrounded by the film member and the recess of the flow path forming member. The valve body is always urged to a closed state in which the ink inflow hole is closed by a 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. Due to the pressing force based on the above, the valve body opens the inflow hole against the biasing force of the spring, so that 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. It is equipped with an actuating lever. That is, the operating lever is disposed in the pressure chamber so that one end of the operating lever is supported by the flow path forming member as a fixed end, and the other end serving as a free end can be tilted in the pressure chamber. Then, the pressure applied to the valve body from the film member via the operation lever is pressed by pressing the valve body in the valve opening direction while the operation lever is pressed and tilted by the displacement of the film member. I was trying to boost it.
JP 2005-186344 A

  By the way, in the valve unit of Patent Document 1, the operating lever and the valve body are always in contact with each other so that the pressing force from the operating lever surely acts on the valve body. As a result, in consideration of errors of parts and the like, the reaction force from the fixed end of the operating lever is always applied to the valve body in the valve opening direction. Therefore, it is necessary to set a large spring load for the spring that holds the valve element in the closed state by the reaction force received from the operating lever, which is an obstacle to downsizing the valve unit. Also, since the negative pressure in the pressure chamber varies due to the variation in the reaction force, it has been difficult to stabilize the ink supply pressure.

  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 miniaturized and can improve the stability of fluid supply pressure, and a fluid ejector including the valve unit. To provide an apparatus.

  In order to achieve the above object, the valve unit according to 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 valve closed state. A valve body that closes the inflow hole and opens the inflow hole by opening the valve, a biasing member that urges the valve body in a direction in which the valve body is always closed, and a wall surface of the pressure chamber A flexible member that displaces based on pressure fluctuations in the pressure chamber, and the flexible member that is displaced together with the flexible member as the flexible member is displaced. An operating lever supported as a whole, and an engaging member for restricting the outward displacement of the pressure chamber of the operating lever accompanying the displacement of the flexible member by engaging one end side of the operating lever The actuating lever includes the flexible member. With the displacement of the force chamber inward, the other end side tilts inward of the pressure chamber with the locking point of the locking member as a fulcrum, so that the center of gravity of the operating lever and the fulcrum The valve body that is positioned is pressed in a direction to open the valve against the biasing force of the biasing member.

  According to this configuration, since the operating lever is configured to be displaced together with the flexible member while being entirely supported by the flexible member, the end edge thereof is a free end that is displaced together with the flexible member. . Therefore, when the actuating lever is displaced along with the displacement of the flexible member, a part of one end side locked by the locking member serves as a fulcrum, so that the valve body is opened. Even if it is tilted so as to be pressed and no fixed end is provided, the pressing force applied to the valve body can be boosted. Therefore, since the urging force of the urging member can be kept small as much as the valve body does not receive the reaction force from the fixed end of the operating lever, the valve unit can be miniaturized and the fluid supply pressure is stable. Can be improved.

In the valve unit of the present invention, the locking member is provided outside the pressure chamber.
According to this configuration, since the locking member is provided outside the pressure chamber through which the fluid flows, there is no need to consider the chemical influence caused by contact with the fluid, and the material constituting the locking member The degree of freedom of selection increases.

  In the valve unit of the present invention, the operating lever is affixed to an outer surface side of the flexible member that is outside the pressure chamber, and the valve body is interposed via the flexible member during the tilting. Press.

  According to this configuration, since the operating lever is provided outside the pressure chamber through which the fluid flows, it is not necessary to consider the chemical effect caused by contact with the fluid, and the selection of the material constituting the operating lever is eliminated. The degree of freedom increases.

  In the valve unit of the present invention, when the operating lever tilts and presses the valve body, the position of the operating lever that presses the valve body is an intermediate between the gravity center of the operating lever and the fulcrum. The position is closer to the fulcrum than the position.

  According to this configuration, the position at which the valve body of the operating lever is pressed is closer to the fulcrum at the time of tilting than the intermediate position between the center of gravity and the fulcrum of the operating lever. The pressure can be boosted.

  Further, in the valve unit of the present invention, the pressure chamber is formed so as to be enclosed by sealing the opening of a recess formed in one surface of the flow path forming member with the flexible member. The end of the actuating lever is affixed to the flexible member so as to be separated from the edge of the opening of the recess in the flow path forming member.

