JP5413573B2 - Liquid ejecting head unit and liquid ejecting apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a liquid ejecting head unit and a liquid ejecting apparatus.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a liquid ejecting apparatus represented by an ink jet recording apparatus such as an ink jet printer has a liquid ejecting head provided with a plurality of liquid ejecting heads capable of ejecting liquid such as ink stored in a cartridge or tank as droplets. A unit is provided. As such a liquid ejecting head unit, for example, a unit in which a plurality of liquid ejecting heads are aligned and fixed to a base plate that is a common holding member while being slightly shifted in one direction is known (for example, , See Patent Document 1).

JP 2000-25207 A (Claim 1, FIG. 1 etc.)

  In the above liquid ejecting head unit, since the liquid ejecting head unit can be used only as a single unit, it is necessary to manufacture liquid ejecting head units of various sizes according to recording objects of various sizes. That is, the liquid ejecting head unit has a problem of high cost because it is poor in versatility.

  Further, the conventional liquid jet head unit as described above has a problem that workability at the time of head replacement is low because each member constituting the liquid jet head is complicated.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to solve the above-described problems of the prior art, and provide a liquid ejecting head unit having high versatility and high workability when replacing the head, and a liquid ejecting apparatus using the same. It is something to try.

The liquid jet head unit of the present invention is provided with a base plate opening mouth portion is provided, on the base plate, a liquid ejecting surface of the nozzle opening is formed with a plurality of ejecting the liquid you exposed from the front KiHiraki opening the liquid body jet head, a liquid supply pipe for supplying a liquid prior Symbol liquid ejecting head, wherein the signal supply unit that to supply drive signals to the liquid jet head, is fixed to the base plate the on the liquid jet heads A frame for supporting the signal supply unit, and each member provided on the base plate is configured and arranged so as to be accommodated in a columnar space with the base plate as a bottom surface. It is configured to be spaced in a direction perpendicular to the signal supply unit, a circuit board paired, between the circuit board A radiator disposed on and fixed to each circuit board and fixed to the frame; a plurality of fins provided on each radiator; and a fixing plate including a cylindrical member disposed on the fins; characterized in that it comprises a.
In the liquid ejecting head unit of the present invention, each member provided on the base plate is configured and arranged so as to be accommodated in a columnar space with the base plate as a bottom surface. Even in the case of connection, since the members do not come in contact, the versatility is high. Further, the signal supply unit is arranged at the uppermost part on the base plate and can be separated in the vertical direction with respect to the base plate, so that the signal supply unit can be connected even when a plurality of head units are connected. It can be easily removed from the head unit. Thereby, workability at the time of head replacement is improved. Furthermore, by disposing each member in this way, the heat dissipation of the head is increased.

  Here, it is preferable that the height of the frame is configured to be variable. With this configuration, the height of the frame is changed to separate the signal supply unit in the vertical direction with respect to the base plate, and the head replacement work can be performed in this state, so that workability is improved.

Further, the frame consists of a possible base portion detachable from said base plate which is fixed to the leg and the leg portion, said heat sink, and is preferably kite is secured to the base portion. With this configuration, since the signal supply unit is integrated with the base, it is easier to separate the signal supply unit from the head unit and workability is improved.

  Furthermore, a wiring member that connects the circuit board and the liquid ejecting head is further provided, and a liquid introduction port connected to the liquid supply pipe and the wiring member are connected to a surface opposite to the liquid ejecting surface of the liquid ejecting head. It is preferable that the connector is provided. With this configuration, the liquid supply pipe and the wiring member can be easily removed from the upper part when replacing the head, so that workability is improved.

  The liquid ejecting apparatus according to the invention includes any one of the liquid ejecting head units described above. By providing the liquid jet head unit described above, versatility is high and workability is good.

FIG. 3A is a perspective view of a head according to an embodiment, and FIG. The perspective view of the head unit concerning an embodiment. FIG. 3 is a top view of the head unit with the frame and signal supply unit removed. The figure for demonstrating a head and a head side flow path. FIG. 3 is a top view of the head unit according to the embodiment. The top view of a head unit at the time of removing a cylindrical member. The partial perspective view of the signal supply unit concerning an embodiment. The principal part perspective view of the signal supply unit concerning embodiment. The perspective view of the head unit concerning an embodiment. The perspective view which shows the state which removed the signal supply unit from the head unit. The side view of the head unit concerning an embodiment. The perspective view of the head unit concerning another embodiment.

