JP2016132189A - Pressure regulating valve, liquid spray head and liquid spray device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a pressure regulating valve, a liquid spray head and a liquid spray device which can suppress components of liquid from being piled so as to suppress leakage of the liquid.SOLUTION: The pressure regulating valve is provided with: a communication flow path 514 provided to penetrate through a bulkhead 513 partitioning a primary chamber 511 and a secondary chamber 512 in a housing 51; a valve body 55 which has, as a valve seat, a surface on which the communication flow path 514 opens at the primary chamber 511 side in the bulkhead 513 and opens and closes the communication flow path 514 by contacting and separating from the valve seat; and a pressure receiving film body 517 which seals an opening of the secondary chamber 512 and opens and closes the valve body on the basis of atmospheric pressure. The valve body 55 has a contact part 562 which opposes to the valve seat and is formed of elastic materials consecutively provided to surround an opening of the communication flow path 514. The contact part 562 is provided to protrude in a direction crossing a movement direction X of the valve body 55 from the valve body 55. When the valve body 55 closes the communication flow path 514, a protruding tip of the contact part 562 slidably contacts the valve seat.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

  The present invention relates to a pressure adjusting valve provided in the middle of a flow path to open and close the flow path, a liquid ejecting head including the pressure adjusting valve, and a liquid ejecting apparatus.

  As a liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects a liquid onto an ejected medium, for example, an ink jet recording apparatus that ejects ink as a liquid and performs printing on a paper, a recording sheet, or the like as an ejected medium is known.

  In such an ink jet recording apparatus, ink is supplied from a liquid storage means such as an ink tank to an ink jet recording head via a supply pipe such as a tube, and the ink supplied from the ink tank is used as a nozzle of the ink jet recording head. Some ejected as ink droplets from the opening. Further, there has been proposed an apparatus in which a pressure adjusting valve is provided in the middle of the flow path so that ink supplied from the liquid storage means is supplied to the ink jet recording head at a predetermined pressure (for example, Patent Document 1). And 2).

  The pressure regulating valve includes a valve seat and a valve body, and closes the flow path when the valve body comes into contact with the valve seat, and opens the flow path when the valve body is separated from the valve seat. It is like that. Such opening and closing of the valve seat and the valve body is performed by the pressure in the downstream flow path.

JP 2010-208048 A JP2013-132894A

  However, when the valve body and the valve seat of the pressure regulating valve repeatedly come into contact with each other, a component contained in the liquid accumulates, and the problem of blockage due to poor contact between the valve body and the valve seat due to the deposit occurs. is there.

  In particular, in the liquid ejecting head, when the pressure regulating valve is closed badly, the liquid leaks to cause liquid dripping from the nozzle opening, which contaminates the ejected medium or the liquid ejecting apparatus. is there.

  Such a problem is not limited to a pressure regulating valve used in a liquid jet head typified by an ink jet recording head, and similarly exists in pressure regulating valves used in other devices.

  In view of such circumstances, it is an object of the present invention to provide a pressure adjusting valve, a liquid ejecting head, and a liquid ejecting apparatus that can suppress liquid leakage by suppressing deposition of liquid components.

An aspect of the present invention that solves the above-described problems includes a communication channel provided through a partition wall that separates a primary chamber and a secondary chamber in a housing, and the communication flow on the side of the primary chamber of the partition wall. The valve opening is used as a valve seat, the valve body that opens and closes the communication flow path by contacting and separating from the valve seat, the opening of the secondary chamber is sealed, and the valve body is based on atmospheric pressure. A pressure receiving membrane body that opens and closes, and the valve body is opposed to the valve seat and is formed of an elastic material continuously provided so as to surround the opening of the communication channel The contact portion is provided to protrude from the valve body in a direction intersecting the moving direction of the valve body, and when the valve body closes the communication flow path, In the pressure regulating valve, the protruding tip of the abutting portion is in sliding contact with the valve seat.
In this aspect, when the valve is closed, the tip of the contact portion is in sliding contact with the valve seat, so that the deposit generated when the valve body and the valve seat are repeatedly contacted is scraped off by the contact portion. it can.

  Here, it is preferable that the contact portion is provided so as to protrude from the valve body toward the valve seat in a direction away from the communication flow path. According to this, the area | region for a contact part to slidably contact between a communicating flow path and a valve body becomes unnecessary, and size reduction of a valve body can be achieved. In addition, since pressure is applied to the contact portion in a direction in which the liquid in the primary chamber is pressed against the valve seat, the pressure at the time of closing the valve can be increased and the valve can be reliably closed.

  The contact portion includes a first contact portion provided on the side of the communication flow path and a second contact portion provided on the side opposite to the communication flow path. The contact portion preferably has a higher hardness than the first contact portion. According to this, the 1st contact part can be pressed to the valve seat side by the 2nd contact part, the pressure at the time of valve closing can be increased, and it can be closed reliably. In addition, by using a material having high hardness as the second contact portion, a material having a relatively low hardness can be used for the first contact portion, which increases the contact area between the valve seat and the first contact portion. The adhesion can be improved.

