Matsushita Electric Works, Ltd.

Panasonic Electric Works Co., Ltd.

Harunori Kitahara

Youji Urano

Tsukasa Hojo

Jyuzaemon Iwasaki

Masanobu Yamasaki

Yasunori Ueda

Atsuhiro Saito

Hideki Tanaka

Toshiyuki Tsushio

Hirokazu Kato

Koutarou Yanagi

A piezoelectric-driven diaphragm pump is comprised of a driving unit () having a driving diaphragm () and a first housing (), a replaceable driven unit () having a driven film () and a second housing (), and a fixing unit () for fixing the driven unit () to the driving unit (). A vibration transmitting face () of the driving diaphragm () from which displacement of the driving diaphragm () is transmitted to the driven film () and a vibration transmitted face () of the driven film () to which the displacement of the driving diaphragm is transmitted are not parallel to a reference plane () of the first housing () which faces the second housing (), and the vibration transmitting face () of the driving diaphragm () contacts with entire of the vibration transmitted face () of the driven film (). Thereby, the displacement of the driving diaphragm () is efficiently transmitted to the driven film (), so that a capacity of a pump room () can be varied largely.

Piezoelectric-driven diaphragm pump

In a liquid discharge control apparatus which uses a piezoelectric type diaphragm pump, an accumulator having a liquid accumulation cavity and a movable member is communicated to an outlet of the diaphragm pump. In discharge operation of the diaphragm pump, a quantity of the liquid in the liquid accumulation cavity is rapidly increased, and the movable member is elastically deformed so as to increase of the volume of the liquid accumulation cavity. Alternatively, in suction operation, when a back stream of the liquid occurs, the quantity of the liquid in a path communicated to the outlet of the diaphragm pump is decreased due to the back stream. The decrease of the liquid can be compensated by the decrease of the volume of the liquid accumulation cavity of the accumulator. Thereby, variation of the quantity of the liquid discharged from the outlet of the accumulator is reduced and the liquid can be discharged, smoothly.

Liquid discharge control apparatus including a pump and accumulator with a movable member

A hair removing device with a lotion applicator includes a housing, a hair removing head mounted to the housing and adapted to be held against a user's skin for hair depilation or hair epilation, an applicator which dispenses a lotion on the user's skin, a tank holding the lotion and a lotion supply mechanism for supplying the lotion from the tank to the applicator. The lotion supply mechanism includes a regulating device, which regulates an amount of the lotion being dispensed from the applicator. The lotion supply mechanism includes a powered pump for expelling the lotion from the tank to the applicator. The regulating device includes a handle for varying pump capacity of the powered pump. The applicator is incorporated into a head frame forming a part of the hair removing head with the head frame being detachable from the housing.

Hair removing device with a lotion applicator

An electroactive polymer actuator, which has the capability of improving response speed and operation reliability of a device utilizing an electroactive effect, comprises a laminate formed by alternately placing a plurality of ring members of an electroactive polymer material having different diameters and a plurality of ring electrodes having different diameters such that each of the ring members is positioned between inner and outer peripheral surfaces of adjacent ring electrodes, and a voltage applying unit for applying a voltage(s) between odd-numbered ring electrodes and even-numbered ring electrodes in the case of counting the ring electrodes in order from an innermost ring electrode of the laminate, to thereby cause a deformation in the laminate. This actuator is preferably used as a diaphragm drive unit of a diaphragm pump.

Electroactive polymer actuator and diaphragm pump using the same

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Hirakata, Japan

Harunori Kitahara