  First, an ink jet recording head 2 (hereinafter simply referred to as a head) used in an ink jet recording head unit 1 (hereinafter simply referred to as a head unit) which is a liquid jet head unit of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 1A and 1B are diagrams for explaining the configuration of the head, where FIG. 1A is a perspective view of the head, and FIG. 1B is a bottom view of the main part of the head.

  The head 2 includes a head body 21 that ejects ink from nozzle openings in accordance with an input drive signal. One end surface (upper end surface) of the head main body 21 is provided with an ink introduction port 22 for introducing ink into the head main body 21 and a connector 23 into which an FFC (described later) for inputting a drive signal is inserted. Yes. In this embodiment, two ink inlets 22 are provided, but one may be used. A nozzle opening 25 for ejecting ink is formed on the other end surface (lower end surface, liquid ejecting surface) 24 of the head body 21. The nozzle openings 25 are arranged in a line in the longitudinal direction of the head main body 21 to form a nozzle array 26. The ink inlet 22 and the nozzle opening 25 are connected via an ink flow path (not shown) formed in the head main body 21. A pressure generating means (not shown) is provided in the ink flow path, and each head 2 ejects ink from the nozzle opening 25 by the pressure generating means in accordance with a drive signal input to the head 2 via the connector 23. To do. A fixing member 27 for fixing the head main body 21 to a base plate described later is provided on the outer periphery of the head main body 21.

  A head unit 1 according to this embodiment including a plurality of such heads 2 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the head unit. The head unit 1 includes a plurality of (eight in the figure, eight) heads 2. Each head 2 is fixed to the base plate 3 through a fixing member 27 so as to be removable. Hereinafter, the direction along the short direction of the head body 21 in the fixed state is referred to as a first direction, and the direction along the longitudinal direction of the head body 21 is referred to as a second direction.

  In the present embodiment, ink is applied to all the constituent members of the head unit 1, that is, the heads 2 (2 a to 2 d) fixed to the base plate 3, and the head 2 so as to fit in a columnar space with the base plate as a bottom surface. An ink supply pipe 4 (liquid supply pipe) to be supplied, a frame 5 provided upright on the base plate 3, and a signal supply unit 6 placed on the frame 5 are configured and arranged. In other words, the head unit 1 is configured such that when the base plate 3 is looked up from below, all the components, that is, the plurality of heads 2, the ink supply pipes 4, the frame 5, and the signal supply unit 6 cannot be seen. . As described above, since the constituent members of the head unit 1 are housed in the columnar space with the base plate 3 as the bottom surface, the head unit 1 of the present embodiment combines the head units 1 without contacting the constituent members. And is highly versatile.

Each head 2 is a set of two heads 2 arranged along the first direction, and the set is substantially staggered ( so that they are shifted from each other in the second direction). In addition, the nozzle row 26 (see FIG. 1) of each head 2 is arranged on the base plate 3 so as to overlap the end portion of the nozzle row 26 of another set of heads 2 arranged in parallel in the first direction at the end portion. Has been. Since the head 2 is arranged so that the end portions of the nozzle rows overlap with each other so as to be substantially staggered in this way, the nozzle rows 26 are not interrupted in the second direction, so a wider range of printing is possible. Can be performed at high speed. Further, by arranging two head bodies 21 arranged in the short direction as a set, the pitch of the nozzle rows of the set of heads 2 is shifted by a half pitch, thereby increasing the resolution. it can.

  The base plate 3 is formed according to the head main body 21 and has a shape shifted in the second direction in accordance with the head 2 arranged so as to be substantially staggered. The base plate 3 is provided with a plurality of openings 31 so that the lower end surface 24 in which the nozzle openings 25 of the heads 2 are formed is exposed.

  The length of each head body 21 in the longitudinal direction is configured to be not more than twice the length of the nozzle opening row in which the nozzle openings of each head body 21 are arranged in parallel. Thereby, the installation area of the head 2 in the base plate 3 can be reduced.

  The ink supply port 4 (see FIG. 1) of each head 2 is connected to an ink supply pipe 4 connected to an ink storage unit (not shown), and ink is supplied to each head 2. The ink supply tube 4 will be further described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 3 is a top view of the head unit with the frame and the signal supply unit removed. 4A and 4B are diagrams for explaining the head and the head-side flow path, and are (a) a perspective view, (b) a side view, and (c) a top view. In the present embodiment, two ink supply pipes 4 are provided.

