With Piezoelectric Force Ejection Patents (Class 347/68)
  • Patent number: 9475289
    Abstract: A liquid ejecting head includes a flow channel forming substrate that is provided with a space constituting a pressure generating chamber which communicates with nozzle openings, a vibration plate that is stacked on one surface of the flow channel forming substrate and seals the space, and a piezoelectric element that includes a first electrode, a piezoelectric layer, and a second electrode sequentially stacked on a surface of the vibration plate opposite to the flow channel forming substrate, in which the first electrode is formed, in which at least a width of a first direction along the opposite surface is narrower than the space in a region corresponding to the space, the piezoelectric layer is stacked so as to overlap the first electrode and at least a part of the vibration plate in the region corresponding to the space, the second electrode is stacked so as to overlap the piezoelectric layer in the region corresponding to the space, and as a thickness of a stacked direction of the piezoelectric element i
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2016
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Shiro Yazaki
  • Patent number: 9461235
    Abstract: An elastic wave device includes a piezoelectric substrate, a comb-shaped electrode above an upper surface of the piezoelectric substrate, a wiring connected to the comb-shaped electrode, an element cover above the upper surface of the piezoelectric substrate for covering the comb-shaped electrode across a space, a first electrode above an upper surface of the element cover, a sealing resin above the upper surface of the piezoelectric substrate for covering the element cover and the first electrode, a terminal electrode above an upper surface of the sealing resin, and a second electrode passing through the sealing resin for electrically connecting the first electrode with the terminal electrode. The first and second electrodes are made of films produced by electro-plating. The diameter of plating particles of the first electrode may be larger than that of plating particles of the second electrode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2016
    Assignee: SKYWORKS FILTER SOLUTIONS JAPAN CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Tomohiro Fujita, Kenichi Matsushima
  • Patent number: 9446583
    Abstract: A capacitive load drive circuit, which may be embodied in a printer, includes capacitive elements; a first circuit substrate, on which is installed a control signal supply unit that generates control signals; a second circuit substrate, on which is installed a circuit that charges or discharges the capacitive elements according to the control signals; and a flexible flat cable, on which is formed wirings including control wiring, which transmits the control signals from the first to the second circuit substrate, and a wiring, which supplies power supply and ground voltages to the second circuit substrate. A total path length of the wirings between the first and second circuit substrates is shorter than the total path length of the wiring between the second circuit substrate and each of the capacitive elements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2016
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Shuji Otsuka, Tadashi Kiyuna, Toshifumi Asanuma
  • Patent number: 9427954
    Abstract: A piezoelectric element includes a first electrode layer which is stacked on the vibrating plate; a second electrode layer which is stacked on a side opposite to the vibrating plate with respect to the first electrode layer; a piezoelectric layer which is interposed between the first electrode layer and the second electrode layer; and a conductive layer which electrically connects the first electrode layer to external wiring, in which a point of contact between the conductive layer and the first electrode layer is in a vibrating region of the vibrating plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2016
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Shiro Yazaki, Shunsuke Watanabe
  • Patent number: 9427967
    Abstract: An inkjet head includes a substrate that defines a cavity in which ink is stored, a vibrating membrane that is supported by the substrate and that defines the cavity, and a piezoelectric device that is disposed on the vibrating membrane and that changes a volume of the cavity by displacing the vibrating membrane. The piezoelectric device includes a lower electrode, a piezoelectric membrane that is disposed on the lower electrode, and an upper electrode that is disposed on the piezoelectric membrane and that faces the lower electrode with the piezoelectric membrane interposed between the upper electrode and the lower electrode. The piezoelectric membrane includes a columnar structure layer and an amorphous structure layer of a piezoelectric material. The amorphous structure layer is stacked contiguously with the columnar structure layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2016
    Assignee: ROHM CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Takaya Nagahata
  • Patent number: 9427968
    Abstract: A liquid discharge head includes a nozzle plate having nozzles arrayed to discharge liquid droplets; a passage plate to form individual liquid chambers communicating with the respective nozzles; and a wall surface member to form a wall surface of the individual liquid chambers. The passage plate is formed with at least three plate-shaped members stacked and bonded by an adhesive. The nozzle plate and one plate-shaped member, and another plate-shaped member and the wall surface member are bonded, respectively. The three plate-shaped members include separation wall parts forming separation walls between the individual liquid chambers. At least one of the three plate-shaped members has a separation wall width different from that of the others, to have fillets of the forced-out adhesive formed between the wall surfaces, and surfaces of the plate-shaped members, the nozzle plate, or the wall surface member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2016