  According to this configuration, the operating lever is in a floating state that is entirely supported by the flexible member in the upper region of the pressure chamber, so that the displacement force of the flexible member based on the pressure fluctuation in the pressure chamber can be efficiently valved. Can be transmitted to the body.

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. By being crushed, the ink stored 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 the present embodiment) upper surface side concave portions 34 having a rectangular shape in plan view are formed as concave portions on a planar upper surface (one surface). 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.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the lower surface side concave portion 37 having a circular cross section is formed on the lower surface of the flow path forming member 33 at a rear position below the upper surface side concave portion 34. . The opening portions of the respective lower surface side concave portions 37 are sealed by the holding members 38 made of a disc, so that the ink supply chambers 39 are respectively 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 are communicated with each other through a communication hole 40 as an inflow hole.

  A valve element 41 is accommodated in the pressure chamber 36 and the ink supply chamber 39. The valve body 41 has a spring receiving portion 42 accommodated in the ink supply chamber 39, a proximal end side supported by the spring receiving portion 42, and a distal end side (upper end side in FIG. 3) inserted through the communication hole 40 and pressure. And a valve shaft 43 extending into the chamber 36.

  The lower end side of the pressure adjusting spring 44 as an urging member is in contact with the lower surface of the spring receiving portion 42, and the lower end side of the pressure adjusting spring 44 is supported by the upper surface of the holding member 38. Further, a seal member 45 made of an O-ring having an inner diameter larger than the diameter of the communication hole 40 is fixed to the upper surface of the spring receiving portion 42.

  The pressure adjusting spring 44 urges the valve element 41 in the upward direction, thereby urging the valve element 41 in a direction in which the valve element 41 is always closed. Then, the valve body 41 closes the communication hole 40 and opens the valve by being in a valve-closed state in which the seal member 45 surrounds the communication hole 40 and is in contact with the inner wall surface of the ink supply chamber 39. Thus, the communication hole 40 is opened.

  Further, the flow path forming member 33 has a downstream end opened on the side surface of the lower surface side concave portion 37, and an inflow passage 46 whose upstream end is connected to the downstream end of the ink supply tube 22 is formed through each lower surface side concave portion 37. Has been. 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.

  On the upper surface side of the film member 35 constituting a part of the wall surface of the pressure chamber 36, that is, on the outer surface side of the film member 35 outside the pressure chamber 36, a rectangular shape extending in the longitudinal direction (front-rear direction) of the upper surface side recess 34. An operating lever 48 made of a thin metal plate is attached. The operation lever 48 is affixed to the film member 35 at a position away from the flow path forming member 33 so as not to interfere with the flow path forming member 33 even when the film member 35 is bent and displaced. .

  In other words, the operating lever 48 is affixed in a region covering the opening of the upper surface side recess 34 in the film member 35 so that the edge of the operating lever 48 is separated from the edge of the opening of the upper surface side recess 34. . Therefore, the operation lever 48 is entirely supported by the film member 35 so as to be in a floating state above the pressure chamber 36, and when the film member 35 is bent and displaced, Although the displacement is similarly caused by the displacement, the edge of the operation lever 48 does not interfere with the flow path forming member 33 at that time. Further, in this case, the operation lever 48 is stuck in the region covering the opening of the upper surface side recess 34 in the film member 35 so that the center of gravity G is located closer to the front end side than the valve shaft 43 of the valve body 41. The attachment position is set.

  Further, in the vicinity of the rear end on the upper side of the flow path forming member 33 that is outside the pressure chamber 36, the base end portion 49a is supported by the flow path forming member 33 via the film member 35, and the distal end portion 49b is pressurized. A locking member 49 protruding toward the front side so as to extend to the upper region of the chamber 36 is fixed. And the front-end | tip part 49b of the latching member 49 is a cantilever arrange | positioned above the action | operation lever 48 so that it may overlap with the edge part 48a of the rear end side of the action | operation lever 48 in an up-down direction. Note that the valve body 41 is located closer to the rear end side than the center of gravity G of the operating lever 48, more specifically, from an intermediate position between the center of gravity G of the operating lever 48 and a locking point (fulcrum) with respect to the locking member 49. Since the arrangement is such that part of the weight of the operating lever 48 is received at a position on the rear end side close to the fulcrum, the tip of the valve shaft 43 is in contact with the film member 35.

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 the pressure adjusting spring 44 is The valve element 41 is pressed against the urging force and moved downward. As a result, the pressure chamber 36 and the ink supply chamber 39 communicate with each other, and the communication hole 40, the pressure chamber 36, and the outflow hole 47 are filled with ink.

