Liquid discharge head, liquid discharge unit and liquid discharge device

Abstract

To provide a liquid discharge head that is configured so that a nozzle plate can be attached and detached by a simple process and assembling accuracy and fixing performance can be improved, a liquid discharge unit provided with the same, and a liquid discharge device.SOLUTION: A liquid discharge head 30 is provided with: a device main body 35; a nozzle plate 31 in which a plurality of nozzles 31a for discharging liquid are arranged; an opening / closing member 11 that opens and closes the nozzles 31a; a displacing mechanism 14 having an actuator 13 that displaces the opening / closing member 11, between an opening position and a closing position; a sealing member 36 arranged between the device main body 35 and the nozzle plate 31; and a fixing member 42 that joins the device main body 35 to the nozzle plate 31 through the sealing member 36 and then fixes the nozzle plate 31 to the device main body 35. After the device main body 35 is joined to the nozzle plate 31, the fixing member 42 is slid to engage with the device main body 35, so that the nozzle plate 31 is detachably fixed to the device main body 35.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 15

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a liquid ejection head, a liquid ejection unit, and a liquid ejection apparatus. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, with a view to improving productivity, development of multi-nozzle heads having multiple nozzles has been progressing. One example of such a multi-nozzle head is a liquid ejection head that includes a nozzle plate having a nozzle row in which multiple nozzles that eject liquid are arranged, a valve member that opens and closes the nozzles, and multiple liquid ejection units each having a displacement mechanism that displaces the valve member between an open position that opens the nozzles and a closed position that closes the nozzles (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Patent Document 1 discloses a plurality of liquid ejection units arranged alternately in the nozzle arrangement direction, equipped with a displacement mechanism including an actuator and an arm member that is rotatably supported and moves a valve member in conjunction with the displacement of the actuator. This configuration enables high-viscosity liquid to be ejected in large droplets, and is expected to be in demand for industrial printing and the like.

[0003] Another example of the multi-nozzle head described above is the technology disclosed in Patent Document 2. This technology is said to enable stable droplet ejection using a replaceable multi-nozzle head, and the plate portion, which is the nozzle plate of the multi-nozzle head, is attached to the attachment portion, which is the device body, using a jig, adhesive, or the like. As a result, when replacing the nozzle plate due to wear or damage, it is not possible to replace just the nozzle plate; it is necessary to replace the entire assembly together with the device body, which poses the problem of increased costs. Patent Document 3 discloses a coating head having a nozzle portion, which is a nozzle plate having discharge ports, which are nozzles, configured to be detachably attached to a main body annular portion, which is the main body of the device, by means of bolts. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] By applying the technologies described in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 to the technology described in Patent Document 3, it is possible to provide a liquid ejection head equipped with a nozzle plate that is detachable from the device body, thereby suppressing cost increases. However, in the above-mentioned configuration, because the nozzle plate is fixed to the device body by screws, two processes are required when replacing the nozzle plate: a process of positioning the nozzle plate relative to the device body and a process of fixing the nozzle plate to the device body. In addition, if paint or foreign matter gets into the fastening portion, there is a problem that the fixation becomes incomplete and the assembly accuracy decreases. The present invention aims to solve the above-mentioned problems and provide a liquid ejection head that allows the nozzle plate to be attached and detached in a simple process and that can improve assembly accuracy and fixation, as well as a liquid ejection unit and liquid ejection device that include the same. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The invention described in claim 1 comprises a device main body, a nozzle plate having a nozzle row in which a plurality of nozzles for ejecting liquid are arranged, an opening / closing member for opening and closing the nozzles, an actuator for displacing the opening / closing member between an opening position for opening the nozzles and a closing position for closing the nozzles, a displacement mechanism for displacing the opening / closing member in conjunction with the displacement of the actuator, a sealing member arranged between the device main body and the nozzle plate, and a fixing member for fixing the nozzle plate to the device main body after the device main body and the nozzle plate are joined via the sealing member, wherein after the device main body and the nozzle plate are joined, the fixing member is slidably engaged with the device main body, thereby removably fixing the nozzle plate to the device main body. [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a liquid ejection head in which the nozzle plate can be attached and detached in a simple process and in which the assembly precision and fixation properties can be improved. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic perspective view of a liquid ejection head to which an embodiment of the present invention can be applied. [Figure 2] 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a nozzle arrangement in a nozzle plate of a liquid ejection head to which an embodiment of the present invention can be applied. [Figure 3] 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a nozzle plate and a flow path member of a liquid ejection head to which an embodiment of the present invention can be applied. [Figure 4] 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 1, illustrating a liquid ejection mechanism of a liquid ejection head to which one embodiment of the present invention can be applied. FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a partial enlarged view of FIG. 4 for explaining a liquid ejection mechanism of a liquid ejection head to which one embodiment of the present invention can be applied. [Figure 6] 6 is a partial enlarged view of a portion F in FIG. 5 for explaining a liquid ejection mechanism of a liquid ejection head to which one embodiment of the present invention can be applied. [Figure 7] 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB in FIG. 4, illustrating a liquid ejection mechanism of a liquid ejection head to which one embodiment of the present invention can be applied. FIG. [Figure 8] 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line CC in FIG. 4, illustrating a liquid ejection mechanism of a liquid ejection head to which one embodiment of the present invention can be applied. FIG. [Figure 9] 1 is a schematic diagram of an arm member used in a liquid ejection head to which an embodiment of the present invention can be applied. [Figure 10] 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a liquid ejection head according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 11] 1 is a schematic diagram showing a needle valve and a nozzle plate used in one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 12] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a joint between an apparatus main body and a nozzle plate in one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 13] 3 is a schematic diagram showing a joining surface of a nozzle plate used in one embodiment of the present invention with an apparatus main body. FIG. [Figure 14]3 is a schematic diagram showing a bonding surface of a device main body used in one embodiment of the present invention with a nozzle plate. FIG. [Figure 15] 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating a fixed state of the device main body, nozzle plate, and fixing member used in the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 16] 4 is a schematic bottom view illustrating a state in which a nozzle plate is fixed to an apparatus main body by a fixing member used in the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 17] 3 is a schematic view illustrating a state in which a fixing member used in the first embodiment of the present invention is fixed to an apparatus main body. FIG. [Figure 18] 10A and 10B are schematic views illustrating a state in which the device main body and the nozzle plate are fixed by a fixing member used in a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 19] 10A and 10B are schematic diagrams illustrating a state in which the apparatus main body and the nozzle plate are fixed by a fixing member in another embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 20] 10A to 10C are schematic views illustrating a positioning step of the opening / closing member by a first positioning portion in the modified examples of the embodiments of the present invention. [Figure 21] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating a nozzle plate used in a third embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 22] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating a device main body, a nozzle plate, and a fixing member used in a fourth embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 23] FIG. 10 is a schematic perspective view illustrating a nozzle plate used in a fifth embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 24] 13A and 13B are schematic views illustrating the sliding engagement of a nozzle plate with respect to an apparatus main body in a fifth embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 25] 10A and 10B are schematic diagrams illustrating a needle valve and a nozzle plate used in modified examples of each embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 26] 10 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure for replacing a nozzle plate in each embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 27] 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a liquid ejection apparatus including a liquid ejection head according to each embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 28] 28 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a supply device that supplies paint, which is a liquid, to a plurality of liquid discharge heads included in the liquid discharge device shown in FIG. 27. FIG. [Figure 29] FIG. 10 is a schematic front view of another liquid ejection device including a liquid ejection head according to each embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 30] FIG. 10 is a schematic plan view illustrating a liquid ejection unit of another liquid ejection device including a liquid ejection head according to each embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 31] FIG. 10 is a schematic plan view of still another liquid ejection device including a liquid ejection head according to each embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 32] FIG. 10 is a schematic side view of still another liquid ejection device including a liquid ejection head according to each embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 33] FIG. 10 is a schematic plan view illustrating a liquid ejection unit of still another liquid ejection device including a liquid ejection head according to each embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 34] FIG. 10 is a schematic front view illustrating another liquid ejection unit of yet another liquid ejection device including a liquid droplet ejection head according to each embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 35] FIG. 10 is a schematic front view of an electrode manufacturing apparatus, which is still another liquid ejection apparatus equipped with a liquid ejection head according to each embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] 1 is a schematic perspective view of a liquid ejection head 1 to which the present invention can be applied. In the following explanation, the direction from left to right in the nozzle arrangement direction, which is the longitudinal direction of the liquid ejection head 1, is referred to as the X direction, the direction from the front to the back in the depth direction of the liquid ejection head 1 is referred to as the Y direction, and the vertically upward direction is referred to as the Z direction. Note that the indicated direction is referred to as the positive direction, and the opposite direction is referred to as the negative direction.

[0009] The liquid ejection head 1 has a nozzle plate 2, a flow path member 3, and a cover 4. A supply port 5 through which liquid is supplied is provided at the end of the flow path member 3 in the positive X direction, and a discharge port 6 through which liquid is discharged is provided at the end of the flow path member 3 in the negative X direction. A harness passage hole 7 is provided at the top of the cover 4, through which a harness passes for communicating with an actuator 13 (described later) housed in the cover 4. The nozzle plate 2, flow path member 3, and cover 4 are made of metal, resin, or ceramic, and the cover 4 houses and holds a liquid ejection mechanism 10 (see Figure 4), which will be described later, inside it. The flow path member 3 defines a flow path through which the liquid flows, and the nozzle plate 2 has a plurality of nozzles 2a (see Figure 2) that eject the liquid. The nozzle plate 2 is mechanically fixed to the flow path member 3, and the cover 4 is detachably fixed to the flow path member 3. The nozzle plate 2 may be permanently fixed to the flow path member 3 with an adhesive, or may be detachably attached with screws.

[0010] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating the nozzle arrangement of the nozzle plate 2, as viewed from the nozzle surface side. The nozzle plate 2 can be configured as follows: one nozzle row is provided in the center in the Y direction as shown in FIG. 2(a); or two nozzle rows are provided in a staggered pattern in the Y direction as shown in FIG. 2(b). The nozzle 2a arrangement shown in FIG. 2 is merely an example; for example, two sets of two nozzle rows are provided in a staggered pattern in the Y direction, for a total of four nozzle rows, or a nozzle row having multiple nozzle rows at the same position in the X direction. The liquid ejection head 1 described below employs the configuration shown in FIG. 2(b).

[0011] 3A and 3B are diagrams illustrating the mechanical fixing of the nozzle plate 2 and the flow path member 3, in which (a) shows a schematic configuration diagram of the nozzle plate 2 and (b) shows a schematic configuration diagram of the flow path member 3. FIG. At both ends of the nozzle plate 2 in the Y direction, five through holes 2b are provided at equal intervals in the X direction, through which screws for fixing the nozzle plate 2 pass. Furthermore, at both ends of the nozzle plate 2 in the X direction and in the center in the Y direction, positioning holes 2c are provided, respectively, for positioning the nozzle plate 2 with respect to the flow path member 3. The positioning hole 2c on the positive X direction side is a round hole with approximately the same diameter as the positioning pin, which serves as the primary reference for positioning, and the positioning hole 2c on the negative X direction side is an oblong hole that is long in the X direction, which serves as a secondary reference for positioning.

