Abstract: An ink jet type printing apparatus in which an ink supply needle is located near one side in a direction perpendicular to the reciprocated directions of a carriage, a circuit board is mounted on a wall of an ink cartridge in the vicinity of the side on which an ink supply port is formed and plural contacts for connecting to external control means are formed on the exposed surface of the circuit board.

Abstract: A plurality of recording engines 3, 3′, each including an ink jet recording head 1 mounted on a carriage 2, which ejects an ink droplet onto a recording sheet to perform printing are arranged such that recording sheets are feed able via different feeding paths 4, 4′. Ink is supplied from a main tank common to the respective recording engines 3, 3′. A controller 10 compares an amount of an externally provided print data with an amount of a reference data. The controller divides the print data into data sets, each responding to a predetermined amount of page, and provides the data sets the plural recording engines, when the print data amount exceeds the reference data amount. The controller operates a single recording engine en the print data amount is less than the reference data amount.

Abstract: A liquid detection device attached on a liquid container for detecting a liquid consumption status of the liquid contained in the liquid container, the liquid detection device including a vibrating section symmetrical about a center thereof, and at least one electrode electrically connecting with said vibrating section.

Abstract: A pressurizing chamber 1 is formed as a recess by half etching of a silicon single-crystal substrate 2. A nozzle communicating hole 6 through which the pressurizing chamber 1 is connected to a nozzle opening 5 is formed as a through hole which is smaller in width than the pressurizing chamber 1. The pressurizing chamber 1 is connected to the nozzle opening 5 in the other face via the nozzle communicating hole 6 while reducing the volume of the pressurizing chamber 1 to a degree as small as possible. The silicon single-crystal substrate is used as a member constituting a spacer so that an ink drop of a reduced ink amount suitable for high density printing flies with high positioning accuracy.

Abstract: A pressurizing chamber 1 is formed as a recess by half etching of a silicon single-crystal substrate 2. A nozzle communicating hole 6 through which the pressurizing chamber 1 is connected to a nozzle opening 5 is formed as a through hole which is smaller in width than the pressurizing chamber 1. The pressurizing chamber 1 is connected to the nozzle opening 5 in the other face via the nozzle communicating hole 6 while reducing the volume of the pressurizing chamber 1 to a degree as small as possible. The silicon single-crystal substrate is used as a member constituting a spacer so that an ink drop of a reduced ink amount suitable for high density printing flies with high positioning accuracy.

Abstract: An ink cartridge for an ink jet printer having a housing having at least one wall. The ink cartridge further has at least two ink chambers for containing different ink accommodated in the housing. Ink supply ports are formed in one wall of the housing within each of the ink chambers. Each of the ink supply ports has an inner opening and an outer opening. The distance from the inner opening of a first ink supply port to that of a second ink supply port adjacent to the first ink supply port is different from a second distance from the outer opening of the first ink supply opening to that of the second ink supply port.

Abstract: An angled portion that is concentric with respect to an ink passing port 4 is formed in a central region 7 of a membrane portion 2 to function as an elasticity providing portion, whereby the influence produced when a thick portion is injection molded at the periphery is removed from affecting elasticity of a membrane valve.

Abstract: A piezo-electric/electrostrictive film type chip (50) includes: a ceramic substrate (70) having a spacer plate (74) having a windows-disposed pattern (100) having a plurality of window portions (75) and a thin closure plate (72) for closing the window portions (75) which is unitarily connected with the spacer plate; and a piezo-electric/electrostrictive working portion (71) having a lower electrode (81), a piezo-electric/electrostrictive layer (82), and an upper electrode (83), each being formed in the form of a layer and laminated in this order at a closure portion of the window (75) on the outer surface of the closure plate (72) by a film formation method. A pin hole (52) for positioning is formed in or near the center of gravity of the windows-disposed pattern (100).

Abstract: An ink cartridge for an ink jet printer having a housing having at least one wall. The ink cartridge further has at least two ink chambers for containing different ink accommodated in the housing. Ink supply ports are formed in one wall of the housing within each of the ink chambers. Each of the ink supply ports has an inner opening and an outer opening. The distance from the inner opening of a first ink supply port to that of a second ink supply port adjacent to the first ink supply port is different from a second distance from the outer opening of the first ink supply opening to that of the second ink supply port.

Abstract: Grooves 21 are formed in the side of an ink supply needle 17 opposite a filter 19 in order to induce the movement of ink using capillary attraction, and so that the grooves 21 ensure that ink can flow along a path to a recording head regardless of whether an air bubble is present.

Abstract: An ink flow passage 7f is formed from an ink storage chamber of an ink cartridge 7 to an ink supply port. A passage control system 7j is located in the ink flow passage. The passage control system is capable of opening and closing the ink flow passage when receiving a drive force from an actuator 32. Particularly, air bubbles A1 staying on a filter member 22 within an ink supplying needle 21 is effectively discharged to a capping system 9 in a manner that a negative pressure is accumulated in an inner space of the capping system 9 in a state that the passage control system 7j is placed to a valve closing state. The passage control system 7j is provided in the ink cartridge. Accordingly, every time the ink cartridge is exchanged with a new one, the passage control system 7j is also exchanged with a new one. Accordingly, the printing function restoring operation performed through a cleaning operation based on the negative pressure accumulation is improved in reliability.

