JP2009083471A - Heating channel unit, and liquid jet head - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a heating channel unit which can efficiently heat flowing liquid in a channel of a liquid jet head and has an improved versatility, and to provide the liquid jet head. <P>SOLUTION: The heating channel unit 7 has inside a base body a liquid passing cavity 42 (communication channel) for making a self sealing valve as a liquid supply source and a head channel in the recording head communicate with each other. The heating channel unit 7 is mounted detachably between the self sealing valve and the recording head, and heats the flowing ink in the communication cavity by heat from heating elements 46. An opening/closing valve 40 is prepared in the communication channel, which opens when the heating channel unit is attached to the recording head, and which closes when the heating channel unit is removed from the recording head. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a heating flow path unit mounted on a liquid jet head such as an ink jet recording head, and a liquid jet head mounted with the same, and in particular, the liquid flowing through the flow path in the head is heated and ejected. The present invention relates to a liquid ejecting head.

  As a typical liquid ejecting head, for example, an ink jet printer (a type of liquid ejecting apparatus, which performs recording by ejecting and landing liquid ink on a recording medium (ejection target) such as recording paper) And an ink jet recording head (hereinafter referred to as a recording head) mounted on a printer. In addition, liquid ejecting heads are used to eject various functional liquids such as color materials used in color filters such as liquid crystal displays, organic materials used in organic EL (Electro Luminescence) displays, and electrode materials used in electrode formation. It has been.

  Incidentally, in recent years, a photocurable ink that is cured by irradiation with light energy such as ultraviolet rays may be used for printing an image or the like. This photocurable ink is used for various purposes because it can be cured and record an image or the like by applying light to a recording medium having poor ink absorbability. However, this photocurable ink has a higher viscosity than general ink, and in order to eject this photocurable ink with a liquid ejecting head, it is necessary to reduce the viscosity. In addition, the photocuring sensitivity of the photocurable ink depends on the temperature, and the photocuring sensitivity decreases at low temperatures, while the photocuring sensitivity improves at high temperatures. For this reason, there has been proposed a liquid ejecting head configured to heat photocurable ink by a heating unit and then eject the ink onto a recording medium (see, for example, Patent Document 1 or Patent Document 2).

JP 09-141892 A JP 2003-011349 A

  However, when an existing liquid ejecting head that does not have a mechanism for heating ink has a heating function, a heating unit is provided on the outer surface of the liquid ejecting head and the ink flowing through the head flow path by the heat of the heating unit. There was a problem that the ink temperature did not easily rise even when heated. In this case, heating the ink at room temperature to a temperature suitable for jetting (for example, 40 ° C.) requires heating at a higher temperature, which not only increases power consumption but also reduces the life of the head. There was a risk of it.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to efficiently heat the liquid flowing through the flow path of the liquid ejecting head and to improve the versatility of the heating flow path unit. And providing a liquid jet head.

The heating channel unit of the present invention has been proposed to achieve the above-described object, and has a communication channel that communicates between the liquid supply source and the liquid ejecting head inside the substrate.
A heating channel unit detachably mounted between the liquid supply source and the liquid jet head,
A heating element for heating the liquid flowing through the communication channel;
An on-off valve provided in the communication channel;
With
The on-off valve is opened when the heating channel unit is mounted to permit the passage of liquid, and is closed when the heating channel unit is not mounted to block the passage of the liquid.

  According to the above configuration, the heating flow path unit having the communication flow path communicating between the liquid supply source and the liquid jet head in the base and detachably mounted between the liquid supply source and the liquid jet head. And since it was set as the structure provided with the heat generating body which heats the liquid which flows through a communication flow path, ie, it was set as the structure heated by the flow path itself, it becomes possible to heat a liquid efficiently and to save power. And space saving. In addition, since the liquid can be efficiently heated, the heat generation temperature of the heating flow path unit itself can be suppressed, and as a result, adverse effects due to heat on the liquid ejecting head main body can be suppressed. And it can attach to the existing liquid jet head which does not have the function to heat a liquid so that attachment or detachment is possible, and its versatility is high. Furthermore, since the open / close valve is provided in the communication flow path, it is possible to prevent the liquid inside the communication flow path from leaking outside when the heating flow path unit is attached / detached, which contributes to improvement in versatility. It becomes possible.

