JP4411908B2 - Inspection method for liquid conducting material - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a liquid conducting material, a liquid ejecting apparatus, and a liquid conducting material inspection method. In particular, the present invention relates to a liquid conduction material having improved quality, a liquid ejecting apparatus, and a liquid conduction material inspection method.

An ink jet recording apparatus which is an example of a liquid ejecting apparatus performs recording by ejecting ink onto a target such as a recording sheet while reciprocating a recording head. The ink ejected to the target is supplied from the cartridge to the recording head. An ink jet recording apparatus includes a type in which a recording head is mounted on a reciprocating carriage and a cartridge is provided in a main body of the ink jet recording apparatus (see Patent Document 1).
JP 2001-221974 A

  When the cartridge is provided in the main body of the ink jet recording apparatus, the ink jet recording apparatus needs to include a liquid conducting material that conducts liquid from the cartridge to the recording head. As a liquid conducting material, another member is joined to a grooved long base material formed of a flexible material such as elastomer, and a flow path is formed through the space formed by the groove and the other member. What is used as a part can be considered. In this case, when the bonding between the base material and the other member is insufficient, the bonded portion may be peeled off as it is used, and ink leakage may occur. For this reason, it is necessary to use what the base material and the other member joined reliably as a liquid conduction | electrical_connection material.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, the liquid ejecting apparatus is used in a liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects liquid onto a target in a liquid ejecting area, and the liquid ejecting section that ejects liquid from the liquid holding section provided in the main body of the liquid ejecting apparatus. A liquid conducting material for supplying a liquid, having a required number of protrusions provided at intervals along the longitudinal direction and having a flexible elongated base material, and a protrusion Of the flat plate-like long material that is bonded to the base material in the width direction of the base material while covering the upper surface of the substrate, and is formed by the gap between the ridges and the flat plate-like long material. A liquid conducting material is provided that includes a flow path section, and at least one of the base material and the flat plate-like long material is transparent at least in a portion joined to each other in the thickness direction. When the colored liquid is conducted to the flow path portion, the liquid penetrates into a portion where the bonding between the base material and the long plate-like material is insufficient. Here, according to the present embodiment, at least one of the base material and the plate-like long material is transparent at least at the part joined to each other. A portion where the joining of the flat plate-like long material is insufficient can be reliably detected.

  The second aspect of the present invention is used in a liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects liquid onto a target in a liquid ejecting area, and liquid is supplied from a liquid holding unit provided in a main body of the liquid ejecting apparatus to a liquid ejecting section that ejects liquid. A liquid conducting material that has a groove portion along the longitudinal direction and has a flexible long base material, covers the opening surface of the groove portion, and is bonded to the base material. A flat plate-like long material having flexibility, and a liquid channel formed by the groove and the flat plate-like long material, and at least one of the base material and the flat plate-like long material is bonded to each other at least Provided is a liquid conducting material in which a portion thereof is transparent throughout the thickness direction. The same effect as that of the first embodiment can be obtained by the second embodiment.

  In the first and second embodiments, the base material is transparent, and the plate-like long material may be a film in which a metal layer is sandwiched between resin layers. In this case, the above-described effects can be obtained while giving gas barrier properties to the flat plate-like long material.

  A third aspect of the present invention is a liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects liquid onto a target in a liquid ejecting area, the liquid holding unit provided in the main body of the liquid ejecting apparatus, the liquid ejecting unit that ejects liquid, A liquid conducting member that conducts the liquid holding unit and the liquid ejecting unit to supply the liquid to the liquid ejecting unit, and the liquid conducting material has a required number of protrusions provided at intervals along the longitudinal direction. A long substrate having flexibility, and a flat plate-like long material that is bonded to the substrate over the width direction of the substrate while covering the upper surface of the ridge and has flexibility. And at least one of the base material and the plate-like long material is at least a portion joined to each other with a thickness. Provided is a liquid ejection device that is transparent throughout the direction. The effect similar to the 1st form can be acquired also by the 3rd form.

  A fourth aspect of the present invention is a liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects liquid onto a target in a liquid ejecting area, a liquid holding unit provided in a main body of the liquid ejecting apparatus, a liquid ejecting unit that ejects liquid, A liquid conducting material that conducts the liquid holding unit and the liquid ejecting unit and supplies the liquid to the liquid ejecting unit, and the liquid conducting material has a groove portion along the longitudinal direction and has a long shape having flexibility. A flat plate-like long material that covers the opening surface of the groove portion and is bonded to the base material and has flexibility, and a liquid flow path portion that is formed by the groove portion and the flat plate-like long material. And at least one of the base material and the flat plate-like long material provides a liquid ejecting apparatus in which at least portions joined to each other are transparent over the entire thickness direction. The effect similar to the 1st form can be acquired also by the 4th form.

