Liquid ejection head and liquid ejection apparatus

Abstract

The invention provides a liquid ejecting head and a liquid ejecting apparatus capable of suppressing damage of a bottom plate. According to one embodiment, a liquid ejection head includes an actuator and a base plate. The actuator has a plurality of pressure chambers arranged in one direction. In the base plate, the actuator is provided on one surface of the base plate, and a long hole is formed in the base plate side by side with the actuator, the long hole extends in the longitudinal direction of the actuator, and the long hole is in a rectangular shape with a curved corner or a curved end of the long hole in the longitudinal direction.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present invention relate to a liquid ejection head and a liquid ejection device. Background Art

[0002] In recent years, high productivity has been required for liquid ejection heads that eject liquids, and high speed and increased droplet volume are required. For example, as a liquid ejection head, a shared mode shared wall type inkjet head that ejects ink is known. Such an inkjet head uses a shared mode that can obtain a large displacement, and the rigidity of the pressure chamber formed by the piezoelectric body is high, so it is high-power and suitable for ejecting high-viscosity inks and ejecting large droplets. However, since the inkjet head shares the same drive column in two pressure chambers, the so-called three-cycle drive as 1 / 3 can be driven simultaneously.

[0003] In addition, as an inkjet head, an independently driven construction example is known, in which a large number of grooves are formed in the piezoelectric body, and the entrance and exit of every other groove are blocked with a photosensitive resin, and the unblocked grooves are set as pressure chambers, and the blocked grooves are set as air chambers (virtual chambers).

[0004] In the bottom plate of such an inkjet head, the ink supply is mainly realized by arranging a plurality of holes. In the recent printer industry that requires high productivity and high-speed printing, there is a concern that the ink supply will not be able to be supplied in time in the existing structure, and a large-capacity and high-speed ink supply is required. As a solution, it is also considered to set the shape of the ink supply hole to a rectangle that is larger in the long side direction. However, in the case of the rectangular ink supply hole, there is a problem that it is easy to be damaged when a force is applied to the bottom plate from the outside. Summary of the invention

[0005] Technical problem to be solved by the invention

[0006] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a liquid ejection head and a liquid ejection device capable of suppressing damage to a bottom plate.

[0007] Solutions for solving technical problems

[0008] The liquid ejection head of the embodiment includes an actuator and a base plate. The actuator has a plurality of pressure chambers arranged in one direction. In the base plate, the actuator is arranged in one surface of the base plate, and a long hole is formed in the base plate in parallel with the actuator, the long hole extends along the long side direction of the actuator, and the long hole is rectangular with a curved corner, or the end of the long side direction of the long hole is curved. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009] Figure 1 It is a perspective view showing the structure of a liquid ejection head according to an embodiment.

[0010] Figure 2 It is an exploded perspective view showing the structure of the liquid ejection head according to the embodiment.

[0011] Figure 3 It is a bottom view showing the structure of the liquid ejection head according to the embodiment.

[0012] Figure 4 This is a cross-sectional view showing an enlarged structure of a head main body and a manifold unit of a liquid ejecting head according to an embodiment.

[0013] Figure 5 This is a bottom view showing a head body according to the embodiment with part of the structure thereof omitted.

[0014] Figure 6 It is a perspective view showing the structure of the bottom plate of the head body according to the embodiment.

[0015] Figure 7 To pass Figure 6 The cross section along line VII-VII is a perspective view showing the structure of the bottom plate according to the embodiment.

[0016] Figure 8 This is a bottom view showing a head body according to the embodiment with part of the structure thereof omitted.

[0017] Fig. 9 This is an explanatory diagram showing a part of the bottom plate according to the embodiment in an enlarged manner.

[0018] Fig.10 It is an explanatory diagram showing the structure of the liquid ejecting device according to the embodiment.

[0019] Fig.11 This is an explanatory diagram showing an enlarged view of a part of a bottom plate according to a comparative example.