  Moreover, it is preferable that the said 2nd contact part protrudes rather than the said 1st contact part toward the said valve seat side. According to this, the second contact portion can be brought into sliding contact with the valve seat first, and the deposit can be more reliably scraped off by the second contact portion having a relatively high hardness.

According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a liquid ejecting head including the pressure regulating valve according to the above aspect and a head body that ejects the liquid supplied from the pressure regulating valve.
According to this aspect, it is possible to suppress the liquid leakage by suppressing the deposition of the liquid component, and it is possible to realize a liquid ejecting head that suppresses the contamination by the liquid.

According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a liquid ejecting apparatus including the pressure regulating valve according to the above aspect.
In such an aspect, it is possible to suppress the liquid leakage by suppressing the deposition of the liquid component, and it is possible to realize a liquid ejecting apparatus that suppresses the contamination by the liquid.

1 is a plan view of a recording apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the invention. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the recording head according to the first embodiment of the invention. It is sectional drawing of the head main body which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is principal part sectional drawing of the pressure control valve which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is principal part sectional drawing of the pressure control valve which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is principal part sectional drawing of the pressure control valve which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is principal part sectional drawing of the pressure control valve which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is principal part sectional drawing of the pressure control valve which concerns on other embodiment of this invention.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail based on embodiments.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a plan view of an ink jet recording apparatus which is an example of a liquid ejecting apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the invention.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the ink jet recording apparatus 1 includes a main body frame 2 having a rectangular shape in plan view. In the main body frame 2, a medium support member 3 that supports an ejected medium (not shown) extends along a first direction X that is a main scanning direction. A medium to be ejected such as paper is fed onto the medium support member 3 along a second direction Y orthogonal to the first direction X, which is the sub-scanning direction, by a paper feed mechanism (not shown). Yes. A rod-shaped guide shaft 4 extending in parallel with the first direction X of the medium support member 3 is installed above the medium support member 3 in the main body frame 2.

  A carriage 5 is supported on the guide shaft 4 so as to be capable of reciprocating in the first direction X along the guide shaft 4. The carriage 5 is connected to a carriage motor 7 provided on the main body frame 2 via an endless timing belt 6 that is hung between a pair of pulleys 6 a provided on the main body frame 2. Thus, the carriage 5 is reciprocated along the guide shaft 4 by driving the carriage motor 7.

  The carriage 5 holds an ink jet recording head 15 (hereinafter also simply referred to as a recording head 15), which is an example of the liquid ejecting head of the present embodiment. The recording head 15 of the present embodiment includes a head main body 20 and a pressure adjusting valve 50 that supplies ink from the ink tank 8 serving as a liquid storage unit to the head main body 20.

  As will be described in detail later, a plurality of nozzle openings are provided on the surface of the head main body 20 facing the medium support member 3, and by driving a pressure generating means (not shown) provided in the head main body 20. The ink droplets are ejected from the nozzle openings onto the ejection target medium fed onto the medium support member 3 so that the dots are landed by the ink droplets, that is, printing is performed.

  A tank holder 9 is provided on one end side in the first direction X of the main body frame 2, and a plurality of ink tanks 8 as liquid storage means are detachably mounted on the tank holder 9. In the present embodiment, two ink tanks 8 are provided. Each ink tank 8 contains different types (colors) of ink.

  Each ink tank 8 mounted on the tank holder 9 is connected to the pressure regulating valve 50 of the present embodiment via a supply pipe 10 such as a tube. The pressure adjusting valve 50 temporarily stores each color ink supplied from each ink tank 8 via each supply pipe 10, and individually supplies each color ink temporarily supplied to the head body 20. Is done.

  A maintenance unit 11 for performing maintenance such as cleaning of the head main body 20 is provided in a position near one end in the first direction X in the main body frame 2 and in the home position area of the carriage 5. The maintenance unit 11 includes a cap 12 for contacting the head body 20 so as to surround each nozzle opening of the head body 20 and receiving ink discharged from each nozzle opening by flushing. A suction pump (not shown) capable of suction.

  Then, with the cap 12 in contact with the head main body 20 so as to surround each nozzle opening of the head main body 20, the inside of the cap 12 is sucked by a suction pump (not shown), thereby increasing the viscosity of the ink from each nozzle opening. So-called cleaning is performed in which bubbles or the like are forcibly discharged into the cap 12.

  A recording head 15 mounted on such an ink jet recording apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 is a cross-sectional view of an ink jet recording head that is an example of the liquid jet head according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a main part of the head main body.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the head main body 20 constituting the recording head 15 of the present embodiment includes a discharge unit 30 that ejects ink droplets and a flow path member 40 that supplies ink to the discharge unit 30.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the discharge unit 30 includes an actuator unit 31, a case 32 that can accommodate the actuator unit 31 therein, a flow path unit 33 joined to one surface of the case 32, and the other surface of the case 32. And a wiring board 34 fixed to the board.

