Abstract: A liquid jetting apparatus of the invention uses a liquid container having a liquid chamber that contains liquid and a storing part that stores information about a time when the liquid container was manufactured. The liquid jetting apparatus includes a container-setting portion at which the liquid container is set, a head member having a nozzle, a liquid way that can communicate with the liquid chamber of the liquid container set at the container-setting portion and the nozzle, and a information reader that can read out the information stored in the storing part of the liquid container set at the container-setting portion. A liquid discharging unit that can cause the liquid to be discharged from the nozzle is controlled based on the information about the time when the liquid container was manufactured read out by the information reader.

Abstract: An apparatus for driving an ink jet record head, in which a pressure generating element and an opening is provided for each of a plurality of nozzles so as to cause an ink droplet to spout from the opening. The apparatus includes a driving signal generation unit that generates a driving signal, which includes a first driving pulse for causing a first ink droplet to spout from a nozzle and a second driving pulse for causing a second ink droplet to spout from the nozzle that is greater in size than the first ink droplet. Also included is a dot creation unit configured to select both the first driving pulse and the second driving pulse in one recording period corresponding to the recording of one pixel so as to create a larger dot than dots formed by the first and second ink droplets, and an element driving unit that drives the pressure generating element in response to the selected driving pulses.

Abstract: The present invention prevents deterioration of the quality in interlace printing. The printing system of the present invention uses a head that regulates the amount of ink spouting from nozzles and forms dots of different diameters. While the diameter of dots formed in one primary scan is restricted to a fixed value, the system of the present invention enables dots of different diameters to coexist at an appropriate ratio, thereby improving the printing quality. The printing system of the present invention shifts a nozzle array, in which nozzles are arranged at intervals of a predetermined dot pitch, by a predetermined amount in the secondary scanning direction and varies the dot diameter on every primary scan, while controlling the nozzles in an overlapping state. This enables the dots of different diameters to coexist in a specified area.

Abstract: In monochrome printing mode, a first correction value is set for correcting printing positional deviation between ink droplets printed during forward and reverse main scanning passes. In color printing mode, a second correction value is set for correcting printing positional deviation between ink droplets printed during forward and reverse main scanning passes. An adjustment value is determined for reducing printing positional deviation during forward and reverse main scanning passes. For this, in monochrome printing mode the first correction value is used as an adjustment value, and in color printing mode at least a second correction value is used to determine an adjustment value. Following this, the adjustment value is used to adjust printing positions during forward and reverse main scanning passes.

Abstract: The technique of the present invention prevents a variation in hitting positions of two different types of ink droplets ejected in two pixels, which adjoin to each other in a main scanning direction, in response to a first driving pulse and a second driving pulse. The process of the invention drives each piezoelectric element on a print head in response to a driving signal, which may selectively include two different driving pulses in one recording cycle. When one dot is created in each of the two adjoining pixels in the main scanning direction, either a driving signal A or a driving signal B is generated to control the dot creation. The driving signal A includes a first pulse in a first cycle and a second pulse in a second cycle, whereas the driving signal B includes the second pulse in the first cycle and the first pulse in the second cycle.

Abstract: Image quality is improved by correcting printing position deviation arising between forward and reverse passes in the main scanning direction during bidirectional printing. An adjustment value is prepared with respect to at least one type of specific target dots other than those dots having the highest density out of the plural types of dots. Printing positions during forward and reverse main scanning passes are adjusted with the adjustment value to reduce printing positional deviation between forward and reverse main scanning passes.

Abstract: Segment terminal electrodes for connecting to the segment terminals of TCP and common terminal electrodes at both ends in a direction in which these segment terminal electrodes are arranged are formed on the surface of an actuator unit and the common terminal electrodes at both ends of each row are connected via conductive members. Each grounding conductor on TCP is mutually connected via each common terminal electrode component on the actuator unit. Therefore, the common terminal electrodes on plural actuator units can conduct to grounding conductors.

Abstract: To prevent a deficiency of ink supply in a high drive frequency inkjet head operating at low ambient temperatures, and to reduce temperature dependent ink squirting variations, an inkjet head is driven at an ink jetting cycle that compensates for temperature. In particular, the ink jetting cycle of a drive waveform includes a period (t1) of constriction of the pressure generation chamber, a period (t2) of holding the drive voltage, and a process (t3) of expansion of the pressure generation chamber. With a decrease in the ambient temperature of ink, the sum of the periods t1, t2, and t3 is changed from a time period which is (n+1 / 4) (where n=1, 2, 3) times as much as the cycle of inherent oscillation T of the pressure generation chamber to a time period which is (n+3 / 4) times as much as T or to a time period which is (n-1 / 4) times as much as T. As a result, a low ambient temperature ink supply deficiency can be prevented without the use of an ink heater or the like.

Abstract: In an ink jet recording head in which pressure chambers are formed by fastening a vibration plate to a nozzle-opening contained member, and piezoelectric vibrators, which extend and contract in the axial direction, are fastened at the fore ends to the region of the vibration plate, islands are formed in the region of the vibration plate where is to be in contact with the piezoelectric vibrators, each of the islands being surrounded by a thinned part, the fore end of each piezoelectric vibrator is fastened to each island.

