JP2007229949A - Ink-jet head and its manufacturing method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent an adhesive intervening between a cavity unit and a filter body or a connecting member and the filter body from clogging the filter body when an ink intake of the cavity unit and a connecting hole of the connecting member are connected by placing the filter body between them. <P>SOLUTION: In an ink-jet head in which a head unit 20, the filter body 39 and the connecting member 15 are laminated so as to connect the connecting hole 15b of the connecting member 15 through the ink intake 37 of the head unit 20, a penetration part 51 is opened in the adhesive layer 50 intervening between the filter body 39 and the connecting member 15 in accordance with the connecting hole 15. The opening peripheral edge of the penetration part 51 on the side of the adhesive layer 50 coming into contact with the connecting member 15 is positioned more outside than the opening peripheral edge of the connecting hole 15 and is positioned more inside than the opening peripheral edge of the penetration part 51 on the side of the adhesive layer 50 coming into contact with the filter body 39. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an ink jet head configured to supply ink to a head unit from a connecting member side via a filter body, and a method for manufacturing the same.

  In a conventional inkjet head, as a head unit, a cavity unit having a plurality of nozzles arranged on the front surface and having an ink flow path therein, a piezoelectric actuator that selectively applies ejection pressure to ink in the cavity unit, and the piezoelectric unit A structure in which a flexible flat cable that outputs a drive signal to an actuator is laminated is known.

  The cavity unit is provided with an ink intake port for taking ink from an ink supply source into the cavity unit. In Patent Document 1 and the like, a filter is provided in the ink intake port (corresponding to the ink supply port of Patent Document 1). A body is attached, and foreign matter in the ink is removed by the filter body, thereby preventing nozzle clogging due to foreign matter entering the cavity unit. The filter body of Patent Document 1 is formed with four filtration portions each having a large number of holes having a small diameter corresponding to the ink intake, and the periphery of the filtration portion is an adhesive margin for fixing to the cavity unit. (Installation fee).

  Conventionally, not only a mode in which an ink supply source is directly connected to the ink intake port of the cavity unit but also a mode in which ink from the ink supply source is supplied via a connection member is known. For example, in the inkjet head described in Patent Document 2, a reinforcing frame is attached as a connecting member to the cavity unit, and an ink passage hole (connecting hole) drilled in the reinforcing frame is connected to an ink intake port of the cavity unit. Yes. The reinforcing frame used as a connection member in Patent Document 2 is a member attached to increase the rigidity of a thin flat head unit (cavity unit), and the head unit (cavity unit) is firmly screwed to the carriage. This is to prevent deformation when it is stopped.

Therefore, when a reinforcing frame as described in Patent Document 2 is stacked on a catty unit whose ink intake port is covered with a filter body as described in Patent Document 1, the filter body and the reinforcing frame are stacked. The ink inlet (filtering portion of the filter body) and the connection hole of the reinforcing frame are connected to each other with an adhesive layer interposed therebetween.
Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2005-231314 (see FIGS. 1 and 6) Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2005-161762 (see FIG. 3)

  By the way, the structure which increases the nozzle row of a cavity unit with the high-speed recording of a recent inkjet printer, density increase, or colorization is proposed. In the structures of Patent Documents 1 and 2, since ink intake ports (ink supply ports) are provided corresponding to each nozzle row, the number of ink intake ports tends to increase. On the other hand, since the miniaturization of the entire inkjet head is also demanded, as in Patent Documents 1 and 2, the ink intake is close to one end (end near the short side) on the upper surface of the cavity unit. In the case where the openings are formed, if the number of ink intake ports is increased, the ink intake ports are arranged close to each other, and the area used for the bonding allowance needs to be reduced.

  Therefore, as shown in FIG. 9, when the connecting member 15 and the filter body 39 are joined with the adhesive 250 interposed, the adhesive is bonded particularly between the ink inlets 37 adjacent to each other at the end of the head unit 20. Since the marginal area is small, the adhesive 250 easily protrudes into the filtration part 39a of the filter body 39. As a result, the micropores of the filtration part 39a are blocked, the effective area for filtration is reduced, and the ink supply is insufficient. This causes a problem of causing ejection failure. This problem also applies when the filter body 39 is first attached so as to cover the connection hole 15b, and the filter body 39 and the head unit 20 are bonded to connect the connection hole 15b and the ink intake 37. Occurs.

  The present invention solves the above problem, and when connecting the ink intake port of the cavity unit and the connection hole of the connection member with the filter body interposed therebetween, the cavity unit and the filter body, or the connection member and the filter body, It is an object of the present invention to realize an ink jet head capable of preventing the filter medium from being clogged with an adhesive interposed therebetween, and a method for manufacturing the same.

