JP2010149293A - Head chip, liquid injection head, and liquid injection device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enhance productivity, and to enhance precision in detection of the temperature of a liquid. <P>SOLUTION: This head chip 21 includes a chip body 34 including an actuator plate 30, a cover plate 31 and a nozzle plate 33, and a temperature sensor 50 for detecting a temperature of the liquid filled in a groove 35 formed in the actuator plate 30, and delivers the liquid in the groove 35 through a nozzle hole 33a, by impressing a drive voltage of a level determined based on a detection value detected by the temperature sensor 50, to a drive electrode 37 formed in a side wall 36 of the groove 35, to deform the side wall 36. The temperature sensor 50 is arranged on an outer circumferential face of the chip body 34, and is connected electrically to an outside via a drawn wire 51 formed in the chip body 34 and extended up to a mounting part 30a of the actuator plate 30. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a head chip that discharges liquid from a nozzle hole to record an image or a character on a recording medium, a liquid ejecting head having the head chip, and a liquid ejecting apparatus having the liquid ejecting head.

  At present, as one of liquid ejecting apparatuses, an ink jet recording apparatus that records an image, characters, or the like by ejecting ink (liquid) onto a recording medium such as recording paper conveyed in a predetermined direction. (For example, printers and fax machines) are provided. In this recording apparatus, ink is supplied from an ink tank to an ink jet head (liquid ejecting head) via an ink supply pipe, and the ink is ejected to a recording medium from a nozzle hole of a head chip provided in the ink jet head. We are recording.

In the above-described head chip, a plurality of channels (grooves) filled with ink are formed in parallel at intervals, and nozzle holes communicating with these channels are formed. The side walls of the channel are made of a piezoelectric material, and drive electrodes are formed on the side walls.
The ink jet head having the head chip having such a configuration is provided with a control means for controlling the driving of the head chip. The control means includes a drive circuit board on which a drive circuit for driving the head chip is formed, and a flexible printed board on which a signal line for connecting the drive circuit and the drive electrode is formed. In an ink jet head having such a control means, a drive voltage is applied from a drive circuit to a drive electrode via a signal line, whereby the side wall is deformed to increase the pressure in the channel, and the ink in the channel is transferred to the nozzle hole. It is discharged from.

By the way, since the viscosity of the ink described above varies depending on the temperature, the amount of ink discharged from the nozzle hole varies depending on the ink temperature. Therefore, conventionally, there is a technique in which a temperature sensor for detecting the temperature of ink in a channel is attached to the head chip. In an ink jet head equipped with such a temperature sensor, the temperature of the ink is detected by the temperature sensor, and the detected value is transmitted to the drive circuit. The drive circuit determines the magnitude of the drive voltage based on the detected value, and supplies the drive electrode. Apply drive voltage. Thereby, the discharge amount of ink can be made constant (for example, refer to Patent Document 1 below).
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-182056

However, in the above-described conventional technology, the temperature sensor and the drive circuit are connected by the lead wire. Therefore, when manufacturing the ink jet head, the temperature sensor with the lead wire mounted on the drive circuit board is manually operated by the head. This leads to the chip and is fixed with an adhesive or the like, resulting in poor production efficiency and an increase in cost.
Further, since the temperature sensor is fixed to the head chip by drawing the lead wire as described above, there are restrictions on the installation position of the temperature sensor due to the presence of other members such as a damper member, for example. Therefore, the temperature sensor may not be installed in the vicinity of the head chip. In this case, the temperature of the head chip becomes difficult to be transmitted to the temperature sensor, resulting in a problem that the temperature detection accuracy is lowered.
Furthermore, if the volatilized ink adheres to the lead wire, the lead wire may be corroded, and in this case, there is a possibility that temperature detection may be abnormal.

  The liquid ejecting head and the liquid ejecting apparatus according to the present invention take the above-described conventional problems into consideration, and can improve the production efficiency to reduce the cost and improve the liquid temperature detection accuracy. Furthermore, it is intended to make it difficult to cause abnormality in temperature detection.

In the head chip according to the present invention, a plurality of grooves extending toward one end side are formed in parallel at intervals, and a mounting portion for taking an electrical connection with the outside is provided at the other end portion. The formed actuator plate, the drive electrode formed on the side wall of the groove, the cover plate attached to the actuator plate and covering the groove, and the plurality of actuator plates attached to one end surface of the actuator plate A nozzle body having a plurality of nozzle holes each communicating with the groove portion, and a temperature sensor that detects the temperature of the liquid filled in the groove portion, and is formed on the side wall of the groove portion. The side wall is deformed by impressing a driving voltage having a magnitude determined based on a detection value of the temperature sensor on the driving electrode, thereby reducing the pressure in the groove. Therefore, in the head chip that discharges the liquid in the groove part from the nozzle hole, the temperature sensor is installed on the outer peripheral surface of the chip body, and is formed on the chip body and extends to the mounting part. It is characterized in that it is electrically connected to the outside through a lead wiring.

With such a feature, since the temperature sensor is installed in the chip body, the temperature of the chip body is easily transmitted to the temperature sensor, and the liquid temperature in the chip body is easily detected.
Further, since the temperature sensor routing wiring is formed on the chip body, the temperature sensor installed on the outer peripheral surface of the chip body is electrically connected to the outside without routing the lead wire or the like.
In addition, the lead wiring formed on the chip body is less likely to be corroded by liquid than lead wires and the like.

In the head chip according to the present invention, it is preferable that the two lead wires are wired in parallel.
As a result, two pairs of routing wires are extended through a similar route, so that the operation of forming these routing wires is facilitated.

Further, the head chip according to the present invention may be configured to be wired on both sides of the chip body in the groove portion parallel direction.
As a result, even if the wiring space of the routing wiring in the side portion of the chip body is narrow, two routing wirings can be formed.

In the head chip according to the present invention, it is preferable that the routing wiring is electrically connected to a connection wiring formed on a flexible printed board joined to the mounting portion.
As a result, the connecting parts such as the flexible printed circuit board are joined to the mounting portion of the chip body, so that the routing wiring is electrically connected to the connection wiring, and the temperature sensor is connected to the outside via the routing wiring and the connection wiring. Electrically connected.

Further, in the head chip according to the present invention, the routing wiring and the connection wiring are electrically connected via a first connection portion made of a conductive paste disposed on an outer peripheral surface of the chip body. Preferably it is.
Thereby, the routing wiring and the connection wiring are reliably electrically connected via the first connection portion.

In the head chip according to the present invention, it is preferable that the temperature sensor is disposed at a position closer to the nozzle plate than the center in the length direction of the groove.
As a result, the liquid temperature in the vicinity of the nozzle hole is detected by the temperature sensor, so that the drive control of the head chip is performed according to the liquid temperature immediately before the ejection.

In the head chip according to the present invention, the actuator plate is formed with ink non-filling grooves arranged in parallel with the plurality of groove portions on both sides in the parallel direction of the plurality of groove portions. It is preferable that a part of the routing wiring is formed by an ink non-filling electrode formed on the side wall.
Thus, the length of the lead wiring formed on the surface of the chip body is shortened by using the ink non-filling electrode formed together when forming the drive electrode as a part of the lead wiring. .

