JP2002019088A - Recording device - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Problem] To provide a simple configuration that allows a flexible wiring board of a print head and a wiring board connected to a circuit on the printing apparatus main body to be securely connected, and also causes a positional shift of the print head. Provided is a recording apparatus capable of preventing a problem and achieving good print formation. A carriage-side flexible wiring board and an actuator-side flexible wiring board are connected by sandwiching a sandwiching member provided on a side wall of a carriage.
Is attached to the lower wall 42 of the carriage 26 by a base plate 46.
Are positioned and mounted by pressing the leaf springs 45a and 45b. With this configuration, the pressing force of the sandwiching member 101 does not affect the positioning of the inkjet head 24, and the inkjet head 24 can be accurately and reliably positioned and mounted.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a recording apparatus for performing a predetermined recording operation on paper.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a recording apparatus such as a printer is provided with a recording head for performing a recording operation on paper. Such a recording head is usually mounted on a carriage movably provided along the width direction of the sheet, and a flexible wiring board for driving the recording head is connected. The flexible wiring board is connected to a wiring board connected to a circuit on the recording apparatus main body side, and performs predetermined printing by controlling the recording head from the main body side via the flexible wiring board. .

[0003] Such recording heads include, for example, ink jet heads, dot impact type heads, and thermal transfer type heads. Among them, the ink jet head has a relatively simple structure, high speed printing and high quality printing. Is known as an easy recording head.

As shown in FIG. 11, for example, this type of ink jet head includes a head holder 2 on which an ink cartridge 1 filled with ink is mounted, a manifold 9 and an actuator 8 mounted on the head holder 2. And

[0005] The ink cartridge 1 is made of resin,
A porous material storage chamber 4 for storing a porous material impregnated with ink, and an ink chamber 5 defined by the porous material storage chamber 4 are provided. 6 are formed. The head holder 2 is made of resin and houses the ink cartridge 1. In the housed state, a communication hole 7 is formed at a position facing the ink supply port 6 of the ink chamber 5.

[0006] The manifold 9 is made of resin and has an ink introduction section 11 having an ink introduction path 10 connected to the ink supply port 6 of the ink cartridge 1;
0 and an ink supply unit 13 having an ink supply path 12 for supplying ink to the actuator 8.

On the inner peripheral surface of the communication hole 7 of the head holder 2,
A seal member 14 made of a ring-shaped elastic material is adhered and fixed.
The ink introduction passage 10 is connected to the ink supply port 6 via the seal member 12 by being inserted into the inside.

The head holder 2 and the ink supply unit 13
A base plate 15 made of a metal material is interposed between the base plate 15 and the ink supply unit 13. The ink supply unit 13 is bonded and fixed to the base plate 15, so that the actuator 8 is supported by the base plate 15. The base plate 15 is fixed to the head holder 2 by bonding.

The actuator 8 is made of a piezoelectric ceramic material or the like, and has a plurality of ejection channels (not shown) for accommodating ink, and an ejection energy for ejecting ink contained in each ejection channel from a nozzle as droplets. And a generator (not shown). The injection energy generation unit includes a COB mounted with a drive circuit for generating an injection pulse signal for controlling the driving of the actuator 8.
A (chip-on-board) substrate 17 is connected via a flexible wiring board 16.

The head holder 2 is a carriage (not shown)
When the COB board 17 is mounted on the wiring board, the COB board 17 is brought into contact with the wiring board on the carriage, and in this state, the head holder 2 presses the contact by a locking member fixed to the carriage. To maintain the contact state of the two contacts. The wiring board on the carriage is connected to a control circuit board on the printing apparatus main body side via a flexible cable as is well known.

The ink in the ink cartridge 1 is supplied from the ink supply port 6 to an ink supply path 12 via an ink introduction path 10 in the manifold 9, and further, from the ink supply path 12 to the actuator 8. Dispensed into each injection channel. The ink supplied to each ejection channel is ejected from the nozzle as a droplet when the volume of each ejection channel is reduced by the ejection energy generation unit changing the volume of each ejection channel by an ejection pulse signal from the COB substrate 17. On the other hand, when the volume is increased, the ink is introduced again from the ink supply path 12 into the ejection channel, and by repeating such an operation,
A predetermined print is formed on the paper.

[0012]

However, in such an ink jet head, in order to secure the connection between the COB substrate 17 and the wiring board on the carriage,
It is necessary to strongly press the COB substrate 17 by the lock member for the head holder 2. However, if the pressing force is increased, the head holder 2 may be distorted, or an elastic member such as rubber pressing the wiring board on the carriage toward the COB board 17 may cause a reaction of contact connection with the COB board 17. These forces may cause displacement of the base plate 15 bonded and fixed to the head holder 2, and further, the manifold 9 and the actuator 8 supported by the base plate 15. When such a positional shift occurs, a positional shift of the nozzles of the actuator 8 occurs, which causes a problem that satisfactory printing cannot be performed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a flexible wiring board having a simple configuration and a wiring board to be connected to a circuit on a recording apparatus main body side. It is an object of the present invention to provide a recording apparatus which can reliably connect the recording head and the recording head, and can prevent the displacement of the recording head to achieve good print formation.