  In order to achieve the above object, an ink jet head according to the first aspect of the present invention includes a head unit in which an ink intake port for taking in ink to be supplied to a nozzle from the ink supply source side is formed on one surface; A connection member having a connection hole corresponding to the ink intake port on a surface facing one surface of the head unit, and corresponding to the ink intake port and the connection hole between the head unit and the connection member. An ink jet head in which the head unit, the filter body, and the connection member are stacked so that the connection hole is connected to the ink intake port via the filter body. In the adhesive layer interposed between the connection member and the filter body, a penetrating portion is opened corresponding to the ink intake port and the connection hole. Formed in a projected view from the stacking direction of the head unit, the filter body, and the connecting member, the opening peripheral edge of the penetrating portion on the side contacting the connecting member in the adhesive layer is formed of the connecting hole. It is located outside the peripheral edge of the opening, and is configured to be positioned inside the peripheral edge of the opening of the penetrating part on the side contacting the filter body in the adhesive layer. is there.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an ink jet head having a head unit in which an ink intake port for taking in ink to be supplied to the nozzle from the ink supply source side is formed on one surface, and one of the head units. A connection member having a connection hole corresponding to the ink intake port on a surface facing the surface, and a filter body provided corresponding to the ink intake port and the connection hole between the head unit and the connection member; In the ink jet head in which the head unit, the filter body, and the connection member are stacked so that the connection hole is connected to the ink intake port through the filter body, the filter body and the head unit In the adhesive layer interposed there between, a penetrating portion is formed corresponding to the ink inlet and the connection hole. In the projection view from the stacking direction of the head unit, the filter body, and the connection member, the opening peripheral edge of the penetrating portion on the side contacting the head unit in the adhesive layer is more than the opening peripheral edge of the ink intake port Is also located outside and at the inside of the opening periphery of the through portion on the side of the adhesive layer that contacts the filter body.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the ink jet head according to the first or second aspect, a plurality of the ink intakes are arranged in parallel on one surface of the head unit, and the ink intakes correspond to the respective ink intakes. The through-hole portion of the adhesive layer and the connection hole of the connection member are provided in parallel, and the filter body has an area that covers the plurality of ink intake ports collectively. To do.

  The invention according to claim 4 is the inkjet head according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the adhesive layer is formed by laminating at least two sheet-like adhesives, The through part is formed by overlapping the hole formed in each sheet-like adhesive in the stacking direction, and the hole in the sheet-like adhesive on the side in contact with the head unit or the connecting member is the filter. It is smaller than the hole part in the said sheet-like adhesive of the side contact | abutted with.

  The invention according to claim 5 is the ink jet head according to claim 4, wherein all the sheet-like adhesives constituting the adhesive layer have the same thickness.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing an ink jet head, comprising: a head unit having an ink intake opening for taking in ink to be supplied to a nozzle from an ink supply source side; A connection member having a connection hole connected to the inlet via the filter body; and a filter body provided between the head unit and the connection member so as to correspond to the ink intake port and the connection hole. The connecting member is laminated on one surface of the head unit, and the connecting member and the filter body are joined via an adhesive layer having a penetrating portion facing the ink inlet and the connecting hole. In the method of manufacturing an ink jet head, the adhesive layer is formed by opening the periphery of the penetrating portion on the side in contact with the connection member as viewed from the stacking direction. Is formed outside the opening periphery of the connection hole, and the opening periphery of the penetrating portion on the side contacting the filter body is outside the opening periphery of the penetrating portion on the side contacting the connecting member. It forms so that it may be located, and the said connection member and the said filter body are joined by crushing the layer of the said adhesive agent.

  According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing an ink jet head, comprising: a head unit having an ink intake opening for taking in ink to be supplied to the nozzle from the ink supply source side; A connection member having a connection hole corresponding to the inlet; and a filter body provided corresponding to the ink intake and the connection hole between the head unit and the connection member. A method of manufacturing an ink jet head, wherein the connecting member is laminated on one surface, and the head unit and the filter body are joined via an adhesive layer having a penetrating portion facing the ink intake port and the connecting hole. The opening periphery of the penetrating portion on the side in contact with the head unit in the projection view from the laminating direction is The opening periphery of the through portion on the side that contacts the filter body is positioned outside the opening periphery of the through portion on the side that contacts the head unit. The head unit and the filter body are joined by crushing the adhesive layer.

  The invention according to claim 8 is the sheet-like adhesive comprising the ink-jet head manufacturing method according to claim 6 or 7, wherein each of the adhesive layers includes a hole part that penetrates the penetration part. At least two agents are used so that the hole in the sheet-like adhesive on the side in contact with the head unit or the connecting member is smaller than the hole in the sheet-like adhesive on the side in contact with the filter body The sheet-like adhesive is laminated.

  According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the method for manufacturing an ink jet head according to any of the sixth to eighth aspects, the head unit has a plurality of the ink intake ports arranged in parallel on one surface. The connection member has the connection hole corresponding to each ink intake port, and the filter body has an area covering the plurality of ink intake ports at a time, and the adhesive layer The through portion is formed corresponding to each ink inlet or connection hole, and the adhesive layer is interposed between the connection member and the filter body or between the filter body and the head unit. It is characterized by this.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, the head unit, the filter body, and the connection member come into contact with the connection member in the adhesive layer interposed between the filter body and the connection member in a projection view from the stacking direction. The opening periphery of the through portion on the side is positioned outside the opening periphery of the connection hole, and is positioned on the inside of the opening periphery of the through portion on the side contacting the filter body in the adhesive layer. In other words, since the opening periphery of the penetrating part that contacts the filter body is located outside the opening periphery of the connection hole, even if the adhesive is fluidized or crushed, Since there is no concern that the adhesive spreads to the area of the filter body, it is possible to prevent clogging of the filter body and the accompanying shortage of ink supply. Moreover, since the opening peripheral edge of the penetration part that contacts the connection member is located inside the opening peripheral edge of the penetration part that contacts the filter body, the bonding area between the filter body and the connection member is ensured on the connection member side. it can. That is, in the adhesion between the filter body and the connection member, the adhesive strength can be ensured while preventing the filter body from being clogged.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, the head unit, the filter body, and the connection member come into contact with the head unit in the adhesive layer interposed between the filter body and the head unit in a projected view from the stacking direction. The opening periphery of the penetrating portion on the side is located outside the opening periphery of the ink intake port, and is located inside the opening periphery of the penetrating portion on the side contacting the filter body in the adhesive layer. In other words, since the opening periphery of the penetrating portion that contacts the filter body is located outside the opening periphery of the ink intake port, the adhesive is fluidized or crushed and spreads. However, since there is no fear that the adhesive spreads to the area of the filter body, it is possible to prevent clogging of the filter body and the accompanying shortage of ink supply. In addition, since the opening periphery of the penetrating portion that contacts the head unit is located inside the opening periphery of the penetrating portion that contacts the filter body, a bonding area between the filter body and the head unit is ensured on the connecting member side. it can. That is, in the adhesion between the filter body and the head unit, the adhesive strength can be ensured while preventing the filter body from being clogged.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, a plurality of ink intake ports are arranged in parallel on one surface of the head unit, and a plurality of connection holes are also arranged in parallel corresponding to the ink intake ports. Although the interval between each other and the interval between adjacent connection holes are narrowed, by using the invention according to claim 1 or 2, it is possible to ensure adhesive strength while preventing clogging of the filter body. it can.