  In the above-described configuration, it is preferable that the communication channel has a plurality of projecting portions provided inside the heating channel unit to form a liquid passage space.

  According to this configuration, since the communication channel is provided with a plurality of protruding portions inside the heating channel unit to form a liquid passage space, the contact area between the structure of the heating channel unit and the liquid is further increased. A large amount can be ensured, and this makes it possible to further improve the heating efficiency.

  Further, in this configuration, the projecting portion is configured by a partition wall that extends from an inner wall surface inside the heating flow path unit and in which the heating element is embedded, and the liquid passage space is partitioned by the partition wall. It is possible to adopt the configuration described above.

  According to this configuration, since the liquid passing space is partitioned by the partition wall in which the heating element is embedded, the liquid in the liquid passing space can be heated more directly, and the heating efficiency is further improved. Is possible.

  And the said structure WHEREIN: The structure by which the said liquid flow empty part is partitioned off in the direction different from the flow direction of a liquid is employable.

  According to this configuration, since the liquid passing space is partitioned by the partition wall in a direction different from the liquid flow direction, the partition wall suppresses the liquid flow downward force, and the liquid flows into the heating channel unit. It is possible to earn a flow-down distance until it flows out of the liquid, thereby heating the liquid efficiently. Further, since the liquid can be gradually heated, a load on the liquid due to a rapid temperature rise can be suppressed.

The liquid ejecting head of the present invention is a liquid ejecting head capable of introducing a liquid from a liquid supply source into a head flow path and ejecting the introduced liquid.
The heating channel unit having the above-described configuration is detachably provided.

  According to this configuration, since the heating flow path unit is detachably provided, an existing liquid ejecting head that does not have a function of heating a liquid can easily have a heating function while minimizing design changes. Therefore, it is possible to cope with the ejection of a high viscosity liquid.

  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. In this embodiment, an ink jet recording head (hereinafter referred to as a recording head) will be described as an example of a liquid ejecting head.

FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 are diagrams for explaining the configuration of the recording head 1 in this embodiment. FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of the recording head 1, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the recording head 1. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the main part of the head unit 2.
The recording head 1 in this embodiment includes a head unit 2, a self-sealing valve 4 (a kind of liquid supply source in the present invention), an inner case 5, an outer case 6, and a heating channel unit 7 as main components. Yes.

  The head unit 2 includes an actuator unit 9 having a plurality of piezoelectric vibrators 8 and a series of ink flow paths from a common ink chamber 10 (liquid chamber) through an ink supply port 11 and a pressure generation chamber 12 to a nozzle opening 13. The flow path unit 14 and the head case 15 etc. are generally configured.

  The head case 15 is a hollow box-shaped casing, in which a case channel 16 that is a channel for introducing ink from the self-sealing valve 4 side to the common ink chamber 10 side, and each actuator A storage chamber 17 for individually storing the units 9 is formed. The head case 15 is molded from an epoxy resin which is a kind of thermosetting resin, and the flow path unit 14 is fixed to the flow path mounting surface (lower surface). An introduction needle unit 19 (see FIG. 1) is attached to the base end surface (upper surface) opposite to the flow path mounting surface.

  The actuator unit 9 applies a drive signal from the wiring board 20 to the piezoelectric vibrator 8 as pressure generating means, a metal fixing plate 21 to which the piezoelectric vibrator 8 is joined, and the piezoelectric vibrator 8. For example, a flexible cable 22. Each piezoelectric vibrator 8 is mounted on a fixed plate 21 made of a metal plate material such as stainless steel in a so-called cantilever state in which a free end portion protrudes outward from the tip surface of the fixed plate 21. 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.