    Assignee: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventors: Tomohiko Kohda, Takeshi Shimizu, Ryo Kasahara, Kanshi Abe, Takayuki Nakai, Takahiro Yoshida, Shiomi Andou
  • Patent number: 9419470
    Abstract: Exemplary embodiments are directed to detection and validation of wirelessly chargeable devices positioned within a charging region of a wireless power transmitter. A device may include a detection circuit comprising an oscillator, the detection circuit configured to detect a change in a frequency of the oscillator. The device may also include a wireless power transmitter configured to determine whether a chargeable device is positioned within a charging region of the transmitter upon the detection circuit detecting the change in the frequency of the oscillator, wherein the transmitter further configured to be selectively electrically isolated from the detection circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2016
    Assignee: QUALCOMM Incorporated
    Inventors: William Henry Von Novak, III, Francesco Carobolante, Weston Daniel Braun
  • Patent number: 9419200
    Abstract: There is provided a piezoelectric actuator configured to displace to project toward a pressure chamber to apply pressure to a liquid inside the pressure chamber, the piezoelectric actuator including: a vibration plate having a compressive stress; a piezoelectric layer having a pulling stress; and an individual electrode. The compressive stress of the vibration plate has a magnitude which is not less than a threshold value at which an extreme point is generated in a relationship between a compliance of the piezoelectric actuator and a displacement volume of the pressure chamber in a case that an electric voltage is applied to the piezoelectric actuator, the displacement volume converting from increasing to decreasing relative to increase in the compliance at the extreme point; and the thickness of the piezoelectric actuator is not less than a first thickness corresponding to a compliance allowing the extreme point to generate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2016
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Atsushi Hirota
  • Patent number: 9399353
    Abstract: A liquid discharge apparatus is provided with a cavity which is configured to be filled with an ink, an ink supply path configured to supply the ink to the cavity, a nozzle linked with the cavity and configured to discharge the ink which is filled into the cavity, and a detecting section configured to detect the state of the ink supply path which is supplied based on the amount of the ink which is filled into a plurality of the nozzles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 31, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 26, 2016
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Shinya Komatsu, Kenji Otokita
  • Patent number: 9393779
    Abstract: A semiconductor device which is provided to correspond to each of a plurality of nozzles discharging a liquid and controls a plurality of drive elements causing a liquid to be discharged from each nozzle by an application of a drive signal includes a detection circuit which detects a residual vibration signal of the drive element, an output terminal which is provided to correspond to each of the plurality of drive elements, a discharge transistor which controls an application of the drive signal to the drive element through the output terminal, and a detection transistor which controls an application of the residual vibration signal to the detection circuit through the output terminal, in which the detection transistor is smaller than the discharge transistor in size, and the discharge transistor is disposed between the detection transistor and the output terminal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2016
    Assignee: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventor: Toshihito Takagi
  • Patent number: 9385299
    Abstract: Provided is a piezoelectric element comprising a first electrode; a piezoelectric body layer provided on the first electrode, the piezoelectric body layer including 50 mol % or more of at least bismuth and iron, and the piezoelectric body layer having a current density-time curve obtained by applying a voltage to the first electrode and the second electrode including a plurality of inflection points; and a second electrode provided on the piezoelectric body layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2016
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Takayuki Yonemura, Masahisa Nawano, Akio Konishi
  • Patent number: 9386708
    Abstract: Disclosed is a method of forming an electric wiring using inkjet printing. The method includes forming a main trench and first and second guide trenches on a substrate. The first and second guide trenches are disposed at opposite sides of the main trench. The method includes ejecting ink into the main trench, the ink including a conductive material. The method also includes heating the substrate to sinter the ink such that the electric wiring is formed an upper portion of the main trench, and contract the ink such that a tunnel is formed in a lower portion of the main trench.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2016
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Joong-hyuk Kim, Yong-wan Jin, Young-ki Hong, Sung-gyu Kang, Seung-ho Lee, Jin-seok Hong