[0020] Explanation of symbols

[0021] 1. Liquid ejection head; 2. Liquid ejection device (inkjet recording device); 11. Head body; 12. Manifold unit; 13. Circuit board; 111. Bottom plate; 112. Frame; 113. Actuator; 114. Nozzle plate; 115. Mask plate; 116. Common liquid chamber; 121. Manifold; 122. Top plate; 123. Ink supply pipe; 124. Ink discharge pipe; 127. Damper; 1111. Supply port; 1112. Discharge port; 1131. Pressure chamber; 1132. Air chamber; 1133. Wall; 1141. Nozzle; 1142. Nozzle array; 1151. Window; 1213. First manifold; 1214. Second manifold; 2001. Transport path; 2111. Shell; 2 112, medium supply unit; 2113, image forming unit; 2114, medium discharge unit; 2115, conveying device; 2117, maintenance device; 2118, control unit; 2120, support unit; 2130, head unit; 2132, supply tank; 2134, pump; 2135, connecting flow path; 12131, first opening; 12132, second opening; 12141, third opening; 12142, fourth opening; 12147, flange; 12148, reference hole; 21121, paper supply box; 21201, conveyor belt; 21202, support plate; 21203, belt roller; 21211-21218, guide plate pair; 21221-21228, conveying roller. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0022] Refer to the following Figures 1 to 10 A liquid ejecting head 1 according to an embodiment and a liquid ejecting device 2 using the liquid ejecting head 1 will be described. Figure 1 It is a perspective view showing the structure of the liquid ejecting head 1 according to the embodiment. Figure 2 1 is an exploded perspective view showing the structure of the liquid ejection head 1. Figure 3 It is a bottom view showing the structure of the liquid ejecting head 1.

[0023] Figure 4 This is a cross-sectional view showing an enlarged structure of the head main body 11 and the manifold unit 12 of the liquid ejecting head 1. Figure 5 It is a bottom view showing the structure of the head main body 11 in a manner that the nozzle plate 114 is omitted.

[0024] Figure 6 1 is a perspective view showing the structure of the bottom plate 111 of the head body 11 and the flow of the liquid through arrows. Figure 7 To pass Figure 6 The cross section along line VII-VII is a perspective view showing the structure of the bottom plate 111 and the flow of the liquid through arrows. Figure 8 The nozzle plate 114 of the head body is omitted and the shape of the end of the supply port 1111 is shown. Figure 5Bottom views of different examples of base plate 111 . Fig. 9 This is an explanatory diagram showing an enlarged corner of the supply port 1111 of the bottom plate 111 . Fig.10 1 is an explanatory diagram showing the structure of a liquid ejecting device 2 using the liquid ejecting head 1.

[0025] exist Figures 1 to 10 In the figure, mutually orthogonal X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis are shown. In addition, in the following description, the direction along the X-axis is referred to as the first direction X, the direction along the Y-axis is referred to as the second direction Y, and the direction along the Z-axis is referred to as the third direction Z. In addition, in each figure, for the convenience of description, the structure is appropriately shown in an enlarged, reduced, or omitted manner.

[0026] The liquid ejection head 1 is provided, for example, at Fig.10 The inkjet head 1 of the liquid ejecting device 2 such as the inkjet recording device shown in the figure is provided in a head unit 2130 including a supply tank 2132 as a liquid storage portion provided in the liquid ejecting device 2.

[0027] The liquid ejection head 1 is supplied with ink as a liquid stored in the supply tank 2132. It should be noted that the liquid ejection head 1 may be a non-circulating head that does not circulate the ink, or a circulating head that circulates the ink. In this embodiment, the liquid ejection head 1 is described using an example of a non-circulating head.

[0028] like Figures 1 to 3 As shown, the liquid ejection head 1 includes a head body 11, a manifold unit 12, and a circuit board 13. For example, the liquid ejection head 1 is a shared-mode shared-wall side-shooter type four-row integrated structure head, which includes two sets of head bodies 11 each having a pair of actuators 113.

[0029] The head body 11 ejects liquid. Figures 1 to 5 and Figure 8 As shown, the head body 11 includes a base plate 111, a frame 112, an actuator 113, a nozzle plate 114, and a mask plate 115. In addition, the head body 11 has a common liquid chamber 116. In the example of this embodiment, an example in which one head body 11 has two actuators 113 is used for explanation. It should be noted that Figure 5 and Figure 8 The head main body 11 in FIG. 1 is in a state where the nozzle plate 114 and the mask plate 115 are omitted.