  In the actuator unit 31 of the present embodiment, a piezoelectric actuator forming member 311 in which a plurality of piezoelectric actuators 310 are arranged in parallel along the direction in which the nozzle openings 334 are arranged, and the tip (one end) side of the piezoelectric actuator forming member 311 are free. The base plate (the other end) side has a fixed plate 312 joined as a fixed end so as to be an end.

  The piezoelectric actuator forming member 311 is formed by laminating the piezoelectric material 313 and the electrode forming materials 314 and 315 alternately.

  In the piezoelectric actuator forming member 311, a plurality of slits 316 are formed by, for example, a wire saw or the like, and the piezoelectric actuator 310 is arranged in parallel by cutting the tip end side into a comb-like shape. In the present embodiment, the direction in which the piezoelectric actuators 310 are juxtaposed is the direction in which the nozzle openings 334 are juxtaposed, and is arranged so as to be in the first direction X when mounted in the ink jet recording apparatus 1 described above. The Therefore, hereinafter, the direction in which the nozzle openings 334 are arranged side by side is referred to as a first direction X, and the direction orthogonal to the first direction X is referred to as a second direction Y as in the ink jet recording apparatus 1. Of course, when the head body 20 is mounted on the ink jet recording apparatus 1, the direction in which the nozzle openings 334 are arranged in parallel does not have to coincide with the first direction X, and is not particularly limited. In the present embodiment, a direction orthogonal to both the first direction X and the second direction Y is referred to as a third direction Z.

  Here, the region joined to the fixed plate 312 of the piezoelectric actuator 310 is an inactive region that does not contribute to vibration, and when a voltage is applied between the electrode forming materials 314 and 315 constituting the piezoelectric actuator 310, the fixed plate Only the region on the tip side that is not joined to 312 vibrates. And the front end surface of the piezoelectric actuator 310 is fixed to the diaphragm 331 mentioned later.

  Each piezoelectric actuator 310 of the actuator unit 31 is connected to a circuit board 318 such as a COF on which a drive circuit 317 such as a drive IC for driving the piezoelectric actuator 310 is mounted.

  The flow path unit 33 includes a flow path forming substrate 330, a vibration plate 331, and a nozzle plate 332.

  A plurality of pressure generation chambers 333 are arranged in parallel on the flow path forming substrate 330, and a nozzle plate 332 having a nozzle opening 334 corresponding to each pressure generation chamber 333 and a vibration plate 331 on both sides of the flow path forming substrate 330. And is sealed. In this embodiment, two rows in which the pressure generation chambers 333 are arranged in parallel are provided. The flow path forming substrate 330 is formed with a manifold 336 that communicates with each pressure generation chamber 333 via an ink supply path 335 and serves as a common ink chamber for the plurality of pressure generation chambers 333 for each column. . That is, in the present embodiment, a manifold 336 is formed for each row of pressure generation chambers 333.

  In addition, the tip of the piezoelectric actuator 310 is fixed to a region of the diaphragm of the flow path forming substrate 330 facing each pressure generation chamber 333.

  A compliance portion 337 is provided in a region corresponding to the manifold 336 of the vibration plate 331. The compliance portion 337 plays a role of absorbing the pressure change when the pressure change occurs in the manifold 336 and deforming the compliance portion 337 to keep the pressure in the manifold 336 constant.

  The case 32 is joined to the flow path unit 33 and provided with an ink introduction path 321 for supplying ink from the pressure regulating valve 50 connected to the ink tank 8 to the manifold 336. In the present embodiment, a total of two ink introduction paths 321 are provided, one for each manifold 336. The ink supplied from the ink tank 8 to the ink introduction path 321 via the pressure adjustment valve 50 is supplied to the manifold 336 and distributed to each pressure generation chamber 333 via the ink supply path 335.

  The case 32 is provided with accommodating portions 322 corresponding to the rows of pressure generating chambers 333. That is, in the present embodiment, two accommodating portions 322 are provided, and the actuator unit 31 is fixed in each accommodating portion 322.

  Further, a wiring board 34 is provided on the opposite side of the case 32 from the flow path unit 33, and the other end of the circuit board 318 having one end connected to the actuator unit 31 is connected to the wiring board 34. .

  In such a discharge unit 30, the volume of each pressure generation chamber 333 is changed by deformation of the piezoelectric actuator 310 and the vibration plate 331, and ink droplets are discharged from a predetermined nozzle opening 334.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the flow path member 40 has a pressure regulating valve 50 fixed on one side and supplies ink from the pressure regulating valve 50 to the ejection unit 30 fixed on the other side. .