  • Patent number: 9375925
    Abstract: A disclosed liquid-ejection head for ejecting liquid droplets includes a substrate having a diaphragm forming a part of walls of a pressure liquid chamber, and a piezoelectric element adhered to the substrate with adhesive, and configured to apply pressure to the pressure liquid chamber via the diaphragm. The piezoelectric element has a surface facing the substrate having the diaphragm, and the surface has one or more projection parts in an area in which the pressure liquid chamber is not disposed, and whereon the substrate having the diaphragm has one or more recess parts that fit in the respective projection parts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2016
    Assignee: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventors: Takeshi Shimizu, Tomohiko Kohda, Takahiro Yoshida, Kanshi Abe, Shiomi Andou, Takayuki Nakai, Ryo Kasahara
  • Patent number: 9356222
    Abstract: A piezoelectric element which includes an adhesion layer made of composite oxide having perovskite structure including at least one of bismuth, manganese, iron, and titanium; a first electrode provided on the adhesion layer and made of metal preferentially oriented in a (100) face; a piezoelectric body layer provided on the first electrode and made of composite oxide having perovskite structure preferentially oriented in the (100) face; and a second electrode provided on the piezoelectric body layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2016
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Tomohiro Sakai
  • Patent number: 9346266
    Abstract: A liquid ejecting head includes: a nozzle plate provided with nozzle openings; an actuator unit including a flow channel formation substrate in which pressure generation chambers are provided and piezoelectric actuators that cause a change in the pressure of the liquid within respective pressure generation chambers; a communication substrate in which communication channels that communicate between the pressure generation chambers and corresponding nozzle openings are provided; a first case member that is a frame member affixed to the communication substrate so that the actuator unit is disposed within the first case member and that, along with the actuator unit, forms a manifold that holds the liquid to be supplied to the pressure generation chambers; and a second case member that is affixed to the first case member and in which is formed an introduction channel that sends the liquid from the exterior to the manifold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 5, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2016
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Yoshinao Miyata
  • Patent number: 9318687
    Abstract: A piezoelectric element having an electrode, a seed layer for controlling the crystal orientation of a piezoelectric layer, and the piezoelectric layer stacked in this order from the substrate side. The seed layer is composed of two or more layers stacked together each comprising crystals of spherical particles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 25, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2016
    Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventor: Kenji Mawatari
  • Patent number: 9308723
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, there is provided an ink jet head which includes a pressure chamber which is formed in a thickness direction of a substrate, and fills ink; a vibrating plate which is provided on a first face of the pressure chamber, and includes a nozzle which communicates with the pressure chamber; a driving unit which is provided on the vibrating plate, and includes a piezoelectric substance; and a warpage reducing layer which is provided on a second face which is opposite to the first face of the pressure chamber, and reduces warpage of the substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2016
    Assignee: TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Shuhei Yokoyama, Ryutaro Kusunoki, Ryuichi Arai
  • Patent number: 9308727
    Abstract: A liquid ejecting head is provided. A lower electrode layer of the liquid ejecting head is divided into separate lower electrodes corresponding to respective pressure chamber spaces. An upper electrode layer is a continuous electrode. Each of the separate lower electrodes has (i) a wide portion whose width is smaller than the width of a pressure chamber space and (ii) a narrow portion whose width is smaller than the wide portion. The wide portion is positioned in a region that corresponds to the opening of the pressure chamber space and includes the center, when seen in the direction of the length of the pressure chamber space, of the pressure chamber space, and the narrow portion continuously extends from the wide portion to a region that corresponds to outside of the opening of the pressure chamber space in the direction of the length of the pressure chamber space.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2016
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Eiju Hirai, Yuma Fukuzawa, Chikara Kojima
  • Patent number: 9296006
    Abstract: A nozzle device includes an upper cover module having a cavity, a plurality of stacked piezoelectric plate modules, a plug module, and a lower cover module. Each piezoelectric plate module includes a substrate, a piezoelectric material, an electrical connection, an upper electrode, and a lower electrode. The substrate includes multiple first through holes disposed correspondingly to the cavity. The piezoelectric material is located on the upper surface of the substrate. The electrical connection extends from the lower surface of the substrate, through the substrate, and to the bottom of the piezoelectric material. The lower electrode is located below the lower surface of the substrate and electrically connects to the electrical connection. The plug module includes plugs and second through holes corresponding to the first through holes. The lower cover module includes openings disposed according to the plugs of the plug module.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2016