[0014]

In order to achieve the above object, an invention according to claim 1 includes a recording head having a plurality of recording elements for performing a recording operation on a recording medium; In order to drive, a flexible wiring board having one end connected to the recording head, and a contact removably connected to a contact provided at the other end of the flexible wiring board. In a printing apparatus comprising: a second wiring board to be connected; a first supporting portion for supporting the recording head; and a supporting member having a second supporting portion for supporting the second wiring board. Mounting means for positioning and mounting the recording head on a first support portion of the member; and a mounting means provided on a second support portion of the support member, the contact at the other end of the flexible wiring board and the second wiring board. Contacts are connected Direction, and a pressing means for pressing the two wiring board, said pressing means is characterized in that is provided independently of the mounting means.

According to such a configuration, the contact provided on the flexible wiring board and the contact on the second wiring board are reliably connected by being pressed by the pressing means in the second support portion. However, the recording head can be moved to the first position by mounting means provided independently of the pressing means.
Since it is positioned and mounted on the support portion, the pressing force of the pressing means does not affect the positioning of the recording head. Therefore, the recording head can maintain a state where it is accurately and reliably positioned in the first support portion without causing a displacement due to such a pressing force, and achieve good print formation. Can be.

The invention described in claim 2 is the first invention.
Wherein the support member is a carriage movably provided along the recording medium, and the second wiring board is connected to a circuit on the recording apparatus side.
Characterized by having a flexible wiring board of

According to such a configuration, the carriage has
A first support portion and a second support portion are provided. In the first support portion, the recording head is positioned and mounted, and in the second support portion, the flexible wiring board and the second
The flexible wiring board is connected to the second flexible wiring board with a simple and compact structure, and the recording head is prevented from being displaced. Print formation can be achieved.

The invention described in claim 3 is the same as the invention described in claim 2.
Wherein the flexible wiring board having one end connected to the recording head has a drive circuit for selectively driving the plurality of recording elements near the other end. I have.

According to such a configuration, the driving circuit is connected to the second
While being able to be easily supported by the support section, the drive circuit selectively drives the recording element,
Good print formation can be achieved.

The invention described in claim 4 is the third invention.
The flexible wiring board having one end connected to the recording head has a rigid circuit board supporting the drive circuit, and the rigid circuit board is connected to a contact of the second wiring board. It is characterized by having contacts.

According to such a configuration, the drive circuit is reliably supported by the rigid circuit board, and the contacts provided on the rigid circuit board are connected to the contacts of the second wiring board. A secure connection is achieved.

The invention described in claim 5 is the same as the invention in claim 4.
In the invention described in the above, the recording head has a plurality of rows of the recording elements, the flexible wiring board is connected to each row of the recording elements, respectively, and each of the flexible wiring boards is the rigid circuit board. Is connected to each of the different sides.

According to such a configuration, each flexible wiring board is connected to each row of the recording elements and is also connected to each different side of the hard circuit board, so that the recording elements are securely provided for each row. Can be driven.

The invention described in claim 6 is the first invention.
The recording head according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the recording head is an ink jet head, and a plurality of ejection channels for containing ink and a plurality of ejection energies for ejecting ink in the channels from the nozzles as droplets. An actuator including a generator, a flow path forming member for supplying ink to each of the ejection channels, and a base plate supporting the actuator on one surface and opening the flow path forming member on the other surface, The base plate is positioned and supported by a first support portion of the support member, the actuator has a plurality of rows of the ejection energy generation sections, and the flexible wiring board is connected to each row of the ejection energy generation sections, respectively. And one of the flexible wiring boards is arranged along the base plate. Routed in a square the same side as the flexible wiring board, the opening of the flow path forming member, the ink supply member is characterized in that it is connected detachably.

According to such a configuration, one of the flexible wiring boards connected to each of the plurality of rows of the injection energy generating sections is connected to the other flexible wiring board along the base plate. Because they are routed to the same side, they can be brought together and routed in the same direction. Therefore, when these are separately routed, a space, a guide member for guiding the routing, and further, a cover member for separately protecting these can be unnecessary, and the components can be eliminated. The number of points and cost can be reduced, and the size of the device can be reduced.

The invention described in claim 7 is the first invention.
7. The recording head according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the recording head is an inkjet head, and includes a plurality of ejection channels for containing ink and a plurality of ejection energies for ejecting ink in the channels as droplets from nozzles. An actuator including a generator, a flow path forming member for supplying ink to each of the ejection channels, and a base plate supporting the actuator on one surface and opening the flow path forming member on the other surface, The base plate is positioned and supported by a first support portion of the support member, and has at least two recording heads, and at least two first support portions of the support member corresponding to the print head. Each of the flexible wiring boards connected to each of the ejection energy generating units of the two recording heads arranged, Each extend outwardly of the two recording heads, 2 in the two second support portions of the support member
And an ink supply member is detachably connected to the opening of the flow path forming member.

