Piezoelectric Ink Jet Printer Head

This invention relates to a piezoelectric ink jet printer head, and more particularly to a printer head employing a laminated piezoelectric element as a piezoelectric transducer.

In a recent printer, a piezoelectric ink jet has been utilized for a printer head. Such a ink jet employs a known method of `drop-on-demand` mechanism, in which an ink chamber separated by a pair of valves changes the volume of the chamber in accordance with a dimensional displacement of a piezoelectric actuator. More specifically, ink in the ink chamber is jetted from one of the valves when the volume of the chamber is reduced. On the other hand, when the volume is increased, ink is supplied from the other valve to the ink chamber. Multiple jetting devices utilizing the ink jet mechanism are mounted close to each other in the printer head. Desired characters and images can be formed by jetting ink from a selected jetting device.

In the prior art piezoelectric ink jet printer head, one piezoelectric actuator is employed for each jetting device. Thus, the structure of the printer head becomes complicated if a number of the jetting devices are densely arranged to attain a wide-ranging printing with high resolution. In this case, many steps are required to construct the printer head, resulting in high cost. Moreover, since there is a constructional limitation for miniaturizing the actuator, it is difficult to make each jetting device smaller in size. Therefore, only limited resolution can be attained with such a printer head.

To solve the above-mentioned problems, a new type piezoelectric ink jet printer head has been recently proposed. In this ink jet printer head, one piezoelectric actuator is mounted on a plurality of ink chambers. Upon operation, only a part of the piezoelectric actuator which corresponds to a selected jetting device is deformed. Such a printer head is disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,584,590. FIG. 8 shows a section of a piezoelectric actuator 88 during actuating which is employed in the reference. The piezoelectric actuator 88 is provided with negative electrodes 92a, 92b, and 92c, and positive electrodes 94a and 94b on the surface of a single piezoelectric ceramic plate 90. The ceramic plate 90 is polarized in the direction indicated in FIG. 8. When actuating voltage is applied between the positive electrode 94a and the negative electrode 92a and 92b, an actuating electric field is generated in the piezoelectric ceramic plate 90 in the direction substantially orthogonal to the polarization direction. The positive electrode 94a then moves downward as shown in FIG. 8 in accordance with displacement by the slip effect. Drops of ink are thus jetted from the jetting device (not shown) corresponding to the positive electrode 94a. A piezoelectric ink jet printer head employing the piezoelectric actuator 88 as a piezoelectric transducer can be easily manufactured at a low cost. Additionally, such a printer head can attain high resolution.

However, in the piezoelectric actuator 88, the actuating electrodes are mounted only on the surface of the piezoelectric ceramic plate 90. Thus, the direction of the actuating electric field is not perfectly perpendicular to the polarization direction. Apparent piezoelectric constant d.sub.15 becomes small. Therefore, high voltage of about 200 V is required to obtain the necessary displacement. In order to make the direction of the actuating electric field more orthogonal to the polarization direction, a thinner piezoelectric ceramic plate may be employed. However, if the ceramic plate is thin, the strength of the plate is reduced. Moreover, a short circuit by an electric discharge may occur, since the opposite electrodes are arranged at such a small interval, typically about 0.5 mm. If various methods are taken to prevent the short circuit, the printer head becomes heavy and large in size, and the manufacturing cost is increased.

An object of the present invention is to solve the aforementioned problems, providing a piezoelectric ink jet printer head which operates with low voltage. The printer head of the invention has a simple structure, can be manufactured at low cost, is small in size and is highly reliable.

To attain the object, the piezoelectric ink jet printer head comprising multiple jetting devices which jet ink from ink chambers by varying the volume of the ink chambers by means of a piezoelectric transducer, wherein

piezoelectric ceramic layers and interior, separated electrode layers are stacked alternately for forming a laminated piezoelectric element,

said piezoelectric ceramic layers are provided with said interior, separated electrode layers above the center and both sides of said ink chambers,

said laminated piezoelectric element is mounted on a plurality of said ink chambers and acts as said piezoelectric transducer,

an actuating electric field is applied to said piezoelectric ceramic layers in the direction substantially perpendicular to a polarization direction to attain a displacement by a slip effect.

