Brother Kogyo Kabushiki-Kaisha

Masatomo Kojima

Akira Iriguchi

Yasuhiro Sekiguchi

Keiji Kura

Yoshitsugu Morita

Shigeru Suzuki

Masashi Ono

Atsushi Ito

Yoshikazu Takahashi

Shohei Koide

Naoki Katayama

Kazuo Kobayashi

Yoshiyuki Ikezaki

Shin Hasegawa

Hiroyuki Ishikawa

Jun Isono

Atsuhiro Takagi

Masaharu Ito

Koichiro Hara

Toshiaki Sugiura

Seiichi Kanemoto

A piezoelectric actuator includes first active portions corresponding to center portions in a row direction of pressure chambers and second active portions corresponding to left and right portions on outer peripheral sides which are more outside than the center portions of the pressure chambers. When applying voltage to the first active portions, the first active portions deform to project toward pressure chambers. At this time, the second active portions do not deform and the influence of deformation of the first active portions does not reach the adjacent pressure chambers. Accordingly, effect of suppressing crosstalk is exhibited.

Liquid-droplet jetting apparatus and liquid-droplet jetting head

A piezoelectric actuator includes first active portion which correspond to a central portion of each of pressure chambers and a second active portion which correspond to a portion, of each of the pressure chambers, located on outer circumferential sides with respect to the central portion of the pressure chamber. The first active portion and the second active portion are deformed by applying the voltage to each of the first and second active portions. The first active portion is polarized in a direction parallel to the electric field generated in the first active portion, and the second active portion is polarized in a direction opposite to the electric field generated in the second active portion, thereby making it possible to suppress the crosstalk even when a high density arrangement of the pressure chambers is realized.

Liquid droplet discharge apparatus and liquid droplet discharge head

In a liquid droplet jetting mode of jetting liquid droplets, a controller controls a piezoelectric actuator to perform a liquid droplet jetting operation in which volume of a pressure chamber is decreased to a decreased volume smaller than a predetermined volume, and then the volume of the pressure chamber is increased to an increased volume greater than the predetermined volume, and the volume of the pressure chamber is again decreased to the decreased volume. On the other hand, in a warm-up mode of heating the liquid in the pressure chamber, the controller controls the piezoelectric actuator to perform at least one of a first warm-up operation in which the volume of the pressure chamber is changed repeatedly between the predetermined volume and the increased volume, and a second warm-up operation in which the volume of the pressure chamber is changed repeatedly between the predetermined volume and the decreased volume.

Liquid droplet jetting apparatus

A fluid path unit for a fluid ejection device, includes: first pressure chambers arrayed in a first pressure chamber row; second pressure chambers arrayed in a second pressure chamber row adjacent to the first pressure chamber row; first outlet paths, through which the first pressure chambers respectively communicate with first nozzles, the first outlet paths arrayed in a first outlet path row; second outlet paths, through which the second pressure chambers respectively communicate with second nozzles, the second outlet paths arrayed in a second outlet path row; a common fluid reservoir; and first connection paths, though which the first pressure chambers communicate with the common fluid reservoir. Each of the first connection paths extends across the second outlet path row.

Fluid path unit for fluid ejection device

A liquid transporting apparatus includes a channel unit in which liquid transporting channel transporting the liquid is formed, the liquid transporting channel including a pressure chamber; a piezoelectric actuator which is connected to the channel unit, and which applies a pressure to the liquid in the pressure chamber, the piezoelectric actuator having: a piezoelectric layer; a first electrode arranged on a first surface of the piezoelectric layer to face the pressure chamber; a second electrode which is arranged, to face the first electrode, on a second surface of the piezoelectric layer different from the first surface; third electrodes arranged on the piezoelectric layer to sandwich the first electrode in a plan view; and fourth electrodes which are arranged, to face the third electrode, on the piezoelectric layer; a voltage applying mechanism which applies a voltage to the piezoelectric actuator; and a controller which controls the voltage applying mechanism.

Liquid transporting apparatus and piezoelectric actuator

A liquid-droplet jetting apparatus includes a first common liquid chamber which supplies a liquid to first pressure chambers communicating with first nozzles and extending in a predetermined direction; and a second common liquid chamber which supplies a liquid to second pressure chambers communicating with second nozzles and extending in the predetermined direction. The first and second common liquid chambers are overlapped in a plan view, and each having a substantial width. A damper for attenuating pressure wave which propagates to the first and second common liquid chambers is formed at a portion in which the first and second common liquid chambers are overlapped. Each of the first common liquid chamber, the second common liquid chamber and the damper is formed to have a width overlapping with one of the first and second pressure chambers, thereby making it possible to attenuate the pressure wave efficiently.

Liquid-droplet jetting apparatus

First and second piezoelectric thin layers are arranged on an upper surface of a vibration plate which covers a pressure chamber. An individual electrode is formed on an upper surface, of the second piezoelectric thin layer, at a portion facing the pressure chamber, and a connecting terminal to be connected to a FPC wire via solder is arranged to be separated from the individual electrode at a portion not facing the pressure chamber. A common electrode is formed on a lower surface of the first piezoelectric thin layer to face the pressure chamber. A connecting portion which faces the individual electrode and the connecting terminal and does not face the common electrode is formed between the first and the second piezoelectric thin layers. The individual electrode, the connecting terminal, and the connecting portion are connected via an electroconductive material filled in communicating passages formed in the second piezoelectric thin layer.

