Ink jet print head and ink jet printer

An ink jet print head comprising:

• (a) a diaphragm array including a group of bending curved partitions, each of said partitions having an upper end and a lower end, the array further including an upper end wall bridging between each said upper end of said partitions, and a lower end wall bridging between each said lower end of said partitions, wherein said upper end wall, said lower end wall and said partitions form ink channels therebetween, said ink channels extending in a first direction and being ordered along a second direction orthogonal to the first direction;
• (b) an orifice board fixed to one side of said diaphragm array and facing an end of each of said ink channels, said orifice board having ink jet orifices for fluidly communicating with respective ink channels;
• (c) a back board fixed to another side of said diaphragm array and facing another end of each of said ink channels, said back board having ink supply inlets for fluidly communicating with respective ink channels;
• and
• (d) a piezoelectric actuator for bending the partitions of said diaphragm array selectively, wherein said piezoelectric actuator is fixed to and held between one of said upper end wall and said lower end wall of said diaphragm array and a stationary plate for displacement only toward said diaphragm array.

An ink jet print head comprising:

• (a) a diaphragm array including a group of bending curved partitions, each of said partitions having an upper end and a lower end, the array further including an upper end wall bridging between each said upper end of said partitions, and a lower end wall bridging between each said lower end of said partitions wherein said upper end wall, said lower end wall, and said partitions form ink channels therebetween, said ink channels extending in a first direction and being ordered along a second direction orthogonal to the first direction;
• (b) an orifice board fixed to said diaphragm array and facing an end of each of said ink channels, said orifice board having a plurality of ink jet orifices communicating with the respective ink channels;
• (c) a back board fixed to another side of said diaphragm array and facing another end of each of said ink channels, said back board having a plurality of ink supply inlets for fluidly communicating with respective ink channels;
• and
• (d) a piezoelectric actuator for bending individual partitions of said diaphragm array selectively, wherein said piezoelectric actuator is a thin-plate piezoelectric device formed along said end walls of said diaphragm array, said piezoelectric device having a diaphragm side facing the diaphragm and an open side, wherein on the diaphragm side and on the open side, a common pair of individual electrodes is formed to confront the individual partitions of said diaphragm array, wherein to a desired pair of said electrodes a voltage opposite in polarity to an adjacent pair of electrodes is applied to drive said diaphragm array in a shearing mode.

An ink jet printer which comprises an ink jet print head disposed in confronting relation to a recording paper for jetting ink to the paper in a desired dot pattern, an ink source for supplying ink to said ink jet print head, and a scanner movable forwardly and backwardly to scan over the paper, wherein said ink jet print head includes:

• (a) a diaphragm array including partitions, each of said partitions having an upper end and a lower end, the array further including an upper end wall bridging between each said upper end of said partitions, and a lower end wall bridging between each said lower end of said partitions, wherein said upper end wall, said lower end wall, and said partitions form into channels therebetween, said ink channels extending in a first direction and being ordered along a second direction orthogonal to the first direction;
• (b) an orifice board fixed to one side of said diaphragm array and facing an end of each of said ink channels, said orifice board having a plurality of ink jet orifices for fluidly communicating with respective ink channels;
• (c) a back board fixed to another side of said diaphragm array and facing another end of each of said ink channels, said back board having a plurality of ink supply inlets for receiving ink from the ink source;
• and
• (d) a piezoelectric actuator for selectively bending individual partitions of said diaphragm array, wherein said piezoelectric actuator is fixed to and held between one of said upper end wall and said lower end wall of said diaphragm array and a stationary plate for displacement only toward said diaphragm array.

An ink jet print head comprising:

• (a) a piezoelectric diaphragm array formed of a piezoelectric material and including a group of curved partitions, each of said partitions having an upper end wall and a lower end wall, the array further including an upper end wall bridging between each said upper end of said partitions, and a lower end wall bridging between each said lower end of said partitions, wherein said upper end wall, said lower end wall, and said partitions define ink channels therebetween, said ink channels extending in a first direction and being ordered along a second directin orthogonal to the first direction;
• (b) an orifice board fixed to one side of said diaphragm array and facing one end of each of said ink channels, said orifice board having a plurality of ink jet orifices for fluidly communicating with the respective ink channels;
• and
• (c) a back board fixed to another side of said diaphragm array and facing another end of each of said ink channels, said back board having a plurality of ink supply inlets for fluidly communicating with the respective ink channels.

An ink jet print head comprising:

• (a) a piezoelectric diaphragm array formed of a piezoelectric material and including a group of curved partitions, each of said partitions having an upper end wall and a lower end wall, the array further including an upper end wall bridging between each said upper end of said partitions, and a lower end wall bridging between each said lower end of said partitions, wherein said upper end wall, said lower end wall, and said partitions define ink channels therebetween said ink channels extending in a first direction and being ordered along a second direction orthogonal to the first direction;
• (b) an orifice board fixed to one side of said diaphragm array and facing one end of each of said ink channels, said orifice board having a plurality of ink jet orifices for fluidly communicating with respective ink channels, and
• (c) a back board fixed to another side of said diaphragm array and facing another end of each of said ink channels, said back board having a plurality of ink supply inlets for fluidly communicating with respective ink channels,
• wherein the ink channels of said piezoelectric diaphragm array each have a convex side and a concave side and have a common electrode on inner wall surfaces of one of the convex side and the concave side, and individual electrodes on the inner wall surfaces of the other of the convex side and the concave side.

An ink jet printer which comprises an ink jet print head disposed in confronting relation to a recording paper for jetting ink to the paper in a desired dot pattern, an ink source for supplying ink to said ink jet print head, and a scanner movable forwardly and backwardly to scan over the paper, wherein said ink jet print head includes:

• (a) a piezoelectric diaphragm array formed of a piezoelectric material and including a group of bendable curved lower end, the array further including an upper end wall bridging between each said upper end of said partitions, and a lower end wall bridging between lower ends of said partitions, wherein said upper end wall, said lower end wall, and said partitions define ink channels therebetween, said ink channels extending in a first direction and being ordered along a second direction orthogonal to the first direction;
• (b) an orifice board fixed to one side of said diaphragm array and facing one end of each of said ink channels, said orifice board having a plurality of ink jet orifices communicating with respective ink channels;
• and
• (c) a back board fixed to another side of said diaphragm array and facing another end of each of said ink channels, said back board having a plurality of ink supply inlets for fluidly communicating with respective ink channels.

An ink jet print head comprising:

• a piezoelectric diaphragm array formed of a piezoelectric material and including a plurality of spaced elongated ink channels arranged along a first axis and having elongated side walls which are generally transverse to the first axis, the ink channels defining a number of partitions therebetween, wherein the elongated ink channels are generally V-shaped;
• an orifice board adjacent one side of the diaphragm array having a plurality of ink jet orifices communicating with the ink channels;
• and
• a back board positioned adjacent another side of the diaphragm array and having a plurality ink supply inlets for supplying ink to the ink channels.

An ink jet print head comprising:

• a piezoelectric diaphragm array formed of a piezoelectric material and including a plurality of spaced elongated ink channels arranged along a first axis and having elongated side walls which are generally transverse to the first axis, the ink channels defining a number of partitions therebetween, wherein the ink channels are curved along the elongated side walls so that the partitions having a convex side and a concave side in a non-actuated position;
• an orifice board adjacent one side of the diaphragm array having a plurality of ink jet orifices communicating with the ink channels;
• and
• a back board positioned adjacent another side of the diaphragm array having a plurality ink supply inlets for supplying ink to the ink channels.