JP2008240799A - Valve unit and fluid injection device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a valve unit and a fluid injection device capable of attaining miniaturization without causing reduction of function of the valve unit. <P>SOLUTION: The valve unit is provided with a flow passage forming member recessedly formed with an upper surface side recession part 34 and having a constant shape property; a valve element 41 always urged in a direction getting in the valve-closed state in which a flowing-in hole is closed by a predetermined urging force; a film member for sealing an opening of the upper surface side recession part 34, wraparoundly forming a pressure chamber 36 in a space to the upper surface side recession part 34 and displaced based on pressure fluctuation in the pressure chamber 36; and an operation lever 54 of a cantilever-like shape capable of pressing the valve element 41 in a direction getting in the valve-opening state in resistant to the urging force by being inclined by receiving pressing force from the film member following displacement of the film member to the inside of the pressure chamber 36. Regarding a gap between an end edge of the operation lever 54 and an opening edge of the upper surface side recession part 34, a gap t1 on a base end part 54a side of the operation lever 54 is made smaller than a gap t2 on a distal end part 54b side. <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 in Patent Document 1 includes a channel-forming member having a regularity in which a groove-like channel is formed on one surface thereof, and a groove-like channel of the channel-forming member. And a valve body that opens and closes an ink inflow hole into a pressure chamber formed by being surrounded by the film member and the groove-shaped flow path of the flow path forming member. The valve body is normally held at a valve closing 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 the actuating lever.
JP-A-2005-343123

  By the way, in the valve unit of Patent Document 1, a predetermined gap is provided between the end edge of the operating lever and the opening edge of the groove-shaped flow path in the pressure chamber. Therefore, in recent years, there is an increasing demand for miniaturization of printers, and it has been pointed out as one of the problems to reduce this gap in the valve unit.

  However, simply reducing the gap between the edge of the actuating lever and the opening edge of the groove-like passage reduces the bending allowance of the film member, so the reaction force when the film member is displaced (i.e., the film (Force to return the member to the original position) becomes large, and the pressing force on the operating lever accompanying the displacement of the film member may become unstable. Therefore, there is a possibility that the operation of the valve body that is pressed by the operating lever to open the valve body may become unstable, and the function of the valve unit is deteriorated.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a valve unit and a fluid ejecting apparatus that can be reduced in size without degrading the function of the valve unit.

  In order to achieve the above object, the valve unit of the present invention has a regularity in which an inflow hole for allowing a fluid to flow in and a groove-like flow path communicating with an outflow hole for allowing the fluid to flow out are recessed on one surface. The flow path forming member is always urged with a predetermined urging force in a direction to be in a valve-closed state, and closes the inflow hole by being in a valve-closed state, and closes the inflow hole by being in a valve-open state. A flexible member that seals the opening of the valve body to be opened and the groove-shaped channel and surrounds the pressure chamber with the groove-shaped channel, and is displaced based on pressure fluctuation in the pressure chamber. And when the flexible member is tilted in response to a pressing force from the flexible member in accordance with the inward displacement of the pressure chamber, the valve body is brought into a valve open state against the biasing force. A cantilevered actuating lever that can be pressed in a direction, and an end edge of the actuating lever The gap between the opening edge of the serial grooved passage towards the gap at the fixed end side of the actuating lever is smaller than the gap at the free end side.

  In general, in the case of a cantilever operating lever, when it is tilted by receiving a pressing force from a flexible member displaced inward of the pressure chamber, the amount of movement on the fixed end side accompanying the tilting is the movement on the free end side. Small compared to the amount. Therefore, also about the reaction force of the flexible member that affects the pressing force applied to the operating lever by the displacement of the flexible member, the portion corresponding to the fixed end side of the operating lever corresponds to the free end side. It is small enough to be ignored compared to. That is, the gap between the edge of the actuating lever and the opening edge of the groove-shaped flow path can be narrowed at a portion corresponding to the fixed end side of the actuating lever.

