Canon Kabushiki Kaisha

Koichi Kitakami

Naoto Sasagawa

Akio Saito

Tatsuo Furuta

Yoshimasa Araki

Ryota Kashu

Tamon Itaya

Yasuyuki Tamura

Kaoru Miura

Tsuyoshi Arai

Tohru Ishibashi

Toshiharu Sumiya

Yutaka Mita

A liquid discharge apparatus includes: a container divided into a first chamber and a second chamber by a dividing member, the first chamber including a discharge outlet that discharges a liquid and configured to contain the liquid, the second chamber configured to contain a fluid; a tank configured to store the fluid; a connecting portion that provides fluid communication between the tank and the second chamber; a measurement unit configured to measure an amount of the fluid supplied from the tank to the second chamber; and a controller configured to obtain an amount of the liquid contained in the first chamber based on a measurement result from the measurement unit.

Liquid discharge apparatus, imprint apparatus, and article manufacturing method

A liquid discharge apparatus comprises a head having a discharge port surface on which a discharge port is provided for discharging a liquid, and a liquid moving unit arranged apart from the discharge port surface and configured to be movable along the discharge port surface, wherein, the liquid moving unit moves a liquid on the discharge port surface to a collection position in which the discharge port is not provided, with a moving of the liquid moving unit.

Liquid discharge apparatus and method for controlling the same

A method of driving a liquid ejection head includes preparing a liquid ejection head including first and second flow paths, and a piezoelectric element, a first step of applying a first voltage, which expands the second flow path, to the piezoelectric element while a meniscus of a liquid recessed from an orifice toward the second flow path is formed in a first flow path to move the meniscus to the second flow path, a second step of applying a second voltage, which contracts the second flow path, to the piezoelectric element while the meniscus that moves toward the first flow path is positioned in the second flow path to move the liquid to the first flow path, and a third step of applying a third voltage, which expands the second flow path, to the piezoelectric element to eject the liquid from the orifice after the liquid projects from the orifice.

Method of driving liquid ejection head and liquid ejection apparatus

A liquid ejection head includes a plurality of ejection orifices, liquid chambers, piezoelectric actuators, and driving units, and a control unit. Each ejection orifice ejects liquid, each liquid chamber communicates individually with an ejection orifice, each piezoelectric actuator is disposed individually for a liquid chamber and generates energy to eject liquid, and each driving unit individually drives a piezoelectric actuator. The control unit controls each driving unit to output a first voltage pulse to eject liquid or a second voltage pulse to vibrate a meniscus of liquid in a state in which the meniscus is held in a liquid chamber. The control unit selects ejection orifices used to eject liquid and controls to output the first voltage pulse to them, and selects ejection orifices not used to eject liquid and controls to output the second voltage pulse to them to perform respective concurrent recording and recovery operations.

Liquid ejection head and method of driving the same

A printing device employing a rewritable plate, includes: a first plate forming member forming a rewritable plate; a latent image forming unit as to the first plate forming member; a protrusion forming unit selectively adhering an ink-repellent particle to a portion where a latent image on the surface of the first plate forming member is formed; a second plate forming member accepting and holding the ink-repellent particle adhered onto the surface of the first plate forming member using a hollow included in the surface; a pressure adhesion unit configured to push the ink-repellent particle adhered into the hollow; and a recording material supply unit supplying a recording material to the surface of the second plate forming member; with the surface of the ink-repellent particle having a property of repelling the recording material, and also the surfaces of the plate forming members having a property not to repel the recording material.

Printing device and printing method

A continuous type liquid ejection head includes an ejection opening plate formed with ejection openings, from which a pressurized liquid is ejected, and a deforming unit. The ejection opening plate is made of an elastic plate containing a rubber material, at least at portions that are formed with the ejection openings. The deforming unit is arranged adjacent to the ejection opening plate and is configured to deform the elastic plate so that areas of the ejection openings are periodically changed.

Continuous type liquid ejection head and liquid ejection device

A driving method of a liquid discharge head including discharge ports, flow paths communicated with the discharge ports, a first actuator provided on the flow paths, a second actuator provided at a position further from the discharge port than the first actuator of the flow paths, and a common liquid chamber communicated with the flow paths, includes: contracting the flow path and expanding the flow path by the first actuator to discharge liquid from the discharge port; starting contraction of the flow path the second actuator when or before flow of liquid from the common liquid chamber to the discharge port in the vicinity of the second actuator, disappears to allow a meniscus of liquid, located at an inner position of the flow path, to project from the discharge port; and starting expansion of the flow path by the second actuator while the meniscus projects from the discharge port.