  According to the invention described in claim 4, the adhesive layer is formed by laminating at least two sheet-like adhesives and overlapping the through-holes formed in the sheet-like adhesive in the laminating direction. Therefore, the shape of the penetrating part can be changed only by changing the size of the hole of the sheet adhesive on the side in contact with the filter body and the hole of the sheet adhesive on the side in contact with the head unit or the connecting member. It can be formed easily.

  According to the invention described in claim 5, since all the sheet-like adhesives used for the adhesive layer have the same thickness, the component cost can be reduced.

  According to the invention described in claim 6, the adhesive layer interposed between the connection member and the filter body is connected to the opening peripheral edge of the penetrating portion on the side in contact with the connection member in a projection view from the stacking direction. It is formed so that it is located outside the opening periphery of the hole, and is formed so that the opening periphery of the through portion on the side that contacts the filter body is positioned outside the opening periphery of the through portion on the side that contacts the connecting member. In other words, since the opening periphery of the penetrating portion that contacts the filter body is located outside the opening periphery of the connection hole, even if the adhesive is fluidized or crushed and spreads, Since there is no fear that the adhesive spreads to the region, it is possible to prevent clogging of the filter body and accompanying ink supply shortage. Moreover, since the opening peripheral edge of the penetration part that contacts the connection member is located inside the opening peripheral edge of the penetration part that contacts the filter body, the bonding area between the filter body and the connection member is ensured on the connection member side. it can. That is, in the adhesion between the filter body and the connection member, the adhesive strength can be ensured while preventing the filter body from being clogged.

  According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, in the adhesive layer interposed between the head unit and the filter body, the opening periphery of the penetrating portion on the side in contact with the head unit is an ink when viewed from the lamination direction. It is formed so as to be located outside the opening periphery of the intake port, and is formed so that the opening periphery of the penetrating portion on the side in contact with the filter body is located outside the opening periphery of the penetrating portion on the side in contact with the head unit. In other words, since the opening periphery of the penetrating portion that contacts the filter body is located outside the opening periphery of the ink intake connection hole, the adhesive is fluidized or crushed and spreads. However, since there is no fear that the adhesive spreads to the area of the filter body, it is possible to prevent clogging of the filter body and the accompanying shortage of ink supply. In addition, since the opening periphery of the penetrating portion that contacts the head unit is located inside the opening periphery of the penetrating portion that contacts the filter body, a bonding area between the filter body and the head unit is ensured on the connecting member side. it can. That is, in the adhesion between the filter body and the head unit, the adhesive strength can be ensured while preventing the filter body from being clogged.

  According to the invention described in claim 8, the adhesive layer is formed by laminating at least two sheet-like adhesives and overlapping the through-holes formed in the sheet-like adhesive in the laminating direction. Therefore, it is possible to change the size of the hole of the sheet adhesive on the side in contact with the filter body and the size of the hole of the sheet adhesive on the side in contact with the head unit or the connecting member to the adhesive layer. On the other hand, the shape of the penetrating portion can be easily manufactured.

  According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, a plurality of ink intake ports are arranged in parallel on one surface of the head unit, and a plurality of connection holes are also arranged in parallel corresponding to the ink intake ports. The distance between each other and the distance between adjacent connection holes are narrowed, but by using the invention according to claim 6 or 7, it is possible to ensure adhesive strength while preventing clogging of the filter body. it can.

  A basic embodiment of the present invention will be described below. FIG. 1 shows an ink jet printer 100 to which the ink jet head 1 of the present invention is applied. The inkjet printer 100 of the embodiment can be applied not only as a single printer device, but also as a printer function of a multi-function device (MFD: Multi Function Device) having a copy function, a scanner function, a facsimile function, and the like. It can be done. The ink jet printer 100 is provided inside the main body frame 2, and an ink jet head 1 that records ink by ejecting ink onto a paper PA that is a recording medium is mounted on a carriage 3, along the main scanning direction (Y direction). It is configured to run.

