Incremental printing of symbolic information – Ink jet – Ejector mechanism
Reexamination Certificate
1999-11-03
2002-12-24
Barlow, John (Department: 2861)
Incremental printing of symbolic information
Ink jet
Ejector mechanism
Reexamination Certificate
active
06497477
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to ink-jet heads.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In the art, there are known ink-jet heads capable of recording by making utilization of the piezoelectric effect of piezoelectric elements. For example, such a type of ink-jet head is disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Gazette No. H05-18735. This ink-jet head includes a head main body, wherein an actuator having a piezoelectric element is utilized to cause droplets of ink to be emitted through an ink nozzle.
A head main body of a typical ink-jet head contains therein a plurality of pressure chambers, to each of which there is fed a supply of ink, and a common ink chamber in communication with the pressure chambers. Formed in a face on the front side of the head main body, i.e., a front face of the head main body, are a plurality of ink nozzles which correspond to the pressure chambers, respectively. On the other hand, provided in a face on the back side of the head main body, i.e., a back face of the head main body, are oscillating plates, each of which constitutes a portion of a compartment wall of each pressure chamber. A common electrode, a piezoelectric element, and an individual electrode are laminated together in sequence on a back side of each oscillating plate. These components (i.e., the oscillating plate, the common electrode, the piezoelectric element, and the individual electrode) together constitute an actuator by which pressure is applied to the pressure chamber, thereby to produce drive force for the emission of droplets of ink through the ink nozzle.
In order to drive the actuator, it is necessary to provide, in addition to the head main body, a driver IC for outputting a drive signal to the actuator. If the driver IC is provided in a printer main body, this results in the requirement that a corresponding number of drive signal lines to the number of ink nozzles are to be extended, by means of FPC or the like, from the printer main body towards the head main body.
In order to achieve a shortening of the drive signal line length, the driver IC is mounted near a lateral face of the head main body (i.e., a face of the head main body perpendicular to a face where ink nozzles are arrayed), in a latest type of ink-jet printer, wherein, from the driver IC disposed in the vicinity of the head main body, a corresponding number of drive signal lines to the number of ink nozzles are extended, by means of FPC or the like, to the head main body. Additionally, the H05-318735's ink-jet head intends to reduce manufacturing costs by cutting the provision of signal lines between the printer main body and the ink-jet head to such an extent that there are provided only signal lines for the driving of IC. To this end, a driver IC
121
is mounted on an oscillating plate
103
of a head main body
100
, as shown in FIG.
13
. More specifically, the driver IC
121
is mounted side by side with piezoelectric elements
102
and a common electrode
104
.
FIG. 13
further shows pattern wires
122
for establishing connections between the driver IC
121
and the individual electrodes.
In the foregoing patent gazette, however, the driver IC
121
is mounted directly onto the oscillating plate
103
, which results in the requirement that the driver IC
121
is mounted at a distance away from an actuator
101
for avoiding an actually oscillating portion of the oscillating plate
103
(i.e., an area of the oscillating plate
103
where the piezoelectric elements
102
are positioned). Conversely, it is necessary to secure an extra space for the mounting of the driver IC
121
on the back face of the head main body
100
. This increases the surface area of the head main body
100
, therefore resulting in increasing the overall size of the ink-jet head. Further, even when a certain structure is employed in which the driver IC is positioned in the vicinity of a lateral face of the head main body, it is still necessary to secure a space for the mounting of the driver IC beside the head main body, therefore making it difficult to reduce the overall size of the ink-jet head.
Bearing in mind the above-described problems with the prior art techniques, the present invention was made. Accordingly, a major objet of the invention is to achieve a downsizing of the ink-jet head.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention achieves the object by employing an arrangement in which a driver IC having a drive circuit is placed on a side, as opposed to the ink emitting direction side where ink nozzles are arranged.
The present invention embodies an ink-jet head. This ink-jet head comprises:
(a) a head main body in which a plurality of nozzles, a plurality of pressure chambers which correspond to the plurality of nozzles, respectively, and a plurality of actuators which correspond to the plurality of nozzles, respectively, are provided,
(b) a driver IC in which a drive circuit for outputting a drive signal to each of the plurality of actuators is provided,
(c) connecting members for establishing connection between the drive circuit and each of the plurality of actuators so that the drive signal is transmittable therebetween,
wherein the plurality of nozzles are arrayed on a first side of the head main body, and
wherein the driver IC is mounted on an opposite second side of the head main body.
Since the driver IC is provided on a side of the head main body opposite to the side where the nozzles are arrayed, this eliminates the need for the provision of a space for the placement of the driver IC beside the nozzle array, thereby reducing the overall size of the ink-jet head. Further, with the downsizing of the ink-jet head, it becomes possible to reduce head manufacture costs.
It is preferred that the plurality of actuators are arranged on the second side of the head main body on which the driver IC is mounted.
It is arranged such that the distance between the driver IC and actuator is made shorter, thereby shortening the connecting members used to establish connection between the drive circuit and each actuator.
An arrangement may be made, wherein each of the plurality of actuators includes an input terminal coupled to a corresponding one of the connecting members and a drive portion for producing drive force used to emit ink through a corresponding one of the plurality of nozzles upon receipt of the drive signal, wherein a drive portion group composed of an array of the drive portions of the plurality of actuators is provided on the second side of the head main body on which the driver IC is mounted, and wherein the driver IC is mounted so as to lie astride the drive portion group.
Since the driver IC is mounted so as to lie astride the actuator drive portion group, this secures space used for the operation of the actuator drive portions. As a result, the operation will be carried out smoothly.
An arrangement may be made, wherein the driver IC is, at both ends thereof, fixedly supported on the head main body, and wherein the connecting members are bonding wires for establishing connection between the input terminals of the plurality of actuators and corresponding output terminals of the drive circuit.
It is arranged such that the driver IC is, at the both ends thereof, supported on the head main body. This facilitates the realization of a structure which enables the driver IC to lie astride the actuator drive portion group. Additionally, it is a bonding wire which establishes connection between the input terminal and the output terminal. Accordingly, it is easy to provide connection between the input and output terminals.
An arrangement may be made, wherein the input terminals of the plurality of actuators are arrayed along a first direction in parallel with the driver IC, and wherein a length of the driver IC in a second direction normal to the first direction is set shorter than a length of the actuator drive portion group in the second direction.
As a result of such arrangement, there is created, along the second direction, a clearance between an output terminal of the drive circuit of the driver I
Horio Hideaki
Nakamura Tetsuroh
Feggins K.
Harness & Dickey & Pierce P.L.C.
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