JP2012030366A - Cartridge with circuit board - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve the following problems: change in pressure of spring plate electrodes caused by vibration of a printer cannot be absorbed due to the rigidity of a conventional circuit board and electrode terminals on the circuit board, resulting in contact failures and printing failure.SOLUTION: The cartridge with a circuit board is mounted on a printer with multiple stages of elastic electrode terminals and includes matrix electrode terminals corresponding to the multiple stages of electrode terminals. The circuit board is a flexible circuit board, and is configured so that contact parts in contact with the electrode terminals of the printer of at least two or more of the matrix electrode terminals of the circuit board are relatively deformable in the flexible circuit board. The cartridge with the circuit board absorbs pressure change (variation) of the spring plate electrodes, maintaining a good contact state between the electrode terminals of the circuit board and the spring plate electrodes.

Description

  The present invention relates to a cartridge with a circuit board mounted on a printing apparatus. More specifically, even if there is pressure fluctuation of the spring plate electrode due to vibration of the printing device, the vibration and pressure fluctuation are absorbed, and the contact state between the electrode terminal of the circuit board and the spring plate electrode is maintained well, and the spring plate The present invention relates to a cartridge with a circuit board that improves the contact between the electrode terminals of a flexible circuit board having a plurality of stages of elastic electrode terminals and matrix electrode terminals of a printing apparatus as electrodes.

An ink jet printer, which is an example of a printing apparatus, usually feeds ink stored in an ink cartridge mounted in a cartridge mounting portion in the apparatus to a recording head, and the recording head injects ink onto a recording medium such as paper. Images and characters are recorded by spraying and applying drops.

  The recording head in an ink jet printer controls the ejection of ink droplets using heat and vibration, and when the ink cartridge runs out of ink and the ink ejection operation occurs without ink being supplied, There is a possibility of failure.

  Therefore, in an ink jet printer, in order to monitor the remaining amount of ink in the ink cartridge so that the recording head does not run dry, a “rigid circuit board (hereinafter simply referred to as a circuit board) having information such as the remaining amount of ink is provided. Ink cartridges provided with “)” have been proposed. The circuit board provided in the ink cartridge is in contact with the electrode provided in the printer, exchanges ink information of the ink cartridge with each other, and information management of the remaining amount of ink is performed by the control circuit of the printer. (For example, Patent Document 1)

However, since the electrodes provided in the printer are generally composed of a thin leaf spring or the like having a constant pressing force, there is a problem that printing cannot be performed due to contact failure due to vibration of the printer or the like.

In order to solve the above problems, when the circuit board is attached to the ink cartridge, the contact with the electrode on the printer side is maintained at a predetermined pressing load by attaching the coil board between the ink cartridge and the circuit board via a coil spring. Thus, a method for improving the contact failure between the electrode on the printer side and the electrode on the circuit board has been proposed. (Patent Document 2) Further, the technique of Patent Document 2 is applied to a circuit board in which the number of electrodes is small and the electrodes are arranged in a line, and the cartridge has a small amount of information for managing information on the ink cartridge. It was what was applied.

  In today's ink cartridges, the color ink has become multicolored and the number of ink colors has increased, and information management on the ink car cartridge prevents not only ink remaining but also ink color information and ink cartridge installation There is a lot of management information about ink cartridges, such as information to do so. Therefore, an ink cartridge including a circuit board having a large number of electrodes has been proposed. (For example, Patent Document 3)

  The ink cartridge of Patent Document 3 is an ink cartridge having a circuit board provided with nine electrodes. As shown in FIG. 3, the circuit board provided in the ink cartridge of Patent Document 3 has four electrodes arranged in the upper stage and five electrodes in the lower stage. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 6, thin plate springs are vertically arranged in two rows so that the electrodes on the printer side correspond to the electrodes on the circuit board. When an ink cartridge equipped with this circuit board is installed in the printer, the electrode on the printer side and the electrode on the circuit board are brought into contact with each other, and information on the cartridge such as ink information is mutually exchanged. Various information management such as quantity will be performed.

JP 2001-189993 A JP 2007-237657 A JP 2007-196664 A

However, since the circuit board of the technique of the above-mentioned Patent Document 2 is rigid, even if elasticity is applied by a spring from the back, the entire circuit board is inclined as a result. Could not be absorbed. Similarly to the above Patent Document 2, the circuit board of the technique of Patent Document 3 is also rigid, so even if elasticity is applied from the back with a spring, the entire circuit is only inclined as a result. The circuit board provided with nine electrodes, which cannot absorb the variations of the individual elastic electrodes, is not effective even when the technique of Patent Document 2 is applied. The present inventors recognize that there is a need for an ink cartridge that can be printed satisfactorily without causing contact failure because a problem that contact failure occurs and printing becomes impossible often occurs in a circuit board having a large number of electrodes. did.

In view of the above problems, the present inventors have intensively studied the above problems, and as a result, the plurality of stages of elastic electrode terminals of the printing apparatus are configured by spring plate electrodes. The present inventors have found that contact fluctuation with the terminal and pressure fluctuation of the spring plate electrode due to vibration of the printing apparatus cannot be absorbed, which is one factor causing contact failure. In particular, the contact state between the spring plate electrode and the rigid electrode terminal formed on the circuit board is such that the spring plate electrode is displaced or bounced from the electrode of the circuit board due to vibration of the printing apparatus. Contact is momentarily separated and contact failure occurs. In other words, since the electrodes provided on the circuit board are rigid and hard and solid, it has been found that the pressure fluctuation of the spring plate electrode cannot be absorbed with respect to each of a large number of electrodes, and the incidence of poor contact cannot be reduced.

In view of the above problems, the present inventors have further intensively studied the above problems, and as a result, the cartridges that are frequently installed in the printing apparatus are replaced or removed at the time of a printing pause, etc. It was found that some of the spring plate electrodes located on the upstream side of the side were deformed. This is because the spring plate electrode is deformed because the contact distance between the upper part of the spring plate electrode and the electrode terminal of the circuit board is longer than that of the lower spring plate electrode. The present inventors have found that the variation in the pressing force of the electrode is larger in the upper part of the spring plate electrode corresponding to the upper part of the shaft than in the lower part of the spring plate electrode corresponding to the lower part of the shaft with respect to the mounting direction axis of the cartridge. Found.

That is, the conventional circuit board has a defect that it cannot absorb the pressure fluctuation of the spring plate electrode due to vibration. The present invention, based on the findings found above, absorbs pressure fluctuations of individual electrodes on a plurality of stages of a circuit board, even if there is pressure fluctuations (variations) of the spring board electrodes due to vibrations of the printing device or deformation of the spring board electrodes, Maintains the contact state between the electrode terminal of the circuit board and the electrode terminal of the printing device, which is the spring plate electrode, and improves the contact between each of the plurality of elastic electrode terminals of the printing apparatus and each of the plurality of electrode terminals of the circuit board. An object of the present invention is to provide a cartridge provided with a circuit board in which contact failure is suppressed. This object is achieved by a combination of features described in the independent claims. The dependent claims define further advantageous specific examples of the present invention.

