JP2003080723A - Ink jet recording head - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [PROBLEMS] To provide an ink jet recording head capable of preventing erroneous insertion at the time of assembling, rationalizing assembling man-hours, improving molding accuracy and improving welding yield. A head on which an ink cartridge is mounted by mounting a head main body for ejecting ink droplets, and a plurality of ink supply needles on which the head main body is attached and which receives supply of ink from an ink cartridge. A plurality of ink supply needles 13 are connected to each other to form a single unit, and a connection protrusion 19 is provided at the connection part 19 of the connected ink supply needles 13; Fitting projection 2 of head holder 12
7 is formed at the location corresponding to the fitting projection 27, so that even if the overall shape of the connected ink supply needle 13 is asymmetric, Due to the presence of the portion 27, the direction at the time of assembling can be easily determined, and erroneous insertion is reliably prevented.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ink jet recording head for recording images or characters on recording paper by ejecting ink droplets from nozzle openings.

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, an ink jet type recording head (hereinafter referred to as "recording head") has a head body 51 for ejecting ink droplets and the head body 5 as shown in FIG.
1 is attached to the head holder 60.
An ink cartridge 52 is mounted on the head holder 60, and an ink supply needle 53 for receiving ink from the ink cartridge 52 is provided upright.

A cartridge case 62 for accommodating an ink cartridge 52 is provided above the head holder 60.
Is provided. The ink cartridge 52 has a positioning protrusion 63 formed on the lower surface thereof, and an ink supply port 54 formed on the lower surface of the positioning protrusion 63. The opening of the ink supply port 54 is sealed with a film 64 until the ink cartridge 52 is mounted.

On the other hand, on the upper surface of the head holder 60,
A recess 61 into which the positioning protrusion 63 is fitted is formed,
An ink supply needle 53 is provided upright in the recess 61.
This example is a device that prints using four colors of ink,
Four ink supply needles 53 are provided for each color.
In the drawing, 55 is a hollow portion of the ink supply needle 53,
Reference numeral 57 is a holder channel for introducing the ink supplied to the ink supply needle 53 into the head main body 51.

[0004]

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention]

In the above recording head, the ink supply needle 53 is provided as an independent component for each color. In such a printhead, a plurality of ink supply needles 53 must be attached to each of the printheads when assembling the printhead, which requires a lot of assembly steps and is reflected in the product cost.

Therefore, in order to rationalize the number of steps for assembling the ink supply needles 53, a needle unit 56 in which two to three ink supply needles 53 are connected and integrally formed is also devised, as shown in FIG. . However, in such a connection type needle unit 56, if the entire shape is asymmetrical as shown in FIG. 10B, it is difficult to determine the direction at the time of assembling, and as a result, the number of assembling steps is increased. There is a problem that improper assembly is likely to occur. In addition, in the connection type needle unit 56, each ink supply needle 5
Since 3 is filled with the resin material, a gate position is provided at the connecting portion 65 between the ink supply needles 53. As described above, when the gate is provided in the relatively thin connecting portion 65, there is a problem that it is difficult to perform molding with a sufficient molding pressure, the molded product is easily warped, and the welding yield is easily deteriorated.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and it is possible to prevent erroneous insertion at the time of assembling, rationalize the assembling man-hour, improve the molding accuracy, and improve the welding yield. The purpose is to provide a head.

[0008]

In order to achieve the above object, an ink jet recording head of the present invention is an ink jet recording head for recording by ejecting ink of an ink cartridge as ink droplets,
A plurality of ink supplies including a head body that ejects ink droplets, and a head holder to which the head body is attached and in which a plurality of ink supply needles that receive ink supply from the ink cartridge The roots of the needles are connected and integrally formed,
A fitting projection is provided in the vicinity of the root of the connected ink supply needle, and a fitted portion to which the fitting projection fits is formed at a location corresponding to the fitting projection of the head holder. What is done is the summary.