    Assignee: CHUNG HUA UNIVERSITY
    Inventor: Jium Ming Lin
  • Patent number: 9289990
    Abstract: An inkjet head may include a nozzle hole; a pressure chamber; and a piezoelectric device disposed on the side opposite to the nozzle hole. A cross-sectional shape of the pressure chamber may include a circular-arc-shaped side wall portion and linear side wall portions connected with two ends of the circular-arc-shaped side wall portion on the side opposite to the supply side, the distance between the linear side wall portions gradually decreasing toward the side opposite to the supply side. The piezoelectric device may include a displacement portion that causes the pressure change inside the pressure chamber, and an electrode connection portion electrically connecting the piezoelectric device and an electrode. A cross-sectional shape of the displacement portion may include a circular-arc-shaped portion and has a smaller cross section than a corresponding cross section of the shape formed by the circular-arc-shaped side portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2016
    Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventors: Yuichi Machida, Kusunoki Higashino
  • Patent number: 9278526
    Abstract: A printhead for a printer and methods for making the printhead. The printhead may include a driver module on a jetstack. The jetstack may include a plurality of holes formed therethrough. A first adhesive layer may be disposed on the jetstack. A diaphragm plate may be disposed on the first adhesive layer. A piezoelectric layer may be disposed on the diaphragm plate. A second adhesive layer may be disposed on the piezoelectric layer. A chip on flex may be disposed on the second adhesive layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2016
    Assignee: XEROX CORPORATION
    Inventors: Chad Johan Slenes, Samuel Vincent Schultz, William Bruce Weaver, Jon Garret Judge
  • Patent number: 9272510
    Abstract: There is provided a printing apparatus which performs printing by an ink jet method, including: an ink jet head which ejects ink droplets; and a driving signal output portion which outputs a driving signal that causes the ink droplets to be ejected from the ink jet head. The ink jet head includes: a nozzle which ejects the ink droplets; an ink chamber which stores ink to be ejected from the nozzle; and a piezoelectric element which causes the ink droplets to be ejected from the nozzle. The piezoelectric element causes all of the ink in the ink chamber to be ejected from the nozzle by being displaced corresponding to the driving signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2016
    Assignee: MIMAKI ENGINEERING CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Masaru Ohnishi
  • Patent number: 9272507
    Abstract: A liquid ejecting head includes a flow channel forming substrate having pressure generation chambers communicating with a nozzle opening and arranged in parallel along a lateral direction. A piezoelectric element is provided on one surface of the flow channel forming substrate in correspondence to the pressure generation chamber, and has a first electrode, a piezoelectric layer provided on the first electrode and a second electrode provided on the piezoelectric layer. In a direction intersecting with the arrangement direction of the pressure generation chambers, in boundaries between an active section that is a substantial driving section and an inactive section that is not a substantial driving section of the piezoelectric layer, the first electrode includes a taper section of which a width is gradually decreased toward the boundary from the active section side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2016
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Hiromu Miyazawa, Hiroshi Ito, Jiro Kato, Eiju Hirai, Toshihiro Shimizu
  • Patent number: 9266326
    Abstract: In one example, a piezoelectric actuator includes a piezoelectric material, a first conductor on a first part of the piezoelectric material, and a membrane bonded to the first conductor with an adhesive. The first conductor has a root mean square surface roughness of at least 10 nm at the bonding interface with the membrane.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 25, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 23, 2016
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: James Elmer Abbott, Jr., Chien-Hua Chen, Jeffrey R. Pollard
  • Patent number: 9259923
    Abstract: A method of driving a liquid ejection head includes preparing a liquid ejection head including first and second flow paths, and a piezoelectric element, a first step of applying a first voltage, which expands the second flow path, to the piezoelectric element while a meniscus of a liquid recessed from an orifice toward the second flow path is formed in a first flow path to move the meniscus to the second flow path, a second step of applying a second voltage, which contracts the second flow path, to the piezoelectric element while the meniscus that moves toward the first flow path is positioned in the second flow path to move the liquid to the first flow path, and a third step of applying a third voltage, which expands the second flow path, to the piezoelectric element to eject the liquid from the orifice after the liquid projects from the orifice.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 13, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2016