  Specifically, the flow path member 40 is provided with an ink communication path 41, and a filter 42 that removes foreign matters such as dust and bubbles contained in the ink is formed on one surface where the ink communication path 41 opens. A supply needle 43 provided on the filter 42 is provided.

  The supply needle 43 is inserted into a pressure adjusting valve 50 described later in detail. Ink from the pressure adjusting valve 50 passes through the inside of the supply needle 43 and is removed from the foreign matter by the filter 42, and then supplied to the ejection unit 30 via the ink communication path 41.

  The pressure adjustment valve 50 connected to the flow path member 40 and supplying ink from the ink tank to the recording head will be further described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5 are enlarged cross-sectional views of the main part of the pressure regulating valve.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, since two different types of ink are supplied to one head body 20, two pressure regulating valves 50 are fixed to the flow path member 40. . In the present embodiment, each direction of the flow path member 40 is based on the direction when the ink jet recording apparatus 1 is mounted, that is, the first direction X, the second direction Y, and the third direction Z. I will explain. Of course, the arrangement of the flow path member 40 in the ink jet recording apparatus 1 is not limited to the following.

  As shown in FIGS. 2, 4, and 5, each pressure regulating valve 50 is a valve that is provided in the middle of the flow path of ink and opens and closes the flow path. Specifically, the pressure regulating valve 50 of this embodiment includes a housing 51 and a valve body 55 provided in the housing 51.

  The housing 51 communicates with an ink tank 8 serving as a liquid storage unit via a supply pipe 10 and a primary chamber 511 to which ink is supplied from the ink tank 8 and an ink communication path 41 of the head body 20. A secondary chamber 512 is provided. The primary chamber 511 and the secondary chamber 512 are separated by a partition wall 513. The primary chamber 511 and the secondary chamber 512 communicate with each other via a communication channel 514 provided through the partition wall 513.

  The primary chamber 511 is formed by sealing a recess formed on one surface of the housing 51 with a lid member 515. In addition, one end of an inflow passage 516 is provided in the primary chamber 511 so as to communicate therewith. The ink tank 8 is connected to the other end of the inflow path 516 through the supply pipe 10.

  The secondary chamber 512 has a concave shape that opens on the side surface of the housing 51 opposite to the primary chamber 511. In addition, a film 517 that is a pressure-receiving film body is attached to a surface of the housing 51 where the secondary chamber 512 opens, and the opening of the secondary chamber 512 is sealed with the film 517. Further, one end of the outflow passage 518 communicates with the secondary chamber 512, and a seal member 519 is provided at the other end of the outflow passage 518 opposite to the one end communicating with the secondary chamber 512. Yes. The supply needle 43 of the flow path member 40 is inserted into the seal member 519 and connected to the outflow path 518.

  Here, the film 517 which is a pressure receiving film body can use a flexible material having resistance to the liquid (ink) supplied to the secondary chamber 512. In addition, as the film 517, it is preferable to use a material having a low moisture permeability, a gas permeability such as liquid oxygen or nitrogen. Examples of the material of the film 517 include a configuration in which a nylon film coated with vinylidene chloride (saran) is bonded and laminated to a high-density polyethylene film or a polypropylene (PP) film. Moreover, you may use a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) etc. as another material. The bonding method of the film 517 is not particularly limited, and heat welding, vibration welding, adhesion with an adhesive, or the like can be used.

  The part which comprises a part of wall surface of the secondary chamber 512 of such a film 517 becomes the diaphragm 517a. A pressure receiving plate 520 is provided on the surface of the diaphragm 517a on the secondary chamber 512 side. The pressure receiving plate 520 of the present embodiment has a disk shape having an outer shape smaller than that of the diaphragm 517a. Such a pressure receiving plate 520 is provided to prevent the valve body 55 that opens and closes the communication flow path 514 from directly contacting the film 517, and is a material having rigidity higher than that of the film 517, for example, Resin, metal, etc. can be used. In this embodiment, the pressure receiving plate 520 has an outer shape smaller than that of the diaphragm 517 a, but is not particularly limited thereto, and one end of the pressure receiving plate 520 is fixed between the film 517 and the housing 51 outside the secondary chamber 512. May be.

  The secondary chamber 512 penetrates in the bottom surface of the secondary chamber 512, that is, in the partition wall 513 facing the diaphragm 517 a of the housing 51 in the thickness direction that is the direction in which the primary chamber 511 and the secondary chamber 512 are partitioned. A communication channel 514 that communicates with the primary chamber 511 is provided. Ink from the primary chamber 511 flows into the secondary chamber 512 via the communication channel 514.

