JPS63165150A - Charge control type ink jet printing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To make an ink jet head and a charge deflecting unit interchangeable, by a method wherein a part of the charge deflecting unit, the head unit and the electric signal wiring necessary for both of them are constituted as an integrally interchangeable unit, and the connector of the external connection of an electric signal and the interchangeable unit constitution are connected by flexible circuit. CONSTITUTION:A flexible circuit 32 consists of the part 32b connected to one terminal of a piezoelectric electrode, the part 32b connected to the terminal connected to the other terminal of the piezoelectric electrode, the terminal of a sensor detecting the temp. of a head body and the terminal supplying power to the heater of the head body and the part 32c connected to the terminal of a charge electrode. That is, the jet head part, temp. control heater, sensor and wiring for supplying an exciting signal in an interchangeable unit are constituted of the flexible circuit (FPC)32 wherein a conductor is provided in an insulating material made of polyester polyimide.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] Kotou Keito The present invention is a charge control type inkjet printing device.

More specifically, the present invention relates to a head electrode replacement unit structure in a charge-controlled inkjet printing device.

Figure 3 is a basic configuration diagram for explaining an example of a charge control type inkjet printing device, and Figure 4 is a configuration diagram when the charge control type inkjet head section is mounted on a carriage. Inside, 1 is an inkjet ejection head (particulate head), 2 is a vibrator, and 3 is a load ff! electrode, 4 is a deflection electrode,
5 is a recording paper, 6 is a gutter, 7 is an ink tank, 8 is a pressure tank, 9 is an ink cartridge, 10 is a phase determination circuit, 11 is a CPU control circuit, and 12 is an excitation signal generation circuit.

13 is a charge signal generation circuit, 14 is a deflection power supply, 15 is a carriage cover, and 16 is a replacement unit case. Charged in accordance with the charge signal, the charged ink droplets are deflected at the deflection electrode 4 according to the amount of charge and recorded on the recording paper 5, and the ink droplets not used for printing are allowed to travel straight without being charged. The ink is collected by a gutter 6 and returned to an ink tank 7, and then supplied to the inkjet ejection head 1 again by a pressure pump 8. Then.

In the illustrated example, a replacement unit 16 is included in the carriage cover 15, and this replacement unit includes the atomization head 1, charging electrode 3, deflection electrode 4, and the like. This is because discharge may occur due to clogging of the jet nozzle of the head, dirt on the charging electrode, dust adhering to the charging electrode, dust adhering to the deflection electrode, etc., resulting in printing defects.

In addition, due to the accumulation of ink mist and paper dust, the durable life may not be guaranteed for the length of the machine's use, so if the above trouble occurs during one period of use, this replacement unit should be replaced by the user or service provider. This is because there is a need for all print quality to be satisfactory at that time.

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the vicinity of the replacement unit shown in FIG. 4. In FIG. 1, 20 is a unit cover made of, for example, conductive plastic or conductive paint.

21 is the input bin to the high voltage electrode, 22 is the head excitation voltage,
Flexible circuit (FP) for charging voltage, deflection voltage, etc.
C) Terminal, 23 is a high voltage power supply, 24 is a connector, 25 is an ink flow path from an ink pressure pump, 26 is a recording paper on the platen, 27 to 29 are guides for attaching and detaching, and the replacement unit is as shown in Figure 1. However, this is because a structure in which the contact portion is placed on the lower side is disadvantageous in terms of problems such as ink spillage and leakage, so it is preferable to
Although it is preferable to place it on the top, it requires a lid and has the disadvantage of increasing the height.

The above-mentioned difference is that in an inkjet printing device, the atomization efficiency of the head is affected by variations in the head body dimensions,
Variations occur depending on each head due to the adhesiveness of the piezo vibrator, variations in the nozzle hole diameter, etc. On the other hand, for printing, there are areas where fine particles are not generated during granulation, that is,
It is necessary to use a no-satellite area. For this reason,
It is necessary to adjust the level of the excitation voltage (generally a sine wave) applied to the piezo vibrator for each head and set it near the center of the no satellite. Therefore, if the inkjet head and charge deflection unit are made into replaceable service parts and made compatible, printing quality can be maintained, and in particular, variations in deflection efficiency, atomization efficiency, etc. within the replaceable unit can be adjusted. It would be convenient if it were like this.