  In this regard, in the present invention, the gap between the edge of the actuating lever and the opening edge of the groove-shaped flow path is such that the gap on the fixed end side of the actuating lever is smaller than the gap on the free end side. I am doing so. Therefore, the opening width of the groove-like channel can be narrowed by the amount of the gap, and the valve unit and the fluid ejecting apparatus can be reduced in size without causing a deterioration in the function of the valve unit. Can do.

In the valve unit of the present invention, the operating lever is formed in a shape that is wider on the fixed end side than on the free end side.
Normally, in a flexible member that is displaced in response to pressure fluctuations in the pressure chamber in the valve unit, when the operating lever is pressed along with the displacement, the gap between the end edge of the operating lever and the opening edge of the groove-shaped flow path is determined. A region portion defined by an annular intermediate line that bisects becomes a pressure receiving portion that receives a reaction force from the elastically deformed operating lever. And if the opening area of the groove-shaped flow path formed in the flow path forming member is the same, the area occupied by the pressure receiving portion in the flexible member is larger when the operating lever is pressed. The pressing force is large.

  In this regard, in the present invention, the operating lever is formed in a shape that is wider on the fixed end side than on the free end side. Therefore, the area of the pressure receiving portion in the flexible member increases toward the opening edge of the groove-shaped flow path on the fixed end side of the operating lever, and the pressure receiving portion of the flexible member with respect to the opening area of the groove-shaped flow path The area occupancy rate of can be increased. In other words, in the present invention, if there is no change in the pressure receiving portion area for obtaining the pressing force against the operating lever required for opening the valve body with the displacement of the flexible member, It is possible to reduce the opening area of the channel. Therefore, since the area of the pressure receiving portion required for the flexible member in the valve unit can be ensured in comparison with the opening area of the groove-shaped flow path, the groove-shaped flow path is formed narrower. In addition, the required area of the pressure receiving portion can be secured and the valve unit can be downsized.

  In the valve unit of the present invention, the actuating lever is formed in a shape whose width on the fixed end side is narrower than that on the free end side, and the groove-like channel is formed on the fixed end side of the actuating lever. The corresponding one end side flow passage portion is formed with a narrower opening width than the other end side flow passage portion corresponding to the free end side of the operating lever.

  According to the present invention, the opening width of the groove-shaped flow path can be reduced at the one end side flow path portion corresponding to the narrow fixed end side of the operating lever. Can be miniaturized.

  In the valve unit of the present invention, a plurality of the groove-like flow paths are formed in parallel in the flow path forming member, and the adjacent groove-like flow paths are composed of one end side flow path portion and the other end side flow path. The portions are formed so as to be alternately arranged in the parallel direction.

  According to the present invention, the groove-like flow paths adjacent in the parallel direction are arranged such that the narrow one-end flow path portion and the wide other-end flow path portion are nested. On the forming member, a plurality of groove-like flow paths can be arranged in parallel without waste to effectively use the space. In this respect, the valve unit can be further reduced in size.

  In the valve unit of the present invention, the operating lever is arranged such that the center of gravity is located on the free end side with respect to the intermediate position in the longitudinal direction of the operating lever, and the valve body is pressed at a position on the fixed end side with respect to the center of gravity. It is configured.

  According to the present invention, since the boosting performance of the pressing force generated by the displacement of the flexible member in the operating lever can be improved, the valve element can be moved by the tilting of the operating lever even when the displacement of the flexible member is smaller. It can be pressed in the direction of opening the valve. Therefore, even if the area of the pressure receiving portion in the flexible member is reduced, the valve element can be reliably operated. Also in this respect, the groove-like flow path is reduced and the valve unit is reduced in size. be able to.

The fluid ejecting apparatus of the present invention includes a fluid ejecting head that ejects fluid and the valve unit having the above-described configuration.
According to the present invention, since the valve unit which is a part of the device configuration is reduced in size, the fluid ejection device can be reduced in size.

(First embodiment)
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 the drawings.