  When the filling of the ink into the valve unit 23 is thus completed, the valve element 41 is closed by the pressure adjusting spring 44 as shown in FIG. Thereafter, when printing is started and ink is ejected from the nozzles, the valve unit 23 is opened by the negative pressure generated in the pressure chamber 36 as shown in FIG. Ink is supplied 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.

  When the pressure in the pressure chamber 36 is lower than a predetermined pressure, the film member 35 is displaced inward of the pressure chamber 36. The pressing force by which the displaced film member 35 presses the valve body 41 is as follows. It is boosted by an operating lever 48 attached to the upper surface side of the film member 35.

  Specifically, when the film member 35 is displaced inward of the pressure chamber 36, the operation lever 48 also attempts to displace inward of the pressure chamber 36 along with the displacement. Since the reaction force is received from the pressure adjusting spring 44 via the film member 35 and the valve shaft 43 at the rear end side, the rear end side end portion 48a is positioned above the front end side end portion 48b. Tilt. Further, the end 48a on one end side (rear end side), which is the free end of the tilted operating lever 48, is locked from above by the front end portion 49b of the locking member 49, and the operating lever 48 accompanying the displacement of the film member 35. The outward displacement of the pressure chamber 36 is restricted.

  Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4, the end 48 b on the other end side (front end side) of the operating lever 48 tilts inward of the pressure chamber 36 with the locking portion with the locking member 49 as a fulcrum. The valve body 41 located between the center of gravity G of the lever 48 and the fulcrum is pressed against the urging force of the pressure adjusting spring 44 in the direction of opening the valve.

  At this time, the operation lever 48 functions as a lever, and the force point when tilting is apparently located on the front end side of the operation lever 48. In the operating lever 48, the position where the valve element 41 is pressed, that is, the operating point is closer to the fulcrum locked to the locking member 49 than the center of gravity G of the operating lever 48, more specifically, the center of gravity G Since the position is closer to the fulcrum than the intermediate position with respect to the fulcrum, the distance between the force point and the fulcrum is set larger than the distance between the action point and the fulcrum. Accordingly, the displacement force of the film member 35 is boosted by the operating lever 48 and applied to the valve body 41 as a pressing force.

According to the embodiment described above, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) In the above embodiment, when the operating lever 48 tilts with the displacement of the film member 35, the rear end 48 a that is the free end of the operating lever 48 that is locked by the locking member 49. A part becomes a fulcrum. Therefore, the operating lever 48 can boost the pressing force applied to the valve body 41 without having a fixed end. Accordingly, since the urging force of the pressure adjusting spring 44 can be kept small by the amount that the valve element 41 does not receive the reaction force from the fixed end of the operating lever 48, the valve unit 23 can be downsized and the ink can be reduced. The stability of the supply pressure can be improved.

  (2) In the above embodiment, since the locking member 49 and the operating lever 48 are provided outside the pressure chamber 36, it is not necessary to consider the chemical effect caused by contact with ink, and the locking member 49 and the degree of freedom of selection of materials constituting the operating lever 48 are increased.

  (3) In the above-described embodiment, the position where the valve element 41 of the operating lever 48 is pressed is closer to the fulcrum than the intermediate position between the center of gravity G of the operating lever 48 and the fulcrum, so the valve element is more effective. The pressing force applied to 41 can be boosted.

  (4) In the above-described embodiment, the operation lever 48 is attached to the film member 35 at a position separated from the flow path forming member 33 constituting the pressure chamber 36. In other words, the operation lever 48 is attached to the film member 35 so that the end edge of the operation lever 48 is separated from the edge of the opening of the upper surface side recess 34 in the flow path forming member 33. Therefore, the operating lever 48 is in a floating state in which the whole is supported by the film member 35 in the upper region of the pressure chamber 36, and any of the end portions 48a and 48b can be tilted as free ends. Further, since the contact surface between the operating lever 48 and the film member 35 is ensured, the displacement force of the film member 35 based on the pressure fluctuation in the pressure chamber 36 can be transmitted to the valve body 41 efficiently.

  (5) In the above embodiment, since the operation lever 48 is provided outside the pressure chamber 36, the configuration inside the pressure chamber 36 is simplified. Accordingly, the retention of bubbles in the pressure chamber 36 is suppressed, and the reliability of the valve unit 23 can be improved.

