Liquid-droplet jetting head and liquid-droplet jetting apparatus

Abstract

An ink-jet head includes a channel unit which includes a plurality of pressure chambers, a vibration plate stacked on the channel unit, and a piezoelectric material layer arranged on the vibration plate. The piezoelectric material layer includes a first portion functioning as a piezoelectric actuator, and a second portion functioning as a piezoelectric transformer which amplifies a driving signal to be supplied to the piezoelectric actuator. Accordingly, it is possible to realize a small-size ink-jet head with a built-in piezoelectric amplifier.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A is a schematic structural diagram showing a schematic structure of an ink-jet printer according to the present invention;

FIG. 1B is a diagram showing a relationship among a channel unit, a piezoelectric material layer, and a flexible flat cable;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along a line II-II shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a schematic structural diagram showing an arrangement of electrodes on the piezoelectric material layer in an ink-jet head which is an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a diagram of a direction of polarization in a first portion and a second portion;

FIG. 5 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 3, of an ink-jet head having a groove (or a slit);

FIG. 6 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 3, of an ink-jet head having the groove (or the slit);

FIG. 7 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 4, of an ink-jet head having a piezoelectric material layer having stacked layers;

FIG. 8 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 4, of an ink-jet head having a vibration plate made of an insulating substance (material);

FIG. 9 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 3, of an ink-jet head without a vibration plate; and

FIG. 10 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 4, of an ink-jet head having a recess formed in the vibration plate and a cavity plate.

Claims

1. A liquid-droplet jetting head which jets a droplet of a liquid, comprising: a channel unit having a liquid chamber which stores the liquid; anda piezoelectric material layer which is arranged on the channel unit, and which includes a first portion applying a pressure to the liquid stored in the liquid chamber when a predetermined voltage is applied to the first portion, and a second portion amplifying the predetermined voltage which is to be applied to the first portion.

2. The liquid-droplet jetting head according to claim l,which is an ink-jet head jetting an ink, and which further includes a vibration plate arranged between the channel unit and the piezoelectric material layer, wherein the liquid chamber includes a plurality of pressure chambers.

3. The liquid-droplet jetting head according to claim 2, wherein the first portion is a piezoelectric actuator and the second portion is a piezoelectric transformer.

4. The liquid-droplet jetting head according to claim 2, wherein a slit which partitions the first portion and the second portion from each other is formed in the piezoelectric material layer.

5. The liquid-droplet jetting head according to claim 2, wherein a groove which partitions the first portion and the second portion from each other is formed in the piezoelectric material layer.

6. The liquid-droplet jetting head according to claim 2, wherein the first portion and the second portion are formed of a same piezoelectric material.

7. The liquid-droplet jetting head according to claim 3, wherein a resonance frequency of the piezoelectric actuator is lower than a resonance frequency of the piezoelectric transformer.

8. The liquid-droplet jetting head according to claim 3, wherein a common electrode layer covering the first portion and the second portion is formed on a surface of the piezoelectric material layer on a side of the channel unit, the common electrode layer being an electrode common for the piezoelectric actuator and for the piezoelectric transformer; the piezoelectric actuator has an individual electrode formed, on a surface of the piezoelectric material layer on a side opposite to the channel unit, at an area corresponding to the first portion, and has an input electrode and an output electrode formed at an area corresponding to the second portion; andthe liquid-droplet jetting head further includes a wire which connects the individual electrode and the output electrode.

9. The liquid-droplet jetting head according to claim 8, wherein the first portion is polarized in a predetermined direction and the second portion has a first sub-portion which is polarized in the predetermined direction and a second sub-portion which is polarized in a direction orthogonal to the predetermined direction.

10. The liquid-droplet jetting head according to claim 9, wherein the predetermined direction is a thickness direction of the piezoelectric material layer; the first sub-portion corresponds to the input electrode; and a second sub-portion corresponds to the output electrode and is polarized in an extending direction in which the piezoelectric material layer is extended.

11. The liquid-droplet jetting head according to claim 8, wherein the vibration plate is electroconductive and is the common electrode layer.

12. The liquid-droplet jetting head according to claim 4, wherein the second portion includes a plurality of transformer portions arranged in two parallel rows, and the first portion includes a plurality of actuator portions which correspond to the transformer portions respectively, and which are arranged on a side, of the transformer portions, opposite to the slit.

13. The liquid-droplet jetting head according to claim 5, wherein the second portion includes a plurality of transformer portions arranged in two parallel rows, and the first portion includes a plurality of actuator portions which correspond to the transformer portions respectively, and which are arranged on a side, of the transformer portions, opposite to the groove.

14. The liquid-droplet jetting head according to claim 2, wherein the first portion includes a plurality of actuator portions arranged in two actuator-portion rows which are parallel to each other, and the second portion includes a plurality of transformer portions which correspond to the actuator portions respectively, and which are arranged in the piezoelectric material layer so that transformer portions, among the transformer portions, corresponding to actuator portions belonging to one of two actuator-portion rows, are on a side opposite to transformer portions corresponding to actuator portions belonging to the other of the actuator-portion rows.

15. The liquid-droplet jetting head according to claim 2, wherein the second portion includes a stacked-layered piezoelectric transformer which has a plurality of stacked piezoelectric material layers.

16. The liquid-droplet jetting head according to claim 2, wherein a recess is formed in areas of the channel unit and the vibration plate respectively, each of the areas overlapping with the second portion.

17. The liquid-droplet jetting head according to claim 1, wherein the second portion includes a plurality of transformer portions arranged in a row, and a recess is formed in areas, of the second portion, between two transformer portions among the transformer portions.

18. The liquid-droplet jetting head according to claim 10, wherein the extending direction is a direction along a straight line which connects the input electrode and the output electrode of the second portion.

19. The liquid-droplet jetting head according to claim 1, wherein the first portion is arranged above the liquid chamber.

20. A liquid-droplet jetting apparatus which jets a droplet of a liquid onto an object, comprising: a head which includes a channel unit and a piezoelectric material layer, the channel unit including a liquid chamber which stores the liquid, the piezoelectric material layer arranged on the channel unit and including a first portion which applies a pressure to the liquid stored in the liquid chamber when a predetermined signal is applied to the first portion, and a second portion which amplifies the predetermined signal which is to be applied to the first portion;a signal supplying unit which supplies the predetermined signal; anda transporting mechanism which transports the object in a predetermined direction.

21. The liquid-droplet jetting apparatus according to claim 20, wherein the liquid is an ink; the head includes a vibration plate which is arranged between the channel unit and the piezoelectric material layer; and the liquid chamber includes a plurality of pressure chambers.

22. The liquid-droplet jetting apparatus according to claim 20, wherein a slit which partitions the first portion and the second portion from each other is formed in the piezoelectric material layer.

23. The liquid-droplet jetting apparatus according to claim 20, wherein a groove which partitions the first portion and the second portion is formed in the piezoelectric material layer.