In the head chip according to the present invention, a printed wiring that forms a part of the routing wiring is formed on the cover plate, and the printed wiring and the ink non-filling electrode include the ink non-filling groove. It is preferable that the electrodes are electrically connected via a second connection portion made of a conductive paste filled in the container.
Thereby, a printed wiring and an ink non-filling electrode are reliably electrically connected via a 2nd connection part.

In the head chip according to the present invention, it is preferable that the temperature sensor is installed on a surface of the cover plate on the side opposite to the surface to which the actuator plate is attached.
Thereby, the temperature of the cover plate is detected by the temperature sensor, and the liquid temperature is grasped based on the detected value. Further, since the temperature sensor is installed on the cover plate, even if high temperature processing is performed by soldering or the like when the temperature sensor is installed, the influence of heat on the actuator plate is small.

Further, in the head chip according to the present invention, it is preferable that the temperature sensor is installed on a surface of the actuator plate on the opposite side of the surface to which the cover plate is attached.
As a result, the routing wiring connecting the mounting portion and the temperature sensor is not formed across the actuator plate and the cover plate, and the routing wiring is easily formed. In addition, since the temperature sensor is installed on the actuator plate in which the groove is formed, the liquid temperature in the groove is easily detected by the temperature sensor.

Further, in the head chip according to the present invention, at least one of a connection location between the temperature sensor and the routing wiring and a connection location of the divided routing wiring is connected via a silver paste. Preferably it is.
Thereby, since the connection is performed at a low temperature compared with soldering or the like, the actuator plate is not exposed to a high temperature, and the actuator plate is prevented from being damaged by heat.

Further, the liquid ejecting head according to the present invention, the head chip according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein an inlet for introducing the liquid into the plurality of grooves is formed, and the liquid It is characterized by comprising supply means for supplying to the introduction port, and control means for applying a drive voltage having a magnitude determined based on a detection value of the temperature sensor to the drive electrode.

  Due to such a feature, the temperature of the liquid in the groove is detected by a temperature sensor installed in the chip body. This detected value is transmitted to the control means via a lead line, and the magnitude of the driving voltage is determined based on the detected value. Then, the drive voltage having the magnitude is applied to the drive electrode by the control means. Thereby, the side wall of the drive electrode to which the drive voltage is applied is deformed, the pressure in the groove is increased, and the liquid in the groove is discharged from the nozzle hole.

Further, the liquid ejecting apparatus according to the invention includes a transport unit that transports the recording medium in a predetermined transport direction, and a direction in which the nozzle hole faces the surface of the recording medium transported by the transport unit. And a moving unit that reciprocates the liquid ejecting head along the recording medium in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction.

  With such a feature, the recording medium is transported by the transporting means, and the liquid jet head is reciprocated by the moving means, and the liquid is ejected from the nozzle holes toward the recording medium, whereby images and characters are recorded on the recording medium. Etc. are recorded. At this time, since the temperature of the liquid is detected by the temperature sensor and the magnitude of the drive voltage applied to the drive electrode of the head chip is determined based on the detected value, the change in the liquid discharge amount due to the liquid temperature can be suppressed, and the liquid The discharge amount is uniform.

According to the head chip, the liquid ejecting head, and the liquid ejecting apparatus according to the invention, since the temperature sensor is installed in the chip body, and the temperature of the chip body is easily transmitted to the temperature sensor, the detection accuracy of the liquid temperature is improved. The head chip can be driven appropriately according to the liquid temperature.
In addition, since the temperature sensor routing wiring is formed on the chip body, it is not necessary to route the lead wire or the like, so that the production efficiency can be improved and the cost can be reduced.
Furthermore, since the routing wiring formed on the chip body is not easily corroded, abnormality in temperature detection is less likely to occur.

Hereinafter, embodiments of a liquid ejecting head and a liquid ejecting apparatus according to the invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
In this embodiment, as an example of the liquid ejecting apparatus, an ink jet printer 1 that performs recording using non-conductive non-aqueous ink (liquid) W will be described as an example.

[First Embodiment]
First, a first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.
As shown in FIG. 1, the inkjet printer 1 of the present embodiment includes a plurality of inkjet heads (liquid ejecting heads) 2 that eject ink W and recording paper (recording medium) P in a predetermined arrow L1 direction ( A transport unit 3 for transporting in the transport direction) and a moving unit 4 for reciprocally moving the plurality of inkjet heads 2 in the direction of the arrow L2 (scanning direction) orthogonal to the transport direction.

That is, the ink jet printer 1 is a so-called shuttle type that records characters and images on the recording paper P by moving the ink jet head 2 in the scanning direction orthogonal to the transporting direction while transporting the recording paper P in the transport direction. It is a printer.
In the present embodiment, an example in which four inkjet heads 2 that discharge inks W of different colors (for example, black, cyan, magenta, and yellow) are provided is illustrated. These four inkjet heads 2 have the same configuration.

These four inkjet heads 2 are mounted on a carriage 6 incorporated in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped housing 5.
The carriage 6 includes a flat base 6a on which a plurality of ink jet heads 2 are placed, and a wall portion 6b that is vertically raised from the base 6a. The guide rail 7 is supported so as to be reciprocally movable. The carriage 6 is connected to a conveyor belt 9 wound around a pair of pulleys 8 while being supported by a guide rail 7. One pulley 8 of the pair of pulleys 8 is connected to the output shaft of the motor 10 and is rotated by receiving a rotational driving force from the motor 10. Thereby, the carriage 6 can reciprocate in the scanning direction.
That is, the pair of guide rails 7, the pair of pulleys 8, the transport belt 9, and the motor 10 function as the moving unit 4.

In addition, a pair of carry-in rollers 15 and a pair of transport rollers 16 are arranged in parallel in the housing 5 along the same scanning direction as the pair of guide rails 7. The pair of carry-in rollers 15 are provided on the back side of the housing 5, and the pair of transport rollers 16 are provided on the front side of the housing 5. The pair of carry-in rollers 15 and the pair of transport rollers 16 are rotated with the recording paper P sandwiched between them by a motor (not shown). As a result, the recording paper P can be transported along the transport direction from the back side to the front side of the housing 5.
That is, the pair of carry-in rollers 15 and the pair of transport rollers 16 function as the transport unit 3.

  As shown in FIG. 2, each inkjet head 2 is fixed to a base plate 6 a of the carriage 6 shown in FIG. 1 via a screw (not shown) and an upper surface of the fixing plate 20. The head chip 21 is mainly provided with supply means 22 for supplying ink W to an ink introduction port 31a (to be described later) of the head chip 21 and control means 23 for applying a drive voltage to a drive electrode 37 (to be described later). Each of these inkjet heads 2 is arranged in a direction in which a nozzle hole 33a, which will be described later, faces the surface of the recording paper P conveyed by the conveying means 3.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the head chip 21 has a plurality of channels 35 (grooves) filled with ink W formed in parallel at intervals, and drive electrodes 37 are formed on the side walls 36 of these channels 35. A chip body 34 having a nozzle hole 33a communicating with the channel 35, a temperature sensor 50 installed on the outer peripheral surface of the chip body 34 to detect the temperature of the ink W in the channel 35, and the chip body 34. And a support cap 32.