According to such a configuration, each flexible wiring board connected to each of the ejection energy generating portions of the two adjacent recording heads extends outside the two recording heads, and the flexible wiring board is connected to each of the two recording heads. Since the two second support portions are respectively connected to the two second wiring boards, a symmetric configuration can be achieved with two recording heads arranged adjacent to each other as an axis. Therefore, the components such as the flexible wiring boards and the second support portions can be shared, and the production efficiency can be improved and the cost can be reduced.

Further, since each flexible wiring board extends outside each of the two recording heads, a wide space which is not hindered by the flexible wiring board can be secured around the opening of the flow path forming member. The ink supply member can be easily connected.

[0029]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of a color ink jet printer as a recording apparatus according to the present invention. In FIG. 1, the color inkjet printer 21 is used to print on an ink cartridge 22 as an ink supply member filled with four color inks of cyan, magenta, yellow, and black, respectively, and a sheet 23 as a recording medium. An inkjet head 24 as a recording head, a carriage 26 as a support member on which the ink cartridge 22 and the inkjet head 24 are mounted, and a carriage 26
A drive unit 27 for reciprocating the ink jet head in a linear direction, a platen roller 28 extending in the reciprocating direction of the carriage 26 and arranged to face the inkjet head 24, and a purge device 29.

The drive unit 27 includes a carriage shaft 30 disposed at the lower end of the carriage 26 and extending parallel to the platen roller 28, a guide plate 31 disposed at the upper end of the carriage 26 and extending parallel to the carriage shaft 30, Two pulleys 32 and 33 are provided between the shaft 30 and the guide plate 31 and at both ends of the carriage shaft 30, and an endless belt 34 is stretched between the pulleys 32 and 33. .

A carriage shaft supporting portion 35 through which the carriage shaft 30 can be inserted is provided at the lower end of the carriage 26, and the guide plate 3 is provided at the upper end of the carriage 26.
1 is provided with a guide plate contact portion 36 that can contact with the guide plate 1.
An endless belt 34 is joined to the rear side surface of the carriage 26.

Then, one pulley 32 is connected to the motor 32
A, the carriage 26 joined to the endless belt 34 moves along the carriage shaft 30 and the guide plate 31 in the width direction of the paper 23 in accordance with the forward / reverse rotation of the pulley 32. Is reciprocated linearly so as to follow.

The paper 23 is fed from a paper feed cassette (not shown) provided on the side of the ink jet printer 21 and is introduced between the ink jet head 24 and a platen roller 28 so that the ink jet head 24
A predetermined print is made by the ink ejected from the printer, and then the paper is discharged. In FIG. 1, the illustration of the paper feed mechanism and the paper discharge mechanism of the paper 23 is omitted.

The purge device 29 is provided on the side of the platen roller 28, and is disposed so as to face the ink jet head 24 when the head unit 25 is at the reset position. The purging device 29 is used to prevent ejection failure due to stagnation of ink or growth of bubbles when ink is initially introduced into the inkjet head 24. That is, the purge device 2
9 includes a protective cap 37 that can cover the inkjet head 24, a pump 38 and a cam 39, and an ink storage unit 40. When the head unit 25 is at the reset position, the inkjet head 24 is covered with the protective cap 37. By driving the cam 39, the pump 38 sucks the defective ink including the air bubbles accumulated inside the ink jet head 24 to recover the ink jet head 24. The sucked defective ink is stored in the ink storage unit 40.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the ink jet head as viewed from below, FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the ink jet head as viewed from above, FIG. 4 is a sectional side view of a main part of the ink jet head, and FIG. FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along line AA in FIG.
7 is a perspective view for explaining connection of a flexible wiring board, FIG.
Is a cross-sectional perspective view of a main part of the carriage, FIG. 8 is a side view in which the ink jet head and the ink cartridge are mounted in FIG. 7, FIG. 9 is a front view in FIG. 8, and FIG. It is sectional drawing. Next, with reference to FIGS. 2 to 10, the inkjet head 24 and the carriage 2 of the inkjet head 24 will be described.
6 will be described.

As shown in FIGS. 2 to 5, the ink jet head 24 has a nozzle 75 for ejecting ink.
And an actuator 70 having
And a manifold 71 and a joint unit 47 as a flow path forming member for supplying ink from the ink cartridge 22 to the actuator 0 and the actuator 70 and the manifold 71 on one surface. And a base plate 46 to be attached.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the joint unit 47 has an upper joint 52 and a lower joint 53 made of resin. As shown in FIG. 4, the ink cartridge 2
A guide portion 54 for guiding the mounting of the ink cartridge 2 is formed so as to protrude upward at a front end portion and a rear end portion thereof, and has two ink introduction ports through which ink from each ink cartridge 22 is introduced. 55 is formed upward at the rear side. Further, the upper joint 52 is formed with a claw portion 56 for attaching to the base plate 46, which is formed to protrude downward at a front end portion and a rear end portion. Each ink introduction port 55 has a supply section 6 of the ink cartridge 22.
6 (see FIGS. 8 and 9) is provided with a seal member 57. Also, this upper joint 5
Projections 86 are formed at the lower end of each of the four corners facing the manifold 71 in a state where the ink jet head 24 is assembled, and project toward the base plate 46. Two upper channel grooves 61 are formed along the length direction.