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Naoto Sasagawa, Koichi Kitakami, Ryota Kashu
  • Patent number: 9254659
    Abstract: A liquid ejection apparatus including: a liquid ejection head including two-dimensionally arranged pressure chambers, and corresponding ejection ports. On a surface on which the ejection ports are arranged, when a relative movement direction of a recording material is x, the direction perpendicular to the relative movement is y, a pitch of pixels is d, and m and n are different odd numbers of 3 or greater, the ejection ports are arranged in a manner such that and and nd are repeated alternately as the distance between the ejection ports adjoining in the y direction, and such that the ejection port arrays extending substantially linearly in an oblique direction to the x and y directions on an xy plane are formed. The ejection port arrays are constituted by (m+n)/2 ejection ports, and the ejection ports adjoining in the ejection port arrays are displaced by 2d in the y direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 9, 2016
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yasuyuki Tamura, Yohei Nakamura
  • Patent number: 9242465
    Abstract: A liquid ejecting head includes a first casing, a second casing, a seal member and a valve assembly. The first casing is fixed to the second casing with the seal member therebetween. A storage space is created in the first casing and the second casing. The valve assembly is accommodated in the storage space and forms a channel along which liquid flows. The valve assembly is fixed to the first casing and separated from the second casing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 26, 2016
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Takeshi Owaku, Hiroki Miyajima
  • Patent number: 9238364
    Abstract: There is provided a liquid jetting apparatus, including: a channel structure in which a liquid channel including a nozzle and a pressure chamber communicating with the nozzle is formed; a piezoelectric element including a piezoelectric body and an electrode; a driving device; and a cover member joined to the surface of the channel structure. A first wiring section connected to the electrode is formed on the surface of the channel structure, and the cover member includes a cover body section and a wiring connection section. A second wiring section is formed in the cover member. The wiring connection section is joined to the surface of the channel structure in a state that the second wiring section is electrically conductive with the first wiring section. A thickness, of the wiring connection section is thinner than a thickness of the cover body section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 11, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 19, 2016
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Hirofumi Kondo
  • Patent number: 9238366
    Abstract: Provided is piezoelectric actuator includes; a vibrating plate; a first electrode provided on the vibrating plate; a first seed layer provided on the first electrode; a second seed layer provided on the vibrating plate at least at a position adjacent to the first electrode; a first piezoelectric layer provided on the first seed layer, the first piezoelectric layer and has a perovskite structure; a second piezoelectric layer that is provided to cover the first piezoelectric layer and the second seed layer; and a second electrode that is provided on the second piezoelectric layer. The first piezoelectric layer and the second piezoelectric layer are preferentially oriented to a (100) face.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 19, 2016
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Tomokazu Kobayashi
  • Patent number: 9233535
    Abstract: A liquid droplet jetting apparatus is provided with a channel unit including: a liquid supply port which is communicated with a liquid supply section and from which a liquid is supplied; a plurality of nozzle arrays from which liquid droplets of the liquid are jetted; and a plurality of common liquid chambers which are communicated with the liquid supply port and through which the liquid supplied to the liquid supply port is supplied to the plurality of nozzle arrays, and an actuator which applies a jetting energy to the liquid supplied to the plurality of nozzle arrays. The same number of nozzle arrays is communicated with each of the common liquid chambers, and each of the common liquid chambers is communicated with at least one of the plurality of the common liquid chambers at a portion different from a portion communicating with the liquid supply port.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 12, 2016
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Atsushi Ito
  • Patent number: 9227402
    Abstract: A liquid jet head has spaced-apart side walls that form alternating ejection channels and non-ejection channels. The side walls comprise two piezoelectric materials polarized in opposite directions and laminated together with a polarization boundary interposed between them. Upper and lower members are fixed to respective upper and lower ends of the side walls and overlie upper and lower ends of the channels. Electrodes on opposed wall surfaces of the side walls extend from the upper ends of the side walls to either the vicinity of the polarization boundary or to below the polarization boundary and above the lower ends of the side walls. The polarization boundary is positioned above one-half the depth of the channels to improving the driving efficiency of the piezoelectric body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2016
    Assignee: SII PRINTEK INC.