  The chip body 34 is mainly composed of an actuator plate 30, a cover plate 31, and a nozzle plate 33. The cover plate 31 is overlaid on the actuator plate 30 via an adhesive (not shown), and the overlaid actuator The nozzle plate 33 is adhered to the end surfaces of the plate 30 and the cover plate 31 via an adhesive (not shown).

  The actuator plate 30 is a plate formed of a piezoelectric material such as PZT (lead zirconate titanate). On the surface (front surface) of the actuator plate 30 on the cover plate 31 side, as shown in FIG. 3, a groove-like channel 35 extending in the direction of arrow L3 (extending direction) is constant in the direction of arrow L1 (arrangement direction). A plurality are formed in parallel at intervals. That is, the plurality of channels 35 are separated from each other by the side walls 36. These channels 35 are discharge channels having a concave shape in cross-section when filled with ink W, and communicate with ink inlets 31a of a cover plate 31 described later. One end (tip) in the extending direction of the channel 35 is opened at the tip surface (end surface on the nozzle plate 33 side) of the actuator plate 30. On the other hand, the other end portion (base end portion) in the extending direction of the channel 35 extends to the middle of the actuator plate 30 and gradually decreases in depth toward the base end side (opposite side of the nozzle plate 33 side). It has become.

In addition, the actuator plate 30 is formed with a shallow groove portion 38 that extends from the base end of the channel 35 to the base end surface of the actuator plate 30 (the end surface opposite to the nozzle plate 33 side). The shallow groove portion 38 is formed on an extension line of the channel 35, and one end of the shallow groove portion 38 opens toward the inside of the channel 35, and the other end is a base end surface of the actuator plate 30 (an end surface opposite to the nozzle plate 33 side). Opened and sealed by a sealing means (not shown). The base end portion of the actuator plate 30 in which the shallow groove portion 38 is formed is a mounting portion 30a that is electrically connected to a drive circuit board 26 described later via a flexible substrate 27 described later.

As shown in FIG. 4, drive electrodes 37 are formed on the side walls 36 of the plurality of channels 35 by evaporation or the like over the length direction. The drive electrodes 37 formed on both side surfaces of the channel 35 are electrically connected to signal lines 28 of the flexible substrate 27 described later via connection electrodes 39 formed on the mounting portion 30a.
The drive electrode 37 functions to increase the pressure in the channel 35 by deforming the side wall 36 by the piezoelectric thickness slip effect when a drive voltage is applied, and to discharge the filled ink W from the channel 35. is doing.

  In addition, ink non-filling grooves 55 having the same shape as the channel 35 described above are formed at both end portions of the actuator plate 30. The ink non-filling grooves 55 are grooves arranged in parallel with the channels 35, and are arranged in a plurality of rows on both sides in the parallel direction of the plurality of channels 35. Similar to the channel 35, shallow groove portions 58 are formed on the mounting portion 30a side (base end side) of the ink non-filling groove 55, respectively. In addition, ink non-filling electrodes 57 similar to the drive electrodes 37 are formed on the side walls 56 of the plurality of ink non-filling grooves 55, respectively.

  The cover plate 31 is a plate made of, for example, ceramics, and is attached to the surface of the actuator plate 30 with an adhesive in a state where the base end side portions of the plurality of shallow groove portions 38 are exposed. ing. Further, the cover plate 31 is formed with an ink introduction port 31 a (liquid introduction port) through which the ink W is supplied from the damper member 22. The ink introduction port 31a is a rectangular opening and extends in the arrangement direction of the channels 35 (the direction of the arrow L1).

  The nozzle plate 33 is a sheet-like plate made of a film material such as polyimide having a thickness of about 50 μm, and is bonded to the end surfaces on the front end side of the actuator plate 30 and the cover plate 31 and the front end side surface of the support cap 32. It is stuck through the material. That is, one surface of the nozzle plate 33 is a facing surface that faces the recording paper P shown in FIG. 1, and the other surface of the nozzle plate 33 is the end surface on the front end side of the actuator plate 30 and the cover plate 31. The adhesive cap is bonded to the front end surface of the support cap 32. The opposite surface of the nozzle plate 33 is coated with a water-repellent film having water repellency for preventing the adhesion of the ink W and the like.

The nozzle plate 33 is formed with a plurality of nozzle holes 33a at predetermined intervals in the channel 35 arrangement direction (arrow L1 direction). The plurality of nozzle holes 33 a are respectively formed at positions facing the channel 35 and communicate with the channel 35. Each nozzle hole 33a is formed in a circular shape so that the outer contour line draws a circle. In addition, the nozzle hole 33a is a tapered hole that is gradually reduced in diameter from the bonding surface side toward the facing surface side, and the inlet diameter on the bonding surface side (the diameter of the outer contour line of the nozzle hole 33a) is on the facing surface side. It is larger than the caliber. The nozzle hole 33a is formed using an excimer laser device or the like.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 4, the temperature sensor 50 detects the temperature of the ink W in the chip body 34 by detecting the temperature of the chip body 34. More specifically, the temperature sensor 50 is a temperature sensor composed of a thermistor. The thermistor has a structure in which electrodes are formed at both ends of a resistor whose electrical resistance changes with temperature. The above-described resistor is made of, for example, a metal oxide, a semiconductor, ceramics, and the like, and the operating temperature is, for example, about minus tens of degrees to plus hundreds of degrees.

  The temperature sensor 50 described above is installed on the surface (front surface 31 c) opposite to the sticking surface 31 b of the cover plate 31 with respect to the actuator plate 30. More specifically, the temperature sensor 50 is disposed close to the front end side (nozzle plate 33 side) of the surface 31c of the cover plate 31, and the position of the central portion of the chip body 34 in the longitudinal direction (arrow L1 direction). It is arranged. In addition, the temperature sensor 50 is fixed to the cover plate 31 by placing electrodes on both ends thereof on a land 54 described later formed on the surface 31c of the cover plate 31 and joining with a silver paste or solder. Has been.

  The temperature sensor 50 described above is electrically connected to an external control means 23 via a lead wiring 51 formed in the chip body 34. The routing wiring 51 described above extends from the tip of the chip body 34 (cover plate 31) where the temperature sensor 50 is disposed to the mounting portion 30a of the actuator plate 30, and the mounting portion of the routing wiring 51 is provided. The end portion on the 30a side is electrically connected to a connection wiring 29 on a flexible printed circuit board 27, which will be described later, via a connection portion (not shown). The connecting portion is a conductive portion made of a conductive paste such as a silver paste, and is disposed on the outer peripheral surface of the chip body 34.

  More specifically, the routing wiring 51 includes two printed wirings 52 formed on the cover plate 31 by metal deposition or the like, and two rows of ink non-filling from one end in the parallel direction among the plurality of non-ink filling grooves 55. The ink non-filling electrode 57A formed in the filling groove 55A, the connection part 53 for electrically connecting one end of the ink non-filling electrode 57A and the printed wiring 52, and the other end of the ink non-filling electrode 57A are connected. Connecting electrode 59A.

