JPH0655805A - Contact structure between flexible cable and signal receiving part and recording device using the contact structure - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Purpose] Reduction of the amount of deformation of the elastic member 38 due to component tolerance,
Alternatively, even if the contact protrusions 22 and the raised portions 40 are displaced from each other, the contact between the protrusions 22 and the signal receiving portion 24 is maintained in an appropriate and stable state. An elastic member 38 having a plurality of raised portions 40 corresponding to a plurality of protrusions 22 formed on a contact surface 15 of a flexible cable 9 is mounted, and a tip surface 40a of each raised portion 40 is attached to each protrusion 22. The projection 22 is pressed against the signal receiving portion 24 by the elastic force of each raised portion 40, which is a flat surface having a larger area than the cross section.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention includes a contact structure between a flexible cable for transmitting a signal from a control unit and a signal receiving unit for receiving a signal from the flexible cable, a computer, a word processor and the like using the contact structure. The present invention relates to a recording device such as a printer, a copying machine, or a facsimile used as an output device of a multifunction peripheral or a workstation.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In various electronic devices, as means for transmitting a signal from a control section to a functional section (driving circuit, etc.),
From the viewpoint of easy assembly, flexible cables in which signal lines are formed on a flexible substrate are widely used. Further, as a mechanism for connecting the flexible cable to the functional portion, a contact structure in which a contact surface of the flexible cable and a signal receiving portion provided in the functional portion are elastically contacted (pressed) is widely used. Such a contact structure is particularly advantageous when the functional unit is detachably attached to the apparatus body.

On the other hand, as a contact structure between a flexible cable used in an ink jet recording apparatus and a signal receiving portion, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 234942/1987 discloses a shape in which the characteristic of the volume change with respect to the pressing force of the elastic member is almost linear. Things are disclosed. According to the publication, the signal receiving portion (contact surface) of the recording head is provided on the contact surface of the flexible cable.
A plurality of protrusions that are pressed into contact with each other are formed in a predetermined array, while a plurality of raised portions are formed on the surface of the elastic member on the flexible cable side at positions corresponding to the respective protrusions of the flexible cable. There is. Each of the raised portions has a columnar shape, and has a conical shape at the tip end portion that comes into contact with the protrusion.

As shown in FIG. 8, the ridges 23 have their apices 23a located inside the back side of the corresponding protrusions 22 of the contact surface 15. When the protrusions 22 of the flexible cable 9 come into contact (press contact) with the signal receiving portion 24 after being mounted, the conical portions 23a of the elastic member 13 are elastically deformed, and the protrusions 22 are deformed by the force of the deformation amount. The signal transmission is ensured by pressing it against the contact of the signal receiving portion 24.
According to the above configuration, the characteristic of the volume change with respect to the pressing force of the elastic member becomes almost linear, and it is possible to press all the protrusions with a good pressing force.

[0005]

However, in the above-described contact structure between the flexible cable and the signal receiving portion, the contact tip of the elastic member has a conical shape, so that the following inconvenience occurs. It was seen. The present invention is an invention made by finding such a new subject.

The first problem is that the tip of each raised portion is brought into contact with the inside of the back side of each protrusion and pressed, so that the positions of each raised portion and each protrusion coincide with each other due to tolerances and the like. If not, as shown in FIG. 9, the tip of the conical portion is caught on the inner surface of the protrusion during assembly, and the conical portion is assembled in a buckled state, and a predetermined contact pressure is applied between the contact surface and the signal receiving portion. There are cases where you cannot get it. It was also made clear by the present invention that this problem becomes more remarkable as the number of contacts increases.

Further, in the above technique, since the volume change characteristic of the elastic member with respect to the pressing force is not linear, when designing the elastic member, it is difficult to predict the numerical value to obtain the desired contact pressure, and the design is difficult. It was also found that there is a second problem.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned conventional technical problems, and an object of the present invention is to maintain a desired contact pressure even when there is an assembly tolerance, support a large number of contacts, and facilitate design. The main purpose is to provide a contact structure between a flexible cable and a signal receiving portion. Other objects of the invention will be understood from the following description.