According to the piezoelectric ink jet printer head thus manufactured, actuating voltage is applied between only the electrodes corresponding to the selected jetting device. The part of the piezoelectric ceramic layers between the electrodes is deformed in accordance with a slip effect. Then ink is jetted from the selected jetting device.

FIG. 1 is a section view of an array which composes a piezoelectric ink jet printer head for a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 shows an array provided with an electric circuit for the first embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a green sheet for the present invention.

FIG. 4 shows a method for polarizing a laminated piezoelectric element for the first embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the laminated piezoelectric element for the first embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 6 is a schematic perspective view showing an ink jet printer with an ink jet printer head for the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a section view of an array for a second embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 8 is a section view of a piezoelectric actuator of the prior art.

Preferred embodiments of the present invention is now described with reference to the drawings.

Embodiment 1

As shown in FIG. 6, a platen 10 is rotatably connected to a frame 13 by means of an axle 12. A motor 14 actuates the platen 10. A piezoelectric ink jet printer head 15 is fixed facing the platen 10. The printer head 15 and an ink supply 16 are mounted on a carriage 18. The carriage 18 is slidably supported on a pair of guide rods 20 parallel to the axial direction of the platen 10. The carriage 18 is driven by a timing belt 24, which is wound on a pair of pulleys 22. When the pulley motor 23 rotates one of the pulleys 22, the carriage 18 moves along the platen 10 in accordance with the movement of the timing belt 24.

Turning to FIG. 1, an array 30 employed in the printer head 15 is illustrated. The array 30 comprises a rectangular channel 34 which has cavities inside and contains ink channels 32a through 32c. In a typical design, the ink channels 32a through 32c have a width of 0.5 mm in the lateral direction of FIG. 1, and a length of 10 mm in the direction orthogonal to the surface of FIG. 1. The ink channels 32a through 32c have no ceiling. The array 30 also includes a laminated piezoelectric element 38, which is fixed to the top of channel 34 by means of fixing members 36. The fixing members 36 consist of metal having a low melting point, glass having a low melting point, or epoxyresin adhesive. The ink channels 32a through 32c form an ink chamber.

The laminated piezoelectric element 38 comprises a plurality of piezoelectric ceramic layers 40 having a piezoelectric effect and an electrostrictive strain effect. Four interior negative electrode layers 42a through 42d are stacked on the piezoelectric ceramic layers 40 above each fixing member 36. Three interior positive electrode layers 44a through 44c are stacked on the piezoelectric ceramic layers 40 above the center of each ink channel 32a through 32c. The laminated piezoelectric element 38 has a thickness of 0.25 mm. Each of the piezoelectric ceramic layers 40 consists of a ferroelectric ceramics of titanate zirconatelead (PZT) having a thickness of 40 .mu.m. The piezoelectric ceramic layers 40 are polarized in the laminating direction. The polarization direction is indicated by arrows in FIG. 1. The interior negative electrode layers 42a through 42d, and the interior positive electrode layers 44a through 44c are made of Ag-Pd metal having a thickness of about 2 .mu.m.