That is, the first invention of the present invention is a cartridge with a circuit board that is mounted on a printing apparatus having a plurality of stages of elastic electrode terminals and has matrix electrode terminals corresponding to the plurality of stages of electrode terminals. Is a flexible circuit board, and at least a plurality of matrix electrode terminals of the circuit board can be relatively deformed in the flexible circuit board at a contact portion that contacts the electrode terminal of the printing apparatus. This is a cartridge with a substrate.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the cartridge with a circuit board according to the first aspect includes a contact body between the flexible circuit board having the matrix electrode terminal and the cartridge. It is an attached cartridge.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, the contact body according to the second aspect is provided on one surface of the cartridge such that the upper part of the shaft is thicker and the lower part is thinner than the mounting direction axis of the cartridge, The contact body is a cartridge with a circuit board, wherein the contact body has a contact surface that comes into contact with a flexible circuit board having the matrix electrode terminals.

  A fourth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that the contact body according to the third aspect of the invention is inclined so as to become gradually thinner toward the lower portion of the shaft with respect to the mounting direction axis of the cartridge. It is a cartridge with a circuit board.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a circuit in which the contact member according to the third aspect has a step in which the upper part of the shaft is thicker and the lower part is thinner than the mounting direction axis of the cartridge. This is a cartridge with a substrate.

A sixth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that the contact body according to any one of the second to fifth aspects is composed of an elastic member made of a soft elastic member such as rubber, sponge, or urethane. A cartridge with a circuit board.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided a cartridge with a circuit board, wherein the contact body according to any one of the second to fifth aspects comprises a detachable frame.

An eighth aspect of the present invention is a cartridge with a circuit board, wherein the detachable frame according to the seventh aspect of the present invention is one of a slide type, a fitting type and a screwing type on one surface of the cartridge. .

  According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, the frame according to the eighth aspect has an opening, and a flexible circuit board having the matrix electrode terminal is in contact with the frame so as to close the opening. This is a cartridge with a circuit board.

  According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, an elastic member made of a soft elastic member such as rubber, sponge or urethane is accommodated in the opening of the frame according to the ninth aspect, and the matrix electrode terminal is provided on the elastic member. A cartridge with a circuit board, wherein a flexible circuit board is in contact therewith.

  In an eleventh aspect of the present invention, the elastic member according to the tenth aspect of the present invention has an abutting surface configured such that the upper portion of the shaft is thicker and the lower portion is thinner than the mounting direction axis of the cartridge. This is a cartridge with a circuit board.

  According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, the elastic member according to the eleventh aspect of the invention is inclined with respect to the mounting direction axis of the cartridge so as to gradually become thinner toward the lower portion of the shaft. It is a cartridge.

  A thirteenth aspect of the present invention is the cartridge with a circuit board, wherein the elastic member according to the twelfth aspect of the present invention has a step in which the upper part of the shaft is thicker and the lower part is thinner than the cartridge mounting direction axis. It is.

  A fourteenth aspect of the present invention is a cartridge with a circuit board, wherein the matrix electrode terminals according to any one of the first to thirteenth aspects are irregularly arranged and have different shapes.

A fifteenth aspect of the present invention is a cartridge with a circuit board, wherein the matrix electrode terminals according to any one of the first to fourteenth aspects have different thicknesses.

  A sixteenth aspect of the present invention is a cartridge with a circuit board, wherein the matrix electrode terminal according to any one of the first to fifteenth aspects is nine or more.

According to a seventeenth aspect of the present invention, the circuit board cartridge according to any one of the first to sixteenth aspects is any one of an ink cartridge, a toner cartridge, and a ribbon cartridge. It is an attached cartridge.

  According to an eighteenth aspect of the present invention, the frame body according to any one of the seventh to ninth aspects has a mounting body for holding the flexible circuit board. .

  According to a nineteenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a circuit in which the mounting body according to the eighteenth aspect includes a receiving portion having a height difference that is pressed against the matrix electrode terminal of the flexible circuit board. Cartridge with substrate.

The inventors of the present invention have described that the plurality of stages of elastic electrode terminals of the printing apparatus are formed of spring plate electrodes. The contact of the spring plate electrodes with the electrode terminals of the circuit board, the vibration of the printing apparatus, It has been found that this is one factor causing contact failure because the pressure fluctuation cannot be absorbed. In particular, the contact state between the spring plate electrode and the rigid electrode terminal formed on the circuit board may be caused by the spring plate electrode being displaced or springing from the circuit board electrode due to vibration of the printing apparatus. Will leave for a moment and contact failure will occur. In other words, since the electrodes provided on the circuit board are rigid and hard and solid, it has been found that the pressure fluctuation of the spring plate electrode cannot be absorbed with respect to each of a large number of electrodes, and the incidence of poor contact cannot be reduced.

In response to the above problems, the cartridge with a circuit board according to the first aspect of the present invention is mounted on a printing apparatus having a plurality of stages of elastic electrode terminals, and includes a matrix electrode terminal corresponding to the plurality of stages of electrode terminals. A cartridge with a board, wherein the circuit board is a flexible circuit board, and at least a plurality of matrix electrode terminals of the circuit board have contact portions that contact the electrode terminals of the printing device relatively within the flexible circuit board; It is configured to be deformable.

More specifically, a configuration in which a contact portion that contacts at least an electrode terminal of the multi-stage printing apparatus among matrix electrode terminals of a flexible circuit board having matrix electrode terminals is relatively deformable in the flexible circuit board, Further, since each of the contact portions is configured to be deformable in the flexible circuit board, it absorbs variation and vibration of the pressing force of the spring plate electrode, which cannot be achieved conventionally, and the matrix electrode terminal and the The contact state between the electrode terminals of the printing device, which is a spring plate electrode, can be maintained individually between the two electrodes, so that the contact between the multi-stage elastic electrode terminals of the printing device and the matrix electrode terminals of the flexible circuit board is possible. This improves the performance and suppresses contact failure.

Furthermore, the present inventors have deformed the spring plate electrode positioned on the upstream side relative to the downstream side relative to the cartridge insertion direction due to frequent replacement of the cartridge to be mounted on the printing apparatus or attachment / detachment during the printing pause. I found out that there are some. This is because the spring plate electrode is deformed because the contact distance between the upper part of the spring plate electrode and the electrode terminal of the circuit board is longer than that of the lower spring plate electrode. The fluctuation (variation) of the pressing force of the electrode is larger than the lower part of the spring plate electrode corresponding to the lower part of the shaft at the upper part of the spring plate electrode corresponding to the upper part of the shaft with respect to the mounting direction axis of the cartridge. The inventors found it.

In order to solve the above-described problems, the cartridge with a circuit board according to the second to fifth aspects of the present invention is arranged such that the cartridge with a circuit board is interposed between the flexible circuit board having the matrix electrode terminal and the cartridge. A contact body, and the contact body is provided on one surface of the cartridge such that the upper part of the shaft is thicker and the lower part is thinner than the cartridge mounting direction axis, and the contact body is provided on the matrix. It has the structure which has the contact surface contact | abutted with the flexible circuit board provided with the electrode terminal. Therefore, the contact property between the multiple-stage elastic electrode terminals of the printing apparatus and the matrix electrode terminals of the circuit board is further improved, and an effect that contact failure can be suppressed is achieved.

More specifically, the configurations of the second to fifth inventions of the present invention described above, that is, the cartridge with a circuit board is provided with a contact body between the flexible circuit board having the matrix electrode terminals and the cartridge. Further, the contact body is provided on one surface of the cartridge so that the upper part of the shaft is thicker and the lower part is thinner than the cartridge mounting direction axis, and the contact body includes the matrix electrode terminal. The contact surface is in contact with the flexible circuit board, and the flexible circuit board having the matrix electrode terminals is in contact with the contact surface.