    Inventor: Yoshinori Domae
  • Patent number: 9216576
    Abstract: An inkjet head includes pressure chambers arranged in 2 or more rows and a common ink chamber connected to all the pressure chambers, wherein each of the pressure chambers includes a damper member inside of the common ink chamber of the inkjet head for commonly supplying an ink from the common ink chamber via an ink inlet which faces the common ink chamber, and the shortest distance between the damper member and the ink inlet is made shorter than the distance between ink inlets in adjacent rows of pressure chambers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 22, 2015
    Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventors: Ryohei Kobayashi, Masato Ueda, Kazuki Hiejima
  • Patent number: 9211710
    Abstract: A liquid ejection head including a piezoelectric element having a piezoelectric layer and electrodes The piezoelectric layer is 3 ?m or less in thickness. The piezoelectric layer is made of a piezoelectric material including bismuth manganate ferrate and barium titanate. The piezoelectric layer is preferentially oriented with the (110) plane.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 15, 2015
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Yasuaki Hamada
  • Patent number: 9211715
    Abstract: A liquid ejection head including a recording element substrate provided with a substrate and a flow-path-forming member forming a flow path in a principal surface of the substrate, a support member supporting the recording element substrate and an underfill material covering at least a joint portion at which the substrate and the support member are joined to each other, wherein the flow-path-forming member is formed in such a manner that an end portion thereof projects from at least one side surface of the substrate, the underfill material covers an external surface of the joint portion and covers the at least one side surface of the substrate in such a manner that the underfill material reaches the projecting end portion of the flow-path-forming member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 15, 2015
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Satoshi Ibe, Shingo Nagata
  • Patent number: 9199456
    Abstract: A liquid jet head includes a piezoelectric body substrate on which ejection grooves penetrating from an upper surface to a lower surface and non-ejection grooves open on the lower surface are alternately arranged in a reference direction and form a groove row, a cover plate that includes a liquid chamber communicating with the ejection grooves is bonded on the upper surface of the piezoelectric body substrate, and a nozzle plate that includes nozzles communicating with the ejection grooves is bonded on the lower surface of the piezoelectric body substrate. Common drive electrodes are installed on side surfaces of the ejection grooves, which are on the lower-surface side from nearly ½ the depth of the ejection grooves, and individual drive electrodes are installed on side surfaces of the non-ejection grooves, which are on the lower-surface side from nearly ½ the depth of the non-ejection grooves.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2015
    Assignee: SII PRINTEK INC.
    Inventor: Yoshinori Domae
  • Patent number: 9199459
    Abstract: There is provided a liquid discharge apparatus including a channel structure in which liquid channels including pressure chambers and nozzles are formed and a piezoelectric actuator including a piezoelectric layer arranged on the channel structure to cover the pressure chambers. Two grooves are formed in the piezoelectric layer to locate on two sides of each pressure chamber in an array direction. There is an equal separation distance between the two grooves arranged on the two sides of the pressure chamber. X means positions of the grooves from an edge of the pressure chamber in the array direction, and Xc means an center position between the edge of the pressure chamber to the edge of an adjacent other pressure chamber in the array direction. The positions X of the grooves satisfy 0.2Xc?20 ?m?X?0.6Xc+20 ?m.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 21, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2015
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Yoshihumi Suzuki
  • Patent number: 9199453
    Abstract: There is provided a controller which sets electrodes which are respectively disposed on wall surfaces of a plurality of ink chambers which are arranged in parallel so as to be separated from each other by partitions made of a piezoelectric material, to a high impedance state. In addition, at a timing when an identical potential is applied to the electrodes of at least three ink chambers which are arranged in parallel so as to be separated from each other by mutually adjacent partitions, the controller sets electrodes of ink chambers other than ink chambers located on both sides to a high impedance state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2015
    Assignees: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Toshiba Tec Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Shunichi Ono, Teruyuki Hiyoshi, Mamoru Kimura, Tomohisa Yoshimaru
  • Patent number: 9193189
