Claims
- 1. A drop-on-demand ink-jet printing head comprising:
- a base;
- a nozzle plate defining a plurality of nozzle apertures;
- an array of piezoelectric elements, each of said piezoelectric elements arranged at predetermined intervals and each having one end which is fixed onto said base and another end which is free and which is confronted with respective ones of said nozzle apertures of said nozzle plate; and
- an ink reservoir;
- wherein said piezoelectric elements are formed by alternately stacking piezoelectric material and conductive material to form a lamination having multiple piezoelectric layers and multiple conductive layers, burning the lamination of said piezoelectric material layers and said conductive material layers to provide a piezoelectric plate, and cutting said piezoelectric plate into a plurality of piezoelectric elements with a predetermined width so that a lamination direction coincides with a main vibrating direction;
- wherein the main vibrating direction is an axial direction extending through each of said piezoelectric elements;
- wherein a gap is formed between said nozzle apertures of said nozzle plate and said free end of said piezoelectric elements for accumulating ink therein; said gap defining at least a portion of said ink reservoir and
- wherein said nozzle plate has a recess at a side opposite to the free end of each of said piezoelectric elements.
- 2. A drop-on-demand ink-jet printing head comprising:
- a base;
- a nozzle plate defining a plurality of nozzle apertures;
- an array of piezoelectric elements; each of said piezoelectric elements arranged at predetermined intervals and each having one end which is fixed onto said base and another end which is free and which is confronted with respective ones of said nozzle apertures of said nozzle plate; and
- an ink reservoir;
- wherein said piezoelectric elements are formed by alternately stacking piezoelectric material and conductive material to form a lamination having multiple piezoelectric layers and multiple conductive layers, burning the lamination of said piezoelectric material layers and said conductive material layers to provide a piezoelectric plate, and cutting said piezoelectric plate into a plurality of piezoelectric elements with a predetermined width so that a lamination direction coincides with a main vibrating direction;
- wherein the main vibrating direction is an axial direction extending through each of said piezoelectric elements;
- wherein a gap is formed between said nozzle apertures of said nozzle plate and said free end of said piezoelectric elements for accumulating ink therein; said gap defining at least a portion of said ink reservoir and
- wherein each of said piezoelectric elements has an inactive region of a length corresponding to a quarter of a vibration wavelength at a side of said base.
- 3. A drop-on-demand ink-jet printing head comprising:
- a base;
- a nozzle plate defining a plurality of nozzle apertures;
- an array of piezoelectric elements; each of said piezoelectric elements arranged at predetermined intervals and each having one end which is fixed onto said base and another end which is free and which is confronted with respective ones of said nozzle apertures of said nozzle plate; and
- an ink reservoir;
- wherein said piezoelectric elements are formed by alternately stacking piezoelectric material and conductive material to form a lamination having multiple piezoelectric layers and multiple conductive layers, burning the lamination of said piezoelectric material layers and said conductive material layers to provide a piezoelectric plate, and cutting said piezoelectric plate into a plurality of piezoelectric elements with a predetermined width so that a lamination direction coincides with a main vibrating direction;
- wherein the main vibrating direction is an axial direction extending through each said piezoelectric element;
- wherein a gap is formed between said nozzle apertures of said nozzle plate and said free end of said piezoelectric elements for accumulating ink therein; said gap defining at least a portion of said ink reservoir and
- wherein said piezoelectric elements have a slit at a side of said base.
- 4. A drop-on-demand ink-jet printing head comprising:
- a base;
- a nozzle plate defining a plurality of nozzle apertures;
- an array of piezoelectric elements; each of said piezoelectric elements arranged at predetermined intervals and each having one end which is fixed onto said base and another end which is free and which is confronted with respective ones of said nozzle apertures of said nozzle plate;
- an ink reservoir; and
- a support member interposed between said base and said nozzle plate for arranging said nozzle plate apart from said free ends of said piezoelectric elements by a predetermined distance;
- wherein said piezoelectric elements are formed by alternately stacking piezoelectric material and conductive material to form a lamination having multiple piezoelectric layers and multiple conductive layers, burning the lamination of said piezoelectric material layers and said conductive material layers to provide a piezoelectric plate, and cutting said piezoelectric plate into a plurality of piezoelectric elements with a predetermined width so that a lamination direction coincides with a main vibrating direction;
- wherein the main vibrating direction is an axial direction extending through each of said piezoelectric elements;
- wherein a gap is formed between said nozzle apertures of said nozzle plate and said free end of said piezoelectric elements for accumulating ink therein; said gap defining at least a portion of said ink reservoir and
- wherein said support member is formed by a piezoelectric element plate.
