Liquid ejecting apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9950510-B2
Application number	US-201615247197-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 25, 2016
Priority date	Aug 27, 2015
Publication date	Apr 24, 2018
Grant date	Apr 24, 2018

Abstract

A liquid ejecting apparatus includes a recording head including a plurality of nozzles from which liquid is ejected, a plurality of pressure chambers which communicate with each nozzle, respectively, a piezoelectric element which causes liquid to be ejected from the nozzle by causing a pressure fluctuation in the liquid in the pressure chamber, and a printer controller which is connected to the piezoelectric element through an individual signal line, and supplies a driving signal which drives the piezoelectric element through the individual signal line. The individual signal line is provided as many as n times (here, n is natural number of 2 or more) or more of the number of pressure chambers.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A liquid ejecting apparatus comprising:
a liquid ejecting head that includes:
a plurality of nozzles configured to eject liquid, the plurality of nozzles including a first nozzle and a second nozzle that are arranged side-by-side along a first direction,
a plurality of pressure chambers, the plurality of pressure chambers including a first pressure chamber that communicates with the first nozzle and a second pressure chamber that communicates with the second nozzle, the first and second pressure chambers being arranged side-by-side along the first direction,
a plurality of actuators configured to cause liquid to be ejected from the nozzles by causing a pressure fluctuation in the liquid in the pressure chambers when driving signals are applied to the actuators, the plurality of actuators including a first set of actuators configured to cause liquid to be ejected from the first nozzle by causing a pressure fluctuation in the liquid in the first pressure chamber, the actuators in the first set of actuators being arranged side-by-side along the first direction, each of the actuators comprising:
an individual electrode configured to have a respective driving signal applied thereto, and
a common electrode configured to have a predetermined voltage applied thereto, and
a common electrode line connected to the common electrodes of the actuators; and

a driving circuit that is connected to the liquid ejecting head, the driving circuit being configured to supply the driving signals to be applied to the individual electrodes, and to supply the predetermined voltage to be applied to the common electrodes via the common electrode line,
wherein the driving circuit is configured to send the same driving signal, always at the same time, to each of the individual electrodes of the actuators in the first set of actuators.

2. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the driving circuit is connected to the actuators of the first set of actuators via a plurality of first driving signal lines, each first driving signal line being connected to a respective one of the actuators of the first set of actuators, and
wherein the driving circuit is configured to send the same driving signal to each of the first driving signal lines that connect the driving circuit to the actuators of the first set of actuators.

3. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a switch provided on a signal path connected the driving circuit to the plurality of the actuators, the switch being configured to switch an output state and a non-output state of the driving signal with respect to the actuators,
wherein the driving circuit is configured to control the switch so that the same driving signals are sent, always at the same time, to each of the individual electrodes of the actuators in the first set of actuators.

4. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 2 ,
wherein a driving face that partitions a face of the first pressure chamber includes an island portion to which the actuators of the first set of actuators are connected, and a flexible film that surrounds the island portion, and
wherein the island portion has an integrated structure that is common to each of the actuators of the first set of actuators.

Assignees

• Seiko Epson Corp

Inventors

• Zhang Junhua

Classifications

• B41J2/04581

  controlling heads based on piezoelectric elements · CPC title

• B41J2/04586

  controlling heads of a type not covered by groups B41J2/04575 - B41J2/04585, or of an undefined type · CPC title

• B41J2/01 Primary

  Ink jet · CPC title

• B41J2/04541 Primary

  Specific driving circuit · CPC title

• B41J2/04533

  controlling a head having several actuators per chamber · CPC title