    Abstract: A conveyance device includes: a conveyance unit that conveys a printing paper sheet in a given conveyance direction; and a pressing unit that presses the printing paper sheet with ultrasound emitted from a plurality of ultrasound emitter elements which are arranged in a direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction and emit ultrasound of an identical frequency and an identical phase.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2015
    Assignee: Riso Kagaku Corporation
    Inventor: Masao Suzuki
  • Patent number: 9193156
    Abstract: A capacitive load drive circuit, which may be embodied in a printer, includes a movable member; pressure chambers and respective capacitive elements; a first circuit substrate installed outside the movable member, and on which is installed a control signal supply unit that generates control signals; a second circuit substrate installed on the movable member, and on which is installed a circuit that charges or discharges the capacitive elements according to the control signals; and a flexible flat cable, on which is formed wirings including control wiring, which transmits the control signals from the first to the second circuit substrate, and a wiring, which supplies power supply and ground voltages to the second circuit substrate. A total path length of the wirings between the first and second circuit substrates is shorter than the total path length of the wiring between the second circuit substrate and each of the capacitive elements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2015
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Shuji Otsuka, Tadashi Kiyuna, Toshifumi Asanuma
  • Patent number: 9183470
    Abstract: Disclosed is an image forming apparatus that includes an image forming section, a conveyance section, a position detecting section, an abnormality detecting section and a control section. When determining as the first determination that it is possible to eject each of the paper sheets and/or the image-formed paper sheets outside and determining as the second determination that it is necessary to re-output the new image-formed paper sheet, the control section incompletely ejects each of the retention paper sheets, remaining within the image forming apparatus, outside from the ejection opening. By controlling the apparatus as above-mentioned, even in a case where it is impossible to eject the concerned paper sheet onto a separate tray, it becomes possible to prevent the retention paper sheet from remaining at an apparatus-inner position, from which it is difficult for the user to remove the retention paper sheet concerned.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2015
    Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventor: Shingo Sasami
  • Patent number: 9168743
    Abstract: A nozzle device includes an upper cover module having a cavity, a plurality of stacked piezoelectric plate modules, a plug module, and a lower cover module. Each piezoelectric plate module includes a substrate, a piezoelectric material, an electrical connection, an upper electrode, and a lower electrode. The substrate includes multiple first through holes disposed correspondingly to the cavity. The piezoelectric material is located on the upper surface of the substrate. The electrical connection extends from the lower surface of the substrate, through the substrate, and to the bottom of the piezoelectric material. The lower electrode is located below the lower surface of the substrate and electrically connects to the electrical connection. The plug module includes plugs and second through holes corresponding to the first through holes. The lower cover module includes openings disposed according to the plugs of the plug module.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 27, 2015
    Assignee: CHUNG HUA UNIVERSITY
    Inventor: Jium Ming Lin
  • Patent number: 9168745
    Abstract: An ink jet print head assembly includes a carrier body, plural pistons, and a printing plate. The pistons are configured to actuate in ejection directions in order to engage a diaphragm plate of the printing plate and cause fluid to be ejected from orifices of the printing plate along printing directions. The ejection directions in which the pistons are actuated are transversely oriented with respect to printing directions in which the fluid is ejected from the printing plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 27, 2015
    Assignee: Illinois Tool Works LLC
    Inventors: Tzer-Yi Chen, Luigi A. Cazzaniga, Mustafa R. Turan
  • Patent number: 9157378
    Abstract: A stress relaxing layer L22 composed of MgO is formed on the upper surface of a substrate layer L1 in order to alleviate stress acting on a piezoelectric layer L3, the stress relaxing layer L22 is removed while leaving behind a region D1 where the piezoelectric layer L3 is to be formed, and the single crystal piezoelectric layer L3 is formed on the upper surface of the stress relaxing layer L22. As a result, the stress relaxing layer L22 in a region D2 where the piezoelectric layer L3 is not to be formed is preliminarily removed, the region D1 where the piezoelectric layer L3 is to be formed is reduced in size, and stress acting on the piezoelectric layer L3 attributable to the difference in lattice constant between the stress relaxing layer L22 and the piezoelectric layer L3 and thermal expansion is alleviated, thereby enabling favorable single crystallization of the piezoelectric layer L3.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 13, 2015
    Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA HOLDINGS, INC.