  As shown in FIG. 3, each ink supply tube 4 is configured and arranged so as to be accommodated in a columnar space with the base plate 3 as a bottom surface. Each ink supply tube 4 includes a trunk channel tube (common liquid channel tube) 41 and branch channel tubes 42 (42a to 42d). The trunk channel pipe 41 is connected to an ink storage section (not shown) at the end. Branch flow channel pipes 42a to 42d branched from the main flow channel pipe 41 are connected to the head 2 via joints 44 and head side branch flow channel pipes 43 (43a to 43d) at each end. As shown in FIG. 4, each of the head side branch channel pipes 43 a to 43 d branches into two and is connected to each ink inlet 22 of one head 2. The joint 44 is configured to connect the branch channel pipes 42a to 42d and the head side branch channel pipes 43a to 43d to allow ink to flow, and even if the joint 44 is removed when the head is replaced. Ink is not leaked from the portion where the joint 44 is removed.

  In this embodiment in which the ink supply pipe 4 is configured in this way, only the joint 44 of the head 2 that needs to be replaced is removed, and the head 2 and the head side branch channel pipe 43 connected to the head 2 are removed. The head 2 can be exchanged. In this case, for example, it is not necessary to replace the ink supply pipe 4 itself, and the replacement work can be performed without touching the ink supply pipe 4 connected to the head 2 that does not need to be replaced. Can be improved.

  Specifically, the main channel pipe 41 branches into two branch channel pipes 42 a and 42 b at the first branching portion 45. The branch channel pipe 42a is a branch channel extending downward after branching, and this branch channel pipe 42a is connected to a head side branch channel pipe 43a connected to the head 2a. The head side branch channel pipe 43a is connected to two ink inlets 22 provided in the head 2a. The branch channel pipe 42b extends in the horizontal direction after branching, and is connected to the head side branch channel pipe 43b of the head 2b arranged along the second direction of the head 2a. Further, a branch channel pipe 42c branches off from the branch channel pipe 42b at a branch point 46, and this branch channel pipe 42c extends along the first direction after branching, and the head 2a. Are connected to the head side branch channel pipe 43c of the head 2c arranged in parallel in the first direction. Further, a branch channel pipe 42d is further branched from the branch channel pipe 42c at a branch point 47. The branch channel pipe 42d is a head side branch channel of the head 2d arranged in parallel in the second direction of the head 2c. Connected to the tube 43d. The other ink supply pipe 4 is also configured in the same manner so as to supply ink to the four heads 2.

  A frame 5 is provided on the base plate 3, and a signal supply unit 6 that supplies a signal for driving each head is placed on the frame 5. The frame 5 includes four leg parts 51 and a base part 52 supported by the leg parts 51. By arranging the leg portions 51 at positions adjacent to the head 2, that is, along the second direction of the base plate 3, the length of the base plate 3 in the second direction can be shortened. Further, the height of the leg portion 51 is configured such that the head 2, the head side branch channel pipe 43 and the branch channel pipe 42 are accommodated between the base portion 52 and the base plate 3.

The pedestal 52 is detachably provided from the leg 51, and the signal supply unit 6 is placed on the pedestal 52. Since the signal supply unit 6 is placed on the pedestal 52 as described above, the signal supply unit 6 can be detached from the head unit 1 by removing the pedestal 52, so that the head can be easily replaced. The signal supply unit 6 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 5 is a top view of the head unit, FIG. 6 is a top view of the head unit when the cylindrical member is removed, FIG. 7 is a partially exploded perspective view of the signal supply unit, and FIG. It is a principal part perspective view of a signal supply unit.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the frame 5 and the signal supply unit 6 are all housed in a columnar space with the base plate 3 as a bottom surface. The signal supply unit 6 includes a pair of circuit boards 61. Each circuit board 61 supplies a drive signal to the head bodies 21 of the two sets of heads 2 arranged in parallel in the second direction. The circuit forming surfaces 63 on which the circuit forming portions 62 provided with the capacitors C and the like (not shown in FIGS. 7, 8, 10, 11, and 12) of the circuit board 61 are formed so as to face each other, and The circuit boards 61 are arranged side by side so that the circuit forming portions 62 overlap. A heat sink (heat radiator) 64 for radiating heat generated in the circuit board 61 is fixed between the circuit forming portions 62. The heat sink 64 is further fixed to the pedestal 52. In the heat sink 64, fins 65 are provided in a direction perpendicular to the base plate 3 so that the heat sink 64 can improve the heat radiation efficiency. As shown in FIG. 7, an opening 54 is formed in a portion of the frame 5 facing the fin 65 so that the released heat can be more easily discharged. In addition, two cylindrical members 66 are fixed to the heat sink 64 via a fixing plate 67 on the heat sink 64. That is, the pair of heat sinks 64 are held in a state of being opposed to each other by the fixing plate 67. The fixing plate 67 has an opening corresponding to the opening of the tubular member 66. In the signal supply unit 6 of the present embodiment, the fins 65 are provided in the direction perpendicular to the base plate 3 as described above, and the openings 54 and the cylindrical members 66 are provided so as to face the fins 65. 3 is configured to easily release heat in the vertical direction. In the present embodiment, the heat sink 64 is fixed to the circuit board 61, and the fixing plate 67 and the base 52 are fixed to the heat sink 64. Therefore, since the signal supply unit 6 is integrated with the pedestal 52, the signal supply unit 6 can be removed by removing the pedestal 52, and workability at the time of head replacement can be improved.

