JP2009073082A - Liquid jet head, and liquid jet apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a liquid jet apparatus capable of attaching a lid member blocking an opening by simple work without backlash. <P>SOLUTION: Locked parts 44 are provided on both sides in a head moving direction of an opening 40, locking parts 43 to be locked to the locked parts are protrudedly provided on the lid member 41, and the lid member is fixed to the opening by locking one of the locking parts 43 to the locked part in a state energized in one head moving direction by its elasticity, and locking the other of locking parts to the locked part in a state energized in the other head moving direction by its elasticity. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a liquid ejecting head suitable for ejecting a liquid (functional liquid) such as ink, and a liquid ejecting apparatus including the liquid ejecting head, and in particular, droplets adhere to electronic components in the liquid ejecting head. It relates to the structure to prevent.

  An ink jet recording head (hereinafter simply referred to as a recording head), which is a type of liquid ejecting head, is inserted with an ink introduction needle, which is a type of liquid introduction unit, into an ink cartridge as a liquid storage member in which liquid ink is sealed. Accordingly, there is a configuration in which the ink in the ink cartridge is introduced into the inside of the recording head (ink flow path) through the introduction hole opened on the tip side of the ink introduction needle.

  The recording head includes a holder that holds an ink introduction needle, a head case, and the like, which are head components. Inside the holder, an introduction path that connects the ink introduction needle and the flow path of the head case is formed. In addition, an opening is formed on the side surface of the holder, and the opening communicates with the internal space in which the introduction path is formed. This opening is provided for inserting a mold for molding the introduction path into the holder. In addition, a circuit board on which electronic components are mounted is disposed between the holder and the head case (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2005-254546 A

  By the way, in the recording head configured as described above, liquid leakage may occur due to replacement of the ink cartridge or the like, and minute ink ejected from the nozzle may become mist and drift in the atmosphere. If such ink, mist, or the like enters the inner space of the holder from the opening, there is a risk that the ink adheres to the circuit board or the electronic component and short-circuits.

  For this reason, in the conventional recording head, the opening was closed with a thin plate material or a seal member, but since the plate material was manually attached using an adhesive, the cost and labor of the adhesive are increased. There was a problem.

  It is also conceivable that the lid member is provided with a locking claw and the like, and the locking claw is locked to the holder side so that the lid member is fitted. However, an ink jet recording apparatus (hereinafter referred to as a printer) equipped with the recording head includes a configuration that performs a recording operation (ink ejection operation) while reciprocating the recording head in the main scanning direction. When the lid member that closes the opening is attached to the holder in a state where there is play, there is a problem that a rattling sound is generated when the head is moved.

  SUMMARY An advantage of some aspects of the invention is that it provides a liquid ejecting head that can attach a lid member that closes an opening portion with a simple operation without rattling.

The present invention has been proposed to achieve the above object, and includes a lid member that closes an opening communicating with the space inside the head.
While providing a locked portion on both sides in the head moving direction of the opening, the lid member protrudes a locking portion that locks to the locked portion,
One of the locking portions is locked to the locked portion while being biased to one side in the head moving direction due to its elasticity, and the other of the locking portions is biased to the other in the head moving direction due to its elasticity The lid member is fixed to the opening by being locked to the locked portion in a state.

  According to the above configuration, the locking portions are provided on both sides of the opening in the head moving direction, and the locking member protrudes from the locking member to be locked to the locking portion, and one of the locking portions is It is locked to the locked portion while being biased to one side in the head moving direction due to its elasticity, and the other locking portion is locked to the locked portion while being biased to the other in the head moving direction due to its elasticity. By doing so, since the lid member is fixed to the opening, it is possible to attach the lid member with no backlash by a simple operation of fitting the lid member. In particular, since each locking portion is locked in a state of being biased in the head moving direction with respect to each locked portion, it is possible to prevent rattling noise of the lid member when the liquid ejecting head reciprocates. .