    Inventor: Shinya Matsuda
  • Patent number: 9156259
    Abstract: A liquid ejecting head includes: a pressure generation chamber that communicates with a nozzle opening which ejects liquid; a pressure generation unit that causes a change in pressure in the pressure generation chamber; and a flexible wiring substrate that transmits a control signal from outside and includes a wiring layer which is connected to each individual electrode of a plurality of pressure generation units and also connected to a terminal portion of a common electrode common to the plurality of pressure generation units. In the liquid ejecting head, the wiring layer of the wiring substrate includes slits in an area connected to the terminal portion of the common electrode of the pressure generation unit, while the wiring layer of the wiring substrate and the terminal portion of the pressure generation unit are connected via an anisotropic conductive material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 13, 2015
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Akira Takada
  • Patent number: 9139925
    Abstract: The invention concerns the field of micromechanical parts, in particular, for timepiece movements. The invention relates to a method of fabricating a mold that includes the following steps: (a) providing a substrate that has a top layer and a bottom layer made of electrically conductive, micromachinable material, and secured to each other by an electrically insulating, intermediate layer; (b) etching at least one pattern in the top layer as far as the intermediate layer to form at least one cavity in the mold; (c) coating the top part of the substrate with an electrically insulating coating; and (d) directionally etching the coating and the intermediate layer to limit the presence thereof exclusively at each vertical wall formed in the top layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 3, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 22, 2015
    Assignee: Nivarox-FAR S.A.
    Inventors: Pierre Cusin, Clare Golfier, Jean-Philippe Thiebaud
  • Patent number: 9132637
    Abstract: At an area corresponding to a pressure chamber, the width of a lower electrode film in a nozzle row direction is narrower than the width of the pressure chamber in the same direction. A vibrating plate at the area corresponding to a pressure chamber includes an area P1, an area P2, and an area P3. The area P1 is an area on which the piezoelectric layer to be an activation portion is stacked. The area P2 is an area on which the piezoelectric layer to be an inactivation portion is stacked. The area P3 is an area on which the piezoelectric layer is not stacked. When the thicknesses of the vibrating plate at the areas P1, P2 and P3 are set to, respectively, t1, t2, and t3, the following expression is satisfied: t1>t2?t3??(1).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 15, 2015
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Eiju Hirai, Shiro Yazaki, Motoki Takabe, Yuma Fukuzawa
  • Patent number: 9114613
    Abstract: There is provided a piezoelectric device comprising a first electrode, a piezoelectric layer that is formed above the first electrode, a second electrode that is formed above the piezoelectric layer and a coating layer that is formed above the second electrode consisting of tungsten or titanium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 25, 2015
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Toshihiro Shimizu, Hiroshi Ito, Jiro Kato, Eiju Hirai
  • Patent number: 9114627
    Abstract: A discharge-printing treatment agent storage container includes: a first treatment agent-storage container; and a second treatment agent-storage container. The first treatment agent-storage container is provided with an introduction port for introducing a second treatment agent. The introduction port is sealed with a seal member. The second treatment agent-storage container is provided with a discharge port for discharging the second treatment agent. The discharge port is linked to a discharge tube. The tip of the discharge tube is capable of being placed in the first treatment agent-storage container by releasing the introduction port from being sealed with the seal member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 25, 2015
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Goro Okada
  • Patent number: 9090066
    Abstract: An ink jet recording head is produced to include a substrate having a first and a second surface opposing each other, a common liquid chamber formed by machining the substrate from the second surface so as to reduce the thickness of a part of the substrate, and a plurality of independent ink supply ports that communicate with the common liquid chamber and are through-holes extending through the substrate, and a nozzle structure that is formed on the first surface and has an ink flow path communicating with the independent ink supply ports and an ink ejection orifice communicating with the ink flow path. The process includes patterning a resist applied to the substrate using a photomask for forming the independent ink supply ports, wherein infrared alignment is conducted at a depression of the substrate upon alignment between the photomask and the substrate using an alignment mark.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 28, 2015
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Masahisa Watanabe
  • Patent number: 9090063
    Abstract: Piezoelectric elements constituted by lower electrodes, piezoelectric layers, and an upper electrode are extended from positions corresponding to openings of pressure chambers to outer positions beyond opening edges of the pressure chambers. The piezoelectric layers have exposure portions on the extended portions and the exposure portions of the piezoelectric layers are covered by an adhesive between an actuator unit and a sealing plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 28, 2015
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Tatsuro Torimoto, Takahiro Kamijo, Motoki Takabe, Shiro Yazaki