Abstract: To prevent an adhesive from flowing into nozzles, there is provided a head chip includes: a plate having a plurality of grooves; a cover plate having an introduction aperture; a nozzle plate fixed to an end surface of the plate, and has nozzles formed at the same intervals; and escape holes formed between the nozzle plate and the plate, each have a contour which surrounds a periphery of each of the nozzles with the contour being spaced apart from a contour of each of the nozzles by at least a given distance, accumulate the adhesive remaining at a time of fixing the nozzle plate therein, and allow the nozzles and the grooves to communicate with each other. The nozzles and the escape holes are so arranged as to be displaced from adjacent nozzles and adjacent escape holes by a given distance in a vertical direction of the nozzle plate.

Abstract: An inkjet head chip has an actuator plate, discharge channels formed in the actuator plate for discharging ink, and non-discharge channels arranged alternately in parallel with the discharge channels and which are not configured to discharge ink. The actuator plate has a piezoelectric layer and a low-permittivity substrate layer. The piezoelectric layer is formed of a piezoelectric material and the low-permittivity substrate layer is formed of an insulating low-permittivity material having a lower permittivity than that of the piezoelectric material. One end of each discharge channel extends to an end surface of the actuator plate in a state in which the insulating low-permittivity material is exposed on a bottom surface thereof, and another end of each discharge channel does not extend to the end surface of the actuator plate.

Abstract: An inkjet head chip has an ink chamber containing ink, channels separated by piezoelectric elements and disposed parallel to each other along a width direction of the inkjet head chip, and a nozzle hole for discharging an ink droplet. The channels include a discharge channel disposed in a middle portion of the parallely disposed channels and communicating with the ink chamber and nozzle hole, dummy channels disposed outside of the discharge channel at respective ends thereof, and non-discharge channels toward the recording medium and supply of the ink from the ink chamber to the dummy channels is interrupted. The discharge of an ink droplet from the non-discharge channels toward the recording medium and the supply of ink from the ink chamber to the non-discharge channels are interrupted.

Abstract: An inkjet head has a first substrate having first groove portions formed on one surface of the first substrate and an ink supply path connected to the first groove portions and opening toward another surface of the first substrate. A second substrate has second groove portions and is connected to the first substrate so that the first and second groove portions jointly form ink chambers. First drive electrodes are formed on sidewalls of the first groove portions. Second drive electrodes are formed on sidewalls of the second groove portions. Conduction members are formed only adjacent to the ink supply path of the first substrate and electrically connect the respective first and second drive electrodes to one another.

Abstract: In an ink jet head driving method, a first drive pulse signal is transmitted to a first actuator that is formed in a first ink chamber confronting a print area on a recording medium and from which ink is to be discharged. The first drive pulse signal comprises a reserve drive pulse signal transmitted to temporarily increase a volume of the ink chamber and a discharge drive pulse signal transmitted sequentially with the reserve drive pulse signal to temporarily reduce the volume of the ink chamber and thereby cause ink to be discharged from the first ink chamber. In synchronization with the reserve drive pulse signal, a second drive pulse signal is transmitted to a second actuator that is formed in a second ink chamber confronting a non-print area of the recording medium adjacent to the print area thereof and that is configured to discharge ink.

Abstract: In an ink jet head nozzle plate manufacturing method, a laser beam is generated using a laser beam source. A direction of the laser beam is changed using a mirror that reflects the laser beam. The laser beam reflected by the mirror is condensed using micro-lenses arranged on a common plane. Nozzle openings are formed in a nozzle plate using the laser beam condensed by the micro-lenses.