The upper part of the spring plate electrode, which is a plurality of elastic electrode terminals of the printing apparatus, is configured to be in contact with the upper part of the contact body. Therefore, the contact pressure between the upper part of the contact body and the upper part of the spring plate electrode is increased, and therefore, the contact pressure with the upper spring plate electrode having a large variation in spring pressure is further improved, and the elasticity of the printing apparatus in a plurality of stages It is possible to achieve the above-described effect that contact failure between the electrode terminal and the matrix electrode terminal of the circuit board can be further suppressed.

In the cartridge with a circuit board according to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the contact body is formed of an elastic member made of a soft elastic member such as rubber, sponge, or urethane. Therefore, at least a plurality of matrix electrode terminals of the flexible circuit board provided with the matrix electrode terminals can be relatively deformed in the flexible circuit board at the contact portions that contact the electrode terminals of the printing apparatus. In addition to the effect of the configuration of the first invention that the contact portion can be deformed in the flexible circuit board, as described above, the elastic member further absorbs variation in the pressing force of the spring plate electrode and absorption of vibration. At the same time, the contact between the matrix electrode terminal and the spring plate electrode can be further improved by the elastic drag of the elastic body, and the maintaining performance of the contact state between the electrodes can be further improved. There is an effect that can be done. Therefore, it is possible to further suppress the contact failure between the multiple-stage elastic electrode terminals of the printing apparatus and the matrix electrode terminals of the circuit board.

Further, the abutting body made of the elastic member has a configuration in which the upper part of the shaft is thicker and the lower part is thinner than the mounting direction axis of the cartridge, so that the second to fifth inventions of the present invention described above. In addition to the effect of the configuration, it is possible to further suppress the contact failure between the multiple-stage elastic electrode terminals of the printing apparatus and the matrix electrode terminals of the circuit board.

In the cartridge with a circuit board according to the seventh to thirteenth aspects of the present invention, since the contact body is constituted by a detachable frame, in addition to the effect of the structure of the invention, the matrix electrode By re-resetting the function of the flexible circuit board provided with the terminals, the flexible circuit board that has been printed can be reused.

Therefore, it is possible to recycle resources and simplify the manufacturing process of the cartridge with a circuit board, and it is possible to produce an excellent effect that the cartridge with a circuit board of the present invention can be manufactured at low cost.

In addition to the configuration of the present invention as described above, the cartridge with a circuit board according to the fifteenth aspect of the present invention is not necessarily provided with an electrode terminal provided by the present inventors for a circuit board. The electrode springs are not all of the same thickness and the planes of the individual electrodes are not aligned on the same plane. It is possible to produce an effect that it is possible to absorb unevenness and vibration of the pressing force of the plate electrode and to suppress poor contact between the multiple-stage elastic electrode terminals of the printing apparatus and the matrix electrode terminals of the circuit board.

In addition to the configuration of the present invention as described above, the cartridge with a circuit board of the eighteenth to nineteenth aspects of the present invention has an attachment body in which the frame body holds the flexible circuit board. In addition, the attachment body has a receiving portion having a height difference that is pressed against the matrix electrode terminal of the flexible circuit board. Therefore, the flexible circuit board having the matrix electrode terminal of the present invention can be deformed by the pressing force of the spring plate electrode and the circuit board itself is an elastic body and has an elastic force. By adopting a configuration in which the matrix electrode terminal of the flexible circuit board is pressed against the receiving portion in which the height difference is formed, the pressing force of the spring plate electrode is greatly applied to the height difference mountain portion of the receiving portion. If it does so, the spring elastic force of the said spring electrode to engage substantially can be strengthened, and contact property can be ensured. Furthermore, since the circuit board itself is an elastic body and has an elastic force around the peak portion of the flexible circuit board, the contact force between the spring plate electrode and the flexible circuit can be secured by the elastic force. Therefore, the contact between the matrix electrode terminal provided on the flexible circuit board and the spring plate electrode can be improved.

1 is a schematic diagram showing a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows embodiment of the flexible circuit board which has a matrix electrode terminal of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows embodiment of the flexible circuit board which has a matrix electrode terminal of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows other embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows other embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows other embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows other embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows other embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic diagram of a circuit board having a conventional circuit board electrode. It is a schematic diagram which shows a mode that the conventional circuit board is mounted | worn with a printing apparatus. It is a schematic diagram which shows other embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows other embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows other embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows other embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows other embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows other embodiment of this invention.

(First embodiment of the present invention)
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a first embodiment of the present invention. 1a is a schematic view showing a cartridge with a circuit board of the present invention provided with a flexible circuit board 2 having matrix electrode terminals on one surface constituting the cartridge body, and FIG. 1b is a matrix electrode. It is a schematic diagram of the cartridge 1 with a circuit board of the present invention provided with a flexible circuit board 2 having terminals embedded in one surface constituting the cartridge body. FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing an example of the flexible circuit board 2 having the matrix electrode terminal 5 of the present invention.

A cartridge with a circuit board 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention is mounted on a printing apparatus having a plurality of stages of elastic electrode terminals, and includes a circuit board having matrix electrode terminals 5 corresponding to the plurality of stages of electrode terminals 7. The circuit board is a flexible circuit board 2, and at least a plurality of matrix electrode terminals 5 of the circuit board have contact portions in contact with the electrode terminals 7 of the printing device in the flexible circuit board 2. Therefore, it can be relatively deformed.

In the present embodiment, the flexible circuit board 2 used in the present invention has a configuration in which matrix electrode terminals 5 are irregularly arranged and arranged in different shapes as shown in FIG. I use it. And it is the flexible circuit board 2 which can deform | transform freely as shown to bd of FIG. 2, Comprising: The matrix electrode terminal 5 provided in the said circuit board is also deformable. Further, the flexible circuit board 2 itself is an elastic body and has an elastic force.

Therefore, when the cartridge 1 with a circuit board of the present invention is mounted on a printing apparatus having a plurality of stages of elastic electrode terminals 7, the flexible circuit board 2 used in the present invention has a plurality of stages of elastic electrodes composed of spring plate electrodes. The matrix electrode terminal 5 can be deformed by the pressing force of the terminals 7 and each of the matrix electrode terminals 5 can be deformed by the pressing force of the elastic electrode terminals 7 in a plurality of stages.

Therefore, the contact property between each of the plurality of elastic electrode terminals 7 of the printing apparatus and each of the matrix electrode terminals 5 of the circuit board is improved, and it is possible to suppress contact failure.

More specifically, at least a contact portion of the flexible circuit board 2 having the matrix electrode terminal 5 that comes into contact with the electrode terminal 7 of the multi-stage printing apparatus can be relatively deformed in the flexible circuit board 2. In addition, since the individual contact portions can be deformed in a flexible manner, it is possible to absorb variations and vibrations in the pressing force of the spring plate electrode 7 that could not be achieved in the past, and the matrix The contact state between the electrode terminal 5 and the electrode terminal 7 of the printing device, which is the spring plate electrode, can be maintained individually for the two electrodes, so that the multiple-stage elastic electrode terminals 7 and the flexible circuit board of the printing device can be maintained. The contact with the second matrix electrode terminal 5 is improved, and the contact failure can be suppressed.