  The flow path unit 14 is manufactured by joining and integrating the flow path unit constituent members including the diaphragm 23, the flow path substrate 24, and the nozzle substrate 25 in a stacked state. The pressure generation chamber 12 in the flow path unit 14 is formed as an elongated chamber in a direction orthogonal to the direction in which the nozzle openings 13 are arranged (nozzle row direction). The common ink chamber 10 is a chamber into which ink from the self-sealing valve 4 side is introduced. The ink introduced into the common ink chamber 10 is distributed and supplied to each pressure generating chamber 12 through the ink supply port 11.

  The nozzle substrate 25 disposed at the bottom of the flow path unit 14 is a thin metal plate material in which a plurality of nozzle openings 13 are opened in a row at a pitch corresponding to the dot formation density. The nozzle substrate 25 according to the present embodiment is made of a stainless steel plate, and a plurality of rows of nozzle openings 13 (nozzle rows (a type of nozzle group)) are arranged in the scanning direction (main scanning direction) of the recording head 1. ing. One nozzle row is composed of, for example, 360 nozzle openings 13.

  An introduction needle unit 19 is disposed on the base end surface of the head case 15 (surface opposite to the nozzle formation surface). The introduction needle unit 19 is formed of synthetic resin or the like, and a plurality of ink introduction needles 27 are attached to the upper surface of the introduction needle unit 19 with a filter (not shown) interposed therebetween. A heating channel unit 7 described later is detachably mounted on the upper surface of the introduction needle unit 19. When the heating channel unit 7 is attached to the introduction needle unit 19, the ink introduction needle 27 is inserted into the heating channel unit 7. In addition, a focusing channel (not shown) corresponding to each ink introduction needle 27 is formed inside the introduction needle unit 19. The converging flow path communicates with the case flow path 16 of the head case 15 so that the ink introduced from the ink introduction needle 27 is supplied to the pressure chamber side through the case flow path 16. A series of flow paths from the ink introduction needle 27 to the nozzle opening 13 through the case flow path 16, the common ink chamber 10, and the pressure generation chamber 12 correspond to the head flow path in the present invention. In FIG. 8, a total of eight sets of head flow paths are formed in the recording head 1.

  In the self-sealing valve 4, an ink supply tube (not shown) from the printer body side is connected to a flow path connection portion 29 formed on the upper surface, receives ink from the ink supply tube, and supplies the ink. It is a member that is introduced into the pressure generating chamber side after adjusting the pressure. In the present embodiment, a total of four self-sealing valves 4 are accommodated in the inner case 5. Two flow paths are formed in one self-sealing valve 4 so as to be compatible with two types of ink. In addition, an insertion portion 28 is provided at the bottom of each self-sealing valve 4, and the connection portion 43 (see FIGS. 4 to 7) of the heating channel unit 7 is inserted into the insertion portion 28. It has become. In the configuration in which the heating channel unit 7 is not used, the ink introduction needle 27 of the introduction needle unit 19 is inserted into the insertion portion 28.

  Each self-sealing valve 4 has a self-sealing function for controlling the supply of ink to the head unit 2 side by opening and closing the valve in accordance with the internal pressure fluctuation. That is, in a non-recording state where the recording head 1 does not eject ink (a state where ink is not consumed), the self-sealing valve 4 closes the valve so as not to supply ink to the recording head 1 side. On the other hand, when the recording head 1 ejects ink during the recording operation (ejecting operation) and the ink is consumed and the pressure in the pressure adjusting chamber inside the self-sealing valve 4 decreases, the self-sealing valve 4 opens the valve. Ink is supplied to the recording head 1 side.