[0009]

Means for Solving the Problems As a result of intensive studies to achieve the above-mentioned object, the inventors of the present invention have achieved a desired structure by adopting a structure in which the tip of the ridge does not contact the inside of the back side of the protrusion. We have come to the knowledge that the contact pressure can be maintained and the reliability of the electrical connection between the flexible cable and the signal receiving portion can be secured.

The present invention has been achieved based on the above-mentioned findings, and is a contact structure of a flexible cable for transmitting a signal from a control section and a signal receiving section for receiving a signal from the flexible cable. Then, a plurality of protrusions are provided on the contact surface of the flexible cable, and an elastic member having a plurality of raised portions formed at positions corresponding to the respective protrusions of the flexible cable is mounted, and the cross section of the raised portion is It is characterized in that it is made larger than the cross section and the tip contact surface of each ridge is flattened, and each protrusion is pressed against the signal receiving portion by the force of elastic deformation of each ridge. With the above configuration, when each protrusion of the flexible cable comes into contact (press contact) with the signal receiving portion, the elastic member is elastically deformed, and each protrusion of each signal receiving portion is subjected to a force substantially proportional to the amount of deformation (compression amount). Since it is pressed against the contact point, it is possible to secure an appropriate contact pressure and to ensure stable signal transmission. Further, although the present invention is of course effective as the above-mentioned single structure, it is possible to provide a recording device having high reliability in the recording device having the above structure.

[0011]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing an embodiment of a recording apparatus having a contact structure between a flexible cable and a signal receiving section to which the present invention is applied. This embodiment shows a case where the recording apparatus is an inkjet recording apparatus that performs recording by ejecting ink from a recording head onto a recording material. Figure 1
In the present recording apparatus, the recording material 1 is conveyed (paper feed) by the conveying means, and recording is performed on the recording material 1 by the recording head (recording means) 5. The conveying means for the recording material 1 inserts the recording material 1 such as plain paper or a plastic thin plate from the insertion port 31 and drives a motor (not shown) to rotate the conveying roller 32 to transfer the recording material 1 to the paper. The U-turn is conveyed to the recording position while being guided by the pressing plate 33.

The recording apparatus of the present embodiment is of a serial recording type, the recording head 5 is mounted on a carriage 6, and the carriage 6 is provided with a lead groove of a lead screw 7 which is rotationally driven by a motor (not shown). Is engaged with.
Therefore, by rotating the lead screw 7, the carriage 6 reciprocates in the direction of the double arrow A. Then, the recording head 5 is driven based on the image signal in synchronization with the reciprocating movement of the carriage 6, whereby the recording head 5
The recording is performed by ejecting the ink from the ejection port to the recording material 1. As the recording head 5 of this embodiment, a replaceable cartridge type that is integrated with an ink tank is used. FIG. 7 shows how the cartridge type recording head is attached to and detached from the recording apparatus.

A control unit (control circuit or the like) provided on the apparatus main body side and the recording head 5 are electrically (signal transmission possible) connected via a flexible cable 9. The flexible cable 9 is attached to the chassis 36 of the apparatus main body by a pressing member (pressing plate) 35 at the end portion on the control unit side so that it can follow the reciprocating movement of the carriage 6 and does not hinder the reciprocating movement of the carriage 6. It is fixed.

The recording head 5 is an ink jet recording head which ejects ink by utilizing heat energy, and is provided with an electrothermal converter for generating heat energy. The recording head 5 performs recording by ejecting ink from an ejection port by utilizing a pressure change caused by growth and contraction of bubbles due to film boiling caused by thermal energy applied by the electrothermal converter. Is.

FIG. 2 is a partial perspective view schematically showing the structure of the ink ejection portion of the recording means 5. In FIG.
A plurality of ejection openings 82 are formed at a predetermined pitch on the ejection opening forming surface 81 facing the recording material 1 with a predetermined gap (for example, about 0.5 to 2.0 mm), and the common liquid is formed. Chamber 83
An electrothermal converter (heat-generating resistor, etc.) 85 for generating energy for ejecting ink is provided along the wall surface of each liquid passage 84 that communicates with each ejection port 82. In this example, the recording head 5 is mounted on the carriage 6 in such a positional relationship that the ejection ports 82 are arranged in a direction intersecting the main scanning direction (moving direction) of the carriage 6. Thus, the corresponding electrothermal converter 85 is driven (energized) based on the image signal or the ejection signal to cause the ink in the liquid passage 84 to film-boil, and the ejection port 8 is caused by the pressure generated at that time.
Recording means (recording head) 5 for ejecting ink from 2 is configured.