In the above configuration, a fitting projection is provided on the lid member, and a fitting portion to which the fitting projection is fitted is provided on a peripheral portion of the opening.
It is desirable to employ a configuration in which the fitting protrusion is fitted to the fitted portion when the lid member is fixed to the opening.

  According to this configuration, when the lid member is fixed to the opening portion, the fitting protrusion is fitted to the fitted portion. Therefore, in addition to preventing rattling of the lid member in the head moving direction, the vertical direction ( It is possible to prevent the cover member from rattling with respect to the direction perpendicular to the head movement direction.

  The said structure WHEREIN: The structure which forms the frame part which surrounds this opening part in the peripheral part of the said opening part is employable.

  According to this configuration, even when liquid enters the gap between the lid member and the head main body, the liquid is introduced into the opening by guiding the liquid to a portion that is off the opening by the frame. Can be blocked.

  Furthermore, in the above-described configuration, it is desirable to form a collar portion covering the upper portion of the frame portion on the lid member.

Further, the liquid ejecting apparatus of the invention includes the liquid ejecting head having any one of the above-described configurations,
The liquid ejecting operation is controlled while reciprocating the liquid ejecting head.

  According to the above configuration, the liquid ejecting operation can be performed while reciprocating the liquid ejecting head while preventing the rattling noise of the lid member. Further, even when liquid leakage or mist occurs, it is possible to prevent the liquid or mist from adhering to the electronic component, so that the reliability of quality can be improved.

  The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the embodiments described below, various limitations are made as preferred specific examples of the present invention. However, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the following description unless otherwise specified. However, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments. Further, in the following description, an ink jet recording head (hereinafter referred to as a liquid ejecting head according to the present invention) is mounted on an ink jet recording apparatus (a kind of liquid ejecting apparatus according to the present invention; hereinafter referred to as a printer) so as to be reciprocally movable. This is simply taken as an example. The configuration of the printer will be described later with reference to FIG.

1 is an exploded perspective view of the recording head 1, FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the recording head 1, and FIG. FIG. 4 is a plan view of the holder 2, and FIG. 5 is a front view of the holder 2.
The illustrated recording head 1 is schematically configured to include a holder 2, a head case 3, a vibrator unit 4, a flow path unit 5, and the like.

  The holder 2 is formed of, for example, a synthetic resin, and is a member for introducing an ink stored in the mounted ink cartridge, to which an ink cartridge (a kind of liquid storage unit, see FIG. 8) is mounted. is there. The upper surface of the holder 2 is an arrangement surface 6 on which an ink cartridge is arranged. A plurality of ink introduction needles 7 are attached to the arrangement surface 6 with a filter 8 for filtering ink interposed therebetween. It has been. Details of the holder 2 will be described later.

  A drive substrate 9 is arranged between the holder 2 and the head case 3. The drive board 9 is a circuit board for relaying a drive signal to the piezoelectric vibrator 12 (see FIG. 3), and includes a driver IC, a connector for connection to the printer main body side, a through hole for supplying ink, and the like. It has. And this drive substrate 9 is attached to the holder 2 via the sheet | seat member 11 which functions as packing.

  The head case 3 is a hollow box-shaped member for housing the vibrator unit 4. For this reason, the housing case 14 (see FIG. 3) capable of housing the transducer unit 4 is formed in the head case 3. The vibrator unit 4 is inserted into the housing space 14 and fixed by bonding. The vibrator unit 4 transmits a drive signal from the drive substrate 9 to the piezoelectric vibrator group 22 as pressure generating means, a fixing plate 23 to which the piezoelectric vibrator group 22 is joined, and the piezoelectric vibrator group 22. For example, a flexible cable (not shown).

  The piezoelectric vibrator group 22 of the present embodiment includes a plurality of piezoelectric vibrators 12 arranged in a comb shape. Each piezoelectric vibrator 12 has a fixed end joined to the fixed plate 23, and a free end protruding outward from the tip surface of the fixed plate 23. That is, each piezoelectric vibrator 12 is mounted on the fixed plate 23 in a so-called cantilever state. In addition to the piezoelectric vibrator, an electrostatic actuator, a magnetostrictive element, a heating element, or the like can be used as the pressure generating means.