  Since the housing 51 has a complicated shape including the primary chamber 511, the secondary chamber 512, the communication channel 514, and the like, the resin material can be easily formed at low cost by molding. Of course, the material of the housing 51 is not limited to a resin material, and for example, a metal material, a ceramic material, or the like can be used. The housing 51 is formed of a material having higher rigidity than the film 517. Incidentally, if the rigidity of the housing 51 is low, for example, the shape of the secondary chamber 512 is not stable, the pressure difference between the ink pressure in the secondary chamber 512 and the atmospheric pressure outside the film 517 is not stable, and the valve body There is a possibility that the opening and closing operation of the communication channel 514 by 55 cannot be performed stably. Further, the shape of the communication channel 514 may not be stable, and the communication channel 514 may not be normally closed. Therefore, the housing 51 is preferably formed of a material having a certain degree of rigidity.

  The periphery of the opening on the primary chamber 511 side of the partition wall 513 provided with the communication channel 514 of the housing 51 is a valve seat with which the valve body 55 abuts.

  The valve body 55 is inserted through the communication channel 514 of the housing 51. The valve body 55 includes a shaft body 551 inserted into the communication channel 514 and a valve body main body 550 having a flange portion 552 provided at an end portion in the primary chamber 511 of the shaft section 551, and a flange of the valve body main body 550. A contact member 560 fixed to the portion 552.

  The shaft portion 551 of the valve body 550 has an outer diameter slightly smaller than the communication channel 514 of the housing 51, and one end portion in the secondary chamber 512 abuts on the central portion of the pressure receiving plate 520. Further, the other end of the shaft portion 551 opposite to the one end that contacts the pressure receiving plate 520 is disposed in the primary chamber 511, and the flange portion 552 is disposed at the other end in the primary chamber 511. Are integrally formed. Such a valve body 550 is movable along the first direction X, which is the axial direction of the shaft portion 551. That is, the moving direction of the valve body 55 is the first direction X.

  The flange portion 552 is made of a circular plate member. A contact member 560 is fixed to the flange portion 552. The contact member 560 is made of an elastic material such as rubber or elastomer, and has an annular shape provided continuously around the periphery of the shaft portion 551. Specifically, the abutting member 560 is integrally provided on the base portion 561 fixed to the valve seat side surface of the flange portion 552 and the valve seat side surface of the base portion 561 toward the valve seat. A projecting contact portion 562. The contact portion 562 is provided such that the thickness of the shaft portion 551 in the radial direction gradually decreases from the base portion 561 side toward the valve seat side. That is, the contact part 562 has a tapered shape in which the base part 561 side is thick and becomes thinner toward the tip on the valve seat side. Further, the contact portion 562 is provided so as to protrude from the base portion 561 toward the valve seat in a direction intersecting the first direction X that is the moving direction of the valve body 55. In the present embodiment, the contact portion 562 is provided to be inclined in a direction away from the shaft portion 551 from the base portion 561 side toward the valve seat side. In addition, the surface of the tip of the contact portion 562 is formed as a curved surface having an arc shape in a cross section in the radial direction of the shaft portion 551.

  As shown in FIG. 5, such a valve body 55 brings the contact member 560 of the contact member 560 into sliding contact with the valve seat by bringing the contact member 560 of the valve body closer to the valve seat. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5A, after the tip of the contact portion 562 of the contact member 560 comes into contact with the valve seat by the movement of the valve body 55, as shown in FIG. Further, when the valve body 55 is further moved, the tip of the contact portion 562 comes into sliding contact with the surface of the valve seat, and the tip of the contact portion 562 spreads in a direction away from the shaft portion 551 to close the valve. As described above, the tip of the contact portion 562 of the contact member 560 of the valve body 55 is in sliding contact with the valve seat, so that the contact member 560 and the valve seat are repeatedly brought into contact with each other to be opened and closed. Even if the component to be deposited is deposited on the valve seat and the deposit 60 is provided on the valve seat, the contact portion 562 of the contact member 560 can scrape the deposit 60 deposited on the valve seat. Therefore, the growth of the deposit 60 on the valve seat can be suppressed, the occurrence of a blockage failure due to the contact failure between the valve body 55 and the valve seat due to the deposit 60 can be suppressed, and ink leakage can be suppressed. . Incidentally, if the contact portion 562 is protruded in the moving direction of the valve body 55, the contact portion 562 may be crushed in the first direction X, which is the moving direction, after the contact portion 562 contacts the valve seat. However, the deposit 60 cannot be scraped off by sliding the contact portion 562 against the valve seat. In the present embodiment, the contact portion 562 can be brought into sliding contact with the valve seat by projecting the contact portion 562 in a direction intersecting the moving direction of the valve body 55.

  In this embodiment, the contact member 560 is fixed to the flange portion 552. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the contact member 560 is formed in a shape that covers the flange portion 552, and the flange You may make it fit in the part 552. FIG. Further, the valve body 550 and the contact member 560 may be integrated by, for example, integral molding. Thus, by integrating the valve body main body 550 and the contact member 560 by integral molding, it is possible to attach the contact member 560 in a state of being displaced or biased when the contact member 560 is attached to the valve body main body 550. While being able to suppress, the position shift by the contact member 560 contact | abutting repeatedly to a valve seat can be suppressed. Accordingly, the contact member 560 and the valve seat can be stably contacted to improve the sealing performance.