  The inner case 5 is a sleeve-like member whose upper and lower surfaces are open, and is attached to the upper surface side of the head unit 2 so as to surround the ink introduction needle 27. The planar shape of the opening portion of the inner case 5 is formed in a substantially rectangular shape, and the internal space thereof is an accommodating space 30 for accommodating the heating channel unit 7 and the self-sealing valve 4. A drive board 20 is attached to the outer surface of the inner case 5.

  The outer case 6 has a base surface 32 that can cover the upper opening of the inner case 5 and a lower side (head unit 2 side) from both side edge portions of the base surface 32 in a direction orthogonal to the self-sealing valve array direction. It is a member having a substantially gate-shaped cross section formed from the extended side wall portion 33. The side wall portion 33 functions as a substrate covering wall that covers the drive substrate 20 fixed to the side surface of the inner case 5. In the base surface 32, an opening 34 that can expose the flow path connection portion 29 is formed in a portion corresponding to the flow path connection portion 29 of the self-sealing valve 4 accommodated in the accommodation empty portion 30 ( FIG. 1). In addition, slits 35 are formed at both edges of the base surface 32 in the valve row direction. And the lead wire 36 of the heating flow path unit 7 accommodated in the inner case 5 is drawn out of the head through the slit 35 (FIG. 2).

  Furthermore, a locked portion 38 to which the locking claw 37 of the inner case 5 can be locked is formed on the base surface 32 of the outer case 6 downward from both edge portions in the sub-tank arrangement direction. The distal end portion of the locked portion 38 is formed in a substantially U shape. When the outer case 6 is attached to the inner case 5, the locking claw 37 of the inner case 5 is inserted into the through hole of the locked portion 38. , And the outer case 6 is fixed to the inner case 5.

  Then, the inner case 5 is attached to the head unit 2 so as to surround the ink introduction needle 27 of the introduction needle unit 19, and the heating channel unit 7 and each self-sealing valve 4 are sequentially placed in the accommodation space 30 of the inner case 5. The drive substrate 20 is fixed on the side surface of the inner case 5. Furthermore, the outer case 6 is attached to the outside of the inner case 5 with the flow path connecting portion 29 of each self-sealing valve 4 exposed from the opening 34 and the lead wire 36 is pulled out from the slit 35, and the accommodation empty portion 30. The outer case 6 covers the driving substrate 20 on the side of the upper opening and the inner case 5. In this covering state, the connector 39 of the drive board 20 is exposed, and a cable on the printer main body side is connected to the connector 39.

Next, the heating channel unit 7 will be described.
4-7 is a figure explaining one Embodiment of the heating flow path unit 7, FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the heating flow path unit 7, FIG. 5 is AA 'sectional drawing in FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along the line BB 'in FIG. 4, and FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along the line CC' in FIG. 8 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the region A in FIG. 5, where (a) shows a state where the ink introduction needle 27 is not inserted, and (b) shows a state where the ink introduction needle 27 is inserted. Show.

  The heating flow path unit 7 in the present embodiment is a hollow box-like member in which a liquid passage space 42 corresponding to each flow path of the self-sealing valve 4 is defined in a base body (casing) 41. . The base body 41 is preferably made of a material having a high thermal conductivity (for example, a material having a thermal conductivity of 50 W / mk or more). In the present embodiment, the base body 41 is made of a metal such as copper or aluminum. Yes. The liquid passage empty portion 42 is an empty portion that functions as a part of a communication flow passage that communicates between the flow passage of the self-sealing valve 4 and the case flow passage 16 of the head unit 2 (head case 15). It is set to a chamber having an inner size larger than the inner diameter of the flow path (case flow path 16). In the present embodiment, a total of eight liquid passing cavities 42 are partitioned and formed in the base body 41 corresponding to the flow paths of the self-sealing valves 4 and the head flow paths.