  The carriage 3 is slidably mounted on a rear guide shaft 6 and a front guide shaft 7 provided in parallel in the main frame 2 along the main scanning direction (Y direction). The carriage drive motor 17 disposed on the right rear side and the timing belt 18 which is an endless belt are configured to reciprocate in the main scanning direction (Y direction). The paper PA is transported horizontally on the lower surface side of the inkjet head 1 along the sub-scanning direction (X direction) orthogonal to the main scanning direction (Y direction) by a known paper transport mechanism (not shown) (FIG. 1). Arrow A direction). On this paper PA, ink is ejected downward from the nozzle 4 (see FIG. 5) of the inkjet head 1 moving in the main scanning direction (Y direction), and recording is performed.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the carriage 3 is provided with a substantially box-shaped head holder 8, and the inkjet head 1 having a substantially flat shape as a whole has a nozzle 4 opened on the lower surface side of the bottom plate 8 a of the head holder 8. The surface to be exposed is exposed downward and is fixed so as to be substantially parallel to the bottom plate 8a. On the upper surface side of the bottom plate 8 a of the head holder 8, ink was supplied from the ink supply sources (ink tanks) 5 a to 5 d placed in the main body frame 2 to the carriage side via the ink supply pipes 14 (14 a to 14 d). A damper device 9 for storing ink is attached. In this embodiment, four colors (black, yellow, magenta, cyan) of ink are provided. The interior of the damper device 9 is partitioned into a plurality of ink chambers, and ink is stored for each color in the ink chamber. The damper device 9 is also provided with an exhaust valve means 9b for removing bubbles remaining in the ink in the ink chamber.

  An opening (not shown) is formed through the bottom plate 8a of the head holder 8. Inside the opening, an ink outlet 9a of the damper device 9 and an ink intake 37 of the inkjet head 1 are provided. Ink is supplied independently from the damper device 9 to the inkjet head 1 for each color through a connection hole 15b of the reinforcing frame 15 described later and an elastic seal member 9c.

  The inkjet head 1 includes a cavity unit 10 having a plurality of nozzles 4 opened to the outside and an ink flow path therein, a piezoelectric actuator 11 that selectively applies ejection pressure to the ink in the cavity unit 10, and the piezoelectric actuator 11 The head unit 20 has a structure in which a flexible flat cable 12 for outputting a drive signal is laminated. Both the cavity unit 10 and the piezoelectric actuator 11 have a flat shape that is substantially rectangular in plan view, but the outer shape of the cavity unit 10 is formed to be slightly larger than the outer shape of the piezoelectric actuator 11, and the cavity Piezoelectric actuators 11 are stacked substantially at the center of the back surface of the unit 10 so that the ink intake port 37 of the cavity unit 10 is exposed to the back surface side of the head unit 20.

  In addition, the inkjet head 1 has a reinforcing frame 15 that is stacked so as to surround the piezoelectric actuator 11 on the back surface of the cavity unit 10. The reinforcing frame 15 is made of a material having rigidity (for example, a metal plate such as SUS), is a flat plate with a square shape in plan view, and has an outer shape that is slightly larger than the cavity unit 10. Near the one side parallel to the Y direction among 15a, the four connection holes 15b described above are formed side by side. A portion of the reinforcing frame 15 in which the connection hole 15b is formed constitutes a “connection member” in the claims.

  The reinforcing frame 15 is for increasing the rigidity of the cavity unit 10, and by fixing the reinforcing frame 15 along the back surface (upper surface) of the cavity unit 10, deformation and distortion of the thin flat cavity unit 10 are performed. Is preventing. The inkjet head 1 in which the reinforcement frame 15 is integrated is attached to the lower surface of the bottom plate 8 a of the head holder 8 with an adhesive 19, and the ink outlet 9 a of the damper device 9 installed in the head holder 8 is provided in each of the reinforcement frames 15. It is in contact with the reinforcing frame 15 in alignment with the connection hole 15b.

  Each connection hole 15b of the reinforcement frame 15 is formed in the same shape as the corresponding ink intake 37 in plan view, and when the reinforcement frame 15 is opposed to the cavity unit 10, the connection hole 15b is seen in plan view. The contour of the opening (periphery of the opening) and the contour of the opening of the ink intake port 37 (opening rim) are completely overlapped (matched).

  A front frame 16 is disposed around the cavity unit 10. The front frame 16 is a U-shaped flat plate material in plan view, and is fixed to the front surface of the reinforcing frame 15 in order to eliminate the step between the nozzle surface of the cavity unit 10 and the surrounding members (FIGS. 2 and FIG. 2). 3).

  Further, the inkjet head 1 has a heat equalizing member 13 having a rectangular shape in plan view, which is laminated at a position corresponding to the piezoelectric actuator 11 on the back surface (upper surface in FIG. 2) of the flexible flat cable 12. The heat equalizing member 13 is a flat plate having a rectangular shape in plan view, and is made of a material having higher rigidity than the flexible flat cable 12 and superior in thermal conductivity than the piezoelectric actuator 11 and the flexible flat cable 12. Metal plates such as aluminum, copper, and SUS are applied. This heat equalizing member 13 not only has an effect of increasing the rigidity of the entire head unit 20 but also is brought into close contact with the piezoelectric actuator 11 via the flexible flat cable 12 to disperse the local heat generation of the piezoelectric actuator 11 and thereby reduce the temperature. It also has the effect of suppressing variation and radiating heat.

