LIQUID EJECTING HEAD AND LIQUID EJECTING APPARATUS

• US 20150042726A1
• Filed: 08/08/2014
• Published: 02/12/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/09/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: ENOMOTO, Katsumi, WATANABE, Shunsuke
• Granted Patent: US 9,302,480 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 347/68
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/14145 Structure of the manifold
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/14201 Structure of print heads with piezoelectric elements
• 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 2002/14306 Flow passage between manifold and chamber
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2002/14419 Manifold
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2002/14491 Electrical connection

Abstract

A liquid ejecting head includes a liquid discharge unit that has a pressure generating chamber group which communicates with a nozzle disposed on a nozzle surface and is formed from a plurality of pressure generating chambers disposed in a first direction, and a case member which communicates with the pressure generating chamber group and holds a liquid, in which the case member has at least one liquid inlet on the side opposite to the liquid discharge direction and at a position between the pressure generating chambers at both ends in the first direction in a plan view of the pressure generating chamber group from the opposite side, and a first liquid discharge unit and a second liquid discharge unit are arranged at positions where the first directions of the first liquid discharge unit and the second liquid discharge unit are substantially parallel to each other in a second direction that is orthogonal to the first direction, and positions of the liquid inlets of the case member respectively corresponding to the first liquid discharge unit and the second liquid discharge unit do not overlap in the second direction.

Claims

1. A liquid ejecting head comprising:

a liquid discharge unit that includes a pressure generating chamber group which communicates with a nozzle disposed on a nozzle surface and is formed from a plurality of pressure generating chambers disposed in a first direction, and a case member which communicates with the pressure generating chamber group and holds a liquid,

wherein the case member has at least one liquid inlet on the side opposite to the liquid discharge direction and at a position between the pressure generating chambers at both ends in the first direction in a plan view of the pressure generating chamber group from the opposite side, and

wherein a first liquid discharge unit and a second liquid discharge unit are arranged at positions where the first directions of the first liquid discharge unit and the second liquid discharge unit are substantially parallel to each other in a second direction that is orthogonal to the first direction, and positions of the liquid inlets of the case member respectively corresponding to the first liquid discharge unit and the second liquid discharge unit do not overlap in the second direction.

2. The liquid ejecting head according to claim 1,

wherein a flow path member, which has merging flow paths communicating respectively with the liquid inlet of the first liquid discharge unit and the liquid inlet of the second liquid discharge unit, is disposed across the first liquid discharge unit and the second liquid discharge unit.

3. The liquid ejecting head according to claim 1,

wherein a filter that is disposed upstream the flow path which communicates with the liquid inlet of the first liquid discharge unit and a filter that is disposed upstream the flow path which communicates with the liquid inlet of the second liquid discharge unit are integrated with each other.

4. The liquid ejecting head according to claim 1,

wherein, in a case where the first liquid discharge unit and the second liquid discharge unit is a unit pair and a plurality of the unit pairs are present in a juxtaposed manner, positions of the liquid inlet of one of the unit pairs on the other unit pair side and the liquid inlet of the other unit pair on the one unit pair side do not overlap in the second direction.

5. The liquid ejecting head according to claim 4,

wherein a flow path member, which has merging flow paths respectively communicating with the liquid inlet of the first liquid discharge unit and the liquid inlet of the second liquid discharge unit of the one unit pair and a first liquid inlet of the first liquid discharge unit and the liquid inlet of the second liquid discharge unit of the other unit pair, is disposed across all of the first liquid discharge units and the second liquid discharge units of the one unit pair and the other unit pair.

6. The liquid ejecting head according to claim 4,

wherein a filter that is disposed upstream the flow paths which communicate with the liquid inlets of all of the first liquid discharge units and a filter that is disposed upstream the flow paths which communicate with the liquid inlets of all of the second liquid discharge units of the one unit pair and the other unit pair are integrated with each other.

7. The liquid ejecting head according to claim 1,

wherein the liquid inlet of the first liquid discharge unit and the liquid inlet of the second liquid discharge unit are disposed at the center between the pressure generating chambers at both of the ends in the first direction.

8. The liquid ejecting head according to claim 1,

wherein the first liquid discharge unit and the second liquid discharge unit are separate bodies of the case member, the liquid inlet of a first case member for the first liquid discharge unit and the liquid inlet of a second case member for the second liquid discharge unit are disposed at positions shifted from the center between the pressure generating chambers at both of the ends in the first direction, and the first case member and the second case member are a common member.

9. A liquid ejecting apparatus comprising a liquid ejecting head, the liquid ejecting head comprising:

a liquid discharge unit that includes a pressure generating chamber group which communicates with a nozzle disposed on a nozzle surface and is formed from a plurality of pressure generating chambers disposed in a first direction, and a case member which communicates with the pressure generating chamber group and holds a liquid,

wherein the case member has at least one liquid inlet on the side opposite to the liquid discharge direction and at a position between the pressure generating chambers at both ends in the first direction in a plan view of the pressure generating chamber group from the opposite side, and

wherein a first liquid discharge unit and a second liquid discharge unit are arranged at positions where the first directions of the first liquid discharge unit and the second liquid discharge unit are substantially parallel to each other in a second direction that is orthogonal to the first direction, and positions of the liquid inlets of the case member respectively corresponding to the first liquid discharge unit and the second liquid discharge unit do not overlap in the second direction.

10. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 9,

wherein a flow path member, which has merging flow paths communicating respectively with the liquid inlet of the first liquid discharge unit and the liquid inlet of the second liquid discharge unit, is disposed across the first liquid discharge unit and the second liquid discharge unit.

11. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 9,

wherein a filter that is disposed upstream the flow path which communicates with the liquid inlet of the first liquid discharge unit and a filter that is disposed upstream the flow path which communicates with the liquid inlet of the second liquid discharge unit are integrated with each other.

12. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 9,

wherein, in a case where the first liquid discharge unit and the second liquid discharge unit is a unit pair and a plurality of the unit pairs are present in a juxtaposed manner, positions of the liquid inlet of one of the unit pairs on the other unit pair side and the liquid inlet of the other unit pair on the one unit pair side do not overlap in the second direction.

13. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 12,

wherein a flow path member, which has merging flow paths respectively communicating with the liquid inlet of the first liquid discharge unit and the liquid inlet of the second liquid discharge unit of the one unit pair and a first liquid inlet of the first liquid discharge unit and the liquid inlet of the second liquid discharge unit of the other unit pair, is disposed across all of the first liquid discharge units and the second liquid discharge units of the one unit pair and the other unit pair.

14. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 12,

wherein a filter that is disposed upstream the flow paths which communicate with the liquid inlets of all of the first liquid discharge units and a filter that is disposed upstream the flow paths which communicate with the liquid inlets of all of the second liquid discharge units of the one unit pair and the other unit pair are integrated with each other.

15. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 9,

wherein the liquid inlet of the first liquid discharge unit and the liquid inlet of the second liquid discharge unit are disposed at the center between the pressure generating chambers at both of the ends in the first direction.

16. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 9,

wherein the first liquid discharge unit and the second liquid discharge unit are separate bodies of the case member, the liquid inlet of a first case member for the first liquid discharge unit and the liquid inlet of a second case member for the second liquid discharge unit are disposed at positions shifted from the center between the pressure generating chambers at both of the ends in the first direction, and the first case member and the second case member are a common member.