| US 7,588,322 B2 | ||
| Liquid drop discharge piezoelectric device | ||
| Takao Ohnishi, Nishikasugai-Gun (Japan); Kazuhiro Yamamoto, Nagoya (Japan); Yoshihiro Iseki, Nagoya (Japan); Koji Kimura, Nagoya (Japan); and Toshikazu Hirota, Nagoya (Japan) | ||
| Assigned to NGK Insulators, Ltd., Nagoya (Japan) | ||
| Filed on Jan. 31, 2007, as Appl. No. 11/669,608. | ||
| Application 11/669608 is a continuation of application No. PCT/JP2005/017752, filed on Sep. 27, 2005. | ||
| Claims priority of application No. 2004-289450 (JP), filed on Sep. 30, 2004. | ||
| Prior Publication US 2007/0120899 A1, May 31, 2007 | ||
| Int. Cl. B41J 2/045 (2006.01) | ||
| U.S. Cl. 347—68 | 27 Claims |
| 1. A liquid droplet discharging piezoelectric device for use in discharging micro liquid droplets provided with:
a cavity member in which a cavity to be filled with a liquid is built;
an introduction member having an introduction channel which connects with the cavity and an introduction port from which the
liquid is introduced into the cavity via the introduction channel; and
a nozzle member having a nozzle channel which connects with the cavity on a side of the cavity member opposite to the introduction
channel and a discharge port to discharge the liquid with which the cavity has been filled as droplets via the nozzle channel,
wherein
at least a part of the cavity member comprises a piezoelectric driving body in which a plurality of layered piezoelectric
bodies made of a ceramic material and a plurality of layered electrodes are alternately laminated,
at least a part of the introduction member and/or the nozzle member comprises a piezoelectric body made of the ceramic material,
and
the cavity member, the introduction member and/or the nozzle member is integrally formed by sintering, and wherein
a displacement based on an electrically inductive strain of the piezoelectric driving body composing at least a part of the
cavity member generates a pressing force accompanied by an increase of a pressure in the cavity of the cavity member; and
the liquid with which the cavity has been filled is discharged as droplets from the discharge port by use of the pressing
force.
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