  The fifth aspect of the present invention is used in a liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects liquid onto a target in a liquid ejecting area, and liquid is supplied from a liquid holding unit provided in a main body of the liquid ejecting apparatus to a liquid ejecting section that ejects liquid. A liquid conducting material inspection method for inspecting a liquid conducting material for supplying a liquid, wherein the liquid conducting material has a required number of protrusions provided at intervals along the longitudinal direction, and is flexible. A long plate having flexibility, a flat plate-shaped material that is bonded to the substrate over the width direction of the substrate while covering the upper surface of the ridge, and a gap between the ridges And at least one of the base material and the flat plate-like long material, at least a portion joined to each other extends over the entire thickness direction. By forming a transparent liquid and allowing a colored liquid to flow through the flow path, Inspecting whether or not bonded to the substrate to provide an inspection method of a liquid conductive material. The effect similar to the 1st form can be acquired also by the 5th form.

  A sixth aspect of the present invention is used in a liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects liquid onto a target in a liquid ejecting area, and liquid is supplied from a liquid holding unit provided in a main body of the liquid ejecting apparatus to a liquid ejecting section that ejects liquid. A liquid conducting material inspection method for inspecting a liquid conducting material for supplying a liquid, the liquid conducting material having a groove portion along the longitudinal direction and having a flexible elongated base material, and a groove portion A flat plate-like long material that is bonded to the base material and has flexibility, and a liquid channel portion that is formed by the groove and the flat plate-like long material. At least one of the flat plate-like long materials is formed so that at least the portions joined to each other are transparent throughout the thickness direction, and a colored liquid is conducted to the flow path portion, so that the flat plate-like long material is Providing a method for inspecting liquid conducting material that inspects whether or not it is bonded to a substrate. To. According to the sixth embodiment, the same effect as that of the first embodiment can be obtained.

  The above summary of the invention does not enumerate all the necessary features of the present invention, and sub-combinations of these feature groups can also be the invention.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described through embodiments of the invention. However, the following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the scope of claims, and all combinations of features described in the embodiments are included. It is not necessarily essential for the solution of the invention.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an ink jet recording apparatus 10 using a liquid conducting material 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention with a cover removed, and FIG. 2 is an ink supply that the ink jet recording apparatus 10 has. It is a perspective view of a system. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the ink jet recording apparatus 10 includes a carriage 42 that reciprocates on the recording medium 11 in the main scanning direction, a recording head 44 mounted on the carriage 42, and an ink jet recording apparatus. 10 includes a plurality of cartridges 45 that are detachably fixed to the main body 10 and a liquid conducting material 100 that allows the recording head 44 to conduct to the plurality of cartridges 45. The plurality of cartridges 45 hold inks of different colors. The carriage 42 is driven by a motor (not shown) and reciprocates along the guide shaft 48. The recording head 44 performs recording by ejecting a plurality of colors of ink onto the recording material 11 while reciprocating together with the carriage 42.

  The liquid conducting material 100 has a long shape, and the main part is formed of a transparent flexible material (for example, a transparent thermoplastic elastomer). For this reason, it is possible to visually determine whether or not there is a defect in the flow path portion by conducting the colored liquid.

  The liquid conducting material 100 has a plurality of flow path portions through which ink flows, and supplies ink from each of the plurality of cartridges 45 to the recording head 44 that reciprocates. Therefore, it is possible to supply the recording head 44 with a plurality of colors of ink held by the plurality of cartridges 45 with a single liquid conducting material 100. Therefore, compared with the case where a plurality of inks are supplied to the recording head 44 using a plurality of polyethylene tubes, the space required for drawing the liquid conducting material 100 in the ink jet recording apparatus 10 can be reduced. Moreover, the man-hour when attaching the liquid conduction | electrical_connection material 100 can be decreased.

  FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the liquid conducting material 100. In this figure, the liquid conducting material 100 is broken to show a cross-sectional structure. The liquid conducting material 100 includes a transparent base material 110 and a flat plate-like long material 120 joined to the upper surface of the base material 110.

  The substrate 110 has a substantially rectangular cross-sectional shape, and has a plurality of groove portions 130 extending in the longitudinal direction (four in the drawing) spaced apart from each other on the upper surface. In this example, the cross-sectional shape of the groove part 130 is substantially rectangular, and is formed as a gap between a plurality of protrusions 111 (five in this figure) formed apart from each other in the width direction of the substrate 110.