  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 that is provided to stably supply ink from the ink cartridge 21 to the recording head 24, and is always in a closed state. When a predetermined amount of ink is ejected from the opening (not shown) toward the recording paper P, the valve is opened and ink is supplied to the recording head 24 side.

  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, is a home position HP that becomes a standby position of the carriage 15 when the printer 11 is powered off or when the recording head 24 is maintained. ing. 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 of the recording head 24, the cap 26 comes into contact with the recording head 24 so as to surround the nozzle opening (not shown), and the suction pump (not shown) is driven in this state. Ink and bubbles in the ink supply tube 22 and the recording head 24 are sucked and discharged.

  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, the configuration of the valve unit 23 will be described in detail.
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the valve unit 23 includes a regular flow path 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 substantially oval shape in plan view are formed in parallel on the upper surface that forms a groove-like flow path. 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.

  The film member 35 is made of a material that does not have a chemical effect on the ink properties, and further has a low moisture permeability, oxygen or nitrogen permeability. That is, the film member 35 is configured by, for example, a film having a configuration in which a nylon film coated with vinylidene chloride is bonded and laminated to a high-density polyethylene film or a polypropylene film.

  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. . Then, disk-like holding members 38 are closely fitted to the lower end openings of the respective lower surface side concave portions 37 so that the ink supply chambers 39 are surrounded by the lower surface side concave portions 37 and the holding members 38, respectively. . In this case, the lower surface of the flow path forming member 33 and the lower surface of the holding member 38 are flush with each other.

  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, and ink flows into the pressure chamber 36 from the ink supply chamber 39 through the communication hole 40. It is possible to make it. A valve element 41 is accommodated in the pressure chamber 36 and the ink supply chamber 39 so as to straddle both the chambers 36 and 39. The valve body 41 has a cylindrical valve shaft 42 inserted through the communication hole 40 and an outer diameter larger than the outer diameter of the valve shaft 42 provided at the lower end portion of the valve shaft 42 in the ink supply chamber 39. It has a disc-shaped collar portion 43 having it.

  In this case, the valve shaft 42 passes through the center of the flange portion 43, and the lower end portion of the valve shaft 42 protrudes below the flange portion 43. The outer diameter of the collar portion 43 is larger than the inner diameter of the communication hole 40 and smaller than the inner diameter of the ink supply chamber 39. A seal member 44 made of an annular flexible material is fixed to the upper surface of the flange portion 43 so as to surround the valve shaft 42 along the periphery of the upper surface.

  A truncated cone-shaped coil spring 47 as an urging member is disposed below the valve body 41 in the ink supply chamber 39. That is, the upper end of the coil spring 47 is brought into contact with the lower surface of the flange 43 of the valve body 41 and the lower end thereof is brought into contact with the upper surface of the holding member 38 so that the valve body 41 is always in a closed state. It is urged toward the upper direction, which is the direction. In the closed state of the valve body 41, the seal member 44 surrounds the communication hole 40 and is in close contact with the upper wall surface of the ink supply chamber 39, that is, the communication hole 40 is closed, that is, the pressure chamber 36. The ink supply chamber 39 is not in communication.

  Further, the flow path forming member 33 has an inflow passage 51 having a downstream end opened on a side surface of the lower surface side concave portion 37 and an upstream end connected to the downstream end of the ink supply tube 22 (see FIG. 1). Each 37 is formed penetrating. Further, the flow path forming member 33 has an upstream end opened to the bottom surface of the upper surface side recess 34 at a position in front of the ink supply chamber 39 below the upper surface side recess 34, and a downstream end to the recording head 24. An outflow passage 52 as a connected outflow hole is formed through each upper surface side recess 34. The outflow path 52 is for allowing ink to flow out from the pressure chamber 36 toward the recording head 24.

