Brother Kogyo Kabushiki-Kaisha

Masaaki Deguchi

Atsushi Ito

Katsumi Kakamu

Yoshikazu Takahashi

Masahiko Suzuki

Hisaki Sakurai

Makoto Takeuchi

Hiroto Sugahara

Shohei Koide

Masashi Suzuki

Yoshihumi Suzuki

Shigeru Mizuno

Toshio Inose

A liquid ejection head includes: individual passages each having a nozzle; supply liquid passages each communicating with an individual inlet of a corresponding one of the individual passages; return liquid passages each communicating with an individual outlet of a corresponding one of the individual passages; a first supply coupling liquid passage coupling the supply liquid passages to each other and communicating with a first inlet of each of the supply liquid passages; and a second supply coupling liquid passage coupling the supply liquid passages to each other and communicating with a second inlet of each of the supply liquid passages. In each of the supply liquid passages, the individual inlet of the corresponding one of the individual passages is located between the first inlet and the second inlet.

Liquid ejection head

A liquid ejection head includes: a plurality of individual passages each having a nozzle; a first supply liquid passage communicating with a first inlet of each of the plurality of individual passages; a second supply liquid passage communicating with a second inlet of each of the plurality of individual passages; a first return liquid passage communicating with a first outlet of each of the plurality of individual passages; and a second return liquid passage communicating with a second outlet of each of the plurality of individual passages.

A liquid ejection head includes: individual passages; supply liquid passages; return liquid passages; a supply coupling liquid passage; and a return coupling liquid passage. The supply liquid passages and the return liquid passages extend in an extending direction and are arranged in an arrangement direction. The supply coupling liquid passage and the return coupling liquid passage extend in the arrangement direction, are located on one side of the supply liquid passages and the return liquid passages in the extending direction, and include an overlapping portion at which the supply coupling liquid passage and the return coupling liquid passage overlap each other when viewed in an orthogonal direction. A damper film is provided between the supply coupling liquid passage and the return coupling liquid passage in the orthogonal direction at at least a portion of the overlapping portion.

A liquid droplet jetting apparatus includes a flow passage structural body having a nozzle and a pressure chamber communicated with the nozzle, and a piezoelectric actuator provided on the flow passage structural body to apply jetting energy to a liquid inside the pressure chamber. The piezoelectric actuator has a piezoelectric layer arranged to face the pressure chamber, a low-potential electrode provided on the piezoelectric layer, and a high-potential electrode provided on the piezoelectric layer and to which a higher potential is applied than to the low-potential electrode. The high-potential electrode has a first electrode layer arranged to contact with the piezoelectric layer and formed of gold, and a second electrode layer stacked on the first electrode layer to extend in a predetermined direction, having a width shorter than that of the first electrode layer, and formed of a conductive material more likely to cause migration than gold.

Liquid droplet jetting apparatus and piezoelectric actuator

Plates having a predetermined pattern are provided in each frame, side by side, at certain intervals along the longitudinal direction of the frame. A plurality of positioning holes, into which pins are inserted, are formed in each frame. A retainer portion is provided so as to extend from the inner periphery of each positioning hole and is plastically deformed when a pin is inserted thereinto. By inserting a pin into each positioning hole while a plurality of frames are stacked, the outer periphery of the pin contacts the retainer portion of each positioning hole. The retainer portion is deformed to correct misalignment among a plurality of plates.

Structure and method for laminating and fixing thin plate parts and method for fabricating ink-jet printer head

A cavity plate of an ink-jet head is formed by stacking a clad plate on a manifold plate. The clad plate is formed by unitarily bonding a first layer and a second layer, which are made of different materials. Pressure chambers and communicating holes to the pressure chambers are formed in the first and second layers, respectively. Each of the first and second layers is etched using an etching agent that is able to only one of the layers to form therein the pressure chambers or the communicating holes. Thus, the pressure chambers and the communicating holes are formed with high precision in depth. In addition, the cavity plate including the clad plate with a predetermined thickness is easy to handle when manufactured into an ink-jet head.