Driving method of liquid discharge head and liquid discharge apparatus

The present invention provides a liquid ejection method and a liquid ejection apparatus which enables small droplets each of diameter at most 10 &#x3bc;m to be stably ejected and which allows a sufficient number of droplets to be ejected per unit time. A heater is allowed to generate heat to eject a main droplet and a liquid column from an ejection port; the liquid column is to be separated into a plurality of sub-droplets. A relationship (L/L)&#x2267;0.9 is set for the length Lof the liquid column observed immediately after the liquid column has been separated from the main droplet and from a liquid in the ejection port and the length Lof the liquid column observed immediately before the liquid column is separated into the plurality of droplets.

Liquid ejection method and liquid ejection apparatus

A liquid discharge head include a discharge port for discharging liquid; a liquid chamber communicating to the discharge port; a piezoelectric element including one electrode layer, another electrode layer, and a piezoelectric film sandwiched between the one electrode layer and the other electrode layer independently arranged in correspondence to the liquid chamber, and including a piezoelectric drive portion at where the piezoelectric film deforms and displaces in correspondence to the liquid chamber; and a vibration plate interposed between the piezoelectric element and the liquid chamber, wherein a bending rigidity of both ends in an arranging direction of the one electrode layer of a portion corresponding to the piezoelectric drive portion of the vibration plate is greater than the bending rigidity of a region between both ends.

Liquid discharge head and recording device

A liquid discharging head is appropriately driven to effectively prevent a satellite from being generated irrespective of conditions such as a property of a discharge liquid or a head structure. The liquid discharging head is driven using volume variation in a manner that a liquid extending in a column shape at the time of separating a liquid droplet (main droplet) is gradually thickened from the separation portion to a discharge port, and that the liquid protrudes from the discharge port during a period where the length of the liquid extending in the column shape is shortened after the droplet is separated. Accordingly, it is possible to effectively prevent a liquid column from further being separated after the main droplet is separated, and to restrict the satellite from being generated, irrespective of conditions such as the property of the discharge liquid or the head structure.

Liquid discharging method and liquid discharging apparatus

An ink jet recording head includes a plurality of ejection outlets for ejecting liquid; individual liquid chambers communicating with the plurality of ejection outlets; ejection energy generating elements, provided correspondingly to associated ones of the individual liquid chambers, for generating energy for ejecting the liquid; a common liquid chamber for supplying the liquid to the plurality of individual liquid chambers; and communicating paths constituting flow paths for communicating associated ones of the individual liquid chambers and the common liquid chamber with each other. At least adjacent ones of the flow paths have communicating positions, at different portions as seen in a direction perpendicular to a direction of ejection of the liquid through the ejection outlets, with said common liquid chamber.

Liquid ejection head and recording apparatus

A liquid discharge head includes a discharge port for discharging liquid; a liquid chamber communicating with the discharge port; a piezoelectric element including one electrode layer, another electrode layer, and a piezoelectric film sandwiched between the one electrode layer and the other electrode layer independently arranged in correspondence with the liquid chamber, and including a piezoelectric drive portion where the piezoelectric film deforms and displaces in correspondence with the liquid chamber; and a vibration plate interposed between the piezoelectric element and the liquid chamber. A bending rigidity of both ends in an arranging direction of the one electrode layer of a portion corresponding to the piezoelectric drive portion of the vibration plate is greater than the bending rigidity of a region between both ends.

A liquid ejecting method can eject liquid from a liquid ejecting head, the liquid ejecting head including a liquid chamber for storing liquid to be ejected, an ejection outlet in fluid communication with the liquid chamber, a liquid chamber volume controller for changing a volume of the liquid chamber, and an outer surface through which the ejection outlet is open. The method includes, in each ejection period in which the liquid is ejected through the ejection outlet, a first expansion step of expanding a volume of the liquid chamber; a first contraction step of reducing the volume of the liquid chamber after the first expansion step; a second expansion step of expanding, after start of the contraction step, the volume of the liquid chamber before a leading end of a column of the liquid projects outside beyond the outer surface.

Liquid ejecting method and apparatus therefor

An ink jet recording apparatus includes a recording head having one nozzle array or a plurality of nozzle arrays. Each nozzle array includes a plurality of nozzles. These nozzles include at least one end nozzle at at least one end of the nozzle array or arrays and ink nozzles other than the at least one end nozzle. The end nozzle discharges a windshield liquid and the ink nozzles discharge ink. The end nozzle prevents the displacement on a recording medium of ink droplets discharged from the outermost ink nozzle among the ink nozzles, thus forming a high-quality image without partial unevenness in recording density.

Ink jet recording method and apparatus

A liquid ejection method wherein a bubble is created in the liquid on a heat generating member provided on a substrate by thermal energy generated by the heat generating member, by which a droplet of the liquid is ejected, the method comprising the steps of contacting to the substrate such a portion of gas-liquid interface between the bubble and the liquid as is not contacted to the substrate by deformation of the bubble: and causing the bubble to be in fluid communication with ambiance simultaneously with or after the contact between the portion and the substrate.

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Chigasaki, Japan

Koichi Kitakami