[0012] 3(b), the flow path member 3 has a flow path 8 through which a liquid flows, and a sealing member 9 made of an elastic material such as rubber is provided on the underside of the flow path member 3 so as to surround the flow path 8. Five taps 3a are provided at each end of the flow path member 3 in the Y direction, spaced equally apart in the X direction, and pin fitting holes 3b into which positioning pins fit are provided at both ends of the X direction and in the center in the Y direction. During assembly, first, the positioning pins fitted in the pin fitting holes 3b are inserted into the positioning holes 2c to position the nozzle plate 2 relative to the flow path member 3. Then, screws are inserted into each through hole 2b and screwed into the respective taps 3a, thereby fixing the nozzle plate 2 to the flow path member 3. During this fixing, the sealing member 9 is crushed by the nozzle plate 2, so that the sealing member 9 comes into close contact with the nozzle plate 2, sealing the gap between the nozzle plate 2 and the flow path member 3. Note that the nozzle plate 2 and the flow path member 3 may be fixed by adhesive instead of by screws.

[0013] Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in Fig. 1, and Fig. 5 is a partial detailed view of the liquid discharge mechanism 10. A plurality of liquid discharge mechanisms 10, each provided to correspond to one nozzle 2a, are housed in the housing section 4a of the cover 4 and arranged in a staggered pattern in two rows. Each liquid discharge mechanism 10, which is the mechanical part that discharges liquid from the nozzle 2a, is equipped with a needle valve 11 as an opening / closing member that opens and closes the nozzle 2a, an arm member 12, and a displacement mechanism 14 having an actuator 13. The liquid ejection mechanisms 10 are arranged in two rows in the storage section 4a, staggered in the X direction with the needle valves 11 facing each other, and further arranged so that portions of the arm members 12 overlap when viewed from the X direction.

[0014] The actuator 13 is composed of a piezoelectric element 13a and a fixing element 13b that applies pressure to compress the piezoelectric element 13a and also serves to fix the piezoelectric element 13a, and the fixing element 13b is fixed to the inner wall surface of the accommodation section 4a that is perpendicular to the Y direction. Specifically, the fixing element 13b fixes the end of the piezoelectric element 13a in the Z direction, which is the direction in which the piezoelectric element 13a expands and contracts, to the inner wall surface of the accommodation section 4a. The fixing method can be mechanical fixing using screws or the like, or chemical fixing such as bonding with an adhesive or thermal diffusion.

[0015] The arm member 12 is rotatably supported by a support shaft 15, and is disposed in contact with an arm receiving portion 11a, one end of which is adhesively fixed to the actuator 13 and the other end of which is fixed to the needle valve 11. The contact portion 12a of the arm member 12 that contacts the arm receiving portion 11a is hemispherical and protrudes toward the arm receiving portion 11a, or has a crescent shape when viewed from the X direction, and is configured so that the contact portion 12a smoothly contacts the arm receiving portion 11a when the arm member 12 rotates. A through-hole 12b is formed in the center of the contact portion 12a in the X direction so that the needle valve 11 can pass through it. The diameter of the through-hole 12b is larger than the diameter of the needle valve 11, so that the needle valve 11 does not come into contact with the arm member 12 when the arm member 12 rotates.

[0016] The bottom surface of the storage section 4a is provided with a plurality of valve through-holes 4b, each corresponding to one of the nozzles 2a, through which a needle valve 11 can pass. A sealing member 16 such as an O-ring is provided at the end of each of the valve through-holes 4b on the flow path member 3 side, and a valve receiving section 17, which slidably receives the needle valve 11, is provided at the end of each of the valve through-holes 4b on the opposite side from the flow path member 3. The end of the needle valve 11 opposite the nozzle plate 2 side passes through a spring receiving plate 19 attached to a mounting portion 18 fixed to the cover 4, and the needle valve 11 is held in a position parallel to the Z direction by the sealing member 16, the valve receiving portion 17, and the spring receiving plate 19. A compression spring 20 is provided between the arm receiving portion 11a and the spring receiving plate 19, and the compression spring 20 biases the needle valve 11 toward the nozzle plate 2 via the arm receiving portion 11a. By biasing the needle valve 11 toward the nozzle plate 2 with the compression spring 20, it is possible to stabilize the movement of the needle valve 11 between an open position where the nozzle 2a is opened and a closed position where the nozzle 2a is closed.

[0017] As shown in Fig. 4, each actuator 13 is connected to a drive control device 21 via a harness, and the drive control device 21 has a waveform generation circuit 22 and an amplifier circuit 23, which are drive pulse generation units. The waveform generation circuit 22 generates a drive pulse waveform, the amplifier circuit 23 amplifies the voltage value to a required value, and the amplified voltage signal is applied to the actuator 13. The drive control device 21 controls the displacement of the piezoelectric element 13a by applying a voltage, thereby controlling the opening and closing of the needle valve 11 relative to the nozzle 2a, thereby controlling the ejection of liquid from the liquid ejection head 1. Note that if the waveform generation circuit 22 is capable of applying a sufficient voltage value, the amplifier circuit 23 is not necessarily required. In this embodiment, a normally closed configuration is adopted in which, when no signal is output from the drive control device 21 to the actuator 13, the needle valve 11 closes the nozzle 2a due to the biasing force of the compression spring 20. Here, when no signal is output to the actuator 13, it may be a state in which there is always zero voltage or a constant static voltage is acting.

[0018] The waveform generating circuit 22 generates drive pulses, which are waveforms of voltage that change over time and are applied to the actuator 13. The waveform generating circuit 22 receives input data, such as print data, from an external personal computer or a microcomputer inside the device, and generates drive pulses based on this data. The waveform generating circuit 22 can change the voltage applied to the actuator 13 and can generate multiple drive pulses, and as described above, the waveform generating circuit 22 generates drive pulses that cause the piezoelectric element 13a to expand and contract based on the drive pulses. Specifically, when a predetermined voltage is applied to the piezoelectric element 13a, the piezoelectric element 13a expands, and when the piezoelectric element 13a expands, the arm member 12 rotates in a direction such that the other end of the arm member 12 lifts the arm receiving portion 11a. As a result, the arm receiving portion 11a rises against the biasing force of the compression spring 20, and the needle valve 11 rises together with the arm receiving portion 11a. This opens the nozzle 2a, and the pressure acting on the liquid in the flow path 8 causes the liquid to be discharged from the nozzle 2a.

[0019] A decrease in the voltage applied to piezoelectric element 13a causes piezoelectric element 13a to contract, and the contraction of piezoelectric element 13a rotates arm member 12 so that the other end of arm member 12 descends. As a result, arm receiving portion 11a descends following the movement of the other end of arm member 12 due to the biasing force of compression spring 20, and nozzle 2a is closed by needle valve 11, stopping the discharge of liquid from nozzle 2a. In this configuration, a piezoelectric element 13a is used as the actuator 13, but other drive systems may be used for the actuator 13, such as a pneumatically driven piston equipped with a solenoid or electromagnetic valve. In addition, in this configuration, a compression spring 20 is used, but a tension spring that pulls the needle valve 11 toward the nozzle plate 2 may also be used. In this case, one end of the tension spring is fixed to the bottom surface of the housing portion 4a, and the other end in a stretched state is fixed to the needle valve 11 or the arm receiving portion 11a.

[0020] FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of the area surrounded by the dashed line F in FIG. 5. As shown in FIG. 6, a needle-shaped closure member 11b with a pointed tip is provided at the tip of the needle valve 11. The closure member 11b is made of any of elastomer, hard rubber, metal, and ceramic. The needle valve 11 and the closure member 11b may be formed integrally. The flow path opening / closing portion 2d of the nozzle plate 2, with which the closure member 11b comes into contact, has a mortar shape that allows the closure member 11b to come into contact. The shapes of the closing member 11b and the flow path opening / closing unit 2d are not limited to this, and the tip of the closing member 11b may be formed into a smooth convex curved surface, and the flow path opening / closing unit 2d may be formed into a smooth concave curved surface that fits closely to the tip of the closing member 11b. Also, the tip of the closing member 11b may be made flat, and the tip of the closing member 11b may be abutted against the periphery of the inlet of the nozzle 2a to close the nozzle 2a. By providing a blocking member 11b at the tip of the needle valve 11, when the blocking member 11b is pressed against the flow path opening / closing section 2d by the biasing force of the compression spring 20, the blocking member 11b adheres tightly to the flow path opening / closing section 2d, thereby reliably blocking the nozzle 2a.

[0021] Fig. 7 shows a part of the cross section BB in Fig. 4. As shown in Fig. 7, the mounting part 18, to the lower end of which the spring receiving plate 19 is attached, extends in the X direction and is fixed so as to span between a pair of inner wall surfaces of the cover 4 that are perpendicular to the X direction. The spring receiving plate 19 is disposed between the actuator 13 located in the positive Y direction and the actuator 13 located in the negative Y direction in Figure 4. In this configuration, the actuator 13 and the needle valve 11 are connected by the arm member 12, so the needle valves 11 are disposed so that they do not overlap each other when viewed from the Z direction, which is the movement direction of the needle valves 11. Therefore, the spring receiving plate 19 can be disposed in the space above and near the needle valves 11. With this configuration, the size of the liquid ejection head 1 in the Y and Z directions can be reduced.

[0022] In this configuration, the arm member 12 allows the actuator 13, which is the largest among the components constituting the liquid ejection mechanism 10, to be located at the Y-direction end of the housing unit 4a. This allows the mounting unit 18 to be located in the center of the housing unit 4a in the Y-direction, and the spring receiving plate 19 can be fixed with a single mounting unit 18. If the arm member 12 were not included and the actuator 13 were located in the center of the Y-direction, both ends of the spring receiving plate 19 in the Y-direction or both ends in the X-direction would need to be held by mounting units 18. As such, if the actuator 13 were located in the center of the Y-direction, two mounting units 18 would be required, which could result in the liquid ejection head 1 becoming larger in the X-direction or Y-direction. Furthermore, the spring receiving plate 19 would need to be extended to a position where it does not face the actuator 13, which would also increase its size.

[0023] In contrast, with this configuration, the spring receiving plate 19 can be held by simply placing one mounting portion 18 in the center of the housing portion 4a in the Y direction, allowing for a more compact liquid ejection head 1. Furthermore, there is no need to extend the spring receiving plate 19 to a position where it does not face the actuator 13, allowing for a more compact spring receiving plate 19. Furthermore, by providing an arm member 12 and placing the actuator 13 at the end of the housing portion 4a in the Y direction, the distance between the nozzle rows (distance in the Y direction) can be shortened. This allows for a further reduction in the length of the spring receiving plate 19 in the Y direction, which in turn reduces material costs and the cost of the liquid ejection head 1.

