Liquid discharge device and head unit

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9744761-B2
Application number	US-201615145155-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 3, 2016
Priority date	Jul 1, 2015
Publication date	Aug 29, 2017
Grant date	Aug 29, 2017

Abstract

A liquid discharge device includes a modulation circuit that generates a modulation signal obtained by pulse-modulating a source signal by self oscillation, a transistor pair which includes a high side transistor and a low side transistor and which generates an amplified modulation signal by amplifying the modulation signal, a demodulator which includes an inductor and a capacitor and which generates a drive signal by smoothing the amplified modulation signal, an piezoelectric element that is displaced when the drive signal is applied, a cavity inside which a liquid droplet is filled and whose internal volume is changed by the displacement of the piezoelectric element, and a nozzle provided to discharge liquid inside the cavity according to the change of the internal volume of the cavity. A distance between the high side transistor and the capacitor is longer than a distance between the inductor and the capacitor.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A liquid discharge device, comprising:
a modulation circuit that generates a modulation signal obtained by pulse-modulating a source signal by self oscillation;
a transistor pair which includes a high side transistor and a low side transistor and which generates an amplified modulation signal by amplifying the modulation signal;
a demodulator which includes an inductor and a capacitor and which generates a drive signal by smoothing the amplified modulation signal;
an piezoelectric element that is displaced when the drive signal is applied;
a cavity inside which a liquid droplet is filled and whose internal volume is changed by the displacement of the piezoelectric element; and
a nozzle provided to discharge liquid inside the cavity according to the change of the internal volume of the cavity,
wherein a distance between the high side transistor and the capacitor is longer than a distance between the inductor and the capacitor.

2. The liquid discharge device according to claim 1 , wherein
the distance between the inductor and the capacitor is longer than or equal to 3 mm.

3. The liquid discharge device according to claim 1 , wherein
the distance between the inductor and the capacitor is shorter than or equal to 6 mm.

4. The liquid discharge device according to claim 1 , wherein
a distance between the low side transistor and the capacitor is shorter than a distance between the high side transistor and the capacitor.

5. The liquid discharge device according to claim 1 , wherein
a frequency of the self oscillation is greater than or equal to 1 MHz and smaller than or equal to 8 MHz.

6. A head unit, comprising:
an piezoelectric element that is displaced when a drive signal is applied;
a cavity inside which a liquid droplet is filled and whose internal volume is changed by the displacement of the piezoelectric element; and
a nozzle provided to discharge liquid inside the cavity according to the change of the internal volume of the cavity,
wherein the drive signal is obtained by smoothing an amplified modulation signal by a demodulator including an inductor and a capacitor,
the amplified modulation signal is generated by amplifying a modulation signal by a transistor pair including a high side transistor and a low side transistor,
the modulation signal is generated by pulse-modulating a source signal by self oscillation of a modulation circuit, and
a distance between the high side transistor and the capacitor is longer than a distance between the inductor and the capacitor.

Assignees

• Seiko Epson Corp

Inventors

• Nozawa Dai

Classifications

• B41J2202/11

  characterised by specific geometrical characteristics · CPC title

• B41J2/04581

  controlling heads based on piezoelectric elements · CPC title

• B41J2/0455

  Details of switching sections of circuit, e.g. transistors · CPC title

• B41J2/04588

  using a specific waveform · CPC title

• B41J2/04541 Primary

  Specific driving circuit · CPC title