In FIG. 1, signals (image signals and the like) from a control unit (not shown) of the apparatus main body to the recording head 5 are transmitted through a flexible cable 9.
The flexible cable 9 is electrically connected to the signal receiving portion (contact surface) provided on the recording head 5 and the contact surface (contact surface) provided on the flexible cable 9 with a predetermined contact pressure. ing. FIG. 3 shows the flexible cable 9 and the recording head 5 on the carriage 6.
It is a typical exploded perspective view showing one example of a contact structure with. In FIG. 3, a vertical wall-shaped contact portion 11 is integrally formed on the carriage 6, and the contact portion 11 supports the contact pressure between the recording head 5 and the flexible cable 9. The recording head 5 is replaceably positioned and mounted at a position spaced a certain distance from the contact portion 11 to the right side in the drawing.

In FIG. 3, a rubber pad 38 as an elastic member is positioned and fixed along the vertical surface 12 of the contact portion 11 of the carriage 6, and then the connecting portion (tip portion) of the flexible cable 9 is attached to the flexible portion of the carriage 6. The contact surface (contact surface) 15 is drawn out from the crawling hole 14 and positioned on the carriage. The positioning and fixing of the rubber pad 38 is performed by fitting the reference hole 39 of the rubber pad into the reference shaft 17 of the contact portion 11,
The contact surface 15 of the flexible cable 9 is positioned by using the reference hole 18 of the contact surface and the reference shaft 19 of the contact portion 11.
It is carried out by fitting into. The flexible cable 9 thus positioned is fixed to the carriage 6 by using the flexible presser upper part 20 and the flexible presser lower part 21. The recording head 5 is removably positioned and fixed to the carriage 6 with its signal receiving portion (not shown) in pressure contact with the rubber pad 38.

FIG. 4 is a partial perspective view showing the contact surface 15 of the flexible cable 9. The contact surface 15 is pressed against the signal receiving portion (contact surface) of the recording head 5 as in the case of FIG. A plurality of protrusions 22 are formed in a predetermined array. FIG. 5 shows the rubber pad (elastic member) 3
9 is a perspective view of FIG. In FIG. 5, on the surface of the rubber pad 38 on the flexible cable 9 side, the same arrangement as that of each of the protrusions 22 of the contact surface 15 of the flexible cable is formed (at a position corresponding to each protrusion 22), and a plurality of protrusions are formed. Part 40
Are formed. Each raised portion 40 has a columnar shape having substantially the same cross section along the height direction, and in the illustrated example, has a columnar shape.

FIG. 6 is a partial cross-sectional view showing the positional relationship between each raised portion 40 and each protrusion 22. 4 to 6, the tip end surface 40a of each of the raised portions 40 is a flat surface parallel to the contact surface 15, and the width of the tip end surface 40a corresponds to each protrusion of the flexible cable 9. It is larger than the cross-sectional area of 22. That is, as shown in FIG. 6, the tip end surface 40 a of the raised portion 40 is set so as not to enter the recess (back surface recess) 41 on the back side of the protrusion 22 but to abut on the periphery thereof. And the tip surface 4
Even if the center of each protrusion 22 and the center of each raised portion are misaligned due to tolerances in assembly and manufacturing,
The value is selected so as to absorb this and contact the periphery of the cross section of the protrusion 22 as shown in FIG.

Here, the elastic member of this embodiment is shown in FIG.
Will be specifically described. The diameter D of the tip section of the raised portion 40 of this embodiment is 1 mm, and the recess 4 on the back side of the protrusion 22 is 4 mm.
Reference numeral 1 is a circle, and the maximum area of the cross-section has a diameter d of 0.65 mm, a ridge 40 has a length A of 1 mm, and the height a of the protrusion 22 including the thickness of the flexible cable 9 is 0.2.
It was set to 2 mm. The cross-sectional area S of the tip portion is preferably set to be twice the maximum area s of the recess 41 on the back side of the protrusion 22 in consideration of absorbing the tolerance. By setting in this way, an appropriate contact pressure can be secured even if there is a deviation between the center of each protrusion 22 and the center of each raised portion 40.