In addition, the present invention has been made in part in view of the above-mentioned circumstances.
In a charge-controlled inkjet printing device, the inkjet head and charge deflection unit should be provided as replaceable service parts with compatibility functions to maintain printing quality, and furthermore, adjustments should be made to absorb variations in head atomization efficiency. This was done for the purpose of providing functionality.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention has a replaceable unit structure in which at least a part of the charge deflection unit, the head unit, and the electric signal wiring necessary therefor are integrally exchangeable, and the electric signal The external connector and the exchange unit configuration are connected by a flexible circuit. Hereinafter, the present invention will be explained based on examples.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a helad body for explaining one embodiment of a replacement unit according to the present invention. In the figure, 30 is a helad body, 31 is a piezo vibrator, 32 is a flexible circuit (FPC), and 33 is a helad body. The flexible circuit 32 is an excitation efficiency adjustment volume, and the flexible circuit 32 has a portion 32a connected to one terminal of the piezo electrode, a terminal connected to the other terminal of the piezo electrode, a terminal of a sensor for detecting the temperature of the head body, and the head body. A portion 32b is connected to a terminal for supplying power to the heater, and a portion 32c is connected to a terminal of a charging electrode. That is, in the present invention, the injection head part in the replacement unit, the heater for temperature control, the sensor, the wiring for supplying the excitation signal, etc. are connected to a flexible circuit (with conductors provided in an insulating material such as polyester polyimide). It is composed of 32 FPCs.

FIG. 2 shows the flexible circuit 32 shown in FIG.
In the figure, a is the terminal connected to one terminal of the piezo vibrator, b is the helad body connection part, C is the terminal connected to the charging electrode, and d is the excitation efficiency adjustment volume. At the connected terminals, the excitation voltage input to the exchange unit is set to the same level (for example 60 Vpp) on all machines. In the present invention, in order to absorb variations in the efficiency of converting particles into one particle, a regulator 33 for adjusting the excitation voltage level is installed on the flexible circuit 32. An adjustment volume may be provided. The FPC 32 and the head body 30 are connected by soldering, and the volume 3 is set in the particulate inspection process.
By adjusting 3, it becomes possible to connect to a circuit with a constant applied voltage, which facilitates process control. Furthermore, since the FPC has a very small mass, when connected to the head body, stable performance without affecting mechanical resonance etc. can be obtained.

Effects As is clear from the above description, according to the present invention, important units of an inkjet can be made into small, low-cost, replaceable units, and serviceability, assembly inspection process, etc. can be facilitated.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a head body for explaining one embodiment of a replacement unit according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a developed enlarged view of the FPC shown in FIG. 1, and FIGS. 3 to 5 are FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining an example of a conventional inkjet printing device. 30... Head body, 31... Piezo vibrator, 3
2...Flexible circuit (FPC), 33...
・Volume. Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 4

Claims (3)

[Claims] (1) At least a part of the charge deflection unit, the head unit, and the electric signal wiring necessary therefor are configured as a replaceable unit that can be replaced integrally, and a connector for external connection of the electric signal is connected to the replaceable unit configuration. A charge control type inkjet printing device characterized by connecting the following with a flexible circuit. (2) Claim (1) characterized in that an adjustment element for adjusting variations in deflection efficiency and particle generation efficiency within the exchange unit is provided on the flexible circuit.
The charge control type inkjet printing device described in 2. (3) The flexible circuit is fixed to the replacement unit, and when replacing the unit, the connection of the electric circuit of the flexible circuit is turned on and off by positioning the unit and performing the installation/detachment operation. A charge-controlled inkjet printing device according to claim (1) or (2).