- 5. A drop-on-demand ink-jet printing head comprising
- a base;
- a nozzle plate defining a plurality of nozzle apertures;
- an array of piezoelectric elements each of said piezoelectric elements arranged at predetermined intervals and each having one end which is fixed onto said base and another end which is free and which is confronted with respective ones of said nozzle apertures of said nozzle plate;
- an ink reservoir; and
- a support member fixed to said base and said nozzle plate for arranging said nozzle plate apart from said free ends of said piezoelectric elements by a predetermined distance,
- wherein said piezoelectric elements are formed by alternately stacking piezoelectric material and conductive material to form a lamination having multiple piezoelectric layers and multiple conductive layers, burning the lamination of said piezoelectric material layers and said conductive material layers to provide a piezoelectric plate, and cutting said piezoelectric plate into a plurality of piezoelectric elements with a predetermined width so that a lamination direction coincides with a main vibrating direction;
- wherein the main vibrating direction is an axial direction extending through each of said piezoelectric elements;
- wherein a gap is formed between said nozzle apertures of said nozzle plate and said free end of said piezoelectric elements for accumulating ink therein; said gap defining at least a portion of said ink reservoir and
- wherein said nozzle plate has a separation member between said adjacent nozzle apertures.
- 6. A drop-on-demand ink-jet printing head, comprising:
- a base;
- an array of piezoelectric elements; each of said piezoelectric elements arranged at predetermined intervals and each having one end which is fixed onto said base and another end which is free and at which a gap is formed for accumulating ink;
- a partition member disposed so as to be confronted with said free ends of said piezoelectric elements while a space for forming an ink reservoir is defined between said partition member and said free ends of said piezoelectric elements; and
- a nozzle plate defining a plurality of nozzle apertures which are confronted with said free ends of said piezoelectric elements through the space,
- wherein said piezoelectric elements comprise a lamination of multiple piezoelectric layers and multiple conductive layers alternately stacked, the lamination being fired to provide a piezoelectric plate, the plate being cut at predetermined widths to provide said piezoelectric elements, and
- wherein said piezoelectric elements, when electrically stimulated, vibrate substantially in an axial direction.
- 7. A drop-on-demand ink-jet printing head as claimed in claim 6, wherein said partition member is constituted by a piezoelectric plate.
- 8. A drop-on-demand ink-jet printing head as claimed in claim 6, wherein elastic material is filled into a space between adjacent ones of said piezoelectric elements.
- 9. A drop-on-demand ink-jet printing head as claimed in claim 6, wherein a direction of cutting said piezoelectric plate is displaced relative to a direction of a nozzle arrangement by a given angle.
- 10. A drop-on-demand ink-jet printing head, comprising:
- a base;
- a nozzle plate defining a plurality of nozzle apertures; and
- a plurality of lead pieces; each of said lead pieces having one end which is fixed to said base and another end which is free and which is arranged to be confronted with respective ones of said nozzle apertures of said nozzle plate, a space being formed between said nozzle apertures and said free ends of said lead pieces for accumulating ink,
- wherein said lead pieces are formed by alternately stacking piezoelectric material and conductive material to form a lamination having multiple piezoelectric layers and multiple conductive layers, burning the lamination of said piezoelectric material layers and said conductive material layers to provide a piezoelectric plate, fixing said piezoelectric plate onto one surface of an elastic plate, and cutting an integration of said piezoelectric plate and said elastic plate into a plurality of lead pieces with a predetermined width, each of said lead pieces thereby comprising a piezoelectric element and an elastic element, and
- wherein each of said piezoelectric elements experiences deformation substantially in an axial direction in response to an applied electrical signal.
- 11. A drop-on-demand ink jet printing head as claimed in claim 10, wherein said piezoelectric material layers and said conductive material layers are alternately stacked in parallel to said elastic plate.