Further, it is preferable that the diameter d of the cross section having the maximum area of the recess 41 on the back side of the protrusion 22 is not more than 3 times the height a of the protrusion 22 including the thickness of the flexible cable 9. By designing the protrusion 22 in this way, it is possible to reduce the risk that the protrusion 22 will be crushed without being pressed by the raised portion 40 from the recess on the back side of the protrusion 22. The inventors of the present invention recorded 90 times by setting the diameter d of the cross-section having the maximum area of the recess 41 on the back side of the protrusion 22 to 0.5 mm and the height a of the protrusion 22 including the thickness of the flexible cable 9 to 0.22 mm. An attempt was made to make contact with the head, but the height of the protrusions 22 after the test showed an average reduction of 7 microns, and good results were obtained.

Next, FIG. 10 shows the relationship between the amount of deformation and the contact pressure of the elastic member 38 of this embodiment. The figure shows the measurement of three elastic members 38 having a rubber hardness of 50 degrees. Here, the rubber hardness in this specification is based on JIS spring type hardness test A type. Then, as a comparative example, FIG. 11 shows the results of the same measurement of an elastic member having a rubber hardness of 59 degrees and having a ridge with a conical tip. The rubber hardness is changed depending on the shape of the tip end portion in order to make the contact pressures at the maximum crushing amount of the elastic member substantially equal so that the difference in inclination can be easily understood. The maximum crush amount of the elastic member at this time is 0.67 ±
Although it is set to 0.141 mm, the allowable range is ±
Up to about 0.2 mm is suitable.

As can be seen from these figures, the inclination of the graph in the case of the conical elastic member is not a straight line as can be seen from Δ1 and Δ2 in FIG. The slope of the graph is a substantially straight line as indicated by Δ3 in FIG. That is, it can be said that an elastic member having a flat tip has linearity. Accordingly, the elastic member having a flat tip portion can set the relationship between the deformation amount and the contact pressure to some extent by changing the rubber hardness of the material. For example, the rubber hardness of an elastic member having a flat tip is 31
FIG. 12 shows the relationship between the deformation amount and the contact pressure when the degrees are 41 degrees and 50 degrees. It can be seen from FIG. 12 that the inclination changes in proportion to the rubber hardness. In other words, by changing the rubber hardness, it is possible to design an elastic member that obtains a desired contact pressure.

Although chloroprene rubber having a rubber hardness of 41 degrees is used in this embodiment, the rubber hardness is 20 degrees to 60 degrees in order to prevent buckling of the elastic member itself and damage to the projections 22.
It is preferable to set it in the range of degrees. Further, in the present embodiment, the tip portion having a flat shape is used, but a convex portion may be provided at the center of the tip portion so as not to contact the recess 41 on the back side of the protrusion 22. By providing such a convex portion, each raised portion 40 can be surely made to correspond to each protrusion 22 even when the number of contacts is large. Further, in the present embodiment, the shape of the tip surface 40a of the raised portion 40 and the protrusion 2
Although the shape of the opening end of each of the two recesses 41 is circular, these shapes may be other shapes such as an ellipse and a polygon as long as they are within the scope of the technical idea of the present invention.

According to the embodiment described above, the contact surface 15 of the flexible cable 9 for transmitting the image signal to the removable recording head 5 and the signal receiving portion 24 of the recording head 5 are electrically contacted with each other. In the contact structure,
A plurality of protrusions 22 are provided on the contact surface 15 and the contact surface 15
When a recording head 5 is mounted, a raised portion 40 having a tip surface 40a having a larger area than the cross section of the protrusion 22 is formed at a position corresponding to the protrusion 22 on the opposite surface of the rubber pad 38 disposed on the back side of the recording head 5. The tip end surface 40a of each raised portion 40 presses the periphery of the cross section of each protrusion 22, and the protrusion 22 is pushed by the elastic force due to the compressive deformation of the raised portion 40.
Since it is configured to be pressed into contact with, the following effects were obtained.

