Liquid Ejecting Head and Liquid Ejecting Apparatus

• US 20130127956A1
• Filed: 11/07/2012
• Published: 05/23/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Watanabe, Shunsuke, Miyata, Yoshinao, Oguchi, Satoshi, Okui, Hiroaki
• Granted Patent: US 8,757,782 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 347/71
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/055 Devices for absorbing or preventing back-pressure
• 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 2/175 Ink supply systems ; Circuit parts therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2002/14241 having a cover around the piezoelectric thin film element
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2002/14306 Flow passage between manifold and chamber
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2002/14419 Manifold
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2002/14491 Electrical connection

Abstract

Liquid ejecting head comprises a unit head bonded to a communication substrate. A plurality of liquid chamber forming portions are formed in the unit case, along a first direction at positions that are separated by a partition wall. A plurality of empty liquid chamber portions and supply-side communication paths are formed in the communication substrate. The supply-side communication paths include a common communication path formed in a opposite side with a thin thickness portion left in the surface side of the communication substrate, and individual communication paths. With a surface of the partition wall and a surface of the thin thickness portion bonded together, the empty liquid chamber forming portions and the empty liquid chamber portions communicate with each other so as to define a plurality of common liquid chambers.

Claims

1. A liquid ejecting head comprising:

a nozzle forming member that includes a nozzle row formed of a plurality of nozzles provided in a first direction;

a pressure generating unit that includes a pressure chamber forming substrate in which a plurality of pressure chambers corresponding to the plurality of nozzles are formed and a plurality of pressure generators that are provided so as to correspond to the pressure chambers;

a communication member in which a plurality of nozzle communication paths that allow communication between the pressure chambers and the nozzles, a plurality of empty liquid chamber portions that are portions of a plurality of common liquid chambers, and a plurality of supply-side communication paths that allow communication between the empty liquid chamber portions and the pressure chambers are formed; and

a case member to which the communication member to which the nozzle forming member and the pressure generating unit are bonded is fixed,

wherein an empty accommodating portion that accommodates the pressure generating unit and a plurality of empty liquid chamber forming portions that communicate with the empty liquid chamber portions so as to define common liquid chambers are formed in the case member,

wherein the empty liquid chamber forming portions are formed along the first direction at positions that are separated from the empty accommodating portion in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction by a partition wall,

wherein the empty liquid chamber portions corresponding to the empty liquid chamber forming portions are formed in the first direction,

wherein the supply-side communication paths each include a common communication path that is formed from a surface of the communication member opposite a surface of the communication member which is bonded to the case member to halfway through the communication member in a thickness direction of the communication member with a thin portion left on the surface of the communication member which is bonded to the case member, and

wherein when the communication member and the case member are bonded together, a surface of the partition wall on the communication member side and a surface of the thin portions on the case member side are bonded together, and the empty liquid chamber forming portions and the empty liquid chamber portions communicate with each other so as to define the common liquid chambers.

2. The liquid ejecting head according to claim 1,

wherein a dimension of the nozzle forming member in the second direction is smaller than a dimension of the communication member in the second direction.

3. The liquid ejecting head according to claim 2,

wherein the empty liquid chamber portions in the communication member have openings in a surface of the communication member opposite the surface of the communication member which is bonded to the case member at locations separated from a bonded portion which is bonded to the nozzle forming member, and

wherein the openings are sealed with a compliance member having flexibility.

4. The liquid ejecting head according to claim 1,

wherein the pressure generating unit includes a protective substrate that protects the pressure chamber forming substrate and the pressure generators.

5. A liquid ejecting apparatus comprising:

the liquid ejecting head according to claim 1.

6. A liquid ejecting apparatus comprising:

the liquid ejecting head according to claim 2.

7. A liquid ejecting apparatus comprising:

the liquid ejecting head according to claim 3.

8. A liquid ejecting apparatus comprising:

the liquid ejecting head according to claim 4.