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US 6,565,196 B2Granted
Ink jet head, method of manufacturing the same and ink jet recording apparatus
AssigneeMatsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
InventorsHiroyuki Matsuo, Koji Ikeda, Atsushi Sogami, Masaichiro Tatekawa
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A plurality of actuator blocks having a vibration plate, a common electrode, a piezoelectric element, and a separate electrode, are produced, and the plurality of actuator blocks are transferred onto a single pressure chamber plate. The actuator blocks are arranged in a zigzag pattern so that adjacent actuator blocks are spaced apart from each other in the scanning direction while partially overlapping with each other with respect to the head width direction.
Claims52
An ink jet head for a color printer, comprising:
- a pressure chamber block having therein a plurality of pressure chambers each containing an ink;
- and
- a plurality of actuator blocks, each having a plurality of actuators having a piezoelectric element, and a first electrode and a second electrode for applying a voltage across the piezoelectric element, each of the actuators covering one of the pressure chambers, wherein each of the actuator blocks is used in conjunction with multiple colors of ink and wherein:
- the actuator blocks and the pressure chamber block are layered on each other;
- an area of a layering surface of each of the actuator blocks is smaller than an area of a layering surface of the pressure chamber block;
- and
- the plurality of actuator blocks are arranged on one surface of the pressure chamber block.
4 more elements
An ink jet head, comprising:
- a pressure chamber block having therein a plurality of pressure chambers each containing an ink;
- and
- a plurality of actuator blocks each having a plurality of actuators having a piezoelectric element, and a first electrode and a second electrode for applying a voltage across the piezoelectric element, each of the actuators covering one of the pressure chambers, wherein:
- the actuator blocks and the pressure chamber block are layered on each other;
- an area of a layering surface of each of the actuator blocks is smaller than an area of a layering surface of the pressure chamber block;
- and
- the plurality of actuator blocks are arranged on one surface of the pressure chamber block, wherein the pressure chamber block includes:
- a pressure chamber plate having therein the plurality of pressure chambers each containing an ink;
- a channel plate having therein a plurality of ink channels respectively communicated to the pressure chambers and a common liquid chamber communicated to the pressure chambers;
- and a nozzle plate having therein a plurality of nozzles respectively communicated to the ink channels, the pressure chamber plate, the channel plate and the nozzle plate being layered on one another wherein the nozzle plate is made of a single plate;
- and
- one or both of the pressure chamber plate and the channel plate includes alignment means for aligning the nozzle plate when the nozzle plate is layered on the channel plate.
9 more elements
An ink jet head, comprising:
- a pressure chamber block having therein a plurality of pressure chambers each containing an ink;
- and
- a plurality of actuator blocks each having a plurality of actuators having a piezoelectric element, and a first electrode and a second electrode for applying a voltage across the piezoelectric element, each of the actuators covering one of the pressure chambers, wherein:
- the actuator blocks and the pressure chamber block are layered on each other;
- an area of a layering surface of each of the actuator blocks is smaller than an area of a layering surface of the pressure chamber block;
- and
- the plurality of actuator blocks are arranged on one surface of the pressure chamber block, wherein the pressure chamber block includes:
- a pressure chamber plate having therein the plurality of pressure chambers each containing an ink;
- a channel plate having therein a plurality of ink channels respectively communicated to the pressure chambers and a common liquid chamber communicated to the pressure chambers;
- and a nozzle plate having therein a plurality of nozzles respectively communicated to the ink channels, the pressure chamber plate, the channel plate and the nozzle plate being layered on one another, wherein the nozzle plate is made of a plurality of plates;
- and
- one or both of the pressure chamber plate and the channel plate includes alignment means for aligning the nozzle plates when the nozzle plates are layered on the channel plate.