That is, firstly, even when the amount of deformation of the raised portion 40 of the elastic member (rubber pad) 38 becomes small due to the component tolerance, the pressure contact force between the projection 22 and the signal receiving portion 24 sharply decreases. However, it was possible to secure a contact pressure in a sufficient proper range, thereby improving the reliability of signal transmission. Secondly, since the tip end surface 40a of the raised portion 40 is formed of a sufficiently wide flat surface, the protrusion 22 of the flexible cable 9 and the raised portion 40 of the elastic member 38 are formed.
It becomes possible to absorb the position tolerance on the plane with the raised portion 40, so that it is possible to eliminate the change in contact pressure due to the stacking of these position tolerances, and to ensure stable signal transmission. Became. Thirdly, since the cross-sectional area of the raised portion 40 is sufficiently secured and the tip end surface 40a thereof is made flat, the possibility of buckling of the raised portion 40 is eliminated and the assemblability can be improved. .

In the above-described embodiments, the case where the present invention is applied to the ink jet recording apparatus has been described as an example, but the present invention is applicable to the wire dot recording apparatus, the laser beam recording apparatus, the thermal transfer recording apparatus, and the thermal type recording apparatus. The present invention can be applied to various recording devices, such as a recording device, regardless of the recording method of a recording unit (recording head), and further, a facsimile or a copying machine integrated with an image input unit (image reading unit), Alternatively, it can be similarly applied to a recording device used as an output device of a multifunction machine or a workstation including a computer or a word processor,
The same effect can be achieved. Further, in the above-described embodiment, the case of the serial type recording apparatus in which the recording means (recording head) moves (main scanning) along the recording material has been described, but the present invention is not limited to the recording width of the recording material. It can be similarly applied to the case of a line type recording device using a line type recording means corresponding to the whole or a part.
The same effect can be achieved.

Further, in the above embodiment, the case of the recording apparatus using one recording head has been described, but the present invention is
It is applied to various recording devices such as a recording device for color recording using a plurality of recording heads for recording in different colors, or a recording device for gradation recording using a plurality of recording heads for recording with the same color but different densities. It is possible to achieve the same effect. Further, as the recording head, in addition to a cartridge type with an integrated ink tank, a configuration in which the recording head and the ink tank are separated and connected by an ink supply tube, etc.
Whatever the configuration of the recording head and the ink tank is, the same can be applied and the same effect can be achieved.

When the present invention is applied to an ink jet recording apparatus, it can be applied, for example, to a recording means (recording head) using an electromechanical transducer such as a piezo element. The present invention brings excellent effects in an inkjet recording apparatus that uses a recording unit of a type that ejects ink using energy.
This is because such a system can achieve high density recording and high definition recording.

Regarding the typical structure and principle thereof, for example, US Pat. Nos. 4,723,129 and 4,740 are incorporated.
This is preferably done using the basic principles disclosed in 796. This method can be applied to both the so-called on-demand type and the continuous type, but particularly in the case of the on-demand type, a liquid (ink) is used.
By applying at least one drive signal to the electrothermal converter arranged corresponding to the sheet or liquid path in which is stored, which corresponds to the recorded information and causes a rapid temperature rise exceeding nucleate boiling. , Generates heat energy in the electrothermal converter to cause film boiling on the heat acting surface of the recording means (recording head), and as a result, bubbles can be formed in the liquid (ink) in a one-to-one correspondence with this drive signal. So effective.

Due to the growth and contraction of the bubbles, the liquid (ink) is ejected through the ejection openings to form at least one droplet. It is more preferable to make the driving signal into a pulse shape because bubbles can be grown and contracted immediately and appropriately, and thus a liquid (ink) with excellent responsiveness can be ejected. As this pulse-shaped drive signal, US Pat.
Those described in US Pat. Nos. 4,633,359 and 4,345,262 are suitable. Incidentally, US Pat. No. 43131 of the invention relating to the rate of temperature rise of the heat acting surface.
If the conditions described in the specification of No. 24 are adopted, more excellent recording can be performed.

As the constitution of the recording head, in addition to the combination constitution of the ejection port, the liquid passage, and the electrothermal converter (the linear liquid passage or the right-angled liquid passage) as disclosed in the above-mentioned specifications, US Pat. No. 4,558,333, US Pat. No. 4,558,333, which discloses a configuration in which a heat acting portion is arranged in a bending region.
A configuration using the specification of No. 459600 is also included in the present invention. In addition, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 123670/1984 discloses a configuration in which a common slit is used as a discharge portion of the electrothermal converter for a plurality of electrothermal converters, and an opening for absorbing a pressure wave of thermal energy. The present invention is also effective as a structure based on Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 138461/1984, which discloses a structure in which the above is associated with the discharge portion. That is, according to the present invention, recording can be reliably and efficiently performed regardless of the form of the recording head.