- 12. A drop-on-demand ink-jet printing head as claimed in claim 10, wherein said piezoelectric material and said conductive material are alternately stacked perpendicularly to said elastic plate.
- 13. A drop-on-demand ink-jet printing head, comprising:
- a base;
- a nozzle plate defining a plurality of nozzle apertures;
- an array of piezoelectric elements, each of said piezoelectric elements arranged at predetermined intervals, each having an inactive region where no piezoelectric phenomenon is substantially influenced, and each having one end which is fixed onto said base and another end which is free and which is confronted with respective ones of said nozzle apertures of said nozzle plate; and
- an ink reservoir formed between said nozzle apertures of said nozzle plate and said free ends of said piezoelectric elements,
- wherein each of said piezoelectric elements is a lamination having multiple piezoelectric layers and multiple conductive layers.
- 14. A drop-on-demand ink-jet printing head as claimed in claim 13, wherein each said inactive region is formed on the fixed end of each of said piezoelectric elements and reflects ink drop generating vibrations.
- 15. A drop-on-demand ink-jet printing head, comprising:
- a base;
- a nozzle plate defining a plurality of nozzle apertures;
- an array of piezoelectric elements each of said piezoelectric elements arranged at predetermined intervals and each having one end which is fixed onto said base and another end which is free and which is confronted with respective ones of said nozzle apertures of said nozzle plate; and
- an ink reservoir formed between said nozzle apertures of said nozzle plate and said free ends of said piezoelectric elements,
- wherein said piezoelectric elements are formed by alternately stacking piezoelectric material and conductive material to form a lamination having multiple piezoelectric layers and multiple conductive layers, burning the lamination of said piezoelectric material layers and conductive material layers to provide a piezoelectric plate, and cutting said piezoelectric plate into a plurality of piezoelectric elements with a predetermined width so that a direction perpendicular to a lamination direction coincides with a main vibrating direction.
- 16. A drop-on-demand ink-jet printing head as claimed in claim 15, further comprising a vibration plate provided between said nozzle plate and said piezoelectric element array, said vibration plate being driven by said piezoelectric element array.
- 17. A drop-on-demand ink-jet printing head as claimed in claim 15, wherein said ink reservoir comprises a spacer having a recess portion therein, said spacer being provided between said nozzle plate and said free ends of said piezoelectric elements.
- 18. A drop-on-demand ink-jet printing head as claimed in claim 16, wherein said ink reservoir comprises a spacer having a recess portion therein, said spacer being provided between said nozzle plate and said vibration plate.
- 19. A drop-on-demand ink-jet printing head as claimed in claim 15, wherein said ink reservoir comprises a recess portion formed in said nozzle plate and in a vibration plate, said vibration plate interposed between said nozzle plate and said piezoelectric element array.
- 20. A drop-on-demand ink-jet printing head as claimed in claim 16, wherein said ink reservoir comprises a recess portion formed in said nozzle plate and said vibration plate.
- 21. A drop-on-demand ink-jet printing head as claimed in claim 15, wherein each of said piezoelectric elements has an inactive region where no piezoelectric phenomenon is substantially influenced.
- 22. A drop-on-demand ink-jet printing head as claimed in claim 21, wherein each said inactive region is formed on the free end of each of said piezoelectric elements.
- 23. A drop-on-demand ink-jet printing head as claimed in claim 21, wherein each said inactive region is formed on the fixed end of each of said piezoelectric elements.
- 24. A drop-on-demand ink-jet printing head as claimed in claim 23, wherein each of said piezoelectric elements has a vibration wavelength, and said inactive region has a length corresponding to a quarter of the vibration wavelength.
Priority Claims (2)
Number |
Date |
Country |
Kind |
2-43787 |
Feb 1990 |
JPX |
|
2-337278 |
Nov 1990 |
JPX |
|
Parent Case Info
This application is a division of Ser. No. 657,910 filed Feb. 20, 1991, now abandoned.
US Referenced Citations (7)
Foreign Referenced Citations (2)
Number |
Date |
Country |
0402171 |
Aug 1990 |
EPX |
56-120365 |
Sep 1981 |
JPX |
Non-Patent Literature Citations (1)
Entry |
Japanese Abstract No. 1-2555-49, Oct. 12, 1989. |
Divisions (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
657910 |
Feb 1991 |
|