Patents by Inventor Eiju Hirai

Eiju Hirai has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 10889115
    Abstract: There is provided a liquid discharge head including a first wiring through which a drive signal is input to a wiring substrate, in which the wiring substrate has a substrate having a first surface and a second surface that opposes the first surface, a second wiring formed on the first surface, a third wiring formed on the second surface, a fourth wiring and a fifth wiring that pass through the substrate and electrically couples the second wiring with the third wiring, and an electrode provided on the second wiring and electrically couples the second wiring with the first wiring, and the electrode is positioned between a first coupling point at which the fourth wiring is electrically coupled to the second wiring and a second coupling point at which the fifth wiring is electrically coupled to the second wiring, in the second wiring.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 12, 2021
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Eiju Hirai, Daisuke Yamada, Shingo Tomimatsu
  • Patent number: 10857790
    Abstract: There is provided a liquid discharge head including a drive IC that outputs the first signal and the second signal, and a wiring substrate having a first side and a second side longer than the first side, electrically connected to the drive IC, and propagating the first signal and the second signal, in which the wiring substrate includes a first electrode to which the first signal is input, a second electrode to which the second signal is input, a third electrode electrically connected to the first electrode, and a fourth electrode electrically connected to the second electrode, and in a direction along the second side, the second electrode is positioned between the first electrode and the third electrode, and the third electrode is positioned between the second electrode and the fourth electrode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2020
    Inventors: Osamu Tonomura, Eiju Hirai, Motoki Takabe, Toru Kashimura
  • Patent number: 10857785
    Abstract: There is provided a liquid ejecting head including a plurality of drive elements for ejecting liquids from nozzles, respectively, a base portion, and a wiring formed on the base portion to drive the plurality of drive elements, in which the wiring includes a first wiring portion formed along an array of the plurality of drive elements, and a second wiring portion forming an annular path with respect to the first wiring portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2020
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Eiju Hirai, Hiroaki Okui, Yoichiro Kondo
  • Patent number: 10814628
    Abstract: A liquid ejecting head includes a driving circuit configured to output a driving pulse; and a wiring substrate including a base body portion disposed between a flow path formation portion and the driving circuit, and a signal wiring formed on the base body portion and configured to transmit a driving signal for use in generation of the driving pulse by the driving circuit to the driving circuit from an input terminal. The signal wiring includes a first portion overlapping, in a plan view, at least one coupling terminal included in the driving circuit and coupled to the signal wiring, and a second portion located on the side of the input terminal when seen from the first portion, and the total number of wirings constituting the second portion is larger than the total number of wirings constituting the first portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 27, 2020
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Daisuke Yamada, Eiju Hirai, Motoki Takabe, Yoichiro Kondo
  • Publication number: 20200307207
    Abstract: The terminal portion extends onto a surface of the protrusion portion from part positioned in the second layer and corresponding to the second portion, and part on the surface of the protrusion portion contacts an electrode of the drive element.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 23, 2020
    Publication date: October 1, 2020
    Inventors: Masaki MORI, Eiju HIRAI, Motoki TAKABE
  • Patent number: 10773523
    Abstract: A liquid discharge head includes: a pressure chamber communicating with a nozzle through which liquid is discharged; a piezoelectric element having a lamination structure in which a first electrode, a piezoelectric body layer, and a second electrode are laminated in this order; a vibration plate installed between the first electrode of the piezoelectric element and the pressure chamber; a protective substrate in which an internal space for housing the piezoelectric element is formed; and a lead-out wiring connected to the second electrode, in which a column portion is provided at a position overlapping with the piezoelectric element in the internal space of the protective substrate when viewed in a plan view, and the lead-out wiring is provided on a wall surface of the column portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 15, 2020
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Osamu Tonomura, Masao Nakayama, Eiju Hirai
  • Patent number: 10737493
    Abstract: A piezoelectric device includes a vibration plate, and a first piezoelectric element and a second piezoelectric element that vibrate the vibration plate. The first piezoelectric element and the second piezoelectric element include a piezoelectric layer extending between the first piezoelectric element and the second piezoelectric element. In a region between the first piezoelectric element and the second piezoelectric element in the piezoelectric layer, a first opening portion and a second opening portion are formed in a second direction intersecting a first direction in which the first piezoelectric element and the second piezoelectric element are disposed so as to interpose a vibration suppressing portion, which is a portion of the piezoelectric layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 11, 2020
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Naoto Yokoyama, Eiju Hirai, Masao Nakayama
  • Publication number: 20200207077