  Next, the configuration of the cavity unit 10 in this embodiment will be described.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the cavity unit 10 includes a total of 8 nozzle plates 21, spacer plates 22, damper plates 23, two manifold plates 24 a and 24 b, a supply plate 25, a base plate 26, and a cavity plate 27. A thin flat plate is laminated and bonded via an adhesive so that the flat plate surfaces face each other.

  In the embodiment, each of the plates 21 to 27 has a thickness of about 40 to 150 μm, the nozzle plate 21 is made of synthetic resin such as polyimide, and the other plates 22 to 27 are made of 42% nickel alloy steel plate. The nozzle plate 21 is provided with a large number of nozzles 4 for discharging ink having a minute diameter (about 20 μm) at minute intervals. The nozzles 4 are arranged in a row extending along the X direction, and five rows are provided. It has been.

  Each nozzle 4 passes through a spacer plate 22, a damper plate 23, two manifold plates 24 a and 24 b, a supply plate 25, and a passage 35 formed in the base plate 26, and enters the pressure chamber 31 of the cavity plate 27. Are connected (see FIG. 6).

  In the cavity plate 27, a plurality of pressure chambers 31 are arranged in five rows corresponding to the arrangement of the nozzles 4. As shown in FIG. 5, each pressure chamber 31 has an elongated shape in plan view and is formed so as to penetrate the plate thickness of the cavity plate 27 so that its longitudinal direction is along the Y direction. One end of each pressure chamber 31 in the longitudinal direction communicates with the common ink chamber 34 via a communication hole 32 formed in the base plate 26 and a connection channel 33 formed in the supply plate 25. The through passage 35 is connected to the other longitudinal end of each pressure chamber 31.

  The two manifold plates 24a and 24b are formed with five long grooves (to be the common ink chamber 34) along the X direction so as to penetrate the plate thickness. The two manifold plates 24a and 24b By stacking and covering the upper surface with the supply plate 25 and covering the lower surface with the damper plate 23, a total of five common ink chambers (manifold chambers) 34 are formed.

  On the lower surface side of the damper plate 23 adjacent to the lower surface of the manifold plate 24a, a damper chamber 36, which has the same position and shape as each common ink chamber 34 and is isolated from the common ink chamber 34, is formed as a recess. The damper plate 23 absorbs and attenuates the pressure fluctuation propagated from the pressure chamber 31 to the common ink chamber 34 by vibrating the thin plate-like ceiling portion above the damper chamber 36 by elastic deformation. Crosstalk propagating to the pressure chamber 31 is suppressed.

  Further, four ink intake ports 37 are formed near one side parallel to the Y direction of the cavity plate 27, and the base plate 26 and the supply are respectively associated with each ink intake port 37 in the vertical position. Four passage holes 38 are formed in each of the plates 25. Each ink intake port 37 communicates with one end of the corresponding common ink chamber 34 through a passage hole 38.

  In this embodiment, the black ink branches and flows from one ink intake port 37 on the left side in FIG. 5 into the two common ink chambers 34 and 34 on the left side, and a nozzle row for discharging the black ink is provided. Two columns are set. This is because black ink is used more frequently than other color inks, and cyan, yellow, and magenta inks are separately supplied to the other three ink intake ports 37, respectively. The

  As described above, in the cavity unit 10, the ink flows from the ink intake 37 through the passage hole 38 into the common ink chamber 34, reaches the pressure chamber 31 through the connection flow path 33 and the communication hole 32, and further penetrates. An ink flow path reaching the nozzle 4 via the path 35 is formed.

  A filter body 39 for removing foreign substances in the ink is attached to the cavity plate 27 with an adhesive or the like so as to collectively cover the four ink intake ports 37. In this embodiment, a mode in which the adhesive layer according to the present invention is applied between the filter body 39 and a reinforcing frame 15 described later will be described. Of course, the adhesive layer according to the present invention is applied between the filter body 39 and the cavity plate 27, or between the filter body 39 and the reinforcing frame 15, and between the filter body 39 and the cavity plate 27. It may be applied to both, which will be described later.

  The filter body 39 is formed with four filter portions 39 a each having a large number of micropores corresponding to the opening regions of the respective ink intake ports 37. A peripheral portion 39b of the filtration portion 39a is formed in a plate shape, and serves as an adhesive margin for bonding the filter body 39 to the cavity unit 10 or the reinforcing frame 15. For manufacturing the filter body 39, a method of forming the whole by electroforming, or a method of perforating and forming the filtering portion 39a in the plate material by laser processing or plasma processing is applied. The filtration part 39a is the same size as the ink intake 37 and the connection hole 15b in a plan view, and is arranged on the same central axis.

  The piezoelectric actuator 11 is a flat shape having a size extending over all the pressure chambers 31 and, like the known one disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-254634, a plurality of piezoelectric actuators 11 are stacked in a direction perpendicular to the flat direction. The ceramic layer 11a and electrodes 41 and 42 sandwiched between the ceramic layers 11a. At least one of the electrodes 41 and 42 is disposed corresponding to each pressure chamber 31, and by selectively applying a voltage between the electrodes, the portion of the ceramic layer corresponding to the pressure chamber 31 is displaced. The discharge pressure can be applied to the ink in the pressure chamber 31. On the upper surface of the uppermost ceramic layer, an electrode corresponding to the pressure chamber 31 and a surface electrode 43 connected through an electrical through hole penetrating the ceramic layer in the stacking direction are formed. The external electrodes 43 are individually electrically connected to electrode patterns (not shown) formed on the flexible flat cable 12.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the flexible flat cable 12 has a belt-like shape as a whole, and one end in the longitudinal direction becomes a flat portion 12a fixed to the arrangement surface of the surface electrodes 43 of the piezoelectric actuator 11, and is continuous with the flat portion 12a. The flexible portion 12b is pulled out in the Y direction through the reinforcing frame 15. The flexible flat cable 12 is a COF (chip-on-flexible flat cable) in which a chip-like IC is mounted as a drive circuit 12c in the middle of the flexible portion 12b in the longitudinal direction. As shown in FIG. 3, a heat sink 8b for sandwiching the drive circuit 12c and an elastic member 61 are provided near the side plate of the head holder 8, and heat generated by the drive circuit 12c is radiated by the heat sink 8b. I am doing so.