  A flow path unit 5 is fixed to the front end surface (bottom surface) of the head case 3 with an adhesive or the like. This flow path unit 5 is manufactured by joining and integrating with an adhesive etc. in the state which laminated | stacked the diaphragm 16, the flow path formation board | substrate 17, and the nozzle plate 18. As shown in FIG. The nozzle plate 18 is a member made of, for example, a thin plate made of stainless steel, and fine nozzle openings 19 are formed in a row in the nozzle plate 18 at a pitch corresponding to the dot formation density of the printer 55. Yes. The head cover 20 is made of, for example, a metal thin plate member, and is attached to the distal end portion of the head case 3 so as to surround the peripheral edge portion from the outside of the nozzle plate 18. The head cover 20 functions to protect the side surface of the flow path unit 5 and prevent troubles such as noise caused by static electricity generated from the recording paper.

  The flow path forming substrate 17 is a plate-like member in which a plurality of empty portions that become the common ink chambers 25, groove portions that become the ink supply ports 26, and empty portions that become the pressure chambers 27 correspond to the respective nozzle openings 19. It is. The flow path forming substrate 17 is produced, for example, by etching a silicon wafer. The pressure chamber 27 is formed as a long and narrow chamber in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the nozzle openings 19 are arranged (nozzle row direction). The common ink chamber 25 communicates with the internal space of the ink introduction needle 7 via a communication path 28 (case flow path) formed through the height direction of the head case 3 and is stored in the ink cartridge. The chamber into which the ink is introduced. The ink introduced into the common ink chamber 25 is supplied to each pressure chamber 27 through the ink supply port 26.

  The vibration plate 16 is a composite plate material having a double structure in which an elastic film is laminated on a metal support plate such as stainless steel. An island portion 29 for joining the tip of the free end portion of the piezoelectric vibrator 12 is formed at a portion corresponding to the pressure chamber 27 of the diaphragm 16, and this portion functions as a diaphragm portion. Further, the diaphragm 16 seals one opening surface of the empty portion that becomes the common ink chamber 25, and also functions as a compliance portion. Only the elastic film is used for the portion functioning as the compliance portion.

  In the recording head 1, when the piezoelectric vibrator 12 is expanded and contracted in the element longitudinal direction, the island portion 29 moves in a direction close to or away from the pressure chamber 27. As a result, the volume of the pressure chamber 27 changes, and the pressure in the ink in the pressure chamber 27 changes. Due to this pressure fluctuation, an ink droplet (a kind of liquid in the present invention) is ejected from the nozzle opening 19.

  Next, the holder 2 will be described. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 5, in the interior space of the holder 2, an introduction path 31 that communicates with the communication path 28 of the head case 3 is formed corresponding to each ink color. The upstream opening of each introduction path 31 is opened side by side in the ink cartridge mounting area on the holder arrangement surface 6. Each introduction path 31 is formed obliquely so as to converge from the upstream side toward the downstream side so as to correspond to the communication path 28 of the head case 3. And the filter 8 is attached to the upstream opening part of each introduction path 28 by welding.

  On the arrangement surface 6 of the holder 2, a partition wall 32 that partitions the mounting region of the ink cartridge is erected. The partition wall 32 protrudes so as not to interfere with the introduction needle unit 36 from the wall corresponding to the long side to the surrounding wall 32a that surrounds the entire mounting region of the ink cartridge, and to the opposing wall, thereby individually separating each mounting region. And a boundary wall 32b for partitioning. In each mounting region partitioned by the partition wall 32, the upstream opening of the introduction path 31 is opened as described above, and an arrangement frame for defining the arrangement position of the ink introduction needle 7 is formed at the periphery of the opening. 33 is formed. The arrangement frame 33 is formed along the outer peripheral shape of the skirt 35 of the introduction needle unit 36 and is positioned by fitting the introduction needle unit 36 inside the arrangement frame 33. In the state where the introduction needle units 36 are attached to the respective arrangement frames 33, as shown in FIG. 4, the tips of the ink introduction needles 7 are arranged in a straight line at equal intervals in the left-right direction (main scanning direction of the recording head 1). It is like that.

