Actuator device, liquid ejection apparatus, and connection structure

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10069058-B2
Application number	US-201715472056-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 28, 2017
Priority date	Sep 28, 2016
Publication date	Sep 4, 2018
Grant date	Sep 4, 2018

Abstract

An actuator device includes: an actuator including a first contact; and a wire member including a second contact connected to the first contact with a conductive adhesive including a conductive particle. One of the first contact and the second contact is a particular contact. The other of the first contact and the second contact is a specific contact. At least two protrusions and at least one recess are formed on and in the particular contact. The at least two protrusions are arranged in a first direction. The at least one recess is interposed between the at least two protrusions. The particular contact is joined to the specific contact with the conductive adhesive provided in the at least one recess, in a state in which each of the at least two protrusions is in contact with the specific contact.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An actuator device, comprising:
an actuator comprising at least one first contact; and
a wire member comprising at least one second contact respectively connected to the at least one first contact with a conductive adhesive comprising a conductive particle,
wherein one of (i) each of the at least one first contact and (ii) each of the at least one second contact is each of at least one particular contact, and another of (i) each of the at least one first contact and (ii) each of the at least one second contact is each of at least one specific contact,
wherein at least two protrusions and at least one recess are formed on and in the at least one particular contact, the at least two protrusions being arranged in a first direction parallel with a placement surface of each of the at least one particular contact, the at least one recess being interposed between the at least two protrusions, and
wherein the at least one particular contact is respectively joined to the at least one specific contact with a conductive adhesive provided in the at least one recess, in a state in which each of the at least two protrusions is in contact with a corresponding one of the at least one specific contact.

2. The actuator device according to claim 1 , wherein where n is the number of conductive particles contained in the conductive adhesive per area A, and A 1 is an area of each of the at least one recess, A 1 is greater than or equal to A/n.

3. The actuator device according to claim 1 , wherein each of the at least two protrusions is in contact with a corresponding one of the at least one specific contact.

4. The actuator device according to claim 3 , wherein a width of each of the at least one specific contact in the first direction is greater than a width of each of the at least one particular contact in the first direction.

5. The actuator device according to claim 4 , wherein the width of each of the at least one specific contact in the first direction is greater than or equal to twice the width of each of the at least one particular contact in the first direction.

6. The actuator device according to claim 1 , wherein a width of each of the at least one recess in the first direction is greater than or equal to a diameter of the conductive particle.

7. The actuator device according to claim 6 , wherein the width of each of the at least one recess in the first direction is greater than or equal to twice the diameter of the conductive particle.

8. The actuator device according to claim 6 , wherein the width of each of the at least one recess in the first direction is less than or equal to ten times the diameter of the conductive particle.

9. The actuator device according to claim 8 , wherein a width of each of the at least one particular contact in the first direction is less than or equal to ten times the diameter of the conductive particle.

10. The actuator device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the at least one first contact comprises a plurality of first contacts arranged in the first direction, and
wherein a length of each of the at least one recess in a second direction parallel with the placement surface and orthogonal to the first direction is greater than that of each of the at least one recess in the first direction.

11. The actuator device according to claim 10 , wherein only one of the at least one recess is disposed in the first direction.

12. The actuator device according to claim 1 , wherein a depth of each of the at least one recess is less than a diameter of the conductive particle.

13. The actuator device according to claim 12 , wherein the depth of each of the at least one recess is less than or equal to three fifths of the diameter of the conductive particle.

14. The actuator device according to claim 12 , wherein the depth of each of the at least one recess is greater than or equal to one fifth of the diameter of the conductive particle.

15. The actuator device according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one particular contact is the at least one first contact.

16. The actuator device according to claim 15 ,
wherein the actuator comprises at least one wire configured to respectively conduct with the at least one first contact,
wherein each of the at least one wire comprises two electrically conductive portions spaced apart from each other in the first direction,
wherein each of the at least one first contact is disposed so as to cover (a) the two electrically conductive portions of a corresponding one of the at least one wire and (b) a region located between the two electrically conductive portions in the first direction,
wherein portions of each of the at least one first contact which cover the two electrically conductive portions respectively constitute the at least two protrusions, and
wherein a portion of each of the at least one first contact which is located between the two electrically conductive portions constitutes a corresponding one of the at least one recess.

17. The actuator device according to claim 16 ,
wherein the two electrically conductive portions of each of the at least one wire are covered with an insulating layer,
wherein each of the at least one first contact overlaps the two electrically conductive portions, with the insulating layer interposed between each of the at least one first contact and the two electrically conductive portions, and
wherein at least one conducting portion extends through the insulating layer, and the at least one conducting portion is configured to enable conduction between each of the at least one first contact and the two electrically conductive portions.

18. The actuator device according to claim 15 ,
wherein the actuator comprises: a vibration layer; at least one piezoelectric element disposed on the vibration layer; and the at least one first contact respectively drawn from the at least one piezoelectric element,
wherein the vibration layer comprises a recessed layer portion,
wherein each of the at least one first contact is disposed so as to cover the recessed layer portion, and
wherein a portion of each of the at least one first contact which portion overlaps the recessed layer portion constitutes a corresponding one of the at least one recess.

19. The actuator device according to claim 1 , wherein a surface roughness of a surface of each of the at least one particular contact which surface is connected to a corresponding one of the at least one specific contact is less than one time a diameter of the conductive particle.

20. The actuator device according to claim 1 , wherein a surface roughness of a surface of each of the at least one particular contact which surface is connected to a corresponding one of the at least one specific contact is greater than or equal to one fifth of a diameter of the conductive particle.

Assignees

• Brother Ind Ltd

Inventors

• Kakiuchi Toru

Classifications

• B41J2002/14491

  Electrical connection · CPC title

• B41J2/1753

  Details of contacts on the cartridge, e.g. protection of contacts · CPC title

• B41J2/045 Primary

  by pressure, e.g. electromechanical transducers · CPC title

• H05K2203/0278

  Flat pressure, e.g. for connecting terminals with anisotropic conductive adhesive · CPC title

• B41J2/14233

  of film type, deformed by bending and disposed on a diaphragm · CPC title