  The printed wiring 52 extends from the attachment surface 31b of the cover plate 31 to the surface 31c through the tip surface 31d (surface attached to the nozzle plate 33), and further passes over the surface 31c to form the channel 35 in the cover plate 31. It extends to the center part in the arrangement direction (arrow L1 direction). A land 54 for mounting the temperature sensor 50 is formed on one end of each of the two printed wirings 52 (an end portion disposed at the central portion of the surface 31c of the cover plate 31). More specifically, the lands 54 are metal foils (for example, copper foils) for mounting the temperature sensor 50, and the lands 54 of the two printed wirings 52 are spaced from each other in the arrangement direction of the channels 35 (arrow L1 direction). Are arranged side by side. One electrode of the temperature sensor 50 is fixed to one of the pair of lands 54 with solder, silver paste, or the like, and the other electrode of the temperature sensor 50 is fixed to the other with solder, silver paste, or the like. Thereby, the temperature sensor 50 is mounted on the surface 31 c of the cover plate 31. On the other hand, the other ends of the two printed wirings 52 (the end portions arranged on the sticking surface 31b of the cover plate 31) are respectively disposed inside the two rows of ink non-filling grooves 55A from one end in the parallel direction. ing.

  The connection portion 53 is made of conductive paste filled inside one end portion (end portion on the nozzle plate 33 side) of the ink non-filling groove 55A. The conductive paste is made of a metal material having a melting temperature equal to or lower than the heat resistant temperature of the actuator plate 30. Specifically, a silver paste is used. The connecting portion 53 is in contact with the ink non-filling electrode 57A formed in the ink non-filling groove 55A, and is electrically connected to the ink non-filling electrode 57A. The connection portion 53 is in contact with the other end of the printed wiring 52 and is electrically connected to the printed wiring 52.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 3, the support cap 32 supports the actuator plate 30 and the cover plate 31 that are overlaid, and also supports the nozzle plate 33. The support cap 32 is formed with a fitting hole 32a extending in the arrangement direction of the channels 35 (arrow L1 direction), and the actuator plate 30 and the cover plate 31 that are overlapped are fitted into the fitting hole 32a. Both plates 30 and 31 are supported in the state. At this time, the front end surface of the support cap 32 is flush with the end surfaces of the actuator plate 30 and the cover plate 31 on the front end side.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, a recess 32 b into which the temperature sensor 50 is fitted is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the fitting hole 32 a that contacts the surface of the cover plate 31. The recess 32b is a groove extending in the length direction of the channel 35 (arrow L3 direction), and is disposed in the central portion of the fitting hole 32a in the arrangement direction of the channels 35 (arrow L1 direction). The recess 32b has one end side (nozzle plate 33 side) in the length direction closed and the other end side opened. In addition, the temperature sensor 50 is accommodated inside the recess 32b, and is filled with a filler 60 having thermal conductivity made of resin, silicone or the like.

The head chip 21 configured as described above is fixed to the upper surface of the fixed plate 20 as described above, as shown in FIG. A rectangular base plate 24 formed of aluminum or the like is fixed to the upper surface of the fixing plate 20 in a vertically rising state, and a flow path member that supplies ink W to the ink introduction port 31a of the head chip 21. 22a is fixed. Above the flow path member 22a, a pressure buffer (damper) 22b having a storage chamber for storing the ink W therein is disposed in a state of being supported by the base plate 24. The pressure buffer 22b and the flow path member 22a are connected via an ink connecting tube 22c. A supply tube 40 to which ink W is supplied is attached to the upper part of the pressure buffer 22b.
With this configuration, when ink W is supplied to the pressure buffer 22b via the supply tube 40, the ink W is temporarily stored in the storage chamber in the pressure buffer 22b. The pressure buffer 22b supplies a predetermined amount of the stored ink W to the ink introduction port 31a of the head chip 21 through the ink connecting tube 22c and the flow path member 22a. .
That is, the flow path member 22a, the pressure buffer 22b, and the ink connection tube 22c function as the supply unit 22.

  The supply tube 40 is connected to an ink tank 41 incorporated in the housing 5 as shown in FIG. As a result, different colors of ink W stored in the ink tank 41 are supplied to the four inkjet heads 2, respectively.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 2, a control means 23 for controlling the driving of the head chip 21 is provided above the head chip 21 described above. The control means 23 applies a drive voltage having a magnitude determined based on the detection value of the temperature sensor 50 to the drive electrode 37 described above. More specifically, the control unit 23 includes a drive circuit board 26 and a flexible printed board 27 interposed between the drive circuit board 26 and the head chip 21.

The drive circuit board 26 is attached to the surface of the base plate 24 on the side of the head chip 21 (the surface facing the pressure buffer 22b) with screws or the like. A drive circuit 25 such as an integrated circuit for driving the head chip 21 is mounted on the drive circuit board 26 and a wiring pattern (not shown) electrically connected to the drive circuit 25 is formed. Yes. The drive circuit 25 incorporates drive voltage value setting means for determining the magnitude of the drive voltage based on the detection value of the temperature sensor 50. More specifically, the drive circuit 25 has a drive voltage table indicating a correspondence relationship between a detection value detected by the temperature sensor 50 and a voltage value (drive voltage) applied to the drive electrode 37, and the temperature sensor A drive voltage having a magnitude corresponding to the temperature of the ink W detected by 50 is applied to the drive electrode 37.

  The flexible printed circuit board 27 is a thin film-shaped printed circuit board that is flexible and can be greatly deformed. It is fixed to the opposite end). A plurality of signal lines 28 that electrically connect the drive circuit 25 and the plurality of drive electrodes 37 are formed on one surface of the flexible printed circuit board 27 (the surface on the base plate 24 side). As shown in FIG. 4, the signal line 28 is a strip-like wiring pattern extending from the head chip 21 side toward the drive circuit board 26 side, and is printed on one surface of the flexible printed board 27. One end of the signal line 28 is electrically connected to a wiring pattern (not shown) formed on the drive circuit board 26. On the other hand, the other end of the signal line 28 is fitted to the proximal end portion of the shallow groove portion 38 of the actuator plate 30 exposed on the proximal end side of the cover plate 31, thereby contacting the connection electrode 39. Electrically connected. Thereby, the other end of the signal line 28 is electrically connected to the drive electrode 37 via the connection electrode 39.

  The flexible printed circuit board 27 is formed with two connection wirings 29 for electrically connecting the temperature sensor 50 and the drive circuit 25 described above. More specifically, the connection wiring 29 is a strip-shaped printed wiring formed on one surface of the flexible printed circuit board 27, and two wirings are arranged in parallel. The connection wiring 29 is arranged on the side of the plurality of signal lines 28, that is, on the side end of the flexible printed circuit board 27, and extends in parallel with the signal lines 28. The ends of the two connection wires 29 on the head chip 21 side are electrically connected to the ink non-filling electrodes 57A formed in the two rows of ink non-filling grooves 55A from one end in the parallel direction. Further, the end of the connection wiring 29 on the drive circuit board 26 side is electrically connected to a wiring pattern (not shown) of the drive circuit board 26, and is electrically connected to the drive circuit 25 through this wiring pattern. It is connected.