The lower joint 53 has a manifold 7
Two ink supply cylinders 58 for supplying ink to
Is formed so as to protrude downward at the front side thereof, and has two lower channel grooves 62 formed on its upper surface along its length direction.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the upper joint 52 is formed with a joint projection 59 for joining with the lower joint 53, and the lower joint 53 is joined with the upper joint 52. Groove 60 is formed, and the joining protrusion 59 is ultrasonically welded to the bottom of the joining groove 60, whereby the upper joint 52 and the lower joint 53 are joined in an airtight manner. Two independent ink passages 63 are formed between two upper flow grooves 61 formed on the lower surface of the lower joint 52 and two lower flow grooves 62 formed on the upper surface of the lower joint 53. You. One end of each ink passage 63 is connected to an ink introduction passage 64 in each ink introduction port 55 of the upper joint 52.
And the other end thereof communicates with an ink supply passage 65 in each ink supply cylinder portion 58 of the lower joint 53. The ink introduction passage 64, the ink passage passage 63, and the ink supply passage 65 form a joint unit 47. Has 2
Two independent ink channels are formed.

In each ink passage 63, a filter 82 is provided upstream of the ink supply passage 65. The filter 82 is formed to have a filter diameter smaller than a nozzle diameter of a nozzle 75 to be described later, and is provided to remove dust, air bubbles, and the like that cause ink ejection failure when the ink cartridge 22 is mounted. Have been. It should be noted that a filter 94 is also provided at the inlet end of each ink inlet 55 of the upper joint 52.

Then, the ink cartridge 22 is mounted while being guided along the guide portion 54 of the upper joint 52, and the supply portion 66 of the ink cartridge 22 (see FIG. 8).
After the ink supplied from the ink cartridge 22 passes through the filter 94 in the joint unit 47, the ink supplied from the ink introduction port 55 is connected to the ink introduction port 55. The ink is supplied from the ink supply path 64 inside the ink supply path 63, passes through the ink passage path 63, and is supplied from the ink supply path 65 of the ink supply cylinder 58 to the manifold 71 via the filter 82.

The base plate 46 is made of a metal material, that is, a cold-rolled steel plate (SPCC, coefficient of linear expansion 9.5 × 10
⁻⁶ / ° C. to 10.9 × 10 ⁻⁶ / ° C.), and as shown in FIG. 3, an insertion opening 67 for inserting two ink supply pipes 83 described later is provided with a lower opening. At a position facing the two ink supply cylinders 58 of the joint 53, a rectangular opening is formed, and a locking hole 68 for locking the claw 56 of the upper joint 52 faces each claw 56. An opening is formed at each position.
A locking projection 48 is formed at the front end of the base plate 46 to be inserted and fixed into a locking hole 44 of the carriage 26, which will be described later.
A recess 69 for routing an actuator-side flexible wiring board 49 described later as a flexible wiring board is provided.
Each is formed.

The joint unit 47 is configured such that the claw portion 56 of the upper joint 52 is locked in the locking hole 68 of the base plate 46, so that the base plate 4
6 are elastically attached. In addition, in this attachment, each protrusion 86 of the upper joint 52 is attached.
Is in contact with the base plate 46, so that the base plate 46 receives the pressing force from the ink cartridge 22 via these projections 86 in a distributed manner.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the actuator 70 has a plurality of ejection channels 7 for containing ink.
Two channel members 72 having grooves on one surface, and a center plate 73 interposed between the two channel members 72 and fixed to one surface of each channel member 72 so as to cover the plurality of grooves. And

Each channel member 72 has a rectangular shape.
Made of a deformable material such as piezoceramic, a plurality of grooves for forming the injection channels 74 are provided.
It is formed in parallel with the ink ejection direction. This groove is
By fixing the channel member 72 and the center plate 73, an ejection channel 74 as a recording element is formed between the channel member 72 and the side surface of the center plate 73. The ejection channel 74 formed by this is formed.
Are formed in two rows facing each other with the center plate 73 interposed therebetween. Each ejection channel 74 has, at one end, an ink inlet end 76 into which ink flows, and at the other end, a nozzle 75 for ejecting ink. An electrode (not shown) is provided as a jet energy generating unit for jetting the liquid as droplets.

Each of the ejection channels 74 is connected to an actuator-side flexible wiring board 49 for driving the ejection channels 74. That is, the actuator-side flexible wiring board 49
As shown in FIG. 6, the terminals 92 of the actuator-side flexible wiring board 49 are connected to the respective terminals 91 connected to the electrodes provided in the respective ejection channels 74, and are arranged in two rows. Each row of the formed injection channels 74 is connected to each other.