As described above, the present invention absorbs the pressure fluctuations of the individual electrodes of the circuit board even if there is pressure fluctuations (variations) of the spring board electrodes due to vibrations of the printing device or deformation of the spring board electrodes. The contact state between the electrode terminal of the printing device and the electrode terminal of the printing device which is the spring plate electrode is maintained, and the contact property between each of the plurality of elastic electrode terminals of the printing device and each of the plurality of electrode terminals of the circuit board is improved. A cartridge provided with a circuit board which solves a subject and controls poor contact can be provided.

As a result of a printing test using the cartridge 1 with a circuit board of the present invention, the spring plate electrode 7 caused by the vibration of the printing apparatus is displaced or bounced from the electrode of the circuit board, and the contact between the electrodes does not leave, In other words, it was possible to absorb each pressure variation (variation) of the spring plate electrode 7 due to vibration of the printing device or deformation of the spring plate electrode, and to print well without causing any contact failure.

FIG. 8 shows a schematic diagram of a circuit board having a conventional circuit board electrode. FIG. 8A shows a circuit board electrode 11 that is a conventional rigid electrode, and FIG. 8B shows that this circuit board is in contact with the spring plate electrode 7 of the printing apparatus. It is a schematic diagram which shows. Since the conventional electrode terminal 11 and the circuit board 10 are rigid, the contact state between the electrode terminal 11 and the spring plate electrode 7 may cause the spring plate electrode to deviate or spring from the circuit board electrode due to the vibration of the printing apparatus. As a result, contact between the electrodes is momentarily separated, resulting in contact failure. That is, since the electrode terminal 11 provided on the circuit board 10 is rigid and hard and solid, the pressure fluctuation of the spring plate electrode 7 cannot be absorbed with respect to each of a large number of electrodes, and the occurrence rate of contact failure cannot be lowered.

(Second embodiment of the present invention)
FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3A shows that the cartridge 1 with circuit board includes a contact body 6 between the flexible circuit board 2 provided with the matrix electrode terminals 5 and the cartridge, and the contact body 6 further includes a cartridge mounting direction axis. The abutment body 6 is provided on one surface of the cartridge so that the upper part of the shaft is thick and the lower part is thin, and the abutment body 6 is matrixed on the abutment surface that abuts on the flexible circuit board 2 provided with the matrix electrode terminals 5. It is a schematic diagram of the example which contacted the flexible circuit board 2 which has an electrode terminal. FIG. 3B is a schematic diagram showing a state in which the cartridge 1 with a circuit board having the above-described configuration is mounted on the printing apparatus and is in contact with a plurality of stages of elastic electrode terminals 7 of the printing apparatus.

The cartridge with a circuit board 1 according to the second embodiment of the present invention includes a contact body 6 between the cartridge with the circuit board 1 and the flexible circuit board 2 provided with the matrix electrode terminals 5 and the cartridge. It can be configured. The contact body 6 is provided on one surface of the cartridge so that the upper part of the shaft is thick and the lower part is thin with respect to the mounting direction axis of the cartridge, and the contact body includes the matrix electrode terminal. It is preferable to have a configuration having a contact surface that contacts the flexible circuit board 2 and a configuration in which the flexible circuit board 2 provided with the matrix electrode terminals 5 contacts the contact surface. Here, the configuration in which the upper part of the shaft is thicker and the lower part is thinner means that if it is thinner in the direction of the lower part, the upper part of the shaft has a curved surface in the vertical direction of the shaft and becomes thinner toward the end part. Such a configuration is also included in the configuration of the present invention.

In addition, the contact body 6 can be inclined with respect to the mounting direction axis of the cartridge so as to gradually become thinner toward the lower part of the shaft. Still further, the abutment body 6 can be configured to have a step where the upper part of the shaft is thick and the lower part is thin.

According to the present inventors, the spring plate electrode positioned on the upstream side relative to the downstream side with respect to the cartridge insertion direction is deformed due to frequent replacement of the cartridge to be installed in the printing apparatus or attachment / detachment during the printing pause. I found out that there are some. This is because the spring plate electrode is deformed because the contact distance between the upper part of the spring plate electrode and the electrode terminal of the circuit board is longer than that of the lower spring plate electrode. The fluctuation (variation) of the pressing force of the electrode is larger than the lower part of the spring plate electrode corresponding to the lower part of the shaft at the upper part of the spring plate electrode corresponding to the upper part of the shaft with respect to the mounting direction axis of the cartridge. The inventors found it.

The deformation of the spring plate electrode will be described with reference to FIG. 9a shows a state in which the circuit board 10 is first attached to the printing apparatus, FIG. 9b shows a state in the middle of attachment, and FIG. 9c shows a state in which attachment has been completed. As can be seen from the figure, the upper portion 7A of the spring plate electrode 7 of the printing apparatus has a long contact distance with the electrode terminal 11 of the circuit board 10 from when the circuit board is mounted to when it is completed. Therefore, as described above, the spring plate electrode upper portion 7A corresponding to the upper portion of the shaft with respect to the mounting direction axis of the cartridge is more deformed than the spring plate electrode lower portion 7B corresponding to the lower portion of the shaft (see FIG. The variation of the pressing force of the spring plate electrode) is large.

With respect to the above problems, in the second embodiment, that is, in the cartridge 1 with circuit board of the second to fifth inventions, the cartridge 1 with circuit board is the matrix electrode terminal 5. The flexible circuit board 2 having the cartridge and the cartridge are provided with an abutment body 6, and the cartridge is arranged such that the abutment body 6 is thicker in the upper part of the shaft and thinner in the mounting direction axis of the cartridge. The contact body 6 has a contact surface that contacts the flexible circuit board 2 including the matrix electrode terminals 5. Therefore, the contact property between the multiple-stage elastic electrode terminals 7 of the printing apparatus and the matrix electrode terminals 5 of the circuit board is further improved, and an effect that contact failure can be suppressed is achieved.

More specifically, the spring plate electrode upper portion 7A, which is a plurality of stages of elastic electrode terminals 7 of the printing apparatus, is configured to be in contact with the upper portion of the contact body 6. For this reason, the contact pressure between the upper part of the contact body 6 and the upper part of the spring plate electrode 7A is increased, and therefore, the contact pressure with the upper spring plate electrode 7A having a large variation in spring pressure is further improved. It is possible to achieve an effect that the contact failure between the stepped elastic electrode terminal 7 and the matrix electrode terminal 5 of the flexible circuit board can be further suppressed.

The contact body 6 of the present invention as described above may be molded integrally with the cartridge housing or may be a detachable system. When the material of the contact portion is made of plastic, it is not particularly limited, but a relatively soft material such as soft PVC or EVAC is preferably used. Further, the contact body 6 may be configured such that the inside of the contact body 6 is hollow and the elastic force of the flexible circuit board 2 provided with the matrix electrode terminals 5 is expressed. When the contact body 6 has a hollow structure as described above, contactability between the flexible circuit board 2 and the spring plate electrode 7 is further improved as described later in detail.

Next, a cartridge 1 with a circuit board according to another embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the present embodiment, the contact body 6 is composed of an elastic member made of a soft elastic member such as rubber, sponge, or urethane. A schematic diagram of this embodiment is shown in FIGS.