  Next, the adhesive layer 50 for fixing the reinforcing frame 15 to the cavity unit 10 (head unit 20) to which the filter body 39 is adhered will be described. As shown in FIG. 7B, a penetrating portion 51 is formed in the adhesive layer 50 corresponding to the ink intake port 37. In this embodiment, the adhesive layer 50 is formed by stacking two sheet-like adhesives (referred to as sheet-like adhesives 50a and 50b), and the penetrating portion 51 is formed on each sheet-like adhesive 50a and 50b. The perforated holes 51 a and 51 b are formed so as to overlap each other, and the central axis of the penetrating part 51 is made to coincide with the central axis O of the ink intake port 37. A sheet-like adhesive is an adhesive based on a thermoplastic sheet, and usually has a release paper pasted on one side in advance. Adhesion is completed by temporarily fixing the other object to be attached to the other object and applying pressure heating.

  As shown in FIG. 7A, the adhesive layer 50 has an opening peripheral edge 53 of the hole 51a of the sheet-like adhesive 50a on the side in contact with the reinforcing frame 15 in the penetrating part 51 as viewed from the stacking direction. And formed so as to be located outside the opening peripheral edge 56 of the connection hole 15b and inside the opening peripheral edge 54 of the hole 51b of the sheet-like adhesive 50b on the side in contact with the filter body 39 in the through portion 51. Has been. In other words, in the adhesive layer 50, the opening area of the hole 51a of the sheet-like adhesive 50a that contacts the reinforcing frame 15 is made larger than the opening area of the connection hole 15b, and the hole of the sheet-like adhesive 50a is made. The opening area of the hole 51b of the sheet-like adhesive 50b that contacts the filter body 39 is formed larger than the opening area of 51a.

  Here, since the connection hole 15b and each hole part 51a, 51b are arrange | positioned so that the center axis | shaft O may correspond, the adhesive bond layer 50 is as shown to Fig.7 (a) and FIG.7 (b). In the projection view (plan view) from the stacking direction, the opening peripheral edge 53 on the reinforcing frame 15 side of the penetrating portion 51 is closer to the reinforcing frame 15 side than the opening peripheral edge 55 of the connection hole 15b along the alignment direction (Y direction) of the connection holes 15b. The opening peripheral edge 54 on the filter body 39 side of the penetrating part 51 is also retracted from the central axis O by the dimension W2 along the arrangement direction (Y direction) of the connection holes 15b. , W1 <W2.

  Note that the opening peripheral edge 53 on the reinforcing frame 15 side of the penetrating part 51 recedes from the opening peripheral edge 55 of the connecting hole 15b even along the direction orthogonal to the arrangement direction of the connecting holes 15b (X direction). The opening peripheral edge 54 on the filter body 39 side is set back from the opening peripheral edge 53 on the reinforcing frame 15 side of the penetrating part 51. However, in the direction (X direction) orthogonal to the arrangement direction of the ink intake ports 37, there is a margin for bonding compared to between the connection holes 15b, so the connection direction of the connection holes 15b (Y direction) The values of W1 and W2 may be made different in a direction (X direction) perpendicular to the direction in which the holes 15b are arranged (FIG. 7A shows a different form).

  The adhesive layer 50 is formed not only on the portion around the connection hole 15b of the reinforcing frame 15 as described above, but also on the lower surface of the portion surrounding the piezoelectric actuator 11 in the same manner. In the surrounding portion, even if the adhesive protrudes to some extent, there is little trouble, so the above-described accuracy is not necessary for the positional relationship with the opening.

  Next, a method for manufacturing the inkjet head 1 having the above-described configuration will be described.

  First, the plurality of plates 21 to 27 are stacked to form the cavity unit 10, and the cavity unit 10 is configured such that each filtering portion 39 a of the filter body 39 corresponds to each ink intake port 37 of the cavity unit 10. The filter body 39 is bonded and fixed to the upper surface of the filter body with a thermosetting adhesive applied thereto. Similarly, the piezoelectric actuator 11 is bonded and fixed to the upper surface of the cavity unit 10 with a thermosetting adhesive. Further, the flexible flat cable 12 is laminated on the upper surface of the piezoelectric actuator 11 to form the head unit 20. The filter body 39 may be fixed to the cavity unit 10 after the cavity unit 10, the piezoelectric actuator 11, and the flexible flat cable 12 are first laminated.

  On the other hand, an adhesive layer 50 for adhering the reinforcing frame 15 to the head unit 20 to which the filter body 39 is fixed is separately produced with a sheet-like adhesive. From the sheet-like adhesive having the same thickness, a sheet-like adhesive 50a having holes 51a and a sheet-like adhesive 50b having holes 51b are produced. Then, remove one of the release papers of the sheet-like adhesives 50a and 50b, for example, the release paper on the side facing the sheet-like adhesive 50a of the sheet-like adhesive 50b, and align the holes 51a and 51b vertically. Then, an adhesive layer 50 in which two sheet adhesives are stacked is formed (see FIG. 7B).