The laminated piezoelectric element 38 is manufactured by the following steps. In FIG. 3, the four interior negative electrode layers 42a through 42d are formed on the upper surface of the piezoelectric ceramic layer 40. The three interior positive electrode layers 44a through 44c are also formed on the upper surface of the piezoelectric ceramic layer 40. This interior negative electrode layers 42a through 42d are located above each of the fixing members 36. The interior positive electrode layers 44a through 44c are positioned above the center of each of the ink channels 32a through 32c. Both of the negative electrode layers 42a through 42d and the positive electrode layers 44a through 44c are formed on the material by screen printing. A green sheet 50 is thus obtained. A necessary number of the green sheets 50 are stacked. A green sheet (not shown) without the interior electrode layers on the upper side of the material is laid upon the top of the stacked green sheets 50. The stack of green sheets 50 are pressed with heat, degreased, sintered, and given other necessary treatments to obtain the laminated piezoelectric element 38. As shown in FIG. 4, outside polarizing electrodes 86 are formed on the upper and the lower surface of the laminated stack by sputtering or other methods. The original form with the outside polarizing electrodes 86 is immersed in an oil bath 82 filled with insulating oil 80, such as silicon oil, maintained at a temperature of about 130.degree. C. An electric field of about 2.5 kV/mm is applied between the outside polarizing electrodes 86 by a polarization power source 84 for polarizing the laminated stack. The outside polarizing electrodes 86 are then removed from the original form by etching or other methods. As shown in FIG. 5, outside negative electrodes 52a through 52d are formed on each exposed portion of the interior negative electrode layers 42a through 42d, and outside positive electrodes 54a through 54c are on each exposing portion of the interior positive electrode layers 44a through 44c. The laminated piezoelectric element 38 for the first embodiment is thus obtained.

The ink jet printer head 15 comprises a plurality of the arrays 30 including the piezoelectric element 38 thus manufactured. The arrays 30 are integrally arranged close to each other in the ink jet printer head 15.

Each of the arrays 30 is provided with an electric circuit as shown in FIG. 2. In the electric circuit, a negative electrode of an actuating power source 60 and the outside negative electrodes 52a through 52d are grounded. A positive electrode of the actuating power source 60 is connected with the outside positive electrodes 54a through 54c via switches 62a through 62c. When the ink channel 32a is selected, the actuating power source 60 applies actuating voltage between the interior negative electrode layers 42a and 42b and the interior positive electrode 44a corresponding to the selected ink channel 32a with the switch 62a, controlled by a controller (not shown).

The operation of the piezoelectric ink jet printer head 15 thus constructed is now described with reference to FIG. 2. When the controller connects the switch 62a, according to predetermined printing data, voltage is applied between the interior negative electrode layers 42a and 42b and the interior positive electrode 44a. A bias electric field in the direction substantially perpendicular to the polarization direction is generated in the piezoelectric ceramic layers 40 between the interior negative electrode layers 42a and 42b and the interior positive electrode 44a. A part of the piezoelectric ceramic layers 40 corresponding to the interior positive electrode 44a is depressed into the ink channel 32a in accordance with a dimensional strain caused by a slip effect of piezoelectric and electrostrictive strain. The volume of the ink channel 32a is thus reduced. Then the ink in the ink channel 32a is jetted from a nozzle by way of a valve (not shown). As the switch 62a is disconnected to break voltage, the part of the piezoelectric ceramic layers 40 corresponding to the interior positive electrode 44a returns to the original position. Then ink is supplied from the ink supply 16 via another value (not shown) to the ink channel 32a with the increase in the volume of the ink channel 32a. If, for example, the switch 62b is actuated, a part of each of the piezoelectric ceramic layers 40 corresponding to the interior positive electrode 44b is deformed to jet ink from the ink channel 32b.

The array 30 of the first embodiment comprises jetting devices 70a through 70c of the piezoelectric ink jet printer head 15. The signal laminated piezoelectric element 38 thus operates as a piezoelectric actuator for the jetting devices 70a through 70c. Therefore, a number of the arrays 30 can be provided in the piezoelectric ink jet printer head 15 without complicating the structure. Moreover, the ink jet printer head 15 can be manufactured by fewer steps at a low cost.