[0024] 8 shows a part of the CC cross section in FIG. 4, and does not show the arm receiving portion 11a and the compression spring 20. The group of liquid ejection mechanisms 10 arranged on the upper side (one end side in the Y direction) in FIG. 8 corresponds to the nozzle row arranged on the lower side (the other end side in the Y direction) of the nozzle plate 2 in FIG. In this configuration, as shown in FIG. 4, the liquid discharge units 10 are arranged alternately in the X direction such that a part of the arm members 12 overlaps with each other when viewed from the X direction. As a result, when the length of the liquid discharge mechanism 10 in the Y direction is L and the length of the housing portion 4a in the Y direction is D, D < 2L can be achieved. In this way, by overlapping a part of the arm members 12 with each other, the length D of the housing portion 4a in the Y direction can be made less than twice the length L of the liquid discharge mechanism 10 in the Y direction, and the liquid discharge head 1 can be miniaturized in the Y direction. Note that the length L of the liquid discharge mechanism 10 in the Y direction is the longer one of the horizontal distances from the back surface of the actuator 13 fixed to the inner wall surface of the cover 4 to the end surface of the needle valve 11 in the Y direction (the extending direction of the arm member 12), or the horizontal distance from the actuator 13 of the arm member 12 to the end surface farthest in the X direction.

[0025] Also, in this configuration, the arm member 12 is provided and the actuator 13 is arranged at the Y-direction end portion within the housing portion 4a, and the width of the arm member 12 in the X direction is narrower than the width of the actuator 13 in the X direction. Therefore, when the liquid discharge mechanisms 10 are arranged alternately in the X direction, a part of the arm member 12 and the actuator 13 can be arranged in a state of overlapping with each other in the X direction with respect to the actuator 13 of the liquid discharge mechanism 10 arranged on the opposite side. As a result, the nozzle pitch d can be made shorter than the width W of the liquid discharge mechanism 10 (d < W), and the nozzle pitch d can be narrowed to miniaturize the liquid discharge mechanism 10 in the X direction.

[0026] The liquid ejection head 1 of this configuration ejects liquid using a so-called valve jet method, which uses a valve, and is capable of projecting high-viscosity liquid over greater distances. However, compared to methods that do not have a valve for each nozzle, the size of the ejected droplets is larger. Therefore, it is suitable for forming images on large ejection targets, such as the bodies of large vehicles and airplanes, the walls of buildings, and road surfaces. When forming images on such large ejection targets, the images formed are large, and the image formation time is significantly extended if the droplets ejected from the nozzles are small, as in methods that do not have a valve for each nozzle. Therefore, the valve jet method of this configuration is preferable. Furthermore, for vehicle bodies, airplane bodies, walls of buildings, road surfaces, etc., where a liquid ejection head cannot be placed in close proximity, and liquid must be applied to inclined surfaces and surfaces perpendicular to the horizontal, a high-viscosity liquid is used to prevent the applied liquid from dripping. Therefore, the valve jet type liquid ejection head 1 of this configuration, which is capable of ejecting highly viscous liquid, is suitable for forming images on large ejection targets such as the bodies of large vehicles, airplane fuselages, building walls, road surfaces, etc.

[0027] In this configuration, by increasing the displacement of the actuator 13 to increase the movement of the needle valve 11 and thereby increasing the gap between the nozzle 2a and the closing member 11b when the needle valve 11 is in the open position, high-viscosity liquid can more easily flow into the nozzle 2a. This allows the size of the droplets ejected from the nozzle 2a to be increased. However, increasing the displacement of the actuator 13 results in an increase in the size of the actuator 13. As mentioned above, the actuator 13 is the largest component of this configuration, and an increase in the size of the actuator 13 directly leads to an increase in the size of the liquid ejection head 1. Therefore, in this configuration, the displacement of the actuator 13 is amplified by the arm member 12, thereby increasing the movement of the needle valve 11.

[0028] 9(a) is a schematic diagram of the arm member 12 viewed from the X direction, (b) is a schematic diagram of the arm member 12 viewed from the Z direction, and (c) is a schematic diagram of the arm member 12 viewed from the Y direction. Arm member 12 has connection portion 12c at its end in the positive Y direction to which actuator 13 is adhesively fixed, and has contact portion 12a at its end in the negative Y direction that comes into contact with arm receiving portion 11a. Support hole 12g that is supported by support shaft 15 is provided near the end of arm member 12 in the positive Y direction. The contact portion 12a protrudes in the positive Z direction, which is the opposite direction to the liquid ejection direction, and the contact surface that contacts the arm receiving portion 11a has an arc shape. A through-hole 12b through which the needle valve 11 passes is provided in the center of the contact portion 12a in the X direction, as shown in Figure 9(b). The connecting portion 12c is made up of an adhesive surface portion 12d that is a surface perpendicular to the Z direction and is adhesively fixed to the actuator 13, and a flexible linking portion 12e that extends in the Z direction and links the adhesive surface portion 12d to the arm member main body 12f. The linking portion 12e is formed to extend in the positive Z direction from the end portion of the arm member main body 12f on the positive Y direction side.

[0029] In this way, by providing the adhesive surface 12d on the arm member 12, to which the piezoelectric element 13a of the actuator 13 is adhesively fixed, in a rectangular shape perpendicular to the Z direction, it is possible to secure a large adhesive area with the piezoelectric element 13a and firmly fix the arm member 12 to the piezoelectric element 13a. In addition, it is possible to suppress the influence on displacement caused by variations in the adhesive position of the piezoelectric element 13a. When the adhesive surface portion 12d is displaced in the Z direction together with the piezoelectric element 13a due to the displacement of the piezoelectric element 13a, the arm member 12 rotates around the support shaft 15 as a fulcrum, and an upward force is generated at the end of the adhesive surface portion 12d on the negative Y direction side. At this time, the connecting portion 12e flexes and deforms, absorbing the upward force and allowing the arm member 12 to rotate smoothly. This allows the needle valve 11 to be displaced stably and reduces variation in droplets.

[0030] When the arm member 12 rotates based on the displacement of the piezoelectric element 13a, the contact portion 12a is displaced in the direction indicated by arrow E in Figure 9(a), which essentially displaces in the Y and Z directions. In this configuration, the contact portion 12a is not fixed to the arm receiving portion 11a but is merely in contact with it, so the contact portion 12a slides in the Y direction relative to the arm receiving portion 11a and is displaceable in the Y direction. This allows the arm member 12 to rotate smoothly and the needle valve 11 to be displaced stably. This reduces variation in droplet size. Before the arm member 12 rotates, the top of the contact portion 12a is in contact with the arm receiver 11a. However, as the arm member 12 rotates in response to the displacement of the piezoelectric element 13a, the contact position between the contact portion 12a and the arm receiver 11a shifts to the minus Y side in Figure 9(a). In this configuration, the contact surface of the contact portion 12a with the arm receiver 11a has an arc shape, so the contact position of the contact portion 12a with the arm receiver 11a can be moved smoothly. This allows the arm member 12 to rotate smoothly, stably displacing the needle valve 11 and suppressing variation in droplets.

[0031] In the arm member 12 of this configuration, the support hole 12d is provided closer to the end in the positive Y direction, so the rotation radius of the contact portion 12a is larger than the rotation radius of the connection portion 12c, and the Z-directional displacement of the contact portion 12a is larger than the Z-directional displacement of the connection portion 12c. As a result, the displacement amount by which the contact portion 12a lifts the arm receiving portion 11a is larger than the Z-directional displacement of the piezoelectric element 13a. As a result, the displacement amount of the piezoelectric element 13a is amplified by the arm member 12, and the movement amount of the needle valve 11 can be increased. Therefore, when the needle valve 11 is in the open position, the gap between the nozzle 2a and the closing member 11b can be increased, making it easier for high-viscosity liquid to flow into the nozzle 2a and increasing the size of the droplets ejected from the nozzle 2a. This improves image formation efficiency and shortens image formation time. Furthermore, an actuator 13 with a small displacement can be used, allowing for the miniaturization of the actuator 13 and the liquid ejection head 1.

[0032] 9(b) and 9(c), width E1, which is the length in the X direction of arm member main body 12f and contact portion 12a, is configured to be narrower than width E2, which is the length in the X direction of adhesive surface portion 12d. As a result, when liquid discharge mechanisms 10 are arranged alternately in the X direction so that parts of arm members 12 overlap each other, as shown in Fig. 8, arm members 12 can be arranged more densely than when width E1 of arm member main body 12f and contact portion 12a is the same as width E2 of adhesive surface portion 12d, and nozzle pitch can be effectively narrowed.

[0033] As a result of the above-described configuration, the liquid ejection head 1 of this configuration can increase the size of the droplets ejected from the nozzles 2a, and can eject high-viscosity liquid in large droplets, thereby achieving the advantageous effect of being usable for industrial image formation. The problems with the liquid ejection head 1 having this configuration will be explained below. In the liquid ejection head 1, a nozzle plate 2 having a plurality of nozzles 2a formed therein is attached to a flow path member 3 having flow paths 8 by adhesive or screw fastening. When the nozzle plate 2 is adhesively fastened, when replacing the nozzle plate 2 due to wear or damage, it is not possible to replace only the nozzle plate 2, but it is necessary to replace the entire liquid ejection head 1, which increases costs. When the nozzle plate is fastened by screw fastening, two steps, a positioning step and a fastening step, are required, and there are also problems in that if paint or foreign matter gets into the fastening portion, the fastening becomes incomplete and the assembly precision decreases. The configuration of the present invention that solves these problems will be described below.

[0034] 10 shows a liquid ejection head 30 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. In the liquid ejection head 30, the same components as those in the liquid ejection head 1 described above are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description of each component will be omitted. The liquid ejection head 30 is configured such that a needle valve 11, which is an opening / closing member, is driven by a displacement mechanism 14 including an actuator 13, and a nozzle 31a formed in a nozzle plate 31 is opened and closed in response to the displacement of the needle valve 11, and pressurized liquid is ejected from the opened nozzle 31a through a flow path 32. In the following explanation, the direction from left to right in the nozzle arrangement direction, which is the longitudinal direction of the liquid ejection head 30, is referred to as the X direction, the direction from the front to the back in the depth direction of the liquid ejection head 30 is referred to as the Y direction, and the vertically upward direction is referred to as the Z direction. Note that the indicated direction is referred to as the positive direction, and the opposite direction is referred to as the negative direction.