Further, the present invention can be effectively applied to a full line type recording head having a length corresponding to the maximum width of a recording material (recording medium) which can be recorded by the recording apparatus. Such a recording head may have a configuration that satisfies the length by a combination of a plurality of recording heads or a configuration as one recording head integrally formed. In addition, even with the serial type as in the above example, it is possible to electrically connect to the device body or supply ink from the device body by mounting it on the recording head fixed to the device body or the device body. The present invention is also effective when a replaceable chip type recording head or a cartridge type recording head in which an ink tank is integrally provided in the recording head itself is used.

Further, it is preferable to add recovery means or preliminary auxiliary means to the recording head provided as a constitution of the recording apparatus in the present invention because the effect of the present invention can be further stabilized. Specific examples thereof include capping means, cleaning means, pressurizing or suctioning means, electrothermal converters or heating elements other than these, or preheating means for the recording head. It is also effective to perform stable recording by performing a preliminary discharge mode in which discharge different from recording is performed.

Regarding the type and number of recording heads to be mounted, for example, only one is provided corresponding to a single color ink, or a plurality of inks having different recording colors and densities are supported. And a plurality of them may be provided. That is, for example, the recording mode of the recording apparatus is not limited to a recording mode only for mainstream colors such as black,
The recording head may be integrally formed or a combination of a plurality of recording heads may be used, but the present invention is also extremely effective for an apparatus provided with at least one of a mixed color of different colors or a full color of mixed colors.

In addition, in the above-described embodiments of the present invention, the ink is described as a liquid, but it is an ink that solidifies at room temperature or lower and softens or liquefies at room temperature, or an ink jet. In the method, the temperature of the ink itself is generally adjusted within a range of 30 ° C. or higher and 70 ° C. or lower to control the temperature of the ink so that the viscosity of the ink is within a stable ejection range. It may be in a liquid form. in addition,
Whether the temperature rise due to thermal energy is positively used as the energy for changing the state of the ink from the solid state to the liquid state, or the ink that solidifies when left standing for the purpose of preventing evaporation of the ink is used. In any case, the ink is liquefied by applying the thermal energy according to the recording signal and the liquid ink is ejected,
The present invention is also applicable to the case of using an ink that has a property of being liquefied only by thermal energy, such as one that has already started to solidify when it reaches the recording medium.

The ink in such a case is disclosed in JP-A-54-54.
As described in JP-A-56847 or JP-A-60-71260, a form in which the electrothermal converter is opposed to a liquid sheet or a solid material held in the recesses or through holes of the porous sheet. May be In the present invention, the most effective one for each of the above-mentioned inks is to execute the above-mentioned film boiling method.

In addition, as the form of the ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention, in addition to the one used as an image output terminal of information processing equipment such as a computer, a copying apparatus combined with a reader or the like, and a facsimile apparatus having a transmitting / receiving function. And the like may be used.

[0039]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the invention of claim 1, the contact structure of the flexible cable for transmitting the signal from the control section and the signal receiving section for receiving the signal from the flexible cable is provided. Then, a plurality of protrusions are provided on the contact surface of the flexible cable, and an elastic member having a plurality of raised portions formed at positions corresponding to the respective protrusions of the flexible cable is attached, and the protrusion of the cross section of the raised portion is corresponding. Since the projections are pressed against the signal receiving part by the force due to the elastic deformation of each ridge, the deformation amount of the elastic member is small due to the component tolerance. Even if it becomes insufficient, a sufficient contact pressure can be secured, and the position tolerance on the plane between the protrusion of the flexible cable and the protrusion of the elastic member is absorbed by the protrusion. With, it is possible to eliminate the change in the contact pressure due to the stacking of the positional tolerances of the two, eliminate the possibility of buckling of the ridge of the elastic member, and improve the assemblability, thus improving the reliability of signal transmission. And, a contact structure between the flexible cable and the signal receiving part, which can improve the stability, is provided.