  Step portions 53 are provided on the upper surface of the flow path forming member 33 on the rear side of the upper surface side concave portions 34 so as to be adjacent to the upper surface side concave portions 34. A rectangular thin plate-like operating lever 54 that is long in the front-rear direction is fixed to each stepped portion 53 in a cantilever shape via a hinge portion 55. The actuating lever 54 is made of a metal having an appropriate elasticity. The base end portion 54a on the rear end side is a fixed end with respect to the flow path forming member 33, and the front end portion 54b on the front end side is in the upper surface side recess 34. This is a free end that reaches just above the outflow passage 52 on the front end side.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the operating lever 54 has a width W1 on the base end 54a side that is a fixed end wider than a width W2 on the tip end 54b side that is a free end in the plan view shape. It is formed in a trapezoidal shape. On the other hand, the upper surface side concave portion 34 corresponds to the inflow side flow channel portion (one end side flow channel portion) 34a corresponding to the base end portion 54a side of the operation lever 54 and the distal end portion 54b side of the operation lever 54 in the longitudinal direction. The width L0 of the opening in the short direction of the entire recess including the outflow side flow path portion (the other end side flow path portion) 34b is formed to be substantially the same width. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4, the gap formed between the side edge along the longitudinal direction of the actuation lever 54 and the opening edge of the upper surface side recess 34 is a gap on the proximal end 54 a side of the actuation lever 54. t1 is smaller than the gap t2 on the distal end 54b side.

  Further, since the operation lever 54 has a trapezoidal shape in plan view, the center of gravity G is located at a position closer to the base end portion 54a than the intermediate position C in the longitudinal direction. The actuating lever 54 is disposed in the pressure chamber 36 so as to extend in the front-rear direction along the inner surface of the film member 35, and in the longitudinal direction, the valve 54 is positioned closer to the base end 54 a than the center of gravity G. The upper end of the valve shaft 42 of the body 41 abuts on the basis of the biasing force of the coil spring 47.

  Then, when the pressure in the pressure chamber 36 decreases and the film member 35 is deflected and displaced inwardly (downward in FIG. 3) of the pressure chamber 36, the pressing force from the displaced film member 35 is received. Thus, the operating lever 54 is elastically deformed so as to bend downward with the hinge portion 55 protruding from the base end portion 54a as a fulcrum. Due to the elastic deformation of the operating lever 54, the valve shaft 42 is pushed downward against the urging force of the coil spring 47 by the operating lever 54, and the seal member 44 is separated from the upper wall surface in the ink supply chamber 39. Thus, the valve body 41 is opened. When the valve body 41 is in the open state, the communication hole 40 is opened, that is, the pressure chamber 36 and the ink supply chamber 39 are in communication.

  By the way, the film member 35 has a pressure receiving portion 35a that receives a reaction force from the operating lever 54 when the operating lever 54 is pressed and elastically deformed in accordance with the inward displacement of the pressure chamber 36. . That is, as shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 4, in the film member 35, the side edge along the longitudinal direction of the operating lever 54 and the upper surface side concave portion 34 in the region sealing the opening of the upper surface side concave portion 34. A partial region surrounded by a line connecting the intermediate position with the opening edge in a ring shape becomes the pressure receiving portion 35a. In addition, about this pressure receiving part 35a, as the ratio of the area of the pressure receiving part 35a to the opening area of the upper surface side recessed part 34 is large, the pressing force when the film member 35 presses the operating lever 54 with displacement is increased. Become.

Next, the operation of the valve unit 23 configured as described above will be described.
When ink is ejected from a nozzle opening (not shown) of the recording head 24 to print the recording paper P, the ink in the pressure chamber 36 flows out to the recording head 24 side through the outflow path 52 and decreases. Therefore, a negative pressure is generated in the pressure chamber 36. When a negative pressure is generated in the pressure chamber 36, the film member 35 is bent downward (inward of the pressure chamber 36) by the atmospheric pressure, so that the operation lever 54 is pressed downward. Then, the operating lever 54 has a base end portion 54a (specifically, a hinge portion 55) which is a fixed end as a fulcrum, and a portion where the upper end of the valve shaft 42 abuts between the base end portion 54a and the center of gravity G. The downward pressing force from the film member 35 is boosted and transmitted to the valve shaft 42 by the lever principle using the tip 54b as a point of action and free end as a power point.