[0030] like Figures 5 to 8 As shown, the bottom plate 111 is formed of a ceramic material into a rectangular plate shape. The bottom plate 111 is formed into a rectangular shape that is long in one direction (first direction X). The bottom plate 111 has a single supply port 1111 and a single or multiple discharge ports 1112. Figure 5 and Figure 8 As shown, a pair of actuators 113 are provided in the bottom plate 111 and a wiring pattern for driving the actuators 113 is formed. The supply port 1111 and the discharge port 1112 are through holes penetrating between the two main surfaces of the bottom plate 111. For example, the supply port 1111 and the discharge port 1112 are formed by cutting.

[0031] The supply port 1111 is provided, for example, in a single position at a position opposite to the common liquid chamber 116. The supply port 1111 is a long hole that is extended in one direction along the long side direction (first direction X) of the actuator 113. Ink is supplied to the supply port 1111, and liquid is supplied between the pair of actuators 113 by being arranged between the pair of actuators 113. Figure 6 In the example of ink supplied to the supply port 1111, the arrows are used to show the ink supply to the supply port 1111. Figure 7 An example of the flow of ink supplied from the supply port 1111 to the common liquid chamber 116 is shown by arrows in FIG.

[0032] The supply port 1111 is, for example, a rectangular long hole whose corners are formed with a predetermined curvature radius R and are long in one direction, or a long hole whose both ends are formed with a predetermined curvature radius R and are formed into a semicircular curved surface and have the same width. The length of the supply port 1111 in the long side direction is, for example, set to a length greater than the width (length) of the actuator 113 in the long side direction, or set to a length smaller than the length of the actuator 113 and equal to the range of the pressure chamber 1131 formed in the actuator 113 and driven during normal ink ejection.

[0033] When the width of the short side direction of the supply port 1111 is set to W, Fig. 9 The curvature radius R of the curved surface at the corner or end of the supply port 1111 shown is set to

[0034] W×0.2≤R≤W×0.5.

[0035] For example, when the curvature radius R is set to R = W × 0.5, Figure 5 As shown, the supply port 1111 is changed into a semicircular long hole with a curvature radius R at both ends.

[0036] In addition, for example, when the curvature radius R is set to R<W×0.5, Figure 8 As shown, the supply port 1111 is a long rectangular hole with four corners (corners) being curved.

[0037] It should be noted that the above-mentioned curvature radius R includes an accuracy range that takes into account processing accuracy, etc. For example, the accuracy range is 25%. That is, regarding the curvature radius R, if the accuracy range is taken into account, the above formula becomes

[0038] W×0.2±(W×0.2×0.25)≤R≤W×0.5±(W×0.2×0.25).

[0039] For example, in Figure 5 In the example of the supply port 1111, when the width W of the supply port 1111 is W=0.55 mm, the curvature radius R of the curved surface at the end of the supply port 1111 becomes R=0.275 mm±0.069 mm.

[0040] It should be noted that the lower limit value of the radius of curvature R (W×0.2±(W×0.2×0.25)) is a value that can, for example, relieve the stress applied to the corner of the supply port 1111 and can be processed. In addition, the upper limit value of the radius of curvature R (W×0.5±(W×0.2×0.25)) is a value that can make the end of the supply port 1111 semicircular and can be processed. It should be noted that if the radius of curvature R is greater than the upper limit value, there is a possibility of stress concentration because the top of the end of the supply port 1111 is sharp.

[0041] For example, a plurality of discharge ports 1112 are provided. For example, the discharge port 1112 is provided at a position of the bottom plate 111 adjacent to at least one end of each actuator 113 in the longitudinal direction. Figure 5 In the illustrated example, the discharge ports 1112 are provided one by one adjacent to both ends in the longitudinal direction of each actuator 113 , for example, so that four discharge ports 1112 are formed in the bottom plate 111 .

[0042] like Figure 5 As shown, the frame 112 is fixed to one main surface (one surface) of the bottom plate 111 by adhesive or the like. The frame 112 surrounds the supply port 1111 , the plurality of discharge ports 1112 , and the actuator 113 provided on the bottom plate 111 .

[0043] For example, the frame 112 is formed into a rectangular frame shape that is long in one direction (first direction X) to form an opening that is long in one direction along the long side direction of the frame 112. A pair of actuators 113, a supply port 1111, and two discharge ports 1112 are arranged in the opening of the frame 112.

