Patents by Inventor Keiji Kura

Keiji Kura 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).

  • Publication number: 20110050817
    Abstract: A liquid-jetting apparatus includes: a liquid-jetting head which jets the liquid; a liquid tank which stores the liquid; a first flow passage which connects the liquid-jetting head and the liquid tank; a gas-liquid separating section which is arranged on the first flow passage and which separates the liquid and a gas in the liquid; a gas communication passage which connects the gas-liquid separating section and the liquid tank and through which the gas in the gas-liquid separating section is transported to the liquid tank; a second flow passage which communicates an upstream side and a down stream side of the gas-liquid separating section; and a switching mechanism which selectively switches between a first passage route for supplying the liquid through only the first flow passage and a second passage route for supplying the liquid through the second flow passage.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 30, 2010
    Publication date: March 3, 2011
    Applicant: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hisashi TAMADA, Keiji KURA, Yusuke SUZUKI
  • Patent number: 7874655
    Abstract: A liquid transporting apparatus includes a channel unit in which liquid transporting channel transporting the liquid is formed, the liquid transporting channel including a pressure chamber; a piezoelectric actuator which is connected to the channel unit, and which applies a pressure to the liquid in the pressure chamber, the piezoelectric actuator having: a piezoelectric layer; a first electrode arranged on a first surface of the piezoelectric layer to face the pressure chamber; a second electrode which is arranged, to face the first electrode, on a second surface of the piezoelectric layer different from the first surface; third electrodes arranged on the piezoelectric layer to sandwich the first electrode in a plan view; and fourth electrodes which are arranged, to face the third electrode, on the piezoelectric layer; a voltage applying mechanism which applies a voltage to the piezoelectric actuator; and a controller which controls the voltage applying mechanism.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 25, 2011
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masatomo Kojima, Yoshitsugu Morita, Keiji Kura
  • Publication number: 20090244205
    Abstract: A piezoelectric actuator includes a first piezoelectric layer, a second piezoelectric layer stacked on the first piezoelectric layer, a first electrode arranged on the first piezoelectric layer, a second electrode arranged between the first and second piezoelectric layers, and a third electrode arranged on the second piezoelectric layer. A portion of the third electrode faces the second electrode, and another portion of the third electrode faces the first electrode. The first electrode does not face at least a portion of the second electrode. A portion, of the second piezoelectric layer, sandwiched between the second electrode and the third electrode is polarized in a first direction in a thickness direction thereof, and portions, of the first and the second piezoelectric layers, which are sandwiched between the first electrode and the third electrode and between which the second electrode is not arranged, are polarized in a direction opposite to the first direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 27, 2009
    Publication date: October 1, 2009
    Applicant: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Keiji KURA
  • Publication number: 20090244129
    Abstract: In a liquid droplet jetting mode of jetting liquid droplets, a controller controls a piezoelectric actuator to perform a liquid droplet jetting operation in which volume of a pressure chamber is decreased to a decreased volume smaller than a predetermined volume, and then the volume of the pressure chamber is increased to an increased volume greater than the predetermined volume, and the volume of the pressure chamber is again decreased to the decreased volume. On the other hand, in a warm-up mode of heating the liquid in the pressure chamber, the controller controls the piezoelectric actuator to perform at least one of a first warm-up operation in which the volume of the pressure chamber is changed repeatedly between the predetermined volume and the increased volume, and a second warm-up operation in which the volume of the pressure chamber is changed repeatedly between the predetermined volume and the decreased volume.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 25, 2009
    Publication date: October 1, 2009
    Applicant: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Naoki Katayama, Masatomo Kojima, Atsushi Ito, Masashi Ono, Keiji Kura, Shohei Koide, Shigeru Suzuki, Yasuhiro Sekiguchi, Yoshitsugu Morita
  • Publication number: 20090167823
    Abstract: A liquid transporting apparatus includes a channel unit in which liquid transporting channel transporting the liquid is formed, the liquid transporting channel including a pressure chamber; a piezoelectric actuator which is connected to the channel unit, and which applies a pressure to the liquid in the pressure chamber, the piezoelectric actuator having: a piezoelectric layer; a first electrode arranged on a first surface of the piezoelectric layer to face the pressure chamber; a second electrode which is arranged, to face the first electrode, on a second surface of the piezoelectric layer different from the first surface; third electrodes arranged on the piezoelectric layer to sandwich the first electrode in a plan view; and fourth electrodes which are arranged, to face the third electrode, on the piezoelectric layer; a voltage applying mechanism which applies a voltage to the piezoelectric actuator; and a controller which controls the voltage applying mechanism.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 23, 2008
    Publication date: July 2, 2009
    Inventors: MASATOMO KOJIMA, Yoshitsugu Morita, Keiji Kura