  On the upper surface of the base body 41 (surface on the side of the self-sealing valve 4), a cylindrical connection portion 43 that communicates with the liquid passage space 42 is projected. That is, in the present embodiment, a total of eight connection portions 43 are provided on the upper surface of the base body 41 corresponding to each liquid passing empty portion 42. This connection portion 43 is inserted into the insertion portion 28 when the self-sealing valve 4 is mounted, and introduces ink from the self-sealing valve 4 side into the liquid empty portion 42. On the other hand, a total of eight sets of needle insertion portions 44 and opening / closing valves 40 corresponding to the respective ink introduction needles 27 are formed on the lower surface of the base 41 (the surface on the head unit 2 side). The needle insertion part 44 has a recess that communicates with the liquid passage part 42 by allowing a part of the lower surface of the base body 41 to be recessed toward the liquid part 42. In addition, a packing 45 that elastically contacts the side surface of the ink introduction needle 27 to prevent ink leakage is disposed in the concave portion of the needle insertion portion 44. The packing 45 is a member formed in a cylindrical shape from an elastic material such as an elastomer. Inside the packing 45, there are an insertion hollow portion 45 a that is set to have an inner diameter approximately equal to the diameter of the straight portion of the ink introduction needle 27, and a reduced diameter opening that is set smaller than the diameter of the straight portion of the ink introduction needle 27. A portion 45b is formed (see FIG. 8).

  As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, a heating element 46 such as a sheathed heater is embedded in the base body 41 by insert molding. The base body 41 in the present embodiment has a total of two heating elements 46 and is embedded in the walls adjacent to the four liquid passage spaces 42, respectively. In addition, on the outer surface of the base body 41, a positive and negative electrode terminal portion 47 that conducts with the heating element 46 is provided (FIG. 4), and the lead wire 36 is electrically connected to the electrode terminal portion 47. . The heating channel unit 7 heats the heating element 46 by energizing the electrode terminal 47 through the lead wire 36, and the heat of the heating element 46 passes through the structure of the base 41 to the ink in the liquid passage part 42. It is comprised so that it may heat. That is, the heating channel unit 7 can be said to be a channel member having a heating function.

  In the present embodiment, the partition wall 48, which is a kind of protrusion, extends from the wall in which the heating element 46 is embedded (vertical wall) to the opposite wall in the vertical orientation (the surface is the ink flow down). A plurality of extensions extending in a direction along the direction). While the horizontal width dimension (extending length) of the partition wall 48 is set to the same dimension as the horizontal width of the liquid passage space portion 42, the height dimension of the partition wall 48 is shorter than the height of the liquid passage space portion 42. It is set (see FIG. 6). The partition wall 48 partitions the plurality of liquid passing cavities 42 in a vertically divided manner, thereby partitioning a plurality of liquid passing empties (small cavities) whose upper and lower portions communicate with each other. That is, in the communication channel, a partition wall 48 that is a plurality of projecting portions is provided inside to form a liquid passage portion 42. In other words, the middle of the communication flow path is partitioned into a plurality of flow paths parallel to each other by the partition wall 48. The partition wall 48 is preferably molded integrally with the base body 41. By providing the plurality of partition walls 48 in the liquid passage space 42 as described above, the contact area with the ink in the liquid passage space 42 can be increased, and thereby the heat from the heating element 46 can be more efficiently generated. Can be transmitted to ink.