The center plate 73 has a rectangular plate shape longer than each channel member 72, and is made of a ceramic material, ie, forsterite (linear expansion coefficient 10.5 × 10 4).
⁻⁶ / ° C.). Each channel member 72 is formed on the center plate 73 such that the center plate 73 protrudes toward the base plate 46 more than the ink inlet end 76 of the ejection channel 74. At the same time, the upper end surface 90 of the center plate 73 is bonded and fixed to the lower surface of the base plate 46.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the manifolds 71 are arranged above the respective channel members 72 and on both sides of the center plate 73 which is formed so as to project, and are supplied from the joint unit 47. And a supply unit 78 for distributing and supplying the ink introduced from the introduction unit 77 to each ejection channel 74 with respect to an ink inlet end 76 of each ejection channel 74.

In the manifold 71, holding portions 81 for holding the actuator 70 are formed at both ends in the length direction so as to protrude along the side surfaces of the channel member 72. And the actuator 70 are adhered and fixed, and between the supply unit 78 and the upper end surface of the channel member 72 and the supply unit 7.
8 and the side surface of the center plate 73 are sealed with a potting agent. And this supply unit 78
Is adhered and fixed to the lower surface of the base plate 46.

Between the manifold 71 bonded to one surface of the base plate 46 and the joint unit 47 attached to the other surface, two inks for supplying ink from the joint unit 47 to the manifold 71 are provided. The supply pipe 83 is provided via the base plate 46. That is, the ink supply pipe 83
Has a cylindrical shape made of an elastic material such as rubber or elastomer, and is bent in a substantially L-shape as shown in FIG.
One end is connected to each ink supply cylinder 5 of the lower joint 53.
8, and the other end is connected to the introduction portion 77 of each manifold 71 via the insertion opening 67 of the base plate 46.

The ink supplied from the ink supply path 65 in each of the ink supply cylinders 58 of the joint unit 47 is supplied via the ink supply pipe 83 to the introduction path 79 in the introduction section 77 of each manifold 71. Supplied to The ink supplied to the introduction path 79 in the introduction section 77 is
The ink is supplied from the supply path 80 of the supply section 78 communicating with the introduction path 79 to the ink inlet end 76 of each ejection channel 74 while being distributed.

When ink is supplied to the ink inlet end 76 of each ejection channel 74, each ejection channel 7
4 changes the volume of the ink by the ejection pulse signal from the actuator-side flexible wiring board 49 and ejects the supplied ink as droplets from the nozzles 75 when the volume is reduced, and again, when the volume is increased, the manifold again. A predetermined print is formed on the paper 23 by repeating the above-described operation by introducing from the supply path 80 of 71.

In the ink jet head 24, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, a base plate 46 is provided.
, A head cover 84 that covers the actuator 70 and the manifold 71 is attached. The head cover 84 includes a nozzle 75 in the actuator 70.
Is formed, and the actuator 70 and the manifold 71 are covered with the head cover 84 in a state where the nozzle 75 is exposed downward.

The ink jet head 24 is assembled to the carriage 26 as follows. That is, as shown in FIG. 7, the carriage 26 has a box shape, and two substantially rectangular openings are formed in the lower wall 42 thereof. First
Are formed. At the front end of each opening 41, a locking member 43 having a locking groove 44 is provided as a mounting means.
a and 43b are provided, and at positions opposed thereto, leaf springs 45a and 45b are provided as mounting means.
The carriage 26 is provided so as to be attached to the rear wall and the side wall.

Then, as shown in FIG. 8, the locking projection 48 of the base plate 46 of the ink jet head 24 is
The rear end and side portions of the base plate 46 are inserted into the locking grooves 44 of the carriage 26, and the leaf springs 45a,
5b, the base plate 46 is connected to the lower wall 42 and the locking members 43a, 43b by the leaf springs 45a, 45b.
Each of the ink jet heads 24 is mounted on the carriage 26 in a state where the ink jet heads 24 are positioned. When the inkjet head 24 is attached to the carriage 26, the actuator 70 and the manifold 71
The joint unit 47 detachably mounts the ink cartridge 22 in the carriage 26.

As shown in FIG. 7, the two openings 41 of the carriage 26 are formed adjacent to each other, and as shown in FIG.
4 are positioned in each of the openings 41 and mounted adjacent to each other. Each ink jet head 24 has two ink cartridges 22 mounted in parallel. Thereby, four ink cartridges 2 for cyan, magenta, yellow, and black are provided.
2 is divided into two, and each ink jet head 2
4 respectively. As described above, each inkjet head 24 is provided with one joint unit 47, two manifolds 71, and one actuator 70, and the ink supplied from each ink cartridge 22 Unit 4
In 7, after flowing through independent ink flow paths, the ink is supplied to each manifold 71, and is supplied from each manifold 71 to the ejection channels 74 formed in two rows in one actuator 70. From the channel member 74, it is independently jetted for each color.

In the vicinity of both side walls of the carriage 26, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 9, an actuator-side flexible wiring board 49 and a carriage-side flexible wiring board 50 as a second wiring board are connected. For this connection, the actuator side flexible wiring board 49
Is provided with a relay circuit board unit 93 at the free end.

The actuator-side flexible wiring boards 49 connected to each row of the ejection channels 74 in each ink jet head 24 are connected to the unit 93 as follows.