  Further, a coil spring 56 is interposed between the flange portion 552 of the valve body 55 and the lid member 515 that defines the primary chamber 511, and the valve body 55 is pivoted by the biasing force of the coil spring 56. The axial direction of the portion 551 is biased toward the secondary chamber 512 with the moving axis direction as the moving axis direction.

  Here, the force acting on the valve body 55 includes the reaction force of the film 517, the force acting on the pressure receiving plate 520 and the diaphragm 517a upon receiving the ink pressure in the secondary chamber 512, the biasing force of the coil spring 56, and the supply of ink. There is a force acting on the valve body 55 under pressure.

  The reaction force of the film 517 is a force that the diaphragm 517a that has been bent and deformed tries to restore the original shape. The reaction force of the film 517 increases as the deformation amount of the diaphragm 517a, that is, the deflection amount increases. Such reaction force of the film 517 is transmitted to the shaft portion 551 through the pressure receiving plate 520.

  The force acting on the pressure receiving plate 520 and the diaphragm 517a upon receiving the ink pressure in the secondary chamber 512 is expressed by the product of the pressure receiving area of the pressure receiving plate 520 and the diaphragm 517a receiving the ink pressure and the ink pressure. When the liquid in the secondary chamber 512 is caused to flow downstream from the outflow passage 518 and the ink in the secondary chamber 512 decreases, the differential pressure between the ink pressure and the atmospheric pressure increases, and the pressure receiving plate 520 and the diaphragm 517a The power to work increases. The force acting on the pressure receiving plate 520 and the diaphragm 517a acts as a force in the valve opening direction on the valve body 55 via the shaft portion 551.

  The biasing force of the coil spring 56 is a force that biases the valve body 55 in the valve closing direction. As described above, in this embodiment, the valve body 55 applies a force to the pressure receiving plate 520 opposite to the force acting on the pressure receiving plate 520 and the diaphragm 517 a by the coil spring 56 due to the pressure of the ink in the secondary chamber 512. In order to displace the pressure receiving plate 520 until the valve body 55 reaches the valve opening position, it is necessary to reduce the ink in the secondary chamber 512 to a lower pressure by an amount corresponding to the urging force of the coil spring 56 ( Operating pressure).

  In such a pressure regulating valve 50, as shown in FIG. 4, the ink in the secondary chamber 512 is caused to flow downstream, and the pressure in the secondary chamber 512 is reduced to a negative pressure rather than the atmospheric pressure. The diaphragm 517a moves to the bottom surface side of the secondary chamber 512, and the pressure receiving plate 520 presses the valve body 55 against the urging force of the coil spring 56, whereby the contact member 560 of the valve body 55 and the first contact member 52 are pressed. A gap is formed between the communication channel 514 and the communication channel 514, that is, the valve is opened. In addition, when ink is supplied from the primary chamber 511 to the secondary chamber 512 by this valve opening, and the decompression in the secondary chamber 512 is eliminated, the diaphragm 517a is moved to its original position by the biasing force of the coil spring 56. Then, the valve is closed (see FIG. 5).

(Embodiment 2)
6 and 7 are enlarged cross-sectional views of the main part of the pressure regulating valve according to the second embodiment of the present invention. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the member similar to embodiment mentioned above, and the overlapping description is abbreviate | omitted.

  As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the pressure regulating valve 50 is provided with a valve body 55, and the valve body 55 includes a valve body main body 550 and a contact member 560.

  The contact member 560 includes a base portion 561 and a contact portion 562A. The contact portion 562 of the present embodiment includes a first contact portion 562a provided on the communication channel 514 side, that is, the shaft portion 551 side, and a second contact portion 562b provided on the opposite side of the shaft portion 551. It comprises.

  The first contact portion 562a is formed of an elastic member, similar to the contact portion 562 of the first embodiment described above, and the first contact portion 562a contacts the valve seat to close the communication flow path 514. Let

  The second contact portion 562b is formed of an elastic material having a higher hardness than the first contact portion 562a. Such a second contact portion 562b presses the first contact portion 562a toward the valve seat. That is, when the second contact portion 562b presses the first contact portion 562a against the valve seat, in addition to the elastic force of the first contact portion 562a itself, the first contact portion 562b has the first force by the elastic force of the second contact portion 562b. The adhesion of the contact portion 562a to the valve seat can be improved. Further, by bringing the first contact portion 562a having a relatively low hardness into contact with the valve seat, the first contact portion 562a can be brought into close contact with the valve seat over a relatively large area, thereby improving the adhesion. The valve can be closed reliably. Incidentally, when the second contact portion 562b and the valve seat are brought into close contact with each other to close the valve, the second contact portion 562b has a high hardness, so the amount of elastic deformation is small, and the contact area with the valve seat is narrowed. Further, by providing the second contact portion 562b, the pressure that presses the first contact portion 562a against the valve seat by the elastic force of the second contact portion 562b can be increased, and therefore the first contact portion 562a itself. The elastic force can be reduced. Therefore, as the first contact portion 562a, a material having a lower hardness than the contact portion 562 of the first embodiment described above can be used, and the adhesion can be further improved.

