Brother Kogyo Kabushiki-kaisha

Kyocera Corporation

Manabu Hibi

Koji Ito

Shin Ishikura

Kenichi Satake

Atsuo Sakaida

Naoto Iwao

Ayumu Matsumoto

Atsushi Hirota

Shigeki Kato

Masahito Kato

Yoshiharu Furuhata

Naokatsu Osawa

Hikaru Nakamoto

Hidekazu Nogami

A recording apparatus of the present invention includes: a droplet ejection head including an inflow passage, a common fluid passage, and a plurality of individual fluid passages each extending to an ejection opening; a supply mechanism capable of forcedly supplying a fluid to the inflow passage; a wiper made of an elastic material; and a moving mechanism which moves the wiper. The fluid forcedly supplied to the inflow passage and discharged from each ejection opening does not drop from the ejection face, and at least a predetermined amount of the fluid discharged from each ejection opening is retained on the ejection face when the wiper traverses the relevant ejection opening.

Recording apparatus

A liquid ejection head, wherein recessed portions are formed in an ejection face such that, where, in the one direction, a distance Dis a distance between (i) a one-side portion of an opening end of one recessed portion and (ii) an other-side portion of an opening end of another recessed portion adjacent to the one recessed portion on one side thereof and where a distance Dis a distance between (i) an other-side portion of the opening end of the one recessed portion and (ii) a one-side portion of an opening end of another recessed portion adjacent to the one recessed portion on the other side thereof, a large-and-small relationship of an average value of the distances D, Dof a second recessed portion with respect to that of a first recessed portion is the same as a large-and-small relationship of a cross-sectional area of the first recessed portion with respect to that of the second recessed portion.

Liquid ejection head and method of manufacturing the same

Flushing data include pixels that are flushing dot candidates in a virtual area where a plurality of pixels are arranged in a matrix. One or less pixel is arranged in a plurality of rows of pixels arranged in lines extending in the main scan direction and the direction of conveyance of a sheet and third and fourth directions that are orthogonal to each other and that cross each other at an angle of 45&#xb0;. A head control section controls an inkjet head such that image dots and flushing dots corresponding to flushing dot candidates that pertain to flushing data and that are situated at locations where no image dots are generated, are produced on a sheet.

Recording apparatus, method of controlling recording apparatus and computer readable recording medium

A recording apparatus including: a head having an ejection surface; and a recording-medium conveyor device having a conveyor member with a conveyor surface, wherein the apparatus further includes a first and a second attraction device each for permitting the medium on the conveyor surface to be attracted thereto. The first device includes: a first and a second electrode each being opposed to one surface of the medium opposite to another surface thereof facing the ejection surface; and a first voltage applicator to apply a voltage between the first and second electrodes. The second device includes: an electrifying body and a third electrode between which at least one of the medium and the conveyor member is sandwiched; and a second voltage applicator to apply a voltage between the electrifying body and the third electrode. The second device is for electrifying the at least one of the medium and the conveyor member.

Recording apparatus including two attraction devices for attracting recording medium

A liquid discharging head is provided. The liquid discharging head has a flow path unit in which a common liquid flow path for supplying liquid to a nozzle which discharges liquid is formed by a plurality of plates being stacked together, the plurality of plates including a damper plate of which one surface defines at least a part of a wall surface of the common liquid flow path and an area on an other surface which is opposed to the common liquid flow path across the damper plate is not in contact with the plurality of plates other than the damper plate, wherein compression stress along the wall surface is applied to a portion of the damper plate which configure a wall of the common liquid flow path.

Liquid discharging head and method for manufacturing the same

An image recording apparatus including an ink-jet head having four ink supply passages, manifold passages communicating with the respective ink supply passages, and individual ink passages extending from the common passages to nozzles open in an ink ejecting surface, wherein groups of the nozzles communicating with the respective manifold passages are open in respective unit areas u-uarranged on the ink ejecting surface. The apparatus further includes a wiping member which is moved by a moving mechanism to wipe the unit areas, an ink supply device for selectively supplying the ink supply passages with an ink to perform a purging action for discharging the ink from the nozzles, and a control device controlling the moving mechanism and the ink supply device such that before a wiping action of the wiping member in each unit area is initiated, the purging action in the following unit area as seen in a wiping direction has been initiated and such that the purging action in each unit area is completed immediately before the wiping action in that unit area is initiated.

Image recording apparatus

An inkjet head may comprise an ejection port which ejects ink and an ink flow path which supplies the ink to the ejection port. The inkjet head may also comprise an ejection actuator which supplies ejection energy to the ink in the ink flow path. The ejection energy may cause the ink to be ejected from the ejection port. The inkjet head may also comprise a wall portion. The wall portion may be located at a position farther from the ejection port along the ink flow path with respect to a position at which the ejection energy is supplied. The wall portion may define an inner wall surface of the ink flow path. The wall portion may deform to decrease a cross section of the ink flow path in a direction orthogonal to an ink-flow direction as a temperature of the ink in the ink flow path increases. The wall portion may deform to increase a cross section of the ink flow path in a direction orthogonal to an ink-flow direction as the temperature of the ink in the ink flow path decreases.

