Liquid discharging device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9630406-B2
Application number	US-201214358635-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 12, 2012
Priority date	Nov 18, 2011
Publication date	Apr 25, 2017
Grant date	Apr 25, 2017

Abstract

The present invention improves rigidity in a joining portion between a substrate and piezoelectric element, and provides a liquid discharging device having improved vibration properties.
A liquid discharging device includes a pressure chamber made up of a space surrounded by a pair of side walls, a floor wall, and a ceiling wall; a substrate configured to make up at least one of the floor wall or ceiling wall; a liquid supplying unit configured to fill the pressure chamber with liquid; and an electrode having a pair of side walls made of piezoelectric elements, configured to apply voltage to the piezoelectric elements in order to shrink the volume of the pressure chamber by deforming the piezoelectric elements and to discharge liquid from the pressure chamber; wherein the tip side face portion of the piezoelectric element is restrained as to the substrate.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A liquid discharging device comprising: a pressure chamber formed by a first side wall made of a piezoelectric element, a second side wall made of the piezoelectric element, a floor wall or a ceiling wall, and a substrate, wherein an electrode is formed on a face of the first side wall and a face of the second side wall, the faces each facing an inner side of the pressure chamber to apply voltage to the piezoelectric element in order to change a volume of the pressure chamber by deforming the piezoelectric element;
a liquid supplying unit provided on a liquid supply side of the pressure chamber to supply the pressure chamber with liquid; and
a nozzle plate provided on a liquid discharge side of the pressure chamber and having a hole through which the liquid of the pressure chamber is discharged,
wherein the first side wall and the second side wall provided with the electrode are joined via an elastic member to the substrate, and
wherein the elastic member covers a part of a side of the first side wall and a part of a side of the second side wall, the sides each facing the substrate, and the electrode is formed also on the covered first and second side walls.

2. The liquid discharging device according to claim 1 , wherein the floor wall or the ceiling wall is made up of the piezoelectric element, of which the first side wall and the second side wall are formed.

3. The liquid discharging device according to claim 1 , wherein a plurality of pressure chambers are provided, and liquid is discharged from the plurality of pressure chambers.

4. The liquid discharging device according to claim 1 ,
wherein a groove is formed on the substrate, and
an inner side face portion of the groove, the tip side face portion of the first side wall provided with the electrode, and the tip side face portion of the second side wall provided with the electrode are joined together via the elastic member.

5. The liquid discharging device according to claim 4 , wherein a length of the tip side face portion of the first side wall restrained via the elastic member to the substrate is 20 micrometers or greater and 60 micrometers or less.

6. The liquid discharging device according to claim 1 , wherein the substrate has an adhesive layer thereupon, and the tip side face portions are embedded in the adhesive layer.

7. The liquid discharging device according to claim 6 , wherein the adhesive layer has a Young's Modulus that is smaller than that of the piezoelectric element.

8. The liquid discharging device according to claim 7 , wherein the adhesive layer is formed of an adhesive having an epoxy resin and alumina particles that are added to the epoxy resin.

9. The liquid discharging device according to claim 6 , wherein, when a length of the tip side face portions of the piezoelectric element is D, a width of the piezoelectric element is T, and a height of the pressure chamber is H, then H/T is 4.0 or less, and D is 5 micrometers or greater and 20 micrometers or less.

10. The liquid discharging device according to claim 6 , wherein, when a length of the tip side face portions of the piezoelectric element is D, a width of the piezoelectric element is T, a height of the pressure chamber is H, and a Young's Modulus of the adhesive layer is E, then H/T is 4.9 or less, E is 20 GPa or less, and D is 5 micrometers or greater and 15 micrometers or less.

11. The liquid discharging device according to claim 1 , wherein the piezoelectric element is formed with a base end piezoelectric portion that is polarized in a first direction parallel to the tip side face portions, and a tip piezoelectric portion that is polarized in a second direction which is the opposite direction from the first direction, in an integrated manner.

12. The liquid discharging device according to claim 1 , wherein the piezoelectric element is formed with a base end piezoelectric portion that is polarized in a first direction parallel to the tip side face portions, and a tip piezoelectric portion that is polarized in a second direction which is the opposite direction from the first direction, in a joined manner.

13. The liquid discharging device according to claim 11 , wherein the tip piezoelectric portion is formed to be longer in the second direction than the base end piezoelectric portion.

Assignees

• Canon Kk

Inventors

• Fukaya Youichi
• Fujimura Hidehiko
• Ochi Norihiko

Classifications

• B41J2/14209 Primary

  of finger type, chamber walls consisting integrally of piezoelectric material · CPC title

• B41J2002/14491

  Electrical connection · CPC title

• B41J2/145

  Arrangement thereof · CPC title