According to the invention of claims 2 to 12, in addition to the above configuration, the control section is a control section of a recording apparatus, and the signal receiving section is provided in a detachable recording means. The elastic member is made of rubber, the cross-sectional area S of the tip of the raised portion is at least twice the maximum area s of the recess on the back side of the protrusion, and the maximum area is the recess on the back side of the protrusion. The diameter d of the cross section is not more than 3 times the height a of the protrusion including the thickness of the flexible cable, the protrusion has a minute convex portion at the center of the protrusion, or the position corresponding to each protrusion. Since an elastic member having a plurality of columnar ridges formed in is mounted, and the ridges are configured to contact the periphery of the recess on the back side of the corresponding protrusion,
Provided is a contact structure between a flexible cable and a signal receiving portion that can achieve the above effect more efficiently.

According to the thirteenth aspect of the present invention, in the recording apparatus for transmitting a signal from the control section to the recording means via the flexible cable to record on the recording material, the contact surface of the flexible cable and the signal receiving section of the recording means. And elastically contact with an elastic member mounted on the opposite side of the contact surface, a plurality of protrusions are provided on the contact surface of the flexible cable, and the elastic member has a plurality of protrusions corresponding to the respective protrusions of the flexible cable. A ridge, and the cross section of the ridge is larger than the cross section of the corresponding protrusion, and the tip contact surface of each ridge is flattened, and each protrusion is pressed against the signal receiving portion by the force of elastic deformation of each ridge. With this configuration, it is possible to secure sufficient contact pressure even when the amount of deformation of the elastic member becomes small due to component tolerance, and the flexible cable protrusion By absorbing the position tolerance of the elastic member on the plane with the ridge, the change in the contact pressure due to the stacking of the position tolerance of the two can be eliminated, and the ridge of the elastic member may buckle. It is possible to eliminate the problem and improve the assemblability, and thus to provide the recording apparatus which can improve the reliability and stability of the signal transmission to the recording means.

According to the inventions of claims 14 to 19,
In addition to the above configuration, the recording unit is an inkjet recording unit, and the recording unit is an inkjet recording unit including an electrothermal converter that generates thermal energy used for ejecting ink. A structure in which the recording unit discharges the ink from a discharge port by utilizing film boiling generated in the ink by the thermal energy generated by the electrothermal converter; a structure in which the elastic member is formed of rubber; The cross-sectional area S of the tip of the projection is at least twice the maximum area s of the recess on the back side of the protrusion, or the diameter d of the cross section having the maximum area of the recess on the back side of the protrusion is the thickness of the flexible cable. Height of protrusion including a
Since it is configured to be 3 times or less of the above, a recording apparatus that can achieve the above effect more efficiently is provided.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing a configuration of an embodiment of a recording apparatus to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a partial perspective view schematically showing the structure of an ink ejection portion of the recording means in FIG.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view schematically showing a contact structure between a flexible cable and a recording head to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 4 is a partial perspective view showing a contact surface of the flexible cable in FIG.

5 is a perspective view of an elastic member in FIG.

6 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a state where the elastic member of FIG. 5 contacts the back surface of the contact surface of FIG.

7 is a perspective view showing how the recording head is attached to and detached from the recording apparatus of FIG.

8 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a state in which an elastic member having a conical tip portion contacts the back surface of the contact surface of FIG.

9 is a partial cross-sectional view illustrating a state in which the raised portion is hooked inside the back side of the protrusion in FIG. 8. FIG.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the relationship between the deformation amount of the elastic member of the present invention and the contact pressure.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a relationship between a deformation amount and a contact pressure of a conventional elastic member.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a relationship between a deformation amount and a contact pressure due to a difference in hardness of elastic members.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Recording Material 5 Recording Means (Recording Head) 6 Carriage 9 Flexible Cable 11 Contact Part 14 Opening 15 Contact Surface (Contact Point of Flexible Cable) 17 Reference Axis 18 Reference Hole 19 Reference Axis 22 Protrusion (Contact Surface) 24 Signal Receiving Section (Contact surface of recording means) 32 Conveying roller 36 Chassis (recording apparatus main body) 38 Elastic member 39 Reference hole 40 Raised portion 40a Tip surface (flat surface) 41 Indentation on back side of protrusion 81 Discharge port forming surface 82 Discharge port 85 Electric heat Converter