Next, the on-off valve 40 will be described.
As shown in FIG. 8, a cylindrical valve housing portion 49 (a part of the communication flow path) is formed on the upstream side (the fluid passage space portion 42 side) of the needle insertion portion 44, and this valve housing portion An on-off valve 40 is disposed inside 49. The valve accommodating portion 49 communicates with the concave portion of the needle insertion portion 44 through a communication port 49a established at the bottom, and communicates with the liquid passage portion 42 through an inflow port 49b established at the side surface. The on-off valve 40 includes a valve body 50 and an urging member 51. The valve body 50 is a disk-shaped plate material designed to have a diameter larger than the inner diameter of the communication port 49a, and an elastic member 52 is laminated on the contact surface on the communication port 49a side. The elastic member 52 is made of, for example, an elastomer or rubber. A ring-shaped contact portion 52a in plan view surrounding the opening of the communication port 49a protrudes from a portion of the elastic member 52 corresponding to the opening periphery of the communication port 49a. The valve body 50 has a shaft portion 53 extending from a surface opposite to the contact surface, and the shaft portion 53 is loosely fitted to a bearing 54 formed on the ceiling surface of the valve housing portion 49. It is arranged in the valve housing part so as to be movable up and down. The urging member 51 is composed of a coil spring or the like. The urging member 51 is disposed between the ceiling surface of the valve accommodating portion 49 and the pressing plate 50a of the valve body 50, and urges the valve body 50 toward the communication port 49a.

  As shown in FIG. 8A, the ink introduction needle 27 is not inserted into the heating channel unit 7, that is, when the heating channel unit 7 is not attached to the recording head 1 (attached). In the state where the heating channel unit 7 that has been removed is removed from the recording head 1), the urging force from the urging member 51 causes the contact portion 52 a of the elastic member 52 of the valve body 50 to be the opening peripheral portion (valve) of the communication port 49 a. The ink in the liquid passage space is blocked from leaking outside through the communication port 49a by elastically contacting the sheet) and being in a closed state (sealed state).

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 8B, when the heating channel unit 7 is mounted on the recording head 1 (the upper surface of the head unit 2), the ink introduction needle 27 is attached to the needle insertion portion 44 and the communication port 49a. And the tip of the ink introduction needle 27 pushes up the valve body 50 to open the valve. By switching to this valve open state, the liquid passage space 42 and the head channel communicate with each other through the introduction hole 27a provided at the tip of the ink introduction needle 27 in a liquid tight state. Then, the ink in the liquid passage space is introduced into the head flow path through the inlet 49b and the introduction hole 27a. That is, the passage of ink is allowed. In this valve-opened state, the inner peripheral surface of the reduced diameter opening 45b of the packing 45 is in elastic contact with the side surface of the ink introduction needle 27 (the side surface closer to the proximal end than the introduction hole 27a). Ink is prevented from leaking out.

  FIGS. 9A and 9B are diagrams for explaining a modified example of the on-off valve, where FIG. In this modification, the packing 45 has a function as an on-off valve. That is, in this configuration, the inner diameter of the reduced diameter opening 45b of the packing 45 is made small enough that the ink in the liquid passage space does not leak outside through the reduced diameter opening 45b when the ink introduction needle 27 is not inserted. It is set. 9A, the ink introduction needle 27 is not inserted into the heating flow path unit 7, that is, when the heating flow path unit 7 is not mounted on the recording head 1. The reduced diameter opening 45b of the packing 45 is closed by the elasticity of the packing itself, that is, the valve is closed, so that the ink in the liquid passage space is prevented from leaking outside through the reduced diameter opening 45b. To do.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 9B, when the heating channel unit 7 is attached to the recording head 1, the ink introduction needle 27 is inserted into the needle insertion portion 44 along with this, and the insertion empty portion of the packing 45 is inserted. 45a and the reduced diameter opening 45b are inserted. At this time, the distal end portion of the ink introduction needle 27 is inserted to the liquid passing empty portion 42 through the communication port 49a while expanding the reduced diameter opening portion 45b by elastic deformation of the peripheral portion of the reduced diameter opening portion. That is, the on-off valve is opened. By switching to this valve-open state, the liquid passage space 42 and the head channel communicate with each other through the introduction hole 27a formed at the tip of the ink introduction needle 27 in a liquid-tight state, and the ink in the liquid passage space is transferred. It is introduced into the head channel through the introduction hole 27a.