  The ink introduction needle 7 is a member that is inserted into the ink cartridge and introduces ink stored in the cartridge into the head. Each ink introduction needle 7 has a hollow needle shape and is provided with an introduction hole at the tip. Further, the base side of the ink introduction needle 7 has a hem-expanding shape that increases in diameter toward the downstream opening. In the present embodiment, the skirt portions of the plurality of ink introduction needles 7 are connected and integrated to constitute the introduction needle unit 36. In this way, by connecting the plurality of ink introduction needles 7 to form the introduction needle unit 36, the working efficiency can be improved as compared with the case where the ink introduction needles 7 are attached to the holder 2 one by one. It has become.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 5, an opening 40 communicating with the internal space in which the introduction path 31 is formed is opened on the side surface of the holder 2. The opening 40 is provided to insert and remove a mold used for molding the introduction path 31. In this embodiment, a part of the side wall of the holder 2 is recessed by one step toward the opposite side wall. 2 '. The opening 40 is closed by a lid member 41 described below, and the lid member 41 prevents ink, dust, etc. from entering the opening.

  6A and 6B are diagrams for explaining the configuration of the lid member 41 for closing the opening 40, where FIG. 6A is a top view of the lid member 41, FIG. 6B is a rear view of the lid member 41, and FIG. A bottom view of the member 41, (d) is a front view of the lid member 41. FIG. 6E is a right side view of the lid member 41, and FIG. 6F is a left side view of the lid member 41.

  The lid member 41 has a cover plate 42 having a horizontally long rectangular shape that is slightly larger than the opening 40, and a locking portion provided on the back surface of the cover plate 42 (surface on the side closing the opening 40). 43 is locked to the locked portion 44 (see FIG. 5) provided at the peripheral edge of the opening 40, so that the opening 40 is closed by the cover plate 42 so as to be fixed to the holder 2. It is configured.

  As shown in FIG. 6 (b), there are a total of three vertical lines extending in the vertical direction (direction perpendicular to the head moving direction during the recording operation) at the center and both sides of the back surface of the cover plate 42. Ribs 47 are formed side by side at a predetermined interval. In addition, below the vertical ribs 47, horizontal ribs 48 that are long in the horizontal direction (head movement direction) are formed so as to intersect the vertical ribs 47, respectively. The lid member 41 is configured so that the cover plate 42 is not distorted by reinforcing the cover plate 42 with these ribs 47 and 48. In addition, on the back surface of the cover plate 42, a flange portion 49 is formed on the upper portion of each vertical rib 47 so as to correspond to a frame portion 50 of the opening 40 described later. The flange portion 49 is formed in a substantially gate shape that is long in the lateral direction, and a horizontal plate 49 ′ extends from both the left and right sides of the flange portion 49 to the left and right ends of the covering plate 42. When the lid member 41 is fixed to the holder 2, the frame member 50 is surrounded by the upper part of the frame portion 50. The flange portion 49 is set to a dimension that allows the front end surface of the flange portion 49 to come into contact with the receding surface 2 ′ of the holder 2 when the lid member 41 is attached to the holder 2.

  The locking portions 43 are provided at positions corresponding to the locked portions 44 provided on both sides of the opening 40 on the back surface of the cover plate 42. That is, a total of two locking portions 43 are provided on the back surface of the cover plate 42, one on each side in the longitudinal direction (head movement direction). As shown in FIG. 6 (c), the locking portion 43 includes a plate-shaped locking piece 45 protruding from the cover plate 42 and a hook-shaped locking claw provided at the tip of the locking piece 45. 46. In the present embodiment, each locking portion 43 is formed so that the locking claws 46 are in opposite directions. That is, each locking claw 46 is provided so as to face outward with respect to the central portion of the cover plate 42. In addition, a fitting projection 52 made of a horizontally long small plate piece projects from the lower side of each locking portion 43 on the back surface of the cover plate 42. The fitting projection 52 is provided at a position corresponding to the fitted portion 51 (see FIG. 5) provided on the holder side, and when the lid member 41 is fixed to the holder 2, the fitted portion 51 to be fitted.