Abstract: A bonding width L between a head frame 5 and a flow path unit 12 in a direction orthogonal to an array of pressure producing chambers 7 is set to 0.5b.ltoreq.L.ltoreq.5a if it is assumed that a distance from the bonding end to the piezoelectric vibration element 2 closest to the head frame 5 is a and that the bonding ends of the head frame 5 interposing the piezoelectric vibration element 2 is b. Cracking of a spacer 6 or separation of the spacer 6 from a resilient plate 4 is prevented by ensuring a rigidity of the head frame 5 necessary for suppressing deformation of the flow path unit 12 and by causing the head frame 5 to absorb internal stresses of the flow path unit 12 caused by ambient temperature change.

Abstract: A piezoelectric vibration element is abutted against a vibration plate such that a central point C1 of the piezoelectric vibration element by is displaced by a distance .DELTA.d toward a nozzle opening from a central point C2 of a length L of an effective displacement region on vibration plate, whereby the displacement of the piezoelectric vibration during operation of the element is particularly efficiently transmitted to ink in the vicinity of the nozzle opening.

Abstract: In an ink jet recording head in which pressure chambers are formed by fastening a vibration plate to a nozzle-opening contained member, and piezoelectric vibrators, which extend and contract in the axial direction, are fastened at the fore ends to the region of the vibration plate, islands are formed in the region of the vibration plate where is to be in contact with the piezoelectric vibrators, each of the islands being surrounded by a thinned part, the fore end of each piezoelectric vibrator is fastened to each island.

Abstract: A method of driving an ink jet recording head comprising the steps of: retreating a vibrating plate to a predetermined position from a nozzle opening at such a speed as to allow a meniscus at the nozzle opening to be jetted from the nozzle opening while applying a drive voltage to a piezoelectric vibrating element; holding the vibrating plate at the position; and advancing the vibrating plate toward the nozzle opening when the meniscus has returned to a position 1/3 or more of the farthest retreat position thereof. As a result, a pressure chamber contracted to thereby apply pressure to ink when inertial stream of the ink become stable and heads toward the nozzle opening, producing an ink droplet to be jetted at a predetermined speed irrespective of the position of the meniscus.

Abstract: In an ink jet recording head in which pressure chambers are formed by fastening a vibration plate to a nozzle-opening contained member, and piezoelectric vibrators, which extend and contract in the axial direction, are fastened at the fore ends to the region of the vibration plate, islands are formed in the region of the vibration plate where is to be in contact with the piezoelectric vibrators, each of the islands being surrounded by a thinned part, the fore end of each piezoelectric vibrator is fastened to each island.

Abstract: An ink jet type recording head driving circuit comprises: a capacitor which is connected through a first switching transistor and a charging time constant adjusting resistor to a power source, and grounded through a second switching transistor and a discharging time constant adjusting resistor; and a current buffer through which the terminal voltage of the capacitor is applied to a pressure generating member scanning switch circuit. In the circuit, a first pulse for contracting a pressure generating member forming the recording head is applied to the first switching transistor, and a second pulse for expanding the pressure generating member is applied to the second switching transistor, so that the pressure generating member is contracted at a rate set by the capacitor and the charging time constant adjusting resistor, to supply ink into the pressure chamber of the recording head, and then it is expanded at a rate set by the capacitor and the discharging time constant adjusting resistor.

Abstract: An ink jet recording head having a spacer including a pressure generating chamber, a reservoir, and an ink supply port connecting them, a nozzle plate, hermetically fixed on a first side of the spacer, for generating ink droplets when receiving an ink pressure from the pressure generating chamber, a vibrating plate, hermetically fixed on a second side of the spacer, for pressing the pressure generating chamber, and piezoelectric vibrators for pressing the vibrating plate, wherein the vibrating plate has thin portions each occupying a large area so that the compliance of a regional area closer to the nozzle openings is larger than a regional area closer to the ink supply port.

Abstract: An ink jet print head in which a portion along which both piezoelectric conversion elements and a nozzle forming member are adhesively fixed is positioned at least a distance exceeding that of a stress concentration region toward a base portion of the piezoelectric conversion elements from a vibrating fulcrum of the piezoelectric conversion elements. As a result, any thermally induced stress concentration in the piezoelectric conversion elements is diffused over the adhesively fixed stress that acts backward of such stress concentration region. This prevents each piezoelectric conversion element from being deformed, thereby contributing to eliminating variations in the nozzle gap.

Abstract: An ink jet print head is provided having a nozzle forming substrate with a plurality of nozzles formed therein. Vibrators formed on a piezoelectric transducer disposed within the ink jet print head opposite the nozzles are independently drivable. A first gap is formed between the nozzle forming substrate and a vibrator in a region adjacent the nozzles. A second gap is formed between the nozzle forming substrate and a vibrator at a region away from the nozzles having a different dimension than the first gap.