In the present embodiment, the contact body 6 is formed of an elastic member made of a soft elastic member such as rubber, sponge, or urethane. 4A, the cartridge with circuit board 1 is constituted by an elastic member made of a soft elastic member such as rubber, sponge, urethane, etc., between the flexible circuit board 2 provided with the matrix electrode terminals 5 and the cartridge. An example is shown in which one surface of the cartridge is provided with a structure in which the contact body 6 is inclined with respect to the cartridge mounting direction axis so as to become gradually thinner toward the lower part of the shaft. 4a shows a schematic view of an example in which the flexible circuit board 2 having the matrix electrode terminals 5 is brought into contact with the contact surface of the contact body 6. FIG. FIG. 4B is a schematic view showing a state where the cartridge 1 with a circuit board having the above-described configuration is mounted on the printing apparatus and is in contact with a plurality of stages of elastic electrode terminals 7 of the printing apparatus.

As described above, the abutment body 6 is composed of an elastic member made of a soft elastic member such as rubber, sponge, urethane, etc. In addition to the effects of the first embodiment described above in the first embodiment. 4B, the elastic force of the elastic member constituting the contact body 6 is caused by the variation in the pressing force and vibration of the upper portion 7A of the spring plate electrode 7 via the flexible circuit board 2. As shown in FIG. It can be seen that the contact between the matrix electrode terminal 5 and the upper portion 7A of the spring plate electrode 7 is further improved by the elastic drag of the elastic body.

Therefore, since the maintenance performance of the contact state between the electrodes can be further improved, it is possible to further suppress contact failure between the plurality of elastic electrode terminals 7 of the printing apparatus and the matrix electrode terminal 5 of the circuit board. There is an effect.

FIG. 5 is a schematic view showing an example in which the structure of the contact body 6 has a step in which the upper part of the shaft is thick and the lower part is thin with respect to the mounting direction axis of the cartridge. FIG. 5A shows a cartridge having a structure in which the contact member 6 made of an elastic member has a step in which the upper part of the shaft is thick and the lower part is thin with respect to the mounting direction axis of the cartridge. 5B is a schematic diagram showing an example provided on one surface, and FIG. 5B shows that the cartridge 1 with a circuit board is mounted on the printing apparatus and is in contact with the upper part of the elastic electrode terminals 7 of the printing apparatus. It is a schematic diagram which shows a mode. As shown in the schematic diagram of FIG. 5b, in addition to the effects of the first embodiment described in the first embodiment, the elastic force of the elastic member constituting the contact body 6 is a flexible circuit board. 2 to absorb the variation and vibration of the pressing force on the upper part of the spring plate electrode 7 and further to improve the contact between the matrix electrode terminal 5 and the upper part of the spring plate electrode 7 by the elastic drag of the elastic body. It turns out that it is improving.

Therefore, since the maintenance performance of the contact state between the electrodes can be further improved, it is possible to further suppress contact failure between the plurality of elastic electrode terminals 7 of the printing apparatus and the matrix electrode terminal 5 of the circuit board. There is an effect.

Furthermore, a cartridge with a circuit board according to another embodiment of the present invention will be described. In this Embodiment, the contact body 6 of this invention is comprised by the detachable frame. A schematic diagram of this embodiment is shown in FIG. FIG. 6A is a schematic view of the contact body 6 formed by embedding and attaching the flexible circuit board 2 having the matrix electrode terminals 5 to the frame body 8. FIG. 6B is a schematic view of the contact body 6 in which the flexible circuit board 2 having the matrix electrode terminals 5 is attached to the surface of the frame body 8. FIG. 6 c is a schematic view of the contact body 6 formed by embedding and attaching the flexible circuit board 2 having the matrix electrode terminals 5 in the frame body 8 having the cavity 9. 6d is a schematic view of the contact body 6 attached to the surface of the flexible circuit board 2 having the matrix electrode terminals 5 on the frame body 8 having the cavities 9. FIG.

The contact body 6 of the present invention is configured to be detachable from the cartridge housing, but the detachable structure is not particularly limited. Moreover, although it does not specifically limit when comprising by the plastics as the material of the frame 8 as a contact part, It can be set as a comparatively soft material, soft PVC, and EVAC. By using a relatively soft material, a contact portion that contacts at least the electrode terminal 7 of the multi-stage printing apparatus among the matrix electrode terminals 5 of the flexible circuit board 2 having the matrix electrode terminals 5 is formed in the flexible circuit board 2. This is preferable because a relatively deforming function is more easily expressed.

  This embodiment is more preferable because the following effects can be obtained in addition to the functions and effects of the above-described embodiments. Since the contact body of the present invention is constituted by a detachable frame, the flexible circuit board that has been printed can be reused by resetting the function of the flexible circuit board having matrix electrode terminals. This makes it possible to reuse resources and simplify the manufacturing process of the cartridge with circuit board. Accordingly, the cartridge with a circuit board of the present invention can be manufactured at low cost.

  The configuration of the above-described contact body of the present invention as a detachable frame body is not particularly limited, and various methods can be adopted. Any one of a slide type, a fitting type and a screwing type can be used on one surface of the cartridge. Can be adopted. Since the flexible circuit board having the matrix electrode terminal of the present invention is deformable and can absorb the pressure fluctuation of the spring plate electrode 7 due to the vibration of the printing apparatus, the above-described configuration that allows the frame to be fitted is adopted. This is preferable in that the above-described effects can be obtained and the circuit board can be easily replaced and reused.

In the schematic diagram of FIG. 6c which is an embodiment of the present invention, the contact body 6 is configured by embedding and attaching the flexible circuit board 2 having the matrix electrode terminals 5 to the frame body 8 having the cavity 9. Yes. Further, in the schematic diagram of FIG. 6 d, the contact body 6 having the cavity 9 is configured by attaching the flexible circuit board 2 having the matrix electrode terminal 5 to the surface of the frame body 8 having the cavity 9.

6 and 6 of the present embodiment, both of the contact portions that contact at least the electrode terminals 7 of the multi-stage printing apparatus among the matrix electrode terminals 5 of the flexible circuit board 2 having the matrix electrode terminals 5 of the present invention are provided. Although relatively deformed in the flexible circuit board 2, the surface side facing the electrode terminal 7 of the printing apparatus with which the circuit board 2 contacts is hollow.

For this reason, the space portion constituting the contact body 6 acts as a cushion, and the individual pressing force of the spring plate electrode 7 through the flexible circuit board 2 is different from each other in the pressing force of the flexible board matrix electrode terminal 5. The pressure fluctuation of both electrodes due to vibration of the printing apparatus is absorbed, and the elastic circuit terminal has a plurality of elastic electrode terminals (spring plate electrodes) 7 and a plurality of circuit board stages. The contact property with each of the matrix electrode terminals 5 can be improved.

As another example of the present embodiment, rubber, sponge, urethane, etc. are provided in the cavity 9 having the frame body 8 having the cavity 9 shown in the schematic diagrams of FIGS. Alternatively, an elastic member made of a soft elastic member may be embedded, and a flexible circuit board having the matrix electrode terminals may be brought into contact with the surface thereof.

