Abstract: There is provided a filter device having: a supply path into which liquid flows; a first liquid chamber communicating with the supply path; a second liquid chamber communicating with the first liquid chamber; a first discharge path which communicates with the second liquid chamber, and from which liquid is discharged; and a filter provided between the first liquid chamber and the second liquid chamber. An intermediate portion of the first discharge path between an entrance and an exit of the first discharge path is higher than the entrance and the exit, and the entrance of the first discharge path opens in a vicinity of a floor portion of the second liquid chamber.

Abstract: When ejectors (nozzles) are viewed in order in a sub-scanning direction, the ejectors are arranged so that positions of the ejectors in a main scanning direction alternate in an offsetting manner. When formed dots are viewed along the sub-scanning direction, sizes of the dots are changed at random. Accordingly, density unevenness is decreased, the ejectors can be arranged in high density, and an image can be recorded at high speed. That is, the invention provides a droplet ejecting head in which density unevenness which tends to be generated in a head having a matrix-like nozzle arrangement can be decreased without decreasing recording speed and thus high-speed recording is made compatible with high-quality recording. The invention also provides a droplet ejecting apparatus which is provided with the droplet ejecting head.

Abstract: A droplet ejection head driving method applies a driving voltage waveform to pressure-generating means, thus pressurizing a liquid in a pressure chamber and causing a droplet to be ejected. The driving voltage waveform includes a first voltage change process, which expands the pressure chamber, and a second voltage change process, after the first voltage change process, which shrinks the pressure chamber. A time interval between the first voltage change process and the second voltage change process is not more than ? of a resonance period Tm of a meniscus oscillation (a refill oscillation), which is governed by surface tension of the liquid at a nozzle portion.

Abstract: In a droplet ejecting system, after an ink droplet is ejected a reverberation pressure change is amplified to obtain an appropriate amount of reverberation pressure change, and the ink droplet is reliably separated from a meniscus when ejecting the ink droplet. To this end, voltage including an ejecting pulse for ejecting the ink droplet is applied to a piezoactuator to generate a pressure change in a pressure chamber, and voltage including a reverberation amplifying pulse is applied to the piezoactuator to amplify the pressure change in the pressure chamber in the next cycle subsequent to the cycle of the pressure change generated by the ejecting pulse.

Abstract: There is provided a grasp member joined to the top portion of an image pickup apparatus body including a lens barrel unit at the front end and a display unit at the rear end through leg portions. Here, the front one of the leg portions is joined to the image pickup apparatus body at an offset position to the left from an optical axis of light incident on the lens barrel unit.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a driving method of a liquid drop ejecting head in which an oscillatory wave is imparted to a liquid accommodated in a pressure chamber using an electromechanical transducer, which is driven by applying a predetermined driving waveform to the electromechanical transducer, thereby discharging a liquid drop from a nozzle to record an image. The driving method comprising: detecting an environmental temperature, and expanding and/or contracting the driving waveform to be applied to the electromechanical transducer, in a voltage axial direction and a time axial direction, in accordance with the detected environmental temperature, and applying the resulting driving waveform to the electromechanical transducer. Also disclosed is adjusting the waveform of a reverberation adjustor portion of the driving waveform, which adjusts a residual oscillation of the liquid, in accordance with the detected environmental temperature.

Abstract: A driving method for a droplet ejection head which is plurally equipped with an ejector, which includes a nozzle and an actuator for ejecting droplets. The driving method includes preparing plural driving waveforms that correspond to variations between respectively differing ejection characteristics of the ejectors, and systematically or arbitrarily applying the plural of driving waveforms to the actuators as driving signals. Accordingly, when a driving waveform which is suited to an ejection characteristic of the head is applied, a normal ejection can be performed. In contrast, when a driving waveform which is not suited to the ejection characteristic of the head is applied, an ejection state is not optimal. However, the driving waveform suited to the ejection characteristic is applied immediately thereafter. The driving waveform not suited to the ejection characteristic is applied to the ejector systematically or arbitrarily, and is not applied continuously.