[0044] The actuator 113 is formed in a plate shape that is long in one direction (first direction X). A pair of actuators 113 are bonded to one main surface of the base plate 111. Figure 5As shown, a pair of actuators 113 are arranged in two rows on the bottom plate 111 along the short side direction (second direction Y) orthogonal to the long side direction of the actuator 113, sandwiching the supply port 1111. The actuator 113 is arranged in the opening of the frame 112 and bonded to the main surface of the bottom plate 111. As a specific example, the actuator 113 is formed by bonding two rectangular plate-shaped piezoelectric materials that are longer in one direction to each other in a manner that their polarization directions are opposite to each other. Among them, the piezoelectric material is, for example, PZT (lead zirconate titanate). The actuator 113 is bonded to one main surface of the bottom plate 111, for example, by a thermosetting epoxy adhesive.

[0045] The actuator 113 has, for example, a plurality of pressure chambers 1131 and a plurality of air chambers 1132 that are alternately arranged at equal intervals along the long side direction (first direction X). In the actuator 113, a plurality of grooves are formed along the long side direction of the actuator 113 on the main surface side opposite to the bottom plate 111 side, and a plurality of pressure chambers 1131 and a plurality of air chambers 1132 are formed by these plurality of grooves. In other words, the actuator 113 has a plurality of walls 1133 that are equally spaced along the long side direction and form grooves therebetween. For the plurality of grooves formed by the plurality of walls 1133, the entrance and exit are blocked by a photosensitive resin material or the like between every other adjacent walls to provide a virtual chamber that will become the air chamber 1132. Thus, a plurality of air chambers 1132 that are alternately arranged with the plurality of pressure chambers 1131 are formed. In such an actuator 113, by alternately arranging the pressure chambers 1131 and the air chambers 1132, the pressure chambers 1131 can be driven independently in a manner independent of the adjacent driving. In addition, the plurality of walls 1133 are piezoelectric bodies serving as driving elements that change the volume of the pressure chamber 1131 by applying a driving voltage.

[0046] The surface of the actuator 113 on the opposite side to the base plate 111 is bonded to the nozzle plate 114. In addition, a wiring pattern for driving the plurality of pressure chambers 1131 is formed in the actuator 113.

[0047] like Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, the nozzle plate 114 is formed in a plate shape. The nozzle plate 114 is fixed to the main surface of the frame 112 on the side opposite to the bottom plate 111 by an adhesive or the like. The nozzle plate 114 has a plurality of nozzles 1141 formed at positions opposite to the plurality of pressure chambers 1131. In the present embodiment, the nozzle plate 114 has two nozzle arrays 1142 in which the plurality of nozzles 1141 are arranged in one direction (first direction X).

[0048] The plurality of nozzles 1141 facing the plurality of pressure chambers 1131 are holes for ejecting ink when the liquid ejection head 1 performs operations such as printing.

[0049] The mask plate 115 covers, for example, the outer main surface of the nozzle plate 114, the outer peripheral side of the nozzle plate 114, the outer peripheral surface of the frame 112, and the outer peripheral surface of the bottom plate 111. The mask plate 115 covers the first manifold 1213 of the manifold unit 12 described later.

[0050] like Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, the mask plate 115 has a pair of windows 1151 for exposing the nozzle arrays 1142 of the pair of nozzle plates 114 . The nozzle arrays 1142 are composed of a plurality of nozzles 1141 for ejecting liquid.

[0051] like Figure 5 and Figure 8 As shown, the common liquid chamber 116 is a space filled with ink formed in the bottom plate 111, the frame 112, the actuator 113 and the nozzle plate 114. The common liquid chamber 116 is connected to the supply port 1111. The common liquid chamber 116 is provided around the pair of actuators 113. Specifically, the common liquid chamber 116 is formed around the pair of actuators 113 and is connected to the inlet and outlet of the ink of the plurality of pressure chambers 1131. In addition, the common liquid chamber 116 is connected to the discharge port 1112.

[0052] like Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 4 As shown, the manifold unit 12 includes a manifold 121, a top plate 122, an ink supply tube 123, an ink discharge tube 124, and a damper 127. The number of the ink supply tubes 123 and the ink discharge tubes 124 can be set appropriately.