  (6) In the above embodiment, since the operating lever 48 is attached to the outer surface side of the film member 35, the area of the film member 35 exposed to atmospheric pressure can be reduced. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the gas from permeating into the pressure chamber 36 via the film member 35 and the moisture in the pressure chamber 36 from permeating and evaporating.

  (7) In the above embodiment, since the reaction force of the operating lever 48 does not act on the valve body 41, the plate thickness of the operating lever 48 can be made thicker than before. Therefore, unlike the prior art, it is not necessary to make the cross section of the operating lever 48 U-shaped in order to ensure rigidity, so that the valve unit can be thinned.

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 shape of the operating lever 48 is not limited to a rectangular shape. For example, it may be formed in an elliptical shape in plan view.

  In the above embodiment, the upper surface side concave portion 34 as the concave portion may have an arbitrary shape such as an elliptical shape other than the rectangular shape in plan view as long as the free end of the operating lever 48 can be tilted.

  In the above embodiment, the locking member 49 may be configured as a part of a lid member that covers the film member 35 from the outside. According to this configuration, the film member 35 can be protected by the lid member, and moisture in the pressure chamber 36 can be suppressed from evaporating into the atmosphere via the film member 35.

  In the above-described embodiment, a through hole extending in the left-right direction may be provided at the rear end of the operating lever 48, and the locking member 49 may be realized by a shaft member that passes through the through hole in a manner in which the operating lever 48 can tilt. . According to this configuration, since it is not necessary to dispose the locking member outside the pressure chamber 36 in a block shape, the valve unit can be thinned.

  In the above embodiment, the locking member 49 may be realized as a rod-like member whose one end (upper end) is supported by a lid member or the like, for example. Also in this configuration, the operating lever 48 can be locked at the other end (lower end) of the rod-shaped member.

  In the above embodiment, the operation lever 48 may be attached to the lower surface side of the film member 35. Or you may make it hold | maintain between 2 film members. Also in this case, since it is not necessary to make the cross section of the operating lever 48 U-shaped unlike the conventional case, the retention of bubbles in the pressure chamber 36 can be suppressed.

  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.

Explanation of symbols

  G ... Center of gravity, 11 ... Printer as fluid ejecting device, 23 ... Valve unit, 24 ... Recording head as fluid ejecting head, 33 ... Flow path forming member, 34 ... Top surface side recess as recess, 35 ... Flexible member 36 ... Pressure chamber, 40 ... Communication hole as inflow hole, 41 ... Valve body, 44 ... Pressure adjusting spring as biasing member, 47 ... Outlet hole, 48 ... Actuation lever, 49 ... Locking Element.

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 valve body that closes the inflow hole by being in a valve-closed state, and that opens the inflow hole by being in a valve-open state;
An urging member that urges the valve body in a direction in which the valve body is always closed;
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;
An actuating lever supported entirely by the flexible member so as to displace with the flexible member as the flexible member is displaced;
A locking member for restricting the outward displacement of the pressure chamber of the operating lever accompanying the displacement of the flexible member by locking one end side of the operating lever;
As the operating lever is displaced inward of the pressure chamber of the flexible member, the other end side tilts inward of the pressure chamber with a locking point with the locking member as a fulcrum, A valve unit characterized in that the valve element positioned between the center of gravity of the actuating lever and the fulcrum is pressed in a direction to open the valve against the urging force of the urging member. The valve unit according to claim 1, wherein the locking member is provided outside the pressure chamber. The actuating lever is affixed to an outer surface side of the flexible member that is outside the pressure chamber, and presses the valve body via the flexible member during the tilting. Item 3. The valve unit according to Item 1 or 2. When the operating lever tilts and presses the valve body, the position of the operating lever that presses the valve body is closer to the fulcrum than an intermediate position between the center of gravity of the operating lever and the fulcrum. It exists, The valve unit as described in any one of Claims 1-3 characterized by the above-mentioned. The pressure chamber is formed by enclosing the opening of a recess formed in a recess on one surface of the flow path forming member with the flexible member,
The operation lever is attached to the flexible member such that an end edge of the operation lever is separated from an edge of an opening of the recess in the flow path forming member. The valve unit as described in any one of 1-4. A fluid ejecting apparatus comprising: a fluid ejecting head capable of ejecting a fluid; and the valve unit according to claim 1.

Images