[0035] In FIG. 10, a first housing 33 constituting the device main body is provided at the top and fixes the actuator 13. A second housing 34 constituting the device main body, provided below the first housing 33, has the function of determining the position of the needle valve 11 and holds the valve receiving portion 17. A third housing 35 constituting the device main body, provided below the second housing 34, has a supply port 5 and a discharge port 6, and has a flow path 32 through which liquid flows. A nozzle plate having a plurality of nozzles 31a is attached to the bottom surface of the third housing 35. When the needle valve 11 opens and closes these nozzles 31a, the liquid in the flow path 32 is ejected from the nozzles 31a in the form of droplets.

[0036] Figure 11 shows an example of the configuration of a needle valve used in this embodiment. Figure 11(a) shows the above-mentioned needle valve 11, which has a configuration in which a pointed tip portion fits into and fits into a nozzle 31a. Figure 11(b) shows another needle valve 11A, which has a flat tip portion 11Aa that opens and closes the nozzle 31a. In the following explanation, unless there is a particular need to distinguish between them, the needle valve 11A will also be described as the needle valve 11. The material of the needle valve 11 will be described later.

[0037] 12 shows an example of the joint between the third housing 35 and the nozzle plate 31. The third housing 35 is provided with a flow path 32, and the nozzle plate 31 is provided with a plurality of nozzles 31a. A sealing member 36 such as an O-ring is provided between the third housing 35 and the nozzle plate 31 to prevent liquid from leaking from the joint between the third housing 35 and the nozzle plate 31 when the nozzle plate 31 is fixed to the third housing 35. The nozzle plate 31 is formed with a groove 31b into which the sealing member 36 fits. The sealing member 36 fitted into the groove 31b is pressurized and elastically deformed when the third housing 35 and the nozzle plate 31 are fixed, preventing liquid from leaking from the joint between the third housing 35 and the nozzle plate 31.

[0038] As shown in FIG. 13, in addition to a plurality of nozzles 31a and groove portions 31b, the joining surface of the nozzle plate 31 with the third housing 35 is provided with a plurality of positioning holes 37 and a plurality of through holes 38 for determining the relative position with the third housing 35 in the XY directions when joined. The positioning holes 37 are elongated holes, with two located at the positive Y-direction end of the nozzle plate 31 near both ends in the X direction, with their long axes facing in the X direction, and one located at the negative Y-direction end in the center in the X direction, with its long axis facing in the Y direction. The through holes 38 are rectangular, and eight in total are provided at both ends of the nozzle plate 31 in the Y direction, four at each end, at approximately equal intervals between both ends in the X direction.

[0039] As shown in Figure 14, the joining surface of the third housing 35 with the nozzle plate 31 is provided with a flow path 32 that supplies liquid to the multiple nozzles 31a, as well as multiple first positioning pins 39 for determining the relative position with the nozzle plate 31 in the XY directions when joined, multiple recesses 40, and multiple second positioning pins 41 for determining the relative position with the nozzle plate 31 in the Z direction. The first positioning pins 39 are cylindrical, and three of them are provided, one for each positioning hole 37. The diameter of each positioning pin 39 is slightly smaller than the minor axis of the positioning hole 37, and each positioning pin 39 is formed to be movable within the positioning hole 37 in the major axis direction of the positioning hole 37. The positioning holes 37 and the first positioning pins 39 form a first positioning portion that positions the nozzle plate 31 relative to the third housing 35 in the X and Y directions, which are directions perpendicular to the liquid ejection direction. The function of this first positioning portion makes it possible to assemble the third housing 35 and the nozzle plate 31 with high precision in the X and Y directions.

[0040] The recesses 40 have the same rectangular shape as the through holes 38, and are arranged in the same positions corresponding to the respective through holes 38. Each recess 40 is carved toward the inside of the third housing 35 to a depth of about half the length of the third housing 35 in the Z direction. The second positioning pins 41 have a cylindrical shape, and one is disposed in each recess 40. The second positioning pin 41 is disposed near the end of the recess 40 in the positive X direction, and at approximately the middle of the depth of the recess 40 in the Z direction. It is sufficient that one second positioning pin 41 is disposed in each recess 40, and the second positioning pin 41 located in two recesses 40 that are aligned in the Y direction may be a single second positioning pin 41 whose length is approximately the same as the length of the third housing 35 in the Y direction.

[0041] Next, the fixing member 42 used to fix the nozzle plate 31 to the third housing 35 will be described. The fixing member 42 shown in FIG. 15 has a fixing member main body 42a, the upper surface of which is a flat surface that can come into contact with the nozzle surface, which is the bottom surface of the nozzle plate 31, and multiple protrusions 42b, which are engagement portions, that are integrally formed and extend in the positive Z direction from the fixing member main body 42a. Four protrusions 42b are provided at positions corresponding to the four through holes 38 and recesses 40 provided on one end side in the Y direction. The protrusions 42b have hook-shaped tips bent toward the positive X direction, and the X-direction length G of the protrusions 42b is set to be shorter than the length H from the negative X-direction side wall surface of the recess 40 to the second positioning pin 41. This allows each protrusion 42b to be accommodated in each recess 40 via each through hole 38 when the top surface of the fixing member main body 42a is joined to the nozzle surface of the nozzle plate 31. The fixing member 42 is preferably made of a strong material that can be processed with high precision to maintain the positional accuracy of the nozzle plate 31, specifically, a stainless steel metal or a resin material that has high mechanical strength and weather resistance.

[0042] Here, the fixing of the nozzle plate 31 to the third housing 35 using the fixing member 42 will be described. After the nozzle plate 31, with the sealing member 36 accommodated in the groove portion 31b, is joined to the third housing 35, the fixing member main body 42a of one fixing member 42 is pressed against the nozzle surface of the nozzle plate 31 in such a manner that the protrusions 42b are inserted into the four through holes 38 formed on one end side of the nozzle plate 31 in the Y direction. Similarly, the fixing member main body 42a of the other fixing member 42 is pressed against the nozzle surface of the nozzle plate 31 in such a manner that the protrusions 42b are inserted into the four through holes 38 formed on the other end side of the nozzle plate 31 in the Y direction.

[0043] Then, each fixing member 42 is slid in the positive X direction with the fixing member main body 42a pressed against the nozzle plate 31. Here, the shape of each protrusion 42b is such that it can engage with the second positioning pin 41 as the fixing member 42 moves, and when engaged with the second positioning pin 41, pressure is generated between the third housing 35 and the nozzle plate 31, causing the third housing 35 and the nozzle plate 31 to tightly contact each other via the sealing member 36. The state in which the third housing 35 and the nozzle plate 31 are tightly contacted via the sealing member 36 refers to a state in which liquid is prevented from leaking from the flow path 32 even without contact between the nozzle plate 31 and the third housing 35. During this movement of the fixing member 42, the second positioning pin 41 with which each protrusion 42b that moves as the fixing member 42 moves and engages functions as an engaged portion with which the protrusion 42b, which is an engaging portion, engages.

[0044] The above-described operation of sliding the fixing member 42 in the positive X direction with the fixing member main body 42a pressed against the nozzle plate 31 and engaging each of the protrusions 42b with the corresponding second positioning pins 41 is referred to as "sliding engagement" in the present invention. During this sliding engagement, each of the second positioning pins 41 and each of the protrusions 42b form a second positioning portion that positions the nozzle plate 31 relative to the third housing 35 in the Z direction, which is the same direction as the liquid ejection direction. The function of the second positioning portion makes it possible to assemble the third housing 35 and the nozzle plate 31 with high precision in the Z direction and to prevent liquid from leaking from the flow path 32. In addition, since the second positioning portion has multiple protrusions 42b and multiple corresponding second positioning pins 41, engagement can be performed corresponding to the position of the sealing member 36, effectively preventing liquid from leaking from the flow path 32. With the above-described configuration, the nozzle plate 31 is removably fixed to the third housing 35 by slidingly engaging the fixing member 42 with respect to the third housing 35, so that the nozzle plate 31 can be attached and detached in a simple process, and a liquid ejection head 30 can be provided that can improve assembly accuracy and fixation properties.

[0045] The fixing member 42 is fixed to the third housing 35 with a certain degree of strength by the engagement of the multiple protrusions 42b with the corresponding second positioning pins 41, but it is desirable that it does not come off from the third housing 35 due to the influence of vibrations etc. that accompany the use of the liquid ejection head 30. An elastic snap-fit ​​portion 42c is formed on the end of the fixing member 42 on the positive X direction side. Furthermore, a protrusion 35a with which the snap-fit ​​portion 42c can engage is formed on the bottom surface of the third housing 35 at a position corresponding to the snap-fit ​​portion 42c. The snap-fit ​​portion 42c and the protrusion 35a form a fixing portion that fixes the fixing member 42 to the third housing 35 when the sliding engagement shown in FIGS. 15, 16(a), and 17(a) is completed. The fixing portion functions to removably fix the nozzle plate 31 to the third housing 35 in a single step without going through a step such as screwing. If it is desired to increase the mounting strength of the fixing member 42 even with multiple steps, the fixing member 42 can be fixed to the third housing 35 with screws 43 as shown in Figure 17(b). In this case, too, it is desirable to use a small number of screws 43 for fixing in order to reduce the number of steps.

[0046] 13 and 14, the sealing member 36 is disposed in a manner surrounding the entire periphery of the flow path 32. Therefore, in order to reliably prevent the outflow of liquid from the flow path 32, it is desirable to arrange the second positioning pin 41 and the protrusion 42b, which are the second positioning portion, so that the entire periphery of the sealing member 36 can be fixed in place according to the arrangement shape of the sealing member 36. It is also desirable to arrange the second positioning portion at a fixed distance from the sealing member 36. In this case, the shape of the fixing member 42 need only be such that it can surround and fix the entire periphery of the sealing member 36, and is not limited to the two-piece shape shown in Fig. 16(a) but may be the one-piece shape shown in Fig. 16(b) or Fig. 16(c). Note that if a split shape is used, it is desirable to split the fixing member 42 into as few parts as possible in order to reduce the number of steps required to attach and detach the fixing member 42.

[0047] Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. This second embodiment is different from the above-described first embodiment in that a fixing member 44 is used instead of the fixing member 42, and other configurations are the same. The fixing member 44 shown in FIG. 18 has a fixing member main body 44a having a plane on the upper surface that can contact the nozzle surface of the nozzle plate 31, and a plurality of protrusions 44b, 44c, 44d, 44e that are engaging portions integrally formed in the +Z direction from the fixing member main body 44a. Each protrusion 44 is provided at a position corresponding to the four through holes 38 and the recesses 40 provided on one end side in the Y direction. Each protrusion 44 has a hook shape with its tip bent in the +X direction, and the length of each protrusion 44 in the X direction is set to be shorter than the length from the minus X-direction side wall surface of the recess 40 to the second positioning pin 41. Thereby, when joining the upper surface of the fixing member main body 44a to the nozzle surface of the nozzle plate 31, each protrusion 44 can be accommodated in each recess 40 through each through hole 38.