Abstract: A method of driving an ink jet recording head, and an ink jet recording apparatus. A driving wave form for driving a piezoelectric actuator includes a first voltage changing process to compress a pressure generating chamber with a rise time of t1, and a second voltage changing process to expand the pressure generating chamber with a fall time of t3 after the voltage is maintained during a time of t2. The start time, the voltage changing time, and the voltage variation of the second voltage changing process are set so that, in a room temperature environment, a first peak value v1 and a second peak value v1 of particle velocity generated at the nozzle section satisfy the condition: 0.3?v2/v1?0.6.

Abstract: A liquid drop discharging head includes a matrix array head that can reduce variations in a print density without reducing a recording speed. A liquid drop discharging device provided with this liquid drop discharging head can realize compatibility between recording an image at high speed and recording the high quality image. Ejectors are disposed alternately to form dots on a recording medium that are arranged in the order of alternating ejectors such as A, E, B, F, C, G, D, and H. The dots having a relatively large diameter and the dots having a relatively small diameter are mixedly disposed in a sub-scanning direction at predetermined pitches. Mixed arrangement of dots increases space frequency variations in a print density along the sub-scanning direction, thus, making it difficult for the human eye to sense the density variations, and ensuring a high uniformity in a recorded result.

Abstract: A wafer chuck assembly for a semiconductor wafer processing device has axially movable wafer support pins associated with a wafer chuck body of the wafer chuck assembly. The wafer support pins are biased to contact and support the backside of a semiconductor wafer when the semiconductor wafer is placed and/or maintained (typically via air suction) on the wafer chuck assembly. Each support pin axially moves independent of one another such that any area of contamination on the backside of the semiconductor wafer that registers with a support pin, moves the affected support pin axially downwardly.

Abstract: A nozzle for ejecting a droplet has a straight portion having a substantially straight shape. A driving waveform to be applied to a piezoelectric actuator includes a first voltage change process for expanding volume of a pressure generating chamber to retract a meniscus of the nozzle portion toward the pressure generating chamber and a second voltage change process for compressing the volume of the pressure generating chamber to eject a droplet. Voltage change quantity and voltage change time of the first voltage change process are set so that meniscus retraction quantity D when the second voltage change process is applied satisfies 0.8·ln?D?1.5·ln (ln designates length of the straight portion of the nozzle). Consequently, when the second voltage change process is applied, strong liquid surface interference can be produced in the nozzle central portion. Therefore, a droplet having an extremely small droplet volume can be ejected.

Abstract: A fluid jetting device is comprised of: a plurality of chambers arranged in a matrix form; nozzles formed in the plural chambers, respectively; a fluid pressure applying portion arranged on at least one planes of the plural chambers; a plurality of fluid pool sub-streams for supplying fluids to the plural chambers; a fluid pool main stream connected to one edges of the plural fluid pool sub-streams; and a fluid supplying portion for supplying a predetermined fluid to the fluid pool main stream. The fluid supplying portion is connected to a portion of the fluid pool main stream in the vicinity of this fluid pool main stream along a longitudinal direction thereof.

Abstract: A wafer chuck assembly for a semiconductor wafer processing device has axially movable wafer support pins associated with a wafer chuck body of the wafer chuck assembly. The wafer support pins are biased to contact and support the backside of a semiconductor wafer when the semiconductor wafer is placed and/or maintained (typically via air suction) on the wafer chuck assembly. Each support pin axially moves independent of one another such that any area of contamination on the backside of the semiconductor wafer that registers with a support pin, moves the affected support pin axially downwardly.

Abstract: To enable fine droplets of a diameter smaller than a nozzle diameter to be stably ejected at a high driving frequency. The present invention relates to a method for driving an ink jet recording head which method applies a driving voltage to a piezoelectric actuator 4 to change a pressure in a pressure generating chamber 2, thus ejecting ink droplets 1 through a nozzle 7 in communication with the pressure generating chamber 2.