  The plate-like long material 120 is a flexible film in which, for example, a metal foil is sandwiched between resins, and is joined to the upper surface of the substrate 110 by welding or by adhesion using an adhesive. In this manner, the flat plate-like material 120 covers the opening surface of the groove portion 130, thereby forming an ink flow path portion together with the groove portion 130 (or the plurality of protrusions 111). Specifically, the flat plate-like long material 120 covers the opening surface of the groove 130 by being bonded over the width direction of the base material 110 while covering the upper surface of the protrusion 111.

  In the substrate 110, the two protrusions 111 positioned at both ends in the width direction are wider than the other protrusions 111. For this reason, the amount of the ink solvent (for example, water) that flows through the flow path portion passes through the side surface of the substrate 110 and evaporates is small. Further, the amount of outside air that permeates the side surface of the substrate 110 and dissolves in the ink is small.

  The substrate 110 is injection molded using a transparent flexible material such as a transparent thermoplastic elastomer. Since the substrate 110 is transparent, it can be easily confirmed whether or not voids are generated during injection molding. The transparent flexible material forming the substrate 110 includes, for example, polypropylene, paraffin oil, and SEPS (polystyrene-polyethylene-polypropylene-polystyrene block copolymer) as well as general elastomers. Unlike other elastomers, it does not contain colorants such as carbon black.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of a part of the cross section of the liquid conducting material 100. The plate-like long material 120 has a welding layer 121, a reinforcing layer 122, a metal layer 123, and a protective layer 124 in order from the side in contact with the base material 110.
The welding layer 121 joins the flat plate-like long material 120 to the base material 110 by welding. When the base material 110 includes polypropylene, the welding layer 121 is formed of polyethylene or polypropylene.
The reinforcing layer 122 reinforces the plate-like long material 120. Further, the reinforcing layer 122 improves the heat resistance of the flat plate-like long material 120. Specifically, the reinforcing layer 122 is made of polyamide.
The metal layer 123 and the plate-like long material 120 prevent the ink solvent from evaporating. The metal layer 123 also prevents outside air from passing through the plate-like long material 120 and dissolving in the ink. The metal layer 123 is an aluminum foil, for example.
The protective layer 124 protects the metal layer 123 and reinforces the plate-like long material 120. The protective layer 124 is made of, for example, polyethylene terephthalate.

  FIG. 5 is a back view of the liquid conducting material 100 when a colored liquid is conducted. When the upper surface of the 110 ridges 111 is joined to the plate-like long member 120 with no gap in the longitudinal direction, it is determined that there is no defect in the normal leak inspection. However, even in this case, in the width direction, a part of the flat plate-like long material 120 may not be joined, and there may be a joint failure portion 200. In this case, there is a possibility that the poorly bonded portion 200 will spread as it is used, and the ink will eventually leak.

  Here, in the present embodiment, a colored liquid is conducted to the flow path portion. When there is a poorly bonded part 200, the liquid penetrates into the poorly bonded part 200. The substrate 110 is transparent. For this reason, when the liquid conducting material 100 is viewed from the substrate 110 side, the presence or absence of the poor bonding portion 200 can be easily confirmed by confirming the region where the liquid has permeated. Therefore, before the liquid conducting material 100 is mounted on the ink jet recording apparatus 10, the liquid conducting material 100 having the poorly bonded portion 200 is surely removed, and the entire upper surface of the protrusion 111 is joined to the flat plate-like long material 120. Only the liquid conducting material 100 that is present can be mounted on the ink jet recording apparatus 10. Therefore, the liquid conducting material 100 is unlikely to leak during use.

  FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view in the width direction of the liquid conducting material 100 when a colored liquid is conducted and the liquid in the flow path is pressurized. As shown in the figure, when the liquid is pressurized, the portion of the flat plate-like long material 120 that is not joined to the base 110 swells outward. Here, when there is the poorly bonded portion 200, the portion that swells outward is wider than the others. For this reason, the presence or absence of the poor bonding portion 200 can be easily confirmed by viewing the liquid conducting material 100 from the side. Therefore, when the liquid is pressurized, the presence or absence of the poor bonding portion 200 can be confirmed with certainty.

  In the above-described embodiment, the base material 110 is transparent, but the plate-like long material 120 may be transparent. In this case, even if the substrate 110 is not transparent, the presence / absence of the poor bonding portion 200 can be easily and reliably confirmed by performing the same inspection as in the above-described embodiment. Moreover, you may make both the base material 110 and the flat elongate material 120 transparent. When the flat plate-like long material 120 is made transparent, the flat plate-like long material 120 has a silica layer or an alumina layer formed by vapor deposition instead of the metal layer 123.