[0048] Also, the protrusions 44 are formed such that the relationship between the length H1 of the protrusion 44b in the X direction, the length H2 of the protrusion 44c in the X direction, the length H3 of the protrusion 44d in the X direction, and the length H4 of the protrusion 44e in the X direction is H1 < H2 < H3 < H4. The fixing of the nozzle plate 31 using the fixing member to the third housing 35 is performed by a plurality of second positioning portions. However, since the sealing member 36 is interposed between the third housing 35 and the nozzle plate 31, it is difficult to engage a plurality of second positioning portions at once due to the repulsion of the sealing member 36.

[0049] In this second embodiment, since the lengths of the protrusions 44b, 44c, 44d, and 44e in the X direction are made different from each other, the protrusions 44 are sequentially engaged with the corresponding second positioning pins 41 when the fixing member 44 is slid and engaged. Thereby, the repulsion force of the sealing member 36 can be suppressed, and the assemblability of the nozzle plate 31 with respect to the third housing 35 can be improved. In this embodiment, the length of each protrusion 44 is configured to be successively longer in the positive X direction, but the order of the lengths is not limited to this. As long as the X-direction length of at least one protrusion 44 is different from the other protrusions 44, the ease of assembly can be improved compared to the first embodiment.

[0050] In each of the above-described embodiments, the fixing members 42, 44 are displaced in the positive X direction when slidably engaged, but the fixing members 42, 44 may be displaced in the Y direction or the Z direction when slidably engaged. FIG. 19(a) shows an example in which a fixed member 42 is slidably engaged with a housing 35 in the Y direction, and a second positioning pin 45 having a central axis in the X direction is used as the engaged portion instead of the second positioning pin 41. Figure 19(b) shows an example in which, instead of the fixed member 42, a fixed member 46 having a protrusion 46a as a swingable engagement portion as shown in Figure 19(c) is used, and the fixed member 46 is slidably engaged with the housing 35 in the Z direction.

[0051] In this way, the fixing members 42, 44, 46 can be slidably engaged with the third housing 35 in any of the X, Y, and Z directions, and a nozzle plate fixing structure can be provided that matches the design of the droplet ejection head to be formed. 19(b), the fixing member 46 cannot be removed even if it is slid in the opposite direction to the engagement direction. However, by configuring the second positioning pin 41 to be insertable and removable into the third housing 35 and removing the second positioning pin 41 from the third housing 35 when removing the fixing member 46, the fixing member 46 can be removed from the third housing 35.

[0052] In each of the above embodiments, when using the needle valve 11 shown in Fig. 11(a), the nozzle plate 31 needs to be set correctly so that it faces the fitting direction with the needle valve 11. An example of a configuration for aligning the nozzle plate 31 and the needle valve 11 is shown in Fig. 20. 20, the first positioning pin 39 is made longer than in the first embodiment, and the first positioning pin 39 is manually inserted into the positioning hole 37, thereby enabling easy and accurate alignment of the nozzle plate 31 and the needle valve 11. Note that the fit between the first positioning pin 39 and the positioning hole 37 is preferably a clearance fit.

[0053] In the configurations of the above embodiments, when attaching the nozzle plate 31 to the third housing 35, the nozzle plate 31 may be attached upside down or upside down. In such a case, if the liquid ejection head 30 is operated without noticing, there is a risk of damaging the needle valves 11 and the nozzles 31a. Note that the front and back of the nozzle plate 31 can be easily distinguished by the different shapes of the nozzles 31a on the front and back and the presence or absence of grooves 31b, etc., so a configuration for distinguishing the top and bottom of the nozzle plate 31 will be described below as a third embodiment using Figure 21. 21(a) shows the nozzle plate 31 described in each of the above-mentioned embodiments. The nozzle plate 31 has two positioning holes 37 at the end on the positive Y direction side and one positioning hole 37 at the end on the negative Y direction side, and if an attempt is made to install the nozzle plate 31 upside down, the number of positioning pins will differ from the number of first positioning pins 39 provided on the third housing 35, and so the plate will not fit together. This prevents the nozzle plate 31 from being installed upside down.

[0054] 21(b) shows nozzle plate 31A. Nozzle plate 31A differs from nozzle plate 31 in that it has a circular positioning hole 37A and an elongated positioning hole 37B instead of the three positioning holes 37, but otherwise has the same configuration. Positioning holes 37A, 37B are provided at both ends of nozzle plate 31A in the X direction and at the same position in the Y direction. The length J of the minor axis of positioning hole 37B is larger than the diameter K of positioning hole 37A. On the third housing 35 side, one first positioning pin having a diameter that can fit snugly into positioning hole 37A, and the other first positioning pin having a diameter larger than the first positioning pin and that can move in position within positioning hole 37B in the X direction, are provided corresponding to the positions of positioning holes 37A, 37B, respectively. With this configuration, if nozzle plate 31A is to be attached upside down, the other first positioning pin with a larger diameter will not fit into positioning hole 37A, preventing nozzle plate 31A from being attached upside down.

[0055] Figure 21(c) shows nozzle plate 31B. Nozzle plate 31B differs from nozzle plate 31 in that it has one positioning hole 37 and a circular positioning hole 37C instead of the three positioning holes 37, but otherwise has the same configuration. Positioning holes 37, 37C are provided at both ends of nozzle plate 31B in the X direction, at different positions in the Y direction, and the diameter of positioning hole 37C is formed to be the same as the length of the minor axis of positioning hole 37. Positioning hole 37C is arranged so that its central axis is located at a position distance M from the bottom end of nozzle plate 31B in the positive Y direction in Figure 21(c), and positioning hole 37 is arranged so that its central axis is located at a position distance N greater than distance M in the positive Y direction. On the third housing 35 side, one first positioning pin has a diameter that can fit snugly into the positioning hole 37C, and the other first positioning pin has the same diameter as the one first positioning pin and can move in the X direction within the positioning hole 37, respectively, provided in correspondence with the positions of the positioning holes 37, 37C. With this configuration, if an attempt is made to attach nozzle plate 31B upside down, nozzle plate 31B cannot be attached in a state in which the X-direction center line of nozzle plate 31B is parallel to the X-direction center line of third housing 35, and therefore nozzle plate 31B is prevented from being attached upside down.

[0056] In each of the above-described embodiments, the nozzle plate 31 is fixed to the third housing 35 using the fixing member 42, but if these members are not positioned in their correct positions, problems such as assembly defects and delays in assembly time will occur. A configuration that prevents the occurrence of such problems will be described below as a fourth embodiment. In Figure 22, a first indicator 47A, which is a triangle with its top pointing downward, is provided near the joint surface of the third housing 35 with the nozzle plate 31, and a second indicator 47B, which is a triangle with its top pointing downward, is provided at the abutment site of the snap fit portion 42c of the third housing 35. Furthermore, a third indicator 47C, which is a triangle with its top pointing up, is provided near the joint surface of the nozzle plate 31 with the third housing 35, at a position that corresponds to the first indicator 47A when the nozzle plate 31 is attached in the correct position, and a fourth indicator 47D, which is a triangle with its top pointing up, is provided on the snap-fit ​​portion 42c of the fixing member 42, which corresponds to the second indicator 47B when the fixing member 42 slides into engagement with the third housing 35 and the snap-fit ​​portion 42c overcomes the protrusion 35a to occupy the correct fixing position. With this configuration, the first display portion 47A and the third display portion 47C, and the second display portion 47B and the fourth display portion 47D, occupy corresponding positions only when the nozzle plate 31 and the fixing member 42 are attached in the correct positions relative to the third housing 35. Therefore, if the nozzle plate 31 and the fixing member 42 are not attached in the correct positions relative to the third housing 35, the assembly worker can easily recognize this.

[0057] In the above embodiments, examples have been described in which the nozzle plate 31 and the fixing member 42 formed separately therefrom are used, but a nozzle plate having an integral part that acts as an engaging part similar to the protrusion 42b may also be used. This example is shown below as the fifth embodiment. 23 shows a nozzle plate 48 that is used in place of the nozzle plate 31. The nozzle plate 48 differs from the nozzle plate 31 in that, instead of each through hole 38, the nozzle plate 48 has eight protrusions 48a that function as engagement parts and are formed in the same positions as the protrusions 42b, but are otherwise identical in configuration. By using the nozzle plate 48 described above, the fixing member 42 can be omitted, and the number of parts can be reduced, leading to cost reduction. As shown in Figure 24(a), after joining the nozzle plate 48 to the third housing 35, when performing sliding engagement as shown in Figure 24(b), the first positioning pin 39 and the needle valve 11 may interfere with each other, and it may be necessary to retract the first positioning pin 39 and the needle valve 11.

[0058] In each of the above embodiments, the needle valve 11, which is an opening / closing member, has a shape that blocks or covers the nozzle 31a, as shown in FIG. 11 . Therefore, repeated opening and closing of the nozzle 31a causes deterioration of the needle valve 11 or the nozzle plate 31, necessitating part replacement. To replace the needle valve 11, the displacement mechanism 14 must be removed from each housing 33, 34, or 35 and replaced along with the displacement mechanism 14 or only the tip of the needle valve 11. This can significantly increase costs and labor in the case of a multi-channel head. Therefore, the configuration of the present invention is such that the nozzle plate 31 is replaced without replacing the needle valve 11 and displacement mechanism 14. This configuration eliminates the need to replace multiple displacement mechanisms 14 or needle valves 11 for multiple ejection channels, even in the case of a multi-channel head, and only one nozzle plate 31 needs to be replaced, thereby reducing costs and labor.

[0059] In this configuration, it is important that the materials of the needle valve 11 and the nozzle plate 31 satisfy the following relationship. For example, if the nozzle plate 31 is made of a stainless steel metal material in consideration of solvent resistance to liquids, it is desirable to use a material harder than stainless steel for the needle valve 11. Specifically, the nozzle plate 31 is made of SUS304 (hardness HV187), and the needle valve 11 is made of titanium alloy (64 alloy: hardness HV280), SUS440C (hardness HV615), ceramic material (HV1200-1700), or cemented carbide (HV1700-2050). In this way, by using a material on the needle valve 11 side that is harder than the nozzle plate 31 side, part replacement due to deterioration caused by nozzle opening and closing operations over time can be performed by replacing the nozzle plate 31 side, thereby reducing the cost and labor required for the replacement work.

[0060] In the above-described embodiments, the nozzle opening / closing portions, which are the contact portions between the needle valves 11, 11A and the nozzle plates 31, 48, are both made of metal. Even with this configuration, liquid can be ejected well from the nozzle 31a, but as shown in Figure 25, an elastic member 49 may be placed on the nozzle plate 31, 48 side where the needle valves 11, 11A come into contact. With this configuration, the elastic member 49 elastically deforms when the needle valve 11, 11A comes into contact with the nozzle plate 31, 48, thereby bringing the needle valve 11, 11A into close contact with the nozzle plate 31, 48 and increasing the liquid ejection force from the nozzle 31 a. The elastic member 49 used here is preferably made of a high-strength material such as hard rubber so that it can withstand the nozzle opening and closing operations over time.