  At this time, in the valve unit 23, the gap between the side edge of the actuation lever 54 and the opening edge of the upper surface side recess 34 is small, but the gap t1 on the base end 54a side of the actuation lever 54 is small, but the actuation lever 54 Since the gap t2 on the front end portion 54b side is not small, the influence of the reaction force of the film member 35 that is displaced is negligible on the front end portion 54b side of the operating lever 54. In addition, since the operation lever 54 is formed in a trapezoidal shape in plan view with the base end portion 54a side wider than the tip end portion 54b side, the film member 35 particularly at a portion corresponding to the base end portion 54a side of the operation lever 54. The area of the pressure receiving portion 35a can be enlarged, and the area occupation ratio of the pressure receiving portion 35a with respect to the opening area of the upper surface side concave portion 34 can be increased. In other words, there is no change in the area of the pressure receiving portion 35a that can secure the pressing force required when the film member 35 is displaced to press the operating lever 54 in order to open the valve body 41. It is possible to reduce the opening area of the upper surface side recess 34 by the amount of increase in the area occupation ratio of the pressure receiving portion 35a with respect to the opening area of the recess 34.

According to the embodiment described above, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) In this valve unit 23, the clearance between the end edge of the operating lever 54 and the opening edge of the upper surface side recess 34 is set to the clearance t 1 on the base end 54 a side serving as the fixed end of the operating lever 54, and the free end. It is made smaller than the gap t2 on the tip end 54b side. Therefore, the opening width of the upper surface side concave portion 34 can be narrowed by the amount of the gap thus reduced, and as a result, the valve unit 23 can be downsized.

  (2) In this valve unit 23, the base end portion 54a side of the operating lever 54 is formed wider than the distal end portion 54b, so that the pressure receiving pressure that becomes an effective region when the operating lever 54 is pressed when the film member 35 is displaced. The area of the part 35a can be enlarged. For this reason, as the area occupation ratio of the pressure receiving portion 35a with respect to the opening area of the upper surface side concave portion 34 is increased, the opening area of the upper surface side concave portion 34 is compared with the case where the operating lever is formed with the same width in the longitudinal direction. Therefore, the valve unit 23 can be further reduced in size.

(3) In this printer 11, since the valve unit 23 is reduced in size, the printer 11 itself can also be reduced in size.
(Second Embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.

  Now, the valve unit 23 in the present embodiment is different from the first embodiment in the shapes and arrangement of the upper surface side recess 34 and the operating lever 54. Accordingly, the following description will be made by paying attention to different parts from the first embodiment, and the same components as those in the first embodiment will be denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be omitted.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, in this embodiment, the opening width of the upper surface side recess 34 formed in the upper surface of the flow path forming member 33 is the inflow side corresponding to the base end portion 54 a side of the operating lever 54. The width L1 of the flow path part 34a is formed to have a trapezoidal shape in plan view that is narrower than the width L2 of the outflow side flow path part 34b corresponding to the tip 54b side of the operating lever 54. In the present embodiment, the width of the opening required when the upper surface side concave portion 34 is formed in a substantially rectangular shape in plan view having the same width in the longitudinal direction is L0 (see FIG. 4), and the narrow base end portion 54a side. The opening shape of the upper surface side concave portion 34 is set so that, for example, (L1 + L2) / 2 = L0, where L1 is the width of the opening and L2 is the width of the opening on the wide end portion 54b side.