Method of manufacturing an ink-jet head

A manufacturing method manufactures plates having a predetermined pattern, wherein the predetermined pattern is in each frame, side by side, at certain intervals along the longitudinal direction of the frame. A plurality of positioning holes, into which pins are inserted, are formed in each frame. A retainer portion is provided so as to extend from the inner periphery of each positioning hole and is plastically deformed when a pin is inserted thereinto. By inserting a pin into each positioning hole while a plurality of frames are stacked, the outer periphery of the pin contacts the retainer portion of each positioning hole. The retainer portion is deformed to correct misalignment among a plurality of plates.

Method for fabricating an ink-jet printer head

An ink jet printer head for discharging ink is provided with: a cavity plate prescribing (i) an ink flow path through which the ink is supplied, (ii) a plurality of ink storing chambers, each of which is connected to the ink flow path in which the supplied ink is temporarily stored, and (iii) a plurality of ink discharge holes which are connected to respective one of the ink storing chambers though which the temporarily stored ink is discharged; a piezoelectric element member, which is shaped in a plate opposed to the cavity plate and has a plurality of piezoelectric elements for selectively changing capacities of the ink storing chambers; and a partition plate interposed between the cavity plate and the piezoelectric element member such that each of the ink storing chambers be a closed space for temporarily storing the ink. The cavity plate is provided with a main plate portion and a plurality of partition wall portions, which stand from the main plate portion and are arranged at substantially equidistant intervals, for partitioning the ink storing chambers adjacent to each other. Each of the partition wall portions includes (i) a straight wall portion, which is disposed at a tip side thereof and is constant in width from the tip side toward a root side thereof to prescribe a straight wall substantially perpendicular to the main plate portion, and (ii) an inclined wall portion, which is disposed at the root side, increases in width from the tip side toward the root side to prescribe an inclined wall oblique to the main plate portion.

Ink storing chamber structure in an ink jet printer head

An actuator for operating a desired driven member, including a laminar transverse-effect type piezoelectric driver having laminated piezoelectric elements which are displaced upon application of a voltage thereto in the direction of lamination. The actuator has a frame for supporting the piezoelectric driver at one of opposite ends thereof in a direction of displacement perpendicular to the direction of lamination. A transmission mechanism is disposed at the other end of the driver, for transmitting a displacement of the driver to the driven member. A longitudinal-effect type piezoelectric driver whose displacement in the direction of lamination is used to drive the driven member may be used in place of the transverse-effect type, together with an elastic member provided to bias the driven member when the driven member is moved to the operated position.

Piezoelectric actuator and print head using the actuator, having means

A laminar longitudinal-effect type piezoelectric or electrostrictive driver which is displaced upon application of an electric field thereto. The driver includes laminar electro-mechanical converting elements each undergoes a displacement in a direction of the electric field due to the longitudinal mode of the reverse piezoelectric effect or the electrostrictive effect, and the temperature compensating elements each of which is interposed between the appropriate adjacent two laminar electro-mechanical converting elements. The temperature compensating elements have a higher coefficient of linear thermal expansion in the direction of the electric field or direction of displacement of the driver. The driver is suitably usable for an actuator for operating a print element of a printer, for example.

Longitudinal-effect type laminar piezoelectric/electrostrictive driver,

A hot melt ink jet apparatus is disclosed which heats a normally solid ink into a molten state and then ejects the molten ink toward a printing sheet. When printing is performed on the printing sheet, the ink ejected onto the printing sheet quickly solidifies. After the printing operation, the printed sheet is fed between a supporting member and a pressing member. An intervention member is provided between the printed sheet and pressing member. The intervention member includes a layer which has a low cohesiveness and is softer than lumps of solidified ink on the printing sheet.

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Chiryu, Japan

Masaaki Deguchi