9 more elements
An ink jet head for a color printer, comprising:
- a pressure chamber block having therein a plurality of pressure chambers respectively containing a plurality of types of ink;
- and
- a plurality of actuator blocks, each having a plurality of actuators having a piezoelectric element, and a first electrode and a second electrode for applying a voltage across the piezoelectric element, and a first electrode and a second electrode for applying a voltage across the piezoelectric element, each of the actuators covering one of the pressure chambers, wherein each of the actuator blocks is used in conjunction with multiple colors of ink and wherein:
- the actuator blocks and the pressure chamber block are layered on each other;
- an area of a layering surface of each of the actuator blocks is smaller than an area of a layering surface of the pressure chamber block;
- and
- the plurality of actuator blocks are arranged on one surface of the pressure chamber block.
4 more elements
An ink jet head for a color printer, comprising:
- a pressure chamber block having therein a plurality of pressure chambers respectively containing a plurality of types of ink, wherein the pressure chambers for the respective types of ink are successively arranged in a scanning direction;
- and
- a plurality of actuator blocks, each having a plurality of actuators having a piezoelectric element, and a first electrode and a second electrode for applying a voltage across the piezoelectric element, each of the actuators covering one of the pressure chambers, wherein each of the actuator blocks is usable in conjunction with multiple colors of ink and wherein:
- the actuator blocks and the pressure chamber block are layered on each other;
- an area of a layering surface of each of the actuator blocks is smaller than an area of a layering surface of the pressure chamber block;
- and
- the plurality of actuator blocks are arranged on one surface of the pressure chamber block so that each of the actuator blocks covers the pressure chambers for a plurality of types of ink.
4 more elements
An ink jet head for a color printer, comprising:
- a pressure chamber block having therein a plurality of pressure chambers containing an ink, a plurality of nozzles, a plurality of ink channels for guiding the ink in the pressure chambers to the nozzles, respectively, and a common liquid chamber communicated to the plurality of pressure chambers;
- and
- a plurality of actuator blocks, each having a plurality of actuators having a piezoelectric element, and a first electrode and a second electrode for applying a voltage across the piezoelectric element, each of the actuators covering one of the pressure chambers, wherein each of the actuator blocks is usable in conjunction with multiple colors of ink and wherein:
- the actuator blocks and the pressure chamber block are layered on each other;
- an area of a layering surface of each of the actuator blocks is smaller than an area of a layering surface of the pressure chamber block;
- and
- the plurality of actuator blocks are arranged on one surface of the pressure chamber block.
4 more elements
A method of manufacturing an ink jet head for a color printer, comprising:
- a block production step of producing a plurality of actuator blocks by sequentially layering at least a first electrode, a piezoelectric element, and a second electrode, or by sequentially layering at least a first electrode, a piezoelectric element, a second electrode, and a vibration plate, on each of a plurality of substrates each having a smaller area than that of a pressure chamber plate;
- a first attachment step of attaching the actuator blocks layered on the respective substrates to one surface of the pressure chamber plate so that some of a plurality of pressure chambers provided in the pressure chamber plate are covered by the second electrode or the vibration plate of each of the actuator blocks, wherein each of the actuator blocks is usable in conjunction with multiple colors of ink;
- a step of removing the substrates;
- and
- a step of patterning the first electrode of each of the actuator blocks.
2 more elements
A method of manufacturing an ink jet head for a color printer, comprising:
- a block production step of producing a plurality of actuator blocks by sequentially layering at least a first electrode, a piezoelectric element, and a second electrode, or by sequentially layering at least a first electrode, a piezoelectric element, a second electrode, and a vibration plate, on each of a plurality of substrates each having a smaller area than that of a pressure chamber plate;
- a first attachment step of attaching the actuator blocks layered on the respective substrates to one surface of the pressure chamber plate so that some of a plurality of pressure chambers provided in the pressure chamber plate are covered by the second electrode or the vibration plate of each of the actuator blocks, wherein each of the actuator blocks is usable in conjunction with multiple colors of ink;
- a step of removing the substrates;
- a step of patterning the first electrode of each of the actuator blocks;
- and
- a step of patterning the piezoelectric element of each of the actuator blocks.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.