Claims (19)

[Claims] 1. A contact structure of a flexible cable for transmitting a signal from a control unit and a signal receiving unit for receiving a signal from the flexible cable, wherein the flexible cable has a plurality of protrusions on a contact surface thereof. An elastic member having a plurality of raised portions formed at positions corresponding to the respective protrusions of the cable is mounted, the cross-section of the raised portions is made larger than the cross-section of the corresponding protrusions, and the tip surface of each raised portion is flattened. A contact structure between a flexible cable and a signal receiving portion, wherein each protrusion is pressed against the signal receiving portion by a force due to elastic deformation of a raised portion. 2. The contact structure between a flexible cable and a signal receiving unit according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is a control unit of a recording device, and the signal receiving unit is provided in a detachable recording unit. 3. The contact structure between a flexible cable and a signal receiving part according to claim 1, wherein the elastic member is made of rubber. 4. The contact between the flexible cable and the signal receiving portion according to claim 1, wherein the cross-sectional area S of the tip of the raised portion is at least twice the maximum area s of the recess on the back side of the protrusion. Construction. 5. The flexible cable according to claim 1, wherein the diameter d of the cross-section having the maximum area at the recess on the back side of the protrusion is 3 times or less than the height a of the protrusion including the thickness of the flexible cable. And contact structure of the signal receiving part. 6. The contact structure between a flexible cable and a signal receiving portion according to claim 1, wherein a minute convex portion is provided at the center of the tip of the raised portion. 7. A contact structure of a flexible cable for transmitting a signal from a control unit and a signal receiving unit for receiving a signal from the flexible cable, wherein the flexible cable has a plurality of protrusions on its contact surface. An elastic member having a plurality of columnar ridges formed at positions corresponding to the respective protrusions of the cable is mounted, the ridges contact the periphery of the depression on the back side of the corresponding protrusion, and the force due to the elastic deformation of each ridge is attached. A contact structure between a flexible cable and a signal receiving part, wherein each protrusion is pressed against the signal receiving part. 8. The contact structure between a flexible cable and a signal receiving unit according to claim 7, wherein the control unit is a control unit of a recording device, and the signal receiving unit is provided in a detachable recording unit. 9. The contact structure between a flexible cable and a signal receiving unit according to claim 7, wherein the elastic member is formed of rubber. 10. The contact between the flexible cable and the signal receiving portion according to claim 7, wherein the cross-sectional area S of the tip of the raised portion is at least twice the maximum area s of the recess on the back side of the protrusion. Construction. 11. The flexible cable according to claim 7, wherein the diameter d of the cross-section having the maximum area in the depression on the back side of the protrusion is 3 times or less than the height a of the protrusion including the thickness of the flexible cable. And contact structure of the signal receiving part. 12. The contact structure between a flexible cable and a signal receiving portion according to claim 7, wherein a minute convex portion is provided at the center of the tip of the raised portion. 13. A recording device for transmitting a signal from a control unit to a recording unit via a flexible cable to record on a recording material, wherein a contact surface of the flexible cable and a signal receiving unit of the recording unit are opposite to the contact surface. Elastic contact is provided by an elastic member mounted on the side, a plurality of protrusions are provided on the contact surface of the flexible cable, and a plurality of raised portions corresponding to the protrusions of the flexible cable are formed on the elastic member, and Recording wherein the cross section of the ridge is made larger than the cross section of the corresponding projection, the tip contact surface of each ridge is flattened, and each projection is pressed against the signal receiving portion by the force of elastic deformation of each ridge. apparatus. 14. The recording apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the recording unit is an inkjet recording unit. 15. The recording apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the recording unit is an inkjet recording unit including an electrothermal converter that generates thermal energy used for ejecting ink. 16. The recording apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the recording unit ejects the ink from the ejection port by utilizing film boiling generated in the ink by the thermal energy generated by the electrothermal converter. 17. The recording apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the elastic member is made of rubber. 18. The recording apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the cross-sectional area S of the tip portion of the raised portion is at least twice the maximum area s of the recess on the back side of the protrusion. 19. The recording apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the diameter d of the cross-section having the maximum area in the recess on the back side of the protrusion is 3 times or less than the height a of the protrusion including the thickness of the flexible cable. .