  On the other hand, locked portions 44 are provided on both sides of the opening 40 in the holder 2 in the head movement direction. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 7, both the locked portions 44 are formed by a substantially triangular protrusion having a cross section having a hook or a slope projecting inward in the head moving direction, and the tips are opposed to each other. ing. The locking portion 43 is locked inside the locked portion 44.

  Further, block-shaped protruding portions 53 protruding from the receding surface 2 ′ to the side wall of the holder 2 are respectively provided below the locked portions 44, and each protruding portion 53 has a lid member 41. A fitted portion 51 into which the fitting projection 52 is fitted is formed. The fitted portion 51 is a rectangular hole set to a size that allows the fitting protrusion 52 to be inserted without rattling. A frame 50 surrounding the opening 40 is formed at the peripheral edge of the opening 40. The frame 50 is formed along the upper edge of the opening 40 and extends from the left and right ends to the protruding portion 53 below. In the state where the lid member 41 is fixed to the opening 40 of the holder 2, the flange portion 49 is positioned on the frame portion 50.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 7, one of the left and right engaging portions 43 of the lid member 41 (for example, the right engaging portion 43) is biased to one (right) in the head moving direction due to its elasticity. To the corresponding locked portion 44 (right-side locked portion 44), and the other of the locking portions 43 (left-side locking portion 43) is attached to the other (left) in the head moving direction due to its elasticity. The lid member 41 is fastened to the holder 2 in a state where the opening 40 is closed by being locked to the locked portion 44 (left locked portion 44) in a biased state. Thereby, it becomes possible to attach to the holder 2 (that is, the main body of the recording head 1) without rattling by a simple operation of fitting the lid member 41. In particular, since each locking portion 43 is locked in a state of being biased in the head moving direction with respect to each locked portion 44, rattling noise of the lid member 41 when the recording head 1 reciprocates is prevented. be able to.

  Further, when the lid member 41 is attached to the holder 2, the fitting protrusion 52 of the lid member 41 is fitted to the fitted portion 51 on the holder 2 side, so that in addition to preventing rattling of the lid member 41 in the head moving direction. Thus, rattling of the lid member 41 with respect to the vertical direction (direction perpendicular to the head movement direction) can be prevented.

  In this way, the lid member 41 is configured such that the opening 40 of the holder 2 is closed by the lid member 41, so that the ink ejected from the nozzles and misted or the ink leaked when the ink cartridge is replaced is opened. Intrusion from 40 can be prevented, and it is possible to eliminate the problem that ink adheres to an electronic component such as the drive substrate 9 and short-circuits.

  Even if the ink enters the gap between the lid member 41 and the holder 2, the ink is guided to the part off the opening 40 by the frame part 50 formed on the upper part of the opening 40. As a result, it is possible to block the ink from entering the opening 40. Specifically, as indicated by an arrow in FIG. 5, the ink is guided to the lower side of the holder 2 through the frame 50 so as to bypass the opening 40.

Next, the printer 55 on which the recording head 1 configured as described above is mounted will be described.
FIG. 8 is a perspective view illustrating an example of the configuration of the printer 55 in the present embodiment. The printer 55 has a recording head 1 as a kind of liquid ejecting head attached thereto, a carriage 57 to which an ink cartridge 56 is detachably attached, a platen 63 disposed below the recording head 1, and the recording head 1. A carriage moving mechanism 58 that reciprocates the mounted carriage 57 in the paper width direction of the recording paper 59 (a kind of ejection target or ejection target), and the recording paper 59 in the paper feeding direction that is perpendicular to the head movement direction. It is schematically configured with a paper feed mechanism 62 and the like for carrying. Here, the paper width direction is the main scanning direction, and the paper feed direction is the sub-scanning direction.

