Link member and electrode structure for an ink ejecting device

• US 5,680,163 A
• Filed: 09/27/1995
• Issued: 10/21/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Sugahara, Hiroto
• Primary Examiner(s): MALLEY, DANIEL PATRICK
• Application Number:
  US08/534,850
• Time in Patent Office: 755 Days
• Field of Search: 347/68, 347/71, 347/94
• US Class Current: 347/71
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/14209 of finger type, chamber walls consisting integrally of piezoelectric material
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2002/14491 Electrical connection

Abstract

A piezoelectric ceramic plate has a plurality of grooves and partition walls formed in it. A cover plate is attached to the piezoelectric ceramic plate to cover the grooves to form interleaved ink channels and air channels. A flexible print board is adhesively attached to one end surface each of the piezoelectric ceramic plate and the cover plate. The ink supply ports formed in the flexible print board connect to the ink channels. A cover portion formed on the flexible print board covers the inlet ports of the air channels so that no ink enters the air channels. A first contact electrode formed on the flexible print board is electrically connected to metal electrodes in the ink channels. A second contact electrode is electrically connected to metal electrodes in the air channels.

Claims

1. An ink ejecting device, comprising:

a first plate and a second plate, at least one of the first and second plates having a plurality of grooves and interleaved partition walls, the first and second plates attached together and covering the grooves to form a plurality of interleaved ink ejection channels and air channels;

an ink supply member attached to at least one of the first plate and the second plate and supplying ink to the plurality of ink ejection channels;

a plurality of first electrodes formed on sides of the plurality of partition walls forming one of the plurality of ink ejection channels and the plurality of air channels;

a plurality of second electrodes formed on sides of the plurality of partition walls forming the other of the plurality of air channels and the plurality of ink ejection channels; and

a link member, comprising;

a plurality of first connection portions, each connecting at least one of the plurality of first electrodes to a power source circuit,

at least one second connection portion for connecting the plurality of second electrodes to the power source circuit,

a plurality of ink supply ports connecting the plurality of ink ejection channels to the ink supply member, and

a plurality of cover portions covering the plurality of air channels to prevent ink from the ink supply member from entering the air channels.

2. The ink ejecting device of claim 1, wherein the link member comprises a flexible print board.

3. The ink ejecting device of claim 1, further comprising:

a plurality of third electrodes provided on an outside surface of at least one of the first plate and the second plate, each of the plurality of third electrodes connected to at least one of the plurality of first electrodes; and

a fourth electrode provided on the outside surface of the at least one of the first plate and the second plate and connected to each of the plurality of second electrodes.

4. The ink ejecting device of claim 3, wherein the outside surface of the at least one of the first plate and the second plate on which the plurality of third electrodes and the fourth electrode are formed and an outside surface of at least one of the first plate and the second plate through which ink is supplied to the plurality of ink ejection channels is the same surface.

5. The ink ejecting device of claim 3, wherein ink is supplied to the plurality of ink ejection channels through a first outside surface of at least one of the first plate and the second plate and the plurality of third electrodes and the fourth electrode are formed on the first outside surface of the at least one of the first plate and the second plate and a second outside surface of at least one of the first plate and the second plate.

6. The ink ejecting device of claim 3, wherein each one of the plurality of third electrodes is connected to two first electrodes.

7. The ink ejecting device of claim 6, wherein the plurality of first electrodes comprise electrodes formed on the side walls of the plurality of ink ejection channels, and each of the plurality of third electrodes is connected to the first electrodes of the same ink ejection channel.

8. The ink ejecting device of claim 6, wherein the plurality of first electrodes comprise electrodes formed on the side walls of the plurality of air channels, and each of the plurality of third electrodes is connected to first electrodes adjacent to the same ink ejection channel.

9. The ink ejecting device of claim 3, wherein:

each of the plurality of first connection portions connects one of the plurality of third electrodes to the power source circuit; and

the at least one second connection portion connects the fourth electrode to the power source circuit.

10. The ink ejecting device of claim 9, wherein each of the plurality of first connection portions comprises a contact electrode contacting a corresponding one of the third electrodes and a connection pattern connecting the contact electrode to the power source circuit.