Abstract: Provided is a remaining amount detection sensor (4) which is disposed outside a sub-tank (3) to detect a remaining amount of an ink (20), including: a detection electrode (4a) disposed so as to face the sub-tank (3); a guard electrode (4b) disposed in the same plane as the detection electrode (4a) so as to surround an outer periphery of the detection electrode (4a); and a guard electrode (4d) which is disposed so as to face the detection electrode (4a) with a space in at least a range covering the detection electrode (4a), and has the same potential as that of the guard electrode (4b), in which the remaining amount of the content of the sub-tank (3) can be detected based on a capacitance to be measured by the detection electrode (4a) with the potentials of the guard electrodes (4b) (4d) each being set as a reference potential. Accordingly, in the remaining amount detection sensor and the ink-jet printer using the same, the remaining amount of the content of the container can be detected with high accuracy.

Abstract: An ink jet head has a plurality of individual head chips integrated to form a head chip block. Each head chip has a plurality of grooves, and the grooves of all the head chips open at one end to respective nozzle holes formed in a nozzle plate. Each head chip has an actuator substrate in which is formed an ink chamber that supplies ink to the grooves in that head chip. An ink flow path connects an ink supply to one of the ink chambers in one of the head chips, and the ink chambers of all the head chips communicate with one another through ink holes. Since ink is supplied to the grooves of all the head chips from a single ink flow path connected to the ink supply, the size of the ink jet head, particularly in the thickness direction, the weight, the number of parts and the manufacturing cost can all be reduced.

Abstract: An inkjet head capable of achieving stable ejection of ink by preventing air bubbles from being left in the upstream side of a nozzle of a filter element such as mesh filter that is provided in an inkjet head owing to the efficient use of the open area of the filter element. The inkjet head is provided to have a fluid channel communicated with the atmosphere from the upstream side region of the filter element such as mesh filter, with regard to the nozzle without passing through the filter element and the nozzle.

Abstract: An ink-jet head has deformable ink chambers formed in a piezoelectric ceramic plate and communicating with nozzle openings for ejecting ink from the chambers in response to voltage drive waveforms applied to electrodes on side walls of the chambers. A drive waveform generator selectively applies to the electrodes a first drive waveform to eject an ink droplet from a nozzle opening or a second drive waveform for vibrating a meniscus of the ink to the extent that no ink droplet is ejected from the nozzle opening. By vibrating the ink meniscus, thickening of ink in the nozzle openings can be suppressed without a complicated voltage control.

Abstract: An ink-jet print head has a piezoelectric ceramic plate having grooves for receiving ink, a nozzle plate connected to the piezoelectric ceramic plate and having nozzle apertures each disposed in communication with respective ones of the grooves, and an ink storing device for storing ink. An ink chamber plate is connected to the piezoelectric ceramic plate and has an ink chamber for supplying ink from the ink storing device to the grooves. A base plate is connected to a side of the ink chamber plate and has an ink reservoir defining a portion of an ink flow path for transporting ink from the ink storing device to the ink chamber of the ink chamber plate. The ink reservoir has at least one tapered portion progressively diverging in a direction toward the ink chamber of the ink chamber plate.

Abstract: A pressure buffer of an ink-jet recording apparatus is placed in the vicinity of an ink-jet recording head in an ink supply path connecting an ink container to the ink-jet recording head. A body of the pressure buffer has a concave portion at least on one surface, and a flexible film is attached to tightly close the concave portion to form a chamber. The chamber has an ink flow outlet through which ink flows from the chamber to the ink-jet recording head and an ink flow inlet through which ink flows from the ink container to the chamber. The ink flow outlet is always positioned in an uppermost portion in a vertical direction of the chamber, and the ink flow inlet is positioned at an equal level or on a lower side in a vertical direction with respect to the ink flow outlet.

Abstract: To prevent corrosion and disconnection of an anisotropic conductor film due to ink and ink vapor and to eliminate discharge defects in an ink jet print head having a structure in which a head chip and a circuit substrate for driving the head chip are interconnected by an FPC substrate through the anisotropic conductor film, an outer periphery of the interconnecting portion is molded throughout a full range by a sealant so as to cut off the interconnecting portion from external air. The sealant is of an epoxy type, a silicone type or an acrylic type. An epoxy sealant having low viscosity (50 pa·s or below) and high hardness (85 or more: JISA standard) is used for a first layer sealant of the interconnecting portion and a silicone sealant having high viscosity (70 pa·s or more) is used for a second layer sealant to achieve a two-layered molding structure.