  Returning to FIG. 2, the circuit board 61 is provided with a wiring member (FFC) 68 for supplying a drive signal to each head 2. The FFC 68 is connected to the circuit forming portion 62 of the circuit board 61 at one end, and the other end is connected to the connector 23 of the head body 21, and each drive signal is supplied to each head body 21 via the FFC 68. ing. Note that the connector 23 and the FFC 68 may be connected via a relay board with a connector. An opening 53 is provided in the leg portion 51 of the frame 5, and the FFC 68 is inserted into the opening 53. Since the leg portion 51 is provided at a position adjacent to the head 2 as described above, it is possible to connect the FFC 68 to the head 2 without twisting the FFC 68 by inserting the FFC 68 through the opening 53.

  As described above, the head unit 1 according to this embodiment is configured such that two or more head units 1 are in contact with each other by being configured such that all the constituent members are accommodated in a columnar space with the base plate 3 as a bottom surface. Since it can be connected without doing so, it is highly versatile. For example, as shown in FIG. 9, one head unit I can be configured by arranging a plurality of head units 1 in the longitudinal direction of the head main body 21. Also in this case, the base plate 3 is displaced in the second direction by arranging the heads 2 in a staggered manner, so that the convex portion 32 of the base plate 3 of one head unit is replaced with another head unit. Can be fitted into the recess 33 of the base plate 3. Also in this case, since the nozzle rows 26 (see FIG. 1) of each head 2 overlap at the end portions, even in one head unit I in which a plurality of head units 1 are connected, the nozzle rows 26 are in the second direction. There is no break. Therefore, a wider range of printing can be performed at high speed. Each head 2, each ink supply tube 4, frame 5, and signal supply unit 6 are arranged so as to be rotationally symmetric when the center of the base plate 3 is an axis of symmetry. With this configuration, there is no need to consider the connection direction when the head unit 1 is connected, and the versatility is high.

  The head unit 1 of the present embodiment is highly versatile due to the above-described configuration, and has an advantage that each head 2 can be easily replaced when the head 2 fails due to the above-described configuration. This point will be described below with reference to FIGS. FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a state in which the signal supply unit is detached from the head unit. FIG. 11 is a side view of the head unit.

  In the head unit 1 of the present embodiment, the signal supply unit 6 is placed on the base portion 52 of the frame 5 as described above. Since the pedestal 52 is configured to be detachable from the leg 51, when replacing the head 2, first, the signal supply unit 6 that reduces workability when replacing the head 2 is attached to the base plate 3 together with the pedestal 52. It is possible to separate them vertically. Thereby, the workability of the head replacement work is improved. Thus, when the signal supply unit 6 is separated from the base plate 3 in the vertical direction, for example, as shown in FIG. 11, the FFC 68 is provided long in advance so that the FFC 68 does not have to be removed from the head. May be. In FIG. 11, the FFC 68 is provided longer than the case shown in FIG. 2, so that when the signal supply unit 6 is separated from the base plate 3 along with the base 52 in the vertical direction when the head 2 is replaced, the FFC 68 is replaced. It is not necessary to remove the FFC 68 from the head 2 that does not need to be used. In this state, for example, the signal supply unit 6 and the pedestal 52 can be placed on another adjacent head unit 1 to further increase the working efficiency.

  Then, with the signal supply unit 6 being separated, the FFC 68 and the joint 44 (see FIG. 2) connected to the head 2 are removed, and then the head 2 is removed from the base plate 3, whereby the head side branch passage pipe 43. Can be easily detached from the base plate 3. In this case, the ink inlet 22 and the connector 23 (see FIG. 1) are provided on the upper end surface of the head main body 21 so that the FFC 68 and the joint 44 can be easily removed when the head is replaced. As described above, the head unit 1 according to this embodiment can remove the individual heads 2 by the component attaching / detaching operation only in the vertical direction with respect to the base plate 3. Therefore, the workability of head replacement is excellent.

  A head unit 1 according to another embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. This other embodiment differs from the above-described embodiment in the configuration of the frame 5. That is, in this embodiment, the leg portion 51 of the frame 5 is configured to be slidable on the first leg portion 54 and the first leg portion 54 fixed to the base plate 3, and is fixed to the base portion 52. It consists of leg portions 55. Further, the first leg portion 54 is provided with a stopper 56 so as to be fitted to the lower end portion of the second leg portion 55 so as to hold the second leg portion 55. Thus, the leg portions 51 of the frame 5 are each composed of two members, and the height can be varied. Therefore, by sliding the second leg portion 55 upward at the time of replacing the head, the signal supply unit 6 can be mounted on the base plate. 3 can be moved in the vertical direction. Thus, since the signal supply unit 6 can be separated and held at the position, workability at the time of head replacement can be further improved.

  Further, the head unit 1 of each of the embodiments is fixed to the apparatus main body so that the first direction coincides with the direction in which a recording medium such as a recording sheet or a substrate of a liquid ejecting apparatus represented by an ink jet recording apparatus is conveyed. Thus, the present invention can be applied to a so-called line type recording apparatus capable of recording only by transporting the recording medium in the first direction.

  The liquid ejecting apparatus is not particularly limited to this. For example, the head unit 1 is mounted on a moving unit such as a carriage that is movable in a direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction of the recording medium. It is possible to print on a recording medium having a width wider than the length of the nozzle row continuous in the second direction formed by the unit 1. That is, the head unit 1 is arranged so that the first direction coincides with the conveyance direction of the recording medium, the head unit 1 is moved in the second direction, and recording is performed while the recording medium is moved in the first direction. It can be carried out.

  In the embodiment described above, the head unit 1 is configured by fixing the eight heads 2 to the single base plate 3, but is not particularly limited thereto, and may be configured by two or more heads 2.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Inkjet recording head unit (head unit), 2 Inkjet recording head (head), 3 Base plate, 4 Ink supply pipe, 5 Frame, 6 Signal supply unit, 21 Head main body, 22 Ink inlet, 23 Connector, 24 Bottom End face, 25 nozzle opening, 26 nozzle row, 27 fixing member, 31 opening, 41 trunk channel pipe, 42a to 42d branch channel pipe, 43a to 43d head side branch channel pipe, 44 joint, 45 first branch part, 51 Leg part, 52 base part, 53 opening, 54 first leg part, 55 second leg part, 61 circuit board, 62 circuit forming part, 63 circuit forming surface, 64 heat sink, 65 fin, 66 cylindrical member, 67 fixing plate 68 FFC, I head unit, C condenser

Claims (5)

Provided with a base plate opening mouth portion is provided,
On the base plate,
The liquid body jet head the liquid ejection surface of the nozzle opening is formed with a plurality of ejecting the liquid you exposed from the front KiHiraki opening,
A liquid supply pipe for supplying a liquid prior Symbol liquid jet head,
And signal supply unit that to supply drive signals to said liquid ejecting head,
Is fixed to the base plate and a frame for supporting the signal supply unit on the liquid ejecting heads,
Each member provided on the base plate is configured and arranged so as to be accommodated in a columnar space with the base plate as a bottom surface, and the signal supply unit is configured to be vertically separated from the base plate. It is,
The signal supply unit includes a pair of circuit boards, a radiator disposed between the circuit boards and fixed to each circuit board and fixed to the frame, and a plurality of fins provided in each radiator And a fixing plate including a cylindrical member disposed on the upper portion of the fin .   The liquid ejecting head unit according to claim 1, wherein the height of the frame is configured to be variable. The frame includes a leg portion fixed to the base plate and a base portion detachable from the leg portion,
The radiator liquid jet head unit according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in the kite is secured to the base portion. A wiring member connecting the circuit board and the liquid jet head;
The liquid injection port connected to the liquid supply pipe and a connector connected to the wiring member are provided on a surface opposite to the liquid ejection surface of the liquid ejection head. The liquid jet head unit according to any one of the above.   A liquid ejecting apparatus comprising the liquid ejecting head unit according to claim 1.

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