11. The ink ejecting device of claim 9, wherein the at least one second connection portion comprises a contact electrode contacting the fourth electrode and a connection pattern connecting the contact electrode to the power source circuit.

12. The ink ejecting device of claim 1, wherein each of the at least one second connection portion and the plurality of first connection portions comprises:

a first thin layer of a conductive material formed on the link member, and

a second thin layer of a conductive low melting point material formed on the first thin layer, wherein the melting point of the second thin layer is lower than a melting point of the first thin layer.

13. The ink ejecting device of claim 12, wherein, when the ink ejecting device is heated to a temperature between the melting point of the first thin layer and the melting point of the second thin layer, the second thin layer melts to mechanically connect the link member to at least the first plate and to electrically connect each of the plurality of first connection portions and the at least one second connection portion to the corresponding ones of the plurality of first electrodes and the plurality of second electrodes.

14. The ink ejecting device of claim 1, wherein each of the at least one second connection portion and the plurality of first connection portions comprises:

a first thin layer of a conductive material formed on the link member, and

a second thin layer of a conductive adhesive material formed on the first thin layer.

15. The ink ejecting device of claim 14, wherein the second thin layer comprises a mixture of an epoxy adhesive and a metal powder.

16. The ink ejecting device of claim 1, further comprising an adhesive layer provided on the link member in areas separate from the plurality of first connection portions, the at least one second connection portion and the plurality of ink supply ports to mechanically connect the link member to at least one of the first plate, the second plate and the ink supply member.

17. The ink ejecting device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of first electrodes comprise electrodes formed on the side walls of the plurality of air channels and the plurality of second electrodes comprise electrodes formed on the side walls of the plurality of ink ejection channels, the ink ejecting device further comprising:

a plurality of third electrodes provided on an outside surface of at least one of the first plate and the second plate, each of the plurality of third electrodes connected to a pair of the plurality of first electrodes which are adjacent to the same ink ejection channel; and

a plurality of fourth electrodes provided on the outside surface of the at least one of the first plate and the second plate, each of the plurality of fourth electrodes connected to the second electrodes of the same ink ejection channel.

18. The ink ejecting device of claim 17, wherein:

each of the plurality of first connection portions is partially positioned within a corresponding cover portion and connects one of the plurality of third electrodes to a power source circuit; and

the at least one second connection portion connects the plurality of fourth electrodes to the power source circuit.

19. The ink ejecting device of claim 1, wherein the first plate is a substrate and the second plate is a cover plate, the plurality of grooves and the plurality of partition walls formed in the substrate.

20. The ink ejecting device of claim 1, wherein the first plate is a first substrate and the second plate is a second substrate, wherein the plurality of grooves and the plurality of partition walls are formed in each of the first and second substrates.

21. The ink ejecting device of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of at least one of the first and second plates is formed of a piezoelectric material.

22. The ink ejecting device of claim 1, wherein the link member comprises a pair of flexible print boards,

a first one of the pair of flexible print boards connected to an ink supply end of the first and second plates and comprising:

a plurality of the cover portions covering the plurality of air channels to prevent ink from the ink supply source from entering the air channels, and

the plurality of ink supply ports connecting the plurality of ink ejection channels to the ink supply member; and

a second one of the pair of flexible print boards connected to a nozzle end of the first and second plates and comprising;

a plurality of the cover portions covering the plurality of air channels, and

a plurality of ink ejection nozzles, each of the nozzles connected to one of the plurality of ink channels;

wherein one of the first and second flexible print boards includes the plurality of first connection portions and the other of the first and second flexible print boards includes the at least one second connection portion.

23. The ink ejecting device of claim 1, wherein the at least one second connection portion for connecting the plurality of second electrodes to the power source circuit comprises a plurality of second connection portions, each connecting at least one of the plurality of second electrodes to the power source circuit.

24. The ink ejecting device of claim 1, wherein the at least one second connection portion comprises a plurality of contact electrodes, each contact electrode positioned within a corresponding one of the plurality of cover portions and contacting at least one corresponding second electrode, and a connection pattern connecting the plurality of contact electrodes to the power source circuit.

25. The ink ejecting device of claim 1, wherein an adhesive is provided over at least one of the plurality of cover portions between the link member and at least one of the first and second plates.