Abstract: An ink jet recording apparatus has an ink jet head comprised of a substrate having at least a pair of partition walls with deformable side walls spaced apart at a preselected distance to form a channel for receiving ink and communicating with a nozzle opening, a pair of electrodes each connected to respective ones of the side walls of the partition walls, and a driving circuit for applying a driving voltage to the pair of electrodes to deform the side walls of the partition walls to vary the volume of the channel to thereby eject ink from the channel. A data storage device of the ink jet head stores two or more different types of driving information data of the ink jet head including driving condition data. An external circuit is connected to the driving circuit of the ink jet head and has a setting device for reading at least the driving condition data stored in the data storage device and automatically setting driving conditions of the ink jet head.

Abstract: An ink jet head has grooves, an ink flow path for transporting ink from an ink storing member to the grooves via an ink chamber, and a filter disposed in the ink flow path. The ink flow path has a communicating passage connected to the ink storing member, an ink introduction passage connected to the communicating passage for transporting ink along a flow direction generally perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of each of the grooves, an ink reservoir connected to the ink introduction passage and in which the filter is disposed, and an ink supply passage connected to the ink reservoir for supplying ink to the ink chamber. The ink supply passage is inclined downwardly toward the ink chamber relative to a horizontal line disposed generally parallel to the flow direction of ink in the ink introduction passage.

Abstract: An air damper for use with an ink jet head has a main body having an ink reservoir portion, and a film sealed to the main body and covering the ink reservoir portion to define therewith an ink reservoir. A reinforcement plate is attached to the main body and overlies the film to prevent rupture of the film due to expansion thereof when the ink jet head is pressure-filled with ink. The reinforcement plate has a recessed portion opposed to and facing the film to permit limited expansion of the film caused by pressure fluctuations of ink in the ink reservoir.

Abstract: Disclosed is a head chip and a method of producing the same which help to achieve an improvement in production yield and a reduction in production cost and which allow high speed printing and high density printing.

Abstract: To provide a temperature control device and a temperature control method, which are capable of applying temperature control with high accuracy to an object of temperature control and facilitating removal of the object of temperature control to reduce cost at the time of replacement, and an ink-jet recording apparatus.

Abstract: To provide an ink jet head and an ink jet recording apparatus in which it is possible to reliably prevent ink bubbles from staying in the ink sump and the interior of the head chip and in which it is relatively easy to remove the bubbles. The ink jet head includes: a plurality of grooves arranged side by side so as to communicate with nozzle openings; an ink chamber for supplying ink to each of the grooves; an ink sump provided so as to communicate with the ink chamber; and ink storage unit (50) communicating with the ink sump through ink supply passages, in which there is provided an air duct (100) establishing communication between a region in the ink sump which is substantially free from interference with an ink flow from the ink supply passages (33) to the ink chamber and in which bubbles easily gather and an air region of the ink storage unit (50). Therefore, the bubbles in the ink can be surely removed.

Abstract: An ink chamber plate 20 for defining a common ink chamber 21 communicating with chambers 17 is bonded onto a substrate 16 on which the chambers 17 are provided. The common ink chamber 21 is provided with a section 30 for partitioning the chambers 17 and the common ink chamber 21 and the partitioning section 30 is provided with a plurality of interconnecting holes 31 for defining the pump length, at an interval equivalent to the pump length, along the longitudinal direction of the chamber. A drive means generates a drive field in both the sidewalls 18 defining the chamber 17 such that a preliminary drive field for temporarily increasing the volume in the chamber 17 has a drive time substantially equal to that of an ejection drive field for ejecting ink by temporarily reducing the volume in the chamber 17 continuously to the preliminary drive field.