Abstract: When ejectors (nozzles) are viewed in order in a sub-scanning direction, the ejectors are arranged so that positions of the ejectors in a main scanning direction alternate in an offsetting manner. When formed dots are viewed along the sub-scanning direction, sizes of the dots are changed at random. Accordingly, density unevenness is decreased, the ejectors can be arranged in high density, and an image can be recorded at high speed. That is, the invention provides a droplet ejecting head in which density unevenness which tends to be generated in a head having a matrix-like nozzle arrangement can be decreased without decreasing recording speed and thus high-speed recording is made compatible with high-quality recording. The invention also provides a droplet ejecting apparatus which is provided with the droplet ejecting head.

Abstract: An ink jet recording head has a plurality of ejectors and an ink supply system. Each of the plurality of ejectors has a pressure generating chamber, a nozzle communicating with the pressure generating chamber, and a pressure generating portion. The ejectors are arrayed two-dimensionally. The ink supply system has a common flow path with which a plurality of the ejectors are interconnected. The pressure generating chambers are filled with ink through the common flow path. A change of pressure is generated in the ink in the pressure generating chambers by the pressure generating portions. Thus, ink droplets are ejected from the nozzles. The common flow path is disposed to overlap the pressure generating chambers two-dimensionally. The common flow path has a constricted shape having wide portions and narrow portions.

Abstract: A method of driving an inkjet recording head designed to eject an ink droplet (67) via an ink nozzle (62) communicated to a pressure chamber filled with ink by generating a pressure wave in the pressure chamber by applying a driving voltage to a piezoelectric actuator of the inkjet recording head. The driving voltage waveform has a voltage rise portion (11) for contracting a volume of the pressure chamber (61) and a voltage fall portion (12) for expanding the volume of the pressure chamber. A rise time t1 of the voltage rise portion (11) and a voltage fall time t2 of the voltage fall portion 12 are set smaller than an inherent vibration period Ta of the piezoelectric actuator. An ink droplet having a smaller diameter can be produced, thereby improving the printing precision.

Abstract: To enable fine droplets each having a diameter of 15 &mgr;m or less to be ejected without causing increase of device cost and a device size, and decrease reliability and a manufacturing yield. A driving waveform driving a piezoelectric actuator includes a first voltage changing process for inflating a pressure generating chamber in a falling time t1, a second voltage changing process for rapidly deflating the pressure generating chamber in a rising time t3 after keeping the fallen voltage during a time t2, a third voltage changing process for rapidly inflating the pressure generating chamber just after the preceding process, and a fourth voltage changing process for compressing the pressure generating chamber just after the preceding process.

Abstract: There are provided a liquid drop discharging head that can reduce variations in a print density easily caused by a matrix array head without reducing a recording speed and can realize compatibility between recording an image at high speeds and recording the image at high quality levels and a liquid drop discharging device provided with this liquid drop discharging head. Ejectors are alternately arranged in such a way that dots formed on a recording medium are arranged in the order of the ejectors A, E, B, F, C, G, D, and H. The dots each having a relatively large diameter and the dots each having a relatively small diameter are mixedly arranged in a sub-scanning direction at predetermined pitches. This can increase a space frequency of variations in a print density in the sub-scanning direction and hence make human eyes become hard to sense the variations in the print density, thereby being capable of ensuring high uniformity in a recorded result.

Abstract: An inkjet recording head includes a plurality of nozzles, a plurality of pressure chambers in communication with the respective nozzles, a diaphragm forming a part of the walls of the pressure chambers, and a plurality of piezoelectric actuators each coupled with a part of the diaphragm to form a vibrating member. The vibrating member deforms to generate a pressure wave in the ink filled within the pressure chamber, the acoustic capacitance of the vibrating member being set at 2.0×10−20 m5/N or higher.