In this case, similarly to the case where the contact body itself is formed of an elastic member made of a soft elastic member such as rubber, sponge, or urethane, the elastic member forming the contact body 6 is interposed via the flexible circuit board 2. The spring plate electrode 7 and the flexible substrate matrix electrode terminal 5 absorb variations in pressing force between the individual electrodes and vibrations of the two electrodes due to vibrations of the printing device, and the elastic force of the elastic member allows the above-described printing device to This is preferable because the contact between each of the multiple-stage elastic electrode terminals (spring plate electrodes) 7 and each of the multiple-stage matrix electrode terminals 5 of the circuit board can be improved.

Furthermore, the elastic member is composed of a soft elastic member such as rubber, sponge, urethane, etc., embedded in the frame 8 having the cavity 9, and the elastic member is thicker in the upper part of the shaft than the mounting direction axis of the cartridge. The elastic member may be configured to be inclined so that the elastic member gradually becomes thinner toward the lower part of the shaft with respect to the mounting direction axis of the cartridge. It is good also as a structure which has the step | level where the upper part of the said axis | shaft is thick with respect to the mounting direction axis | shaft and the lower part is thin. Further, the upper portion of the shaft may be thicker and the lower portion may be thinner than the cartridge mounting direction shaft, and the upper portion of the shaft may have a curved surface in the vertical direction of the shaft and may be thinner toward the end portion.

By configuring the elastic member as described above, in addition to the effects of the first embodiment as described above, the elastic force of the elastic member constituting the contact body 6 causes the flexible circuit board 2 to To absorb the variation and vibration of the pressing force on the upper part of the spring plate electrode 7 and to further improve the contact property between the matrix electrode terminal 5 and the upper part of the spring plate electrode 7 by the elastic drag of the elastic body. It is more preferable because it is possible.

Moreover, the schematic diagram at the time of making the contact body 6 of above-mentioned embodiment contact | abut to a cartridge to make the cartridge 1 with a circuit board of this invention was shown to e and f of FIG. Further, in the present embodiment in which the frame body 8 is the contact body 6, the cavity 9 may or may not be filled with an elastic member. In the present embodiment, an example is shown in which the abutment body 6 is attached by sliding it in the direction of the arrow shown by f in FIG.

More specifically, in this embodiment, a recess 15 corresponding to a plurality of protrusions 16 provided in the contact body 6 is further provided in the recess 14 of the cartridge, and the contact body 6 is connected to the recess 14. The projection 16 and the recess 15 are fitted and fixed in a sliding manner from the direction of the arrow. In the present embodiment, an example in which the abutting body 6 is abutted in a sliding manner is shown, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the present invention includes the abutting body 6 that is detachable.

Further, another embodiment in which the contact body 6 is constituted by the frame body 8 will be described.
6 (g) and 6 (h), a holding member 17 for contacting the flexible circuit board 2 is provided in the space 9 provided in the frame 8, and the flexible circuit board 2 is applied to the contact surface of the holding material. It is made into the structure which touches. Such a configuration is also included in the configuration of the present invention. More specifically, the contact body 6 shown in FIGS. 6G and 6H is constituted by a frame body 8, and a space portion 9 is provided in the frame body 8, and the holding shown in the space portion 9 is illustrated. In this embodiment, the member 17 is provided.

The holding member 17 has a surface in which the upper part of the shaft is thick and the lower part is thin with respect to the mounting direction axis of the cartridge and the vertical direction of the shaft is curved at the upper part of the shaft and becomes thinner toward the end. It has a configuration. In the present invention, the configuration of the contact body 6 as described above is also included in the configuration of the present invention. In short, the configuration in which the upper portion of the shaft is thicker and the lower portion is thinner is included in the configuration of the present invention as long as it is thinner in the direction of the lower portion.

As described above, the flexible circuit board 2 provided with the matrix electrode terminal of the present invention can be deformed by the pressing force of the spring plate electrode 7, and the circuit board 2 itself is an elastic body and has elastic force. Further, since the central portion of the upper portion of the holding member 17 is thick, a large pressing force of the spring plate electrode 7 is applied near the center of the flexible circuit board 2 having the elastic force. Then, the vicinity of the center of the flexible circuit board 2 is dented and the elastic drag of the elastic body is increased in the periphery, and the contact resistance between the spring plate electrode 7 and the flexible circuit 2 is improved by the elastic drag, and the flexible circuit board 2 is provided. Further, the contact property between the matrix electrode terminal 5 and the spring plate electrode 7 can be improved.

As a result of a printing test using the cartridge 1 with a circuit board of the present invention configured as described above, the spring plate electrode 7 due to vibration of the printing apparatus is displaced or bounced from the electrode of the circuit board, so that the electrodes In other words, the individual pressure fluctuations (variations) of the spring plate electrode 7 due to vibration of the printing apparatus and deformation of the spring plate electrode were absorbed, and printing could be performed satisfactorily without causing any contact failure.

As another embodiment of the present invention, the matrix electrode terminal 5 provided in the flexible circuit board 2 used in the present invention has irregularly arranged matrix electrode terminals and different shapes as shown in FIG. It can be configured.

Further, as another embodiment of the present invention, the circuit board-equipped cartridge used in the present invention is such that the electrode terminals provided in the circuit base plate are produced, so that all the electrode terminals have the same thickness and are individual electrodes. The flat surfaces of the spring plate electrodes are not aligned on the same plane, and the variation in the pressing force of the spring plate electrode and the vibration are absorbed even in the case of causing a contact failure due to the variation in manufacturing of this electrode. In addition, it is possible to suppress contact failure between the plurality of stages of elastic electrode terminals of the printing apparatus and the matrix electrode terminals of the circuit board.

FIG. 7 shows a schematic diagram as an example of the above embodiment. In FIG. 7, as described above, the electrode terminals provided in the circuit base plate are produced, and the matrix electrode 7 in which all the electrode terminals are not necessarily aligned and the planes of the individual electrodes are not aligned on the same surface is the flexible circuit board 2. The case with which is provided is shown. In this case, an elastic member made of a soft elastic member such as rubber, sponge, urethane or the like is used as an abutment body 6, and a flexible circuit board 2 having matrix electrode terminals 5 is abutted on the abutment surface of the abutment body. The cartridge 1 with a circuit board according to the present invention is configured in contact with one surface.

In addition, 5A and 5B in FIG. 7 differ in the thickness of the electrodes in manufacturing, and the planes of the individual electrodes are not aligned on the same plane, and the matrix electrode terminal 5A is thicker than 5B (thickness in microns). However, since the elastic body is used as the contact body and the matrix electrode and the flexible circuit board are deformable as described with reference to FIG. 2, the spring of the electrode terminal 7 of the multi-stage printing apparatus The elastic body absorbs the pressure by the pressing, and the contact property between the electrodes can be satisfactorily brought into contact by the elastic effect.

Further, a circuit board-equipped cartridge 1 according to another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 12, the frame body 8 has a cavity 9 inside and a mounting body 18 that holds the flexible circuit board 2. Then, the mounting body 18 mounts the frame body 8 on a cartridge as shown in FIGS. 6 (e) and 6 (f), and the cartridge with circuit board 1 of the present invention has a plurality of stages of elastic electrode terminals 7 (spring plates). When mounted on a printing apparatus having an electrode), the attachment body 18 is provided on the surface of the frame pair 8 in a direction in contact with the spring plate electrode 7. And the flexible circuit board 2 which has the said matrix electrode terminal becomes a structure attached on the said attachment body 18 surface. In the present embodiment, the matrix electrode terminal 5 portion on the flexible circuit board 2 is disposed on the upper surface of the mounting body 18, but the memory 24 and wiring (not shown) provided on the flexible circuit board 2 are provided. The flexible circuit board 2 at a portion having a portion is accommodated in a hollow portion 9 in the frame body 8 through an opening portion 19 of the attachment body 18.