Here, a method for manufacturing the head chip 21 having the above-described configuration will be described.
First, the printed wiring 52 is formed on the cover plate 31 by metal vapor deposition or the like. At this time, since the ink non-filling electrode 57A and the connection electrode 59A formed on the side wall 56A of the ink non-filling groove 55A constitute a part of the routing wiring 51, the printed wiring 52 is extended to the mounting portion 30a of the actuator plate 30. The length of the printed wiring 52 is shortened.

Subsequently, the electrode of the temperature sensor 50 is placed on the land 54 of the printed wiring 52 and fixed with solder, silver paste, or the like, and the temperature sensor 50 is installed on the cover plate 31. As described above, since the temperature sensor 50 is installed on the cover plate 31, even if a high temperature treatment is performed by soldering or the like, there is little influence on the actuator plate 30, and damage to the actuator plate 30 due to heat is suppressed. Moreover, since the silver paste is used for fixing the temperature sensor 50, it is possible to work at a lower temperature than soldering or the like, so that the influence of heat on the actuator plate 30 is further reduced.

  On the other hand, the drive electrode 37, the ink non-filling electrode 57, and the connection electrodes 39 and 59 are formed in the channel 35, the ink non-filling groove 55, and the mounting portion 30a of the actuator plate 30 by oblique vapor deposition or the like. After that, the connecting portion 53 is formed by filling the inside of the tip end portion (end portion on the nozzle plate side 33) of the two ink non-filling grooves 55A from one end in the parallel direction with the conductive paste. At this time, the conductive paste (connecting portion 53) is filled with the conductive paste so that it slightly rises toward the upper surface of the actuator plate 30 (the surface to be attached to the cover plate 31). At this time, by using a silver paste as a material (conductive paste) of the connection portion 53, it is possible to work at a lower temperature than soldering or the like, so that the influence of heat on the actuator plate 30 is reduced.

  Next, the cover plate 31 and the actuator plate 30 described above are bonded together with an adhesive. The end portion of the printed wiring 52 disposed on the sticking surface 31 b side of the cover plate 31 is in close contact with the connection portion 53, and the printed wiring 52 is electrically connected to the ink non-filling electrode 57 through the connection portion 53. The

  Next, the overlapped ends of the cover plate 31 and the actuator plate 30 are fitted into the fitting holes 32 a of the support cap 32 from the base end side (opposite side of the nozzle plate 33 side) of the head chip 21. At this time, an adhesive is applied to at least one of the outer peripheral surface of the front end portion of the cover plate 31 or the actuator plate 30 and the inner peripheral surface of the fitting hole 32a, and the cover plate 31 and the actuator plate are applied by this adhesive. The distal end portion of 30 is fixed in the fitting hole 32 a of the support cap 32. Further, when the tips of the cover plate 31 and the actuator plate 30 are fitted into the fitting holes 32 a of the support cap 32, the temperature sensor 50 on the cover plate 31 is inserted inside the recess 32 b of the support cap 32.

Next, the cover plate 31, the actuator plate 30, the front end surface of the support cap 32 and the nozzle plate 33 are attached via an adhesive.
Further, a filler 60 having thermal conductivity is filled from the open end side (the opposite side of the nozzle plate 33 side) of the concave portion 32b of the support cap 32 into the concave portion 32b. At this time, since the end of the recess 32b on the nozzle plate 33 side is closed, the filling pressure of the filling material 60 does not act on the thin film-like nozzle plate 33, and the nozzle plate 33 is deformed by the filling pressure of the filling material 60. Is prevented.
Thus, the head chip 21 is completed.

In the above-described head chip 21, the flexible printed circuit board 27 is interposed between the mounting portion 30 a of the actuator plate 30 and the drive circuit board 26, so that the drive electrode 37 is connected to the control means (drive circuit 25 via the signal line 28. ) And the routing wiring 51 is electrically connected to the connection wiring 29, and the temperature sensor 50 is electrically connected to the control means (drive circuit 25) via the routing wiring 51 and the connection wiring 29. Connected to. Therefore, it is not necessary to route a lead wire or the like for electrical connection of the temperature sensor 50, and the temperature sensor 50 can be controlled by simply inserting the flexible printed circuit board 27 between the head chip 21 and the drive circuit board 26. 23 is electrically connected.
In addition, the routing wiring 51 deposited on the chip body 34 is less likely to be corroded by the volatilized ink W than the lead wire or the like.

Next, a case where characters, figures, and the like are recorded on the recording paper P using the ink jet printer 1 configured as described above will be described below.
As an initial state, it is assumed that the four ink tanks 41 are sufficiently filled with ink W of different colors. Further, the ink W in the ink tank 41 is supplied to the pressure buffer 22b through the supply tube 40. Therefore, a predetermined amount of ink W is supplied to the ink introduction port 31a of the head chip 21 via the ink connection tube 22c and the flow path member 22a, and is filled into the channel 35 from the ink introduction port 31a. .

When the ink jet printer 1 is operated under such an initial state, the pair of carry-in rollers 15 and the pair of transport rollers 16 rotate to transport the recording paper P in the transport direction (the direction of the arrow L1). At the same time, the motor 10 rotates the pulley 8 to move the conveyor belt 9. As a result, the carriage 6 reciprocates in the scanning direction (arrow L2 direction) while being guided by the guide rail 7.
During this time, the ink and the four colors W are appropriately ejected onto the recording paper P from the head chip 21 of each inkjet head 2, whereby characters, images, and the like can be recorded. In particular, since the shuttle system is used, it is possible to accurately record the desired range of the recording paper P.

  Here, the movement of each inkjet head 2 will be described in detail below.

First, the temperature of the ink W in the channel 35 is detected by the temperature sensor 50, and the detected value is transmitted to the drive circuit 25 via the lead wiring 51 and the connection wiring 29. More specifically, since the electrical resistance of the temperature sensor 50 made of a thermistor changes according to the temperature, the temperature of the chip body 34 is detected by the magnitude of the current value flowing between the temperature sensor 50 and the drive circuit 25, for example. Further, the temperature of the ink W in the chip body 34 is detected. At this time, since the temperature sensor 50 is installed in the chip body 34, the temperature of the chip body 34 is easily transmitted to the temperature sensor 50, and the temperature of the ink W in the chip body 34 is easily detected. Further, since the temperature sensor 50 is disposed at a position closer to the nozzle plate 33 than the center in the length direction of the channel 35, the temperature sensor 50 detects the temperature of the ink W in the vicinity of the nozzle hole 33a, and immediately before ejection. Drive control of the head chip 21 is performed according to the temperature of the ink W.

On the other hand, when the reciprocation is started by the carriage 6, the drive circuit 25 applies a drive voltage to the drive electrode 37 via the signal line 28 of the flexible substrate 27. More specifically, a drive voltage is applied to the drive electrodes 37 provided on the two side walls 36 on both sides of the channel 35 that ejects the ink W, and the two side walls 36 are adjacent to the channel 35 that ejects the ink W. It is deformed so as to protrude toward the channel 35 side. That is, the discharge channel 35 is deformed so as to swell. At this time, the drive circuit 25 determines a drive voltage having a magnitude corresponding to the detection value of the temperature sensor 50 based on the drive voltage table described above, and applies the drive voltage having the magnitude to the drive electrode 37. For this reason, the deformation amount of the two side walls 36 described above has a magnitude corresponding to the temperature (viscosity) of the ink W.

