Ink-jet recording head

#1. Field of the Invention

#The present invention relates to an ink-jet recording head provided with pressure generators that produce pressure in pressure chambers, respectively to jet ink.

#2. Description of the Related Art

#The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

#FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of an ink-jet recording head in a first embodiment according to the present invention;

#FIG. 2 is plan view of assistance in explaining the positional relation between pressure chambers and ink storage chambers in the ink-jet recording head in the first embodiment;

#FIGS. 1 to 4 show an ink-jet recording head (hereinafter referred to simply as “recording head”) in a first embodiment according to the present invention including an actuator unit 1 and a passage unit 5. The actuator unit 1 is stacked on the passage unit 5.

#The actuator unit 1 includes a pressure chamber forming plate 10 provided with a plurality of pressure chambers 2, a vibrating plate 11 placed in close contact with the upper surface of the pressure chamber forming plate 10 so as to cover the open upper ends of the pressure chambers 2, and a plurality of piezoelectric vibrators 6 formed on portions of the vibrating plate 11 corresponding to the plurality of pressure chambers 2, respectively. The piezoelectric vibrators 6 are of a flexural vibration mode. In the actuator unit 1, the piezoelectric vibrators 6 perform a flexural vibration to produce pressure in the corresponding pressure chambers 2 to jet ink drops through nozzle apertures 3 (see FIG. 10).

#As shown in FIG. 2, each row of the pressure chambers 2 is grouped into three pressure chamber groups 2A, 2B and 2C. The pressure chambers 2 of the actuator unit 1 are elongated slots. One end of each of the pressure chambers 2 of a first group 2A, one end of each of the pressure chambers 2 of a second group 2B and one end of each of the pressure chambers 2 of a third group 2C communicate with ink storage chambers 4A, 4B and 4C, respectively, and the other ends of the pressure chambers 2 communicates with the nozzle apertures 3. The pressure chambers 2 are arranged in two rows in a recording sheet feed direction.