That is, first, in each of the ink jet heads 24, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, of the actuator-side flexible wiring boards 49 connected to each row of the ejection channels 74, the ejection closer to the unit 93 is performed. A row of channels 74 (ie, two injection channels 74 opposed to each other across the center plate 73)
, The actuator-side flexible wiring board 49 (see FIGS. 2 and 3) connected to the ejection channels 74 arranged on the outer side of the carriage 26.
In FIGS. 5, 6, and 9, this is also indicated by reference numeral 49a. In the following description, the outer flexible wiring board 49a is used. ) Passes through one concave portion 69 of the base plate 46 and is routed toward the unit 93 as it is, and the injection channel 74 farther from the unit 93 (that is, two opposing channels across the center plate 73). Of the rows of the ejection channels 74, the actuator-side flexible wiring boards 49 (FIGS. 2, 3, 5, 5, 6, and 9) connected to the rows of the ejection channels 74 disposed on the inner side of the carriage 26. In the following description, the inner flexible wiring board 49b will be referred to as an inner flexible wiring board 49b.
Once wrapped around the upper surface of the base plate 46, FIG.
As shown in the figure, the upper surface of the base plate 46 and the lower joint 5 extend along the width direction of the base plate 46.
After being sandwiched between the lower flexible circuit board 3 and the outer flexible wiring board 49a, as shown in FIG. 9, it is routed toward the unit 93 in parallel with the outer flexible wiring board 49a. Have been.

In this manner, when the actuator-side flexible wiring board 49 is routed, the outer flexible wiring board 49a and the inner flexible wiring board 49b, which are connected to each row of the ejection channels 74 in one ink jet head 24, Together, they are routed toward one side of the inkjet head 24, and the unit 9
3 can be connected.

The actuator-side flexible wiring boards 49 (the outer flexible wiring boards 4
9a and the inner flexible wiring board 49b)
As shown in FIG. 9, the two carriage-side flexible wiring boards 50 which are respectively routed outward with respect to the center of the carriage 26 and extend along both side walls of the carriage 26 via the units 93 respectively. Connected. In this way, the flexible wiring boards 49 on the actuator side connected to the two inkjet heads 24 arranged adjacent to each other are routed so as to extend to the outside of the two inkjet heads 24, respectively.
By connecting to the two carriage-side flexible wiring boards 50, a symmetrical configuration can be obtained between two adjacently arranged inkjet heads 24, that is, the center of the carriage 26 as an axis. Therefore, in this color inkjet printer 21,
Common components are used as wiring components such as the actuator-side flexible wiring boards 49, the relay circuit board units 93, and the carriage-side flexible wiring boards 50, thereby improving production efficiency and reducing costs. I have.

Further, a guide member for guiding the space and the wiring required when the inner flexible wiring board 49b is routed at the center of the carriage 26, and further, the inner flexible wiring board 49b is mounted when the cartridge 22 is mounted. There is no need to provide a cover member or the like for protection, and such an arrangement of the flexible wiring board 49 on the actuator side can reduce the number of parts, cost, and size of the apparatus.

The relay circuit board unit 93 is a hard COB having an IC chip 95 as a drive circuit mounted on one surface.
The substrate includes a substrate 88, a heat radiating plate 96 provided on the other surface of the COB substrate 88, and a cover member 102. The cover member 102 supports the COB substrate 88 and the heat sink 96 integrally.

The COB substrate 88 has a substantially rectangular plate shape, and the outer flexible wiring board 49a has one side (upper end).
And the inner flexible wiring board 49b
Are connected to the other side (lower end). A substantially rectangular IC chip 95 for selectively driving the plurality of ejection channels 74 is mounted on the front surface of the COB substrate 88, and the IC chip 95 is mounted on the back surface thereof.
A rectangular plate-shaped heat radiating plate 96 for radiating heat of the chip 95
Is affixed. The COB substrate 88 is provided with a contact 98 for connecting to a contact 97 of the carriage-side flexible wiring board 50. As shown in FIG. 10, the contact 98 has one end extended and connected to an IC chip 95 provided on the surface of the COB substrate 88, and the other end connected to the front end of the COB substrate 88. The COB substrate 8 extends so as to pass through the thickness direction.
8 is provided so as to be exposed on the back surface. Also,
The cover member 102 is attached to the COB substrate 88. The cover member 102 has an upper strip 103 and a lower strip 104 formed at its upper end and lower end along the length direction, respectively, and these are pressed by a sandwiching member 101 described later. Thus, the COB substrate 88 is assembled so as to cover the surface of the COB substrate 88 together with the IC chip 95.

On the other hand, the carriage-side flexible wiring board 5
0 is supported along the side wall of the carriage 26, as shown in FIG. This flexible wiring board 50 is connected to a control circuit (not shown) provided on the main body side directly or via a relay board. A substantially rectangular pad member 99 made of an elastic material such as rubber is provided between the free end of the carriage-side flexible wiring board 50 and the side wall of the carriage 26. As shown in FIG. 10, a plurality of protrusions 100 are provided on the surface of the pad member 99, and the free end of the carriage-side flexible wiring board 50 is provided with a plurality of contacts 97 provided at the free end. Are supported by the pad member 99 in such a manner as to overlap the projections 100.

