LIQUID EJECTING APPARATUS AND HEAD UNIT

• US 20170057221A1
• Filed: 08/12/2016
• Published: 03/02/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: NOZAWA, Dai
• Granted Patent: US 9,669,621 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/04541 Specific driving circuit
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/0455 Details of switching sections of circuit, e.g. transistors
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/04581 controlling heads based on piezoelectric elements
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/04588 using a specific waveform
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/04593 Dot-size modulation by changing the size of the drop
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/04596 Non-ejecting pulses
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2202/11 characterised by specific geometrical characteristics

Abstract

A liquid ejecting apparatus which includes a modulation circuit which generates a modulated signal obtained by performing pulse modulation with respect to a source signal as a source of a driving signal; a boosting circuit which outputs a voltage boosted by at least a first capacitor; a pair of transistors which generates an amplified-modulated signal based on the modulated signal; a low pass filter which generates a driving signal by smoothing the amplified-modulated signal; a voltage generating circuit which outputs an offset voltage from an output terminal; and a second capacitor which is electrically connected to the output terminal, in which at least the boosting circuit and the voltage generating circuit are integrated in an integrated circuit, and a distance between the first capacitor and the integrated circuit is shorter than a distance between the second capacitor and the integrated circuit.

Claims

1. A liquid ejecting apparatus comprising:

a modulation circuit which generates a modulated signal obtained by performing pulse modulation with respect to a source signal as a source of a driving signal;

a boosting circuit which outputs a voltage boosted by at least a first capacitor;

a gate driver in which the voltage boosted by the boosting circuit is used as a power supply, and which generates a control signal based on the modulated signal;

a pair of transistors which generates an amplified-modulated signal based on the control signal;

a low pass filter which generates a driving signal by smoothing the amplified-modulated signal;

a piezoelectric element which is displaced when being applied with the driving signal;

a cavity of which an internal volume varies due to a displacement of the piezoelectric element;

a nozzle which is provided in order to cause liquid in the cavity to be ejected according to a change in internal volume of the cavity;

a voltage generating circuit which applies an offset voltage to an electrode which is different from an electrode to which a driving signal of the piezoelectric element is applied, from an output terminal; and

a second capacitor of which one end is electrically connected to the output terminal of the voltage generating circuit,

wherein at least the boosting circuit and the voltage generating circuit are integrated in an integrated circuit, and

wherein a distance between the first capacitor and the integrated circuit is shorter than a distance between the second capacitor and the integrated circuit.

2. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the integrated circuit includes a first terminal which is electrically connected to the first capacitor, and a second terminal which is electrically connected to the second capacitor, and

wherein a distance between the first capacitor and the first terminal is shorter than a distance between the second capacitor and the second terminal.

3. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 2,

wherein the first terminal and the second terminal are located so as to be close to each other.

4. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 3,

wherein, in the integrated circuit, a region in which the boosting circuit is formed and a region in which the voltage generating circuit is formed are close to each other.

5. The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein a frequency of the modulated signal is 1 MHz or more and 8 MHz or less.

6. A head unit comprising:

a piezoelectric element which is displaced when being applied with a driving signal from a control unit;

a cavity of which an internal volume varies due to a displacement of the piezoelectric element; and

a nozzle which is provided in order to cause liquid in the cavity to be ejected according to a change in internal volume of the cavity,

wherein the control unit includes

a modulation circuit which generates a modulated signal obtained by performing pulse modulation with respect to a source signal as a source of the driving signal,

a boosting circuit which outputs a voltage boosted by at least a first capacitor,

a gate driver in which the voltage boosted by the boosting circuit is used as a power supply, and which generates a control signal based on the modulated signal,

a pair of transistors which generates an amplified-modulated signal based on the control signal,

a low pass filter which generates a driving signal by smoothing the amplified-modulated signal,

a voltage generating circuit which applies an offset voltage to an electrode which is different from an electrode to which a driving signal of the piezoelectric element is applied, from an output terminal, and

a second capacitor of which one end is electrically connected to the output terminal of the voltage generating circuit,

wherein at least the boosting circuit and the voltage generating circuit are integrated in an integrated circuit, and

wherein a distance between the first capacitor and the integrated circuit is shorter than a distance between the second capacitor and the integrated circuit.