  Next, the release paper on the side facing the reinforcing frame 15 of the sheet-like adhesive 50 a is removed, the through-hole 51 and the connection hole 15 b are aligned, and the entire adhesive layer 50 is temporarily fixed to the reinforcing frame 15.

  Next, the reinforcing frame 15 to which the adhesive layer 50 is temporarily fixed is overlaid on the cavity unit 10 to which the filter body 39 is fixed by aligning the connection hole 15b and the ink intake 37, and the reinforcing frame 15 The head unit 20 is sandwiched and pressed and heated according to the adhesive, and the adhesive layer 50 is crushed to complete the joining of the reinforcing frame 15 and the head unit 20 via the filter body 39.

  In the above configuration, as shown in FIG. 7B, the opening peripheral edge 54 of the penetrating portion 51 in the adhesive layer 50 on the filter body 39 (ink intake opening 37) side is the opening peripheral edge of the ink intake opening 37 and the connection hole 15b. Since it is retracted by W2 from 55 and 56, even if the adhesive layer 50 is crushed and spread, there is little or no risk of clogging the filtering portion 39a of the filter body 39, and the filter body 39 is as designed. The filtration performance and the ink supply performance can be exhibited.

  If the penetrating portion 51 of the adhesive layer 50 is also retracted by W2 from the opening peripheral edge 55 of the ink intake port 37 on the reinforcing frame 15 side, the problem of clogging of the filter body 39 is as follows. Although it can be eliminated, the adhesion area between the reinforcing frame 15 and the filter body 39 is reduced, and there is a possibility that the adhesion strength is lowered.

  However, in the above configuration, the opening peripheral edge 53 of the penetrating part 51 on the reinforcing frame 15 side is smaller than the opening peripheral edge 55 of the penetrating part 51 on the filter body 39 side with respect to the opening peripheral edge 55 of the ink inlet 37. Since the receding dimension of <W2) is set, it is possible to secure a bonding area and prevent a decrease in bonding strength while solving the problem of clogging.

  Next, a configuration in which the filter body 39 and the head unit 20 are bonded by applying the configuration of the adhesive layer 50 of the above embodiment will be described. In this case, as shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B, the reinforcing frame 15 to which the filter body 39 is fixed in advance is bonded to the head unit 20 with the adhesive layer 150 interposed therebetween.

  This adhesive layer 150 is also obtained by stacking and fixing two sheet-like adhesives 150a and 150b in advance, and a hole portion 151a formed in the sheet-like adhesive 150a on the side in contact with the filter body 39; A penetrating portion 151 is formed by vertically piercing a hole portion 151b which is formed in the sheet-like adhesive 150b on the side in contact with the head unit 20 and has a smaller diameter than the hole portion 151a.

  In this configuration, since the opening peripheral edge 153 of the penetrating portion 151 on the side in contact with the filter body 39 is set back by W2 from the opening peripheral edge 55 of the ink intake port 37, similarly to the embodiment shown in FIG. The crushed adhesive has no or almost no possibility of clogging the filtration part 39a, and the filter body 39 can exhibit the filtration performance and ink supply performance as designed. Further, the opening peripheral edge 154 on the head unit 20 side of the penetrating portion 151 is retracted by W1 (W1 <W2), which is smaller than the opening peripheral edge 153 on the reinforcing frame side of the penetrating portion 151 with respect to the opening peripheral edge 55 of the ink intake 37 Since the dimensions are set, it is possible to secure a bonding area and prevent a decrease in bonding strength while solving the clogging problem.

  Of course, as described above, not only one of the adhesive layer 50 shown in FIG. 7 and the adhesive layer 150 shown in FIG. 8 but also an embodiment including both may be configured.

  In each of the above embodiments, the adhesive layer is composed of two sheet-like adhesives, but may be composed of three or more sheet-like adhesives. Further, in one sheet-like adhesive, tapered through portions 51 and 151 having different opening sizes on the front and back surfaces may be formed.

  In addition, the adhesive layer having the penetrating portions 51 and 151 is formed by using a fluid adhesive without using a sheet-like adhesive, using a printing technique, an ink jet type droplet discharge device, or the like. Also good.

1 is a plan view of an ink jet printer to which an ink jet head of the present invention is applied. It is a disassembled perspective view of a carriage. It is sectional drawing which cut | disconnected the carriage along the Y direction. It is a partial exploded perspective view of a head unit and a soaking plate. It is a disassembled perspective view of a cavity unit. (A) is the VI-VI arrow directional cross-sectional view of FIG. 4, (b) is the bb arrow directional cross-sectional view of (a). (A) is the figure which projected and looked at the ink intake and the penetration part from the lamination direction, (b) is the VIIb-VIIb arrow directional cross-sectional view of (a). (A) is the figure which looked at the ink intake port and penetration part in other examples from the lamination direction, and (b) is a VIIIb-VIIIb arrow directional cross-sectional view of (a). It is sectional drawing explaining adhesion | attachment with the conventional filter body and a reinforcement frame.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Inkjet head 4 Nozzle 8 Head holder 9 Damper apparatus 10 Cavity unit 11 Piezoelectric actuator 12 Flexible flat cable 15 Reinforcement frame 15b Connection hole 20 Head unit 37 Ink intake port 39 Filter body 39a Filtration part 50 Adhesive layer 51 Penetration part 100 Inkjet printer