Further, on both side walls of the carriage 26,
As shown in FIGS. 7 and 9, in front of each pad member 99, a sandwiching member 101 as a pressing means for connecting the contact 97 of the carriage-side flexible wiring board 50 and the contact 98 of the COB substrate 88 by pressing. Are provided respectively.

Each of the holding members 101 is connected to the upper holding member 1.
05 and a lower holding member 106. The upper holding member 105 is rotatably supported in the vertical direction at the upper end of the side wall of the carriage 26, and has a holding groove 107 formed in the lower surface thereof along the length direction. Inside the holding groove 107, the cover member 10
A spring member 108 for pressing the second upper strip 103 against the second upper strip 103 is provided. The upper holding member 105 is arranged so as to face the front side of the pad member 99 in a state where the upper holding member 105 is rotated downward (a state indicated by a virtual line in FIG. 7).

The lower holding member 106 is provided at the lower end of the side wall of the carriage 26 facing the upper holding member 105 with the pad member 99 interposed therebetween. , Its lower strip 10
A projection 109 for locking the projection 4 is provided upright.

When the lower ridge 104 is locked to the ridge 109, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, it is provided at the free end of the carriage-side flexible wiring board 50 supported by the pad member 99. COB substrate 8
8 are positioned so as to correspond to each other, the upper holding member 105 is rotated downward, the side wall of the carriage 26, the pad member 99 and the cover member 102 are sandwiched by the holding grooves 107, and the spring member 108 is covered. By pressing against the upper strip 103 of the member 102, each contact 97 of the carriage-side flexible wiring board 50 is
The contacts 98 provided on the OB board 88 are pressed against each other, whereby the contacts 97 and the contacts 9 are pressed.
8 are connected.

By connecting the carriage-side flexible wiring board 50 and the actuator-side flexible wiring board 49, a control signal sent from the control circuit of the main body via the carriage-side flexible wiring board 50 is transmitted to the COB board 88. In the above, an ejection pulse signal for selectively driving each ejection channel 74 by the IC chip 95 is sent to each channel member 72 via the actuator-side flexible wiring board 49, whereby each ejection channel is 74 is selectively driven. More specifically, this inkjet head 2
4, one end of each of the outer flexible wiring board 49a and the inner flexible wiring board 49b is connected to each side of the COB substrate 88, and the other end is provided for each row of the injection channels 74 formed as two rows. , So that the injection channels 74 can be reliably driven for each row.

In this way, if the contacts 97 of the carriage-side flexible wiring board 50 and the contacts 98 provided on the COB substrate 88 are connected by the sandwiching member 101, the contacts 97 and the contacts 98 are pressed into contact with each other. By doing so, it is possible to connect securely. On the other hand, in the color ink jet printer 21, the ink jet head 24 is provided on the carriage 26 with a locking member 43 provided independently of the sandwiching member 101.
Since it is positioned and mounted on the carriage 26 by the a and 43b and the plate springs 45a and 45b, the pressing force of the sandwiching member 101 does not affect the positioning of the inkjet head 24. Therefore, the inkjet head 24 can maintain the state of being accurately and reliably positioned without causing a positional shift due to such a pressing force, and can achieve good print formation.

Further, a relay circuit board unit 93 is provided at the free end of the actuator-side flexible wiring board 49, and the COB board 8 of the relay circuit board unit 93 is provided.
8 is provided with an IC chip 95 and a contact 98 on the actuator side flexible wiring board 49 side.
The IC chip 95 is easily and reliably supported on the OB board 88, and the contact 98 on the actuator-side flexible wiring board 49 is securely connected to the contact 97 on the carriage-side flexible wiring board 50 by a simple configuration.

In the above description, the recording head of the present invention is described by taking the ink jet head 24 as an example. However, the recording head of the present invention is not limited to the ink jet head. It includes a known recording head such as a head and a thermal transfer head.

[0074]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the flexible wiring board extending from the recording head is connected to the second wiring board. And a second supporting portion for supporting the second wiring board are separately provided, and a pressing force by pressing means for connecting a contact of the flexible wiring board of the recording head and a contact of the second wiring board is provided. However, since the printing head does not affect the positioning of the printing head, the printing head does not generate a displacement due to such a pressing force, and securely connects the flexible wiring board and the second flexible wiring board. However, it is possible to maintain the state of being accurately and reliably positioned at the first support portion, and to achieve good print formation.

Further, according to the second aspect of the present invention, with a simple and compact structure, it is possible to reliably connect the flexible wiring board and the second flexible wiring board, and to reduce the displacement of the recording head. Prevention and good print formation can be achieved.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, while the drive circuit can be easily supported by the second support portion, the recording element is selectively driven by the drive circuit to achieve good printing. Formation can be achieved.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the drive circuit is securely supported by the rigid circuit board, and the contacts provided on the rigid circuit board are connected to the contacts of the second wiring board. A secure connection is achieved by a simple configuration.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to drive the recording elements surely for each row, and to achieve better printing.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the flexible wiring boards connected to each row of the plurality of rows of injection energy generating sections can be routed together, so that when these are separately routed. A guide member for guiding the space and routing required for
A cover member or the like for separately protecting these components can be dispensed with, and the number of parts and cost can be reduced, and the size of the device can be reduced. Further, the flexible wiring board routed along the base plate can be brought into close contact with the base plate to promote heat radiation, prevent damage by heat, and improve durability.

