Liquid droplet ejecting method, liquid droplet ejection apparatus, inkjet recording apparatus, production method of fine particles, fine particle production apparatus, and toner

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9682556-B2
Application number	US-201414306397-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 17, 2014
Priority date	Mar 18, 2010
Publication date	Jun 20, 2017
Grant date	Jun 20, 2017

Abstract

A liquid droplet ejecting method for ejecting a liquid from at least one ejection hole to form the liquid into liquid droplets, the method including:
applying a vibration to the liquid in a liquid column resonance-generating liquid chamber, in which the ejection hole is formed, to form a standing wave through liquid column resonance, and ejecting the liquid from the ejection hole, which is formed in a region corresponding to an antinode of the standing wave, to form the liquid into liquid droplets.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A liquid droplet ejecting method, the method comprising:
applying a vibration to a liquid in a liquid column resonance-generating liquid chamber, in which an ejection hole is formed, to form a standing wave through liquid column resonance; and
ejecting the liquid from the ejection hole, which is formed in a region corresponding to an antinode of the standing wave, to form liquid droplets, wherein the liquid is ejected by a change in pressure to the standing wave,
wherein a number of ejection holes is from 2 to 100.

2. The liquid droplet ejecting method according to claim 1 , wherein the ejection hole is formed in plurality with respect to at least one region corresponding to the antinode.

3. The liquid droplet ejecting method according to claim 1 , wherein the ejection hole is formed in plurality for each of the liquid column resonance-generating liquid chambers.

4. The liquid droplet ejecting method according to claim 1 , wherein at least part of both ends of the liquid column resonance-generating liquid chamber in a longitudinal direction thereof is provided with a reflection wall surface.

5. The liquid droplet ejecting method according to claim 1 , wherein the vibration is a high frequency vibration having a frequency of 300 kHz or higher.

6. The liquid droplet ejecting method according to claim 1 , wherein a drive signal from a vibration generating unit excites the vibration generating unit by pulse groups which is primarily composed of a liquid column resonance frequency depending on the length of the liquid column resonance-generating liquid chamber in the longitudinal direction thereof.

7. The liquid droplet ejecting method according to claim 6 , wherein:
the pulse groups are divided into three pulse parts of a preparatory pressure generating pulse part, a drive main pulse part, and a residual vibration undoing pulse part;
the preparatory pressure generating pulse part is present at a leading edge of the pulse groups and excites the liquid in the liquid column resonance-generating liquid chamber to allow the liquid to remain in a state of not flying the liquid droplets;
the drive main pulse part is an application pulse which follows the preparatory generating pulse part and ejects the liquid from the ejection hole; and
the residual vibration undoing pulse part is an application pulse immediately after the drive main pulse part and includes a frequency component having a phase opposite to that of a main frequency component of the drive main pulse part.

8. A liquid droplet ejection apparatus comprising:
a liquid column resonance-generating liquid chamber in a part of which an ejection hole is formed; and
a vibration generating unit configured to apply a vibration to a liquid,
wherein the vibration is applied to the liquid in the liquid column resonance-generating liquid chamber by the vibration generating unit to form a standing wave through liquid column resonance, and the liquid is ejected from the ejection hole corresponding to an antinode of the standing wave, wherein the liquid is ejected by a change in pressure to the standing wave,
wherein a number of ejection holes is from 2 to 100.

9. An inkjet recording apparatus, which ejects a liquid from at least one ejection hole to form the liquid into liquid droplet by the method of claim 1 .

10. The liquid droplet ejecting method of claim 1 , which is suitable for ejecting a liquid from at least one ejection hole to form the liquid into liquid droplets.

11. The liquid droplet ejection apparatus of claim 8 , which is suitable for ejecting a liquid from at least one ejection hole to form the liquid into liquid droplets.

12. An inkjet recording apparatus, comprising the liquid droplet apparatus of claim 8 .

13. The liquid droplet ejection method according to claim 1 , wherein the change in pressure is a change to a positive pressure or a negative pressure with respect to atmospheric pressure.

14. The liquid droplet ejection apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the change in pressure is a change to a positive pressure or a negative pressure with respect to atmospheric pressure.

15. The liquid droplet ejection method according to claim 1 , wherein the ejecting is ejecting the liquid from the ejection hole, which is formed in only a region corresponding to an antinode of the standing wave, to form liquid droplets.

16. The liquid droplet ejection apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the ejecting is ejecting the liquid from the ejection hole, which is formed in only a region corresponding to an antinode of the standing wave, to form liquid droplets.

17. The liquid droplet ejection apparatus of claim 8 , wherein a pitch between the liquid droplet ejection holes is 20 μm or greater and equal to or smaller than a length of the liquid column resonance-generating liquid chamber.

18. A liquid droplet ejecting method, the method comprising:
applying a vibration to a liquid in a liquid column resonance-generating liquid chamber, in which an ejection hole is formed, to form a standing wave through liquid column resonance; and
ejecting the liquid from the ejection hole, which is formed in a region corresponding to an antinode of the standing wave, to form liquid droplets, wherein the liquid is ejected by a change in pressure to the standing wave,
wherein the ejection hole is formed in plurality,
and wherein a pitch between the liquid droplet ejection holes is 20 μm or greater and equal to or smaller than a length of the liquid column resonance-generating liquid chamber.

Assignees

• Norikane Yoshihiro
• Nakamura Haruo
• Ohgaki Masaru
• Sekiguchi Yuko
• Ricoh Co Ltd

Inventors

• Norikane Yoshihiro
• Nakamura Haruo
• Ohgaki Masaru
• Sekiguchi Yuko

Classifications

• B41J2202/02

  Air-assisted ejection · CPC title

• B41J2/14008

  Structure of acoustic ink jet print heads · CPC title

• B41J2002/1425

  Embedded thin film piezoelectric element · CPC title

• B41J2002/14475

  characterised by nozzle shapes or number of orifices per chamber · CPC title

• B41J2/14233 Primary

  of film type, deformed by bending and disposed on a diaphragm · CPC title