    Abstract: There is provided a liquid ejecting head including a plurality of drive elements for ejecting liquids from nozzles, respectively, a base portion, and a wiring formed on the base portion to drive the plurality of drive elements, in which the wiring includes a first wiring portion formed along an array of the plurality of drive elements, and a second wiring portion forming an annular path with respect to the first wiring portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 23, 2019
    Publication date: July 2, 2020
    Inventors: Eiju HIRAI, Hiroaki OKUI, Yoichiro KONDO
  • Publication number: 20200207092
    Abstract: A liquid ejecting head includes a diaphragm that constitutes a part of a wall surface of a pressure chamber in which a liquid is filled, and a piezoelectric element that vibrates the diaphragm, in which the piezoelectric element includes a first electrode and a second electrode, and a piezoelectric layer including a first portion located between the first electrode and the second electrode and a second portion not overlapping at least one of the first electrode and the second electrode in plan view, a first surface at an opposite side of the first portion from the diaphragm and a second surface at an opposite side of the second portion from the diaphragm are different in position in a laminate direction of the first electrode, the piezoelectric layer, and the second electrode, and a second film thickness of the second portion is larger than a first film thickness of the first portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 23, 2019
    Publication date: July 2, 2020
    Inventors: Eiju HIRAI, Shiro YAZAKI
  • Patent number: 10639889
    Abstract: A MEMS device which includes an adhesive which adheres a first substrate and a second substrate to each other, in which a first space which includes an electrode, an individual electrode, a common electrode, a bump electrode, and a piezoelectric element and which is configured as a closed space which is isolated from an atmosphere by the first substrate, the second substrate, and the adhesive is disposed in a space between the first substrate and the second substrate, and in which a second space which does not include any of the electrode, the individual electrode, the common electrode, the bump electrode, or the piezoelectric element and which communicates with the atmosphere due to a through-hole which penetrates at least one of the first substrate and the second substrate is disposed in the space between the first substrate and the second substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2020
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Shohei Mizuta, Eiju Hirai, Daisuke Yamada, Yoichi Naganuma, Motoki Takabe
  • Patent number: 10625503
    Abstract: In a plan view from a perpendicular direction to a surface of a wiring substrate on which a wiring is provided, a buried wiring, a connection wiring, and a terminal portion of an external wiring are formed at an overlapping position, in which a recessed portion is provided at a position corresponding to the buried wiring on a surface of the connection wiring on an opposite side to the wiring substrate, and in which, in a direction intersecting an extension direction of the wiring on the surface of the wiring substrate on which the wiring is provided, a width of the connection wiring is larger than a width of the buried wiring, a width of the terminal portion of the external wiring is larger than a width of the recessed portion, and the terminal portion is provided across the recessed portion of the connection wiring.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2020
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Shingo Tomimatsu, Daisuke Yamada, Eiju Hirai, Motoki Takabe, Shunsuke Watanabe
  • Patent number: 10611151
    Abstract: There is provided a liquid ejecting head including: a flow path forming substrate in which a plurality of pressure generation chambers are arranged in parallel in a first direction; and a piezoelectric actuator which has a first electrode provided on one surface side of the flow path forming substrate with a vibration plate interposed therebetween, a piezoelectric layer provided on the first electrode, and a second electrode provided on the piezoelectric layer, in which, in the piezoelectric actuator, an active portion which is obtained by inserting the first electrode and the second electrode of the piezoelectric layer is provided, between the active portions adjacent to each other in the first direction, a groove portion is provided which is provided over the second electrode, the piezoelectric layer, the first electrode, and a portion of the vibration plate in a stacked direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2020
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Eiju Hirai, Motoki Takabe
  • Patent number: 10611152
    Abstract: Provided is a liquid ejecting head including a pressure chamber to accommodate a liquid, a vibration plate, a nozzle to eject the liquid, and a piezoelectric element. The piezoelectric element includes a piezoelectric body layer, a first electrode disposed on one surface of the piezoelectric body layer, and a second electrode disposed on the other surface of the piezoelectric body layer. The liquid ejecting head further includes wiring connected to the second electrode and extended along a surface direction of the piezoelectric body layer, and does not include a metal layer having the same potential as the first electrode in a first area which is an area positioned between the wiring and the vibration plate and in which the wiring overlaps with none of the second electrode and the piezoelectric body layer in a direction perpendicular to a surface direction of the second electrode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2020
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Ichiro Asaoka, Eiju Hirai, Tsutomu Nishiwaki, Hiroshi Kato
  • Patent number: 10603914
    Abstract: In an MEMS device, in a Z direction that is a direction in which a first core portion, a plurality of first bump wiring, and a plurality of first individual wiring are laminated, a width between the first core portion and a wiring substrate is wider than a maximum particle diameter of solid particles contained in an adhesive, and a width between a first wiring and a second wiring and a width between a third wiring and a fourth wiring are wider than the maximum particle diameter of the solid particles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2020