That is, in the ink jet recording head of the present invention, the roots of a plurality of ink supply needles are connected and integrally formed, and a fitting projection is provided near the roots of the connected ink supply needles. In addition, a fitted portion into which the fitting projection is fitted is formed at a location corresponding to the fitting projection of the head holder. Therefore, for example, even if the overall shape of the connected ink supply needles is asymmetrical, the presence of the fitting protrusion makes it easy to determine the direction of assembly, and reliably prevents erroneous insertion. As a result, the assembling man-hours can be rationalized, and the assembling failure will not occur.

In the ink jet recording head of the present invention, when a gate port is provided in the fitting protrusion of the above-mentioned connected ink supply needles, it becomes possible to carry out molding with sufficient molding pressure, and a molded product is obtained. Swarf is less likely to occur and the welding yield can be improved.

In the ink jet recording head of the present invention, when the fitting protrusion is provided at the connecting portion of the ink supply needle, the fitting protrusion does not protrude more than necessary, so that the size of the entire component is increased. Is prevented, and it is not necessary to secure an extra space for the fitted portion in the head holder.

In the ink jet recording head of the present invention, when a plurality of ink supply needles connected to each other have an asymmetrical shape, if the ink supply needles are erroneously inserted, the product itself will be defective. The effect of the present invention that can be reliably prevented is remarkable.

In the ink jet recording head of the present invention, when two or three ink supply needles are connected, the molding yield and the like of the connected ink supply needles are not increased more than necessary, so that the welding yield is increased. It hardly decreases.

[0014]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a peripheral structure of a recording apparatus using the ink jet recording head of the present invention. This apparatus has a carriage 3 in which an ink cartridge 2 is mounted on an upper part and a recording head 1 is mounted on a lower surface.
Is equipped with.

The carriage 3 is provided with a timing belt 4
It is connected to a stepping motor 5 via a guide bar 6 and is reciprocated in the main scanning direction (the paper width direction of the recording paper 7) by being guided by the guide bar 6. In addition, the carriage 3
The recording head 1 is attached to the surface (the lower surface in this example) facing the recording paper 7. Then, ink is supplied from the ink cartridges 2 to the recording head 1, and ink droplets are ejected onto the upper surface of the recording paper 7 while moving the carriage 3 to print an image or characters on the recording paper 7 by a dot matrix. ing.

In the figure, numeral 8 is provided in a non-printing area within the moving range of the carriage 3, and the recording head 1 is provided while printing is stopped.
The cap is a cap that prevents the nozzle opening from drying as much as possible by sealing the nozzle opening. Reference numeral 9 is a wiper member that comes into contact with the nozzle surface and wipes off the ink on the nozzle surface.

2 and 3 show the recording head 1 of the present invention.
FIG. The recording head 1 includes a head body 11 having a nozzle surface 14 having nozzles for ejecting ink droplets, and a head holder 12 to which the head body 11 is attached.

In the figure, 10 is a protective cover for protecting the nozzle surface 14 and the side surface of the head body 11 on the nozzle surface 14 side, and 17 is a screw for attaching the protective cover 10 and the head body 11 to the head holder 12. .

The head holder 12 has a plurality of (seven in this example) ink supply needles 13 on which the ink cartridges 2 are mounted, standing on the upper surface thereof. The ink supply needles 13 are on the left and right (main scanning direction of the recording head 1).
It is provided to line up.

The ink supply needles 13 are respectively inserted into the ink cartridges 2 to receive the supply of ink. Each of the ink supply needles 13 is hollow and has an ink hole 30 (see FIGS. 4 and 5) at the tip thereof. Inside the vicinity of the root of each ink supply needle 13, a filter 18 for filtering the ink supplied from the ink cartridge 2 is provided.

The head holder 12 communicates with each ink supply needle 13 and also communicates with the head flow path 15 of the head body 11 to introduce the ink of the ink cartridge 2 into the head body 11. A passage 16 is formed.