[0053] The manifold 121 is formed in a plate or block shape. The manifold 121 forms a supply path that is continuous with the supply port 1111 of the bottom plate 111 and forms a liquid supply flow path, and a discharge path that is continuous with the discharge port 1112 of the bottom plate 111 and forms a liquid discharge path. It should be noted that the manifold 121 has a pair of supply paths and a pair of discharge paths because it is connected to a pair of head bodies 11, for example. The supply path and the discharge path are flow paths of ink formed by holes and grooves. The supply path fluidically connects the ink supply tube 123 and the supply port 1111 of the bottom plate 111.

[0054] One main surface of the manifold 121 is fixed to the main surface of the bottom plate 111. In addition, a top plate 122 is fixed to the main surface of the manifold 121 opposite to the main surface to which the bottom plate 111 is fixed. In the manifold 121, an ink supply tube 123 and an ink discharge tube 124 are fixed, for example, via the top plate 122. The discharge path, for example, fluidly connects the ink discharge tube 124 and a plurality of discharge ports 1112 of the bottom plate 111.

[0055] The manifold 121 includes, for example, a first manifold 1213 and a second manifold 1214. The manifold 121 is formed by assembling the first manifold 1213 and the second manifold 1214 into one body.

[0056] The first manifold 1213 is formed in a rectangular plate shape. For example, grooves and openings constituting a part of a pair of supply paths and a part of a pair of discharge paths are formed in the first manifold 1213. The grooves and openings constituting a part of the supply path and the discharge path can be appropriately arranged, sized, etc. based on the shapes of the supply path and the discharge path and the shapes of other fluid flow paths.

[0057] In this embodiment, in the first manifold 1213, for example, Figure 2 As shown, a pair of first openings 12131 forming a portion of the supply path and a pair of second openings 12132 forming a portion of the discharge path are formed.

[0058] The second manifold 1214 is formed in a rectangular plate shape. For example, grooves and openings constituting a part of a pair of supply paths and a part of a pair of discharge paths are formed in the second manifold 1214. The arrangement, size, etc. of the grooves and openings constituting a part of the supply paths and the discharge paths can be appropriately set based on the shapes of the supply paths and the discharge paths and the shapes of other fluid flow paths.

[0059] In this embodiment, in the second manifold 1214, for example, Figure 2 As shown, a pair of third openings 12141 forming a portion of the supply path and a pair of fourth openings 12142 forming a portion of the discharge path are formed.

[0060] In addition, the second manifold 1214 fixes the liquid ejection head 1 in the liquid ejection device 2 and also serves as a reference plate for defining the position of the head body 11. As a specific example, Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the second manifold 1214 has a pair of flanges 12147 formed at both ends in the longitudinal direction (first direction X). In the flanges 12147, reference holes 12148 for fixing and aligning the liquid ejection head 1 are formed.

[0061] The first manifold 1213 and the second manifold 1214 are integrally joined to form a supply path and a discharge path.

[0062] The top plate 122 is formed on the surface of the manifold 121 opposite to the surface on which the bottom plate 111 is provided, in other words, on the surface of the second manifold 1214 opposite to the surface on which the first manifold 1213 is provided. The top plate 122 has an opening that allows each of the ink supply tube 123 and the ink discharge tube 124 to communicate with each of the supply path and the discharge path of the manifold 121.

[0063] The ink supply tube 123 is connected to the supply path. The ink discharge tube 124 is connected to the discharge path. In the present embodiment, since the liquid ejection head 1 includes a pair of head bodies 11 , a pair of each of the ink supply tube 123 and the ink discharge tube 124 is provided.

[0064] The vibration damper 127 is formed in a film shape, a sheet shape or a sheet shape that can be elastically deformed. Figure 2 and Figure 4 As shown, the damper 127 covers the third opening 12141 formed in the second manifold 1214 and forming a part of the supply path. The damper 127 elastically deforms in response to the pressure change in the supply path. The lower surface of the damper 127 faces the supply path. For example, the damper 127 is formed of a polyimide film.

[0065] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, one end of the circuit board 13 is connected to the wiring pattern of the actuator 113 via the wiring pattern of the base plate 111. The circuit board 13 includes, for example, a wiring film, a driver IC mounted on the wiring film, and a printed wiring board mounted on the wiring film.

[0066] The circuit board 13 drives the actuator by applying a driving voltage to the wiring pattern of the actuator using the driver IC, and causes the volume of the pressure chamber 1131 to increase or decrease, thereby causing droplets to be ejected from the nozzle 1141 .

