# US 8,740,330 B2 · Liquid ejecting method, liquid ejecting head, and liquid ejecting apparatus > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 8,740,330 B2 - Document ID: US8740330B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 13/311,991 - Filed: 2011-12-06 - Published: 2012-04-05 - Granted: 2014-06-03 - Earliest claimed: 2008-03-26 - Assignees: Seiko Epson Corporation - Applicants: Kinya Ozawa; Junhua Zhang - Inventors: Kinya Ozawa; Junhua Zhang - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8740330B2 ## CPC - B41J 2/14274: {of stacked structure type, deformed by compression/extension and disposed on a diaphragm} - B41J 2/04581: {controlling heads based on piezoelectric elements} - B41J 2/04588: {using a specific waveform} - B41J 2/14233: {of film type, deformed by bending and disposed on a diaphragm} - B41J 29/38: Drives, motors, controls or automatic cut-off devices for the entire printing mechanism - B41J 2002/14419: {Manifold} - B41J 2002/14475: {characterised by nozzle shapes or number of orifices per chamber} - B41J 2202/11: characterised by specific geometrical characteristics - B41J: TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS ## Abstract Provided is a liquid ejecting method, including: ejecting a liquid from a liquid ejecting head, wherein the viscosity of the liquid is in a range from 6 mPa·s to 20 mPa·s, wherein the liquid ejecting head includes: nozzles which eject the liquid; a pressure chamber which applies a pressure variation to the liquid in order to eject the liquid from the nozzles; and a supply unit which communicates with the pressure chamber and supplies the liquid to the pressure chamber, and wherein the opening area of the nozzles on the side in which the liquid is ejected is 1/10 or less of the opening area of the opening of the supply unit on the pressure chamber side. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A liquid ejecting method, comprising: ejecting a liquid from a liquid ejecting head, wherein the viscosity of the liquid is in a range from 6 mPa·s to 20 mPa·s, wherein the liquid ejecting head includes: a nozzle plate with a nozzle which ejects the liquid; a pressure chamber which applies a pressure variation to the liquid in order to eject the liquid from the nozzle; a supply unit which communicates with the pressure chamber and supplies the liquid to the pressure chamber from a liquid storage chamber; and a vibration plate disposed opposite from the nozzle plate, the vibration plate including a laminate of a support substrate and an elastic member, the elastic member forming a portion of the pressure chamber, the supply unit, and the liquid storage chamber, wherein a length of the nozzle is in a range from 40 μm to 100 μm and a diameter of the nozzle is more than 10 μm, an opening area of an opening of the nozzle on the side in which the liquid is ejected is 1/20 or more of an opening area of an opening of the supply unit, and a cross-sectional area of the pressure chamber in a direction transverse to a flow of the liquid from the supply unit is less than three times a cross-sectional area of the supply unit in the direction transverse to the flow of the liquid. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The liquid ejecting method according to claim 1, wherein the opening area of the nozzle on the side in which the liquid is ejected is 1/10 or less of the opening area of the opening of the supply unit on the pressure chamber side. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The liquid ejecting method according to claim 1, wherein: the opening of the supply unit has a rectangular shape, the length of one side of the opening is in a range from 30 μm to 500 μm, and the length of the other side of the opening is in a range from 20 μm to 300 μm. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The liquid ejecting method according to claim 1, wherein the outer edge of the opening of the supply unit is smaller than that of the surface partitioning the pressure chamber and communicating with the supply unit. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The liquid ejecting method according to claim 1, wherein the inertance of the nozzle is smaller than that of the supply unit. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The liquid ejecting method according to claim 1, wherein the pressure chamber has a partitioning portion which partitions a portion of the pressure chamber and applies the pressure variation to the liquid by deformation. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The liquid ejecting method according to claim 6, wherein the liquid ejecting head includes an element which deforms the partitioning portion by the degree according to a potential variation pattern of an applied ejection pulse. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The liquid ejecting method according to claim 1, wherein the diameter of the nozzle is less than 40 μm. ### Claim 9 A liquid ejecting head comprising: a nozzle which ejects a liquid; a pressure chamber which applies a pressure variation to the liquid in order to eject the liquid from the nozzle; a supply unit which communicates with the pressure chamber and supplies the liquid to the pressure chamber from a liquid storage chamber; and a vibration plate disposed opposite from the nozzle plate, the vibration plate including a laminate of a support substrate and an elastic member, the elastic member forming a portion of the pressure chamber, the supply unit, and the liquid storage chamber, wherein a length of the nozzle is in a range from 40 μm to 100 μm, and a diameter of the nozzle is more than 10 μm, an opening area of an opening of the nozzle on the side in which the liquid is ejected is 1/20 or more of an opening area of an opening of the supply unit, and a cross-sectional area of the pressure chamber in a direction transverse to a flow of the liquid from the supply unit is less than three times a cross-sectional area of the supply unit in the direction transverse to the flow of the liquid. ### Claim 10 A liquid ejecting apparatus comprising: an ejection pulse generation unit which generates an ejection pulse; and a liquid ejection head which ejects a liquid from a nozzle formed in a nozzle plate, the liquid ejection head including: a pressure chamber which deforms a partitioning portion and applies a pressure variation to the liquid in order to eject the liquid from the nozzle; an element which deforms the partitioning portion by the degree according to a potential variation pattern of an applied ejection pulse; a supply unit which communicates with the pressure chamber and supplies the liquid to the pressure chamber from a liquid storage chamber; and a vibration plate disposed opposite from the nozzle plate, the vibration plate including a laminate of a support substrate and an elastic member, the elastic member forming a portion of the pressure chamber, the supply unit, and the liquid storage chamber, wherein a length of the nozzle is in a range from 40 μm to 100 μm, and a diameter of the nozzle is more than 10 μm, an opening area of an opening of the nozzle on the side in which the liquid is ejected is 1/20 or more of an opening area of an opening of the supply unit, and a cross-sectional area of the pressure chamber in a direction transverse to a flow of the liquid from the supply unit is less than three times a cross-sectional area of the supply unit in the direction transverse to the flow of the liquid.