  Further, the operating lever 54 is formed so as to form a trapezoidal shape in plan view in which the width W1 on the base end portion 54a side serving as a fixed end is narrower than the width W2 on the tip end portion 54b side serving as a free end. Yes. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5, in the present embodiment, the center of gravity G of the operating lever 54 is located on the tip end 54b side which is a free end with respect to the intermediate position C in the longitudinal direction of the operating lever 54. The upper end of the valve shaft 42 of the valve body 41 abuts on the position closer to the base end portion 54 a than the intermediate position C based on the biasing force of the coil spring 47. And about the clearance gap formed between the side edge along the longitudinal direction of the action | operation lever 54, and the opening edge of the upper surface side recessed part 34, the base end part 54a of the action | operation lever 54 is the same as the case of 1st Embodiment. The gap t1 on the side is smaller than the gap t2 on the tip 54b side.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 6, in the present embodiment, a plurality (four in FIG. 6) of upper surface side concave portions 34 configured as described above are formed in parallel on the upper surface of the flow path forming member 33. . In the parallel arrangement state, the upper side recesses 34 adjacent to each other in the parallel direction are arranged such that the inflow side flow path portions 34a having a narrow opening width and the outflow side flow path portions 34b having a wide opening width are alternately arranged in the parallel direction. Is formed. That is, the plurality of upper surface side recesses 34 having a trapezoidal shape in plan view are arranged in a nested manner in the parallel direction.

Therefore, according to this 2nd Embodiment, in addition to the effect similar to (1) and (3) of the said 1st Embodiment, the following effects can be acquired.
(4) In this valve unit 23, the distal end portion 54b side of the operating lever 54 is formed wider than the base end portion 54a, so that the pressure receiving pressure that becomes an effective area when the operating lever 54 is pressed when the film member 35 is displaced. The area of the part 35a can be enlarged. For this reason, as the area occupation ratio of the pressure receiving portion 35a with respect to the opening area of the upper surface side concave portion 34 is increased, the opening area of the upper surface side concave portion 34 is compared with the case where the operating lever is formed with the same width in the longitudinal direction. Therefore, the valve unit 23 can be further reduced in size.

  (5) In this valve unit 23, a plurality of upper side recesses 34 adjacent in the parallel direction are arranged such that a narrow inflow side flow path portion 34a and a wide outflow side flow path portion 34b are nested. Therefore, the plurality of upper surface side recesses 34 can be disposed on the flow path forming member 33 without waste while effectively utilizing the space, and the valve unit 23 can be further reduced in size.

  (6) In this valve unit 23, the center of gravity G of the actuating lever 54 is located on the tip end 54b side which is the free end with respect to the intermediate position C in the longitudinal direction of the actuating lever 54, and the fixed end with respect to the intermediate position C. Thus, the arrangement is such that the valve shaft 42 of the valve body 41 is pressed at a position on the base end portion 54a side. Therefore, since the effective length of the operating lever 54 is increased and the lever ratio is increased, the boosting performance of the pressing force when the operating lever 54 presses the valve body 41 in the valve opening direction with the displacement of the film member 35 is improved. The film member 35 can generate a necessary and sufficient pressing force with displacement even if the area of the pressure receiving portion 35a is smaller. Therefore, it is possible to further reduce the opening area of the upper surface side recess 34, and the valve unit 23 can be further downsized.

In addition, you may change said each embodiment into another embodiment (another example) as follows.
In the first embodiment, the opening shape of the upper surface side concave portion 34 is made narrower at the inflow side flow passage portion 34a corresponding to the base end portion 54a side of the operating lever 54, and at the distal end portion 54b side of the operating lever 54 And the corresponding outflow side flow path portion 34b may be formed in a trapezoidal shape in plan view. When configured in this way, a plurality of upper surface side recesses 34 can be nested in the upper surface of the flow path forming member 33, and the valve unit 23 can be further miniaturized.

  In the first embodiment, the center of gravity G of the actuating lever 54 is increased by making the thickness of the actuating lever 54 on the distal end 54b side thicker than the base end 54a side or attaching a weight to the distal end 54b side. You may make it a position be located in the front-end | tip part 54b side rather than the intermediate position C of a longitudinal direction. When configured in this manner, the lever ratio of the operating lever 54 can be increased in the same manner as in the second embodiment, and the valve unit 23 can be further downsized.

In the second embodiment, the operating lever 54 may be formed in a substantially rectangular shape on a plane.
In each of the above embodiments, the fluid ejecting apparatus has an overall shape corresponding to the length of the recording paper P in the width direction (left-right direction) in the direction intersecting the conveyance direction (front-rear direction) of the recording paper P. It may be embodied in a so-called full line type (line head type) printer.