[0061] Next, the procedure for replacing the nozzle plate 31 in each of the above embodiments will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in Fig. 26. The nozzle plate 31 is replaced when normal liquid ejection is no longer possible due to clogging or wear of the nozzles 31a. First, pre-ejection of the liquid ejection head 30 is performed (ST01), and whether or not normal ejection is being performed in the pre-ejection process is confirmed based on whether or not the ejection amount is normal (ST02).If normal ejection is being performed (ST03), the nozzle plate 31 does not need to be replaced, and the replacement work is completed.

[0062] If the discharge rate is not normal in step ST02, it is determined that normal discharge is not occurring, and the replacement work of the nozzle plate 31 is started (ST04). First, the engagement by the snap fit portion 42c or the screw 43 is released (ST05), and then the fixing member 42 is slid in the minus X direction to release the engagement between each engaging portion 42b and each second positioning pin 41, and the fixing member 42 is removed from the third housing 35 and the nozzle plate 31 (ST06). Next, the nozzle plate 31 and the sealing member 36 embedded therein are removed from the third housing 35 (ST07), but in this process, the flow path 32 and needle valve 11 are exposed when the nozzle plate 31 is removed from the third housing 35. For this reason, it is desirable to wash and dry the inside of the liquid ejection head 30 before removing the nozzle plate 31, and then perform this work in a clean environment that is free from foreign matter such as dust. Washing and drying the inside of the liquid ejection head 30 can be performed by a cleaning process after using the head and by blank air injection.

[0063] Thereafter, a new replacement nozzle plate 31 and sealing member 36 are prepared, and the sealing member 36 is embedded in the groove portion 31b of the nozzle plate 31 (ST08). After that, the nozzle plate 31 is bonded to the housing 35 while being positioned in the X and Y directions by the first positioning portion (ST09). To prevent incorrect assembly of the nozzle plate 31 to the third housing 35 during this bonding, it is desirable to use the positioning holes 37, 37A, 37B, and 37C shown in FIG. 21 or the display portions 47A, 47B, 47C, and 47D shown in FIG. 22. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 20, it is desirable to have a configuration in which the needle valve 11 can also be positioned by the first positioning portion in order to protect the tip of the needle valve 11, which has a sharp needle shape.

[0064] During the replacement of the nozzle plate 31, the position of the needle valve 11 is not moved, i.e., it is left in the adjusted position at the time of shipment, so that liquid can be ejected without adjustment even after the replacement of the nozzle plate 31. However, by retracting the needle valve 11 in the positive Z direction, i.e., in the direction away from the nozzle plate 31, before joining the nozzle plate 31 to the third housing 35, it is possible to avoid the risk of the needle valve 11 coming into contact with the nozzle plate 31 and damaging the needle valve 11 when the nozzle plate 31 is replaced. In this case, the position of the needle valve 11 must be adjusted again, but this is effective in a configuration in which the nozzle plate and the fixing member are integral and slide in the X and Y directions during sliding engagement, as shown in FIG. 23, for example.

[0065] After joining the nozzle plate 31 while it is positioned relative to the housing 35 in the X and Y directions, the fixing member 42 is slidably engaged with the third housing 35 and the nozzle plate 31, and the nozzle plate 31 is fixed to the third housing 35 (ST10). When the fixing member 42 is slidably engaged, if the nozzle plate 31 is not joined to the third housing 35 in the correct position, the snap-fit ​​portion 42c of the fixing member 42 cannot move to the correct fixing position and cannot hold the nozzle plate 31, which is desirable in terms of preventing incorrect assembly. When joined in the correct position, the nozzle plate 31 can be held by the fixing member 42, and the click feeling of the snap-fit ​​portion 42c also helps the worker determine that the assembly is correct (ST11). Thereafter, the process returns to step ST01 and pre-ejection is performed again, and if it is determined that the ejection amount is normal, the nozzle plate 31 replacement work is completed.

[0066] Next, a liquid ejection apparatus equipped with the above-described liquid ejection head 30 will be described. 27 is a schematic diagram of a liquid ejection device 50, which includes a movable frame unit 52 installed opposite an ejection target object 51. The frame unit 52 includes a Y-axis rail 53 extending horizontally, a plurality of X-axis rails 54 extending vertically and provided at predetermined intervals, and a Z-axis rail 55 intersecting the X-axis rails 54 and the Y-axis rail 53. In describing this liquid ejection device 50, the vertical direction shown in FIG. 27 is defined as the X-direction, the longitudinal direction of the liquid ejection device 50 in FIG. 27 is defined as the Y-direction, and the horizontal direction perpendicular to the Y-direction in FIG. 27 is defined as the Z-axis.

[0067] Each X-axis rail 54 holds a Y-axis rail 53 so that the Y-axis rail 53 extending in the Y direction can move in the X direction, which is the nozzle arrangement direction of the liquid ejection head 30. The Y-axis rail 53 holds a Z-axis rail 55 so that the Z-axis rail 55 can move in the Y direction. The Z-axis rail 55 holds a carriage 56 so that the carriage 56 can move in the Z direction. The carriage 56 is equipped with a head holder 57, and the head holder 57 holds liquid ejection heads 30 of different colors (not shown in FIG. 27). The head holder 57 holds, for example, a cyan liquid ejection head 30 that ejects cyan paint, a magenta liquid ejection head 30 that ejects magenta paint, a yellow liquid ejection head 30 that ejects yellow paint, and a black liquid ejection head 30 that ejects black paint. The head holder 57 may also hold a white liquid ejection head 30 that ejects white paint or a liquid ejection head 30 that ejects a transparent coating paint, and may be configured to apply a coating simultaneously with image formation.

[0068] The liquid ejection device 50 is equipped with a first Z-direction drive unit 58 that moves the carriage 56 in the Z direction (the direction toward and away from the ejection target 51) along the Z-axis rails 55, and a Y-direction drive unit 59 that moves the Z-axis rails 55 in the Y direction along the Y-axis rails 53. The liquid ejection device 50 is further equipped with an X-direction drive unit 60 that moves the Y-axis rails 53 in the X direction along the X-axis rails 54, and the Y-axis rails 53 are held by holders 61 that are held by each of the X-axis rails 54. The liquid ejection device 50 is also provided with a second Z-direction drive unit 62 that moves the head holder 57 in the Z direction relative to the carriage 56.

[0069] The liquid ejection device 50 ejects paint, an example of a liquid, from the liquid ejection head 30 attached to the head holder 57 while moving the carriage 56 in the X, Y, and Z directions, to form an image on the ejection target 51. The movement direction of the carriage 56 and the head holder 57 does not need to be parallel to the Z direction, and may be an oblique movement as long as it includes at least a component in the Z direction. Furthermore, when the liquid ejection head 30 has a single nozzle row, the liquid ejection head 30 may be held by the carriage 56 so as to be tiltable with respect to the X direction, making the nozzle pitch variable.

[0070] 28 shows an example of a supply device that supplies liquid paint to a plurality of liquid ejection heads 30 included in a liquid ejection device 50. In the figure, a supply device 63 includes tanks 65A-65D that are sealed containers that contain paints 64A-64D that are ejected from the liquid ejection heads 30A-30D held by a head holder 57. Each tank 65 and the supply port 5 of each liquid discharge head 30 are connected via a tube 66. Meanwhile, each tank 65 is connected to a compressor 69 via a pipe 68 including an air regulator 67. With this configuration, the compressor 69 supplies pressurized air to each tank 65, thereby pressurizing the paint inside each liquid discharge head 30, and by opening the needle valve 11, the paint is discharged from the nozzle 31a. In addition, in Figure 27, the object 51 onto which the liquid is to be ejected has a flat surface shape, but the surface shape of the object 51 onto which the liquid is to be ejected is not limited to a flat surface, and may be a surface that is close to vertical, such as the body of a vehicle or the body of an aircraft, or a surface with a large radius of curvature.

[0071] Next, another liquid ejection device equipped with the above-described liquid ejection head 30 will be described. 29 and 30, a printing apparatus 500, which is a liquid ejection apparatus, includes a carry-in means 501 that carries in a continuum 510, which is a recording medium, and a guide / conveyance means 503 that guides and conveys the continuum 510 carried in by the carry-in means 501 toward a printing means 505. The printing apparatus 500 also includes a printing means 505 that performs a printing operation of ejecting liquid droplets onto the continuum 510 to form an image, a drying means 507 that dries the continuum 510 to which the liquid droplets are attached, and a conveyance means 509 that conveys the continuum 510. The continuum 510 is sent out from a main winding roller 511 of the carry-in means 501, guided and conveyed by rollers respectively possessed by the carry-in means 501, the guide and conveying means 503, the drying means 507, and the conveying means 509, and taken up by a take-up roller 591 of the conveying means 509. The continuum 510 is conveyed on a conveying guide member 559 in the printing means 505, facing a head unit 550 which is a liquid ejection unit, and an image is printed by droplets ejected from the head unit 550.

[0072] The printing device 500 includes a head unit 550 having liquid ejection units 100A and 100B, each of which is provided on a common base member 552. When the direction in which the liquid ejection heads 30 are aligned in a direction perpendicular to the continuum transport direction is defined as the head arrangement direction, the pair of head arrays 30A1 and 30A2 of the liquid ejection unit 100A ejects droplets of the same color. Similarly, the pair of head arrays 30B1 and 30B2 of the liquid ejection unit 100A, the pair of head arrays 30C1 and 30C2 of the liquid ejection unit 100B, and the pair of head arrays 30D1 and 30D2 of the liquid ejection unit 100B eject liquid of the desired color, respectively.

[0073] Next, still another example of a printing apparatus, which is a liquid ejection apparatus according to the present invention, will be described with reference to FIGS. The printing apparatus 400 as a liquid ejection apparatus is a serial printing apparatus, and a carriage 403 moves back and forth in the main scanning direction by a main scanning movement mechanism 493. The main scanning movement mechanism 493 has a guide member 401, a main scanning motor 405, a timing belt 408, etc. The guide member 401 is hung between left and right side plates 491A and 491B, and movably holds the carriage 403. The driving force of the main scanning motor 405 is transmitted to the carriage 403 via the timing belt 408 hung between a drive pulley 406 and a driven pulley 407, causing the carriage 403 to move back and forth in the main scanning direction.

[0074] A liquid ejection unit 440, which integrally includes a liquid ejection head 30 and a head tank 441, is mounted on the carriage 403. The liquid ejection head 30 ejects liquid of each color, for example, yellow (Y), cyan (C), magenta (M), and black (K). The liquid ejection head 30 is mounted with a nozzle row consisting of multiple nozzles arranged in a sub-scanning direction perpendicular to the main scanning direction, with the liquid ejection direction facing downward. The liquid ejection head 30 is connected to a liquid circulation device (not shown), and liquid of the desired color is circulated and supplied to the liquid ejection head 30.