By adopting such a configuration, as described above, the contact portion that contacts at least the electrode terminal 7 of the multi-stage printing apparatus among the matrix electrode terminals 5 of the flexible circuit board 2 provided with the matrix electrode terminals 5 is configured as described above. Since the configuration is such that the flexible circuit board 2 can be relatively deformed, and the individual contact portions can be deformed within the flexible circuit board, the pressing of the spring plate electrode 7 that has not been possible in the past has been achieved. In order to absorb pressure variations and vibrations and maintain the contact state between the matrix electrode terminal 5 and the electrode terminal 7 of the printing device, which is the spring plate electrode, between the electrodes individually, The contact property between the multi-stage elastic electrode terminals 7 and the matrix electrode terminals 5 of the flexible circuit board 2 is improved, and the contact failure can be suppressed. . Further, since the memory 24 and wiring (not shown) provided on the flexible circuit board 2 are accommodated in the cavity 9 of the frame body 8, they are protected from friction and impact without coming into contact with the outside. It is the composition which becomes.

Further, the mounting body 18 according to the present embodiment has a height difference in which the mounting body 18 is pressed against the matrix electrode terminal 5 of the flexible circuit board 2 as shown in FIGS. The configuration has a portion 19. The receiving portion 19 of the present embodiment is composed of a receiving portion 19b on the front end side and a receiving portion 19a on the rear end side in the direction in which the flexible circuit board 2 is mounted (the arrow direction in FIGS. 10 and 12). In addition, the receiving portion 19b on the distal end side has a height difference having three peak portions. In addition, the receiving portion 19a on the rear end side has a height difference in which the central portion has one peak portion. And in this Embodiment, the thickness of the said attachment body 18 is formed with 1.0 mm, and the height difference formed in the said receiving part 19 in this case is 0.2 mm. The size and number of peaks as the height difference formed on the mounting body 18 can be appropriately determined in consideration of the variation characteristics of the spring of the electrode terminal 7 (spring electrode) of the printing apparatus.

The mounting body 18 includes a plurality of fixing protrusions 20 for fixing the flexible circuit board 2 having the matrix electrode terminals, and fixing holes for fixing the mounting body 18 to the frame body 8. The portion 22 and the fixing opening 23 are formed. The fixing projection 20 is configured to be engaged with a hole (not shown) formed in the flexible circuit board 2. Further, the fixing hole portion 22 and the fixing opening portion 23 are configured to be engaged and fixed to an engaging protrusion (not shown) formed on the frame body 8.

As described above, the flexible circuit board 2 having the matrix electrode terminal 5 of the present invention can be deformed by the pressing force of the spring plate electrode 7 and the circuit board 2 itself is an elastic body and has an elastic force. Therefore, by adopting a configuration in which the matrix electrode terminal 5 of the flexible circuit board 2 is pressed against the receiving portion 19 in which the height difference is formed in the mounting body 18, the spring is formed on the peak portion of the receiving portion 19. A large pressing force is applied to the plate electrode 7. If it does so, the spring elastic force of the said spring electrode to engage substantially can be strengthened, and contact property can be ensured. Furthermore, since the circuit board itself is an elastic body and has an elastic force around the peak portion of the flexible circuit board, the contact force between the spring plate electrode and the flexible circuit can be secured by the elastic force. Therefore, the contact property between the matrix electrode terminal provided on the flexible circuit board and the spring plate electrode can be improved. Therefore, the contact between the matrix electrode terminal 5 provided on the flexible circuit board 2 and the spring plate electrode 7 can be improved, so that variations in the pressing force and vibration of the spring plate electrode 7 are absorbed, The contact state between the matrix electrode terminal 5 and the electrode terminal 7 of the printing apparatus which is the spring plate electrode can be maintained individually. And since the contact property of the elastic electrode terminal 7 of the multistage of a printing apparatus and the matrix electrode terminal 5 of the flexible circuit board 2 improves, there exists an effect that a contact failure can be suppressed.

Moreover, the cartridge 1 with a circuit board which is other embodiment of this invention is demonstrated with reference to FIGS. 13-15 below. The other embodiment is a modification of the embodiment described with reference to FIGS. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 13 to 15, in addition to the configuration of the other embodiment of the present invention described above, the tip end portion of the attachment body 18 that holds the flexible circuit board 2 ( The flexible circuit board 2 has a fixing protection portion 25 for mounting and fixing the flexible circuit board 2 in the direction in which the flexible circuit board 2 is mounted (in the direction of the arrows in FIGS. 13 to 15). The fixed protection unit 25 will be further described with reference to FIG. As shown in the figure, the attachment body 18 has a fixed protection portion 25 at the tip portion. And the front-end | tip part of the flexible circuit board 2 contact | abuts to the said fixed protection part 25, and becomes a structure fixed. Further, the end portion of the fixed protection portion 25 is configured to have an R so that the cartridge with circuit board 1 of the present invention can be easily attached to a printing apparatus having the plurality of stages of elastic electrode terminals 7 (spring plate electrodes). Yes. When the cartridge 1 with a circuit board is mounted on a printing apparatus having the plurality of stages of elastic electrode terminals 7 (spring plate electrodes) by adopting a configuration as shown in another embodiment of the present invention. In addition, it is possible to prevent the tip of the flexible circuit board 2 fixed to the attachment body 18 from being turned over or damaged, and to smoothly mount the cartridge 1 with circuit board.

In addition, the attachment body 18 is configured to include a receiving portion 19 having a height difference that is pressed against the matrix electrode terminal 5 of the flexible circuit board 2, but the receiving portion 19 of the present embodiment includes The front end receiving portion 19b and the rear end receiving portion 19a in the direction in which the flexible circuit board 2 is mounted (the arrow direction in FIGS. 10 and 12), and the front end receiving portion 19b It is desirable that the height difference between the receiving portion 19a on the rear end side is such that the receiving portion 19a on the rear end side has a higher thickness and the receiving portion 19b on the front end side has a lower thickness. With such a configuration, when the cartridge with circuit board 1 of the present invention is mounted on the printing apparatus having the plurality of stages of elastic electrode terminals 7 (spring plate electrodes), it can be mounted smoothly and without difficulty.

Further, as described above with reference to FIG. 9, the upper stage 7A of the spring plate electrode 7 of the printing apparatus is formed on the circuit board from the time of mounting the circuit board to the completion thereof. It can be seen that the distance of contact with the ten electrode terminals 11 is long. Therefore, the spring plate electrode upper portion 7A corresponding to the upper portion of the shaft with respect to the mounting direction axis of the cartridge is more deformed (spring plate electrode pressing) than the spring plate electrode lower portion 7B corresponding to the lower portion of the shaft. The pressure difference between the front end side receiving portion 19b and the rear end side receiving portion 19a is different from that of the rear end. The receiving portion 19a on the side has a higher thickness and the receiving portion 19b on the front end side has a lower thickness, so that variations and vibrations in the pressing force of the spring plate electrode can be absorbed, and the printing device can have a plurality of stages. An effect that contact failure between the elastic electrode terminal and the matrix electrode terminal of the circuit board can be further suppressed can be achieved.