An ink-jet head includes pressure chambers arranged in a row in a row-direction, and a manifold flow passage communicated with the pressure chambers and extending in the row-direction. An ink inflow port is formed at one end of the manifold flow passage. The manifold flow passage has a main portion, a connecting portion, and an extended portion which are arranged in this order from a side close to the ink inflow port. The manifold flow passage is communicated with the pressure chambers at the main portion. The main portion has a constant cross-sectional area greater than that of the connecting portion. A cross-sectional area of the extended portion is greater than that of the connecting portion. The pressure wave, generated in the pressure chamber and propagated to the manifold flow passage, can be efficiently attenuated by the manifold flow passage constructed as described above.

Liquid droplet-jetting apparatus and ink-jet printer

An ink-jet recording apparatus detects a temperature of an ink-jet head, and reads, from a table of set drive voltages, a drive voltage corresponding to that head temperature. The read drive voltage is determined to be a drive voltage Vto be used in a recording for this time. Further, when the scanning number 'n' of the ink-jet head has reached a value 'm', a drive voltage Vto be used for next time is temporarily determined, based on the head temperature. When |V&#x2212;V| is greater than a value &#x394;V, a voltage obtained by making a correcting, by an amount of &#x394;V, to the drive voltage Vis determined to be the drive voltage Vto be used next time. Therefore, even when the ink temperature is changed during the recording, it is possible to improve the recording quality.

Ink-jet recording apparatus and recording method for realizing satisfactory recording even when ink temperature is suddenly changed

A testing method includes sorting inkjet heads into a plurality of groups on the basis of known information about ink flow, preparing basic driving waveform data corresponding to each of the groups and modification data that partially modifies the basic driving waveform data to individually store them in advance in a storing section, creating individual waveform information that instructs combinations of the basic driving waveform data with the modification data with respect to an inkjet head to be tested to apply a modified driving waveform, and repeating the modification of the individual waveform information until a recording state becomes good.

Inkjet printer and inkjet head with modification of driving waveform data

Method of testing inkjet head, testing system, and inkjet printer

In an ink-jet recording apparatus, an active portion for jetting a pigment ink has an area greater than an area of an active portion for jetting a dye ink. Accordingly, the active portion for jetting the pigment ink is capable of generating energy greater than that generated by the active portion for jetting the dye ink. In addition, since a diameter of nozzles which jet the pigment ink is greater than that of nozzles which jet the dye ink, it is possible to jet, at a substantially same speed, the pigment ink and the dye ink to which the different energies are imparted. Further, when performing the recording with the pigment ink, a liquid-droplet having a large volume can be obtained, and when performing the recording with the dye ink, a liquid-droplet having a small volume can be obtained.

Ink-jet recording apparatus

A liquid delivering apparatus including a piezoelectric sheet which is opposed to liquid chambers and is polarized in a direction of thickness thereof; a restrictor sheet which is opposed to the liquid chambers, restricts a deformation of the piezoelectric sheet, and functions as a first electrode; and second electrodes which are opposed, via active portions of the piezoelectric sheet, to restrictive portions of the restrictor sheet, respectively, and are opposed to the liquid chambers, respectively. When an arbitrary one of the active portions of the piezoelectric sheet is deformed by an electric field which is generated in a direction substantially parallel to the direction of polarization of the piezoelectric sheet, the arbitrary one of the active portions of the piezoelectric sheet and a corresponding one of the restrictive portions of the restrictor sheet are curved in a direction to increase a volume of a corresponding one of the liquid chambers.

Liquid delivering apparatus

A piezoelectric actuator disposed to face a plurality of pressure chambers, the piezoelectric actuator including a plurality of piezoelectric layers and a plurality of electrode layers which are alternately stacked on each other; and a plurality of active portions which are provided in the piezoelectric layers to be aligned with the pressure chambers, respectively, and are defined between at least one pair of electrode layers that are opposed to each other in a direction of stacking of the piezoelectric layers and the electrode layers, the active portions being deformed when an electric voltage is applied to the electrode layers, the electrode layers including (a) at least one individual-electrode layer including a plurality of individual electrodes which are aligned with the pressure chambers, respectively, (b) at least one first common-electrode layer including a plurality of first common electrodes which are maintained at a common electric potential and are aligned with the pressure chambers, respectively, and (c) at least one second common-electrode layer including at least one second common electrode which is maintained at the common electric potential and is opposed commonly to the plurality of pressure chambers.

Piezoelectric actuator

A piezoelectric actuator including two or more piezoelectric layers each of which is formed of a piezoelectric material and which are stacked on each other; three or more electrode layers which are stacked alternately with the piezoelectric layers; and one or more active portions each of which includes respective portions of the piezoelectric layers that are sandwiched by the electrode layers in a direction of stacking of the piezoelectric layers. Each active portion is expanded and contracted when an electric voltage is applied to the electrode layers. The piezoelectric layers include one or more first piezoelectric layers each having a first thickness, and one or more second piezoelectric layers each having a second thickness greater than the first thickness.

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Ichinomiya, Japan

Masatomo Kojima