Between the head body 11 and the head holder 12, a head substrate 20 for inputting an ink ejection signal to the head body 11 is provided. The head substrate 2
0 is the head holder 1 at one end (right side in this example)
2, a connector 2 for a flexible cable (not shown) for electrically connecting the head substrate 20 and the recording device to the right end portion of the head substrate 20.
6 is provided.

The seven ink supply needles 13 are
As shown in FIG. 4, the three ink supply needles 13 are connected to the root portion 3.
In FIG. 1, a triple type needle unit 21 integrally formed by being connected through the connecting portion 19 and two ink supply needles 13 are integrally formed by being connected through the connecting portion 19 at the base portion 31. 2-type needle unit 22
It consists of and.

As described above, the needle units 21 and 22 are of a double or triple type in which two or three ink supply needles 13 are connected, and thus the connected needle units 2
Molding strains 1 and 22 are not increased more than necessary, and the welding yield is hardly reduced.

The above triple type needle unit 21 is shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 3, the substantially circular root portions 31 of the three ink supply needles 13 are connected to each other through the two thin connecting portions 19, and the two connecting portions 19 each have a substantially semicircular fitting protrusion. The part 27 is formed. The fitting protrusion 27 is provided on the same side of the needle unit 21. Thereby, the assembling direction of the needle unit 21 can be confirmed at a glance.

Further, in the above-mentioned triple type needle unit 21, the central ink supply needle 13 is arranged at the center of the circular root portion 31, and the ink supply needles 13 on both sides are located near the ends of the circular root portion 31. It is arranged. As a result, the distance between the ink supply needles 13 is increased and the ink cartridge 2
It is possible to secure the volume of.

The double-type needle unit 22 is shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 3, the root portions 31 of the two ink supply needles 13 having a substantially circular shape are connected via the thin connecting portion 19, and the connecting portion 19 is provided with the substantially semicircular fitting protrusion 27. ing.

In the double type needle unit 22, the ink supply needle 13 located near the center is located slightly outside the circular base 31, and the ink supply needle 13 located at the end is oval. It is arranged near the end of the root portion 31 of the. As a result, the space between the ink supply needles 13 can be widened to secure the volume of the ink cartridge 2.

As described above, the two needle units 22 are connected.
Has an asymmetrical shape in the longitudinal direction (the direction in which the ink supply needles 13 are arranged), but the presence of the fitting protrusions 27 allows the mounting direction of the needle unit 22 to be checked at a glance. .

The above-mentioned three and two needle units 21, 2
2, the fitting protrusion 27 is provided with a gate port 29 for injecting a resin material into the molding space of the mold during resin molding. By doing so, it becomes possible to mold each needle unit 21, 22 with a sufficient molding pressure, warpage is less likely to occur in the molded product, and the welding yield can be improved.

On the other hand, on the upper surface of the head holder 12,
As shown in FIG. 7, a filter mounting portion 23 for mounting the filter 18 is formed in the openings of the seven holder flow paths 16 (which are hidden and not visible in the drawing). Then, of the seven filter mounting portions 23, the middle three filter mounting portions 2
3, a continuous edge 24 is formed around the circumference of the edge 3.
The root portion 31 of the triple needle unit 21 and the connecting portion 19 are fitted therein. Further, continuous edge portions 25 are formed around the two filter attachment portions 23 from the left and right ends of the seven filter attachment portions 23, respectively, and inside the edge portions 25, the double type needle unit 2 is provided.
The root portion 31 and the connecting portion 19 of No. 2 are fitted together.

Fitted portions 28 into which the fitting projections 27 of the needle units 21 and 22 are fitted are formed on the edge portions 24 and 25, respectively. The fitting projections 27 and the fitted portion 28 are formed. The respective ink supply needles 13 are positioned in a state where and are fitted. By doing so, the work of positioning the ink supply needle 13 at the time of assembling becomes unnecessary, the man-hours for assembling can be rationalized, and the defective rate can be greatly reduced.