Abstract: One side face of a piezoelectric vibrator is fixed to a fixing substrate. A first conductive layer which conducts to a common internal electrode exposed on the side face in the side of the fixing substrate is formed on the front face of the piezoelectric vibrator which is an unfixed face. A second conductive layer which conducts to an individual internal electrode is formed on the front face. A flexible cable is connected to the front face.

Abstract: A capping member for an ink jet recording head is composed of a cap which is to be brought into contact with a surface of the recording head provided with nozzle orifices, and a cap case for holding the cap. A passage communicating an internal space defined by the cap with a suction hole connected to a suction pump and a passage communicating the internal space with an air hole connected to the outside are respectively formed into a specific shape so as to inhibit vaporization of an ink solvent in the internal space. A tube made of an elastic and restorative material is used for a tube connected to the suction pump. A tube made of a material having high gas-barrier characteristic is used for a tube connected to the capping member. Both of the tube is connected with each other by a connecting member in order to inhibit vaporization of an ink solvent from the tubes.

Abstract: A valve unit in an ink supply channel of an ink-jet recording apparatus, the ink supply channel having an upstream side and a downstream side, the valve unit comprising a diaphragm valve having a thin elastic diaphragm operating in response to pressure difference between an upstream side and a downstream side of the diaphragm, a valve body formed on the surface of the thin elastic diaphragm and having an opening therein, and an elastic support portion integrally formed with the valve body for urging the valve body toward the upstream direction, a valve seat disposed in the ink supply channel upstream of the diaphragm and kept in elastic contact with the opening, and a flow-channel forming plate for forming a flow channel disposed on the downstream side of the valve seat, the flow channel, extending in a longitudinal direction of the elastic portion and the flow channel forming plate having an end portion side extending in an upstream direction to form a flow channel whose sectional area decreases in the longi

Abstract: An ink cartridge for a printing apparatus providing ink to a print head through a tapered ink supply needle and removably attached to the print head. The ink cartridge comprises an ink chamber for containing ink, an ink supply port, a packing member and a valve device. The ink supply port supplies ink from the ink chamber to the print head of the printing apparatus, the ink supply port comprising an external opening. The packing member is provided in the ink supply port and forms an ink channel for allowing a flow of ink. The packing member seals the ink supply needle of the printing apparatus by fitting therewith. The valve device is contained in the ink supply port and elastically abuts against the packing member. The valve device selectively opens and closes the ink channel in conjunction with the ink supply needle.

Abstract: An ink jet recording head comprises: recording head units arranged linearly, each of the plurality of recording head units having a pressure producing chamber communicating with a nozzle opening, piezoelectric element for applying pressure to the pressure producing chamber, and a connecting terminal for supplying a drive signal to the piezoelectric element; a drive signal generating semiconductor device for generating the drive signal for driving the piezoelectric element based on a print signal; and a flexible cable for supplying the print signal from an external circuit to the drive signal generating semiconductor device, and supplying the drive signal to the piezoelectric element while connected to the connecting terminal, wherein the flexible cable has a widow and a conductive path, the window allowing the drive signal generating semiconductor device to be attached thereto, and the conductive path being formed so as to extend substantially in parallel in a direction of arrangement of the recording head un

Abstract: One side face of a piezoelectric vibrator 2 is fixed to a fixing substrate 11. A first conductive layer 8 which conducts to a common internal electrode 3 exposed on the side face in the side of the fixing substrate 11 is formed on the front face of the piezoelectric vibrator 2 which is an unfixed face. A second conductive layer 10 which conducts to an individual internal electrode 4 is formed on the front face. A flexible cable 12 is connected to the front face.

Abstract: In an ink jet recording apparatus, a recording head is mounted on a carriage which reciprocately moves in a widthwise direction of recording paper. A subtank is mounted on the carriage for supplying ink. A main tank stores ink which is replenished to the subtank. An ink amount detector detects an amount of ink stored in the subtank. A replenishment controller controls replenishment of ink stored in the main tank to the subtank, in accordance with the ink amount detected by the ink amount detector.

Abstract: A process for producing a laminated ink-jet recording head including the steps of forming a titanium layer across a surface of a diaphragm, and forming a layer of a piezoelectric material on the titanium layer by a hydrothermal method.

Abstract: An ink jet recording apparatus in which a nozzle ink jet recording head provided with a nozzle plate provided with apertures for jetting an ink droplet and a capping device provided with a cap unit for sealing the apertures of the nozzle plate when the recording apparatus is not used are mounted, in which in the cap unit of the capping device, in a sealed state, an ink suction port for supplying negative pressure for exhausting ink from a nozzle aperture if necessary is arranged at the bottom and an atmospheric air open port for releasing negative pressure is arranged on one side and in which a porous plate provided with plural through holes for adjusting the distribution of pressure in the longitudinal direction of the cap unit is housed between the inner bottom face and the upper open face of the cap unit and further, an ink suction method of a recording head are provided.