The ink jet recording apparatus 10 is an example of a liquid ejecting apparatus. The recording head 44 of the ink jet recording apparatus is an example of a liquid ejecting section of the liquid ejecting apparatus, and the cartridge 45 is an example of a liquid supply section.
However, the present invention is not limited to these. Another example of the liquid ejecting apparatus is a color filter manufacturing apparatus that manufactures a color filter for a liquid crystal display. In this case, the color material ejecting head of the color filter manufacturing apparatus is an example of the liquid ejecting unit. Still another example of the liquid ejecting apparatus is an electrode forming apparatus that forms electrodes such as an organic EL display and an FED (surface emitting display). In this case, an electrode material (conductive paste) ejecting head of the electrode forming apparatus is an example of the liquid ejecting unit. Still another example of the liquid ejecting apparatus is a biochip manufacturing apparatus that manufactures a biochip. In this case, the bio-organic matter ejecting head of the biochip manufacturing apparatus and the sample ejecting head as a precision pipette are examples of the liquid ejecting unit. The liquid ejecting apparatus of the present invention includes other liquid ejecting apparatuses having industrial use. The recording object 11 is an example of a target, and recording is performed by ejecting a liquid. However, the target is not limited to this, and a circuit pattern such as recording paper or display electrodes is recorded. Circuit boards, CD-ROMs on which labels are printed, and slides on which DNA circuits are recorded.

  As mentioned above, although this invention was demonstrated using embodiment, the technical scope of this invention is not limited to the range as described in the said embodiment. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications or improvements can be added to the above-described embodiment. It is apparent from the scope of the claims that the embodiments added with such changes or improvements can be included in the technical scope of the present invention.

The perspective view which shows the inkjet recording device 10 in the state which removed the cover A perspective view of an ink supply system of the ink jet recording apparatus 10 Perspective view of liquid conducting material 100 The figure which expanded a part of section of liquid conduction material 100 Back view of liquid conducting material 100 Cross-sectional view of the liquid conducting material 100 in the width direction

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Inkjet recording apparatus, 42 ... Carriage, 44 ... Recording head, 45 ... Cartridge, 100 ... Liquid conducting material, 110 ... Base material, 111 ... Projection, 120 ... Flat plate material, 121 ... Welding layer, 122 ... Reinforcing layer, 123 ... Metal layer, 124 ... Protective layer, 130 ... Groove part, 200 ... Joint part

Claims (3)

Liquid conduction that is used in a liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects liquid onto a target in a liquid ejecting area and that supplies liquid to a liquid ejecting section that ejects liquid from a liquid supply section that is detachably fixed to the main body of the liquid ejecting apparatus A method for inspecting a liquid conducting material for inspecting a material,
The liquid conducting material is
An elongated base material having a required number of protrusions arranged side by side along the longitudinal direction and having flexibility;
A flat plate-like long material that is bonded to the base material over the width direction of the base material and covers the upper surface of the protrusion, and has flexibility,
A liquid channel formed by the gap between the protrusions and the plate-like elongated material;
At least one of the base material and the flat plate-like long material is formed so that at least a portion joined to each other is transparent over the entire thickness direction,
The flow path unit is made conductive liquid colored in, and under pressure of liquid flow path portion, by viewing the bulge occurring in the flat elongated member, the flat elongated material bonded to the substrate A liquid conducting material inspection method for inspecting whether or not the liquid conducting material is mounted on the liquid ejecting apparatus. Liquid conduction that is used in a liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects liquid onto a target in a liquid ejecting area and that supplies liquid to a liquid ejecting section that ejects liquid from a liquid supply section that is detachably fixed to the main body of the liquid ejecting apparatus A method for inspecting a material for inspecting a liquid conducting material,
The liquid conducting material is
A long substrate having a groove along the longitudinal direction and having flexibility;
A flat plate-like long material that covers the opening surface of the groove and is bonded to the base material and has flexibility,
Formed by the groove and the plate-like long material, and a liquid flow path,
At least one of the base material and the flat plate-like long material is formed so that at least a portion joined to each other is transparent over the entire thickness direction,
The flow path unit is made conductive liquid colored in, and under pressure of liquid flow path portion, by viewing the bulge occurring in the flat elongated member, the flat elongated material bonded to the substrate A liquid conducting material inspection method for inspecting whether or not the liquid conducting material is mounted on the liquid ejecting apparatus. The inspection of the liquid conduction material according to claim 1 , wherein the swell of the flat plate-like long material is judged to have a poorly bonded portion of the base material and the flat plate-like long material in a portion wider than others. Method.

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