The needle units 21 and 22 are
As shown in FIG. 8, the triple type needle unit 22 is arranged in the center, and the double type needle units 22 are arranged on both sides of the triple type needle unit 21, respectively. It is fitted and attached in 24 and 25. At this time, in the double type needle units 22 located on both sides, the ink supply needles 13 are positioned with the fitting protrusions 27 in opposite positions. By doing so, in this example, the seven ink supply needles 13 are positioned at symmetrical positions as a whole.

As described above, in the above recording head, even if the overall shape of the needle units 21 and 22 to which the ink supply needles 13 are connected is asymmetrical, the presence of the fitting protrusions 27 causes the direction of the assembling. It is easy to distinguish, and erroneous insertion is surely prevented, so that the number of assembling steps can be rationalized, and improper assembly will not occur. In addition, since the fitting protrusion 27 is provided on the connecting portion 19 of the needle units 21 and 22, the fitting protrusion 27 does not protrude more than necessary, the size of the entire component is prevented, and the head holder 12 is provided. It is not necessary to secure an extra space for the fitted portion 28. Further, the material can be sufficiently filled in each ink supply needle 13 at the time of molding.

In the above embodiment, as the head main body 11, a head main body using a longitudinal vibration mode piezoelectric vibrator or a flexural vibration mode piezoelectric vibrator as a pressure generating element for ejecting ink droplets is applied. Can also
A head body using a heating element that heats and vaporizes ink as a pressure generating element can also be applied.

[0037]

As described above, according to the ink jet recording head of the present invention, the root portions of a plurality of ink supply needles are connected and integrally formed, and the root portions of the connected ink supply needles are connected to each other. Since the fitting protrusion is provided and the fitted portion into which the fitting protrusion fits is formed at a position corresponding to the fitting protrusion of the head holder, for example, the ink supply connected Even if the overall shape of the needle is asymmetric, the presence of the fitting protrusion makes it easy to identify the direction of assembly, and mistaken insertion can be reliably prevented, which can streamline the assembly process and prevent assembly failures. It will not occur.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a peripheral structure of a recording apparatus using an inkjet recording head of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a recording head.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the recording head.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing an arrangement of ink supply needles.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a needle unit.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a needle unit.

FIG. 7 is a plan view showing a head holder.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing the recording head.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing a conventional recording head.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a conventional ink supply needle.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 recording head 2 ink cartridge 3 carriage 4 Timing belt 5 Stepping motor 6 Guide bar 7 Recording paper 8 caps 9 Wiper member 10 Protective cover 11 head body 12 head holder 13 Ink supply needle 14 Nozzle surface 15 head flow path 16 Holder flow path 17 screws 18 filters 19 Connection 20 head substrate 21 needle unit 22 needle unit 23 Filter mounting part 24 edge 25 edges 26 connectors 27 Fitting protrusion 28 Fitted part 29 gate 30 ink holes 31 root 51 head body 52 ink cartridge 53 Ink supply needle 54 Ink supply port 55 Hollow part 56-needle unit 57 Holder flow path 59 filters 60 head holder 61 recess 62 cartridge case 63 Positioning protrusion 64 films 65 Connection

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. An ink jet recording head for recording by ejecting ink from an ink cartridge as ink droplets, comprising a head body for ejecting ink droplets, the head body being attached and ink supplied from the ink cartridge. A head holder on which an ink cartridge is mounted and in which a plurality of ink supply needles for receiving the ink are installed upright, the roots of the plurality of ink supply needles are connected to be integrally formed, A fitting protrusion is provided in the vicinity of the root portion, and a fitted portion into which the fitting protrusion is fitted is formed at a position corresponding to the fitting protrusion of the head holder. Inkjet recording head. 2. The ink jet recording head according to claim 1, wherein a gate port is provided in the fitting protrusion of the connected ink supply needle. 3. The ink jet recording head according to claim 1, wherein the fitting protrusion is provided at a connecting portion of the ink supply needle. 4. The ink jet recording head according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of connected ink supply needles have an asymmetrical shape. 5. The ink jet recording head according to claim 1, wherein two or three ink supply needles are connected.