  As described above, since the recording head 1 according to the present invention includes the heating channel unit 7 so as to be detachable, high-viscosity ink (specifically, photocurable ink) (specifically, with minimal design change). Can correspond to an injection of 10 mPa · s or more at 25 ° C. That is, since the ink introduced from the self-sealing valve 4 is heated by the heating flow path unit 7 to reduce the viscosity of the ink and then ejected from the nozzle opening 13, the ejection characteristics (ejection amount) are the same as those of general ink. , Injection speed, etc.). Of course, the present invention is also applicable to water-based and solvent-based inks other than the photocurable ink.

Further, since the heating channel unit 7 according to the present invention is configured to heat the ink by the channel itself, the ink can be efficiently heated, and power saving and space saving can be achieved. . Further, it can be detachably mounted on an existing recording head such as an existing recording head that does not originally have a function of heating ink, and is highly versatile. Furthermore, since the liquid can be efficiently heated to a temperature suitable for ejection (for example, 40 ° C.), the heat generation temperature of the heating flow path unit 7 can be suppressed, and as a result, the heat to the liquid ejection head main body can be reduced. It is possible to suppress adverse effects.
Moreover, if the heating channel unit has a light-shielding property, it is possible to suppress the ink from being cured in the channel unit when the ink is a photo-curing type.
Since the open / close valve 40 that opens when the heating channel unit 7 is attached to the recording head 1 and closes when the heating channel unit 7 is not installed is provided in the communication channel, the heating channel unit 7 is attached to the recording head 1. On the other hand, when attaching / detaching, it is possible to effectively prevent the ink inside the communication flow path from leaking to the outside, thereby contributing to improvement in versatility.

  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.

  In the above embodiment, the configuration in which the heating element 46 is embedded in the base body 41 is illustrated, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the heating element 46 may be disposed in each liquid passing space 42. In other words, the ink can be heated more directly by the heating element 46.

  In the above-described embodiment, a plurality of partition walls 48 extend from the wall in which the heating element 46 is embedded toward the facing wall, and the plurality of liquid passing cavities 42 communicate with each other through the partition walls 48. Although the structure divided into the parts was illustrated, it is not limited to this. For example, a configuration in which a plurality of needle-like or fin-like protrusions are provided on the inner wall surface of the liquid passage empty portion 42 can be employed. In short, it is desirable to have a structure that can secure a larger contact area with the ink in the liquid passage space 42.

  Furthermore, it is possible to employ a configuration in which the heating element 46 is embedded in the partition wall 48. According to this configuration, since the liquid passing empty part 42 is partitioned by the partition wall 48 in which the heating element 46 is embedded, the ink in the liquid passing empty part can be heated more directly, and the heating efficiency is further increased. It becomes possible to improve.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the structure which provided the on-off valve 40 only in the needle insertion part 44 side was illustrated, it is not restricted to this. For example, a configuration in which an opening / closing valve is further provided in the connection portion 43 of the heating channel unit 7 may be adopted. By adopting this configuration, it is possible to prevent the ink from leaking out at both the inlet and the outlet of the liquid passage space 42.

10 and 11 are diagrams for explaining a second embodiment of the heating channel unit 7. FIG. 10 is a longitudinal sectional view of the heating channel unit 7, and FIG. is there.
In the present embodiment, the direction of the partition wall 48, which is a kind of protrusion, is different from that of the first embodiment. Specifically, a plurality of partition walls 48 extend in the horizontal direction from the vertical wall of the base body 41 in a state parallel to the ceiling surface of the base body 41. The partition wall 48 converts the flow direction of the ink flowing into the heating channel unit 7 from the vertical direction of the heating channel unit 7 to the horizontal direction.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the extending length of the partition wall 48 in the present embodiment is set to be shorter than the lateral width of the liquid passage space 42. In addition, the partition walls 48 are alternately arranged in a plurality of stages so that the partition walls 48 are alternated between the vertical walls facing each other of the base body 41. The partition wall 48 partitions a plurality of liquid passing cavities 42 in a direction (longitudinal direction) different from the ink flow direction, thereby partitioning a plurality of communicating cavities (small cavities) communicating with each other. The flow path is configured to meander.