  Due to the deformation of the two side walls 36 due to the piezoelectric thickness slip effect, the volume of the channel 35 to be discharged increases. Then, as the volume of the channel 35 increases, the ink W is guided to the channel 35 from the ink introduction port 31a. The ink W guided inside the channel 35 passes through the channel 35 as a pressure wave, and at the timing when the pressure wave reaches the nozzle 33a, the drive voltage applied to the drive electrode 37 is made zero. . As a result, the deformation of the side wall 36 is restored, and the volume of the channel 35 once increased returns to the original volume. By this operation, the pressure inside the ejecting channel 35 increases, and the ink W is pressurized. As a result, the ink W is ejected from the channel 35.

The drive electrodes 37 described here are formed so as to function separately as electrodes for selectively ejecting ink W from the adjacent channels 35. In addition, in order to stably discharge the ink W, when further pressurization of the ink W is necessary, the side wall 36 is deformed so as to protrude toward the channel 35 for discharging. By this operation, the pressure inside the ejected channel 35 further increases, so that the ink W can be further pressurized. However, this operation is aimed at stably ejecting the ink W as described above, and therefore it is not an essential operation and may be used as needed.
Further, in the present embodiment, since the non-aqueous ink W is used, optimal ink ejection can be realized by executing the above-described operations in combination as necessary.

The discharged ink W is discharged to the outside through the nozzle hole 33a. Moreover, when passing through the nozzle hole 33a, the ink W is ejected in the form of droplets, that is, ink droplets. As a result, as described above, characters, images, and the like can be recorded on the recording paper P.
In particular, since the nozzle hole 33a of the present embodiment has a tapered cross section, it is possible to eject ink droplets straight at high speed with good straightness. Therefore, recording can be performed with high image quality.

According to the inkjet head 2 and the inkjet printer 1 having the above-described configuration, the temperature of the ink W is detected by the temperature sensor 50, and the drive voltage determined based on the detected value is applied to the drive electrode 37. The discharge amount of the ink W can be made constant.
In particular, in the head chip 21 configured as described above, the temperature sensor 50 is installed in the chip main body 34, and the temperature of the chip main body 34 is easily transmitted to the temperature sensor 50, so that the temperature W detection accuracy is improved. The head chip 21 can be driven appropriately according to the temperature of the ink W.
Further, in the above-described head chip 21, the filler 60 having thermal conductivity is filled inside the recess 32 b of the support cap 32 in which the temperature sensor 50 is accommodated. Heat is efficiently transferred to the temperature sensor 50, and the temperature of the ink W in the channel 35 can be accurately detected. Thereby, the head chip 21 can be driven appropriately according to the temperature of the ink W.

Further, since the lead wiring 51 of the temperature sensor 50 is formed by vapor deposition or the like on the chip main body 34, it is not necessary to lead the lead wire or the like when the temperature sensor 50 is electrically connected, so that the production efficiency is improved. As a result, the cost can be reduced.
In particular, when the flexible printed circuit board 27 is interposed between the mounting portion 30 a of the actuator plate 30 and the drive circuit board 26, the temperature sensor 50 is electrically connected to the control means 23 via the lead wiring 51 and the connection wiring 29. Therefore, the production efficiency can be improved and the cost can be reduced.
Furthermore, since the routing wiring 51 formed on the chip body 34 is less likely to corrode than the lead wire or the like, abnormalities in temperature detection are less likely to occur.

In addition, since the two routing wires 51 are wired in parallel, and the two pairs of routing wires 51 are extended through a similar route, the operation of forming these routing wires 51 is easy. Become. Therefore, the production efficiency of the head chip 21 can be improved.
Further, since the printed wiring 52 and the ink non-filling electrode 57A are electrically connected via the connection portion 53 filled in the ink non-filling groove 55A, the printed wiring 52 and the ink non-filling electrode 57A are securely connected. It is possible to prevent the routing wiring 51 from being electrically disconnected.
Further, since the end of the routing wiring 51 on the mounting portion 30a side and the connection wiring 29 on the flexible printed circuit board 27 are electrically connected via a connection portion (not shown), the connection with the routing wiring 51 is possible. The wiring 29 is securely connected, and the lead wiring 51 can be prevented from being electrically disconnected.

In addition, since the temperature sensor 50 is installed on the cover plate 31 and the influence of heat on the actuator plate 30 is small even if the temperature sensor 50 is fixed by applying a high temperature, the actuator plate 30 can be prevented from being damaged. .
In particular, the use of silver paste at the connection between the temperature sensor 50 and the lead wiring 51 (land 54) further reduces the influence of heat on the actuator plate 30 and thus reliably prevents the actuator plate 30 from being damaged. be able to.
Further, by forming the connection part 53 at the part where the lead wiring 51 is divided, that is, the connection part 53 between the printed wiring 51 and the ink non-filling electrode 57 with silver paste, the influence of heat on the actuator plate 30 is reduced. Therefore, damage to the actuator plate 30 can be prevented.

[Second Embodiment]
Next, a second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.
In the present embodiment, the installation position of the temperature sensor 50 and the configuration of the routing wiring 151 are different from those of the first embodiment, and other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment. Therefore, in the present embodiment, only the installation position of the temperature sensor 50 and the routing wiring 151 will be described, and the description of the same configuration as that of the first embodiment will be omitted.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, the temperature sensor 50 is installed on the surface (surface 30 c) opposite to the sticking surface 30 b with respect to the cover plate 31 of the actuator plate 30. The electrode of the temperature sensor 50 is fixed to a land 54 of a lead wiring 151 described later with silver paste.

  In addition, the routing wiring 151 includes two printed wirings 152 formed on the actuator plate 30 by metal deposition or the like, and two rows of ink non-filling grooves from one end in the parallel direction among the plurality of ink non-filling grooves 55. An ink non-filling electrode 57A formed on 55A and a connection electrode 59A connected to the other end of the ink non-filling electrode 57A. The printed wiring 152 extends from the inner peripheral surface of the ink non-filling groove 55A to the surface 30c through the tip surface 30d of the actuator plate 30 (surface attached to the nozzle plate 33), and further passes over the surface 30c. 30 extends to the center of the arrangement direction of the channels 35 (arrow L1 direction). A land 54 for mounting the temperature sensor 50 is formed at one end of each of the two printed wirings 152 (an end portion disposed at the central portion of the surface 30c of the actuator plate 30). On the other hand, the other ends of the two printed wirings 152 (ends disposed on the inner peripheral surface of the ink non-filling groove 55A) are respectively formed on the bottom surface and the side wall 56A of the ink non-filling groove 55A. It is connected to one end of the electrode 57A (the end on the nozzle plate 33 side).