  In each of the above embodiments, the fluid ejecting apparatus is embodied as an ink jet recording apparatus. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and fluid other than ink (liquid or liquid in which particles of functional material are dispersed or mixed in liquid) Body, a fluid such as a gel, and a solid including a solid that can be ejected as a fluid). 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, transparent resin liquids such as UV curable resin to form liquid injection devices that pinpoint lubricant 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 a 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 (for example, a physical gel) A powder fluid ejecting apparatus (for example, a toner jet recording apparatus) that ejects a solid such as powder (powder fluid) such as toner may be used. The present invention can be applied to any one of these fluid ejecting apparatuses. In the present specification, the term “fluid” is a concept that does not include a fluid consisting of only gas, and examples of the fluid include liquid (inorganic solvent, organic solvent, solution, liquid resin, liquid metal (metal melt), etc. ), Liquids, fluids, powdered fluids (including granules and powders), and the like.

1 is a schematic plan view of an ink jet printer according to a first embodiment. The top view of the valve unit in 1st Embodiment. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 2. The top view which shows the upper surface side recessed part and action | operation lever in 1st Embodiment. The top view which shows the upper surface side recessed part and action | operation lever in 2nd Embodiment. The top view of the valve unit in 2nd Embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 ... Inkjet printer as fluid ejecting apparatus, 23 ... Valve unit, 24 ... Recording head as fluid ejecting head, 33 ... Flow path forming member, 34 ... Top surface side recess as groove-shaped flow path, 34a ... One end side flow Inflow side flow path part as a path part, 34b ... Outflow side flow path part as the other end side flow path part, 35 ... Film member as a flexible member, 36 ... Pressure chamber, 40 ... Communication hole as an inflow hole , 41 ... Valve body, 52 ... Outflow path as outflow hole, 54 ... Actuation lever, 54a ... Base end as fixed end, 54b ... End 54b as free end, C ... Intermediate position, G ... Center of gravity, t1 , T2 ... gap.

Claims (6)

A flow path forming member having a regularity in which a groove-shaped flow path communicating with an inflow hole for allowing fluid to flow in and an outflow hole for allowing fluid to flow out is recessed on one surface;
A valve body that is always urged with a predetermined urging force in a direction to be in a valve-closed state, closes the inflow hole by being in a valve-closed state, and opens the inflow hole by being in a valve-open state;
A flexible member that seals the opening of the groove-shaped channel and surrounds and forms a pressure chamber between the groove-shaped channel and is displaced based on pressure fluctuation in the pressure chamber;
A direction in which the valve body is opened against the urging force by being tilted by receiving a pressing force from the flexible member as the flexible member is displaced inward of the pressure chamber. With a cantilevered lever that can be pressed
A valve unit in which a gap between an end edge of the actuating lever and an opening edge of the groove-like flow path is smaller on the fixed end side of the actuating lever than on the free end side. The valve unit according to claim 1, wherein the operating lever is formed in a shape that is wider on the fixed end side than on the free end side. The actuating lever is formed in a shape whose width on the fixed end side is narrower than that on the free end side, and the groove-like channel is a channel portion on one end side corresponding to the fixed end side of the actuating lever. The valve unit according to claim 1, wherein the opening width is narrower than that of the other end side flow path portion corresponding to the free end side of the operating lever. A plurality of the groove-shaped flow paths are formed in parallel in the flow path forming member, and adjacent ones of the groove-shaped flow paths are alternately arranged in the parallel direction. The valve unit according to claim 3, wherein the valve unit is formed to be arranged. The operation lever has an arrangement configuration in which a center of gravity is positioned closer to a free end than an intermediate position in a longitudinal direction of the operation lever, and the valve body is pressed at a position closer to a fixed end than the center of gravity. The valve unit according to any one of claims 1 to 4. A fluid ejecting apparatus comprising: a fluid ejecting head that ejects fluid; and the valve unit according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

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