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EP-4741166-A1 - DROPLET DISCHARGE HEAD AND DROPLET DISCHARGE DEVICE

EP4741166A1EP 4741166 A1EP4741166 A1EP 4741166A1EP-4741166-A1

Abstract

A liquid droplet discharge head includes a channel member and a reservoir. The channel member includes a plurality of discharge holes through which liquid droplets are discharged. The reservoir is positioned above the channel member and supplies liquid to the channel member. The reservoir includes a reservoir body including a resin material. The reservoir body includes a first groove portion, a second groove portion, and a connector. The first groove portion is positioned on a side opposite to the channel member, and the liquid flows through the first groove portion. The second groove portion is positioned on a side of the channel member, and the liquid flows through the second groove portion. The connector connects the first groove portion and the second groove portion. At least one of the first groove portion or the second groove portion includes a bent portion that is bent and thus does not overlap at least a part of the other in plan view.

Inventors

  • MIYAKOSHI, NAOTO
  • IWABUCHI, MASARU

Assignees

  • Kyocera Corporation

Dates

Publication Date
20260513
Application Date
20240828

Claims (11)

  1. A liquid droplet discharge head comprising: a channel member comprising a plurality of discharge holes through which liquid droplets are discharged; and a reservoir positioned above the channel member and configured to supply liquid to the channel member, wherein the reservoir comprises a reservoir body comprising a resin material, the reservoir body comprises a first groove portion that is positioned on a side opposite to the channel member and through which the liquid flows, a second groove portion that is positioned on a side of the channel member and through which the liquid flows, and a connector connecting the first groove portion and the second groove portion, and at least one of the first groove portion or the second groove portion comprises a bent portion that is bent and thus does not overlap at least a part of the other in plan view.
  2. The liquid droplet discharge head according to claim 1, wherein the first groove portion comprises the bent portion.
  3. The liquid droplet discharge head according to claim 2, wherein the first groove portion comprises the one bent portion at each of both end portions in a longitudinal direction in which the second groove portion extends.
  4. The liquid droplet discharge head according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the reservoir body comprises a fitting portion positioned in a vicinity of the bent portion to position another member.
  5. The liquid droplet discharge head according to claim 4, wherein the reservoir body has a longitudinal direction in which the second groove portion extends and a lateral direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction in plan view, and the fitting portion is positioned at a center portion of the reservoir body in the lateral direction.
  6. The liquid droplet discharge head according to claim 5, wherein the first groove portion comprises the one bent portion at each of both end portions in the longitudinal direction, the fitting portion is positioned in a vicinity of the one bent portion located at each of both end portions in the longitudinal direction, and a line connecting the two fitting portions is parallel to the longitudinal direction.
  7. The liquid droplet discharge head according to any one of claims 4 to 6, wherein the reservoir further comprises an upper lid covering a side of the reservoir body opposite to the channel member, and the upper lid is positioned with respect to the reservoir body by the fitting portion.
  8. The liquid droplet discharge head according to any one of claims 4 to 7, further comprising: a flexible substrate electrically connected to the channel member; a heat dissipation plate; and a pressing member configured to press the flexible substrate toward the heat dissipation plate, wherein the pressing member is positioned with respect to the reservoir body by the fitting portion.
  9. The liquid droplet discharge head according to claim 7, further comprising: a flexible substrate electrically connected to the channel member; a heat dissipation plate; and a pressing member configured to press the flexible substrate toward the heat dissipation plate, wherein the upper lid and the pressing member are positioned with respect to the reservoir body by the same fitting portion.
  10. The liquid droplet discharge head according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the reservoir comprises a filter member positioned while covering an opening portion of the connector.
  11. A liquid droplet discharge apparatus comprising: the liquid droplet discharge head according to any one of claims 1 to 10; and a controller configured to control the liquid droplet discharge head.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The disclosed embodiment relates to a liquid droplet discharge head and a liquid droplet discharge apparatus. BACKGROUND OF INVENTION As a printing head, for example, a known liquid droplet discharge head performs various types of printing by discharging liquid onto a recording medium. Patent Document 1 discloses an inkjet head including a planar layered channel unit provided with a reservoir that guides ink supplied from an ink supply port to an ink outlet. CITATION LIST PATENT LITERATURE Patent Document 1: JP 2004-114404 A SUMMARY A liquid droplet discharge head of the present disclosure includes a channel member and a reservoir. The channel member includes a plurality of discharge holes through which liquid droplets are discharged. The reservoir is positioned above the channel member and supplies liquid to the channel member. The reservoir includes a reservoir body including a resin material. The reservoir body includes a first groove portion, a second groove portion, and a connector. The first groove portion is positioned on a side opposite to the channel member, and the liquid flows through the first groove portion. The second groove portion is positioned on a side of the channel member, and the liquid flows through the second groove portion. The connector connects the first groove portion and the second groove portion. At least one of the first groove portion or the second groove portion includes a bent portion that is bent and thus does not overlap at least a part of the other in plan view. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of a printer according to an embodiment.FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view of the printer according to the embodiment.FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view illustrating an overall configuration of a liquid droplet discharge head according to the embodiment.FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating an example of the configuration of a reservoir according to the embodiment.FIG. 5 is a top view illustrating an example of the configuration of a reservoir body according to the embodiment.FIG. 6 is a bottom view illustrating an example of the configuration of the reservoir body according to the embodiment.FIG. 7 is a diagram for describing a function of a curved portion according to the embodiment.FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional perspective view illustrating an example of the configuration of the reservoir body, an upper lid, and a pressing member according to the embodiment. DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments for implementing a liquid droplet discharge head and a liquid droplet discharge apparatus according to the present disclosure (hereinafter referred to as "embodiment") are elaborated with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the present disclosure is not limited by the embodiments. The embodiments can be appropriately combined within a range that does not cause inconsistencies in the processing content. In the following embodiments, the same portions are denoted by the same reference signs, and redundant descriptions are omitted. In the following embodiments, expressions such as "equal", "orthogonal", "perpendicular", and "parallel" may be used, but these expressions need not mean exactly "equal", "orthogonal", "perpendicular", and "parallel". That is, each of the expressions mentioned above allows for deviations in, for example, manufacturing accuracy or installation accuracy. In the drawings to be referenced below, to facilitate understanding, an orthogonal coordinate system may be defined, in which the X-axis direction, Y-axis direction, and Z-axis direction mutually orthogonal are specified, and the Z-axis positive direction is set as the vertically upward direction. As a printing head, for example, a known liquid droplet discharge head performs various types of printing by discharging liquid onto a recording medium. Patent Document 1 discloses an inkjet head including a planar layered channel unit provided with a reservoir that guides ink supplied from an ink supply port to an ink outlet. However, in the above-described related technique, when the reservoir made of a metal material is changed to a resin material to simplify the manufacturing process, the thickness of the resin positioned in a bottom portion of the channel may become uneven, and thus molding defects such as sink marks may occur. This may reduce yield in the manufacturing process of the reservoir. In view of the foregoing, a technique that can solve the above problems and improve yield in the manufacturing process of a reservoir is desired to be implemented. Configuration of Printer First, an outline of a printer 1, which is an example of a liquid droplet discharge apparatus according to an embodiment, will be described with reference to FIGs. 1 and 2. FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of the printer 1 according to the embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view of the printer 1 according to the embodiment. The printer 1 according to the embo