Claims (9)

A head unit in which an ink intake port for taking in ink to be supplied to the nozzle from the ink supply source side is formed on one surface, and a connection corresponding to the ink intake port on a surface opposite to one surface of the head unit A connection member having a hole, and a filter body provided between the head unit and the connection member so as to correspond to the ink intake port and the connection hole, and the ink intake port through the filter body In the inkjet head in which the head unit, the filter body, and the connection member are stacked so that the connection hole is connected,
In the adhesive layer interposed between the connection member and the filter body, a penetrating portion is formed corresponding to the ink intake port and the connection hole.
In a projection view from the stacking direction of the head unit, the filter body, and the connection member, the opening periphery of the through portion on the side of the adhesive layer that contacts the connection member is outside the opening periphery of the connection hole. The inkjet head is configured to be positioned on the inner side of the opening peripheral edge of the penetrating portion on the side of the adhesive layer that contacts the filter body. A head unit in which an ink intake port for taking in ink to be supplied to the nozzle from the ink supply source side is formed on one surface, and a connection corresponding to the ink intake port on a surface opposite to one surface of the head unit A connection member having a hole, and a filter body provided between the head unit and the connection member so as to correspond to the ink intake port and the connection hole, and the ink intake port through the filter body In the inkjet head in which the head unit, the filter body, and the connection member are stacked so that the connection hole is connected,
In the adhesive layer interposed between the filter body and the head unit, a penetrating portion is formed corresponding to the ink inlet and the connection hole,
In a projected view of the head unit, the filter body, and the connection member from the stacking direction, the opening peripheral edge of the penetrating portion on the side contacting the head unit in the adhesive layer is more than the opening peripheral edge of the ink intake port An ink-jet head, wherein the ink-jet head is located outside and is located inside an opening peripheral edge of the penetrating portion on the side contacting the filter body in the adhesive layer. A plurality of the ink intake ports are arranged side by side on one surface of the head unit, and the penetrating portion of the adhesive layer and the connection hole of the connection member are arranged in parallel corresponding to each ink intake port,
3. The ink jet head according to claim 1, wherein the filter body has an area that covers the plurality of ink intake ports collectively.   The adhesive layer is formed by laminating at least two sheet-like adhesives, and the penetration part is formed by overlapping holes formed in the sheet-like adhesives in the lamination direction. The hole portion in the sheet-like adhesive on the side in contact with the head unit or the connecting member is smaller than the hole portion in the sheet-like adhesive on the side in contact with the filter. An inkjet head according to any one of the above.   The inkjet head according to claim 4, wherein all the sheet-like adhesives constituting the adhesive layer have the same thickness. A head unit in which an ink intake port for taking in ink to be supplied to the nozzle from the ink supply source side is formed on one surface, and a connection member having a connection hole connected to the ink intake port through the filter body And a filter body provided between the head unit and the connection member so as to correspond to the ink intake port and the connection hole, and stacking the connection member on one surface of the head unit, In the method of manufacturing an inkjet head, the connecting member and the filter body are joined via an adhesive layer having a penetrating portion facing the ink intake and the connecting hole.
Forming the adhesive layer so that an opening periphery of the through portion on the side in contact with the connection member is located outside an opening periphery of the connection hole in a projection view from the stacking direction; Forming the opening periphery of the penetrating portion on the side in contact with the body to be located outside the opening periphery of the penetrating portion on the side in contact with the connecting member;
A method for manufacturing an ink jet head, wherein the connecting member and the filter body are joined by crushing the adhesive layer. A head unit in which an ink intake port for taking in ink to be supplied to the nozzle from the ink supply source side is formed on one surface; a connection member having a connection hole corresponding to the ink intake port; the head unit; A filter body provided between the connection member and the ink intake and the connection hole, the connection member is stacked on one surface of the head unit, and the head unit, the filter body, In the method of manufacturing an ink jet head, the ink inlet and the connection hole are joined via an adhesive layer having a through portion facing the ink inlet,
The adhesive layer is formed so that an opening periphery of the penetrating portion on the side in contact with the head unit is located outside an opening periphery of the ink intake port in a projection view from the stacking direction, Forming the opening periphery of the penetrating portion on the side in contact with the filter body to be located outside the opening periphery of the penetrating portion on the side in contact with the head unit;
A method of manufacturing an ink-jet head, wherein the head unit and the filter body are joined by crushing the adhesive layer.   As the adhesive layer, at least two sheet-like adhesives each penetrating through the holes constituting the penetration part are used, and the hole part in the sheet-like adhesive on the side in contact with the head unit or the connecting member 8. The inkjet head manufacturing method according to claim 6, wherein the sheet-like adhesive is laminated so that the size is smaller than a hole in the sheet-like adhesive on the side in contact with the filter body. Method. The head unit has a plurality of the ink intake ports arranged in parallel on one surface, the connection member has the connection holes corresponding to the ink intake ports, and the filter body includes the plurality of ink intake ports. It has an area that covers the ink intake collectively.
The penetrating portion is formed in the adhesive layer corresponding to each ink inlet or connection hole, and the adhesive layer is connected to the connection member and the filter body, or the filter body and the head unit. The method for producing an ink jet head according to claim 6, wherein the ink jet head is interposed between the two.

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