The interior negative electrode layers 42a through 42d are stacked in the laminated piezoelectric element 38 at a small interval of 40 .mu.m. The interior positive electrode layers 44a through 44c are also stacked in the laminated piezoelectric element 38 at the interval of 40 .mu.m. Thus, when actuating voltage is applied between the interior negative electrode layers 42a through 42d and the interior positive electrode layers 44a through 44c, and actuating electric field is generated in the direction almost preferably perpendicular to the polarization direction. The apparent piezoelectric constant d.sub.15 is thus greater than that of the prior art. Therefore, the necessary actuating voltage, which is usually about 200 V, can be reduced to about 160 V in the first embodiment. Further, even when more piezoelectric ceramic layers 40 are stacked, the laminated piezoelectric element 38 can attain displacement similar to that as described in this embodiment. The necessary strength and the enhanced reliability of the laminated piezoelectric element 38 can be thus obtained by stacking more piezoelectric ceramic layers 40. Moreover, since in the laminated piezoelectric element 38 the interior negative electrode layers 42a through 42d and the interior positive electrode layers 44a through 44c are formed by screen printing, the spaces therebetween can be greatly reduced. Thus, printing resolution can be enhanced by, for example, miniaturizing the array 30 provided with the jetting devices 70a through 70c. The printer head 15 can attain a wide-range printing with high resolution according to the present invention.

Further, since the interior negative electrode layers 42a through 42d and the interior positive electrode layers 44a through 44c in the laminated piezoelectric element 38 are not exposed externally, the insulation of the electrodes is not deteriorated by migration of silver and the like. Such properties as durability and moisture resistance are also enhanced. Therefore, the printer head 15 requires no components for preventing the deterioration of the insulation needed for the prior art printer head. The printer head 15 can be made compact and light-weight, reducing the manufacturing cost.

Embodiment 2

The second embodiment is described with reference to FIG. 7, wherein similar numerals denotes components similar to those in the first embodiment.

In the second embodiment, the polarization direction of a laminated piezoelectric element 138 is parallel to the planes of a piezoelectric ceramic layers 140. Actuating bias electric field is generated in the direction perpendicular to the laminating direction. To polarize the laminated piezoelectric element 138, an electric field of about 2.5 kV/mm is applied between interior negative electrode layers 142a through 142c and interior positive electrode layers 142a through 142c are stacked at the interval of 40 .mu.m. The interior positive electrode layers 144a through 144d are also stacked at the interval of 40 .mu.m. Since the interior negative electrode layers 142a through 142c and the interior positive electrode layers 144a through 144d are stacked at such a small interval, the polarization direction of the piezoelectric ceramic layers 140 is almost perfectly perpendicular to the laminating direction. Outside positive electrodes 154a through 154c are formed on the upper side of the laminated piezoelectric element 138 above ink channels 132a through 132c, respectively. Outside negative electrode 152 is formed on the lower side of the laminated piezoelectric element 138. If, for example, the controller employed in the first embodiment connects a switch 162a according to predetermined printing data, voltage is applied between the outside negative electrode 152 and the outside positive electrode 154a. A bias electric field is generated in the piezoelectric ceramic layers 140 between the outside negative electrode 152 and the outside positive electrode 154a. The direction of the bias electric field is perpendicular to the polarization direction. A part of the piezoelectric ceramic layers 140 beneath the outside positive electrode 154a is depressed into an ink channel 132a according to a dimensional strain caused by the slip effect of piezoelectric and electrostrictive strain. The volume of the ink channel 132a is thus reduced. The ink in the channel 132a is jetted from a nozzle via a valve (not shown). When the switch 162a is disconnected to break voltage, the part of the piezoelectric ceramic layers 140 beneath the outside positive electrode 154a returns to the original position. Ink is then supplied from the ink supplier 16 employed in the first embodiment via another valve (not shown) into the ink channel 132a with the increase in the volume of the ink channel 132a. Similarly, if a switch 162b is actuated, a part of the piezoelectric ceramic layers 140 beneath the outside positive electrode 154b is deformed to jet ink from an ink channel 132b. As in the first embodiment, voltage can be reduced from about 200 V needed for the prior art printer head to about 160 V in the second embodiment. Further, since the outside positive electrodes 154a through 154c are separated from the outside negative electrode 152 by the laminated piezoelectric element 138, the deterioration of the insulation by short circuit does not occur.

The present invention may be subject to many modifications and changes without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof.