JPH07211173A - Flexible base board for connection of contact electrode - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent poor performance of touching of a contact electrode with its counter electrode. CONSTITUTION:A hemispherical projection 35 protruding toward a head side base board 40 is formed in that position on a resin board 33 where each contact electrode 31 is installed. Each contact electrode 31 is formed in compliance with the shape of a convex face 35a of the projection 35. A molding 3 of soft rubber or the like equipped with a boss 3a, which has a convex end face in the same place as the mating projection 35, is secured to the resin board 33 by an adhesive 36, and a retaining plate 5 of hard plastic in the form of a flat plate is contacted to the molding 3 from the back.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a contact electrode connection having contact electrodes provided on the surfaces of a plurality of protrusions, the contact electrodes being pressure-contacted to counter electrodes arranged facing each contact electrode. It relates to a flexible substrate.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A flexible substrate for connecting contact electrodes of this kind is used for connecting to a head of an ink jet printer as described in, for example, JP-A-3-101944.

In this ink jet printer, a large number of nozzles are arranged in the head, and a heating resistor is provided behind each nozzle. When ink is supplied to the vicinity of each heating resistor and a predetermined heating resistor is energized, the energized ink near the heating resistor is heated to a boiling state and ejected from a nozzle corresponding to print information.

Since the head always moves, the heating resistors are energized through a flexible circuit in which a conductor pattern is formed on a flexible resin substrate. Also,
Since it is necessary to replace the head every time all the ink contained in the head is consumed, the head is detachably fixed to the carriage. Then, the heating resistors are energized by bringing the counter electrode provided on the head surface into contact with the contact electrode provided on the flexible circuit surface.

Further, in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 62-234942, as shown in FIG. 3, a resin substrate 50 on which a flexible circuit is formed is raised from the substrate surface at a contact electrode arrangement portion 52, and the contact electrodes 53 are opposed to each other. It is made easy to contact the electrode 62. On the other hand, the carriage is provided with an elastic member 70 that faces the head with the resin substrate 50 interposed therebetween, and a protrusion 68 that comes into contact with the flexible circuit from behind each contact electrode 53 is formed on the elastic member surface. By doing so, each contact electrode 53 and the counter electrode 62 are held in a pressed contact state.

[0006]

However, in the contact electrode connecting device as described above, in order to press each contact electrode 53 against each counter electrode 62 with a uniform pressure, the protrusion of the contact electrode 53 of the flexible circuit is required. The position of the portion and the protruding portion 68 of the elastic body 70 must be accurately determined. And
Even if the position is determined, the position of the protrusion 68 and the contact electrode 53 may be displaced when the elastic member 70 is subjected to a lateral force even by a mounting operation of the head. If the position shifts, a sufficient force is not applied to the contact electrode 53, and there is a problem that the electrical connection between the contact electrode 53 and the counter electrode 62 causes a contact failure.

[0007] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a flexible substrate for contact electrode connection without contact failure.

[0008]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, which has been made to achieve the above object, there is provided a contact electrode provided on the surface of a plurality of convex portions, the contact electrode facing each contact electrode. A flexible substrate for contact electrode connection, which is pressed into contact with a counter electrode arranged as described above, wherein an elastic member that abuts a concave portion on the back side of the convex portion from the back of each contact electrode, and the elastic member. And fixing means for fixing.

In the second aspect, an adhesive is used as the fixing means.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, the elastic member is sandwiched by the flexible substrate as the fixing means.

[0011]

In the present invention thus constituted, the elastic member is previously fixed to the concave portion on the back side of the convex portion of the flexible substrate by the fixing means. There is no need for positioning, and the position does not shift.

[0012]

EXAMPLE FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing a flexible substrate for connecting contact electrodes of an example. The flexible substrate for connecting the contact electrodes of this embodiment is arranged between the head and the carriage of an inkjet printer (not shown).
Then, the contact electrode 31 provided on the surface of the flexible circuit on the resin substrate 33 is held in a state of being pressed against the counter electrode 41 provided on the surface of the head-side substrate 40 exposed on the head surface.

The resin substrate 33 is formed of a flexible resin, and the head side substrate 4 is provided at the position where each contact electrode 31 is arranged.
A hemispherical protrusion 35 that protrudes in the 0 direction is formed. In addition, each contact electrode 31 has a convex surface 3 of the protrusion 35.
It is formed in a substantially hemispherical shape along the shape of 5a. On the resin substrate 33, a soft rubber molded body 3 having a protrusion 3a having a convex end face at the same position as each protrusion 35 is fixed by an adhesive 36 which is one of fixing means. Further, a plate-shaped hard synthetic resin holding plate 5 that comes into contact with the molded body 3 from behind is fixed to the carriage. When the head is mounted on the carriage, the back of the holding plate 5 is pressed by a pressing device (not shown) so that the molded body 3 is slightly compressed. That is, the molded body 3 corresponds to an elastic member.

In the resin substrate 33, which is a flexible substrate for connecting the contact electrodes, configured as described above, the molded body 3 is fixed to the resin substrate 33, so that the protrusion 3a of the molded body 3 is formed.
However, it surely comes into close contact with the concave portion behind the convex surface 35a of the resin substrate 33. Therefore, the contact electrode 31 of the resin substrate 33 and the counter electrode 41 of the head-side substrate 40 are sufficiently pressed by the protrusion 3a of the molded body 3, and an extremely good contact can be obtained.

In the above embodiment, an adhesive was used to fix the resin substrate 33 and the soft rubber molding 3 to each other.
As described above, the molded body 3 may be sandwiched and fixed by the resin substrate 33.

Further, in the above embodiment, the head side substrate 40
Although the counter electrode 41 is provided in and the contact electrode 31 is connected thereto, the counter electrode 41 may be provided on the carriage and the contact electrode 31 may be connected thereto. For example, when a drive signal from a control circuit (not shown) is once transmitted to a counter electrode on the carriage and is input from the counter electrode to a heating resistor or the like in the head through a flexible circuit, such a configuration is adopted. In this case, the holding plate 5, the molded body 3 and the resin substrate 3
3 are sequentially arranged on the surface of the head, and the structure is upside down from that of FIG.

Further, although the molded body 3 is formed of soft rubber in the above embodiment, the molded body 3 may be composed of a foaming resin or the like. Furthermore, it goes without saying that the present invention can be similarly applied to various devices other than the inkjet printer.

Further, in the above embodiment, the protruding portion 35 of the resin substrate 33 is pressed by the single molded body 3, but
The protrusion 35 of the resin substrate 33 may be pressed by a plurality of elastic members.

[0019]

As described in detail above, according to the flexible substrate for contact electrode connection of the present invention, the elastic member is provided in the concave portion on the back side of the convex portion of the flexible substrate by the fixing means. Since they are fixed in advance, the contacts can be contacted very easily and satisfactorily without positioning the elastic member and the convex portion of the flexible substrate.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a flexible substrate for connecting contact electrodes according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing a flexible substrate for contact electrode connection of another embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a conventional contact electrode connecting device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 3 Molded Product 3a Projection 5 Holding Plate 31 Contact Electrode 33 Resin Substrate 35 Projection 36 Adhesive 40 Head Side Substrate 41 Counter Electrode

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A flexible substrate for contact electrode connection, comprising contact electrodes provided on the surfaces of a plurality of protrusions, wherein the contact electrodes are in pressure contact with counter electrodes arranged facing each contact electrode. A flexible structure for contact electrode connection, comprising: an elastic member that comes into contact with a concave portion on the back side of the convex portion from behind each contact electrode; and a fixing unit that fixes the elastic member. Substrate. 2. The flexible substrate for connecting contact electrodes according to claim 1, wherein an adhesive is used as the fixing means. 3. The elastic member is sandwiched by the flexible substrate as the fixing means.
A flexible substrate for connecting the contact electrodes described.