  Moreover, it is preferable that the height h2 of the second contact portion 562b is equal to or higher than the height h1 of the first contact portion 562a (h2 ≧ h1). As a result, as shown in FIGS. 6B and 7, when the valve body 55 moves to the valve seat side, the second contact portion 562b contacts the valve seat first, and the second contact portion 562b. The tip of is in sliding contact with the valve seat. At this time, it is easier to remove deposits attached to the valve seat when the second contact portion 562b having a relatively high hardness is in sliding contact with the valve seat than the first contact portion 562a having a relatively low hardness. That is, even if the deposit cannot be scraped off by the first contact portion 562a having a low hardness, the deposit can be scraped off by the second contact portion 562b. Therefore, the deposit removal performance can be improved.

  When the height h2 of the second contact portion 562b is too higher than the height h1 of the first contact portion 562a, when the first contact portion 562a and the second contact portion 562b are elastically deformed, The first contact portion 562a cannot contact the valve seat. That is, the height difference (h2−h1) between the second contact portion 562b and the first contact portion 562a is the elastic force of the first contact portion 562a and the second contact portion 562b and the movement of the valve body 55. What is necessary is just to determine suitably according to quantity etc. so that the 1st contact part 562a may contact | abut to a valve seat when elastically deforming.

  Of course, even if the height h2 of the second contact portion 562b is lower than the height h1 of the first contact portion 562a (h2 <h1), the second contact portion 562b is not the first contact portion. The contact force can be improved by pressing 562a toward the valve seat.

  Further, the contact portion 562A of the present embodiment is provided with two contact portions of the first contact portion 562a and the second contact portion 562b, but is not particularly limited thereto, and three or more contact portions are provided. You may make it provide a contact part. In the present embodiment, the first contact portion 562a and the second contact portion 562b are separated from each other. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the first contact portion 562a and the second contact portion 562b are provided. It may be provided integrally.

(Other embodiments)
As mentioned above, although one Embodiment of this invention was described, the basic composition of this invention is not limited to what was mentioned above.

  For example, in each of the above-described embodiments, the contact portions 562 and 562A are provided on the valve body 55. However, the present invention is not particularly limited thereto. For example, the contact member 560 having the contact portions 562 and 562A is provided in the housing 51. You may make it provide in the side.

  Further, in each of the above-described embodiments, the contact portions 562 and 562A are configured such that the tip protruding toward the valve seat side is inclined in a direction away from the shaft portion 551, but is not particularly limited thereto. . Here, the modification of the protrusion direction of a contact part is shown in FIG. FIG. 8 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a main part of a pressure regulating valve according to another embodiment of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the contact portion 562B of the contact member 560 constituting the valve body 55 is provided so as to incline and protrude in a direction approaching the shaft portion 551 from the base portion 561 side toward the valve seat side. Yes. Even in such a configuration, the contact portion 562B is provided to protrude from the base portion 561 toward the valve seat in a direction intersecting the first direction X that is the moving direction of the valve body 55. I can say that.

  Even with such an abutting portion 562B, it is possible to scrape off deposits deposited on the valve seat as in the first embodiment. However, in the contact portion 562B shown in FIG. 8, a space is required for the contact portion 562B to slidably contact the valve seat between the contact portion 562B and the shaft portion 551, resulting in an increase in size. Further, when the contact portion 562B comes into contact with the valve seat and closes, pressure is applied to the contact portion 562B in a direction that can be elastically deformed by the ink in the primary chamber 511. Is likely to occur. In the first and second embodiments described above, the contact body 562, 562A protrudes in a direction intersecting the direction away from the shaft portion 551, so that the valve body 55 is larger than the contact section 562B of FIG. Can be suppressed. In the case of the contact portions 562 and 562A of the first and second embodiments described above, the pressure in the contact portions 562 and 562A in the valve closing direction toward the valve seat is caused by the pressure of the ink in the primary chamber 511. Since it is applied, ink leakage can be suppressed.

  Further, although not particularly mentioned in each of the above-described embodiments, a region where the contact portions 562, 562A, 562B and the valve seat contact each other may be subjected to liquid repellent treatment. Thereby, the deposit in the area | region where contact part 562,562A, 562B and a valve seat contact | abut mutually can be suppressed.