  According to the configuration of the present embodiment, since the liquid passing space 42 is partitioned into a plurality of stages by the partition wall 48 in a direction different from the ink flow direction, the partition wall 48 suppresses the downward flow of ink, By the meandering of the flow path, it is possible to earn a flow-down distance from the time when the ink flows into the heat flow path unit 7 until it flows out, whereby the ink can be efficiently heated. Further, since the ink can be gradually heated, a load on the ink due to a rapid temperature rise can be suppressed. Furthermore, in the case of the cleaning process for forcibly discharging ink and bubbles from the nozzle openings 13 of the recording head 1, in the case of the first embodiment, the inlet (connecting portion 43) side and the outlet (needle connection) of the heating channel unit 7. However, according to the present embodiment, such a problem can be suppressed.

  In the above embodiment, a so-called off-carriage type configuration in which ink from the printer main body side is received by the self-sealing valve 4 and then introduced into the head flow path is exemplified. The present invention is applicable. That is, it is also suitable for a configuration in which an ink cartridge (liquid storage member) storing ink is stored in the storage space 30 instead of the self-sealing valve 4 (liquid introduction member).

  In addition, the present invention is not limited to the recording head 1 as long as it is a liquid ejecting head that handles a liquid that needs to be heated. The liquid ejecting head is mounted on a display manufacturing apparatus, an electrode manufacturing apparatus, a chip manufacturing apparatus, a micropipette, or the like. It can also be applied to.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a configuration of a recording head. It is a perspective view of a recording head. It is principal part sectional drawing of a head unit. It is a perspective view of a heating channel unit. It is AA 'sectional drawing in FIG. It is BB 'sectional drawing in FIG. It is CC 'sectional drawing in FIG. It is principal part sectional drawing explaining the structure of an on-off valve. It is principal part sectional drawing explaining the modification of an on-off valve. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the heating flow path unit in 2nd Embodiment. It is a cross-sectional view of the heating channel unit in the second embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Recording head, 2 ... Head unit, 4 ... Self-sealing valve, 7 ... Heating flow path unit, 10 ... Common ink chamber, 11 ... Ink supply port, 12 ... Pressure generating chamber, 13 ... Nozzle opening, 14 ... Flow Path unit, 15 ... head case, 19 ... introduction needle unit, 27 ... ink introduction needle, 40 ... open / close valve, 41 ... base body, 42 ... liquid passage empty part, 43 ... connection part, 44 ... needle insertion part, 46 ... heat generation Body 47 .. pole terminal part 48 .. partition wall 49 .. valve housing part 50 .. valve body 51 .. biasing member 52 .. elastic member 53.

Claims (5)

A communication channel that communicates between the liquid supply source and the liquid jet head inside the substrate;
A heating channel unit detachably mounted between the liquid supply source and the liquid jet head,
A heating element for heating the liquid flowing through the communication channel;
An on-off valve provided in the communication channel;
With
The on-off valve opens when the heating channel unit is mounted and permits the passage of liquid, and closes when the heating channel unit is not mounted and blocks the passage of the liquid. Channel unit.   2. The heating channel unit according to claim 1, wherein the communication channel is formed with a plurality of projecting portions inside the heating channel unit to form a liquid passage space.   The projecting portion extends from an inner wall surface inside the heating channel unit, and is configured by a partition wall in which the heating element is embedded, and the liquid passage space is partitioned by the partition wall. The heating flow path unit according to claim 2.   The heating flow path unit according to claim 3, wherein the liquid passage empty section is partitioned in a direction different from a liquid flow direction. A liquid ejecting head capable of introducing a liquid from a liquid supply source into a head flow path and ejecting the introduced liquid,
A liquid ejecting head comprising the heating channel unit according to claim 1 in a detachable manner.

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