  The carriage 57 is attached to be supported by a guide rod 60 installed in the main scanning direction, and is configured to move in the main scanning direction along the guide rod 60 by the operation of the carriage moving mechanism 58. ing. The position of the carriage 57 in the main scanning direction is detected by the linear encoder 61, and a detection signal is transmitted as position information to a printer controller (not shown). Accordingly, the printer controller can control the recording operation (ink ejection operation) by the recording head 1 while recognizing the scanning position of the carriage 57 based on the position information from the linear encoder 61.

  The printer 55 equipped with the recording head 1 according to the present invention can perform a recording operation while reciprocating the recording head 1 while preventing the rattling sound of the lid member 41. In addition, even when ink leakage or mist occurs, it is possible to prevent the ink or mist from adhering to the electronic component, thereby improving the reliability of quality. Further, by closing the opening 40, it is possible to prevent air from being caught in the opening 40 during the movement of the head. Therefore, harmful effects caused by entraining air inside the head, for example, unnecessary on the nozzle surface side. Generation of a simple air current can be suppressed.

  By the way, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made based on the description of the scope of claims.

  For example, in the above-described embodiment, the locking member 43 of the lid member 41 is locked to the inside of the corresponding locked portion 44, and the lid member 41 is fixed to the holder 2 in a state of stretching from the inside to the outside. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a configuration in which the locking portions 43 of the lid member 41 are locked to the outside of the corresponding locked portions 44 and the lid member 41 is fixed to the holder 2 while being sandwiched from the outside to the inside. It is also possible to do. Also in this configuration, the lid member 41 can be attached to the holder 2 without rattling. Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the latching | locking part 43 was made into the nail | claw shape and the to-be-latched part 44 was made into the hook-shaped protrusion, since what is necessary is just to latch, the nail | claw and the protrusion are reversed and the to-be-latched part 44 is. It is good also as a structure which makes nail | claw shape and the latching | locking part 43 hook shape.

  In the above, the recording head 1 has been described as an example of the liquid ejecting head, but the present invention can also be applied to other liquid ejecting heads. For example, a color material ejecting head used for manufacturing a color filter such as a liquid crystal display, an electrode material ejecting head used for forming an electrode such as an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) display, an FED (surface emitting display), a biochip (biochemical element) The present invention can also be applied to bioorganic matter ejecting heads and the like used in the production of

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of a recording head. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a recording head. It is principal part sectional drawing of a recording head. It is a top view of a holder. It is a front view of a holder. (A)-(f) is a figure explaining the structure of a cover member. It is a figure explaining the state where the lid member was fixed to the holder (opening). FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of a printer.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Recording head, 2 ... Holder, 40 ... Opening part, 41 ... Cover member, 42 ... Cover plate, 43 ... Locking part, 44 ... Locked part, 45 ... Locking piece, 46 ... Locking claw, 47 ... vertical ribs, 48 ... horizontal ribs, 49 ... collars, 50 ... frame parts, 51 ... fitted parts, 52 ... fitting protrusions

Claims (5)

A lid member for closing an opening communicating with the space inside the head;
While providing a locked portion on both sides in the head moving direction of the opening, the lid member protrudes a locking portion that locks to the locked portion,
One of the locking portions is locked to the locked portion while being biased to one side in the head moving direction due to its elasticity, and the other of the locking portions is biased to the other in the head moving direction due to its elasticity The liquid ejecting head, wherein the lid member is fixed to the opening by being locked to the locked portion in a state. Protruding a fitting projection on the lid member, and providing a fitted portion to which the fitting projection is fitted on the peripheral edge of the opening,
The liquid ejecting head according to claim 1, wherein when the lid member is fixed to the opening, the fitting protrusion is fitted into the fitted portion.   The liquid ejecting head according to claim 1, wherein a frame portion that surrounds the opening is formed at a peripheral portion of the opening.   The liquid ejecting head according to claim 3, wherein a collar portion that covers an upper portion of the frame portion is formed on the lid member. A liquid ejecting head according to any one of claims 1 to 4, comprising:
A liquid ejecting apparatus that controls a liquid ejecting operation while reciprocating the liquid ejecting head.

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