  Further, in each of the above-described embodiments, the piezoelectric actuator 310 that extends and contracts in the axial direction by alternately stacking the piezoelectric materials 313 and the electrode forming materials 314 and 315 as pressure generating means for causing a pressure change in the pressure generating chamber 333 is provided. As described above, the pressure generating means is not particularly limited. For example, the pressure generating means is formed by a method of forming a thin film type in which an electrode and a piezoelectric material are laminated by a lithography method and attaching a green sheet. A flexural vibration type piezoelectric actuator such as a thick film type can be used. Also, as a pressure generating means, a heating element is arranged in the pressure generating chamber, and droplets are discharged from the nozzle opening by bubbles generated by the heat generated by the heating element, or static electricity is generated between the diaphragm and the electrode. Thus, a so-called electrostatic actuator that discharges liquid droplets from the nozzle openings by deforming the diaphragm by electrostatic force can be used.

  In the ink jet recording apparatus 1 described above, the recording head 15 is mounted on the carriage 5 and moves in the first direction X. However, the present invention is not particularly limited thereto, and for example, the recording head 15 is fixed. Thus, the present invention can also be applied to a so-called line type recording apparatus that performs printing only by moving the ejection target medium in the second direction Y.

  In the above-described example, the ink jet recording apparatus 1 has a configuration in which the ink tank 8 which is a liquid storage unit is mounted on the tank holder 9 of the main body frame 2, but is not particularly limited thereto. A certain ink cartridge may be mounted on the carriage 5. The pressure adjustment valve 50 is not limited to the one mounted on the carriage 5, and the pressure adjustment valve 50 and the recording head 15 may be connected via a supply pipe such as a tube.

  Furthermore, the present invention is intended for a wide range of liquid ejecting apparatuses having a wide liquid ejecting head. For example, recording heads such as various ink jet recording heads used in image recording apparatuses such as printers, liquid crystal displays, and the like Liquid comprising a color material ejecting head used for manufacturing a color filter, an electrode material ejecting head used for forming an electrode such as an organic EL display and an FED (field emission display), a bioorganic matter ejecting head used for biochip manufacturing, etc. It can be used for an injection device.

  Further, the present invention is not limited to the pressure regulating valve used for the liquid ejecting head and the liquid ejecting apparatus, and can be used for a pressure regulating valve used for other devices.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Inkjet recording apparatus (liquid ejecting apparatus), 2 Main body frame, 3 Medium support member, 4 Guide shaft, 5 Carriage, 6 Timing belt, 7 Carriage motor, 8 Ink tank (liquid storage means), 9 Tank holder, 10 Supply Tube, 11 maintenance unit, 12 cap, 15 ink jet recording head (liquid ejecting head), 20 head body, 30 discharge section, 31 actuator unit, 32 case, 33 flow path unit, 34 wiring board, 40 flow path member, 50 Pressure regulating valve, 51 housing, 55 valve body, 56 coil spring, 310 piezoelectric actuator (pressure generating means), 321 ink introduction path, 331 vibration plate, 332 nozzle plate, 333 pressure generating chamber, 34 nozzle opening, 335 ink supply path, 336 manifold, 511 primary chamber, 512 secondary chamber, 513 partition wall, 514 communication channel, 515 lid member, 516 inflow path, 517 film (pressure receiving film body), 517a diaphragm, 518 Outflow path, 519 seal member, 520 pressure receiving plate, 550 valve body main body, 551 shaft portion, 552 flange portion, 560 contact member, 561 base portion, 562, 562A, 562B contact portion, 562a first contact portion, 562b Second contact part

Claims (6)

A communication passage provided through a partition wall separating the primary chamber and the secondary chamber in the housing, and a surface on the primary chamber side of the partition opening the communication passage as a valve seat, A valve body that opens and closes the communication flow path in contact with and away from the valve seat; and a pressure receiving film body that seals the opening of the secondary chamber and opens and closes the valve body on the basis of atmospheric pressure. ,
The valve body has a contact portion formed of an elastic material that is opposed to the valve seat and is continuously provided so as to surround the opening of the communication channel,
The contact portion is provided so as to protrude from the valve body in a direction intersecting the moving direction of the valve body,
When the valve body closes the communication channel, the protruding tip of the contact portion is in sliding contact with the valve seat.   The pressure regulating valve according to claim 1, wherein the contact portion is provided so as to protrude from the valve body toward the valve seat in a direction away from the communication flow path. The contact portion includes a first contact portion provided on the communication flow path side, and a second contact portion provided on the opposite side of the communication flow path,
The pressure regulating valve according to claim 2, wherein the second contact portion has a hardness higher than that of the first contact portion.   The pressure regulating valve according to claim 3, wherein the second abutting portion is provided so as to protrude from the first abutting portion toward the valve seat side.   A liquid ejecting head comprising: the pressure regulating valve according to claim 1; and a head main body that ejects liquid supplied from the pressure regulating valve.   A liquid ejecting apparatus comprising the pressure regulating valve according to claim 1.

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