[0067] For example, a plurality of wiring films are provided. The wiring film is, for example, a COF (Chip on Film) equipped with a driver IC. The driver IC is electrically connected to the wiring pattern formed in the pressure chamber 1131 via the wiring film. The printed wiring substrate is a PWA (Printing Wiring Assembly) equipped with various electronic parts and connectors.

[0068] The liquid ejection head 1 thus constructed is mounted on a substrate through the second manifold 1214 which also serves as a reference plate. Fig.10 The inkjet recording device is an example of a liquid ejection device 2 shown. The liquid ejection device 2 is described below as an inkjet recording device 2. The liquid ejection head 1 is connected to a supply tank 2132 as a liquid storage portion provided in the inkjet recording device 2. The liquid ejection head 1 is a circulation type head that circulates ink between the liquid ejection head 1 and the supply tank 2132, or a non-circulation type head that supplies ink from the supply tank 2132 and discharges the ink to a maintenance device 2117 during maintenance. The liquid ejection head 1 is arranged in a posture where the nozzles 1141 in the nozzle plate 114 of the head body 11 face downward.

[0069] Refer to the following Fig.10The inkjet recording device 2 having the liquid ejection head 1 is described. The inkjet recording device 2 includes a housing 2111 , a medium supply unit 2112 , an image forming unit 2113 , a medium discharge unit 2114 , a transport device 2115 as a support device, a maintenance device 2117 , and a control unit 2118 .

[0070] The inkjet recording device 2 is an inkjet printer that performs image forming processing on paper P by ejecting liquid such as ink while conveying, for example, paper P as a recording medium along a predetermined conveying path 2001 from a medium supply section 2112 through an image forming section 2113 to a medium discharge section 2114, wherein the recording medium is an ejection object.

[0071] The medium supply unit 2112 includes a plurality of paper supply cassettes 21121. The image forming unit 2113 includes a support unit 2120 for supporting paper and a plurality of head units 2130 disposed above the support unit 2120. The medium discharge unit 2114 includes a paper discharge tray (not shown).

[0072] The support section 2120 includes a conveyor belt 21201 provided in an endless shape in a predetermined area for image formation, a support plate 21202 supporting the conveyor belt 21201 from the rear side, and a plurality of belt rollers 21203 provided on the rear side of the conveyor belt 21201 .

[0073] The head unit 2130 includes a plurality of liquid ejection heads 1 which are inkjet heads, a plurality of supply tanks 2132 which are liquid tanks respectively mounted on the liquid ejection heads 1 , a pump 2134 which supplies ink, and a connecting flow path 2135 which connects the liquid ejection heads 1 and the supply tanks 2132 .

[0074] In this embodiment, the liquid ejection heads 1 include four colors of cyan, magenta, yellow, and black, and four color supply tanks 2132 for storing inks of these colors, respectively. The supply tanks 2132 are connected to the liquid ejection heads 1 via connection channels 2135 .

[0075] The pump 2134 is a liquid delivery pump composed of, for example, a piezoelectric pump. The pump 2134 is connected to the control unit 2118 and driven and controlled by the control unit 2118.

[0076] The connection flow path 2135 includes a supply flow path connected to the ink supply tube 123 of the liquid ejection head 1. In addition, the connection flow path 2135 includes a recovery flow path connected to the ink discharge tube 124 of the liquid ejection head 1. For example, since the liquid ejection head 1 is a non-circulation type, the recovery circuit is connected to the maintenance device 2117. It should be noted that, for example, when the liquid ejection head 1 is a circulation type, the recovery flow path is connected to the supply tank 2132.

[0077] The conveying device 2115 conveys the paper P along the conveying path 2001 from the paper supply cassette 21121 of the medium supply unit 2112 through the image forming unit 2113 to the paper discharge tray of the medium discharge unit 2114. The conveying device 2115 includes a plurality of guide plate pairs 21211 to 21218 and a plurality of conveying rollers 21221 to 21228 arranged along the conveying path 2001. The conveying device 2115 supports the paper P so that it can move relative to the liquid ejection head 1.

[0078] The maintenance device 2117, for example, sucks and recovers the ink remaining on the outer surface of the nozzle plate 114 during maintenance. In addition, when the liquid ejection head 1 is a non-circulating type, the maintenance device 2117 recovers the ink in the head body 11 from the nozzle 1141 during maintenance. Such a maintenance device 2117 has a tray, a tank, etc. for storing the recovered ink.