  According to the head chip 21 configured as described above, the lead wiring 151 that connects the mounting portion 30a of the actuator plate 30 and the temperature sensor 50 is not formed across the actuator plate 30 and the cover plate 31. The connecting portion 53 in the first embodiment is not necessary, and the lead wiring 151 is easily formed. Thereby, production efficiency can be improved and, as a result, cost reduction can be achieved.

Further, since the temperature sensor 50 is installed on the actuator plate 30 in which the channel 35 is formed, the temperature of the ink W in the channel 35 is easily transmitted to the temperature sensor 50. Thereby, the detection accuracy of the temperature of the ink W can be improved, and the head chip 21 can be driven appropriately according to the temperature of the ink W.

  Further, since the connection portion between the temperature sensor 50 and the lead wiring 151 (land 54) is fixed with silver paste, the influence of heat applied to the actuator plate 30 can be suppressed, and the actuator plate 30 can be prevented from being damaged. it can.

The first to third embodiments of the present invention have been described above. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be changed as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present invention.
For example, in each of the above-described embodiments, the ink jet printer 1 has been described as an example of the liquid ejecting apparatus, but is not limited to the printer. For example, a fax machine or an on-demand printer may be used.

In the above-described embodiment, the ink non-filling electrode 57 formed on the side wall 56 of the ink non-filling groove 55 is used as a part of the routing wires 51 and 151. The structure which does not utilize the electrode 57 may be sufficient.
More specifically, as shown in FIG. 7, the routing wiring 251 includes a printed wiring 252 deposited on the cover plate 31 and a connection electrode 259 formed on the mounting portion 30 a of the actuator plate 30. Also good. The printed wiring 252 described above extends from the base end surface 31e of the cover plate 31 (the end surface opposite to the nozzle plate 33 side) to the nozzle plate 33 side through the side end portion of the surface 31c of the cover plate 31, and further to the surface 31c. Is extended to the central portion of the cover plate 31 in the arrangement direction of the channels 35 (in the direction of the arrow L1). The connection electrode 259 is formed at the side end of the mounting portion 30 a of the actuator plate 30. The printed wiring 252 and the connection electrode 259 described above are disposed between the end portion of the printed wiring 252 formed on the base end surface 31e of the cover plate 31 and the connection electrode 259 after the actuator plate 30 and the cover plate 31 are bonded together. The connection is made by forming a connection portion (not shown) made of a conductive paste such as silver paste. Thereby, the printed wiring 252 and the connection electrode 259 are reliably electrically connected via a connection portion (not shown), and the routing wiring 251 is prevented from being disconnected electrically.
Further, as shown in FIG. 8, the routing wiring 351 may be formed by a printed wiring 352 deposited on the actuator plate 30. The printed wiring 352 (the routing wiring 351) extends from the side end portion of the sticking surface 30b of the actuator plate 30 to the side surface 30e of the actuator plate 30, extends to the surface 30c through the side surface 30e, and further, the base end of the surface 30c. (The end opposite to the nozzle plate 33 side) extends toward the center in the arrangement direction of the channels 35 (arrow L1 direction), extends from the center to the nozzle plate 33, and extends to the tip of the actuator plate 30. It is installed.

Further, in each of the embodiments described above, the plurality of nozzle holes 33a are arranged in a straight line in the arrangement direction. However, the present invention does not arrange the plurality of nozzle holes 33a in a straight line, and the vertical direction They may be arranged shifted in the direction of arrow L2. For example, the plurality of nozzle holes 33a may be arranged obliquely, or may be arranged in a staggered manner.
Further, the shape of the nozzle hole 33a is not limited to a circle. For example, a polygonal shape such as a triangle, an elliptical shape, or a star shape may be used.

In the above-described embodiment, the ink introduction port 31a is formed in the cover plate 31, but in the present invention, the ink introduction port may be formed in the actuator plate. For example, an ink inlet having a concave cross section extending in the arrangement direction is formed on the back surface of the actuator plate (the surface opposite to the surface on which the channel is formed), and a slit communicating with the channel is formed on the bottom surface of the ink inlet. It may be a configured. In this case, the positions of the base plate 20 to which the IC substrate 26 is fixed and the damper member 22 are exchanged so that the damper member 22 is overlaid on the actuator plate, and the base plate 20 is overlaid on the cover plate 31. May be arranged as follows.

In the above-described embodiment, the case where the non-aqueous ink W is used has been described. However, for example, conductive aqueous ink, solvent ink, oil ink, UV ink, or the like may be used.
When water-based ink is used, the head chip may be configured as follows.
That is, in the actuator plate, ejection channels that function as ejection channels filled with ink and dummy channels that function as dummy channels not filled with ink are alternately formed in the arrangement direction. A slit is formed on the bottom surface of the ink inlet at a position facing the ejection channel. Thus, ink is filled only from the ink introduction port through the slit to the ejection channel. In the nozzle plate, nozzle holes are formed at positions facing the discharge channels.
By configuring the head chip 21 in this manner, even in the case of water-based ink, the drive electrode provided in the ejection channel and the drive electrode provided in the dummy channel are electrically connected without passing through the ink. Can be used properly in a state of being separated. Therefore, recording can be performed using water-based ink.
In particular, even ink having conductivity can be used without any problem, and the added value of the ink jet printer can be increased. In addition, there can exist the same effect as others.

In the above-described embodiment, a thermistor is used as the temperature sensor 50, but other temperature sensors can be used in the present invention. For example, a thermocouple or the like can be used as the temperature sensor.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the connection points of the divided lead wires 51 and 251 are connected by the silver paste, but the present invention can adopt other connection methods. For example, when the heat resistance of the actuator plate 30 is high, it is possible to connect by soldering. Even when the temperature sensor 50 is installed on the actuator plate 30, if the heat resistance of the actuator plate 30 is high, the temperature sensor 50 may be routed and fixed to the wirings 151 and 351 by soldering.

  In the above-described embodiment, the temperature sensor 50 is disposed on the tip side (nozzle plate 33 side) of the chip body 34, and the support cap 32 has a recess 32 b in which the temperature sensor 50 is accommodated. In the present invention, the temperature sensor 50 may not be disposed on the distal end side, and may be disposed on the proximal end side of the support cap 32, for example. Thereby, the recessed part 32b of the support cap 32 is omissible.

  In the embodiment described above, the drive voltage value setting means is built in the drive circuit 25, and the temperature sensor 50 and the drive circuit 25 are directly electrically connected via the connection wiring 29. The detection value is transmitted from the temperature sensor 50 to the drive circuit 25, and the drive circuit 25 determines the magnitude of the drive voltage based on the detection value and the drive voltage table. However, the present invention is not limited to the above configuration. . For example, a drive voltage value setting unit may be incorporated in a control unit (not shown) of the inkjet printer 1. In other words, the temperature sensor 50 and the control unit may be electrically connected via the connection wiring, and the control unit and the drive circuit 25 may be electrically connected via the connection wiring. . In this case, the detected value is transmitted from the temperature sensor 50 to the control unit via the connection wiring, the magnitude of the driving voltage is determined by the detected value and the driving voltage table in the control unit, and the driving voltage of the determined magnitude is connected. The voltage is transmitted from the control unit to the drive circuit 25 via the wiring, and the drive voltage is applied from the drive circuit 25 to the drive electrode 37 via the signal line 28.