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Masashi Fujioka, Eiju Hirai, Isao Yanagisawa, Ikuya Miyazawa
  • Patent number: 10569540
    Abstract: A liquid ejection head includes a chamber, and a piezoelectric device, wherein the piezoelectric device includes a first electrode, a piezoelectric layer, a second electrode, an insulating layer, a first wire electrically connected to the second electrode, and a second wire electrically connected to the second electrode, and the piezoelectric device has a first region in which the first electrode, the piezoelectric layer, and the second electrode are stacked, a second region which is located on a side adjacent to a first end of the piezoelectric layer and in which the first electrode, the piezoelectric layer, the insulating layer, and the first wire are stacked, and a third region which is located on a side adjacent to a second end of the piezoelectric layer opposite to the first end and in which the first electrode, the piezoelectric layer, the insulating layer, and the second wire are stacked.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 25, 2020
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Eiju Hirai, Motoki Takabe
  • Patent number: 10562302
    Abstract: A liquid ejecting head includes a flow path substrate in which a nozzle through which liquid is ejected, a pressure chamber that communicates with the nozzle and a liquid supply chamber that communicates with the pressure chamber are formed, a vibration plate that is installed on the flow path substrate and overlaps with the pressure chamber and the liquid supply chamber, and a piezoelectric element that is formed on the vibration plate on an opposite side from the pressure chamber, in which a portion of the vibration plate overlapping with the pressure chamber is thinner in a thickness than a portion of the vibration plate overlapping with the liquid supply chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2020
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Naoto Yokoyama, Masao Nakayama, Eiju Hirai
  • Patent number: 10525707
    Abstract: A liquid ejecting head includes a flow path forming substrate, a vibration plate that is formed on one surface side of the flow path forming substrate, a plurality of piezoelectric elements that are provided on the vibration plate, a protective substrate that is bonded to the one surface side of the flow path forming substrate and has a flow path, a flow path member that is bonded to a side of the protective substrate opposite to the flow path forming substrate, a drive circuit that is mounted in a space formed so as to be surrounded by the flow path forming substrate, the protective substrate, and the flow path member, a filler that is filled between the drive circuit and the protective substrate, and a protective film that is formed on an inner wall, in which the protective film has an exposure hole exposing a surface of the filler.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2020
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Masao Nakayama, Shunya Fukuda, Eiju Hirai, Shiro Yazaki, Hajime Nakao
  • Publication number: 20190389218
    Abstract: A liquid ejecting head includes a vibration plate constituting a part of a wall surface of a pressure chamber accommodating a liquid; a piezoelectric element vibrating the vibration plate; and a reinforcing film disposed on a surface of the vibration plate on a pressure chamber side, in which a vibration region, which is a region of the vibration plate and is vibrated by the piezoelectric element, has an elongated shape in a plan view viewed in a thickness direction of the vibration plate, and the vibration region includes a first region in which the reinforcing film is not disposed and a second region which is located at a position closer to a center of the vibration region in a longitudinal direction than the first region, and in which the reinforcing film is disposed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 24, 2019
    Publication date: December 26, 2019
    Inventors: Satoshi TAKEMOTO, Eiju HIRAI, Masao NAKAYAMA, Naoto YOKOYAMA, Osamu TONOMURA
  • Publication number: 20190381796
    Abstract: There is provided a liquid discharge head including a first wiring through which a drive signal is input to a wiring substrate, in which the wiring substrate has a substrate having a first surface and a second surface that opposes the first surface, a second wiring formed on the first surface, a third wiring formed on the second surface, a fourth wiring and a fifth wiring that pass through the substrate and electrically couples the second wiring with the third wiring, and an electrode provided on the second wiring and electrically couples the second wiring with the first wiring, and the electrode is positioned between a first coupling point at which the fourth wiring is electrically coupled to the second wiring and a second coupling point at which the fifth wiring is electrically coupled to the second wiring, in the second wiring.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 17, 2019
    Publication date: December 19, 2019
    Inventors: Eiju HIRAI, Daisuke YAMADA, Shingo TOMIMATSU
  • Publication number: 20190381795
    Abstract: There is provided a liquid discharge head including a drive IC that outputs the first signal and the second signal, and a wiring substrate having a first side and a second side longer than the first side, electrically connected to the drive IC, and propagating the first signal and the second signal, in which the wiring substrate includes a first electrode to which the first signal is input, a second electrode to which the second signal is input, a third electrode electrically connected to the first electrode, and a fourth electrode electrically connected to the second electrode, and in a direction along the second side, the second electrode is positioned between the first electrode and the third electrode, and the third electrode is positioned between the second electrode and the fourth electrode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 18, 2019
    Publication date: December 19, 2019
    Inventors: Osamu TONOMURA, Eiju HIRAI, Motoki TAKABE, Toru KASHIMURA