[0075] The printing device 400 is equipped with a transport mechanism 495 that transports paper 410, which is a recording medium. The transport mechanism 495 has a transport belt 412, which is a transport means, and a sub-scanning motor 416 that drives the transport belt 412. The transport belt 412, which is an endless belt, is stretched between a transport roller 413 and a tension roller 414, and attracts the paper 410 and transports it at a position facing the liquid ejection head 30. The attraction is achieved by electrostatic attraction or air suction, etc. The drive force of the sub-scanning motor 416 is transmitted to the transport belt 412 via a timing belt 417 and a timing pulley 418, causing the transport belt 412 to move in a circular motion in the sub-scanning direction.

[0076] A maintenance and recovery mechanism 420 that maintains and recovers the liquid ejection head 30 is disposed on one side of the carriage 403 in the main scanning direction, beside the conveyor belt 412. The maintenance and recovery mechanism 420 is composed of, for example, a cap member 421 that caps the nozzle surface of the liquid ejection head 30, a wiper member 422 that wipes the nozzle surface, and the like. The main scanning movement mechanism 493, the maintenance and recovery mechanism 420, and the conveyor mechanism 495 are attached to a housing that includes side plates 491A, 491B, and a back plate 491C. In the printing device 400 configured as described above, the paper 410 is attracted to the conveyor belt 412, and the paper 410 is conveyed in the sub-scanning direction by the circular movement of the conveyor belt 412. At this time, the carriage 403 is moved in the main scanning direction while the liquid ejection head 30 is driven in accordance with an image signal, thereby ejecting liquid onto the stationary paper 410 to form an image.

[0077] Next, the above-mentioned liquid discharge unit 440 will be described with reference to FIG. The liquid ejection unit 440 is composed of the various components that make up the printing device 400, which is a liquid ejection device, including a housing portion consisting of side panels 491A, 491B and a back panel 491C, a main scanning movement mechanism 493, a carriage 403, a liquid ejection head 30, etc. It is also possible to configure a liquid discharge unit in which the above-described maintenance and recovery mechanism 420 is further attached to, for example, side plate 491B of this liquid discharge unit 440.

[0078] Next, another example of a liquid discharge unit according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 34 includes a liquid ejection head 30 to which a flow path part 444 is attached, and a tube 456 connected to the flow path part 444. The flow path part 444 is disposed inside a cover 442, and a connector 443 that electrically connects the flow path part 444 to the liquid ejection head 30 is provided on the upper part of the flow path part 444. Note that a configuration including a head tank 441 instead of the flow path part 444 is also possible.

[0079] The liquid ejection units 100A, 100B, 440, 450, 550, and printing devices 400, 500, which are liquid ejection devices, each including the liquid ejection head 30 described above, can achieve the same effects as those of the liquid ejection head 30 described above.

[0080] In the present invention, the liquid used may have a viscosity and surface tension that allows it to be ejected from a liquid ejection head. While there are no particular limitations on its properties, it is preferable for the viscosity of the liquid to be 30 mPa·s or less at room temperature and pressure, or upon heating or cooling. More specifically, the liquid may include solvents such as water or organic solvents, colorants such as dyes or pigments, functional materials such as polymerizable compounds, resins, and surfactants, biocompatible materials such as DNA, amino acids, proteins, and calcium, edible materials such as natural pigments, and solutions, suspensions, emulsions, and the like containing these materials. These liquids can be used, for example, in inkjet inks, surface treatment liquids, and liquid materials for three-dimensional modeling. Energy sources for ejecting liquid include piezoelectric actuators (laminated piezoelectric elements and thin-film piezoelectric elements), thermal actuators that use electrothermal conversion elements such as heating resistors, and electrostatic actuators consisting of a vibration plate and an opposing electrode.

[0081] The pressure generating means used in the "liquid ejection head" is not limited. For example, in addition to the piezoelectric actuator (which may use a laminated piezoelectric element) as described above, a thermal actuator using an electrothermal conversion element such as a heating resistor, or an electrostatic actuator consisting of a vibration plate and an opposing electrode may be used. A "liquid ejection unit" is a liquid ejection head integrated with functional parts and mechanisms, and includes a collection of parts related to ejecting liquid. For example, a "liquid ejection unit" includes a liquid ejection head combined with at least one of the following components: a head tank, a carriage, a supply mechanism, a maintenance and recovery mechanism, a main scanning movement mechanism, and a liquid circulation device. Here, "integrated" includes, for example, a liquid ejection head and a functional part or mechanism fixed to each other by fastening, bonding, engaging, etc., or one held movably relative to the other. The liquid ejection head and the functional part or mechanism may also be detachable from each other.

[0082] There are liquid ejection units in which the liquid ejection head and head tank are integrated, and in which the two are integrated by being connected to each other by a tube, etc. Here, it is also possible to add a unit including a filter between the liquid ejection head and head tank of these liquid ejection units. There are also liquid ejection units in which the liquid ejection head and carriage are integrated, and liquid ejection units in which the liquid ejection head, carriage, and main scanning movement mechanism are integrated, and there are also liquid ejection units in which the liquid ejection head is movably held by a guide member that constitutes part of the scanning movement mechanism, and the liquid ejection head and scanning movement mechanism are integrated.

[0083] Some liquid ejection units integrate the liquid ejection head, carriage, and maintenance and recovery mechanism by fixing a cap member, which is part of the maintenance and recovery mechanism, to a carriage on which the liquid ejection head is attached. Other liquid ejection units integrate the liquid ejection head and supply mechanism by connecting a tube to the liquid ejection head, which is equipped with a head tank or flow path components. Liquid from a liquid storage source is supplied to the liquid ejection head via this tube. The main scanning movement mechanism includes the guide member alone, and the supply mechanism includes the tube alone and the loading unit alone.

[0084] In this invention, the liquid ejection unit is described in combination with a liquid ejection head, but the liquid ejection unit also includes a head module including the above-mentioned liquid ejection head, or a head unit that is integrated with the above-mentioned functional components and mechanisms. Liquid ejection devices include those that are equipped with a liquid ejection head, a liquid ejection unit, a head module, a head unit, etc., and that eject liquid by driving the liquid ejection head. Liquid ejection devices include not only devices that can eject liquid onto objects to which the liquid can adhere, but also devices that eject liquid into gas or liquid.

[0085] The liquid ejection device can also include means for feeding, transporting, and discharging items onto which liquid can be attached, as well as other pre-processing devices and post-processing devices. For example, liquid ejection devices include image forming devices that eject ink to form an image on a recording medium, and three-dimensional modeling devices (three-dimensional modeling devices) that eject modeling liquid onto a powder layer formed by layering powder to form a three-dimensional object (a three-dimensional model). Furthermore, the liquid ejection device is not limited to one that visualizes meaningful images such as letters and figures using the ejected liquid, but also includes, for example, one that forms patterns that have no meaning in themselves, or one that forms three-dimensional images.

[0086] The above-mentioned object onto which a liquid can adhere means an object onto which a liquid can at least temporarily adhere, and onto which the liquid adheres and sticks or adheres and penetrates, etc. Specific examples include recording media such as paper, film, and cloth, electronic substrates, electronic components such as piezoelectric elements, powder layers (powder layers), organ models, and test cells, and unless otherwise specified, includes all objects onto which a liquid can adhere. The material to which the liquid can be attached may be any material, such as paper, thread, fiber, fabric, leather, metal, plastic, glass, wood, ceramics, etc., as long as the liquid can be attached even temporarily.

[0087] The liquid ejection device includes a configuration in which a liquid ejection head and an object onto which liquid can be attached move relatively, but is not limited to only one of the moving objects. Specific examples include both a serial type device in which the liquid ejection head moves and a line type device in which the liquid ejection head does not move. Other examples of liquid ejection devices include a treatment liquid application device that ejects a treatment liquid onto the surface of paper to apply the treatment liquid to the surface of the paper for purposes such as modifying the surface of the paper, and an injection granulation device that sprays a composition liquid in which raw materials are dispersed through a nozzle to granulate fine particles of the raw materials.

[0088] The liquid ejection apparatus of the present invention also includes an apparatus for manufacturing an electrode and an electrochemical element. An apparatus for manufacturing an electrode will be described below. 35 is a schematic diagram showing an example of an electrode manufacturing apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention. The electrode manufacturing apparatus 700 is an apparatus for manufacturing an electrode including a layer having an electrode material by ejecting a liquid composition using a liquid ejection unit including a liquid ejection head. First, the means and steps for forming the layer containing the electrode material will be described. The liquid discharge means provided in the electrode manufacturing apparatus 700 shown in FIG. 35 is the liquid discharge unit of the present invention described above. A liquid composition is discharged from a liquid discharge head provided in the liquid discharge unit, thereby applying the liquid composition to a target object and forming a liquid composition layer. The target object (hereinafter sometimes referred to as a "discharge target") is not particularly limited as long as it is an object on which a layer containing an electrode material is to be formed, and can be appropriately selected depending on the purpose. Examples of the target object include an electrode substrate (current collector), an active material layer, and a layer containing a solid electrode material. The target object may also be an electrode mixture layer containing an active material on an electrode substrate. Furthermore, the discharge means and discharge step may be a means and step for forming a layer containing an electrode material by directly discharging the liquid composition, as long as it is possible to form a layer containing an electrode material on the discharge target object. Furthermore, the discharge means and discharge step may be a means and step for forming a layer containing an electrode material by indirectly discharging the liquid composition.

[0089] Next, other configurations and processes will be described. Other components included in the manufacturing apparatus for an electrode mixture layer are not particularly limited as long as they do not impair the effects of the present invention, and can be selected appropriately depending on the purpose. Furthermore, other steps included in the manufacturing method for an electrode mixture layer are also not particularly limited as long as they do not impair the effects of the present invention, and can be selected appropriately depending on the purpose. For example, components and steps included in the manufacturing apparatus and manufacturing method for an electrode mixture layer include a heating means and a heating step.

[0090] Next, the heating means and the heating process will be described. The heating means included in the manufacturing device for the electrode mixture layer is a means for heating the liquid composition ejected by the ejection means. Also, the heating step included in the manufacturing method for the electrode mixture layer is a step of heating the liquid composition ejected in the ejection step. By heating the liquid composition, the liquid composition can be dried.

[0091] Next, a configuration for forming a layer containing an electrode material by directly ejecting a liquid composition will be described. Here, as an example of an electrode manufacturing apparatus configured to form a layer containing an electrode material, an electrode manufacturing apparatus for forming an electrode mixture layer containing an active material on an electrode substrate (current collector) will be described. As shown in FIG. 35, an electrode manufacturing apparatus 700 includes a ejection process unit 110 that includes a step of applying a liquid composition to a printing substrate 704 having an object to be ejected to form a liquid composition layer, and a heating process unit 130 that includes a heating step of heating the liquid composition to obtain an electrode mixture layer.