In the above-described embodiment, the two lead wires 51 and 151 are arranged in parallel. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration. For example, one routing wiring 51 and 151 may be provided on each side end of the chip body 34 (both sides in the groove parallel direction). As a result, even if the wiring space of the routing wirings 51 and 151 on the side of the chip body 34 is narrow, the two routing wirings 5151 and 151 can be formed, and the head chip 21 can be reduced in size. Can be achieved.
In the above-described embodiment, the lands 54 of the lead wirings 51 and 151 are formed of copper foil. However, the present invention is not limited to copper foil, and the heat between the chip body 34 and the temperature sensor 50 is not limited. Any metal may be used as long as the temperature generated in the chip body 34 can be obtained by bonding (heat conduction).

  In the above-described embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, the connecting portion is formed by the conductive paste filled inside the one end portion (end portion on the nozzle plate 33 side) of the ink non-filling groove 55A. The present invention is not limited to the configuration described above. For example, the ink non-filling electrode 57A extends on the ceiling portion of the side wall 56A shown in FIG. 4 (the same surface as the sticking surface 30b to the cover plate 31), and the printed wiring 52 is positioned on the above-described ink non-filling electrode 57A. When the actuator plate 30 and the cover plate 31 are bonded together later, the printed wiring 52 and the ink non-filling electrode 57A may be connected. Furthermore, it is preferable that the conductive paste as described above is provided between the printed wiring 52 and the ink non-filling electrode 57A to ensure electrical connection.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, the connecting portion 53 is filled inside the ink non-filling grooves 57A in two rows from one end of the ink non-filling grooves 25 in the parallel direction of the grooves. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment. For example, the ink non-filling grooves 55A may be provided only from one end. Further, the ink non-filling electrode 57A may be extended to the ceiling portion of the side wall 56A described above, and it is possible to adopt a form in which it is not necessary to provide the joint portion 53.
In this form, the connection portion 53 is provided in the ink non-filling groove 55A by leaving one ink non-filling groove 55, as shown in FIG. 4, in order to operate the rightmost channel 35 as an ejection groove. In addition, the side wall 56 positioned between the rightmost channel 35 and the ink non-filling groove 55 can be freely deformed to the rightmost channel 35 side and to the ink non-filling groove side. . That is, when the conductive paste is filled in the groove located on the right side of the side wall 56 in the drawing, the above-described configuration is adopted in order to eject the ink W without hindering the operation of the side wall 56.

In addition, in the range which does not deviate from the main point of this invention, it is possible to replace suitably the component in above-mentioned embodiment with a well-known component, and you may combine the above-mentioned modification suitably.

1 is a perspective view of a liquid ejecting apparatus for explaining a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a liquid ejecting head for explaining a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a fragmentary perspective view of a head chip for explaining a 1st embodiment of the present invention. It is a fragmentary perspective view of an actuator plate and a cover plate for explaining a 1st embodiment of the present invention. It is a fragmentary perspective view of the support cap for demonstrating the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a fragmentary perspective view of the actuator plate for demonstrating the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a fragmentary perspective view of the actuator plate and cover plate for demonstrating the modification of the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a fragmentary perspective view of the actuator plate for demonstrating the modification of the 2nd Embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

1 Inkjet printer (liquid ejecting device)
2 Inkjet head (liquid ejecting head)
3 Conveying means 4 Moving means 21 Head chip 23 Control means 27 Flexible printed circuit board 29 Connection wiring 30 Actuator plate 30a Mounting portion 30b Adhering surface 31 Cover plate 31b Adhering surface 33 Nozzle plate 33a Nozzle hole 34 Chip body 35 Channel (groove)
36 Side wall 37 Drive electrode 50 Temperature sensor 51, 151, 251 and 351 Lead wiring 55A Ink non-filling groove 56A Side wall 57A Ink non-filling electrode P Recording paper (recording medium)
W ink (liquid)

Claims (13)

An actuator plate in which a plurality of grooves extending toward one end side are formed in parallel at intervals and a mounting portion for forming an electrical connection with the outside is formed at the other end; A chip comprising: a cover plate attached to an actuator plate to cover the groove; and a nozzle plate attached to one end surface of the actuator plate and formed with a plurality of nozzle holes communicating with the plurality of grooves. Body,
And a temperature sensor for detecting the temperature of the liquid filled in the groove,
With
The drive electrode formed on the side wall of the groove is pressed with a drive voltage having a magnitude determined based on the detection value of the temperature sensor to deform the side wall to increase the pressure in the groove, In the head chip that discharges the liquid in the groove from the nozzle hole,
The temperature sensor is installed on the outer peripheral surface of the chip body, and is electrically connected to the outside through a lead wiring formed on the chip body and extending to the mounting portion. Characteristic head chip. The head chip according to claim 1,
2. The head chip according to claim 1, wherein two lead wirings are wired in parallel. The head chip according to claim 1,
2. The head chip according to claim 1, wherein the lead wiring is wired on both sides of the chip body in the direction parallel to the grooves. The head chip according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The head chip, wherein the lead wiring is electrically connected to connection wiring formed on a flexible printed circuit board joined to the mounting portion. The head chip according to claim 4,
The head chip, wherein the lead wiring and the connection wiring are electrically connected via a first connection portion made of a conductive paste disposed on an outer peripheral surface of the chip body. The head chip according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The temperature sensor is disposed at a position closer to the nozzle plate than the center in the length direction of the groove. The head chip according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
In the actuator plate, ink non-filling grooves arranged in parallel with the plurality of groove portions are formed on either one side or both sides in the parallel direction of the plurality of groove portions,
A head chip, wherein a part of the routing wiring is formed by an ink non-filling electrode formed on a side wall of the ink non-filling groove. The head chip according to claim 7,
Printed wiring that forms part of the routing wiring is formed on the cover plate,
The print chip and the ink non-filling electrode are electrically connected via a second connection portion made of a conductive paste filled in the ink non-filling groove. The head chip according to any one of claims 1 to 8,
The temperature sensor is installed on a surface of the cover plate opposite to an adhesion surface of the cover plate with respect to the actuator plate. The head chip according to any one of claims 1 to 9,
The temperature sensor is installed on a surface of the actuator plate opposite to a surface where the actuator plate is attached to the cover plate. The head chip according to any one of claims 1 to 10,
At least one of a connection portion between the temperature sensor and the lead wiring and a connection portion of the divided lead wiring is connected via a silver paste. The head chip according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein an inlet for introducing the liquid into the plurality of grooves is formed;
Supply means for supplying the liquid to the inlet;
Control means for applying a driving voltage having a magnitude determined based on a detection value of the temperature sensor to the driving electrode;
A liquid ejecting head comprising: Transport means for transporting the recording medium in a predetermined transport direction;
The liquid ejecting head according to claim 12, wherein the nozzle hole is disposed in a direction facing the surface of the recording medium conveyed by the conveying unit.
Moving means for reciprocating the liquid ejecting head along the recording medium in a direction orthogonal to the transport direction;
A liquid ejecting apparatus comprising:

Images