[0079] The control unit 2118 includes a CPU 21181 as an example of a processor, a ROM (Read Only Memory) for storing various programs, a RAM (Random Access Memory) for temporarily storing various variable data, image data, etc., and an interface unit for inputting and outputting data from and to the outside.

[0080] According to the liquid ejection head 1 and the liquid ejection device 2 thus constructed, the supply port 1111 of the bottom plate 111 is set as a rectangular long hole with a curved corner or a long hole with a curved end. This can prevent stress from concentrating on the corner of the supply port 1111. That is, Fig.11 In the supply port 1115 of the bottom plate 111 of the comparative example shown, if the corner is not a curved surface, when a force is applied from the outside of the bottom plate 111 and / or when one actuator 113 becomes hot or a high temperature is locally applied to the bottom plate 111, stress may be concentrated on the corner of the supply port 1115, and the bottom plate 111 may be cracked 1116. In contrast, if the corner of the supply port 1111 is formed into a curved surface or the end of the supply port 1111 is formed into a curved surface such as a semicircular shape, the stress is relaxed, so that the bottom plate 111 can be suppressed from being cracked.

[0081] In addition, since the supply port 1111 is a long hole that is long in one direction, it is possible to supply ink in a large volume and at a high speed.

[0082] In summary, according to the liquid ejection head 1 and the liquid ejection device 2 according to the described embodiment, it is possible to suppress damage to the bottom plate 111 .

[0083] It should be noted that the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned configuration. For example, in the above-mentioned example, although a non-circulating type example is described for the head main body 11, it may also be a circulating type head main body.

[0084] In addition, in the above-mentioned embodiment, although the example of the recording device for ejecting the ink as the liquid is shown for the liquid ejection head 1 and the liquid ejection device 2, it is not limited to this. That is, the liquid ejection head 1 and the liquid ejection device 2 can also be used for 3D printers, industrial manufacturing machinery, and medical purposes.

[0085] In the above embodiment, the actuator 113 of the liquid ejection head 1 is described as having a plurality of pressure chambers 1131 and a plurality of air chambers 1132 alternately arranged with the pressure chambers 1131 , but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the actuator 113 may be configured without the plurality of air chambers 1132 .

[0086] According to at least one of the embodiments described above, according to the liquid ejection head and the liquid ejection device, it is possible to suppress damage to the bottom plate.

[0087] Although several embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are only presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These new embodiments can be implemented in various other ways, and various omissions, substitutions, and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the purpose of the invention. These embodiments and their variations are included in the scope and purpose of the invention, and are included in the invention described in the claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A liquid ejection head, comprising: an actuator having a plurality of pressure chambers arranged in one direction; and A base plate, the actuator is arranged on one surface of the base plate, and a long hole is formed in the base plate side by side with the actuator, the long hole opens on the one surface and extends along the long side direction of the actuator, the long hole is rectangular with curved corners or the end of the long hole in the long side direction is curved.

2. The liquid ejection head according to claim 1, wherein: When the width of the short side of the long hole is set to W, the curvature radius R of the corner of the long hole is W×0.2±(W×0.2×0.25)≤R≤W×0.5±(W×0.5×0.25).

3. The liquid ejection head according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The actuator has a plurality of air chambers arranged alternately with the pressure chambers along the one direction, and a pair of the actuators are arranged in a row along a direction orthogonal to the long side direction. The long hole is provided between the pair of actuators.

4. The liquid ejection head according to claim 3, wherein: The long hole is a supply port for supplying liquid to between the pair of actuators.

5. The liquid ejection head according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The long hole is a through hole that passes through between the two main surfaces of the bottom plate.

6. The liquid ejection head according to claim 3, wherein: The long hole is a through hole that passes through between the two main surfaces of the bottom plate.

7. The liquid ejection head according to claim 4, wherein: The long hole is a through hole that passes through between the two main surfaces of the bottom plate.

8. The liquid ejection head according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The long hole is provided at a position opposing the common liquid chamber in the head main body.

9. The liquid ejection head according to claim 3, wherein: The long hole is provided at a position opposing the common liquid chamber in the head main body.

10. A liquid ejection device comprising: The liquid ejection head according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

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