[0092] The electrode manufacturing apparatus 700 is equipped with a conveying means 705 that conveys the printing substrate 704, and the conveying means 705 conveys the printing substrate 704 at a preset speed through the discharge process unit 110 and the heating process unit 130 in that order. There are no particular limitations on the method for manufacturing the printing substrate 704 having a discharge target such as an active material layer, and any well-known method can be selected as appropriate. The discharge process unit 110 is equipped with a liquid discharge head 281a that performs the application step of applying a liquid composition onto the printing substrate 704, a storage container 281b that stores the liquid composition 707, and a supply tube 281c that supplies the liquid composition 707 in the storage container 281b to the liquid discharge head 281a.

[0093] In the discharge process unit 110, liquid composition 707 is discharged from liquid discharge head 281a, and liquid composition 707 is applied to printing substrate 704 to form a thin film of the liquid composition layer. Note that storage container 281b may be configured as an integral part of the electrode mixture layer manufacturing apparatus, or may be configured as a removable part from the electrode mixture layer manufacturing apparatus. Furthermore, storage container 281b may be a container used for adding to a storage container integrated with the electrode mixture layer manufacturing apparatus, or a storage container removable from the electrode mixture layer manufacturing apparatus. The storage container 281b and the supply tube 281c can be arbitrarily selected as long as they can stably store and supply the liquid composition 707.

[0094] In the heating process section 130, a solvent removal process is carried out in which the solvent remaining in the liquid composition layer is heated and removed. Specifically, the solvent remaining in the liquid composition layer is removed from the liquid composition layer by drying through heating with a heating device 703 provided in the heating process section 130, thereby forming an electrode mixture layer. The solvent removal process in the heating process section 130 may be carried out under reduced pressure. The heating device 703 is not particularly limited and can be appropriately selected depending on the purpose. For example, the heating device 703 can be a substrate heater, an IR heater, a hot air heater, or the like. The heating device 703 may also be a combination of at least two of the substrate heaters, the IR heater, and the hot air heater. The heating temperature and heating time can be appropriately selected depending on the boiling point of the solvent contained in the liquid composition 707 or the thickness of the formed film.

[0095] In the electrode manufacturing apparatus 700, the same liquid ejection head as the liquid ejection head 30 described above is used as the liquid ejection head 281a. By using the electrode manufacturing apparatus 700 according to an embodiment of the present invention, a liquid composition can be ejected at a target position on an object to be ejected. The electrode mixture layer can be suitably used as a part of the configuration of an electrochemical element, for example. There are no particular restrictions on the components other than the electrode mixture layer in the electrochemical element, and well-known components can be appropriately selected. Examples of components other than the electrode mixture layer include a positive electrode, a negative electrode, and a separator.

[0096] The aspects of the present invention are as follows, for example. [1] A liquid ejection head comprising: a device main body; a nozzle plate having a nozzle row in which a plurality of nozzles for ejecting liquid are arranged; an opening / closing member for opening and closing the nozzles; an actuator for displacing the opening / closing member between an open position that opens the nozzles and a closed position that closes the nozzles; a displacement mechanism for displacing the opening / closing member in conjunction with the displacement of the actuator; a sealing member arranged between the device main body and the nozzle plate; and a fixing member for fixing the nozzle plate to the device main body after the device main body and the nozzle plate are joined via the sealing member; and after the device main body and the nozzle plate are joined, the fixing member is slidably engaged with the device main body, thereby removably fixing the nozzle plate to the device main body. [2] The liquid ejection head according to [1], further comprising a first positioning portion for positioning the nozzle plate relative to the device body in a direction perpendicular to the ejection direction of the liquid. [3] The liquid ejection head according to [1] or [2], further comprising a second positioning portion for positioning the nozzle plate relative to the device body in the same direction as the ejection direction of the liquid. [4] The liquid ejection head according to any one of [1] to [3], further comprising a fixing portion that fixes the fixing member to the device main body when the sliding engagement is completed. [5] The liquid ejection head described in [3] is characterized in that the second positioning portion has a plurality of engaging portions and a plurality of engaged portions that are provided corresponding to the plurality of engaging portions and with which the plurality of engaging portions respectively engage. [6] The liquid ejection head according to [5], characterized in that the plurality of engaging portions each have a different length, and that during the sliding engagement, the plurality of engaging portions sequentially engage with the corresponding plurality of engaged portions. [7] The liquid ejection head according to any one of [1] to [6], wherein the nozzle plate has the fixing member. [8] The liquid ejection head according to [1], comprising: a first positioning section that positions the nozzle plate relative to the device body in a direction perpendicular to the ejection direction of the liquid; a second positioning section that positions the nozzle plate relative to the device body in the same direction as the ejection direction of the liquid; and a fixing section that fixes the fixing member to the device body when the sliding engagement is completed, wherein the second positioning section has a plurality of engaging sections each having a different length and a plurality of engaged sections that are provided corresponding to the plurality of engaging sections and with which the plurality of engaging sections engage, and when the nozzle plate is replaced, the fixing member is displaced in a direction opposite to the sliding engagement to release the fixing sections and the plurality of engaging sections from the plurality of engaged sections, the fixing member is detached from the device body to remove the nozzle plate from the device body, a new nozzle plate is joined to the device body via the sealing member, and then the nozzle plate is attached to the device body by slidingly engaging the fixing member with the device body. [9] The liquid ejection head according to any one of [1] to [8], further comprising a display unit that displays the fixed position of the nozzle plate relative to the device main body.

[10] The liquid ejection head according to [2], wherein the first positioning portion guides the joining of the device main body and the nozzle plate.

[11] The liquid ejection head according to any one of [1] to

[10] , wherein the nozzle plate has a lower hardness than the opening and closing member.

[12] A liquid ejection unit comprising the liquid ejection head according to any one of [1] to

[11] .

[13] A liquid ejection device characterized by having the liquid ejection head according to any one of [1] to

[11] .

[0097] Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to such specific embodiments, and unless otherwise specifically limited in the above description, various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of the spirit of the present invention as described in the claims. The effects described in the embodiments of the present invention are merely examples of the most preferable effects resulting from the present invention, and the effects of the present invention are not limited to those described in the embodiments of the present invention. In each of the above-described embodiments, the displacement mechanism 14 has an actuator 13 and an arm member 12, but the displacement mechanism 14 only needs to have at least the actuator 13, and may have a configuration in which the actuator 13 is directly connected to the needle valve 11, which is the opening / closing member, without having the arm member 12. [Explanation of symbols]

[0098] 11 Opening and closing member (needle valve) 13 Actuator 14 Displacement mechanism 30 Liquid ejection head 31, 31A, 31B, 48 Nozzle plate 31a Nozzle 33 Device main body (first housing) 34 Device main body (second housing) 35 Device body (third housing) 36 Sealing member 41, 45 Engaged portion (second positioning pin) 42, 44, 46 Fixing member 42b, 44b, 44c, 44d, 44e, 46a, 48a Engagement part (projection part) 47A,47B,47C,47D Display section 50 Liquid dispensing device 100, 100A, 100B, 440, 450, 550 Liquid Dispensing Unit 400,500 Liquid discharge device (printing device) 700 Liquid discharge device (electrode manufacturing device) [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0099] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 7181925 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2023-159927 [Patent Document 3] Patent No. 7008332

Claims

1. A device body, a nozzle plate having a nozzle row in which a plurality of nozzles that eject liquid are arranged; an opening / closing member that opens and closes the nozzle; a displacement mechanism including an actuator that displaces the opening / closing member between an open position that opens the nozzle and a closed position that closes the nozzle, and that displaces the opening / closing member in conjunction with the displacement of the actuator; a sealing member disposed between the device body and the nozzle plate; a fixing member that fixes the nozzle plate to the device body after the device body and the nozzle plate are joined together via the sealing member; Equipped with After the device body and the nozzle plate are joined together, the fixing member is slidably engaged with the device body, thereby removably fixing the nozzle plate to the device body.

2. 2. The liquid ejection head according to claim 1, A liquid ejection head comprising: a first positioning portion for positioning the nozzle plate relative to the apparatus body in a direction perpendicular to the ejection direction of the liquid.

3. 2. The liquid ejection head according to claim 1, a second positioning portion for positioning the nozzle plate relative to the device body in the same direction as the liquid ejection direction;

4. 2. The liquid ejection head according to claim 1, The liquid ejection head further comprises a fixing portion that fixes the fixing member to the device main body when the sliding engagement is completed.

5. 4. The liquid ejection head according to claim 3, The liquid ejection head according to the present invention, wherein the second positioning portion has a plurality of engaging portions and a plurality of engaged portions that are provided corresponding to the plurality of engaging portions and that engage with the plurality of engaging portions, respectively.

6. 6. The liquid ejection head according to claim 5, The liquid ejection head is characterized in that the plurality of engaging portions have different lengths, and during the sliding engagement, the plurality of engaging portions sequentially engage with the corresponding plurality of engaged portions.

7. 2. The liquid ejection head according to claim 1, The liquid ejection head is characterized in that the nozzle plate has the fixed member.

8. 2. The liquid ejection head according to claim 1, a first positioning unit that positions the nozzle plate relative to the device body in a direction perpendicular to the liquid ejection direction; a second positioning unit that positions the nozzle plate relative to the device body in the same direction as the liquid ejection direction; a fixing portion that fixes the fixing member to the device body when the sliding engagement is completed, the second positioning portion has a plurality of engaging portions each having a different length and a plurality of engaged portions that are provided corresponding to the plurality of engaging portions and engage with the plurality of engaging portions, respectively; When replacing the nozzle plate, displacing the fixing member in a direction opposite to the sliding engagement, releasing the fixing portion and releasing the plurality of engaging portions from the plurality of engaged portions, and removing the fixing member from the device body to remove the nozzle plate from the device body; A liquid ejection head characterized in that a new nozzle plate is joined to the device body via the sealing member, and then the nozzle plate is attached to the device body by sliding the fixing member against the device body.

9. 2. The liquid ejection head according to claim 1, A liquid ejection head comprising: a display portion that displays a fixed position of the nozzle plate relative to the device body.

10. 3. The liquid ejection head according to claim 2, The liquid ejection head is characterized in that the first positioning portion guides the joining of the device main body and the nozzle plate.

11. 2. The liquid ejection head according to claim 1, The liquid ejection head is characterized in that the nozzle plate has a lower hardness than the opening and closing member.

12. A liquid ejection unit comprising the liquid ejection head according to any one of claims 1 to 11.

13. A liquid ejection apparatus comprising the liquid ejection head according to any one of claims 1 to 11.

Images