According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, a symmetric configuration can be achieved with two recording heads arranged adjacent to each other as an axis. Therefore, the components such as the flexible wiring boards and the second support portions can be shared, and the production efficiency can be improved and the cost can be reduced.

Further, since each flexible wiring board extends outside each of the two recording heads, a wide space which is not hindered by the flexible wiring board can be secured around the opening of the flow path forming member. The ink supply member can be easily connected.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing one embodiment of a color inkjet printer as an inkjet recording apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the inkjet head as viewed from below.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the inkjet head as viewed from above.

FIG. 4 is a sectional side view of a main part of the inkjet head.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line AA in FIG.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view illustrating connection of a flexible wiring board.

FIG. 7 is a sectional perspective view of a main part of the carriage.

FIG. 8 is a side view in which an ink jet head and an ink cartridge are attached in FIG.

FIG. 9 is a front view of FIG.

FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is a sectional view of a main part of a conventional inkjet head.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 21 color ink jet printer 22 ink cartridge 23 paper 24 ink jet head 26 carriage 41 opening 44 locking groove 45 leaf spring 46 base plate 49 actuator side flexible wiring board 49a outer flexible wiring board 49b inner flexible wiring board 50 main body flexible wiring board 51 COB Substrate 70 Actuator 71 Manifold 74 Injection channel 75 Nozzle 88 Rigid circuit board 93 Relay circuit board 97 Contact (flexible wiring board on main unit) 98 Contact (flexible wiring board on actuator side) 95 IC chip 101 Nipping member

Claims (7)

[Claims] A recording head having a plurality of recording elements for performing a recording operation on a recording medium; a flexible wiring board having one end connected to the recording head for driving the plurality of recording elements; A second wiring board having a contact detachably connected to a contact provided at the other end of the wiring board and connected to a circuit on the printing apparatus main body side; and a first support portion for supporting the recording head And a support member having a second support portion for supporting the second wiring board. A mounting means for positioning and mounting the recording head on a first support portion of the support member; Pressing means provided on a second support portion of the support member and pressing both of the wiring boards in a direction in which a contact at the other end of the flexible wiring board and a contact of the second wiring board are connected; Equipped with the pressing hand A recording apparatus, wherein the step is provided independently of the mounting means. 2. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the support member is a carriage movably provided along the recording medium, and the second wiring board is a second flexible wiring board connected to a circuit on the printing apparatus side. The recording device according to claim 1, further comprising: 3. The flexible wiring board having one end connected to the recording head has a drive circuit for selectively driving the plurality of recording elements near the other end. The recording device according to claim 2. 4. A flexible wiring board having one end connected to the recording head has a hard circuit board supporting the drive circuit, and the hard circuit board has a contact connected to a contact of the second wiring board. The recording apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising: 5. The printing head has a plurality of rows of the printing elements, and the flexible wiring boards are connected to each row of the printing elements, respectively. The recording apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the recording apparatus is connected to different sides. 6. The actuator according to claim 1, wherein the recording head is an ink-jet head, the actuator comprising: a plurality of ejection channels for accommodating ink; and a plurality of ejection energy generation units for ejecting ink in the channels from nozzles as droplets. A flow path forming member for supplying ink to each of the ejection channels, and a base plate supporting the actuator on one surface and opening the flow path forming member on the other surface, wherein the base plate has the support plate; The actuator is positioned and supported by a first support portion of the member, the actuator has a plurality of rows of the ejection energy generating sections, and the flexible wiring boards are connected to the respective rows of the ejection energy generating sections, respectively. One of the flexible wiring boards along the base plate The same is routed to the side, the opening of the flow path forming member, a recording apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the ink supply member are detachably connected to. 7. The actuator according to claim 1, wherein the recording head is an ink-jet head, the actuator comprising: a plurality of ejection channels for accommodating ink; and a plurality of ejection energy generation units for ejecting ink in the channels from nozzles as droplets. A flow path forming member for supplying ink to each of the ejection channels, and a base plate supporting the actuator on one surface and opening the flow path forming member on the other surface, wherein the base plate has the support plate; The recording head is positioned and supported by a first support portion of the member, and has at least two recording heads, and the first support portion of the support member has at least two recording heads corresponding to the recording head.
Each of the flexible wiring boards connected to each of the ejection energy generating portions of the two recording heads arranged adjacent to each other extends outside the two recording heads, and the two flexible wiring boards of the support member The ink supply member is detachably connected to an opening of the flow path forming member, the ink supply member being connected to the two second wiring boards at the two support portions, respectively. The recording device according to any one of the above.