Further, the height difference between the receiving portion 19b on the front end side and the receiving portion 19a on the rear end side is 0. In the case of the receiving portion 19b on the front end side, the difference in height between the peaks provided on each receiving portion is 0. In the case of the receiving portion 19a on the rear end side of 1 mm to 0.2 mm, it can be set to 0.2 mm to 0.4 mm, but the peak size and number as the height difference formed on the mounting body 18 are: It can be determined as appropriate in consideration of the variation characteristics of the spring of the electrode terminal 7 (spring electrode) of the printing apparatus. Further, the height difference of the receiving portion 19 can be determined as appropriate so as to correspond to each electrode terminal of the flexible circuit board.

As described above, even in the case of causing contact failure due to variations in manufacturing of the electrodes, it is possible to absorb the variations and vibrations of the pressing force of the spring plate electrodes and to provide a plurality of elastic electrode terminals of the printing apparatus. It is possible to suppress the contact failure between the circuit board and the matrix electrode terminal of the circuit board.

Further, the use of the configuration of the present invention is excellent in that the effect of the present invention can be obtained even when the flexible circuit board has a large number of matrix terminals, for example, 9 or more.

Furthermore, the cartridge with a circuit board of the present invention can be applied to cartridges used in various printing apparatuses such as ink cartridges, toner cartridges, and ribbon cartridges, regardless of the type of ink.

  As described above, in the cartridge with a circuit board 1 of the present invention, at least a plurality of matrix electrode terminals 5 of the flexible circuit board 2 provided with matrix electrode terminals have contact portions that contact the electrode terminals 7 of the printing device. A structure that is relatively deformable within the substrate 2, and further, the cartridge with circuit board 1 includes a contact body 6 between the flexible circuit board 2 having the matrix electrode terminal and the cartridge, The contact body 6 is provided on one surface of the cartridge such that the upper part of the shaft is thicker and the lower part is thinner than the cartridge mounting direction axis, and the contact body 6 includes the matrix electrode terminals 5. The flexible circuit board 2 has a contact surface that contacts the flexible circuit board 2, and the contact surface is provided with the matrix electrode terminal. Since the circuit board 2 is in contact with each other and the contact body 6 is made of an elastic member made of a soft elastic member such as rubber, sponge, urethane, etc., vibrations of the printing apparatus and the spring plate electrode 7 Even if there is pressure fluctuation (variation) of the spring plate electrode 7 due to deformation, the pressure fluctuation of the individual electrodes of the circuit board is absorbed, and the electrode terminal 5 of the circuit board and the electrode terminal of the printing device which is the spring board electrode 7 is a circuit board in which the contact state between the multi-stage elastic electrode terminals 7 of the printing apparatus and the multi-stage electrode terminals 5 of the circuit board is improved. There is an excellent effect that a cartridge with a circuit board having the above can be provided.

The cartridge with a circuit board of the present invention can be applied to various cartridges including a circuit board having electrodes used in a printing apparatus, regardless of the type of ink, such as an ink cartridge, a toner cartridge, and a ribbon cartridge.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Cartridge with circuit board 2 Flexible circuit board which has matrix electrode terminal 3 Ink chamber 4 Ink discharge port 5 Matrix electrode terminal (5A, 5B)
6 Contact body 7 Multiple-stage elastic electrode terminals (spring plate electrodes) provided in the printing apparatus (7A, 7B)
8 Frame body 9 Cavity 10 Circuit board 11 Electrode terminal 12 Memory 13 Cartridge mounting direction (arrow direction)
14 concave portion 15 concave portion 16 convex portion 17 holding member 18 attachment body 19 receiving portion 20 fixing convex portion 21 opening portion 22 fixing hole portion 23 to frame frame fixing opening portion 24 memory 25 fixing protection portion

Claims (19)

A cartridge with a circuit board mounted on a printing apparatus having a plurality of stages of elastic electrode terminals and having matrix electrode terminals corresponding to the plurality of stages of electrode terminals, wherein the circuit board is a flexible circuit board and the circuit board A cartridge with a circuit board, wherein at least a plurality of matrix electrode terminals can be relatively deformed in the flexible circuit board at a contact portion that contacts the electrode terminal of the printing apparatus. The cartridge with a circuit board according to claim 1, wherein the cartridge with a circuit board includes a contact body between the cartridge and the flexible circuit board having the matrix electrode terminals.   The contact body according to claim 2 is provided on one surface of the cartridge so that an upper portion of the shaft is thick and a lower portion is thin with respect to a mounting direction axis of the cartridge, and the contact body includes the matrix electrode terminal. A cartridge with a circuit board, wherein the cartridge has a contact surface that contacts the flexible circuit board.   4. The cartridge with a circuit board, wherein the contact body according to claim 3 is inclined so as to gradually become thinner toward a lower portion of the shaft with respect to a mounting direction axis of the cartridge.   4. The cartridge with a circuit board according to claim 3, wherein the contact body has a step in which the upper part of the shaft is thick and the lower part is thin with respect to the mounting direction axis of the cartridge. A cartridge with a circuit board, wherein the contact body according to any one of claims 2 to 5 is formed of an elastic member made of a soft elastic member such as rubber, sponge, or urethane. 6. A cartridge with a circuit board, wherein the contact body according to claim 2 comprises a detachable frame. 8. A cartridge with a circuit board, wherein the removable frame according to claim 7 is one of a slide type, a fitting type and a screw type on one surface of the cartridge.   The frame body according to claim 8, wherein the frame body has an opening, and a flexible circuit board including the matrix electrode terminals is in contact with the frame body so as to close the opening. cartridge.   An elastic member made of a soft elastic member such as rubber, sponge, or urethane is accommodated in the opening of the frame body according to claim 9, and a flexible circuit board having the matrix electrode terminal is brought into contact with the elastic member. A cartridge with a circuit board.   11. The cartridge with a circuit board, wherein the elastic member according to claim 10 has a contact surface configured such that an upper portion of the shaft is thick and a lower portion is thin with respect to a mounting direction axis of the cartridge.   12. The cartridge with a circuit board, wherein the elastic member according to claim 11 is inclined so as to become gradually thinner toward a lower portion of the shaft with respect to a mounting direction axis of the cartridge.   13. The cartridge with a circuit board according to claim 12, wherein the elastic member has a step in which the upper part of the shaft is thick and the lower part is thin with respect to the mounting direction axis of the cartridge.   A cartridge with a circuit board, wherein the matrix electrode terminals according to claim 1 are irregularly arranged and have different shapes. 15. A cartridge with a circuit board, wherein the matrix electrode terminals according to claim 1 have different thicknesses.   A cartridge with a circuit board, comprising nine or more matrix electrode terminals according to any one of claims 1 to 15. The cartridge with a circuit board according to any one of claims 1 to 16, wherein the cartridge with a circuit board is any one of an ink cartridge, a toner cartridge, and a ribbon cartridge.   A cartridge with a circuit board, wherein the frame according to any one of claims 7 to 9 has a mounting body for holding the flexible circuit board. The cartridge with a circuit board, wherein the mounting body according to claim 18 has a receiving part having a height difference that is pressed against the matrix electrode terminal of the flexible circuit board.

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