Liquid ejecting head and liquid ejecting apparatus

• US 10,639,895 B2
• Filed: 06/13/2018
• Issued: 05/05/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Takino, Fumiya, Matsuoka, Hironori
• Primary Examiner(s): Ameh, Yaovi M
• Application Number:
  US16/007,801
• Publication Number:
  US 20180361741A1
• Time in Patent Office: 692 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/01 Ink jet
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/14072 Electrical connections, e.g. details on electrodes, connecting the chip to the outside...
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/14233 of film type, deformed by bending and disposed on a diaphragm
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1433 Structure of nozzle plates
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2002/14241 having a cover around the piezoelectric thin film element
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2002/14491 Electrical connection
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2202/20 Modules

Abstract

A liquid ejecting head includes head units each of which includes a corresponding head substrate and ejects liquid, flexible cables each of which has one end connected to the corresponding head substrate, and a common member including the head units that are fixed thereto. In the liquid ejecting head, when a first direction, a second direction, and a third direction are directions that orthogonally intersect each other and the common member is placed on a virtual surface defined by the first direction and the second direction and has a thickness extending in the third direction, the common member extends more in the first direction than in the second direction. In addition, a fixation region in which each of the flexible cables and the corresponding head substrate are fixed to each other extends more in the second direction than in the first direction when viewed in the third direction.

Claims

1. A liquid ejecting head comprising:

head units each of which includes a corresponding head substrate and ejects liquid;

flexible cables each of which has one end connected to the corresponding head substrate; and

a common member including the head units that are fixed thereto, wherein

when a first direction, a second direction, and a third direction are directions that orthogonally intersect each other and the common member is placed on a virtual surface defined by the first direction and the second direction and has a thickness extending in the third direction, the common member extends more in the first direction than in the second direction, and the head units also each extend more in the first direction than in the second direction, and

a fixation region in which each of the flexible cables and the corresponding head substrate are fixed to each other and, when viewed in the third direction, extends more in parallel to the second direction.

2. The liquid ejecting head according to claim 1, further comprising:

a circuit substrate to which another end of each of the flexible cables is fixed, wherein

a region in which each of the flexible cables and the circuit substrate are fixed to each other extends more in the second direction than in the first direction when viewed in the third direction.

3. The liquid ejecting head according to claim 1, further comprising:

a circuit substrate to which another end of each of the flexible cables is fixed, wherein

each of the flexible cables includes a first portion extending along the circuit substrate, a second portion extending in a direction intersecting the circuit substrate, and a curved portion located between the first portion and the second portion, and the curved portion extends more in the second direction than in the first direction.

4. The liquid ejecting head according to claim 2, further comprising:

a plurality of the circuit substrates; and

a cover member that extends more in the first direction than in the second direction and covers the plurality of the circuit substrates in collaboration with the common member.

5. The liquid ejecting head according to claim 2, wherein each of the flexible cables is loose between the corresponding head substrate and the circuit substrate.

6. The liquid ejecting head according to claim 2, wherein each of the flexible cables is folded between the corresponding head substrate and the circuit substrate.

7. The liquid ejecting head according to claim 2, further comprising:

a holder member that extends more in the first direction than in the second direction when viewed in the third direction, wherein

the holder member has a first recess that is formed on a first side of the holder member and in which the head units are accommodated and a second recess that is formed on a second side of the holder member, the second side being opposite to the first side, and in which the circuit substrate is accommodated.

8. The liquid ejecting head according to claim 7, wherein a coefficient of thermal expansion of the holder member is different from a coefficient of thermal expansion of the common member.

9. The liquid ejecting head according to claim 1, wherein

each of the head units extends more in the first direction than in the second direction, and

the head units are arranged in the first direction.

10. The liquid ejecting head according to claim 1, wherein,

when viewed in the third direction, a region in which each of the flexible cables and the corresponding head substrate are fixed to each other overlaps a region in which a corresponding one of the head units and the common member are fixed to each other.

11. The liquid ejecting head according to claim 1, wherein

a position at which each of the flexible cables starts to extend away from the corresponding head substrate is located away from a center of a corresponding one of the head units in the first direction, and

each of the flexible cables fixed to the corresponding head substrate of each of the head units that are located closer to respective ends of the common member in the first direction than the rest of the head units is disposed away from a center of the common member in the first direction.

12. The liquid ejecting head according to claim 1, wherein each of the flexible cables includes conductors and a thickness of each of the conductors at the one end is less than a thickness of each of the conductors at another end of each of the flexible cables.

13. The liquid ejecting head according to claim 1, wherein each of the flexible cables includes conductors and a pitch between the conductors at the one end is narrower than a pitch between the conductors at another end of each of the flexible cables.

14. The liquid ejecting head according to claim 1, wherein

each of the flexible cables includes conductors and the conductors are arranged, at the one end, in a width direction of each of the flexible cables, and

the conductors are arranged, at another end, in a longitudinal direction of each of the flexible cables.

15. A liquid ejecting apparatus comprising the liquid ejecting head according to claim 1.

16. A liquid ejecting apparatus comprising the liquid ejecting head according to claim 2.