Inkjet head

A liquid ejection head includes a passage unit and an actuator. A nozzle for ejecting liquid and a common liquid chamber are formed in the passage unit. An individual liquid passage formed in the passage unit includes a first passage a pressure chamber, a second passage, and a restricted passage. The first passage communicates between the nozzle and the pressure chamber. The second passage communicates between the pressure chamber and the restricted passage. The restricted passage is smaller than the second passage in the sectional area perpendicular to the flow of the liquid. The actuator can selectively take a first state in which the volume of the pressure chamber is V1 and a second state in which the volume of the pressure chamber is V2 larger than V1. The actuator changes from the first state into the second state and then returns to the first state to eject the liquid from the nozzle. The individual liquid passage is designed so that Tc1 and Tc2 defined by predetermined expressions showing characteristics of the individual liquid passage satisfy a condition that Tc1/Tc2 is substantially not less than 4.7 and not more than 5.5.

Liquid ejection head and driving method thereof

A liquid discharge device () has a pressure chamber (), a nozzle (), and a communication path () that interconnects the pressure chamber () and the nozzle (). A region that has a specific length Land lies from the position () of the boundary between the communication path () of the pressure chamber () toward the nozzle () is formed as a narrow section () that has an opening area Ssmaller than the opening area Sof a region closer to the nozzle () than the narrow section (). In the liquid discharge device (), the narrow section () functions to damp micro vibration that occurs in liquid in the communication path (), and this allows liquid drops having a pre-designed volume and flying speed to be discharged from every nozzle () on a board ()

Liquid discharge device

An inkjet head includes a channel unit and actuator units. Inside the channel unit, individual ink channels are formed so that ink supplied from ink inlets is ejected from nozzles via pressure chambers. The actuator units are bonded to the upper surface of the channel unit. The actuator units have a configuration of four piezoelectric sheets laminated to one another. On the upper surface of the piezoelectric sheet, individual electrodes are disposed in positions opposed to the pressure chambers respectively. A FPC for supplying driving signals to the actuator units is connected to the individual electrodes.

Method for manufacturing an inkjet head

A controller controls a pressurizing actuator in such a manner that a pressure chamber changes from a first state where a volume of the pressure chamber is Vto a second state where the volume is Vlarger than Vand then returns from the second to the first state to cause ink to be ejected from an ejection opening, that a time length Tvfrom a time point at which the pressure chamber starts to change from the first to the second state to a time point at which the pressure chamber is in the second state becomes 33% or more of a characteristic vibration period Td of ink filled in a first ink passage extending from an outlet of the pressure chamber to the ejection opening, and that the time length Tvbecomes 83% or less of the characteristic vibration period Td.

Inkjet recording apparatus and control method for the same

An actuator can selectively switch a volume of a pressure chamber between a first state Vand a second state V, which is greater than V. The actuator changes from the first state into the second state and then changes back into the first state to eject ink from an ejection port. A controller controls the actuator such that To/Tc falls within a range fromto. To represents the time period between time the actuator starts to change from the first state into the second state, to a time the actuator starts to change from the second state into the first state. Tc represents the period of proper oscillation of ink filling up the individual ink passage. The actuator is controlled so that a variation in ink ejection speed is prevented from being too large relative to the variation in the degree of deformation of the actuator.

Inkjet recording apparatus and method of determining control condition in the apparatus

An ink-jet head includes a passage unit in which a common ink chamber and individual ink passages are formed, and an actuator unit fixed to the passage unit. A closed passage having a shape of the individual ink passage being partially closed is formed in the passage unit.

Ink-jet head

An inkjet head includes a passage unit and an actuator unit. The passage unit includes a common ink chamber and an individual ink passage leading from an outlet of the common ink chamber through a pressure chamber to an ejection port. The actuator unit can selectively take a first state in which the volume of the pressure chamber is Vand a second state in which the volume of the pressure chamber is Vlarger than V. The actuator unit changes from the first state into the second state and then returns to the first state to eject ink from the ejection port. The individual ink passage is formed such that the volume Vd of a partial passage in the individual ink passage corresponding to a region from an outlet of the pressure chamber to the ejection port, and the volume Vc of the individual ink passage, satisfy a condition that Vd/Vc is not less than 0.12 and not more than 0.40.

An actuator can selectively take a first state wherein a volume of a pressure chamber is Vand a second state wherein the volume of the pressure chamber is Vlarger than V. The actuator changes from the first state to the second state and then returns to the first state to eject ink from an ejection port. A proper oscillation period Ts of an oscillation generated by integral deformation of the actuator and the pressure chamber when ink is ejected from the ejection port, and a proper oscillation period Td of ink filling up a first partial passage leading from an outlet of the pressure chamber to the ejection port in an individual ink passage, satisfy a condition that Ts/Td is not less than 0.36 and not more than 0.90; or not less than 1.1 and not more than 1.7.

Growing community of inventors

Nagoya, Japan

Manabu Hibi